Chapter 24
Steve ducked behind what used to be a couch at some point.
A day ago. It used to be a couch a day ago. Today was supposed to be a fucking wedding. He was supposed to officiate that wedding. Seeing two of his closest friends getting married. Binding their lives together. Having some of the happiness he had with Tony. Seeing Dean watching his brother become happy and content. Castiel would be there, with his warm smile, pretending not to notice the tears in Dean’s eyes.
Instead, they were fighting Ultron again, who decided to ruin their home during the fight. Evil doppelgangers are after his best friend’s heart. Not to mention that he had no idea if his husband was even alive, along with four of his closest friends and the man who was pretty much his brother. While the rest of the team were fighting for their lives in their home right now.
He just wanted to be in bed with Tony at the moment. Curled around each other, away from harm. Away from evil doppelgangers. Invasions. Injuries. Just safe and together and home.
With him not knowing what Tony’s fate is, he wasn’t sure if he will ever get that again. He wasn’t sure if he will ever see his husband’s smile again.
Even if Tony was alive, Steve wasn’t sure he will live long enough to see him, with how vicious that damned robot was attacking them.
If Ultron just gave him a second to breathe, he would have burst into tears from frustration and bent up grief by now.
On cue, the damned robot blew the couch Steve was taking shelter behind.
Just when he was about to get hit, Erik came out of nowhere pulling him by the metal in his belt away from harm.
Ultron just let out a loud laugh then charged at them again.
***
Dark Tony released Dean, as he took a step back, eyes widening in pure terror the moment he laid eyes on AU Erik, charging with righteous anger towards them,
“You. No, no, you are dead! He killed you! I saw it myself!” he exclaimed in panic, as he froze in his place.
“Well, looks like we have something in common. We both like to fake deaths.” AU Erik growled when he reached them, eyes trained on the terrified genius.
At the same time, AU Hank rushed to Tony and Charles, eyes widening when he saw the body laying in the pod, then proceeded to help them release it, without asking questions. While AU Steve moved to help Dean back to his feet and away, close to the geniuses working on the sleeping telepath.
The rest of the rebel army stood around, guns and powers trained at Dark Tony, who only had eyes for the metal binder.
“You son of a bitch.” Erik pretty much screamed at the man’s face; the entire room is vibrating along with his anger. “When everyone abandoned your sorry ass, Charles was the only one who stood by you! Until the last possible moment, he mistakenly believed there is hope for you! This is how you thank him? Faking his death. Keeping him inside a pod as a battery for your pet robot?!”
“He is about to fly off.” Charles whispered in alarm to his friends, making them all move at the same time.
Dark Tony was about to indeed try to escape and fly off, but in the next moment, AU Steve’s shield flew to hit his legs, while Tony and Dean jumped him from behind, thrusting two screwdrivers into his shoulders, forcing him to land to his knees.
“Fucking hell!” he shouted in frustration and was about to hit them, but his entire body froze and he failed to move an inch.
“You increased the magnetic metals in your suit.” AU Erik observed as he eyed him with pure hatred in his eyes. “You thought I was dead, so you felt safe to increase whatever kind of metal in your suit. Bad move. You are supposed to be a genius.”
“Look, look! Just take him. You don’t need to kill me after that ri-fuck!” the words choked out of him as AU Erik made a fist with his hand, making the Iron Man suit tighten around its owner hard.
“I don’t need to what?!” AU Erik thundered, tightening his hold in the process. “For years! You made me think he was dead for years! If it wasn’t for you, we would have been married, and living a quiet life away from this a long time ago! You ruined our lives! You ruined everything! My only regret is that I can only kill you once!”
“To be fair, his life was already ruined.” The dark genius let out a cruel, choked off laugh, a crazy look in his eyes, seeming to ignore the fact that he was currently being crushed by his own suit. “He was about to marry the man who paralyzed him. I did him a favor really. What use could he do to the world in a wheelchair? Open his fucking school?! At least what I did, made him do something actually useful with his life!”
He leaned forward towards the metal binder, not seeming to care anymore that he was about to be killed.
“I did a lot of bad things. To him. To a lot of people.” His smirk turned maniac as he trailed his eyes between them all, laughing hysterically. “I raped Captain America and made him my sex slave! I turned my childhood friend into a living battery to a killer robot and told his family that he is dead. I helped the king raid SHIELD and killing everyone in there. I helped him take over the world. I murdered hundreds of people, who dared to get in our way.”
His eyes glowed with the craziness that was pretty much oozing from his words and voice. “And I don’t regret any of it! If I can go back in time, I will do it all over again! You hear me?! I don’t regret it! The only thing I regret is not killing you with my own hands! At least then, I would have died right now by someone better.”
AU Erik snarled in rage, then in the next second, he was in front of the crazed genius, and thrusted his hand harshly into his chest, removing his arc reactor with one swift move.
Tony flinched at the scene, making Dean and Charles step closer to him, both in support and to keep him from watching the brutal scene.
Dark Tony watched dully as AU Erik crushed the arc reactor in his hand, eyes trained firmly on the dying genius’ face.
“Do everyone around a favor and die.” He spat, shoving him to the floor and getting back to his feet.
Dark Tony writhed on the floor, gasping, sweating, as his heart failed him slowly but surely.
Tony crouched next to him, watching him calmly, a sad look on his face.
“Do you know why I no longer have the arc reactor?” He murmured idly, watching the other’s unfocused eyes trail towards his voice. “Because I was never like you. That got me a family. A family that cared enough to heal me.” He leaned towards the dying man. “I will never be in your position. Dying alone in a room filled with people who hate your guts.”
Dark Tony let out a pained gasp, his eyes trailing to land on AU Steve, who was watching him with a hollow face. Looking tired, drained and pained.
“I-I Al-always h-hat-hated y-you.” Dark Tony spat harshly at the soldier in a fading voice, before letting out a sharp gasp, then his body stilled forever with that last breath.
Tony Stark of the dark world was officially gone.
***
Steve was pulled harshly by Ultron and was slammed hard against the wall.
From the corner of his eyes, he could see Rhodey helping Wilson up. Logan cursing loudly as he pulled a pipe from his stomach, Hank was unconscious, Thor was half outside a broken window and was being pulled in by Erik and Bruce, the former was starting to get disoriented and drained from his head injury.
Ultron was too strong, he is going to kill them at this rate. Steve wasn’t sure how long are they were going to hold on.
“I heard you destroyed my version in this world.” Ultron snarled into his face, his cold metallic face was sending shivers down his spine. “I find that hard to believe with how pathetic you are.”
“We didn’t lose.” Steve said firmly, a stubborn look on his face as he faced the robot in determination. “I can do this all day.”
***
Sam and Raven were supporting a still weak Castiel as they rushed through the halls, followed by a frantic Charlie, to get the angel out of the Tower.
“This is a very nice way to spend your wedding day, Sam.” Castiel muttered under his breath, feeling more frustrated than tired at this point if he was being honest.
“Yeah, well, that’s how our life is. I am an idiot if I thought it will be different because it’s my wedding.” Sam sighed bitterly, tightening his hold on the angel as they reached the garage.
“We don’t even know if your best man and your future wife will come back or not.” The angel’s voice was heavy with pain and bitterness at the mention of Dean, making Sam’s heart break in his chest. He didn’t try to think about Dean, Natasha and their friends so far. It was too painful to think about the possibilities.
“Come on, it’s Dean. He is probably fighting tooth and nail with the others to come back and save the day.” Charlie tried to reassure them, while she kept looking back frantically, to see if they were followed.
“Exactly. I am sure they will turn up any moment now.” Raven added with a hopeful note in her voice, trying to ignore how she was suppressing her own panic for her missing brother.
“Right now, we just need to get you out of here.” Sam said firmly, as they reached the Impala.
But before he could open the door, an arrow shot through the air, landing on the door, missing Sam’s hand by an inch.
They froze, before turning around slowly. Only to find themselves face to face with Dark Dean, who was pointing an arrow at them, ready to shoot.
“Step away from the angel.” He ordered coldly, no ounce of emotion on his face. “Or you will all die.”
***
AU Raven was at the lever, Natasha, Clint and Bucky were covering her, as they shoot at the soldiers, who seemed to be increasing no matter how many of them they killed.
“It’s hopeless! Even if we opened the breach, we will never be able to reach it from this endless number of soldiers shooting at us!” Clint exclaimed frantically, drenched in sweat and looking to be on the verge of collapsing.
Natasha and Bucky didn’t look any better.
“We have no other choice. We need to keep moving,” Natasha shouted while pointing her gun at a soldier.
Only to find out that she was out of ammo.
“I am out!” she exclaimed with wide eyes, stunned at her own mistake for missing count on her own ammo.
“Fuck, me too.” Bucky muttered in frustration, dropping his gun and pulling a knife instead to throw it at the soldier about to shoot Natasha.
“Great, this is just great!” Clint cursed as he shoot the last of his ammo at a few soldiers.
They were out of ammo, while the soldiers kept shooting at them.
“Well, it was really nice knowing you guys.” Clint muttered as he closed his eyes bitterly.
“It’s not over it!” Natasha insisted desperately, pulling out a knife.
“Nat, look around you. We are outnumbered. Unarmed. It’s done.” Bucky sighed in defeat, feeling drained and sad.
“Listen here, you big idiots, this is my wedding day! And I am not dying in another world, while my fiancé is fighting for his life in our world! I will not accept that. We will go home, and will fucking get married and you two will be there!” She practically shouted at their faces, making their eyes widen in shock. They never saw her lose her shit like that.
In the next second, before either of them made a move, a small army of humans and mutants, led by AU Logan, crashed into the room, shooting away at the startled soldiers.
Seeing that, AU Raven jumped and pulled down the lever.
The gateway opened with a strong burst of power, and the breached appeared wide open.
***
“Pull him out!” AU Erik ordered for what felt like the tenth time, as he waited impatiently for the geniuses to pull his still sleeping lover from the pod.
“We are trying! If we pulled at a wrong wire, we might kill him, so calm down already!” Tony snapped back, working twice as fast from AU Erik’s relentless pressure.
“Why isn’t he waking up? Is he alive? Check if he is breathing.” The metal binder asked again, looking two seconds away from pushing them away from the pod and releasing the sleeping telepath himself.
“He is alive. His brain is working just fine. He will wake up soon enough when we release him.” Charles was the one to answer, sending AU Erik a gentle smile. “He can feel your presence.”
An anguish look passed on the metal binder’s face, eyes flying to his sleeping lover’s, feeling his heart fluttering in his chest.
Charles is alive. His Charles will be back to his arms soon.
It’s been too long. He finally can feel alive again for the first time in years.
Meanwhile, AU Steve was staring down at Dark Tony’s body, an unreadable look on his face.
He leaned down, closing the man’s eyes with the palm of his hand.
“You forgave him, didn’t you?” he looked up at the sound of Dean’s voice, who was looking down at him with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t know.” He sighed, getting back to his feet and looked down at the body again with a conflicted look on his face. “He ruined my life. Stripped away everything from me. Raped and tortured me, physically and mentally. But-“ he sighed and looked away with a pained look. “For years now, he was the only thing I had.”
“That’s not an enough reason to forgive a rapist bastard like him.” Dean pointed out in disapproval, as he looked at AU Steve with a frown.
“I know. It’s just-“ he sighed and turned to look at Tony, who had a very concentrated look on his face as he fiddled with the last wire connected to AU Charles’ body.
“I saw the man he could have been if things were different.” AU Steve murmured with a soft, sad smile, watching Tony as he worked. “He was seduced into leading a dark path. He didn’t resist. He just jumped into it with all he had, until he went mad. Everything he did was unforgivable. But-“ his smile turned bitter and full of grief. “-if things were different. If he had resisted. If he had become what he should have been, I could have easily fallen for him.”
He kept watching Tony with that sad, bitter smile, while Dean’s eyes were slowly widening as he watched him.
“Your Steve Rogers is surely one lucky fella, isn’t he?” the soldier murmured, seeming to not notice he had said that out loud.
“Aha! I am done!” Tony exclaimed in victory, after he safely removed the last wire from the sleeping telepath’s body.
AU Erik immediately rushed forward, gently, so gently, moving his arms under AU Charles’ body and pulled him out of the pod.
He looked down at his sleeping face, and his cold face crumpled as a tear slid down from his eye, a shuddering breath left his lips as he pulled the telepath tightly into his chest, burying his face into his hair, breathing him in.
The commander act dropped completely, as he turned into a drowning man that finally found his savior.
A small smile spread on Dean’s face at that, as Tony and Charles watched the scene with their own smiles. AU Steve’s eyes remained on Tony, while AU Hank had tears falling from his eyes.
One thing he learned from this dark world, even with how horrible it was for them here, is that no matter how the circumstances were different, no matter that themselves were different, there were things that will forever remain the same, whatever the world they were in.
Steve Rogers will always fall for Tony Stark.
Erik Lehnsherr will always be balanced by Charles Xavier.
And Dean Winchester will always find the angel Castiel.