They're made up of trained assassins, a genius, a rather angry doctor, an Asgardian prince, a should-be ghost, and a foul-mouthed teenager.
Who are they?
They're the Avengers. And after babysitting said teen, they're ready to take on whatever obstac...
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"You'd think that after all these years of living in the 21st century, the guy'd finally get himself an iPhone," Tony grumbled, tapping the screen not-so-gently.
"Not picking up?" Peter said, just to remind everyone of his presence. Throughout the whole trip, he'd been quiet, and just now thought of making sure they all knew that they was still here.
"Now is not the time for sarcasm, kid," he warned lightly, but Peter understood what he was trying to say: shut up. So, keeping his head down, he listened to what was happening around him, including the words of the new visitor.
"I am looking for him, the man who was called the Winter Soldier," he repeated, as if the others hadn't heard them.
"Yeah, we got that, Your Highness" Nat said sharply, worried about the fact that Steve and the others couldn't be reached at the moment, which could have meant one of two things:
1) Steve was ignoring them
2) They were in trouble, and couldn't answer a phone call
Natasha hoped it was the first option; she couldn't handle losing any more of her friends to the downfall that was Skull. She just couldn't stand the fact that they had to split up in order to keep track of both missions. The Avengers were supposed to be a team, weren't they? Now, divided, it seemed like any small thing could get in the way of the family dynamic they'd had for so long. And that scared her.
But, interrupting her thoughts, the sound of a phone ringing came to her ears, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her as she realized that someone was calling Tony. Please let it be one of the others, she thought.
Tony looked down at the screen, and made a grunt of recognition to the name that showed up. "It's Big Bird," he said, confusing everyone until he answered the call and responded, "So you decided to call back. That's real thoughtful, Wilson."
The air was filled with silence for a few moment's time, and Peter gave the black man a few paces away from him another look up and down. He'd heard Nat call him "Your Highness," but he couldn't tell if she was being serious, or if she was just being her usual rude self.
Deciding that he didn't really have anything to lose in the situation, he carefully took a few steps in his direction, stopping abruptly when he was shot with a warning look from the cat suit-wearer.
"Um, right," Peter said, clearing his throat softly. "W-what's your name?"
The stranger seemed to glare at him for another minute before answering, "my name is T'Challa, King of Wakanda."
Peter's eyes widened. He was literally in the presence of royalty. "Oh--oh, wow," he marveled, and felt his waist bending over in the start of a bow before T'Challa interrupted the motion with a few sharp words.
"Get up," he hissed, "I should not have told you that, I do not go by that name around here."
The awkward teenage boy would have apologized profusely, but he didn't have the time, as Tony hung up the phone and began to order everyone--including T'Challa--back to the helicopter.
"But there's, like, no room," Peter pointed out, "we were already squished shoulder to shoulder on the way here."
Tony gave him a look. "Comfort isn't the first priority when it comes to being a superhero, okay, kid?" Then he clapped him on the shoulder, and whispered into his ear, "you'll get better at this as time goes on, I can tell."
He raised his head to look at Tony admirably, but he'd already moved on to the front of the group, beginning the trek back to the helicopter.
-
"Are you gonna tell us what that was all about or not?" Nat raised an eyebrow as Tony settled himself in front of the giant screens J.A.R.V.I.S. had turned on upon their arrival back at the tower.
"Not yet, honey bunches," he responded absentmindedly, scrolling on the screen of his phone, looking for something. When he found it, his thumb punched it confidently, and he held it up to his ear, waiting for an answer. "J.A.R.V.I.S., I'm going to need to you track this phone call, okay?"
"Of course, sir," came the eerily human reply.
Again, the room was filled with silence, and Peter glanced over at T'Challa, ever-growing curiosity about the man eating away at him. But evidently Steve had picked up by then, and Tony put him on speakerphone.
"Alright, Cap, what's the status?" Tony asked as he watched the screens zeroing in on the others' location.
"We found the island," was his soft reply. "But we need some help."
Peter peeked over Nat's shoulder to see the location of his friends--and hopefully, his cousin.
It was a point in the middle of the ocean.
"Well, help would be on the way, naturally, but we've got a problem, too," Bruce took over the conversation as the billionaire beside him tried to make the result different, acting as if something had gone wrong. "We found your location, but it's in the ocean, Steve. Where the hell did you go?"
Steve's reply was indignant. "No, there's an island here, it's just so small that it's not even worth plotting on a map. We need you to get here as fast as possible."
"Steve," Tony was back on the line, "I'm afraid I don't believe you, but this isn't unlike your other experiences with water."
"What's that supposed to mean, Stark? We're kind of on a time limit."
"Well," he smirked, "the last time you were in the ocean, you became a Capsicle."
"Very funny," Steve said, sarcasm dripping from his words, and each person in the room could practically see him roll his eyes in annoyance. "Just get here."
"Okay, okay," Nat said dismissively, "just don't be surprised when we show up with some extra luggage."
There was a pause. Then, "And what might that luggage be?"
Nat glanced back at T'Challa with a tentative grin, the first one Peter had ever seen on the redheaded woman. "We may have found the King of Wakanda laying in the street."
"The more help we can get, the better," he said, and without another word, hung up the phone, ending the call.
"Alright, boys--and girl," Tony blushed, "I guess we're heading to the ocean to help a ninety-year-old Capsicle."
Nat rolled her eyes. "Don't deny it, you love saving his ass."
"Now that," Tony pointed a finger at her, "is a true fact. I love saving people's asses. Especially Steve's."
"We are wasting time, are we not?" T'Challa cut in gently.
Tony brushed him off. "No, of course not." He met Peter's eyes and gave him a pointed. "Rule number one of being a superhero: always make a badass entrance, even if it means you're late."
