The Winged (Avengers x Reader x Supernatural)

Chapter 24

              рассвет (Daybreak)

Clutching the white envelope closer to your chest, you shrunk into a corner of the elevator. Today was the day you had decided to resign from the news station. It will raise more brows if I die on the job. Right? Even after becoming an honorary member of the Avengers, you had continued with your job as a news reporter for the same reason you had joined it in the first place - you liked what you did.

The process wasn't cumbersome for you at all. It was a pretty simple equation, really. Do you want me to work a nine to five job sitting behind a desk or do you want to have a functional world till your last breathing day? Steve had come to drop you off; being the only one who knew where you were and when he kissed your head before taking his leave, the amount of people staring at you momentarily made you want to leave with him.

-

"Tony you have to stop. Your foot is bleeding! Why is your foot bleeding?" Natasha might as well have been chasing a four year old. "I don't know. I think I stepped on something in the lab." Tony wouldn't have answered if the Black Widow didn't have an iron grip on his arm. Huh, ironic.

"You have left a blood trail through half of this building." She was pulling Tony to one side, attempting to stop him from shooting across to God knows where, "Sit down." "You don't understand." Tony was struggling against Natasha's hold as she pushed him on a couch, "(Y/N)'s not in the tower. No one knows where she is and she isn't answering her phone."

"What?" It certainly wasn't as colossal an issue as Tony was making it out to be but it wasn't neglect worthy either. You were the one to establish the ground rule of no one leaving the tower without informing at least one person, given the degree of danger that came with your jobs; it was unlikely for you to defy your own dictum.

"I followed a blood trail here." Clint walked in, munching on salted pretzels, "So....who died?" "You're sure?" Natasha did not have the kind of time to indulge into a wit war with her best friend; she kept her attention on Tony. "I think. I've asked FRIDAY, Barnes, Wilson, Barton, the Maximoff girl and you irrefutably don't seem to know where she is!" Tony collapsed from exhaustion. "That's everyone in the tower." Clint might not have known specifically what was going on but he had been around long enough to know when to worry.

"Everyone calm down." Sensing the hysteria about to set in, Natasha picked up her phone and dialed a characteristic set of numbers. Something about what Tony had said had clicked in her mind, offering her a faint glimmer of hope. "Steve?" At the other end of the line was the one person Stark had not listed, "What? No. Of course I'm fine. Um...do you know where (Y/N) is? We had a girl's thing planned and....oh....oh okay. Thanks. Bye!" Natasha Romanoff felt stress physically lift off her.

"It's okay. She's at the news station." She sighed in relief. "What? Why?" Tony asked no one in particular. You weren't supposed to be working today.

-

"Oh gosh, is that (Y/N) (L/N)?" You heard hushed voices behind you. "You mean the one who ditched Captain America for Iron Man?" Someone giggled. "Apparently she's Miss America again, I saw them kiss this morning." Another one whispered. Damn my system for wanting coffee.

You had left your phone at your apartment, so there was no place to divert your mind to. "Would you look at that? I guess slut life does pay off." They weren't even trying to be discreet. Your jaw tensed and your veins were beginning to form a gold shimmer. "Wonder who she slept with to become an Avenger." The girl stared right into your eyes as she spoke.

"My sunglasses are worth more than your life insurance, lady. I suggest you quit talking." The familiarity of the voice made you squeeze your eyes shut. What is he doing here!? Tony led you away by taking your hand and you let him, afraid that this might be the last physical contact you have with him after you brought into action what you had in mind. All the pain you had caused, the heartbreak you had suffered, was so that he would stop caring for you. So that he wouldn't miss you when you weren't there anymore. Now that the inadequacy of your plan had been identified, it was time to crank it up a notch.

"What are you doing here?" You ripped away from his grip as soon as you stepped foot on the terrace. Tony took off his sunglasses, revealing his tired eyes, so tired, you had to hold yourself back from running up to him and kissing them better. What was he doing here? The question hadn't struck him the entire drive to the news station. He knew where you were. He knew you were safe. So why did he drive all the way over here? Although, damn him if he ever admitted that. "First of all, you're welcome."

"I didn't thank you."

"You don't need to."

"I won't." You hissed, "Seriously, Tony, what are you doing here? I didn't realize we were even on talking terms." "And who decided that? Because I certainly didn't." Tony didn't look like he wanted a fight, "You did that. You decided to go on a self destruct mission. You decided we should break up. Tell me (Y/N), where do I fit into this equation?"

"That does not answer my question." You crossed your arms. "I came here to make sure you were safe." His hands hovered around you, unsure of what to touch. The golden aura encompassing you was more prominent than before. "I'm not yours to save. And as far as the equation goes, not everything is about you. That notion needs to be broken and you need to get over yourself."

-

You had walked out on Tony, not because the conversation was over, rather because you didn't think you could bear to torment the man any more. Canvassing the throbbing sea of gold, which was all you could see, you somehow succeeded in reaching home. The emotional buildup inside you was hitting its extremes and you needed a release, fast.

-

At the tower, when golden wisps surrounded Bucky out of nowhere, no one knew what to do. "It is her." Wanda confirmed, her eyes momentarily lighting up in red. "Don't touch him." Steve held Sam back, who had stepped up to help Bucky when he fell to his knees. He remembered your warning. Bucky threw his head back in tribulation, kicking the air in vain.

Not long after, the gold disappeared just as mysteriously as it had appeared. Bucky's breathing slowly evened out. Dark spots invaded your vision and soon enough, they were all you could see.

A/N: All suggestions and constructive criticism is always welcome.