Marvel Imagines

004 - Tony Stark imagine - Red Robin

Imagine : you're a young Avenger, just starting out, and this is your first mission

It wasn't meant to be like this.

Two years ago, you'd graduated from the SHIELD Academy, renowned for your enhanced marksmanship and agility. The media loved to compare you to Hawkeye, even going as far as to reward you with the nickname "Red Robin" after you debuted with the costume Tony had designed for you to celebrate your promotion up the ranks. A few months later, you were officially announced as the newest member of the Avengers. 

Now, even though you were still just a fledgeling in the team's eyes, they were starting to let you come on missions. That was, under one condition: you had to follow Tony's orders. If you failed, you'd be sat back on the subs' bench until you were deemed old enough to make decisions off of your own back.

The Quinjet took off of the runway and you felt sick all of a sudden. What if something happened? What if you didn't make it back? Your training could only cover so much.

Tony walked over and sat down next to you, sensing your anxiety. He'd seen it all in himself before, after the events in New York. "What's up, buttercup?"

"Nothing, s'all okay," you replied, painfully aware of how choked and hoarse your voice sounded out loud.

His tone shifted from cheerful to concerned, lines etched in his forehead. "Don't lie to me. I've known you for three years." He rested a hand on your knee, forcing you to meet his eyes. "I remember the day I first met you, you know that right? After that first day, I asked that when you joined us, you were placed under my care. Fury was going to give you to Barton. Barton."

The emphasis and mock disgust on his teammate's name made you giggle, which in turn made him smile. "See, that's more like it. Nothing's going to happen to you out there."

He sat with you for a while, chatting about random things to cheer you up, until you were told to suit up and he was called away by Banner. A small smile settled upon your face as you walked into the room where your suit was. Maybe your first mission wouldn't be so bad after all.

***

"Everybody stay calm!" Cap shouted as fire rained down on the team, forcing them to hide behind the clusters of trees in the forest that ringed the Hydra base. 

"Take your own advice!" you shouted back, rewarded with a smile from Nat, who was crouched behind a bush next to you.

"I'm running out of patience!" Barton shouted, trying to be heard over the gunfire. "Red, want to do that drill I taught you?"

Your mind flicked back to what he'd taught you in Stark Tower's gym. It involved you both flanking either side of the battlefield then converging behind the opposition, wiping them out from behind their own lines. You looked back to him then nodded, sliding your pistols into their holders to free up your hands.

Nat spoke above the noise caused by the torrential downpour of bullets. "I'll cover Red."

Tony slowly rose into the air, firing a few blasts before the metal mask turned towards Barton. "I'll offer air support."

You looked Barton in the eye and nodded before you slowly turned, spun and took off towards the next tree. After putting some distance between you and the battlefield, you did what you'd practised and took off up the flank, only stopping when you were certain that you were behind the Hydra agents shooting at your team. 

Barton was almost directly parallel to you, giving you the nod to draw your guns. The two of you burst through the trees at the exact same time: your guns drawn and his bow loaded with another arrow. A familiar flash of red and gold in the air comforted you somewhat as you started firing. 

Without a second thought, you plunged headfirst into the fight. Cap and Natasha peeled away from the trees and started to attack from the opposite side; suffocating the Hydra agents who had nowhere to run.

Until they did.

The guard you were fighting suddenly charged at you, knocking you to the ground and making you drop one of your pistols; causing it to skid across the compacted dirt, just out of reach. He stood up and stamped a foot down on your wrist, making you release the other pistol. You cried out in pain from the ground and looked around for any sign of Tony in the sky.

He was there. Slowly, he descended, hovering behind your assailant. "I wouldn't do that if I was you."

The Hydra agent responded by reaching a hand to his utility belt and producing a knife with a short, wide blade. "No. I would. Back away, Iron Man, or I'll kill her in front of you." He held the dagger to your neck, staring Tony down. "Leave now and you won't see her suffer."

"You and I both know that's not an option," Tony replied, the mask making his voice deeper and robotic. He paused. "And you and I both know that I'm just stalling for time."

The moment he finished talking, Nat leapt from nowhere, jumping and wrapping her legs around the guard's kneck before using her Spider's Bite to taser him. She sent a mean shot into the base of his skull and jumped back off as he dropped, unconscious.

She saved me. They both saved me, you thought as you rubbed your neck where the knife had been moments before.

Nat helped you up to your feet just as Cap slammed his shield into the last Hydra agent's head, watching him slump to the ground before jogging over to the rest of his team. "What'd I miss?" he asked.

"Seriously?" Tony replied, more than a little pissed off. "You're really gonna ask that?"

Cap shrugged and, one by one, everyone headed off into the woods again, back towards the Quinjet. Eventually, it was just you and Tony left. He'd taken off his mask so you could see his face. His gaze settled upon you with a bitter look of worry, sadness and disappointment. Not disappointment at you. At himself. He blamed himself that you almost died and you could tell.

"Red..." he began as his head tilted towards the ground. He kicked at the dirt with a metal boot as you observed him.

"No, Tony, no," you cut him off. "We aren't doing this. You aren't going to blame yourself. This was all on me."

"I was the freaking aerial support!"

"And I should have covered my own back! You don't whine like this when Nat gets hurt!"

"That's because Nat is a trained assassin and I don't love her like I..."

The two of you stared at each other in shock; him in disbelief that he'd let the cat out of the bag and you in complete bewilderment that he liked you in that way. You'd always assumed that you were just a friend, just some project that he was handed to mould into a hero of tomorrow. But now you knew that it was more than that.

He stumbled over his words, eventually choking out, "Just forget I..."

You cut him off by stepping closer and planting a forceful kiss on his lips, effectively shutting him up. You pulled away after a few long moments. Now was his turn to be bewildered.

"That really did shut you up. Maybe I'll let Barton know that it does the trick."

You grinned and he grinned back. "You're lucky that I love you, little Red Robin."

A/N : heya, this took a bit longer than expected :)

On a happier note, mocks are almost over so that should free up more time for me to write. Please don't hesitate to send in any requests!