Steve x Reader |Negotium| [4]

~*~Year 14~*~

James had grown a little bit taller in the last couple years. He was nearly as tall as (Name), and while he was still a bit of a beanpole, he had enough muscle on him to let SHIELD induct him into the  youth program.

Steve had been reluctant to let the rascally teen join, but (Name) had been all for it. James needed to learn how to protect himself. In case there was an attack, or some sort of invasion that they couldn’t protect him from.

Like today, for example.

Captain America and Darkspine were ravaging the city, NYC under siege for the ninetieth time in the last decade, and James (who had yet to earn a codename), was right alongside them. Aliens had attacked. It had to be aliens.

Grayish purple, beady eyes hidden behind intimidating helmets, and guns that would vaporize anything they touched. Miniature wormholes.

They were the same ones.

“They didn’t learn the first time.” (Name) growled, an unfathomable rage building in her body. Dark matter crackled and sparked all around her, twisting viciously as the aliens split through the sky and streaked towards them.

James looked towards his parents, his own dark matter and amazing intellect allowing him to analyze the situation. His matter was reacting to his mother’s; wavering under the dangerous negative energy surging inside her. Whereas Steve had never looked more tense in his entire life.

“Nine years and they finally come back for more.” Steve muttered, glaring up at them. He began to move forward, legs pushing him closer to the exploding point for their second war. (Name) began to follow, but felt the hands of Natasha and Clint keeping her back.

The Avengers were here, this time.

“Be careful, (Name). You can’t just go flying into this.” Natasha told her, and her friend regarded her with blank eyes.

“Why not? Steve is.”

“That’s because the only person who can stop him now is Bruce. And if Hulk stops him, he might not start again.” Clint pointed out, and (Name) grit her teeth.

“And you think you can stop me?”

“Please, (Name). Ve don’t vant to see you hurt.” Pietro’s voice came from the side. He’d joined them, a while back. And while she was happy to have him here, she wasn’t happy to hear him telling her to restrain herself.

“I don’t think you understand; They took my baby away. And they literally just put themselves in front of my face. They are begging me to go all out.” She glowered, ripping herself from their grasp. Wanda recognized the darkness in her eyes. She’d had the same look, many years ago.

“It isn’t smart. You could get yourself killed. Vinnie vouldn’t have vanted that.” She chided, and (Name) nearly tossed her into the nearest spike of dark matter. But James caught his mother’s shoulder, looking into her eyes with the very same (e/c) ones.

“Mom. Please.” James said lowly, the sincere concern in his expression the only thing that made her let go. She stared at him, trying to fight him, trying to convince herself that revenge was what she needed. But James’ look just said the opposite.

“James, sweetie, I have to-”

“Brutally killing the bad guys isn’t going to make you feel better. You watched Big Hero 6, you know. It’s not gonna make it better. Let’s just take them out, get them to retreat, or something. I don’t want to see you go crazy, and I don’t think I could sleep again if I saw you tearing aliens apart. You’re my mom. You’re not bad.”

“I-I know, and I’m not, but-- But I’m just-”

“It’s okay, Mom. They’re almost here; Just do what you have to. Not what you want.” He whispered, fingers tightening around her shoulders. She sighed shakily, nodding and wiping the sweat already beading on her forehead.

“Okay. Okay, fine. I won’t. I’ll do this the Patriot way. But only because you look exactly like me and Steve, and you have his smarts, not mine. Otherwise I wouldn’t listen, because nobody is as precious as you.”


“Aw, not even me?”

“Shut it, Barton.” She snapped, but smiled regardless. “We’ve got some work to do.”

Her hands flew up, protecting Steve from the oncoming impact of aliens, just before they hit. Dark matter shielded him, forming a bridge over his body just as they slammed against it. Dozens went flying, others literally exploded, and even more of them crashed straight into the matter.

“What? You said do what I have to.” She mused when James gave her the “seriously?” look. “I was protecting your father.”

“Yeah, but-- ..Ugh, nevermind. Let’s just get this over with.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead before following after his dad and engaging the bad guys. His dark matter was more fluid, and more precise than yours.

His ability to focus and have control, just like his dad. It came in handy, sometimes. (Name) watched him proudly, the aliens falling left and right as waves of matter washed through them, surging them into the road and away from civilians.

And she thought she was all about control.

“Stark, I want you and Hulk on the far side of 37th! They’re spreading fast and I can’t keep them here alone. Maximoff One and Two, make a barrier! I don’t want them anywhere close to homes, keep them in the shopping district and don’t let them out!!”

“You got it.” Pietro responded, grabbing his sister and whipping them out of there just before aliens tried to shoot them down.

“Barton, Romanoff, you take the air!”

“We always take the air.” Clint muttered, but the spies were out of there before anyone could say a word. Arrows flew and zappy rods were swung, the nasty invaders not standing a chance against Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

Much less its Mightiest Family.

“Dad, where do you want me?” James asked loudly, keeping Steve’s blind side clear while his father did the same for him. Steve’s shield slammed into one of the horde, not giving a single one of them the chance to hurt his son.

“I’d prefer if you were home, or somewhere not here. It’s kind of your birthday! Supposed to be a day off from mission work!!” Steve responded, boot connecting with alien helmet. James laughed bitterly, controlling his matter waves like he’d seen that one girl do in that water bending tv show forever ago.

“I’d rather be here, where I can help you guys! Otherwise these aliens might not be getting the treatment they deserve!”


“And what’s that??”

“The opposite of what Mom wanted to do.”

“Rip them to shreds?”

“Yeah! The opposite.” James repeated, and Steve smiled despite himself, fist about to destroy another alien’s face when a spike of dark matter beat him to the punch (literally).

“My ears were buzzing back there. I know you guys aren’t talking about me!” (Name) called, coming to their side and joining the family fight triangle.

“What?? We’d never.” Steve feigned ignorance, shield blocking an alien attempt to shoot his wife. She’d covered the shield with matter before the battle. To keep him from losing it to crazy space technology, like this. And he couldn’t have been more grateful.

“Yeah, right! Just keep on your toes. I don’t wanna see any more of these freaks get into the city!” She shouted, mountains of dark matter erupting around them and flying upwards towards the alien’s entry point. There was no way they were getting any closer. No way.

Two hours of non-stop fighting went by. They were flying in less and less now, and James was focusing a lot more on the freaks surrounding them instead of the ones barrelling out of the wormhole. It looked like a giant version of the wormholes that popped out of the alien guns.

Strange.

“Dad! There aren’t too many left coming down! Can I take them from here??” James asked, looking up at the dwindling numbers. “I can take’em!”

“Are you-- sure you can take that??” Steve questioned him seriously, not wanting to think about his son falling, too. But if he didn’t let him go, he had a feeling James would go for it anyways. When he was determined, he was unstoppable.

That was something he got from (Name).

“I’ll be careful, I promise!!” James assured him, and Steve watched him a second longer before nodding, letting the boy go.

“Just don’t get yourself hurt! We’ll protect you from down here!” Steve told him, and James nodded, summoning matter up from under his feet and sending him into the middle of the fray. Waves of dark matter flew around him left and right, destroying alien after alien, not letting a single one of them get past him.

They weren’t allowed to. Because even if he told his mom to stay chill, he couldn’t. They took Winnie away from him. And after years of walking through grief, of crying when Mom and Dad couldn’t hear him, of avoiding friends and help and crying even more when he got them all back…

He had to do this for Winnie. Because these aliens took his life away.

’You’re not getting away, this time.’ He thought to himself, the “space magic” flying from his fingers and exterminating every single creature that tried to get to him. The sounds of aliens screeching below them became fainter, which meant the Avengers were winning.

“Perimeter’s clear, Cap.” Tony said from overhead, doing a once-over of the city.

“All clear down here!” Pietro responded, their com’s all echoing with the “clear” signal. Steve sighed in relief, shield crunching into the last alien’s face that he had to deal with. Now it was all James.

“We’re good here, too. Everyone regroup; We’ve got a couple more here to deal with, and this wormhole isn’t going away like last time.” Steve told them, and they all began to make their way back in. Steve looked over at (Name), who looked absolutely tuckered out.

“Thank God. I’ve never used so much D.M. in my life.” She panted, hair askew and legs a little more wobbly than she’d admit. Steve smirked, coming over to his wife of fifteen years and wrapping a supporting arm around her waist.

“You did good.” He told her, giving her a gentle squeeze. She nodded tiredly, tilting her head towards the sky and eyes sliding closed.

“Thanks. But it’s only because of James it stayed clean; It would’ve been messier if he hadn’t told me to chill.” She muttered, and Steve chuckled, holding her a little closer.

“Restraining yourself against them? And you said you didn’t have control over your powers.” Steve joked, and she scoffed.

“Not like your son, up there. And it wasn’t for him, even. Winnie wouldn’t have wanted to see me wreaking havoc.” She said, and Steve dipped his head, hand slipping into hers.

“You’re right. She wouldn’t have. And if she were here today, she would’ve been so proud of you.” Steve whispered to her. (Name) sighed, leaning against him.

“I really hope she’s doing alright, up there. You know?”

“Ah, I’m sure she’s fine.” He told her with a soft smile. “God probably loves having her around. She makes a mess out of everything, but hey.”

“That’s just how she works.” She chimed with a light laugh. Steve and (Name) had finally gotten to a point where they could talk about Winnie, and it didn’t hurt as bad. They could smile, when they did. James...he still throbbed for her. But it was a process. And he’d get there, eventually. Speaking of James-

“AGH!!”

Steve and (Name) snapped their attention to the sound of James’ voice when he suddenly yelped. In a split second, they saw something strike him, and send him careening into the road. He hit it with a heavy crack, the concrete spewing around him as he was literally thrown into the granite.

“JAMES!!” (Name) screamed, breaking away from her husband to get to her son. Steve sprinted up to him behind her, hoping he hadn’t just seen his son get killed. His eyes burned, heart thundering in his chest when they got to him. He couldn't be dead. Not his little boy.

Not him, too.

~To Be Continued~