❝The only people who don't know Erik and Toni love each other, are Erik and Toni.❞
x-men x avengers crossover, au timeline
fem!tony stark x erik lehnsherr
slow burn, strangers to lovers
book [ 1 / 3 ] in 'heroes assembled' trilogy
cover by @saturns...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Maria Eddie Lehnsherr—Stark. That was her name. That was the only real thing she had left from her life — the life she was living just moments ago. The life that she might never have if she only made a few mistakes.
Her mother's machine worked. Of course it worked when Toni Stark was the one who designed it. And now here she was. Fifteen years back into the past, in the year 2018. In the time period when her parents didn't even know each other.
She had a task to complete. Unite the X-Men, assemble the Avengers and convince them that she wasn't just a crazy child with an even crazier story. Make them fight a battle with HYDRA now so that they could save the future.
Right now she was humanity's only hope.
"You have hair!" Was the first thing Maria exclaimed upon entering Charles Xavier's office. Not hello, not hi, not even an introduction but that.
Charles titled his head to the side, eyeing the girl who was looking back at him with the same curiosity he was sure he held in his eyes. Then his gaze shifted to Raven who was sitting opposite of him and trying not to laugh.
Just as Charles opened his mouth to reply Hank ran into the room, looking slightly panicked. "Sorry, professor. I tried to tell her you were busy but I turned around for a second and she was gone."
"That's quiet alright, Hank." Charles said before returning his attention to the girl. "And you are?"
She grabbed the empty chair and sat down, cracking her knuckled before smiling at him. "From the future."
"I meant your name."
"Maria," she replied blankly. "This is gonna sound crazy but I was sent here, from the future, to stop a catastrophe from happening."
Charles offered a king smile, "And I suppose you need our help for that."
"Why is he not freaking out over a child claiming she's from the future?" Hank asked Raven, "Or the previously mentioned catastrophic event?"
"Because it's Charles," Raven shrugged. "I mean this is probably exciting for him. No, this is exciting!"
"Well aren't you a smart cookie?" Maria asked, smirking at Charles. "It's nice you're willing to trust me. Not to mention that you haven't tried to invade my thoughts to check exactly what I'm talking about." She crossed her arms, leaning forward. "Now for the helping part. I'm gonna need you, Raven, Hank, Peter, Ororo and d . . . Erik."
Oh yes, Charles was definitely amused. "Anything else?"
"Yes," the girl replied. "The Avengers as well."
Charles pushed his wheelchair slightly away from his desk. It was one thing to come here asking for their help but involving the Avengers would be a bold move, a move Charles wasn't willing to take without any evidence.
Of course he wasn't stupid, he head about the Avengers. Everyone did. The group of heroes that first came together to defend New York from invasion lead by Loki, the God of Mischief. The Avengers were a part of S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization that's once before tried to recruit the X—Men but failed.
His gaze moved to Raven and Hank. "Could you two leave us for a moment?"
Raven and Hank both gave him a look but complied nonetheless, exiting the room in silence just moments later. Charles returned his gaze to the girl sitting opposite of him only to find her already glaring at him.
"You wanna read my mind?" She asked, slightly amused. "Well, here's how it's gonna work. Not everything," she said, "only certain parts. Only what I allow you to see. Because if you see too much —"
"I could also see something I'm not yet supposed to know." He finished for her, "Do not worry, Maria, I only wish to know a little about these threat you claim is coming."
Maria eyed him for a moment and in the look on her face Charles thought he saw something he recognized. A hint of someone he recognized. And then with a deep breath the telepathic was inside of the girl's mind.
"Stark!" The call rang loudly trough the battlefield. It came from one of the Avengers who was calling another one of their own.
The woman in a metal suit turned around. Her helmet was broken, leaving half of her face exposed and Charles didn't miss the tired expression on her face. She was fighting a tall robotic looking creature.
Captain America crossed over the ruined street trying to come closer to her. "You can't just charge into battle, Toni!"
"You can't keep telling me what to do, Steve!" She shouted back over all the ongoing chaos. "This isn't a joke, we don't have time to plan this because we don't know when they're coming! If I wait for you to make a strategy people are gonna die!"
"ANTONIA!"
Charles quickly recognized that voice. The voice belonging to his friend, and occasional enemy, Erik Lehnsherr.
In just a second that it took Erik to call out the creature swiped one of it's arms, knocking Iron Woman down onto the ground with a loud thud.
The last thing he managed to catch was a young girl scream before he was forced out of the memory. He cleared his throat, his gaze once again settling on the brow eyes belonging to the girl.
This time however, when he looked at her eyes they looked familiar. They didn't look familiar moment before but now he could swear he saw them somewhere.
"Well," Maria said, pulling him out from his thoughts.
"I will help you." Charles told her, nodding his head.
The girl smiled, "Oh, I know you will. But thanks."
"Oh don't thank me yet." He said, "Because you're convincing Erik."
