Next Avengers: James Love Story

Out of the City

After we escaped the citadel, Hawkeye had led all of us to a long- abandoned production theatre. Unlike most of the underground, this place hadn't looked like it was falling apart. Of course, the velvet seats were worn, with cobwebs littering the place, and the grand chandelier missing crystals. But the place had a sense of welcome, and the overall condition was remarkable. A fire was burning, with all of us gathered around it, eating and listening to what Tony had to tell us.

"I created Ultron to be a sorce for peace and order, but his programming evolved. He believed that the only way to bring true order to the world was to control it. That's when it turned on us," Tony explained.

"That's why Ultron didn't kill you? Because your his daddy?" Hawkeye asked angrily. Tony glared at him for interrupting so suddenly, but continued nonetheless.

"My armor was damaged in the battle. Clint told me to get the kids to safety, but I couldn't get to you in time, Francis," Tony said to Hawkeye.

WHOA. Hold up, rewind, wait a sec, Francis? Cupid's name is Francis?! I struggled to suppress my laughter. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw James smirk. Hawkeye, or Francis, narrowed his eyes at Tony, obviously embarrassed at the reveal of his birth name.

"Hawkeye's name is Francis?" Pym laughed, earning him a hit on the head with an arrow from Hawkeye. "Ow!" Pym complained. Hawkeye paid no mind to Pym's pain, waiting for Tony to go on.

"I thought Ultron had already gotten to you. Otherwise, you would've come with the others." Hawkeye just kept his eyes glued to his arrow. Then Tony looked at each of us in the eyes, one by one.

"I raised you all, hopefully as your parents would've wanted. I owed it to them. Ultron is my fault."

"Why didn't my father help?" Torunn asked him. Hawkeye couldn't take his eyes off of her. I smirked at the observation, wondering how Torunn is so blind to his attempts.

"Thor left the Avengers when his father Odin died. He said Asgard was his responsibility from then on, not Earth," Tony replied. Torunn looked down sadly and squeezed her eyes shut. Hawkeye looked sorry for her, like he tried to think of a way to comfort her, but couldn't.

"A few months after the crash, Vision found us. He survived by staying intangible. He became my eyes and ears in the real world, keeping track of Ultron's abilities and movements. I tried to think of a way to defeat him, but I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. So I kept you hidden, and I kept the truth from you," Tony finished.

"So my dad is alive. Why did he give me away?" I asked.

"After your mother died, your father couldn't raise you on his own. Like the Avengers, he was always busy saving the rest of the world with his unique set of abilities. He was going to put you in the foster system, but with Ultron's grasp on the world growing tighter, and of your abilities, there was nowhere he could take you, nowhere safe. Not on Earth. So he flew to Asgard, and left you to be raised by Thor. He did what he thought was the best for you, what gave you your best chance.

"During the battle, Ultron deemed him too weak without his infinity stone, and was unable to assist the Avengers any longer. Your father knew of your powers, promising your mother you would be safe, and wanted you to embrace the human side of you, so you came along with us." Tony replied.

"So where is he?"

"Without his infinity stone, he would not survive long on earth, so he went elsewhere in the galaxy to find an alternate source until he could get it back. His whereabouts is unknown."

I closed my eyes and hung my head, a single tear running down my cheek. I hugged my arms, feeling James sympathetically put his hand on my shoulder. Then Tony turned to Hawkeye.