Continuum - Chapter 1 Preview
Stony/ Superfamily Infinity War/ Endgame AU
Part of the Pieces of Echoes Series
“And for more information about this strange space phenomenon, we go to our on-site reporter, Jackson Murphy. Jackson, what more can you tell us?”
“Honey, why’re you still watching that stuff?” Tony asked as he emerged from the bathroom, ready for bed in Steve’s favourite bright blue sleep pants and a black tank top that was probably older than Peter. It wasn’t at all unusual for Steve to be watching the news before bed. When they weren’t on a mission there was always at least one television on in the house while Steve was awake, tuned in to his favourite news station. He liked to call it minding his surroundings, and while it made sense to Tony, it didn't mean that he particularly enjoyed it.
And he enjoyed it even less when said news was reporting on whatever goofy space phenomena had occurred over Africa. Ever since he’d stumbled upon an entire space-faring army just waiting to invade Earth during his emergency missile flight through Loki’s portal, Tony had adamantly decided that he had seen all he’d needed of space, thank you very much.
It was an image that, even almost four years later, he still couldn't shake no matter how hard he tried. And he had tried.
“Steve?” Tony repeated, pausing a few steps in to toss his hand towel in the general direction of the laundry hamper. “I thought Fury already told you that we didn't need to worry about it?”
“Yeah, he did,” Steve muttered. The worry wrinkle between his perfect dark blond eyebrows was on full display as he glowered at the screen, an abandoned dog-eared novel sitting on his lap. Apparently the Jackson Murphy dude didn't have much of anything to add to the already low-on-details event.
“And?” Tony asked as he set his glasses down on the bedside table, right next to his tablet and Steve’s dog tags. He climbed up onto the bed, sliding over to lean his head against Steve’s arm. It'd been a long day, and he was tired.
Steve huffed out a frustrated sigh as he wound his arm around Tony’s shoulders. “There’s no new information, and judging by where in Africa the event occurred, there probably won't be any anytime soon. Director Fury told me that this country, Wakanda, doesn’t talk to the outside world all that much.”
“Mmm. Yeah, I’ve heard that about Wakanda,” Tony said. “They’re about as isolationist as they come. Howard used to even grumble about them sometimes back in the day.”
“I’m not surprised,” said Steve. “Did you see that he tried to convince the government to try and open scientific diplomatic channels a few times when he was with SHIELD?”
Tony draped his arm across Steve’s waist, burrowing closer as he closed his eyes and breathed in his husband’s intoxicating scent, ivory soap and the slight hint of vanilla that always seemed to seep from his skin. Whoever thought that the plain, ten-cents-a-bar ivory soap could smell so damn good?
“Pretty sure it was Pete who discovered that little tidbit in the HYDRA files, honey, along with all the other stuff he wasn’t supposed to be reading,” Tony murmured, stifling a yawn. “Makes sense though. I bet all the rumours floating around about the super cool Wakandan tech just about drove Howard bonkers. You know he always wanted to have his fingers in every single pie he could find, and I know it always bugged the hell out of him that he could never get his hands on more of their magical metal.”
Steve’s eyes flicked over to the red, white, and blue shield propped up against the wall right next to their bedroom door. Tony had offered many times to build him a stand or something to hook it on when Steve wasn’t using it, but Steve always refused. He’d told Tony that during the war he had always stored the shield right by the door—when he was actually able to sleep in a building, that is—and, like everything else about Steve, old habits apparently died hard.
“Yeah, I bet it did,” Steve said softly. He narrowed his eyes at the screen as the reporter launched into yet another meandering statement regarding the unexplained phenomenon that had taken place high in the skies over Wakanda. Tony sighed, trying to ignore the high-pitched, nasally drone of the reporter’s voice as he repeated himself for the third time.
“Honey, if Fury said whatever the hell this was isn’t an Avengers-level threat, then why are you watching it?” he asked. “You know it’s just gonna make it harder for you to get to sleep. And don't you try and give me that big song and dance about how you don't need as much sleep as me, ‘cause you know it’s just a bunch of bullshit.”
“No, it’s not,” Steve said, rather petulantly. “In fact, according to Dr Cho, it’s actually—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, enough already,” said Tony. “The fact still remains that Fury told you that whatever this was doesn’t need to concern us, and yet you’re still making it our concern.”
“Fury said he didn't think it was, Tony,” Steve said. “And he also said that so far none of the SHIELD scientists have a clue what it was either, so—”
“So tell him to send all the data they’ve managed to compile over to Bruce’s lab, and he and I can take a look at it in the morning after we get Pete to school, yeah?” said Tony. He tipped his head up, planting a kiss on Steve’s jaw. “Problem solved.”
Steve gave a sheepish nod. “I already did. Bruce is expecting you at nine.”
The full chapter will post on Monday, August 31st 😊
