I slipped away from the crowd, the noise fading behind me like a wave receding from the shore. Out on the balcony, the night air cooled my skin. The city lights blinked in the distance, far more predictable than anything inside that party.
I heard footsteps behind me.
"You really need to stop following me onto balconies," I said, not bothering to turn around.
Tony's voice came easy. "You really need to stop making me chase you to balconies."
"Maybe I just like the view," I replied, looking straight ahead. "Or the cool air."
He leaned on the railing beside me, brushing a knuckle against his lip thoughtfully. "And here I thought it was because you wanted to see me."
"Your ego called. Said it wanted weekends off."
He smirked. "Too bad. I work it overtime."
I gave him a sideways glance. "So? Did you get your big intel moment yet? Or was this whole event just an excuse to show off your party-planning skills?"
"Romanoff got the intel," he said, shrugging. "Just a few minutes ago."
I winced. "Oof. Poor guy didn't stand a chance."
"Yeah, well. That's what happens when you make deals with the avengers and show up to meet them wearing a disguise from aisle five of a Halloween store."
I laughed, then turned my gaze to the skyline again. The silence that settled between us was peaceful, until he broke it.
"You know, the party wasn't just for the mission," he said, his tone more careful. "It was... also an excuse to see you again."
I raised an eyebrow. "Smooth."
"I try."
I opened my mouth to make another sarcastic comment, but then it hit me. A sound like a thunderclap, followed by shrieks that cut through the music and air like knives. We both turned toward it.
"What the hell was that?" I asked, already on edge.
"Stay here," Tony said, his voice suddenly serious. He raised a hand, and within seconds, pieces of the Iron Man suit came flying from a nearby room, locking onto him with sharp precision. In a heartbeat, he was gone.
I gripped the balcony railing tightly, heart pounding, trying to process what just happened. The sound of screams got louder. I edged closer to the glass doors, peering inside.
People were panicking. Chaos unfolded like a movie scene. I spotted Clint and Natasha, eyes scanning the room, weapons already in hand. I shouted their names, but the crowd's screams drowned me out.
From the far end of the room, Steve and Thor were locked in combat with a figure cloaked in black, his face hidden beneath a hood and mask. Whoever he was, he moved like he'd been doing this a long time fast, brutal, unafraid. But then Bruce burst into the scene, now Hulk-sized and roaring like thunder, with Tony diving in behind him mid-flight.
They fought in brutal harmony. Every move the team made was calculated, but the masked man, whoever he was, held his ground. For now.
I backed away from the door, breath catching in my throat. That's when I felt it.
A hand wrapped around my neck like a vice. Cold steel pressed against my skin.
"Gotcha," a voice rasped into my ear. His breath was stale, but his grip was worse.
My back was against his as my vision swam, and suddenly the fight froze. The others turned toward us.
"Y/N!" Tony's voice cracked through the air like a whip.
I struggled, kicking against the marble floor, trying to loosen the man's grip. The knife dug in deeper. Warm blood slid down my neck.
"You move, she dies!" the masked man barked.
His voice was thin and wiry. Unhinged. Still, the others held back, weapons lowered but eyes locked in fury. I saw Natasha inch slightly forward. Steve's shield was already halfway raised.
"Let her go, Niall," Tony said. "We gave you what you wanted."
Niall. That was the name. This was the guy they were supposed to get intel from.
"That's what you think!" he shouted. "You think I was going to just give you the data and leave? You think I don't know what you people are planning behind closed doors?"
He pressed the knife in harder. I whimpered. The edge bit into my skin like a promise.
"Y/N, duck!" Tony yelled.
With every ounce of strength I had left, I dropped to the ground.
A beam of energy scorched past where my head had just been, hitting Niall square in the side of his face. He screamed, stumbling back and dropping the knife. I crawled backward, breathless and shaking, as Steve charged him first, shield slamming into Niall's chest and knocking him through a glass table.
The fight that followed was chaos and rhythm fused together.
Thor slammed his hammer into the floor, sending a wave of lightning that disoriented Niall. Clint followed up with an arrow that pinned the villain's sleeve to the wall, forcing him to rip himself free. Natasha darted forward like a phantom, striking pressure points that made Niall stumble. Hulk roared, throwing a heavy punch that sent Niall through one of Stark's expensive art pieces.
"Okay, not the Warhol!" Tony called mid-flight, blasting Niall with a double repulsor hit.
The villain staggered, gasping, and attempted to vanish into smoke, but Pepper had already activated emergency lockdown on the exits.
I watched it all from behind a column, blood trickling from my neck, knees still weak. And yet... there was something kind of mesmerizing about the way they moved together. Each of them fought like they trusted each other with their lives.
"Hey!" Pepper's voice hissed behind me. I turned my head. She stood at the base of the stairwell, her face tight with concern.
She reached out. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
I stumbled toward her, grabbing her arm. Together, we made it to the elevator. I looked back only once, just in time to see Niall take one last punch from Hulk that sent him flying through a coffee table.
The elevator doors slid shut with a soft chime.
"Are you alright?" Pepper asked, glancing at the blood on my neck.
"I think so," I said, though my voice came out shakier than I'd hoped. "Just a little shaken."
When we reached the ground floor, a row of sleek cars was already lined up near the exit. Without hesitation, Pepper led me to one and slipped into the driver's seat, unlocking the door for me from inside.
"Come on," she said firmly. "I'm taking us somewhere safe."
I climbed in beside her, one hand still pressed against my neck. Blood had soaked through my fingers, trailing down to my wrist. I stared at it for a second, dazed, then leaned back into the seat, trying to steady my breathing as the car sped off into the city.
This had been one hell of a party.