Freshly groomed and humming a cheerful tune, Tony was about to head out for a date...
He had meticulously prepared a romantic candlelit dinner, hoping to make up for neglecting Pepper while he was buried in designing the Ultron program.
As New York's number one playboy, a man who had roamed the flower fields for years, Stark was nothing like the clueless socially inept Reed Richards who would ignore his resentful girlfriend and bury himself in research.
Honestly, the fact that Susan hadn't dumped the Fantastic Four's leader yet was nothing short of a miracle.
"Sean... that guy is really slacking off. He actually ran off to Japan to have fun. Not that I'm jealous! Compared to my old partying days, I much prefer this fulfilling life now– okay, fine! I miss the bikini babes in Hawaii!" Tony stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his tie.
He wore a wine-red shirt paired with an outrageously expensive bespoke suit, topped off with sunglasses. He looked every bit the charismatic playboy again.
~...Sir, Agent Coulson from S.H.I.E.L.D. is calling...~
J.A.R.V.I.S.'s crisp British accent chimed in.
Tony scoffed, "Perfect timing. Tell him I'm not here. Even if the President wanted to see me, he'd have to wait till tomorrow."
He had no interest in dealing with S.H.I.E.L.D. right now.
He has already handed over the Helicarrier and anti-gravity tech. As a consultant, he'd done his part. Any further involvement depended entirely on his mood...
"I'm not Fury's errand boy. Unless it's the apocalypse, no one's interrupting my date." Tony muttered under his breath.
~...Sir, Ms. Potts is calling...~
J.A.R.V.I.S. announced again.
"Wow, Pepper can't wait to see me?" Tony eagerly answered the call, "Pepper, I'm on my way. Manhattan Sky Garden, fireworks tonight– Wait, Coulson called you?!"
<...Hello, Mr. Stark...>
A calm middle-aged man's voice came through the line.
<...Apologies for the approach, but I had to reach you. S.H.I.E.L.D. needs Iron Man...>
"Does Fury never give you guys a break? Or do you just not have personal lives? Coulson, I don't need S.H.I.E.L.D.! This is my private time! What? Is the world ending? I can't even have dinner with my girlfriend in peace?" Tony fired off a rapid barrage of complaints.
He hated being bossed around, especially by an organization as rigid as S.H.I.E.L.D. The free-spirited Stark had never been one for their by-the-book methods.
Director Fury hoarded secrets like a dragon with gold, never sharing, yet expected everyone else to bare their souls and trust him completely...
<...I'm afraid the world might actually be ending, Mr. Stark...>
Coulson announced in a grave tone.
Four hours earlier, Nick Fury had used the Tesseract's energy to blow up one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most classified bases. But it hadn't stopped the intruders from taking the cube.
Even worse, Clint Barton and Dr. Selvig had been compromised, vanishing without a trace.
After listening to Coulson's explanation, Tony fell silent for a long moment. He sent Pepper a quick text, then descended the metal staircase.
Not long after, a streak of fire shot into the sky...
....
~Baxter Building~
Natasha sat curled up on the sofa, lost in thought...
The fireplace flickered, casting warm light across the room. She had been getting close to Sean Cyphers for a while now, but the man showed no cracks in his façade, even after their most intimate moments.
Aside from being a shameless playboy with an insatiable appetite, he was admittedly the perfect lover.
He always seemed to know what she was thinking, surprising her in unexpected ways; like cooking a simple breakfast the morning after, or playing an original composition for her at a restaurant during a date.
Natasha had to admit, if she weren't a high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but just an ordinary woman chasing dreams in Los Angeles, she might have already fallen head over heels.
But this wasn't a fairy tale. Natasha's distant gaze sharpened back into focus.
Having trained in the Soviet Union's most ruthless programs, suppressing emotions and maintaining rationality were second nature to her.
The spy known as the 'Black Widow' wasn't some naive girl easily swept off her feet. She had seen the darkest and cruelest corners of the world... her mental fortitude was unshakable.
Her phone buzzed on the table. It was a message through S.H.I.E.L.D.'s encrypted channel. Only Nick Fury had this contact.
<...Tesseract stolen. Barton compromised. Return to HQ immediately...>
Natasha's expression hardened.
Clint Barton was one of the few people in S.H.I.E.L.D. she considered a true friend. She leapt off the sofa, landing bare feet on the floor.
Shedding the floral sundress, she changed into tactical gear and shook out her auburn curls. The identity of 'Ms. Scarlett' was discarded. Agent Romanoff was back.
With one last glance at the cozy bedroom, Natasha sighed softly before shutting the door behind her...
....
~S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Potomac River~
In an empty training room, a tall broad-shouldered man pounded a heavy sandbag. Each punch was precise and powerful. His muscles were taut with raw masculine strength...
As his fists flew faster, fragmented memories flashed through his mind; a battlefield engulfed in artillery fire, fighting side by side with his comrades, driving HYDRA soldiers into retreat.
He remembered his brutal fight with the Red Skull, the plane crashing into the Arctic, the dance he was seventy years too late for.
When he opened his eyes again, the world had changed beyond recognition. His old friends were long gone, his sweetheart now aged and frail. An invisible wall separated him from this new era.
He was like a battle-scarred veteran returning home, left with nothing but rusted weapons and fading glory.
With one final devastating punch, the sandbag flew off its chain, slamming into the wall with a thunderous bang.
Breathing heavily, Steve Rogers steadied himself, then reached for another sandbag to vent the restless energy coursing through him...
"Trouble sleeping?" Nick Fury's voice came from the doorway.
"I slept for seventy years, sir. Think I've had my fill." Steve kept punching.
He had been awake for a while now but rarely left S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to occasionally visit his old neighborhood in Brooklyn.
The place had become a relic of the past. His late friend, Howard Stark, had bought the entire block, and Peggy Carter had apparently lived in his old house for a time.
"When I went under, the world was at war. Then I woke up to hear we won. What was the cost?" Steve asked, unwrapping the white tape from his hands.
He knew Fury wouldn't seek him out without reason.
He was a soldier who lived by discipline and morals. The one-eyed spymaster operated in shadows, unbound by rules. They were fundamentally different.
"You have a mission for me, sir?" Steve asked.
"Captain, the world needs saving again." Fury handed him a file with a Level 7 S.H.I.E.L.D. dossier on the Tesseract's classified intel, "Howard Stark found this while searching for you. He and I both believed it was the key to unlimited energy. Four hours ago, someone stole it."
Steve handed the file back. He recognized the cube in the photos. The Red Skull had been obsessed with it. HYDRA had used it to develop weapons that could vaporize a man in one shot.
"I'm a soldier. I follow orders." The war hero from the last century slung his bag over his shoulder and walked toward the door.
He did not refuse Fury's request.
"Any ideas on how to retrieve it?" the director called after him.
He couldn't allow the Tesseract to fall into the wrong hands... S.H.I.E.L.D. had guarded it for decades, losing it was unacceptable.
"You should've left it in the ocean." The Captain replied without looking back.