No Strings - Reader x The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Inspired by the extended teaser trailer for The Avengers: Age of Ultron


“You guys have no clue as to how long I’ve waited to use this!” You said gleefully as you stepped behind the bar, “But, now that we’re all here, I shall tell you the menu.”

“This should be interesting.” Clint remarked creating a few giggles from around the room. You shot him an overly-evil glare and smiled as you returned to what you were saying.

“Tonight’s drinks include the following: Black Widow Vodka, Thor Tequila, Stark Shots, War Machine…”

“It’s Iron Patriot.” Rhodey corrected but you dismissed it,

“…Whiskey, Captain Cocktails, SHIELD Champagne, Banner Beer and Hawkeye Water.”

“Why do I have water named after me?” Clint asked with an offended tone. You shrugged a shoulder,

“It was either that or pretzel sticks.” You told him. Clint thought it over,

“What about, Hawkeye Bites – the snacks you get with your drinks?” He suggested. You pursed your lips as you nodded,

“That’s actually not bad. Are you sure you won’t change your mind?” you wondered. Clint scoffed,

“Not a chance. Name the water ‘HYDRAtion’ or something.” A thin chopstick hit Clint on the forehead,

“You weren’t there, so you can’t make that joke.” Natasha reminded.

“And whose radar did they slip under again?” Clint asked. Maria Hill was peacefully eating her takeout until she heard that comment.

“I can still downgrade your ass to a Level 1, Barton.” She said. You rolled your eyes and laughed,

“I’m leaving the bar open for you all grab whatever you like.” You said and poured yourself a fancy cocktail. Tony walked past you and headed to the refrigerator,

“Finally, some common sense.” He teased.

Now that everyone was settled in with their food and drinks, they decided to play the game ‘Who Can Lift Thor’s Hammer?’. Tony, as usual, stood up smugly and walked over to Mjolnir.

“If I lift it, do I get to rule Asgard?” Tony asked.

“Yes, of course.” Thor agreed.

“I will be fair but firmly cool.” Tony said as he gripped the handle. You nearly choked on your drink when you saw the colour drain from your brother’s face. He was so sure that he could do it. You looked around the room and to see the other reactions: Thor was entertained, Steve was suppressing a laugh, and Clint scoffed with a smile. Tony took a step back and cleared his throat,

“I’ll be right back.” he said and darted off to the elevator. You smiled and relaxed on the sofa,

“This is going to be a good night.” You chuckled to yourself.

Tony failed to lift the hammer unaided; he failed again when he brought his hand repulsor. But the best attempt was when Rhodey and Tony teamed up to outsmart Mjolnir. After they were done, Steve had his turn to tug at the hammer and Thor noticed a slight movement. He was surprised that Steve was able to make it move, but alas, it was not enough to lift. Steve gave up with a chuckle and Bruce pointed to Natasha. She shook her head and declined the embarrassment. You stood up, still laughing, and took a sip of your cocktail. You weren’t going to partake in this foolery.

“This game is silly.” You told them and walked over to where Thor’s hammer rested, “There is no way anyone except Thor can lift Mjolnir.” The laughter dulled and you saw the look of surprise on everyone’s face,

“What?” you asked. Had you spilt something on your dress? Why were you getting odd looks?

“(Y/n),” Thor began gently, “How are you doing that?” he wondered. You turned to him and squinted,

“Doing what?” you asked in reply. Genuinely not knowing what they were referring to. Thor’s moved his gaze from you to your hand. You followed his lead and saw the hammer of the God of Thunder in your hands,

“Oh my…!” you gasped and let it fall to the ground.

THUD!

You stared at the object blankly and then looked up at the Avengers. They were still watching you with awe. To be fair, only Bruce, Natasha and Maria were watching in awe. The men who tried and failed to lift the hammer looked butt-hurt while Clint was stunned. Thor beamed at your confused face,

“There is so much more to you, (Y/n) Stark.” He complimented. You turned to him and returned the kind smile,

“Thanks, Thor. And trust me when I say that I have no desire to rule Asgard.” You told the Prince. Thor chuckled,

“No, I would think not.” He nodded. Off to the side, Rhodey nudged Tony’s arm,

“Man, you’re screwed if you tick her off.” he stated.

“I am aware.”

“No, seriously man, she will hurl that thing at your head…”

“I got it the first time.” Tony snapped quietly.

“…and it’s going to hurt.” Tony cast a glare at his best friend before turning to Thor,

“Whosoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints is, I think, the literal translation.” He said out loud. Thor nodded,

“Well, I have a simpler theory – you’re all not worthy.” He stated matter-of-factly. There was an eruption of friendly disagreement between them all and Thor pointed his hammer to Tony,

“You, my friend, seem to be jealous that (Y/n) is Mjolnir’s definition of worthy.” he smirked. Tony shrugged his shoulders,

“I don’t get jealous.”

There was a very sudden high-pitched ringing that engulfed the noisy room. It sounded like static feedback one would receive from a microphone – only amplified big-time. Teeth were clenched and you saw Steve balling his hands into a fist. Something that was able to throw Captain America off-point was something to be worried about.

The lights flickered and you looked up at the ceiling, strangely reminded of a horror movie. There was no way that this was a technical failure. You and Tony designed the electrical grid to be flawless and the whole building was running on clean-energy.

“JARVIS? What was that?” Tony asked. JARVIS’s bright voice replied to the question,

“I believe that was a malfunction in … zzz … the…”

“The?” Tony prompted but there was no response.

JARVIS had gone offline.

Somewhere in the distance, the scraping of metal and wires dragging could be heard. As it got closer, the sound was combined with mechanical whirring and heavy footsteps. You felt a lump in your throat; if all the Avengers were in the bar lounge … who was walking towards them?

“How could you be worthy?” A robotic voice asked. Steve went as pale as a ghost and when you looked at the empty floor opposite – you understood. From the dark, an incomplete suit of armour emerged. It limped its way into the room as if it caused great pain. You recognised the fading paint and Avengers logo on the chest plate of the armour. Tony had deliberated upon calling it Ultron; a mechanical suit that could think for itself, like a walking-talking JARVIS. But the thing that stood before you all was anything but the loveable AI.

It looked dangerous.

“You’re all puppets, tangled in strings.” Ultron said. This was unnerving as it looked like the robot was awake for quite some time and used it to analyse the humans in the building. You had your phone in your hand and quickly called for one of Tony’s suits to help out. In half-a-minute, a blue and white suit ran into the room, preparing to tackle the threat. Ultron seemed like he was expecting this and destroyed the armour effortlessly.

Amongst the broken metal on the ground, Ultron bent down and picked up the metal head of the armour with his right hand, pulling up the torso too. The Avengers watched, stock-still, as the robot crushed it heartlessly,

“Strings.” He said and tossed the armour aside. Ultron looked at the faces of the humans and held his gaze on you.

“You think that she is worthy?” Ultron questioned with a chuckle. He raised his good arm and directed it to you. There was a second ringing noise that filled the air but it wasn’t as nail-biting as the first. You clutched your chest and screamed out in pain.

In a flash, you hit the ground and were out cold. Tony’s heart stopped at the sight of his sister but chose not to move in case the robot had other tricks up its mechanical arm. Thor’s hammer flew to his hand and he stood protectively in front of your unguarded body. Steve knew that Tony was evaluating the situation, so he rushed over and scooped you into his arms.

The super soldier quickly brought you over to the sofa and covered you in a white blanket-like sheet. He put two fingers on the inside of your wrist and, sighed in relief, when he felt a pulse. Steve then turned to Tony and gave a small nod to indicate that you were fine. Everybody’s attention was now returned to the threatening AI before them.

The Avengers did not plan for this. Nobody saw it coming.

Nobody saw ULTRON coming.