#toddy barton

Toddy sitting behind him: *shoots a rubber band at his head*

Neil: Ow! Quit it!

Toddy: Eyes front or else I’ll squash you like I squash all bugs

Neil: Like you could ever kill all of them. There are like, ten quintillion insects

Teacher: Correct, Neil. Do you know how many zeros that is? 18

Neil to Toddy: Yknow, kinda like what you got on your last 18 tests

“There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles we never could.” Major repeated the famous speech of his fathers, looking out the window of Shield’s science department, watching Shield Agents and scientists bustle around in an orderly fashion. He gripped the arms of his wheelchair, secretly nervous.

“Yeah yeah, I’ve heard the speech, Fury.” A tall, lanky boy with floppy brown hair and a permanent resting bitch face grumbled from his seat at a microscope. His lab coat was crisp and pristine, hair gelled back enough to not get in his face, and his black framed glasses perched on his nose as he focused on writing his observations. “What does this have to do with me?”

“Your old man was apart of the original Avengers, was he not? Ant Man, if I recall correctly.” Major turned his chair slightly to look at him. “Van Dyne, I need you on this team. You could save-“

“No.”

“No?”

“No.” Neil confirmed, setting down the pen he was writing with and standing up from the microscope to walk over to the wall of equipment in the back of the room. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”

“Van Dyne, The Next Avengers NEED you. They need a genius, a scholar.”

“I refuse to become my father. I’m…I’m not your Ant Man, Fury.” Neil sighed, pressing his hands on the countertop as he remembered his bleak childhood. “My father was never around, and when he was it was to criticize everything I did and tell me to quit bothering him while he worked. I promised myself I would never turn out like him. So no, Fury.”

“Well it’s a good thing I don’t want Hank Pym, then. Cause I’m here for Neil Van Dyne. And last I checked those are two completely different people.” Major wheeled towards him. “I’m not saying you’d be a bad person for turning this opportunity down, but I am saying you’d be a stupid one. And you Neil Van Dyne, are not stupid.”

Neil finally looked him in the eyes, studying them as if to look for any sign of doubt so he wouldn’t have to take this job. Finally, he turned to fully face him, and firmly shook his hand.

“Call me Giant Man.”

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“I’m sorry, let me just make sure I’m hearing this correctly, you want me to come onto your team, and NOT lead?!” Antonia scoffed in Fury’s face, swiftly spinning around to turn her radio back up. “Thanks but no thanks.”

“Stark! Captain America is always the leader! And if your dad was the leader, the Avengers would’ve been a disaster!” Major yelled over AC/DC blasting from the radio.

“My dad WAS the leader!” Antonia turned back around. “He sacrificed himself for the universe, for the team! I want to make him proud, so let me lead!”

“You’re too ambitious! Reckless! I can’t let you lead!” Major shouted up at her.

“So what I’m hearing is that you want me on this team for my inheritance? Huh? Make everyone else look cool for you?” Toni snapped at him. “Use me like the Avengers used my dad?”

“No, I need your brain, Stark. Tony would’ve wanted you to be on this team. He would’ve wanted you to put that brilliant mind to good use.”

“I’m flattered, really, but in the words of dear old dad, I don’t want to join your super secret boy band. Bye bye now.” Toni gave him a condescending smile and waved goodbye to him, one of her robot arms behind her copying the movement as she was hooked up to it.

“Neil Van Dyne joined.” Major blurted.

“…No way. You’re yanking my chain.” Toni looked at him is disbelief but interest. “Well…if you got that stubborn son of a bitch on board…maybe I’ll consider. But I’m co leader.”

“Fine, whatever. Don’t push Bonnie around though.”

“Wait, BONNIE?? You’re pairing me with Bonnie? Like…Bonnie Barnes??” Antonia cackled, thinking of the girl who was afraid of her own shadow and couldn’t do a single push up.

“You’ve missed a lot after locking yourself away in this garage. She’s got the serum, she’s the new Captain America.” Major winked as he wheeled out of the room, leaving Toni with her jaw hanging open in disbelief. She scoffed at his words as she turned around to get back to working on a school robotics project, but maybe he was right.

Ever since her dad died saving the universe and snapping his fingers to do so, Antonia had locked herself away in her and her fathers garage, listening to their playlists and numbing herself by working nonstop and never letting herself think. But maybe Tony would’ve wanted her to be just as great as him, maybe even greater. She was basically a carbon copy of the man, and if he had more time she knew he would’ve done more great things, so maybe she could finally do them for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Major grumbled to himself as his wheelchair got stuck in some mud, messing with the controls until he got unstuck. He hated wheeling this thing around earthy grounds, as it obviously got stuck and dirty easily. But he had to find Bonnie to recruit her, and act like he wasn’t angry that he got stuck in her gardens mud.

He eventually found her hanging upside down from a tree, doing sit ups. The shield was rested against the tree, deep marks in the trees around indicating she’d been training all day. Once she noticed him she jumped off the tree and grabbed a towel and wiped off her face, then rested it on her shoulders as she chugged water before greeting him properly.

“Hi M-Major!” She smiled.

“Hey, Barnes. How’ve you been?”

“G-Good. A b-bit bored.” She shrugged, picking up the shield and walking next to him.

“Good, cause I have something that will keep you very busy. How would you like to join the Next Avengers?” Major looked up at her.

“R…really? Me?” She smiled happily.

“Yup. You’ll lead…alongside Stark-“

“Oh.” Her face immediately fell. “Ant-tonia? How’d you g-get her to agree to th-that?”

“Told her Neil Van Dyne joined.”

“Neil? Really?” Bonnie’s eyes widened in surprise. She knew what a recluse he was and how stubborn he could be, but also, it WAS Fury, he could convince anyone of anything.

“So? You’re in, right?”

“Of c-course I am but…are you s-sure you trust me to l…lead?”

“You’re the daughter of 3 Captain America’s. Of course I trust you.”

“I’m also the daughter o-of a d-demon and a Frost.”

“We all have our flaws. Now start packing, you’ll need to move into the Tower quickly…and quit leaving the emblem of America lying on the ground, please.”

“Yes sir!”

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“Yes! Just like that, Astrid!” Thor bellowed in excitement as he watched his daughter down in the training ring, sparring with a Valkyrie to practice her swordsmanship. “That’s enough for today, come, Astrid.”

“Yes, father.” She nodded obediently, shaking hands with the Valkyrie to thank her for the battle before jumping the ring barrier to her father and sitting with him. “How did I do, father?”

“Very well, my dear! I have a friend here to speak with you about an opportunity.” Thor turned and gestured to Major Fury, who wheeled over to them once he got the permission.

“An opportunity?”

“I’m bringing together the children of the Avengers, and obviously, you are one of them. I’m forming a new team of Avengers, the Next Avengers.” Major explained. “I am here to recruit you.”

“Would…would this please you, father?” Astrid looked to him for approval, as she always did.

“It would please me to see you doing what you want, my child. I know you often look to me for orders and you obey them, but I would like you to branch out and become more independent. I trust you to make the right decisions now.” Thor assured her. Ever since she was little, she always showed how obedient and disciplined she was, always wanting to be a loyal soldier of sorts.

“I assume these Next Avengers will be saving Earth like our parents before us?” Astrid inquired, maintaining her stone cold face, but Major could see a spark of curiosity and excitement in her bright blue eyes.

“That’s my intention.” Major confirmed with a nod.

“I will join you on this noble quest, man of Fury.” Astrid politely bowed to him, to show her loyalty to his cause. “I will make my father proud and save people of Earth as he did alongside the great Avengers.”

“Good. Training begins soon, pack up your things and head to the Avengers Compound ASAP.” Major instructed, wheeling away and back to where his glorified Secretary, Lauren Coulson stood at the car waiting for him.

“What did she say, sir?” Coulson asked as he opened the car door for Major, then folding the wheelchair and putting it in the trunk.

“She agreed quite easily. She’ll be more cooperative than her dad was back then, I’ll tell you that.” Major said as he pulled up the next location for Coulson as he got into the drivers seat.

“Where to next, sir?”

“New York City. And I think I know a pizza place they might be slacking off at right now.”

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“I do not understand obsession with this food.” Vitaly watched in disgust as his best friend, Toddy shoved another pizza slice in his mouth. The toppings just didn’t seem to make sense to him, why put mushrooms and onions on a piece of cheese and bread was beyond him.

“Pizza, my friend, is the fuel for life itself. What is life without pizza? Absolutely nothing.” Toddy explained as he kicked his feet up onto the table, making Vitaly roll his eyes. Apparently he didn’t understand manners or professionalism either, but nobody in the pizza parlor seemed to care. Vitaly looked down at the plate of pizza in front of him, before deciding it didn’t look appetizing and pushing it over to Toddy, who gladly shoved it into his mouth.

“Gentleman.” A deep voice suddenly spoke up. Both boys looked over to see a man in a black trench coat, sitting with his legs crossed in a wheelchair and a judge mental look on his face as he glared at Toddy. Toddy’s eyes widened and he choked on his food when he realized it was his boss.

“Fury! What-what are you doing here?!” Toddy cleared his throat as both serious men watched unamused.

“Shopping for a prom dress.” Major said sarcastically before tossing two files onto the table. Toddy looked down and saw they were him and Vitlay’s Shield Agent files.

“Are we being is fired?” Vitaly asked, confused.

“No. You’re being promoted.” Major opened a file and pointed to the status, the words ‘Next Avengers’ typed in place of ‘Shield Agent’.

“Wait…you’re starting up the team?” Toddy beamed, as if waiting for this day his whole life.

“Was this the team Natasha was on?” Vitaly asked, picking up his own file and seeing the same on his own status.

“Yes. She joined the Avengers after befriending Clint and building a bond with him, and seeing the good side of humanity. Much like you and this delinquent here.” Major gestured to Toddy to get his feet off the table. “So. How would you boys like to join?”

“I mean…you’ve already changed our statuses, so we really have a choice here?” Toddy asked.

“I could fire you and you won’t have a status at all, and your dad would whoop your ass.”

“I’m in.”

“I am being in, too.”

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‘There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles we never could.’

Major had heard that speech a million times. His father didn’t say it often, but he repeated it to himself millions of times. He didn’t know why until now, but now he knew it was because he wanted to revive the legacy of the great Avengers. He wanted to follow in his fathers footsteps and bring together amazing people who would be the next protectors, the next warriors, the next heroes.

Major slowly but firmly walked in his special leg and back brace that Banner had made for him to walk once in awhile, and entered the room as the doors automatically opened for him. Shield Agents stood and saluted him as he walked through the control center, and towards where his Next Avengers were looking out the window of the compound together. They turned when he approached, all looking just as heroic and strong as their parents once did; shoulders back, chest puffed out, legs sturdy, and proud smiles on their faces.

Toddy: And then Agent Anderson told Agent Matthews to kiss her ass, and then Agent Matthews went all Natasha on her and kicked her so hard she fell through the helicarrier window. It’s true. I heard it from Agent Willows.

Vitaly: You got more polish on hand than nails.

Major: And that story is only half true, Barton. She got kicked out the window while it was on the ground