3So I finally got around to writing the cast of Cupboards and Cryogenics meeting the Mandalorian and Grogu. I really owe most of C&C to the Mandalorian, since watching the show in early 2020 was what inspired me to start writing C&C again after two years of abandonment. The Mandalorian and James/Bucky have so much in common that I kept thinking of C&C while watching the show.
This takes place at the tail end of Chapter 54 of C&C (right at the end of the Chitauri attack, though in this verse the X-Men and Loki join the fight against the Chitauri, after they realize Loki was influenced by the scepter). As for the Mandalorian, I'm leaving it at a vague time in Season 1. I just finished rewatching The Sanctuary.
At first, I was only planning on posting this on AO3 since this site only allows two categories for crossovers, and this fic has four different fandoms in it. But a lot of people here seem to like C&C, so I figured I'd just pick the Mandalorian and Avengers as fandoms.
James watches the portal close, with Stark still in it. He's helpless to pull Stark out, despite all Stark has done for him and Harry.
Harry shouts for his motorbroom, and James hangs on tight to his son. The last thing he needs is Harry flying up to disappear into the closing portal as well. He'd suffocate.
The hole has almost disappeared when there's a sudden beam of light and the sky rips open again, like a wound.
Iron Man tumbles out, followed by a spaceship that somehow hasn't exploded from the missile Stark sent in.
Iron Man plummets past the tower's balcony, but the spaceship lands heavily on the large platform sticking out of the penthouse level.
James readies the gauntlet that Stark had given him, identical to his own. The ship is different from the Chitauri ships that have been attacking Manhattan, but perhaps it is the leader who was controlling Loki.
The ship's ramp lowers to reveal a man in silver armor and a cape. His helmet has a T-shaped visor. The man aims an unfamiliar model of rifle at James, though he turns his helmeted head toward Harry and lowers his rifle minutely.
THREAT ASSESSMENT: HIGH.
James keeps his silver prosthesis with the gauntlet aimed at the man's armored chest. He does not know what alloy the man's armor is made of.
A tiny green creature waddles up behind the armored man, dressed in a plain brown robe rather than armor. The child has disproportionately large black eyes and larger pointed ears.
THREAT ASSESSMENT: LOW.
Cute little thing, Bucky remarks. Maybe even cuter than Harry.
James hadn't thought of Harry as cute, before, so he's inclined to agree. He focuses on the threat of the armored man.
The armored man says something in a language James does not recognize. Harry frowns and asks "Are you a good guy?"
Clearly, the armored man does not understand them, either, but he tilts his head at James, acknowledging that they both have children that they don't want getting hurt in the crossfire.
James lowers his prosthesis with the gauntlet, and the man shoulders his rifle over his cape.
The green baby blinks at Harry with interest. Harry turns to James. "I'm not littlest anymore."
Then, suddenly remembering Stark, Harry rushes to the edge of the balcony to peer down. James springs after him- Harry's tilting dangerously over the edge, completely at ease with the height. James is very much not at ease, knowing all too well what can happen after a fall.
The armored man snags Harry around the waist, pulling him back and giving him a gentle nudge back towards James.
James nods his thanks.
The man starts to inspect his ship, and the language barrier doesn't prevent the frustration with broken technology from carrying over.
We know a guy, Bucky says in James' head.
There's a loud roar, and the man whirls around, his cape whipping as he draws his rifle again. James recognizes the Hulk's roar, and does not aim his own weapon. The man glances back at James and slowly lowers his rifle.
Jarvis, thankfully, announces that Tony has regained consciousness, having been resuscitated by the Hulk's roar.
James relaxes, but the man only becomes more wary of the disembodied voice.
The child doesn't share any of the man's concern, simply cooing.
"That's Jarvis," Harry tells the baby. "What's your name? Can you talk snake 'cos you're green?"
Harry hisses something and the baby laughs, though it clearly doesn't understand.
Stark flies up, looking battered but alive. He lands on the platform and is greeted by the armored man's rifle pointing at the arc reactor placed at the heart of the armor.
Stark raises his hands in surrender, which also raises his repulsors. "Whoa, hey, I thought the fight was over. Who are you, anyway? And how'd you get a baby Yoda?"
James does not know what a Yoda is. The armored man quickly places himself between them, his cape blocking the baby from Stark's view.
Stark raises his mask, which strikes James as Steve levels of reckless stupidity, yet the man instantly lowers his rifle when he sees Stark's face.
"So, you're not big on armor, despite your getup." Stark raises a brow. "What, you're not going to take that bucket off your head, Boba? Or are you more of a Jango?"
The man makes no move to remove his own helmet, and Stark shrugs. He turns toward the ship and whistles, running a hand over it. "She's a beaut. Figured you would've had Slave 1, but hey, this works too. I mean, clearly you're not actually Boba Fett. I'd say you're a hardcore cosplayer, but that doesn't explain baby Yoda over there, or the fact you were in the portal I nuked. So let me guess, you're actually from a galaxy far, far away? Doesn't explain the 'long time ago' part. And you have no idea what I'm saying. J, how's the translation going."
Mind translating for us, too? Bucky grouses. Even knowing English doesn't help with that.
James does not share Bucky's comments.
Jarvis says "It will take more than a few threats for me to piece together the language, sir. Might I suggest asking Professor Xavier?"
As if on cue, the elevator doors open, and Professor Xavier drives out. The armored man looks slightly taken aback.
The man says something, and the Professor smiles. "I'm afraid we don't have hover chairs yet, but I have no doubt Mr. Stark is capable of inventing one."
James is unsurprised that the Professor's telepathy would allow him to overcome language barriers.
Stark bounces like Harry at the prospect of a motorbroom.
"So, tell me, Prof, is Star Wars real? I mean, magic and aliens clearly are, and Star Wars sort of has both. At least, Han says the Force is magic." Stark frowns and James can almost see his thoughts racing behind his eyes, putting details together. "How in the hell would George Lucas have gotten the details?"
"They appear to be from that universe." the Professor answers, and Stark launches into a diatribe about how time-travel shouldn't be possible, and how he didn't see X-Wings or the Millenium Falcon or Death Stars when flying the nuke into the wormhole.
"Gentlemen," Professor X interrupts. "This is the Mandalorian and Grogu."
The Mandalorian's head jerks, as if he's shocked to hear his own child's name. The Professor glances at him and confirms the name.
"Grogu," the Mandalorian says. Grogu turns with a coo, and the Mandalorian chuckles. "Grogu," he repeats, seeming thrilled to connect with his child that way.
"And we still don't know your name," Stark mutters.
Grogu squawks, mouthing his own, two-fingered, clawed fist.
"Right, shawarma," Stark snaps his fingers. "Any chance you could transfer this language, prof? I've got a ton of questions."
The Professor places his fingers against his temple, and the next thing the Mandalorian says is understandable in James's head. "What planet is this?"
"Earth," Stark answers. "Let me guess, you've never heard of it?"
The helmeted head nods in confirmation, glances down at the destroyed streets. "You just won a battle,"
"Yep, it's a celebratory meal. So you just happened to get caught in a Chitauri fleet?" Stark shakes his head.
"I made a cake!" Harry shares. "Dad helped. We're going to eat it later,"
"Right, but first, shawarma." Stark flies down to the street, and the Mandalorian mutters that he needs a jetpack. He and Grogu take the elevator down with James, Harry and Professor X.
The team takes the newcomers' arrival in stride once they're vouched for; an armored man and tiny green being aren't exactly out of place in their group.
At the restaurant, the Mandalorian does not remove his helmet as the food is served.
"Are you green, too?" Harry asks, completely unconcerned about the prospect. Banner shifts, slightly uncomfortably.
"No,"
"We don't care if you're ugly," Harry smiles encouragingly. Barton and Stark both choke on bits of shawarma. "How do you eat?"
James can almost feel a feeding tube snaking up his nose and down his throat, but the helmet would make even that difficult. He focuses on the feeling of chewing his shawarma, the texture of the meat and vegetables; he's not fed that way anymore.
"It's part of my culture," the Mandalorian seems somewhat used to explaining it. "Nobody has seen me without my helmet since I was found as a child."
"Jango removed his helmet," Stark argues, then switches topics before anyone can reply. "I should've figured you adopted Baby Yoda- Grogu, I mean, you clearly aren't the same species. Yoda was all shrimpy too."
Grogu gurgles and reaches for food, which floats toward his hand. He happily slurps it down.
"You're magic too? No, a mutant?" Harry asks,
"He has the Force," Stark explains. Several blank faces greet him, including Steve. Tony slaps his forehead, says they need to watch Star Wars, and then explains "It's like Jean's powers mixed with the Prof's mind tricks."
"You are a telepath," James surmises.
"Not him," the Professor puts in mildly. "But Grogu has a form of telepathy. It's not words, since he's so young, but we are able to communicate."
Harry looks decidedly jealous, and feels the need to tell Grogu "I'm older,"
"He's fifty," the Mandalorian almost sounds amused under his mask.
Harry casts a doubtful look at Grogu. "He's a baby,"
Stark snorts. "I don't think he's pulling your leg, kid. Yoda was nine-hundred."
Harry pouts more.
Stark seems eager to leave the restaurant, despite being the one to suggest it.
"Let's go repair your ship. You know, you're not the first guy showing up at my place needing repairs. That's actually how I met James and Harry."
Stark fires off questions about materials and schematics, though even with translation a lot of the names are unfamiliar. The Mandalorian's armor is made of Beskar.
Stark doesn't stop talking as he inspects the ship and heads towards his lab.
The Mandalorian is clearly uncomfortable by the robots in Stark's lab, insisting that no droids assist with the repairs of his ship. His body language appears almost as uneasy whenever Harry grabs onto James' prosthesis.
"Don't touch anything, Grogu," the Mandalorian tells Grogu, who, of course, doesn't listen.
The baby is intrigued by a small, spherical part, popping it into his mouth. Stark flounders, and the Mandalorian chuckles.
Harry forgets his earlier annoyance and runs to fetch his basketball and the medicine ball. "I can make them fly, too," he tells Grogu, bouncing the basketball high. It falls and crunches several circuits laying on Stark's workbench, and Stark immediately bans the basketball from his lab.
"You're throwing stuff," Harry counters; Stark has been digging around piles of tools and through toolboxes, carelessly tossing unwanted tools over his shoulder.
"I feel obliged to remind you that your experiments have resulted in far more property damage than Master Harry's basketball, " Jarvis says. The Mandalorian tenses.
"If you don't stop ganging up on me, I'm going to reprogram you," Stark's threat is not legitimate; James knows he would never hurt Jarvis or Harry. Harry hugs the ball tight and smiles when Barton pops out of the air vent.
"Dude, this place isn't childproof at all. Do you want them to electrocute themselves?"
"Hey," Stark raises his unarmored hands in surrender, "Since when did you get so judgy? Romanoff told us you ate stale pizza from under your couch."
Barton ignores that, gesturing to a sharp tool under Stark's workbench.
"Harry's usually good about not touching things." Tony defends himself. "And neither of their dads will let them out of your sight. I mean, it's eerie, how similar you guys are. You're both badasses who adopted tiny kids with powers."
"And you both need parenting classes," Barton mutters. "Seriously, if you leave kids to their own devices, they're going to get in trouble. Come on, squirts."
The Mandalorian starts to protest, but Stark gestures them all to the elevator.
I saw online that Professor X's telepathy means he can almost instantly learn/teach languages to others... which is pretty overpowered, but I guess that's sticking with my Professor X Machina from C&C.