Book 3: Chimera [Thor]

Chapter 14

Clint's family could not be more welcoming. All were offered a change of clothes, hot showers, and comfortable beds throughout the multi-room farmhouse. When Anya came back inside Natasha formally introduced her to Laura. The woman's brown eyes were comforting as she took in the state of the agent in front of her. Though Anya tried to hide her struggles like the assassin, clearly what occurred affected her greatly. And to help distract them, the three made their way upstairs to dig through boxes of clothing.

"Thankfully, the two of you are about my size before I became pregnant," the woman stated. "Yoga pants," she then mumbled off, before adding, "and take your pick out of any of these tops."

Pulling free a box she pushed it towards the agents.

"Shouldn't we be getting this out for you?" Anya wondered.

"It's fine, really. But for Steve... it's going to be a bit harder to find something that will fit him." Laura began to rummage again. "Clint has some loose button ups that Tony and Bruce can fit into, but it will still probably be tight on the Captain. Maybe there's a chance with some of his old workout clothing... If Thor stuck around, we'd really be in trouble."

"I'm sure Anya wouldn't mind him walking around a little shirtless," Natasha teased, bumping the agent's hip playfully.

The young woman rolled her eyes even though the redhead spoke the truth. It was a sight she'd never tire of. She pulled free a dark green loose blouse covered in a white embroidery around the neck and tassels to pull the collar closed if one so chose. Long sleeved, the ends pulling together from an elastic band underneath and the bottom of the shirt fit the form when the fabric bunched up around the waist. Natasha went for something a little simpler. A blue-gray t-shirt made of a workout material, and a light jacket with a plaid insert on the hood.

The two then began to help Laura dig through the boxes looking for something the men could wear, tossing possibilities into a pile, and discarding others back into the box.

"I've actually been waiting to meet you for a while now, Anya," the woman spoke up. The declaration startled the agent a bit and looked to her in question. "Clint's talked about you regarding other missions before joining the Avengers. And then when Nat came to visit, she'd bring you up again. But you're a hard person to make a date with."

"I... didn't realize I was such a hot topic," Anya answered honestly.

As a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent she always kept to herself because of the fear of developing friendships. Especially after the incident in the desert when a civilian.

"Well, you were never one for crowds and gatherings before," Natasha pointed out. "You took any mission you could get and wouldn't stay at bases for long periods of time. And you were not very approachable either keeping conversations short. We had a hard time tying you down to plan anything. But it seems a certain god helped you overcome that."

"You helped too..." Anya muttered.

Especially since they were now on an exclusive team that drew them to work together. Instead of splitting between various agents every few months.

"I didn't really plan on making lasting friendships within S.H.I.E.L.D. because of the line of work... I had a hard time opening up for a long while."

"Well, I'm glad I finally got the chance to meet you," Laura said. "Though I wish under better circumstances. How are the both of you managing?"

The two agents fell quiet at the question, looking a bit distant. The woman worried further about their state of mind.

"You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready to." And then to steer the conversation she held up a small shirt and sighed, "Not a chance," at the fact that Steve would rip right through the seams. As if he were the Hulk and not Bruce.