Another Avenger: Firefly

16

Steve

"I caught her in the act-" Tony started. "-I came into the room and she had lit the fire." He wiggled his fingers around in front of us. "That's how I found out, then I threatened to tell the rest of you lot unless she explained everything, which she did. But I kind of knew anyway because of some investigations I carried out years ago, I'd just pushed it to the back of my mind until she did her....thing."
"So she didn't openly tell you about it?" I asked, trying not to show my relief.
"No." He shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "Why? Captain America a little jealous?" He asked, giving me a little prod on my side.
"Leave it out Tony." I said, keeping a watchful eye on the entrance of the lab.
"Alright, alright. Tell me why we have to hide the fact that she's one of us? Let alone that you lot know about her powers."
"To shorten it: her safety." I said. He didn't argue with me on that.

Not long after an awkward silence, Bruce came in with his arm wrapped around Birdy who didn't look like she needed comforting one bit. She didn't look as drained and pale as I'd expected her to be, like a fever had broken and she'd made a fast recovery. It was almost impossible to imagine that this is the same girl who not even two nights ago was fitting on our sofa.
She had a lazy arm wrapped across Bruce's back, and her head hung towards him as he almost pulled her reluctantly into the lab. She held a weak smile, probably listening to one of his stories. Around us, the faint cracking of thunder began to echo as we heard the slight patting of rain on the windows above.
"Storm brewing?" Tony asked, looking at me like I could somehow predict the future. I shrugged.
"Apparently-" Clarissa cleared her throat "-it's meant to hit in about an hour but I wouldn't count on it, most storms here fade before they can even get across the country." She sighed.
"I forget that England is so small-" Bruce added "-crossing an entire country from top to bottom in less than a day seems almost unreal."
"Do you miss it here?" I asked, looking at how Clarissa smiled proudly as Bruce spoke.
"Oh I wouldn't say that, I mean sure there are some things I miss, like being able to travel the country in a car, but I've spent most of my time here since I was a teenager that it almost feels natural to be in New York." She ended with a sigh.
"If you had the chance, would you stay?" She contemplated it for less than a second like she knew the question was coming.
"Yeah, I would." She said in a beat.
"Oh." Tony said "I see we aren't good enough for you in the big apple?" He joked, secretly asking her the same question I wanted to.
"It's not that. It's something else."
"What is it?" Tony pushed, she smirked.
"It's a guy." She looked down as my heart sank in my chest a little. Tony gave me a confused look but quickly shook it off. When no one pushed further Clarissa left the room without a word and I'd assumed that was the end of that.
"Listen man I'm sorry about that. I had no idea she had a guy I mean-" Tony started.
"Don't worry about it, how were any of us supposed to know?" I said with a weak smile. "It's not like I'm in love with her or anything. A crush at most." I admitted. I wasn't even sure what love is anymore.
"Look, she'll have to come back to New York anyway after this all blows over, whoever this guy is won't stick around." He tried to help.
"I'm sorry, you've got me at a loss here, what's going on?" Bruce asked. I closed my mouth when Clarissa's head started bobbing from behind Bruce. She carried a small silver box and a key that hung around her wrist.
"What's that?" I asked, stepping back so she could put it on the table.
"Well, you're all in for a story about my past. I know I'm not very open with most of you-" she gave Tony a quick glance "-but I want to give you some kind of back story." She twisted the key in the lock on the box and lifted up the lid revealing a small photograph and a little blue chip of some kind.
"This is a picture of the guy I was telling you about. His name is David-" she pointed to him as she handed me the picture. He couldn't have been older than 18. "-this picture was taken when I was 17 and he'd come to visit me for a couple of weeks from America. He lived in New York. The memory card is his too, he was a photographer and this is from his old DSLR." She held it between her thumb and index finger with a solemn smile.
"Where's he now then?" Bruce asked, taking a quick look at the picture. She didn't answer. Instead, she put the Memory card back in the box and sighed, releasing the smile and looking like she'd committed a crime. When she looked back up again her eyes were tearing.
"After such a long time you'd think I'd be able to cope." She remarked, pushing her finger to her eye before the tears could escape. Tony gave me a jab in the side and shoved me in her direction as she sniffed back a cry.
"Come here." I said, bringing my arm up and pulling her into me.
"Uhm-" she started, voice shaking "-he died not long after I took that picture. Drowned. His family live in New York and when I joined S.H.I.E.L.D I tried my hardest to avoid them but there were always a couple of times when they'd see me, and I had to ignore them. It breaks me a little, and I'd rather be here where in an odd way I feel closer to him then when I'm in his home town. Plus I miss some of the food." She added halfheartedly to lighten the mood. As she wiped away the few tears that did manage to escape and feel a little closer into me, Tony handed me back the picture and a sudden feeling of guilt flew over me.
"Clarissa?" I asked. She looked up at me with shines eyes.
"What is it?"
"I need your help."
"With what?"
"Tony, Bruce, can I have a minute with Clarissa please?" They nodded and left, giving her a tiny smile upon their exit.
"What is it Steve?"
"Please don't take this in the wrong way, I don't want to rub it in your face at all-"
"I don't know where you're going with this." She leaned back, carefully taking the picture from my grasp and putting back in the box with the memory card next to us.
"I want to visit Peggy." I said abruptly. Her head almost swung around as her eyes lit up.
"Peggy Carter?" She asked enthusiastically as she grabbed my arms.
"Yeah. You know her?"
"Uh who doesn't? She was practically the founder of S.H.I.E.L.D and she was English, when I joined S.H.I.E.L.D I read loads of stories on her, including when she fought by your side. It was said that you two were quite an item back in the day." I could almost feel the heat rise up my neck as she put me on the spot.
"I guess you could say that." I rubbed the back of my head and looked up at the ceiling.
"And you want me to....?" She pushed. Her sudden excitement for what I thought we be a difficult situation filled me with a little warmth, anything would to take her mind off her pain.
"I want you to go with me. It's hard to explain but I know she knows I'm alive and I haven't gone to visit her. Seeing you cry over David made me realise what Peggy must have gone through. I owe it to her, and you."
"Oh gosh no I couldn't do that." She sniffed, stepping back and shaking her head "That's something between you two you know? It's so private and intimate I feel like I'd be intruding. Plus I wouldn't want her to look at me and think-" she stopped.
"Think what?" I asked, not quite getting at what she was saying.
"I wouldn't want her to think that you and I were an item." She finished in a breath.
"Oh." I added.
"Yeah." There was an odd silence.
"Are you sure?" I asked, filling the gap.
"Oh I'm positive, if I saw my man with another girl I'd be a little jealous." Her laughter cut through the silence and I couldn't help but join in.
"Okay okay I see your point." I added, lifting my hands up in defeat "But at least come with me and wait outside the room or something. I need some motivation and maybe a few tissues."
"Ha! I'll tell Tony you said that last bit." She mocked, turning the key on her silver box and pulling it up to her chest.
"Please don't." I begged.
"Don't worry I'm only joking. Thank you by the way for cheering me up-" she tilted her head, a few strands of hair falling across her face "- I'd love to go with you." I ran my hand across her forehead and shifted the loose hair across and behind her ear, tucking it in place. She sucked in a sharp breath as my finger dropped and caught the base of her neck, resulting in my hand brushing the crook between her neck and shoulder. I hadn't noticed until I went to apologise that her eyes had closed.
"I'm sorry, I just thought with your hands full-" her eyes opened and she cleared her throat.
"Thanks." She said quickly tilting her head back and rubbing where my hand had just brushed minutes ago.

....

Birdy

I laid face down on Natasha's mattress groaning into her covers. She sat crossed legged next to me waiting for me to come around.
"Okay so what happened?" She asked, helping me up.
"He brushed hair out of my face." I said, wincing.
"Is that it?" She asked unamused.
"When he did it I felt...something." Her eyes widened a little.
"Something?" She leaned, rolling her hands to push me to continue.
"Yes. I don't know I mean when he accidentally caught my neck I didn't want him to stop and..."
"Oh my god you have feelings for Steve." She said mindlessly. She was staring off for a moment at her door but quickly snapped out of it and met my gaze.
"Well no I wouldn't..."
"You do." She interrupted.
"Not exactly, I just-"
"You do. Admit it." She interrupted again. I sighed and averted my eyes to her bookcase, full of information books and S.H.I.E.L.D files.
"Fine. Maybe, but don't go telling the whole world okay? It's probably just a crush. Being alone in this house with 3 men and a woman means that stuff like this could happen. Rather Steve than Tony or Bruce." I explained.
"Or Clint." She added.
"Yes, him too, speaking of which..." I leaned towards her to change the subject "...he's due back soon from his mission."
"When?" She asked, pulling out her phone.
"Couple of days I think. He should be back in the morning so if you like we can buy a few drinks to welcome him back?" I suggested.
"As fun as that sounds, we have more important things to focus on." She said.
"Like what? Phil and Maria already told us that Fury and the others got out safe."
"Well for starters, we're on lockdown so we can't order any food or drink anyway, but um we have a few things we need to sort out." I could tell she was hiding something, which was incredibly rare when it came to Nat and her not-so-obviousness.
"Hmm, okay." I said, jumping up from her bed and heading for the door. "Do me a favour Nat and don't tell anyone about what we just spoke about."
"Who am I going to talk to anyway? We're the only girls and gossiping is a girl thing." She chimed, running a hand through her hair and fiddling with a hair band between her fingers. It was obvious she was hiding something now, Nat never gave away if she was lying, she's trained in hiding secrets like a professional, so it's not possible for her to slip. She wanted me to know. She kept her eyes on me as I backed out of the door, frowning at her as I tried to figure out what she wanted to tell me.