Ghost of You

f i v e

Bright blue and red spots clouded my line of vision. I blinked once, then again trying to focus my eyesight but was met with a blinding white light and I immediately squeezed my eyes shut. I could feel a hard metal surface on my back, some sort of make shift pillow behind my head. I tilted my head to the side, the action causing an influx of pounding in my forehead and groaned on instinct. It felt like someone was going bowling with my brain. 

"Easy, sweetheart." A familiar voice spoke, a hand coming to rest on my shoulder. "Take your time."

I tried opening my eyes for a second time and was met again with the spotting effect. After a moment the blurry dots began to refocus, eventually becoming clear enough to make out the person standing next to me. A quick look at my surroundings told me I was laying on a metal table in the lab of Stark Tower. Steve's hip rest on the side of my table an unreadable expression on his face.

Apparently I hadn't learned my lesson the first time because I attempted to prop myself up on my elbows. Pursing my lips in a tight line, the banging sensation returned in my head, not being able to stop the hiss of pain that escaped my lips. 

"Careful now." Steve spoke quietly, his arm wrapping around my shoulders as he helped me to sit up slowly. "You've got a mild concussion. Bruce said you're going to be okay, but you might be in a little pain while you recover. He gave me some meds if you want to take them."

The wheels of my brain had started to spin again as I tried to remember how I had ended up like this but my brain felt like it was moving in slow motion. Blood rushed from my head, a wave of nausea rolling over me. I reached out in front of me on instinct, grabbing the nearest object I could find to steady myself. That object turned out to be Steve's arm. To his credit he didn't even wince at the grip I had on him, even though I knew I must have accidentally scratched him with the french nails I had done the other day. Then again, I doubt my hold had much effect on the man with all his super-strength.

"That was quite the hit you took. You've been out for almost an hour."

Hit? What hit?  

"A few people are out chasing leads on Ultron but they should be back any minute. The rest are talking strategy."

Then it all came rushing back. The party, Ultron, the fighting, and...

"Is Rhodes okay? He- I saw him-" I tried to stutter out the question, my breathing increasing as the memories flashed in scattered images through my mind like a projector slideshow in three times speed.

"Relax, sweetheart." Steve cut me off quickly, his voice smooth and soft, almost unrecognizable. His hand was cupping my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. "They're all fine, you're the one everyone is worried about."

As if on cue, the door to the lab burst open a loud group or six people entering the room. Steve snapped his hand away from my face, his eyes returning to the familiar bland, hardened stare as he took a few steps away from me, putting some distance between us. The most jarring part of this was that it hadn't even felt wrong for him to have been that close to me. I didn't even remember that showing any sort of affection physical or otherwise wasn't something we normally did. The sudden absence of his strong and surprisingly soft hand from my cheek and the space he put between us pulled me out of the momentary alternate reality I had found myself in. The gentle man was gone, once again leaving me with the brooding, asshole of a boss that flirted with every girl in the room, screwing one or maybe even more in the bathroom then yelling at you for returning an object he had accidentally left with you. I was the employee who had to put up with it.

"Hey, look who's decided to rejoin the living. You have a nice power nap?" 

Rhodes was the first through the door and other than a sling around his arm he looked to be in relatively good shape. He smiled, seeing I was sitting up and if my head wasn't still pounding furiously from the sudden commotion of Tony, Nat, Clint, Bruce and Thor following closely behind I would have run over to him and hugged him. Even with my concussed state I was tempted to do it anyway, this whole experience shook me up more than I cared to admit, but I knew I couldn't show any sign of weakness here. This was my first time being on the team when this sort of thing happened. I had to take this moment to prove that I could handle myself in the midst of these super-powered soldiers and gods.