Stand As Heroes » Quicksilver

chapter sixteen

16 x it's not comic-con but it's definitely as crowded

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[ FORTY-TWO AND A HALF HOURS LEFT ]

It was like a superhero convention. I was pretty sure it was more superheroes in one place than I'd ever seen before in my life. They were all crammed into the Facility's lounge space. Pretty much everyone was suited up, too, which made it all the more interesting.

I was shell-shocked as soon as Pietro put me down, even though we were on the outskirts of the room. I latched onto his arm before he could go anywhere -- or anyone could take me anywhere.

The latter seemed the most likely, especially since at least a dozen people said my name as soon as they saw me.

"Megan, you're okay!" Evangeline Rushing grinned at me. She was currently dressed as Terra, in head-to-toe green, her mask securely in place.

"We were so worried!" Peter Parker -- currently in full-on Spider-man gear -- interjected as he hurried over to me. "I mean, we were trying not to be, but from what Pietro said, it sounded kinda scary--" He hugged me, unbothered by my physical attachment to Pietro. I could hear the smile in his voice. "I'm just so happy you're better!"

I opened my mouth to respond, but didn't get a chance to.

"Do you feel better?" Sam Wilson asked. He was dressed as the Falcon, his goggles up on his forehead. He put the back of his hand to my forehead. "You look better. And you feel like you're ... you know, your version of normal, where body temp is concerned."

"You're not her mom, Sam." Bucky Barnes sighed. "Stop acting like it." His smile when we made eye contact was genuine. "I'm glad you're better, punk."

I smiled slightly, honestly as much as I could manage with how overwhelmed I was, and mouthed back "Jerk."

Sam chattered on about my health and how I didn't look like a sweaty mess anymore. Over his shoulder I caught sight of Agent Phil Coulson, who smiled and nodded at me. He was arguably one of the most casual people in the room, which was saying something, given he was in a suit.

Soon enough Steve Rogers was in front of me, and hot on his tail were a man and woman who I'd never seen before. He was lean and had dark hair and an excited smile on his face; she was lithe with long hair that was pulled back in a pony tail and regarded the room much more coolly than he did. Yet somehow, they looked like they belonged together.

"I'm happy to see you back up and at it, Meg," Steve said.

I managed to make eye contact with him, but my smile was shaky at best.

"We were all worried for you," Steve told me. He seemed distracted by the presence of the man and woman behind him.

I nodded once, out of reflex. I squeezed Pietro's arm hard.

Pietro didn't miss a beat. When he spoke, it was loud enough to be heard over the rest of the room. "Okay, everybody take three steps backwards. Now, please!"

The talking died down to murmuring, and those nearest to us stared at Pietro in surprise. But they all did as he asked, and took three steps backwards.

I immediately let out a shaky breath. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my breathing.

"Is she ... okay?" Peter asked hesitantly.

"She doesn't look okay." I didn't recognize that voice, so I figured it belonged to the man I didn't know. His words were followed by a soft thump and an "Ow!"