My Neighbor, Mr. Rogers

Chapter Twelve - How Do You Emotion?

'Ha, ha. Yes, let's all laugh at the girl in the hospital. Some superheroes you lot are.'

Saying anything is pointless because: 1) Éowyn is my first name; and 2) They are the Avengers, what could I possibly say to stop them?

This, however, doesn't prevent me from muttering under my breath and plotting my revenge. I'm a patient person. It'll be served extra frosty.

By the time Doctor Saunders has finished up, their laughter has died down. Once she leaves the room, the group begins to dissipate.

Nat- whose full name I discovered is Natasha, Clint, Tony, and Bruce apparently are all staying in Stark Tower. This sounds like a dumb idea to me. I mean, it's kinda like saying, "hey, here we are! If you want to get rid of us, we're all in the same place at the same time!" But I'm not a superhero, what do I know? Nat and Clint leave with just a nod of their heads towards me, and a verbal goodbye to Steve.

I just faintly smile at them. I still think they're scarier than a Wal-Mart on Black Friday.

Bruce is polite, saying how it was nice to meet me and that he hopes my arm will get better soon. He's adorable and my favorite of the four so far.

Tony invites me to the tower with more seriousness than Bruce had, making me think that maybe he isn't joking. He said something about it being like a "thank you for your progress in modernizing Cap." He doesn't give me an opportunity to respond though before he leaves.

"Ready to go?" Steve asks me.

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

The taxi ride home is silent, which I'm grateful for. I'm exhausted and I don't think I could string a sentence together with a needle and thread. When we arrive, Steve sees how tired I am and gives me a hand out of the car. He puts an arm around my shoulders and walks slowly with me up the stairs to our apartments.

After I fumble with my keys for a bit and manage to unlock my door, I hesitate. "Steve..."

"Yeah, Anne?" he prompts softly beside me.

Keeping my eyes on the door, I ask, "...Would you think I'm being paranoid if I asked you to check my apartment before I go inside...?"

Steve rests a hand on my shoulder. "Course not. I'll just be a second." He lets himself in, leaving the door open. Sweeping through, he checks every room, corner, and shadow and double checks the locks on my windows. Even though I haven't been able to open them since I've moved in. Once he finishes, he calls, "all clear."

I meet him in the entryway.

"If you need anything at all, just call me, okay?"

I nod with a tired smile, keeping my arm tucked to my chest. It's starting to throb distractingly and I should probably take some ibuprofen before I go to bed. "Thank you again, Steve, for staying with me and making sure I was okay."

He brushes it off. "Like I was going to leave you to bleed-out in an alley. What kind of friends have you had before that this would be surprising?" he teases, trying to keep things light.

I smile a bit more but I'm too tired to think of an answer. Instead, I glance uncomfortably around my empty apartment.

"Say, I have tomorrow off. Would you like some company?"

Looking back to Steve, I say, "That would be great, thank you." I eye him in playful suspicion. "You know, you're going to leave me severely in your debt, Rogers. I'm getting a little nervous about what I'll owe you when you come to collect."

He smiles back, looking a little happier that my response is tongue-in-cheek. "I'm a gentleman, I would never take advantage of a lady. Besides," he adds with gentle seriousness, "a lot of what I've done hasn't been just for you. I want to make sure you're okay for my sake almost as much as yours." Steve absent-mindedly brushes back my hair and my heart flutters- 'Hm. That's new.' -"It's what friends do for each other. Better get used to it." His expression slips back into playfulness. "I suppose I'll have to sit through some silly show of yours though, won't I?"