Rose Red (An Avengers Fanfiction)

14

So that was my life for the next few weeks. It was peaceful as it was maddening.

No missions meant more time to focus on my investigation. So far, I still couldn't figure out the password to Dr. Bahl's drive and that was frustrating. I knew Amid was going to strike. I just didn't know when and where.

I had followed Dr. Franz' advice about trusting the Avengers. I started to face them more and more instead of hiding myself away. It was difficult and it took a month of two for me to do so. It started with actually showing up for breakfast in the morning. I sat between Natasha and Bucky because that's where I felt the safest.

Soon, I started to go out with them in post-mission dinners. There was still tension with Stark and his part of the team. We can't forget the whole Civil War thing. I knew they didn't trust me but I can't come clean just yet. There's things I have to do and until those things are done, I'm just gonna have to suck it up and put some faith in the Avengers because by the end of the day, they are still my team.

I must sound so pathetic but I'm trying to change.

I really am.

I'm trying my hardest.

My phobia is getting easy to control.

Kinda.

Okay. Not really.

It's a working progress.

Nat took me to crowded club and my heart didn't race as much as long as she was next to me but the moment she disappeared, I started panicking a little. So there's still a lot more to fix but at least I'm making progress.

Bruce was kind enough to fix the cuffs so that they no longer hurt me. He made sure that they could just direct the impulses through the skin than digging into to me and locating a nerve. I had to thank him for that, I was no longer on pain meds.

However, I still kept taking the anxiety meds. I would have to learn how to ween off. That would take time to do.

Overall, my life wasn't hellish as it was a couple of months ago. It's was decent.

Was it all right? No. There were a lot of things I needed to fix.

Speaking of one of those things I needed to fix......my relation with one particular Avenger.

No, it wasn't Stark. I wish but my relationship with Stark was as cold and unforgiving as the Artic.

I'm talking about Loki, the 'honorary' Avenger.

While I was being benched from missions, Loki was basically told he had to either work with the Avengers or go back to a cell in Asgard. I actually thought that he would have chosen the cell but to my surprise (as well as the Avengers,) he chose to work with them.

This was odd and unpredictable so naturally nobody was really trusting him to have their backs.

"Loki, do you want to go to a bookstore with me since you're so bored in this big, ugly Midguardian building?" I asked him as I wrapped a scarf around my neck and slipped on my gloves.

"As much as I would love to I think you forget the fact that I cannot go out without an official Avenger which you are not," he said as he put his book down. "Why ask me?"

"You like books. I like books. What's the problem?"

"Is this what you humans call a date?" He purred.