Vigilance (Avengers)

Chapter 6: Interogating

Kira's pov:

  I wake up and slowly force myself to sit up, noticing that I had fallen asleep on the couch.  I then see that I have a blanket on top of me, which hadn't been there when I fell asleep.  I smile to myself.  Steve.  He must've put it there.  Now that I've heard the story from his perspective, I respect him even more.  Steve surprised me.  Most people think I'm shady, don't completely trust me, because of my background.  But not Steve.  He told me I'm a hero.  I can't say that many people have done that.

  I get up and pull on my spare suit.  I dropped the other one off to get fixed last night.  After I'm ready, I walk out of the door.  My stomach rumbles ferociously, a reminder that I'm running on empty.

I walk to the cafeteria and am surprised to see all the Avengers, with the exception of Bruce, gathered there.

"Morning, Tweety.  I thought birds were supposed to be up early." Stark comments.

"I'm only three percent bird." I reply, heading to get some food. I hear Nat snicker as I walk off.  I come back with a tray full of food and give Steve a smile before sitting down next to him.  The guys look at me wide-eyed when they see my loaded plate.  Nat and I laugh at the shocked looks on their faces.  I begin to eat and they eventually go back to their own food.  Stark studies me carefully.

"Where does all that go?" he asks.  I understand what he's talking about.  I am tall and skinny but can put away almost as much food as Steve or Thor.

"My metabolism is about three to four times faster than yours.  Flying burns through a lot of calories." I reply.  Nat chuckles.

"One time we got thrown out of a Chinese restaurant because she ate too much."

I laugh and nod.

"I still don't know what the manager said to me."

He had been yelling at me angrily in Chinese when he kicked us out.

We go on eating in silence for a moment, until Stark speaks up.

"So, Birdy, what did you do before you were before you kicked ass for a living?" he asks, attempting to sound casual.  I swallow my food and consider my next words carefully.  Stark's up to something.  I know it.

"I went to highschool, did some vigilante work."

Tony nods and looks thoughtful.

"A vigilante, huh?  That must've cut into the old social life.  Did you have any friends?  Played in the marching band, were the star-athlete, something?" he questions.  Where is this leading to, exactly?  Why the hell does Stark care about my life in highschool?

"No to all three." I reply shortly.  The guys look at me, stunned once again.  Nat shifts uneasily, knowing that things are starting to go south.

"What do you mean, 'no'?  You had to have some friends." Stark argues.  I bite my lip and shake my head.

"I wasn't exactly the social type.  Besides, I was always too busy protecting people to really get to know anyone or do a anything."  I didn't realize how pathetic that actually is until I said it.  Stark's jaw drops open.

"You've got to be joking.  Did you even go to prom?" he exclaims, as if it were the end of the world.

"No, I was busy getting shot at by some gang members." I say, my tone neutral.  Actually, the night of my prom was when SHIELD found me.

"And being actually shot too." Nat adds and I shoot her a semi-playful glare.  I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow at her.

"I was only hit twice."