Fishsticks & Raccoons || Avengers

Ch 7 || I Refuse

A/N: Everything except Ida and Jax belong to Marvel.

Co-written with riboflavinb2. Also available on Fanfiction.net

I'd love to hear what you think! Thanks for reading.

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Ch 7- I Refuse / Stubborn As Hell

Once the pain meds were on board, Ida got a whole lot more agreeable to the SHIELD idea. Why was she ever angry in the first place? Bearable amounts of pain and a slightly loopy brain made her more forgiving.

"SHIELD are the good guys then?" she asked. Dr. Mitchell had spent the last couple of minutes trying to explain what they did without giving too much away. He wasn't sure what he was privy to discuss.

"We certainly try to be," he responded. A fully rational Ida probably would have questioned that response. She liked her world in black and white, and "certainly try to be" was a shade of gray.

But, for now, she accepted it.

"Thanks, Dr. Mitchell. For patching up the arm. Should I just go to my regular doctor for bandage changes now?"

"I don't know. That's up to people much higher in SHIELD than I. Just can't make that call."

Ida nodded, just as she saw Jax slink out from the shadows of the lab.

"Jax," she said. "You're back."
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When Jax silently re-entered the main lab, she was spotted immediately. It seemed like Ida always had some kind of sixth sense for her presence.

"You all patched up?" she asked Ida, despite knowing that Dr. Mitchell could fix far worse than chemical burns. "How do you feel?"

"Better," she said. "I'm not sure if you know this, but chemical burns fucking hurt."

She gave a wry grin. "I can imagine."

Jax chose not to mention that she'd suffered intense chemical burns last year on an op in Sudan, recovering a dangerous bioweapon powered by alien tech. Dr. Mitchell raised an eyebrow at her from across the room. As if she needed the reminder that he and his team of SHIELD-Med geniuses were the only reason she wasn't disfigured ten times over.

Jax rubbed her knuckles, still raw from her fight with Novak. "Are you okay?" she asked Ida, suddenly feeling small, like a little girl in a fight with her best friend. The adrenaline and focus was fading from her system, and she knew exhaustion would kick in soon. "How are you doing with...all this?"
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"How am I doing?" Ida paused, thinking. How was she doing? "Better, I think." She adjusted her position on the stainless steel table. "You help people, right?"

"Oh, undoubtedly." Dr. Mitchell cut in before Jax could even open her mouth. "Jackie has prevented a number of potential disasters all over the world and many consider her to be a hero. In fact, she's actually a-"
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"Doc, please, you're embarrassing me. Look at me, I'm blushing." Jax snarked with a growl, giving Dr. Mitchell a please shut the hell up look. After everything that already happened, probably not the best time to add in oh yeah, she's also an Avenger. One bomb a day, thank you.

Dr. Mitchell, always quick on the uptake, checked his watch. "Goodness, is that the time? Afraid I must depart, I've got a meeting. Good to see you as always, Jackie, and lovely meeting you, Miss Emerson. I hope to see you again, I would love to learn about your work. " He made a hasty exit, the lab doors smoothly sliding shut behind him.

For the first time since the aquarium, she and Ida were alone.

Ida's presence normally brought Jax comfort. The long away missions always left Jax with a very specific kind of exhaustion, wearied limbs but a tense heart, like a hand was squeezing it. As if her soul itself was tired. Seeing her best friend is what let her breathe properly again; the blonde scientist soothed the tightness in her chest. It rejuvenated her, returned her energy and fighting spirit. Ida reminded Jax why she loved being an agent and an Avenger, why SHIELD existed in the first place. To protect people.