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Y’ALL!!!!
I decided to begin rewriting the 1st fic of my 5-fanfic series while I was gone, and y’all…I love it so much 😂
It’s so much BETTER now…my writing has improved immensely from the last time I tried to write it, and the story is just better, lol!!
First, tags, then I’ll post the first 2 chapters!!!
@smiley @keilah-h @godlyfantasy12 @rae @grcr @savannah_grace2009 @euodia-vision @mineralizedwritings @lightoverdarkness6 @anyone-else-that-wants-some-Marvel-LOL @anyone-else-that-wants-to-read-my-crazy-writing-XDc h a p t e r 1
If only running away wasn’t such a huge part of her life. Feet pounded behind her, and Alex wouldn’t be able to run much longer.
The man was taller…bigger. She didn’t exactly stand a chance.
She dove into an alleyway. She knew the alleys of New York better than anyone she’d ever known.
Unusual circumstances led to unusual skills. And unusual situations led to unusual solutions.
Alex surveyed the area and flipped her long black hair behind her back.
Aha, an apartment balcony. Alex bit her lip.
But did she really have any other option?
Alex leapt into the air; a dark blue, sparkly, slime-like rope extended from her right hand. She grabbed hold of the slime and launched herself onto the balcony.
The metal shook from the sudden weight. The old steel creaked. Alex held her breath as the man below her marched into the alleyway, cussed, and pulled out his phone.
She didn’t dare release a single breath.
“…She got away. Yes, miss. Of course. Heil Hydra.”
Alex snuck deeper into the shadows. Hydra? The vile Nazi organization she’d heard about a few years back? Why would that man-a door creaked behind her.
A young woman screamed at the sight of the lightly battered teenage girl with hair that reached almost her waist. Alex screeched in return and tumbled backwards, missing the man by mere inches with a futile attempt to get herself into a position that would protect her body. Her right ankle twisted; a quiet crack echoed in her ears.
The man loomed over her, coming closer…closer.
But she wouldn’t let herself be caught.
She couldn’t.
Alex pushed herself to her feet and shoved all of her strength into another rope, launching herself onto a roof. She had to get away, and quickly.
Maybe…maybe she could find somewhere to rest.
o0o
One punch.
Two.
Three.
His knuckles protested, but more punches against a hard sandbag told them to be quiet.
A familiar breakage.
Another sandbag flew against the wall, joining its broken counterparts.
Sweat droplets trailed down his forehead; Steve Rogers pushed his blonde locks back from the front of his head and released a deep breath. Small blood rivulets seeped through the tops of the bandages wrapped around his hands and wrists, yet even then it still never seemed to be enough.
Steve lifted a water bottle to his lips and took one long, refreshing sip.
He settled on the floor and unwrapped his hands. ‘Rest, Steve. You need it.’ The team chided, always and often. Perhaps there was a piece of him that wanted to rest.
But perhaps there was another piece of him that knew he couldn’t.
Steve set the bandages aside, stuffing them into his bag before anyone could ask about the blood. He wiped the blood from his knuckles with a damp cloth and gently applied iodine to the small wounds, biting down on his bottom lip so as to not make a single sound.
A soft cry of pain carried through the air. Steve turned his head.
How was that-? He’d seen everyone else around the compound. Someone was in the gym with him, and it wasn’t a single member of the team.
Steve stood and set his gym bag aside. He lifted his shield and inched towards the closet. His muscles stiffened and his knuckles protested at his tight grip, but his fingers wrapped around the door handle, and he slowly turned the knob and flung the door open.
“I-I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t mean to intrude…I need somewhere to lay low for a while.”
Steve glanced down. A girl with long, almost waist-length black hair sat in a corner of the closet, tears brimming her eyes. Her left leg lay beneath her, with her right leg out in front of her, and the right ankle swollen.
“Who are you? Are you in danger?”
“There were men after me…they-they want my powers. And I’m Alexandria…Alex, everyone calls me. Alexandria Leah Cooper.”
“You have powers?”
“Mm hmm, and I barely escaped.”
Steve loosened his grip on his shield. This girl was in danger without a doubt, but why had she hidden herself in the closet? “How old are you?”
“Seventeen.”
“Where are your parents?”
Alex looked up at him as if she was trying to see if he was sincere or not. As if she wasn’t so sure she could trust him. “…I don’t know if you’d understand. You’re-wait, you’re…”
“Steve Rogers. Nice to meet you, Alex. Can I ask why you’re in the gym closet at Avengers compound?”
Alex smiled from ear to ear. “I’ve always wanted to meet you! I…the compound was closer, and I-I thought the Avengers could help.”
Steve turned and glanced around the gym floor. She wasn’t going to get any help unless she got her ankle, which Steve could almost guarantee was broken, set and fixed.
Steve faced Alex once more and reached for her hand. “Come on. Let me help you.”
c h a p t e r 2
“Nine for me. The rest of you need to hurry up and catch up.”
“Only nine, Stark? I have at least twelve.” Thor mused, his words followed by the sound of hammer meeting man.
“Why are we keeping count?”
“Because, Cap,” Sam grunted, “we’re trying to find out who will pay for lunch later. Make that eleven for me.”
Bucky Barnes settled himself on the ledge of a building; he glanced straight ahead, bringing a scope up to his eye-level. “I think Tony just wants to boost his ego. Watch out, Pietro. Enemy on your six-got him.”
“I could’ve taken him, you know,” Pietro laughed, “but thanks for getting him, I guess. Make that sixteen for me.”
“How-?”
“It’s simple, Stark…get faster.”
Tony muttered a low cuss through the comms; Bucky pressed on his earpiece and waited for Tony to shut up before speaking. “I have visual on Natasha. She’s in the apartment on west street. Seems like there’s a bunch of thugs in there. I think she needs backup.”
Natasha chuckled. “It’d be nice. I miss having Clint to watch my back-everyone stay out of the way! No one needs to get hurt here!”
Sam flew up into the air beside Bucky and dove down, his wings splayed out behind him. “I’m flying in. Keep an eye on my six, Buck.”
“For the last time, none of you can call me that.”
“Oh, but Barnes, nicknames are the Avengers’ love language. Do we not all have a nickname now?”
“Yes, my brother is right,” Thor laughed, “Reindeer.” Loki gasped, but his and Thor’s argument was lost over the intercoms.
There was a sniper just a singular building over, aiming at the apartment Natasha was in and Sam was heading towards.
Bucky turned his body and rose his gun; he stared down the scope and steadied his aim. “There’s a sniper waiting for Sam.”
“Good to know you’re watching my six.” Sam muttered in reply.
Bucky rolled his eyes and pulled back on the trigger. The gun cocked and sputtered. “What the heck?” Bucky muttered, then cursed.
His gun was jammed.
He’d have to get up close.
Bucky tossed his gun aside and adjusted his clothing. “My gun is jammed. I’m going to have to get close to the sniper.”
“Bucky,” Wanda’s voice carried a tone of concern, “I don’t think that’s safe-“
“I’ll be fine. I can jump from this building to the other one. It’s not far away.”
“Buck, Tony or Thor can take him. They just need to-hey, Tony, Thor, can one of you-?”
Tony groaned. “Busy, Cap.”
Thor grunted. “Give me one moment, Captain.”
“We can’t wait that long, Steve.”
“Bucky-“
“I got this. Trust me.”
He pushed his arms and pumped his legs. He pushed up and leapt onto the other building, letting himself tumble onto the roof.
The sniper turned, cursed, and leveled his gun. Bucky tumbled to the side. Fiery pain traveled from his right shoulder.
He rushed forward; he shoved the man backward with his boot and wrestled the gun out of his grip. He rolled to the side even though his right shoulder screamed in agony and tossed the gun off the side of the roof.
The man leapt to his feet, wielding a knife.
Bucky flipped himself forward, gripping the man’s arm in a vice grip. He twisted the man’s arm and shoved him backwards into an air unit.
The man’s head lolled back, his eyes closed, and he drifted off into blessed unconsciousness.
Bucky crouched beside him and placed two fingers just beneath the man’s neck on his left side: there was still a pulse.
Bucky stood and pressed his earpiece. “I took down the sniper.”
“Are you okay, Buck?”
“Yeah…got shot in the shoulder, but I’m good.”
“What? Vision, can you-?”
“Steve, I’m fine-“
“You’re going to the infirmary whether you like it or not.”
Bucky huffed, but he didn’t complain when Vision came to pick him up. He didn’t complain, even though everything in him ached to protest, when Vision carried him back to the compound. He didn’t even complain when Vision didn’t put him down until he was right outside the medical bay door.
But when Bucky did step inside, he’d seen someone he’d never seen before in his life.
o0o
“It’s probably not the most successful mission we’ve ever done, but other than Barnes, we all escaped pretty much unscathed. I’d call that a win.”
“I agree, Stark. It is a cause for celebration-!”
Nick Fury held up a hand, cutting off Thor’s words. “It may not be a cause for mourning, but it is hardly a cause for celebration.”
Loki waved a hand in mere dismissal. “Oh, come now, don’t be so down.”
Tony leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms across his chest, and smirked. “Let them have their fun. I’m sure a celebration would be more enjoyable than this meeting right now.”
“You are impossible, Stark.”
Tony flashed his boyish, signature-playboy grin. “Only for the best reasons, Fury.”
Fury rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed. “You’re all impossible. I’m not saying that we can’t celebrate another successful mission, but I am saying that we need to be more careful in the future. The world has been watching us ever since the Avengers were formed, and now that we have several more members…”
Wanda tapped her manicured fingers on the long glass table. “They’re worried we may get out of control.”
“What? We’re probably more under control than anyone else!”
Fury held up another hand, silencing Pietro. “Not everyone sees it that way.”
“Maybe everyone else are idiots.”
Fury shot an icy glare Tony’s way. Truth be told, it did almost seem to freeze Tony’s veins in an odd way. Tony shrugged off the chill and rose a half-grin. “I’m not going to say that I’m wrong.”
“That arrogance is exactly what people hate most about heroes, Stark. You better get it under control before it gets you killed. I know it seems like I’m asking for a lot, but being careful is a part of this job, and if I can’t trust you to do your best to avoid damage during small missions, I’m not so sure I can trust you with larger ones. Does everyone understand?”
“Yessir-“
“Alright, who’s the strange girl in the medical bay? Huh? Does anyone know?”
“Sheesh, Cyborg, way to interrupt Nick Fury’s meeting.” Tony mused, leaning back in his chair and shooting the brunette a smirk.
Bucky shot him a glare no warmer than Fury’s.
Sam raised an eyebrow, turning his head to face Bucky. “What girl? There’s a girl in the medical bay?”
“Yeah. Green eyes, long black hair that’s almost down to her waist, freckles, clothes kinda tattered…who is she?”
Tony noted the silence and glanced around the room. He caught Steve’s eye, Steve, who was avoiding eye contact with Bucky, and rose an eyebrow.
Steve bit his bottom lip. Slowly but surely, he stood. “…I know who she is.”
@freed_and_redeemed oooh I like it!!
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
Hmmm this is interesting…
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
@keilah-h @mineralizedwritings Thanks y’all!!! 💖💖 I really like how it’s turning out!! And I have more chapters!!! ✨✨✨
c h a p t e r 3
“I didn’t mean to impose. I just…I needed somewhere safe to go, and I thought the Avengers could help.” Alex whispered, facing the famous Tony Stark, seated on her bed in the medical bay.
Tony crossed his arms. “Don’t you have parents? Why didn’t you go home?”
“I-I didn’t want to worry them.”
“So you went to get help from people you don’t even know.”
“…Everyone knows you guys.”
“She makes a fair point, Tony.” Natasha mused.
Tony rolled his eyes and faced Bruce Banner. “Why didn’t you tell us this girl was here?”
Bruce’s eyebrows furrowed together. He removed his glasses. “I thought you all knew. Steve said she’s a civilian he rescued during a mission.”
Everyone turned to face Steve.
Alex bit her lip. She didn’t want Steve to get in trouble for helping her. She opened her mouth to speak; the doors to the medical bay opened.
Removing a leather jacket, his short brown hair brushed back, a man she already knew to be Clint Barton stepped into the room, trailed by two girls who couldn’t have been much younger than her.
Clint glanced around the room and rose an eyebrow and a grin. “Did I miss something?”
Natasha laughed and strode over, flipping back her red hair. “Just everything, like always.”
“Ha ha,” Clint’s eyes met Alex’s; he smiled, “and oh, nice to meet you, I’m Clint.”
Alex rose a small smile and a wave. “…Alex.”
Pietro rushed to Clint. “Hello, Old Man. Oh, and who are they?” He asked, motioning to the two girls behind Clint, raising a sweet, flirtatious smile.
“Back off, Young Lad. These are my honorary nieces, Meela and Mayla.”
Natasha smiled at the girls. “Nice to see both of you again. It’s been a while.”
The one Clint had introduced as Meela, the girl without glasses, smiled. “It has been a while.”
They looked so similar…they were probably twins. She’d known two girls that were twins before in her life…neither of them was very nice though.
Clint smiled. “These two need some help learning how to control their special powers. I thought we could help them. Besides, it’d be fun to show them where I work.”
Tony sighed.
“Well, I believe we must help them then. Are we not supposed to do what’s right?” Vision asked, glancing around the room.
Thor nodded. “I concur.”
“How do we even know they have powers?”
Clint gave Tony a look.
Natasha turned to face Tony and nodded. “They have powers. I’ve seen them.”
“I knew they were coming,” Fury gave Tony a curt nod, “and we will help them to the best of our ability. Find a room for them since they will be staying here for now. Show them around and introduce them to everyone and everything.”
“Why do I-?”
“That’s an order, Stark.”
Tony grumbled a few choice words beneath his breath, sighed, and glanced around the room. “Everyone’s in here. Wait, where did your sister go?”
Alex faced Mayla and…where was Meela?
Mayla smiled, adjusted her glasses slightly, and seemed to pat someone’s shoulder even though no one was there. “Right here.”
Tony blinked several times.
Meela fazed before them, once unable to be seen, back to being able to be seen.
Tony released a deep breath. “Alright, fine, so she has powers. Okay. I’m Tony…Tony Stark. Iron Man, yeah, you’ve probably heard of me. These are the Avengers…”
Tony launched into introducing everyone, likely for Alex’s sake as well, even though she already knew who almost all of them were.
Tony pointed at the last person to introduce, having introduced Alex as just “Alex.” “And that’s Capsicle. You’ve probably heard of him, but he’s really not as cool as all of the ads make him out to be.”
Bucky elbowed Tony in the side.
Tony glared in reply.
Steve rose a small smile and a hand in greeting. “Hey. I’m Steve. Nice to meet both of you.”
Fury turned on his heel. “Stark, give them a tour of the compound. Rogers, a moment.”
o0o
Steve settled on the mildly uncomfortable chair in front of Fury’s desk. He adjusted his position slightly and rose a small smile. “Is something wrong, sir?”
“You helped a girl that could well have been our enemy and hid her from the entire team, going so far as to lie to Dr. Banner about why she’s here. Am I wrong to think that could make you untrustworthy, Rogers?”
“Sir, she needed our help-“
Fury rose a hand, silencing Steve’s words in their tracks. “And you decided to not tell the team. That is on you. We would have helped her without a doubt. But not telling the team about her? That is your fault and no one else’s, Rogers. You cannot blame anyone else for that.”
Steve released a deep breath.
Fury didn’t understand…none of them did. How did he quench the desire inside him to save everyone? How did he ignore the urge in his soul to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves? “Sir, I didn’t think anyone would approve.”
“Approve? You should have just told us that she was here, Rogers.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“Sorry isn’t going to cut it. I’m no longer sure if I can trust you, Rogers.”
Steve’s gaze lowered; he clenched and unclenched his fists on his lap, fighting back a taut reply.
“And I’m not so sure if the team thinks they can trust you, either. Alex could have been a danger-“
“She isn’t dangerous, sir. She just needed…”
Fury’s gaze stopped Steve short. Maybe a burrowing anger laid beneath the surface, but disappointment did rise to the top of Fury’s dark eyes. “I think you need to think more carefully next time, Steve.”
Steve forced his head up; his blue eyes met Fury’s brown. Fury hardly, if ever, referred to him by his first name. His disappointment was deep. “I-I’m sorry, sir.” Steve whispered, truthful sincerity in his tone.
Fury nodded in acknowledgement and rose to his full height. “I believe you should apologize to the team as well.”
Steve stood. “I will, sir.”
“You will need to work at earning my trust, Rogers,” Fury gave him a small nod, “but you are free to leave. You’re dismissed.”
Steve strode to the door of Fury’s office and turned the knob.
Truth be told, Fury’s disappointment and hesitancy to trust him hurt much worse than anything else would have.
Why had he been so insistent, so stupid, to hide Alex from everyone else? He hadn’t thought everyone would approve, but was that really an excuse? But what did it matter? Apparently making mistakes was what he was best at.
c h a p t e r 4
Bucky settled on the floor outside Fury’s office, one ear up to the door, one leg underneath him to keep him steady.
“Here, brother, you can use my spare glass-“
Bucky pressed a finger to his lips. “Shut up, Loki. I’m trying to hear them.”
“Have you heard anything good yet?”
Bucky swatted Pietro away. “I can’t hear anything with all of you idiots practically yelling.”
“We are whispering,” Thor leaned against the wall, “and yes, brother, give me the glass. I want to hear.”
Bucky rolled his eyes. How had he gotten himself stuck with all of them? He was grateful for all Steve had done to help him, thankful for the roof over his head, but why did Steve have to work with a bunch of numbskulls?
“I think they’re talking about Captain hiding Alex.”
“Wow, what a genius.” Bucky retorted. “Loki thinks he’ll be the next Einstein.”
Thor chuckled.
Pietro sidled closer to Bucky. “I can’t hear anything. Could you move a little?”
Bucky shot him an icy glare.
Pietro put up his hands and backed away. “Fine. Be that way.”
Footsteps echoed against the floor. Pietro took off; Thor and Loki both scrambled to their feet. Bucky stepped back just as the door was flung open.
Steve raised an eyebrow. “What are you guys doing?”
Thor grinned and grabbed his brother’s arm. “I and Loki were just saying hello to Barnes. We’re about to go grocery shopping.”
“But brother, we don’t need-“
“Come on, Loki. Let’s get to the store before they run out of jam!” Thor cried, tugging on his brother’s arm, practically dragging his brother behind him as he made a mad dash down the hall.
Bucky rose to his feet and offered his friend a smile. “How’d it go?”
“Were you eavesdropping?”
“…Yeah,” Bucky pulled something out of his jacket pocket, “but I also brought you a snack.”
Steve glanced at the granola bar, sighed, and pushed Bucky’s arm out of his way, marching down the hall.
Bucky followed close behind. “So, what’d he do?”
“He didn’t do anything, Buck. Can you just-?”
Bucky pushed himself forward, stepping into Steve’s path. “Then what did he talk about?”
Steve huffed and shouldered past him. “You know already.”
“Hey, are you hungry or not?”
“Not!”
Bucky grabbed Steve’s arm and pulled his friend back; he made Steve turn around and face him. “You’re always hungry. What’s up?”
“Buck-“
“I’ll get the information at some point. Either tell me yourself, or I’ll make you tell me.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “You’re still a jerk.”
“And you’re still a punk. Here, eat a snack and talk to me. Come on, Steve, you gotta let me try to help you.”
“I don’t think you could help with this, Buck.” Steve replied wryly.
Bucky crossed his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Try me.”
“…He’s disappointed. He doesn’t trust me, and the rest of the team probably doesn’t either because I hid Alex.”
“Well…”
Steve sighed and leaned against the wall. “I can’t help it, Buck. When I see a bad situation, I just…I can’t look away. Sometimes I wish I could.”
“No, you don’t.”
Steve rose a half-smile.
“Steve, I get it, you’ve always been like this…wanting to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves,” Bucky uncrossed his arms and laid a hand on his best friend’s shoulder, “but you didn’t have to lie about Alex. You could have at least told me.”
“I’m sorry, Buck.”
Bucky shrugged off the apology, noting his friend’s unease, regret, and yes, even small embarrassment.
“No need to apologize. Now,” he tapped Steve’s forehead with the wrapped bar, “are you going to eat this granola bar or am I just going to have to eat it in front of you?”
Steve swiped the bar out of Bucky’s hands.
“I’ll eat it myself, thank you.”
o0o
“And this is the third hallway. I’m going to show you one more room, and then I’ll show you the room you two will be staying in, and then we’ll be done with this tour that is already taking forever.” Tony explained, leading Meela and Mayla down the hall.
The tour was already so long. Why had he ever decided to make the compound so big?
“I guess Alex will probably be staying here until we can contact her parents, so you two and Alex will probably have rooms right next to each other.”
Meela whistled. “Wow, this place is huge.”
“I think this place might be as big as our school…or bigger.” Mayla mused, walking side by side with her sister.
If it weren’t for Meela’s dark clothes and Mayla’s bright clothes and glasses, he wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. Jet black, long hair, brown, almond-shaped eyes, and almost identical features in general made the two of them hard to distinguish without the small differences.
“And here’s the gym.” Tony noted, opening a door and pointing inside. “This is Steve’s favorite room in the whole compound.”
“Hi, Mr. Stark.”
Tony took a quick step back. Hanging upside down, legs crossed, from a single strand of webbing, Peter Parker gave Tony an upside-down smile. “Did I scare you? Sorry, Mr. Stark. Oh, hey! I’m Peter…Peter Parker.”
“Meela.”
“Mayla.”
“Kid, what are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d come and visit. Aunt May is on a trip, so the apartment is super quiet. I thought I’d come and stay for a little while until she gets back.”
Tony sighed. “Alright, fine, but don’t break anything. I’m showing Meela and Mayla around…they’ll be staying here for a little while.”
“Hype!”
Tony rolled his eyes and strode forward. “Come on, you two. I’m going to show you where you’ll be staying while you’re here.”
Peter leapt off the ceiling and began walking with the two girls. “Super cool to meet you two. You two have powers?”
“Sure do. Your powers seem pretty interesting, by the way.”
Peter grinned at Meela. “Thanks! You two kinda remind me of-“
Tony held up a hand. “No pop culture references out of you, Peter. I don’t want to hear them.”
Mayla smiled at Peter. “Maybe you can tell us later since Tony seems pretty upset.”
Tony rolled his eyes. He led them down the hall and opened a door, opening up a barely furnished, small, yet somehow spacious bedroom. Clint and Sam sat on the floor, putting a bedframe together.
Clint looked up and gave the girls a wave. “Hey, girls. Trying to put together a bedframe for one of you. We already finished the other one.”
Meela rose an eyebrow. “Was this room empty?”
“We had to move Barnes,” Tony shrugged, “but no big deal. You two will stay here until you’re ready to go home and we’re done with whatever Fury has planned. As soon as Legolas and Pigeon are done, you two can make the space as cozy as you want. Did you two bring anything-?”
“Yeah,” Mayla nodded, “but it’s all in the Avenjet we came here in.”
“I’ll see if Steve and Bucky can get it, or maybe Pietro. That completes the tour of Avengers compound. Feel free to roam around, except…don’t come into my lab. And don’t go into the medical bay unless Bruce says you can. No breaking anything, no running around, and most certainly no using your powers. That goes double for you, Peter.”
c h a p t e r 5
“Don’t let Nick Fury bother you. He acts all mean and tough, but he really does care deep down. Alright, here’s the room you’ll be staying in until we can contact your parents.”
Alex trailed behind Natasha on crutches, keeping as much weight off her right ankle as possible. It already felt better after several days, but it still hurt, and she had to wear a cast until everything completely healed.
“Bruce already fitted the room with some things to make it easier while your ankle is healing, but we’ll be able to remove some of those things later if you need us to. Meela and Mayla are also right next to you and call for anyone anytime. Oh, and I think Clint made sure you had a few snacks in here and some water bottles so you don’t have to go searching for some and walk on your foot any more than you need to.”
Alex smiled. “Thanks. I knew you guys were the Avengers, but you guys really are the best.”
Natasha chuckled. “You haven’t seen everything yet. I’d wait on that statement a little bit.”
Truthfully, she wasn’t so sure if she’d ever met anyone so kind and helpful.
Yes, she had met good people, but not really good people like the Avengers, Meela, and Mayla seemed to be.
“…Am I bothering everyone by being here?”
“Again, ignore Fury…and Tony, for that matter. You’re welcome here, and you can stay as long as you need to, so long as you don’t get too needy on us.”
Alex giggled and shook her head. “Wouldn’t even think about it.”
“How’s it going? Alex, do you like the room?”
Alex turned on her heel and faced a smiling Wanda. “I do. It’s beautiful.”
“I brought a few things for you to decorate your room with…maybe make it more comfortable.”
“Wanda…” Alex trailed off and faced Natasha. The former spy and current Avenger gave Alex a look that said, ‘see? Told you you’re welcome here’. Alex smiled and faced Wanda again. “I-I’d like it if you could help me decorate a little…would you like to help me?”
Wanda blinked, but slowly, a smile spread across her cheeks. “I’d love it more than anything.”
o0o
Tony tapped a clipboard with a pen. “Alright, it’s time to start some analysis.”
“We’re not exactly sure how to teach you two how to fully control your powers,” Steve picked his shield up from where it leaned against the wall in the training room, “so Tony thought it’d be best for us to see what your powers are like before we put a training plan together.”
Mayla bit her bottom lip. “Are you sure? We-we won’t use them on anyone, right?”
“I guess that depends on what your powers are like.”
Meela and Mayla shared a glance following Steve’s reply.
Tony shrugged. “Well, we’re waiting. One of you can step into that room right over there. It has reinforced walls and plexiglass so no one on the outside gets hurt…just in case. Not that anything is going to happen, because that’d be a little a w k w a r d for all of us.”
Meela stepped forward and rose a shy smile. “I can go first.”
“Go ahead. Hey, and don’t be afraid to give it your all…I’m sure Capsicle can take it. Maybe. We’ll see.”
Steve rolled his eyes and stepped into the small training room inside the training room. The “training capsule”, as Pietro had dubbed it. Meela and Mayla weren’t dangerous…they just needed training and direction. They seemed like good kids.
Steve stepped into the training capsule and closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it securely. “Tony’s right. Don’t worry about hurting me. Give me everything you got. We know about the invisibility…does that happen by accident?”
“Sometimes, but other times I guess I do it myself. I don’t know, it’s-” Meela took in a deep breath, “-it’s complicated.”
Steve offered her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, we’re going to help both of you. Now hit me with whatever you got.”
“I don’t want to hurt you…”
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
Steve leveled his gaze with Meela’s. Her eyes dimmed with worry…hesitancy. Steve smiled gently. “Trust me.”
“Okay, if you’re sure.”
She disappeared into thin air, her invisibility coming in full force. Steve readied his shield as if he were ready to fight, although he didn’t intend to hurt her or even fight back unless absolutely necessary.
She appeared just behind him, two katanas in hand. “I mostly use things like this when I have to fight, but most of my powers…I can’t really show you. I have invisibility, enhanced hearing and sight, night vision, x-ray vision, and…oh, I can show you this.” She ran, quick, about as fast as Steve could run when he put all of his effort into speed, and quickly landed beside Steve again. “And I can run on walls sometimes, but not all the time.”
Steve nodded. “I see. Got that, Tony?”
“Sure thing, Capsicle. Meela, get out of there. Mayla, you’re up.”
“I-I don’t know…”
“You won’t hurt Steve, Mayla,” Tony scribbled down a few notes on a piece of paper, “the old man is more spry than you would think.”
Steve rolled his eyes and opened the training capsule door, leading Meela out and motioning Mayla inside. “Come on, give me everything you got, just like your sister.”
Mayla bit her lip, hesitating. “Okay, if you’re sure…”
Cool! Looking forwards to reading more! I never knew Loki, Thor, and Bucky were such a comedic trio lol.
"And so I left this world just as I had entered it. Confused."
One small critique, if you don’t mind…
Tony rolled his eyes and faced Bruce Banner. “Why didn’t you tell us this girl was here?”
I think this would honestly be a great time for one of Tony’s nicknames that are random, only used once or twice, and don’t make sense. Such as
Tony rolled his eyes and faced Bruce Banner. “Why didn’t you tell us Kiwifruit was here?”
Idk why I chose kiwifruit, just did XD.
Anyways, it’s small, but I think it adds just a teensy bit more spice to that piece of dialogue.
Otherwise, it was awesome as always <333 but especially the fourth chapter…chef’s kiss, kept me giggling.
I will forever remember Bucky tapping Steve’s forehead with a granola bar lol!
"You need French Toast."
#AnduthForever (hopefully 💕)@mineralizedwritings I didn’t either until I started writing them together😂 thx!!
@rae thx!! ooh, Alex should get a few nicknames. You’ve given me inspiration!! XDaww tysm!! awww, I’m so happy it could make you laugh!! <3
hahahaha that was my favorite part and I will never forget that too! 😆
@mineralizedwritings @keilah-h @rae
5 months later, and I have 2 more chapters of this fanfic to share😅😂 With Broken Shackles being the priority, I haven’t worked on fanfics in a while, BUT with Broken Shackles currently pretty much on pause, working on this has also been fun.
So, I present Chapter 6 and 7 of this Fanfiction
c h a p t e r 6
“Vision and I got everyone out of the area,” Wanda lowered herself onto the ground beside Pietro, “so now what do we do?”
Silence settled.
Bucky tapped his comm. “Steve, Wanda’s waiting.”
“What? Oh, yeah. Wanda, Vision, Pietro, help Sam keep everyone away from the area until we can secure the apartment complex.”
“We will, Captain. Come along, Wanda.” Vision whispered, grabbing Wanda’s hand and flying up into the air.
Pietro huffed and followed after them on the ground.
Steve landed beside Bucky, and tired lines added an older look to his friend’s face, making him appear older than he actually was, not including all of the years in the ice.
Bucky raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay, Steve?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, Mayla passing out after turning into a giant bacterium isn’t your fault, Steve.”
Steve sighed and strode forward, marching past Bucky and towards the unsteady apartment complex that was bound to collapse at any moment. “Maybe I pushed her too much. Maybe she wasn’t ready.”
“Steve—Steve, did you hear that?”
“Yeah,” Steve turned on his heel; he met Bucky’s gaze, “sounds like a baby.”
Bucky adjusted his shoulder strap and cocked his gun just in case there was more than a baby around. Steve gripped his shield and motioned for Bucky to follow him, slowly inching forward, following the sound. Soft cries carried through the air, cries of a baby likely lost and scared.
Bucky surveyed the area, keeping his gun up and level. Steve crouched down beside a small cardboard box and peeked inside. A low, quiet cuss escaped his lips. Bucky followed his friend and looked inside the box.
With a head full of unkempt black hair, a small baby slept in the box, covered and surrounded by a light blue blanket, eyes closed, his right thumb shoved in his tiny mouth.
Bucky crouched and checked the piece of paper attached to the box. “This says his name is Ryo.”
Steve glanced around the area. “Wanda and Vision got everyone out of the area…someone would have noticed if they didn’t have their kid. How would they have missed this box?”
“I don’t know. Maybe we can—Steve, Nick Fury won’t like that.”
Steve rose a half-smile, already knowing that his friend had read his thoughts. “Buck, we have to keep him safe-“
“I get that, and I’m not arguing with you about that. I’m just saying the others won’t be happy.”
Steve bit his lip. His hand rose, and he tapped his comm device. “Guys, we have a small situation near the apartment.”
“I thought Wanda and Vision got everyone out of the area. I’m securing the building now and making sure it doesn’t fall, Capsicle.”
“I believe Stark does have the building covered, Captain,” Thor’s voice was followed by the sound of hammer meeting agent, “and I believe the rest of us have everything else-“
Steve huffed and spoke, interrupting the others. “There’s a baby over here.”
Tony cussed.
Loki gasped. “Language, Stark.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “…That’s never going away.”
Bucky tapped his communicator. “Guys, stop joking around. We don’t know where this kid’s parents are. Wanda, Vision, Pietro, can you see if anyone you brought out of this area is missing a kid? If not, we don’t know where this kid came from, and Steve is planning on bringing him back to the compound-“
“The compound? Steve-“
“Nat, what else can we do? I think, if there are no parents around, we should bring this kid back to the compound.” Clint replied.
Bucky glanced at Steve, tapping his communicator twice to make sure no one else could hear him. “I’ll keep surveillance. You get the baby.”
o0o
“I understand your concern, but there is absolutely no way we have the time or the energy to care for a baby. Trying to find Alex’s parents and beginning training for Meela and Mayla is already taking up more time than I expected.”
“With all due respect, sir, were we just supposed to leave the baby there alone?”
“You should have taken him to the proper authorities, Rogers, not brought him here.” Fury replied tartly.
Steve sank back in his chair, likely used to Fury’s chiding by this point. He had received it several times in the past couple weeks after all. Truth be told, though, he’d probably done things to get it recently.
Not that Tony blamed Fury. He wished he had the authority to chew Steve out. Tony shrugged and leaned forward, laying his arms on the glass meeting table. “Fury has a point. We don’t really have time to waste on a baby.”
Wanda raised an eyebrow. “Waste?”
“I don’t believe a baby is a waste of time, but it is sudden…and we are running out of free time.” Thor whispered.
“And time for missions, for that matter,” Fury set his palms on the table, “and that is something we cannot afford.”
“We have plenty of time-!”
Fury held up a hand, cutting Pietro short. “No, we do not. Time is not infinite, Maximoff. Far from it. You and your sister should know that better than anyone.”
Pietro and Wanda shared a look, and Wanda’s hand slowly inched to grip her brother’s.
“We don’t have time to watch a baby. I wish we had more time, so we could help him be reunited with his parents, but we don’t. Tomorrow morning, Rogers will take the baby to the police, and they will reunite him with his parents. Do I make myself clear?”
A chorus of “Yessir” followed Fury’s question. Fury nodded and turned on his heel. “Then you are all dismissed, Avengers.”
At the sight of Fury’s retreating back, Tony rose to his feet. He offered a smirk Steve’s way. “Guess you didn’t quite get the baby adventure you wanted, Capsicle.”
Bucky glowered at him, but Tony consciously ignored his glare. He shrugged and wrapped his fingers around the door handle. “Fury’s right. Just saying. We don’t have time or the resources to take care of a baby. Besides, he’s just a regular baby.”
c h a p t e r 7
“Look at these toys, Ryo…so many toys to play with,” Meela said in a playful tone, moving a few small toys, that Clint had bought specifically for Ryo, around.
Alex smiled, seated on the couch beside Mayla whereas Meela and Ryo sat on the floor, Meela attempting to get Ryo involved in a bit of play.
Ryo merely giggled or babbled, occasionally taking a toy and either chewing on it or chucking it across the room.
Alex stretched her arms behind her; she set her hands on her knees, leaned forward slightly, and grinned at Meela and Mayla. “Sooo, are you two excited for training?”
“For sure,” Meela handed Ryo a foam block, “but I’m not sure why we haven’t started yet.”
Alex offered a sympathetic smile. She focused her gaze on Mayla and gently poked her in the side. “What about you, Miss Quiet?”
Mayla frowned slightly. A low sigh slipped from her thin lips, and she shrugged. “I don’t know…I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I want to control my powers, but…”
Meela squeezed her twin’s hand. Voices echoed through the otherwise still compound, testifying to the return of the Avengers, who had disappeared for a mission a couple hours prior.
Alex winked. “Sounds like the Avengers are back-oh, hi there!”
Taking a mere step into the room, Nick Fury offered a slight nod of the head in reply; his stern gaze flitted over the room before focusing on Ryo. His one good eye narrowed, and his lips straightened into a strict frown. “Rogers!” He barked, a hint of anger evident in such a loud tone.
“Yessir?” Steve asked softly; his fingers unlatched a leather strap, and he removed his blue helmet. “Is something wrong?”
“I thought I ordered you to take Ryo to the police this morning. Why is the child still here?”
“I don’t think taking him to the police is a good call.”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Rogers. We don’t have time to go on a manhunt for this baby’s parents; take him to the police immediately.”
“Sir—uhm, sir?” Steve whispered; his blue-green eyes widened slightly.
Alex glanced at Fury. Her jaw fell. Fury floated just off the ground, a light blue glow surrounding his stoic form.
“There. That mission was a success—Fury, what the-? Wanda—!”
Wanda entered the room at the sound of Tony’s call, both eyebrows raised, her lips pursed in curiosity. Her head slightly tilted to the left. “That isn’t me. My powers come off red, not blue.”
Alex glanced at Fury, then Wanda, then Tony, then Steve, then Fury again. It was both quite odd and unexpected given that as far as she knew no other Avenger had powers like Wanda.
Steve set his helmet aside, shield attached to his back, slightly reaching up and grabbing Nick Fury by the leg, slowly yet steadily helping pull the man back down onto the floor.
A glow suddenly surrounded Steve, lifting both men further into the air.
Pietro’s speeding footsteps came to a stop in the room, and a whistle escaped his lips. “What’s going on here? That’s not Wanda.”
“Guys! Guys, look at Ryo.”
Alex turned her head at the sound of Meela’s voice; she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
Ryo giggled and clapped his hands together, his usually brown eyes a light blue, his fluffy black hair tipped with a slightly darker blue than the blue of his eyes.
“A normal baby, eh, Stark?” Clint muttered, stepping around Tony to enter the living room.
Tony pressed his lips together. “I didn’t know he could do this.”
Alex crouched in front of Ryo with a smile, offering a foam block. “Hi Ryo. Why don’t you put Fury and Steve down? You can play with some blocks instead. Here, look at this pretty block. It has an R for Ryo!”
Ryo giggled, grabbed the block, and chucked it across the room.
“Someone get that baby to stop.” Fury grunted.
“What’s going on?”
Ryo babbled and extended his chubby arms towards the doorway and towards Bucky. Blue faded from his eyes and his hair. A loud thud echoed the moment Steve and Fury both hit the floor.
Bucky stepped forward, crouched, and scooped Ryo into his arms, raising an eyebrow Steve and Fury’s direction. “Did I miss something?”
Fury lifted to his feet and Steve followed suit.
Clint smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Guess we can’t just take this baby to the police now.”
“No, we cannot,” Fury shot a quick glance Steve’s way, “but we will look for his parents. He will not be staying indefinitely, and until he is returned to his family, Rogers is responsible for Ryo’s safety.”
Without even another word, Fury turned on his heel and marched out of the room as quickly as he’d entered.
Alex smiled, playfully and gently tickling the bottom of Ryo’s right foot. “Looks like you’ll be staying with us, Ryo.”
Ryo giggled and babbled something undiscernible.
Alex smiled. Life was getting better every minute.
o0o
“And that’s that. I won Uno again.”
Sam laid down his hand of cards with a groan. “Are you cheating?”
“My brother always cheats.” Thor hissed.
“I do not.”
“You do too.”
“I do not! How dare you accuse me of such unbecoming behavior.”
“You did try to destroy New York.”
Loki pressed his lips together and rolled his eyes. “Thank you, Natasha, for reminding me of something I haven’t forgotten about.”
“Come on, Reindeer Games, lighten up.”
“Stark is right.” Vision mused. “This game is for fun. Though I am not sure what ‘Reindeer Games’ means.”
“Besides, we all know Tony’s the one that cheats more than anyone.” Sam added, reshuffling the deck.
From his position on the floor with Ryo nearby, Steve chuckled at the shared banter as Tony protested against Sam’s words, quickly deciding he’d join in just to prove Sam wrong.
A tug on Steve’s hand turned his attention back to Ryo. Ryo showed Steve a foam block in his left hand, babbled, and tossed aside a stuffed dog with a giggle.
From where he laid on the couch behind them both with a book in hand, Bucky grabbed the dog and handed it back to Ryo.
Steve turned and raised an eyebrow at his best friend. “Lord of the Rings?”
Bucky rolled his eyes and raised the book up to cover his face, revealing it was, in fact, The Two Towers. Within a moment though, he placed a bookmark inside the book and closed it, turning to Steve with a raised eyebrow of his own. “So, why haven’t you started training Meela, Mayla, and Alex? I know Alex can control her powers, but she still has no idea what its like to do what you and the other Avengers do. Why haven’t you started training yet?”
Steve groaned. “Not this again.”
The training regimen had already been pieced together, primarily by Steve and Tony, though Fury and a few other Avengers had things to add. Yet they’d all left it up to Steve to decide when to start. They all asked when he’d begin the regimen with Meela and Mayla, with Alex following once her sprain healed.
“Hey, don’t ignore me—”
Ryo yawned, whined, and yawned again, his eyes opening and closing, head slightly nodding off.
“I think someone’s ready for bed.”
“Steve—”
Clint stepped over, holding out his arms. “I’ll put Ryo down for bed. Come on, Ryo.” Clint scooped Ryo into his arms and left the room.
“Sooo?”
“So what?”
“Steve…”
Steve rolled his eyes. “What do you want me to say, Buck?”
“Maybe answer why you haven’t started training. You’re afraid of failing them, aren’t you?”
“Failing them? No. I’m not afraid of failing them—”
“You’re afraid you’ll get attached and you’ll lose them like you’ve lost so many.”
Steve stood. “No, Buck. I’m not afraid…it’s just not the right time yet. We’ll start training soon.”
Not giving Bucky the chance to utter another word, Steve turned on his heel and marched out of the room.
His fists clenched and unclenched.
His palms sweated.
His blood pumped.
Tears burned behind his eyelids, but he held the flood back.
He was Captain America, leader of the Avengers, the hero so many loved, so many honored, so many idolized, so many looked up to and trusted.
That was who he was. That was who everyone needed. That was who he was meant to be.
He didn’t have time to be Steve Rogers, the man out of time, the one who’d lost almost everything he’d ever loved, the man always cold even when everything around him was warm, the man who feared loss more than any enemy that could come at him.
The world needed Captain America.
The Avengers needed Captain America.
Meela, Mayla, Alex, and Ryo needed Captain America.
No one needed Steve Rogers. Not even Steve Rogers himself.
@freed_and_redemed
Yay! You’re finally doing this again!
I like it!
Sorry, I don’t have much else to say about it unless you want a dark rant about human reactions, emotions, and dodging techniques.
"You need French Toast."
#AnduthForever (hopefully 💕)@freed_and_redeemed
For one I love ittttttt
For two
I know the focus was on Steve and Bucky but I just can’t get over the fact that tony called it a waste of time to look after an orphan while Pietro and Wanda were right there!!!!!Let me at him!!!
lol, I did love it though
I’m currently working in a Disney descendants fanfic
It’s been a nice break from a lot of the projects in my lifeDo me a favor…. Tell Cress I meant it
-Thorne@freed_and_redeemed I’m glad you’re another person who takes fanfics as seriously as me lol
also that was amazing. Angsty Steve has returned……XD that’s not a good thing is it?
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
@freed_and_redeemed haha yeah
@smiley cool@both of you
I should get my fic up on here soon…..
"When in doubt, eat cheese crackers."-me to my charries who don't even know about cheese crackers
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