This is the first in a series of oneshots. Some are not completed and may not be published.
Thank you so much for 41 reviews! You all are amazing. This is dedicated to all of my faithful reviewers.
Enjoy!
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"Clint, have you seen Steve?" Riley asked as she stepped into the main lounge, brow furrowed in concern.
"Not at all today. Why? Isn't he beating up punching bags?" Clint asked from his place on the couch, drinking something while watching TV. Tony was over at the bar, as usual. Natasha was missing, as was Thor.
"No. Jarvis, can you do a scan of Avenger's Tower for him?"
The AI was silent for a moment, before finally speaking. "I cannot detect Mr. Rogers' presence, Miss Star. Would you like me to scan for him through security cameras and other devices?"
"No... one second." Riley pulled out her iPhone and checked something. Her face morphed from worry to understanding in a second.
"Oh..." she murmured, and automatically turned around to go back to the elevator.
"Where is Star-Spangled?" Tony called over.
"Not telling. He has secrets too, Tony," Riley said as she walked away.
The elevator took her down to the garage, where she found her Maserati waiting for her. She smiled, hopped in, and put the hood up. With a push of a button, her 23 birthday present roared out of the garage and onto the street.
The drive only took a few minutes as she hopped on the main highway into Brooklyn. The sun was out and she put the top down as she drove.
She pulled into a smaller neighborhood and arrived at a small park. It was practically empty, with a single mother and child on the slide, and a lone figure on the swings.
She parked and got out, locking the door behind her as she passed the woman and her little boy. Riley came to a halt in front of Steve, who looked up, startled, as her sensible shoes entered his field of view.
She abruptly pulled him up to his feet and wrapped both arms around his neck in a tight hug. He was silent for a moment before he returned her hug.
"Hey," she whispered softly.
"Hi," he said.
They sat back down on the swings. Riley took his hand silently as she sat there.
"So this is where you used to hang out," she said, looking around. "It's gorgeous."
"Used to get bullied here a lot," he said bitterly.
They stayed silent for a few more minutes, before Riley spoke up. "It's the anniversary of your going under, isn't it."
He sighed heavily and nodded.
"But it wasn't just that, it was the disaster on our last mission."
"I don't know what it was!" Steve burst out in frustration. "I was fine, and then we got locked in the freezer and my mind just froze up."
Riley sighed. "Don't blame yourself. The mission was already gone to heck in a handbasket. You couldn't have saved it."
He sighed. His head dropped more.
They were quiet for a moment, then-
"Clint hates sand."
Steve raised his head a bit. "Wha-"
"Clint hates sand, and Natasha can't stand the sound of bells. Tony refuses to go underwater. Any scent of cinnamon sends me into a panic. Thor doesn't like the dark. Bruce refuses to even look at a certain shade of green."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"We all have triggers. Yours is the cold- after being frozen. Mine is cinnamon- my friend and I tried the cinnamon challenge and my throat swelled up and I couldn't breathe. I won't tell you the reasons behind the rest, but you aren't alone."
"How do you know all this?" Steve asked.
Riley paused to consider her answer. "Well... I suppose it's because all of you look to me as... a sort of house-mother. That's the best comparison I can come up with."
"Why?"
"God, Steve, I don't know. I try to make myself available and I don't interrupt when they start talking. I guess also because they don't want their teammates to know their weaknesses."
"But- you're a teammate too, just as much as I am."
"But I'm not an 'original'. I'm a new addition to the team."
"You're still a teammate," Steve said patiently.
Riley smiled and looked over at him. "Thank you. It means a lot."
He stood up and stretched a bit. The park was empty now. "Ready to go home?"
"I'll meet you there," she said warmly, hugging him tightly before moving to her car, spring in her step and a song humming from her lips.
