She was good. Not like Natasha or Maria Hill good, but still good. She wasn't as agile or physically strong, but she did have one major advantage over them: her mind. Trained under Charles Xavier at this school, she learned how to control her abilities. She could hear other people's thoughts, even better than Xavier. The only drawback was that she could always hear other people's thoughts. It was like standing in a crowded room with everyone talking all at once. When her powers first arose at age 8, they were simple, one mind at a time, no struggle. But then, during some freak accident she can't remember, her powers grew stronger and in turn worse. The professor found her abandoned on the streets by her coward of a father. He took her to his school upstate and tried to help her calm the voices. No matter how much he tried, how much he trained her, the voices still bombarded her mind, causing physical pain. After 3 days of intense pain in her skull and never ending nose-bleeds, the professor and some of his colleagues developed a device that could silence all the voices but the ones she actually wanted to hear. The device fit like hearing aides in her ears. With this she got better and was actually able to be a kid again.

She spent the next ten years of her life with Xavier, learning to control her powers and also learning like a normal student. Eventually she started to work at the school too, with other telekinetic kids and helped them to center and control their powers. No other student was ever quite as strong as she was at reading minds. Most kids needed a lot of training to control the voices and to hear them at great distances. Her hearing of other voices went for miles, 100 miles being the longest record so far. Because of this she was exceptionally good at keeping track of people, of finding students who were known to wander. The professor loved having her around.

It was only a matter of time before Nick Fury called and offered her a job at SHIELD. Xavier was the one who urged her to take it. She had grown quite attached to her job as a teacher and mentor/adoptive father, but did want to see more of the world than upstate New York. So she packed her bags and headed to DC. The professor was sad to see her go, his dearest daughter Claire.

Nick was very impressed with her. She was polite, had a good work ethic, and she was very, very good at her job. She could know exactly what the enemy was thinking and what they were going to do even before they had the chance to do it. Obviously things weren't foolproof though. She could keep tabs on SHIELD's greatest enemies, but she wasn't a fortune teller. She couldn't predict the actions of people she didn't watch. But Nick still loved having her around. She was much cheaper than having to send Hawkeye or Black Widow to check on certain people. She was especially good to have around when Dr. Banner hulked out and they couldn't seem to locate him without anyone having to get too close. She had grown so attuned to his thoughts she could pick him out easily.

Nick set her up with a nice place while she worked for him. A really nice apartment protected by an undercover SHIELD agent and oh yeah, a super-soldier. After "The Great Unfreeze" and the events in new York, Captain America moved to DC and effectively lived one floor above he. He was known to have some very noisy thoughts. She didn't mean to spy on him or hear his occasional crying session, but she still heard. He thought about his friend Bucky a lot. The friend he lost. The forgotten soldier buried in the snow. Steve dreamed about a train a lot. And he dreamed about losing Bucky every time. Sometimes Bucky would speak to him, but mostly he would just scream. And then Cap would wake with a jolt, soaked with sweat and gripping the streets. She could only hear his dreams when she would pass out with her still clicked to "on", which was significantly often. After work, her mind was usually so exhausted that the minute she stepped in the door of her apartment she headed straight for bed.

She had only heard his voice outside of his thoughts a handful of times. Mostly when they passed each other in the lobby at work or on the stairs in their apartment complex. But usually, they kept their distance. She knew what he thought when he looked at her.

"Jesus, even she looks like him," he would think as he passed by her. It was mostly true. She did look a little bit like his lost friend. She had the same dark hair and the same blue/gray eyes. She was tall, too and of course he liked that. She didn't come across as a damsel in distress like most girls seemed to Steve these days. She held her head up high when she walked and mostly kept to herself. Steve couldn't figure out how deaf she was though. He noticed the hearing aides when she wore her hair up in a ponytail one time. She didn't speak like she had been deaf from birth and she didn't stare at people's lips when they talked like Clint did. She never acted like she was straining to hear what someone said. And he could've sworn he saw her wearing normal ear plugs one time, like the world was actually too loud. Eventually he asked Clint about it.

"Do you ever go out without your hearing aide?" Steve asked between punches in their sparring match.

"Uh, sometimes," he huffed, sweat dripping from his temples, "It can be nice to not have to hear how noisy the city is."

"But, can you talk to a person without them?"

"I've gotten really good at reading lips, so sometimes. But, it's more comfortable for me to leave them in if I'm talking to people. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Steve brushed and went to knock Clint's gloved hand.

"Uh-uh buddy, I think there is a reason. Is it a girl?" Clint quirked his eyebrow and smile suspiciously at Steve.

"What? No," Steve lied and continued to punch the gloves.

"Oh no way man, there totally is. I can feel it," Clint laughed.

"Fine. It's a girl. She lives in my building and I see her occasionally, but it's not like that. She just interests me because she doesn't seem, normal deaf, I don't know how to put it," Steve shrugged.

"Normal deaf? Isn't that kind of offensive?"

"I don't mean it like that," Steve huffed.

"You think she's faking it?" Clint asked.

"Maybe? I don't know why she would," Steve said.

"Me neither. Deaf people don't get nearly as much sympathy as blind people. Look at that Daredevil guy, I bet he has tons of girls dying at the chance to guide him around. If it was sympathy and date she was after, she shoulda put on some sunglasses and got herself a cane," Clint joked.

"Yeah," Steve silently agreed.

So he dropped it for awhile. Didn't bring up the potentially faking-deaf girl to Clint. But Clint of course did not forget. He asked Natasha about her and of course Natasha eventually looked up all of the tenants in the Captain's apartment complex and handed Clint a manila envelope full of her information. Clint thumbed through her information carefully, reading about her time with Xavier and her employment with Fury. But her medical records portion was blank. No mention of being deaf and no mention of why she wore the hearing aides. He brought her up to Steve again during one of their training sessions.

"How's the potentially not deaf chick?" He smirked in between squats. Steve only rolled his eyes at him.

"She's fine. Haven't seen her around much, been too busy."

"Right," Clint remarked, and then continued on, "You wanna do something tonight, man? Like beers and pizza maybe? Because our friendship does exist past the limit of missions and this gym."

"Yeah, alright. Sounds good. I'll be home around 6. I'll supply beer because I'm assuming you're very particular about pizza."

"Damn straight," Clint laughed, "I'll see you 6, then."

Of course Clint was late. Thirty minutes late with 2 pepperoni and mushrooms, the heat of the boxes slowly singeing the skin on his forearm. He saw her downstairs, knowing from her work schedule a la Natasha that should be getting home right around 6:30. He knew immediately that she was most definitely not deaf. But what wasn't obvious was why she was wearing the aids in the first place. He carefully timed his steps and his actions to end up on the same elevator ride us as her.

"Hey, you work for SHIELD, right?" He asked bluntly as soon as the elevator doors shut,

"Oh, uh, yes," she smiled, "You're Clint Barton, right? Hawkeye? I've seen you around a few times."

This got Clint smiling, "Why yes I am. Listen, I'm just about to have some pizza and beers with the Cap, did you wanna join us? We've got plenty of extra pizza."

"Uh," she hesitated. She had been looking forward to going home, putting her silent earbuds in and sleeping until Monday morning. But something felt right about going with Clint. Plus, her friend had been giving her a bunch of shit about not going out and seeing other people enough, so she figured why not. Especially if Captain America was going to be there. "Sure. I'd love to."

Clint smiled back widely at her, "Awesome." And then they both got off at Cap's floor and she followed him to his door.

When they knocked on the door it opened almost immediately with a very grumpy, very tight shirt-wearing Cap in the doorway, "Ugh, it's about damn time, I was so hungry I-," he griped and then immediately snapped his mouth shut when he saw her.

"Sorry man, there was a huge line at the pizza place. Anyway, hope you don't mind I invited your neighbor to dinner with us. Did you know she also works with us at SHIELD? Such a small world," Clint said with a shit-eating grin. He was enjoying watching the Captain squirm way too much. Steve was visibly uncomfortable by the presence of the neighbor he had sort of been obsessing over recently.

"No, I did not," Steve said almost between his teeth. And then he remembered his manners, "Please come in."

She followed closely behind Clint into the Captain's apartment that looked like something out of time. All of the fixtures looked like they belonged in an old folks home. The furniture and the decorations were all artifacts of the forties. It shouldn't have surprised as much as it did.

"Kitchen's this way," Steve motioned and they followed him.

"You got a rooftop in this place?" Clint asked, digging in the fridge for the 6-pack of beer Steve had just bought on his way home.

"Uh, yeah, no one really goes up there though..." Steve trailed.

"Perfect, let's go up there," Clint said, grabbing the beers and waiting for Steve to grab the pizzas. Claire just stood quietly watching them and hearing the thoughts running through their heads. The Captain was obviously flustered and his thoughts matched. She knew that he had been thinking of her a lot, she knew that he thought she looked like his lost friend. She also knew that he was suspicious of her hearing aides. She wanted to tell him, she did, but she was afraid that if she knew about her mind-reading he might feel horribly embarrassed.

"Alright," Steve finally agreed and the three of them went to the elevator up to the roof.

It wasn't nearly as awkward as Claire thought it would be. Once the boys got some pizza and beer into them, the conversation flowed easily between everyone. And it was only a matter of time until Clint had enough beers and got brave enough to finally ask Claire. She saw it coming. Well, heard it coming.

"So, are you actually deaf, Claire? Because Steve and I have been debating over it for the past month," Clint blurted and Steve's blood began to practically boil with embarrassment.

"Claire, please, you don't have to answer that. And please excuse my dear idiot friend for being so blunt," Steve apologized.

"It's fine, I knew it would come up eventually."

"Aha! So you're not deaf?" Clint howled, slapping his knee.

"No, I'm not," Claire grimaced.

"So, why wear them?" Steve asked carefully.

"Well, they actually do serve a person. It's true, I can hear perfectly fine, maybe, uh, a little too fine? I, um," Claire stuttered, she was extremely nervous for their reactions.

"I can read minds. Like, everyone's within 100 miles. But, it's too intense for me, so I was given these devices to help block out most of the thoughts," she explained.

"Shit," she heard both of them say. There minds were racing, Steve's faster than Clint's buzzed one.

"So you can hear our thoughts?" Clint finally asked.

"Yep."

"All the time?" Steve asked and Claire stiffened.

"Yes," Clint was already over the embarrassment as he reached for his 5th slice of pizza, but Steve was still bothered.

"I'm sorry," Claire started, "I try to not listen when I know it's very personal. And I do have the ability to turn them off and I do that as frequently as I can."

"Claire, it's fine, it's not your fault," Steve said but she still felt bad.

"Wait, tell us more, how does it work? How did you get this ability?" Clint asked through a mouthful of pizza.

"Um, when I was 8 I noticed my powers. Charles Xavier, my adoptive father, said that I was what he called a Mutant. When I was 10, something happened, I can't quite remember, but the voices suddenly got really loud and I couldn't tune any of them out. It was awful, it felt like my head was going to explode and eventually I just blacked out. Next thing I know I wake up in upstate New York in Xavier's office with no memory of how I got there."

"Where did you live before then?" Steve asked.

"With my real father. He was a scientist. I asked Xavier about him many times but he said that he just couldn't take care of me anymore. Xavier was a wonderful father to me after that," Claire sniffed.

"And your mother?"

"We presume she's dead."

"I'm sorry," Clint and Steve both said.

"It's fine, guys. It's in the past now. Plus, the time I spent with Xavier was better than any time I spent with my father."

"You mentioned that something happened that worsened your powers, but you have no memory of it?" Steve asked incredulously.

"Yeah, none at all. One day I could just hear thoughts when I wanted to and then the next I could hear everyone's and I couldn't turn it off," Claire explained.

"And it causes you physical pain?" Clint asked.

"Yeah, I can't not wear my devices for more than a few seconds at a time or else," Claire explained, thinking about the terrible crushing pain in her head she gets when her aides get knocked out or she takes them out to clean them.

Interesting. I wonder if she showers with them on… Clint thought.

"Yes. They're waterproof," she answered.

"Shit. That is creeeeepy," Clint swore.

"Sorry. It's rare that I am able to just respond to people's thoughts," she smiled shyly.

"Right," Clint agreed, "Well, I better get out of here before the Cap tries to get me more drunk."

"Um, I did not force you to have 4 beers?" Steve said questioningly to which Clint only laughed.

"I will see you guys later then," he said and headed towards the elevator. Perfect, now that I'm gone, maybe Steve will grow some balls and get some.

"You know exactly why he left," Steve said blandly.

"Yeahhhh," Claire drew.

"Guess nothing is really a secret anymore," Steve sighed.

"That's not true! I can switch aides if it would make you more comfortable," Claire suggested.

"No, it's fine. Maybe it'll be easier this way," Steve said and then they were both quiet for a beat.

"You know about him, don't you?" Steve asked her, Bucky flashing across his thoughts.

"Yes," she answered simply. "He haunts you, doesn't he?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright. If every other part of my body can heal, that eventually will too," Steve remarked, moving his position, leaning against the wall, overlooking the city and wringing his hands.

"That's a very positive way of thinking about it," Claire remarked and matched his posture. They sat like that for a while, his thoughts bouncing around and she responded to them whenever he wanted her too. And then, right as the sun was setting and the light caught her eyes at the right angle, he kissed her. His first kiss since the 40's, her first since she left Xavier's school. They kissed for a few minutes, until their breath came out in pants and the sky had grown dark. And like the gentleman he was, he walked her to her door, placed one more gentle kiss on her reddened lips, and then left.

A/N:

Hello friends! This is my first fanfiction that I'm actually posting, so please go gentle on me! I of course love Captain America, and this little project has been brewing in my head for some time now. It originally started out as what if Steve and Bucky go on missions all the time for SHIELD and The Avengers but they also had a kick ass girl with them because why not. I originally just wrote little one shots about the trio but then Claire started to get her own story and her own ideals and soon enough she needed her own story. Bonus because her story also addresses how she is involved with the boys. My plan with this is to go through the events of TWS and how they met, how they got together, etc etc. Eventually there will be a sequel that focuses on the events post-AOU and up to the events from the bonus scene post-credits of Ant Man, then the story will go off on it's own. I have high hopes to get most of the story including it's sequel before the events of Civil War come out next May because I guarantee it will ruin my story. Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope to update as frequently as I can considering it is time-sensitive. (The story actually is completely written my posting is based on when I get the chance to transcribe it from my notebook to my laptop and proofread for grammatical and continuation errors)