Transition

"…why?"

"Because it'll help relieve stress."

"Fine…so I just…squeeze it?"

"You can do whatever you like with it."

"But what if I hurt it?"

"Trust me, you won't."

"Okay…so like that?"

"YES!"

James was smirking, but I was about to slam my head into the wall. "Was that really so difficult?" I demanded.

"Kind of," he said innocently, his mischievous intentions still clear as day on his face.

I rolled my eyes and snatched the stress ball from his hands. "You enjoy making my life frustrating, Barnes."

I could hear him chuckle as I tossed the ball into my closet, and he came up behind me to kiss my cheek. "Just a little bit," he teased. "I have a meeting in ten. See you for dinner?"

"Yup," I popped. I pulled my lab coat off a hanger and put it on as I watched him leave. "Remember to dress nice!"

"I will!" he called back. I grinned, tying my hair back and grabbing my notebooks before I opened the bedroom door. The secretive world of the Avengers opened up before me, and I set off down the hallway in the direction of the laboratories. I caught Ian's eye and waved, noting that a short brunette with glasses and a beanie was standing next to him. He gave me a nervous grin back, and I understood his look. That must have been Darcy, the girl he told me about last week over lunch.

I snickered, gave him a thumbs up, and made a left turn. The training rooms were on my right, and I glanced over at T'Challa and Sam as they spared. I waved through the window, and Sam returned the favor, only to wind up with a punch to the face. Wincing, I opened up the door.

"Sorry, Sam!" I apologized quickly. "Just meant to remind you about your appointment tomorrow."

Grimacing, Sam looked over at me. "Any chance of rescheduling that, 'Liza?"

I shook my head. "Nope. You've been avoiding me and Bruce for three weeks now. It's just a checkup, Sam."

T'Challa wandered over, and he gave me a knowing look. "I'll make sure he goes, Miss Reynolds."

I inclined my head. "Thank you. Just don't beat my patient up too much."

Sam chuckled, reaching up to wipe some sweat off his forehead. "I'm blaming that last hit on you, 'Liza."

Snorting, I turned on my heel and opened the door. "Noted!" I called back. I carried on with my mission, making a right at the end of the hall. After a journey down a black corridor, a wide white hanger was revealed before me, and I looked up to see Vision and Wanda above my head.

"-and focus, Wanda," the android was saying softly. "That's it. Deep breaths are calming for humans. You must be able to breathe if you want to think. Oxygen is necessary for the brain to-"

"Viz, I know," Wanda cut him off gently. Her eyes opened, and I could see that they were filled with red. She sensed my presence immediately, looking down and giving me a smile.

I smiled back. "How's it been going?"

"Wanda's maximum level of suspension has been thirty feet, and her longest sustained flight was just over six minutes," Vision replied mechanically as the pair lowered to the ground in tandem.

Wanda fiddled with her sleeves uncomfortably. "Feels like much longer," she mumbled.

An understanding smile came onto my face. "Progress is progress. Last month, that time was much lower."

"Precisely," Vision intoned. "Sustained flight is much more difficult than temporary leaps and bounds."

A wry smile came onto Wanda's face. "For some of us, it is."

I fought the urge to snort at her little jab. "You'll figure it out soon, I'm sure."

The young woman gave me a smile, and Vision nodded his agreement. I started to leave the hanger, but I turned around to shout, "Don't forget about your appointment in two weeks, Wanda!"

"Thanks!" she called back.

I continued onward, passing through the crowds of agents, diplomats, and scientists like a fly on a wall. Large windows were coming up on my right, and I was unsurprised to see a man in silver armor flying around outside as an enthusiastic looking Thor conjured up a lightning storm. Just as he stopped to give me a nod, an arrow flew past him, followed quickly by a laughing Natasha Romanov and an annoyed looking Clint Barton.

Laughing out loud, I shook my head and looked down at my notes, only to see that I had acquired a passenger.

I stopped walking and quirked an eyebrow. "Since when did you get on board?"

The miniature Scott Lang gave me a shrug before he hopped off. He grew in size before my eyes, then motioned to the mechanics lab I'd stopped in front of. "Getting a lift is faster than walking," he explained before he disappeared behind the door.

I rolled my eyes, then turned when I heard footsteps approaching from behind.

"He does that to everyone," Agent Coulson shrugged calmly. "I found him in my coffee mug two days ago."

I snorted, handing him a file before we continued our walk. "I'm beginning to think that my version of reality is slightly skewed."

Agent Coulson grinned at my comment. "I'm taking it you still haven't settled in, then."

"I have," I replied. "Just still not used to being surrounded by it all. It takes a while to adjust to a new normal."

He nodded, glancing over the file as we paused before a door. "Your last session go okay today?"

"If by okay, you mean that James was trying to push my buttons constantly, then yes, it went okay," I told him with an eye roll. Agent Coulson lifted an eyebrow, and we resumed our steady pace. "I think he just wanted the sessions to be over. After he got used to Google, he found ebooks, and I became pretty obsolete."

"Not entirely," Agent Coulson hummed. We stopped at an intersection, and he gave me a long look. "You've been invaluable, Miss Reynolds. Don't think otherwise."

A chastised look came upon my face. I briefly wondered if he knew how that felt, to be an average person in the midst of legends. Then again, he was a legend in his own right. I nodded after a moment, and he turned to walk down the hall. I spun on my heel and continued on toward the lab in the opposite direction.

It'd been almost five months. Five months since the party at Stark Tower. Four months since the attack on the compound. Three months since we reunited at my apartment. Two months since our first kiss. One month since we'd said "I love you."

And it's been absolutely wonderful.

Of course there were ups and downs. We were still figuring each other out, trying to work out how to best communicate. I was constantly battling anxiety whenever he went out on missions, and he was constantly worried that our being together would somehow endanger me. But in the end, we always got it figured out, and everything was kept in some semblance of normalcy.

Valentine's Day had been a few weeks ago, and that had been even greater than I expected. As I went down the hallway, I indulged myself in my memories.

"Is this really necessary?" I questioned him.

I could hear him snort. "For you? Yes." His grip on my hand was firm as he guided me through what I assumed was a series of hallways. I didn't actually know, though, because he'd decided that a blindfold was necessary for his Valentine's plans.

"Almost there," he mumbled. I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see it. Sometimes I thought this man would be the end of me, pulling silly stunts like this.

We came to a sudden halt, and at that moment, I picked up on his labored breathing. I focused on where our hands touched, searching for his pulse. After a moment, I felt it. It was high.

"Honey, are you okay?" I asked.

He had a nervous laugh. "What gave it away?"

"A few things," I replied. "There's no need to be worried, James. I'm sure I'll love it."

I felt his presence grow closer, and his lips came near my ear as his hands worked the knot loose. "I hope," he breathed. The blindfold fell away, and my heart warmed.

It was my old space, looking just like I remembered it before the attack. The same giant sectional was there, along with a basket of blankets and plenty of books. I noted a few touches of his own, such as a leather chair and his favorite records stacked up nice and neat next to a player. His arms came around me from behind, and I fell back into his warm embrace.

He swallowed nervously. "Do you like it? It took a while to reconstruct, they had to take care of more vital areas of the compound first, whatever that means-"

"I love it, James," I replied. "Thank you."

I couldn't help the large grin on my face. Though everyone else saw him as Mr. Tough Guy, I saw him as he truly was— utterly adorable and considerate. And handsome, of course. And kind, and sweet, and gentle. And so supportive and understanding, and—

"Daydream over, Lizzie pop!"

My eyes blinked, and I realized that a certain billionaire genius was in my path.

"S-Sorry, Tony, I was lost in my thoughts," I stuttered.

He gave me a knowing look. "Mhmm. Any particular thoughts I should be aware of?"

I flashed a cautionary glance at him. "None at all."

"Good," Tony cleared his throat. "Wouldn't want to hear any…thoughts in the night."

I rolled my eyes. "You know that he and I—"

"Right right, 1940's gentleman, I gotcha," Tony winked at me. "You on the way to see the big green monster?"

I nodded, shuffling the notes in my arms. "As should you. He mentioned you haven't been down to see him in a while."

Tony shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. "Been busy, Lizzie. Always am, always will be."

"Wedding planning?" I queried hopefully.

"Err…something along those lines," he replied vaguely. "Planning an event of some sort, at least." He paused at an intersection in the hallway and patted my shoulder before he headed off in the other direction. "Say hi to Brucey for me!"

I laughed and made the final turn to the laboratories. There was never a quiet day around here.

Welcome back, friends! I hope you're ready for it all- action, drama romance, the works! As always, I upload every Saturday and will reply to every review left for me. Remember that I'm totally open to suggestions, ideas, etc. Enjoy!