WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY… COMES MEET-AWKWARD'S
"I meet people and they become chapters in my stories."
― Avijeet Das
It was a sombre day. The past week had felt like one, long, sombre day that everyone in the Avenger's compound was just napping through. It didn't feel like 'tomorrow' was going to come any time soon, because a tomorrow insinuated a new day, a new start, full of new adventures. For that week everyone was paused, stationary, trapped in the after effects of what had happened in Sokovia.
Amelia Stark sat inside the living room of the compound alone, staring at a wall with an empty expression as her mind looked back on everything that had occured in Sokovia. She hadn't been able to get Charles Spencer's body back, Pietro had died and she'd been incapable of saving him, and this small girl - Danielle Harper - had performed something unbelievable, destroying the city of Sokovia that was acting as Ultron's meteor with just her powers. It was a lot.
Seeing the small girl break the meteor had been daunting for everyone, the display of power overwhelming and it had sent a wave of concern throughout the Avengers. No one admitted to being scared, they'd seen far scarier things and no one wanted to label Danielle as something evil when she was such a gentle child. The girl was shy, always keeping to herself and sometimes saying a few words to her brother but other than that she was pretty much mute. She didn't behave like a monster, not like something to be feared. And that was enough of a reason for Amelia to believe that Dani wasn't her powers, the exact same way that she wasn't just her powers that would sometimes be quite formidable as well. Sometimes Amelia wasn't sure whether she was controlling the power or if it was controlling her, and there was something about Dani and the way she talked about 'Eris', that suggested to the brunette that she felt the same way.
Amelia wanted to do a lot of things. She wanted to get Natasha out of that gym, she wanted to get Wanda and Jack to do more activities with the whole group so they weren't just the two of them hiding away from everyone feeling like they were all each other had. And most of all, above everything else, she wanted to get Dani to talk.
She'd been the one to isolate herself most and it had Amelia becoming more and more concerned with every day that passed where she wouldn't see the new addition to the team. So concerned that she'd sat in that living room for a good hour, staring at an off TV, trying to figure out what she could actually do to help Danielle get out of her shell.
"You okay?" Steve entered the room and casually sat beside her, his arm immediately going to the back of the couch around her shoulders as he got comfortable. His fingers pressed against her skin in a simple touch that they couldn't deepen because it felt inappropriate to do so when pretty much any one of the Avenger's would be able to see. Neither one of them wanted to overshadow people's healings with their relationship so after that one kiss before facing off Ultron, they'd mostly kept their intimate touches in their bedroom only.
They still shared a bed every night because they always had before, and that at least gave them some time to be… something. But until they were sure the team were okay, their relationship would remain unidentified and they'd just have to wait before they could go on a date.
Amelia was just glad it was unanimous between them that they couldn't really work on themselves until they were sure their friends, new and old, were okay. The fight against Ultron had left a humongous scar on the team, and the only reason Steve and Amelia were able to heal better than the others was because they had those nights in their bedroom to simply be them and in love. It was what made her realise that she needed to be there for her friends to help them heal as well. Companionship breeds love, and Amelia had found that love was an ointment for any wound.
All she needed to do next was figure out how to be there for Dani, a girl she barely knew and someone that barely knew her.
"I've been better," the brunette replied quietly as she leaned her head back so she could rest it against his shoulder. She was almost tempted to return back to their bedroom so that she'd be able to properly cuddle up to his side but they'd already spent one day not leaving their room and Steve had made it clear that it was quite inappropriate, meaning she wasn't allowed her second day of alone time.
"Should I be worried?" Steve asked, suddenly bashful as he thought that perhaps she was having second thoughts about them after everything that had happened during their first day as being something more than just friends.
"Ha, no, not you," Amelia chimed, beginning to glow as she was reminded about what step they'd taken between them. Really, things weren't actually that different, they'd always been close and always slept in the same bed, really the only difference was that she could kiss him. And, eventually, she'd be able to pronounce to the world that he was hers which was possibly the best part, knowing that he was all hers. "This is about everyone else," she explained with a sigh, smile dropping as she became lost in all her worries once more, "mostly Dani to be honest. Wanda at least talks to me and Nat, and she's started to come out of her room more to hang out with Vision. Jack is getting close to Tony. But Danielle doesn't seem to be making any progress at all."
"She has been through a lot," the soldier reminded her and Amelia gave a nod as she started to chew on her lips. She hadn't forgotten that fact, it was hard not to when their stories were so similar. Taken by Hydra at a young age, losing their parents, being given powers they could never fully understand. She couldn't forget her own past, so she certainly couldn't forget Danielle's.
"I know, I know that she probably just needs time and to know that we're all there for her, but I just can't stop thinking that if we continue leaving her alone to her thoughts, to all the untrue guilt, then she'll… well, I know this sounds mean but I'm scared she'll become another AS09," She hated admitting it, feeling like she sounded cruel to the young girl. It was an irrational fear that she couldn't seem to rid herself off.
"I don't think you need to worry about that at all," Steve attempted to comfort, bringing up the hand that was around her shoulder and dragging his fingers tenderly across her cheek, the brunette immediately leaned into the touch. "From what I can tell, Dani is strong with a good moral compass, you were just a baby when you were taken by Hydra."
"But she's still been in Hydra's grasp, and they did to her the exact same thing they did to me. They gave her powers she doesn't understand and left her in a world that doesn't make sense anymore." Again Amelia felt herself feeling grateful towards Steve because after she left Hydra he actually managed to build the world in a way that she could understand it, or at least not fear what was hiding behind every corner. "I had you to make sense of the world, but right now everyone's too busy fixing themselves to help her out."
Steve looked to his girl with an analytical gaze. Amelia really was concerned about Dani and for some reason, it was making him fall in love with her more, because it just showed how human she could be despite how many times she'd jump to label herself more like a monster. She wasn't a monster, and he believed that, because of all the concern she had, then she could also be a great help for Dan. "You should go talk to her then," he recommended, unable to find any reason as to why it might be a bad idea.
"I was going to ask you to do it, actually," she revealed, turning to look into his eyes with a desperation because she really didn't want to be the one to talk to Dani. Steve had been so helpful to her and he was the kindest man she knew, that sort of softness was required for people shattered to the point of delicacy like Danielle.
"No, it should definitely be you," the soldier persisted. Whilst he could be kind and gentle, he couldn't relate to Danielle's problems and perhaps an understanding was the real key to make Danielle unfold her petals.
Amelia snorted, "come on Steve, I'm the last person who should be talking to her, I'm not exactly a great example because of my past."
"It's because of your past that I think you're the best person to speak to her," he immediately argued, "I held your hand whilst you were AS09, but you were the one who made the decision to fight against Hydra, to join my side…" He reached down with his hand so that he could grab a hold of hers, his fingers entwining secretively, the intimate touch hidden behind a pillow, a show of just how grateful he was that she'd made such a decision. "You're the only one who's experienced that."
"But… she's a child, what if I accidentally damage her or something?" Amelia didn't know the first thing about children, all she knew was how to kill them and she hated how ingrained that knowledge was in her head. Plus, after her past, she didn't want to accidentally do something wrong that could damage Dani. A bit of her past treatment that would sneak into her own mindset and make her commit something atrocious.
"She's just like you, too much of an adult and not enough child, she wasn't allowed to be a child. In fact, there are a lot of similarities between you two from what I've seen so far," he continued to push, confident in what he'd suggested and not leaving Amelia much room to argue against him. It seemed he'd already decided that she was going to be the one to talk to Dani.
"You mean the fact that we could both have powers that shouldn't really exist in nature?" The brunette joked, using humour as a defence, trying to avoid whatever he was planning for a moment longer. The humour of the situation had avoided her, she really was terrified over talking to a child.
Steve rolled his eyes because that definitely wasn't what he meant. "No, I mean the whole Hydra background thing, and losing your parents, and I think Dani likes cooking too. She might be able to teach you a thing or two, like how to properly measure ingredients."
"Are you ever going to drop the pancake incident?" She huffed, doing her best to ignore the smile on his face that was filled with boyish charm, making the war veteran look ten years younger.
"Not a chance," he laughed, the sound close to a giggle that reverberated through her bones and caused a chuckle to vibrate out of her as well.
"Well, I don't want to just go to her room and talk to her," Amelia calmed down and spoke her concerns, knowing that Steve had definitely given more than enough points on why she should be able to help Dani. She just needed to get over her initial fears and with Steve at her side that would be a little easier. "We barely spoke when she left Ultron's side to join ours, I don't even think she knows my name."
"How about we do a dinner then, just us two and her," Steve suggested, knowing that she'd want him by her side without her even having to ask, "we could do the cooking together, I think it'd be a nice escape from everything that's been happening as well."
"Okay, sure," she agreed, very much liking the idea at first but then her voice became quieter as anxieties started to get to get the better of her again. She tried to cover them up, putting her best mask on and moving her mind to concentrate on something else. She held up her hand, as though she were trying to gain the attention of a teacher. "I've got dibs on making the dessert."
Suddenly, Steve began to look around suspiciously, leaning forward so he could see into the door, trying to see if anyone was about to wander into the room and see them together. When he knew for sure that they had the room to themselves, he turned back to Amelia, leant forward, and pressed a kiss to her lips which she happily accepted. It was proving difficult for the two of them to keep their hands off of each other since becoming more than friends, and perhaps it was the fact that they couldn't constantly be holding hands and doing other couple-y stuff which made them want to do it even more.
Meanwhile, inside of her own bedroom, Danielle was sat at the edge of her bed scrolling through a little iPod that she'd been using to occupy herself whilst her brother busied himself trying to comfort Wanda after Pietro's death. She'd also gone to help Wanda, but sometimes, a lot of the time, she just wanted to be on her own.
Pietro's death had taken a toll on all of the enhanced siblings, Wanda the most, but Danielle figured she'd only be adding onto more problems if she acted on the sadness that built up in her chest after the speedster's death. Jack already had to play big brother to one sister so she didn't want to add her own grief onto his list of problems, she'd only stress him out and she wanted him to take care of himself too.
But because of her decision to keep all of her emotions internal for the welfare of everyone else, that meant she pretty much had no one to talk to. She couldn't really talk to anyone anyway. Ever since Ultron, she'd been going through an awkward mute-phase, it was in it's prime, and she didn't really feel comfortable around the Avenger's team. She wasn't sure how she actually felt around them, whether they were good guys or not.
Over the past few days she'd learnt that they were all just too busy. The Black Widow had locked herself away inside the gym and, in Dani's opinion, was far too intimidating to approach anyway. The teenage girl wasn't even going to try to speak to Thor or the 'Vision'. Tony had spared her a small 'thank you' after she'd aided in helping destroy the flying city of Sokovia, and then she wasn't really sure who War Machine was. That left Danielle with the option of trying to talk to the only person she felt comfortable speaking to other than her brother and Wanda: Steve.
She'd actually attempted to talk to him, searching for Steve in the new Avengers facility and finding him inside the kitchen with a woman. Amelia. From what Dani knew, she'd assumed that the soldier and the older enhanced woman were actually a couple. They always seemed to be together and she'd learnt that they slept in the same room together, so it only made sense that they'd be in a relationship.
Danielle had actually first met Amelia when they were in Seoul stopping a train, she had fainted after over exerting herself with her own powers to stop the train from crashing into civilians. From that moment on, Danielle had sort of seen the older woman as a role model, a role model that was both impressive and intimidating.
Because Steve was busy with Amelia, a woman Dani hadn't really spoken to all that much, she decided to trudge back to her room which was near-empty, the walls plain and the furniture minimal. She had stayed there the rest of the night and that was when her brother had visited to give her the iPod. She supposed it was his way of trying to make sure that she was okay whilst also managing himself and Wanda, she'd pretended that she was and accepted the iPod gratefully.
Dani wasn't sure if she'd actually been convincing but it didn't matter as she planned to stay inside of her room for as long as she possibly could. That was until someone knocked on her door. Her head snapped up from what she was doing on the iPod to see Steve poking his head through the barely open door.
Caught off guard, Danielle sat up slightly and gave him a little wave. "Hi," she greeted, her voice barely above a whisper.
If it hadn't been for his super-soldier hearing then Steve probably wouldn't have heard the girl speak. "Hey," he replied, his voice gentle and kept low as though if he spoke in anything above a whisper then he'd scare her. "We're going to have a small dinner and I though it would be a good idea if you joined us."
"Us?" Danielle questioned, looking back down at her ipod shyly. It was comforting having the device in her hands, it gave her something to look at and something for her hands to press on.
"Just you, Amelia, and me," the soldier explained, "Jack and Wanda already declined the offer and everyone else is busy with different things."
The very idea was filling her with anxiety, scared of what exactly the couple would expect from her and scared that she wouldn't be able to pretend that she was okay enough to get through the meal. But Steve looked so hopeful that she didn't want to turn him down. "Okay," she agreed, feeling unsure of the decision even as she agreed to it.
He explained what time the meal was going to be and then he gave her an earnest thank you and left her once more with her thoughts.
That time was filled with her overthinking the scenario. A meal with Amelia and Steve, they'd been nothing but kind to her yet she was absolutely terrified at the prospect. Especially because it meant meeting Amelia officially and she was scared of what the enhanced woman would think of her, and how she'd react. Amelia came off so strong-willed, and for the past few days, Dani had felt anything but that.
"Okay, we're done," Amelia announced, looking down at the table which she'd decorated with Steve. They'd moved a small round table into the private kitchen so they wouldn't be interrupted by any Compound workers as they would have been if they'd eaten in the public dining hall. They'd set up three places at the table and in the middle was a much larger plate with a mountain of nachos towering on it.
Behind them was the spaghetti and meatballs Steve had made which simply needed to be warmed up before they served it, and then the dessert Amelia made was hidden away in the freezer, even Steve had no idea what it was as she'd made it whilst he was shopping for what they'd need for the starter and main meal.
"This looks delicious, Freckles," he enthused, having to maintain a positive outlook because for the past few hours Amelia had been nothing but nervous. Even then her body was strict and her expression hard as she stared down at the table looking for a flaw she seemed to know would be there.
"Are you sure?" Amelia asked, panicked. "Maybe we made too much food, I don't want her to think that she has to eat all of it and then be too shy to say that she's full a quarter the way through the meal so she forces herself to eat the rest only to return to her room and throw up."
"Freckles, you really need to calm down," Steve replied as he reached out to take her hand into his, hoping the embrace would be enough to stop her at least shaking. He pulled her even closer so that they could embrace, him wrapping his arms around her shoulders, and Mia resting her head on his chest. "We'll let her know she doesn't have to eat it all, okay?"
She nodded her head as she pressed herself even closer to him, feeling his warmth spread through her like a sun rise that calmed the torrential storm of anxiety that had overtaken all of her senses. "Alright," she relented, "but we also need to tell her to save room for dessert, that's going to be the best part."
Though his lips were hidden away in her hair, the soldier still smiled to himself because of course she wasn't worried about the dessert. The first few months where Amelia started experimenting with food, all she'd made was desserts. "Okay, but you have to calm down first," he reminded her.
"Deal," Amelia pulled away slightly so she could easily wrap her hands around his neck. The brunette did reach up to give him a kiss on the cheek but she was interrupted by the appearance of a small enhanced girl stood in the doorway. "Danielle!" Immediately she pulled away from Steve and the soldier stepped away from her as well, turning to face Danielle.
"Hi," she whispered, giving the pair a small wave which made it seem to the couple like she hadn't noticed what they were about to do. Danielle had, she just didn't know that their relationship was a big secret or something out of the ordinary.
"Hello, Dani," Steve greeted, voice rumbling as he tried to switch to casual from the mood Amelia had set. He gestured towards her, in particular, her outfit as she'd seemingly dressed up for the occasion with a nice blouse and jeans, her hair falling in natural, lazy, waves. It was a lot longer than Amelia's and it was something the psychic would always envy her for. "You look lovely."
"You're making me feel underdressed," Amelia joked as she looked down at her own outfit which consisted of a long black-sleeved shirt, black skinny jeans and black combat boots, her shoulder length hair pulled up into a small ponytail.
"Oh, sorry." She murmured, looking down to the floor and crossing her hands in front of her body, as though she was trying to hide it from them.
Amelia immediately looked over to Steve with panic etched on her expression, imploring the soldier to do something. "Let's sit down and eat, shall we?" Steve improvised, stepping over to the table and pulling out Dani's cair, then Amelia's. "Me and Freck- uh, Amelia, made nachos for starters, because we're not really good cooks," he continued, as though Danielle wouldn't be able to see that they were eating Nachos when in the middle of the table there was a mountain of the food.
"Speak for yourself, Rogers," Amelia sassed as she sat down at the table, Danielle doing the same. The brunette smiled over to her, feeling her skin being pulled tight by the movement. "You don't have to eat everything, I know we've made a lot. Just make sure you have enough room left for dessert because it's going to be the best part," Amelia explained with a wink.
"Okay."
"Great, bon appetite, then." Amelia was doing her best to try and not let Dani's one words answers affect her, she understood that the girl was going through some sort of mute phase and though she'd never experienced it before Steve had taught her the basics. The small girl literally couldn't help it, her mind forcing her into that state the same way Amelia's mind had forced her to see Pierce's ghost for well over a year. The best thing she could think to do was let Dani go through the phase, as long as the enhanced knew that she did really have people she could talk to, then Amelia was going to do her best to not get too concerned about it.
Instead of getting unnerved by the one-word answers Dani was giving, she concentrated on her food which was the easiest thing she had to do that day. Immediately she took from the giant plate in the middle a mountain of nachos, dumping the load onto her own plate and starting to scoff them down, enjoying the mix of flavours bursting in her mouth the same way she did every meal because it had yet to grow stale the wonderful new tastes she was discovering since leaving Hydra. The food had definitely been better tasting in Europe but America was the place to go for inventive new junk foods.
Steve immediately rolled his eyes at Mia's behaviour, watching her continue to throw a handful of nachos into her mouth and throw crumbs all over her plate. She was the messiest eater he'd ever met and it was disgusting to watch, yet she'd somehow made it a part of her charms so it never made Steve regret choosing her to be his… whatever they were.
He liked to think of her as his partner, but until he could actually ask her to be his girlfriend, the two of them were just floating around in the space between best friends and lovers.
The soldier then looked towards Danielle. The small enhanced girl wasn't being as enthusiastic as Amelia was, instead of scarfing down as much food as she could, she had one nacho in her hand and was dragging it through the sauces on top of her food. Taking a nibble from the chip only once before going back to playing with her food.
Underneath the table, Steve used his foot to gently kick against Amelia's leg, making the brunette look up from her food with a mouthful and white sauce dripping down the corner of her mouth to the bottom of her chin. Steve would have chuckled very loudly if he didn't have something else playing on his mind. Trying to keep his movements little and undetected, he slightly nodded over towards Dani who was still staring down at her plate quietly. Amelia raises her eyebrows, as though she was asking him 'what do you want me to do about it?' He creased his own eyebrows as he nodded back over to her, signalling that he wanted Amelia to say something to Dani. The brunette nodded her head over to him, pointedly signalling that he should be the one to talk to her. He hardened his gaze to a glare, a punishing look that promised she would be in trouble later if she didn't take up the opportunity he was giving to her to make some progress with Dani.
Amelia looked down at her plate nervously, seeming to relent her own fight in the battle. She finished swallowing the mouthful that had puffed out her cheeks, wiping away the sauce she felt on her cheek with just the sleeve of her black long-sleeved shirt. "So… how've you been?" The psychic used the first question that came to her head, one that wouldn't be too domineering and was more casual.
Danielle looked up with widened eyes, her eyes switching between Steve and Mia who were both staring at her with kind, curious expressions, awaiting her answer. Nerves dotted her body like pin pricks, up her spine, on her hands, down her neck. "Um… tired," she replied back, once again only giving a one-word answer as her eyes anxiously fell back down to the food in front of her. She nibbled on her nacho chip once more.
Meanwhile, Amelia's eyes instantly ran over to Steve and she gave him another look full of words. Only it was just one that time: help. Reluctantly he decided to take over, still sending his girl a supportive smile and even patting her hand that he was holding beneath the table as a sign that she'd done well. "How have you been adjusting to life at the Compound?" He asked.
"Good," Danielle shrugged. It was a lie of course, she'd been doing everything but being 'good'. She'd been struggling, but she didn't know if she could tell the people in front of her that, she didn't want to become just another problem.
A long, pregnant, silence set in. Amelia and Steve allowing more space to see if Danielle was planning on elaborating any further. She didn't. Beneath the table, Mia squeezed the soldier's hand. "Yeah, it's kind of big here," Steve supplied, motivated to continue speaking by Amelia, "but don't let it intimidate you. It'll feel like a home in no time."
Danielle's only response was a very small nod of her head, the kind of movement that was barely a movement at all as she finished her first nacho (meanwhile Amelia was on her hundredth one).
"You know what we need here"? Amelia visibly perked up as a lightbulb went off in her head. The idea in her head had appeared many times before but she'd never been able to find the right moment. Until then. Both Steve and Dani looked over to the girl, made even more curious by the mischievous smile which reflected in the glint in her eye. "A dog," she finally revealed.
"A dog?" Steve echoed, leaving out the pure excitement that Amelia had possessed.
"Yeah, a dog. Something that will make this place feel more home-y, you know?" She continued to explain, misunderstanding Steve's tone as confusion when it was actually distaste.
He made that difference clear with his next words though, "and you think a dog running around her, barking, and making a mess, will make it feel like a home?"
The brunette shrugged her shoulders, feeling crestfallen by his rejection but it wasn't enough to stop her attempts. "Well, I'd personally prefer a dog. But we could get a cat, they're quieter, right?"
Steve shook his head, and he knew immediately that he'd be doing that a lot during their conversation. "We're not going to get a dog or a cat, Freckles." He was trying his best to be gentle with his refusal, but even Steve knew that was only going to get him so far.
"How about a parrot?"
"They're way too loud and require a lot of care," he protested more firmly. Meanwhile, Dani was watching the two with a small smile curving her lips that was kept hidden by the way she had lowered her head.
"Hamster?"
"Who do you think is going to watch it when we're all on missions?" He had a valid point, and it was the biggest reason why they couldn't really have any pets at all. They'd either be too busy with training or being on missions and, selfishly, he didn't want any free time that the couple did have with each other being spent taking care of a pet. And they couldn't exactly ask one of the Compound employees to take care of the pet; they were there to help protect the world, not look after some animal.
"Oh! I know!" Amelia threw up her hand, finger pointed to the sky, "a panda!"
Dani broke into a fit of quiet giggles then, unable to stop the humour of their conversation from getting to her any longer. Even Steve laughed but he seemed to be trying to force the chuckle down, attempting to look at Amelia in a reprimanding way. "Amelia-"
"Steven," she cheekily interrupted, and Danielle found that 'cheeky' was the most appropriate way to describe the way Amelia looked in that moment.
It was nice. For the first time since everything that had happened with Ultron, Dani could wear a real smile and not feel like termites were digging through her solid wood insides, filling her heart with sawdust. She felt human again. Warm and alive. And it was nice.
"How about a goldfish?" Danielle offered as a suggestion.
The arguing couple both turned to look at Danielle completely caught off guard by the words that had actually come out of her mouth. Four words in total. That was more than what Amelia had been afforded ever since they finished their mission in Sokovia. Amelia almost felt like she was witnessing a miracle. So did Steve, and for the first few seconds after Dani had spoken both of them weren't sure if they actually had heard her speak or if they'd imagined the whole thing.
"A goldfish?" Steve questioned, repeating what he thought she'd said so he could make sure that the small enhanced girl had actually recommended the pet.
She nodded, conforming to the both of them that she'd indeed spoken and almost immediately the both tightened their hold on each other's hand beneath the table, their hearts soaring. And if they'd believed that their heart wouldn't be able to rise any higher, they were thrown once more as Dani spoke again. "They don't make noise, they don't require attention, they're easy to feed, and they're really cheap," she listed.
Amelia's jaw had practically dropped to the floor. Dani had said more words, and Mia had been able to hear exactly what she was saying without any mumbling or stuttering! Dani was actually getting more comfortable around her, actually seeing Amelia as someone that she could talk to.
If getting a fish would mean that Danielle would talk more and open up more, then Amelia would not give Tony and Steve a choice and force them to buy Dani her dozens of fish. A huge fish tank full of them. Even an entire aquarium if she had to. Amelia just really didn't want another poor child to turn into a lost experiment because of Hydra. Not again. Not ever.
"Well, we'll see," Steve said. They'd have to figure out a lot of things, like where they'd put the fish and who would be its primary main caretaker. And before they planned any of that Steve wanted to get the okay from everyone on the team. It should have been okay anyway, it was just a fish, but he wanted to be sure before making any decisions.
"Sure, how many do you want?" Amelia asked, completely ignoring what Steve had said. It surprised both the enhanced girl and the soldier, but mostly Dani who had thought that Steve was the leader so therefore in charge of all the decisions with regards to the team and their home. She supposed, though, because Amelia was Captain America's girlfriend, that meant she got special privileges. Or maybe, for the benefit of their relationship, Steve wasn't really allowed to throw orders at her.
"W-What?" Steve didn't enjoy the way he stuttered, especially because he thought he'd gotten quite used to the way Amelia always chose to do things her own way, but it seemed she'd always manage to surprise him. In some ways it was a good thing, at least he'd never grow bored in their relationship. But in that moment he felt undermined, he'd just argued against having a pet and even though he'd relented she still chose to go over his head.
She turned to face Steve with a glare, still not realising that what she'd done had been rude (that happened a lot) and instead all she was thinking about was how great of an opportunity simply getting a fish would give them. "If it makes her feel more at home, we should get it. It's not like a fish will bark and make a mess. A fish is perfect!" Amelia argued her point, using what Danielle had given her.
"Amelia-"
"Steven." Somehow, they both knew in that moment that they'd be repeating that moment a lot in their relationship, neither of them looked forward to those moments.
"He's right," Danielle interrupted, noticing the way they'd started to argue and not liking it at all, feeling like she was to blame. "We can't just buy a fish and stuff… nevermind."
As Dani's voice lowered once more below a whisper Steve finally realised the huge mistake he'd made. Amelia was the one in the right, thinking about what would be best for Dani and what would bring her out of her shell whilst Steve had still been concentrating on the logistics of getting a pet and whether it would fit in such a large home filled with loads of people. He'd been an idiot. Who was he to stop the poor girl from getting a fish? It wasn't even about the fish anymore, it was about Danielle fitting in, becoming a part of the team - the family.
"No," he responded, shaking his head and going back on what he'd said earlier as he finally understood Amelia's reasoning, "we can get a fish if that's what you two really want." Beneath the table, he felt a grateful squeeze from Amelia on his hand.
"Really?" Dani asked, voice still quiet but she'd looked back up at them with hopeful eyes and neither of them were evil enough to deny the child's desired wish then.
"I'll talk to Tony about it in the morning, but you guys have to promise that you'll look after it properly," he pointed a half-eaten nacho chip at both of them, suddenly feeling a lot like his father and he wasn't sure if he liked it. But he didn't mind if he had to be a father figure for Danielle, she'd lost her parents and she was very young, she'd need someone to take care of her and that wasn't such a scary responsibility because he knew that he'd have Amelia at his side. She'd already made it quite clear how much she wanted to help the enhanced girl.
"Of course we will," Amelia confirmed as she looked at Danielle with a large, excited, grin and though Dani couldn't mimic it she did smile back and that was more than enough for the psychic. She grabbed another chip from the plate that was covered in guacamole (store bought, she'd tried making her own and failed but thankfully Steve had predicted such a thing happening and bought some secretly) and easily slipped the entire thing into her mouth, once again getting sauce all around her mouth. She munched on it for a few seconds before speaking to Steve, "but let me talk to Tony, I'm his long lost sister, he can't say no to me."
"You're evil," he mused, mostly joking.
"Love you too." Knowing exactly what she was doing, she leaned over and pressed a wet kiss to his cheek, covering him in guacamole as well, once again earning a joyous laugh from Dani that lifted Amelia's spirits so high she wasn't even scared of crash landing.
They moved on with their meal, having the spaghetti and meatballs which Amelia rated a five out of ten. Despite the earlier hiccup, the conversation became much easier, Danielle giving her input where she felt she could. Even starting one or two conversation topics of her own. It was hard to tell who the adult and the child were at the table when it came time for dessert and Amelia finally got it from the freezer, revealing a giant ice-cream sundae that had in it everything that was chocolate. Both Steve and Danielle looked at it frightened, but Amelia stared at it like it would be her greatest prey.
Steve and Dani didn't manage to eat that much of it, whereas Amelia, of course, tackled the ice cream like a champion. Dani didn't know what was scarier, the way Amelia had been on the battlefield, how deadly she was, or how much food Amelia was able to consume without ever getting sick.
"Oh wow," Steve sighed, falling back limply in his seat and patting down on his stomach, "you made that dessert way too big."
"I told you to leave room for it," Amelia shrugged, licking the last of the chocolate ice-cream off of her spoon.
"Well, I suppose we better clean up now," Steve sat forward, his movements slow as he felt the weight of all the food he'd eaten pulling him down to the floor. The soldier knew though, that if they didn't clean it up then, then it would never get done and he'd feel bad if he left the mess to the cleaners.
"Oh, what's that Danielle?" Amelia suddenly asked, looking to the enhanced girl with drawn together eyebrows, Dani's own eyebrows shooting to the top of her head as confusion hit her hazy mind, she was sure she hadn't said anything. "You want to go back to your room? Oh, sure, I'll walk you back to your room," Amelia continued, standing up and seemingly being the only one who didn't struggle with doing so.
"I didn't hear her say anything," Steve revealed, an unimpressed expression on his face as he knew immediately that his girl was just trying to get out of doing the dishes.
Danielle looked between the couple once again, coming to the realisation herself of what Amelia's intentions had been and she had to admit, she didn't really want to do the dishes either. "Are you sure it wouldn't be a problem?" The small girl asked quietly, feeling bad for lying but also like she had no choice as Amelia was giving her quite a few side glances, waiting for her to speak up and help her out.
"Of course not, Steve will do the dishes, right honey?" Amelia's voice was as sweet as the ice-cream they'd all just eaten.
He wanted to argue against her. The soldier even opened his mouth, ready to make a point that they couldn't just make a mess and leave it to the cleaners, their job was to keep the establishment looking professional and that wasn't an excuse to do whatever they wanted. But then he realised that if Amelia did walk Dani to her room then they'd get actual alone time together, time to talk. His body deflated back in his seat as he knew he didn't really have an option. "...Right."
"Thank you," Amelia remarked, leaning over to him and kissing his cheek, that time managing to not transfer any food onto him. Then she stepped closer to Danielle, signalling to the doorway with her hand, "let's go."
Danielle did stand up and begin to follow the dark-haired brunette, exiting the kitchen and hearing one more sigh coming from the soldier before they were out of earshot. Once they'd reached the elevator which would take them to the floor with the younger team members rooms on, the small enhanced girl asked a question that weighed on her shoulders. "Do you think he'll be mad?"
"Only at me, and I have plenty of tricks to make him forgive me," Amelia immediately comforted, not wanting her to think that she was in trouble. She went to rest her hand on Dani's shoulder, but decided against it. Though she'd learnt from Steve that physical touch was a great way to comfort someone, she still sometimes felt uncomfortable doing it, especially to Dani, a girl she really didn't want to hurt in any way. She wasn't sure why she thought touching the small enhanced girl would hurt her, but in the end, she was just too scared and placed her hand back down by her side.
"Thank you for the meal," Danielle politely murmured, bowing her head slightly, "I actually had a fun time."
"You're very very welcome Dani, thank you for coming," Amelia tried to hide the way her heart skipped a beat at the knowledge that she'd managed to give Danielle a happy memory. Such things were never a possibility for her at Dani's age, so that was a pretty good start, she felt, for ensuring that Dani would grow up to be somewhat normal (as normal as Amelia was). That thought reminded Mia of what her main concerns were, and though the meal had been nice, those concerns hadn't disappeared. She doubted they would until she spoke to Dani about them. So that was what she did. "I, uh, actually have a question for you. Which you don't need to answer at all, I'm just worried about something dumb."
Danielle didn't say anything in response but she was looking at Amelia and so the brunette took that as a sign to continue, and as she did, Mia released her fumbling words carelessly, wishing that she'd prepared them beforehand. "I… I know you're not okay Dani. I can tell, because you're doing the exact same thing I would do before I had Steve, you're hiding away, being quiet, scared if you say something you'll reveal to everyone what's really going on in your head. But you know you can talk to me and Steve, right? I would have come and talked to you earlier but I was nervous about it." Despite not having any preparation, she settled with what she said feeling like they'd been acceptable. Or so she thought, until Danielle looked down at the grund and began to play with her fingers. That didn't look like a good sign. It looked like all Amelia had done was make her anxiety grow.
"I was nervous about talking to you too," Danielle admitted quietly, so quietly that Amelia almost didn't hear but she was glad she did.
"Really?"
"Yeah," Danielle confirmed, "I'm sorry about how awkward and quiet I've been, but, honestly, I was scared of what you two would think. You're both amazing heroes." Heroes. Dani had just called Amelia a hero, but that didn't make any sense, especially because of what she'd not managed to do during their fight. Amelia should have been able to do more for Charles, for Pietro. And she should have done something about that meteor instead of letting Dani, a small, innocent, child, destroy it using powers she couldn't even fully control. Not able to read Amelia's self-doubting thoughts, Dani continued with what she was saying. "And I'm still not sure what spectrum I'm on after Hydra and Ultron."
"You're not alone," Amelia said, voice as quiet as Dani's had been before. Because she really wasn't alone. Despite having Steve, Amelia still felt like she didn't belong any spectrum, like she was floating through some sort of limbo and perhaps being able to truly help someone like Danielle find their way into a home would help her find her footing too. "Look, how about this. We'll help out each other. Steve says we have a lot in common and I'm starting to agree with him. I can help you find your place, but you've got to work with me as well, which means not hiding away in your room all day."
"You did it too," Dani pointed out, not even really thinking about what she was saying and it didn't go amiss that she'd totally just managed to speak without panicking over her words. Hell, she'd made a joke. She couldn't remember the last time she'd bantered with someone.
"Yes, well, me and Steve, we were just taking a, um… break." Amelia cleared her throat, understanding that Dani had been referencing the day Steve and she had spent alone in their bedroom, watching movies and just generally making out and cuddling more than half of the time they'd been in there. The small enhanced girl didn't need to know that part though, so Amelia moved on as quickly as she could. "But I'm here for you now, officially. Whatever you need. And that can include, but is not exclusive to, a million fishes."
"Thank you." Dani didn't know what else to say, especially when thank you seemed to be the most appropriate words. She knew it would take herself a while before she fully trusted Amelia, but Danielle actually felt like she could talk to Amelia and that was a huge step from how she was feeling hours ago, like there was no one on the planet that would be able to listen to her thoughts.
"It's no problem at all," Amelia's teeth were revealed as she slipped on another perfect smile, "just don't let Hydra take you away from yourself, if that makes sense."
The advice was something easier said than done, but Danielle knew that Amelia was also aware of that fact so it gave the advice have some deeper meaning. Like, yes, it was going to be a battle, and there were some things that would feel infinite and impossible and heartbreaking. But Amelia had gone through it all and come out a certain way, so maybe she could too. Despite all the loss, maybe she could still move on with her life. Her life.
They made it to Dani's room and as they stood outside of it the small enhanced girl felt as though she should hug Amelia for being so kind to her, for making her laugh, for giving her advice that managed to lift spirits that had been as flat as a rock for the past few days.
But she couldn't. Not yet. Danielle still felt unsure about everything but she wasn't being scrutinised by Amelia at all for not being okay. The brunette accepted the small wave Danielle gave her before entering her bedroom with a kind expression, one that promised they'd have more days together, happier days.
More adventures.
A/N: Hello there, this is Rae speaking right now. This is the first instalment of mine and Assbitch67's collaborative project. It's just little moments featuring all the characters in the same world, and it's all sorts of moments, fluff, angst, mostly fluff and humour to be honest. If you guys have any requests feel free to give them! AND PLEASE LEAVE SOME REVIEWS TO LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
SONG FOR THIS CHAPTER: Home by Machine Gun Kelly ft X Ambassadors and Bebe Rexha