Holy poop this is a long one-shot.

I only own my characters

I lay on my unmade bed, stuffing my face with puffy Cheetos and getting cheese flecks everywhere. My laptop lies in front of me, the Youtube homepage plastered on the screen. Using my cheesy fingers, I type in the search bar, 'Call Me Maybe music video'. Various results show up, but I click on the one with Carly Rae Jepsen's Vevo account.

The video starts, just as my iPhone buzzes. Glancing down at it, I see a text from Darcy.

'Ur gonna love it, girl'

I roll my eyes and watch the video. Darcy's been trying to get me to watch music videos ever since I told her I don't watch them. Apparently, this one has a hot guy in it, so I've decided to make an exception.

So far, this teenage girl with horrible bangs is staring at a guy through a window. The guy is mowing his lawn, and I get a pretty good look at his face.

Picking up my phone, I text Darcy 'I guess he's pretty cute.'

A moment later, she replies 'Wait for it...'

I sigh and continue watching, popping a puffy Cheeto in my mouth. I'm pretty skeptical… until the guy takes off his shirt.

I gasp, and then immediately start choking on my Cheeto. Spitting wet globs of cheese everywhere, I struggle to catch my breath, while staring at the screen with wide eyes. Picking up my phone, I text 'Holy shit!'

'I know, right?' Darcy texts back, adding a gawking emoji. The video goes on, with my face almost pressing against the screen.

'He's so beautiful!'

Darcy texts 'Wait for the end'

'Uh oh'

Unfortunately, I can't watch 'till the end, because at that moment Mom decides to come barging in. I immediately slam my laptop close and ask, "Heeey, Mom, what's up?"

"Zoey, I told you to clean your room an hour ago!" she says, sounding miffed.

I gaze around at my room- or, at least, my side of the room, because Madison and I share one room. Wrinkled clothes are lying around randomly, although a lot of them are on my unmade bed. It takes me a moment to realize that I'm actually sitting on some. The ones that are in my drawers or closet are all disorganized and messy. Notebooks, crumpled up paper, and food wrappers litter the floor. A bunch of knick knacks and other pointless objects have fled from my desk and are scattered around in various places. A bag of Dylan's Candy Bar candy has spilled out next to my bed. My bow, Nightlock, lies on top of my stuffed animal mountain (yeah, you heard me) in the corner, along with the wolf hat Darcy got me.

Hmm… maybe I do need to tidy up a little bit.

"I am cleaning, Mom!" I lie, picking up a shirt from my bed and attempting to fold it. The thing just ends up in a ball.

Mom raises an eyebrow and I flash her a grin. Throwing the shirt-ball at her, I say, "Leave me alone! I need to clean in peace!"

She rolls her eyes, and then leaves. But not before throwing the shirt back at my face.

I grunt and fling it away from me. Picking up my phone, I text Darcy 'Sorry, girl. Mom's making me clean my room. Ttyl'

A few moments later, she replies, 'That sucks. Get Madison to help'

'She's busy.' I reply, wincing.

Darcy puts a eye-rolling emoji and asks 'Doing what?'

'Growing up!'

'Ohhh….' she texts, and I imagine her smirking, 'It's that time of month, isn't it?'

'Yup'

'Pity' Darcy adds a sorrowful face emoji, and then texts 'Alright, then. Have fun cleaning. Trying putting on music, it helps'

I sigh and exit iMessage. Going onto iTunes radio, I click a random station and stand up. Leaping off of my bed, I pick up one of the wrinkled shirts on it, looking at it skeptically. I try folding the clothing into a square, but that epically fails.

So, I do what any teenage girl would do. Go on the internet and look up 'how to fold shirts'. A video comes up, and I watch it. Once it's done, I try folding the shirt once more, but fail again and watch the video three more times before finally getting it right.

Putting it in the shirt drawer underneath my bed, I start folding all of the other unhangable shirts. As I do, I dance like an idiot to the song 'Fancy' by Iggy Azalea.

"I'm so fancy!" I sing along to the chorus, slamming the shirt drawer shut as I finish folding the last one. I gaze at the rest of the hangable shirts on my bed and sigh.

You know what? I'll do that later. Fun stuff first.

Swiping all of the Dylan's Candy Bar candy back into the bag, I lift it up and start eating a chocolate chunk. Plopping it onto the bed, I bend down and start picking up all of the food wrappers and crumpled up paper. I toss them onto my bed, and then go and pick up the three notebooks that are lying around. I pause, wondering what to do with them, and then shove them underneath my bed.

Just then, the song 'She Looks So Perfect' by 5 Seconds of Summer starts playing and I gasp, almost choking on my chocolate. Swallowing it in one gulp, I take out piece of licorice and use it as a microphone as I sing along to the song, "You look so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear. And I know now," I glance at a giant stuffed dog in the toy mountain and grin. "that I'm so down!" I sing, twisting downwards with my hips at the word 'down'.

Approaching the stuffed dog, I yank it out of the mountain and start dancing with it, "Your lipstick stain is a work of art. I got your name tattooed in an arrow heart. And I know now, that I'm so down." I toss the toy into the air, "Hey!"

One hour later…

"No, I can't go." I talk on my phone to one of my friends. I'm lying on my stomach on top of the hangable shirts on my unmade bed, as well as the food wrappers and papers I tossed onto here.

"Why not?" my friend asks. I sigh, popping a Starburst into my mouth, and reply, "I'm cleaning my room."

"Aww, alright." she pouts, and then huffs, "I'll see you some other time, then."

"Yeah, totally, we'll get together soon. Okay? Bye." I say, and then hang up. Staring at the mess on my bed, I shake my head and shout, "Pull yourself together, Zoey! You gotta clean your room!"

Pushing myself off my bed, I walk over to my closet and take out a bunch of hangers. Carrying them back to my bed, I put them down and pick up a shirt. It's black with a cheetah-print heart in the middle.

"Ooh, you're cute." I say as I lift up a hanger, "I'll have to try you on later." Glancing at the hanger in my hand, I get an idea and put on end in my palm. Then, I let go of the other end and try to keep it balanced. It falls down after about five seconds.

Huffing, I slide it into the neck of the shirt, and then plop it down on my bed. Grabbing another shirt, I do the same and put it down next to the one before. A few minutes later, all of the shirts have hangers in them and I carry them over to my closet. As I start hanging them on the rack, something in the back of the closet catches my eye.

I hang the rest of the shirts, and then pull it out and gasp. It's a loose, creamy, white shirt with the words 'Awesome Ends With Me' plastered rugged black in the middle.

"Oh, my God!" I exclaim, "Cute! Oh, I know just what you'll go with!" Hanging it on my arm, I dig into my closet and take out a nice, thin, gray jacket. Bringing them over to my bed, I take off my Captain America pajama shirt (yeah, sue me) and replace it with the new outfit I found.

I stand in the mirror, admiring my reflection. "This is a great shirt." I say to myself, "Why didn't I know I had it? Ooh!"

I spot a pair purple jeans lying on the ground and pick them up, "Do these still fit?" Taking off my pants, I slip on the jeans… which only make it up to my thighs before stopping. "Come on." I grunt, trying to slide them past my butt, "These used to… there!"

I let out a heavy sigh, and gaze in the mirror. They look amazing, but-

"Ooof, tight!" I wince, trying to stretch them out, "Whatever. I need to Instagram this." Grabbing my phone, I quickly take a few pictures of me looking stupid, and then post them on Instagram.

"Alright." I grunt, taking off my jeans, "Goodbye, pants." Folding them as neatly as I can, I put them on my bed, and then put my shirt and jacket back into the closet. Where, of course, I find another fashion wonder I didn't even know I had.

"What is this?" I ask the air, taking out a long, thin piece of green fabric. It's kinda like a scarf, but really big and too thin. A shawl, maybe?

Rolling my eyes, I toss I'm about to put it back in, but then I see something in the closet that shouldn't be there. Scoffing, I take out the tank top and frown, "What are you doing in there? You should be with your friends in the unhangable shirt drawer."

Now, if you know me, then you could figure out what happens one minute after that. Yup, I'm wearing the tank top, with the shawl draped over my shoulders dramatically.

Grabbing my phone, I quickly Instagram this, and then start playing music again. Jason Derulo's 'Talk Dirty' comes on and I smirk, dancing around in a tank top, shawl, and underwear. I consider closing the door, since it's wide open, but before I can, I see a pair of shorts on the floor and grin.

I seriously don't remember buying any of these clothes, but I certainly must have not been with Mom when I bought these, because she would have never let me get them.

They're short shorts, which she hates. I, however, love them and happen to look amazing in them. What, I'm not afraid to show off my legs!

I continue dancing around to 'Talk Dirty' until it finishes. As 'Blurred Lines' starts playing (what is this station?), I start to wonder what lost treasures are hidden underneath my bed. Shrugging, I get down on my hands and knees and look underneath.

"Ugh, there you are!" I exclaim, taking out a pair of boots. I've been looking for them forever, and I was sleeping above them the whole time! Sighing, I slide them onto my feet and zip them up. Well, at least my feet didn't grow, 'cause these still fit.

Peering underneath my bed again, I find a bandana and take it out, "Oh, I remember you!" I wrap it around my head, and then see a pair of sunglasses underneath the bed too.

Putting them on, I stand up and gaze at the now-darker room. It's still a mess, so I walk back to the closet. Feeling curious, I slide the door over so I can see what's on the other side, which I now realize I've never really seen.

A giant, stuffed penguin stares at me from the shelve above. I gasp and squeal in joy. Reaching up, I grasp its flipper and bring it down.

"Where did we get this?!" I whisper-yell, my voice soft from adorableness. The thing is almost as big as me, with huge black eyes and a cute orange beak.

Just then, the song 'Clarity' by Zedd comes on and I grin. Setting the penguin down, I grab a hairbrush from the floor and, when the pre-chorus plays, I start singing to the penguin, "'Cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need! Chasing relentlessly, still fine and I don't know why!"

Grabbing the penguin's flipper, I stare deep into its eyes and sing dramatically, "If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy? If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?"

As the beat drops, I fling the hairbrush away and pounce onto the penguin. I wrap my arms around its face and my legs around its other end. Then, I roll onto my back and start wiggling around, feeling very wolfish. After a few moments of wiggling, I let my wolf fangs grow and sink them into its head, smile, and continuing with my hip and torso jerking.

Of course, since Fate really doesn't like me, she decides to send Madison into the room right then. My sister is a mess, with her hair all disheveled, her eyes puffy from crying, and her hand clutching a bottle of Advil. However, she does have enough life in her to stop at the doorway and give me an odd look.

I don't stop wriggling, but I stop biting the penguin's head long enough to shout joyfully, "I like cleaning cuz I find stuff I never knew I had!" Right after I say that, I start biting the penguin's head again.

Madison stares at me as if I've lost my mind. Then, she turns around and quickly walks back from where she came.

Another hour later…

"You know what to do with that big fat butt."

I pause, standing on top of my bed despite the fact that I'm wearing boots, and then wiggle my butt as Jason Derulo sings, "Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle."

The beat drops and I dance around, shaking my hips as I cling to one of the bed posts. My room hasn't gotten any cleaner, and now the poor penguin, which is sitting on my pillows and watching me, is covered with a bunch of pink fake mustaches. I found a packet of them in my closet. I swear, that thing is like the wardrobe to Narnia.

As I dance (if you could call it dancing) I faintly hear the ring of our doorbell. A few moments later, Mom calls out, "Zoey!"

Groaning, I ignore her and turn up the music. Grabbing the shawl in one hand, I start swinging it while I prance around on my bed.

"Hot damn it

Your booty like two planets

Go 'head, and go ham sandwich

Whoa, I can't stand it"

I grin at the penguin and sing, "'Cause you know what to do with that big fat butt." I pause, and then, "Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle."

Doing the snake hips as the beat drops, I lower downwards and then rise back up. Closing my eyes, I wiggle and turn around until I'm facing the penguin again and open my eyes. Prancing backwards, I wrap the shawl around one of the bed posts and prepare myself.

"Just a little bit of swing!"

At 'swing', I grip both ends of the shawl, curve my spine, and lean backwards so the world is upside down.

Immediately, I let out a piercing shriek.

My hands slacken and I fall onto the ground with a grunt. Pain shoots through my shoulders, and I squeeze my eyes shut and grit my teeth.

It doesn't hurt too bad, but I don't want to open my eyes. Because guess who was staring at me from the doorway? Guess who was the one that made me shriek and fall?

Yep.

The one and only, Nick Fury.

I stay there, lying on my back with my eyes squeezed shut, and my face probably looking as red as a tomato. After a few moments of silence, I hear Fury say, "I've seen you do many strange things, Zoey, but this is by far the strangest."

I peek my eyes open to see him staring down at me. Still blushing, I roll onto my knees and then stand up. Ducking my head, I stare at my feet and say, "Er… sorry you had to see that."

I suddenly feel very self conscious standing in front of him- a dude- wearing only a tank top, a bandana, short shorts, and boots. My eyes dart up to his face, and thankfully, I only see amusement in his gaze, and maybe a slight smirk.

I let out a sigh of relief. That was embarrassing. Better cover it up.

Whipping my head up, I snap, "What are you doing here? Get out of my room! Go! Scram!" I push him back, attempting to shoo him out of my room. He backs out into the hallway, and then says, "Start getting ready. You're coming back to the Helicarrier for a few hours."

"Why?" I ask, tilting my head. Fury pauses, and then replies, "Think of it as a SHIELD check up on you and Madison."

"Uhh, we're going to have to scratch Madison out of this situation." I say, glancing at the bathroom where my step-sister is probably in, eating junk food and watching romance movies.

"Why is that?" the director asks. I hesitate, and then beckon him, "Follow me." I lead him over to the bathroom, and then knock on the door, "Madison? You in there?"

"What?!" Madison's annoyed shriek sounds through the door, "What the hell is it this time, Zoey?"

"See?" I nod at Fury, "This is how hard it is to be a girl."

"SHUT UP, ZOEY!" Madison screeches, "YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW IT FEELS! YOU DON'T KNOW THE PAIN- THE SUFFERING- THAT I'M IN RIGHT NOW, SO YOU JUST TAKE YOUR MUTANT ASS AND GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Alright, alright!" I hiss, walking away, "Geez, woman." I start back to my room, but then Fury says, "Hold on."

I turn to him, one eyebrow raised, and ask, "Yeah?"

"You're fifteen years old." Fury states, "How have you not had your…" he hesitates, looking a little awkward, and then finishes, "Menstrual cycle?"

I smirk and giggle, "You're really going to ask me about that?" I start laughing, but then stop at the look he gives me, "Fine, fine." I lean against the wall and explain, "Okay, so you know how mules aren't able to reproduce? Yeah, that's because a male donkey and a female horse have a different amount of chromosomes. Same goes for wolves and humans. So, technically, I can't have my period if I'm not able to reproduce."

Fury stares at me for a moment, and then asks, "You won't be able to have children?" I shake my head and he hums. I narrow my eyes suspiciously, and then shake my head again and say, "Bruce explained it all in one of his visits." I pause, staring off into space as I remember that visit, "That was a really weird conversation."

An awkward silence falls between us. I glance at the director, and it seems like he finally noticed what I'm wearing, because he's giving me an odd look. Feeling self-conscious, I cough to fill the silence and shift uncomfortably under his gaze. He gives me a once-over, and then says, "Go get changed."

I nod and quickly scamper off to my room. Slamming the door shut, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. That was weird.

Moving towards my closet, I skim through to find something appropriate to wear. It takes a few minutes, mostly because I have to constantly remind myself to not dress like a weirdo. Then, I realize a little problem and call out, "Fury!"

"What?" his voice asks through the door.

"Is it going to be hot or cold?" I ask. He pauses, and then replies, "Warm."

I nod and continue searching. Eventually, I pull out the loose, black shoulder shirt with the tan, cheetah-print heart in the middle and slip it on over my tank top. Then, I dig through my pants drawer and pull out some jean shorts that won't make me look like a-

"Hurry up!" Fury snaps. I immediately retort, "Don't rush me!"

He grumbles something inaudible as I put on the shorts. Then, I turn and gaze at myself in the mirror. The shirt is cute, but I'm not so sure about its combination with my shorts and the black tank top. However, I figure that it isn't a good idea to keep the director waiting any longer, so I exit my room.

Fury is waiting in the hallway, leaning against the wall, but straightens up when I come out, "Are you ready?"

"Sort of," I reply, glancing down at my clothes, "Do I look alright?"

He rolls his eye and says, sounding impatient, "You look fine."

"Are you sure? 'Cause I think it might kind of seem a little gothic. I mean, with the black shirt and the black tank top and the dark shorts- I don't wanna seem like a punk. I've been trying to outgrow that streak I had last-"

Fury interrupts me by walking away.

I scoff and reluctantly follow him. Rude. We walk downstairs, where Mom is waiting for us. She gives me a hug, and then asks Fury, "How long will you guys be gone?"

"She'll be back by 6." he replies shortly. She nods and I glance at my watch. It's 2pm. I pause, doing the math in my head, and then groan, "Ugh! That's like four hours! Can't I just go there, bark a bit, and then leave?"

"We have to record your progress as a mutant." he says. I roll my eyes and flail my arms, "What's there to record? I'm still a teenager that can turn into a big black wolf. I haven't changed color or anything, and I'm pretty sure I'm still a canine when I morph, not a bird or-"

"Zoey." Mom warns. I sigh and hold my tongue. Deciding to be nice, Fury explains, "We have to keep track of your growth rate in your wolf form, as well as your strength and speed. Basically, any possible changes or mutations."

I'm about to ask how it's possible to mutate on my own, but then I remember Madison's sudden ability to throw her voice around, and bite my tongue. "Alright, let's go." I sigh, and then open the door. I lead the way onto the porch with Fury following.

The walk to the car is a little awkward. I just saunter by his side with my hands partially in my pockets, staring at the dirt-path underfoot. He doesn't say anything either, and our walk is in silence.

After a few moments, I sneak a glance at him. He's staring straight ahead, and I notice that he's wearing his black leather clothing, topped off with the trench coat. Does he always wear the same stuff? Doesn't he get hot in it? Maybe that's his SHIELD director uniform. Or does it just make him intimidating? Man, the guy's already intimidating enough, what with his eye-patch and his leather swag clothes. Not to mention his height- he's pretty tall! Hell, I barely reach his shoulders!

"So, do you want to say something, or are you going to keep staring at me?"

I blink in surprise and look away, "Uhhh…" I mentally give myself a hard smack. Why am I being so awkward around him all of the sudden? Ugh, him catching me dancing like an idiot in my room must've thrown me off my game- that was embarrassing! Shaking my head, I ask, "So, what's going on at the Helicarrier?"

"Well, it's actually landed in the water at the moment. We're thinking of doing some modifications-" A loud volley of barks interrupts him. We both turn to see Finn running towards us.

I smile and bark, "Hey, Finney Finn, what's up?" The Australian shepherd skids to a halt, panting heavily. I take a sniff and smell the scent of sheep on him.

"Where are you going?" he asks once he's caught his breath. Over the past three years, Finn has matured a bit. Of course, he's still funny and silly, but he's slightly less energetic. Especially since Angus died last year. The poor old dog died peacefully in his sleep, but Finn took his death hard. However, he's starting to perk up now, which is good.

"I'm going to the Helicarrier for a check-up." I reply, "Something about keeping track of my mutant stuff. I dunno, but I'll be back later today, so don't worry."

"Oh," Finn says, and then wags his tail, "Alright, then. Have fun!" With that, he whirls around and dashes away. I smile and turn back to Fury.

As we start walking down the path again, he asks, "You speak Dog?"

I nod and say, "Yep. Dog, wolf- well, anything in the canine family. My Fox is a little rusty, but I met one once when we took a road-trip to the forest in San Francisco. She was pretty cool, and she apparently she had pups too. She didn't let me see them, though. Probably because I'm too much of a human…" I pause, thinking, "Coyotes are another story, though. They're easier to talk to, mainly because coyotes are closer to wolves than foxes, but they're very mischievous. We get them sometimes here, and they try to steal the chickens. Angus actually got attacked by some once. Whenever I speak to them, which is not very often because they're total jerks, they're always-" I stop, furrowing my brow, "Oh. I already said that. Anyway, yeah, they're mean, I hate them, and I prefer dogs or wolves. Actually, now that I think of it, I haven't spoken to a real wolf yet, just wolf mutants. I wonder if-"

"Okay, here we are." Fury interrupts, obviously tired of my rambling. I blink and find myself in front of a large black car. How did I not notice that earlier?

Waving it away, I climb into the front seat while Fury goes into the driver's seat. He turns on the car and starts driving. I sigh, resisting the urge to stick my head out of the window.

"We're going to head towards the beach, and then take a water quinjet waiting for us at the docks." the director says and I nod.

"Okay." I say, gazing out of the window. After a moment, I ask, "How long will it take?"

He ponders about it, and then estimates, "Around forty-five minutes." I instantly whine and groan, "Forty-five minutes? But the beach is like," I point in some random direction, "right there! It should only take 10 minutes!"

"Yeah, well, the quinjet is like," he points far away, "right there, so be patient."

I roll my eyes and sigh. Looking at the control panel, I start pressing buttons. Without glancing at me, Fury slaps my hand away. I immediately slap his back and continue tapping. He sighs irritably.

A few buttons later, I finally find what I am searching for: music. Scrolling through the channels with the tune thingy, I stop at SiriusXM Venus (he has satellite radio O.O) and click OK. The song 'Problem' by Ariana Grande comes on and I squeal, "I love this song!" I turn the volume up loud, but Fury turns it back down a little, much to my displeasure.

Throughout the song, I dance in my seat, not even attempting to sing the notes that Ariana does. I might shatter the windows if I do! The only part that I sing is the whisper-rap part that goes like, "One less problem without ya! I got! One less problem without ya! I got! One less problem without ya!"

Meanwhile, Fury looks like he's trying not to bang his head on the wheel. Or throw up. Either way, I can tell that he hates it. When the song finally finishes, he lets out a sigh of relief.

For the next twenty minutes, we listen to music. Well, he listens to music, and I just sing along and dance in my seat like an idiot. After a while, I start to calm down, only humming and drumming my fingers to the beat.

That is, until my Number 1 favorite song ever comes on. 'Low' by Flo Rida. Not the newest song, I admit, but I LOOOOOOOVE it!

Anyway, when I starts playing, I immediately scream in joy and turn up the volume. Fury grunts and tries to turn it down, but I smack his hand away. A little harder than intended, but he got the message. So, he just drives while I sing and dance.

"Shawty had them apple bottom jeans (jeans) Boots with the fur (with the fur)." I warble, moving around in my seat. Safety hazard? Maybe, but I don't care. "The whole club was looking at her. She hit the floor (she hit the floor) Next thing you know, Shawty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low." With each 'low', I press myself closer and closer to the seat, sliding downwards.

Popping back up, I continue, "Them baggy sweat pants, and the Reebok's with the straps (with the straps) She turned around and gave that big booty a smack (hey!)" At the 'hey' I smack my lap and Fury sends me a sharp look, "She hit the floor (she hit the floor) Next thing you know, Shawty got low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low." Again with the sliding down.

"Alright, that's enough." Fury says, lowering the music so much that I can barely hear it. My eyes widen and I snap, "Hey!" I try turning it up, but before I can, he calls out, "Lock the volume."

"Yes, sir." a voice replies through the car. When I attempt to raise the volume, it remains the same.

Huffing, I lean back and pout, "You're mean."

"And you're annoying." he retorts.

I sniff and gaze out the window, "Touche." For the next few minutes, we continue driving in silence. Well, I can still hear the music, but barely. So partial silence. Then, I get an idea and smirk, looking at Fury, "So… how's Maria?"

He keeps his eye on the road and replies, "Agent Hill is fine."

"Oh," I say, "I thought you two were on a first-name basis. Apparently not." I turn away and tut, "Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Fury pauses and looks at me, "Where are you going with this?"

I shrug one shoulder and reply casually, "I just wanted to know how your relationship is going. Like, still in denial, or about to have babies?"

"Certainly not about to have babies!" he splutters, acting very un-Fury like, "No, no, no- nowhere near that!"

"Oh," I tilt my head, "So, you're still in denial?"

Fury glares at me, "No! We're just-" He cuts himself off, shaking his head, "This discussion is over. I am the Director and she is my Lieutenant. That is all that's between us."

"Oookaay!" I say in a sing-song voice. Fury sighs and starts driving again. I smirk and gaze out of the window.

He's totally in denial.

I jump off of the quinjet and onto the Helicarrier, sniffing the ocean breeze. People are bustling around, and multiple jets and other aircrafts dapple the surface, as per usual. Fury walks out after me and I try to suppress the memory of the ride here.

Turns out, quinjets don't have music. So, we actually had to talk to each other. Like, full-out conversations, not just little teasings. Man, it was awkward. He was telling me about all this stupid, technological stuff about the Helicarrier and modifications and the Triskelion- honestly, I couldn't care less about what he was saying.

"Follow me." Fury orders, leading the way towards the Bridge Room. I follow him, looking around with interest. I haven't been here in a while, and it's still pretty cool!

Some of the agents glance at me as they pass by, but otherwise ignore me. I slow down, seeing a group of people jogging in order around the Helicarrier. They look a little different from the other agents here, but before I can do anything else, Fury barks, "Keep up!"

I turn around and skip up to his side. Glancing over my shoulder, I continue gazing at the jogging group. I almost immediately trip because I'm not looking where I'm going. Thankfully, Fury catches me, although he looks annoyed.

"What are you looking at?" he asks gruffly. I turn and point at them, "Who are they?"

Fury follows my gaze and replies, "Those are the initiates." At my blank look, he says, "They're training to be SHIELD agents."

"Ohhh." I say, glancing at the initiates. They're jogging closer so I can almost see them clearly. Tilting my head, I ask, "How old are they?"

He ponders about it, and then answers, "Around your age, actually. Seventeen to twenty-five, although-"

Whatever he says next drowns out as the group comes into clear vision. My eyes widen and my jaw drops. Fifteen young men, all of them wearing short-sleeve shirts that show off well-toned muscles, slow down into a walk while chatting casually. Inside of me, teenage girl hormones start bouncing all over the place and my dropped jaw morphs into an idiotic grin.

I notice one of the guys in particular. He looks tall, around 17 years old, with dark blonde hair and honey colored eyes. His body is well built, and overall, he's cute.

To my surprise, he glances up and meets my gaze. Then, he flashes me a grin and disappears, along with the rest of the initiates, inside of the Helicarrier.

"Zoey!" I jerk my head as Fury snaps his fingers in front of me. Still beaming, I look up at him. He asks, "What were you staring at?"

Before I can stop myself, I exclaim loudly, "Those guys were hot!" I immediately cover my mouth, blushing. Fury narrows his eye, "They're too old for you. Now, come." He puts a hand on my back and leads me towards the Bridge Room.

"Nuh-uh." I say, walking beside him, "You said they were 'around my age'. And one of them looked 17 or something, and I'm almost sixteen."

"Almost." he emphasizes, "There's a two year difference."

"My mom is four years younger than Mason." I counter, "And age really doesn't matter to wolves. At all." I add, grimacing.

He glances at me, "I don't care. I say you're too young and I forbid you to flirt with them."

I frown and pout, "Since when do you care about who I flirt with? You're not my dad!" I pause, blinking, "Whoa. I sound like somebody from a movie."

Fury huffs and opens the door. As we walk through the hallway, he says, "This conversation is over."

"Oh, that's your answer to everything!" I scoff, "'The Helicarrier isn't broken'." In a deeper voice, I mimic Fury, "'This conversation is over'." Normal voice now, "'How's Maria?'" Deeper voice, "'This conversation is over'. 'Since when do you care'? 'This conversation is over'."

The director sighs, but I can see him smiling slightly. Walking into the Bridge Room, I see a familiar person on the bridge and call out, "Agent Hill!"

Maria turns around as we enter, and I stride up to her. "Yes?" she inquires. I glance over my shoulder, and then ask, "Do you think age matters in a relationship?"

She pauses, taken aback by my question, and then ponders about it. I sense Fury come up behind me as she does. Then, she shrugs and says, "No, not really."

Fury mutters a curse and I swing my head towards him, yelling way too loudly, "HA!" A few of the agents glance up in surprise, but I shoot them a glare and they turn away.

"Oh, be quiet." Fury snaps softly, "You're still too young."

Maria glances between the two of us, and then gets a weird look on her face. "Wait…" she knits her eyebrows, "What's going on here….?"

I blink, and then my eyes widen. "No! No, no, no, no, no!" I say, shaking my hands, "No, no, nothing like that! It's just- I saw some initiates pass by and I thought they were cute. Fury doesn't want me flirting with them because 'I'm too young'." I use air quotes. I start to smile dreamily as I think about the initiates and gaze off, "They were some fiiine specimen."

"Zoey." Fury warns. I look at him, still smiling, and he shakes his head, "Come on. We're not here to gossip about boys." He turns around and walks towards the other door. I follow him and say sarcastically, "Aww, but you know that's always so fun!"

He sighs and leads the way through the Helicarrier. I smirk, thinking about the initiate that smiled at me. I wonder what his name is? Probably something super attractive, like Brody, or Jake, or Luke…. damn, he was hot! No matter what Fury says, I am going to find some way to talk to that man!

I'm so lost in thought that I don't even realize that Fury has stopped and bump into him. "Whoops!" I say when he glances at me. He shakes his head and then turns back to an agent, who I just noticed. He starts muttering to her, talking about stuff that I don't care about, so I lean against the wall and wait for him to finish.

"Zoey?" a familiar voice calls out and I look to my right. Coming down the hallway is-

"Steve?" I ask, and then my eyes widen, "Steve!" I run towards him and give him a big hug. He hugs me back, and then I pull away, "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" he asks. I wave my hand, "Some stupid mutant check-up or something. What about you?"

"I work here." he says, catching me by surprise, "I'm an advisor."

"Oh," I say, and then ask, "What's that?" Before he can reply, Fury walks towards us and greets, "Captain."

Steve smiles and nods, "Director. What's this check-up Zoey's talking about?"

"Just recording her progress as a mutant." Fury answers casually, "I'm about to take her to a room where SHIELD scientists will test her strength, speed, stamina- well, you get the point."

"Mmm hmm." Steve says, "Well, I've got nothing to do right now. Mind if I come along?"

Fury nods and leads the way, "Sure. You can help keep Zoey in check. She's got her eye on a few male initiates."

Immediately, Steve whips his head towards me and snaps, "Zoey!"

"Oh, that was mean!" I cry out, glaring at Fury. The director just smirks and continues walking. Meanwhile, Steve starts giving me a lecture, "Young lady, you are not old enough to be even considering a boyfriend. And a SHIELD initiate, for that matter! You're not going anywhere near them and you're not going to flirt with them. What happened to Faolan? I was alright with you two, but these are boys that you haven't even met! You shouldn't judge a book by its cover!"

"But Steve," I whine, and then feel myself blush, "One of them smiled at me. He was really cute and he seemed nice. And hey," I add, giving him a look, "I'm a teenager. These hormones are going everywhere!" I gesture to my body.

"No!" He snaps, "Just, no. I say you're too young, and that's final."

I frown, and then notice something familiar, "Okay, are you and Fury, like, trying to fill in a daddy position for me? Because seriously, friends encourage romance. Dads discourage it. And moms don't really take sides, but secretly encourage it." My eyes widen, "Exactly like Agent Hill! Oh my God, I have a SHIELD family! So, what is this, I have an Avengers, SHIELD, and regular family? Well, regular incomplete family. Well, incomplete and partially mutant family, but whatever."

"Oh, Zoey." Steve sighs. I smirk and mimic his sigh, "Oh, me." He glares half-heartedly and I ask, "I am just one annoying mess of a mutant teenager, aren't I?"

Steve pauses. Then, he and Fury say at the same time, "Yes."

"Alright, Miss Colt," a guy named Dr. Knight says. He and his other buddies are standing around with clipboards in their hands. Right now, we're in a really large room that's mostly empty, spare a few strange punching bag-like objects and a gigantic treadmill in the corner. But, like, it's gigantic. I have a feeling they made it specially for me.

"Would you please morph into your wolf form?" Dr. Knight asks. I nod and lean forward, feeling myself grow bigger and bigger. Fur sprouts all over my body and my clothes disappear into the beyond. Soon, I'm a huge black wolf, towering over everyone in the room.

All the scientists' eyes widen. Even Fury and Steve look impressed.

"Amazing!" Dr. Knight exclaims, "How do her molecules react with…" he starts yammering on and on about stuff I don't understand. Meanwhile, Fury and Steve are standing aside, both with their arms crossed.

"Is it just me, or did she grow a little bit?" Steve asks. Fury glances at him, one eyebrow raised, "A little bit? She has to have grown at least a foot since last year."

I tilt my head, gazing down at them. "So," I rumble, "Do I look bigger? I feel like I've grown a lot. But why have I barely grown in my human form? I mean, seriously, I only grew like one inch-" My eyes widen in realization, "Ohhhhhh! What if I grow one inch as a human, then I grow one foot as a wolf? That's so cool! Man, I hope I'm tall when I'm an adult, 'cause then I'll be a big wolf, right-"

"Zoey," Fury interrupts and I stop talking, "We can't understand what you're saying." One of Dr. Knight's friends approaches me with a small box in hand. She raises it up to my muzzle and asks, "Can you speak into this recorder?"

I pause, and then bark, "Hey, this is pretty cool. You guys can't understand what I'm saying. Ha! Alright, big secret time! Okay, so I went to Asgard and I met Loki and he is so cool and he has magic and he's awesome and he put a magic spell on me that keeps me safe from things that will kill me and he's now the king of Asgard but people think he's Odin and I'm the only one who knows!" I pant heavily after that long run-on sentence. Then, I lick my chops and add, "Alright, all good. Just needed to get that off my chest."

The scientist smiles, completely clueless to what I said, and pulls the recorder away. Meanwhile, Dr. Knight is ordering the rest of the group how to measure me. After a small argument, they eventually bring over a ladder. While Dr. Knight and another person measure my height, a couple of the other scientists measure my length. The one scientist that isn't doing anything just scribbles information down on his clipboard.

"Two and a half meters at the shoulder." Dr. Knight calls down from the ladder. Then, he orders me gently, "Raise your head, Zoey." I do as he says and he stretches upwards, lifting the measuring tape. A moment later, he calls, "Three meters, ten inches at the eartips."

"Whoa." Steve says, gawking. I sniff and wag my tail, feeling proud. Dr. Hunter climbs down the ladder and asks, "What about length?"

"One moment," another scientist, Dr. Patel, says, "Zoey, can you lay down?" I huff and lower myself onto my belly. She instructs me to stretch my neck, and then puts the measuring tape next to my nose. Another person runs it to my tail, and then says, "Four meters, nose-to-tail."

I sigh and shake my head. I've never understood meters and yards and all that stuff. It's either feet or inches for me.

Steve must've seen my confused look, because he breaks it down, "So, she's 9 feet tall and 13 feet long?" My eyes widen in surprise. Wait, really? I'm that big, and I'm not even full-grown yet? Cool!

I then notice Dr. Knight inspecting my flank. I narrow my eyes questioningly, and then he asks, "Where is her pelt the thickest?"

"Mane, most likely." Fury replies. Immediately, the scientist heads for my neck and starts poking at my mane. I huff and give myself a shake. He steps back and asks, "Do you mind if I take a sample of her fur?"

"Go ahead." Fury says and I give him a warning growl. This is my body, man, and if I morph back into a human to find a clump of my hair missing, you're dead.

I stay still as a scientist hands Dr. Knight a pair of scissors and he starts snipping away at my mane. Then, he puts the clump into a bag, while Dr. Patel runs her fingers through my pelt.

"Fascinating." she breathes, "No wonder she's practically bulletproof. Her fur is so compact and thick and- oh! She has an undercoat too! I wonder if it's waterproof, or if it's just for insulation. Can we test that later?"

I turn to Dr. Knight, who is gazing at my fur in the bag. After a moment, he exclaims, "This has to be at least ten inches long!"

Suddenly, a scientist appears in front of me with another measuring tape. "Open your mouth, Zoey." he instructs, and I reluctantly do as he says. He puts the tape up to my teeth, and then calls out, "Twelve and a half inches for the canines, and five for the others."

He backs away and another person replaces him. I feel her scrape my teeth with something and then close my mouth. She runs off with a cotton swab in hand and I lick my teeth. Really? They need my saliva?

I sigh and rest my head on the floor, starting to get bored. The scientists continue to check me out, measuring my tail, or my ears, or even my nose. Then, Dr. Patel asks me to raise my paw, which she measures, and then she extends my claws.

"Seven inches." she announces, paling a bit. I frown and pull my paws back, tucking them into my chest. Dr. Patel gazes at me with an odd look in her eyes, and then walks away. I huff and give my chest a lick.

Just when it seems like the scientists are done, Dr. Knight walks towards me with a syringe in hand. I instantly tense up, eyeing the needle warily as he approaches.

"Alright, Zoey." he says, "If you could just hold out your foreleg, I'll take a quick blood drawing and then we'll-"

"No!" I immediately bark and he takes a step back in surprise. Then, he walks towards me again, "It won't hurt. I promise!" He leans down to grab my leg, but I bear my teeth and snarl. This time, he backs away about a foot.

"Zoey." Fury warns, but I ignore him. Standing up, I walk over to Steve and stand behind him. He glances at me and I crouch low, growling at the scientists with my ears pinned back.

Dr. Knight frowns and says, "Zoey, it really won't hurt. You're a big wolf, you can handle it. Would you rather pee in a cup?" He gestures to the wall, where a giant water jug stands with a stack of paper cups next to it.

I pause, and then nod. Walking over to it, I carefully grab a cup in my jaws, and then trot over to a corner to do my business.

"Alright, Zoey," Dr. Knight says, "Now we're going to test your speed."

I stare at the contraption in front of me. It looks kind of like a treadmill, only huge. Also, there's a couple of lines with hooks attached to the poles on the sides. The front and the end are empty, so the thing looks a little weird.

Frowning, I carefully step onto the running belt. It feels a bit rough under my paws, and one sniff tells me that it's made of thick rubber.

Straightening up, I glance around. "Alright," I yip, "So, do I just start running, or…?"

Dr. Knight walks over and grabs one of the lines with the hooks. "Lean down, Zoey." he orders. I do as he says and crouch down. He hooks the line to some part of my collar, and then does the same with the other line to the opposite side of my collar. Then, he steps off of the treadmill thing and gestures to me, "Okay, you can start now."

I nod, and slowly start walking. My body moves forward and the lines start pulling at my collar. I hesitate, but Dr. Knight persuades, "Go on, it's supposed to do that."

Sighing, I continue walking, but the lines don't stretch. Pushing forward, I almost yelp in surprise when the running belt starts moving backwards. Ohh, I get it!

Feeling more confident now, I speed up into a trot. The belt automatically goes faster, but I stay in the same place. The tugging of the lines doesn't bother me much- it's actually kind of nice. Makes me feel like I won't go zooming into a wall.

Picking up the pace, I go from a trot into a run. The scientists watch me in fascination, but I barely notice them. I'm staring at the wall in front of me, using it as a focus. I don't even realize that I'm using the trick for running that the Wolf taught me three years ago. My spine instinctively curves and then arches, and my paws stretch farther with each bound, but then tuck in for the split second in which I'm suspended in the air. The belt starts warming up a bit underpaw, but I ignore it and keep on running. My breathing is steady, even as I go faster and faster, and I don't feel tired at all. I'm so focused on running, that when Dr. Knight suddenly laughs loudly, I almost jump out of my skin.

"Fantastic!" he cries in joy, "Marvelous! Amazing! Extraordinary!" I let my tongue loll out and flash him a wolf grin.

"Zoey, you can stop now." Dr. Patel says and I start slowing down. A few moments later, I come to a halt and the scientists unhook me from the treadmill. I leap off, heading towards Steve and Fury. They both look amazed.

Morphing into my human form, I smile and ask, "How was I?"

They stare at me, speechless. Then, Fury clears his throat and finds his voice, "Well-"

"Two-hundred twenty miles per hour!" Dr. Knight exclaims and we all gasp.

"Are you serious?" I splutter, "Holy shhh…" Even in his state of shock, Steve still manages to send me a warning glare at my near-curse, "Shhhsssoup. Holy soup, that's fast!" I try not to laugh at my fail of a save. Soup? Really?

One of the scientists scribbles something down on a clipboard, and then Dr. Knight asks, "Zoey, do you mind running in your human form? I just want to see if-"

"Yeah, sure, why not?" I agree, shrugging, and then walk over to the regular-sized treadmill a few meters away. I hop onto it, and Dr. Patel wraps a heart-beat monitor around my wrist. Then, she turns on the treadmill.

"Let's start easy." she mutters, tapping a few buttons on front panel. The running belt starts moving and I begin to walk. Sighing, I roll my eyes and scoff, "This is easy!"

"That's the point." she retorts, and then presses another button. The belt starts moving faster, but it still seems effortless. After a few moments, Dr. Knight pushes her away and takes control, "Stop holding her back. Let her show her true speed."

Dr. Patel looks like she's about to argue, but before she can, he presses the button twice. I bite back a yelp as the belt suddenly moves at a faster speed and I start jogging. "Give me a warning next time." I say and he nods.

A few minutes later, he asks, "Are you feeling tired?" I shake my head. "Alright. I'm going to speed it up a bit."

"Okay." I say, and brace myself for the new speed. My pace quickens so that I'm almost running. I grin at Dr. Knight, and then glance over my shoulder at Steve and Fury.

"Nothing?" the scientist asks, grabbing my attention, "No fagitude at all?"

"Nope!" I reply, "I don't get tired very quickly."

"Then let's speed it up a bit." he says, pressing the button. I run at a leisurely pace for a couple of minutes. My breathing has quickened a bit, but none of my muscles are burning yet, so I'm good for now.

"Anything?" Dr. Knight asks. I shake my head, "I'm fine!"

For the next five or ten minutes, I gradually gain speed. Dr. Knight seems like he wants to do more, but is restraining himself. By the time I'm at a full-out sprint, his eyes are bright with excitement. Meanwhile, I'm starting to get a little tired.

"I'm going to put it a bit faster." he announces, raising his voice a little over the whirring of the treadmill. I wince and say, "Uh, actually-"

Before I can finish, he makes the belt go faster. I grunt and struggle to keep running, feeling myself begin to sweat. No more than a minute has passed with me at this pace when Dr. Knight presses the button again, "Faster!"

"Wait-" I protest, but stop so I can focus on adjusting to the new speed. Okay, this definitely isn't a regular treadmill. I'm pretty sure it's going faster than normal. My legs are starting to burn, and my lungs are aching. "Can you slow down a bi-" I gasp, only to be interrupted by Dr. Knight.

"How fast is she going?" he asks Dr. Patel. She glances at the meter thingy and replies, "32 miles per hour, but-"

"We'll push her to 35." Dr. Knight says, ignoring her and pressing the button again. I yelp, now running just to be able to stay on the treadmill. My breaths now come out as gasps, and my vision is turning a bit hazy. A few feet away, I hear Fury warn, "Don't over-do it, Doctor."

"I'm not!" he says, and then directs to me, "You just keep running. We won't go any faster than this. Now, we're just gonna see how long you can run until your oxygen peak-"

"I can't!" I cry out, desperate to get off, "Steve! Help!"

"Hey, turn it off!" The super soldier says immediately, snapping at the scientists. They jump in surprise, and Dr. Patel moves towards the panel, but Dr. Knight brushes her away. "No!" he insists, "We have to-"

"I said, turn it off!" Steve yells. Fury steps beside him, "Now! She can't take anymore!"

Dr. Knight frowns and sighs, "But we have to-" Steve lets out growl and shoves past him, reaching for the panel. "Wait, no!" The doctor shrieks, but he's already pressing random buttons.

Unfortunately, one of those buttons turns out to be the power button, so the belt suddenly stops and sends me flying forward. I yelp, crashing into the panel and then falling over it, collapsing onto the ground. Steve reaches down to help me while I gasp for breath, drenched in sweat.

"Zoey!" he exclaims, kneeling down. Then, his eyes widen and he takes my face in his hands, "Zoey, are you okay?"

I didn't even realize it, but I'm crying. Not full-out sobs, but just tears streaming down my cheeks as I try to catch my breath. Memories flash before my eyes and I squeeze them shut, trying to force the thoughts away.

"Zoey." I hear Fury's voice say, and slowly open them again. Both he and Steve are kneeling with me, looking concerned. For a few moments, I continue gasping and wheezing. Then, I get myself together and shake my head, trying to wipe my tears away with the back of my hand.

"I'm sorry." I murmur, struggling to stand. They both help me up, but my legs are shaking from exhaustion, so I lean against Steve for support. "It's alright," he reassures, "It's perfectly fine. It's not your fault, it was Dr. Knight's. Fury's having him be-"

I wave him off and shake my head again, taking a deep breath, "No, it's not that. It's just…" I sigh, "They used to do the same thing back… back at the Lab. Actually, everything we've done here it's… they used to do it to me."

Steve and Fury exchange a glance and I pull away from the super soldier, standing on my own. "Okay, Zoey." I mutter, "Shut up with the tears and get yourself together." I take a deep breath, and then exhale. Clapping my hands together, I glance around and notice that the scientists have left. Turning back to the two men, I say awkwardly, "Alright, so, that happened. Now what? Can I take a break? I'm kind of hungry after all that."

"Of course." Fury says, "Go get something to eat and drink at the food court. Meanwhile, I'm going to have a little talk with our scientists."

"I would like to share some words with them, too." Steve agrees, now sounding thoroughly pissed. Then he pauses and adds to me, "I mean, unless… are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm okay now." I say, "And I'm pretty sure I can find my way to the food court."

"Alright." he nods, sounding a bit unsure. I watch as he and Fury enter another room, and then I turn around and run towards one of the punching bags.

Growling with rage, I pour it out in one powerful blow, "Frickin' scientists!" I pause, still panting a bit, and then feel the pain in my knuckles, "Ow, ow, ow! Why am I such and idiot? Oh-" The author cut out the colorful curses to keep this story rated T, "-That hurt!"

Wincing, I shake out my hand, and then walk towards the door, having gotten all of my anger out. Opening it, I exit the room and walk down the hallway. A few agents glance at me as I pass, but since none of them are hot initiates, I ignore them. Spare one.

"Oh, hi!" I say when I see Agent Coulson walking towards me. He's gazing down at a tablet in his hand, but looks up when I greet him, "Hello, Zoey. I heard that you had a check-up. What happened?"

"Eh, not much." I reply casually, "They were measuring my height and speed, but then they almost killed me when I was running in my human form on the treadmill so Steve turned it off, but I was still running fast so I fell and while he helped me up, Fury made the scientists go away and now I'm looking for a snack." I take a deep breath after that long run-on sentence.

"Oh," Coulson says, a little surprised, "That's…. interesting." He shrugs, and then jerks a thumb over his shoulder, "Well, the food court is back there."

"Thanks." I smile, and then get an idea, "Hey, do you know where the initiates are?"

The agent pauses and then checks his watch, "Well, it's 4:10, so... they should be on their break in the food court."

I perk up, "Really?" Immediately, I start flattening any stray hairs on my head and pulling on my shirt so that it's drooping down my shoulder. I readjust the piercings on my ears, and then ask Coulson, "Do I look okay?"

His lip quivers like he's struggling not to laugh, "Trying to get their attention?"

"Oh, trust me," I say, smirking, "I'm trying to get way more than that." Brushing past him, I strut towards the food court. I hear him snickering behind me as I walk away. Still smirking, I open the door to the food court and gasp.

Oh, the initiates are here all right. It's kind of hard not to notice them- they're like a giant parade of Abercrombie models. And Hot Guy is right there, talking to a couple of his friends next to the frozen section. How coincidental! I also like to play it cool. It's like we're soulmates!

But, no, I can't go up to him like this. I need to be prepared. I need female help. I need…

In the corner, I spot Maria Hill sitting at a table with a sandwich in one hand and a phone in the other. Perfect! Sticking to the wall, I quickly slink over to her without getting noticed. I plop down in front of her and let out a sigh of relief, glancing back at the initiates, who are still talking.

"Can I help you?" Maria asks and I turn back to her. I nod and jerk my thumb towards Hot Guy, "Who's the sexy beast over there?"

The agent leans to the side, gazing at the initiates, "Tall, around your age, dark blonde hair?"

"And honey-colored eyes that sparkle like the Fourth of July." I finish, and then nod, "Yep. Him. What's his name?"

Maria pauses and replies, "Damian, I believe. Damian Abell."

"Damian Abell." I echo dreamily, staring off into the distance, "Now that's poetry."

She raises an eyebrow at me, and then suggests, "Why don't you go say 'hi'?"

"I can't just go say 'hi' to a guy like that!" I exclaim incredulously, "What if he says 'hi' back? Then what do I do?!"

Maria smiles and says, "Then just go over there and get noticed. Let him come to you."

"What if he doesn't?" I ask worriedly. She shrugs and replies, "Well, there's about 15 more like him. You've got a lot of choices."

I sigh and glance over my shoulder again. The other guys are pretty cute too…

"Alright," I say to Maria, "I'll do it. How do I look?" She gazes at me for a few moments, and then starts fluffing up my hair and putting it in specific positions. She tucks my hair behind my good ear, but leaves the strands next to my shredded ear untucked. When she's done, she takes a step back and nods in satisfaction, "You're good."

"Thanks." I turn around and take a deep breath, "I'm going in." Heart rabbiting, I put on a confident face and sashay over to the ordering area. When I reach it, I casually lean against the counter and gaze at the menu, pretending to be reading it.

In the corner of my eye, I see Hot Gu- er, Damian, pause in his conversation and look over at me. I turn to him and smile. Lady Luck must be in a good mood today, because he smiles back and walks over to me with another one of his friends.

"Hey." he greets as he approaches. He leans against the counter next to me and flashes me a blinding grin.

Ignoring the butterflies in my stomach, I say shyly, "Hi."

"You touch her, and you're dead. You look at her, and you're dead. You think about her, and you're DEAD!" Fury yells at the initiates, seething with, well, fury. Meanwhile, I'm standing in the corner of the room with Steve, staring at the floor guiltily. His hand is on the back of my neck, making sure that I go nowhere.

Five minutes after I started talking to Damian, Steve and Fury had walked in. When they saw me flirting with the initiates, they went completely ballistic. Steve yanked me aside and gave me a fierce lecture about boys while Fury attacked the poor agent-wannabes. A bunch of the regular agents fled when they saw how pissed Fury was. Steve's lecture was long, but Fury's was longer. Heck, it's still going on.

"I'm absolutely disgusted! She is younger than you! She is a mutant! She is an Avenger! She is completely off-limits! If I ever catch you flirting with her again, I'm putting my gun to your head and pulling the trigger! Do you understand?!" The initiates all nod feverishly, absolutely terrified. Fury glares daggers at them, and then spits, "Get out of my sight!"

They quickly dash out of the room, pushing each other in the process. I'm pretty sure I see a few of them pee in their pants.

Snickering, I exclaim, "Geez, man, you totally-"

"Shut up, Zoey!" Fury snaps, whirling around, "You're not off the hook, either." I wince as he stomps over. I would've joined the initiates in the run for my life, but Steve is keeping me in place.

Then, I notice a familiar person sneaking behind and heading towards the door. It's Agent Hill. Apparently, she stayed to watch the show instead of fleeing with the other agents.

"Hey, Hill!" I call her out and she freezes, "You're not getting out of this, either!" Fury glances back at her as I tattletale, "Agent Hill helped set me up with them!"

"What?" Steve exclaims in disbelief. I nod and add, "She made me look sexy!"

Fury scowls and turns to her, "Lieutenant, meet me in my office in ten minutes." Maria nods bravely, but when he turns away she glares at me. I stick my tongue out at her and she exits the room.

Now, I won't bore you with the long lecture that Fury gives me. All I know is that I don't ever think I've seen him so pissed in my life. The man needs to relax and take a chillpill- he's too protective of me. Whoa… protective of me. Fury? That's really weird. Steve makes sense, sort of, but…. Oh, my God. You know what? I have too many father figures. This is horrible!

Fury continues ranting at me and I start to get a little annoyed. Sighing, I interrupt loudly, "Fury! He was gay!"

That shuts him up. He frowns, studying me, and then asks, "Really?"

"Are you lying?" Steve questions. I shake my head and reply, "Nope. He was gay. His boyfriend was there, too. And the other guys were creepy, so I wouldn't even consider trying them."

They both let out a sigh of relief. "Good." Steve says, dropping his hand from my neck. I smile, and then check my watch, "Well, this has been an interesting day, but I think I should go back home."

"Right." Fury says, "I'll have an agent take you back." He starts walking towards the door and I follow him, Steve tailing me. We exit the room and stride down the hallway, Captain America on one side of me and Director Fury on my other. Slowly, I allow myself to smirk.

I just got away with a huge lie.

Damian was not gay at all. He was so beautifully straight that he gave me his number in the first five minutes of our short conversation. Only problem is that he was kind of an asshole. Really sarcastic and snarky- no, no, no, he was not my type at all. His friend was kinda cool, though. Might try him later.

"Oh, yeah." Fury says, "I'm going to tell the other Avengers about this, too." My eyes widen and my jaw drops, "What? No!"

"Yes." Steve agrees sternly, "They're going to hear about this and help us keep you in check." I gape, and then realize that arguing will get me nowhere and sigh.

Well, there goes my chances of getting a boyfriend.