"I'm glad your leadership skills haven't become deprived over the years, Agent Phillips" Agent Fury said, proud of his team and of the fact that his plan worked. "Excellent job, everyone. Now we can figure out who is behind the appearance of that monster. For now, everyone deserves some rest. It's late and you all look exhausted" He smirked at the battered-up and drowsy looking group.
"Goodnight" He nodded his head, turned on his heel, and exited in class.
"Just like the good 'ol days" Vera laughed, leaning back in her chair and putting her hands behind her head leisurely.
"I think that is the first time he's ever fully congratulated us, he's usually very mute and unpredictable. Sometimes, he wouldn't even acknowledge the fact we saved the human race" Liliana giggled, messing with her glasses.
"Sounds like Fury" Natasha smirked.
The group stood silent, in their own little worlds when Tony broke the somber moment.
"For once, I'm going to follow Fury's advice and go home to sleep. I'm exhausted" He yawned, still in his suit of armor.
"Need your beauty sleep?" Bruce playfully spoke.
"Please, this is all natural. I just sleep so I don't pass out" He rolled his eyes and walked out of the door casually, waving goodbye to Bailee and giving her a discreet wink.
Bailee gave him a furious frown, but the second he disappeared, a blush overcome her face and she sprinted out towards her bedroom.
"Oh my goodness I'm so tired" Felecity said dramatically, her hand swatting her forehead in an exasperated pose. "I'm off to bed, toot-a-loo!" She grinned, standing up.
Thor walked towards you. "I shall walk you to your corridor" He smiled kindly, resting a hand on her back.
The couple walked to Felecity's bedroom, inches between them.
"I'm going to finish an experiment in the lab then I'll be on my way to bed, as well" Liliana declared, standing up.
"Want some company?" Bruce quickly asked, bolting out of his chair.
Liliana giggled. "That'd be fantastic" She grinned and walked out with Bruce, the two chatter-boxes discussing something along the lines of science gibberish.
Vera looked around and noticed Steve intensely staring at Anastasia, obviously imagining another scene as Anastasia twiddle her thumbs, knowing Steve was watching her but couldn't bear to share eye contact.
Vera rolled her eyes and chuckled. She looked over at Clint and gently smiled. "Thanks again...You saved my life" She chuckled.
Clint looked up, realizing she was conversing with him. "Like I said, no problem..." He cleared his throat and awkwardly looked away from Vera. Not much of a smooth-talker...
"Well considering I haven't been in this building for years, mind showing me where the bedrooms are? I'm beat" She stood up and stretched, the Team HOPE suit had stuck to her skin from the action.
"Uh...yeah, sure" Clint said quietly, standing up and refusing to stare at Vera's body.
Natasha had a fowl look on her face as she watched Vera and Clint leave.
December noticed Natasha's face and walked over to her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Come on Nat, you should go to bed..." She said quietly, then exited.
Natasha looked at Anastasia and Steve with a sigh. "Are you two going to bed?" She asked curiously, preventing her thoughts from running wild.
"Not tired" The duet said simultaneously. They quickly looked at one another, then at Natasha.
"Guessed as much" She smirked. "Night..." She said, finally leaving the room.
Anastasia looked at Steve and then stood up, walking to the large glass window, observing the peaceful street. She noticed the bar across the street was rather full of pedestrians. Thank God the damage the team caused earlier was farther away. Her stomach wouldn't be able to take the sight of it.
"You alright?" Steve asked, breaking Anastasia's concentration.
She sighed. "I haven't fought in a long time. It was overwhelming, that's all..." She whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.
Steve stood there, watching that beautiful girl drown in her melancholy thoughts. Then, an idea struck him.
"You're not tired, right?" He asked.
Anastasia turned around and raised an eyebrow. "I'm wide awake...why do you ask?" She questioned.
"Go to your room and put on some different clothes, just trust me" He smiled.
Anastasia opened her mouth, as if to comment, but she quickly dispersed the idea and shook her head obediently. She walked to her room, Steve behind her as he headed to his.
Ten minutes later, Anastasia heard a knock at her steel-plated door. "Be out in a minute!" She yelled. Her eyes scanned her picture in the mirror. She wore a red dress with a flowing skirt that went to her knees and black sandals. She put on a short jean jacket with sleeves pulled to her elbows. Running her hands through her hair, she examined her makeup and the style of her hair.
Finally, she walked out and noticed Steve in a plain dark blue shirt with a brown leather jacket and a pair of brown slacks and brown dress shoes.
"She looks beautiful"
"Thanks" Anastasia smirked, stuffing her phone in her jean jacket pocket.
"I didn't say anything..." Steve looked at her, puzzled.
"Oh yes you did" Anastasia chuckled, pointing at his head. "Reading minds is really useful" She grinned.
"I'll have to remember you can do that for future reference" He chuckled. "You ready?" He asked politely.
Anastasia shrugged. "This better be fun, Rogers. I've got too much on my mind for a bad date" She smirked, hooking her arm with Steve's.
"Date?" He said, astonished. A blush overcame his flawless fair-skinned cheeks.
Anastasia laughed. "Come on, you" She smiled, pulling Steve out of the building with her. Finally, Steve saw the fun-loving Ana. Not the one overcome with depressing thoughts and terrifying memories.
"What exactly are we going to do?" Ana questioned as Steve led her down the city streets, passed darkened buildings and lit bars.
"You'll see" He smirked, looking down at her.
The couple reached a quiet bar that was bustling with couples sharing food, drinks, and dancing the night away. Anastasia noticed everything was very forties looking. People seemed to have fun, though, and that was something she had desired for a long time.
"Wow" She smiled. "This place is awesome!" She yelled happily. "Let's dance!" She grinned and grabbed Steve's hand, pulling him on the dance floor with multiple other couples. This dancing was so classy and fun as forties music blared from the speakers. This was no modern-day club, but Anastasia found herself happily dancing along with Steve.
So they mambo-ed and cha-cha-ed through 4 songs when a slow song came on. Anastasia stiffened as numerous couples walked off the floor, going to grab a drink.
She and steve along with two other couples stood there.
"May I have this dance?" Steve asked, putting out his hand and staring into Ana's eyes.
"Sure" She chuckled, using her left hand to intertwine her fingers with his. Her free hand clung to his shoulder and his free arm wrapped around her waist. They swayed in one another's arms, their faces inches from each others.
"Wow she's inches from my face...She's even more beautiful up close"
Anastasia laughed quietly. "Your thoughts like running wild, don't they?" She asked, winking playfully.
Steve chuckled, realizing he had kept his guard down long enough for her to read a thought or two. "It's hard to concentrate when you're so close" He smiled, gripping her waist tighter.
"Same here..." She whispered, feeling her blood rush and the thumping of her heart begin to increase. "Extremely difficult" She whispered, losing herself in his eyes.
She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. Steve set his chin on top of her head and smiled.
"I think I really like her...She's different. So very different"
Anastasia grinned in his shirt.
"I think she likes you too..." She thought.
Steve looked down at her, puzzled. "Really?" He smiled, joy over filled him. Then something caught his memory. "Wait a minute, did I just read your mind?" He questioned.
Anastasia smiled. "Yes, really. And if I trust someone, I can let them read my thoughts. I rarely let people do so, however" She said, grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm glad you can trust me" He whispered, gently pulling her closer to his chest.
An hour passed and the bar tender waltzed over to Steve and Anastasia. "Sorry lovebirds, but it's closing time" She smiled, putting her hands on her hips.
Anastasia looked at the middle-aged woman. "Oh, sorry to keep you waiting. Goodbye" She said quickly and took Steve's hand, walking out of the bar and down the street.
"Did you have fun?" Steve asked.
Anastasia grinned. "Most fun I've had in years" She laughed joyously.
"Glad I could cause that laugh...I've never heard it before" He smiled, his hand intertwining with hers as he gazed at her lovingly.
"Believe it or not, I'm actually a very fun person" She grinned. "My job...makes it difficult sometimes" She sighed, her thoughts quickly changing.
"Don't think about it" Steve pleaded, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. He couldn't ruin this perfect night by letting her old memories soak back in.
"It's kind of hard to get back off the subject" She rolled her eyes and looking at her feet.
Steve looked at her, then smirked. "What if I got your mind on something else?" He said.
Anastasia looked at him. "Oh really? Just how are you going to do that" She said stubbornly.
He took a deep breath. "Like this" He said, suddenly, his arms grabbed her waist and he pulled her towards him. His nose touched hers for a millisecond then he gently pressed his lips to hers. They kissed for two minutes exactly when Anastasia broke away for air.
"You were right. That definitely took my mind off my job" She breathed, catching her breath.
Steve chuckled once more and leaned down, giving her another sincere kiss. He felt Ana's arms wrap around his neck and they delved deeper into the kiss.
-The lab-
"Thanks for helping me with this. An extra pair of hands helps when I have to try to contain a feisty combustible atom" Liliana grinned from ear to ear, running her hands through her short hair.
Bruce stared at her as she took her glasses off and opened her eyes a few time to adjust to the view without them.
"Today was exciting, don't you think?" She grinned, resting her chin on her hands as they propped themselves on the table.
"If you say so" He shook his head, walking over to a touch screen monitor to retrieve some data.
"I haven't fought in years...It was exhilarating! Although with my super powers, there isn't much I can do unless I have a gun" She laughed as if the thing was simple. As if she couldn't have gotten hurt, or worse, died.
"How are you so easy-going about this all?" He questioned.
She smiled. "Bruce, I'm a weird person. I babble on about science all day long and am usually stuck in a lab" She motioned around her. "So it's nice to escape the stereotype of my super genius abilities and get out in the action and save the world. I might not be the biggest asset to the team, but I'm apart of it none-the-less. When I first joined this team, Fury kept me in this lab 24/7...I wasn't even allowed to shoot a gun back then. So I created weapons and researched enemies and honestly, watched a lot of reality television" She smirked. "Then when I proved to everyone that I wasn't just a piece of wood, Fury put me on a mission with the team and I actually helped save the world. Ever since then, I refuse to be upset about fighting. I'm saving the world, wether or not I do it alone. I'm still helping..." She said, defending herself.
"Oh..." He said, feeling foolish for his previous question. "That's...admirable" He whispered, looking down at his empty hands.
Liliana walked over to him and rest a hand gently on his shoulder. "So why do you hate it so much?" She asked quietly.
Bruce looked at her, his posture decomposing as she broke him down. "I'm...a monster, Liliana. I'm a huge, growling, beast that doesn't know right from wrong. I'm no better than that giant lizard we killed today. Fury should have locked me up when he had the chance..." He whispered, turning his hands to fists.
"You have no idea how blessed you are" She whispered.
Bruce's head jolted up. "Blessed? Are you serious? This is not a blessing, unless God messed up. Which, who knows, I probably deserved it. I'm a monster, Liliana. That's the reason no one understands me. That's the reason I'm feared by people" He shouted.
Liliana frowned, taking her hand off him. "You are not a killer. You are not a dangerous weapon. You are not The Hulk" She said sternly. "You are Bruce Banner, an honest and kind man with a genius façade. You are the content of your character, the ambitions that drive you, and the goals you set. You are the things you laugh at and the words you say. You are the thoughts you think and the things you wonder. It isn't the shape of the vessel that matters, it's the soul that fills it" She ended in a whisper. "You are a wonderful human being" She stepped closer to him, putting her hand on top of his as it sat on the counter. "Not a monster"
Bruce looked at her, his eyes full of tears. "You are the first person to ever convince me I'm a human..." He whispered. "Thank you" He said, pulling Liliana into his arms, holding her close.
Liliana wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tight.
"If you ever feel like your going to turn into the other guy, tell me. I can negate it and jump-start it later..." She whispered. "You won't have to worry about turning in to him ever again" She whispered in his ear as she felt his breath down her neck.
He looked up at her. "What if you accidentally absorb it? What if you get the hulk powers?" He asked, worry in his eyes.
Liliana shrugged. "I don't absorb powers every time I touch someone, If I could, I'd be the hulk now" She laughed softly.
"Liliana...I'm sorry no one understood you. But, I understand you...Better than I've ever understood anyone" He whispered, his grip tightening as if he feared she would escape his arms.
Liliana smiled. "You're the first" She giggled, her fingers tangling themselves into his curly hair as his invigorating scent left her breathless.
OMG! I know what you're thinking: "Another chapter in only two days? Has this woman completely lost her life?". Well my fine-fellow-readers, yesterday I was extremely sick and wrote ALL DAY LONG. I was in such a good writing mood, and a rather romantic one. There is a lot of dialog in this chapter, but I really hope you enjoy it! Finally, some romance! We all knew it was coming :P I hope you enjoy, please keep reading, and tell your friends! Thank you so much. I'm so very blessed to have fantastic and loyal readers such as yourselves.