Being encased in Steve's arms was one of greatest feelings in the entire world. When Lex closed her eyes and thought of home, it was anywhere that he was. They hadn't known each other long, but something about him always felt right. She knew Steve was the only person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She loved him, even if she didn't always know how to say it.
"I'm sorry Clint and I didn't tell you." She apologized.
"Lex, if this is going to work out between us, you have to learn to trust me." He looked down at her. His expression very serious. "If that means keeping a secret from Tony, then that's what I'll have to do. But you can't keep secrets like this from me." He bent his head down and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "Let me get you some water."
"You know, I forget sometimes." She said quietly. She watched him pour a glass of water. "I forget that you were in the army. You fought real wars. I act like you need to be protected, but you've seen people die, haven't you?"
"We don't have to talk about this." He said placing the glass in front of her.
"No, we do." Lex shook her head. "We should have talked about this a long time ago, Steve. Sometimes I treat you like you're a kid who needs to be watched, babysat. But you've lived a whole other life in a completely different time. I bet you had friends. And weren't you dating Grandpa Howard's friend, Margaret Carter?"
"Something like that." Steve nodded. "Peggy and I were, well I don't know what we were. We never really had a chance to figure it out. I didn't have a lot of friends either. It was mostly just Bucky."
"Bucky Barnes. I read about him before for school projects and stuff. I know he died during the war, but Peggy, she's still alive, isn't she? Why don't you ever talk about either of them?"
"I used to visit her occasionally." He confessed. "But she's very old, her memory isn't so great. It got harder on both of us with every visit. So I stopped going. Her niece keeps me updated, sometimes I call. But Bucky, Peggy, even Howard, that's all in the past now. I try not to think about it. I try looking forward."
"Of course. After what you've been through I think you've earned that right. I just, I want you to know Steve that I don't make decisions lightly. I didn't just wake up one day and decide that I wanted to fly a plane. I didn't just show up at Tony and Pepper's door, and I didn't kiss you for the first time by accident. Everything I do is a result of weighted pros and cons. I consider all of my options before making a choice. From now on, I will try to be more inclusive in my decision making process. I won't just do things without telling you."
"Thank you, Lex. It may seem insignificant, but it means a lot to me." Steve bent down and kissed the top of his girlfriend's head. "What do you say I get changed and we go see how Barton's doing?"
A few floors up in Dr. Banner's lab, Clint was laying on what looked like a futuristic cat scan machine. A half-round metal arm was covering his mid-section, small moving lights seemed to be scanning him. Upon further inspection, Lex realized they weren't scanning at all. They were creating tissue, filling in Clint's wound layer by layer. Dr. Cho was monitoring the archer's healing from a nearby computer, her back to the door. Natasha was the only other person in the room, she was standing at Clint's side, watching the machinery suspiciously.
"Are you sure he's gonna be okay?" She asked the Doctor. "Pretending to need this guy really brings the team together."
"There is no possibility of deterioration." Dr. Cho promised, turning around. "The nano-molecular functionality is instantaneous. His cells don't know they're bonding with simulacrum."
"She's creating tissue." Lex explained to Steve and Nat, who both seemed uncertain about the procedure. "it's really cool." Neither of them were convinced. "Forget it." She waved them off.
"Hey kid thanks for the assist back there. Sorry I had to finally blow your cover." Clint smiled up at her from his position on the table.
"It's fine." Lex couldn't help but smile back. She was glad that Clint was going to be alight. If that meant her secret had to get out, it was worth it. "It was time for Dad and Steve to find out anyway."
"Uh oh, he's flatlining! Call it. Time?" Tony bellowed dramatically as he re-entered the lab with Bruce. "Your beverage." He handed Clint paper cup with a lid and straw. "Glad you're going to pull through for us Katniss so I can have the chance to kill you myself."
"Right. I'd say I was sorry, except that I'm not." Clint smirked before sipping from the drink Tony had brought him. "Besides, I'm going to live forever. I'm gonna be made of plastic."
"You're going to be made of you, Mr. Barton." Dr. Cho interrupted. "Your own girlfriend wouldn't be able to tell the difference."
"I don't have a girlfriend." Clint smirked.
"That I can't fix." Dr. Cho chuckled. "I noticed your interest in the technology Miss Stark, are you a scientist like your father?"
"Let's just say I'm warming up to the family business. A mind is a terrible thing to waste and all that." Lex smiled.
"Well, let me offer you a small piece of advice. This is the future. Your father's clunky metal suits are going to be left in the dust." Dr. Cho suggested.
"Well that is exactly the plan." Tony agreed seriously. It was almost out of character for him, but a split second later he was grinning again. "Helen, I expect to see you at the party on Saturday."
"Unlike you, I don't have a lot of time for parties." She quipped. "Will Thor be there?" She added as an afterthought.
A/n: I've been away for another brief hiatus, but I hope you enjoyed this Chapter! :D You are all beautiful people and I'm so glad you've found this story!
Thank you to gotmoreissuesthanvogue & Writer-at-Heart0 for your reviews of Chapter 11! I love the reviews so much they let me know that my work is being enjoyed and in turn I always enjoy reading your opinions/responses to each chapter. A huge thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing, favoring, following and enjoying! I'll be back again soon!
