After I was locked in my seat, I shot back a sleeping pill, as I was certain, the rest of the Avengers were doing as well. I wanted to forget I was even on a plane and I hadn't been sleeping at all recently anyway. It hadn't been that I was uncomfortable with Steve being around literally all the time, it had more to do with letting my guard down at all where Loki could strike. I figured there was no possible way he knew about this plane or New York. I literally hadn't laid eyes on him since the incident in the office. That certainly didn't mean that he hadn't been around. I knew that anything very suspicious could be attributed to him.
I dozed off with my head against the window. When I woke up the whole cabin was dark and I could vaguely hear Fury and Phil having some kind of conversation that no doubt involved me. Thor wasn't relaxed at all because it was his first time on a plane but everyone else was probably asleep. I groggily opened my eyes further and noticed that I was no longer leaning against the window. I turned my head a bit and noticed that I had been sleeping on Steve's shoulder. How the hell had this happened? My heart started pounding like it had that day in the office when his leg had accidentally brushed mine. Gosh, I was acting like a high schooler and I was still exhausted. I didn't bother moving because he was sort of leaning against me too and I didn't want to wake him. I just fell back asleep until the plane was about to land and Tony woke us all up.
I jolted away from Steve at Tony's voice and I noticed that Tony and Clint were laughing at me, as usual. No doubt they thought this had been funny. I stared away from the three of them out the window. It was just one new embarrassment after another when it came to me. "So we're there?" I asked, completely blowing it off. I heard Clint trying to contain another laugh.
"Almost but you can go back to sleep if you want."
"Seriously, you can just fu-"
"Oh, the attitude. Sorry I woke you, princess."
"Whoa, Charlotte, you better wash that mouth out. What would your parents think?" kidded Tony. I turned and looked at them, fake laughing.
"Ya'll think you're so funny."
"Well, we are." They went back to their seats to buckle in for when we landed. I turned to Steve, who still appeared groggy. He was an incredibly hard sleeper. I always joked that that was the reason he'd been frozen for so long.
"Sorry… again," I said. The stuff I'd been doing with Steve lately, although for the most part accidental, was totally inappropriate and all it did was make me nervous. I couldn't even imagine the way he felt about it.
He shook his head without fully looking at me. "It… It didn't bother me." I nodded and looked down at my cuffs. What did that mean? Had he liked it? Why am I even contemplating this?
"Hey, Charlotte," said Tony, poking his head over the top of my seat. I looked up, feigning curiosity at his newest ploy.
"Yes, Mr. Stark?" He winced at the formality.
"Don't let your Southern belle get the best of you. But I was gonna tell you that I'm making you a playlist of songs about your life." I rolled my eyes.
"Don't bother with that." I noticed Clint was leaning forward too and Steve was just listening to them because he couldn't possibly get away.
"I was thinking Judas by Lady Gaga as track one."
"Judas? What the hell?"
"Listen to the lyrics. It's kind of your love life."
"And I picked one," said Clint. "How bout a little Set Fire to the Rain by Adele?" I had to laugh at that one because certain parts actually were true.
"Seriously, how much time do ya'll have on your hands?" I asked.
"It's not gonna be much anymore," said Tony, leaning back. I could tell that he really hated the idea of working with other people and giving them equal time. There had already been rumors that the Avengers needed a team leader and Tony had been making it no secret that he thought he deserved to be it.
"Oh, they're so annoying," I said to Steve loud enough that they would hear it. He smiled and nodded. He wasn't going to agree out loud where they could respond to him. Steve was Tony's favorite to pick on and the insults were never ending. Steve probably actually hadn't heard most of them. "Okay, be honest, do you think I'm gonna have to wear these handcuffs in the house too?"
He shook his head. "All of us will be there and you're getting a connecting room." I grimaced.
"I forgot about that. What if I get Tony? Oh, the horror."
"Maybe they'll let you pick." I gave him a look. "Oh, you're right. They would never let that happen."
Then the plane landed and I was unlocked from the table and escorted out last. Well, next to last. Thor came behind us, mostly because he was nervous. I was actually really hoping that Thor might be who my room connected to. I kind of felt like I was harboring a crush for him even though I knew I wasn't. I just had a soft spot for Thor because we automatically clicked.
I hadn't been expecting the greeting party we got, headed by Maria Hill. I knew a lot of the people there, having worked with them before having to recruit Thor. So their reaction to me being a fugitive was a particular joy. Maria, my ex-roommate and second to Fury, looked almost pleased that I was in manacles. I stood back as Thor was given an introduction then I caught a glimpse of someone in the mass of S.H.I.E.L.D. employees. I openly gulped, guessing that it was probably some trick my mind was playing on me. But sure enough, Loki was there, clothed in a well-fitting suit and a dark green scarf. I wondered how no one was noticing him but me. Our eyes connected and I got an intense chill. I felt like I was on fire and freezing at the same time. My hip began to hurt even though it was fully healed. How was he even here? He smirked at me, like he'd read my mind and on instinct, I grabbed Steve's hand with both of mine to make him notice Loki. It instantly made me feel better.
Before I knew it, Loki had vanished. I felt frozen in place and I couldn't make myself let go of Steve's hand. I looked up at him, trying not to act suspicious to the others and gave him a look; one that maybe didn't fully convey that I'd seen him but it did convey that something was wrong. I had thought we were safe here. I would never have guessed that he knew where we were. This was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s private landing strip. Everything was locked and loaded and entirely professional. There was no possible way he knew where I was. Now I had to wonder whether he knew where we would be staying as well.
"And as you can tell, Charlotte Kent, our resident researcher," began Fury, pointing at me. I dropped Steve's hand so that none of them noticed. Maybe they already had. Fury went on to explain that I been consorting with the enemy and that it was very irresponsible of me to believe anything the god of mischief said. I bit my lip and resisted saying any of my usual smartass comments to Fury. This was punishment enough without me having to fight back. I stared straight into the crowd, almost searching for Loki now. I kept feeling myself wishing that he would come and snatch me away from this life as a prisoner. It made me feel weak to admit that I maybe still wanted to be with Loki but I knew there were a lot of things that the Avengers weren't telling me. They had meetings without me there. The most curious thing had been about how my side had fully healed and they wanted to claim it was some miracle medicine they'd come up with. I noticed they weren't selling it; they weren't giving it to anyone else. A drug like that would be worth giving out. But I didn't want to not trust the Avengers. For the most part, they were my friends. If I couldn't trust Steve or Clint or hell, even Thor, I would be completely alone. That's probably exactly what Loki wanted.
I was jolted from my thoughts when Thor came over to me and Steve and told Steve that "Son of Coul" wanted to speak with him. I knew the conversation didn't include me but I wanted to come anyway. I didn't want to be left alone, for once. Steve gave me a pained look but I nodded, making it seem like I was fine with it. He walked away but kept glancing over as Phil gave him and Tony the lowdown on the living arrangements. Luckily, Thor was still standing with me. "I need to ask something of you," he said with that booming voice. I breathed out. I could only imagine what it was about.
"Yes," I responded.
"I wish to know if you saw him too." He gave me an incredibly heartbreaking look, like he wished Loki was still there. I felt so bad for him that I just nodded. Loki had been haunting me, like some sort of ghost, for awhile now so the shock today had come from him knowing where I was, not seeing him. Seeing him wasn't unusual. Sure, it hurt and it made me mad but I was used to it. A lot of times I even welcomed catching a glimpse of him. But then it hit me why Thor was so visibly upset by it. This was the first time he'd seen Loki since he'd fallen from Asgard.
"I'm so sorry," I said. He shook his head.
"I have not seen him in such a long while."
"I know," I responded, feeling like hugging him. Thor acted in raw emotions, almost like a child. It was his most endearing quality to me. If he was hurt, you automatically knew it. He'd hidden it very well during his introduction. "I'm so sorry," I said again.
"I feel like forgiving him," he said, lowering his regular loud voice. That struck a chord with me because I'd felt like forgiving Loki too. Maybe that was the reason Thor and I got on so well; we still trusted in Loki, we still loved him.
"Me too," I said. I put my hand on his arm and nodded at him, hoping an affectionate touch might make him feel better. He tried to smile at me. "I won't tell them that I saw him," I said. "And if you don't say anything, it'll make things easier on the both of us." This might've been the one time it was imperative that I tell S.H.I.E.L.D. what was going on; Loki was in New York when we had been certain there was no way he knew where we were. But there was no real proof that he'd even physically been here. He knew New York was where we were going, he just didn't know when. He had the resources to figure out where S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operatives were. If he showed up in the mansion where we were staying, that's when I would report to them. Other than that, Loki was showing up simply because he was clever.
"You do not want them to know?" I shook my head. Thor didn't need to be dragged into this. It was going to be bad enough for him to fight with Loki. I wasn't naïve. I knew they would eventually confront each other. Loki was a real threat to everyone here but he had wanted Thor. Maybe if he'd realized that Thor was willing to forgive him, some of this would never have happened. Maybe we'd still be playing house, although I doubted it.
He nodded down at me. Then we had to ride into the city. I got in the backseat of Tony's car. Of course, he'd insisted he drive himself. He didn't trust S.H.I.E.L.D.'s drivers. I sat in the middle, in between Thor and Steve. I rolled my eyes. It was always me. Clint got in the passenger's seat and Tony drove off. I wondered where Bruce and Natasha were. They were missing out on the car of men I was in. I had to admit, I couldn't have been in there with better looking guys. All four of them were gorgeous.
"Am I gonna be blindfolded so I can't tell where we're staying?" I asked to no one in particular.
"Funny that you mention that," said Tony. I groaned.
"There is no way. Oh my gosh, there is no way that's actually happening."
"No, you're right, it's not." I leaned back further, relaxing. "It's just fun to distress you." I faked a laugh. I kept my arms close to me, trying to avoid touching Thor and Steve unnecessarily. Clint and Tony went to yapping about who could beat the other in a fight.
"What happened back there?" Steve asked me and I froze further. I hadn't forgotten that I'd grabbed his hand; it had actually been running through my mind since then, on a reel with seeing Loki.
"I thought I saw something but it was totally just my mind. I'm still groggy from the flight," I responded. He still looked skeptical but nodded and tried to keep to his side of the backseat. I turned my head and exchanged a look with Thor. Both of us were better off without that getting out.
When we arrived behind the building, I realized it was actually the S.H.I.E.L.D. building. Apparently, we were staying in a penthouse. It was rather lucky to be having access to S.H.I.E.L.D. at all times. I went up with all of the Avengers and when we arrived inside, I was actually shocked at how large it was. There was an upstairs where I assumed our rooms were and the downstairs was nice. They obviously wanted to promote some sort of camaraderie.
My cuffs were off the minute I stepped off the elevator. I happily ran my fingers through my short hair. It wasn't as curly as it usually was, probably due to how nervous I had been about flying. I unconsciously twirled strands of my hair as we all waited for more instructions. It was almost like being assigned a roommate all over again and having to take a tour of the dorm.
"Your bags have already been taken to your rooms," said Fury. "I trust you can find them. You'll notice that all of the rooms connect to another in some way. Charlotte's doors to the other rooms will always stay open." Other rooms? Always open? "I hope group dynamic improves from having to live together because you all need to get it together fast. If you're getting a little rusty on your fighting skills, you know where the gym is. If you're getting a little aggressive with each other, I'm not opposed to you having it out. The egos and testosterone in this room could make me sick. Some of you need to be cut down to size. As far as news on the house amenities, get used to buying your own groceries and anything else. One other thing, since we moved back ahead of schedule, some things haven't been fully remodeled yet. Unfortunately, you're all sharing a bathroom for the time being. I'll see you all later." Natasha and I groaned out loud. With that, Fury and Phil walked to the elevator and went down.
I breathed out and followed the others up the stairs. Natasha, Bruce, and Thor stalked down the hallway, dashing my hopes of having a girl or a god as one of my connector roommates. I opened the door to the bedroom in the middle of the hallway. It had a queen bed in the middle of the room and dark green decoration. It seemed that they'd tried to fix us a special room for our personalities, given how I had entirely white Southern-looking furniture and a bed with a gorgeous headboard, but the dark green only served to remind me of Loki. My bags were sitting on the end of the bed. As I moved forward, I noticed two doors on either side of the room. They appeared to be closets but I knew they weren't. I went to the one on the right first and pulled it open. Clint was inside that room, playing with one of his bows. "What's up, roomie?" I asked, walking into his room. They'd framed everything in purple, a perfect "Hawkeye" color.
"Damn, I was hoping I'd get Tasha," he responded playfully.
"You've given her a nickname now? How does she like that?" I crossed my arms.
"She doesn't which is why I keep using it. But hey, I still get some nice scenery since you've got to keep your doors open." He winked slyly and I hit him on the shoulder.
"You're such a skeeze!"
"Who's on the other side of you?" he responded.
"I dunno. I haven't looked. I'm kinda nervous that it's Tony since I have you over here."
"It's not Tony. Apparently, his room connects with Bruce's."
"Ah, hell, we're in for some late nights." I knew how much Tony enjoyed trying to make Bruce angry enough to change. That didn't bode well.
"Thor and Natasha's rooms connect too. I'm about to ask to trade with him."
"What?" I asked.
"No offence but-"
"No, no, no, it's not that," I responded, looking over my shoulder at the door still closed on the opposite side of my room. "Steve is on my other side," I whispered anxiously.
"So you'd prefer me to switch with Thor or…" Clint raised his eyebrows, pretending he didn't care about my distress.
"Seriously, Clint?"
"What's the big deal? You've been living together for weeks."
"I-I just didn't think I'd get lucky by getting him twice. Like I thought they wanted to punish me." He grinned.
"Maybe this is how they're doing it." I tried to laugh at his attempt at a joke but he was totally right. This was incredibly torturous for me. I walked into my room and opened the other door fast, like trying to rip off a band-aid. Steve looked up from unpacking something and instantly smiled when he saw me. I smiled back and walked into his room.
I utterly loved his room. It was so boyish and blue; it was perfect for him. "I was hoping I'd get you," said Steve. I smiled again.
"I totally didn't think they'd have us be around each other more," I responded, still in shock. I ran my fingers through my hair again, feeling happier than I had in days. Having Steve around was such a relief for me. He was a greatly therapeutic friend.
"Especially since I'd been doing such a bad job."
"Shut up," I said playfully. "I wouldn't even have let the others into my house let alone stay there." I felt a pang at remembering that dingy one bedroom house and the perfect Jeep it came with.
"So you're liking your room?"
"Actually, yeah, I am. It's really nice. It's kinda like a permanent residence. You wouldn't even think this is because I broke the law."
"I'm sure they'll find some way to remind you of it."
"Oh, no doubt, considering I have two 'roommates' and everyone else only has one."
"At least it's not Tony. He's starting to really get on my nerves."
"You heard what Fury said. You can have it out with him. I'm sure you'd teach him a lesson." Steve was like twice Tony's size. Hell, even if he put on the suit, Steve could still hold his own for awhile.
"That's reminded me of something. You remember when you said you wanted to learn how to shoot?" I nodded slowly. "I'll teach you. They have places for it down in S.H.I.E.L.D. We'll start tomorrow so don't miss it." I smiled.
"I won't." I was a little in shock that I was actually getting what I wanted but this was a step in the right direction. I couldn't wait.
Hey ya'll! I'm getting so excited for what's about to come. I have a lot of fight scenes in my head, again pulling from random moments in the trailers. This is gonna be great! Thanks for all the support. Please continue to tell me how you feel. I have so much fun writing this and I'm glad other people support it.