Chapter 36
Fixing Super Fan's car hadn't helped one bit. Bella was still a mess. She wandered around again until she found a laundry room with industrial sized machines. Even 'supers' had dirty laundry, though she thought the size of those things a bit excessive.
Stark overcompensated even with washer and drier machines.
She looked around and saw that there was no one around. Her mind was still buzzing. The overwhelming feeling of all that had happened weighing her down.
She looked at that giant machine, with giant moving parts. And if she could swear she heard a choir of angels.
All she had to do was run back to the garage and push back with her the giant tool cart.
Steve didn't like the idea of other people doing his laundry. It was weird. Tony may be used to having people doing things for him, but Steve wasn't.
Not to mention that he REALLY didn't like the idea of people seeing that he had a color code to organize his underwear according to the day of the week.
He took the opportunity that he didn'y have something to do, and everyone else seemed busy with adapting to the new situation of being 'babysitters' now. Maybe doing something would help him.
But when he walked in the laundry room, he realized he would have to use his Saturday underwear on Sunday too. Because there were two feet coming out from the open washer, pieces that he wasn't sure the purpose of, neatly organized on the floor.
The size of the feet and the bunnies on the shoes told him who was the 'mechanic'.
" Really? "
A bang and a muffled curse were his answer. The two feet disappeared inside, then a head with wild hair came out.
" The hell man! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? " She asked, as she pulled the hoodie of her coat up.
" What I am trying to do is my laundry. " He said. " Why did you break the machine? "
" Break? Break? " She asked, climbing off the inside, a tool on her hand. " Does it look broken to you? "
" Well, the parts all around make me think about it. " He said.
" Jeezzz, you're such a whiner. " She said. " Can't a girl do a routine work on a machine without SOMEONE on this whole building throwing a hissy fit? " She was about to enter the machine again when she locked her gaze on the basket on his hands. " Are... Do you color code your undies? "
" No. " He said, quickly, taking a shirt that was more to the side and placing on top of all the other items.
" Suuuure. " She said, smirking. " Look, if you want to use the machine, you'll have to wait until I'm done. Or you can do like a bunch a people around the planet and hand wash. Your choice Capsicle. Now shoo, I'm busy. "
The girl took another tool from the organized pile on top of the tool cart and climbed back into the washing machine.
" If you want a tip, I wouldn't wash the red one with the white. " She said. " It can all turn into one color and you can get your poster boy hair all messed up trying to figure out if you're wearing Monday or Wednesday undies. "
Steve was sure she was smiling when she said that.
" Put that machine back together. " He said. " I'll be back in one hour. "
" Bring me coffee. " She said. " I might me almost half-way through by then. Now shoo. "
Steve was definitely never going to let Tony forget the favor he was paying him.
" One hour. " He repeated as he left the room.
A sarcastic laugh was all he got as an answer.
The pieces of the giant machine were very heavy, not surprising, still Bella kept going and disassembled and assembled the thing back again. Her arms were killing her when she was done.
She leaned back against the tool cart, sitting on the floor, the coat discarded because it was too warm to do that much effort with it on.
It was incredible how working helped her. The order of the parts where she put them. The logic of how they all fitted together. It made sense. Made more sense than anything else in the world.
But it didn't matter how many times she pulled that washer apart and put it together again. It didn't matter if she had a computer now, and she wrote the best code she ever wrote. It was not going to change what had happened, where she was.
Sometimes she wondered if there was something wrong with her. Why she was so overwhelmed by her emotions, by people, that she just couldn't handle it.
She was tired. She needed sleep. She needed her mind to let her sleep.
She looked out the window, the dark sky telling her that she had been there for too long.
She didn't want to sleep in that bed. With the purple bed sheets. With the pillows that had bunnies on them.
How the hell did Stark found out about her bunny phase?
She could feel the weight of her limbs, her left side, as always, heavier. Her skin sweaty and hot, making the floor colder by comparison. Her heart was beating a little fast, which was normal for her when she did something that demanded physical effort. Her mind was calmer, but still not as it would have been if she wasn't here.
" Hours of work, and it looks exactly as it did before. "
She startled, sitting up a bit and looking back at the red android.
" You sound disappointed. " She said.
" Well, after so much time putting it apart- "
" You wanted a transformer? " She asked.
" No. " He said. " Not exactly. "
She could swear he sounded exactly like he wanted a transformer.
" Are you hungry? " He asked. " The others ordered take out. "
" No. " She said.
" Are you sure? You had been here for a long time. " He said.
She grabbed her coat from where she had left it and put it on.
" Yeah. "
" You want to do something? "
" Nope. " She answered as she stood up, pulling the hoodie up.
" You want to rest? "
" I don't want anything. " She said. " I want to get out of here, but you're under orders not to let that happen. "
" More like a request. " He said. " Do you want help putting that back in place? " He asked, pointing at the tool cart.
" Nah. " She said, leaving the room with the tool cart there.
A few moments later, he was right next to her.
" You look tired. "
" Red, we gotta work on your bedside manner. " She said. " No one ever told you not to say that to a girl? " She asked, with a little smirk.
" Never really considered you one. " He said.
" Surprised you hadn't slipped and called me Bob already, then. " She retorted.
" That is not what I meant. " He said, looking a little disconcerted. " I just meant that, for me, you are 'the kid'. Not exactly a girl or boy. Not that I believe you to be a boy, you are not, clearly- "
" Red. "
" Yes? "
" Just stop. "
" Okay. "
She continued walking, he accompanying her. It was depressing how little she saw of defects in the security. Unless she had a freaking tank and was willing to hurt others, there was no way out. At least not for her, who had no training and no physical aptitude for going unnoticed. Her best cover had always been hiding in plain sight.
It didn't matter how much she walked around, played with the motors she found, it didn't change the fact that she was in here.
" I... I changed my mind. I'm tired. " She said.
" Well, as you had seen, your room is ready for you. " He said.
" Yeah. Just perfect. " She muttered, changing directions.
Tony hated when people were right. He was supposed to be smarter than everyone else. Or he liked to be, so he wouldn't have to admit he was wrong.
Pepper was right and he hated that. He comforted himself with the fact that it wasn't as simple as she was making it out to be.
He hadn't slept that night, he spent the night in the communal living room, nursing a bottle of whiskey. Pepper spent the night alone in his room.
He watched the sunrise in silence, but his peace didn't last much longer.
" Tony? What are you doing up so early? " Asked the voice of the early bird himself, Steve Rogers. " You're not one to wake up so early. "
" Am not. " He answered, looking back at the man as he went to the open kitchen. Already dressed for his morning run. Seriously, did that guy ever gave a rest to the army routine?
" Never went to sleep, huh? " Asked the soldier, looking at him from his spot by the fridge. " Guess things didn't go well with Pepper and Bella. "
" Never went. " He said.
" So that's why I couldn't do my laundry yesterday. " Said Steve.
" What? " Asked Tony, confused.
" She was in the washing machine, 'fixing it'. " Said Steve, with a small shake of his head, before turning to the fridge and opening it, starting to take things to make his breakfast.
" In it? "
" She is small and it big enough. " Said the super soldier.
He nodded, looking down at the cup on his hands again.
A few seconds passed until he heard the sound of metal lightly hitting porcelain right behind him.
" You drank it all in one night? " Asked Steve, the tone of judgment coming clearly even with the muffled voice from him talking while he ate.
Tony looked at the almost empty bottle.
" No, started working on it after I rescued Bella in Chicago. " He answered honestly. " Even my liver has limits. "
A moment of silence and the muffled sounds of cereal being chewed were the only things he heard for a while.
" You're okay? " Then came the question he knew was coming.
He could lie. He did that a lot. It was reflex, he had it all his life. Telling people he wasn't okay led to them asking what was wrong. The answer to those questions were always too intimate. Too deep. He wasn't one for deep. It always made him feel like running for hills in despair.
But sometimes, even lying got old. So, he didn't say anything. Just drank the rest of the liquid on the cup.
" That bad, huh? "
He smirked, but without humor. Steve could be such a mother hen.
" I didn't say that. "
" You didn't bother lying as usual. Things have to be horrible. "
He shouldn't be surprised that people eventually caught on his scheme.
" I thought Sam was the one into group therapy. "
" Just because I don't talk about it, doesn't mean I don't go to those. " Said Steve, walking around the couch and sitting next to him, his cereal bowl still on his hands.
" Really? " Asked Tony, looking at the soldier, who shrugged. " Didn't peg you as the sharing type. "
" Thought I was like you? " Asked in response Steve.
" No, you admit when something is wrong. Just thought you suffered in silence and private. "
Steve didn't seem offended, he just nodded, eating another spoon full of cereal.
" I don't actually talk. " He finally answered, after swallowing. " Not the important things. Not yet. "
" Not very 40s, this whole 'therapy' thing? "
" No, not really. " Said Steve. " Adjusting means more than learning who AT/DC is. "
" AC/DC. "
" Yes, that. "
Tony smiled, shaking his head.
" Did you eat all of the cereal, or is there some for me? " He asked.
" Sorry. You'll have to content with Wanda's super healthy one. "
" That thing tastes like cardboard. " Said Tony, making a disgusted face. " I'm ordering a pizza. "
" It's 5 in the morning. " Said Steve.
" I didn't have dinner last night, I'll consider it one. " Said the billionaire. " Nothing starts the day like a Meat Lovers Special. "
Bella wanted to stay awake. She wanted to refuse to sleep and get any sort of comfort. She didn't manage to. Eventually she fell asleep on the floor, on the one corner of the room who was the most hidden from sight from the door. Not that the bookshelf was much of a visual obstacle.
Her neck was killing her when she got up from her curled position on the floor. Nothing new there, she was so used to pain that not being in any discomfort was a very far away dream.
She stood up, moving her head from one side to another to try and relieve the pain, getting little result.
The sun outside her window told her that she had slept for longer than usual. Emotional turmoil was making her more tired than she expected.
She had to use the bathroom, so she did. Certain things she couldn't ignore.
Then she just stood in the middle of the room, looking around and staring at all the details around.
Her eyes stopped on the bedside table. The picture frame. And she wondered how could she have missed it before.
She approached cautiously, trying to tell herself she wasn't afraid to look closer, or hold it in her hands.
It was a photo of her family. A Christmas card they made when she was about seven. The two grown-ups standing in front of the decorated tree, she standing in front of them.
She remembered her mom fussing over her rebel hair for what felt like forever, until it looked almost 'tamed'. How her Dad hated the sweater he had been forced to wear, but played like he didn't because her mom had bought it for him.
How had that picture had gotten here?
She sat on the bed, taking the frame in her hands. She again lying to herself and telling her she wasn't tearing up.
It had been years since she saw a picture of her family. They had all burned in the fire. All she had was side appearances in Tomas' family pictures.
She ran her fingers over their faces. Ghost laughs ringing in her ears, along with annoyed grunts from the girl and her father as Emma tried to get the 'perfect picture'. That was rare when it came to Bella, her mother struggled a lot with it.
She didn't know how to feel, seeing that photo. She felt like it eased an ache for not seeing their faces for so long, at the same time as it made her miss them even more. Still, she didn't stop looking at it.
She was so immersed in her own mind and memories that she didn't hear the knocking on the door or the person getting in after she didn't answer.
" Good morning. "
She startled, even making a little surprised sound, holding the frame to her chest. She looked at the person next to her as she tried to catch her breath. Of course, it was Super Fan.
" Good Morning. " Said Maria again.
" Hey. " She said, breathing deeper due to the scare. " What are you doing here? "
" I knocked, you didn't answer. " Said the woman, looking at the object in her hands but not commenting on it. " I came in to ask you if you want some breakfast. "
Food. Yeah, that was a thing, even if she forgot it sometimes. She was hungry, but the idea of going out there, to HIS kitchen and eat HIS food, made her stomach churn. She wasn't ready for it.
" No, thanks. " She said. " Not hungry. "
Maria took a moment looking at her, probably noticing the lack of a smart ass response. Or just the too shining eyes. Bella preferred to think the first was the true.
" Okay. " She said. " I'll get out of your hair then. "
" Okay. "
Maria turned around and walked towards the door, only stopping when Bella called her.
" Maria? " She called. " How is this here? " She asked, looking back at the woman and raising the frame a little.
The woman took a second before answering.
" I had it on file. When I was first putting it together, I located your mother's email address. " Said the woman. " She sent it to some friends that Christmas. "
Bella looked back at the picture, before clearing her throat.
" You know, as far as creepy stalking and researching of my life goes, this isn't as... you know... unwelcome. " She said. " Still creepy. "
" You're welcome. "
Bella heard the door softly closing a moment after. She took the picture from the frame, holding the paper in her hands, then placing it on the inside of the large pocket of the hoodie she was wearing.