Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe, Charmed or anything else you may recognize
Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.
This chapter is a short break between arcs and shall move forth the romance stuff instead.
Guest: Yeah, that one's tricky. I think if its movie Pennywise, Brandon wins, but if its book Pennywise, bye-bye Brandon.
Chapter 8- Its mutual
Thor had decided to stay at the Compound for a while, he had been falling quite hard before getting his wakeup call, so now he wanted to spend some time with his friends here to make himself feel better.
There was Bruce too but he was working to balance himself and Hulk so he was too busy to see anyone at the moment.
"And then I killed him, chopped his head off, but it didn't matter", Thor told Paige, opening up to her a little himself with Steve sitting nearby and listening with folded arms. "Everyone was gone, I couldn't save them. I didn't go for the head, and half of the world paid the price."
"You know", Paige said, taking a deep breath. "I don't think you should blame yourself now. You were angry, you weren't thinking rationally, you wanted him to suffer for what he had done."
"Paige is right", Steve agreed. "You thought you could make him suffer for what he had done and then kill him, after what he had done to you, its understandable why you felt that way."
"If I was in your place, I would have done the same", Paige confessed to Thor, sighing as she remembered losing her family. "I lost everyone I cared about too, you know? And so I would have done the same to Thanos as you did."
"I am sorry", Thor told her and she simply nodded.
"Well, things can never go back to how they were", Steve said sadly, rubbing his head. "Now all we can do is-"
"Move on", Paige sighed, looking like she was spitting the words out yet accepting them at the same time.
"Yep", Steve nodded, the two sharing a look which Thor noted, and this wasn't the first time he had seen it either.
"Anyway, we beat Rennek but he won't be the only enemy we have", Paige pointed out to Steve and Thor. "There will be many more Witches and Warlocks from my side who would want to take me out, and you're the Avengers, you have multiple enemies too who want to kill you I'm sure, even if some would have been killed now."
"You're not wrong", Steve agreed. "So, I'm guessing you mean more training, right?"
"That's exactly what I meant", Paige nodded, when suddenly a Warlock appeared, glaring at Paige.
He raised his hand to form an energy ball to take her out. "Charmed One I-"
Paige threw a little potion and he was vanquished just like that. "Sorry, not in the mood for a big fight."
Steve and Thor both chuckled as the former commented. "Bet he wasn't expecting to be taken out just like that, was he?"
"Well, in a fight one has to win, not make it fair", Paige said with a shrug and Steve nodded with a smile.
"So, you two were right about enemies still wanting us, as this little Warlock just prove", Thor commented. "I believe it is best to continue that training now."
Steve and Paige were in fighting stances again, and Paige struck with a kick that Steve blocked before blocking a punch of hers, and as she punched again, Steve grasped her arm, turned, and did a flip motion before stopping.
"I could have flipped you to the ground like this", Steve told Paige as he stood up and turned to her. "We have quite a bit to cover still."
"Yeah, let's cover it", Paige nodded with another little smile and Steve agreed as Paige then elbowed Steve in a spin motion but he managed to block it.
The two were in that position for a while now, seeming to enjoy the physical contact, and not wanting it to end, but then eventually they snapped out of it and parted, looking at each other as Paige threw a few punches, all of which Steve blocked before kicking, but it was held back, like usual, due to Paige not being superhuman, and she managed to block that one as Steve smiled.
Natasha was going a bit harder than before now and raising her gun, fired a bullet but Paige held out her hands and managed to freeze it in time, and smirked as Natasha smirked too.
"Nice one, you are learning to use your sisters' powers a lot better", Natasha commented as she plucked the frozen bullet out of the air and put it on the table.
"Yeah, now I guess I'll have to learn to blow stuff up too", Paige quipped. "Still not feeling others' emotions though."
"Well, now with the immediate threat of Rennek gone, we have a lot more time to perfect your own powers, as well as those of your sisters", Natasha assured Paige.
Later, Paige stood with Thor in front of her, his ax kept a little away as he inquired to the Charmed One. "Ready?"
"Yeah", Paige nodded, rubbing both her hands together and then even cracking her neck a little. "Ready."
"All right, here it comes", Thor said as he fired a weak blast of lightning at Paige from his hands, quite weak, because she wasn't durable enough to take it, and she held up her orb shield to defend herself from the lightning.
"I shall increase the power", Thor told Paige and then he did as Paige now gritted her teeth, putting more power into the orb shield, because man, Thor had some really powerful lightning.
But then again, what else to expect from the God of Thunder himself? He sure did live up to his name.
"A little more", Thor said and he increased power once more and this time Paige's shield was destroyed but due to the weak lightning blast, she only staggered back a little.
"So now we know how powerful your shield is", Thor noted before assuring her. "Though you do not need to worry, most of your foes will not be this strong, so you are well defended against them."
"That's good to know", Paige nodded as they shared a smile.
Steve and Paige faced each other in hand to hand combat once more, blocking or dodging each other's blows, and Steve was held back like always due to being a Super Soldier while Paige was a normal human (Witch powers aside that is) and so far, Paige was doing good, she had learnt quite well.
Before this, she was proficient in hand to hand due to her cop training, but now, she was better than even Phoebe and Prue had been in this area, not that those two were slouches, but Paige had now surpassed them in terms of hand to hand combat skills.
Steve blocked two punches from Paige before trying to smack her but she managed to swat his hand away, and then she punched and he blocked, while he punched and she blocked, and this was a deadlock where both of them ended their training session for the day.
"You did well", Steve told her, their faces quite close now.
"Thanks, it's all because of you", Paige told Steve as they smiled at each other.
Then suddenly they became aware of the closeness and parted, blushing a little as their heart rates rose for a few seconds before coming back to normal.
"Well, I'll be in the main room", Paige said as she picked up her bag and walked off, and Steve looked after her before putting the stuff in the training room back in place, when he heard footsteps and turned to see Thor standing there.
"Hey Thor", Steve greeted with a smile.
"Cap", Thor nodded back.
Paige took a seat in the main room, trying to relax when Natasha sat next to her.
"Hi", Paige greeted.
"Hi", Natasha greeted back.
"You wanted to say something?" Steve then asked Thor.
"Yes", Thor nodded as he walked to Steve. "I wanted to say that, as you mortals would call it: its mutual."
Steve was confused as Thor now explained. "The way you feel about Paige is pretty much the same as how she feels about you."
Paige asked Natasha in confusion. "I like Steve? What are you talking about? Where did you get that from? I - like... you know...I like…."
Natasha just looked at her.
Thor told Steve. "You two are so clearly drawn towards each other."
Natasha started. "You finish each other's..."
Thor continued. "...sentences. You laugh at the same..."
Natasha took over. "...jokes. When you grieve, when you're hurting..."
Thor finished. "...your heart breaks for her."
Natasha told Paige. "I've seen it for quite a while and managed to catch it. And you know what? I think both of you deserve some happiness, so all I'm saying is, it won't hurt to try, would it?"
Thor said to Steve. "All I am saying is, in trying to be there for others, do not forget yourself, you are a good man, Steve, one of the best Men I know, you are the one mortal I would follow even to the gates of Hell, and you deserve to be happy, so does Paige. So, just think about it, perhaps try, do not wait too long, I missed the signs of someone who had feelings for me", Thor sighed and sadly thought of Lady Sif, who was gone now. "My people need me now, I have been gone for a while, Valkyrie has held over well but they need their King."
Steve nodded. "Take care of yourself, Thor, and your people."
"I shall see you, Captain", Thor said as he tapped Steve's shoulder and Steve did the same to Thor before Thor walked off, out into the Compound, and flew off.
Steve walked out to the entrance of the Compound, in deep thought now, and he realized that Thor was right.
He had felt drawn to Paige for some reason, he couldn't tell why, then he realized at first he wanted to help her, but when he had seen the real her after helping her, he had felt drawn, because he liked that person. She had a genetic need to help people, and she never backed down from what she thought was right, and she put others' needs before herself.
Steve did not realize he had these same qualities within him which was why he was so drawn to Paige.
Paige was in her room, thinking over Natasha's words too, and like Steve, came to the realization that Natasha was right, hearing Steve had lighted a spark within her, enough to make her want to come to the group support session more.
And then, listening to him, his advice to her, it had made her feel alive again, restored her will to live. He helped people, he stood up for the little guy, he never backed down from his beliefs in what he considered to be right, and put others' needs before himself, like her own.
He was a good man, and she did like him for all of that.
She had stopped living and started existing after losing everyone she cared about, but now, she had started living again, and she was a Witch once more, not just that she was also the new guardian of Excalibur, with Steve being its wielder.
And she had people she cared about once more in Steve, Natasha and Thor.
Her sisters would want her to be happy, so would her parents, real and adopted both, and Leo, Henry and Coop as well would want her to find some happiness.
She decided she had to try it out at least, to see where it went.
"Let's do this", Paige said and orbed out, appearing right in front of Steve as he looked at her.
"Hi", Steve greeted a little awkwardly.
"Hi", Paige greeted back, sounding equally awkward as her resolve from before weakened due to being in front of Steve.
"So, I was thinking something", Steve said.
"Really? I was too", Paige revealed.
"You wanna tell me?" Steve asked.
"Well, what about you?" Paige asked back. "I mean, you want to-"
"I guess I-" Steve trailed off.
Then both let it out at the same time.
"Would you like to go on a date?"
"Would you like to go on a date?"
Both realized what the other had said, and their eyes widened.
"So you…." Paige trailed off. "You…."
"Yes I do", Steve nodded. "And you as well-"
"Yep", Paige nodded. "Me as well, looks like it."
"Didn't expect that", Steve said as both of them sat down on the bench nearby.
"Well, to be fair, neither did I", Paige said, then turned to look at Steve. "But, you know what? I do like it."
"So, I guess its set then", Steve realized as both of them shared a smile. "Which means when and where?"
"Oh come on, kiss already", Natasha quipped as she stood in front of them, and they looked at her incredulously. "I was rooting for you two kids to get together for a long time."
They shook their heads and chuckled.
Steve, in a formal suit, and Paige, in a red dress, walked into the restaurant in Brooklyn, Steve holding Paige's hand.
"Nice place", Paige commented.
"Yeah, I come in here all the time, its home", Steve said as he pulled Paige's chair for her, and she sat down, while he took his own seat as well.
"Been a long while since I've done this", Paige said after two full minutes.
"I don't think I've done it much either", Steve told her. His date with Peggy had never happened, he had never gone on any of the dates Natasha had recommended, and he had one late kiss with Sharon but they had never continued after that either.
"Really? I think there would be a line of women to date you", Paige quipped as both of them shared a little chuckle at that.
"Guess reality is different from imagination", Steve commented to her. "I could say the same about you though, just replace women with men."
"Well, there was this guy called Simon Marks who was a Whitelighter-Witch like me", Paige told Steve. "He was one year younger than me, and he thought due to 40 oracles and soothsayers saying it, he and I were meant to be but he simply wanted a trophy wife. I had befriended Henry at the time, he and I told him off together."
"Well, I think he deserved it", Steve told Paige. "Because yeah, he only wanted a trophy Witch from what you say, he didn't care about you, he cared about being a power couple."
"My thoughts exactly", Paige agreed. "There were some others. I've mentioned Brody, no idea why I got so consumed in him, then there was Glen too, for a good while of my life I thought he and I would be married."
"I used to think Peggy and I were meant to be too", Steve told Paige with a sigh. "Of course while she was great, I ignored some of her flaws at the time, like her temper problem."
"You said it yourself, we ignore flaws when we want the person to be perfect", Paige reminded as Steve nodded, and the waiter arrived, with Steve and Paige both telling him what they wanted as he nodded and moved away.
"I realize now we were never meant to be, she was just my first love, not the love of my live", Steve said, rubbing his head, then smiling at her. "What we have here, I want to see where it goes."
"So do I", Paige nodded, as they ended up grasping hands. "You are one of a kind, Steve, you know that?"
"You are one of a kind too, Paige", Steve responded to Paige.
But they were wrong, because both of them were like each other.
After dinner was done, Steve and Paige walked down the street together, holding hands as Steve pointed at an alley. "So I was beaten up there too once."
"You used to get beaten up a lot", Paige quipped as Steve chuckled.
"Yeah, but I just couldn't back down from mean people who used their power wrongly", Steve told Paige. "I get it was stupid, but I didn't like how they treated people who they perceived were lower than them."
"I don't like such people either, so its not stupid", Paige assured Steve. "Guess both of us are stubborn in what we believe is right."
"For better and worse", Steve commented.
"For better and worse", Paige nodded as they passed another alley and saw a mugger trying to rob a guy.
Paige had a little flashback and now felt a bit guilty before realizing this was the same mugger, though the guy was different obviously.
It was time for redemption.
"Knife!" Paige yelled as she held out her hand and the mugger's knife ended up in her hand, making the mugger look around in shock as Steve rushed him at full speed and knocked him out.
"You okay?" He asked the guy and got a nod. "Go!"
He then called 911. "911, yeah, there's a mugger here near in the second alley from Brooklyn Meals. He is knocked out. Thank you."
Steve cut the call and walked back to Paige, telling her. "That was amazing."
"So were you", Paige told him as they walked and eventually reached the Compound again.
"Well, can't drop you off, we both live here now", Steve commented, as after the deal with Rennek, Paige had moved from her apartment to here permanently, with all her magical supplies including the Book of Shadows, and other stuff too.
"Yeah, we do", Paige said, then turned to Steve, the two looking into each other's eyes, and leaning in, she kissed him passionately on the lips.
Steve was caught a little off-guard, but he eased into it and kissed Paige back with equal passion as they closed their eyes, getting lost into the kiss.
After a minute, they parted, still looking at each other as Paige said. "Good night, Steve."
She walked inside as Steve responded. "Good night, Paige."
It was mutual.
And finally, we're done here, not the best at romance but hope it was done decently here, and the buildup was still fine.
And also hope the Angel Season 3 finale reference was enjoyed, though I didn't refer to it as love yet because its too early.
Now I can't pull a Matt/Faith every single time, but I can hope I made the romance earned at least.
Anyway, now we will have one more arc before the Time Heist, and it will be a few months after this chapter, so see you all next time with another chapter.