"What would you think if I joined in sports or the Academic Decathlon at school?" Danielle asked Steve as they made their way onto the field that surrounded the compound. After a long week of school, Sharon drove her back up to the compound like her and Steve had agreed. She was instantly welcomed back with hugs and constant questions, but the next day was put to work.
Steve walked along side her as they went a few yards away from the compound. "I don't think it would be a problem if you kept your grades up. A little extra curricular could be good for you." Steve shrugged before turning to look at her, stopping at the spot he wanted to train her at in the middle of the perimeter field. "Why do you ask?"
Danielle shrugged simply. "I just...was asking. A few new friends I made offered some options."
"What sport would you be playing if you decided to join sports?"
"Soccer." Danielle replied.
"Can you handle that kind of cardio?" Steve asked.
Danielle shrugged. "Maybe with some of your help I could."
Steve smiled. "Then it's a good thing we're starting to train today, huh?"
Danielle nodded. "What fighting moves are we starting with today?" She asked.
Steve shook his head. "We're not jumping right into fighting."
"We're not?"
"Nope." Steve smirked and pointed over at the forest off in the distance along the fence of the compound perimeter. "See that tree over there?" Danielle nodded. "You're going to touch the base of that tree fifteen times before you can go inside." Danielle looked up at the super soldier incredulously. Steve only shrugged. "You said you wanted my help with cardio, this is me helping."
Danielle opened her mouth to argue, but quickly shut it before turning to the tree. She stared at it for a moment before raising her hand and lifting it out of the ground with her mind and dropping it in front of the pair. She walked over and pressed a finger to it fifteen times. "Can we start on something more difficult now?"
Steve looked down at her with a blank expression. He saw a faint memory flow through his mind of when he was still a small man with asthma back at the army base when he knocked down the flag pole to grab the flag and get to ride back to the base with Peggy Carter. The Captain shook his head and smiled. "You know that's not what I wanted you to do." Danielle frowned, ashamed. "Three laps around the compound." This time, Danielle didn't even try to argue before she started on her laps.
Steve stood back and watched her go. She reminded him so much of himself. She also proved to him how much her and her brother were different. Jack had begun to be like a miniature Tony Stark on missions. His snarky comments and constant nicknames. It was overbearing to Steve when he had to put up with one Tony Stark, now he had to deal with two. Steve hoped these weekly visits with Dani would help relieve him of the stress he felt with the team. Especially now that they were juggling tracking both Rumlow and Bucky.
"Hey," A faint voice drew the super soldier's attention away from Danielle's departing figure. He looked over to see Wanda approaching. "I saw her running around the building and wondered if I could join."
Steve raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
She shrugged. "I don't want her to feel alone."
Steve frowned. He hadn't thought about that. "Sure. No problem." Wanda smiled before running after Danielle, she used her powers to fly slightly to be able to catch up with her. Steve watched as Wanda fell into a run with ease beside Danielle. They smiled and turned the corner, disappearing from sight. Steve sighed before dashing after them himself. He of course caught up easily and ran up from behind. "On your left!" He shouted before passing them.
"Hey!" The two called after him before breaking into a faster sprint to try and catch up after him, but eventually gave up when they knew they could never catch up to the super soldier.
After about five laps- Steve took ten- Sam and Rhodey came outside in their workout clothes. "Now you know how I feel." Sam muttered bitterly before falling into a jog beside the two enhanced. Rhodey ran along them as well. They all complained when Steve ran past them, but they all knew they enjoyed just spending time together again. Everyone knew the compound felt slightly empty without their usual routine of seeing the bright and happy Danielle every morning, she had a way with her to just make you feel at ease and happy.
It was only a matter of time before everyone decided to call it a day before returning inside for some home-made spaghetti and meatballs that the team tried to make in a group effort in celebration of Dani's first week of school.
"Sam, what are you doing man?" Rhodey asked the Falcon as he caught his hand before he poured the spaghetti noodles into the pan.
"I'm making the noodles." He replied.
"You have to let the water boil first, Sam." Natasha explained as she sat at the dining table sharing a glass of wine with Pepper.
"You can put the noodles in there before it boils." Sam argued.
"No, you can't!" Jack shouted as he poured in the spaghetti sauce into a separate pan as people tried to cram into the kitchen to cook.
"Why don't you just stay over there with your sauce, Sparky?" Tony quipped as he set garlic bread onto a tray to put into the oven.
"Whatever, bread boy." Jack retorted. Everyone laughed.
"Steve!" Danielle exclaimed. "You're putting too much icing on the cake." She said as she looked down at the small cake her, Wanda, Vision, and Steve had made for dessert.
"There's no such thing as too much icing, Dani." Wanda stated.
Steve then grabbed the icing bag and ran it on Danielle's hand. "Hey!" She shouted before grabbing a handful of flour and throwing it back at him.
"Oh, that's how it's gonna be?" Steve laughed before threw some cake batter at her that accidently hit Jack in the back of the head.
Jack spun around and threw a spoonful of spaghetti sauce at the group that landed on Wanda and Vision. "Hey, that color suits you." He quipped
Wanda gasped and threw an egg at him. Jack quickly ducked and let it hit Tony. Tony turned and grabbed the portable sprayer from the sink and directed it at the cake baking group who had begun throwing eggs, batter, and icing at everyone while Rhodey, Sam, and Jack retaliated with spaghetti sauce and meatballs being thrown at them. It broke into an all out food war while Natasha and Pepper sat off to the side, sipping their wine and enjoying the chaotic view.
After the food fight subsided, Pepper scolded them and demanded they clean up their mess while her and Nat ordered some pizza for them to eat instead. Danielle and Wanda used their powers to pick up any chunks of food while Jack followed them holding a trash bag to throw it away in. Tony mopped up the water he sprayed on the floor while Rhodey and Sam cleaned the stove and Steve and Vison scraped the food off the ceiling and walls.
When it was all finished, everyone went to shower and when they returned, twelve boxes of cheese and pepperoni pizza were waiting for them along with the flat screen that had began to play Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Sam and Rhodey sat off to the side talking and joking while eating pizza, Pepper and Tony sat on the loveseat together, Nat laid sprawled out on the floor reading a book and continuously sipping her wine with her pizza nearby, Jack took up half the large couch with an entire pizza box on his lap, Wanda sat cross-legged on the floor beside Natasha as she watched the movie, Vision had left to his room, and Danielle sat on the couch with her head leaning on Steve's shoulder as they watched the movie.
'Ladies and gentlemen, you're such a wonderful crowd. We'd like to play a little tune for you. It's one of my personal favorites. And I'd like to dedicate it to a young man who doesn't think he's seen anything good today. Cameron Fry, this one's for you.' Ferris Bueller declared on the TV.
Danielle leaned over to Steve and whispered, "This is my favorite part because it reminds of something that Jack would do." She giggled before they turned their attention to the screen while Ferris Bueller began lip-syncing on the parade float.
When the music picked up to play 'Twist & Shout', Jack jumped up and set the pizza box aside before grabbing Danielle by her wrists and pulling her up. "Come on, little sister. Just like old times."
'Well shake it up baby now!' The song played as Jack and Danielle jumped up and danced on the coffee table while the rest of the Avengers laughed.
"Shake it up baby!" The two sang along with the song.
'Twist and shout!'
"Twist and shout!" They sang along as Danielle pulled Wanda up to her feet and Jack pulled Pepper away from Tony to dance with them.
'C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, baby now!'
"C'mon baby!" They all sang as Rhodey and Sam chimed in from the dining room.
"C'mon and work it all out!" Jack sang the main chorus from the couch beside Steve as he urged him to get up on his feet, but the Captain only smiled and shook his head.
"Work it on out!" Everyone sang.
"Oh, work it on out!" Jack and Sam sang passionately.
"Work it on out!"
"You know you look so good!" Jack sang pointing to Natasha to try and get her to join, only receiving a daring glare as the group of dancing people- Danielle, Wanda, Pepper, Sam, and Rhodey- sang the other part of the chorus, "Look so good!"
"You know you got me going now!" Jack sang as he spun his little sister around on top of the coffee table.
"Got me going!" Danielle sang as she jumped from the table and pulled a reluctant Steve up and Jack coaxed Tony up with the help of Pepper. "Just like I knew you would!"
"Like I knew you would!"
"Oh, shake it up baby now!"
"Shake it up baby!"
"Twist and shout!"
"Twist and shout!"
The song carried on as the Avengers all danced and sang the night away. Jack and Wanda doing an odd spinning number while Danielle got Steve to spin her around on his back. Even Sam, Rhodey, and Tony tried doing the can-can, but miserably filed only to get shown up by Natasha, Pepper, and Wanda.
By the end of the night, everyone was tired out. Pepper and Tony left soon after the movie ended, Jack had already gone to sleep along with Rhodey and Sam not long after while Nat and Wanda helped clean up the pizza boxes. When the dust settled, Steve found Danielle fast asleep on the couch curled up into a ball using an empty pizza box as a makeshift pillow. Steve chuckled at the sight.
Wanda came and laughed a bit too. "Want me to wake her?" She offered.
Steve shook his head. "Let her rest. She had an exhausting day of fun, she deserves the sleep." He said before he rounded the couch and lifted her up bridal-style and carried Danielle to her room. Steve laid her down on her bed and watched from the doorway as Wanda sang a soft lullaby to the sleeping girl. After Wanda finished, her and Steve left to their rooms and went to sleep as well.
When morning came around, it was back to training. Steve and Wanda were working on their training while Sam was working with Jack. Rhodey had gone out on some errands for Hill, leaving Danielle to train with Natasha and Vision.
Danielle was dressed in black yoga pants, tennis shoes, and a pink tank top. Natasha was wearing similar gear, only in all black. Vision was wearing what he usually wore to battle. "So," Nat started. "Vis is here to help me teach you how to use your power while fighting hand-to-hand." She the stood straight and held usher hands, palms up. "Punch me."
Danielle got into the defensive position Sam had taught her to use when punching before throwing a hard punch on Nat's hand. Natasha nodded. "Not bad." She remarked. "Now, use your powers to punch harder."
Danielle scrunched her face in worry. "W-What if I hurt you?"
Vision stepped up then. "I can handle it from here, Ms. Romanoff." He said as he took her place in front of the young enhanced. "Now, concentrate your power. Like you do when you hold your hand up to move things, but in a single punch." Danielle bit her lip and nodded before focusing hard and throwing a punch, only with her power backing her punch. The power pushed through before her punch even hit Vision's chest causing him to bellow over in pain.
Danielle gasped and cupped a hand over her mouth as she looked down at the injured Android. "I'm so sorry. A-Are you okay?"
Natasha took a step forward, but Vision held a hand up to indicate he was fine as he recomposed himself and stood up straight. "Very good, Danielle. Just like that." He then raised his hand again. "Now, try again."
This continued and got more and more difficult as Natasha had her try the new moves her, Sam, and Steve had taught, but with each kick and punch, Danielle used her power. She was easily able to take down any opponent if she was able to perfect it. As the day went on, Natasha and Danielle found themselves sparring nonstop. Natasha was able to pinpoint Danielle's weak spots and find her patterns to be able to take her down without taking a hit, but every so often Danielle accidently swung too hard and sent the red headed former assassin into a wall.
Quite the crowd gathered around to watch the two fight until Sam wanted in on the action. Sam was a good fighter, but Danielle was taught by Natasha. And- with even e smallest move- was able to take down Sam with a singular punch to the chest which sent him flying through the gym work out room.
After Sam tapped out, Wanda wanted to try. She used her powers as well allowing Danielle to try and use the defensive strikes and movements Natasha taught her. Wanda ended up pinning Danielle down, but told her she was improving. The next up was Steve who was actually excited to see if Danielle could take him down.
Fighting with Steve was much different than fighting with anyone else, Danielle noticed. Danielle also noted that the type of fighting style someone used really told you about who that person was. Natasha fought to take someone down, fast and easy. Vision fought to apprehend with minimal casualties as possible. Wanda fought defensively, as if she were afraid someone was coming at her. Sam fought to get by and just straight up brawl. And Steve fought like a soldier, to win.
Danielle wasn't sure how she fought, maybe just to get by. But she knew she was going to wake up in the morning with a bruise when her and Steve got too caught up in their sparring and he accidently round-house kicked her into a wall, having taken her off guard while she had just deflected one of his punches.
Danielle hit the wall with a thud and everyone in the room staggered to their feet and rushed over to her aid. Steve immediately kneeled down beside her and examined the back of her head. "Are you alright?"
Danielle moaned slightly as she drew in the breath she had just had kicked out of her. A small smile then cracked on her face until she broke into a fit of laughter. "Oh my God, you gave her a concussion." Jack said in awe.
"I'm fine." Danielle assured them all. "It just feels good to know that I can withstand a kick from Captain America. Not many people can say that."
Steve bowed his head. "I'm so sorry."
Danielle grabbed Natasha's extended hand and jumped to her feet. "Don't be. It was fun. A good learning excercise."
"I still shouldn't have done it."
"But you did, and now I know to always be on guard." Danielle exclaimed before everyone turned in to get ready for Danielle's send off back to school.
Dani, Wanda, and Jack all spent the rest of the time they had together to help Dani pack her things to go and talk about school. She told them about soccer, Michelle, Liz, Betty, Sally, Academic Decathlon, Peter, and Cindy. She told them about her riding the subway and her cool new tablets and laptops. She showed them her sketchbook and the many drawings she had drawn of the football field at the school. The skyline view from her bedroom window at night, the sub sandwich shop Sharon had taken her a few times after school. So far as Wanda and Jack could tell, Danielle actually enjoyed school.
When it was time to leave, everyone said their goodbyes before Wanda and Jack walked Danielle down the stairs to the stret where Sharon was parked already. Although, they stopped when they saw she wasn't alone. Steve stood beside the car talking to Sharon. From the way things looked, it was going good.
"They're sweet." Wanda remarked as they watched.
Jack snorted. "If he screws this up, you're totally bones, Dani."
Wanda and Danielle swatted Jack before turning back to the car. Sharon and Steve were suddenly aware of their presence and smiled. "Ready to go?" Sharon asked.
Danielle nodded before giving Jack and Wanda their goodbye hugs. As Sharon climbed into the driver's seat, Steve got his goodbye hug. "Be safe. Do good in school. And maybe think about soccer." The super soldier suggested.
"And the Decathlon?" Dani asked.
"That too." Danielle smiled and waved before climbing into the passenger's seat of the car and watching in the rear view mirror as her friends and family slowly turned to specks in the distance.
The next day at school felt weird and out of place. Especially after Danielle had just been training with the Avengers the day before and was now working on Chemistry equations today with Peter and Cindy.
Danielle was so caught up in her thoughts, she almost didn't catch Peter asking her a question. "So, you joining the Decathlon team?" He asked as they worked.
"Uh, I'm considering it. Why?"
"Well, I'm on the team and I just hoped you'd join so maybe Flash would have less time on the stand." Peter admit. Danielle laughed. She met Flash Thompson on her second day of school and immediately didn't like his snobbiness and egotistical ways. It almost reminded her of a shitter, low grade Tony Stark but without the better qualities and money. She also noted how much he enjoyed bullying the crap out of Peter. And that made Danielle hate him more.
Peter was a great kid. He helped her get to school on the metro ever morning-he still hadn't told her why he didn't make it in the afternoon-; he helped her during class if she was starting to fall behind; he introduced her to Ned, his other friend; and he was pretty much an all around good guy. She just figured that was the reason why Flash picked on him. Because he was jealous.
"And because we need more people to help better our chances at making it to Nationals in May." Peter added on to his original statement.
Danielle awkwardly tapped the eraser of her pencil on her notebook. "I thought about it over the weekend and I'm still undecided. Maybe I'll try it out along with soccer."
Peter's face lightened up. "You're joining the soccer team? That's so cool." He exclaimed. "You could lead us to state soccer championship and national Academic Decathlon championship. Imagine it."
Danielle smiled at Peter's enthusiasm. "I'll have to think on it, okay?"
"Okay." Peter nodded before returning to their work. "Oh, by the way, how was your weekend?"
Danielle smiled at the sheer irony of the question before shrugging. "Meh, it was alright I guess."
"Boring family?" Peter offered.
"You could say that."
Incorrect Quote of the Chapter:
Danielle: I made this friendship bracelet for you.
Steve: You know, I'm not really much of jewelry person.
Danielle: You don't have to wear-
Steve: No! I'm gonna wear it forever. Back off.
