Chapter Thirty Seven
SHIELD had offered her a small apartment she could settle into while the Tower was under construction. The rest of the city had begun recovering from Loki's attack. Civilians were already returning to recover what was lost and continue on with their lives.
Ada chewed the bottom of her lip as she studied the space she had available.
With a small kitchen, a table and a living room that around a few people could share comfortably, it was meagerly sized at best. A bedroom and an add-on bathroom made up the rest of the space.
The apartment itself might have been small, but it was better than nothing. Ada knew that things could have been worse. She never took things for granted the way most people would have. Having grown up in the orphanage, Ada had begun to appreciate whatever meager space was offered to her. Even if it meant living in a crawl-space or sleeping on the floor. As a SHIELD agent, she was taught to be prepared for any situation she was placed under.
She shook her head at the thought before grabbing her Stark Pad. Despite all of the calls and constant nagging, she hadn't been able to reach Tony since they parted ways. It had been nearly a week since she last spoke with him. Because she and Steve had reached an agreement that she would teach her the use of modern technology, she wouldn't likely see Tony or the rest of the family until the holidays. At least, not in person.
"Are you sure you wanna stay there?" he started after finally answering. Ada sat back on the sofa, utilizing what space she had to remain as comfortable as possible. "I doubt SHIELD offered the same amount of living space as I would. Besides, I'm not overly fond with the fact that you and Rogers are getting so… close."
"You know, I've got better things to do than hear you run your mouth off about my decisions," she muttered with a roll of her eyes.
Tony just smirked in amusement as he noticed her sudden change in attitude. He knew he was getting under her skin when she started snapping at him. He quickly learned that it was best to avoid her anger when he pushed her too far. Now, he was curious about her sudden decision to stay behind, and he was willing to do exactly what he shouldn't do. She nearly rolled her eyes at the thought. Tony wasn't above trying to figure out what was going on between herself and Steve, and she doubted that he would let it go anytime soon.
"So, why'd you decide to stay behind?" he suddenly asked.
That was enough for Ada to look down at the coffee table uneasily. She'd learned after living with Tony for the last thirteen years that it was best not to lead him on. He had a tendency to overreact; he'd already proven that during their time on the Hellicarrier.
"Relax, dad. I've only agreed to stay so that I can help get him caught up on modern technology," she replied.
She was thankful she'd left out what had happened during their time at Xavier's School for the Gifted. Tony had been thoroughly interested in where they were headed when she'd explained they were going on a small trip. Instead of telling him the truth, she'd simply told him they were going to upper-state New York.
Considering his interest in mutants and the school itself, she was hardly surprised with his interest in them. Though, Ada doubted he would have been welcome among the school for the reputation he had.
"Look, all I'm saying is you don't need to follow protocol. We've got enough work around here to keep you busy," he pointed out.
Though he meant it as a joke, she could hear the disdain in his voice. Ada nearly rolled her eyes again as she realized how much he didn't enjoy the fact that she was spending so much time with Steve. His overprotective nature was beginning to irritate her. Especially when she knew firsthand that there was nothing going on between them. About the only thing that had changed between them was that they were getting to know each other a little better. And that was only because Steve had been the one to admit that they needed to if they wanted to work together.
"And I'm insisting that I'm needed here," she retorted with equal annoyance. "Look, you can't convince me to go back until I'm finished."
Tony was ready to argue when he finally thought better of it. Though she knew she was in for an earful, he thankfully dropped the subject on Steve and went on to talk about how the Tower's construction was turning out.
Another reason she had stayed behind was to see through the rest of the Tower's construction. Most of it had been complete, but there were a few levels that still needed some renovation. Ada had been more than relieved to have another excuse, one she knew Tony couldn't argue against. The construction had been moving forward quickly, but getting zoning permits again and making sure that they went through all the normal protocols had taken time.
"Just promise me you'll kick Rogers' ass if he crosses the line," he sighed after pinching the bridge of his nose once they were finished.
"Dad, you of all people should know I can't make that promise," she reminded him.
It took everything she had not to smirk in amusement as Tony pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration. She knew exactly what got under his skin, and she took full advantage of that.
Once it became clear that was the end of their conversation, Tony finally called it a day and dropped the video call.
Ada's shoulders sagged in relief once he let her go. She knew it wasn't easy for him. He was always stubborn at heart, and had proven on more than one occasion what a good father he was. She loved Tony, and, that would never change. She just wanted her own space, and as difficult as it was to accept, she was now a young adult.
She shook her head at the thought before gathering whatever necessities were needed for the day.
After going over the plan with Steve, it was decided that they would meet at the local cafe where they first met before Loki's attack. She'd already decided that she would take him to the local library where they could delve deeper into whatever he'd missed out on over the last few decades.
Once she had finished gathering her supplies, she made her way down to the cafe that was only a few blocks away. She watched a couple of bystanders warily, surprised how few people were actually out and about. Though the city itself had sustained damage during the battle, most of the buildings were already under repair thanks to her father's payment. It may have been Tony's attempt at appeasing to the public, but Ada knew there were still a few people who blamed him and the rest of the Avengers for the damage that was caused.
SHIELD's going to have their hands full trying to fix the damage that was caused during the battle, she thought. She suspected that it would take more than a few months for them to recover from the shock of that battle. Lives had been lost, and that was something that couldn't easily be replaced.
Ada chewed the bottom of her lip when she finally reached the cafe. The cafe itself had remained surprisingly intact during the worst of the battle. The roof and a couple of windows were currently under repair, but the owners had left it open for any customers that remained.
She rose an eyebrow, surprised as she walked inside to see that the place was bustling with activity. Quite a few customers were scattered around with laptops and paperwork scattered along the tables. It wasn't until spotting Steve that she realized a few people had been watching from a safe distance. What surprised her more than anything was the fact that he had two drinks instead of one.
"Hi," he greeted her after she reached the table.
"Hey," she returned the gesture, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly as she gestured to the drinks, "You ordered two?"
"I uh, remembered what you ordered the last time we were here," he admitted.
Ada couldn't hide the small smile that followed, especially when she noticed his cheeks turning a faint shade of red, "You know you didn't have to – I'm not exactly a big fan of handouts when I can easily pay for my own things, or work for them."
"Consider this your payment for today," Steve suggested without missing a beat.
She had already considered it, and she realized with a start that it was a kind gesture on Steve's part. She'd quickly learned that money hadn't exactly been easy for him to come by where he came from. So she was surprised that he'd been willing to pay for an extra at all.
"Thank you," she nodded her thanks after deciding to accept the offer, "I've already gathered material we can use to get you on par with the last few decades, and I figured the library would be a good place to start as far as technology is concerned."
Steve leaned back against his seat, eyeing her thoughtfully as he considered his options. If he wanted to learn how to adapt to the world of modern technology and everything it had to offer, this was the best way.
"Seems to me like that's our best option," he nodded in agreement.
"Right," she gave a nod of her own.
She was used to being taught, not the other way around. Natasha had been her teacher for the last three years when it came to learning hand-to-hand combat, and other forms of defensive arts. Teaching someone else was something she had never done, and she suddenly found herself wondering if she'd made the right decision.
Once again, she tried pushing the thought aside. Doubt was something that didn't suit her. She had been relying on confidence guiding her for the last few years of her training with SHIELD. Now that she was on her own, it was a whole different story.
…
"So much has happened over the last few decades that it's almost impossible to keep up," Steve sighed in frustration after tossing aside another newspaper article.
Stacks of papers from the New York Times were scattered along a desk as she and Steve went over the material she'd gathered. Most of the papers had articles that were highlights of what had happened during the end of each decade. Ada was suddenly grateful that she managed to sort through all of the papers that the library had to offer for them. She'd done her research before they met, and she had asked Natasha and Clint for advice as well, seeing as they had more experience in this field.
Steve had been interested in quite a few, especially the Lunar Landing. Ada had been lucky enough to find an old black and white video recording of the landing online. The look on Steve's face when he watched the video play through was priceless. She'd seen enough stock footage to know that the Lunar Landing had been a spectacle for everyone to watch. Many people had bought televisions that were expensive back in those days just to watch the live broadcast.
"I've learned the best thing to do is study history; you can learn a lot from it," she pointed out. "The good news is, there's plenty of articles and videos that you can watch to keep you caught up with everything you missed out on."
The Super Soldier merely rose an eyebrow as she moved towards the computer.
She was thankful he had patience. She knew this wasn't easy for him. Having grown up in a world where technology like this hadn't existed at the time, it was literally like waking up in a new world. Ada couldn't imagine what that was like.
I've gotten so used to modern technology… I can't imagine my life without it, she thought with a shudder.
"So, what's with the computer?" he asked after glancing at the computer itself warily.
"Technology isn't nearly as terrifying as you might think," she started. She couldn't help but grin after noticing the eye-roll that followed. "All jokes aside, you'll need to have access to an email account. They have the classic flip-phones you can use, but, I've learned it's easier to use a touch screen."
She found it hard to believe that this was the same man who managed to lead a team against the Chitauri. Or, who took on the Black Knights without batting an eyelash. He was like a completely different person when it came to figuring out how to adapt to modern life.
"I've never used a computer before," he admitted after joining her on a rolling chair.
"It's changing every day," she reminded him, "The sooner you figure it out, the better of you'll be. We can start off with making an email account."
"Do I really need all of that?" he asked, frowning as he realized just how overwhelming it was.
"It's the easiest way to keep in touch with people, other than by phone," she replied with a shrug, "And, before you start, the word 'password' does not make a good password." Steve just let out a sigh of frustration. "If it helps, you can start a notebook on things you need to work on."
The next few hours were spent showing him some of the best ways around the computer. They switched every now and then from the computer to highlights over the last couple of decades. The last thing she wanted was to add to the already stressful day he was likely having, though she could tell he was slowly but surely starting to lose his patience.
Once they finished going over newspaper articles, Ada went to work showing him how to operate a computer. The most challenging task was that Steve found it confusing trying to navigate from page to page. She understood his confusion, aware that the Internet was never easy to navigate through for first-time users.
"You make this look easy," he muttered after giving up within a few hours.
"The great Captain America, defeated by a computer," Ada rolled her eyes mockingly as he glared back, "Honestly, it isn't this difficult."
"It is for someone who wasn't born with this kind of technology," he retorted with equal stubbornness.
Ada had to bite back a fit of laughter when she caught the look written across his face.
"Steve, that's an old excuse elderly people like to use all the time," she snorted in amusement.
She shook her head in disbelief when Steve sighed once more, this time sounding more irritated than usual. Not that she couldn't blame him. She knew that she wasn't the easiest person to get along with. The fact that Steve had been willing to put up with her this long surprised her.
"I think it's time we took a break," he decided after a few seconds followed.
"Alright, Captain Grumpy Pants."
The look that followed was priceless. By now, she was struggling not to laugh as they cleared the table and gathered their belongings.
The library itself had been kind enough to offer a room where they could work in silence without a crowd of people gathering around them. Luckily, the building had received minimal damage during the battle, and was still open to the public.
"Look, I'm used to dealing with the army and helping people," Steve started when he easily kept up with her once they left the building, "This is new territory for me."
"Well, that makes two of us," she muttered under her breath.
I can't blame him for feeling so overwhelmed, she tried reasoning with herself. Steve glanced at her warily, and she suddenly felt more self-conscious than she thought possible. Knowing that they were taking the time to get to know one another only added to the unease that followed.
"Want to call it a day and grab some pizza?" she suddenly decided to change the subject.
The last thing she wanted was to make things worse than they already were. Steve was already on edge, and she knew that he wouldn't likely take well to more information from the past if it was offered. For now, some food and maybe a movie would do.
"You know, pizza would be great," he replied, letting his shoulders drop with relief after noticing her sudden change in demeanor.
Neither of them were going to argue with the fact that they needed to take their minds off of something other than what they were working on. Ada was just as relieved for the break, especially since it meant they would finally leave the library.
"Consider this my treat," she said after they'd ordered their food to go.
Sticking around certainly wasn't going to do them good. She had already seen more than a few people looking in their direction. Though, most of them had recognized her through any stories the media portrayed over her role as Tony's adopted daughter.
"Look, you don't have to do that," he pointed out.
"Hey, you treated me to coffee… it's the least I could do," she retorted, fighting back another fit of laughter.
Steve held back a sigh of frustration as they finally reached the counter and ordered their food. Despite the fact that he was mentally exhausted, he couldn't hide the small smile that followed. Even he knew how stubborn she could be. Yet, that same stubborn spirit was something he soon found himself admiring.
"Thanks again for… everything," he started when they finally reached the block her apartment was on. His wasn't that far away, but, he felt obliged to walk her to her apartment. "You didn't have to go out of your way and help me with this."
He gestured to everything around them. Ada rose an eyebrow, knowing that this had been anything but easy for him.
"Well, it was the least I could do," she replied with a shrug.
Not for the first time, they found themselves standing there in awkward silence. Ada couldn't help but look down at the ground as she thought of how Fury expected her to become Steve's teacher. She never realized until than how awkward it would be for them. The problem was, she couldn't understand why it was so awkward.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Though it came as a question rather than a statement, Ada understood what he meant by it.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow," she nodded in agreement.
As they parted ways, Ada glanced over her shoulder, realizing that tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
AN: Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring. It was originally a thousand words less, so I added a lot. The next couple of chapters might be a bit boring, and shorter, though they mostly revolve around Ada and Steve's relationship, so that might be a bit exciting ;) I also had no idea what else to title this chapter, so I apologize for the cornyness of it XD At any rate, big thanks to Softballpup12 for reviewing! Any review makes my day, and motivates me to keep writing :) Also, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (to those who celebrate it in the US)!
Softballpup12 - Thanks :D Yeah, a crossover would be an amazing idea. Maybe Disney could somehow negotiate with Fox and make one? Who knows... one can dream :P