8.

Europe, 2010

"So what's your story?" Fury asked. They were currently on one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jets heading for Rome. Kass was all suited up and was in the process of readying her various gadgets.

"Shouldn't you have interviewed me about this before you hired me?"

He shrugged. "I'm curious."

She shrugged back. "Not much to tell, really. I was born in Sokovia, in the Old City."

"Your parents?" asked Stark, suddenly interested.

"They died."

"So did mine. You got siblings?"

"No."

"Got a boyfriend? Girlfriend?"

"Neither. Just me."

"How long have you been a thief?" asked Fury.

"Pretty much since my parents died. I was twelve then. Been on the street since. Well, I've rented apartments here and there, but I don't spend much time there."

"Rented from the profits off of stolen goods I imagine," said Stark.

She clipped the last of the gadgets to her utility belt. "Not all of us can be billionaires."


The gala turned out to be a total shit show.

Fury had advised a more behind-the-scenes approach, meaning don't infiltrate from within (a.k.a don't pose as a guest). Sneak in, cut the power, steal the weaponized designs.

Get in. Get the prize. Get out.

She was good with that. That was usually how she operated on her missions. Stark, however, as one may have guessed, preferred to make more of a scene, swoop in with one of his fancy suits and save the day.

Get in. Get the prize. Get out.

This time, however, it turned out to not be that simple, even though it should have been.

That was all because of someone who's name began with a T and ended in a K. 'Tony Snark' she was starting to refer to him as.

All this had led to a shootout and messy flee from security, and, ultimately, on top of that, no retrieved weapons.

"What the hell was that?!" cried Stark when she arrived back on the jet.

"Don't, 'what the hell was that?!' me! You wouldn't shut up and stop telling me what to do!" she shot back. "This annoying voice in my ear the whole time. I couldn't concentrate!"

"I'm used to doing all the hands-on stuff. I'm not used to being off to the side on missions."

"Clearly."

"I needed to know what was going on!"

"Well sorry-not-sorry that you weren't the centre of attention for once."

"Well enjoy it while it lasts."

"You wanted my help-"

"I needed your skills."

"Well there's lots of people out there with my skills, and lucky for you, I'm the one you got so you're stuck with me!"

"Yeah, lucky me."

"Well let me tell you, being stuck with you is no better!"

"Hey, hey, stand down, both of you." Fury stepped between them. "If this is going to work you both need to let go of your egos and learn to work together. And stop arguing like a married couple."

"She started it!"

"Me?! He started it!"

Fury sighed. "Well Stark, I gotta tell you, I take Konstantin's side on this one. She's the thief."

"Nick, I feel betrayed."

"Thank you. Listen to the Director," Kass sneered.

"You're not off the hook, either. Like I said, you both need to work together. Somehow, someway."

She turned to Stark, sighing heavily. "Look, they're your designs, so I get that you want to be involved. But you wanted my help, so you're going to have to hand over some of the control, and let me do my thing," she told him. "I get it, I like to be in full control of situations too. Hence why I don't usually do teamwork."

"Ditto."

"So do we have a deal?"

"Fine, sure."

"Shake on it," Fury told them.

"Seriously?"

"You're kidding me."

"Do you want me to add, 'that's an order'?"

Both sighed and turned to face each other. Stark extended his hand first. She begrudgingly shook it. It was a quick shake before both dropped the others' hand.

"Happy?" Stark asked Fury.

The Director nodded. "For now."

"So now what?" Kass asked.

"Now, we have to track down my tech, again."


They were able to track the designs to the Austrian countryside. Thankfully, Stark was diligent in putting tracking chips in all his designs.

Kass was loading her handgun while he was tapping away on his laptop. Suddenly, he groaned and stretched.

"You good?" Kass asked to his look of discomfort.

"Yeah, just tightness in my chest, that's all. It comes and goes. This helps, but sometimes it's still a bit painful." He tapped the arc reactor in his chest.

"So the one I stole, what's it for? Is it only for powering your suits?"

"Same as this." He tapped the one in his chest again.

"And that is?"

"Powering all my tech."

"Okay, yeah. And?"

"And it keeps the shrapnel away from my heart, which would kill me."

"I see. So you do have a heart."

"There's a rumour about that, yeah. Pepper started it."

"Your personal assistant?"

"Yeah. I'd be totally lost without her." He turned the laptop screen to face her, and she saw that it wasn't displaying his designs' trackers. "I've done some digging, and you have a private bank account, but it's much lower than your second account."

She narrowed her eyes. "So? "get your nosy nose out of my stuff."

He chuckled. "My 'nosy nose'?"

"Yes!"

"So, what I'm wondering, is why not settle down somewhere. You have the money - obtained rather sketchily, I will add - but I'm curious. Why continue to live on the streets?"

"Because there are others who need that money more than I do."

"Who?"

"Lots of people."

"Yeah but you must have someone specific in mind."

"Are you really that interested?"

"I'm curious, yeah."

"Fine then. I was an orphan until I was five. Lived in a sad orphanage. Until my parents adopted me. But, when they died, I was back to being an orphan, but I wasn't going back there. I'm trying to set up a child relief foundation in Sokovia. There's so many street kids and kids without families there. I want them to have access to what I needed but didn't have at the time. I know just as well as them what it's like."

"Well there it is, then." She couldn't really read his expression.

"Yeah. Just because I'm a thief doesn't mean I'm selfish."

"Never said it did."

"It was sort of implied."

He flipped the laptop back to face himself, typing away again. "I know what it's like to be an orphan, too."

"That's true, and yet we have very different stories, Mr. Stark."

Again, that took me a lot longer than I'd hoped, but here we are! Back to 'Age of Ultron' in the next chapter - yay!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)