Chapter 4 – One Door Closes; Another Opens
Gen hadn't eaten since noon the day before; she was so nervous with how everything would turn out, the gnawing feeling in her stomach intensifying.
"Gen, please, what's going on?" Tyler pled, following a teary Gen to her room as she rummaged for her suitcase.
"Please Ty, don't make this any harder for me. I told you, there are some people after me…I have to go". She didn't dare look him in the eye; if she did, she knew that she would only feel worse.
"What are you talking about! Stay, I'll look after you", he begged, unpacking the few shirts she'd thrown into her bag.
Gen took a deep breath and turned to face him, cringing at his crumpled face. She walked over to Tyler, reaching up and gently running her palms on his cheeks, wiping away the tears that were beginning to fall. His eyes burned as he looked down at her.
"Gen, please don't leave me. I love you". Gen stopped short, eyes wide as she stared at Tyler in complete shock. 'I love you'. It echoed around in her mind. She'd considered Tyler to be anything but a friend, but it was the worst time for him to say it, it didn't change anything, but it became a lot more difficult to do. "I love you, Genny". And there was his nickname for her. Tyler reached down, softly cupping her cheek and tilting her head up. His eyes searched hers for approval as his head bowed to meet hers at a painfully slow rate.
"Sexy Uncle Tone is here!" Tony yelled, barging into Gen's room with an uncomfortable looking Banner. Stark smirked at the guy, who'd hastily pulled away from Gen, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Whoa, were we interrupting something?" Stark asked in a seedy voice, wiggling his brows.
"No. Let me just pack, then we can go", Gen quickly whispered turning away from everyone to rummage through her closet. Bruce brushed past Stark as he made his way to Gen, slowly helping her sort through her belongings and neatly packing them in her suitcase, correcting Gen's messy folding. Tyler turned, walking out of the room, and Stark followed him. Stark figured that an explanation was well deserved.
"Hey, you!" Stark said, making Tyler turn around. "You're Tyler right?" Tyler's nod affirmed the obvious before Stark drew a long, deep breath. "She isn't safe here, we really do have to go, but once it's all over, she's free to come back. Just remember that she isn't leaving by choice here". Tyler looked away. He really did love her, but he never thought he'd have to deal with losing her; especially not after just telling her how he felt.
"Watch out for her", Tyler said flatly before turning away from Stark and proceeding to the fridge, grabbing a beer. He slammed the fridge door shut before popping the cap off and guzzling it. He'd never confessed his love for a girl before, and he'd honestly never considered it. He never involved himself in a relationship, girls were simply toys. Until Gen moved in. That was when the shenanigans stopped, but now she was leaving.
Gen and Bruce packed quickly. Between the two of them, they'd managed to pack almost all of Gen's possessions within five minutes before heading out of the room with Banner carrying her suitcase. A part of Banner was burning to ask Gen what had happened between her and Tyler, but he didn't want to push it. He'd leave that up to her to bring up whenever she felt ready.
They made it into the living room. It was incredibly small for the four of them, and awkward. Both Bruce and Tony were definitely intruding on a private moment. Nudging Stark's shoulder, Banner cleared his throat, cutting through the tense air. Everyone's eyes were on him as he stammered, "well – well yeah, Stark and I will be outside, waiting. Um, come down when you can." It sounded more like a question; his voice lacked any real conviction, but he didn't want to impose, and he certainly didn't want Gen to feel as if she was being forced into leaving so soon. He quickly turned to walk out flashing a brief, half-hearted smile at Tyler and Gen, before ambling out; suitcase in one hand, Tony's sleeve in another.
Gen turned to Tyler once the door closed, side-stepping so that there was at least a meters distance between them.
"I have to go. I'm sorry", she whispered. She couldn't cry anymore, on this; there was a more pressing issue impending, and that was definitely reporting to S.H.I.E.L.D.. That in itself made her more nervous than she'd ever been.
"Promise me you'll come back when this is all over," Tyler replied, equally as quiet. He took a step forward wrapping his arms around Gen's small waist and drawing her close, chest to chest. It was a goodbye hug, and they both understood. They may not have known how long they were going to spend away from one another, but they would someday meet up, even if it were just as friends grabbing a quick cup of coffee.
Gen stepped away from Tyler, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.
"Stay safe, you", she said, with a slight smile on her lips. Tyler forced on in return and squeezed her hand back.
"You too".
And that was it. The goodbyes were out of the way, but the moment felt far from over. Tyler leaned forward again, closing his eyes, and Gen panicked, pulling away, and retrieving her hand. She stumbled out of his grasp, floundering to find her feet, before walking swiftly to the front door. She spared a glance behind her, waving quickly at Tyler before walking out of the door, closing it soundlessly behind her.
The car that was waiting out front was different to the convertible she rode in two nights ago; rather, it was a large, black Range Rover. She saw Stark grin at her through the window on the driver's side before she jogged out of the complex, making her way to the back door, lurching it open and settling into the plush seats.
She leaned her head against the window and rested her eyes, smiling as she heard AC/DC's Highway to Hell play softly through the speakers accompanied by Tony's singing, much to Banner's dismay.
They drove to Queens, stopping at LaGuardia Airport. Tony parked in front of the valet services, tossing his keys to the young man that guarded the zone, before getting closer to hand him a few hundreds. The man nodded courteously; it really was amazing to see what money could do.
"Where are we flying to?" Gen asked timidly. Tony looked over his shoulder, flashing me a smile.
"We'll be taking a private jet plane directly to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, they have a landing strip". Gen nodded as we walked through the airport, astonished that we were waved through all the security checks without even being questioned or searched. It wasn't until after boarding the military styled jet, and taking off fifteen minutes later that Gen realized her suitcase was still locked in the trunk of Stark's car. She was sat next to Stark who'd applied a facemask, whilst Banner sat in front of them, dead to the world.
"Stark, what about my suitcase?"
Tony's eyes creased, as he tried to smirk through the mask, failing miserably.
"All our luggage is already packed. That's why we were waiting for take off, they had to unload my car, and transport it to the jet". His mouth was barely moving, and Gen smiled at the sight; a forty year old man, with a soft pink facemask.
"The S.H.I.E.L.D. special treatment takes quite a bit to get used to". Tony nodded in agreement before pulling out his iPad and reading the tabloids.
Gen drifted off to sleep, and awoke during landing. The descent was quick and easy, and the back of the jet completely opened, forming a ramp. Stark's facemask had long since been washed off, whilst Bruce was groggily rubbing his eyes. The three unbuckled their belts, and slowly made their way out and onto the runway.
"Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.s base!" Stark said in mock excitement, before leading Banner and Gen to a large, tall, dark skinned man, who had an eye patch covering one eye.
"Ahoy there, Captain Fury", Stark greeted in his best pirate voice before continuing, "aren't ye glad ye answered ye phone, now?" He sounded ridiculous, however, Fury's expression clouded with anger. All Tony could think was, 'mission accomplished'.
Banner sighed, stepping in front of Stark and extending his hand, meeting Fury's in a firm shake.
"This is Gen", Bruce said, gesturing behind him. "She's the girl Stark told you about. I can brief you on everything later if you'd like". Fury nodded curtly before turning his attention to Gen, eyeing her suspiciously. She cleared her throat, offering her hand similarly, "Geneviève Gray". He nodded, shaking her hand, clasping it so tight, her knuckles ached.
"Director Fury".
He unclasped her hand, stepping to the side, and allowing the three to pass by him. Gen observed her surroundings. They were on some sort of ship, with tarred runways and large building in the middle. They walked along, before Stark stopped in front of a short woman with fiery red hair.
"Stark", she greeted him, nodding. Tony ignored her greeting, turning to Gen and gesturing towards the woman.
"Gen, this is Natalie…or Natasha…or Romanoff…or Spidey, that's what all the cool kids call her… really it just depends on who she's pretending to be on the day". He sounded irritable, and Gen suspected that the pair had some bad blood between them. Romanoff ignored Stark's attitude, turning to face the girl and narrowing her eyes.
"Natasha", she said curtly whilst looking at Gen.
Although Romanoff hadn't truly spoken to the young, frightened girl, Romanoff didn't like her; she didn't want to be weighed down by some pathetic variable. It was too large a risk, especially in battle. She glanced apprehensively at Banner, before finally settling for a small smile, nodding the same way she had at Stark. Banner returned the gesture, before a whirring sound caught Gen off guard.
"What is that?" she asked.
"We're on a helicarrier", Banner replied. "We'll be in the air soon". Gen didn't think it was physically possible, but this was a secret government agency; it wasn't surprising that they could pull a few strings.
Banner knocked her out of her thoughts when his hand lightly touched the small of her back, leading her towards the on-deck building, following Stark and Romanoff. She took note of the fighting jets that littered the runways, and the men that began strapping them down. It felt like an army-base, and Gen reasoned that, in it's own way, it was.
The double doors they passed through opened up to a large, dual level control room. They passed several rows of computers with agents working behind them, before passing though a large arch door and making their way to a corridor.
"It's been ages", Gen heard Bruce mutter as he moved his hand from the small of her back.
"Sleeping quarters are just through there", Romanoff said, not sparing a glance over her shoulder, whilst carelessly pointing down a hallway to the left. Her brisk walking pace didn't slow as she continued before pointing to the left again. "That's the meeting room. All agents", she sneered, "will be having a meeting after lunch". She made one final turn to the right, stopping short as they entered a large, open room. "This is the cafeteria. Lunch is served between twelve and two". Romanoff nodded, before leaving the group and joining a young man on a table at the far back. Gen was confused by how Natasha had treated her; she couldn't think of anything that she may have done wrong.
"How you holding up?" Bruce's voice again jostled her out of her observations, causing her to look up. She nodded slowly.
"It's a lot. But yeah, I'm fine". Tony grinned at Gen's answer.
"Spidey can do that you know; the whole unnerving and annoying thing. She does a good job at being a bitch, so don't worry about her". Gen cracked a smirk, cocking her head to the side.
"Who actually calls her Spidey?"
"Only Stark", Bruce answer nonchalantly.
"I thought cool kids called her that?" Gen asked, raising an eyebrow. Stark frowned.
"Fine. Sexy kids call her Spidey". Gen chuckled whilst Bruce rolled his eyes, walking over to the self-serve buffet. Gen followed, whilst Stark trailed behind, and the three of them grabbed sandwiches and soft drink.
They sat at a nearby table, unwrapping their food, and digging in. Gen demolished her sandwich quickly; she'd never liked having salad on her sandwich, but frankly she was too hungry to care. She glanced over at Tony who winked at her as he caught her gaze, pulling a small flask out of his coat pocket and tipping a bit in his soda before taking a swig straight out of the flask, his face crinkling at the taste. He offered some to Gen, who quickly shook her head, leading Tony to laugh.
"I don't think this is the time or place for alcohol, Stark". Gen, Stark, and Banner turned simultaneously to see who'd spoken. He was tall, broad and generally attractive, dressed in grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. His blue eyes hardened as they zeroed in on Stark's flask.
"Don't see how it's your business Capsicle". It made sense then. The unfamiliar was the Captain America.
"Put it away Stark".
"Why don't you make me, Cap?"
The Captain's jaw tensed, before a smile etched its way onto his face.
"Nothing's really changed, has it?" he asked. Tony relaxed into a grin in return shaking his head.
"Really hasn't. You're still just as uptight as you were eighteen months ago".
"And you're still as mindless", the Captain replied before turning his attention away from Stark and focusing on Banner. "How have you been Dr. Banner?" he asked politely, ignoring Stark's glares.
"Not bad. I was in South America, offering cheap medical services in some small villages until Stark called me. You?"
"Well I moved back to Brooklyn and bought my own apartment. No where near as exciting".
Banner smiled. "Well this is Geneviève Grey. Gen, this is Steve". Steve smiled politely, bowing ever so slightly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Grey".
"You too. And it's Gen". She reached our arm out. His smile widened as he shook her expecting hand.
"Mind if I have a seat?"
Gen blurted out a hasty 'no', whilst Tony yelled 'yes'. Gen and Tony stared at each other, before Tony sighed in defeat.
"It's all yours". Steve nodded gratefully, settling into the seat next to Gen, and unwrapping his sandwich. Both Gen and Steve sat in silence while Tony and Bruce engaged in a passionate conversation about nuclear fission. The confused look on Gen's face was reflected on Steve's in a verisimilitudinous manner, before she shook her head and stepped out of her chair. The men stopped their conversation, looking up at her.
"I just need a breather". Bruce and Tony nodded, delving into their conversation – although it sounded much more like a debate – before Steve looked up at her.
"Would you like me to accompany you?" She shrugged in response, and the Captain assumed it to be in agreement. He had heard about Gen, but wanted to get to know her for himself. Rumor were nasty little things, and Romanoff's opinion of the girl left for very few positive traits. He wandered behind her as she walked out of the cafeteria, then smiled when she turned to look at him.
"How does a tour sound?" He asked nervously. She nodded, and walked alongside him as he began down the corridor.
"This here is the gym. You can come in whenever you want". She peered inside, eyes widening as she caught sight of all the equipment.
"We can go inside you know", the Captain said, chuckling at her reaction. She stumbled inside, noting all the different sections; the climbing courses, the shooting ranges, the strength and cardio equipment, the combat rings, and the small paintball set-up.
"How does everything fit in here?" she asked in bewilderment.
"The helicarrier is quite large, and most of the space is below the airstrip, but when you see the size of your room, you'll see why there's so much space". She laughed slightly, before stepping out of the room.
They walked along a corridor and found themselves at a large window. Gen gasped. The sight was breathtaking.
"Wow". He laughed a little at her reaction.
"It's amazing isn't it?" She grinned, nodding madly.
"It's just so different. Today was my first day catching a plane you know". Steve looked at her, slightly shocked.
"Really?". They sat down on the floor in front of the window, against the wall of the corridor; Gen sitting closest to the view.
"Yeah, it makes me wish I was a bird. Seeing all this, all the trees looking like ants…".
"It definitely puts life into perspective". She glanced at him, grinning.
"Hmm…if you could be an animal, what would you be?". The question was spontaneous, but it was the first thing that had come to Gen's mind, and she really was interested in how he'd answer.
"I don't know – maybe a jaguar, they seem so majestic. What about you?" Gen barely had to deliberate before answering the Captain's question; she'd though of it countless times.
"A panda. Definitely a panda". He raised an eyebrow, causing Gen to sigh playfully before elaborating, "well panda's can eat as much of they want, exercise as little as they want, get as fat as they want, and still look cute!" They laughed together before the Captain reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind Gen's ear, causing the laughter to suddenly stop.
"Do you think you can take me to my room?" She asked softly, biting her bottom lip. Steve nodded, disappointed that he'd ruined any conversation they had begun.
"I'll take you there, then I better head off to that meeting".
They walked in an awkward silence, hands briefly touching as they swung. Gen liked the guy, it was near impossible not to have the slightest crush on his 'good guy' values and beliefs, but she was scared of relationships. She'd never been with anyone before, and there was always Tyler and he loved her.
They stepped into the quarters that Romanoff had pointed to, and walked to the door with her name on it.
"Thank you Captain".
"No problem, Miss Grey".
"It's Gen".
"It's Steve".
They smiled at each other, before Gen opened her door and slipped inside, whispering a quiet, "see you, Steve", before closing the door. Steve ran his hand through his hair; the girl was certainly something.
Both Gen and Steve realized two different things in the moment that followed; Steve realized that he really wanted to get to know Gen, whilst Gen had realized that Steve was right, the room looked full and all it held was her suitcase, a small single bed, and a tiny ensuite.
And chapter four is up! Finally some Stevie action!
Hope you guys enjoy!
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