Introspection

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't seen Thor Ragnarok, then know that there is a teeny tiny spoiler in this story (honestly, you may not even notice it). I made the change because this story is set in my head-cannon after Infinity Wars, so I want to keep the characters up to date as we get more information in the MCU.

DarylDixon'sLover: Can you imagine how cruel of a person I would be if I just didn't let her go back? Like that would just be awful.

FanGirlForever19: I love it, too (then again, I'm rather biased)!

eyleenm4: Honestly, the funny thing is that I love writing cliffhangers but hate reading them. It causes such a strange cognitive dissonance with my reading and writing sides.

Rohirrim Girl 2187: Welcome to the family! Hope you continue to enjoy! This chapter I made a bit more comical to make up for all the drama of the past few.

Demigod-GallagherGirl: This is one of my favorite chapters too, and for the same reason- emotion! Writing verbally and emotionally heated scenes is my favorite, for some reason, and the best thing to help with it is listening to a song that matches the mood. The one I used for this is "An Old Friend" from Captain America The Winter Soldier. If you go back and read the chapter while listening to it, it really amplifies everything.

SoraMalfoySlythern: Oh don't you worry, Tony will definitely be getting more involved in the relationship! I think he just can't help but meddle a little, but he has good intentions.

SummerMistedDragon: Thanks and welcome aboard!

"…you'll come back, won't you?" he was asking.

A thousand thoughts ran through my head all at once, but my decision was clear. He mattered more.

"Yes."

"Honestly, Bruce, you didn't have to help," I insisted, shaking my head.

The timid scientist set a box down on my desk, a shy grin on his face. "I know. I'm just hoping it'll help convince you to be my assistant."

I leaned against the wall, my arms crossing. "I have no experience in any scientific field-"

"But you have experience with people," he pointed out. "And that's something we can always use in my office."

I shrugged casually, unconvinced. The doctor simply rolled his eyes. He moved to sit down on top of my desk, fixing me with a look. "You helped predict A.I.M.'s strategy. That's using human nature, not science. We'd run every single test we could, and only when it lined up with your data and intuition did things start to make sense."

I hummed, taking a moment to look around my office as his words sunk in. My new room was in the heart of the compound, equidistant to everyone so that no matter what I was needed for, they could find me quickly. My eyes caught sight of Tony out in the snow, testing his latest invention just beyond the window. An amused smile came onto my face when I heard him swear colorfully.

Bruce walked toward me, his eyes following mine as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "He's been dealing with anxiety for years," he said suddenly. My confused eyes met his before he looked back out the window. "Had to up his dosage after the whole Sokovian Accords deal."

My gaze softened, wondering why this was the first time I'd heard of this.

The scientist turned to look me in the eye. "We all need help, Elizabeth. Being my assistant doesn't just mean mixing alien chemicals together to see what happens."

I nodded, my arms uncrossing as I rolled the idea around in my head.

Bruce seemed content with my reaction, and he walked over to open the door. "Get back to me in a week, okay?"

"I will," I replied.

He nodded, then shut the door behind him.

I sat down in my new chair, taking note of the box of files Bruce had left on my desk. I opened it slowly, finding a note on top of a stack of papers.

"Read up. They're your clients, now.

-Coulson"

A smile on my face, I began to take the files out one by one. A minute later, the secrets and stories of Earth's mightiest heroes laid spread out before me. Time to get to work.

The first occurrence happened my second day in the new office.

It raised a few eyebrows, of course. But it was obvious who had done it.

"James, did you put this board with dog pictures up on my wall?" I asked sternly.

"…possibly," his all too innocent voice came over the phone line. It sounded like he'd just woken up. "They're all dogs at a local adoption shelter."

I quirked an eyebrow, even though he couldn't see it. "And why did you feel the need to put them in my office?"

"I looked in there the other day. It was boring."

I sighed, looking around the sparsely decorated room and begrudgingly agreeing with him. "I didn't have much time to do anything before I had to get to work. I was going to get around to decorating it at some point. Just…" I trailed off, a small grin coming onto my face as I looked at the puppy pictures. "Just let me know if you have an idea next time, okay? And you can show me pictures tonight on my computer, alright?"

A sigh came over the phone line. "I can't— night ops. Just practice, but Steve insisted on it. Something about me being sloppy last time."

I snorted, the petulant tone in his remark evident. "Mmhm. I'll see you tomorrow, then. And don't break into my office without locking it back, okay?"

"I won't!"

I should've known better.

The second occurrence was much more subtle, but still gathered plenty of curious looks through the glass pane that lead into my office.

"So, uh…" Steve trailed off awkwardly. His eyes flickered to the potted flowers that had appeared on my window ledge overnight. "You'll be joining us for the movie tonight, right? Sam said you'd planned it."

I bit back a laugh at his behavior. He wanted to ask, I could tell, but something told him it'd be rude. So instead, I acted natural.

"Yup, it's called 'Bridge of Spies'. I watched it when it first came out, and I thought it was pretty good. It'll help you understand parts of the Cold War a bit more," I explained, straightening the files on my desk. I got up from my desk and went over to the flowers, picking up a miniature watering can as I went. I could feel Steve's eyes on me as I casually began to water the flowers, taking my time with each one.

After a moment, he cleared his throat. "You, ah…I see you got something to liven up the room."

I turned to him with a confused expression, acting innocent.

"And ah…" he coughed. "The walls, too. They look, um, nice."

I smiled suddenly, taking in the new pale yellow shade I'd asked FRIDAY for. "Yeah, I'm really happy with them!"

Steve looked shifted uncomfortably. I could sense he really wanted to ask about the flowers, but he resisted. This was getting fun.

A minute of silence passed before he walked toward the door. "See you tonight," he nodded shortly.

The moment he was out of sight, I burst out laughing.

The third occurrence had whispers going around the compound.

"Your admirer does not seem to be very straightforward in his attempts for your affections," Thor stated as soon as he sat down.

An amused smile came onto my face as I passed him a cup of coffee. My eyes glanced over to what I'd deemed the puppy board, taking in the array of notes that had appeared over the past few days. I turned back to the man in front of me, choosing to not comment on the notes. "So, what brings you here?" I asked.

Thor seemed to toss the question around in his head for a moment. "The Son of Coul suggested you, Lady Elizabeth. You have been kind to my friends, and I hoped you would offer that same amicable nature to me."

"Of course," I nodded genially. "It's my job to help the Avengers team in whatever way I can."

"That is good," Thor replied hesitantly. His eye scanned mine for lies, and once he was satisfied that he'd found none, he continued. "I have been struggling with a…difficult matter for quite some time now," he confessed openly.

I tilted my head to the side. "And what might that be?"

I watched as the god of thunder pulled a phone out of his pants pocket. "I have been given this tablet as a means of communicating with my team members," he told me with a confused expression. "Yet I haven't been given a lesson in how to use it."

Frowning, I got up from my desk. "Well that's not very useful, is it?" I muttered, sitting down in the chair next to him. Thor held the phone out to me, and I grimaced when I saw the Stark Industries logo on top. "Let's figure it out together, okay?"

That night, I made my way back to my room with a grin, wondering what I would find the next morning. I walked down the hallway, my feet already familiar with their new path. My room had been positioned above James', just as Fury promised.

I approached my door with confidence, appreciating how it slid aside the moment my DNA scan was complete. But before I could enter, I heard footsteps down the hall. My head turned, and I was met with a very casually dressed yet awkward looking Miss Romanov.

"Hey, Elizabeth," she greeted uncomfortably. "I know we don't talk much…not really at all, and that's my fault. I just, um, well, I thought that we could chat?"

My eyes scanned for anyone nearby. She looked nervous, as though she'd never been so candid with anyone before. It was probably best if no one else was around.

"Did you need something in particular?" I asked curiously, leaning against the wall next to my doorway.

She shook her head. "No, no, I just thought I should…warn you."

A sense of dread started to wash over me, but I nodded.

Miss Romanov let out a sigh. "I see what's going on between you and Barnes, and I want you to understand something. Being with people like him…people like us, it's not easy," she told me bluntly. "We have a lot in our past that people like you can't even imagine."

I shrugged calmly. "I've read the case files."

Miss Romanov gave me a pitying look. "That's not the same as living it."

"I know," I replied, my voice unwavering. "But I can't live it. I can't understand what it's like to be controlled like that, to be forced to do things you couldn't dream of. I'm not there to understand— he has you guys for that. I'm there to be his friend."

A knowing grin came onto her face. "And anything else?"

I blushed suddenly, not knowing how to reply. After a moment, I decided on my answer. "I'll move when he does."

Miss Romanov nodded understandingly, suddenly turning around to leave. But she stopped short, taking a moment to look at me. "Tony's throwing another one of his parties soon. Thought I'd give you a heads up."

I smiled genuinely. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

She nodded in return, but hesitated. "Barnes might not…he might not be as forward as you'd like him to be. Emotions don't come easy when they've been suppressed for so long."

I considered it for a moment, then shrugged. "I think he'll be fine."

Miss Romanov smiled before she left, leaving me with the impression that I'd just gained yet another friend on the compound.
The random conversation over, I entered my room and flopped down on the bed, sighing happily. I'd chosen a fluffy white duvet, and thus far had been more than pleased with it.

It was then I remembered Coulson said my room would be finished today. I sat up and took a look, pleased with what I found. There was a knotted jute rug in the middle of the room, and all around were a variety of pillows and blankets. I noted that a bookshelf similar to James' had been installed, and on it sat my eclectic collection of books and old vinyls.

"Hey FRIDAY? Could you change the wall color to what my old room used to be?" I requested.

"Yes, Miss Elizabeth. You should also know that a voice message has been left for you."

I nodded. "Go ahead and play it, please."

There was a beep, and then a crackle before James' voice reverberated throughout the room. "Hey, Eliza. I just wanted you to know that I'll be busy the next few days. I'll try to find time to swing by, okay? I have more dogs I want you to look at."

An amused smile came onto my face as I listened. I could hear his breath during the pause, almost as though he wasn't sure if he wanted to say his next thought or not. And then-

"Sleep well, Eliza."

I most certainly did.