A/N. Only Chapter 2 and I already don't like a chapter - some critique is very welcome :) Enjoy.
P.S. Last chapter I wrote that Tania and Nat were in NYC by accident. They're actually in Washington, DC. Sorry about that.
Disclaimer - I don't own the Avengers.
Chapter Two
There was the sensation of draining water. Tania felt as if she was a rock submerged in a sea, the waves gently lapping. Then someone pulled the plug and the water level began to lower. The density felt lighter and the sun began to shine more brightly. The water pulled back and away and Tania opened her eyes slowly, breathing deeply.
The sun penetrated the room through a crack in the curtains, showering the bed with light. Tania hummed and shifted. The rustling of sheets were loud in the silence of the room. There were paws on her back and a tongue on her neck. She blinked her eyes open and squinted at the blurry alarm clock over by Steve's side of the bed.
05:55
Satisfied, she pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. Rocky chased his tail excitedly, running around in circles and messing up the covers. Tania chuckled and felt Steve's rumpled side of the bed. Cold. Just like it was every morning.
Steve went for a run at five in the morning, every morning - even on weekends. She understood his need for routine and his need for time alone, but it was getting tiresome to wake up in bed without him every morning when they could wake up together. They were both early risers. She missed brewing coffee for him every day and laughing over their horrible attempts to cook breakfast.
They went to bed together as many nights as they could, but Fury was keeping Steve pretty busy with missions left and right. When Tania wasn't at her nine-to-five or her therapist, she was on missions as well. Very rarely had they been sent on one together. There was that one time near Latveria, but that was it.
She reached for her nightstand and grabbed her phone, unplugging it from the wall. The screen lit up, revealing four missed texts.
Tony just fell asleep at work. Accompanying this text was a photo of Tony snoring on his desk, coffee spilled onto all the papers in front of him, and a coloured in-beard (with permanent marker). Bending over him with a thumbs up was Betty, holding the uncapped marker. Pepper was stifling her laughter from a chair to the right, partly cut off by the edge of the screen.
Tania smiled and sent back an lol. She continued scrolling.
There was a text from Tony. If you leak that picture I will murder you.
Chuckling, she began typing. Who do you think I am? Darcy?
Natasha had sent her a text sometime last night after she and Tania had gone to the movie the theatre. Had fun, but the movie sucked. I pick next time :)
In my defense, the choices were limited, Tania responded.
The fourth one was just her phone company telling her to pay her bill. Right. She'd have to do that today.
Just as she was about to set the phone down, it vibrated with another text. Gone for a mission with Nat. Don't wait up for me. It was Steve.
Tania sighed again and slipped out of bed. Rocky jumped after her, following at her heels. She ambled over to the curtains and pulled them apart. The room practically glowed. Still carrying her phone, she padded over to the door and exited into the living room. She deposited the device on the counter and headed straight for the coffee maker. She and Steve were experimenting with a new brand of beans. She liked them, but Steve wasn't a big fan. Regardless, they were going to finish the bag before moving on to a new brand.
The machine began whirring loudly, drowning out any stray thoughts Tania may have had. She opened the fridge and pulled out a pre-made yogurt parfait. She closed the door with her hip and opened a nearby drawer to grab a spoon. It slowed down before closing to prevent loud noises. She opened a low cupboard and grabbed the dog food. She poured it into Rocky's bowl and he dug in eagerly.
The coffee machine quietened and she poured herself a cup. Once she had her mug and her bowl, she grabbed her phone with her pinky and ring finger of the hand holding the yogurt and made her way over to the loveseat. She placed her things on the coffee table and sat cross legged on the couch, reaching for the remote. Rocky hopped into her lap and made himself comfy. She flicked the television on and found the news channel just as the clock hit six.
The theme song for WHIH news played as Tania grabbed her mug and took a sip of her coffee. Reporter Christine Everheart (and Tony's old flame) smiled at the camera. "Good morning, this is WHIH news. I'm Christine Everheart and you're listening to Around the World at Six.
"A new villain has come to the attention of New Yorkers, terrorizing high schools and skateboard parks. He seems to be targeting teens. He calls himself the Iron Monger, an obvious reference to billionaire Tony Stark's Iron Man. If only the so-called superhero could keep his weapons out of the wrong hands."
Tania scoffed. Everheart obviously still had some resentment towards Tony.
"Thankfully, the vigilante known as Spider-Man has been fighting him at every turn. He claims not to need the Avengers for such a low-level threat. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what happens. WHIH news will keep you updated.
"In other news, Pym Technologies is reported to have been involved in a previous scandal with Stark Industries that is just now coming to light. Joan Stuntman has that story."
As Ms. Stuntman blabbered on about Hank Pym and Howard Stark, Tania's phone vibrated again. True. It was a text from Natasha. Wait. Two texts from Natasha. Don't text me or Steve. We'll be on a mission for the next little while.
How long?
Don't know. Twenty-four hours at most.
Tania sighed. Okay. I'll stop texting you now. Be safe. Both of you.
Will do.
"… Sokovian protests are getting out of hand. Protesters are rioting in the streets and breaking everything in sight. Authorities have authorized the use of tear gas and have made twelve arrests just this morning.
"The African country of Wakanda doesn't seem to be handling things much better. Some say that they are in a state of constant paranoia. Wakanda is one of the world's leading export countries because of its mines and resources. Because those resources are so valuable, Wakandans often come under attack. Kevin Frosh has that story."
Tania's phone vibrated again. It was Tony. Check this out. He sent a screenshot of a news headline accompanied by a photo of Spider-Man locked in battle with the Iron Monger. The headline read SPIDER-MAN REFUSES HELP AND ENDANGERS KIDS. Tania read the name of the newspaper. The Daily Bugle. Of course. They hated Peter with a passion.
Bzzzt! Tania checked her texts once again. It's Stane. Peter let him get away and now he wants revenge.
For… letting him get away?
I don't understand it either.
"… and finally, Sharzad's terrorist groups threaten to sell Stark weaponry to groups like ISIS and the Ten Rings." Oh no. Sharzad was where Clint and Viola were located. They had been tasked with taking Dagan Sha's arms dealing business and burning it to the ground from the inside. They were deep undercover. Tania hoped they could accomplish their mission soon and come home.
"And now for The Doc Report: the weekly documentary about missing children in America. This morning we'll be discussing some of the children who've been missing for more than twenty years." Everheart didn't possess an ounce of sympathy. That made her perfect for her job, Tania thought bitterly. "Today, we'll be looking at the sad story of Peter Quill-"
Tania switched the TV off and sighed. Maybe Steve had been assigned to peace keep in Wakanda? That was where vibranium came from. Maybe there was a connection…? Tania didn't know. If she had to guess-
Knock-knock-knock-knock!
Rocky began to bark. Tania hushed him quickly and set down her breakfast. Maybe it was Kate asking for a cup of sugar? Tania opened the door.
Drew stood there, shivering and hunched over, clutching a large purse to her chest. She looked up. She was pale as a corpse and the bruises on her neck and face made a stark contrast with the whiteness of her skin. Her blonde hair seemed to be thinning and the collar of her blouse was torn, revealing even more bruises.
She looked like she'd just been mugged.
"Oh my God!" Tania exclaimed, stepping back to let Drew in. Rocky circled her ankles. Once she was inside, Tania peeked into the hallway for followers and then closed and locked the door. She took Drew by the shoulders and began examining her. "What happened to you? Here. Come on." She led her former co-worker over to the couch and sat her down. "I'll get you a coffee. Do you want something to eat?"
Drew shook her head.
Tania returned moments later with the drink and handed it to Drew, who accepted it with a very quiet, "Thank you." Rocky was licking her face enthusiastically.
Tania leaned forward. "Drew… what happened?"
"I… I don't want to talk about it." Understandable. But then…
"Why did you come all the way over here?" Drew lived in New York. What had scared her away? Had it been Stane? Had there been a close call?
"I… didn't know where else to go," Drew mumbled, holding the hot mug in her hands and staring into its murky depths. "I… lost all my other friends."
"Lost them?" Tania repeated. But… Drew had been so nice! "What about Peter?"
Drew shook her head. "He… I alienated him – all of them."
"Why?"
Drew didn't speak for a very long time. The silence was stifling, broken only by the two of them fidgeting awkwardly on the couch. Finally, Drew spoke, but very softly. "My… ex-boyfriend."
… oh. Oh dear. Okay. That explained the bruises. Tania really had no idea what to do. "Um." Maybe there was a shelter or some organization she could call for this sort of thing? "Do you want me to call someone? Your mom or dad or…?"
Drew shook her head. "No. There's… there's no one. I pushed them all away."
"I'm sure your parents will take you back."
"I've never had a bigger fight with them in my entire life."
"But they're your parents!" Tania's own experience with parents was pretty limited (and not great), but she knew that parents were supposed to love their children unconditionally. "Won't they-?"
"Maybe," she admitted. "But I don't want to face them. I just want to be alone. Lick my wounds, you know? But he just kept finding me. Everywhere I went… he was always there. He always found out. I had to go farther. I had to get out of there. I had to."
"I understand," Tania assured. "Did you have a plan when you came here?"
She shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. I don't want to intrude, but I felt I had to-"
"You're not intruding, trust me. I was getting ready for a day of lounging around and overall laziness."
Drew suddenly looked panic stricken. "Your boyfriend! He's not home, is he?"
Tania shook her head, still getting used to the lightness of her short hair.
Drew breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't want anyone to know I'm here."
"But…" Tania's brows furrowed. "Where are you planning on staying?"
"I… I don't know. But I'll figure something out. I just… needed someone to know where I was so that if I went missing…" She trailed off, biting her lip and continued staring into her coffee.
"Is it that bad?" Tania whispered.
She nodded.
"Okay, well, I think you should stay here."
"No, please-"
"Just hear me out."
Drew pressed her lips together, but didn't comment.
"You'll be protected here. Captain America lives here. No one can get you here."
"I… I don't want him to trace me to you."
"If he does, we'll fight him. And we'll win."
"No, no, I mean- he knows we used to work together. He might think that I would come here. I think it would be better if I stayed somewhere else and avoided that altogether."
Tania frowned. "But if he does find you, you'll be alone."
"But if I'm alone, there's less of a chance of him finding me."
The frown deepened. "Is that really what you're willing to risk?"
Drew nodded. "I've thought long and hard about this and that's what I want."
"But is it what you need?"
"It's what I'm doing."
Tania wasm't happy with her decision, but Drew was an adult and could make her own. "Where are you going to go?"
"I'll find a place."
"Where?"
"I don't know," Drew deadpanned. She seemed to be getting annoyed. Annoyed was at least better than wounded.
"Well… there's an apartment in this building that's for rent."
Drew looked up. "Really? Do you think I could…?"
"Totally! They just have a thing about paying upfront."
Drew's face fell. "I don't… money's kind of complicated right now."
Tania was not about to let this compromise go. "I'll give you the money." At the sight of her friend's face, Tania rushed to continue. "You can pay me back! Just wait until you get back on your feet. I'll even charge you interest if you want."
Drew chuckled. "That's alright. The total amount is fine. If you're sure this is no trouble-"
"It's not. We have enough money. It's fine."
Drew nodded, finally taking her first sip of coffee. "Thank you," she whispered.
Once Tania assured Drew that Steve wouldn't be coming back any time soon, Tania went out for a drive. She hopped into the yellow fiat Tony had gotten her for her birthday and drove to the bank to make a quick withdrawal. Ever since they'd moved to DC, Steve and Tania had joined a lot of their accounts. They shared a phone bill, rent (that one was obvious), groceries, and they even had a joint bank account. They had separate ones too, but they had decided to join their RRSPs, in a sense. This joint account was the only one with enough money to make the payment.
She returned home and together, she and Drew managed to heckle the landlord downstairs to let her move in immediately. Tania then loaned her an air mattress and ordered her a pizza. Drew thanked her profusely and promised to pay her back and more before the next month's rent was needed.
Tania blushed and assured her that it was no problem. "I'm glad you came to me. I'm here for you whenever you need me."
Drew almost cried.