Disclaimer: I do not own Agents of SHIELD. I only own any original characters created for the story.
Hey, everybody. I am terribly sorry for not posting sooner. Real life has been keeping me from not writing as much and from posting this chapter.
With this chapter posting, I'd like to tell you about a decision that I made recently. It's not bad, just something that I believe will be better for this story as it continues and IT WILL continue. I assure you of that. I have lots of ideas for this. While I haven't been able to write chapters, I have been able to write chapter outlines and possible ideas for future ones. My notes app on my phone has never been so busy. Now, with this assurance, on with the decision.
From now on I will be posting only on Archive of Our Own for this story. I had the story there for a bit but took it down so I could fix some things I notice didn't make sense. In the next week or so, I'll be reposting it with the first few chapters that I have fixed already. This decision was not made lightly. I have gone back and forth on it for several months. It was while transfer my chapter outlines to my laptop that I came to the final decision. With what I have planned for this story, AO3 allows me to tag more options than this site allows, without limiting myself to just a few or a crossover with one other movie. I hope that those of you that have an account with AO3 will continue to read it there if you want. For those here at , I will continue to post the chapters here but a few chapters at a time and not as frequently. So, you might get three chapters at once sometimes more. I hope you all understand and if not, feel free to PM me and I'll try explain it better. My username over on AO3 is the same as it is here: SuperKorelle.
This chapter is not dialogue heavy but it helps explain somethings and move the story forward. Warning, it's gets a little mushy at the end. Also any mistakes you notice are my own, I try to fix them but I might miss some.
With that, I leave with this chapter. Hope you enjoy.
The Hacker, The Biochemist and The Beast
Chapter 15
Observations, Goodbyes and Pizza
Natasha's POV
After the sparring session with Ward, I left Alex to wait for Skye so the two could go find Agent Simmons to spend time together. I'm hoping that Alex and the young female members of Phil's team are still having lunch. From the interaction I briefly witnessed between them last night and this morning, I want to observe them from afar and without Alex knowing that I am. She'll act differently and not the way she probably would if I wasn't there. It's a bit surprising to me how quickly she has taken to the women, as it took weeks for her to feel even marginally comfortable in my presence or Maria's.
A quick scan of the cafeteria after I enter finds the three still at a table by a window overlooking the court yard. While looking for a table that I can easily observe them without being noticed, I spot a two person table that provides what I want and quickly head that way before someone takes it. I'm, unfortunately, thankful that I have files to review because it gives me the perfect cover for being here. Glancing over to the table the three young women are at, tells me Alex hasn't spotted me.
I spoke with Phil before the younger members came up to us at the cafeteria. He told me about Alex's time on the plane. I was surprised by her reaction to Skye when they were first introduced. It took her months to give any of us a little smile. He wasn't exactly sure when it happened with Simmons but he figures sometime between when she got back from the park and when he got into the room after she woke from the incident with Ward. To his utter amazement, and mine when he told me, Alex was sitting on the cot with them on either side of her like it was normal for them to be sitting that close. She even went with Simmons to make sure nothing was seriously wrong. Alex doesn't like being checked out by doctors, with good reason, and the only way we can get her to go is if Clint, Maria or I are with her. Learned that lesson the hard way. I think, remembering the incident with one of the doctors a few months after she was brought here.
Alex doesn't take to people quickly. She determines quite quickly if she likes them or not. If she doesn't, she acts coldly towards them. If she does, it takes time, and patience, for her to get to where she is with Clint, Maria and I. You have to show her trust to earn hers in return. It's understandable with what was done to her and one of the reasons I took an interest in her. For her to quickly take to two women the way she has in a short amount of time is very shocking. It's surprising how quickly the two women have taken to Alex in return. People seem to sense that there is more to Alex and are wary around her. These two act like Alex is completely normal. That could be good for Alex. I think, watching Alex listening to the women talking on either side of her.
It hits me just now as I watch Alex with Skye and Simmons. I took an interest in her because we have similar origins but we are more similar then I first realized.
I had been with SHIELD for over two years before I met Maria. We worked on a few mission together and a mutual respect for the other grew to friendship. It was when I went to keep an eye on Stark that I realized my feelings for her changed. A romantic relationship between the two of us was out of the question, for several reasons. The most prominent in my mind was that I was all kinds of wrong for her. Maria deserved someone better than me, an assassin with her hands drenched in blood. When I realized my feelings for her, I buried them deep inside and vowed to never reveal them or act upon them. I liked having a friend, my first female friend, and I wasn't going to ruin that. Months pasted and I had gotten very good at hiding them, until I went down on a mission that was supposed to be simple. I had lost a lot of blood from the bullet wound in my left shoulder and right thigh. After I realized that I was in the medical bay on the Helicarriar, I noticed my right hand was being held by someone else. Following the arm, I was surprised to see Maria sitting in the uncomfortable chair reading something on a tablet. She nearly knocked the chair over in her hurry to get up when she noticed I was awake. Before I knew what was happening her lips were on mine, kissing me like she had been in the desert for days and I was a cool glass of water. I knew I couldn't go back to pretending I didn't have feelings for her after that. We have been together since.
Watching Alex right now, I pick up on her struggle. The same struggle I had in the beginning when I realized my feelings for Maria. By the way she is acting, Alex is aware on some level that she has feelings of some kind for the two women she is with. The suddenness of the feelings are probably the cause of Alex's problems. We've never discussed romantic relationships or sexuality, so I'm not sure if that's why. I noticed her checking me out when I first asked her to spar with me. She has never shown dislike of Maria and I's relationship, so I'm disqualifying that she is against same sex relationships. It could be that Alex is having a hard time wrapping her head around having feelings for more than one person. She could be unaware that polyamorous relationships are not unconceivable now a day. Whatever the reason, I believe it's time Alex and I have a little talk. Out of all the people I know, which aren't many, Alex is the most deserving of finding love and happiness. These two women could be that for her.
A shifting in the energy at the table draws me out of my musing. All three are sporting a frown as Phil approaches their table with an apologetic smile on his face. Damn, I think as Phil talks to the three. Was hoping they would have at least another day together. Reluctantly, the three get up from the table to follow Phil out of the cafeteria. Alex lags behind all of them with her hands stuffed into her hoodie pockets.
I head straight for the hanger, figuring they will show up there sometime soon. As I walk, I wonder what mission could require Phil and his team. I'll find out later, after I deal with Alex and the sudden departure of Phil's team. She understands that sometimes we have to leave suddenly for missions and has gotten used to one or more of us leaving, sometimes even without a goodbye. This will probably be different for her as the bond of friendship is still new. There is probably also a bit of protectiveness as well, if the display I saw in the training room with Skye is anything to go by. Alex won't like them going somewhere she can't protect them from harm, as she didn't like it in the begin with Maria and I.
Arriving on one of the observation decks near the Bus, I see the team standing by the open ramp of the plane. Well, Ward is missing but Alex would rather hit him than say goodbye. Coulson and May are the first to say goodbye to her, giving her a few words and her bicep a squeeze before heading onto the plane. The male engineer is next, holding out his hand for her to shake a bit hesitantly. He heads to the plane, leaving the three young woman.
Simmons is the first one to step up to Alex, who still has her hands in her hoodie pockets. She removes something, too far to see what, from her left wrist and motions for Alex to remove her right hand. Alex does and holds it out towards her. Simmons places it around Alex's wrist. She says a few words to Alex before pulling her into a hug, one Alex happily returns. Alex twitches a little as Simmons pulls away, probably wanting to pull her back in and never let her go. Skye steps forward and places a bracelet on the same wrist Simmons did. She says a few things as well before also giving Alex a hug. Whatever she says as she pulls away earns a smile from Alex but I know it doesn't reach her eyes.
With one finally wave they head up the ramp like the others. Alex watches them, standing statue still. She watches the ramp as it goes up and forces herself to leave once it's closed. I stay where I am until she disappears from sight. Alex will want to be alone right now and I know where she'll be, though she probably shouldn't but I'll let it slide. I, unfortunately, have another meeting to be at.
Several hours later and two unnecessary, in my book, meetings, I am finally free for the rest of the day. Maria texted before the second meeting, which I wasn't supposed to be in, that she was coming back early. The dinner meeting she was suppose have got cancelled and rescheduled for another time. I am waiting for her to get back to tell her about Phil's team leaving. We were both busy to talk much but I'm running on the assumption that she doesn't or hasn't been told about the team leaving. After my first meeting, I was able to check out why they were sent on mission so soon after just finishing one. Phil and his team are helping recover some tech that shouldn't be in the wrong hands.
While checking where Phil was sent, I also did a quick check on Alex. As I had thought she would, I found her on one of the security camera's in the training area vigorously punching a bag. She has taken off her hoodie and the two item's the girls gave her. This is one of two ways Alex deals with problems. I much prefer this to her sequestering herself away from everyone in a dark room. At least by doing this she is expending some of whatever she is feeling. Maria and I are in agreement that Alex keeps too much in but know how she reacts when being pushed.
Sitting in Maria's desk chair as I boot up her computer to check in on Alex. I realized during my unnecessary second meeting that the training area was the only place she could go to deal with Skye and Simmons leaving. Alex doesn't know the code to her room but that doesn't matter anyway, it's not where she'll be staying now. She never really thought of it as hers anyway, using something else but never calling it her own. I believe Alex has thought, and possibly still does, this was a temporary placement. That at any moment she will be sent somewhere else. It's probably been recommended to Fury but he hasn't moved her and probably won't. Not with how well she is doing since first coming here. The surprise Maria and I have for her should help her feel like she belongs here.
Alex is in the same place she was the last time I checked on her. Sometime between the last time I check on her and now, she has changed into the workout gear she keeps in the locker in the change room. The t-shirt with cut off sleeves was Maria's from her college days, specifically the college she went too. She gave it to her because she wanted Alex to have something that didn't have the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on it. Her hoodie and the items are still on the bench nearby but in different places.
The door to Maria's offices opens but I barely pay it any mind as I know who it is. I keep my eyes glued to the screen as the person walks towards me. Alex doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Her stamina is very high, up there with Captain America, and could probably go for a few more hours if we let her.
"How long has she been at it?" Maria asks, resting on the edge of her desk near to where I am sitting in her desk chair.
"Longer then I should have let her," I answer her, glancing up at her out the corner of my eye. "I know that she shouldn't but I honestly thought she would have stopped by now." I say, returning my focus on the screen where Alex is taking a brief break by taking a few sips of water.
"I'm guessing it has something to do with Phil's team leaving." She states resting a hand on my shoulder.
"I think it's hitting her harder then she expected," I say, leaning into her hand unconsciously. "Especially after the short time they've known each other. She is used to us leaving but she knows that we'll come back after a certain amount of time. With them, she doesn't and that bothers her. Though she won't admit it to herself or to others, not right now." I tell her my thoughts on the situation at hand as Alex throws a particularly hard punch to the bag, causing it to move more than before.
"Until she is ready to talk, we'll keep an eye on her." Maria tells me while rubbing the shoulder her hands rests on.
"Clint comes back next week," I point out to her, turning to face her completely. "He'll know something is up with her." I remind her of the third person that can read Alex very well. Clint can't know the whole truth about the reason, as he still doesn't know about Phil.
"We'll just tell him we pushed her to talk, he'll believe that," Maria tells me softly, resting her other hand on my shoulder and leaning down closer to my face. "We'll also have to have a chat with Alex so she doesn't accidentally tell Clint the truth about Phil." She says before leaning in to give me a gentle kiss on the lips.
"It's too bad he had to leave so soon," I say with a sigh after she pulls away from my lips. "It would have been nice to sit down and talk to him about telling Clint about him being alive." I say, glancing over at the screen still showing Alex hitting the punching bag.
"Yes, it would have," She agrees, also glancing at the screen. "It's his choice to still keep the other members of the Avengers in the dark on that. Though you weren't supposed to know either but I'm glad you do. Not sure how much longer I would have kept that from you." Maria says with relief in her voice and looking at me with apology in her eyes, still feeling guilty about keeping it from me for the time she did.
I have only known that Phil was actually alive since his return to active duty in September. It was purely by accident that I found out, as I had showed up to Maria's field office without notice. She hadn't seen me standing outside of the op centre where they were talking so I decided to just leave. I went to the same place Alex is right now, the training room there. Punching it out on the bag was better than letting it fester and would have caused both Maria and I to say things we didn't mean if I hadn't gone. It allowed me to think it all over and let my frustration over being lied to out. Hours later, I went to find Maria and we calmly talked about Phil being alive. She told me that several times she almost just blurted it out when we were alone together. For a week after she told me she was sorry for keeping it from me, something she was against from the moment Fury told her she couldn't say anything to any of us. The relief was clear when she confirmed everything, that by me knowing a great weight was lifted off her shoulders. Phil wasn't too surprised that I found out when he had his first check in with Maria after his first mission with his new team. I assured him I wouldn't tell the others, as it wasn't my place and I was under orders from Fury when he found out that I knew. That was the second time I've seen Fury so upset, though it was somewhat controlled.
"I could see something was bothering you since after the Battle of New York," I tell her, reaching up to cup her cheek. "I didn't know it was this. You were under orders and if I hadn't of stopped by unannounced that day, I would still be in the dark about Phil. Now that I do, we can share in the burden and stop feeling guilty about it." I say softly, pulling her closer to peak her lips quickly.
"I love you." She whispers against my lips, causing me to smile like I always do when she says those three words.
"I love you too," I whisper back, pecking her on the lips again. "Now, let's go retrieve our girl or she'll spend all night down there." Patting her cheek playfully for her to pull back.
"We should," Maria agrees, standing to her full height and holding a hand out to help me up. "I brought something back from D.C. to celebrate Alex's successful mission, new privileges and our surprise." She informs me with a smile as she pulls me from her desk chair.
"Pizza from Gabe's." I ask but it sounds more like a statement, as it's both our favourite and Alex likes it the one time Maria brought it back a few months ago.
"A large Orleans Fave for Alex and a medium Heavenly Hawaiian for us." She tells me as she shuts the screen off.
"It's a good thing we aren't based at the Triskelion or we would have that every Friday night." I say as she leads me to the door by the hand, which she'll have to let go of once we are there. She lets out a frustrated sigh and I stop her by pulling on the hand in mine.
"We will be by the end of the month," Maria informs after I stare at her with a mild glare. "All four of us will be moved down there, Fury's orders," She adds quickly, sensing I was about to ask about Alex. "Alex is considered an Agent now and where we are based, Alex is based. I'm her handler and you're her SO." She tells me, assuring me that Alex will be with us where ever we are.
"I don't want to think how she'll handle us leaving." I say with relief. It's clear Alex doesn't handle people leaving her behind well.
"She didn't show it but I think Phil's sudden departure bothered her," Maria says in agreement of my statement. "We've tried having a therapist talk to her but you know that didn't go over well. She's opened up some to us about little things but she still holds a lot in. How are we supposed to help her if she doesn't talk about what is bothering her?" She asks, leaning against the door in frustration.
"Maybe we aren't the right people for the job." I tell her gently, placing my hands on her hips.
"If we aren't, who is?" She asks in frustration and I understand why as it frustrates me too. I raise my eyebrow and give her a look that says 'you know exactly who'. "You don't mean…" She trails off in disbelief after she figures out who I mean.
"If you heard what Phil had to say about Alex's time on The Bus, you would be agreeing with me," I tell her, taking a step away from her and cross my arms. "There is a connection there, almost instantaneous. They may not see it yet, but there is. Skye and Simmons could be the ones to break down Alex's walls, get her to open up and help her heal." I tell her my thoughts on the matter but she just looks at me skeptically.
"Your basing that off four days of knowing each other," Maria says, shaking her head and pushing off the door. "That's not enough time to form a conclusion." She says opening her office door, ending our conversation.
"Your wrong." Is all I say to her as I pass her through the door she let me go through first.
We walk in silence through the halls of HQ but it's a tension filled silence. I'm being childish as I know Maria brought up a very good point. I strongly believe in what Phil told me and in what I've seen because I want the same happiness I have with Maria for Alex. For longer than I can remember I've been told that love is for children and a weakness. It's one of the reason I fought my growing feelings for her. Now, I scoff at myself for believing such things. Loving Maria and being loved by her makes me stronger and a better person. We may not know all that Alex has been through in life but I know it has been hard, like my own. If I can be happy and loved after all that I've done in life, then so does Alex.
"Tasha," Maria stops me before entering the training room, having walked the whole way in silence. "I'm sorry for what I said. You have good instincts about these things. I didn't hear what Phil said about Alex's time on the Bus nor have I seen her with Skye and Simmons. You just want Alex to find what you yourself have found with me, don't you?" She asks, as if reading my mind about what I was just thinking about.
"I do," I admit quietly, looking away for a moment. "If I deserve it, she deserves it even more. She may not know it but deep down, so does she." I tell her and her hand twitches to reach out and hold mine.
"She'll get it but it will have to be on her own," Maria tells me quietly as well. "We can't meddle too much, maybe find a way for Phil and his team to stop by more often but other than that it has to be her. Alex will feel pressured into it and that won't be good for anyone." She says and I nod in agreement.
We give each other small loving smiles for a moment before entering the training room. At this time of night, it's mostly empty. As we walk over to where we know Alex is, I see two people over where the treadmills and stationary bikes are but that is it. The punching bags and training mats are at the back and there is only Alex there, the way she likes it. She is still punching away at the bag like she just started fifteen minutes ago. That is some stamina she has. I think watching her punches get more and more aggressive with each one. We learned not to interrupt her when she's hitting the bag as she gets lost in the rhythm and forgets her surroundings. I take in a sharp breath when I notice her eyes. They aren't her normal stunning grey but the yellow we have seen flashes of at times. This is the longest I've seen her eyes this colour.
With an angry grunt, Alex throws a punch that sends that bag flying off its chain and a few feet away from us. I am not ashamed to admit I jumped in surprise, not expecting that Alex could do that. Steve has been known to break a few punching bags and I've seen him do it once. Maria's words from our video call with Phil the other day ring true, we don't fully understand her. This is just more proof that we don't. By the look on Alex's face at the moment, she is as surprised as Maria and I are. She must be unaware of what she is capable of too.
"I'm… I'm sorry," Alex apologizes, still staring at the bag. "I didn't…. I didn't mean too." Looking over at us with wide eyes. "I was just lost in thought. I'm sorry…. I'm sorry." She says hanging her head and I notice her hands are shaking.
"Oh, щенок," I say, making my way towards her and placing my hands on her neck to force her to look me in the eye. "It's not your fault. Clearly you have more strength then we realize. You didn't know that, so it's not fault." I tell her sincerely, stroking my thumb along her jaw line to calm her down.
"You're not the first to break a punching bag," Maria says coming to join us and placing her hand on Alex's shoulder. "We've lost count on how many Steve has broken since being unfrozen. You clearly have more strength than we thought. We know you didn't mean to break the bag." She soothes Alex, rubbing her shoulder to calm the clearly distraught young woman.
"I'm still sorry." Alex says in a quiet voice, glancing over at the bag.
"It's fine, щенок," I tell her, feeling her pulse slow down under my palm on her neck. "We've lost count at how many things Clint and I have broken over the years. Now nobody bats an eyelash when something is broken." I try assure her and she nods weakly.
"Come on, grab your stuff," Maria says, moving away from the broken bag. "I have supper waiting in our quarters. You can shower there." She says wrapping her arm around Alex's shoulder briefly when she returns with her hoodie over her shoulder.
As we walk to towards the training room doors, I finally can see the two items Skye and Simmons gave Alex. The bracelet I recognize is from Skye, it's a black leather band threaded through a gold ring. The watch she is currently putting on must be from Simmons. Both items reflect their original owners and surprisingly suit Alex. My theory on her having feelings yet to be recognized is confirmed when she runs a finger over both items before dropping her wrist to her side.
"We're going to make a stop so I get can pick up a change of clothes." Alex says as we exit the training room, shrugging her hoodie on.
"Don't worry about it." Maria says casually and Alex narrows her eyes in confusion but doesn't question it further.
We walk to where our quarters are located in comfortable silence. Alex is use to us take her back there for a meal, watch a movie or just to be there with us. She has slept on our couch a number of times, as well. It was after one of those times that we noticed she looked more rested then when she slept in the room she has been staying in since coming here. We at first looked into getting her quarters near ours but none were available. Clint found out what we were trying to do and he made the suggestion we are surprising Alex with tonight.
"Can we watch a movie after supper?" Alex asks, breaking our comfortable silence as we approach our quarters.
"Sure we can." Maria answers her with a smile and Alex smiles in return, always happy when we can lounge on the couch after supper and watch a movie.
"I believe it's your turn to pick, anyway." I point out to her, though I don't think it really is but it's all about Alex tonight.
"It's actually Clint's turn but since he's not here, I'll take his turn." Alex says as we reach our door and I'm surprised for the millionth time that she remembers that so easily. I'm always wrong about who's turn it is.
"It'll be his turn when he returns," Maria says as she puts in the code on the screen beside the door. "8482, remember that." She directs to Alex, who looks at her confused but I usher her inside before she can ask any questions.
"Is that Gabe's I smell?" She asks instead, taking a large intake of breath. "I love when you go to D.C." About to make her way to the living room where I see the boxes of pizza on the coffee table in a warming bag.
"Not so fast," I say, grabbing a hold of her hoodie hood. "Shower first, then pizza and a movie," I tell her sternly and cut her off when she goes to argue. "No, shower." Pointing towards the second bedroom we have in our quarters. It's meant for two agents to share and Maria and I do but we only use one of the rooms.
"You heard her, shower." Maria backs me up when Alex turns towards her.
With a sigh and lower shoulders, Alex makes her way to the second bedroom. I bite the inside of my cheek at how much of child not getting what they want Alex looks in that moment. Maria and I exchange a smile, knowing what's about to happen. We slowly make our way after her as we see her pause just inside the doorway. She looks around the room, which is a little bigger than the one she has been in since coming here. We reach the door just as she turns around with a quizzically look on her face.
"What are my things doing in here?" She asks, looking between the two of us for an answer.
"I doubled back after we left you and put them in there while you were eating breakfast," I begin to explain to her. "This is our surprise we mentioned this morning. You'll be sharing our quarters with us from on." I tell her with a bright smile.
"This is where I'll be staying from now on?" She asks in a quiet voice, looking over her shoulder at the room.
"It's your room." Maria confirms, emphasizing that it's her room.
"My room," Alex says in a quiet awed voice. "Now I understand why you told me to remember the code for the door." She says, turning to take another look at her room now that she understands that it's hers.
"We can work on getting you more stuff to make it more your own space," I say as I look around the room at what little she has accumulated in her two years here. "Now, shower so we can eat." I tell her again before we leave Alex to her room, closing the door behind us.
It will be good to have Alex just across the room from us and not a few floors down from our quarters. The room Alex used to stay in was more of temporary holding room. It was no place for a future Agent of SHIELD to stay in. Moving Alex to our quarters insured that we have her close while also giving her her own space. I believe having us near is why she slept better than she did in her previous accommodations. Time will tell if that's true but I know I feel better knowing she is across the living room from us. I suspect that Alex suffers from the occasionally nightmare, as do I on occasion, and I hope knowing we are just across from her that she'll come to us for comfort. Having Maria just hold me tight after I wake from a nightmare helps. The option is there for Alex if wants to use it.
Maria sets up the entertainment centre for us to watch a movie while I get everybody their preferred drinks when eating supper. A beer for Maria and I and a caffeine free iced tea for Alex. There has been a lot of trial and error when it comes to the food and drink Alex can tolerate now. Most she has learned on her own but a few she has come to know while here. The biggest one we watch out for is caffeine as she becomes very hyperactive if consumed. Small amounts don't bother her too much and she works it off in the training room but we try to watch out for it when possible. I've offered her a beer to drink in the past but she has declined, whether that's because she can't tolerate it, a personal choice or possible not old enough is unclear but respect.
Exactly eight minutes later, I've timed her several times, Alex emerges from her room with wet hair and in comfortable clothing. She only wears tank tops when around our little group because we won't stare or question her about the scars that are visible. It breaks my heart every time I see them, knowing what she most likely went through to get them. Especially the one on her back, which never fails to send shivers down my back every time I see it.
Alex plops down on the floor in front of her drink and waits for Maria to hand over her large pizza. With a smile and a thank you to Maria she opens her pizza up. It always amazes me at the amount she can eat as she has the same build as Maria. Clint has joked she should go up against Steve in an eating contest since she eats as much as he does. She is nearly done a slice by the time Maria hands me a plate with ours on it. We all eat for a few minutes in silence, enjoy a rare treat for us. After her third slice of pizza, Alex asks for the remote so she can choose a movie for the evening.
Most of the movies Alex chooses we have already seen but we don't mind watching them again. We suspect that they are ones she has missed in her time being held and on the run. I like when it's her turn to pick a movie because I feel like I'm learning a little something about Alex by her movie choices. Her choices are varied but I notice lean more towards someone like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory would like, a favourite show of Alex's coincidently. It's probably why her and Clint get along so well as he is a closet nerd himself.
With tonight's movie picked and starting up, Alex goes back to eating her pizza. I can tell how excited she is for her choice as she slows her eating down just a little. It's the second Red movie starring Bruce Willis, which I actually haven't seen myself. Alex really liked the first one and was happy to hear from Clint that a second one was made. With one final look at Alex happily waiting and watching, I turn my attention to the movie on the screen.
We pause the movie half way through so we can discard Alex's empty box and put away our leftovers. I notice Alex gets up on to the couch next to me a little stiffly. Must be from how long she was on the bag for. I think as she lays her head in my lap. This is just one example to how far Alex has come. She used to ask if she could but now just does it. I think she enjoys laying her head on my lap because I run my fingers through her hair. She becomes more relaxed when I do this and sometimes even falls asleep depending on how tired she is. With Maria's return, with a fresh beer for me, and her settling on the couch with Alex's feet resting in her lap, we continuing watching the movie.
This is not what I thought my life would become when I joined SHIELD. I had given up on getting any sort of happiness in my life or even finding love. It might not be the life I thought I would have but it's one I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Even fighting aliens again to keep it. For the first time in my life I have somewhere I belong. I have a family in every sense but blood. My family.