"Oh hey, hey, you're back!" Chloe greeted the incoming Agents with a wide smile. "How was your first mission?"
Before Steve could answer, Natasha moved around him and took her chance. "He passed with flying colors. He could just do with some people-skills."
Even though Steve literally knew Natasha for all of 2 days, he looked at her with the same incredulous face that anyone else would have in his place. Black Widow was not a people person. He learned it and saw it today.
Chloe assumed what Steve was thinking and laughed for a moment. "Well, all jokes aside I'm happy that it went okay."
"It did," Steve agreed. Things were far different in S.H.I.E.L.D. than the 40s offered him but hopefully with time he would get used to it and find his new path. He thought joining SHIELD would be one of the stronger ways to to really adjust him to the new world. It was clear that he could not hold a regular job - his mind wouldn't be able to handle it. He needed to be somewhere that was closer to home, and that was SHIELD. For better or for worse, fighting is what he was used to. So, he accepted Fury's offer. On his first mission, however, he was not paired up with Seren - Agent Soul (he had to remember that!) - but instead with the formidable Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow.
"C'mon, we got a debriefing to go to before we can call it a day," Natasha told him as the rest of the agents started heading away.
"Fury's late," Chloe said before they would move. "Council meeting."
"Council meeting?" asked Steve. Anything that he didn't know of, he was asking questions about. Even if it did cause him a few flushes here and there; he had to know the place he was going to work at.
"They're the people in charge of basically everything," Chloe folded her arms. "They made the decision to nuke New York."
"Ah," that was all Steve needed to know to make his opinions about that group. He did not like them.
"Seren around?" Natasha asked, already looking around for the ginger. If they had time, then she would use it to spar. Seren still owed her one.
"It's Wednesday," Chloe said as if that explained everything.
"Right."
Steve curiously looked between the women. There was something apparently special about Wednesdays?
"It's Wednesday meaning," Natasha patted his arm much too comfortingly for what he was used to (actually he wasn't used to that at all from women), "You won't be seeing much of her today."
"Why? Is she on a special mission?"
"No," Chloe cleared her throat. "Wednesdays are when Agent Dade comes in."
Steve tilted his head, still not understanding. "Agent Dade...?"
"Agent Atria Dade," Chloe said, grinning when the realization struck Steve.
"You mean Seren's grandmother?"
"That's the one! Agent Atria Soul comes in every Wednesday to specifically train her granddaughter one-on-one for nearly the whole day. Any explosions you hear, don't worry about it." Chloe smiled. Steve would most definitely worry. "She usually heals quickly."
Natasha almost laughed on the spot the way Chloe was delivering the news. Seren liked to claim that she was terrible but Chloe had her own special way of being terrible.
"Okay, no, please tell me that isn't true," Steve turned to Natasha after Chloe decided to leave him hanging with that awful explanation.
Natasha's eyebrows raised together quizzically. "What? That we get our asses handed to us sometimes? Only if we're having a bad day." She headed in the opposite direction Chloe went to but Steve followed right behind her.
"Seriously. I know I'm new but tell me you're messing with me. This is actually the only time I would like someone to be messing with me."
Natasha laughed. "Funny. You're funny."
Steve's face was flat. "I'm being serious."
"You want to see for yourself? We can do that, I just don't think you're going to like it." Based on the effect this was already taking on him, Natasha was sure what she was saying would be absolutely true.
~0~
A colorful blinding light exploded in the air and took a body down. Seren felt the throb on the side of her head. She missed again.
"Do it again," the same voice commanded.
Seren put her efforts in standing up without staggering. Staggers meant she was leaving an opening for the enemy and if Atria saw the stagger that meant that the enemy would also see it.
A lasso of fire shot forwards, forcing Seren to jump backwards. "Ah! Grandma!" She glared up ahead to where Atria stood, her hand still outstretched from her attack.
"You left an opening. Very sloppy."
Seren would've rolled her eyes if it wouldn't subject her to a lecture on how "those pretty eyes shouldn't be doing anything like that". Seren was sure that her eyes could do whatever they wanted.
"Again."
Seren exhaled a heavy breath, both from weariness and anxiety. She'd been trying the same attack for hours now and it still wasn't good enough for Atria's standards. She had to get it right.
"Again," Atria called, clapping her hands to snap Seren out of her thoughts.
With a quick nod, Seren prepared herself to fight again.
From outside, Natasha had just brought Steve up to the one-way mirror that allowed them to catch sight of Seren landing on her side after Atria attacked. Instead of crying out in pain - because that type of landing promised a decent level of pain - Seren bolted upright, her eyes blazing with an anger Steve hadn't seen in her once. Not even the Chitauri had managed to pull that from her.
"I had that!" Seren growled.
Atria remained stoic in the face of her angry granddaughter. "Were that true, you wouldn't have fallen." She made a quick gesture of her hand for Seren to stand up.
"What is going on?" Steve was both shocked and dumbfounded, shocked that he was seeing a whole new side of Seren - one that he wasn't sure if he liked or not - and dumbfounded because he never thought that Atria Dade was still capable of putting up a fight.
Natasha simply loved his reaction. "This is Wednesday for S.H.I.E.L.D. Every Wednesday, Atria comes in to personally train Seren in the Celessian ways. That includes sparring, combat, and special abilities."
"I thought Atria was…"
"Old?" Natasha snorted. "That's what we all thought until she kicked each and every one of our asses. She's a full Celessian, Steve. She may look old but she has a lot more strength than us. Imagine Seren but twice as strong."
Steve winced when Seren once again landed with a terrible thud. "But does it have to be that violent? That's her own flesh and blood."
"Atria does not go easy on anyone. Besides, Seren specifically requests that." A smile crossed Natasha's face. "She doesn't like being coddled."
It still didn't take the worry away from Steve. He came to the conclusion that he simply did not like watching Seren get hurt in any way. Of course during one of those thoughts, Seren managed to return a colorful stream of energy to Atria, knocking the woman down just like Seren had landed minutes ago.
"Also, Seren can kick Atria's behind too. Each week is different," Natasha shrugged.
It seemed like the grandmother and granddaughter duo were opting for a break. Seren had retreated to the water bottle she left on a bench. She drank like crazy, as if someone had prevented her from doing so earlier. She had stopped seconds before she saw Steve and Natasha crossing through the door. "Careful," she warned the pair, stopping them in their tracks. "Radiation sometimes might be a bit high."
"We checked," Natasha's tone expressed a line of annoyance that Seren would think she wouldn't check something as basic as that before coming in. She met Atria's stoic face and gave a nod. "Agent Dade."
Atria returned the nod with her own. "Agent Romanoff, good afternoon."
Steve was frankly bemused by how different Atria was in comparison to the last time he saw her. Granted it had only been for a few seconds that he saw her but she just had a warm smile to her, plus Seren didn't describe her as anything but sweet. He had his own reservations about Atria but he didn't think she was rude. Right now, when her eyes met his, all he felt was like she was studying him for standards. He was being scrutinized.
"Ma'am," he gave his own usual greeting.
Whatever she was scrutinizing about him seemed to last a bit longer then eventually she nodded at him. "Captain. While I am aware that you two are very close to my granddaughter, I would appreciate it if you did not interrupt our training session. Romanoff, you know that." Atria spared Natasha a second glance before turning away.
"Grandma," Seren sighed. She was too tired to argue.
"What training do you do exactly?" Steve found himself asking. His eyes are taking notice of the specialized walls lining the room. Unlike the other rooms, at least most of the rooms that he had seen anyways, this room had deep dark gray walls. He could see shiny bolts of tech lining the corners.
Atria didn't answer straightaway. She had come towards the bench holding her own things. Suddenly, she whipped forwards a lasso of golden energy. Both Steve and Natasha flinched in their spots.
"Grandma," Seren frowned. That was completely unnecessary and Atria knew it. "He was only asking."
"And I answered," Atria turned to face the trio, smiling out of amusement. "Every Wednesday, I dedicate my entire day to teaching my granddaughter the ways of our people. That includes combat, our powers, and even our language. We only speak in Celessian and the only reason we're speaking English right now is to do you, Captain, and Agent Romanoff a favor."
"Mm, I feel very lucky," Natasha rolled her eyes. The sarcasm drenching her words provoked a glare from Atria.
"Grandma, I need a break," Seren announced. "I'm taking it."
"Ten minutes," Atria warned, her head lowering as if waiting for something…
"...yes ma'am," Seren quietly said. She urged Steve and Natasha to follow her out of the room, or begged. "I'm so sorry about that," she began to say once they were out in the hallway. "I swear my grandmother is nice but on Wednesday's…"
'Not just Wednesdays,' Natasha mouthed to Steve, Seren completely unaware in front of them. Steve had learned - or rather he picked up on - that Natasha was full of sarcasm, usually dry sarcasm, but this time around he suspected that the sarcasm wasn't in play. There was an underlying disdain for Atria and if he was being honest with himself, he was inclining towards that sentiment as well.
Seren led them into the first open room she found. She just needed a couple minutes to clear her mind so she could go back with a new plan. "How was your mission?" She turned around to face them. She was terribly sad she couldn't join Steve on his first mission. She had no doubt that he would be successfully with or without her. He had been fighting before she was even born — he would be great. Absolutely fantastic.
"Good," Natasha folded her arms and sniffed. "Golden Boy here can actually throw a punch." Steve awkwardly coughed and felt his face flush at Natasha's smirking glance.
Seren, however, didn't like the implications of what she heard. "Something went wrong with the mission?" Last time she heard, it was meant to be something simple. They were sent to retrieve a few lingering tech from the Chitauri battle.
"Uh, some low-lives looking for a quick buck," Natasha shrugged.
"Street criminals, I presumed," Steve gave a much more clarified response. "Nothing to worry about, though. Everything is where it needs to be now."
"That's good." Seren searched for the nearest chair to collapse into and even when she tried her best to make it look like she would sit, her body slumped down on it instead. "You don't mind if I take the 10 I was given, right?"
"What's the matter? Grandma kicking your ass today?" Natasha's smirk was unwelcomed by both Seren and Steve.
"She would have yours for that," Seren languidly pointed at her.
"Seren, is all this really necessary?" Steve came around her chair. At first glance he could see a few cuts and the beginning of several bruises on her exposed skin.
"Don't worry about it, I'm used to it. I heal quickly."
That wasn't what he had asked and she knew it. "Why?" He asked instead.
Seren pursed her lips and pushed herself up into a more appropriate sitting. "It's how things have always been. My grandmother makes sure that I never lose touch. She helps me keep my Celessian side alive and she just checks my overall progress. She's the only one who can do it. My mother abhors anything SHIELD and she really doesn't use her powers."
"But she's hurting you," Steve said, only just being able to keep his frustration from seeping through his voice.
Natasha subtly shifted towards them but it was already too late.
Seren shook her head. "She's teaching me, Steve. She always teaches."
"I'm confused, last week you were so upset with her and your family…"
"It's like you said, that was last week. Plus, that was Seren."
Steve shot her a puzzled look. "I...wasn't aware you had a twin."
In another moment, she would've commended him for his perfect use of sarcasm. Seren pushed herself up from her chair. Steve wouldn't comment about her slight wobble.
"What I meant is that outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. is something different. Right now, right here, I am an a Agent. I do what is expected of me and I do not bring my familial problems into it."
"No, you just let it hit you." Steve seriously hated seeing all the marks on her face, marks caused by a woman he already didn't necessarily like right now.
Seren scowled. "I'm just doing what I always do!"
"But why does it involve letting yourself get hurt? Isn't that what your parents were so upset about with your grandmother?" Steve was beginning to understand exactly what Seren's parents were so upset about. It took him 5 minutes to understand, actually.
"It's training! You do it all the time - usually half angry, by the way!" snapped Seren. "How many punching bags have you gone through?"
Steve blinked at her sudden snap. It was the first time he was ever on the receiving end of her anger (where she wasn't brainwashed). There was an alarm going off in his head screaming at him to make it better but another part of him beckoned him not to back down. Seren wouldn't benefit if he didn't say something. "I think you're over-exerting yourself and more than that, you're throwing yourself into a place you weren't so sure about 5 days ago. You were crying and I don't want to see that happen again!"
"Well don't worry about that, Captain," Seren snapped, another surprising act, "You won't." She moved past him, muttering her next words, "I'm gonna need a raincheck on that curry."
That certainly blew up in his face. He truly did have no idea what he was doing when it came to women, did he? It only got worse when he met Natasha's smiling face, rather smirking more like it. "I know what you're going to say...don't."
"Do you?" Natasha hummed. "Perceptive. But I'll go ahead and say it anyways: you shouldn't have done that."
"Tell her that she's hurting herself?"
"That's the one," Natasha snapped her fingers at him.
"I just - I didn't mean to upset her!" Steve passed a hand through his hair. "I just...I don't...I don't really like what I've heard so far about her…"
"Atria?" Natasha lifted an eyebrow, her lips once again pulling a smirk when he ducked his head out of shame. "I get it. I had the same conversation with Seren back when we first met. It ended just like it did right now. No where."
"Seren's parents think she's been weaponized and...I kind of…" It was truly hard for Steve to admit it even when Seren wasn't in the room. It just felt wrong to think something like that but luckily he was with Natasha Romanoff right now and she was very good at saying the hard stuff out loud.
"You agree." She folded her arms over her chest. "Me too, by the way, but you probably guessed that already. You want to know a secret, Captain? Everyone here" — she spun her index finger in a circle — "has been weaponized. Me? I was weaponized long before I came here. You too, if we're being honest, and you know that."
How could Steve put 'it's different for Seren' into words that didn't make the situation worse? "I wasn't weaponized by my own grandmother, and much less as a kid," he said quietly. "Were you?"
Natasha's lips pursed together. Even from across the room Steve noticed the subtle change in her stance. She wasn't answering but he could guess what it would be. "Another secret," she began after watching the horror cross his face, "Not everything around here is going to be morally correct. In fact, I'd challenge you to find nothing wrong here. I know what's right and wrong, I know that Seren's grandmother isn't the best of people but I also know when it's a lost cause and believe me this" — she made a gesture with her arm — "is a lost cause."
"It's just wrong," Steve said, his face scrunching at the idea of having to 'let it go' as Natasha was suggesting.
"Yeah," the redhead shrugged. "I know it must be a whole new concept for you but there are some things that you won't be able to correct. My advice? Since you're so close to Seren...don't pull that string with her. When I did, she stopped talking to me for a month." She walked out of the room with that thought left in the air. "Welcome to SHIELD, by the way."
Steve was left on his own to think about his limited options and he was more than upset to realize that not one of them would help Seren see reality. He wasn't sure if he could get used to it but then another thought hit him: he didn't exactly have many options either. Everything he knew was gone and the little he had found was in danger of slipping away. He had to hold on no matter the cost.
~ 0 ~
Seren threw three consecutive punches towards Atria but the woman had easily dodged them and produced a sphere of star matter to smash against Seren's stomach. The ginger was thrown back and landed with a thud.
"That was unfair!" Seren was quick to sit upright. Her hand rubbed her stomach and forced herself to ignore the throbs she felt in the area.
"And you were sloppy," Atria said coolly. "Embarrassingly sloppy."
Seren glared and pulled herself. Atria watched her wobble on her feet and push through it to prepare for another round. "I'm ready."
"No, you're not," Atria corrected. "You're usually focused and you have good sessions. Today's not the case."
"I said I'm ready—"
"And I said that you're not," Atria's voice had lowered, warning Seren not to try lying again. "You never fight angry, Seren. You know that. You preach it to the other Agents."
"I am not angry, can we please just get on with it?" There was a childish huff in Seren's tone that Atria wasn't going to let slide. Seren never acted like that.
"Lower the hands, my Star Soul, and tell me why you're upset with the Captain."
Seren stiffened. Atria hardly ever broke the professionalism when she visited S.H.I.E.L.D. each week. It was one of the most important rules she instilled in her granddaughter. There had to be boundaries and at S.H.I.E.L.D., the civilian side had to stay outside. Right now, Atria wasn't being an Agent. She was just her grandmother and she was wearing that warm expression she always had when Seren visited.
Seren's fists lowered to her sides and her body straightened up. Her expression softened for the briefest of seconds. Guilt surged through Atria when she recognized it as another training tactic she helped instill. She could almost hear Liana's accusations. And what would she say? That it wasn't right? She already accepted that but she had no idea how to fix it - how to fix Seren.
"There is nothing wrong, grandma. Please, can we go back to training?" Seren firmly believed it would be a lot easier to do that than dissect what happened with Steve.
"Would that make it easier?"
"Yes."
"Then no."
Seren sighed with annoyance. She raised her hands in the air, yelling "Fine!" and then moving to storm out.
"It was about me, wasn't it?" Atria's call stopped Seren at the doorway. Her granddaughter said nothing but she wouldn't turn around either. "I know it was. My Star Soul, don't let me take away more than what I already have."
"There is nothing to take, grandma," Seren said quietly. "I'm so tired of hearing that. Nobody took anything from me."
"As a child, you didn't exactly have the choice."
Seren whirled around to reveal angry, glimmering eyes. "So then why are you still here? Why do you say all these things and then come back to keep training me?"
"Because it's now your choice. I am here because you want me here. It should have been like this from the start," Atria sighed.
"Grandma, please help me," Seren came back to her grandmother in full fleshed tears. "I'm so confused."
Atria held Seren's head and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks. "I know, I know, and I'm so sorry. It's my fault - its your family's fault. We keep shouting and arguing and leaving you stuck in the middle."
Seren sniffed. "I don't think you're a bad person, grandma."
Atria sadly smiled at her granddaughter. "And you believe that, if you agree with what your parents say — with what Romanoff and the Captain say — then you're saying that I am a bad person."
For once, Seren was grateful that her grandmother was a seer. She didn't have to explain everything. "I love you and I love my parents but lately it feels like I'm splitting in two."
"I'm sorry." For a long time, Atria wished she could do more than just say that. It seemed like the time had finally come to help her granddaughter not lose something else. "Don't get into any arguments because of me, especially with people you care about."
"I can't help but get defensive about it," Seren admitted. She opened her reddened eyes to meet her grandmother's loving pair. They were nothing compared to the cold ones staring at her minutes ago. The switch between Agent and Grandmother was a fine line that Atria long ago mastered.
"I know," Atria gave Seren a gentle pat on her cheeks. "And while I'm grateful that you still care enough to overlook the damage I have caused, I do not want - under any circumstances - for you to drive people away from you because of it. Especially when those people only want what's best for you. They are not bad people for pointing out my mistakes, for pointing out mistakes that you are making. Do you think they are?"
Seren bit on her lower lip. The first time she had the conversation with Natasha, she had yelled at her for God knows how long. Natasha had no business pointing out the flaws Atria had. Seren had never been so angry with someone...and then she cooled off. Natasha didn't go around picking fights with Agents. Everything she said was calculated and well thought out. She was a stranger to mistakes. Seren came to understand that Natasha had only been trying to correct a wrong she'd seen.
Steve had tried to do the same thing too. Just like last time, she had lashed out. For some reason, she felt even worse this time around. Maybe it was the fact this was the first time they truly argued over something. It brought a terrible pit in her stomach when she thought about it. Out of everyone, Steve would be the last person to pick a fight with her.
"No, they're not," she ultimately answered Atria. She swallowed hard, fresh new tears coming to her eyes.
Atria let go of Seren's head and sighed. "Well then, go on and apologize." The mere thought scared Seren on the spot. Atria chuckled. She knew exactly what Seren was feeling. "Nothing to be afraid of, Seren. He's not going to yell."
Seren shook her head. "Maybe-maybe I can wait a bit. I literally just snapped at him twenty minutes ago. I-I don't...I don't want to run the risk of him still being mad with me."
"Something tells me he's not exactly 'mad' at you," Atria winked at Seren and chuckled when she saw the faint pink blush spread across her cheeks.
"Can we please go back to training now?" Seren shook her head in hopes of shaking off that pink tinge as well. "I promise I'm better now."
Atria knew it so she agreed. The training would continue for the rest of the day, just like it always did.
~ 0 ~
Director Fury walked into his office to find a tall blonde lounging about like it was an ordinary room. Had it been someone else, he would've yelled and thrown them out, but Agent Winters was a slightly different kind of agent.
"What is it?" He asked like he already suspected there was something she required, and typically there was. Today was no exception.
Chloe fixed herself into a much more appropriate sitting position as Fury came to his seat across the desk. "It's Stark. I'm going to kill him."
"I think there's a line for that."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "You know when he hacked into the system? He found my file, Fury." That piece of information startled the man which was why it scared Chloe when she first heard about it. "Now I have Seren wondering why there's barely anything in it. She wrote most of my progress."
"Did you tell her anything?"
"Of course not! I know Seren and the moment I tell her the truth, she'll have a breakdown then want to wrap me up in bubble wrap! We need to fix this."
"Why? Agent Soul won't go fishing around. That's not her style."
Chloe wasn't so sure that was true anymore. "We need to get ahead of this. I leave for Belgium tomorrow and I won't be back for a long time. I've exceeded my allowed time per place. I have no guarantee that whatever suspicions Seren has aren't getting bigger by the day. Actually, according to the Hive, they will get stronger. And the Hive is never wrong."
Fury motioned her to calm down. This was the first time in a long time that Chloe looked that unsettled. She had long ago mastered the art of a straight face. It was what he liked most about the agent. "Alright. We'll take care of it. We always do."
Chloe nodded. "Thanks. I just don't want her digging and getting hurt by the truth."
"I know," Fury agreed, slightly more bitter about it. "If anyone's gonna find the bastards, it'll be us."
Chloe smirked. Yes, it would be.
A/N:
Tsk, tsk, Steve, you might be in the doghouse for that one...and what's Chloe up to? ;)
I just wanna apologize if this chapter seems a bit off. I swear the chapter is cursed. I edited this thing frikin 3 times. The first time, my computer turned off and I didn't get to save it on time. Second time, my changes just didn't save and the third time (literally half an hour ago), my page refreshed...this chapter i know it.
P.S. As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "saiilorstars"