A Really Fun Story
You ran as fast as you could, feeling the ground shaking beneath your feet. Pieces of the surrounding buildings were falling down while you were trying to avoid them or stop them with a wave of hand. You had seen in his eyes he remembered yours, but he hadn't tied up loose ends, had he?
"Lots of people have (e/c) eyes, right?" you muttered under your breath for yourself, raising both hands in front of you at once, opening a hole in the wall that held you back and moving forward.
'So what if he did?' said a voice in your head. 'Like I care... They're the Avengers, they're... S.H.I.E.L.D.'
Before this last thought you couldn't avoid grimacing, despite your mask. That made you think of how angry James would be if he discovered his old mask was gone. Not because he had any love for the damn thing (quite the opposite, actually), but because he was smart enough to find out where it was. That wouldn't be good, and you liked your head where it was, thanks very much.
You stopped in your track, hearing an explosion at your back, and you thought that one probably had the ability to get to the core of the Earth. You turned around, seeing the farthest buildings begin to fall one after another while an energy wave swallowed them.
You swallowed hard, feeling as if your heart was going to leave your chest.
"Fuck my life," you stated loudly.
"Not yet," a voice screamed from your right side.
Smiling a little, you started to run again in said direction as a pale boy with curly brown hair, brown eyes and a sweaty face ran towards you. Thank God he had realized something was going wrong. The buildings four streets away collapsed, sending quakes through the road where you were, and you still had fifty metres left from the spot he was on.
The buildings two streets away fell too. Twenty metres. Just a little more of effort. Your friend reached out a hand in your direction and, while the energy's wave reached your position, you jumped and grabbed him with all your strength.
You felt a sharp pain in your side but then the world around you dissolved, feeling your insides strangely compressing and then returning to its initial state as both of you fell hard on your backs in a very different place.
You could feel the burning in your ribs, but that mattered very little right now. Both of you had come out alive. And that was great. You let out a shaky laugh, which caused him to look up at you as if you were crazy -which, you had to admit, wasn't entirely untrue.
"Never so glad to see you, Dave."
"Love you too, (y/n)".
You started to sit up but the pain in your ribs left you breathless, causing you to fall on your back again. You tried to keep a blank face, but Dave had heard your gasp and was immediately next to you, wrapping an arm around your waist and helping you up.
"I don't need your help, Merlin." You told your friend with a teasing note in your voice towards the nickname, at which he snorted. "Where are we, by the way?"
"Just look around," he replied, a note of nervousness vibrating in the air.
A little confused, you did. And then you froze, looking straight in the blue eyes of a very, very angry young woman with long, wavy, golden hair.
"Dave, you know what I said before?"
"Yeah?"
"I take it back," you snapped at him in a hard, emotionless voice.
A throat clearing redirected your attention, and you sighed, looking at her. She looked at you back with her arms crossed over her chest, waiting for an explanation.
You tried to smile weakly.
"Hey, Gwen..." you started, looking at your best friend since you... had been able to be you, who looked angrier than ever. "I promise, it's a really fun story."
"You should've seen yourself up there, you've been amazing!" Gwen had exclaimed as she descended the stairs of the stage with you, one of her arms around your shoulders. While then, the people at the bar congratulated you for your performance, giving you pats on the back. You faked a smile as Carisi cheered you, sending you a wink.
"Remind me again why I let you talk me into this," your muttered under your breath.
"Because I have great capacities of conviction, it's my birthday and you love me," she said.
You gave her a glare.
"Try again."
"Oh c'mon (y/n)!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "You're so happy every time you play, it's like everything around you just disappears... I wanted to see you like that again."
Your lips curled slightly at the corners, showing the shy ghost of a real smile.
"I don't say this very often, but I love you, Gwen."
"I know," she had whispered, squeezing your shoulder gently. Her blue eyes sparkled with humor then. "I mean, it's me after..." The blonde paled slightly and her voice trailed off as she looked over your shoulder, "all" she finished.
You turned on your heels, following the direction of her gaze, meeting directly with a pair of piercing green eyes drilling yours.The woman had medium-length, fire red hair that danced over her neck, as the flames of a bonfire. She was clearly in shape and had a fierce and confident smile.
"Hello," she greeted with a voice that sounded strong and firm. "My name is Natasha Romanoff."
You almost snorted. You knew her. Of course you did. The Black Widow, ex-KGB agent, agent of SHIELD, Avenger. She was lethal.
And you knew that because you were too.
After all, you had been trained to be like her. Something you knew you couldn't even dream to reach, she was the most deadly assassin ever existed.
She gave you a little smile. It seemed genuine. But you didn't believed it was, after all spies are trained for that sort of thing.
"I've got some friends there," she continued jerking her thumb over her shoulder at a group of people. The Avengers. Everyone of them. Even their friends and colleagues, you knew about because of the files you've collected over the years, were there. Fuck. "We loved your song and I think they would actually like to meet you."
You blinked a few times, really surprised at the unexpected compliment.
"Oh" you breathed. Way to go, (Y/n). "I- Well, I would, but-".
"SHE WOULD LOVE TO!" Gwen said, grinning from ear to ear.
In shock, you turned your head around, looking at her with an almost homicidal expression.
"I would?"
"Of course!" she cheered again, excited. Man, you were so going to kill her. She grabbed one arm of yours and pulled you in that direction, both followed by a very amused Natasha. The redhead put a hand on your shoulder and led you where two young men were sat, giving their backs to you, one pale and blond, the other with tanned skin and dark hair, while Gwen shouted 'Enjoy!' from behind you and you thought you'd get your revenge somehow.
Natasha introduced you and you tried to smile sweetly. You didn't need to pretend it before the Captain tho, who seemed to be kinda lost in time with that old fashioned manners. You wondered if he would feel out of place very often.
Before you knew it, you found yourself alone with Steve. But you barely noticed it, and you didn't care. Perhaps the night would not be so bad after all.
Being in front of Gwen in just your bra would have made you being ashamed if not for a) the fact that your body, since childhood, had been exposed to strangers and b) at least with Gwen you knew each other and you trusted her.
If you had got used to these strange people looking at you (when not doing other things much, much worse), how could you be bothered by her doing so, especially when it was only to help?
Gwen tapped lightly with a roll of gauze over your wound and you let go a hiss, clenching jaws.
"Be still," your blonde friend commanded.
You breathed heavily, a thin layer of sweat upon your (s/c) skin.
"That's easy to say, huh?"
Gwen sent you a glare and you snorted, but nodded, letting her know you'd behave. She took a bandage then, wrapping it around your ribs carefully, with slow, almost sweet movements. You could tell she was worried, and you felt slightly guilty.
"That's what you get when you stick your nose into other people's business," she stated.
You elevated your eyebrows in disbelief, slightly amused by her outburst.
"That's for real? Need I remind you how we came to this?" You pointed to you with your thumbs. "You know who your best friend is, right? Not to mention your boyf-"
"AAAH OKAY OKAY OKAY," she interrupted you, her eyes softening a little when you called her 'your best friend'. "So... tell me," she stormed towards her closet and began rummaging. After a couple of jeans and a hoodie that ended up on the floor, she threw to you a large cotton shirt that you put on. "What on Earth were you doing there?"
"What can I say?" you shrugged. "I have great social skills."
Gwen's face poked out from behind the door, giving you the 'do not give me that crap' look, so typical of all of the members of the Stacy family. You've always thought it should come with the DNA, along with the blond hair.
"Yeah," she answered, the irony evident on her voice. "And back in high school Flash was the most pleasant person you'd ever meet."
You took one hand to your chest in an offended gesture, looking "hurt".
"How rude!"
She left out a small laugh while returning to your side and sat down in front of you. The tension was palpable, so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"Are you going to say something?" You asked when you couldn't stand the silence and her searching look anymore. "I will come out gray here."
"Can you tell me how the hell did you manage to convince Dave to take you there? And why did you do it? I thought we said that, if we did intervene, we would only at the last moment, if the Avengers couldn't handle it. And I thought I specifically asked you to stay here."
"You did, but I hate being told what to do, so I ignored you," you pointed out. "And it was a last moment situation," you replied.
Gwen sighed. She stroked her own temples with her eyes closed, as if she was trying to mitigate a very bad migraine.
"They're S.H.I.E.L.D., (y/n)" she reminded you softly. "You're the first one who's never wanted to get involved with them."
You bit your bottom lip, nodding.
"I know," you said with low voice. "I just couldn't let Ultron hurt that people. I had a bad feeling, so I asked Dave to take me there... I've saved lives today, Gwen. Like we always do."
Your friend pursed her lips in a thin line, now looking at you without anger. She never could be mad at you, especially in that kind of situations.
"Let's change the subject, okay?" She threw herself on the bed, bouncing over the mattress, and then looked at you with a devilish grin. She rested her chin on her palm and blinked repeatedly, as if she were a high school's freshman instead of a student who had just finished the first year of college. "Won't you like the almighty Captain America?"
You looked at her blankly, frowning in confusion, after almost choke on your own spit.
"Excuse me?"
She burst out laughing.
"Didn't you hear me?" she teased you. "You know, that strong, tall, nice, blond and blue-eyed man, whose name is Steve Rogers. You know, that other night at the bar. After he heard you sing. And play guitar." She sighed happily. "I can't imagine anything more romantic."
You raised both eyebrows at once.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
She sent you a glare and smiled for herself, giggling.
"Whatever you say," she said with a sing-song voice before a pillow ended up on her face. When it fell, she fulminated you, blowing her golden hair out of her face. "That wasn't funny."
"May I remind you, you are the one who dragged me to the damn site-"
"After Olivia's command".
"And then to the damn stage because you made sure of carrying my freaking guitar? You even went up to hug me in front of everyone!" you exclaimed, counting with your fingers. "And after that, when the redhead-"
"The Black Widow, Natasha," Gwen interrupted you again, but you just rolled your eyes and ignored her.
"The redhead," you repeated, "came, you almost made me go with her at gunpoint! What was I supposed to do?"
"Say what you want, but to me, it seems promising," she declared, taking her cell phone out and starting to text to God knows who. "I mean, you've risked your life for his team today."
"One, I did it for the civilians. And two, you've seen too many Jennifer Aniston's movies," you commented as you walked out the door and into the bathroom, ending that nonsense conversation.
Maybe it was your imagination, but you thought you heard Gwen mumble something like: "I won't deny it, just hope that the end is like those movies."
A week after the final battle against Ultron, at the 'Real' S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
The surroundings of what was left of the city of Sokovia, shown on television under the title 'Crisis averted', were completely in ruins: crumbling buildings, cracks several meters thick and deep in the pavement, death everywhere...
'Cleanup crews work hard in Sokovia, trying to get back to normal,' commented the reporter with the flat voice of those who hadn't had to deal with such tragedies in first person, the ones who told these kinds of things to the viewers everyday.
But for Phil Coulson, director of SHIELD, every tragedy was lived in first person, and the acceptable number of casualties was zero. Unfortunately, lately it seems they were never getting that box filled in the requirements file.
Turning away from television, Coulson threw the card of the Theta protocol, attached to a dark blue SHIELD band, on the large metal table in the center of the room. The eyes of agent Gonzales, Oliver and Weaver focused on it, while Bobbi's and May's looked at him.
"The cards on the table," Phil commented as calm as ever, though his blue eyes were piercing the agents before him.
"Clearly Fury and you have been entertained," Gonzales replied deadly serious.
Agent Coulson couldn't help smiling. Unknowingly, Robert could not have been more correct. A helicarrier wasn't an easy thing to hide from the world.
"What am I going to say?" He shrugged. "I am a loyal man. With the fall of SHIELD, Fury felt we needed a fail-safe. Something completely off the books, a 'break in case of emergency' type of thing".
"Well, it seems you have broken it," Agent Weaver intervened with a tone charged with arrogance, raising a delicate eyebrow.
Bobbi turned her head in her direction so fast that her blond hair almost hit Gonzales.
"To save many people," she reminded her sharply, where upon the expression of Weaver changed, looking a little embarrassed.
The dark-skinned woman glanced down while Agent Oliver addressed to Morse a sharp look, but said nothing.
"Last week difficult things happened, I know. I'm aware of that." Coulson chuckled, looking guiltily to May, who stared back from the wall where she was leaning. "When I found out that this ship hadn't succumbed to the attack of HYDRA, and still had that cargo on board..." Phil shook his head, his eyes wandering from one agent to another. "That you had put spies in my base, that I couldn't guarantee the safety of my team!" Coulson took a deep breath before continuing. "I felt I had failed as a director."
That last sentence made May lift her head and look up to her friend; it was true that he had hidden things from them, but the last thing Melinda ever wanted for Phil was for him to feel that way. It felt so wrong...
"And the truth ... is that." Phil let out a bitter laugh. "The command coup makes you think so. I tried to do everything alone," and this time, Melinda knew he was speaking specifically for her, it was his way of apologizing, acknowledging that he was wrong as a director before all the 'other S.H.I.E.L.D.' directive. "And it was a mistake. Even Fury had a World Council to ensure him, advising him."
And, of course, Gonzales hadn't ignored what Phil had highlighted.
"What are you suggesting?"
"A SHIELD where I operate as Director," said Coulson, looking at them. "Under your supervision."
Bobbi masked her look of surprise quickly, glancing at Gonzales, who in turn was scrutinizing the reaction of all the agents in the room.
"We would have a good clandestine base... and a ship," Coulson stated with his typical condescending tone.
After a moment, the old gray-haired man glanced at Phil.
"It's hard to argue with a man who prevented Ultron from killing thousands of people," Gonzales replied, quietly acceding to the request of Phil. "But there are many battles to win," he frowned with concern, leaning on the dark wood cane he had to be used ever since the attack of HYDRA. "And closer to home, I fear. Ones an Helicarrier will not solve."
Phil sighed audibly.
"Are you talking about Skye or about the Inhumans?" Coulson asked, turning to the table and taking a remote control, pointing to the TV. He played a few buttons and in the screen appeared a blur that had been recorded by the Helicarrier in Sokovia. Once they had seen it, Hill had sent them to him inmediatly.
"Who cares, Coulson?" Weaver replied. "That protected girl of yours..."
"Skye is one of us," Bobbi snarled, her blue eyes nailing Weaver on the site.
Weaver was about to reply, but May gave her a look that silenced her immediately.
"I was talking about the Inhumans, Coulson," Gonzales intervened, trying to cool the mood. "But I don't see how that matters."
Coulson pressed the 'advance button', noting the time when Pietro tried to save the life of Clint. The bursts of gunfire raised a cloud of dust that made impossible to see anything and there were several murmurs.
An Avenger had died in battle? No, they were all alive.
Had Fury resuscitated someone again?
However, when the smoke cleared, both Pietro and Clint (and the boy in his arms) were perfectly fine, which was impossible. Coulson paused the video, going back again.
He pressed the zoom and the full SHIELD directive watched as a figure raised their hands, making the bullets bounced or diverted its path before reaching Clint and Pietro.
"It matters because it seems we have an 0-8-4, there's another human with powers out there," Coulson retorted. Before the expressions of astonishment, he smiled with joy. "It's like New Mexico all over again."