Coffee Not-Date
Ren couldn’t remember the last time she’d gotten ready with the sole intent of looking good. For the past, almost two years she hadn’t bothered too much with looks. Or going out. Since joining the Avengers she only really went out for missions. So sitting in front of the mirror as she put on some eyeliner felt a little foreign. Like she was being inhabited by the ghost of her past self. The woman who had loved going out, partying, and hanging out with her friends. For at least a few hours today, she was going to try to be that woman again.
Makeup applied and black hair lightly curled, Ren appraised her closet. It was just a coffee date hangout. No need to dress up too much. She grabbed one of her trademark leather jackets, this one was a warm dark brown. Simple blue jeans, a white top, and brown boots completed the look. The bracelet from Czechia caught her eye.
It was sitting atop her dresser, where she’d put it a couple of days ago. She’d taken it off for training and had forgotten to put it back on. She grabbed it and slid it onto her right wrist. Sending a quick text to Bradley she grabbed her purse and left her room.
She was nearly to the elevator when someone stopped her.
“Where are you heading out to?”
Turning around she found Sam leaning against the kitchen island, “Just getting coffee with a friend,” She told him.
He raised his eyebrows, “You have friends?”
“Don’t be an asshole,” She scowled at him.
“Well it’s not like you ever leave the Tower,” Sam countered, “I just meant that I didn’t realize you still had friends from your old life,”
“I don’t have many left, after the accident I kind of alienated everyone I knew. But, lucky for me, Bradley still picked up when I called,”
His eyebrows raised again, “Bradley? Oh, so it's a date then?”
“No! No, it is a coffee hangout. Platonic,”
“Uh huh, I completely believe you,” He took a sip of his coffee, “Although I thought you had a thing for Barnes,”
Ren was surprised by that, “Barnes?”
“Oh don’t act surprised,”
“I’m not acting,”
Sam sighed and set his drink down, “Look, if you don’t want to talk about it you don’t have to. Have fun on your coffee not-date,”
…
Stark had an assortment of cars in the garage beneath the tower that any of the Avengers could use. But Ren opted to take the subway. In NYC traffic, taking a car was slower than walking. The roar of the subway car and the dull, roaring chatter were almost loud enough to drown out her thoughts. Almost.
Why would Sam think she had feelings for Bucky? Or a… thing?
They had spent a lot of time together in Europe. Maybe they had seemed a little too close then. And they had been spending a bit of time together the past few days, getting food after they worked on her gunmanship. And she had chosen to put him in a room only a few doors down from herself. Although she didn’t think Sam knew about that.
Ok, maybe it did seem like she had a thing for him. From the outside. There was no way she actually had feelings for Barnes though. They’d only known each other for a few weeks. Not to mention his relationship with Steve. Those two were really close, and Ren still wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.
There wasn’t more time to reflect, however, when the train came to a halt at her stop. The cafe was only a few blocks away. A longtime favorite of hers, located in south Manhattan. Finally, the hanging sign came into view, the words Deja Brew emblazoned on it. Pulling the heavy wooden door open she made her way into the cafe. Bradley was already sitting at a table, waiting for her. She smiled and waved at him. Time to play Normal Girl.
…
Drinks half finished and food polished off the pair sat at by the window, chatting. A few other small tables were scattered throughout the small coffee shop. A velvet couch sat in the back, and the wall across from the bar was covered by a long bench seat. The backing was plush, and little square tables sat on equal intervals. The dim lighting gave the space a comfortable atmosphere.
The lighting also played to Bradley’s strengths. It set off his high cheekbones. A few stray rays of sunlight made their way through the window. It turned his dark brown eyes a molten amber. A strand of his brown hair fell over his eye and he brushed it away.
“So, I heard you quit your job at the paper,”
Ren took a sip from her dirty chai, “Uhm yeah… I got a job, at Stark Industries,”
He looked surprised, she couldn’t blame him. There was no normal reason for her to drop a career in journalism to work for a tech company. But she couldn’t exactly tell him the truth. God, she really should’ve anticipated a question like this.
“I uh… I work in… public relations,” That wasn’t an awful lie, “What about you? Are you still working as a physical therapist?”
He was. They talked about his job for a bit while she deflected questions about hers. It was harder than she thought it would be - being normal. But she was trying. Lies aside, it was nice to catch up with an old friend. They’d met through a mutual friend a few years back. Neither of them talked to her anymore but they stayed in touch with each other.
“Have you been to that new cafe in East Village?” Bradley asked her.
“No, I haven’t really been up to date on… anything lately,”
He laughed, it must’ve sounded like a joke, “Well we should stop by there sometime,”
“Absolutely,” It was a relief that he was the one to ask. At least she was still normal enough for people to want to be around her, “As long as they have good waffles,”
“Ugh, no,”
“No? You don’t like waffles?”
Bradley shrugged, “They’re just pancakes with abs, and less good,”
Ren shook her head, “Never mind, we can’t be friends anymore. I can’t believe I never knew you had such bad taste,”
He laughed again and grabbed her hand, “I sincerely apologize… Will you please go to that cafe with me?”
After making him grovel a little more she relented and agreed to meet him there for lunch in a few days. They parted ways after that. Despite a few superhero-related hiccups, the whole date went rather well. Even though it wasn’t a date. It was nice to feel like Ren Wright again, instead of the firegirl.
…
The cemetery was empty and cold. A drizzle of rain had started by the time she got there. She walked around the place twice before finding his headstone. The damp grass didn’t stop her from sitting day across from him. She leaned against another headstone and pulled out the sandwich she’d picked up on her way there.
“Hey Johnny,” She said, “It’s been a while. A lot has happened since the last time we… talked. Aliens invaded New York, that was, fun. I used my abilities and kinda got caught up with S.H.I.E.L.D. again. Joined this team called The Avengers, so now I use my powers all the time now. I don’t think… I don’t think I hate them anymore.
Tony Stark is sort of running the team, or he pays for everything and designs all our tech at least. And most of us live in his building, it’s called Avengers Tower. Ha, a little ostentatious. Stark isn’t as egotistical as we thought he was though. You guys might have actually got along. He’s out of town right now, I’m a little worried about him honestly.
Natasha and Clint are on the team too. They, uh, well they’re assassins. But they’re also really nice, and really good friends. They’re gone too. I miss them. Nat might be one of my closest friends right now, and Clint is my partner in crime. With all the new residents in the tower, we could pull off some great pranks. I think Nat and Barnes would get along too, they’ve got pretty similar pasts.
Speaking of Barnes…
You would be so psyched to find out Captain America really is alive,” She laughed and her eyes teared up a little. He’d believed the rumors when she hadn’t, “You’d be even more excited to find out that I’m friends with him too, workout buddies. I remember you used to have a crush on him when we were kids. And you always teased me for liking his friend…
Bucky Barnes. Do you remember in school we people said you were either team Steve or team Bucky? Turns out it’s kind of the same team. We found out, that he was alive, all this time. His past is… not great. It’s not his fault of course. We’re trying to help him. I was back in Europe for a while when we were looking for him. A lot happened. We’ve gotten close pretty quickly.
Uhm, my friend Sam - also an Avenger - seems to think I have feelings for him. I think he’s wrong, but… I really do like spending time with him. But that’s just as friends. The crush I had was on a picture in history class. He doesn’t even look like that anymore,”
Ren sighed and leaned her head against the cool stone. She couldn’t stop a few tears from escaping the corners of her eyes, “I really wish you were here. Giving me some sage advice, or just telling me what I should do. I mis-
I miss you,”