BREAKS
She was placed on a chair while Tony regulated some last adjustments on her arm; a bionic skeleton was placed along her left arm, embracing her skin completely. It was light, enough for her to move around without noticing it all that much, but most importantly, it would make sure her arm had it's lost movement back.
Tony had explained the details to her, but Theo didn't exactly keep in mind anything besides the part where he said it'd be good as new.
“So, Fury said nothing then”,Wanda said,crossing her arms.
“All he said was we get to cooperate with Marcus' unit and conduct a joined mission, since there's evidence our assassination group and his terrorists might be connected”.
Tony removed his goggles, pressing onto the skeleton as if to feel it on his hands. Theo flinched a little, it's sensation still new to her.
“So- basically he answered to nothing, but you complied either way,like a lapdog. Ah, you're gonna feel this one”.
“Stark one more of th-moTHEFUCK-”
Theo jumped out the chair and fell down her knees. Pietro was the first one to run to her side, while Wanda followed. Natasha on the other hand walked over to Tony's side, as they both merely watched.
Theo was still groaning, her nails almost going through the marble floor,as she desperately needed something to hold on to. As soon as she noticed Pietro, his arm took this something's place, and her grip made him clench his fist.
It felt as if a million needles began poking her bones, kicking each and every nerve on her arm at once. The bionic skeleton was adjusting itself around her arm, going in and out for a couple minutes, which Theo mistook for hours.
“What is this thing doing to her?”,Wanda asked him,pointing at Theo.
“That's just the skeleton merging with her bones. It's necessary process, don't worry it's only gonna take a couple more seconds”.
Theo was breathing heavily, the look on her eyes alone being enough to make Pietro wish he hadn't ran her way. Her jaw was entirely clenched, and as soon as she felt the skeleton in place, she slammed her fist on the marble, causing some bruising on her knuckles.
She released her grip off him, and slowly stood up.
Huffing, sweat dripping off her forehead, she chuckled provokingly,starring down at Tony.
“I'm gonna murder you”,she chuckled, “One of these days Stark- I'm gonna bloody murder you”.
“Yeah, I don't doubt that. Not even a little bit, actually”,he mumbled to himself.
He stood up, wiping his arms on his knees. He'd make sure to perform this on his leg first, though it didn't look nearly as painful when he'd done it. Theo was certain she'd keep that promise she had just made him.
“Looks good. Does it feel that way?”,Natasha asked, leaning herself against the wall.
“Mm. Yeah, I think so”,Theo mumbled, moving her shoulder and as an extension,her arm back and forth. “You're certain I'll be able to shoot,right Stark? Your life might as well depend on that”.
“Yes. I'm good at what I do,Bennet. I wouldn't be that rich if I wasn't,would I?”
Theo rolled her eyes. She wasn't in the mood to pick that conversation.
If anything else, her mind was awfully busy with many things other than Tony at the time. Jenny was one thing, Marcus was another. Fury holding on to his secrets and the coincidence of Macao was on that list of hers as well.
“By the way, want me to patch up that eye of yours? Meaning the scar. I could accelerate the healing factor; one session, and it's gonna look like a small graze,Theo”.
“What about..the color?”
“I could try, but I have a pretty good idea about what's happened there. I can't guarantee anything about that”.
Theo threw her head back. Her eyelids were beginning to feel heavy,very much so. But the desire to sleep wasn't there; she still couldn't bring herself to shut her eyes completely.
But Theo knew that if she was to be actually helpful on that mission, or any mission to take thereafter, she'd need to sleep at some point.
“Fine. Have you contacted Asgard?”,she asked, standing up,walking a little as if to force herself and stay awake.
“Peter's on his way back as we speak”,Wanda said in a short breath.
Theo stopped in front of an espresso machine, one of the many Tony managed to keep in each room he'd ever built – along with a mini bar. She placed a cup and pressed the button, waiting for the coffee to pour itself.
“And Thor? Is he using the jet or is he gonna thunderbolt himself here?”
“Thor's...”,Natasha sighed,rubbing her temples, “Thor's retiring,Theo”.
Theo flinched. Knitting her eyebrows together, she turned around, not minding the beeping sound coming out the espresso machine. She was unsure of what to say, deeply confused by Natasha's words. This simply wasn't true, as far as she was concerned.
“Thor can't just retire. What are you talking about?”
“Thor's been fighting for much longer than any of us has Theo..”,Natasha noted, her voice soft. “He's tired”.
She turned around to grab her cup, though as soon as it touched her lips she slammed it down,the hot coffee slipping out, some of it landing on her hand. She didn't mind the burning sensation, despite Wanda's attempt to walk over her. Natasha motioned her hand at Wanda, forcing her to stay put.
Theo turned around,opening her mouth. Nothing came out and so she turned again,and again and again. Until,in the end, she punched the wall with her fist. She let it there,not moving for a while.
“You know, I'd much appreciate if you wouldn't trash my property, Bennet”.
“Who's next?”,she shrugged.
“What?”
Theo turned to face them, her eyebrows raised. Her lips were pulled to a thin line, her eyes indicating despair at that point.
“Who's next?”,she repeated herself. “Steve left, Thor left, James' gone on that damned mission in Belgrade with Wilson - bet Parker's gonna leave, school nights are not gonna cut it anymore, or perhaps he'll realize he can do better than a superhero's paycheck”,she spelled out.
Natasha's features softened. She was expecting such a reaction, quite the while ago. First it was Steve,then her father, then her sister and their visit in the navy HQ. It was too much to bear, even for someone such as her.
As far as Natasha was concerned, Theo had been a walking timebomb this entire time. All it took was a mere sentence,a few random words to throw her off that cliff. She had had enough. She was tired, her eyes turned dark all around, her voice coming out cracked. She needed sleep, she needed to rest.
She needed to deal with all that had happened, but as Natasha herself had made quite clear to her, there was no time to spare.
“Who the fuck are we anymore? Certainly not the bloody Avengers, Fury might as well start calling us agents, no need for the flashy names,is there?”
“He deserves to retire, Theo..”
“And we don't? We're not tired? Think none of us has considered this before? “
“You need to rest,Theo”,Wanda said. “You're tired, it's been how long, four days since you last slept now?”
Pietro arched an eyebrow. He hadn't quite thought about that. Surely enough she looked like crap to him, looked like she could have used a good night's sleep, as did all of them. But, if she was still standing after four days of no sleep, then there was no wonder she was acting out like that.
Theo scratched the back of her head. She wasn't feeling all that well. If nothing else, her feet felt a little weak. Her face hollow, her throat dry. Perhaps Wanda was right,she thought.
She grabbed a chair and sat down abruptly. The longer she thought about it, the weaker she felt. The more her body gave up on her. Theo cupped her face,resting her elbows on her knees.
She slowly brushed her face, then her hair behind. Natasha bit her cheek.
“How about we leave the supply to the twins this time? Got this one, Wanda?”
“Ah..- yes. Of course”.
“And.. thought Morgan and Pepper were supposed to come by,today. Don't you have to go and meet them?”,she turned to Tony.
Tony nodded, mumbling something to himself. Theo wasn't the only sleep deprived person in that room. They all required some rest at that point. Soon enough, the room emptied out, although Theo had to take a few moments to realize that.
Natasha grabbed a chair and sat right across her. She crossed her legs, eyeing her cautiously. Theo herself thought that Natasha looked as if she was about to interrogate her, although this was far from her intentions.
“Why do you refuse to sleep,Theo?”
Theo clenched her jaw and teeth; Natasha could take notice of her skin stretching, the veins on her neck popping. She figured her suspicions were spot on, on this one. She sighed, massaging the space between her brows.
“Is this about Steve?”,she eventually asked.
Theo's lips parted. She wished she needn't explain this to her, but she did.
“It's been a while since I last slept alone..”
But this wasn't it. Not all of it, as Natasha figured. Theo could pull off a bluff just right, if not excellently, but she wasn't an interrogator. She wasn't a liar, and so, lying wasn't her forte.
Theo was beyond exhausted. It felt like that time in between the sunrise and the dark, when it was too cold to speak, and too early to sleep. The alcohol had already gone past it's limits, and the body was about to go in a limbo state on it's own. To Theo, it felt just like that.
It wasn't just Steve's absence. It was his presence as well.
The ridiculously spitting image of him,still remaining on her mind. Each time she'd close her eyes, even for a second, all she could see was his eyes. The exact shade of blue in his irises,mixed with those honey brown spots on their center.
How they'd turn grayish on a cloudy day, and sometimes even green. She could form each phase of Steve's eyes at cue, and that made her chest tighten more than she could bear.
She could even feel the warmth of his skin, vividly, and the strength of his grip whenever he held her. The roughness of his beard, and the way his hair felt whenever she brushed them back,teasing him.
Mourning a dead loved one would have been a far off better fate. But, seeing how this was her second rodeo already, Theo had come to realize that mourning over someone who's alive and well, yet chose to not love her anymore hurt far worse. Far more fatally , far more deeply a stab wound in her stomach.
Natasha sighed again, then tried to form a faint smile on her lips. She placed a hand on Theo's arm,gently brushing it.
“How about we have a sleepover? Like old times”.
“I don't need a babysitter,Nat”.
“Clearly, you do”,she joked, laughing lightly.
Theo couldn't help that half smile on her lips. She motioned her eyebrows, then rubbed her eyes a bit, as if to clear her vision a little.
“C'me on”,she patted her back, “Better not let the kids see you like that. Morgan and Parker are on their way here”.
Theo breathed in. This one cut it, or perhaps at that point she had found herself to lack the strength to even try and talk back to her. She was beyond drained, remarkably enervated.
“Fine”,she huffed out, standing up. “But I'm getting the right side”.
Natasha snorted. “'Course you do”.