Gifted

Steve Rogers came awake to the sound of the phone ringing. It was a distant thing in his still sleep fogged mind, but he managed to pull himself together enough to open his eyes and grope around for the infernal device. He had learned since founding the Avengers that everybody wanted a piece of him, and very few of them had the courtesy of waiting until it was convenient to him. So, he found his phone and didn’t even bother checking to see who it was, assuming it would be just more of the same.

“Hello,” he mutters groggily.

“Hi, Steve.” He sat up straight in bed, his mind immediately waking up at the sound of a voice he hadn’t heard in thirteen years. “It’s Allison Moray, sorry to bother you so late, or really at all after so many years, but I’m afraid this is urgent,” Ally’s smooth British accent says on the other end of the line. Steve was having a hard time hearing her words, his mind still struggling to comprehend the call that was happening. He shook himself out of his stupor. Ally sounded worried, and he knew she wouldn’t contact him unless all other options had been exhausted, so he needed to pull himself together.

“Ally. I…I can’t believe it. I never thought I would hear from you again after what happened. What’s going on?”

“Yes, well the past has a nasty way of coming back to bite you in the ass I’ve found. There is something going on here, children disappearing, and we don’t know how or why. At first, we thought it was just an abnormally high number of runaways, but there have been five in the past month alone, it’s too many too fast. I have a nasty feeling something bigger is at play then just a bunch of kids wanting to drop out and run off.”

“Wait, wait…where is this happening? I haven’t heard anything about five missing children anywhere.” Steve asks the question with an impending sense of dread, he had a feeling where this was taking place, and he had a strong urge to chuck the phone through the wall because of it.

“Wyoming’s Academy for the Gifted. I’m a teacher here now. I know what we both said all those years ago Steven, but this is bad. I know it is, and I can’t trust the administration to handle in a way that benefits these kids. You and I are the only ones who still remember what they did, so I’m asking for your help because there is no one else. These children’s lives may be at stake.” Steve took the confirmation like a punch to the gut. Ally’s voice had a desperation in it he had never heard, and he knew he needed to help her. It was just, going back there, it had never been a part of the plan.

“Ally…I swore the day I graduated I would never go back there. I know what you’re saying, and I want to help, but that place took everything from me. I just started putting myself back together. It took me thirteen damn years not to wake up every night from the memories of what happened there. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to face it again.” Steve hated admitting any sort of weakness, but the academy was the one thing that he would never get over. Or it was at least the catalyst to him losing the one thing he could never get over.

“Like I said Steve, I understand. I lost a lot too, and I hate myself everyday that I stay here, knowing what they allowed to happen. I do it for the kids though, because you and I are it, the only ones who know what they are capable of, or at least the only ones who care. What if this is something of their doing again? I could never forgive myself if I didn’t do everything I could to stop them and help these kids. And I know its been a long time, but you can’t have changed so much that you don’t feel the same.” Allison grew more and more upset the longer she spoke, until at the end it sounded like she was trying not to cry. Hearing that almost broke his resolve, but still he deserved a little time to think over returning to the place that ruined his life.

“Listen, you know I’m probably going to cave, but I need a little bit of time. It’s like two in the morning here. Just let me sleep on it one night, and I will call you tomorrow to let you know for sure. Is this your personal number?” Steve asks.

“Of course, I understand. Yes, you can return my call at this number, I’m done with classes at four tomorrow so anytime after that should work.” Ally sounded just as tired as Steve felt, but the crying seemed to have subsided.

“Ok, I’ll call you tomorrow Ally. Thanks for understanding. I just….” Steve trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

“No need to explain Steve, you know I understand. I’ll talk to you tomorrow then. It was good to hear your voice, even if it is bittersweet.” Steve closed his eyes and let himself remember how much he had once loved Ally. She had been one of his best friends, and while her memory was forever entwined with the misery he had gone through, he did miss her.

“You too Ally, I’m sorry I let this drive us apart.” He says sincerely.

“Steve none of this was your fault, we were driven apart by circumstance, not by anything you did. Now get some rest, I think we both deserve it. Sorry to drag up this whole mess again, but I felt I had no choice.”

“I understand. Goodnight Allison.” Steve murmurs before pressing the button to end the call.
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"Hey guys, this is Ally. She’s new here so I figured we could show her the ropes a little. Always sucks to be the new kid.” Tony Stark says as he sets his lunch down at their groups usual table. Steve gives the newcomer a warm smile, noticing how awkward she seemed to feel at the somewhat flippant introduction. He had known Tony a long time, and he didn’t mean anything by it, but he could come off a little brash at times. Ally was a petite little blonde, with wavy hair that fell just past her shoulders, and electric blue eyes. She was pretty, he would have to remember to warn her about Bucky if she decided to hang around.

“Hi, Ally. I’m Steve. Really nice to meet you. The others here are Bucky, Peggy, Clint, Natasha, Bruce, and Thor. And, of course Tony, but I’m hoping he at least remembered to introduce himself before he dragged you over here.” Steve points to each of his friends as he makes introductions, ending with Tony who had taken his normal seat right beside Steve. Everyone mutters a little hello or gives a little wave of acknowledgement.

“No, not so much. I barely even had time to grab my food before I was being whisked away by a mystery boy. But it’s lovely to meet you all, it would be great to have someone to show me how things work around here. Your welcome to call me either Allison or Ally.” Ally says in a British accent and gives them a small smile as she sits down in the only empty chair left. Steve shoots Tony a glare, he has told him a hundred times he has to use his words when meeting new people. Not everybody found kidnapping as charming as Steve. Tony just shrugged like always, unashamed of his behavior. Steve can’t help a fond eye roll, even as he keeps the glare in place for a little longer.

“Geez, ok Steve I get it just stop with the disappointed glare. It’s literally the worst thing in the world. Makes me want to go adopt an injured puppy or help an old lady across the street, anything to make it stop.” Tony sulks into his lunch, mac and cheese today.

“No need for that, just listen to me for once and stop kidnapping people without even telling them your name first. Not very many people take that as a good first impression.” Steve scolds, even though he knows it’s a lost cause.

“It got me you didn’t it. Don’t much care if it works on anyone else, I already won the jackpot.” Steve blushes a little at that, but he must agree. No matter the circumstances, meeting Tony was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Even before they had started dating, since the day they met Steve’s whole world has revolved around Tony Stark. He wouldn’t want it any other way either.

“Ugh ignore the two lovebirds. They get lost in their own little world every five minutes, it’s disgusting, but you get used to it. And by the way Stark, you were five when you met Steve, so its not really a good thing that your manners haven’t improved at all in ten years.” Bucky chimes in, bringing Steve out of his lovesick stupor. He just blushes deeper and looks down, embarrassed at being called out in front of a stranger.

“Don’t worry about it, and by the way I did actually find it a bit charming. Kidnapping me in the name of making me feel included is rather sweet. And, it is so worth watching you get lost in each other to see the adorable blush it elicits in this one.” Ally smirks, gesturing towards Steve.

“No, hiss, my Steve. You can’t be our friend if you can’t respect the rules. Rule number one, mine.” Tony says, pointing at Steve. Steve kind of wishes the floor would swallow him up. “Rule number two, nobody gets to touch or call him adorable or pretty or any other outrageously true compliment besides me, Capiche.”

Ally throws her hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. No complimenting your man. I must say though it will be hard not to stare considering he is six foot two at least and solid muscle. How old are you anyway Steve?” Ally asks, as if this conversation wasn’t totally humiliating for him, luckily Tony answers, as he isn’t sure he could make his voice work right now.

“Fifteen, same age as we are. One of his gifts is super strength. He could already lift three hundred pounds when I met him. Now, he can go 2,000 easy. They won’t let him lift over a ton yet, just in case he hurts himself, but by the time he hits eighteen he is going to be benching buses.” Tony’s voice is bursting with pride like it always is when he talks about his boyfriend’s gifts. Even though in the grand scheme his own gifts were far more impressive.

“OOOOO, very nice indeed. What are your gifts.” Allison asks the table. Tony once again takes it upon himself to be the groups mouthpiece.

“Steve also has super speed and heightened senses, as well as an advanced healing ability, and he can resist mind control. Bucky there has minor control over technology as well as having a cybernetic arm that gives him advanced strength and fire power. Peggy can persuade people into doing her bidding with just the power of her voice, don’t worry she doesn’t use it on her friends…usually. Natasha can become invisible, as well as having the ability to dematerialize places and walk through solid objects. Clint has superior eyesight as well as being able to fly, hence the giant wings. Bruce turns into a giant green rage monster. And Thor can create storms, though he mostly just prefers to play with lightning.” Tony doesn’t miss a beat, calmly explaining each of their gifts to the newcomer. Thor looks slightly insulted at the insinuation that he ‘plays’ with lightning, and Clint’s grey feathers ruffle up a little, Peggy just smirks when he gets to her, Natasha stays stone-faced as always, and Bruce just kind of sinks down in his chair. The Hulk was a bit of a sore spot for him, though he was getting better the more he opened up to them.

“Very impressive. I can just create tiny rifts in space time. Send a pencil thirty seconds into the past, accelerate particles enough to keep my feet warm. Nothing to write home about. Though I can resist mind control as well.” She winks at Steve on that one. He thinks they are going to be good friends, her cheeky humor will fit right in. “What about you Tony?” She asks.

“What about me?” Tony feigns ignorance.

“What are your abilities?” She clarifies.

“I’m a shapeshifter mostly, my other form is a Siberian tiger. I also have some telepathic and telekinetic abilities. I can manipulate space time too actually, although I’ve only ever done that once or twice. I can mimic voices, but I can’t shift into other people, and I have some control over machines like Bucky.” He says it nonchalantly, but all his friends stare knowingly. It’s incredibly rare to have so many abilities, Tony is amazing, even if he refuses to acknowledge it.

“Okay, I take it back, now I am well and truly impressed. You have so many gifts! It must be amazing!” Tony just blushes a little and shrugs. “Never thought I would be glad to get kidnapped, but I so am. This is the start of a beautiful friendship my darlings.” Ally says with a bright smile. Steve smiles back, having a feeling it really was.
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Steve wakes up to his alarm the next morning, shaking his head to clear the memory he had been reliving in his dreams. It had been the start of a beautiful friendship. Even though she had been the last to join their group, she had fit in fast. Quickly becoming one of them. They had all been inseparable for three years, until they were eighteen and everything went to shit. Now he and Ally were the only ones who even remembered they had known each other as kids. He had gotten the group back together, in order to form the avengers, but it would never be the same. The memories they had shared as kids were just gone, wiped away by a bunch of assholes who never even thought twice about it. He hadn’t had it in himself to invite Allison to join the team, having someone else there to share in his misery would have just made it worse. He knew he owed this to her though, for everything they had been through, for how close they had once been. He sighed and ran a hand through his already messy blonde hair.

It looked like he was going back to the Academy.