beyond all hope - HKirbyFF (mustbekismet) (2024)

Chapter 1: experience

Chapter Text

The faint clink of glass onto the tiled floor was all that held her from completely falling into the abyss that opened before her. There was not one day for the last 26 years where they hadn’t known each other’s exact locations, separated for a few measly hours at most. But she was gone.

Theo was gone.

All of the oxygen had escaped the air that surrounded Evelyn. She was suffocating. Her lungs ached as they drew in sharp pants, desperate for release from the ache in her chest. Her legs gave way underneath her and with an agonising crunch, her knees hit the tile.

Her hands reached up, clawing and pulling at the skin around her neck and chest, willing it to loosen.

Evelyn caved in on herself, a deep searing pain building from the pressure in her chest, making it difficult to take deep enough breaths. Her head spun as her hands spread wide in front of her eyes, splayed against the cold floor as vines began to protrude from her palms, twisting and writhing with her grief.

The cold chill of ice spreading through her veins overtook her, she was left with a hollow shell of nothingness; of emptiness and sudden space.

She didn’t want space, she wanted Theo back.

Her knees were wet and warm with blood where the tile had lacerated her skin on impact, but she couldn’t feel it. She felt nothing.

A soft thud echoed in the clearing surrounding the once quaint little cottage as Carol Danvers landed on the mossy ground.

Now crumbling and scorched, the small dwelling showed evidence of a fight, bricks from a blasted wall lay strewn across the meadow. The warm evening sunlight shone through the smoke that billowed from the wooden rafters, though the fire had seemingly put itself out.

In the distance, Carol could hear the sound of Stark’s repulsors guiding him over the wooded area just behind where she stood, she knew Sam wouldn’t be far behind.

Carol paced forward, a shiver shooting up her spine as the long grass brushed against her shins through her thin nano-tech suit. She needed to scope out the area to ensure the safety of her team. Even though the area looked like it had been cleared out a while ago the last thing they needed was an ambush when they were under prepared.

All was quiet except the whir of machinery coming from her teammates over the coms, there was no sign of anybody in the immediate vicinity.

Abruptly the air was filled with a strangled cry, agonising, and broken. Carol acted out of instinct, lowering her centre of gravity as her eyes flickered around her, scanning for any sign of a hidden attacker.

The wind picked up, as if caught up in the agonising scream, blowing smoke and dust towards her, but no attack came.

Carol started forward, grimacing as she closed the distance between herself and the source of the broken cry.

She didn’t know what to expect, so readied herself for the worst.

The front door was hanging on by a hinge, the glass smashed all over the tiled floor. Carol froze as she saw a woman with wild green hair hunched over a swarming mass of ivy and thorns. The foliage appeared to emanate from the woman herself, creeping up the walls and entwining itself around pillars and banisters. They contorted and gripped for some kind of support as the woman before Carol continued to sob, though her cries were now silent.

She seemed unaware of Carol’s presence, drowning in her turmoil, but at the sound of the metallic clang in the meadow her head snapped up. She flung her whole body to the side, turning to face the door shifting into an offensive crouch.

Their eyes met, sea blue to deep emerald.

Carol felt a wave of agitation towards her teammate who was apparently incapable of making an entrance that didn’t announce their arrival to everyone in a 300 metre radius.

Carol hadn’t even stepped foot into the cottage yet, unsure of what the woman’s reaction to her sudden appearance would be. Tony retracted the gold face plate of his armour and swaggered towards where Carol stood under the cover of the remnants of the porch.

“Nice place! Could do with some light renovation work…” Tony commented, co*cking his head to the side, vaguely gesturing the decimation before him with one eyebrow raised, “the hole in the wall for instance, interesting statement piece, might get a bit draughty when the snow comes in –”

Sam Wilson landed swiftly and gracefully just behind the man clad in gold and red, an exasperated look contorting his features. “Tony” he interrupted, “for once in your life just shut the f–”

A grimace flickered across the crouched woman’s face, as her green eyes flashed and broke the connection between her and Carol. Sam never got to finish his sentence as a thick twisting bough tore the ground just below the porch and shot towards the intruders.

Someone had taken Theo, and they would pay.

Chapter 2: everybody wants to rule the world

Chapter Text

Evelyn refused to open her eyes. Her mind was sluggish, and she felt like complete and utter sh*t. She couldn’t complain as no doubt she was still feeling the after-effects from smoking her home-grown strain last night. She didn’t want to open her eyes, but that bastard light just wouldn’t quit.

She ran her dry tongue over her teeth and attempted to wet her chapped lips, wincing as it dragged across her lower lip like sandpaper. Suppressing a groan, Evelyn rolled on to her front, burying her face further into the pillow, desperate to block out the invasive glow.

She rolled her head to one side and peaked one eye, looking for the source of her rude awakening.

Glancing around the room she saw her drapes wide open, rays from the morning sun streaming through the plane of glass, glinting off the multitude of suncatchers that hung around the frame, throwing shards of colour across the room. They danced slightly in the breeze and she found herself watching the refractions casting translucent shapes across the walls.

Of course she’d been too high to even consider closing the bastard drapes. With the seclusion of the cottage who needed privacy. Enveloped by the meadow and woodlands, their closest neighbour was about 3 miles away; the perfect place for someone with abilities like hers to be able to live without having to hide.

Why did everything have to be so bright? And whose f*cking idea was it to paint the room the brightest sunshine yellow that Home Depot had to offer? It was her idea, of course. Like Theo would even think about what colour to paint a bedroom, that girl would live in a cardboard box if it had a decent WIFI connection.

“I feel like I’m in the middle of a f*cking desert, Jesus Christ,” she rasped to no one in particular.

Evelyn flung her arm out in an attempt to reach her phone, smacking the bedside table and proceeding to knock her very cool, retro lava lamp onto the floor.

As this was such a regular occurrence, it landed softly on a pile of pillows. They had placed underneath the table by a frustrated Theo who had the foresight to create a make shift landing pad, after she got fed up with having to replace different parts of the lamp at least 3 times a week.

As her blind search ended fruitlessly, Evelyn huffed and struggled onto her elbows to peak at the time on the small clock placed on the sideboard opposite her bed. 9.17am. Practically the middle of the night. What a sh*tty start to the day.

She lay there for a minute longer, eyes drifting across the room slowly. Maybe she could have a few joints and pass out for a few more hours and awaken at a much more decent time… 3pm perhaps. Much more suitable.

As she tried to find the energy and motivation to remove herself from her bed and at least head downstairs to collect her rolling supplies, she supposed she should make sure Theo was keeping out of trouble.

Her view was abruptly taken up by a small sprout in one of her newest plant pots. Her interest spiked, and with a flick of the wrist, a greenish mist flowed from her hands and wrapped around the tiny shoot. It ebbed and pulsed before sprouting into a larger, more established plant.

But that was all that needed doing in her room for that day, back to the clock, 9:19.

She’d managed to waste 2 minutes.

Just the rest of the day to get through.

With a sigh of defeat, Evelyn rolled out of bed, slowly stretching out the joints of her aching limbs and stumbled in front of the mirror, careful not to trip on the many plant pots that were crammed onto any available floor space of her small box room.

As she looked up to appraise her reflection, her eyes danced over the ensemble inebriated Evelyn decided was appropriate sleeping attire.

Pleasantly surprised, she tugged one of the staps the rainbow crochet tank top back onto her shoulder and twisted slightly to fully appreciate the bright orange cotton shorts that just about covered her behind.

Her forest green hair looked thoroughly unkempt, like something had decided to make a nest in it, apparently twigs and all, she thought as she tugged at a stray stick that protruded from the crown of her head.

Salvageable.

Evelyn took her wide tooth comb and slowly started working through the knots that tangled at the base of her skull. Slowly the green tendrils decided to behave and started to lay in a soft wave around Evelyn’s make up stained face.

Using a wet-wipe, Evelyn cleared yesterday’s remanence of lipstick and eyeliner, leaving her fresh faced and supposedly ready for the day ahead.

Absently Evelyn slipped the comb into the back pocket of her shorts, no doubt she’d need it for Theo’s own unkempt mane.

She wondered if Theo had even gone to bed last night. Quietly she padded across her room and slipped into the hallway, the room opposites door had been left wide open and sure enough Theo’s room, somehow even smaller than Evelyn’s, was untouched.

The bed was still made from Evelyn’s manic tidying session the day before and hadn’t been slept in.

Evelyn shook her head, rolled her eyes, and smiled to herself as she skipped down the stairs, two steps at a time. She skidded across the cool tiles, nearly falling into the dated kitchen an scanned the room. Evidence of life littered the counters. 1, 2, no - 8 mugs of tea in varying stages of consumption were scattered across every surface and a flame danced low on the empty stove top.

Exasperated, Evelyn flitted to the cooker and flipped the switch to extinguish the fire hazard, one of these days Theo would accidentally burn down the whole damn cottage; Evelyn was sure of it.

Clearly Theo had been planning on preparing a large breakfast for the two of them, the eggs sat in a bowl, whisked and ready to be scrambled on the stove, the bacon was left out on the side unwrapped and raw.

Evelyn huffed, clearly Theo had made the decision for her; she would not be returning to her bed just yet.

Slowly, Evelyn collected the discarded cups and abandoned breakfast materials and dumped them in the sink, knowing that if it were down to Theo, they wouldn’t be cleared away for at least a few days.

As she washed up, Evelyn’s mind wandered to the day’s activities.

Theo had already called ahead to the grocers in the local village and placed their weekly order ready for Evelyn to pick up.

Theo never specified a time because it would all depend on when Evelyn decided to crawl out of bed.

Either later that morning, or afternoon.

A groan slipped past Evelyn’s lips when she remembered she also had a large amount of crop harvesting to do, and then the listing had to be put up to sell it.

But that could wait.

The only thing occupying Evelyn’s mind was finding her friend and making sure she had eaten. And maybe trying to convince her to get some rest before she succumbed to exhaustion.

After she dried her hands on the closest available dish towel, she reached up and fumbled for a tin that was housed on the top shelf of the end cupboard, nearly pulling it down onto her head in her sleepy state.

She retracted a spliff from one of her many stashes she had squirreled away all over the house and leaned down to light it from the stove top.

Her shoulders were stiff as she straightened up and took a long, soothing drag.

She began to wander around the cramped living room and office. Picking her path carefully, she followed the trail of destruction that usually followed the dithering delinquent that she had the pleasure of living with.

Wordlessly she stood in the middle of the cluttered office, staring aimlessly at the small collection of photographs crammed on to one of the many bookshelves that lined the room.

They were all she had left with her now.

Images on little bits of paper; flimsy and fragile.

After the loss of both of Evelyn’s parents, Theo had been diligently collecting any images of them she could find; there weren’t many, but this small collection was something.

Evelyn turned and looked away and through watery eyes she focused on the dust mites dancing in the sunbeam shining across the room. She slowed her breathing and used the back of her hand to dash away the stray tears that trickled down her cheek.

This was why she avoided this room.

She could feel the gaze of the photos boring holes into the back of her skull.

She needed to leave.

She needed Theo.

The house was still and silent, there were no signs that Theo was even on the face of the earth anymore. It looked like she had just disappeared mid-whisk, but Evelyn knew better.

The basem*nt.

Evelyn decided caffeine was needed before she could even consider descending into the darkness that was Theo’s workshop. She strode over to the refrigerator, tripping on a stray pair of shoes Theo had left lying around and retrieved the items that would make just the kind of pick me up she needed.

As much as Evelyn and Theo bickered, or clashed on occasion, there was one thing Evelyn could bet on, and that was Theo’s predictability.

That girl was almost the polar opposite of her.

Where Evelyn flowed through life, laid back and easy-going, letting the tide take her where she needed to go, Theo couldn’t function without routine and regularity. Evelyn knew exactly how Theo took her tea, and which specific brand of tea bags she had to buy, shipped all the way from jolly old England.

She’d once made the mistake of just picking up a regular American brand from their local grocers, and Theo had almost malfunctioned.

Evelyn had joked she had short circuited and needed rebooting.

Theo had simply glowered at her, not finding the situation funny in the slightest.

Evelyn took a steady breath and flicked the switch to grind the Colombian beans and fill the kettle in tandem, she knew Theo would need a refill.

She thought deeply about how much more introverted her friend had become since they had taken up residence in the cottage nearly 9 years ago. She’d always been painfully shy, limiting her friendships to Evelyn only and avoiding the outside world, only leaving her childhood home to attend school and one summer to go to space camp.

Evelyn thrived on being outside.

Theo always insisted she must be part tree, but in reality, it was so much more than that. Evelyn needed to feel the warmth of the sun, how the breeze whispered over her skin, leaving it bristling and goose-pimpled in its wake.

She found it easy to converse with people, her weekly trip to the grocers providing her with her only form of human contact apart from the troll in the dungeon downstairs.

Emptying the crushed ice into a mason jar, Evelyn listened to the satisfying soft clinking sound the glass made as the ice landed. Into that she poured in the milk and the three squirts of caramel syrup followed by the triple shot of espresso. She finished off the drink with a swirl of whipped cream and dug her metal straw out of the cutlery draw.

Stepping backwards, she cast a satisfied eye over her creation.

Perfection.

Discarding her roach into the nearest ashtray, she picked up the drinks and headed for the door under the stairs, pushing the handle down with her hip and flipping the light switch with her elbow.

Not that it did much.

The solitary exposed hanging bulb barely lit the doorway, let alone the swell of blackness that swarmed the bottom of the stairs. The musky smell of damp filled her nostrils which made Evelyn crinkle her nose in disgust.

Shaking off the goosebumps that creeped over her flesh like ivy, Evelyn squared her shoulders, took a deep breath in, and plunged into the gloom.

She cringed as she hoped there were no stray pieces of metal hidden on the stairs.

The stale air encircled Evelyn as she descended further into the basem*nt, the smell of mildew intensified with every step she took.

Choking through the acrid air, she narrowed her eyes to squint through the darkness and stumbled clumsily through the piles of cardboard boxes, abandoned craft projects and the odd collection of scrap metal towards the back left corner of the dingy room.

Shrouded in the shadow of the corner stood a door that once observed looked severely out of place.

The door itself was made of white metal panels, sleek and modern, and was vacuum sealed shut from the other side with no visible handle to gain entry.

Compared to the miserable grey cinderblock wall of the basem*nt the indiscreet door practically glowed when the light hit it.

Evelyn placed their drinks down on a shelving unit that stood just to the right of the door, obstructing it from the view of the stairs and knocked loudly. The metal reverberated and echoed noisily across the concrete room.

Abruptly a panel snapped open to the side of the door frame and Evelyn sighed and glared at the hidden camera that had been tracking her movements since she had first stepped foot into the basem*nt.

“Really Te? Must I do this every damn time? Quit creeping and let me in!” Evelyn half shouted to the door, knowing Theo could hear her perfectly without the need for her to raise her voice.

Silence; nothing.

No reaction whatsoever.

Sighing frustratedly, Evelyn stomped over to the door and placed her thumb on the print recognition scanner.

Never once looking away from the camera, Evelyn kept glaring bitterly as if it was the camera itself who was making her jump through hoops just to open a door.

The panel flashed green, and the door slid open with a hiss of pressurised air. Evelyn rolled her eyes as she turned, collected the drinks, and stepped through the doorway.

Chapter 3: wildflowers

Chapter Text

Evelyn entered the workshop; if it could even be called it that.

The term ‘workshop’ made it sound like a hobbyists converted garage or shed.

In reality Theo’s lair was more comparable with a NASA launch control centre, it was just Evelyn never really understood what all the ‘thingimywhatsits’ and ‘flibbertigibbets’ actually did. Evelyn found it easier to pretend it was completely normal to find the inside of a S.H.I.E.L.D. operations room in one’s basem*nt.

As soon as Evelyn had crossed the threshold, the door shut with a snap behind her, and clean air filled her lungs. Before, the abrupt shift in atmosphere and sharp noise would have made her jump, but after nearly a decade of the daily occurrence, Evelyn barely even batted an eyelash.

The room was dark, the overhead lights remained switched off, so the only light came from the multiple monitors and computer systems that were set up around the room. Blue and red lights flashed in the darkness and a slight hum penetrated the deafening silence. Evelyn’s eyes raked the darkness, looking for signs of human existence when she saw a flash of a computer screen reflected off of a pair of large round glasses.

“Really?” Evelyn nipped as she started towards the corner where her friend sat hidden behind the large screens and processors, “every damn time? You know it’s me, why do you need my thumb print?”

“Imposters,” retorted Theo simply, her soft voice a mere whisper. Her expression remained blank, as if this answer were completely obvious.

“Wait when did you even take my fingerprint? I don’t remember–” began Evelyn, clearly flustered by the interaction.

“Now isn’t the time for semantics Evelyn,” Theo interrupted, looking up from the monitor and pinning Evelyn with her steely clear grey gaze.

“How long have you been down here this time? Although I did see your attempt at breakfast upstairs, so I suppose you must have left at some point,” Evelyn had one hand out towards Theo, a cup of tea in it, she took it happily. “What were we having?”

“Eggs and bacon and some toast.” Theo spoke in a very matter of fact voice. “But we didn’t have bread. And I didn’t know what to do, so I just stopped making it.”

“Fair enough, Pet,” Evelyn sipped her coffee with an amused smile tugging at her lips. She gazed at her friend affectionately, “thank you for thinking of me and trying, we’ll get some bread later and try again if you want?” she offered, but she knew Theo, her mind was already on to the next thing. Her appetite was probably already gone, but she needed to eat.

“Hmm,” Theo hummed in response, unwilling to further this line of conversation.

“Okay, how about pizza?”

“It’s 10am. Where are we getting pizza from?” that elicited a reply from Theo, pizza always worked.

“I’ll make it? There’s tomatoes, herbs, and I can make some dough,” Evelyn would make anything Theo wanted, because she wanted to, always. They always looked after the other one. And if making pizza from scratch was how she was going to do that, then so be it.

All Evelyn needed to see was the smile on Theo’s face to know she was onto a winner.

As usual.

“We need to make a deal then,” Evelyn sipped the last of her coffee and glanced down at the sad looking whip cream that once graced the top of the coffee, was now sitting, deflated at the bottom of the cup.

“A deal?” Theo sneered, wary of Evelyn’s deals.

It would mean one of two things.

Either she wanted her to put up a new product posting online, or she wanted her to go outside.

Neither of which Theo was overly enthralled to do. Sure, the online shop listing would only take 2 minutes but that’s why she didn’t want to do it, where was the challenge? Take some photos, put them on a webpage, sell the stuff, list as sold out, do it all again tomorrow.

And outside? The last place Theo ever wanted to see was outside.

“I’ll make you a pizza, if you come outside for a few hours.”

Outside. Dammit.

“Oh, and I need you to list a new product.”

Both. sh*t.

Theo sucked her teeth in response.

“No.” Theo turned her attention back to the monitors in front of her. She was not going to move, not for a pizza, not for some new tech, nope. And she certainly wasn’t going outside.

“Okay, if you come outside, you can have pizza. If you list the product…. I won’t destroy the generator.”

Theo’s eyes snapped up to meet Evelyn’s, her mind faltering, stopping her thought process the first time in hours. She eyed her up and down, was she bluffing?

“You wouldn’t dare…” She stared dead set into Evelyn’s eyes, and as she saw her resolve harden in her eyes, she knew she wasn’t. Just as the thought process finished in Theos head, green mist was swirling around Evelyn’s outstretched hands, as she wiggled her fingers, a devilish smile on her face.

“Try me…”

Well. sh*t.

The air in the meadow was warm, punctuated only by the soft breeze that whistled through the surrounding forest.

There was a comfortable quiet, the rustling of the leaves in the tall trees cresting and waning in a monotone cadence. A soft warbling from a nest from across the meadow.

Theo listened carefully to the song and came to the conclusion that a family of Eastern Meadowlarks had set up camp near the cottage.

She smirked.

And Evelyn said her knowledge of bird calls in the New York Tri-state area was useless.

At least this way Theo could instruct Evelyn on how to cultivate the area to encourage population growth.

That could hardly be called useless.

Theo closed her eyes and turned her face towards the sky, as much as she hated to admit it to Evelyn their quiet piece of heaven wasn’t the worst place to spend a few hours away from all the tech and shadows of the dark web.

The ending of spring meant that the flowers were open and proudly displaying their colours, bees were visiting them all in turn and were providing a low ambient hum.

Theo had rolled the cuffs of her brown pants and removed her knitted sweater, where it now sat folded with her glasses balanced precariously on top.

The summer sun had come out in full force and Theo felt her thin bouse start to stick to her back uncomfortably as the sweat began to bead around her collar.

Their only reprieve from the unrelenting heat was the gentle breeze that always whistled through the dry grass.

Their plates laid strewn across a blanket, tomato sauce and a few stray crusts left over. The women were full and content and were lounging between the clumps of tall grass.

Evelyn had the comb in one hand and a bemused Theo’s head in the other.

Theo allowed her to brush all the knots out and let her detangle the nest that sat on her head. As grumpy as she was for being forced outside, she never minded Evelyn combing her hair.

“You know,” began Theo, as Evelyn released the section of hair that she had just finished liberating from one particularly large, matted chunk near Theo’s nape, “in some cultures and places, kidnapping is a crime and is frowned upon.”

Theo had a deadpan expression on her face, no emotion giving her away.

A short, sharp whack came to the back of her head - Evelyn had hit her with the comb.

“You haven’t been kidnapped, stop being so dramatic,” Evelyn sighed as she finished combing the last of the tumbleweeds out of Theo’s hair.

A rare raspy chuckle escaped the infuriating woman before her, and as Theo twisted in her seat Evelyn noted that her hair looked even more impossibly white against the warm sunlight that illuminated her from behind.

A puff of wind picked up her tight curls that spilled over pale shoulders, making them seem almost translucent against the blaze of the sky. Her soft freckles had darkened slightly in the sunlight and covered every inch of exposed skin and littered her face, which was now stretched into a mischievous grin.

“I like my lab, its clean,” Theo breathlessly started in her defence, a flush spread across her cheeks from her outburst and a crinkle forming on her nose.

“If you dare try and convince me your lab AND your bedroom are clean…” Evelyn was taking no prisoners, she would do anything to get in that lab and just clean.

Theo, on the other hand, did not agree with this statement.

She felt her lab was spotless, Evelyn was probably just bitter Theo wouldn’t let her put a single plant down there. “I don’t go in my bedroom….” Theo stated; it was less of a bedroom to her, more of a storeroom for things that didn’t belong in her lab: stacks of books, clothes, keepsakes from before the cottage… things like that.

Theo suddenly remembered briefly that she hadn’t seen her favourite knitted sweater in a while; she supposed it was probably stuffed down the back of her wardrobe.

“And whose fault is that?” clipped Evelyn, snapping Theo out of her distracted thoughts. Theo said nothing else, she didn’t feel defeated, she just knew she wouldn’t win. Evelyn also let it go pretty quickly, feeling much the same way and looked down at the hand that still gripped onto the comb.

She’d managed to keep Te outside for the last 4 and half hours, but there was only so much she could take before she would snap and retreat to the safety of the lab.

They’d cut all the crops and “replanted” more, moved all the harvest into the warehouse and now Theo was itching to get back inside and update the web page.

After 20 more minutes of Theo going on and on about the definition of “kidnapping” and “homeland terrorism”, Evelyn cracked and let her go back inside, she did need to go get the groceries. Theo headed towards the basem*nt to put the listing up as Evelyn ascended the stairs to retrieve her wicket basket, because of course she had a wicker basket.

A soft beeping emanated from her pocket and Theo pulled out the small portable holographic interface that she carried everywhere.

A breach.

Someone had crossed the invisible line on the property boarder and there was no clear motive for a visit. Maria had been gone for a few years now and Monica wasn’t due to visit for a few more months.

Within seconds the doorbell rang.

Theo’s brow furrowed slightly as she started towards the door, she didn’t know who was on the other side, but she would soon find out.

“I’ll get it!” Theo called in a sing-song voice as she strode forwards.

Evelyn’s throat constricted and heat coiled in her chest as she spun on her heel at the top of the stairs, getting caught on her undone laces and tripping over a stack of terracotta pots that were lining the steps.

She landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, struggling to get to her feet, desperate to get to Theo before she could shatter the illusion of safety the cottage allowed them.

But she was too late.

Theo had already reached for the handle, twisting it and flinging it open just as a strangled cry of “NO!” escaped Evelyn’s lips.

A soft flurry of warm air blew the curls from Theo’s shoulder enough so Evelyn could see a sturdy silhouette darkening the door frame.

The burning that had gripped Evelyn dissipated, replaced by a chill that swiftly raced through her veins, freezing her in place.

The figure shifted, allowing the light that blazed from behind them to fall across their face, a slight furrow contorting their brows as they took in the sight of Evelyn collapsed on the floor, her arm still out stretched towards a seemingly nonplussed Theo.

“Hey there,” said the mysterious blonde, a tentative smile curling their lips.

Chapter 4: radioactive

Chapter Text

The shadows shrouded him as he stalked down the winding tunnels, the scuffing of his boots echoing off of the bare stone walls.

The air was cold and damp; the musky smell assaulted his nostrils as he descended further underground.

Rocks jutted out ominously from the low hanging ceiling, if he were a taller man he would have to stoop to avoid hitting them, luckily his slight frame meant this wasn’t an issue for him; through his bitterness he held his head high.

Straining his eyes in the darkness, he searched for the metal door at the end of the corridor. Slowly but surely the door loomed into view as he descended further into the blackness, his breathing becoming more laboured as the air grew thin.

The dingy glow of the overhead light threw an eerie green tinge over the doorway, as he reached forward and shoved the heavy door open. The rusty hinges groaned as the door swung slowly inward and he stepped inside the cold room.

“Sir, we’ve just had confirmation that the target has been located and the tactical team are inbound.” A small weedy technician clutched his clipboard as he scurried over to the man in the doorway.

“How long until they make contact?” The man said, his voice cold and detached, oozing disinterest.

“Around two hours, Sir. The location is in upstate New York.”

The man wet his lips. Not too much longer and his plan would be in motion. Flashing a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, he turned to the technician.

“Fine, notify me when contact has been made.” the man ordered crisply, turning on his heel and leaving the room before the technician could utter another word; annoying, insipid man.

He tilted his head and cracked his neck, not long until his plan would be in motion and he would prove his worth to the powers that be.

Exacting his own revenge was just a bonus to his plan.

Silence stretched before them.

Evelyn was frozen, rooted to her spot at the bottom of the stairs.

How had someone found them?

Panic consumed Evelyn and bile rose in her throat. Surely Monica wouldn’t have told anyone, and they would know if she was in danger; Theo had alerts set out for her and one other just in case their secret was exposed.

Green mist fogged Evelyn’s vision as vines began to form and creep slowly towards Theo, desperate to close the distance between them and pull her to safety. It felt like hours had past when in reality it had to have been no more than a few seconds at most.

“Hello, come in. Would you like some tea?”

Theo shifted slightly in the doorway and gestured to one of the overstuffed armchairs that sat nestled between the hundreds of pot plants that took up the majority of the real estate in the living room.

Evelyn stared at the back of Theo’s head in exasperation, opening and closing her mouth, forming soundless, scolding words.

For a person with a genius level IQ and technology skills that could leave the likes of Tony Stark baffled and embarrassed, Theo had no self-preservation instincts.

“Sure, thanks,” came an unfamiliar voice, gentler than Evelyn had been expecting.

Through the doorway hesitantly stepped a slender woman, all long limbs and striking bone structure, a warm, honest smile scrunching her face and soft blonde waves falling just above her shoulders.

Evelyn rolled her eyes, of course Theo let her in.

Theo didn’t have a type per say, Evelyn knew she generally chose the company of women, though it had been a few years since Evelyn had witnessed Theo creep back home in the early hours.

But this woman? Evelyn could practically see Theo go weak at the knees.

Evelyn clambered ungracefully to her feet, her posture rigid, her jaw starting to ache as her teeth clenched together.

The blonde took a seat and glanced around, taking in her surroundings looking pleasantly surprised at what she found. Evelyn rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, of course the woman would like the décor, that was her job.

Theo had had no input at all in the renovation of the cottage, insisting only on her lab in the basem*nt, so Evelyn had taken control. She had been determined to keep the essence of the small retro building, while putting her own personal spin on the place.

This room was her favourite.

The walls were painted teal with small yellow floral decals Evelyn had taken the time to hand paint in intermittent places. The floor was the original tile and was adorned with multiple rugs, all varying in colour, shape, and fabric. Her favourite was a woven wicker circle rug that the blonde intruder now rested her worn combat boots on.

Evelyn’s scowl deepened, feeling a sense of dejection; she could hardly kick her out now Theo was being so hospitable.

“Theo for the love of all things holy, what did we agree about answering the door to strangers? Remember the vacuum salesman?” Evelyn hissed through gritted teeth; Theo had the grace to bow her head in embarrassment. “You spent $3,000 on a vacuum, when we already have a state-of-the-arts Programmer designed and built robot vacuum. He stayed for 2 hours, and you offered him your dinner. What is the point in having the security system if you just ignore it when it trips?”

Theo opened her mouth to reply but no words came out, and Evelyn immediately felt guilt wash over her as she looked at the lost expression on her friend’s face. She knew Theo didn’t mean any harm, she just never had been able to fully grasp the ability to read social situations and understand that not everyone had good intentions towards her.

“If it makes you feel any better, I know who you are,” the stranger pointed at Evelyn their eyes making contact, “Director Fury sent me.”

All the air was sucked from the room, Evelyn’s breaths becoming shallow pants as the hairs on the back of her neck bristled.

How can she know Fury?

Maria trusted him, that’s why she had let him in on the knowledge of their existence. She promised he would keep them safe. Evelyn’s mind whirled as the hurt and betrayal flitted across her face, giving away her emotions.

“Well, not exactly, but he’s aware I was looking for you and he didn’t stop me.” the blonde corrected herself brusquely.

Wait, what?

Evelyn’s brows knitted together as she shook her head in confusion.

Who was this woman?

As if she was able to read Evelyn’s thought process, Theo cut in.

“Evey – this is Carol Danvers, codename Captain Marvel, know associate of Director Nicholas Fury and close friend and associate of Maria Rambeau. This is her first visit to earth since just after Maria’s passing. I’m assuming you discovered us through Project Insight, though that data was wiped before it was made publicly available.”

She co*cked her head to the side and captured Carol’s eyes with her questioning look.

“How did you find us?”

“Captain Whonow? What’s a Project Insight? How do you know Maria?” Evelyn thrust her finger towards Carol, “and how in God’s name do you know about all this?!” she added flapping her hands manically in Theo’s general direction.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on the situation.” Theo offered curtly.

“There’s been a situation?!”

“Yes, and I’ve been monitoring it.”

“And Captain Marvin here–”

“–Marvel–” interrupted Theo and Carol in unison.

“Whatever, Captain Marvel,” Evelyn hissed bitterly, “managed to discover our supersecret location. I’d say Theodosia that you have not been successful in ‘monitoring the situation’.” She finished with air quotes, breathing heavily; dragging air in her lungs in an attempt to calm down.

The tension in the room was palpable.

Energy crackled between Evelyn and Theo, and it took a moment before Evelyn noticed the green mist had completely descended over her vision and the air around them was practically vibrating.

“Ahem,” came a noise from the corner as Carol cleared her throat. She gestured towards the soft teal sofa sat in the middle of the living area, her brows raised slightly, “if I may?”

The two women stopped their staring contest and begrudgingly took a seat on the sofa on opposite ends, the atmosphere still dripping with annoyance and contempt.

Carol placed herself in one of the armchairs facing them, trying to keep her body language neutral.

Evelyn and Theo were both sitting with their backs facing the other as far apart as they could without falling off the sofa, clearly very flustered with the other.

“I think you probably have a few questions for me” Carol’s voice was soft and low, giving off a soothing, maternal vibe. She was trying to make the situation better, but she wasn’t sure if she could.

Her gaze flicked between both of the women, waiting for one of them to break the silence first.

It was Evelyn who did so.

“How do you know Maria?” She wouldn’t look at Carol, she was busy trying to not think of Maria too much, the subject was still very raw for her, but she needed to know.

“We were in the military together; we were best friends and comrades.” Carol smiled, but sadness threatened to remove it from her face. “But I’ve been… away… for a while.”

Her eyes drooped down, and she found herself looking at the carpet instead of the women. Evelyn nodded while Theo didn’t seem to understand.

“I had no idea she was hiding you.”

“Well, that’s not true, is it? Because here you are, in my house, on my sofa while my best friend wants to make you a cup of tea.” Evelyn had her arms folded protectively across her chest, and she was staring daggers at Carol. “So, my next question is simply, how? How did you learn about our existence?”

Carol adjusted in her seat, hands coming to rest on her lap, she was leaning forward. She had a look of deep thought on her face. And then she spoke.

“Maybe I should start from the beginning.”

Chapter 5: welcome home, son

Chapter Text

The air whipped her face, leaving her cheeks cold and raw as she tore through the Earth’s atmosphere.

Earth.

It had been years since Carol had considered the planet her home; it felt even less so now that Maria was no longer alive. Fury still kept in contact, but her assistance hadn’t been needed since the incident with the Kree in the 90s, but she had returned periodically to visit with Maria and watch Monica grow into a strong young woman.

It had been more regular in the last 5 years to support Maria through her cancer diagnosis and treatment. Carol had felt so helpless. How could she be so powerful, but not be able to help her best friend fight for her life. She wasn’t there when Maria eventually lost the battle, and it’s something she would never forgive herself for.

The last time she had visited was the funeral.

The grief had consumed her, and she had felt like a hollow shell, going through the motions but not taking anything in or paying attention to the people in attendance offering condolences and hushed empathetic comforts.

She mentally scolded herself for not visiting sooner, but the anguish ached in her chest at the thought of visiting the planet that no longer housed the person who had meant the most to her.

As she plunged through the light cloud cover her destination came into view, the sprawling lawns of the compound juxtaposed with the sharp clean lines of the white of the facility buildings.

Glass and metal glinted as the early morning sun caught the panes, refracting light into the open plan lobbies and offices inside. Carol raised her hand and tapped the small device nestled in her ear.

Static crackled as the communication device connected to the ever-impressive F.R.I.D.A.Y. interface of the Avengers compound.

“Good morning Ms Danvers,” came the cool Irish voice over the earpiece, “should I alert the team of your arrival?”

“Lovely to hear your voice F.R.I.D.A.Y., is the boss in his office?” Carol enquired, cringing at the idea of waking the whole team at 7am just to greet her.

“Where else would he be Ms Danvers,” retorted F.R.I.D.A.Y. How Tony had managed to give an AI such a feisty personality Carol would never know.

“Good point as ever. Don’t alert the team just let the boss know I’ll be with him in 5.”

Carol smiled to herself.

She’d missed her teammates, though she would never admit it in front of them. Maybe she would join the team in the evening for a meal, so long as no one got called out for a mission.

Carol found herself wondering who was currently on-planet, secretly hoping Thor and Valkyrie were around to catch up as she descended onto the landing pad located just off to the right of the main building’s entrance.

She dropped out of the sky and landed on the balls of her feet, raising her hand to cover her eyes from the glare of the bright sunrise.

A door to the side of her whooshed open, and without skipping a beat, she walked inside.

Tony was in the middle of the room, playing about with a hologram of an iron man suit. He was giving instructions to F.R.I.D.A.Y. and she was changing the suit to make room for new tech.

Carol watched as the hologram shifted and took its new shape, he was going to add a new gun and some updated first aid tech. smart.

“Ahem,” Carol cleared her throat and approached the unshaven man at the desk. He didn’t look up at her but nodded at her general direction. “What you working on boss?”

“New suit. I like to keep it updated; I give myself the good stuff. I save the other stuff for Rhodey. But I don’t always install it…. What are you doing here?” Tony asked sharply.

He was always alert and aware of anything that could mean him putting on that suit and having to be the hero.

“I felt like a family reunion was in order,” she smiled at him, enough that he knew she meant no harm but not enough to convince him she was only here for them.

Truth was, she wasn’t even sure why she was back. She had felt a bit lost of late and was perhaps looking for a distraction.

“So we’re family now? Great, where’s my belated birthday gift?” Tony retorted sarcastically, clearly in one of his moods.

He obviously had something playing on his mind or was about to go on a mission he did not want to do.

Which would also explain the newest changes to his suit.

Carol decided to leave him unanswered and wander around for minute. Her attention was drawn to a set of computer screens that looked as if they were deciphering some sort of code, the encryption and decryption process going ultra-fast, no doubt F.R.I.D.A.Y. working like hell.

Carol raised a hand and pointed at the screens, keeping her eyes on them at all times.

“What’s this?” her mind went to many places, what kind of information takes this level of decoding?

“That–”

Tony’s attention was now on her and the screens, he had a solemn look on his face and was trying to find a witty comment to retort with, but he realised who he was talking to and decided to go for the straight answer.

“– Is the remnants of Project Insight… that exceptionally deadly little side hustle that HYDRA was running from inside S.H.I.E.L.D.. We managed to save some of the data from it when Nat dumped it online. F.R.I.D.A.Y. is already on it.”

He wiped his brow and sat against the desk; arms folded.

“We’ve already deciphered a few files, Fury went old school, and had them printed onto paper… because who cares about the planet,” he rolled his eyes and he gestured to a stack of manilla folders that lay on the table in front of them.

Carol picked them up and immediately started going through them, there were your usual suspects on there; murderers, rapists, criminals of all descriptions, but there were others on the list. People who didn’t seem like the types to be wiped out; teachers, soldiers, the little old lady who lives in everyone’s block.

“Who are half these people?” Carol asked, flicking through the folders.

Unassuming faces staring back at her, innocents who had no idea that once upon a time they had been seconds from being shot by HYDRA.

“Anyone who HYDRA thought was a risk, including children.” Tony slammed a fist onto the table, he was angry.

He was angry that not only had HYDRA attempted to wipe out millions, but they also had no qualms with going after children.

The worst villains always targeted everyone, including children in their plans.

Carol understood, she thought of a young Monica, how small and innocent she had been at that age.

But her mind could not stop there for long.

The folders that still lingered in her grasp had thrown up an interesting looking character, she had forest green hair and piercing leaf-coloured eyes that bore into her own.

The picture was a Mugshot, a few years old by the looks of it. Her face held a profuse scowl and her eyes tried to give nothing away, but Carol could tell she was angry.

She looked to the side of the picture, flipping up the paperclipped photo to see the words in the file, to see a name; Evelyn Green – Alias Evergreen.

Carol had never heard of her.

She kept thumbing through the papers looking for anything else. The file was extensive, clearly this Evelyn had been up to no good for a while, she had one drugs charge for distribution, Carol figured that’s where the mugshot came from. But no other charges, even though it was clear she was still in the drugs business.

She had a few known associates, most of whom were already dead, a lot of their deaths still a mystery. And one Unknown Associate, all that was on the Unknown was an alias, The Programmer.

Evelyn’s list of charges that were never brought against her was long, very long.

How had she managed to evade capture and prosecution for so long?

A thin piece of carbon paper fell from the pages and landed under the table.

Closing the folder and bending down, Carol retrieved it and glanced at the text on it, it was a bail and conditions form. Evelyn’s, from this one drug charge.

She recognised the name on the countersigner…

The person who bailed her out?

Maria Rambeau.

Carol could no longer hear Tony speaking, the loud ringing in her ears drowned him out.

She was focused slowly on this folder, this person, this other person who had a connection to Maria.

Who was this person?

And why was Maria covering up everything?

She knew she was going to have to visit Fury, he had to know about this, surely?

“Can I have this?” she kept her face blank and held the folder up to Tony who shrugged.

“Knock yourself out.”

At that moment, Tony’s new suit was finished, and he walked briskly back to the desk he was at earlier.

Carol knew she could probably just leave, and he wouldn’t even notice she had gone. She elected to not draw any unnecessary attention to herself, and calmly exited the building before taking off, folder pressed tightly to her chest.

All she thought about during the short flight was Maria, Evelyn, the mystery of it all and why Maria never even thought to mention anything to her.

She felt a little betrayed but at the same time, the overwhelming feeling of guilt was taking over.

If she had spent more time on earth in the last 8 years, maybe Maria would have said something, confided in her, trusted her to hold this obvious secret.

She felt tears threaten to sting her eyes but knocked them back and hardened her expression. She needed answers and crying wouldn’t get them.

She soared over the buildings of downtown New York, heading for the nonchalant tower that sat comfortably near the empire state building, she knew Fury would be there. He was easy to find, not that she would ever tell him that.

Her hair whipped around her face, and she saw the floor she needed to get to.

Landing on the roof, she made her way towards the rooftop door, stopping to shoot a salute to the CCTV cameras before walking in like she owned the place.

She was steady in her pace, stomping through the corridors, her journeys end in sight.

Fury was leaning over a black desk, facing away from her, computer monitors splayed across every spare piece of wall space taking his attention up. There were the shadowy figures that Carol had come to know as the World Council, haunting every screen. She pushed the glass door open with little effort and walked straight to Fury. He spun round at the sound of the door being breached.

“I’ll call you back,” he slammed a red button, cutting the call short. He straightened up and prepared himself for whatever was coming.

Carol said nothing, she just slammed the folder onto the table, staring into Fury’s last remaining good eye.

He looked down at it and peeled the front cover back, when his eyes met the green ones in the folder. He let the cover settle back into its natural resting place and turned to face Carol.

“What about her?”

His calm and collected attitude annoyed Carol, he must know why this is important to her.

“Who is she?” Carol followed Fury as he swished about the room in his eccentric leather coat, her eyes never straying from his form.

“According to the folder, a drug dealer,” Fury was being deliberately obtuse, winding Carol up even further. “And a pretty bad one at that.”

“Why do you say that?”

Carol had no idea where this was going, she wanted answers, not more questions.

Fury knew more than he was letting on.

He had now taken a seat opposite her, he was leaned back in his chair, hands together in front of him on the table. He kept a locked look with Carol.

“Because we know who she is, where she is and what she can do. And it’s not just growing a bit of pot to sell to your local hippies. She is dangerous Carol, and best left alone.” he was trying to tell Carol information without compromising the very people him and Maria had promised to protect and hide.

“And what exactly does that mean? What can she do?” Carol’s voice was starting to raise itself, a bright light pulsating from inside her.

“You need to calm down, Danvers,” Fury was now standing up, hands ready to grab his gun at a second’s notice. “I can’t give you any more information, the file is classified.” his stern look made Carol back down a bit.

“But why? If this is someone we should know about we sho–”

“For damn good reasons,” Fury’s fist made contact with the wall. “Sometimes it’s safer for everyone if we leave them alone, let them run an international drug empire, keep an eye on them, and just not get involved. Think of it as a seriously dangerous and very distanced government monitored day care.”

“What happened to your relentless recruitment? And when has S.H.I.E.L.D just sat by and watched someone be a criminal and done absolutely nothing about it?!”

Carol was furious, she had never been kept in the dark before, and she wasn’t going to start now. She ran an exasperated hands through her hair, shaking it out over her shoulders.

“She not good enough to be an avenger? Is that even your choice?”

“To answer the questions, I can; yes, she has the capacity to be an avenger, do I think it’s a good idea? No, I do not.”

His eye was almost popping out of his head he was so agitated at this encounter.

“Did Maria do a lot to hide her? Yes. Is it my place to tell you where they are? Also no.” he was starting to calm, his voice returning to its usual low tones.

He had the upmost respect for Maria, and he would defend her in death, especially this. The one thing she had actually asked of him before she died. Even he was shocked to know she had kept these people hidden for as long as she had, and Fury knew everything.

“So, it was Maria that hid her?” Carol was pleased with herself; she had managed to trip the infamous Nick Fury up into giving her something. “Where?”

Even though Fury had already told her he wouldn’t tell her, she would not relent.

“Only she knew that, even I don’t know that. There was a certain level of trust between us,” he stared Carol down, knowing that comment would stop and make her think. “And besides, I’ve got better things to do than track down a small-time drug dealer,” he motioned to the screens and monitors surrounding him.

“You said international drug ring earlier, which is it? Big time dealers? Or small-town junkies?” Carol was again elated with herself. Twice in one conversation? Fury was losing his edge.

“Well, if you ever find them, let me know. I’m running just as blind as you,” he pointed to his eyepatch and Carol let out a chuckle.

Did he really have no idea?

Carol felt like this was as far as the conversation would go, Fury was an unshakeable wall at the best of times, and he’d already let one or two things slip.

“I can’t stop you from looking, but I can warn against it.”

Carol turned to face him, seeing his expression she felt uneasy, like she was missing something. He had a soft but stern line along his lips and his brow was raised in expectation of an answer back. Instead, Carol picked up the folder that hadn’t moved since being thrown down and began to make her way out of the room and towards the roof.

“Good luck!” called a voice from behind, she smiled as she walked away, Fury knew she wouldn’t let it go.

As she made it to the roof, glancing through the file again. She noticed something in it that looked familiar, a land deed in Maria’s name. She knew this property, Maria spoke about it often.

A piece of land her family left her that she didn’t know what to do with.

There was no address or location attached but Carol knew it was about 3 hours out of New York by car, so maybe 15 to 20 minutes by flight.

Footsteps echoed as someone walked into the room that Fury was in. He was stood hands clasped behind his back, staring out the window and he watched as Carol took off, fast.

Hill came to a stop next to him, her eyes also following Carol as she launched herself into the sky.

“How long sir?” her expression unchanging.

“I give her 3 hours. Tops.” Fury replied, shortly.

He knew exactly what he was doing, he gave her everything she needed to find them. Carol may have thought he wasn’t aware, but he was.

Everything Fury did, he did for a reason.

Chapter 6: don't save me

Chapter Text

The air was still as Carol finished her explanation. Her gaze flickered between the two women before her.

She hadn’t held back, feeling that if they sensed that she was withholding information from them she would never gain their trust.

She spread her hands wide in front of her to indicate that she had told them everything, and now it was their turn to give her the information she needed.

The women shared a look, and Evelyn nodded as she shrank back in her seat, closing off her body language. The woman named Theo, who clearly knew more than she was letting on, took a breath and turned to face Carol.

“What do you want to know?”

A million questions ran through Carol’s mind, who were they?

How did they know Maria? What was the extent of their relationship with her? How long had Maria kept them from her?

Why is Fury so intent on keeping them hidden from the world? Why were they on a HYDRA watch list?

She didn’t know where to start.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning? Who are you and how do you know Maria Rambeau?”

“This is Evelyn Green, and I am Theodosia Lovelace, born 21st and 23rd of March, respectively. Our parents became friends when my father Lucas Lovelace moved into the house next to Roger and Sally Green three days after my birth. We were close in our childhood, and after Evelyn’s parents passed, she was placed in the temporary care of a close family friend, Maria Rambeau. Maria moved into the Green property and eventually applied to permanently foster Evelyn.”

At this point Carol gaze raked over Evelyn. “But I visited Maria. How did I never meet you?” There had never been any evidence of another child other than Monica when she had visited, she definitely would have noticed a whole other child in her friend’s care.

“Fury.” Theo interjected simply, like this answered all the questions.

Evelyn rolled her eyes at her friend’s lacklustre response and elaborated, “when you planned to visit, Fury made me disappear for a few hours in a safe house.”

“But why keep you a secret?” Carol was more than a little confused at this point.

“Because I’m dangerous.” Evelyn retorted, wiggling her fingers, and wagging her eyebrows, smirking wickedly.

“Evelyn’s ability is Chlorokinesis.” Theo stated, now rolling her eyes Evelyn’s joking manner, placing her hand over Evelyn’s, and lowered them. “She can manipulate non-sentient organic matter at a molecular level.”

“You control plants?” said Carol bluntly.

“Well don’t say it like that! Now it doesn’t sound half as cool!” Evelyn whined, her eyebrows knitting together to form a little v on her forehead. Evelyn wasn’t used to people being so chill and blunt with enhanced abilities.

“But why–”

“Fury decided the less people who knew about my existence the better,” Evelyn shrugged, noticing herself how feeble her explanation was. Carol wasn’t satisfied with that answer, so she pushed it.

“So, you can grow a tree?” Carol said bluntly, she knew this would get some reaction.

And it did.

Evelyn’s hands started glowing an unnatural greenish hue and petals began to form from thin air, swirling and dancing in her grasp.

Before Carol could register anything else, a tree limb shot through the window and smashed the chair Carol once sat in.

Evelyn was fast, but Carol was faster.

As the dust settled and the tree was shrinking back out the window, Carol saw Theo sat on top of Evelyn as she held her to the floor, restraining her as much as she could. But Evelyn was pissed, and all she could see was red.

Theo was whispering something into Evelyn’s ear, low enough that Carol couldn’t hear, but whatever she said must have worked as all the angry houseplants that were now violently swishing about in the vicinity started to come to a slow stop, eventually resting back to a normal state.

Evelyn was still angry, but Theo had made an excellent point in that killing of an Avenger would likely get them both killed and did Evelyn really want that?

Not really.

“Okay, so you can do more than grow a tree…” Carol said with a co*cked eyebrow. She was in awe; why was this person wasting their life selling drugs? She would be an avenger that could do so much good.

“When she’s sober.” came Theo’s monotonous voice, earning herself a small whack on the arm from Evelyn. With that Theo released the angry woman from underneath her, Evelyn took a seat back on the sofa, waiting patiently for this to end, she didn’t want strangers in her home. Especially ones that now knew the extent of her abilities.

Her mind was spinning, maybe she shouldn’t have had that joint earlier. She rubbed her eyes, hoping it would clear her head. It didn’t. Theo placed a reassuring hand over hers and Evelyn squeezed it in solidarity.

“So, what do you do? Just grow stuff here?” Carol was intrigued by the two women that sat before her, both seemed as mysterious as the other. She didn’t want to let them know how much she knew, she wanted them to tell her the truth.

“Evelyn grows her own strain of cannabis, along with other kinds. She’s also exceptionally talented at growing mushrooms, the fun kind,” Theo was smiling proudly, their chosen career wasn’t usually a point of pride, but they were at peace with it. Nothing made in a lab, only natural drugs were what they sold, they felt that separated them from others.

“I run the dark net pages and list the products for sale and organise logistics, oh and keep us off radar. And yet, you found us - how?” Theo was now staring with squinted eyes at Carol, trying to figure her out.

“Your energy bill is rather higher than the average around here. It took me a couple of hours to find somewhere with an energy usage as high as this place, but once I did…” Carol smiled at the women, they looked more shocked at that revelation than any other.

“I’m sorry, what?” spluttered a very angry looking Evelyn as she turned to face Theo, but she couldn’t catch her eye; Theo was deliberately looking away.

Evelyn continued, “so you wiped your birth from history… you were the one who kept shifting the launch codes from your KITCHEN… You have the most sophisticated security system in the world, one which even Tony Stark would be jealous of, but you just left out the energy bill? WHY ARE WE LISTED WITH AN ENERGY COMPANY?!”

Evelyn was beyond bewildered; this was the single most stupid thing she had ever known Theo to do; even more so than the time she let the Mormons in.

Apparently opening the front door was NOT Theo’s biggest liability.

“Paying for energy isn’t illegal…. Why is it an issue that I- oh” The gears in Theo’s head had finished turning and whirring, she now realised what Evelyn meant by that.

She had literally given their location out to the world.

She put her head in her hands and groaned inwardly at herself, this was exactly what Evelyn meant when she said Theo was ‘book smart’ and Evelyn was ‘street smart.

A soft circle of hands rubbing her back snapped her out of her daze and thousands of thoughts.

Evelyn was trying to calm her, allowing her the space to feel silly for a minute before pulling her out of it.

“I can’t believe I didn’t take care of the power usage, I’m always so on top of everything.”

“And now you know, you can change it.” Evelyn was trying to not be angry, she didn’t blame Theo, the fact that Theo had done something as honourable as paying the energy bill legally, made her heart swell with pride.

“Listen,” Carol cut in, causing Evelyn to fix her with a death stare, “I found you. I’ve been on earth and known of your existence for 4 hours and I found you. Others can and will find you, and without Maria you don’t have anyone to call for help. Well except Fury, and he only helps if and when he wants. I need you to take this.”

Carol produced what looked like a small round key fob from her pocket. Theo reached out but Evelyn got there first. If this were some kind of tech there is no way that it would be safe with Theo. She would dismantle it and attempt to hack any system that was inside.

Theo looked up and frowned at Evelyn, her bottom lip pouted slightly like a child who had an ice cream snatched away from them. Evelyn shook her head in response and turned her attention back to Carol and the fob.

“This, simply put,” Carol continued, “is a distress call. If you ever need me, push the button in the centre and it will send a signal directly to me.”

She tapped her wrist to demonstrate the wearable interface Tony had built into a delicate cuffed bracelet.

The holographic screen emitted from the bangle spun before them showing her insignia flashing an alert. Carol glanced at the women.

“Don’t lose it, don’t try and take it apart,” she glanced pointedly at Theo, “don’t use it unless it’s an emergency.”

Evelyn slipped the small, unassuming device into her pocket and tapped it to make sure it was in there. Evelyn nodded once to prove that she understood, and Carol stood to leave.

“You’re not going, are you?” Theo exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “You’ve not had your tea yet! Would you like to stay for dinner? Evelyn can cook something can’t you Evey?”

Theo whipped her head around to stare wide eyed at Evelyn, flinging her arm out to simultaneously block Carol’s exit and whack Evelyn across the face.

“Te, I’m sure we had a conversation about how kidnapping and holding people against their will is frowned upon. Literally had it about 2 hours ago, remember? You called me a ‘homegrown terrorist’? I’m sure Carol has other things she needs to get on with, she didn’t come back to Earth just to sit and have tea with you. She knows where we are if she needs us.”

She chuckled at the disappointed look Theo gave her and offered an apologetic smile to Carol who had ducked under Theo’s outstretched arm, an embarrassed grin etched on her face.

The two other women gave each other a knowing nod, while Theo accepted that Carol was leaving, much to her disappointment.

After the blonde had taken off into the sky and shot across it like a shooting star, Evelyn walked back inside. Theo was in the kitchen, holding an empty cup, looking sad.

“She’ll be back Te, she might even come back soon” Evelyn would do anything to see her friend smiling, she secretly hoped Carol would come back, so Te would be okay.

“I guess. I’m going to list the new product” Theo said defeatedly, she slopped towards the basem*nt, throwing the door open dramatically and disappearing into the darkness.

“Alright Pet, I’m going to get the groceries; I’ll be a few hours. Can I trust you not to open the door?!” Evelyn called down the darkened stairs, she heard a disembodied grunt and knew that was Te’s way of saying, ‘yeah sure whatever’.

Evelyn chuckled to herself and pulled the door shut. Retrieving her basket from the top of the stairs, she pulled on her shoes, leaving the laces trailing along the floor.

She gave a whistle to the house, her way of saying goodbye to her plants. She could feel them, their energy tangible to her, she always said farewell to the botany in case she came home to find Theo had accidentally killed one.

Chapter 7: rock the boat

Chapter Text

The shale shifted and crunched as Evelyn trudged along the front of the house, towards the garage. Pulling a set of keys from her pocket, she noticed Carol’s device tangled in them.

She shrugged to herself and slid the new tech onto her keychain, hoping this would make it harder to lose and harder for Theo to steal. Pressing a button on the brick wall next to the garage , Evelyn leaned against the sun warmed brick and waited for the retractable covering to remove itself from obscuring her baby.

The sun filtered through the dust filled air, casting long shadows along the concrete flooring, and in the middle of the room, sat a 1967 classic Volkswagen Hippie van. The tie-dyed wonder bus was one of the very few machines Evelyn could stomach and operate, Theo had found it online 6 years ago and had made sure she won the auction so Evelyn could have her dream car.

Bessie was now Evelyn’s prized possession, even more so than the extremely deadly and dangerous plants she had to get smuggled into the country. Theo got her, but so did Bessie.

Bessie had had more crying fits had in her than most, but she also took them on great trips and ‘holidays’. If you could call visiting their rival dealer and ‘cancelling their subscription to life magazine’ as Evelyn had put it, a holiday.

Theo had completely refit her and rebuilt the original engine, and although she was a tech whizz, Evelyn was not.

Evelyn had requested that it still was to run on petrol and had nothing past 1973 inside it, including all its furnishings. This meant that in order for Bessie to start, Evelyn needed to use the ‘ignition hammer’ hitting the dashboard in just the right place to start her. She wasn’t bothered by the hammer, she didn’t know any different, she thought it was normal at this point.

Evelyn walked to the van and enclosed its bonnet in a hug, stroking the hood ornament, “ahh, Bessie, I’ve missed you,” Evelyn spoke to no one in particular, knowing the van wasn’t listening or going to respond.

She gave the driver’s side handle a sharp pull, the nostalgic click and creak of the lock and hinges being savoured in Evelyn’s ears. She threw the basket onto the passenger seat and adjusted her mirrors, she wiped under her eyes one more time. How was there still yesterday’s make up on her face?

Placing the keys into the ignition, she opened the glovebox and pulled out a hammer, the words “Ol’ reliable” written on its handle in black sharpie.

This always brought a smile to Evelyn’s face, Theo’s humour was funny, when she wanted to make you laugh, you wouldn’t stop. Your sides would split before you stopped, it was one of Evelyn’s favourite things about Te, how much she could make you laugh.

Theo was the only person who could make Evelyn laugh, and Evelyn didn’t laugh much. The last time someone else other than Theo made her laugh, she was 6.

With a whack of the hammer, Bessie roared to life and started her cute spluttering noise before settling into a steady growl and hum. The gear stick was stiff and in need of an oil, but it was still usable for now, Evelyn gave it a sharp push forward and the van came to life, tearing out the garage and down the dirt track that led them to the nearest town, an hour and a half away.

Evelyn lowered all the windows, stuck a hand into the centre console and rummaged around for something to listen to, pulling out a cassette tape she glanced at the words scrawled onto the small sticker. Rock the Boat by the Hues Corporation, perfect. Evelyn loved this song and bopped about to the tune as she drove through the surrounding forests.

She tapped her steering wheel in time to the beat and pulled a pair of oversized sunglasses from behind the sun visor, she placed them over her eyes and turned the volume up as far as she could. She sang her heart out, letting out all her mixed emotions that she’d felt throughout the day. She ran her hands through her hair and settled in for the drive, the mountains coming into view at last.

The road was narrow and winding; trees and the odd stretch of barbed wire fencing lining the gravel lane. The odd patch of grass that basked in the summer sun were dry and wispy, clumped around fence posts and sign posts, pointing hikers towards trails that traversed the mountains that enclosed their quiet sanctum.

Evelyn thought about a lot of things; Theo, work, her parents, Marvin the Martian who showed up today…what was her name again?

Carol! That was it. She thought about all the stuff she’d been doing for the last 8 or 9 years. The danger she had inadvertently put Theo in, the danger she put herself in. She took a breath in, filling her lungs with the fresh air. Mentally, she was exhausted, and it was only the seventh hour she’d been awake, she still had at least nine more hours to go before she would be able to go to sleep again.

Her mind was so taken up by everything that she nearly missed the large, black truck going in the other direction, she swerved to avoid it, the other driver beeping its horn at her. She kept going, mentally berating herself for not paying attention to the road in front. She found a good speed and made sure to keep her eyes alert and aware.

She definitely should not of had that joint.

Trees continued to rush past her, 70’s music still blaring from Bessie.

After what felt like half a day of travel, when in fact it was only an hour and a half, she started to recognise the road leading into the nearest town.

Briar’s Hollow was your quintessential small American town. It had a grocer’s, a hardware store, a café, a florist, a bookshop, and a small movie theatre that could only play two films at any given time. She knew all of the local townsfolk and looked forward to her weekly excursion out to see them all. Only today, she felt distracted, she wanted to get home asap. As soon as she was home and safe, and so was Theo, she would relax.

She pulled down the main street, taking in the floral garlands hanging from the lampposts and fences. The bandstand that sat proudly at the end of the road was actually housing a band today, usually it was the local teenagers who had nothing else to do that would lay claim to the bandstand after school. It was refreshing to hear a real brass band making some noise inside it instead, but she did feel for the teenagers who were probably all stuck at home, bored.

She exited Bessie and double checked the lock, some might call her paranoid, Theo said she was just extra safe. Adjusting the basket in the crook of her elbow, she started the short walk to the hardware store, she needed grab a few bits to fix the chair with, she liked that chair and she was quite annoyed with herself for destroying it.

She perused the aisles of the cramped shop, tins of paint and plastic piping hanging over her. she selected the bits she needed and caught sight of an old apple computer sat in the corner gathering dust, she smiled and asked the shopkeeper if it was for sale. He had laughed at her and said she could take it for free if it meant it was out of sight. Theo would have a ball restoring it.

She lugged the purchases back to Bessie, dumping the apple computer on the passenger seat before turning to towards the grocery store, she skipped down the pavement.

The familiar sage green door came into view and Evelyn smiled as she pushed it, setting off the little bell that was attached. Once inside, she was met by the usual delicious scents, fresh bread, and sweet ripe fruit. A short, balding man came out from the back room, a pair of glasses on a chain resting on his head. Evelyn smiled at him, walking up to him, and letting him give her a warm embrace.

“What’s the matter sweet pea?” His voice was gentle and caring; his knitted sweater looking as soft and as warm as his persona. Mr. Pickering was the only person besides Theo that Evelyn would confide in, but even this was too big for him to handle. She grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes.

“Just had a rough start to the day, had an unexpected visit from someone we weren’t ready for,” this was the most she felt was safe to tell him, she didn’t want to keep drawing targets on peoples backs.

She spoke to him for a few more minutes before he got the hint and let it go, dipping back into the back room, he came back with two large food crates and a basket sized packet of breads and cheeses, he knew her so well. Evelyn smiled at him and placed a small envelope on his counter. She always over-paid, it eased her conscious a bit to do so.

He chuckled at her actions and offered to help her to the car, she thanked him for the offer but declined it, opting to try and get it done in one trip. After loading up the van and securing the crates in the back, Evelyn got back in the driver’s seat. She considered going to the bookstore and picking up some books for Theo, but the memory of Theo just throwing the front door open changed her mind, she wanted to get home, now.

She threw a wave out of the window towards Mr. Pickering, who gave her a warm smile and wave back. Bessie took off down the road after her ritualistic hit with the hammer, Evelyn’s arm resting on the open window frame, one hand on the wheel. The stereo started up again and suddenly the sounds of disco filled the van once again. Mr. Pickering couldn’t help but laugh as he waved her off.

She watched as the small town disappeared from view, the sounds of the brass bands fading away once again. The journey back never felt as long as the journey there, so she settled into the rhythm of driving and singing, bopping her hands off the steering wheel to the beat of the stereo.

She had made it halfway back home when her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket, Theo. She sighed, she probably wanted to know where she was and how long she’d be. She pulled over, Evelyn knew better than to allow Theo to put in hands free in the van, she’d rather do it the “old-fashioned” way and pull over.

She came to rest in a small dirt layby, she put the phone to her ear, pressing the little green button as she did. Expecting to hear the usual “where are you? Did you get teabags? Did you get cheese?”

Instead, all she could hear was crashing and yelling.

“TE?!” Evelyn was frantic, “THEO! What the hell is going on?!” She could hear grunting and the sounds of gunfire. “THEO! THEO! THEO PLEASE WHATS HAPPENING!”

“I think… I think,” Theo started, then the sounds of more gunfire and a possible explosion, “I think, they’re bad guys.”

Evelyn’s stomach dropped out of her chest, to the floor of the van. “b-bad g-guys?” Evelyn could only stutter the words out, her worst nightmare was coming true, Theo was in danger, and she wasn’t anywhere nearby, she was still 40 minutes away.

She started driving again, taking liberties with the speed limit. She was now going to get home in 20 minutes.

She put the phone on loudspeaker and threw it into her lap, both hands on the wheel.

“How do you know they’re bad?” She was shaking, but absolutely determined to get back to save her, she would kill for Theo’s safety.

She had killed for a lot less.

“I think they’re bad guys,” Theo was far too calm and chill for Evelyn right now. “because they’ve got big guns and angry faces and they’re shooting at me.” Evelyn’s heart was going a thousand miles an hour, how could this happen?!

“I think they’re bad guys too Pet…. Can you get to the basem*nt?!” Evelyn was in tears at this point, her voice shaking, the road becoming a blur.

Suddenly the phone went dead. Evelyn screamed into the handset, begging for someone to say something back to her. But no one did. There was nothing. Evelyn’s eyes fell to her keychain, her newest addition glinting red, blue and gold at her. Without a second thought, she pressed the button in the middle of the device and prayed... that someone would help.

The soft beeping had silenced Carol mid-sentence where she was stood with Tony in one of the compound’s many kitchenettes. Tony was looking around bewildered while Carol continued to stare at the alert flashing from her wrist. So soon?

“DANVERS!” Tony exclaimed, flapping his hands animatedly in her face, an exasperated look contorting his features, “you’ve not heard a word I’ve said, have you? What is that incessant beeping, it’s gonna give me a migraine, Christ.”

Carol’s head snapped up, “You!” she pointed over Tony’s shoulder at an unwitting Sam Wilson, who just so happened to be passing by at that exact moment.

“M-me?” Sam stuttered, pointing to his chest, and looking over his shoulder, expecting to see someone else behind him.

“You fly right, Falcon?” Carol quipped.

“Uh, yeah … why do you ask–”

Carol turned on her heel and headed towards the exit, tapping the insignia on her light jacket releasing the nanotech that began winding her suit over her civvies. “You two follow me, we’re needed.”

“Wait, why? Carol! Wait–” Tony started catching up to Carol and she spun to look at him. The firm expression on her face told him all he needed to know. This was important. “Sam,” he began, immediately signalling F.R.I.D.A.Y. to ready the new Mark 47, “Suit up.”

Chapter 8: hold on

Chapter Text

Carol managed to get herself between the ever-growing tree branches and her teammates. Knocking the tree back with a short burst of light. Tony and Sam had sought safety in the air. All they could see was a very lively oak tree swinging its branches around like the kraken, pulling the remainder of the small building into its green tentacles.

Carol was trying to find Evelyn, her eyes desperately scanning the decimation, searching for any sign of either of the women. Finally, she saw a flash of rainbow and orange, and made a beeline straight for it. Landing in front of her, Carol grabbed Evelyn by the shoulders, holding her tightly, making her look at her.

Evelyn’s eyes were red and swollen from crying. Carol felt a pang of emotion seeing the defeat etched on her face.

“Where’s Theo? What happened?” Carol said very clearly, determined to stay calm for Evelyn, but she was also painfully aware of the blood splatter that was sprayed up one of the walls.

At the sound of Theo’s name, Evelyn’s grasp on her plants faltered.

The oak tree started to slow and dropped the large boulders and pieces of destroyed cottage, they landed around the two women, shaking the ground as they did so. Evelyn gave out another, painful and broken wail.

“Evelyn? I need to know, whose blood is that?” Carol pointed at the gruesome splatters that now decorated the living room walls.

“I don’t know.”

It was all Evelyn managed to choke out. She started breathing heavily and found herself dizzy and needing to sit down. She lowered herself down where she was.

“You don’t know where she is or don’t know whose blood that is?” Carol was now crouched in front of Evelyn, her voice much calmer and softer. She placed a hand over Evelyn’s and used her other hand to pull her face up to meet hers.

“Both. I was in town getting the shopping when she rang me, there was explosions and shouting and there were bad guys,” Evelyn managed to get out in one breath.

Sam came to rest on one knee near them, taking care not to scare the woman in front of him. “Were they shooting at her?” His voice was deep and soothing.

Evelyn felt a small part of the knot inside her ease in his presence, and nodded smally, her eyes glazing over as her brain tried to dissociate from the entire situation. Her gut twisted in guilt, she didn’t deserve to feel any kind of comfort from anybody.

She had gotten Theo hurt.

This was all of her fault.

“Definitely bad guys,” Sam stood as muttered to Tony who was glancing over the piles of destruction and broken equipment.

Tony used his foot to kick over an upturned table, he could see the leftovers of several electrical devices and tech. Some of this stuff was way advanced, even for him.

He knelt down, scanning the entire area with his hand, waiting for F.R.I.D.A.Y. to let him know there was something to pay attention to. She alerted him to a reinforced door in the basem*nt below them, he started looking for an entrance and when he didn’t find one, he shot a rather large hole in the floor.

“Tony! Do you not think enough of this place has been damaged?!” Sam’s voice echoed through the vicinity. “What are you doing?” He followed Tony as he pulled debris and broken bits of cottage out from in front of Theo’s basem*nt door, and when it was clear he wasn’t going to be able to just open it, he shot at it.

Multiple times.

But nothing happened, the door stayed put; he’d barely even dented.

“What the…?” Tony began, “what is this made from? Is this… Vibranium?” He knocked on the door a couple of times and got nothing in return, not that he expected to. Suddenly a small fingerprint scanner appeared from the wall, dust, and bits of plaster all over the keypad. He looked at it for a few seconds before unleashing F.R.I.D.A.Y. on it.

And after 5 minutes, she still wasn’t in. odd.

Abruptly, a mass of green dropped in front of Tony, Evelyn wiped her nose and eyes on her arm. She reached out and placed her thumb on the scanner, the door hissed and began to open like it had done that very morning, when everything was normal. She turned to look at Carol.

“I need her back…. I can’t survive without her–” her voice was hoarse and smaller than ever.

The basem*nt opened up fully, and Evelyn actually turned the lights on. They never got used, Theo much preferred the glow of her pc monitors instead.

“I assume the gigs up at this point, anyway, can we ever go back to normal?” Evelyn was half joking, half telling the truth. She knew that normality was not going to be this anymore. “I can only guess you need to see all of this or we’re gonna be in a lot of sh*t. Well, if we’re not already.”

With that Evelyn’s lip started to tremble again, tears gathering in her eyes ready to spill. Carol grabbed her and pulled her into tight embrace.

Evelyn didn’t know why, but all she could think was how Theo would love Carol’s hugs. Theo.

Theo wasn’t here.

It was the drip that broke the dam, and Evelyn started sobbing in Carols arms. Tony, meanwhile, was wandering around in awe and shock. Whoever this basem*nt belonged to was clearly a genius. Just like him.

“So, who’s the nerd?” he gestured to all the screens and technology surrounding them.

“TONY!” Sam was furious, whoever owned this stuff was missing and in danger, now wasn’t the time for his digs.

Carol let go of Evelyn and produced the manilla folder that Tony had let her take all those hours ago. She threw it at him, and he grabbed it awkwardly and began to go through it, with Sam leaning over his shoulder to get a look at it too. She pulled Evelyn back into her arms, stroking her hair and trying to calm her.

“Drug dealing, drug distribution, drug cultivating and growing, drug possession, smuggling, more smuggling, more plant smuggling, assault and endangerment to another human, murder and extortion. Oh, and a parking ticket from 4 years ago.” Tony gave a cold look to Evelyn, “Carol, put the criminal down, you don’t get to keep it.”

He let the folder fall to his side in his hands. Sam took it from him and started looking properly. He kept glancing back at Evelyn who was being supported by Carol still.

“Why are we here? This isn’t our gig; we don’t save people who don’t need it Cap 2.0. We save people who want saving. Not drug dealers and criminals.”

Evelyn felt the sharpness of his comment hit her in the chest. And she couldn’t keep all her secrets anymore.

“We’re not just drug dealers….” Her small voice came out stronger than she expected it. She straightened up and Carol let her go. “We do other stuff when needed. We just don’t call ourselves superheroes and gods.” Her face was set in a tight line, she was trying to stay calm without just telling them everything.

“Like what? Murder? Last time I checked, murder is bad,” Tony didn’t want to hear it, these were the kind of people that the Avengers would stop and decimate.

He began to turn away, but Evelyn wasn’t done. She’d been debating telling the whole truth earlier when Carol showed up the first time, but it had been theirs and Maria’s secret. But now, there wasn’t anything else that was still hidden, it was all out in the open.

“No,” Evelyn took a deep breath in and turned to face Tony, looking him dead in the eyes as she said, “we were used to take out HYDRA when S.W.O.R.D. or S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t want to involve you lot.” She gestured to the three adults around her.

That got the reaction she wanted; they all went silent. She had no issue with people thinking she was a criminal but that wasn’t all they were, they were experienced in taking out HYDRA agents. Evelyn had been trained by Maria herself, but they hadn’t been sent out to do anything like that since her death. Fury preferred to watch from a distance and had never stopped them doing anything else.

Sam shifted where he stood. “So, you both have field experience? There’s a chance she’s okay then?”

His optimism quickly dashed when Evelyn responded, “no. she never left the basem*nt. I went and she gave me tech support…she was my guy in the chair…” Her shoulders fell a bit, but she managed to get the words “but I know she trained with Monica at points… so she might be… but I don’t know whose blood that is upstairs.” With that she started to retreat back into her grief, becoming hollower as time went on.

“We should go, we need to get back to the compound and start the search.” Carol was determined to find then woman who had so graciously offered a cup of tea to her, she deserved to be saved. Tony was fiddling with one of the pieces of equipment Theo left littered on her desk.

As soon as the words left her mouth an electronic hum took over the room, Tony had pressed something. A long blue line of light descended on the room, once it reached their feet it zipped back up past their heads and disappeared.

“sh*t,” Evelyn muttered under her breath, of course Theo had backup security in the basem*nt. A smooth male voice sounded throughout the room.

“Bio scans complete. Intruders detected. Self-destruct sequence initiated. 30 seconds to total annihilation.”

Total annihilation?!

Evelyn’s eyes shot as far open as they would go. She looked around the room and the three other adults who were also looking very confused.

Her mind flashed back to that very morning and Theo’s deadpan “intruders” comment.

“RUN!” Evelyn shouted. she had no idea if this was a bluff or not, Theo wasn’t the type to joke about these kinds of things. And she didn’t want to chance it and actually be blown up by Theo. She had joked enough about it that she knew it was the last way she wanted to go.

As she tore past Theo’s main computer, she grabbed the entire body and lifted it into her arms, ripping cords and cables out of it so it was free of its entanglements and able to be taken. Theo would cringe if she saw her now, desperately pulling at the wires to get them detached. Evelyn had no idea what she was doing but suddenly a very strong arm grabbed her and pulled into the smaller basem*nt, she clutched the machine in her arms.

Sam pushed her towards the far side of the room, facing towards her and pulling her into him he extended his wings and then locked them back into a shield, protecting both of them. Carol braced and Tony replaced his face plate, getting into a ready stance. They could hear the countdown still going.

“10….9….8…7…”

“What are we betting? 4th of July or cherry bombs?” Tony’s immature voice rang out.

“5…4…3…”

“Nobody? I really thought we had this great dialogue goin–”

“Tony! Shut up!” cried Sam as the counter hit zero.

They braced. Evelyn was curled into Sam, knuckles turning white from her grip on the PC, as he kept one hand on her back and one on the button that would fly them the f*ck out of there. Carol sucked in a breath and Tony just sighed, raising his hands, and preparing to have to blast his way out.

And they waited.

And waited.

When it had been a solid ten seconds, Tony prised the door open again. They all took a nervous look into the room. There were various tiny puffs of smoke all popping up across the basem*nt, all coming from one piece of equipment or another. Tony walked in unafraid any longer.

“Smart kid,” he mumbled to himself.

“Why is she smart? She just nearly blew this whole room up!” Sam was still holding Evelyn, not for her benefit, but for his. He had no idea what was happening anymore, and he just wanted to go home, put on some Marvin Gaye and just not be in danger for a minute.

“She was never going to blow the room…” Tony pointed around at the different dissipating bits of smoke. “She fried her hard drives…. Poof, everything gone.”

Evelyn almost smiled, that’s the sort of thing Theo would have done, now she thought about it. Theo was far too tidy to blow a whole lab up. And it would take far too much effort for her to set up all the explosives.

After the adrenaline had worn off, Sam started to take off with Evelyn in his arms when she started screaming to be put down. He landed with a quick thud on the floor, and she ran towards a rundown Volkswagen van, tie dye print all over the sides. “I need to take Bessi- I mean the van,” she stopped herself before giving the name away. Too late. Sam had eyebrows raised in amusem*nt.

Tony walked over and shook his head, “of course you named it… what?” Carol was shooting him a look. “Hey! Cap 2.0, are we driving back? Shotgun!” when no one pulled him up on his joke, he went serious. “I’ve got the Stark Relief Foundation on the way to clean up. I’ll see you back the compound.”

Carol turned to face Evelyn, “you okay with heights?” Evelyn nodded as she climbed in the driver’s seat, noticing the groceries were still inside.

Five minutes later, the van was hovering quite far up in the air, Carol holding it up as she flew. Evelyn could see all of New York, the state sprawling out as far as her eyes could see. She had no idea what was coming, nor did she want to think about it. All she could think of was Theo, and how much she would have loved this view.

She felt her eyelids getting heavy, everything was catching up with her and she needed to sleep, to rest her brain and process what had happened. She was terrified of sleeping, so she blasted her stereo as loud as it would go, trying desperately to stay awake but Love Grows was no match for her worn out mentality.

She thought of all the times she had screamed the song at Theo for fun, how Theo would put her hands over her ears and shoot Evelyn a disapproving look as she did so…

“Love grows where my rosemary goes…” her van sang to her.

She succumbed to the overwhelming need to sleep. She lasted about twenty minutes before Sam jolted her awake by checking in on her.

Chapter 9: my immortal

Chapter Text

Evelyn hadn’t paid attention where they had taken her.

Well, she had absently noticed the large ‘A’ on the white building and assumed she was at the Avengers Compound in Upstate New York.

It was obnoxiously difficult to avoid noticing it.

But as soon as they had stepped into the large, open plan lobby her mind shutdown and she aimlessly followed Carol’s footsteps ahead of her. She didn’t know how long she had been in the large room, but she finally looked up to take in her surroundings.

A long table took up most of the area with uncomfortable looking chairs placed around it.

A conference room then.

Evelyn felt cold, and the stark white of the bare concrete walls against her back wasn’t helping. This place felt more like a prison than somewhere filled with people who were willing to help her.

She looked down at her lap and observed distractedly that she was still in her small crochet top and cotton shorts. She must have stuck out like a sore thumb.

Theo would have found it funny if she were here – she stopped that train of thought immediately.

Thinking of Theo hurt and made her feel numb and empty inside.

She wanted to believe she was okay, but with all the blood they had found at the cottage, how could she be?

She had started to shiver and brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself, willing her body to keep itself warm. Lost and alone she allowed the tears to flow down her cheeks, salty and leaving her skin sticky.

How had this happened?

She’d been gone a few hours, only Theo could manage to get herself in such trouble in such a short amount of time. Pain lanced through her chest, and she choked on the breath in her throat. She curled in closer to herself and relented, allowing herself to grieve for the loss of her only friend.

She glanced around the room, spotting small pots with cacti in them lining the table, their attempt at looking “trendy” she thought.

She pulled a few of them close and tipped them onto the floor, soil spilling out everywhere by her feet. She felt the heaviness of her heart and white funeral flowers popped out of the spilled dirt. She sighed and drew her knees back up and buried her head back into her lap.

She felt her hair moving around on her head, she knew what that meant and most likely what was growing.

“Any news from Tony?” Sam said, eyeing the conference room door from where they stood. “It’s been over 3 hours. Surely they’ve found something?”

Carol shook her head in response, unable to form words. The person they had escorted to the conference room bared no resemblance to the fiery woman she had met earlier that afternoon. She had noticed Evelyn and Theo were close, each one mirroring the other’s movements and moving within their own orbit the whole time she had been there, but this heartbreak was more than the loss of a friend.

This was the loss of family; Carol knew that pain only too well.

How could there be nothing they could do? The frustration was plain in her expression, and Sam sighed in knowing exasperation.

“We have to do something; she might still be alive–” Sam started. He didn’t want to give up, but knew false hope was a dangerous thing.

He thought back to Steve’s insistence that Bucky could be saved when his identity as the Winter Soldier was revealed. False hope had almost got them killed, and yet false hope also brought down the largest and oldest terrorist organisation the world had ever seen.

At that moment Tony strode into the room, his suit retracting into the arch reactor on his chest, onto which he thrummed a nervous beat.

“Well?” Sam spluttered impatiently, lurching forward off the wall he had been leaning against.

“It’s difficult see, because according to all records a Theodosia Lovelace never even existed.” Tony flapped in irritation, rubbing soothing circles on his temples. “Luckily, we were able to pull DNA from a comb that was left in what remained of the kitchen on the property. The DNA didn’t match any of the blood we found at the scene. So yes,” he held up a hand to stop Sam before he could interrupt and locked onto Carol gaze, “there’s still hope we can bring her in from the cold.”

Carol unfolded her arms and pushed herself towards the room, passing Sam and Tony before they could stop her. She reached the door in a matter of paces, twisted the handle, and strode into the room, faltering slightly when she saw the husk of a woman curled in the corner of the room but continued forward more cautiously.

“Evelyn?” She murmured so as not to startle her, “can you hear me?” Evelyn nodded mutely as Carol crouched to her eye level, “Tony’s back and he has some news–”

At that moment Carol heard movement in the doorway and a surprised “What the fu–” followed by a sharp thwack.

“Dude, now is not the time!”

“But she has thorns growing out of her hair… look at the room! Its full of, what are they lilies? It’s good thing I don’t have hay fever, or I’d be sneezing all over the place!” Sam choked, eyeing the creeping foliage apprehensively.

Carol shook her head at Sam’s nervous rambling, when an unexpected noise snapped her attention to Evelyn. A high peel of laughter echoed across the room and some of the tension left Carols shoulders. Evelyn lifted her head to meet Carol’s wary gaze, a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

“Evelyn, I need you to hear me,” Carol continued, “the blood wasn’t Theo’s. There’s still a chance we can bring her home.”

Relief flooded Evelyn as she stared into the sky, blue eyes before her. They held no trace of deception and they watched her, open and earnest.

“We’re going to help you, Escobar.” Tony moved more into the room so Evelyn could see him, his expression grim but determined. “We’re going to get your family back so you can go back to your high stakes international drug dealing lifestyle.”

Evelyn couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face, and she saw Tony visibly relax as he mirrored her expression.

“So,” she sighed her voice small and cracked from the endless tears, “where do we start?”

“Boss,” said a cool disembodied voice from some speaker system Evelyn couldn’t locate, “there’s an incoming transmission I think you’ll want to see.”

Tony flicked his wrist, and a holographic screen sprang into life in the middle of the long table. The image showed a dark room, empty apart from a small figure sat in the centre, a determined and unimpressed expression on her face. Her clothes were torn and grimy, but there were no visible injuries, Evelyn’s heartrate quickened.

“This is live?” Tony asked, brows pinched.

The AI confirmed that indeed it was.

“Mr Stark,” came a low drawl from off camera, “and I assume dear Evelyn is there to watch this too.”

A dark figure stepped into frame, dressed entirely in black, a white shock of hair visible on his head.

Evelyn’s breath caught in her chest.

“Dear, dear Evelyn. I must say I am terribly sorry for the mix up, you see, your friend here was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You could call it a case of mistaken identity. You see the real target of my mission was you. I’m sure you already know why.”

Evelyn bit the inside of her cheek in anger, the metallic blood filled her mouth nearly making her gag.

“What can I say, little sis, you’ve been hidden all these years how was I to know what you looked like? They didn’t hide you very well though, did they? We traced your friend’s little visit this afternoon, and once we had confirmed the location, well it was only too easy to stake it out and look for an opening.”

Evelyn could feel all the eyes in the room trained on her, but she stared diligently ahead, her mouth pursed tightly, eyes locked onto the picture of Theo on the screen, watching her every move and counting her breaths.

“Your friend put up quite the fight, she’s a dangerous little specimen, isn’t she? She would make quite the asset, assuming we could break her mind and bend her to our will.” Evelyn flinched at the thought of Theo cold and controlled; her small body being used as a weapon. “she’s much too argumentative at this stage now though–”

“Jesus Christ shut the f*ck up and get to the point,” Theo bit out, glaring at the man in front of her as if determined to prove his case. “Evey, if you can really hear me, can you hurry up and come and get me? The internet connection here is severely lacking; they don’t even have fibre–” just as Theo sneered the last word, a loud crack interrupted her speech as the man brought the back of his hand across her cheek and spray of blood splattered the floor at her feet.

Evelyn sucked in a short breath and Tony felt a sharp hiss his escape his lips as he clenched his fists in anger. The sight of this woman, so small and seemingly defenceless, showing so much bravado for the camera resurfaced memories of watching Pepper being experimented on by that asshole Killian.

“What poor manners. I’d hoped you’d know better. Evey my love, I do hope you are more polite than this little one here. But as she said, let’s get to the point. I think you know my terms. I want you to surrender yourself willingly into my custody.” A sharp intake of breath told Evelyn all she needed to know about the Avenger’s opinion on that. “If you do so, I promise no harm will come to your little firecracker here.”

With this statement he grabbed a fistful of hair on the back of Theo’s head, forcing her back so her face was inches from his. He cast a hooded gaze over her, finally resting his eyes to meet hers, a possessive glint sparkling in their depth. He ran a long finger down from her temple and along her jaw, finishing its journey at her chin where he cupped it in the palm of his hand.

“Though, I may keep her close, she may prove useful to have around, a fun distraction maybe. I can see why you like her.” Evelyn’s head was spinning, her stomach heaved, and she bent double at the searing pain that emanated from her middle; gagging and retching on the vomit that threatened to spill out of her.

When the man ran his fingertip across Theo’s plump bottom lip a photon blast tore through the hologram and ripped a hole in the wall behind it, making Evelyn, Sam, and Tony jump. Carol was glowing, alarmingly, an incredulous look froze her beautiful features and turned them to stone.

The hologram flickered and glitched and resumed its previous position.

The man straightened as he pulled away, “say your goodbyes, I guess, though I do hope it’s not too long before you’re reunited.” He stared pointedly down the camera lens and Evelyn felt herself shiver in response.

The camera zoomed in on Theo, and Evelyn had the chance to properly examine her friends face. She had a bruise forming along her right jaw and her top lip was split, but other than that she looked unharmed. Theo’s eyes shifted from where she looked off camera to pin them all with her cautious gaze; Evelyn leant forward willing for her to speak.

“Evey, I know how you like me to touch that special spot behind your ear, don’t worry, I’ll be with you soon to do that again.” Her gaze flickered from the camera and back again, she leant forward and started, in a hurried whisper, “I love–”

The holographic screen disappeared, and Evelyn stood there in complete and utter bemusem*nt. What the f*ck was she on about?

“That seemed a bit intimate to share in front of a room full of hostile strangers who are threatening to kill you…” Tony muttered, trying to lighten the tension in the room, his finger tapping against his thin lips. The confusion was plain on his face and Evelyn could practically see the cogs of his brain whirring.

“Yeah–” muttered Evelyn; her hand reached up and absently touched behind her ear.

“Is that something that she does often to comfort you?” asked Carol, co*cking her head to the side, shifting to face Evelyn with her eyebrow raised.

“No, never…” Evelyn was confused, surely it had to mean something, why would Theo mention it otherwise?

“What’s that?” Tony whisked towards her, having caught a glimpse of something small and dark behind Evelyn’s ear as she brushed her hair aside. He caught her hand and steadied her action, lifting her hair and angling her head so he could see the small patch lines and squares.

“Erm, excuse me? Why do you have a QR code tattooed behind your ear?” He jabbed a finger into the tattoo, “and who was that creepy man, and why did he call you little sis?”

“I have a what tattooed where?”

Chapter 10: bad guy

Chapter Text

Theo knew exactly how long she had been there, even though she was unconscious for half of it.

Whoever had her, had placed a clock opposite her for when first awoke.

She could only imagine it was their way of trying to break her slowly, a ‘watch your time runout’ situation.

She had awoken in a dank basem*nt type room, damp and mildew speckled the wall, charming. She wasn’t restrained and as she checked herself over the first time.

She still had her watch and her glasses.

They were cracked and a bit wonky now but when she tapped the right-hand side of the lens, her system booted up. A green interface came up and the male voice she had created in the lab to sound like her dad came through.

“Retinal scan complete. Welcome Theo, how may I be of assistance?”

“Where am I?” she whispered, remembering Evelyn’s past words of “don’t let the bad guys hear you,” ringing in her ears.

She rubbed the side of her neck, it hurt in one spot, a weird burning stinging sensation. It was then she realised she had another one on her chest, she pulled down the tear in her jumper and saw a small puncture wound.

About 2mm in diameter, maybe? The area around it was sore and raw.

“Ow,” she whined aloud, pouting slightly as she completely disregarded the advice she’d just reminded herself of.

“Theo” came the male voice. “I’m having trouble locating you, I can’t seem to link to the satellite. I believe we may be several feet below the surface.” Theo sighed.

“Okay,” her mind went straight to Evelyn. She wondered if she’d got home yet.

She’ll be on her way.

It was at that moment a sinking feeling entered Theo’s stomach. The only way Evelyn would find her was through the tracking app located on her secret cloud storage space.

“The Storm” as Theo liked to call it, because it was very easy to get torn apart if you don’t know where you’re going inside it…

“D.A.D.? Can you get a read on Evelyn?”

Her mind was panicked, Evelyn could hold her own, sure, but she was also terrified of being left alone. And this was about as alone as she could get, unless she called that nice Marvel lady.

Maybe they could be friends?

She could see D.A.D. doing their best to get a read, but unless they had a signal of some kind, they were stuck for a minute.

“I’m sorry Theo, I need a signal.”

Called it.

She went back to the thought of The Storm; she had a way to let Evelyn find her in situations like this; but she hadn’t told her about it yet for few reasons. For one, she had tattooed the way in behind Evelyn’s ear, and Evelyn also didn’t know that she had tattooed it behind her ear.

She had waited till she was very high and passed out and just did it as fast as she could.

Lucky for her when Evelyn is out, she’s out.

The door behind her started groaning and she tapped the lens once again to shut the system off, the door swung open and two very beefy looking men stepped into the room.

Behind them came a thinner, shorter man, white hair lighting the top of his head like a ghost. In his hands he carried a plant pot, and, on his face, he carried a wicked grin. As Theo backed away, wary of the unwanted intruders to her space, one of the bigger men pulled a chair towards her.

“Sit down,” he growled at her.

Theo hocked a loogie and launched it with precision into his left eye. Evelyn would have told her off for that, but she wasn’t here yet, so Theo decided to have some fun.

It didn’t go down well.

She was grabbed aggressively and slammed down into the chair. As soon as she had her bearings back from that she felt a sharp impact in her gut, causing her to double over. Her shoulders started heaving up and down fast.

The men grinned, thinking they’d already started to break her, it was then Theo threw her head back and revealed she wasn’t crying. Her loud and obnoxious cackle filled the air and she laughed in their faces and made sure to make them as mad as possible.

They weren’t going to break her easily.

Working for S.W.O.R.D. had given her great access to interrogation training. Well, she never actually attended the classes, she’d hacked into the CCTV of the lecture building and watched from her lab in safety from the bad guys – so she thought.

“ENOUGH!” a loud voice cut through her laugh, she stopped laughing creepily fast and lowered her head agonisingly slowly to ramp up the fear she could see already working its way onto the men’s faces.

She watched their facial expressions, but nothing.

She wasn’t good at reading people as Evelyn but even she knew they were scared, she may not be able to see it, but she could feel it. It radiated off them like a bad smell in a flower shop.

Flowers.

Her mind went back to Evelyn.

It was only then she realised the man in front of her had the same leafy green eyes as Evelyn, bright emerald flecked with lighter shades in the same forest-y hues. Theo’s eyes narrowed and focused on the man in front of her, head tilting to the side. His jaw was strong and set, but his hair was closer to Theo’s in colour than Evelyn’s.

She racked her brains, she knew him, she was sure of it. Suddenly it clicked and her eyes betrayed her by opening wide. She still couldn’t quite place him, but they had definitely met before.

“Ah, have you finally recognised me?” his voice was dripping with malice and spite. “About f*cking time, god you really are stupid, aren’t you?”

Theo didn’t dare let him know she knew him, she needed to keep playing dumb for a minute.

“Nope. Am I supposed to?” she said calmly, she wouldn’t show fear in any way.

The man before her looked outright furious, he charged towards her like he was going to hit her. Instead, he shoved the plant pot under her face and stared straight into her eyes.

“Make something grow” he sneered, contempt dripping from his voice.

It was then it all clicked into place. And she couldn’t help but laugh again, a deep guttural roar left her, and she felt tears welling at how funny the whole situation was.

They thought she was Evelyn.

She couldn’t help it, she had never cried through laughing before, she wasn’t even sure if now was the appropriate time.

But she did.

And they looked livid.

“What’s so funny?” the man in front of her nearly shouted at her.

“I’m…I’m...n-not…” she managed to get out between laughs, she was now almost off her chair and onto the floor, holding her sides. “I’m n-not Ev-Evelyn!” she was howling still, this was hilarious. What a story to tell Evelyn… If she ever found her.

The men were looking around at each other, it was then the plant pot contacted the wall behind Theo. She ceased laughing hard and let out her last few giggles before finally allowing her lungs a good, deep breath in.

Soil was scattered across the floor and in her hair. She spat the dirt that had been sprayed into her face onto the floor next to the white-haired man’s feet.

She raised her face to his and smiled that oh-so irritating overly sweet smile that Evelyn hated. Apparently, it ran in the family as he smacked her in the face, right in the eye.

f*ck.

The man turned to the two brutes he’d brought with him grabbing one by the collar, “WHO CONFIRMED THIS WAS HER?!”

The man was shaking.

Big chunky coward, Theo thought.

What a wimp.

The man doing the threatening was at least a foot and half shorter than him, he could probably lift his foot above his head and squash him like an ant. But he didn’t, it was clear who’s the boss here.

“I don’t know sir! I’m sorry sir! We couldn’t find a photo, so we grabbed the first one we saw! I’m sorry Mr. Green! We didn’t know there was more than one!” the man fell to his knees as he was released. “You’ve got white hair; she’s got white hair – it was an easy mistake boss!”

Mr Green?

Could it be?

No…

Could it?

Evelyn’s brother?

Theo had a sudden flashback memory, the sun shining. it was the week before Evelyn’s parents died, the middle of summer.

Theo saw Evelyn, 6 years old running through the garden they shared. Their parents had knocked down the fence separating the houses when they were three, because Evelyn kept finding ways to get over the fence and her parents were worried, she’d hurt herself one day, so they had a huge open garden.

The paddling pool was out, they had their swimsuits on, and the sprinkler was going. They were giggling and screaming in delight, their parents watching from the house, smiling at them. And there in the background of her memory, on a sun-bleached lawn chair… was her brother. Scowling at them as they screeched and laughed, he was trying to read a book and couldn’t concentrate over the noise of squealing children.

The men stormed out of the room, leaving a stunned and dazed Theo sat in the rusted metal chair. She tapped her lens and D.A.D. popped up.

“When we get a signal. Find me everything on Evelyn’s brother.”

“Yes Theo.” She tapped him off again.

She was resolute now; she was going to really f*ck with them while she was stuck here.

She eyed the lighting and sprinkler system above her, looked to be on an automated system, excellent. That means hackable tech, she may not get out, but she could really irritate them while she was detained.

She dragged the chair towards the light and jumped onto it quickly. She hadn’t noticed any cameras yet, but they could be hidden. And she didn’t want to keep switching D.A.D. on and off in case they caught on.

Evelyn’s seventh rule, when on a mission, stop touching your devices, it draws attention.

She pulled at the panel next to the light fitting and ripped the whole thing down. She took the glasses off and pulled at the 2 ends of the arms and pulled out two wires, plugging one into her watch and the other into the control box above the lights.

They were really stupid for putting her in the lower levels where all the ‘boring, ugly tech stuff’ was located.

She held her watch up and allowed the screen to expand to hologram mode, inside already…. Who designed this security system? Stark?

She found the file access that controlled the sprinklers and selected all floors, her tech was waterproof, was theirs?

She hit the little red button and let her head roll back as the indoor rain hit her face and instantly soothed her. She could hear sudden chaos ensue and let a small smirk spread over her face. She scrolled through the system on here watch, what else could she play with?

The elevators.

Off they go.

More shouting and commotion sounded, this time to the right of her and above.

So that’s where the lift is.

She scrolled again, lighting, heating, alarm systems. She went to the heating, it would take a minute, but it was about to get really hot in there, and she felt petty. She turned it to max and went to alarm systems next and set the lot off. She could hear three distinct alarms. She guessed a fire, burglar, and carbon monoxide because of the abbreviations next to them.

She hummed to herself, silently dancing to no music, eyes closing and arm in the air as the water kept hitting her face.

She could hear a lot of shouting now, no one had even thought to check on her. She bet herself that they didn’t think she was capable of doing all this. She scrolled to the CCTV and watched as they all ran around in panic as she flicked the lights on and off and made the elevators lurch up and down.

She was having the time of her life, and she didn’t hear the door open behind her, or the men that were running at her.

She only knew the gig was up when she felt her body hit the floor with a sharp crack, a large weight landing on top of her.

Maybe they did think she was capable.

She felt a sharp scratch in her neck and felt her eyelids getting heavy, she tried to fight it, but she couldn’t.

She fell into a deep blackness and into the dreamworld.

She was awoken by a searing pain across her left cheek, she started to come round and open her eyes, groaning as she did so.

The room came into focus, not a room, woodshed.

Her eyes strained at a light in the corner, a Gaslamp. They’d taken her out of the bunker and brought her to the surface, placed in somewhere with no electrical access.

Smart.

To be honest that should have been their protocol from the start.

After a few minutes of adjustment and listening to the men whisper amongst themselves, the door opened. In walked a man, holding a device in his hand.

Theo couldn’t identify it to start with, but when it was placed on the chair opposite her, it was just a phone.

A fancy one, but just a phone.

Evelyn’s brother stood over her, “you may not be the one we were after, but you’re going to help us get the one we do.” He spat the last word out, spraying spit all over Theo’s face.

She blinked, raised eyebrows as if to say, “you done?”

Suddenly a beeping sound entered the room, Theo turned to the phone and went to reach for it. But she was restrained, tied to a chair.

“Mr. Stark,” Green smoothed out. “And I assume dear Evelyn is there to watch this too.”

Evelyn?

Theo’s hope began to grow.

“Dear, dear Evelyn. I must say I am terribly sorry for the mix up, you see, your friend here was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You could call it a case of mistaken identity. You see the real target of my mission… was you. I’m sure you already know why.”

And so did her irritation at Evelyn’s brother.

“What can I say, little sis, you’ve been hidden all these years how was I to know what you looked like? They didn’t hide you very well though, did they? We traced your friend’s little visit this afternoon, and once we had confirmed the location, well it was only too easy to stake it out and look for an opening.”

Theo would kill him herself.

Not because he kidnapped her and not even because he was boring her, which he was. It was because he was going after Evelyn, family.

Why?

“Your friend put up quite the fight, she’s a dangerous little specimen, isn’t she? She would make quite the asset, assuming we could break her mind and bend her to our will. she’s much too argumentative at this stage now though–”

Yep.

She would definitely kill him.

Although she couldn’t help the smirk that spread across her face, she had annoyed them, and to her that meant all the broken ribs and bruises were worth it. But she was so bored she wanted to go home, and she was done with this sh*t.

“Jesus Christ shut the f*ck up and get to the point,” she snapped, not caring for the consequences.

“Evey, if you can really hear me, can you hurry up and come and get me? The internet connection here is severely lacking,” her lip curled as she sneered, “they don’t even have fibre –”

The familiar pain of her cheek being contacted by a hand spread its deceiving warmth onto her face. The blood sprayed out her mouth just from the force of the impact.

“What poor manners. I’d hoped you’d know better. Evey my love, I do hope you are more polite than this little one here. But as she said, let’s get to the point. I think you know my terms. I want you to surrender yourself willingly into my custody.” He paused. “If you do so, I promise no harm will come to your little firecracker here.”

He grabbed Theo’s hair by the roots and yanked it up. A hiss left her lips involuntarily.

Then the creep had the audacity to touch her.

He ran a finger down her cheek and cupped her chin. She would have bitten his finger off if she could.

“Though, I may keep her close, she may prove useful to have around, a fun distraction maybe. I can see why you like her.”

Oh, she would definitely be biting something off.

He even dared run a finger along her lip, so she tried it; her teeth snapping on thin air. He looked surprised and drew his hand back fast, straightening up.

He turned to face the phone, “say your goodbyes, I guess, though I do hope it’s not too long before you’re reunited.”

Theo saw someone behind the phone zooming in on her, she knew it was now or never. She’ll face Evelyn’s temper and rage about it later.

She eyed the men up, knowing this meant probably getting another injury, but it was needed.

“Evey, I know how you like me to touch that special spot behind your ear, don’t worry, I’ll be with you soon to do that again.” she whispered as fast as she could, the men all shot a bewildered look at her, she knew that was all she could do, and hoped Evelyn would understand.

Her stomach twisted at the knowledge that Evelyn didn’t even know that Theo had tattooed her and she wondered how painful her punishment would be.

Her brother stepped towards the phone to turn it off, Theo leant forward and whispered, “I love you.”

The phone was thrown against the wall.

Amateurs, she thought, the only way to fully kill that phone was to nuke it in a microwave.

One of the men approached Theo, she felt a jolt to the back of her skull. She felt lightheaded and was angry that she was going to be asleep for the third time that day.

She hated sleeping.

Why must she waste time sleeping?

When she could be online?

Even with the all nasty sh*t she saw on the dark web, it was better than this.

And with that last thought, she left the conscious world once again.

She awoke a small while later when a wonderful sound filled her ears. A small electronic beep emanating from the nape of her neck.

Her message had worked.

Maybe Evelyn wasn’t as technologically challenged as Theo thought she was.

She couldn’t wait to see her again.

And now she knew Evelyn would be coming for her, she could relax.

She missed her glasses. She could use D.A.D. right now.

Chapter 11: jonny sniper

Chapter Text

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. –” Tony began.

“Already scanned, boss,” the AI cut in. “It seems it leads to a data cache hidden deep on the dark web. It’s heavily encrypted. More so than the HYDRA files. It’s gonna take a while.”

“Estimated time?”

“At least an hour.”

“Fine.” He turned to Evelyn where she swayed, lightheaded and nauseous. Tony took in the green pallor of her skin and pointed in her direction, “you need food and rest.”

She nodded once and followed him as he stalked out of the room and into the closest kitchenette.

Evelyn squinted once as the light flooded her vision, blinking as her eyesight cleared. She glanced around, taking in the barren surroundings, the dark wood and marble of the kitchen stood out against the white walls and tiled flooring.

Tony had opened the fridge and was rummaging through the many take out containers that made up its contents.

A hand came to rest on the small of her back and she turned her head to see Sam standing next to her in the wide doorway of the room. He checked over her once before his deep brown eyes came to a stop when they met hers.

Evelyn felt a wave of calm washing over her.

She barely knew this man, but she felt no judgement from him. She felt safe and grounded at the light contact between them. There was nothing in his touch, no sense of expectation or sad*stic longing that they had witnessed from the man’s interaction with Theo, just compassion.

“You good?” he tilted his head slightly as he held her gaze, his eyebrows scrunched together.

“Yes.” Evelyn bit out the lie, her voice small. Seeming to accept her answer he nodded slightly and led her toward the barstools that were placed along the island. She took her seat and knotted her hands together on her lap, staring down as they writhed with anxiety. Tony had appeared to settle on Italian food, and he was in the process of reheating and plating various dishes and placing them in front of Evelyn.

“I didn’t know what you eat so I’ve done a selection.” He waved nonchalantly towards the feast that was now spread out before her, “please, help yourself.”

Evelyn’s stomach churned as she looked at the various foods. She should eat, she knew this. The aromatic swirl from the herbs and spices filled her nostrils and saliva flooded her mouth, but her mind whirled with guilt.

Theo was being held God knows where, hurt, cold, and alone, and here Evelyn was, about to gorge herself on the most elaborate meal she had ever seen.

A voice came from behind her, “it’s okay, you need to eat Evelyn.” Carol was leaning against the door frame, eyeing her warily. “There’s nothing we can do right now, and you need to take care of yourself.” She walked purposefully towards the island and picked up an empty plate, “eat. Please?” she added with a raise of her eyebrows, a stern line fixed on her lips.

Evelyn could see why Theo was so taken with little miss Captain Marvel here, under her gaze Evelyn felt herself squirm and a flush creeped up her face. What was this? She wasn’t even attracted to women.

“Yes ma’am,” she muttered taking the plate and turning her attention towards the food. Carol smirked behind her back and paced towards the sink to fill a glass with water, which she placed in front of Evelyn.

Evelyn rolled her eyes and instead of drinking it like a normal human would, Evelyn put one finger into the water, the others watched as she soaked it up like a plant.

A soft chuckle left Tony’s lips as he leant forwards, his face propped up on his hands grinning as he witnessed the most baffling interaction between the two women in front of him. He shook his head and straightened up as he remembered he had a few questions for Willie Nelson sitting across the counter.

“So, he’s your brother?” He prompted, keeping his expression blank so Evelyn wouldn’t feel like she was under attack.

She tipped her head back as she chewed her tortelloni and held one finger up to silently indicate that she needed a minute. Tony shifted impatiently and behind where Evelyn sat Sam fixed him with a glare, folding his arms across his chest, subliminally daring Tony to push the conversation.

“I haven’t seen him since I was 6. His name is Eustice Green. When my parents died, he disowned me. He was much older than me, 18, 19 maybe? He didn’t want the responsibility of some little kid hanging around the place; understandably. So, I was placed in Maria’s care – she was a friend of my parents.” Evelyn concluded.

Her gut twisted and suddenly the food in front of her made her nauseous. The familiar feeling of emptiness and being unwanted and abandoned inundated her tired mind. Her eyes stung as the tears threatened to fall, unbidden.

She bowed her head in the shame of being rejected. There must be something seriously wrong with her.

Who couldn’t love a 6-year-old?

How bad of a person must she be for someone to reject her when she was a literal child?

She hunched her shoulders and placed her forehead against the cool marble counter.

Why did everyone keep leaving her? Her parents, her brother, Maria, and now Theo. She didn’t deserve anyone; she didn’t deserve help from the people surrounding her. She put Theo in danger, it was her brother who was hurting the only person that mattered to her.

“Hey now,” a deep voice cut through the ringing in her ears as a large warm hand gripped at the hand she hadn’t even noticed had been pulling at the hair at the nape of her neck, the other hand moved in slow circles around her back.

“Whatever he did, however he hurt you or the people you love, that is not a reflection on you or your worth. You are your own person, strong and loved and you were a child. It was his shortcomings that failed you, not the other way around. Do you hear me?” Sam ducked to meet her eyes, seeing the hurt and the loss that filled those large glassy orbs.

A single tear escaped and trickled its way down her pale cheek as her lip trembled, not looking away from Sam’s serious gaze.

Evelyn lifted her head and turned to face Tony, her breathing heavy and voice shaking. “Last thing I knew he was some big wig lawyer working for a children’s charity in the city.”

She laughed bitterly as she shook her head.

“Clearly you were misinformed,” Tony retorted, deadpan.

Sam shot up and stalked round the island and stopped dead in front of Tony, his finger shoved against the arch reactor, “man, back the f*ck off.” He stood tall, a few inches higher than Tony and glared down at him.

Tony threw his hands up in surrender, “I didn’t mean any harm,” he muttered, slightly flustered at Sam’s overprotective reaction, “I’m not used to crying women in my kitchen, sarcasm is how I deal with awkward situations!”

“Sam,” came a small voice as a delicate hand gripped Sam’s forearm, forcing it down to his side, “it’s okay, he didn’t upset me. He didn’t say anything but the truth,” Evelyn said as Sam drew his arms to hold her to his side and rest his chin on the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around his middle and gave him a small squeeze.

At that moment F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s voice filled the room, breaking the tension from the silence that had stretched before them. “File decrypted boss, I’ll prepare the screens in the operations room.”

So, this was the Programmer. Tony had been curious about the expert hacker since they had left their online signature all over the protection of the government launch codes during the attack from Ultron. He was itching to delve into the contents of the data cache, but he knew they had more pressing matters.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., launch the tracker.”

“Sure thing, boss,” replied the AI as a large 3D hologram of the Earth filled the centre of the room. A pin flashed from a point in North America.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., zoom.”

The hologram shifted to show the North-east region of the US, “again!”

The image altered again to show most of the state of New York. Tony tapped a finger against his chest, a nervous habit from the old days.

“We found her?”

“We’ve found her,” confirmed F.R.I.D.A.Y. in her soft Irish tone.

The air left Tony’s lungs as he twisted to face the others, “we’ve found her.”

Evelyn zipped up the suit she had ‘borrowed’ from the Black Widow’s locker and stood to check her reflection. Somehow, she had the feeling that the suit could stretch and retract to fit anyone, so luckily, she was as snug as a bug in a rug.

She knew deep down she should feel some sort of guilt, planning to steal from the very people who had helped her get this far, but she couldn’t sit around and wait for the Accords Committee to approve the mission to save a known hacker and Drug Kingpin.

Theo’s coming home.

Evelyn allowed herself the smallest moment to hope. She would do anything she could to get her back. She had excused herself from the small team with the excuse of needing to clean herself up in one of the (probably) millions of bathrooms in the facility. She had managed to slip away and made her way to the locker room that sat adjacent from the Quinjet hanger.

She didn’t have a plan per say - but it did involve ‘liberating’ a Quinjet and taking it to Theo’s location. She didn’t know how to fly a jet, but realistically if the Hulk managed it, she was sure she could work it out.

She’d bring it back – maybe. Maybe she’d let Theo disassemble it first, have a play and then put it back together again.

She’d enjoy that.

Her face was pinched and drawn, the skin around her eyes red and blotchy from crying on an off for the last 6 hours. She fixed herself with a steely gaze, rolled her shoulders and reached for the door. She crept across the deserted hanger; it was 1 o’clock in the morning who would be working at this time?

She had made it halfway towards a Quinjet when she froze.

Standing at the ramp of the jet, in a semi-circle poised and ready for action were Iron Man, the Falcon and waiting patiently in between them, her hair floating, curling, and thrashing from the photon energy that rolled off of her in waves, awaited Captain Marvel.

She stood tall, clad in blue, red, and gold, radiating power and authority.

Evelyn’s breath caught in her chest as she stared in awe, inspired, and emboldened by the formidable woman that headed the team before her.

“Hey there little lady,” Captain Marvel said, co*cking her head to the side with a smirk, “where are we going?”

Chapter 12: if you could see me now

Chapter Text

Evelyn looked between the heroes stood on the tarmac, the Quinjet in the background. Were they going to help her? Even now?

“Alright Capone? Stealing a government owned fighter jet?” Iron Man quipped at her. “Do you really need to add to the already very extortionate list of prior offences?”

He lowered his head and stared dead pan at her.

“I wasn’t going to steal it,” Evelyn muttered. “I was liberating it…” She felt awkward for getting caught.

“Uh huh, it’s not Cuba, Che Guevara. Can’t liberate a jet.” Iron Man was walking towards the entrance as it lowered down, “but I can let you stowaway and help us find your friend, so you can go back to being the organic cartel.” He gestured to her as he turned back to look at her.

Evelyn felt a smile creep on her face.

They were actually going to help her.

She almost skipped to the jet, at the idea of seeing Theo again. Although another chat about the front door might be in order, wherever their new front door would be.

She felt Falcon steady her as she wobbled at the thought of their home being destroyed again. All her plants. Gone.

Oh, she would find Theo, and make her replant every single one and grow them herself, but she had to get her back first.

“You good, babygirl?”

She was getting used to Falcon’s brotherly ways, two words and she already felt better. But babygirl? She glowered at him.

He seemed to catch on to the reason behind her reaction and chuckled, “fine, you good Evergreen?”

He just used her alias; how did he know?

“Your folder,” he stated simply as he took a seat opposite her, answering her question before it even left her mouth.

She smiled; she hadn’t heard someone use that name since Maria. She would be proud of Evelyn right now, out with the good guys and not dealing drugs.

Well, until they got set back up.

Few days at most.

“Haven’t been called that in a long time,” she smiled softly at Falcon, her eyes letting up some of their tension.

“You’re suited up, you’re Evergreen now,” he buckled himself in, Evergreen watching intently, mirroring his actions on her own buckle. She was fine with flying but liked to be safe too.

Her eyes wandered aimlessly, before resting, zoning her out. She could still hear talking but couldn’t move her eyes, her mind racing with thoughts of what was about to happen. She was going to have to face her brother again, the man who didn’t want her when she was his own sister and just a child.

Didn’t he know she blamed herself as much as he did?

But she was a child.

She didn’t mean it.

She felt a weight in her chest and her stomach churned anxiously, she lifted a hand to her mouth, the fingerless gloves allowing her to chew the top of her finger in nervous anticipation of the reunion. She heard the click of a seatbelt bucket and a person sitting next to her, her eyes still zoned in on one particular corner of the console up front. She felt a hand take her free one, and she managed to snap her gaze back and look at Falcon who was giving her a reassured smile.

“It’s going to be okay Evergreen, you got me.” He grinned and Evelyn nearly laughed. “You ready?”

She nodded as the door closed up and the sounds of an engine starting filled the whole space.

Iron Man let F.R.I.D.A.Y. input the trackers coordinates, allowing her to take over autopilot as he sat in the pilot seat, keeping an eye on the slightest change in location.

When the marker didn’t move, Iron Man took that as a sign she wasn’t on the move and therefore could let it run in the background. Captain Marvel looked out of the window ahead, her mind on the ash haired woman, how was she coping? She thought she could take care of herself, but that was only so she didn’t think of the worst possibilities. She was silent as the other started settling.

Falcon noticed that Evergreen was looking worried, he knew why, her whole demeaner gave it away.

“Are you ready to face him? Your brother?” He spoke in a deep voice, so she felt it was a friend reaching out, not a teammate. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“Yes. No – maybe,” she said in quick succession. “I’m more worried that Theo’s hurt.”

It was partially true, no arguing that a lot of Evelyn’s brain space was taken up by that thought, but a small part was focused on this fact.

She would have to face Eustace again.

The absolute tool that was her brother. Falcon sensed this and placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

“We’re going to get her back, and if we can, we’ll keep him as far away from you as we can. But I know that if you had to, you could face him. And I promise I’ll be there to help you through whatever trauma that brings up, because you’re not alone”

Falcons experience from the VA shining through. He knew what PTSD looked like. The nervous ticks, the dissociating, the reaction to her brother’s triggering language. He’d seen it a thousand times, but never in someone like this. His heart broke for her. But they had a mission to do, and he wanted it done right. For her. For Theo.

F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s calm voice rolled out the system comms, “boss, approaching coordinates, how would like to proceed?”

“Take us up, up and away and we’ll do a drop in. Quick hello, punch, goodbye I think,” Iron Man’s humour wrapping the sentence nicely. “Open doors.”

With that, the Quinjet’s door starting descending, cold, thin air whipping around them. Evergreen closed her eyes and slowly and quietly undid her seat belt thankful the air dragged all the sound out of the cabin with it. She couldn’t let him get away with it, she would end her brother once and for all, it would never heal all the years of hurt and pain, but it might make it a little easier to accept.

She kept her eyes closed as she felt Falcon let go of her hand, readying himself for the drop down, goggles coming down over his eyes. She was free and could move when it was time. She listened for the notification from F.R.I.D.A.Y. to say it was right below them.

She didn’t care the drop, she would jump from a million feet to reach Theo.

She heard Iron Man’s face plate go down and secure itself securely to the rest of his suit. Captain Marvel started glowing again, Evergreen could tell, her eyelids got brighter. And then came the sound she wanted.

“Here boss.”

Without a second thought she launched herself out of the open door and into the open air, darkness and clouds surrounded her, stars glittered above her as she looked back towards the jet. No one else had left.

Back aboard Iron Man and Falcon stood with their mouths agape at the recently exited door, Captain Marvel just let a small, impressed grin fix itself on her face.

“Did she… have a parachute?” Falcons concerned voice broke the shocked silence.

“Nope,” came Iron Man’s reply. “I gotta know what she’s smoking for balls that big.”

“Well, she did say she wasn’t afraid of heights,” Captain Marvel grinned, her respect for Evergreen just skyrocketed, and with that, she followed her, shortly followed by Falcon and Iron Man.

Evergreen let the air surround her as she shot to earth, she could feel the hum of life growing every second she got closer. She was sober. And she knew what that meant.

The watch on her wrist keeping track of her altitude, she gave a spin in the air. Using the skills of previous jumps to have a moment of freedom. She couldn’t do anything to help right now, she was falling. That’s it. So, she allowed her worried to ebb away for a brief second. Spinning and flipping and turning in the air, whooping as she went. When she saw the tracker reach five hundred feet, she began to focus on her position, she had to get it just right.

She flipped so her back was towards the earth’s surface, glancing up to see three figures in the darkness, all lit up like reverse fireworks. Shooting to earth instead of away from it. They had stoic faces, except Iron Man, who still had quite a serious face on his suit.

She felt the power coming from the earth, she couldn’t describe it, but she could almost touch it. It grew every second more and more. Until she knew it was time, she waited for the right second before allowing the green mist to burst out of her like a smoke bomb going off, cherry blossom petals became part of the floral tornado that engulfed her. She sensed the three Avengers slowing to get a better look at her, she didn’t care. Her secret was already out, there was little left to hide. And with her newfound sobriety, she knew her power was tenfold from what Captain Marvel saw earlier.

Leaving a trail of soft, pink feathery flowers as she went, she readied herself. She sent a surge of energy down into the ground and she felt them coming, growing, reaching up for her already. And within a second, she felt the vines wrap around her and she grabbed them and within a blink, she choreographed their moves perfectly.

The vine released her ankle just as she made contact and flipped herself back to upright. Using the vine as a giant fireman’s pole, she kept her grip lose but firm and descended into a pit of thrashing foliage, hair and flora flailing behind her. As she landed gracefully with help of a larger vine that steadied her waist, the plants didn’t cease their angry whipping, but they never came anywhere close to injuring her.

Falcon watched in awe from above, suddenly becoming wary of the pine green-haired woman’s powers. This was some next level sh*t. Steve was going to lose his sh*t, and he wasn’t sure in which context that would be yet, but he bet he would be a little surprised to say the least.

As he came to a stop, landing behind Captain Marvel and Iron Man, he became aware that the vines were now sprouting some very long, very red, very angry looking thorns. But none came near any of them, like they knew they weren’t the enemy.

How great was this ability?

Iron Man was thinking the same thing, what is the extent of her power?

Do they have another Wanda on their hands? Is she going to be a problem in the future?

Could he do anything to help them? He would try.

They got ready, for anything.

Evergreen prepared for a family reunion.

Chapter 13: love race

Chapter Text

Dust shook loose from the exposed rock of the ceiling as a large explosion hit the base with a direct impact.

Theo’s head snaped up as the morons who had been guarding her jumped up from where they had leant against the wall, guns pointed upwards.

Theo stared in disbelief.

How many people had they kidnapped?

Were they complete rookies?

She could probably have done a better job than this in her lab at home with just a bit of old cable wire.

Sounds of rallying sounded from the hallway just past the door. Theo had two choices, sit here, and hope to be rescued (yeah, right), or hope the distraction was enough for her to make her way out without too much retaliation.

She weighed the odds, and the latter was clearly the better option.

Now, how to get out of these damn chains…

“Excuse me?” She said coyly to one of the jittery guards, “I need to tell you something.”

She cast her head down and peaked up at him through her lashes.

He cast a look at his teammate who gave a wary glance in Theo’s general direction. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip and bit down, hard.

“Please, Sir. I promise it won’t take long…” she purposefully heaved her chest as she breathed and, bingo, the guard’s eyes flicked first to her mouth then to her chest.

He nodded to the other guard, who discretely left the room. Theo couldn't believe this was so f*cking easy.

He shuffled over gun still raised.

She motioned for him to move closer, close enough so she could whisper in his ear, he lowered his gun and leaned in, at which point she struck.

Men are such idiots.

Tilting her head back she brought her forehead down against this piece-of-sh*t’s nose, making a crunching noise on impact.

Blood spurted immediately down the guard’s face, and Theo felt some splatter up her cheek.

As he staggered and clutched his nose, Theo stomped down on his foot and wrapped the chain around his neck, it was difficult due to the chain being attached to the floor – but she managed it.

She shifted her weight, jumped, and used his mass to swing herself up and around so she knelt on his shoulders and pushed, sending him crashing into the floor.

He was somehow still conscious beneath her, so she choked him out for good measure.

She got to her feet and skipped to his pocket where she was sure to find a key for the lock.

Sure enough, she found a whole f*cking loop of keys.

Come on, this is like the first lesson in Bad Guys 101, don’t give keys to every guard who works at the base for more than 5 minutes.

She rolled her eyes and unlocked the cuffs that were clamped around her wrists.

She had no idea where her tech was and slipped out of the room with the small hope she could recover it on her way out.

Theo made her way down the maze of tunnels that seemed to go on forever, checking the rooms she passed just in case there was any sign of her stuff.

She started to grow bitter.

That was her stuff, what were they doing to it?

She slipped into an alcove as another explosion sounded, closer than before, was she reaching the exit?

Dust covered her outfit, and she was lowkey furious. These were her favourite chinos goddammit. She took a breath to prepare and launched out of her hiding place – and straight into 4 combat clad guards.

Well, sh*t.

On the surface, Evergreen was thinking of a strategy, she was used to having the calming voice of Theo in her ears when she was in the field, giving her suggestions. That’s it!

What would Theo tell her to do?

Just as she thought of her, a door burst open and at least thirty armed and armoured guards spilled out. They took their positions and began firing at all of them.

Evergreen had never wanted a suit at any point, but now, she would pay Theo to make her one.

The bullets bounced off of Iron Man and Captain Marvel, Falcon took to the skies before he turned back to get Evergreen. He needn’t bother though; she gripped a small branch that shot from the cracked ground and took off vertically in an instant.

The Californian redwood would decimate most of the area when she got it to full size, and God was she determined to do so. Her trusty vines grabbing several guards by the ankles and pulling them into the air at the same time, dropping them from a height Evergreen knew they wouldn’t die from, maybe…

Iron Man was taking out as many as he could before turning his attention to scanning the area for the tracking chip’s location; it wasn’t long before he found it.

Several floors down.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., thermal scan that bunker,” he was trying not to show his panic in his voice.

“Multiple heat signatures detected. All levels affected.” The Irish twang echoed over the comms they all had tucked into one ear. “The tracker is showing up on the sixth level down, she’s not alone Boss.”

“I don’t like that answer, shall we do something about it?” He mused to his ever-present assistant.

“What do you have in mind boss?”

“Breaking and entering,” came his smooth reply.

Flying straight down, he lined himself up with the roof of the bunker, raising his hands he charged the canons on his suits palms and effortlessly released a built-up charge into the concrete structure.

He knew he could take the risk as Theo was several floors down, and the whole place was reinforced. It would also wipe out a few more of the guards that charged towards them, still pouring out of every available exit they could see.

Meanwhile, Captain Marvel was calmly walking up to the guards, bullets pinging off in different directions as they tried in vain to shoot her, failing miserably.

She let a large photon blast leave her and wipe out a large group of them, leaving a trench in the ground as she flew up and around to get a better view.

She saw Evelyn head up too, wondering what her next move was. When she saw the tree begin to take form, she had to swerve to avoid it, that thing was massive, and impossibly still growing.

She was impressed by Evelyn’s determination to get through this and get her friend back, and her abilities which were extraordinary in their own right.

Captain Marvel flew straight down, forcing her way into the bunker flying through the concrete as if it were nothing and then back skyward again, taking out multiple flights of stairs as she did so. Guards fell into the mess of concrete and bent steel beams.

Falcon flew through the gunfire that spattered the dark night, dodging expertly and gliding gracefully looking for a way in. Every time he thought he’d found one, it was propped open and revealed an ant’s nest of guards, where were they coming from?

He became aware of a nasty looking plant sprouting from the floor, the earth creaking under the pressure of all the organic matter that was now present on the battlefield. Guards were screaming as they were wrapped in it, as it forced its way into their face masks and clothing.

Strangled cries and screams echoed across the field. He zoomed in with his goggles and saw that the guards were ripping their clothes off, their bodies covered in seriously nasty looking burns and blisters.

It looked like hell itself.

Falcon made a mental note to ask Evelyn what that plant was, so he could avoid it in the future.

At that he looked for her, Evergreen was nowhere to be seen, his vision darted around but saw nothing that resembled the woman he saw earlier.

He kept looking but couldn’t see her.

She must be somewhere; the plants were still here and thrashing.

Evergreen had actually found herself slightly more separated from the others than she would have liked.

Using her tree sap to stick guards to the spot and tree branches to deflect bullets and bend gun barrels so they didn’t work anymore, she was being backed into a corner. But she would go down swinging.

She had already conjured Giant Hogweed and given half the men blisters for the next 8 years at least, if not more. But she couldn’t get to the door no matter how hard she tried, and she was doing all she could.

What else did she have?

She opened the backpack she had removed from a guard who lay unconscious on the floor, throwing it into the air and into the vines grip. It emptied the contents and dragged it along the ground filling it with dirt. In a swift, slick moment, it brought it full circle and it slipped onto Evergreen’s back with fluidity.

Now she had a portable weapon.

The top of the bag still open, and from within it shot her latest idea, poison oak. It whipped and cracked around her as it started to wind itself around the guard’s waists, they held their guns out of their reach, but they were protecting the wrong weapon.

One by one, the vines pulled the combat knives from the men’s pockets, but they weren’t for these men. Instead, she let the oak wind itself up and around each of their necks, feeling their pulses through each individual stem. She choked them out and let their limp bodies hit the floor.

The poison oak continued to swirl in a flowing, ribbon-like motion, but with serrated knives wielded at the ends, coming out from behind her like they were part of her.

She called a vine to take her up back to the main battle and towards the crater Iron Man and the Captain had blown in through the roof on the bunker.

It was then she heard Falcon calling for help over the comms.

Her stomach dropped. She had to help him, he’d done so much for her already in the few hours of their acquaintance. She had to repay him, to save him.

But Theo…

She had a split second to decide.

Theo or Sam?

Without Sam, she may not get Theo back at all.

Her resolve hardened and she changed direction in mid-air, she needed to go back for Sam.

“Sir, prisoner is out of containment –” was all the guard was able to get out before Theo leapt into action.

With all the energy she could muster, Theo sprinted towards them and dropped low, sliding between the two middle guards, swivelling, and bringing her legs round to take out theirs in one sweeping motion.

They hit the floor with a sickening thud.

Without even giving herself a moments reprieve, she threw herself to the side to avoid what would have been a direct hit to her shoulder from one guard and just so happened to heave her whole-body weight into the other one at the same time.

He was hurled into the wall behind him, his head cracking against it before sliding down into a heap on the dirt, dazed.

In a split-second Theo had rolled forward to the last remaining guard, keeping low, and by the time he had caught up with her, she was already in front of him.

A quick jab to his side and a knee to the face were enough to drop him.

She knew she couldn’t win against all of them, her knee making a sickening crunch as she straightened, but she just needed time to escape that hallway.

Without a backwards glance, she shot off and raced around the nearest corner, left, then the next right, then straight for as long as she could.

She wasn’t aiming for stealth at this point, and she crashed through a cracked door in front of her and hurled it behind her, hoping for a moment to collect herself and come up with some sort of plan.

Usually when Evelyn found herself in a tight spot, Theo was the guy in the chair, calmly calling out directions through an earpiece from the safety of her lab.

She swivelled quickly, her back pressed into the cold door and she scoped out her surroundings.

A pain thrummed behind her eyes as she longed for the dark shadows beneath their little haven. Her fingers itched for the feel of the smooth comfort of her keyboard, the soft illumination of her screens.

As if summoned by sheer thought power alone, she found her glasses and watch, almost presented as if they were laid out especially for her.

What in the Indiana Jones is this?

She stepped forward, slowly as she lowered her centre of gravity, prepared for some kind of attack.

She reached the table where her tech was displayed, and tentatively stretched to grab it.

No lasers, no silent alarms, and when she lifted it, no mechanical weight plate triggered.

What a disappointment.

She put her glasses on and strapped her watch, but as she tapped her lenses, there was no response.

“Oh no baby what have they done to you?!” Her watch was dead too. She removed the devices and slipped them into her back pocket. They were useless now.

“I’m afraid to say that within the short span of your visit, you’ve become pretty predictable, my dear,” sneered a voice from the dark corners beside the door.

As he stepped into the light, Theo could see the grimace that stretched across Evelyn’s brother’s face.

“Theodosia. A beautiful and unusual name for a beautiful and unusual girl.” He stepped again closing the distance between them.

Theo twisted and darted for the door, she grabbed the handle and pulled just as a hand shot across her shoulder towards the door, slamming it shut again in front of her.

She felt his other hand shove her forward, so she was flat against the door, trapped.

The hand on her back snaked upwards and nestled itself in her hair again, gripping her curls and tugging her head to the side, allowing him access to her neck and the side of her face. He took his other hand and ripped hers from the door handle and held it above her head, her other arm was pressed between her body and the door.

He shifted so his body was flush against her; she was completely trapped and Theo felt sick.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay of your own will?”

This asshole was delusional.

His breath was hot against her neck, and it tickled her ear. He ran his nose from just below her jaw upwards behind her ear and finished with his face nestled in her hair.

She rolled her eyes, why were men so gross?

He used his leverage to twist Theo round, and she put on her best damsel in distress face, popping her mouth open in a surprised pout and widening her eyes innocently.

Before she could do anything with it, he caught her hand that had been trapped and pinned it with the other above her head. He leaned his face into hers, so they were inches apart and she angled her hips upwards slightly to meet him.

She flicked her eyes down to his mouth and ran her tongue along her bottom lip.

He leered at her, running his gaze up and down her body as he started to lean in, their lips impossibly close without touching, their breath mingling in between them.

Theo kept her gaze open and steady the whole time, and when he was close enough to close his eyes, she brought up her knee sharply, right at the junction of his legs.

The air whooshed from his lungs as he released her and fell backwards clutching his prized possessions.

Yep.

That’d teach him.

As she turned to leave, she spat the bile that had invaded her mouth at him, gave him the middle finger and slammed the door behind her.

Chapter 14: already home

Chapter Text

She ran as fast as her legs would take her, her cracked ribs aching in her chest as she went.

She replaced the watch and glasses, even though they didn’t work, she needed to feel them back on her skin.

She was almost thrown sideways by a large blast that blew out the wall in front of her. Throwing her hand over her face to protect it, she shielded her eyes from the debris and backed up a few steps.

Light streamed down towards her, and she arched her neck to face the direction it came from.

There was a very broken staircase in front of her, she looked around and kept going down the right-hand side of the corridor. She guessed she was five or six floors down, she stopped to think of her route out when a “ding” sound pulled her attention down the hallway to the left of her.

The elevator opened and looked untouched, undamaged, safe, and leading the way to freedom.

Could she really get this lucky?

If she believed in such frivolous things she would have said that there was a god looking down on her today and her odds had fallen well.

That’s it.

She tore towards it and breathed a sigh of relief when it didn’t drop with her in it. She pressed the “GF” button and let the doors close over her.

No elevator music though.

How dull.

She clasped her hands in front of herself and rocked on the balls of her feet impatiently, cut off from all the carnage around her for a moment.

As the lift slowed to a stop, and the doors sprung open, she was greeted by a literal battlefield.

All Theo could see and hear was chaos as she turned to face the outside, there was evidence of Evelyn all over the place.

Men were scraping at their blisters, no doubt she’d brought the hogweed out in her temper, probably the poison oak too. There weren’t many of the guards still standing, the last of them choking their last sounds out.

Theo calmly walked through the second coming of the Somme, as if she were used to it, her head held high, eyes forward searching.

This was the last place she wanted to be, she wanted to go home.

This was the first and last field experience she ever wanted; she would leave it to Evelyn from now on.

With a flash of green, Theo caught sight of her.

There she was; hair wild and overgrown, using her trees and winding ivy to push a large piece of building off a man who had wings attached to his back.

As the building was forced back away from them, she saw Evelyn take a deep breath in. her eyes filled with murderous rage.

A giant redwood took up most of the immediate vicinity.

Was she sober?

She helped the man to his feet before none other than Tony Stark’s Iron Man landed next to him, the nice Marvel lady behind him.

Theo stared towards them afraid that if she lost sight of Evelyn, she would once again be torn away from her.

She made her way towards the group who were catching their breath, tripping over root systems and broken earth, dead bodies, and discarded weapons. She stopped a short distance before she reached them, blinking away the tears she hadn’t realised had formed, she realised they were all staring at her.

She winced and braced her eardrums.

“THEODOSIA KATHERINE LOVELACE!”

There it was. She’d been full named; she was in some deep sh*t.

“I CANNOT EVEN BEGAN TO START WITH YOU!”

Evelyn’s hands gripped Theo’s shoulders tightly, shaking her roughly. “Why did you open the door?! After all that had happened that day! Why?!” Evelyn’s voice broke and her breath caught.

Theo’s head dropped, she felt awful, Evelyn was right. She had told her time and time again to leave that door alone, but did she listen?

Nope.

And now look, their home, their business, their safety; gone in an afternoon.

Suddenly a warm feeling surrounded her, she looked up and met green hair. Evelyn was clutching her in a hug, small, soft sobs coming from her.

Theo rubbed her back, as Evelyn returned the gesture.

Suddenly a barrier burst inside of her that she didn’t even know she’d been holding back, and she let out all the tears she’d saved for this moment.

And there they stood in the middle of a warzone, holding the other as tight as they could, never wanting to let go.

“I’ll get the jet,” came Iron Man’s cool tone. He shot upwards, disappearing for a moment.

“Please don’t leave me ever again,” Evelyn’s voice was a shaky whisper in Theo’s ear.

“Never if I have a choice,” Theo held her friend a bit longer.

The atmosphere on the flight back was subdued.

They had broken the embrace as the Quinjet lowered itself down to land as Tony who now out of his suit, was texting someone from the front seat.

Evelyn fussed over Theo and got her strapped in and settled before even thinking about strapping herself in; and she did so, but not before placing a small kiss on Theo’s head.

They sat side by side; Evelyn rested her head on Theo’s shoulder.

The two of them intertwined hands and gave each other a “I’ve still got you; and you still have me” look. Settling down for the flight back to wherever was their home for now.

Sam had removed his wings and had taken a seat opposite the women. He gave them a sympathetic expression and hoped they had it easier from here on out. This was a lot to go through in a day.

“I’ll stay behind to round up the stragglers and wait for the clean-up crew,” Carol had offered to Tony, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She turned and crouched in front of the exhausted pair of women.

Gently she rested her a hand on Evelyn’s shoulder and cupped the other against Theo’s face. She tilted Theo’s face up, making her meet her warm gaze; Carol’s fingers resting gently in her dirty, matted curls. She stroked the woman’s cheek as Carol nodded once, broke eye contact, straightened up, and stepped off of the jet.

The engines fired up and the ramp closed behind her, leaving Carol in a swirling patch of dust.

Carol weaved through the remnants of the now deserted bunker. There was no way that they had faced the full extent of the crew that were staffed here.

The building was a warren of twists and turns, seemingly going on for miles. She stalked the dark hallways looking for evidence of the now infamous Eustace Green. As much as she’d like to crush him with her bare hands, Theo and Evelyn deserved proper justice for all the pain they had experienced at his mercy. Her hands glowed and she steadied her breathing, now was probably not the best place to lose control, hundreds of metres underground.

Carol found herself on the lowest level, dirt walls and exposed rock ceilings making the whole floor dank and miserable. There were no sounds coming from anywhere, but Carol scoped out a few of the rooms anyway, better safe than sorry.

As she stepped into the last room at the end of the hallway, the smell of coppery blood filled her nostrils and her anger flared once again.

A guard lay prostrate and motionless in the middle of a large room, chains that were linked to a mooring sticking out of the reinforced concrete floor, wrapped around his neck. A patch of dried, brown blood was splattered across the ground a few feet from where the man lay.

Theo’s.

How hurt had she been?

There was nothing here for Carol to find.

Clearly that coward Eustace had managed to escape somehow. Not bothering to make her way to the exit, she let her anger flow through her, her energy levels spiking and shot through the floors above her like she was resurfacing from water.

As she broke through the ground level, she hovered a few feet in the air and surveyed the destruction they had left behind.

Evelyn’s creations had already started to decompose, one less thing for the Stark Foundation to sort out. She saw the trucks pull in and motioned to them for a briefing.

Carol kept it short and simple.

Once the foreman had nodded in understanding and relayed the instructions to his team, Carol shot into the air, following the direction the Quinjet had taken. There was no point staying behind, she knew the team were more than capable and always handled possible evidence with care, there would be no compromising of anything they found.

Carol rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck; it was a good thing she had decided to return to Earth. Who knows what would have happened if she hadn’t.

She contemplated where Theo and Evelyn would go from here as she sped towards the horizon that was glowing pink and yellow.

The sun was rising.

The jet landed smoothly, and Evelyn and Theo turned to each other, unsure of what would come next. There was a quiet hush that filled the jet now the engines had powered down. Sam sat back, unable to offer comfort as he was just as uncertain as them. He didn’t want them to leave. The thought of the both of them out there alone, somewhere beyond his protection and in danger again made his gut churn.

Goddamn. How had these two women wormed their way in already?

Tony was the first one to break the tension.

“So, nerd, pleasure to meet you; finally.” He stuck out his hand and Theo stared at it; her head co*cked to the side. Evelyn rolled her eyes and nudged Theo’s shoulder with hers.

“Te, shake the good man’s hand, he just saved your life and it’s polite.”

Theo stood and reached out to grasp Tony’s hand and glanced up to meet his steely expression.

“You too, though my life was never in danger. I made my own way out but thank you for the distraction you caused. My escape would have been at least twice as hard without it.”

Her expression was serious, and Tony was stunned into silence.

Sam guessed there was a first time for everything as his eyes flitted between the people in front of him, unable to decide what was more hilarious: Theo’s backhanded compliment, Tony’s bewildered countenance or Evelyn’s clear embarrassment, her head tilted downward and shaking, face hidden behind her hands.

He couldn’t help it.

A deep throaty bark escaped him as he elapsed in to a hollering laugh and soon enough the others joined in. Tony chortled, still in mild disbelief, Evelyn wheezing and clutching her sides, and Theo nervously forcing out a chuckle, clearly not understanding why the situation called for laughter.

Slowly the laughter trailed off and the grim expressions had returned to the two women’s faces, gazing at each other, not quite sure what to do.

“Oh wait,” Tony started, “you two don’t think you’re going anywhere, right? I’ve decided it’s probably best to keep you here as guests until we can confirm the arrest of Mr Can’t-even-recognise-his-own-sister. Call it enforced witness protection if you will.”

He waved his hand towards the ramp of the jet, “F.R.I.D.A.Y. prepare a room for them, I’m sure they’d like sometime to clean themselves up. Also arrange to have some clothing delivered by 10am at the latest. We can’t have them wandering round the compound in… that.” he motioned towards Theo’s torn and bloody shirt and Evelyn’s stolen combat gear. “Most importantly alert Dr Cho that Falcon has some lacerations to stitch, and we need a full medical check-up on Ms Theodosia Lovelace. Multiple lacerations and suspected broken ribs.”

Theo winced as Evelyn squeezed her shoulders, “I think you’ll find the most important thing I need is a workshop –” Theo started and twisted to face Evelyn, pain ripping through her core, but she ignored it.

She had more pressing issues.

“Evey, they somehow broke D.A.D.!”

“Wait, your father was there?!” Sam shot out.

“No. D.A.D., Dependable Assistance Device. He’s my technical interface, a bit like F.R.I.D.A.Y., only more advanced, no offence F.R.I.D.A.Y., I know you’re limited to the abilities of your designer –”

“Charming,” snarked Tony.

“No offence taken ma’am. Maybe I can help with that. We can have the tech transported to boss’ personal office and have the tools set up ready for when you are released from the med-bay? Your vitals suggest that you need urgent attention.”

“Wait, how bad are you hurt?” Evelyn sprung to her feet and fluttered her hands over Theo’s body in front of her, barely touching her for fear she would cause more injuries.

Theo ignored her, she whipped to face Tony, removing her glasses and watch and passing them to him.

“If you attempt to hack these or tamper with them in any form, I will launch the largest cyberattack the Avengers and Stark Industries have ever had to deal with. You will be BEGGING me to restore your servers, and F.R.I.D.A.Y. will be nothing more than dust on the sole of my boot do you understand?”

Tony’s eyes had shot wide as he took the indiscriminate tech before him and held up a salute. “Scout’s honour.”

Theo reached out and gripped the hand that now held her tech, and took a step closer to Tony. Evelyn assumed that Theo was aiming for menacing, but even next to Tony’s shorter stature, Theo’s 5 foot 2 frame made her look like an angry little pixie. She half expected her to sprout pointy ears and start speaking in riddles and rhymes.

Evelyn bit back a smirk, glancing up and catching the tugging of Sam’s lips, she assumed he was thinking of something along the same lines.

“I wasn’t in the Scouts so that means jack-sh*t to me. I’ll just take your word for it.” She finished ominously raising one eyebrow expectantly. She searched Tony’s face, clearly looking for some obvious tell of betrayal, and when she found none, she took a step back and smiled brightly.

Tony looked like he might have whiplash.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., I apologise for threatening you, please show me to the med-bay, let’s get this over with.” She stepped off of the Quinjet and into the hanger.

The others stood still for a moment sharing a look of utter amusem*nt at the woman who had just put all of them in their place. Silently they followed her off the jet only to be met with a sight none of them had expected.

Theo was lying prostrate on the floor, an agent kneeling on her back slapping handcuffs on her wrists surrounded by armed soldiers. In the middle of the chaos stood a tall man, slender, with salt and pepper hair. Secretary Thaddeus Ross sneered as his eyes met Tony’s, glinting in a manner that made the bile rise in his throat.

Chapter 15: trouble

Chapter Text

“Theodosia Lovelace,” Ross mocked, “you are being arrested on suspicion of domestic terrorism, committed under the alias, the Programmer. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.”

Theo smirked from her place on the floor, she was always expecting to be arrested at some point, just pleasantly surprised it hadn’t happened before now.

“My safe word is ‘harder daddy,’ just so you know –” she quipped as they dragged her up and away from the others, eliciting a face palm from Tony, who was stood with the others who were in shock at the scene before them.

Time slowed down as Evelyn watched rooted to her spot at the foot of the Quinjet ramp as Theo was yanked to her feet and marched towards the exit of the hanger her shoulders hunched. It took a minute for Evelyn to realise that she had stopped breathing.

No, not again. They couldn’t be separated again.

Pain tore through her and she threw herself forwards, lunging towards the agents that were stealing Theo from her.

“No,” she hissed as she hurled her closed fist at the agent closest to her. She was intercepted before she could make contact, as an arm flew out and blocked her attack.

Hands grabbed at her, and she felt a snap of a manacle around her right wrist. She pulled it up to inspect it and found a simple band with a green light to indicate it had been activated. Evelyn had no idea what it did but when she twisted her hand in an attempt to produce her vines, nothing happened.

sh*t.

At least she still had her other hand, she twisted around and flicked her left wrist and a puff of noxious spores released from her palm into the guard’s face, bringing her right arm round to uppercut the guard and launch him across the room. One down, 14 to go.

Crack.

Pain radiated from the base of Evelyn’s skull, but she managed to keep upright. She reached up to touch the affected area, her hand came away clean, no blood. She spun to find the source of the attack. A guard stood meekly behind her, baton in hand, having clearly tried to floor her.

What a dick.

Unfortunately, this was just the distraction the guards seemed to need, as just before Evelyn was about to release all the fury of Hela against this asshole, they managed to fasten the second manacle around her remaining wrist, activating the magnets, snapping her wrists together in front of her.

Double sh*t.

Hands swamped her, holding her in place and bringing her to her knees in front of Secretary Ross.

“Take her to the holding cells, she can stew there until I decide what to do with her.” Ross rubbed his hands together with maniacal glee, eyeing Evelyn like she was a prize to be won.

Evelyn tilted her head and looked round Ross towards the hanger door where the agents still stood with Theo in handcuffs. Theo looked pleadingly at Evelyn, shaking her head, indicating she wanted her to stop fighting.

Yeah, like that was going to happen. Evelyn rolled her eyes and pushed herself to her feet, leaning back and kicking at anyone who got too close to her.

She whipped her head round to where Tony and Sam stood frozen. They hadn’t moved a muscle through the entire altercation, their expressions blank and posture closed off and defensive.

“You f*cking cowards,” she spewed in their direction, “I should never have trusted you. You’re all f*cking liars.” She caught Sam’s eye and hissed at him, “to think I believed you cared. You really had me going – well done.”

The guards started pulling her backwards, following the route of Theo and the agents.

“OH –” shouted Evelyn, still swinging her cuffed fists and kicking out as they all but picked her up and dragged her away, spitting at Ross as she passed him for good measure.

“– TELL CAROL I SAY f*ck HER TOO!”

The air in the hanger seemed to turn to ice as Sam glared at the Secretary of State, his heart shattering at the last look Evelyn had shot him, broken, full of hatred and betrayal.

“What the f*ck was that?” hissed Tony from beside him. Sam turned to look at him, seeing that Tony’s face was contorted with the same rage that raced through Sam’s veins.

“I should thank you Stark. Without your help we probably never would have detained the Programmer.” Ross’ mouth spread into a smirk, “good job, maybe I’ll overlook the fact that you didn’t inform the Accords Council about this little side mission you were running.”

Tony snapped his mouth shut and glanced at Sam warily out of the corner of his eyes. sh*t. How had they forgotten to follow the new protocol already? This wouldn’t end well for Tony, and Sam knew it. Either Ross would blackmail him into creating some kind of new tech for the government or he would hold it over Tony’s head until he needed to call in a favour from him.

“If you will excuse me gentlemen,” Ross turned on his heal and stomped out of the hanger, tracing the path of the prisoners. Tony broke eye contact with Sam and jogged to catch up with the Secretary.

“Mr Secretary –” Tony started.

“Since when do you call me Mr Secretary?” retorted Ross, quirking his eyebrow at Tony’s odd behaviour.

“– I was thinking,” Tony panted, struggling to keep pace with Ross, “– why don’t we offer the girls a deal? Offer for them to sign the Accords and join the team, and in return they have the charges waived?”

Tony nearly ran straight into the back of Secretary Ross as he stopped abruptly in the middle of one of the wide corridors. He turned to look at Tony, his face turning puce and eyes popping wide. The vein on his forehead looked in danger of bursting, the last thing Tony needed was the Secretary of State having an aneurism in his hallway. Ross stayed silent, staring at Tony, his mouth opening and closing, seemingly unable to form words.

After what seemed like forever he spun around and stalked away, leaving Tony feeling defeated and helpless in the empty corridor. As soon as Ross was out of sight, Tony sprinted in the opposite direction towards his office.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., initiate Incognito mode,” he muttered as he heaved the door open, and immediately the glass walls frosted over, so nobody could see what he was doing. He hurried towards a work bench at the back of the room and tucked Theo’s glasses and watch under a stack of unused tech, proceeding to cover the whole table in a dust blanket, essentially hiding it out of view from anyone who might seize it and use it to build a case against Theo. That wasn’t going to happen. Not on his watch.

“Boss, Secretary Ross is seizing any evidence we obtained at both the cottage in the mountains and at the bunker. He is aware that there will be items of Ms Lovelace’s tech around the compound. He has mandated a seize on contact order on any possessions belonging to both Ms Lovelace and Ms Green. Should you be hiding those items?”

“Come on F.R.I.D.A.Y., when have I ever enjoyed following the rules?”

“Where’s Steve?” Sam muttered as he came to a halt in front of Bucky Barnes.

“Solo stake-out,” replied Bucky in a gruff voice, glancing up from his seat on one of the leather couches in the compound lobby. He’d been unpacking his last bought of nightmares in his journal just like his therapist had taught him, so naturally his nerves were more tightly wound than they had been for a long while. After the fall of HYDRA, Steve and Sam had caught up with him whilst he was on the run and convinced him that he was better off with the support and protection of the Avengers.

Naturally, Ross had been furious when he discovered they had all been harbouring a fugitive and the resulting fall out and Tony’s discovery of Bucky’s involvement in the death of Howard and Maria Stark had caused enough of an issue that Ross had decided the Accords were a necessary protocol to keep them all in check.

Bucky had signed immediately, wary of overall government control of the Avengers, but anxious and eager to prove that he was no longer a danger and no longer the Winter Soldier.

After a tense few months of back and forth between Steve and Tony, the former reluctantly signed, agreeing they were stronger as a team but still suspicious of Ross and his intentions. So far all had gone according to plan, and no issues had arisen from the formulation of the Accords Council who ultimately had the final say on missions and investigations.

Bucky eyes drifted to look out of the window distractedly as he ran his hand over his face bringing himself back into the present; he saw Sam fidget where he stood and Bucky gritted his teeth in irritation.

If he wasn’t already in a bad mood Sam’s unnecessary pestering was sure to put him in one.

“How are you Buck, nice to see you Buck,” he continued under his breath.

“Not now, man.” Sam retorted. Bucky frowned, his low brows knitting together. What was up with him? This was not Sam’s normal goofy demeaner. Sam eyed the open notebook balanced on Bucky’s knee. “You busy?”

Bucky closed the notebook with a snap and stood up, “course not.”

He was tired of having all his confusing memories swarm through his head anyway.

“Seriously Sam, what’s wrong?” He had never seen the man so on edge. Sam shook his head and led the way down to the training room. Bucky was silently mulling over his most recent recovered memory, flashes of silver metal, blood and snow whirled behind his eyes.

A sudden screech filled the echoey corridors before them, and instinctively Bucky lowered into a defensive stance and threw himself against the wall of the corridor. What the f*ck was that? He saw Sam roll his eyes, and nod his head forward, indicating to keep going towards the training room.

“Sam, who was that?” he hissed. Was this why Sam was so worked up? What wasn’t he telling him?

“Come on–”

“Dude, I am not moving until you tell me who the f*ck is screeching like they’re being tortured. Trust me, if anyone is going to recognise that sound, I think it’s going to be me,” Bucky frowned slightly at the direction of his statement as he noticed Sam flinch.

“No one’s being tortured. We had an emergency and some people have been placed in the holding cells, that’s all.” Sam stated. “Now hurry the f*ck up Grandpa and let me beat the sh*t out of you.” Sam stalked off ahead leaving Bucky alone with the sound of wailing ringing around him.

He found himself wondering how the Avengers had managed to capture a banshee of all things, and why were they being held in the compound. He shook his head bemusedly and followed Sam’s huffs from further down the hall.

“I know you can hear me!” Evelyn shouted.

Her voice was hoarse and her throat burning. She was exhausted and slowly sank to the cool floor against the white cinderblock wall. Her hair was plastered against her sweaty forehead and her face was flushed from her constant screaming and pacing.

She had no idea where Theo was, or whether she was safe. All Evelyn knew was that Theo was injured enough that F.R.I.D.A.Y. had insisted she needed medical attention, and that she had been arrested. Evelyn had lost her and the agents escorting her in the commotion of her own detainment, kicking, and screaming to the holding cells.

Evelyn scolded herself mentally, how could she have lost sight of Theo? She had lost her again. Her hands came up to cradle her head, elbows perched on her knees.

She had no tears anymore. She was angry.

She looked up and took in her reflection in the mirrored glass wall opposite her. She was pale and drawn, dark bags sat under her eyes, green and lifeless. The sight of her reflection reminded her that there were most likely guards on the other side on the glass, and they hadn’t even heard the worst of her very colourful and extensive vocabulary yet.

She shakily got to her bare feet, they had taken her shoes and laces – why, she wasn’t sure – they had replaced her orange shorts with an orange jumpsuit and given her white slip-on shoes.

She braced herself against the solid wall. She filled her lungs ready to start flinging some of her more creative obscenities towards the mirror when the door to right of the glass opened with a click.

Chapter 16: bad blood

Chapter Text

Theo had heard Evelyn’s screams and shouts from her small containment room down the hallway. The agents had released her handcuffs as soon as she had entered the room, clearly they didn’t think she was a risk to them.

Theo had scowled as they sneered at her as she rubbed her wrists where the cuffs had been too tight and pressed uncomfortably into them.

As soon as they left the room, Theo automatically reached to tap her glasses, but she remembered she’d handed them to Stark.

Her stomach flipped.

Not only was she without D.A.D., but she’d willingly handed her tech over to a Stark.

She screwed her eyes shut and grimaced at the situation she’d landed herself and Evelyn in again.

She found herself longing for the relative safety of the cottage.

The wall was cool against her overheated skin as she leant against it and slid slowly to the floor.

A hiss escaped her lips as she inspected a graze across her shoulder; it was packed with dirt and gravel, no doubt from rolling around the corridors of the underground bunker.

Theo closed her eyes and took mental note of her injuries, mentally cataloguing her pain and filing it away to deal with at a later date.

Her shoulder stung, but the pain was manageable, all she needed to do was clean it and it would be fine.

The bruise that was forming on along her jaw ached dully, and she lifted her fingers tentatively to prod at it, eliciting another hiss.

There were a few bumps and scrapes here and there, definitely some kind of injury to her ribs if the stabbing pains were any indication, but Theo could hold off no longer and turned her attention to her knee.

It felt like it had been twisted and popped, and while she had been able to hold her own weight when the adrenaline was pumping through her veins, as the battle high was starting to wane, the throbbing pain pulsated and she knew she’d done some considerable damage.

No hiding this one from Evey, Theo winced as she considered their situation again.

She wasn’t sure she’d even see Evelyn again.

She knew they were both in trouble, but Ross only seemed aware of her crimes – so maybe there was a way to keep Evelyn out of all of this, so long as Stark and Sam kept their mouths shut.

Evelyn was overpowered quickly, without the use of her powers, she was helpless. Especially in handcuffs. She felt hands on her ankles and on her wrists. Larger, more restraining shackles had been attached to her. A bright silver chain, wrapped in a see-through shrink wrap tubing, interlinked the four new additions to her body trappers.

“GET OFF OF ME! GET OFF –”

Her cries were cut short when one of the men holding her down, slapped a piece of metal into her mouth. She involuntarily bit down, which in turn activated the mechanism. The nanotech spread across her jaw and up over her cheeks, coming to a locking position at the back of her head. Her mouth was free but clamped shut.

That shut her up, literally.

Ross stood in front of her, hands in his pockets and an expression towards her that made her feel as if he were looking at a car in a showroom, instead of a human.

“Like the gadget? Surprised your little friend didn’t make you one. Living with you all those years…” His voice was patronising and rude.

Evelyn could only take so much and started her muffled screaming again.

“Tut, tut. Still a noisy one, aren’t you? It needs some improvements still, but then again we’ve never had anyone with such a foul mouth before.”

Evelyn felt a whack in the small of her back, causing her to drop to her knees, the cuffs stopping her from helping herself. The guard stood behind her straightened up, gun in his arms. Evelyn was dragging air into her nostrils fast; she was seething with anger at this point. Her hair hung in lank strands over her face, she stared through them at Ross.

In a single day she had managed to do a lot of sh*t and cause a lot of sh*t; let Carol in, lost Theo, destroyed Theo’s lab, went to steal a Quinjet, destroyed a bunker completely, nearly got people killed, actually killed people; to mention just a few. And now Theo was somewhere in here. Getting ready to face an exceedingly extensive list of charges.

She felt the hands on her again, pulling her up onto her feet. She was turned round so she faced the door, a guard entered with a wheelchair.

A very high-tech wheelchair.

She raised her eyebrow at it, as she was pushed towards it from behind. She stumbled in her restraints and had to steady herself, shooting a dirty look back at the man who pushed her. He just shoved her again. And even though she was in restraints, she leapt at him.

Five minutes later, after scraping the rabid woman from the now terrified guard and having to have six separate guards pin her down while she still yelled out restrictively; they had Evelyn in the chair.

It attached itself to her cuffs, her wrists and ankles locked into place. The awful mechanical whirring sound that Evelyn hated, and Theo loved, taking up the whole room.

She was the most trapped she had ever felt and been.

She hated this.

And she was so angry with Tony, Carol and especially Sam.

How dare he lie to her and trick her. How did she not see it coming? She was always preaching to Theo about stuff like this, she failed to heed her own advice.

When the chair was secured to her, and her to it, it began its automated rolling down the corridor. Guards flanked at every open space around her, she was secretly enjoying the amount of security they had to put in place just to take her somewhere. If she could have smirked, she would have.

Ross walked in front of her, she shot him daggers the whole time, imagining hitting him, awfully hard. That made her calm down, just that thought alone.

The men around her shouted out to move back to other members of the staff, Evelyn assumed that’s what they were; they looked like they would work for someone like S.H.I.E.L.D..

Losers.

There was lots of murmuring around her, and she was getting fed up with feeling liked a caged bird at the zoo.

What Evelyn hadn’t seen due to her restricted movement, was the dark shadows that grew darker, all around the upper areas of the hangar.

All of the remaining Avengers yet to see them or even learn of their existence just got their first glimpse into the screeching demon that had been rocking the foundations with her incessant shrieking. One by one they all came to see her, the creator of all this tension and emergency protocol triggering.

Natasha stood next to Clint, both with crossed arms and silently communicating with looks to each other. They were intrigued but had seen most stuff by now, what was so special about this woman?

Wanda stood with Vision and Bruce. Wanda watched Bruce out of the corner of her eye and could see him getting triggered. It wasn’t surprising considering his history with Ross. She put a hand on his shoulder as if to say, “it’s okay, we’ll fill you in later.” Without missing a beat, Bruce stopped wringing his hands and walked silently away.

Vision looked at Wanda knowingly, he was getting better at understanding social cues and rules. Wanda could feel a strong field of energy coming from somewhere, she wasn’t sure if it were the woman or the machines surrounding her. Vision was already aware it was her of course.

Thor was stood to the other side of the hangar, hand on his chin, staring down at the small ferocious being in front of him. He saw Sam, Tony and Carol standing a few feet away from him, whispering amongst themselves. He strode over and slammed a hand onto Tony’s shoulder, in a brotherly way.

“What deep, dark depth of Niflheim did they find this one?” Tony went to shake his hand off, but Thor stopped him with his next sentence, “though, even the bravest and most sturdy of men, can become feral when bound in chains.” He then took his hand off Tony anyway.

Tony knew Thor was right. Of course this was going to be how she reacted, who wouldn’t? The trio became silent, they watched as the chair reached the middle of the hangar.

As it did, it began to transform, changing from an upright sitting position to a small framework that commanded Evelyn to stand up with her feet apart and her hands raised above her head. She was leaning forward slightly so she couldn’t really see what was happening around her, her field of vision obscured.

Her hair fell around her head in lank waves, the once deep green now patched with sticky, clumped pieces showing they hadn’t even let her shower since returning, she was still covered in blood. She stank of stale wine and metal. The iron smell invading her every breath in through her nose.

She wanted this damn mouthpiece off.

In the furthest corner, so hidden not even Natasha knew he was there, was Bucky.

So, this was the source of all that noise and tortured cursing and swearing?

This… small, very feisty woman?

He stayed quietly in the darkness, observing how she was more trussed up than he had been, clearly, she was dangerous in some regard. He wondered just how deadly this woman actually was, this was a lot of precaution to take for one person, she had several guns trained on her and even he knew there were more guns than they could actually see.

So, who was this?

Ross was circling the suspended woman like a vulture whose kill would never get away, a cruel smile lit up his face.

Bucky didn’t like how he looked at her, she was a human, not an animal. No matter what she had done, she was a person still. He understood those feelings more than most.

Suddenly, Ross’ sharp voice cut through the air.

“Little Miss Evergreen… at long last. It’s been a fun few years, hasn’t it? Us chasing you? You always managing to just get away. How did you manage it?”

Evelyn’s eyes widened, what had Maria done? Evelyn hadn’t realised that Maria hiding her had been illegal the whole time.

“Well, you can’t answer but it doesn’t matter anyway. We have you now. And your little friend, Theo, too.”

Who was this tool?

Evelyn was pissed at the mention of Theo’s name, she started trying to break out. She had been sober for an entire day and a half at this point, who knows what she could do right now. She pulled at her limbs and stretched her back and shook her head as much as she could.

“Uh, uh, uh. I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Ross was wagging a finger at her like she was a child. It just spurred her on.

“If you keep struggling, eventually the cage will release a very high voltage that will more than likely leave your brain a little fried. And truth be told, I really don’t care if you set it off. I don’t need your brain.”

Was that it?

A bit of electricity?

One thing that her and Theo had discovered early on, Evelyn didn’t react to electricity the same as everyone else. Theo joked she was part tree, as she just felt a little static at most. And with the newfound knowledge that whatever would happen wouldn’t hurt her, she went full force in her struggling.

The chair sent out its first shock and the whole hangar went silent. Natasha and Clint dropped their arms and rushed to the edge to get a better view of what was happening.

Thor charged down to try and stop the electricity from the cage hitting anyone else as it spat out like a tesla coil. Sam, Tony, and Carol all flew and jumped over the railings to the lower floor to run to her aid.

As they approached, they realised it was only still going off because she was still struggling. The volts not even affecting her.

Tony bellowed at Ross to shut it down, but all Ross could do was stand there, mouth agape. Sam ran to Evelyn, her muffled and covered chokes of pain continuing as she pulled at her limbs to free them.

Sam knew if he didn’t stop her, she was going to really hurt herself soon.

“Hey! Hey! Evelyn! Look at me.”

He got down so Evelyn could look at him, but she wouldn’t, she was livid with this man; he betrayed her trust in the worst way possible. How could she ever look at him again?

“This wasn’t me! This wasn’t us! We didn’t do this, please believe me!” his voice a hurried whisper. It was no use; she wasn’t going to listen to him. No matter how softly he spoke.

Bucky watched with intrigue as she fought against the electrical charge like it was nothing, and Evergreen? He doubted that was her real name, and he wanted to know what that was. He didn’t know why.

As his thought train ended and he looked back at the chaos ensuing underneath him, Evelyn had got her hand out of her restraints and Sam was holding her arm. He was desperately trying to get the cuff back on her while she tried to wrench the mouthpiece off.

“Evelyn please!” Sam’s voice rang out like a siren.

Evelyn.

Bucky liked it. He liked older names; he liked some newer ones too, but Evelyn? Perfect.

“Stop!” Ross’ voice rang out, just as Sam got her back in the cuff. Sam turned to Ross and back to Evelyn. He shook his head and placed a hand over the mouthpiece on Evelyn’s face, with a small pull it started to retract and eventually she was able to spit the shrunken device into his hand. He placed his other hand over her mouth before she could open it again.

“Listen to me,” Sam looked her straight in her eyes. “We didn’t organise this, we had no idea.” Evelyn struggled against his hand and tried to yell something back

at him.

“He’s right” Ross was now confident again, “they actually all fought me on it after we secured you. God knows why.”

What? They… they fought for her?

Evelyn hung her head in shame.

She’d been screaming out obscenities about all three of her earlier helpers and it wasn’t even them. Sam sensed her troubles and dipped to her ear.

“It’s cool babygirl. I would have done the same thing.”

She smiled feebly at the pet name she’d hated so many hours before.

“Are you ready to listen to what I want from you?” Ross was bent down over head. She felt like she wanted to keep fighting but thought she should at least hear what was about to happen to her and Theo.

She nodded weakly, and Ross let out a satisfied grunt.

Evelyn hated him.

“You, young lady, will be signing the Sokovia Accords, as will your little friend.”

Evelyn almost laughed at his sentence.

“You will cease all illegal activity, cease hosting dark web pages, and cease distribution of any and all illegal drugs.”

f*ck.

“And you will pay paying off your criminality with service to your country –”

Oh, don’t f*cking say it.

“– by joining the Avengers Initiative.”

He f*cking said it.

“And if I don’t?” Her voice was cold, deep, and dripping with contempt.

“Then your little friend faces all the charges for both of you, some states she may even face the death penalty.” Ross’ voice was even colder and nonchalant.

It took her all of a second to reach her decision.

“You can have me, but she’s not an Avenger, she’s a Computer Bug. She stays safe inside at all times. That’s my only term.”

“Done.”

What had she just agreed too?

Chapter 17: love is only a feeling

Chapter Text

Steve Rogers was dog-tired.

The stake-out had proved fruitless, there had been no sign of the Power Broker and Steve had spent the last 24 hours sat outside a coffee shop, then hidden in the shadows of a dirty alleyway.

What a waste of time; it was pointless ‘missions’ like this that made him resent the Accords. Ross had summoned him and he had had to follow orders like the good soldier he was.

It was nothing like when he worked for the SSR – or even S.H.I.E.L.D.; at least with those he had been involved somewhat in the mission planning stages and strategy meetings.

He shook his head as he headed towards the residential area of the facility buildings and checked his phone for the first time in hours. He had a few texts awaiting him, two from Bucky, one from a few hours ago asking if he had an estimate for when he would be home, one from the last 5 minutes asking if he could let him know when he was home.

Glancing at the time Steve noted it was 3am, no doubt nightmares had been keeping Bucky awake. He made the conscious decision to head straight to Buck’s quarters to check he was alright.

He wondered what the time difference between upstate New York and Madripoor was and was half tempted to see if he could get through to Sharon. They hadn’t spoken in a few weeks, so he hit the call button. After a few rings it was diverted to voicemail.

No doubt she was busy, as usual.

He checked through his other messages, a few from Nat checking up on him and one from Sam complaining that Bucky beat him too easily in training and asking for tactics on how to take down a miserable super-soldier. Sam’s message made him chuckle as he read one from Tony that caught his attention, notifying him that there was to be a team meeting at 9am, and that there were guests staying at the compound.

Steve frowned when he noticed that every single member of the Avengers had been included in the chain, not just those who resided at the compound.

“Captain Rogers,” came a hushed Irish twang from the control panel to his left, making Steve jump, a near impossible feat in itself. “Sorry to disturb you Sir, but I’ve had an alert of a break-in in the boss’ office.”

Steve tensed and looked around, looking for evidence of an intruder when F.R.I.D.A.Y. continued, “there is no threat, I was able to stop the alarms before they tripped, but according to protocol I need an Avenger to come and manually input the security shut down codes and I didn’t want to wake the boss, he had a busy day –”

“Sure, no trouble F.R.I.D.A.Y., though you may have to talk me through it,” Steve assured the AI, and switched directions to head towards Tony’s office.

The glass was frosted so Steve couldn’t see who it was who had entered Tony’s office, but F.R.I.D.A.Y. had assured him they weren’t a danger, so he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The main lights were off but the air in the centre was full of hundreds of holographic blueprints, seemingly every single electronic device, tech or weapon that was currently used on the Avengers roster.

Steve could make out Nat’s energy blasters, Tony’s most recent suit designs, the portable holographic tablets, Bucky’s arm designs and those of a coffee maker that was housed in the communal area of the residential building.

In the middle of the swirling mass of blue sat a small woman, legs splayed out in front of her, one in a support brace, the other bent at the knee, surrounded by a mass of pillows and blankets. She was staring intently at the closest design – one of the non-lethal guns S.H.E.I.L.D. agents were now being kitted out with to avoid fatalities.

She had a large pair of round glasses perched on her nose and she was tapping the lenses intermittently, seemingly muttering to herself as the blueprints behind her flickered and changed slightly.

The blue gleam of the hologram was all that lit up her soft features, freckles splayed delicately across her nose and cheeks, her stormy grey eyes impossibly large on her angular face.

Her lips were full and raced a thousand words a minute in soundless conversation. She tilted her head slightly as she pondered the designs in front of her and a mass of almost white curls spilled into her face, which she blew away with a quick burst of breath from her lips.

She flicked her wrist and the blue print became a 3D hologram, the rifle spinning aimlessly in front of her as she pulled it apart, discarding unnecessary parts and re-configuring its basic design.

After a few moments, Steve realised he was staring.

He had no idea who this woman was, but he was staring at her, and even though he was fully aware of doing it, he couldn’t stop.

He decided it was time to make his presence known, before the said woman caught him watching her. He realised how impolite he was being and cleared his throat loudly.

“Excuse me miss? Can I ask why you’ve broken into Tony Stark’s private office?” He’d hoped she’d look at him when he spoke, but she continued to stare ahead, clearly too invested in what was before her.

“Hello Captain Rogers, I do apologise for requiring your attendance. If you could please input your fingerprint code to the panel over there –” she waved aimlessly in the direction of the security controls, “– you may leave. Goodbye Captain Rogers.”

That was it. He’d been dismissed, but her soft sing-song voice held him in place.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he reiterated, “why have you broken into Stark’s office?”

Impatiently, she whipped her head around to look at him, pinning him with her curious gaze. Her eyes dropped and looked him up and down, seemingly judging whether he was worth arguing with.

She co*cked her head to the side as she regarded him.

“I’m assuming Tony informed you of the guests staying at the compound? I presumed I’d meet you at the meeting tomorrow morning, but now shall suffice. I am Theodosia Lovelace, but you may call me Theo.” She reached a hand out and up towards him from her nest in the middle of the floor.

Steve shifted and closed the distance between them, and took it, shaking it briefly, noticing the whole time how small and delicate her hand was cradled in his own. He recoiled slightly, shaking his head at the direction of his thoughts.

What was wrong with him?

“Okay, I’m gonna try this one more time,” a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, “why are you breaking into Tony’s office at 3am?”

He eyed her leg brace and the bandages that were now visible around her chest, apparently supporting some internal injuries, no doubt broken ribs. Steve had had his fair share of those.

“And shouldn’t you be in the medical-bay?” He added with one eyebrow raised.

Her expression remained blank as she appraised him, “couldn’t sleep. If F.R.I.D.A.Y. really wanted to keep me in the med-bay, she would have done. I’ve had painkillers and the good Dr said to rest easy, so,” she indicated her nest, “that’s what I’m doing.”

Steve didn’t reply, he only nodded.

Theo turned her attention back to the blueprint and 3D hologram in front of her and started silently muttering and tapping again. Steve used that moment to pace over to the security panel to complete the protocol now he was sure there was no threat.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., walk me through this.”

Theo noticed out of the corner of her eye when Captain Rogers moved to the security panel and busied himself with shutting down the security protocol.

She let out a breath she didn’t realise she had been holding since she had returned her gaze to the holograms in front of her.

She hadn’t expected to have any kind of reaction when she met the remaining of the Avengers team, so when she first saw the Captain, she couldn’t help but rake her eyes up and down the man in front of her.

She couldn’t deny he was beautiful, and though he’d looked tired there was something in the way he looked at her, the way his eyes bored into her; Theo felt like he had seen straight through to her soul.

As if such a thing was even possible.

She scoffed at her line of thinking, but couldn’t help appraise him more as he stood with his back to her.

He was wearing a dark blue sweater and jeans, a light brown jacket thrown over the top, so he’d clearly just returned home from his solo mission.

It explained why he had looked tired and why he had been watching her intently since he’d entered the office, no doubt he was still on edge and was weighing her up as a threat.

What was she doing again?

She shook her head in frustration; all of her previous thoughts and ideas about improving the designs had completely vanished.

Her brain was empty and all she could think about was the man standing just outside her field of vision with his back to her.

She tapped her lenses again.

“D.A.D., please repeat back to me the most recent changes we made to the blueprint –”

“So, is this something you do often?”

Captain Rogers stepped back into her eyeline and motioned towards the swirling mass of screens surrounding her.

“Do you ever sleep?” He asked, co*cking his head to the side.

“I don’t often sleep very well. I struggle to stop my brain working, and it gets worse when there’s not something for me to do. Generally, I sleep only when I do so at my desk. My computer chair is – was – very comfortable.”

Her brows knitted together as she realised that her workshop was gone.

She would have to start from scratch again. At least this time Tony might agree to foot the bill.

And that was it.

Her mind was off wondering about all the different resources and tech Tony would be able to input.

When she’d discovered Evelyn had done her best to save her main desktop tower, she was so thankful to have her, she had chuckled at the thought of Evelyn desperately unplugging it, getting all caught up.

Unfortunately, Tony had hidden it somewhere so Ross couldn’t find it to use as evidence.

She would hopefully get it back soon.

Tony had returned her glasses and watch to her on the condition she promised not to hack his servers; her promise had lasted around 12 hours, her personal record for longest time without hacking.

“Do you want some company? I haven’t got anything to do…” His voice trailed off, waiting for an answer.

She nodded once, sharply, as she felt a blush start to spread up her neck and across her cheeks.

She turned her face away from him and felt a small smile lift the corners of her mouth.

“D.A.D. –”

“You were looking at increasing the recharge speed capabilities on the blaster –”

Steve took a seat in a low couch that was shoved against one of the glass walls. He placed one hand under his chin and settled into comfortable silence with the baffling woman in front of him. He checked his phone, remembering to text Bucky back.

He pressed send and balanced the phone on the arm of the couch, twisting to lay back, swinging his long legs up and kicking off his boots.

He let out a sigh as his muscles slowly started to relax, settling into the comfortable silence.

About 10 minutes had past, and he shut his eyes and rubbed his face with his hand as he felt himself grow drowsy, he let out a low breath and turned his head to the side to check up on Theo.

She had tipped sideways and curled in on herself, her breathing soft and low. Steve leaned up on his elbow to check, and sure enough, her eyes were closed, glasses askew.

Steve got up and padded silently over to her, he removed her glasses and folded them next to her pillow.

Her long eyelashes splayed across her cheeks, her lips parted in a slight ‘o’ and a flushed spread across her fragile features.

He crouched down and reached for the nearest blanket, lifting it over her and wrapping her small figure up tightly, the floor was cold tiles, but he dared not move her.

His fingers itched to run themselves through her tangle of hair and to brush the soft v that formed between her brows as she slept, but he forced himself to straighten and move back to the couch, he would stay here tonight, in case she needed anything.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” Steve whispered, “initiate lights out protocol.”

With a soft click all the holographic screens started disappearing one by one, until eventually the only light source came from a small CCTV feed on a Stark tablet strewn at Theo’s feet.

Steve shifted to make himself more comfortable, feeling a quickening in his chest as his mind swam with the bemusing events of the last hour. He closed his eyes, and steadied his breathing, drifting off into a quiet slumber.

Bucky pushed the door to the lab open and was met by complete and utter darkness. His low brows knitted together in confusion, and he hissed into the darkness.

“Steve?”

His eyes adjusted to his surroundings, thanks to the serum, and he was able to see Steve asleep on one of the white couches. Further in the middle of the room he spotted a bundle of blankets and white curls. Bucky rolled his eyes and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Typical Steve, that kid could fall asleep anywhere.

Chapter 18: f*ck up

Chapter Text

A loud crashing noise came from the living room just above Bucky, the sounds of somebody grumbling to themselves slightly muffled by the floor between them.

Perhaps it was Sam unable to sleep too?

He headed towards the lounge, hoping to talk to his friend about all his mixed-up thoughts. What he found instead stopped him dead in his tracks.

There, swinging a near-empty bottle of Tony’s prized Bruichladdich whiskey around in an alcohol fuelled state was Evelyn; and she was wasted.

Beyond wasted actually.

She was dancing around to a song Bucky didn’t recognise, a spliff tucked behind her ear. Her hair was in a messy bun, green tendrils hanging softly around her face and ears. It was the messiest hair he’d seen, apart from that puff of silver white on the office floor below.

Her green eyes had a red tint to their whites; she had been crying, clearly. Her eyes were swollen and looked sore from being rubbed a lot. Her make-up was still on her face, not quite messy but it didn’t look perfect anymore.

But he didn’t notice any of the bad things about her.

What he did notice was how long and wispy her eyelashes were, the soft pink glow of her cheeks that came from a few drinks, her lips were full and swollen from her nervous chewing, her figure given away in the tight, yellow floral mini dress she had on. Her sun-kissed shoulders kept sliding in and out of the green lace kimono she had draped over her outfit, her orange low top converse trailing their laces but as he followed her legs back up he could see her tattoos.

Lots of tattoos.

Delicate flora designs swirled and trellised up her leg, soft blossoms bursting forth with colour in interspersed areas. As she turned her back to him and the kimono fell down again. Before she had a chance to bring it back up over her spine; Bucky saw even more tattoos, interlaced with scars of varying degrees of violence behind them. What the hell had this woman been up to?

He thought back to Ross’ words to her in the hangar.

International Drug Operation. Murder. Cyber Terrorism. Bioterrorism. Extortion. Damage to government property. Multiple assaults. Smuggling. Fraud and Forgery. Plant smuggling as well.

The list had been long.

Bucky found himself pondering how someone could get up to so much in only 9 years.

Ross had coerced her into giving up her freedom in exchange for service to their country.

A deal he knew all too well, because he made that deal too.

And she was clearly struggling with everything. She tripped over her own laces and fell to the floor, the bottle slipping from her grasp.

Bucky lunged forward from the darkness and tried to save the glass container from hitting and smashing onto the floor. But as he reached it, so did an exceptionally large looking ivy vine that moved with life of its own.

Bucky took a step back, surprise etched on his face.

Not much shocked him now, just a few things.

This might be one of them.

He followed the bottle as the vine placed it back into her hand, Evelyn never turning round, just holding out an expectant hand to the foliage. She drunkenly tried to put it onto the coffee table located to her right. After a few failed attempts, she placed it onto the floor, shushing it as she did so.

Bucky felt himself beginning to smile at her funny antics.

He wanted to meet her, no matter how inebriated she was. He was distracted and disturbed and completely enchanted with this woman. What was this plant power she seemed to possess? Is this the extent or was there more?

He cleared his throat as he approached the forest-haired girl, her lips mouthing along to the words of the song still playing, he felt her sense him at last. She whipped round to face him, only to find she had made herself extremely dizzy in the process.

Damn whiskey.

He grabbed her arm to steady her and helped her keep upright.

She pulled her arm out of his grasp roughly, “Can I help you?” her words weren’t slurred, but he knew she wasn’t sober. “Mr metal arm man?”

She was trashed.

Although she said it as an insult, he didn’t take it as one, he found her endlessly amusing.

“I’ll go get Theo” he muttered, thinking it might be for the best.

“Don’t” she quickly replied, “she’s dealt with enough alcoholics in her life, I don’t like her seeing me like this.”

She stepped around him, and stumbled towards the kitchen, opening all the drawers, and searching through them.

“What are you looking for?” he said calmly, giving her a look she couldn’t decipher. He put his hands in his pockets and leant back against the kitchen wall as he joined her.

“Lighter,” she mumbled, head still in the drawers. Bucky said nothing but walked over to the stove, he pressed the pilot light with his metal arm and switched on the gas ring with the other.

Evelyn gave him a look, which Bucky was sure was scepticism at his help, but she walked over and pulled the joint from behind her ear, stooping down to light it. She took a long drag before walking over to the window, trying to find one that opens up but failing miserably.

Bucky watched her intently as she staggered round the kitchen, eventually coming to a stop in front of the fridge. He couldn’t figure what she was up to, but she pulled a punnet of strawberries out and grabbed one with the biggest seeds. She grinned to herself and sloped back to the windows. She looked rather pleased with herself when she splat the strawberry onto the glass.

Bucky lifted his hand, covering his mouth to hide his grin at her ridiculous actions. She was charming, a complete mess, but charming.

The smile was soon wiped from his face as the strawberry starting sprouting greenery and small leaves, a horrid cracking sound filling the air. Evelyn placed her hands over her ears as she took another drag on her joint.

A small shiver crossed over Evelyn at the noise, and if Bucky hadn’t been a super soldier he didn’t know whether he would have noticed a flicker of panic flit over her features; a small moment of pain wiped away before anyone could notice.

Bucky tilted his head as he walked slowly towards the now cracked windowpane. Evelyn let herself drop back a few steps before the pane shattered and disappeared from the frame.

He threw his arm over face as her grabbed Evelyn by the waist and pulled her out of the path of the flying glass, turning his back on the window. Bucky waited for the alarms to go off, but they didn’t. he had no idea the little computer genius sleeping on the office floor had been watching Evelyn the whole time until she fell asleep. Disarming the alarms in case Evelyn did something like this. He felt something on his chest and looked down to see Evelyn smacking him and yelling at him to let go.

He complied willingly; this woman was mad.

She thanked him as he dropped her waist back down and her feet touched the floor. As she wandered to the open window space, closing her eyes, she took another long drag and this time, blew the smoke out of the window. So that’s what she was doing, she just didn’t want to set the smoke alarms off. Again, not knowing the Theo had turned them all off.

“Are you crazy?!” he called out to her, an exasperated look on his face. But no matter what he felt, he still felt a pull to her.

“A little” she giggled. She propped the joint on the counter while she retrieved a chair from the kitchen island and pulled it up to the window. “But I don’t care”

Bucky actually let a chuckle leave him, rare. But he couldn’t stop it, she was infuriating but funny.

“May I join you?” he gestured to the other stool and when she shrugged, he grabbed it, picking it up with ease with his left arm. He settled in to watch her for a minute, her back to him, but he could make out the moonlight lighting up her facial outline. A soft plume of smoke enveloping her every few seconds.

“You supposed to be smoking that?” he nodded to the lit spliff in her hand.

“Probably not, but then again, I’m not one to follow the rules.” She was very chill about the whole thing. But he knew she was hiding how she was really feeling.

“You going to follow the rules here? Mission rules and protocol?” He wanted to know if she were to be trusted and if she were up for whatever Ross needed her for, because he would never have said yes if there didn’t something in it for him. He was as bad as Alexander Pierce.

“Will I have a choice?” her cool voice came.

“No.” Bucky didn’t want to lie to her. It was going to be hard for her, it was a difficult change for him, and he was frozen intermittently throughout his life, waking up to a new world each time.

“Then there’s your answer,” she was starting to sober up already, her damn fast plant-like metabolism. And Bucky sensed this.

“So, Evelyn?” he wanted to actually get to know her, her likes, dislikes, fears, wants, needs and history. She seemed to be the most fascinating person he had met in a long time, apart from Sam. But he would never let Sam know he felt that no way.

“Yep. Evelyn Green. Or I guess I’ll be Evergreen here.” She smiled sadly at him, and even though it was sorrowful, it made him smile to see her trying to be happy here. “Get to pretend to be a hero for a bit, instead of the villain.”

“That’s not a bad alias to have. Better than Winter Soldier.” he grunted out, but he was happy to hear her actually speaking longer sentences. He liked her voice, it was a soft New York-y accent, maybe one of her parents was from the city? “And trust me, sometimes it’s nice to be the good guys for a change.”

She gave him an unconvinced look.

Evelyn had grown accustomed to her lifestyle since she was young, she started selling when she was just 18 and had grown her empire for nearly a decade. It had taken so much work, so much blood sweat and tears. And now it was gone, all because Theo couldn’t leave the front door alone. She wanted to bang her head on the wall, but refrained, due to the fact her current company had already questioned her sanity once.

“I had a whole life, I liked it. And it’s gone.”

“I’m sorry. That’s gotta be hard, but you’re still together,” he motioned towards Tony’s office below and Evelyn couldn’t help smiling at the mention of Theo. She drove her mad, but she loved her. “Where you guys from?” he was speaking friendlier now, feeling he was making progress with her.

She looked at him properly for the first time since meeting him, his eyes were a deep but soft blue. His face held a shadow of stubble and his hair fell around his shoulders. He wasn’t bad looking, and she found herself admiring him secretly in her head. He had a sweet lopsided smile on his face, waiting for an answer.

“Briar’s Hollow, few hours away from here by car.”

That was as much as she was going to give away. She didn’t trust anyone here yet, apart from Sam. She shuffled in her seat, throwing the now finished joint out the window into the early hours of the morning. She said nothing but stood and walked with purpose to the couch, Bucky’s eyes kept track of her the whole time. When she didn’t tell him to f*ck off, he slipped off his seat and also headed to the lounge. Determined to stay as long as he could.

He laid on a sofa opposite and put his feet up, waiting for the next question to brave its way out of his mouth.

“What about your family?”

He was met by the sounds of deep, regulated breaths. she had fallen asleep in a heap on the sofa. Bucky thought about throwing a blanket over her but left her alone. It was warm in there already and he didn’t want to move again. He finally felt himself get sleepy and his eyelids get heavier. He fought them for a minute, still stealing quick looks at the sleeping mass opposite.

She was going to feel awful in the morning.

And for the first time in a long time, Bucky slept without a single nightmare entering his dreams.

Chapter 19: there she goes

Chapter Text

“What in the f*ck-knuckles is going on in here?!” A loud perplexed voice came from the doorway a few feet away from Steve’s head, “F.R.I.D.A.Y., time to say good morning.” The frosted glass cleared, and overhead lights blazed at full beam.

Steve flinched and rolled off the sofa onto the very hard floor, he jumped to his feet and wheeled around trying to get his bearings – Tony’s office, of course. He twisted to see Theo shift and push her torso off of the pillows on the floor, stretching and yawning, clearly used to uncomfortable sleeping conditions.

“Well, I was expecting to find her in here,” Tony said as he jabbed a finger towards Theo, “what are you doing here Cap?” he co*cked his head to the side and gazed at Steve, giving him a knowing look as laughter crinkled his eyes.

“I was returning from the stake-out when F.R.I.D.A.Y. informed me someone had forced entry in here, she assured me that the situation was under control but that the security system needed an Avenger’s manual input code so –” Steve left the sentence hanging with a shrug as Tony continued to eye him.

“And what? You came in and found Hedy Lamarr in her fluffy pillow fort and decided she was too much of a threat to be left unsupervised?” Tony’s eyebrows were so high up on his forehead, there was a real danger of them disappearing into his hairline.

“No,” sighed Steve, a smile quirking the corner of his mouth upwards as he ducked his head to avoid Tony’s teasing smirk.

“Oh, just being gentlemanly then? How is Sharon by the way? Never mind, meeting room 10 minutes. You too, Alan Turing.” He gestured to the door as he turned to where Theo still sat on the floor, looking anywhere but in Steve’s direction.

Theo grabbed her glasses and watch, and pulled herself to her feet, hopping to the desk and grabbing a crutch that Steve hadn’t noticed, before hobbling into the corridor. Steve’s brows pinched as she suppressed a wince with every step. She was more injured than she was letting on.

“You’d better go follow her Cap, I can’t imagine what she mischief she might get up to in the 20-foot walk between here and the meeting room,” Tony said with a sneer. Steve hung his head. He was never gonna live this down, but sure enough he jogged after the invalid, more out of concern for her wellbeing than suspicion.

“Hey, wait!” the voice came from behind Theo.

She screwed her eyes shut. Could this get any more embarrassing?

“Let me help you.”

Oh god apparently it could.

Theo cringed inwardly as she tried to hobble off faster, but this f*cking leg brace made it damn near impossible. Steve easily caught up to her, she was no more than 5 feet from the office doorway.

Steve stopped in front of her, halting her painfully slow progress. He held out his hand, that bastard all-American schoolboy grin plastered on his face. He raised his eyebrow, asking for permission before he touched her.

Evelyn’s voice sounded in her head, reminding her it was rude to refuse help from people when you needed it.

“Fine.” She grumbled taking his hand.

She had assumed he would just support her arm, taking the weight off of her stupid foot, but apparently Prince Charming here had other ideas. He tugged on her hand, making her crash into the side of his body, as he snaked his arm around her back, and held a feather light grip on her waist.

Oh god, Theo prayed that someone would come along and disintegrate her at this very minute.

Steve took a step forward and helped her manoeuvre along the hallway. It was a good thing he was taking the lead because Theo’s mind was shattered in pieces on the floor.

All she could concentrate on was the steady arm around her waist, the hand gripping her through the thin fabric of her dad’s old painter’s smock she was wearing.

They moved in silence next to each other, definitely a lot faster than Theo had previously been travelling.

“Thank you, by the way, Captain Rogers,” Steve gave her a questioning look, and prompted her to continue, “for this -” Theo gestured the support he was currently giving her, “- and for last night. I often get wrapped in my own head. It was nice to have some company.”

“My pleasure, for everything, and please –” he stopped, they had reached the door of the meeting room, “call me Steve.”

“Steve,” Theo breathed.

Steve’s arm was still wrapped around her waist as she gazed up at him.

Lost in the light blue of his eyes, though, she noticed there were flecks of green spattered near the pupils.

She noticed his grip tighten infinitesimally on her waist as he pulled her tighter to him.

Steve couldn’t rationalise the pull he felt towards Theo, the sudden urge to never let her go or the racing in his chest as she gazed into his eyes. He raised his hand warily to hover over the side of her face, desperate to smooth away the v in her forehead that had bothered him so much last night. Steve’s hand was millimetres away from her face, her breathing hitched.

A loud click from the door in front of them broke the spell that had surrounded them. Steve dropped his hands as the door opened and Theo cringed away from the sudden intimacy of the situation. She backed up as far as she physically could as a tall blonde threw herself into Steve’s unwitting arms.

“Sharon?”

“What is it with super soldiers sleeping anywhere but in their damn beds?” Tony bellowed, waking yet another pair of delinquents who didn’t understand how sleeping arrangements worked. He stomped into the communal area as Bucky sat up, rubbing his eyes, and glancing around the room.

“Is she dead?” Tony snickered, motioning toward Evelyn, whose face was hidden underneath a mass of tangled green hair.

Bucky chuckled and lifted himself to his feet and he strode over to where Evelyn slept. She was going to be very hungover.

“Hey,” he said as he prodded her in the shoulder, “time to get up, Jolly Green Giant.”

“No.” Evelyn groaned, batting away Bucky’s hand. He barked out a gruff chortle, and Evelyn gripped the sides of her head, screwing her eyes against the sun that streamed in through the window. “Can someone turn off the sun please?”

At that, Bucky couldn’t help but let out an outright roar of laughter, gripping his side as he dodged a flailing arm as Evelyn tried, and failed, to slap him in the legs.

“Come on, Flower Pow- Did you break my window?!” Tony paused in confusion gesturing towards the now empty window frame, “and you drank my whiskey!”

“… No?” she replied, more of a question than a statement.

“Convincing. Come on vandal, up and at ‘em. Meeting room, you’ve got 15.” Tony raised his hand and brought it down in a sharp slap on her leg.

“f*ck off,” Evelyn started feebly, attempting to conjure some vines, but only managed a few leaves before they wilted and decomposed before their eyes.

Bucky smirked as he pulled his phone out and pressed a button, “Sam? Your presence is needed, main common room, we’ve got 15 minutes to make her presentable. Yep, I’m pretty sure she’s fallen asleep again,” Bucky glanced at the mess that lay breathing low and soft on the sofa, “I know right? What are we gonna do with her?” He hung up and placed a feather light touch on her hair as she slept. He shook his head.

What was he getting himself into?

“Sharon?” Steve repeated as she gripped onto him, sliding her hands up his back, “when did you get here? I thought you were in Madripoor?” he glanced up at Theo, who had recoiled into the corner.

Sharon pulled back, her eyes round and glassy, catching Steve’s gaze.

“Tony requested I returned, that’s why I missed your call, I was on a flight. I got in about 20 minutes ago.” She smiled warmly at him.

“How long are you back for? Are you back permanently?” Steve asked, his heart race pounding. She had been away on and off for the last year, her most recent undercover mission had kept her away for the last 4 months.

“I’m afraid not, I have a flight back this afternoon,” Sharon reached up to stroke her fingers through Steve’s hair.

Steve felt them jostle slightly as Theo squeezed her way through the open door, and wobbled across the large meeting room, straight towards Carol where she stood leaning against the desks that lined the room.

She raised her arm and Theo tucked herself neatly against Carol’s torso, who draped her arm around Theo’s shoulders, and she twisted her head to plant a kiss in those soft curls Steve was itching to touch.

Theo was determinedly looking anywhere but in Steve’s direction and he felt a sting in his chest as he yearned for her eyes to be on him again. Sharon raised her hand to Steve’s neck, turning his attention back to her.

“Shall we?” Steve gestured to her, and she slipped her hand in his as he led the way into the room, making their way to some chairs that had been placed haphazardly around the large round table in the centre.

“This is your own fault you know babygirl,” Sam pointed out, as he handed the frozen peas to Evelyn who was sitting with her forehead resting on the cold marble dining table.

“Yeah, yeah.” She muttered, placing the peas at the base of her neck in an attempt to soothe her pounding headache.

“Completely self-inflicted –”

“Yes Sam, I get it. You can stop now.” Evelyn lifted her head off the table to shoot dangers at Sam, it had the opposite effect, however, as his face split into a huge grin. He pushed the steaming mug of coffee towards her. She wrinkled her nose, her stomach felt tender, and the thought of any kind of food or liquid made acid burn in her throat.

“Come on Miley Cyrus, you smoke it, you deal with it.”

Evelyn’s glare intensified, “it was the whiskey, I’ll have you know.” She muttered as she reached for the coffee, and to get it over and done with, downed it in one go. The warm liquid slid down her throat and soothed the soft ache in her stomach.

f*ck Sam, f*ck Sam and his clever-clogs know-it-all attitude. She stuck her tongue out at him and pushed herself back in her chair, plopping the peas on the table and running her fingers through her hair. Bucky had already gone ahead to the meeting room leaving them alone on the ground floor of the communal area.

“How long do we have?” Evelyn asked, the nerves starting to build. She didn’t ask for this meeting.

Why did Tony have to introduce her to the whole team at once?

She was quite happy to blend into the background and pretend she didn’t exist in the crazy world that was the Avengers Initiative.

“Under 5 minutes.” Sam stated, he raised his eyebrow as he assessed her countenance, “you good?”

Evelyn couldn’t help it, she automatically smiled at the two words that seemed to bring her more comfort than almost anything.

“Not really.” She found it easier to be honest with Sam, rather than conceal how she felt and have him nag her about it for an hour after. “Why did Tony have to invite everyone? Why not meet the compound-based Avengers first? The idea of being stood in front of so many people, who are all incredibly powerful in their own rights, who have all formed tight bonds with each other and created a community, scares me. I’m an intruder, and imposter. What if I’m not good enough to be here? What if –” Evelyn waffled, but Sam cut across her.

“There are always what ifs, what if Steve hadn’t asked me to help him save Bucky? What if we’d failed at the Triskelion that day? We can’t live our lives worrying about what ifs. You are here for a reason. Tony wouldn’t have pushed Ross to offer you a deal if he didn’t think you belonged here. Hell, Ross wouldn’t have offered you a deal if he didn’t think you were just as powerful as every one of those assholes out there.” He gestured towards the door that led to the back of the meeting room. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.” He nudged her chin with his fist, then offered his hand for her to squeeze. His hands were large, warm, and grounding.

“Why couldn’t you be my biological brother? Where were you when I was growing up?” Evelyn whined, a grin stretching her dry lips.

“I wish I had been there when you were growing up,” he chuckled, “but I think you’ll find I am basically your big brother now, whether you like it or not.” He gave her a wink and stood up, dragging her up with him as the door to the meeting room opened. Tony bustled in followed by a beautiful strawberry blonde woman, Pepper Potts – Theo had showed Evelyn her file.

“It’s now or never Green Man,” Tony said, holding his arms wide, ready to usher her into the crowded room, “you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Evelyn muttered as she stepped forward, Sam following not far behind.

The door opened, Evelyn took a deep breath and stepped into the bustling room.

Chapter 20: freaks

Chapter Text

A hush spread across the room as the odd collection of people walked through the door at the back of the room. Almost all heads turned, including his own.

Bucky couldn’t help but follow Evelyn as she traced Tony’s steps and sat in the chair that Tony gestured to at the front of the room. Sam slipped into the seat next to her, placing his hand on the small of her back.

Bucky felt a surge of bitterness towards the man and realised he would do anything to trade places with him. He realised at this moment that he was glaring at Sam; poor f*cker hadn’t even done anything. He tried his best to rearrange his features as jealousy burned in his gut and turned his gaze to Evelyn who was trying to catch his eye. She offered him a half smile and he nodded in return, turning his attention towards Tony.

“So,” Tony started, clapping his hands, “firstly thank you for coming, I know it was short notice but unfortunately the situation didn’t give us much time to prepare.” He paused and shot a look at Theo who waved meekly from her hiding spot, curled into the side of the very protective Captain Marvel.

Tony rolled his eyes and continued, “we have been put in the fortunate position to accept a new applicant for the role of Avenger. This,” he gestured towards Evelyn, “is Evergreen, or as most of you will come to know her as, Evelyn.”

Evelyn looked up from where she had been staring at her hands knotting in her lap. She smiled politely and met a few people’s gazes. When Tony meant he had called in everyone he wasn’t joking. From her seat she could see Vision, the maroon android, next to him the twins, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. King T’Challa and Princess Shuri had come all the way from Wakanda, accompanied by their guards, Okoye, and Ayo from the Dora Milaje.

Even more bizarrely Spider-Man perched on the table behind them. In full get up. Mask and everything. But the most peculiar? Sat at the end of the table seemed to be a walking, talking, sentient tree and his pet racoon. She knew there were more people there, but Tony drew her attention again.

“Evelyn, and our new tech support, Theo –” he gestured towards Theo, who cowered behind a scowling Carol, “will be living in the compound from now on. Evelyn was born with the ability of Chlorokenisis.”

At this Evelyn saw Wanda sit up a little higher, the red glow in her eyes swirling as she concentrated on Tony, and the sentient tree and racoon shared a look.

“This means she is able to control and create plant matter at a molecular level,” Tony continued looking over his glasses at the collection of heroes before him. “I think you’ll all agree the possibilities for the application of this power are endless, but please don’t ask her to demonstrate, not inside anyway. I don’t need any more broken windows.” He looked pointedly down at her and her face split into a huge mischievous grin. “Keep a lid on it Jolly Green,”

“I already tried that one,” Bucky called across the table at Tony, “no dice, not even a chuckle.”

“Dammit, Bucky. Well, I’ll just keep going until one sticks,” Tony guffawed, and the rest of the team let out various groans and titters of laughter.

Bucky.

Evelyn shook her head and slapped her hand to her forehead in mock outrage. That had done it. The table exploded into laughter and Tony beamed down at Evelyn, who was now sharing grins and trading jokes with the people sat closest to her at the table.

“All right, all right, if you think you’re gonna be funnier than me, then you’re fired,” Tony joked, clapping Evelyn on the back. “I know we’ve had years to form our bonds,” he said turning to the rest of the Avengers, “but these two are our family now. We are their home. Let’s make them welcome. Now, moving onto other business, T’Challa, what news from Wakanda?”

Steve had been careful with his gaze throughout the beginning of the meeting, but he kept finding it drawn towards the corner where Theo stood in Carol’s arms. Once, he was caught staring by Bucky who was sat opposite him in front of where Carol stood, directly in Steve’s eyeline.

Bucky had narrowed his eyes and shifted in his seat to see what Steve had been staring at, as he turned back his eyebrow was raised, and he nodded discreetly in Sharon’s direction. She was sat next to Steve, her arms locked around one of his, leaning into him. Steve felt a wave of guilt and shifted his posture, so Theo was mostly blocked from his view, and he tried his hardest to concentrate on Rocket the racoon’s report of the Kree’s attempt at and invasion on a planet called Xandar.

At this news Carol stood up a little straighter and stepped forward to take part in the discussion of the report, leaning forward and placing her hands on the table.

Okay it was impossible.

Steve turned his head and saw Theo stood alone, looking smaller than ever as she curled in on herself, tapping her lenses and muttering almost silently. She looked lost, and though Evelyn was here, she was involved in the discussion that had been brought to the table. The idea of space plants opened up a whole new catalogue of weapons and she was grilling Rocket intermittently.

Steve prepared himself to stand, he couldn’t just leave her there, isolated. Just as he shifted his weight, Steve’s sight of Theo was obscured as Princess Shuri stood waiting patiently to speak to her. She blocked his entire line of sight, and he slumped back in his chair and attempted to tune back into the conversation happening before him.

“I assume you’re the one who hacked my government’s computer servers last night?” said a hushed tone, low enough for just her to hear.

Theo looked up and was met with the bemused smile of Princess Shuri. Theo eyed her warily as she nodded once, unsure if she was about to be in trouble again.

Ross had warned her to stay away from tech, and if she were caught hacking again Evelyn’s deal would be revoked.

“May I ask, what did you take?”

Theo glanced towards where Sergeant Barnes sat at the table.

“Ahh,” sighed Shuri, “the designs for the broken-white-boys’ arm?” Theo nodded again. “What did you think?”

“I think whoever designed it is exceptionally smart. I took the plans last night to familiarise myself with the tech I would be working with here, tweaked the designs of a few things from here, but those blueprints? They were immaculate and I couldn’t improve on them. I would like to meet the person who designed it.”

Shuri stuck her hand out, “hello, I’m Shuri, I take pride in announcing I designed the broken-white-boy’s arm.”

Theo took her hand delightedly and immediately began to inundate Shuri with questions about the neuro connectors that allowed Sergeant Barnes to feel sensations in the vibranium limb, the manufacturing benefits of vibranium, and the failsafe that had been installed.

“Ah yes, Sergeant Barnes isn’t aware of that, it is a contingency plan in case he loses control of himself again.”

Theo looked at the metal-armed man at the table, wondering what he looked like in combat.

She made a mental note to search for footage later.

“That is understandable, now tell me, what made you connect all the neuro-connections individually and not as mass. It would have worked just as well and taken half the time.”

“Now you see –” Shuri started.

Steve glanced towards the corner where Shuri and Theo were talking in hushed voiced, each hanging on what the other had to say. He shook his head and turned to look towards the front just in time.

“Captain Rogers, any updates on the Power Broker?”

Steve leant forward and started his report.

Evelyn was a little overwhelmed to say the least. Sam kept his spot diligently at her side as the meeting ended and a queue had practically formed for some of the Avengers to introduce themselves.

“Hi ma’am, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” came a surprisingly young voice from behind the red mask who had stuck his hand in front of Evelyn. She had noticed that he had rushed over here to be the first to introduce himself; he was fast. “I’m Spider-Man.”

“Spider-Man? Can you produce spiders or something? Because I have a favour to ask. I’ve been having real issues with some aphids on my –”

“Nope, Evelyn. Gonna interrupt you there, not that kind of Spider-Man,” interjected Sam wagging his finger, howling at the disappointed look on her face.

“Well, the name’s a bit misleading!” groaned Evelyn, she turned her attention back to the spandex-clad Spider-Man, “why call yourself Spider-Man if you don’t turn into or control spiders?”

“If you need someone who can control insects, I may be just the man for you!” disrupted a man with dark hair and sparkling eyes, Evelyn liked him immediately. He looked like he was someone who she could cause mischief with.

“Can you control spiders?”

“No, ants. I’m Ant-Man – Scott. Call me Scott.”

“No, thanks,” Evelyn began. “Ants destroyed a whole crop of beautiful hollyhocks a few years back. So thanks, but no thanks, Scott.”

Scott looked a bit dejected as a hand appeared on his shoulder. It was at this point Evelyn noticed a tall dark-haired woman standing slightly behind him.

“Never mind Scott, I’m sure you be useful one of these days. I’m Hope.” She chimed, and as he raised his eyes to meet her gaze, they both shared a grin and he punched her playfully in the side.

“It’s been truly lovely to meet you though,” sputtered Evelyn, remembering her manners and thrusting her hand out to shake theirs. Damn she’d always nagged Theo about manners and now she couldn’t even consider hers.

“I AM GROOT!” bellowed a deep booming voice from just behind them.

“Wait your damn turn! I ain’t spent all these years teachin’ ya’ how to behave for you to have a tantrum in public about waitin’ more than a few minutes to meet someone! HEY!” came a sharp twang from a few feet below Evelyn’s eyeline.

At that moment, a bark covered arm shot between Scott and Hope’s heads and came to a halt in front of Evelyn, outstretched and wiggling its fingers; clearly wanting her attention.

“I am Groot!”

Groot and Rocket entranced Evelyn, the three of them engaged in animated conversation about her abilities.

“So, can ya make this one taller?” Rocket asked her, jabbing a paw at Groot.

Groot looked offended at the comment, “I Am Groot!” he said loudly, folding his branch like arms in a huff.

“Yeah, but imagine how tall ya could be!” Rocket retorted.

“I mean, yes… I could, but I rather think I’d need permission from Groot to do so… you know… consent and all…” Evelyn smiled at the tree creature who returned her smile, sincerely. “What other plants do you have in space, or wherever you’re from?” and the three of them returned to a regular conversation.

“Do you have to go now?” Steve sighed.

“Afraid so. If I stay too long my cover in Madripoor will be broken, then that’s months of work down the drain.” Sharon lifted her fingers to run them through the stray hair that had flopped onto his forehead. His hair was getting long and needed a trim, and the beard had to go. He leant his head into her hand, Sharon knew he like soft, comforting touches like this.

They barely had a relationship anymore. Talking every few weeks and seeing each other for a few hours at most in-between undercover placements and missions. To be honest Sharon didn’t mind. Steve was uncomplicated, simple to play.

An easy cover.

“I’ll miss you,” he hushed. Head bowed, staring at her feet. “Will I see you properly soon?”

She had to stop herself rolling her eyes. She arranged her features in what she hoped would be a longing expression, “hopefully.” Was all she replied.

She folded into his arms and let out a breath.

Tony headed to the corner where Evelyn sat, perched on the edge of a desk watching her friend intently from the other side of the room.

“Whotcher doing propagator?” Tony leant next to her; his arms folded across his chest.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Evelyn asked, though she’d tried her question still came out riddled with concern. “She doesn’t make friends easily.”

Tony scoffed, “well so far I’ve noticed she’s got at least 4 members of the team, that aren’t you, wrapped around her little finger.” Tony motioned to where Theo stood, and Evelyn followed his gaze. Sure enough, Princess Shuri was still stuck to her side while Theo and pulled up holographic blueprints from her watch, spinning them and narrating her design process, and Carol was sat not too far away smiling to herself. Evelyn’s brows pinched.

“Okay. That’s two where are the others?”

Tony gestured to the doorway where Steve had just returned from saying his goodbyes to Sharon Carter. As expected, as soon as she was in his eyeline, Steve’s eyes flicked towards Theo where she had subconsciously turned to face him. Her eyes lifted and caught his, he threw her a small smile and she turned away quickly. Tony could see the blush from here and it made him chuckle.

“That’s still only 3. You said 4.” Shot Evelyn, getting frustrated at Tony’s evasiveness. She didn’t want to play games.

“Well, clearly I have to include myself in the list.” He rolled his eyes. “I let her hack my systems again last night and get away with it. Don’t worry–” Tony held his hand up to Evelyn as her eyebrows shot up on her forehead and she went to speak, “– I will not be informing Ross of her midnight activities. She actually did me a favour and offered some impressive improvements to the coffee maker in the communal kitchen.”

He paused to scratch his chin, “and plus if Ross did find out, she was supervised throughout her visit. I found the two of them asleep in my office this morning” He nodded discretely in Steve’s direction and Evelyn’s eyes bugged wide. Tony put his finger to his lips to hint that it was their secret.

“I know it’s a lot to take in. We certainly are a rag-tag bunch to be sure, but we’re a family. You are my family now. And family looks after one another. Speaking of which,” Tony squared his shoulders and turned to face Evelyn.

He had no idea how she was going to react to the news and silently wished he were having this conversation outside where nothing could be broken.

“Did you read your contract? Of course not,” he added, exasperated. “Well, Bella Thorne, there is a condition to you staying at the compound, there was a clause included that would forfeit you contract, thus making your deal with Ross null and void.”

At this Evelyn whipped her head around to stare at Tony incredulously, who shot his hands up in defence.

“To be fair, you could have just read the contract, it’s not like we hid it from you! I thought I’d just make you aware of it–” Tony paused for effect, “Honey, you’ve got to sober up.”

Somewhere deep in the city of New York.

Eustace gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he stepped out of the helicopter once it had landed in the undisclosed location of the secondary base. He cast his eye over his remaining troops, scattered and bruised – some only half conscious. They had been completely thrashed by the small team of Avengers that had turned up at the bunker. He’d even heard reports of a woman manipulating plant matter to wage war on his forces – his sister had been so close to him but so far from his grasp.

The vein in his forehead pulsed and his face contorted with rage; he’d been so close.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he blanched when the screen flashed that it was an Unknown caller. His investors had no doubt heard about his humiliating defeat and were most likely calling to protect their assets. He let out a sigh and held the phone up to his ear.

“Well, I bet that was embarrassing,” came a snide voice from the other line. Eustace let out a steadying breath.

“You could say that.” He muttered, bitterly, “we will regroup and come up with a counter attack.”

“The Power Broker is concerned that the plan is fruitless.” The voice was cold and detached, “is it necessary to acquire Ms Green?”

“She is detrimental to the plan.” He bit out, “without her there is no plan. We need the power she wields, if we control her, we control the markets.”

The line was quiet on the other end, so quiet Eustace had to check the line was still connected.

“She is currently under the protection of the Avengers at the compound in upstate New York.” The voice stated, “our source says that she has signed the Accords and is in the process of joining the team. Gaining access to her in your current state will be impossible. You will need to increase your numbers, and if you intend to attack the compound then the Power Broker can equip you with access to the best tech the American Government has to offer.”

Eustace’s heart skipped, he knew that this would be his last chance and if he failed again, he would be disposed of; the Power Broker did not suffer fools.

“Yes of course,” he grovelled, “thank you. I will show you… I will prove to you that this plan will be worth it.”

“The Power Broker will funnel you the funds and information you will need to execute the plan. We will be in touch.”

The line clicked and went dead and Eustace let out a low, shaky breath, crushing the phone in his hand. He would make this work, no matter what it cost.

Chapter 21: everyday superhero

Chapter Text

An obnoxious siren blared, filling Evelyn’s room and her ringing deafeningly in her ears. She lifted her head and noted that somehow, she had actually made it back to bed the night before.

She wasn’t quite sure how.

The sun was streaming through the large glass wall and Evelyn couldn’t do anything other than jump bolt upright and throw her hands over her ears, scrunching her eyes shut.

She grabbed her pillows and pushed them into the sides of her head, but it didn’t work. Her head was pounding, she hadn’t listened to what Tony has told her yesterday and had got high as a kite to say goodbye to her drug taking days. For the time being, she was going sober. f*ck.

She couldn’t take much more of the incessant wailing horn sound that shook the very bones inside her. She got up, pulled one of the small plant pots she had been given towards her and, within seconds, a small cotton plant had appeared.

She held her breath trying to block out the noise but couldn’t.

When the plant was big enough, she set it down, letting it burst from the pot, dirt spilling onto the dull grey carpet. She pulled 2 clumps of the now puffed out cotton and wedged it in her ears. It muffled the noise, that was a little better.

Now, who the f*ck set that off, and where were they so she could kill them?

She threw the bedroom door open, letting a guttural screech leave her. She was determined to make it so blatantly obvious that she was angry to anyone within a 3-mile radius.

She opened each and every door in turn to find every bedroom empty. Theo’s lack of presence in their room didn’t surprise her, but where was everyone else?

She made a beeline for downstairs; they were probably already having breakfasts like the weirdos they were.

Not even bacon was worth getting up early for in Evelyn’s eyes.

Charging through the lounge, she found it empty, so she headed straight for the kitchen, the alarm still booming around her.

Inside she found all of the Avengers who had stayed behind after the meeting.

Some had left, Dr Strange disappeared through a portal back to the New York Sanctum, Hope and Scott back to San Francisco and Spider-Man back to Queens. T’Challa and Okoye had returned to Wakanda, but Shuri had stayed behind.

She found them waiting for her, expectantly. She was red in the face with aggravation.

As she entered, she shot each and every one of them a dirty and threatening look.

When Tony made eye contact with her; he spoke.

“Okay F.R.I.D.A.Y., she’s up, kill it.”

The siren stopped.

Evelyn was breathing raggedly, her temper about to get the better of her.

“Morning flower child, training day.”

They did not wake her before 12pm for this.

Training could wait a few more hours surely?

It’s not like she was going anywhere. She pulled the cotton wads from her ears and threw them into the bin.

Dragging herself to the coffee machine, as she went to pull the pot out it wouldn’t budge. She pulled at it fruitlessly, getting more and more frustrated. She couldn’t stop herself, she was so done already, and it was only 8:07am.

She didn’t even call on her plants, she grabbed the whole coffee machine and ripped it from its plug socket and just as she was about to throw it over her head, Sam appeared in front of her.

“Hey! If you listen to what we have to say, you can have a coffee.”

“I don’t negotiate with terrorists,” her reply was curt.

From the back of the room, hidden from her view but able to witness the altercation with the coffee machine, Bucky let a smile take hold.

No one else would see it.

She was fiery and sarcastic, and her face looked sweet when she was mad.

It was almost cute.

Sam gave her a chuckle and took the machine from her, placing it back on the counter. Evelyn took a seat and shot Theo a glare. She had been so much help so far.

Tony spoke first.

“Right manic botanic, deal we said yesterday was that you get clean and sober. You don’t look very sober; trust me I would know.”

Pepper made a small noise that Evelyn assumed was a chuckle at that comment.

“No. the agreement was that starting today I wouldn’t take anything else. It’s today and I’ve not touched anything.” She put her hands up defensively.

Tony held out his hand towards her.

“What?” she stared down at his palm, unsure of what he wanted.

“Hand it all over El Chapo, I know you’re still packing,” he snapped his fingers and held his palm out again.

Evelyn looked down at his hand, and back up at him, he wasn’t going to back down. With a huff she removed herself from the stool and started walking around the compound pulling out hidden stashes.

After an hour, Tony had amassed a small evidence lockup worth of spliffs, mushrooms and marijuana plants and several large quantities of ready to smoke weed.

“Young lady, it’s been two days.” His voice was higher than usual.

Evelyn just shrugged and kept pulling spliffs out of hiding spaces.

“You done Snoop Dogg?” he added, as she slowed to a stop.

“Bra.” a small voice crooned.

Evelyn turned to see Theo, who was shyly standing behind her apparently trying to avoid any attention.

Her gazed flickered briefly from Evelyn to a spot opposite her. Evelyn saw a blush creep over Theo’s face before she turned slightly, dropping her head to create a curtain with her hair.

Evelyn followed her eyeline as saw Steve look away as he’d been caught staring.

Evelyn snapped her fingers and pointed at Theo in agreement, quickly trying to recover from witnessing that.

Of course, the second safest place a woman can keep things on her person. Evelyn plunged a hand into her bra and pulled several out joints. Dropping them into the boxes that Steve had gathered when it became obvious this wasn’t a small hoard.

Audible groans were heard throughout the group as they realised the extent of her addictions.

“Can I have a coffee now?”

She batted her eyelashes at Sam, her voice hopeful that at least she could have some caffeine. Evelyn really had given them everything she had stashed already.

She wanted to try for Theo at least.

And maybe Sam.

Theo walked over to her and handed her a thermos, Evelyn opened it quickly and took a long swig of the warm inviting liquid heaven; and then promptly gagged. She held the thermos to her lips and just opened her mouth, letting the coffee fall back into it.

“You traitor!” she sneered to Theo, who couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at her lips. Of course, Evelyn could tell the difference between regular and decaf just by taste. She shoved the thermos back and Theo. “Keep it. I’d rather die.”

Laughter rang out amongst them all, and she smiled at her friend, so she knew she wasn’t actually mad at her.

“Okay. Let’s get this over with so I can do something I want to”

The first day of training was spent with Wanda. She was teaching Evelyn how to really get in tune with the source of her power; the planet itself. Evelyn explained that she just knew it steamed from the earth, and Wanda took her word for it, knowing that not every mystery will be explained easily.

One thing Evelyn couldn’t do was fly or hover like Wanda but that wasn’t an issue.

They exited the building into the vast expanse of the training field, Tony’s words echoing in their heads.

“Not inside.”

“Okay. Show me what you’ve got Evergreen,” Wanda started swirling her own red mist in her hands while Evergreen matched her in green, with leaves and petals for added effect.

The two women hadn’t noticed that they had drawn a crowd. This was the first real demonstration of Evergreen’s powers that they would all see.

Evelyn was sober, ready, and determined to make Maria proud.

“Sometimes, it’s nice to be the good guys for a change,” she whispered to herself, mentally prepping herself for pain and a long fight ahead.

Wanda raised boulders from the ground, floating above them with a piercing red glow in her eyes.

Evelyn pulled her trademark vines out of the shaking, cratered earth, wrapping one around her waist and taking off into the air as well.

The onlookers took a step back as she sprouted a forest in mere seconds, even Wanda was taken by surprise.

Theo, who was stood off to the side with the others, had seen every plant evergreen could produce so far, and was keeping them informed of what she was using.

“Distictis Mart or the Liana plant, usually needs a tree to support it, but we worked around that.”

She was so nonchalant that everyone turned to look at her as if she didn’t hear her own words.

They continued to watch in awe as Evergreen clearly had some experience in the field, but ultimately, Wanda was better. At least she was right now.

Bucky had to stop himself from joining in with Sam’s loud support from the side-lines.

She probably couldn’t even hear them, but when Evergreen managed to land a particularly impressive hit to Wanda by growing a massive Venus Fly Trap and successfully ensnared her in it while she had been distracted; Bucky couldn’t help it.

He cried out in support of the emerald eyes woman that had already invaded his thoughts since seeing her for the first time 2 days ago. Sam clocked it and raised an eyebrow at Bucky with a smirk on his face.

Bucky whacked him in the arm.

After an hour of launching rocks and blows at Evergreen, Wanda finally broke through her defences and knocked her to the ground.

Evergreen waved and admitted defeat.

She was tired, and she ached all over. She had been thrown to the floor so many times she was bruised head to toe.

Luckily no broken bones.

Wanda helped Evelyn to her feet.

“You did good, I’m impressed.” Her voice was soft, her accent still lilting as it caressed certain syllables.

She gave Evelyn a sincere smile and shook her hand. Evelyn felt herself go red at the compliment, she let her head twist and turn with grace and the plants shrunk back into nothingness.

The ground very destroyed.

Oh well.

Evelyn was sure she’d sleep like a baby that night.

Evelyn woke the next day in bed again, she was sure she had fallen asleep on the sofa last night.

She hadn’t even made it to dinner she was so tired.

Everyone was asking her questions left, right and centre. She was sure the last place she had been was the sofa. She checked the clock, 8:30am, she had a lie-in compared to yesterday.

She didn’t want to get up, but she didn’t want a repeat of the siren either. Plus, her stomach was rumbling, and it was far too distracting to ignore.

After a carb heavy breakfast, she was subjected to Steve in the gym as her newest personal trainer.

For seven whole hours with one break in between.

Bucky had pulled Steve to the side after six hours and told him to quit pushing it and let her catch her breath. Steve had ignored him, knowing she could be pushed further, but when Evelyn had started wincing when she moved, he heeded his advice.

She might be enhanced but she’s been living in the summer of love for the last few years.

She was just about to fall asleep on the sofa again when Sam nudged her awake.

“You good?”

Her favourite two words he could say. He held a plate out to her, it smelled great, and her stomach growled in response to the alluring aroma.

She sat up immediately to take it from him, not realising how hungry she actually was until the scent had hit her nose.

“What is it?” she said groggily.

Her brain was starting to struggle without her coping habits, she needed to sleep. But she also had to eat, even Theo was tucking in at the kitchen island. She and Shuri were talking faster than she had ever heard Theo speak.

It was probably the most she had ever said to someone else apart from Evelyn.

She smiled at the idea of Theo having more people like her to talk to.

“Chicken paprikash. A Maximoff house specialty,” Sam replied with a friendly smile, “eat up, babygirl.”

Evelyn spared a glance to the kitchen where Wanda was holding a spoon to Vision who was trying to taste the difference between his failed version and her successful one.

She turned to Evelyn and waved, giving her a concerned smile, obviously worried about whether she would like it, Evelyn gave her a thumbs up to ease Wanda’s mind.

Evelyn finished half the plate, she tried to stay awake to finish the whole thing, but sleep took her.

She felt someone take the plate as she started to fall into it, only semiconscious.

Then someone was picking her up. She was so wrapped up in blankets that she couldn’t tell who it was; but at least she knew how she’d been getting back to bed every day now.

She was tucked up and out like a light, her muscles half thankful, half mad at her. She had a good dream that night. Maria told her she was proud of her and Theo. And her parents would be too.

Her parents.

“Mom… Dad... I miss you guys.”

She wished they could be here to see her and how far she’s come.

Day three consisted of training with Pietro.

This was something she was excited to do, super speed?

That was awesome and was a challenge she had yet to encounter. All available Avengers took their place at the side of the field that had been re-grassed and levelled during the day she spent in the gym with Steve.

Everyone was curious to see what else she could do.

After a short bout of hand to hand that she struggled to keep up with, Pietro started running in circles around her.

Literally.

She felt the air leaving the space around her.

“He’s creating a vortex!” cried Bruce, unease marred his already tense features. “If he gets up to the right speed, he can suck the oxygen out of the space!”

Concern spread through the group. Theo started laughing next to him. All heads turned to her.

“She’ll be fine,” she noted shortly, a proud smirk stretched across her face as she nodded her head towards to field, causing her D.A.D. glasses to slip slightly down her nose.

Sure enough, Evelyn felt the shift in air and knew that although she could last longer than most without air thanks to her tree-like oxygenation abilities, she wouldn’t last forever. She racked her brain and pulled several trees into the space around her.

The air instantly became clearer.

“Peepal Trees, they produce oxygen constantly and she only needs a little to keep going.”

Theo was bursting with pride; Evelyn was doing exceptionally well. Watching her friend take deep steadying breaths.

Pietro kept his speed going, working out what to do next. He decided it was best to go back to hand to hand combat. What he hadn’t seen, due to his focus on not running into the Peepal trees, was the many trees that now spread out in formation across the field. Two different kinds that stood next to each other; some with brown trunks and some with white trunks.

“The ones with the brown trunks are eucalyptus and the white ones are birch” Theo was in awe at her combination. “This should be good if she’s got ignition…”

Everyone exchanging glances warily, eyes focusing on the woman fighting like beast on the battlefield.

“THOR! NOW!”

Evelyn’s voice shook the ground as Thor thrust Mjolnir up to the sky. The air cracked as splintered bolts drove down from the sky to each individual eucalyptus. They burst into flames, the oil heating the trees from inside.

Theo sucked in a breath, her grin stretching impossibly wide as she gripped her StarkPad tightly in her arms. She’d overheard Evelyn and Thor the night before, discussing different combo moves they could do together.

She was so excited to see it work so efficiently.

As they burned, the birch trees started to ooze a sticky, hot black sludge all over the uneven ground. Pietro tried to dodge it but failed and found his foot stuck in it. It instantly crystallised around his foot, pinning him in place.

“Eucalyptus trees contain highly combustible oil and birch tar is stickier than most sap; but needs to be heated.” Theo was elated at Evelyn performance; it was clear she was sobering up.

Her face was alight with pride.

Steve was looking at Theo, the exact same look twisting his features.

He knew Theo was some kind of genius like Tony, but the depth of her knowledge was unfathomable, she knew each one of these plants off the top of her head. Him and Sam had been googling each and every one she said and sure enough she was right every time.

Theo felt his gaze on her, it made her stomach squirm with delight that he was looking at her. S

he couldn’t understand why it made her feel good to have Steve’s attention so often, but she didn’t want to shy away from it anymore.

She turned and smiled sheepishly at him.

Steve reached over and in an attempt to appear friendly he ruffled her hair tenderly, before brushing Theo’s curls out of her face with his fingers, lingering slightly longer than was necessary.

Theo’s breathing hitched and her eyes glazed slightly as she looked at him.

Pietro’s cries shattered their moment as he continued to struggle in the tar. He persisted in vain to try to escape, but before he could even get close to breaking free, he found himself conceding when sharp thorns poked at his throat.

The cheers from Theo, Tony, Bucky, and Sam were taking up all the room and Evelyn felt it coming.

She burst out laughing at Theo nearly throttling Sam in excitement. After a deserved shower, she crawled into bed and instantly fell asleep, feeling satisfied with her day.

That night, the nightmares came back, for the first time in a long time.

Chapter 22: glockenspiel song

Chapter Text

Evelyn’s throat was burning as her eyes flew open. The world was spinning and it took a few moments for her to realise that Theo was violently shaking her awake.

“Evelyn,” her voice was strained and her eyes were wide and scared, “we’re okay. You’re here with me, we’re safe.”

Evelyn sucked in a breath, aggravating her dry throat and loosening the tightness in her chest.

She’d been screaming.

She bolted upright and Theo shuffled away from her, offering her space.

Theo brought her knees up under her chin and rested her head on them, wrapping her arms around herself as she watched Evelyn fall back down to earth from her nightmare.

She should have known they would be coming back, but it had been so long since Evelyn had been sober that they hadn’t been this bad for years.

Evelyn staggered out of bed and stumbled to the en suite, desperate to splash some cold water on her face to somewhat ground her.

She looked at herself in the illuminated mirror, her face was gaunt with exhaustion and her eyes were pinched due to the effects of her cold turkey sobriety.

She longed for a lengthy pull on a blunt.

Heaving a dejected sigh she wandered back into the room. Her breathing had slowed, but her heart still raced. She knew there was no way that she would be sleeping again anytime soon. Turning round, she flopped down on the bed next to where Theo was still curled up.

“Wanna talk about it?” Theo’s voice was small, clearly Evelyn’s screams had alarmed her.

Evelyn shrugged, rolling away to look out of the huge wall of windows. Honestly everything about life at the compound was ostentatious. When Tony had showed them to their room, Evelyn couldn’t honestly remember the last time she’d slept in a room so expansive. The first thing she’d done was hang some drapes to filter out some of the early morning sun that blasted through every daybreak.

At this moment, however, it was clearly still the middle of the night as the clear sky was littered with smatterings of stars. The moon was full and bright and reflected brightly across the highly polished concrete pathway that wrapped itself around the building.

Everything was still and silent.

Almost serene.

“Can’t sleep?” Evelyn muttered, her voice was hoarse and her throat scratched when she talked. Theo scoffed audibly from behind her.

“You ask that like it’s a common occurrence.” Theo’s soft voice lilted sarcastically, attempting to lighten the mood. Evelyn rolled her eyes and turned to face Theo again; she smiled weakly at her.

“Hey, wanna go explore?” Theo’s eyes glittered mischievously, a sly grin tugging at her lips.

Evelyn beamed and got to her feet, hauling Theo up as she went.

“I can’t believe they have a whole freezer just for ice cream, it’s so obnoxiously brilliant.”

The two of them sat cross-legged on the kitchen island counter top, facing each other, a selection of different flavour tubs scattered around them.

“I know!” Evelyn shook her head, “genius.”

Theo scoffed a laugh and dipped her spoon into one of the containers. She held it up to her eye to inspect it before popping in in her mouth, swirling it around before shaking her head and spitting it out into the sink.

“Nope.” Theo ducked and rinsed her mouth out from the sink.

“Not like… Stark Raving Hazelnuts then, pet?” Evelyn tried to stifle her laugh with a whisper; they had so far managed to avoid waking anybody in the facility and Evelyn didn’t fancy being scolded in front of everyone by Tony.

“It felt wrong in my mouth and now my brain hurts.” Theo shivered, before turning her attention back to the other containers. “Which is your favourite so far?”

“Clearly Hunka Hulka Burning Fudge.” Evelyn scoffed; she’d nearly eaten the whole thing to herself.

“Just imagine, one day you might have one named after you,” Theo chuckled as she picked up the tub of Raspberry Thorbert. “I like the word play, very punny.”

She nodded approvingly, clearly enjoying the flavour more than the last.

“Could you imagine?” Evelyn’s mind wandered as she considered the fact that now she was an official member of the team, she might have to deal with sh*t like that.

“Hypothetically, what do you think your flavour would be?”

“I don’t think it works like that, Te. I don’t think I’d get to pick the flavour.”

“I know! But for argument’s sake, humour me.”

“Erm, I’m not sure if I’m honest.”

“I’ve got one.”

“Of course you do.” sighed Evelyn, preparing for the awful pun; Theo always did have a way with words.

“Matcha Ever-Green Tea.”

Theo bit her lip and grinned goofily at Evelyn, who couldn’t help the fluttering giggles escape her lips.

“Very good. It’s my go now to come up with yours.” Evelyn straightened in her seat and cracked her neck, she was determined to come up with something just as good.

“Evey, I’m not even on the team.” Theo rolled her eyes, but Evelyn continued.

“How about… Prog-Rummer and Raisin?”

Immediately Evelyn snorted at the horrified expression on Theo’s face.

“I do not want an ice cream flavour named after me that has dead flies in in.”

And that was all it took.

The pair of them cracked up laughing, wheezing and clinging to each other as tears streamed down their faces and they rolled about on the counter top.

Theo lost her balance and slipped off the side, landing flat on her ass on the cold tile floor, and Evelyn followed soon after, cackling and howling as she went.

They were both laying on the floor catching their breaths when they heard it.

The sound of incoming footsteps.

Without missing a beat, they both scrambled to their feet, Theo collecting the spoons and turning the lights off while Evelyn shoved all the half-eaten tubs of ice cream back into the fridge.

But it was too late.

As they made their way to the door, they saw the handle start to turn.

Evelyn tugged Theo and pulled her onto the floor behind the kitchen island, covering her mouth with her hand, imploring her to be quiet.

Theo nodded in understanding and Evelyn drew her hand away and the both of them peeked around the corner of the kitchen island just in time to see someone stumble through the door.

Tony rubbed his eyes, he was still half asleep. As if in a state of sleep walking, he wandered to the fridge and pulled open the door. The light illuminated half of the kitchen and shone directly onto Theo and Evelyn’s faces.

They both pulled back immediately, and pressed their backs up against the cold kitchen cabinets, hearts thumping, both too scared to breathe for fear of being found.

After what felt like an age of clattering and grumbling, they heard the fridge door swing shut with a thump, and heard Tony’s unsteady footfalls head towards the door again. With a whoosh of the door, they heard him leave and they both leapt to their feet, slipping out of the kitchen and tearing off down the corridor in the opposite direction that Tony had just gone.

When they were a safe distance away, they came to a stop and Evelyn had to hold on to the wall to stop herself collapsing with laughter. Theo wasn’t so composed, she was bent double, catching her breath from their sprint and the wheezy chuckles that now escaped her lungs.

“That –” Evelyn chortled, “– was fun.”

Theo looked up at her friend. Her eyes were sparkling and there was a flush on her cheeks. It was a far cry to how Theo had woken her up those few hours ago.

They were both so distracted, they barely noticed the echoing claps of unmistakable footsteps emanating from down the hall, and had just a split seconds notice to react before they were off again squealing and barrelling down the hallways.

The compound was a maze, they turned this way and that, always finding themselves in new places. Large open conference rooms, small dingey offices – they ran up stairwells, circled back and ran down new ones, but the footsteps seemed to be present wherever they went – a ghostly trail following their every step.

They had found solace hiding at the top of a stair well in an empty office.

Theo knew where they were – Dr Banner’s office adjoined this one, but they had a wall of windows to watch out for anyone incoming.

When they thought the coast was clear they slipped out, turning right with the intention of sneaking back to the residential wing of the compound. They knew Tony’s office was two stories below, so if it was him following them, they hoped he would have given up and retired to there.

The footsteps seemingly stopped their eery hunt anyhow.

Theo took lead while Evelyn covered the rear, and when she saw the corner that turned off onto the upper corridor leading to their room, she sprinted as fast as she could, leaving Evelyn to catch up in her wake.

The only problem was Theo wasn’t exactly paying attention to where she was going and ran, full pelt in to a very tall, very solid immovable object.

With a grunt, she fell backwards, almost falling to the floor before a very large, calloused hand reached out to grab her arm, steadying her.

“Thor!” Evelyn huffed breathlessly as she caught up to the both of them, “you scared us.”

“Me, Lady Evelyn?” Thor seemed perplexed. “I was simply wandering the corridors. I am unable to sleep, you see. There is some political trouble in my homeland and I was trying to work through it. I find that the quiet helps.”

“Oh.” Theo let out a long breath, “it was you we heard!”

“Why, yes, my lady, who else would it have been?”

“We thought it was Tony. We’ve been running away from you for the last hour or so!” Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh.

“Oh dear.” Thor chuckled. “It seems I have been participating in an unknowing game of hide and seek.”

“You wouldn’t have caught us.” Theo pipped up, her eyes glittering mischievously, “we’re too fast.”

“Is that so?” Thor raised his eyebrow, “it would seem I did catch you in the end though–”

“That doesn’t count!” Theo cut in, pouting slightly.

Thor laughed again. “You, my lady, are up to no good. You would get along well with my brother.”

“I don’t really get along with a lot of people.” Theo said so bluntly it made Evelyn cringe in embarrassment. “Obviously I didn’t mean you, Thor.” She stumbled over her words, trying to recover from the social faux pas.

“Of course not, my lady.” Thor nodded and furrowed his brow seriously, “I would never do you the dishonour of suggesting as such.”

“Anyway –” Evelyn cut in before Theo could dig herself into more of a hole, “I have training tomorrow and I think we need to get to bed.”

She eyed Theo who shrunk back into herself and nodded mutely.

Thor murmured in agreement and bid his farewell, bowing at both of them before turning to leave. He paused, turned again, ruffled Theo’s hair and left.

Theo scowled after him. She hated making social goofs, but hated it even more so when people patronised her for it.

“Lighten up grumpy.” Evelyn bumped shoulders with her in an effort to snap her out of it, “he meant well. He just doesn’t know you well enough yet to understand how that special brain of yours works.”

Theo grumbled and followed Evelyn as she lead the way back to their room.

When the door was shut behind them, all the feelings Evelyn had been running away from for the last few hours came creeping back. She stood staring at the unmade bed when she felt Theo wrap her arms around her from behind.

“Come on,” Theo sighed wearily, climbing into the bed and patting the space next to her. Evelyn laid down, carefully not touching Theo as she leaned, clearly uneasily, in the bed.

“Thank you.” Evelyn whispered, but Theo only smiled sleepily at her, her eyes already closed as she reached out to take Evelyn’s hand in hers, squeezing tightly.

Evelyn closed her own eyes, surrendering to the exhaustion, praying that the nightmares would be kept away.

Chapter 23: the monster

Chapter Text

The night’s antics wore heavy on Evelyn as she strode into the training room; day four was Natasha’s turn to beat the crap out of the new kid.

Even through Maria trained Evelyn, her muscles were out of practice, and she was put on her ass eighty-two times. She kept getting back up, determined to stay strong. As Natasha had witnessed Evelyn’s indifference to electrical currents, she was fighting without her charges.

She was still winning.

Evelyn needed a break but in reality, she knew she had to keep going; Maria had believed in her, so she would too. In the end Natasha took pity and cut her some slack, letting her go early. she had noticed Evelyn did not look well; bags under her eyes and her hair was more wild than normal.

Truth was Evelyn hadn’t slept much.

Even after her and Theo’s excursions, she had constantly woke in cold sweats after her nightmares would shake her awake, relentless in their attacks on her subconscious.

Now her brain was unclouded, she was starting to remember things Evelyn wanted best left in her smoky hazed days.

She was grateful for Theo, who had been there as soon as she woke from her every nightmare, already waiting for her, arms open for her to hide in and cry. Theo had stroked her hair till Evelyn fell asleep every time she had stirred and held her every time the screaming began again; the cycle going the entire night.

As she trudged through the building, she saw the sun was shining brightly for the first time in days. She walked out of the doors and into the green of the field.

By the time she reached the centre, her hands had already began misting up and the ground started erupting with angry thistles, thorny brambles trailing behind her and hogweed encircling her as she fell to her knees.

She just needed to get outside and feel the sunshine on her face for a minute - and maybe yell a bit.

She let her frustrated screams out in a burst of anger, smashing her fists into the ground again and again. It wasn’t the earth’s fault she was like this; she was the one who did it. She used the powers the earth gave her for something awful, no matter how accidental. Large crevices appeared as her power grew more and more each day.

Her newfound sobriety gave her more strength, but at what cost?

Bucky had been watching her the whole time. He had also been outside her bedroom door last night. He had heard her the first time she was woken; her pained sobs as loud as an alarm clock to him. He was about to go in and see if she needed him, but Theo was already in there and he knew he wouldn’t be much help. So, he did the next best thing to help him deal with it; he sat outside her room all night. Guarding her from any more intruders to her safety.

After her anger management gardening session had come to an end, he slowly approached her clearing his throat as he did so; so as not to scare her. She got up and turned to see who had come to watch her destroy a garden for the third time in a week.

When she saw Bucky, she was surprised. She hadn’t spent much time with him since the first time he saw her drunk.

She turned red at the memory of her behaviour.

The strawberry. For f*ck’s sake Evelyn…

She groaned and put her head in her hands, wishing the ground to swallow her up but of course, it probably wasn’t happy with her right now and would refuse to do anything else for her for a while, she mentally bet herself. She felt a hand on hers, pulling it from her face.

“Do you want a hand with your training?” his voice wasn’t annoyed like she had expected, but gentle and kind, “I’m free.”

As he smiled at her, Evelyn felt a weird fluttering sensation in her stomach she hadn’t experienced before. She felt the heat creeping onto her cheeks; the effect he was having irritated her.

She was sure he didn’t even know he was doing it, but of course, he was.

This was planned, he wanted to try and help her.

He didn’t like to keep seeing her showing up to the lounge in the evening with new black eyes and limping more every day; if could stop that he would. The fact that she started going red at the thought of him helping her was purely a bonus.

In truth he hadn’t been able to let his brain focus on much else lately. Even his sleeping was better, his dreams focused on someone living, instead those who were dead, and maybe her flushed cheeks were a sign the feeling wasn’t one sided. His heart jumped a little with the smallest bit of hope. The first bit of hope he had felt in a while.

Evelyn snapped herself out of it and retorted with a quick and curt “sure,” but he didn’t read any rudeness in her reply. In fact, he was enjoying the fact she was trying to hide how she felt. He held a hand out for her to take in case she needed help walking.

She looked down at it and scoffed, folding her arms in front of her and walking ahead, while Bucky grinned behind her the whole way to the training room. Evelyn mentally willed herself to get a grip and stop crushing on the guy who was just trying to help her out. Begging the butterflies to just die inside her.

As they entered the room, she was unsure how this was going to go. No one knew they were there, and she wasn’t allowed to grow plants inside. So, it was hand to hand only, she gulped; she was nervous for more reasons than one.

Bucky held his arms up, and shifted into his braced fighting stance, waiting for her to take the first move. She dropped her centre of gravity and dove for an opening in his side but was thrown across the room by his ever-present vibranium arm, straight into the weapon rack behind her.

She pulled herself up, her head spinning from exhaustion. He darted forward and aimed a follow up blow at her, and she managed to blocked it and delivered a kick to his leg, sweeping him out and rolling on top of him, attempting to pin him.

He lifted her with ease and slammed her back down to the floor.

Throwing him off she wiped her mouth, blood.

Bucky’s eyes widen, he hadn’t meant to hurt her like that. But she just spat it out and carried on.

Feeling guilty as hell, Bucky started taking all the face hits after he’d accidentally split her lip instead of blocking them; even though he easily could have. He had talked her through a few moves and techniques to learn and practice with Natasha, and how to position herself, taking care to make sure she had it down before moving onto the next.

They made a game out of it, if she got the move down; she asked a question. If he got her first before she could get the move in, he got to ask her a question. Perfect, he thought to himself.

It began the usual way, he would land hit after hit, getting to ask all the random, stupid questions he really wanted to actually know about her.

He found that her favourite food was a Gray’s Papaya hot dog from New York, she went every year for her birthday, she gets the works every time.

The Red Sox were her favourite sports team.

Her dad used to take her and Theo when they were little, she always wanted a foam finger.

She laughed and told him she has a list of things she wants to do before she dies, including mundane things like finally getting an aforementioned foam finger from a Red Sox game.

She didn’t like psychological horrors or doomsday film. She didn’t understand the former and fell asleep during the latter.

She did, however, love old romances, specifically a film called To Catch a Thief, a 1955 film about a cat burglar with Grace Kelly in it. She liked it because she thought Grace Kelly looked like her grandma from when she was little.

She loved all plants, a good book always cheered her up, and she enjoyed cooking in her spare time when she wasn’t busy fighting a different Avenger every day of the week.

He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but he wanted to know even more. Anything else worth knowing, which to him was everything to him.

He taught her how to charge someone and take them down by their neck and demonstrated gently the first time, then picked up the pace every time he did so, simultaneously trying not to bruise her neck and feeling how soft it was under his touch.

After a particularly nasty choke slam to the floor, Evelyn was sure she wasn’t going to be able to get back up this time. Bucky sensed her surrendering.

Wanting to keep continuing on her good learning streak, he called out to her.

“Did your parents raise a quitter?” His tone joking, unaware of the underlying meaning to what he had just said.

He hadn’t known that was the wrong thing to say to her. He didn’t know it would cause her to stand suddenly and just walk out the room, leaving the door swinging as she threw it open, silently storming off. Tears were running down her cheeks.

Evelyn headed for the safety of her bedroom and her potted plants that had been appearing randomly every time she entered the room again.

She assumed it was Theo trying to make her feel better.

Slamming the door behind her, she heaved her emotions into her chest, out her mouth, and into her pillow.

Bucky was still sat, shocked at her reaction to his comment, in exactly the same position on the training room mats. Hair sticking to his face with sweat, guilt eating at him for making her feel like sh*t and he didn’t even know the reason, so he couldn’t even apologise for it yet. Damn.

His attention turned to the whirring sound of the CCTV camera. It was zooming in on him; someone was watching him. He had a fairly good idea who, and how they might be able to help him understand Evelyn’s sudden disappearance.

He stood and stared straight down the camera lens, it zoomed out and the red light went off, indicating they saw his face and knew what he wanted. There was nothing they could say to him from there, so he walked out the room and headed for the glass walled office.

As he entered Theo was waiting for him, she kicked an empty office chair his way, inviting him to sit down. He took it silently, looking at her twiddling her thumbs and spinning herself to and fro with her good leg.

“So, what do want to know?” She asked casually, not even looking up at him.

“All of it. The powers. The drugs. The hiding. The nightmares. All of it.” Bucky spat the last words out slowly. He was fed up with being left out of something he felt he wanted to help with.

“Oh boy,” came a surprised voice from across the desk. Theo hadn’t realised that others had heard Evelyn’s cries after her nightmares, it never crossed her mind. “Well, I guess I’d better start from the beginning then.”

Bucky settled in for the story he’d been waiting to hear since first laying eyes on the woman who wouldn’t leave his subconscious alone, invading his dreams and allowing him to wake without screaming for the first time in forever.

He dreamt of being happy, now he needed to know why she wasn’t.

Chapter 24: so much

Chapter Text

Two small girls were sat outside on a patchwork blanket.

One of them had silvery-white hair with soft gun metal eyes, her hair scraped into an unruly ponytail, a pair of glasses balanced on her delicate nose, the lenses bigger than her face. They had tape wound round one of the arms.

The other child had deep brunette hair and sharp green eyes, a little button nose perched above her sweet smile.

They were having a tea party, their dolls arranged around them in form.

The girls giggled excitedly; they must have been four.

The fence that separated their gardens had been knocked down earlier in the year after Evelyn kept finding a way over it. Her parents were worried that she was going to get hurt that they had agreed with Lucas to take it down so the girls could play safely.

Lucas Lovelace was rushing about his house trying to get his work stuff together. He came tearing out of the back door towards them, tie still undone and thrown round his back, satchel bag overflowing with books over his shoulder.

Papers excused themselves and blew all over the grass and into the flowerbeds. Lucas stood up, looked around and just waved a hand.

He could print more.

The girls giggled at him, and he gave them both a cheeky grin and ran at them roaring. They jumped up and ran around, squealing in delight.

He caught a small, but still fiery Theo and pulled her into a hug, placing a multitude of kisses on her head in quick succession.

“Be good for Sally, okay? I’ll see you when I get home later?” Theo nodded excitedly, looking back to Evelyn’s house where her mum was coming out with lemonade and fruit snacks.

Theo gave her dad one more hug as he patted her head and walked to his car, giving her one last wave before driving away. Her dad had moved in to the house next door when she was only three days old, her dad was on his own.

Her mum gone already.

He had struggled until he met Sally and Roger Green, who had a near week old new-born themselves. They had one older child, Eustace, but he was already 16 years old and spent almost no time at home.

The Green’s instead opting to send him to a boarding school, thinking it would give him more options later in life. But that was it, the girls had been together ever since, spending the days together with Sally until they began school.

It was that day Evelyn first produced a plant.

The girls drank their lemonade quickly and when they finished the pitcher, Theo noticed a lemon pip in the bottom. Fishing it out with her tiny hand, she held it up for them both to see.

“We need to grow it!” Evelyn’s excited little voice came through Theo’s fascination with the pip.

They turned to see each other, grinning maniacally. Rushing around the garden looking for a pot to plant it in, Theo found one tucked behind the greenhouse that was usually locked.

Evelyn scooped a handful of dirt from the flowerbed and dumped it in the pot. Theo shoved the pot into her arms while she grabbed the plastic teapot from their abandoned picnic and ran to the outside tap, filling it to the top.

Evelyn was waiting impatiently for her to get back, bobbing up and down in anticipation of having a lemon tree in her garden.

Theo re-joined her and as she did Evelyn held the pot out for Theo to drop the seed into. As she did so, Evelyn felt something shift, she couldn’t explain it, but she felt a weird sensation in her body. Shrugging it off so they could keep going, she covered the pip and watched as Theo poured enough water onto the little mound of dirt in the middle of the pot.

“How long is it going to take?” Theo’s little curious nature was always front and centre.

“A long time yet, it needs to sprout first,” Evelyn’s mom had taught her about plants, she loved them so much and really wanted Evelyn too as well.

“That’s far too long!” whined Theo, flopping onto the blanket once again. “Can’t you make it go faster?”

And as if she knew what to do, Evelyn held the pot tightly and stared at the pips resting place. She focused her energy and she felt it rushing up her legs from the ground, all the way through her and out of her arms into her hands, wrapping the plant and willing it to grow.

Her hands began to glow green, leaves appearing from nowhere.

And as if by magic, a little shoot emerged and kept pushing itself to get bigger and bigger.

Theo sat up quickly and ran back to Evelyn’s side, who now had a very confused and shocked face on her. Evelyn shoved the pot into Theo’s hands and stepped back with fear. The plant stopped its size increase as soon as it left Evelyn’s grasp.

“What did you do?” Theo’s voice was a whisper.

“I don’t know.”

Three years later

“Ready?”

“Ready!”

Theo threw cherry pits into the air one by one, Evelyn concentrated on them all individually and popped them open; causing a swarm of roots and trunk to form each time.

The skies filled with very floral and organic fireworks, and when Evelyn had got them all and Theo was out of pits, they raced around cheering and hugging the other. Theo ran to her camera and pressed the stop recording button, her first piece of tech.

The girls walked back to the house and past the greenhouse, they had busted the lock the year before and her parents just never replaced it, not even suspecting the two six-year-olds. They had hidden their precious lemon tree in there, Evelyn was letting it grow at its usual pace; not wanting to give her secret away, sneaking in to water it as often as she could.

She knew both her parents were home today, her dad had come home from a work trip the day before and that meant her parents would be snuggled up on the sofa. Plenty of time to water the tree. She gave Theo a soft whack on her arm, and silently pointed to the greenhouse.

Theo nodded in acknowledgment and grinned.

The girls chuckled mischievously to themselves. Evelyn pulled the door open quietly and Theo slunk inside, Evelyn pulling it shut behind them.

They exchanged excited whispers about how well it was growing. But then Evelyn wondered if she could maybe make it a little bigger.

Theo stood back and got the camera ready, placing it on the counter top that housed Sally’s gardening tools and pots; making sure to get a good angle.

But it had been years since Evelyn had grown a tree, the last time she tried it didn’t get much bigger than a tomato plant.

But Theo had helped her train since then.

And her power had grown.

And they didn’t know that everything they held close and dear to them was about to be gone, forever.

It was out of control in seconds.

They began to scream when they realised they were trapped.

The door was blocked by an angry flailing tree trunk, and in her heightened fear, Evelyn lost control completely.

Evelyn’s parents heard the screaming and flew to the garden in search of the girls. Eyes darting everywhere eventually landing on the greenhouse where a giant writhing tree was threatening to crush them.

“ROGER!” was all Sally could get out as they ran towards their terrified children. They threw the door open. Calling to the girls frantically between sobs.

“MUMMY! HELP!” Evelyn was the most afraid she had ever felt and would ever feel. Her and Theo were crouched under one of the counters, bits of broken pots of metal landing near them, continuously. She had her arms round Theo’s head, trying to keep her face away from it. But it just kept growing, getting taller and larger and closer to the ceiling.

She heard her parents rushing forward.

Then she heard a sickening cracking sound.

And within a blink, she heard the glass ceiling shatter.

And she covered her own eyes and shielded Theo even more, pushing her behind her.

Then there was silence.

The tree stopped its deadly thrashing.

And when Evelyn looked up, she saw her parents.

Laying side by side, prone, staring at each other; large shards of crystals sticking jaggedly out of them.

Large pools of blood started to collect around them.

Evelyn couldn’t even look away or scream or do anything other than sit and stare at them. All the while keeping Theo’s view obscured of the gruesome sight. After what felt like hours, she began to move, needing to get out. She turned to Theo.

“Keep your eyes shut at all times. Don’t look up, not until I say so. Promise me?” Theo nodded quickly to let her know she understood.

Evelyn nodded back and placed her hands over Theo’s eyes, guiding her out from under the counter, she kept her safe from seeing the bloody scene in front of her. Shuffling her forward, Evelyn tried not to look either but failed.

What had she done?

As they reached the greenhouse door, it was thrown open. Eustace stood in the doorway. His eyes raked over the devastating picture that lay before him. Then he turned to face his little sister who was already starting to dissociate and shouted the words that would never leave her.

“Evelyn, what happened, what have you done? How could you? You’ve killed our parents, you’re a monster!”

The girls sat in the hospital waiting for Lucas to finish talking to the doctors. Theo had her fingers interlaced with Evelyn’s.

She hadn’t spoken since the incident.

It had been days.

The hospital door opened, and an official looking man walked in, he was accompanied by a woman with short black hair, her deep brown eyes, she looked warmly at the girls. Her smile showed her bright, perfect teeth.

Evelyn didn’t want to meet anyone else new.

She had met enough new people to last a lifetime.

“Hi girls,” the man spoke kindly, getting down to their level. “This is Maria Rambeau. She was a friend of your parents. She’s going to be looking after Evelyn from now on.”

The girls clutched each other, surely they wouldn’t separate them?

Maria, who was now also kneeling to be at their eye level, took both of their hands and looked straight at them.

“I promise I would never separate you. I’m going to be moving into Evelyn’s house, so you’ll still be with each other.”

The girls could have cried in relief, but they just hugged each other more. They would never be apart, never, if they could help it.

Then Evelyn paused, pulled back from her friend and looked to Maria.

She knew she needed to know.

“Why… why isn’t my brother going to look after me?” She was sad at what he said, but he didn’t mean it did he? He was just angry when he said it, he’d look after her. Wouldn’t he?

Maria and the man exchanged looks, and then he spoke. “We did ask him.”

“And?” her little voice hopeful.

“He refused.”

Present day

“…So she used drugs and alcohol to just trick her brain into believing she was okay, and she didn’t see what she saw at six….”

Bucky was still listening, but his thoughts were swirling. That was a lot for anyone to go through at any age, let alone six.

No wonder she had reacted the way she had done, he felt awful. But at least he could apologise, he would get her another plant or twenty. He’d been having them sent to her nearly every day, placing them in her room when she was training and out of the way, but this time he’d give it to her in person.

“And her own brother abandoned her and blamed her?” His voice was low with anger, not at her, but at her brother. Theo nodded at him sadly.

“Blames. Present tense…” corrected Evelyn from her spot in the doorway, Bucky wondered how long she’d been there, Theo of course knew when she had appeared there, only a few minutes ago. But long enough.

Evelyn’s eyes were red and sore, she wasn’t crying anymore but she wanted to. Bucky gave her a sorry smile and she just shrugged; she was used to these feelings. She had a large beanie hat on her head, covering her hair up. Theo pointed to it.

“What you got growing?” Theo mused, Evelyn pulled the hat off to show a soft patch of fire lilies curating themselves on her crown, opening and closing in soft, flowed moves. Bucky didn’t know what to say, he had never seen anything like it before. Theo had but, not like this. “Those are… new? Fire lilies?” Evelyn nodded. “How did training go with the Widow?”

“Not great. I should’ve listened to you and kept up with practice and training back home. She wiped the floor with me.” Theo started laughing. “Seriously Te, she literally wiped the floor with me… as in dragged me around and I cleaned the floor as I went.”

“I know. I have it on tape,” Theo smirked, earning a soft playful whack from Evelyn, whose hair was calming down and returning to normal now. Theo had taken her leg brace off and was stretching it for the first time in days.

She couldn’t wait to kick something with it.

Bucky offered Evelyn a seat next to him, which she took, to his delight. She was sat on his left, and suddenly he felt eyes on his arm. He turned to look at her and she was staring intently at it, all the different bits of metal that made it up.

“What does it feel like?” she asked before she could catch herself. Bucky nearly chuckled but kept his stoic face up.

“Like my arm.”

Evelyn rolled her eyes at him, one minute he’s all, “let’s talk about everything and be friends,” and the next he’s all, “one word mumble.” She hoped no one could read minds here.

“What about you Te? You going to do any training while you’re here or just gonna pretend you don’t know what you’re doing and hope they leave you alone?” Evelyn shot her friend an evil but friendly grin.

Just as she said that Tony walked into his lab.

“Motherboard can fight?” he quipped while shoving blueberries in his mouth. “Set her up with Widow for a session,” looking pointedly at Bucky, who was looking to Evelyn for guidance on whether to actually do it.

Could Theo do it?

Evelyn gave him a wink and nodded; he felt a weird sensation in his chest as she did. That wink, it nearly floored him. He almost didn’t move to go and find Natasha, until he felt a hand on his. Looking down to see Evelyn pulling him out of the room to find her.

“Theo!” She called back, “good luck! She’s f*cking good and hard to even touch!”

Bucky still trying to catch his breath after learning all of this new information. He had to help her, but first they had to help Theo. Widow could do some serious damage to the little silver bullet that was camped out in Tony’s office.

Evelyn let go of Bucky too early for his liking, and she made a beeline for Natasha, who was stood next to Sam. She tucked herself under Sam as he made her smile and got her a drink. The jealousy that Bucky didn’t like, started to bubble up again.

When Steve heard about Theo’s session with the Widow, he couldn’t help the anxious knots forming in his stomach.

Chapter 25: black widow

Chapter Text

An excited hum emanated from the small crowd that had gathered in the seated observation area of the training room. Evelyn had attracted crowds because her abilities were powerful and fascinating to watch, but a one-on-one sparring session with the Widow?

Well, Theo had garnered her own pool of interest.

Steve looked round to see Evelyn with her face hidden in Sam’s shoulder. She had first-hand experience of what the Black Widow had to offer during a training session, let alone a no-holds-barred face off.

“Hey,” Bucky started as he leaned over to shift Evelyn so she could see the circle drawn in the middle of the training room, “you’re the one who bet she couldn’t do this. You should know better than to bet against Theo for anything!”

“I wasn’t being serious! I didn’t think she actually had a death wish…” Evelyn faltered as a door to the side of the room opened.

Natasha Romanoff stepped out in full Black Widow gear.

Steve swallowed thickly. He knew Nat wouldn’t hurt her, but the thought of little Theo going up against the Black Widow was still difficult to picture. He ran his hands across his jeans, his palms sweaty. A second door opened, and all eyes followed the source of the noise.

Almost unrecognisable, stood Theo.

A high collared, dark black jumpsuit covered every inch of her pale skin and her curls had been temporarily tamed and wound onto the top of her head, a few strands escaping here and there. Steve’s breathing hitched and his mouth went dry.

She stepped forwards into the ring, looking small and childlike comparison to the large room’s equipment. As she reached her spot, she spread her feet, relaxed her hands, and stared forward into the deadly gaze of the Black Widow.

The Black Widow stalked the woman stood poised and calm in the centre of the training room.

She kept her eye locked with the Widow’s, head tilted slightly to the side, face blank and expressionless. Her tight mess of curls had been scraped out of her face, pinned into a tangle of the top of her head, glasses removed. She had borrowed a thin, black combat suit that hugged the curves that had previously been hidden beneath the chunky knit jumper and loose slacks.

She had chosen to stay barefoot, so the Widow had followed suit.

That suited her fine.

The Widow broke eye contact as she followed her circle behind the woman, out of sight.

She shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet, and lurched silently towards the woman, taking advantage of her blind spot.

The Widow twisted, and leaned into her side, sliding her right leg in front of her, as she aimed for the universal weak spot on the back of the woman’s knee.

As if in slow motion, the Widow saw the woman feint to the left, only to throw herself in the air and flip backwards so she was now behind the Widow and delivered a sharp jab of her closed fist to her lower back, just above her kidneys.

The Widow recoiled with a whoosh of breath and rolled to the side to dodge any follow up punches, but the woman stood stock still in the same place she had landed. She straightened her back and resumed her calm demeanour, hands loose at her side, staring at the Widow expectantly.

To say the Widow was surprised was an understatement, she rose to her feet and resumed her circling around the woman in the middle of the room.

The Widow only made it half way around the circle before the woman in the centre broke her stance and lunged towards her.

Right hook, left hook, easy to dodge.

Maybe the Widow had overestimated her ability.

She rolled her eyes as, predictably, the woman raised her right leg to serve a blow to the Widows abdomen, which she caught easily. Without missing a beat, the woman used the Widow’s grip as leverage to lift her left leg up and curl it round the Widow’s neck.

The force flipped the Widow and she landed on her back, winded in the middle of the room.

The woman had risen from her crouch and paced around her, like a cheetah stalking its prey.

She had turned the tables.

With that, the Widow shot to her feet, and hurled herself completely into the fight, no pretences, no expectations. The woman dodged and weaved, taking as many hits as she gave out, but showing no indication that she had even registered them. No pain ever showed on her face, which remained blank the whole way through the match.

The woman threw a punch, but the Widow managed to dodge easily, only to have the woman turn around and throw her elbow back into the Widow’s face.

She managed to catch it before it made impact, but the woman was already on the move again.

The woman ducked under the Widows arm, twisting it behind her and the woman pushed so the Widow toppled forward on to her stomach, the full weight of the woman crushing her into the ground.

The woman rolled and shifted so the Widow moved with her and was now on her back. The woman twisted and locked the Widow in an arm bar.

The Widow felt the stretch in her shoulder and knew that if the woman pushed her hips up slightly, it would dislocate.

The Widow caught the woman’s gaze, blank and uninterested, if she didn’t know any better, the Widow would have assumed she had been trained in the Red Room.

She tapped out, and the woman released her immediately.

The silence was deafening in the large room as the small audience stood in quiet disbelief. Theo stood up and raised her head to look at every one of the shocked faces that stared down at her.

Her face split into a lopsided grin as a loud whooping echoed across the space. Shuri pushed herself to the front of the observation stand hollering and clapping.

“Yes! I knew you’d beat her, you–” she turned to Clint, “owe me $50.”

Clint opened and closed his mouth wordlessly as he gazed bemusedly at Nat, still laying on the floor, her breathing deep and heavy.

With that Evelyn lead the stream of people rushing onto the floor, and she crashed into Theo, almost hysterical as they collided where she stood.

Steve reached Nat and extended his hand to help her to her feet, which she took, a grim line stretching her lips thinly.

“Never thought I’d see you get your ass handed to you,” he chuckled, and she slapped him lightly on the bicep. “Bit of a surprise huh?” he added as she appraised her opponent, wide eyed.

“I’ll say,” she clutched her side discreetly where Theo had managed to land a particularly harsh hit. “Who knew she was hiding all that.”

Steve turned his eyes to Theo, where she stood in the exact same spot, as Evelyn still sobbed, hands flittered over her as if checking she was still in one piece.

He looked at the shy flush that stung her cheeks, leaving them pink against the shock of freckles that covered her face. Her hair had come undone slightly and hung, half up half down, curls sticking to her slightly sweaty forehead, and spilling over her right shoulder.

A group had formed a circle around her, each taking their turn to congratulate her and pat her on the back. A shuffling sound made Steve turn slightly, where he saw Nat and Clint retire to the locker room that stood adjacent to the training room.

A grin twisted Steve’s features.

It had been a long time since anyone had beaten Nat, thinking back to when

Bucky was still the Winter Soldier. She would sulk for a few days but would take it all in her stride.

He rounded his attention back on the secretly deadly mouse who stood in front of him. He couldn’t help it. He strode forward and enveloped her in his arms, taking them both by surprise.

Her hands came up in surprise, but as Steve continued to hold her Theo rested her hands tentatively on his shoulder blades. He chuckled into her hair, his breath warm and sweet.

“Well done. Should I call you honey badger from now on?” Steve teased. Theo frowned, clearly irked by the nickname, but when she lifted her face to look into his she immediately found herself lost in his gaze.

Adrenaline was still pumping through her system from her win against the Widow. All of the oxygen seemed to have left the air around them.

A clap on Steve’s shoulder pulled him away from her gaze, just as a pair of bulky arms wove between them and plucked Theo into the air and out of his grasp. Steve swerved around to face the asshole who had taken her from him, only to be met with Bucky’s warning gaze.

He swung her around the room as she squealed and laughed breathlessly, begging him to put her down.

Bucky had seen it.

He had seen Steve’s secret, mind you he hadn’t been particularly discreet. He eyed Bucky, suddenly nervous about what he was going to say. Would he tell him to stay away from her?

Would he tell Sharon?

Would he tell Theo?

“You’re just full of surprises aren’t you?” Tony’s voice was teasing as he approached Theo, one eyebrow raised as he appraised her.

Clearly he had underestimated her; sure he’d known she’d managed to escape Green’s base, but he’s assumed it was more out of pure luck than anything else.

Theo preened on the inside.

Part of her hated all the attention. She knew she could defend herself against almost anyone, but showing those skills off in front of everyone else was another thing entirely.

There was another part of her, one that was growing exponentially the longer she stayed at the compound, that wanted to prove her usefulness. She knew she wasn’t going to be asked to join the team, and that was fine with her, but she wanted to belong all the same.

She secretly enjoyed it when she received recognition and praise; especially from Tony.

She shrugged nonchalantly as he clapped her on the shoulder, determined to seem indifferent.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Tony wrapped his arm around her and steered her from the room and towards the maze like corridors that lined the offices. “I think that there’s only so much space in my office, and that though I love having you move my stuff and try to ‘fix’ my AI –” Theo opened her mouth to protest but Tony silenced her with one simple co*ck of his eyebrow, “– I feel like we’d both benefit from you having a space of your own.”

Theo was stunned into silence. Sure she’d thought about the possibility of having Tony help her rebuild her ‘lair,’ but actually doing it was another thing entirely.

“I mean,” Tony continued, “it makes sense. Considering you’re going to be here indefinitely.”

Theo opened her mouth to reply, but she was struggling to find the words. Having something in this huge compound to call her own was something she longed for.

She ached for somewhere she could lock herself away and tinker into the early hours without having to worry about waking Evelyn, or on days where she didn’t feel up to seeing anyone somewhere she could hide and waste the day away.

“Thank you.” She said eventually.

She stopped to look at Tony, pinning him with her gaze to make sure he could see the earnestness in them. Tony smiled affectionately at her and waved his hand, gesturing for her to continue.

“Hey!” Evelyn had caught up to them, waving manically as she went. “Where are you going?”

“Nerdling needs a hidey-hole!” Tony called, motioning for her to follow. He led them upstairs and towards the office they had hidden in a few nights prior.

Tony opened the glass doors and waved a hand overhead, bringing up the lights and defrosting the glass.

“Though the room is linked up to F.R.I.D.A.Y. it is already prepped for D.A.D. to take full control of all of the systems including the privacy glass.” He waved his hand again, to demonstrate the glass frost over again.

Evelyn stood in the middle of the room, spinning around as she revealed in the space – Theo’s lair looked like a cupboard under the stairs in comparison.

Theo wandered over to the only window that actually looked out into the outside world. She gazed down and could just about make out the communal living room through the large all windowed wall.

This place sure had a lot of windows.

“Speaking of the glass, it’s completely normal, but when certain protocols are in place they are shatter proof, or ‘Hulk proof’ as we like to say around here. We can get all of your tech stuff that was taken from the cottage brought up here, and just make a list for anything else you need. Whatever it is, we’ll get it –”

Tony was cut off as Theo stormed over to him, her head down staring at the floor. She stopped an arm’s length away and held her arms out, wiggling her fingers at him, determinately not looking at him.

“Erm, what is it doing?” Tony asked Evelyn, his brows so high they were in danger of disappearing into his hairline as he looked to her, completely baffled.

“Oh, she wants a hug.” Evelyn stated simply, as if it was obvious. When Tony continued to look at her she continued, “when she is overwhelmed and can’t quite verbalise she wants comfort… it’s what she does.”

She smiled at him, he nodded as he seemed to accept the information, stepping into her reach and folding her into his arm.

Tony chuckled slightly and rested his cheek on top of the mass of curls.

“I hope you like it kid. Welcome home.”

Chapter 26: if you love her

Chapter Text

“Steve–”

“I know, man.”

“What about Sharon?” Bucky shot at him, “you can’t do this. To either of them.”

“… I know.”

Evelyn paced her room, Theo sat on her bed, watching her go back and forth. Evelyn was chewing the end of her fingers nervously.

“But why now?” she stopped to ask out loud, Theo wondering if she even wanted an answer.

“Well it had to happen eventually, Evey.” She was trying to be supportive but wasn’t sure if it was working. “No one is alone completely in the world.”

Evelyn stopped pacing to stare glare at her.

“So helpful Theo.”

Steve sat at the end of his bed, his head in his hands, Bucky’s metal arm slung over him in an attempt to offer some form of comfort.

His mind was whirling, not knowing what to do.

“Do you love Sharon?” Bucky thrummed his thumb over Steve’s shoulder, attempting to ground him from the raging emotions that were evident in his posture. He was hunched over, his back stiff, elbows balanced on his knees, one of which was bouncing with anxiety. Steve shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he breathed, “I thought I did, but–” he trailed off, the implications hanging thick in the air.

Bucky sighed and rolled his shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension that they held. He had never seen Steve like this. Sharon was already in the picture when he had been brought back to the compound.

They had seemed happy, but Bucky wasn’t blind to the issues that plagued the couple. Sharon was away so often, and when they were together, they spent most of their time bickering and nagging at each other.

“But?” Bucky prompted.

Steve needed to talk about this. He couldn’t hide it, or he would only feel worse, and possibly put himself in a situation where everyone would get hurt.

“But Theo–” Steve started opening his mouth, but no sound came out.

But Theo indeed.

He had gotten to know the techie a lot over the last week, especially after their heart to heart about hers and Evelyn’s troubled pasts. He could see why Steve was falling. She would be incredibly easy to love, romantically or platonically. All you had to do was look at Evelyn to see that.

At the thought of Evelyn, Bucky’s breath caught in his chest, and he shook his head. He was here for Steve and needed to concentrate on that.

“I’m just saying that you can’t pretend like it’s nothing.” Theo was starting to get bored of the conversation, why Evelyn couldn’t just accept it, she didn’t know. “What exactly happened?”

Evelyn took a seat on the bed at last, “I don’t know, like a weird nervous feeling in my stomach but I wasn’t nervous.” Evelyn had no idea how to explain the feeling. She looked to Theo to see her smiling widely at her friend.

“What? What is it?”

Evelyn was backing from Theo warily.

“Tell me!”

“Oh my god! Its finally happened!” Theo jumped up and began punching the air and throwing herself around the room, her leg now much better. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

“What?!” Evelyn grabbed her friend by the shoulders and made her face her. “What happened?!”

“What are you going to do?” Bucky sat back as he posed the question to Steve, bringing his arm away to lean back on his hands.

“I don’t know. What do you think I should do?” Steve lifted his head and twisted in his seat to get a look of his best friend, who was currently avoiding his gaze and looking out of the glass wall that made up one side of the room, and into the grounds.

“Buck?” Steve implored.

Bucky let out a huff. “Look, you know I don’t get on with Sharon, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work on what you have. Are you happy?” Bucky asked, finally meeting Steve’s eyes.

At the end of the day, all Bucky wanted was for Steve to be happy.

After Peggy, Bucky wasn’t sure he’d see Steve completely happy again; there had always seemed to be something lacking in his relationship with Sharon. Bucky didn’t doubt Steve cared for her, but it was almost like a part of him was missing, like he’d left it back in the 40s with Peggy.

Bucky thought he’d seen a few glimpses since Theo’s arrival; Steve’s contented face while he slept on Tony’s sofa, or the moment they had shared in the training room a few hours ago.

He was playing in a dangerous territory, and he needed to decide what he wanted.

“I was.” Steve started, looking pensive as he stared at the wall behind Bucky. “But then, Sharon’s away so much now, I never see her, and she never answers my calls. Sometimes I feel like we’re just going through the motions.”

His gaze dropped and he shook his head.

“I wouldn’t even know how to go about ending things, man. She’s half way across the world…”

“Which is why you need to decide what you want to do.” Bucky caught Steve’s eyes again, ducking slightly to pin him with a serious expression. “You can’t do this behind her back, imagine if the tables were turned, and Theo? You can’t keep putting her through this when there’s currently no space or future for it.”

“I know.”

“A crush?! I don’t have a crush… ten-year-olds get crushes.”

Evelyn was trying to dismiss the thought, but she couldn’t shift the feeling that she knew Theo was right.

And she didn’t like that.

Theo was still jumping up and down around the place, excited for her friend.

“Yes, you do!” She began wiggling a finger in Evelyn’s face. She laughed and pushed Theo away jokingly.

“Well the impressive thing is that you’re not making a big deal out of it,” Evelyn dripped sarcastically, rolling her eyes at her friends’ behaviour.

She tried to busy herself by turning to water the plants in the room. She was at thirteen now, less than before but it wouldn’t be long before her collection was extensive again. Maybe she would have to miss a few more illegal plants but, she was happy with what she had.

“Thanks for the plants by the way Te,” she said motioning to all the coloured pots littering the floor.

Theo stopped jumping and faced her, “I didn’t do this, I thought it was it you…”

“I’m sorry you’re going through this,” Bucky mumbled, clapping Steve on the back. “Who would have thought scrawny little Steve Rogers from Brooklyn would be struggling to choose between two beautiful, accomplished, smart women. The only thing that wet wipe used to catch was a cold.”

At that Steve threw himself back on the bed, his right hand brought up to his chest and he wheezed out a laugh. His eyes squeezed shut at the memories of long ago.

“I love you, man.” Steve said, wiping his eyes as he looked up his friend, grinning from ear to ear.

“I love you too.” Bucky rolled his eyes and heaved himself off of the bed and strode towards the door. “I think you need to give her some space until you decide what to do, yeah?” Steve nodded, suddenly sombre again, “and if you tell anyone I told you I loved you?” Bucky pointed to the window, “I will throw you through that window and not even bat an eyelid.”

Steve let out a cackle and threw a pillow towards Bucky, just as he slammed the door behind him.

Theo had fallen asleep talking about solar energy vs lithium power and was curled into a ball on the floor.

Why she couldn’t sleep on a bed, Evelyn didn’t know, but that girl would drop and sleep anywhere, so could Evelyn, but it had been a while since she had been wasted enough to do so.

Evelyn held a blue and white patterned plant pot in her hands, a snake plant held inside. She wondered who had been leaving the plants in her room.

Sam? No, Sam would have given them directly to her. Tony? He told her to keep it outside.

Wanda? Pietro? Carol?

None of them seemed to fit the bill for doing something like this. she allowed her heart a moment to think it was Bucky, but quickly dispelled it. There was no way he felt anything close to what she was feeling. She had been thinking about trying to talk to him about the nightmares, Sam telling her he might be able to help, though she didn’t want to annoy him or take up his time.

He had more important things to do than listen to her sorrow and woes.

But she had walked in on Theo giving him a complete rundown of their lives. Her past, warts, and all. And he didn’t seem to look down on her or badly at her. In fact, he offered her a seat, her heart had skipped when he did. Then shut back off when he gave her short reply to her question about his arm.

She shook her head and slid the pot back across the floor, letting it rest with the other plants.

Why did she have to feel like this?

Why did everything get so complicated?

She just wanted to go back to how things were before. Without the nightmares.

He had also helped train her and she had improved since that session. It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t know not to mention her parents. She had reacted harshly, and she felt bad, but she didn’t know whether she wanted to try again.

Training with Bucky.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to because she wanted to improve or if she wanted to spend more time with him.

A knock at the door broke her from her caging thoughts. She pulled herself up from leaning on the bed and opened it quietly, peeking out she saw Tony stood there.

“What’s up buttercup? You free?” he pushed the door open to see a small ball of sleeping blankets on the floor. “something for you in the lab” he went to leave before turning back and shouting, “you too Bartik!”

Theo shot up and adjusted her glasses before being pulled off of the floor by Evelyn.

She fell into step easily behind Evelyn with a huge grin on her face, Evelyn infinitely more wary than her.

Chapter 27: kings and queens

Chapter Text

As the girls approached the dimly lit office, the lights sprang to life and opened the space up. When Bucky saw Evelyn looking nervous and Theo looking giddy with happiness, curiosity got the better of him and he followed them into the office where he was met by Sam.

“You good?” it was a simple enough question for the long haired man.

A grunt gave him his answer, “I guess.”

Tony input a few keystrokes and a capsule started lowering down, a frosted glass front unsealed itself, letting a carpet of smoke out.

Inside was super-suit.

It was green and metallic, glinting under the white overhead lights. It had a high collar encasing the neck, leaving the head exposed.

Evelyn knew, it was hers.

“Okay petal head, suit up and let’s see if it fits” Tony pointed at the green suit. Evelyn’s breath hitched; this was all becoming very real. “Theo did not have any part in this, I have to say that for legal reasons” he leant in and whispered the last part.

Theo gave her a wink which meant she had of course, had very much had something to do with this. Tony tapped the centre of the suit, a small silver leaf emblem surrounded by a ring. As he did so, it began to shrink into itself. He plucked the badge from the body stand and placed it into Evelyn’s hand.

“Off you go.”

Evelyn stared at it, feeling stupid; she wasn’t particularly good at this kind of stuff. This was Theo’s area of expertise, not hers. She looked to Theo who motioned to her put it to her chest and press down. Evelyn did as she was told and the suit began to crawl over her skin, covering every inch of her, except for her head and fingertips.

It fit perfectly, naturally.

She felt a little restricted but knew she would soon get used to it.

There were multiple buttons on a console on her left arm.

Unlabelled, great.

“Oof! Now that’s a suit!” came Sam from the back. He was stood, grinning next to Bucky who also had a small smile on his face. Evelyn looked herself up and down, she felt pretty protected inside it, she couldn’t deny.

She shot an open smile to Sam and Bucky; both of them happy for her in different ways.

“Okay. Before we start flight training, we need to–” started Theo.

“I’m sorry” interjected Evelyn, “did you just say flight training? I don’t fly,” she gestured to herself, “I tend to stay on the ground… you know… where the safety is. Not in the air, where the danger is…”

“You do now,” Theo retorted, and she pressed a button on the console and a set of wings began to unfold. The nano tech forming into familiar, bee shaped wings. But they were smaller than Evelyn wanted them to be, she wasn’t sure they would hold her up.

“They run on solar power and collect it as you go as well” Theo continued not noticing her friends face at the wing size. “Then there’s your concentrated UV beams in your blaster pads” pointing at the suit’s palms.

“Te…. Are these big enough?” Evelyn flicked a hand towards the wings.

“Yes”

“How do you know?”

“You ever seen a bumblebee?”

“Well yes–”

“That’s it, that’s all you need to know”

“Te, I swear to god–”

“HEY!” Sam’s voice called from the back of the room. Snapping the girls from their interaction. “C’mon, it’s time to learn to fly babygirl!” he rubbed his hands together gleefully.

Evelyn actually let a small laugh out, earning a surprised stare from Theo that she quickly pushed back down. Theo continued to explain how to activate the wings to Evelyn.

Bucky looked at Sam and folded his arms; the jealousy was back. He pushed it down, he couldn’t help her with this even if he wanted to. Which he unfortunately did, of course he did.

“Hey Sam, take it easy on her...” came his low voice, “she’s got enough bruises to last a while.”

He pat Sam on the back before walking from the room, not seeing the gears turning in Sam’s head before the pin dropped and realised.

Sam kept it to himself though, he was probably wrong. He’d talk to Steve later about it. He had already been trying to convince Evelyn to talk to Bucky about her nightmares, and now he was more determined for her to do so. Maybe if for more than one reason now.

Ten minutes later, they were out on the field. Tony and Theo watching from the side.

Sam was talking Evelyn through the basics of piloting, and she was listening intently, so as not to miss anything. She knew she could fall to earth from a high place and still survive, but actually flying? It was a whole new ball game.

“Keep your arms in,” Sam was barking instructions at her, but she didn’t feel intimidated, she knew he was doing it, so she didn’t die on her first day of flight. “Always look ahead of you to check for obstacles,” she was nodding at his words. “And if you think you’re gonna take a hit that might knock you down?”

“Let the fall happen and stay calm while I work through it. Panicking will get me nowhere.” she repeated his words from earlier back at him.

“Okay, you good?” she heard her two new favourite words, and braced, pressing the button on the back of the suit, and letting the wings expand and start their fluttering on cue. She could feel herself able to move them, her feet began to leave the floor and she started to hover.

Nervously, she put her arms out to steady herself then remembered Sam’s words and pulled them back into herself, she instantly felt more balanced.

“That’s great! Keep going!” He applauded, his big-brotherly side on full display. He whipped his wings into existence and started heading up with her.

Evelyn was starting to get used to the feeling of not being on the floor and not being supported by a plant. She glanced to the console on her forearm and saw a small button next to the wing button.

“What does this do?” she asked Theo through the comms.

“DON’T TOUCH THAT YET!” Theo cried.

Too late.

She pressed it.

And she shot into the air propelled by two small boosters on her back. Theo watched in horror as Evelyn took off towards the sky, screaming.

Sam took off towards her, following the terrified cries, but when he reached as far up as she had been, she wasn’t there. Suddenly a green blur sped past him, whooping.

Evelyn had pressed the button again and stopped the boosters, she had found her balance. She was wobbling and shaking as she went but she going in the sort of direction she wanted. It was better than falling to earth. Her laughter rang down the earpieces of the others, including Theo’s, who was cheering her on from the ground.

Sam had caught up to her.

“How you feeling?!” he shouted over the rushing air. “You good?”

Evelyn hollered back her assurance she was and earned a smile from him. She felt like she was unstoppable now. She felt able to take on anything, anyone.

Even her brother.

She allowed herself to fall back towards earth, knowing she could pull herself in time now. As she entered the air space visible from the compound, she saw Tony and Theo excitedly talking and pointing at her; no doubt discussing any changes they would make to the suit before the afternoon was out.

She landed unsteadily onto the grass and let the wings fold back in. Sam landed on the ground next to her, patting her on the back as he walked to her.

“Not bad, for a rookie.” He flashed her a grin. She couldn’t help beaming back at him. “Now let’s see if you can do a running start.”

Evelyn nodded and took her place in the centre of the field. She started running as fast as she could and pressed the button when she got up to speed; wings unfolding gracefully within a split second, and she was off. Back into the air, she didn’t need the boosters now; she felt more confident. She did a full circle of the sky before coming back down.

Her landing was better than the first time.

“That’s it babygirl!”

Sam, Theo, and Tony were all cheering and clapping.

She spared a glance to the compound windows, and saw Bucky, staring at her. Her breath caught in her throat and the butterflies returned when he smirked at her and waved.

She felt herself smiling back unable to catch herself in time. It spread across her face faster than wildfire. She was snapped from staring at Bucky by Sam, who was telling her it was time to try air combat.

Evelyn gulped; she was most nervous for this part of the training. After her failed attempts at fighting Nat, she didn’t want to fail in the air. Hundreds of feet up in the air for that matter. At least she had a smaller audience this time.

She took a deep breath, running towards the centre of the grassy patch and kicking off into the air. She wobbled again, she needed to work on her nerves. She was usually high as a kite when she was in the field, and that kept her nerves in check.

This time was different.

She hadn’t touched anything in over a week.

Bucky watched her with interest as she took off, praying that Sam listened to him and went easy on her. He didn’t want to see her with a broken limb as well this week. She healed fast due to being enhanced, but still; she didn’t need a busted leg or arm as well.

He started exiting the building, wanting to see this play out from a better viewpoint.

He had decided that he was going to just accept how he was feeling, but not push it anywhere. He’d seen her flushed face as he waved at her, but he was still aware of her nightmares and fragile state she was in right now.

He knew more than perhaps she thought he did.

Every time he snuck into her room to leave a plant, he would take a second to take her in, her scent, her style, her plants she was growing at a faster rate than usual, even the nest on the floor she had made Theo to crash in. He knew she had a hidden tank under her bed, which had some overly concerning looking blue mushrooms in it. But he wasn’t going to mention it to anyone in case he lost her because of it. That was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

As he approached the field, he heard the familiar sounds of fighting from above, looking up to see Sam and Evelyn going at each other.

Evelyn was doing her best but knew she would need more training before she felt comfortable engaging in battle in the skies. Just as she blocked a punch from Sam, she glanced down and saw Bucky standing with Theo and Tony. Her heart jumped a little at his friendly expression. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her chest, Sam had struck her, and if by some well-placed miracle, he had hit the leaf emblem that caused the suit to recede back inside the small silver disc.

Evelyn felt her wings and armour vanish and felt her descent to earth begin. The disc loosening from her grasp, falling away from her. As she plummeted towards the ground, she tried not to panic as Sam had taught her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. Just before she made contact with the rocks and dirt, a large and bouncy patch of moss sprung up. She bounced off it, and although it cushioned her fall, it still caused her to hit the ground quite hard.

She let out a pained cry.

Sam slamming down to land a few feet away, wings folding away immediately.

“Evelyn!” cried Bucky, as he tore towards her. Theo followed behind, taking a slower pace, and smirking to herself at Bucky’s concern. She knew Evelyn would be okay, she had definitely survived worse.

Evelyn pushed herself onto her elbows and reached to take the outreached hand in front of her. When she felt cold metal, she looked up. Bucky had a look of pure terror and apprehension contorting his features.

“Are you hurt? Let’s get you to the med bay–” his voice was frantic as he pulled her up. She waved him off, taking a minute to catch her breath. Hands on her knees, she took deep breaths to steady herself, first she fell out of the sky just like she’d feared. And then the guy she couldn’t get out of her head was acting like he cared, hell it was like he liked her. His face turned to a soft smile, “alright Comet; if you’re sure.”

And at the mention of being compared to a meteor, Evelyn felt a weird sensation, and before she knew it, she was bent over in the biggest bout of laughter than had it her in a while. As in, the first time she’d laughed like that in twenty years.

Bucky was ecstatic as she laughed, her cheeks turning pink, her little nose all scrunched up. She was adorable, her gentle but strong laugh echoed out.

“I think that’s enough near-death experiences for one day,” Tony interrupted her giggles, “and, we’ve lost your suit.”

“I told you to put it on a badge, or a bracelet but no.” Theo interjected, rolling her eyes. She really had mentioned this whole situation as a potential problem.

Evelyn was technologically challenged at the best of times, giving her a piece of tech to care of was dangerous. The Tamagotchi her parents had bought her as a kid, for instance - dead within a day. Theo’s was still alive, hidden in her sock drawer.

She was proud it was still going.

“I’ll find it.” Sam tapped a button on his wrist interface, and suddenly a small red glider popped out from his back and started hovering over the area scanning for the suit disc. Evelyn was entranced by the little metal plane, running up to it and poking it. It poked her back and flew off.

She smiled brightly at it.

Bucky was still watching her as she danced around after Redwing. He wanted to spend the rest of the day with her, but didn’t know how to suggest it, so instead he stood rooted to the spot; pretending not to be annoyed that the first bit of tech she actually showed interest in was Redwing.

“Do you know what we need?” Tony posed rhetorically to the group. “A celebration, of not dying in your first week of training–” he pointed at Evelyn, “and you not touching the pentagon’s systems for a whole five days.” He turned to face Theo, “I wanna say a week, but I can’t be too sure with you, so you lose two days because of my trust issues.”

“That’s fair” Theo shrugged, her lip curling into a sneer.

“Celebration?” asked Evelyn hopefully, the mention of something social distracting her from Redwing for a second. “Will there be dancing? Because if I’m not high, I at least want to dance.”

Bucky was not in the mood for dancing, at least not the kind she would want to do. He liked dancing, where it was just two people, lost in the moment.

“Little miss, you’re about to experience a real Avengers assembly.” Tony winked at her.

Chapter 28: the only exception

Chapter Text

The afternoon had ended on a high at the mention of a get together that didn’t involve possible death and destruction, rather merriment and delight. Evelyn raided her wardrobe as soon as she got back inside. Picking her ensemble immediately, she laid it out over her bed and stepped back to take it in fully.

She approved.

What she didn’t approve of was the sight of Theo, on her knees, pulling knitted jumpers out one by one; and poking her fingers through the holes acting as if this was acceptable party-wear, mumbling to herself about how many holes in her sweaters are acceptable for a social gathering.

“Absolutely f*cking not!” cried Evelyn as she realised Theo was genuinely considering wearing one of her hideous sweaters to this evening’s event. She shuddered at the thought, before grabbing the pile of non-Theo-approved sweaters, gathering them in her arms.

She walked to the window, fiddling with the catch with one hand, and before Theo could stop her, she launched a waterfall of jersey, cashmere, and tweed out of it, watching them fall with no grace and land with dramatic thud.

“They weren’t that bad!” cried Theo as she ran to get a look at her now grounded wardrobe. Gripping the window frame, she shot a death glare at Evelyn. “You’re a monster!”

“A monster with a perfectly curated wardrobe, let’s go.” Evelyn responded coolly, jabbing her head towards her vibrant and heavily floral clothes hanging in the closet.

Evelyn and Theo had decided to decorate as no one else seemed that bothered, and they couldn’t leave the outside so clinical. They had a box of fairy lights and were doing their best to untangle them.

Theo was enjoying herself, the menial task reminded her Christmas and how every year, no matter how tidy she had been putting the lights away, they were always tangled when she came back to them the next year.

Evelyn was not enjoying herself. It was the most irritating and fiddly thing she could have been tasked with, and she found herself audibly groaning and sighing.

Theo took the lights from her and patted her knee, Evelyn got up and wandered round the balcony they were trying to make more fun and exciting.

“Hey, Te?” Evelyn was looking around at the pergola they were planning on draping in the fairy lights. A grunt let Evelyn know she could hear her, “How are you gonna get the lights up there?”

“I’ll let you know when I’ve figured it out, it’s pretty tall.”

Theo was sitting back on her knees, still detangling, making a much better job of it than Evelyn; her tongue stuck out in extreme focus at the task at hand.

Evelyn just giggled at her friend’s response, of course she hadn’t thought it through, one task at a time was Theo’s method.

Evelyn knew full well she could get the lights up there with some botanical help, but decided to watch Theo work it out instead.

“Maybe I could help with that?” offered a kind voice from the doorway.

Steve was standing there watching them struggle, looking for an opening, a reason… a good one, to talk to Theo again. He kept his gaze on her as her freckled cheeks tinged pink at the offer and she gave a small nod.

He couldn’t stop the smile that spread on his face.

It only got bigger when Theo smiled back at him. His heart beating faster than he was used to. As he stepped out, Bucky followed behind him flashing Evelyn his trademark smirk which she promptly returned, much to his joy.

After they had finally untangled the lights, Theo handed the lights to Steve who reached up to start stringing them when they realised, he was also just the tiniest bit too short, and that it had been built to allow the Hulk underneath, giant that he was.

“Well, that’s unexpected,” muttered Steve, it was all he could muster. Bucky who couldn’t resist the moment that presented itself, nudged Evelyn getting her attention and then clearing his throat.

“Theo, you, er, might have to get on his shoulders.”

He couldn’t stop the mischievous grin that appeared on his face.

Evelyn looked at him in confusion, until she saw the look on both Steve and Theo ‘s faces, the deep red that burned their ears and the sudden looks down to the floor.

It all clicked in her head, she looked back at Bucky who gave her the smallest nod.

Evelyn wanted to lose it, not in a bad way but more of a “how dare you lecture me on crushes on men and then do this, this is great!” kind of way. But she kept it under control, choosing to savour this and bring it up later when she’s finished enjoying the hypocrisy of it all.

Inside Evelyn was screaming and punching the air and screaming “YES!” outside she was cool as cucumber.

It was the most awkward stringing of fairy lights Evelyn had ever witnessed.

She had sat on a chair next to Bucky, both of whispering to the other about the whole situation in front of them and he had her in fits of silent laughter, her hand over her mouth so as not to give herself away.

Bucky leant back and gave Steve a smirk and a salute as he looked over at him. He was grateful that not only was he witnessing his friend struggling in romance, again, but that he was sat next to the only person he wanted to be.

When he felt a small hand start playing with his hair, he didn’t move away, he pretended he didn’t even acknowledge it. He just smiled and let Evelyn mess about with his hair, suddenly grateful he’d been talked out of cutting off.

He could stay here forever, pretty girl on his arm, kind of, Steve was all panicked over a girl and he had a front row seat.

No one was trying to kill them in that exact moment, no threats incoming.

This was bliss.

Theo was winding the lights around, with her tongue still stuck out in concentration, Steve balancing her perfectly of course. His hands gripped on her thighs, keeping her in place.

They talked awkwardly about what Theo was working on, she’d already upgraded most of the kitchen appliances in the compound and was currently reeling off a load of changes she could apply to F.R.I.D.A.Y. to improve the security protocols.

Steve didn’t completely understand what she was talking about, but he listened and nudged and prompted when she faltered, anxious that he wasn’t interested in what she was talking about.

On more than one occasion Steve froze when he felt Theo brace herself, running her fingers through his hair as she leaned forward slightly, he had to supress a shiver when she gripped his hair and pulled slightly; she didn’t even seem aware she had done it.

When they were done, she tapped him on the head twice.

“All done Cap!”

He knelt down so she could jump off her perch. She had managed to get her emotions in check for now, Steve on the hand, had not. He was still flustered and even more so when Theo gave a curt nod and all but ran back inside.

Steve turned to shoot Bucky a look when they were distracted by a twisting, creaking sound. Evelyn was stood under the pergola her hands raised, eyes closed, green mist swirling; her trademark flora floating with it.

Bucky and Steve watched as climbing plants and creeping vines, crawled up and wrapped themselves round the wooden beams. Yellow blooms, red botany and lavender blossoms all bursting forth in quick succession.

When she was done, she dusted off her hands and turned on her heels and faced the guys.

“What?” she asked at Steve’s incredulous face.

“Could you not have used them to get the lights up there?” he gave her an overly exasperated look while pointing back at the pergola.

“Yes. But then I would’ve missed that entertaining debacle, and who would want that?” She gave him a devilish smirk and skipped inside. Bucky could do nothing than pat his friend on the shoulder and walk away as Steve called out to him.

“What does she mean? Bucky? Bucky?!”

All four of them had been distracted since the balcony encounter, Steve and Theo both caught up in thoughts of each other while Bucky and Evelyn were lost in thoughts of themselves; and how could the other like them after all they’ve done.

Evelyn had spent the last hour pacing the balcony and chewing at the top of her thumb, her hair bursting forth with all sorts of plants, passion flowers, thorns, ivy, weeping willow branches, even a rose bush had tried to sprout out of it at one point. She had bat them away every time, hoping for it to calm down.

She remembered a tiny Theo reading her Greek Mythology books at sleepovers and recalled the story of Medusa, she truly felt that way right now. That anyone who dared look at her would turn to stone, be blinded by the ugliness that she carried with her at all times.

She picked up a rock from a nearby pot and launched it full force out over the field, watching it hit the ground with a small thump.

It didn’t make her feel better.

Evelyn had learned of a gun range on site and decided to shoot out her frustrations, at targets paid for by the government.

She entered the underground range and tutted as the automated system booted up the lights and lowered a weapons rack. The guns and knives laid out neatly on shelves, backlit in white.

Everything was so modern.

She knew she didn’t want to mess around with a handgun, she knew she needed to kill a paper target with the AR-15 that almost called her name out as she saw it. She picked it up, her muscle memory all coming back to her; Maria had been the one to train her after all. She flipped and loaded the gun expertly and felt it firm in her grasp, holding it up to the targets that dotted the arena in front of her.

She let loose.

Shell casings sprayed out of the right side as she held the trigger down, all her confused emotions leaving with each bullet. When she finished her rounds, she lowered the gun.

She hadn’t missed a single one.

“Still got it,” she whispered to herself, smirking. As she went to place the gun back on the rack, it retreated back into the ceiling. “Hey, wait!” she called fruitlessly.

Like a machine would ever listen to her.

The main lights shut off and the ambient strip lighting glowed brighter around the floor. Evelyn reloaded the gun out of instinct and began to look for signs of another person through the sight, she scanned every corner of the room, no one.

Just as she began to lower the gun and breathe again. She heard the hiss of the PA system, the sound of a small throat echoed through the room.

“Ahem. Want some better targets?” came Theo’s voice.

She had known exactly what Evelyn needed in that moment.

An enthusiastic nod from Evelyn made Theo click a button and a within seconds, a red flashing light started spinning, a siren began, and holograms appeared from the walls, Evelyn took aim and fired, sharp shooting every single one that came at her.

After she shot down at least forty separate holographic enemies, she was able to take a breath before Theo launched the next attack, flying threats, again with near perfect precision, Evelyn shot them down.

A soft, familiar male voice came down the intercom.

“Very well done, Evelyn. Would you like to know your stats?”

“Pops!”

Evelyn never called D.A.D. by his actual name, it had always been Pops. It drove Theo mad, so mad that she found herself subconsciously correcting Evelyn under her breath.

“What are my stats Pops?”

“75 targets, thirty-five ground targets taken out with an average of .67 seconds for each shot.”

“Ah, sweet,” celebrated Evelyn as she balanced the gun on her shoulders, unloaded and safety on.

“Forty airborne targets with an average shot time of .71 seconds for each.”

Evelyn shrugged, “Eh, could be better, could be worse.”

“Better than me with a gun.” Theo commented over the comms.

“Ah, but my sweet little Theo!” called Evelyn to her friend as Theo lowered the weapons rack down. “No one can hack a gun turret like you can.”

She shot a wink to the CCTV camera she knew Theo was watching her through and turned to leave.

As she started to walk out, she heard someone applauding, and saw Bucky in the far corner, clapping. Evelyn felt her cheeks heating up, and she gave him the best smile she could in that moment.

She had come to shoot down her emotions, literally, and here was the root of those emotions; stood clapping right in front of her.

“You going to the party?” He was aiming for casual and low-key flirty; he didn’t want to scare her or make her feel like he was actually coming onto her, he would be happy as friends; he told himself.

Truth was, sure he would be happy with her as a friend, but he also wanted to know her more than that. He felt he was getting somewhere now. The hair stroking and the fact that while Theo and Steve were putting up the lights, she had actually mentioned her nightmares to him for the first time, no details, but the fact that she admitted she was struggling with it, to someone other than Theo was huge.

Bucky didn’t make a big deal out of it, choosing to let her push it at her own pace.

“Nooo, I just love putting decorations up for parties I don’t go to,” she replied sarcastically, giving him a wink as she did so she he knew she was joking.

He realised his error, of course she was going, but he meant was she going with anyone else. Now he felt too embarrassed to ask, but at least she was going to be there.

She collected her things and began walking away to get ready. “I’ll see you there, cyborg,” smiling back at him before jogging away.

Chapter 29: montero (call me by your name)

Chapter Text

This dress should be illegal.” Theo muttered venomously, tugging at the length of the dress.

When she lowered it to cover her legs more, the material slid down and exposed her chest; well, what little of it there was.

Evelyn slid up behind her and slapped her hands away, pulling the dress up at the hemline and down at the cleavage.

Theo rolled her eyes and huffed as Evelyn fidgeted with the ruffled off-the-shoulder sleeves.

“Can’t I pick something from my wardrobe?”

“No.” Evelyn retorted curtly. “You are not going to a party with the Avengers in a gross old jumper and slacks. I love your style Te, but it’s time to try something new”

She had perched herself on the corner of the desk that had been set up in the corner of the room they shared.

“You know,” she wrinkled her nose, casting an eye around the space, “we should probably ask Tony if we could have our own rooms… I think they have the wrong idea about our relationship.”

“What do you mean?” Theo said, turning to face Evelyn, her head co*cked, and brows knitted together.

Evelyn raised a painted eyebrow, green today to match her hair. “Theo, they probably think we’re a couple; or at least, Tony does.”

Theo’s eyes shot open wide. “Do you think that’s why I’ve not had any luck since we’ve got here?” she spluttered out.

Theo had already established a very tactile relationship with Carol, but now Carol was off earth, she had been flirting with every single female member of the team.

No dice so far.

“Yes Theo, it’s because people think we’re together, not because you’re openly flirting with every member of the team–”

“female–”

“Yes, sorry, every female member of the team.” Evelyn tutted loudly, standing to check her outfit in the large mirror before they headed down.

Theo felt a wave of jealousy.

Evelyn always looked so effortlessly put together. Even before when she used to spend more time wasted than sober.

Tonight, she wore a knee length chiffon floral print dress in a deep burnt orange colour, the slit up the side dangerously close to the top of her thigh, calf length black leather, slightly platformed boots and had a matching black leather jacket slung over the desk chair ready to be put on in a moment’s notice.

Evelyn had pinned half of her long wavey green locks into two small, adorable space buns on the top of her head, leaving the rest to float effortlessly behind her, half way down her back.

She kept her make-up simple, a strong black cat eye and a dark lip, a dab of blusher along her nose and apples of her cheeks and of course some glitter tapped along her cheekbones.

“Maybe I should just stay here?” Theo murmured, overwhelmed by a sudden surge of anxiety, “I mean I’m not technically on the team…”

She trailed off, knowing already she wouldn’t win the oncoming argument with Evelyn.

“Yeah, that’s not happening. I did not spend 3 HOURS, washing, combing, drying, and styling your tumbleweed of hair, styling you to perfection only for you to change your mind at the last minute. Grab your jacket and get your ass out that door.”

She shoved Theo towards the doorway, and Theo dipped to pick up the thin burgundy blazer Evelyn had approved her to take, in case she got cold.

She wasn’t used to showing so much skin.

Oh, god. Why did she agree to this?

“Evelyn, who is this and what have you done with Theo?” Tony fake spluttered. “Oh my god, Theo, you’re not wearing something woollen, are you okay? Quick someone take her pulse!”

He grinned as he reached out to pull her in a bone crunching hug. Pulling back, he appraised her properly, suddenly noticing that her dress only reached halfway down her thighs.

“On second thoughts, do you wanna go and maybe put a pair on tights on underneath? What about some slacks? Hang on, let’s go get you covered up–” he quipped as he started herding Theo back towards the residential floor.

Evelyn flung her arm out and slapped him on the bicep, “Tony, she’s a 26-year-old woman. She can show some skin. Leave her alone!” she glared at him, then smiled to show she was playing.

“I for one am very glad you bullied Theo into letting you dress her,” mused a voice from the corner.

Theo whirled round as she recognised the voice and launched herself over the sofa and into the arms of the woman standing ready and waiting.

“Carol!” squealed Theo, as Carol spun in a circle, swinging Theo’s legs behind her. When she stopped and put Theo down, she was breathless and flushed. “When did you get back on-world?”

“Just now, I heard about your victory celebrations and couldn’t resist.” She shot a proud look at Evelyn, “congratulations to you too,” she added, knowingly.

“Okay that’s enough now Vivian Ward,” Tony said, pulling Theo out of Carol’s arms, her bottom lip stuck out in a pout, and he chuckled. “Before we head to the function room on the other side of the compound, I thought we could have a few rounds of indulgences before we go.”

He pulled out a very expensive looking bottle of whiskey that Theo had never seen before, filled a few tumblers and passed them around. Evelyn eyed hers warily, remembering when she last drank Tony’s whiskey.

Theo didn’t know what to do, so she tipped her head back chugged the whole glass of the amber liquid, licking her lips as she dropped the glass onto the nearest table. Urgh, it burned her throat, but left her feeling tingly and warm.

“Oh, slow down! That was three-fingers of a Teeling Single Malt!” Tony choked, staring at Theo, wide eyed. “You’re meant to sip it!”

“Oh, can I have another?” Theo smiled sweetly, as Evelyn pressed her fingers to her eyes and shook her head.

“Here we go,” She muttered.

“Dance with me!”

“No.”

“Pleaaase? Look I’m sorry about before, I didn’t mean to embarrass you in front of everyone, they bet me to fight you. I didn’t mean it!”

Theo batted her long eyelashes at the red-haired goddess before her, her sickly-sweet smile plastered on her face. She wasn’t drunk, but she definitely appreciated the delicious glow that the alcohol had produced in her belly.

Natasha shook her head slightly, a smile threatening at the corner of her mouth as she determinately looked away from Theo. She was too cute when she flirted.

“Please?” Theo succeeded in catching Nat’s eye and popped her mouth opening, pouting slightly.

“Fine, one dance.” Nat conceded holding up her finger in Theo’s face as her pout was replaced by a brilliant smile.

Theo grabbed the hand that was in front of her face and dragged Nat onto the dance floor, immediately pulling her in close to dance to the heavy beat of the music.

“So, you’re going to be Queen of Asgard?” said Theo, sitting up a bit higher in her seat, she was drunk, and in the presence of royalty. Of course, Shuri was royalty too, but that didn’t count.

“Yes, I am. Thor was having a midlife crisis, so he abdicated to me. When Odin dies, I will take over the throne.” Valkyrie smiled at her blandly over her drink.

“Do you have a King lined up?” asked Theo pushily.

“No,”

“A Queen?”

Valkyrie paused and narrowed her eyes at Theo, “– no.” She continued.

“Would you like one?” retorted Theo wagging her eyebrows.

Valkyrie said nothing, she just rolled her eyes, patted Theo on the shoulder, and walked off with a smirk.

“You’re single, correct?”

“Theo please tell me you are not hitting on me,” Shuri co*cked her eyebrow at the rumpled mess before her.

“No, no of course not.” Theo sputtered in mock outrage, her hand flitting to her chest to exaggerate her point.

“… But you are right?”

“That’s a beautiful name, how do you spell that?” Theo asked, pulling her straw into her mouth, looking up through her eyelashes at the stony-faced woman before her.

“O-k-o-y-e,” the woman replied, “why?” she continued suspiciously, her shoulders rigid and alert.

“Oh,” Theo replied coyly, waving her hand nonchalantly, “so I know how to spell it with my tongue later.”

Shuri’s drink shot out of her nose as she snorted and bent double, laughing at the exasperated look on the royal guard’s face.

Theo really had no shame.

“So you two are together then?” Theo slurred, gesturing between Wanda and Vision.

“Yes,” the pair chuckled in unison looking into each other’s eyes.

“Gross.” Theo muttered as she turned back to the bar, “BARKEEP MY FRIEND! 4 more of those bombs that don’t actually explode please!”

Thor turned to Steve where they sat a few feet back from the bar, “I like her!” he appraised as he watched her pass two to the Maximoff twins, Vision couldn’t consume liquids, and downed the other two in quick succession.

“Of course you do.” Steve murmured, smiling into his drink

He had been watching Theo since she had entered the function room, tripping over her feet, and nervously pulling at her dress. Steve’s mouth had gone dry as his eye raked over her, taking every inch of her from where he had sat in a booth by the bar.

Her hair was fluffy, her curls looser than normal and her skin glowed, almost luminescent under the blue lights of the dance floor.

She looked ethereal.

She had made a beeline for the bar and ordered a round of shots for herself, Evelyn, Tony, and Carol. Once the sticky green liquid had been poured, she handed out the goods and immediately downed the drink in one, wincing slightly as the alcohol stung on its way down.

She instantly ordered a refill and emptied that one too.

He had watched her flit from person to person, charming and smiling at them, but each time leaving empty handed. She had sauntered off to a booth where she now sat curled up on Carol’s lap.

Steve had managed to keep a lid on his jealously as he watched her openly flirt with all the women on the team, but the sight of the two women whispering between them, exchanging soft touches and smiles twisted his stomach.

When Theo shifted so she was straddling Carol, gesturing between the two of them, he almost lost it there and then.

Carol tipped her head back, clearly laughing at something she had said.

He wanted to be the one with her curled on his lap, making him laugh.

He needed air.

He indicated to Thor that he would return shortly and headed to the roof.

Theo sat pouting on Carol’s lap, curled up with her head leaning against Carol’s shoulder, while Carol rubbed her hand in circles on the small of Theo’s back.

She felt lonely and dejected, not that it bothered her too much but maybe Evelyn was right.

Maybe no one wanted her.

“You know we’re just friends, right?” Carol stated suddenly, interrupting Theo’s sulking session, making her sit up straight and whipped her head around to look at Carol.

“I know,” Theo retorted, as if this was obvious to anyone. “Why else would I be flirting with everyone else here?”

“Because you’re trying to distract yourself from someone you actually like?” Carol posed.

f*ck.

She’d hit the nail on the head.

“I just wanted to make sure that that person wasn’t me,” she added sheepishly, shrugging, Theo shifted and threw her legs on either side of Carol’s, so she was straddling her.

“No, you have nothing to fret about, don’t worry. This,” she gestured towards how they were sat, “is just how we are. I appreciate you are a beautiful woman, but you are my friend, nothing more. Scout’s honour.”

She held up a salute, and then pinched her eyebrows together and co*cked her head as she realised what she’s said.

Damn Stark.

“Clearly, this is how all friends interact.”

Carol shifted underneath her and tipped her head back to let out a loud, long laugh. After a while she recovered and brought her head back down, wiping the tears from under her eyes.

“So who is it?” she questioned, glancing conspiratorially around the room.

“No one in particular,” Theo avoided the question and ducked her head to dodge Carol’s gaze.

She saw movement from the corner of her eye and followed Steve’s back as he stalked out of the room. She didn’t look away until he had disappeared into the corridor.

It was a good thing the music was too loud for him to hear what they had been discussing.

“Oh,” breathed Carol, she had followed Theo’s eyeline. “Is it one-sided?”

“I think so, I mean, he is with Sharon after all.” Theo shook her head sadly.

“Yeah okay, sure.” Carol rolled her eyes.

Theo didn’t understand what Carol meant but she suddenly felt hot all over and needed some air.

“I’ll be back in a minute; I need a lady moment.” Theo muttered as she lifted herself off of Carol’s lap.

Carol glanced up and asked if she wanted company, Theo declined and wobbled across the dance floor towards the exit that led to the bathrooms.

It also led to the roof.

Perfect.

No one would find her up there.

Chapter 30: rewrite the stars

Chapter Text

The air was sharp, a slight chill was in the air, indicating the end of the summer.

The afternoon they had spent pinning fairy lights to the pergola that covered a small seating area paid off, and they now twinkled against the dark sky like stars.

Evelyn had had a hand in the décor, as soft flowers on vines, that Theo couldn’t name right now, were wrapped around the painted wooden beams.

Theo closed her eyes wrapped her arms around herself and wished longingly for her blazer that she’d left in the booth with Carol. The cool air was soothing, and temporarily helped still Theo’s spinning vision.

She could see why Evelyn had such a hard time staying sober before. She felt numb, the ache in her chest seemed barely ablaze, thanks to the extortionate amount of alcohol flooding her system.

Her thoughts were scattered, so she didn’t dwell on anything in particular for too long. She stumbled towards the low wall that ran along the edge of the roof and looked down. Ah, yes, the perfect place to sit.

Lifting one leg carefully, she slipped over the wall and balanced precariously on the edge of the thick steel beam that wrapped itself around the sides of the building.

She stood as still as she could, then lifted her arms out the side, revelling in the breeze that fluttered between her fingers. Lowering herself gently, Theo sat down, dangling her legs over the edges kicking them gently in the breeze.

She leaned her head back against the sturdy concrete behind her and took in a deep cleansing breath.

The air smelt like rain, and clouds had rolled in covering the dark blue of the sky with a tempestuous blackness. A storm was coming, Theo was sure of it.

“Theo?” came an alarmed voice from the other side of the wall, “Theo, please. Come away from the edge.”

Steve had been sat in a far corner of the roof, staring aimlessly in an attempt to calm his frustration.

He couldn’t keep doing this to himself; but he couldn’t help longing to be close to her.

He’d kept his distance from her that as much as he could, smiling and nodding as she’d past him, but she’d turned her head away from him and stumbled off without a backwards glance.

He didn’t want to keep away from her anymore.

A loud banging interrupted his thoughts as, by some hideous twist of fate, Theo spilled out onto the roof, hair flowing like a halo around her, her shoes in her hands.

She was wasted and didn’t have a jacket.

Steve’s brow creased in concern for her as she wrapped her arms around herself, but he maintained his distance, following her with a watchful gaze. She dropped her shoes and stepped towards the wall at the end of the roof, no doubt to take in the view.

At that moment Steve’s phone buzzed.

He broke his watch to look at it, Bucky was looking for him. He lifted his head back up and jolted to his feet. He stood frozen, watching as the delicate woman before him, balanced dangerously on the small strip of metal that jutted out from the roof top.

As she raised her arms outstretched, Steve found himself darting across the roof towards her.

“Theo stop–” he managed to choke out, his voice barely audible, but she didn’t hear him as she started to sit herself down, resting like a very drunk gargoyle.

“Theo?” He tried again, “Theo, please. Come away from the edge.”

Theo sighed. Of course he was up here. The universe clearly thought this whole thing was f*cking hilarious.

“Stand down Captain Rogers,” slurred Theo from her seat. “I’m not going to jump; I’m just enjoying the view.”

She gestured wildly in front of her, and wobbled slightly, almost losing her balance.

“You don’t need to stay, I’ve got things completely under control,” she continued, slapping her hand down on the cold metal beneath her.

“I would feel better if you enjoyed the view from this side of the safety wall–” Steve started, taking a step towards her, his hand outstretched, palm up, signalling for her to take it. “And I’ve told you before, call me Steve.”

“Steve,” she breathed again, “I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. If you’re feeling anxious in this situation, may I suggest you take yourself inside, men over the age of 100 who are prone to stress are much more likely to suffer heart attacks.”

Theo snickered to herself, her nose scrunching, clearly impressed by her own joke.

“Ha, ha.” Steve huffed. He couldn’t believe she was making jokes in the state she was in. “Please Theo? Just come back over the wall. I’ll get Evelyn–” he threatened.

Theo turned to look at him for the first time since speaking, his face was haggard and his hair was rumpled, no doubt from where he kept dragging his fingers through it.

She wanted to run her fingers through it.

Oh god, this was why she’d come to the roof to begin with, to clear her head of these thoughts but now, here he stood in front of her, worry evident in his face and body language, the tension rolling off of him in waves.

“Fine,” she sighed struggling to get to her feet on the beam below her. Steve’s hand gripped her elbow to steady her when she nearly slipped as she turned to face him.

Now came the issue she hadn’t considered when she had gotten herself over here.

The beam sat lower than the floor, which meant the wall that had been knee height, now reached her waist, and currently she was having trouble standing, let alone performing some kind of gymnastics to get herself pulled up and over the wall.

Without missing a beat, Steve put his hands on her waist and lifted her over, and back to safety.

Flashy bastard.

Once on her feet, Theo brushed his hands away and spun to return to the party downstairs, she was never going live this down. As she twisted, she lost her footing, stumbling slightly and gripping the pergola for support.

She had gone incredibly light headed and started to feel dizzy.

“Woah, sit.” Steve barked as he guided her to one of the benches that lined the roof.

“Go away,” Theo complained as Steve pushed her down and crouched to her eye level.

“Do you want me to go get Evelyn?” Steve asked, one eyebrow raised.

“God no.” Theo interrupted. Evelyn was already having fun calling her a light weight, she didn’t need her to start worrying about Theo’s balancing act on the rooftop’s edge.

“Well then, you’re stuck with me,” and there it was, the megawatt schoolboy grin was back, leaving Theo breathless in its wake.

Theo put her head in her hands and took in deep steady gulps of the cool night air.

“What’s going on with you, honey badger?” Steve asked, concern flooding his voice.

“Please don’t call me that.” Theo begged, groaning as she sat up straight again.

Steve kept his gaze on her and was really able to see the tired confusion that twisted her beautiful features.

The v in her forehead was deeper than Steve had ever seen it, and before he could stop himself, he’d reached up and brushed it with his thumb, as if he could wipe her worries away, while his hand cupped the side of her face.

Sober, Theo may have recoiled or pushed him away, but right now she was tired of pretending, and leaned into his hand and closing her eyes briefly and sighing contentedly.

Theo opened her eyes and stared back into his, soft grey to sky blue. She slid her hand up his arm, on top of the hand that rested on her cheek and linked his fingers with hers.

“What are we doing?” Steve breathed in a hushed voice.

Theo shrugged weakly, and lifted her other hand, she noticed her fingers were trembling. Her fingertips reached out, gliding across the stiff fabric of his shirt as she placed her palm firmly against his chest.

She shifted forward and stood up, guiding Steve up with her, and leaned into him, inches from each other. He let go of her face and dropped both of his hands to her hips as she wound her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer.

Her breathing hitched, they were now inches away from each other, not breaking eye contact. Theo’s mouth parted slightly as what was about to happen really hit her. This was it; it was really f*cking happening.

She felt a jolt in her chest.

She had to stop this; this couldn’t happen.

“Steve, stop.” She whispered, barely audibly. “Sharon.”

Steve froze and dropped his head, so their foreheads were pressed together, closing his eyes as if in pain. “I know.”

“I can’t do this,” Theo pressed urgently, “not while you’re together.”

“I wouldn’t ask you too. But I can’t let you go; I’m not letting you go.” He breathed heavily. “I have to talk to her first. Can you wait for me? Give me a week at most. Please?” He opened his eyes and gazed at her earnestly.

Theo smiled and nodded slightly as she pulled away and he turned towards the door.

She tried to decipher what had just happened as Steve strode in front of her. Her chest felt tight, but instead of confusion, she felt elated, more like her chest was full to bursting, rather than being choked and starved of air.

She was nearly at the door and unknowing what came over her, she reached around him for the door, but instead of opening it, she barred the way for a split second before reaching one arm around his neck, fisted her hand in his hair and pulled his head down to her, crushing her lips to his.

It was like the dam burst, everything Theo had been holding back flooded her system.

The feelings she didn’t understand overwhelmed her logic and urged her to hold on to Steve tighter.

Steve groaned against her mouth as the last of his restraint disappeared, he reached down and lifted Theo by the back of her thighs, wrapping them around his waist as he pinned her to the door.

Theo locked her ankles together and clung onto him as Steve gripped her hips.

Steve tore his lips away from Theo’s and she whimpered slightly at the loss of contact.

“What are you doing to me?” Steve chuckled brushing a loose hair from Theo’s face, “I think we need to get you some water.”

She laughed gently and murmured her agreement.

“We can’t do this yet. A week. Give me a week.”

“Okay,” whispered Theo as she rested her face against Steve’s shoulder.

Chapter 31: shut up and dance with me

Chapter Text

They had been drinking for three hours at this point and everyone was a different level of drunk. Theo had never been this drunk before and was making the rounds, even sitting on Carol at one point.

Evelyn was sat a table with Sam, Thor, and Bucky, playing some game where they were writing names on rolling papers and sticking them to their foreheads, trying to guess who was stuck to their face before the others.

Sam was too drunk to carry on and kept nearly falling off his stool, whole Thor kept pulling him back, so Sam was tapped out. Thor wasn’t playing right and kept guessing things that Evelyn and Bucky weren’t even sure existed, staring at him in complete confusion.

Evelyn had her eyes narrowed, due to her slightly drunken state, and was trying to understand Sam’s incoherent mumblings, and nothing.

No idea what he’d said.

She had been dying to get up and dance but so far no one would humour her and join in, which annoyed her and made her more irritated. She kept nudging Bucky hoping he would at least stand there while she had fun if he wasn’t going to dance. But to no avail, he was still giving her a soft smile, but he didn’t want to dance.

He hadn’t danced for a long time, and the last time he had, it was swing music, not whatever this was. He couldn’t deny, he wanted to dance with her a little, her pleading face almost shifting his opinion but not quite.

“Please?”

“No.”

“Thor? C’mon, please tell me you dance?” Evelyn was desperate now, she simply wanted to move about a bit.

“Ah, maybe on Asgard but not here, it’s so…. Strange.” he smiled at her while pulling a small flask from his pocket, Evelyn eyed it curiously. “Asgardian Ale, not for the faint of heart.”

Evelyn scoffed and held her glass out, who did he think she was? “Hit me.”

Thor poured a tiny amount in her glass and then turned to Sam and Bucky, Sam covered his glass up, wary of the liquid, but Bucky held his glass out. Thor knocked his back in one, and Evelyn followed. Thor fixed her with a gaze, clearly waiting for something.

“What’s the matter?” she mused.

“Nothing, I’m waiting for you to fall over.” Thor was surprised she was still standing, expecting it to hit her any second, but she just pushed the glass away casually.

“It’s not my thing.” she said calmly as Bucky sniffed his glass and then quickly put it in Thor’s hand instead, who drank it happily.

“Please Bucky.” Evelyn whined, “even Bruce is dancing,” albeit unenthusiastically. Nat and Clint had cornered him and dragged him onto the dance floor.

“No.” Bucky remained firm. He wasn’t in the mood for dancing, the only thing that made this whole affair bearable was the woman sat next to him, her arm brushing against him as she bobbed to the beat.

“Come on!” she pleaded, pulling him up by his hand. He let her pull him up but stood his ground, shaking his head as she tugged his arm, trying to pull him on the dance floor, a grim determination causing her lips to form a thin line. “Dance with me!” She stomped her foot on the floor as he let his arm drop back to his side.

Bucky let out a chuckle at her temper tantrum and smirked at her. He watched as her posture changed, and she stepped closer towards him.

Evelyn knew she’d promised Theo she’d never use the information she had divulged about the Bionic-Man before her, but these were desperate times, and desperate times called for desperate measures. She shifted slightly so her weight was distributed evenly across her stance and gazed into Bucky’s eyes challengingly.

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and as opened his mouth to say something, Evelyn struck.

She whipped her arm quickly towards Bucky and hit the point at the junction of his vibranium arm once, twice and swiped her hand down the metal plates.

It landed with a clunk on the ground, and he stood in complete and utter shock staring at her, eyes bulging wide. Before he had a chance to regain his composure, Evelyn dipped low, snatched the arm, and twirled away, disappearing into the crowd.

Steve had convinced Theo to join him at the bar where she now sat chugging a pint of water.

He watched her warmly, as a small trickle escaped the glass and spilled down her cheek and neck. He passed her a napkin feeling it would give them away if he mopped her up himself.

He felt a rush of someone pass him very quickly and as he turned, he saw Evelyn shoot from her spot in a booth with Bucky and head towards the dancefloor, something bulky and shiny clenched in her arms. Her head was tipped back, and she was cackling maniacally.

As he heard a gruff sound of annoyance coming from behind him, Steve realised what Evelyn had stashed away, and raised his hand to his chest, and clutched it as he threw his head back and laughed aloud. She had managed to steal Bucky’s vibranium arm.

How she had even managed that, he had no idea.

Theo sat up straighter and followed Steve’s watery gaze towards the dancefloor where Evelyn now weaved between the party goers. Her jaw dropped as she saw her friend’s antics and looked over Steve’s shoulder to where Bucky stalked towards the thief with a murderous glare plastered on his face.

By this point everyone had noticed and were chuckling at the pair playing catch chase on the full dance floor.

“Bucky, I think she wants you to dance with her,” Tony called from his spot at the bar, just down from Theo and Steve. He was grinning and waving towards the beaming vixen as she danced with Bucky’s arm clutched close to her chest.

“I don’t dance.” retorted Bucky, a scowl contorting his features.

“How did she even know how to activate the failsafe?” Shouted Shuri, halfway between hysterical laughter and pure confusion. She looked towards Theo, who ducked behind Steve, her face sheepish and apologetic. “Of course it was you.” She rolled her eyes and turned back towards the crowd, “You know that’s only supposed to be activated in an EMERGENCY!” calling after Evelyn as she shot towards the exit, Bucky hot on her heels, smirking as he snaked around the throngs of dancers.

Steve shook his head, still chuckling to himself, as he looked down, Theo was still tucked under his arm, hiding from the wrath of the Princess of Wakanda.

A warm arm snaked around her waist as Evelyn had made it to the end of the corridor adjoining the function room. The corridor was cooler, the overhead lights were off leaving it swathed in shadows.

“Caught you,” came a low whisper in her ear, and she was practically a puddle on the floor at this point. With a firm grasp on her dress, Bucky twirled Evelyn around so she was facing him, her body pressed up to his awkwardly, she was still holding onto her prize for dear life. “Please can I have my arm back?”

Her eyes were wide and sparkled mischievously while she grinned breathlessly at him.

“Will you dance with me?” She asked co*cking her head to the side, her eyes flashing playfully as her grip on her commodity loosened infinitesimally.

Bucky huffed and nodded his head in agreement.

Evelyn’s grin spread even wider than Bucky thought was possible, she motioned to take a step back and Bucky begrudgingly let her. She stretched her arms in front of her and offered his arm back. He rolled his eyes and took it back, placing it over the mooring in the socket at his shoulder.

He didn’t even know his arm was detachable, how did she-

Theo. Of course it was Theo.

“Thank you,” He muttered curtly, swinging his arm in a circle to click it back into place. Her smile had faltered, and her prows pinched together. She started chewing on the skin around her thumb as she stared at the floor.

“Hey. Hey–” he started as he tucked his finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him, “talk to me.”

Evelyn pondered silently for a second before she blurted out, “you’re not mad at me, are you?”

Bucky dipped his head as he started to chuckle, “no doll, I’m not mad at you.”

Evelyn’s breathing hitched, as Bucky realised what he had said, his eyes snapped up to meet hers, which were low and hooded.

Tentatively, he lifted his flesh hand to brush back the hairs that had fallen loose from their buns and hung in her face. His hand trailed down her face to cup the back of her head as he drew her closer to him as her hands wound up his arms and came to a rest on his shoulders.

He wrapped his other arm around her waist as he leaned in, finally allowing himself to so what he had been thinking about ever he’d seen her dance drunkenly around the communal lounge.

Their lips met lightly, and Bucky’s mind went blank, she consumed him completely. He thrummed his thumb against her lower back as her nails dug into the skin through his soft t-shirt.

Reluctantly, Bucky pulled back slightly with a sigh and pressed his lips against her forehead once, and she tucked herself under his chin, her eyes still closed and contented. She slid her hands down and enveloped him in her arms which weaved around his middle. His hand still cradled her head as he held her to him, his other wrapped around her shoulders. Nothing could ruin this moment.

“Oh, my bad!” He stood corrected; Sam. Sam could ruin this moment.

Evelyn’s eyes snapped open as she stared at the swaying Sam who now stood, frozen to his spot, about 10 foot down the hall. She made to pull away, but Bucky held her firm where she was, unwilling to let her go. Not when he’d only just got her in the first place.

Sam stood there for a few more moments before Bucky chuckled, “dude, read the room!”

“Oh f*ck yeah, erm, I’ll see you back in there babygirl,” he pointed at Evelyn, “and I want a word with you.” He thrusted a finger drunkenly in Bucky’s direction. He spun on his heel and slunk off back towards the party.

“Well, that should be fun.” Bucky whispered, unable to keep the humour out of his voice. Evelyn buried her head into Bucky’s chest in embarrassment, still in shock that she was really here, in his arms.

Chapter 32: here's to us

Chapter Text

“Are you sure boss?” questioned F.R.I.D.A.Y., clearly unsure that Tony’s request was smart.

“Yes, bring out the karaoke!”

Ten minutes later, the group were collectively yelling and hollering at whoever was dancing around drunkenly on stage, getting more and more inebriated as time went on.

Thor and Evelyn, stood next to each other, feather boas and head boppers proudly in place. Clutching the microphone, they managed to get the words out while swinging around a bottle of scotch and a bottle of straight gin. The crowd cheering as they let their voices ring loudly and in tune. Thor mostly flailing around, attempting to dance and Evelyn holding him up. As they bust the chorus out, they held their bottles up to meet raised glasses.

“Here’s to us! Here’s to love!” they crooned together.

“She’s not bad.” Bucky commented to Theo.

“If you get her tipsy, she loves to sing. But sober…” she looked at him, “hates it” and gave him a smirk. “She has a song for everything though”

Somebody To Love - Queen

Bruce held Sam up as they strangled out the lyrics, Sam unable to see the words and just singing the ones he remembered. Even then, they weren’t the right ones. Bucky, Steve, and Evelyn unable to stop the crippling laughter that overtook them as Sam did his best Freddie Mercury impression.

Sam went to take another drink, but Tony removed it from his hand before he managed it, switching it with a bottle of water. Sam took a swig and took a second to realise, spitting it all over Bruce who wiped it off and continued with his air guitar routine.

Bruce ended up lowering him to the floor during the break and stepping over him as Sam lay splayed out, still trying to sing along, failing, and ending in groans and curses. Evelyn crawled over to Sam and laid down next to him, jabbing him in the side and laughing at his response. Poking his tongue out. Bruce finished the song and they clapped from the floor. Bucky laughing at the pair of them. Pulling her up off the floor to let the next person take the stage.

“c’mon Doll, let’s get you up.” Her face turning pink at the nickname.

Girlfriend – Avril Lavigne

Next up was a very, very wasted Theo, who took Girlfriend and sang it at no one in particular but somehow directly at Steve at the same time. Evelyn and Bucky were staring in amazement as she jumped about and delivered the song with gusto. Kicking and punching out to the beat. The break in the song caused Theo to start stripping and whirling her jacket around her head before launching it at Carol. She dropped to her knees and kept singing while Bucky whispered into Evelyn’s ear making her laugh.

Bucky was right, she was doing it to wind Steve up, and it worked.

Steve listened to the lyrics and heard her, what she wanted to say to everybody but couldn’t; because Steve, was stupidly with the wrong person. But he knew what he had to do, and he had asked her to wait, he prayed she would. The song ended and Tony was stood up whooping and clapping at her brazen performance that he didn’t really understand.

She got back to the sofa and flopped down next to Evelyn, giving her a satisfied smile. Evelyn raised her eyebrows; she would definitely be speaking to her later.

“You good?” she said, adopting her favourite of Sam’s catchphrases, they worked for her after all.

“Yes,” came Theos reply, a soft hiss on the “S.”

Theo sat there bitterly for a minute. A whole week? That’s a long time, just waiting five minutes for the kettle to boil was bad enough. She kept stealing glances Steve when he wasn’t looking. How dare a man make her feel this way! She looked around the room at all the beautiful women, willing her heart to want one of them. But no matter how hard she fought it, her gaze came back to Steve.

f*ck.

She wanted to go and hide in the lab and build something, anything that wasn’t red, white, and blue. Or blonde haired and blue eyed.

“Stop thinking about his eyes.” she chastised herself mutely. Shaking them out of her head.

She really hoped this guy was worth all these conflicting emotions.

On the other side of the room, Steve was thinking of similar things. He was also considering how he was going to break it off with Sharon. How she would take it, and how she was going to react to Theo afterwards. He hoped she would harbour no ill will and would let them just get on and be happy. They would be respectful towards her, but she was never here anyway so it wasn’t like it would be rubbed in her face. He wasn’t happy with Sharon, so who’s to say she was happy with him? Surely, the feelings were mutual at this point?

He stole one last longing look at Theo who was clearly out of it and having a great night, if not for the small, furrowed brow that would appear when she wasn’t paying attention to whoever was singing.

Stacy’s Mom – Fountains of Wayne

Tony took to the stage and began singing Stacy’s Mom, changing the lyrics to “Pepper’s Mom” to make her laugh, a small crinkle appearing on her nose. The crowd began clapping in time to the beat. All except Steve, Bucky and Vision who didn’t understand the sudden cult-like action from everyone, they just looked around at everyone confusedly.

“Gentlemen,” began Vision. “I believe this is a cultural and social situation in which people keep the beat by clapping to well-known songs.”

“Do we join in?” asked Steve slightly disturbed, who was watching Theo clap along and smiling.

“I believe it’s a personal preference Captain Rogers.”

“Good,” came Bucky’s gruff voice.

Tony continued to kick about and break out some dance moves on stage, at one point he even got off and started pretending to give Pepper a lap dance. She pushed him off, laughing at him.

17 – Avril Lavigne

Evelyn had more to drink by the time everyone was bugging her to get up and sing solo. Theo, even in her woolly-headed state, knew she would sing one of three things. She prayed it wasn’t the last one. As the peppy beat of Avril Lavigne came back over the speakers, she immediately knew what had been chosen. Nudging Bucky, who leaned in to listen to her, she whispered in his ear.

“This is ‘her song,’ as she calls it. It’s creepy accurate to her life when she was 17. It’ll tell you everything you need to know about her.” Bucky perked up at this information, now listening intently to every single lyric she sang. “She listens to it when she’s feeling overwhelmed.” She sank back in her seat ready to hear a rare rendition of 17 by her best friend.

Evelyn felt the words as she sang them, the song was hers. It mirrored her life back then. She started selling at 17, got caught up with the wrong guy. He took a lot from her, a lot. But she knew that without those experiences that she wouldn’t have had half the life she did.

Sure, a lot of it was illegal but it was hers.

Memories of tearing down the 2am streets in their small town, not stopping at the lights, heads out of the window screaming. They were the best and worst times of her life. Sneaking around with a guy that Maria hated, doing some of the stupidest anyone could do. She had first got high and drunk with the guy. She blocked him out and opened her eyes.

Bucky was staring right her, taking in every word she sang since being by Theo this was the most valuable information he would ever learn. She would never talk about this willingly or openly.

She left the stage to cheers and she bowed jokingly a few times to everyone, holding her hands up in false modesty; earning a scrunched-up bit of paper thrown at her from Clint, who told her to vacate the stage as it was his turn.

Wannabe – Spice Girls

“YO, I’LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT, WHAT I REALLY, REALLY WANT!” screeched Clint as Natasha placed her hands over her ears, she laughed and carried on going.

“So, tell me what you want! What you really, really want!”

“Yo! I’ll tell you what I want! What I really, really want!”

“Yo tell me what you want! What you really, really want!”

“I wanna HA! I wanna HA! I wanna HA! I wanna HA!”

“I wanna really, really, really wanna zigazig ah!”

The whole group burst into cheers and bellows of laughter and jumped up at the two of them on stage doing the most brilliant cover of Wannabe that every existed. Clint and Nat did little fun moves and ended up in jumps and flips. They held their microphones loosely and Clint had put a pink glittery cowboy hat on and was going all out for the performance. Bruce was cheering loudly at their behaviour, laughing at Nat wiggling her hips at everyone.

The song ended with them in a dynamic pose on the stage while everyone else clapped and applauded loudly, Bucky put his finger to his mouth and whistling at Clint as he slinked off the stage posing seductively.

Mr Brightside – The Killers

They ended the karaoke by all collectively singing Mr. Brightside, once again without the support of Vision and Steve. Bucky wasn’t singing either, but he let Evelyn finally get a small dance out of him.

She was jumping up and down with an enormous smile plastered on her face, while he mainly stood still but kept one hand in hers, always.

After earlier, he wasn’t letting her go.

Theo had sobered up slightly and could feel the ever-approaching conversation, she knew she was going to have about her and Steve.

She couldn’t avoid the all-knowing stare of Carol, for much longer.

As the song came to a finish, they all started to come down from their alcoholic high, muttering goodbyes and goodnights to each other.

All but Sam moved to leave the room and head to bed, for he was still on the floor, not having moved since the end of his performance. When he realised everyone was leaving, he began to stir, calling out for people to stay and keep singing.

“C’mon guys” his speech slurred. “Ain’t no mountain high enough! All together now!”

He tried to prop himself up on his elbows, but his inebriation caused severe hand-eye-coordination issues for the otherwise experienced pilot. Evelyn stood over him, snickering to herself as he promptly fell back asleep. She kicked the bottom of his foot to try and rouse him again but was met with snoring.

Steve was staring at Theo, heading up to bed, hoping she wouldn’t feel too rough in the morning. He had to refrain from showing too much concern for the silvery-locked genius, or risk giving it away.

Instead he watched her leave, quietly, without too much emotion on his face.

While Steve and Sam were distracted, Bucky stole one last kiss from Evelyn, it pained him to make it quick so no caught them. Sam was safe, but Steve?

Bucky didn’t even think he’d noticed anything other than Theo of late.

His hands held her face gently.

As he let her go, she dared take one more risk and planted a soft kiss on his cheek, before skipping out the room. His eyes followed her as she left, chancing him one more look at her green eyes as she turned to wink at him, before disappearing upstairs.

He felt something in his hand and opened it to reveal a bright yellow Hibiscus blossom.

Perfectly bloomed and bright.

He tucked it into his wallet before anyone saw and joined Steve in scraping their drunken friend up and off the floor, headed to bed.

Chapter 33: i got love

Chapter Text

“You and him kissed?” Evelyn spluttered flapping her hands wildly through the air.

“Just once.” Theo muttered shyly.

She didn’t want to have this conversation, but knew they’d find out sooner rather than later, and her and Evelyn had always vow to be honest with each other.

It also made sense to keep Carol in the loop, and honestly, it felt better to have people who knew about it to whom she could pine. She smiled to herself, remembering the feel of his hands holding her to him.

She was sure he would leave bruises with how tightly he gripped her hips, but she hadn’t had a chance to check.

“…And?” pressed Carol who was looking rather shell shocked from her seat in the middle of Evelyn’s bed. It was about 2am, the party had wrapped up about an hour ago, but the girls weren’t ready to say their goodbyes. The door had just clicked shut behind Evelyn when Theo dropped the bombshell.

“You didn’t even tell me you liked him.” Evelyn said, a bemused look on her face, “I mean I knew it anyway, but you could have told me.”

“She told me–” interrupted Carol. Evelyn twisted to give Theo a look that told her just how hurt she was that Carol had been told, and she hadn’t. “To be fair,” Carol clarified, “only because figured it out about 4 hours ago.”

She leaned back on her hands smiling smugly at Theo, who rolled her eyes and caught Evelyn’s murderous gaze.

“Hey! I don’t think I figured it out until about 4 hours ago, so unless you’re my thong, get out of my ass.”

“You don’t wear thongs–” interjected Carol, smirking. Both Evelyn and Theo broke their intense eye contact to stare at Carol.

“Excuse me? How do you even know that?” Evelyn spat.

“That’s not what we’re discussing here. Okay?” Theo rolled her eyes. It still hadn’t sunk in that it had happened. It was a whirlwind that had swept her off her feet it seemed to happen so fast, but he wanted her.

Steve wanted her.

Sam was heavy.

Even for a super-soldier, Bucky still needed Steve’s help to carry Sam’s dead weight up the stairs that led to his bedroom.

“Come on slacker,” he grumbled to Steve, pushing his sweaty hair off of his face and tucking it behind his ear, “pull your damn weight.”

“I’m not the one who let him get this drunk!” Steve chuckled, raising his eyebrows at Bucky pointedly and smirking.

“Don’t blame me, blame Evelyn.” Bucky huffed, rolling his eyes.

“Speaking of little miss Ever-lyn,” slurred Sam, “when are you gonna tell her how crazy you are about her?” He slid his arm from around Steve’s neck and brought his hand up to pat Bucky on the cheek as he stilled and shot a look at Sam. “I know you shared a lil–” he made a kissing noise, “–but you gotta tell her man!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Bucky hissed, hoisting Sam up further and moving at a quickened pace.

He needed to get Sam back to his room before he could say anything more, especially in front of Steve, who was looking at him like he had grown a second head.

“Oh, okay Mr Big-Scary-I-Don’t-Acknowledge-My-Feelings.” Sam retorted in an exaggerated deep booming voice. Bucky slid his tongue over his bottom lip, and bit down to hold in a laugh. As much of an ass Sam was, he was pretty f*cking funny when he was drunk.

“But I thought Steve was with Sharon?” asked Evelyn, still confused how she had no idea that this was happening on the roof a few hours ago. Had she not been paying attention to her friend?

Sure she’d noticed Theo had disappeared, but Carol had said she’d just gone to get some air.

“He is.”

Present tense? Not past? That wasn’t a good sign.

“This isn’t one of those, ‘I’ll leave my wife for you soon, I promise’ situations going on, is it?” Evelyn narrowed her eyes at Theo, who visibly shrunk in front of her.

“Well, he asked me to give him a week?” Theo replied meekly, somehow posing her answer as a question. Evelyn shut her eyes to hide the homicidal intent that raged through her brain. If he hurt one frizzy hair on that head-

“–I’m gonna kill him.” interrupted a voice which, though it sounded calm and monotonous, dripped with acid.

Evelyn wondered if she’d heard her own voice speak in some kind of f*cked up out of body experience, only to open her eyes and find Carol’s face contorted with rage.

She had stood up and Evelyn noted absently that she was slightly glowing and slowly making her way to the door. Theo shot to block her way shaking her head vigorously, her eyes wide and brow creased.

“Please don’t! I like him rather a lot and would be very put out of sorts if you did!” She stuttered shooting a panicked expression at Evelyn. “Nothing had happened yet, he told me he was choosing me, but he wanted to talk to Sharon first, before anything happened. We were heading back in, and I don’t know what came over me, I blocked the way and I–” she paused, taking a deep breath, “–I kissed him.”

“Wait, you kissed him?”

“So Evelyn, eh?” Steve murmured, one side of his mouth quirking into a lopsided smile as they walk along the corridor after having deposited Sam, now passed out and snoring in his room.

“Oh, you caught that,” Bucky chuckled. One of these days Sam was going to get him in serious trouble with his inability to keep his mouth shut. Steve kept walking silently beside him, his brows furrowed, clearly processing the information he’d just received.

“How long?” was all he replied, keeping his voice level and quiet as they passed the other resident rooms, careful to not be overheard.

“Since I laid eyes on her, I think. I couldn’t get her out of my head, but as I got to know her more it pretty much just solidified what I already knew.”

He thought back to his first thoughts about the wailing banshee that he had seen trussed up as she was interrogated by Ross. He had been fascinated by her and had felt the overwhelming urge to protect her. She was someone he knew he wouldn’t be able to forget about.

“You’re going to have to be careful you know,” Steve started, gazing out of the corner of his eyes at Bucky as Bucky continued to stare ahead. “She’s been through a lot, and with her brother still on the loose–” he trailed off, leaving the implications to hang heavy in the air between them.

“I know,” said Bucky, “I would do anything to stop her hurting.”

He was surprised by the forcefulness behind his tone, but he knew the words he said were the truth. He would do anything for her and be whatever she needed him to be.

“It’s not going to be easy,” warned Steve. Bucky nodded silently, painfully aware of the difficulty of the situation they were in. Evelyn wasn’t the only one with a whole lifetime’s worth of trauma behind them. Bucky knew that it could go either way, but he was willing to put it all on the line for her.

“I don’t want it to be easy.” He admitted, “I want to be worthy of her, Steve. I want to prove I can worthy of her. She deserves the world, and I plan on giving it to her.” He fell silent as they reached the door to Bucky’s quarters.

Steve was staring at him, a soft, pensive expression on his face. Abruptly he pulled his best friend into a tight hug and clapped him on the back.

“You both deserve the world,” he muttered in Bucky’s ear, and Bucky was surprised by the vehemence in his voice. Steve pulled back with his damn wonky grin that reminded Bucky of the scrawny kid from Brooklyn. “I love you man.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, “yeah, yeah I love you too, man.”

Chuckling slightly at the goofy expression on Steve’s face and tucked his hair behind his ears.

Steve turned to continue walking to his own room, when he paused and twisted to look back at Bucky.

“Oh, by the way, I’ve made my decision.” Bucky’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment as Steve continued, “I choose Theo.”

A huge grin broke across his face when he followed up, “and tonight? She kissed me.”

Bucky’s mouth popped open in surprise, and Steve resumed his short walk down the corridor.

“You can’t just leave it like that Steve!” Bucky half shouted, only semi-aware of the people who may be listening in.

When Steve shook his head and waved over his shoulder, not looking back at Bucky, Bucky swore under his breath and stuck his middle finger up at his friends retreating back.

He’d find out more tomorrow, but for now he was looking forward to a peaceful sleep, filled with green mist, blossoms and the woman he was falling in love with.

“I thought you were gay.” Carol blurted out.

Theo’s eyes were so wide at this point, Evelyn thought they might pop out of her skull.

“To be fair Te, I’ve only seen you flirt with women, and I haven’t seen you go home with a man since–” she started, not realising the direction of her sentence, and trailing off before she could upset Theo further.

“I’ve never confirmed or denied my sexuality. I’m not quite sure of it myself to be honest. All I know is that at this moment? Captain Fancy-Pants has my all my damn attention,” Theo slurred, smiling drunkenly in Evelyn’s direction.

Yeah, maybe they should let her sleep this off before she could say too much.

Chapter 34: paper planes

Chapter Text

Evelyn reached her arm out across the bed, clawing for the person that should be occupying the space.

Nothing.

She came up empty.

Lifting her head and cracking her eyes slightly to look around, she found the other side of the bed was fairly neat – barely slept in. Evelyn groaned as she rolled over to check the small pillow fort she had created, in case Theo couldn’t sleep on the bed. It was something she’d struggled with a lot since her teens, and Evelyn was only too happy to compromise; she didn’t care where Theo slept, as long as she did.

She pulled back on of the pillow walls to peek inside, no sign of Theo.

Had she even slept last night?

Evelyn sat up, feeling a rush of concern for her missing friend. She could be in the workshop, but after the state she got herself in last night, Evelyn doubted if even one of Tony’s disgusting cure-all green smoothies would help.

She turned to the desk, and there sat Theo’s D.A.D. glasses and her watch. She would never go anywhere without them.

“Theo?” Evelyn called, panic rising in her voice.

“Evelyn?” croaked a hushed voice from inside the dark en suite, “help me, I think I’m dying.”

Relief swept through Evelyn, as she swung her legs over the side of the bed, pausing to recover her equilibrium, her face in her hands. The events of last night came flooding back, and she gasped and ran her fingertips over her lips, where a few hours before they had been pressed against Bucky’s.

It must have been early; the sun was barely in the sky. She found herself wondering if he was awake yet. The sound of retching snapped Evelyn out of her pensive mood, and she jumped to her feet and rushed to the bathroom door.

A sad sight was waiting to greet her.

Theo was sat with her back pressed against the cold tile wall. She’d managed to remove party clothes last night, and Carol had helped her put on an oversized shirt, one Steve had actually leant Evelyn when she’d first arrived and had nothing with her.

Theo’s legs were sprawled across the floor in front of the toilet, and they were bare. Carol had convinced Theo to keep her underwear on, and Evelyn had realised why Carol knew Theo didn’t wear thongs.

The girl stripped in front of them before they even had the chance to suggest them leaving to give her some privacy.

Before Evelyn knew it, she’d already whipped her dress over her head in one fluid movement, leaving her in nothing but her panties. Evelyn had actually face-palmed.

Sometimes, Theo didn’t understand that undressing in front of everybody wasn’t always appropriate.

Evelyn stifled a laugh, biting her lip at the thought of how hilarious it would be if Steve had been the one landed with the responsibility of making sure Theo had gotten to bed safe. Theo would have given the geriatric a heart attack.

“Shoot me,” whined Theo, her eyes squeezed shut, “take me out the back, and shoot me.”

Evelyn found herself smirking at her friend’s desperate plea, but she took pity on her. She sat perched on the edge of the egg-shaped bath that sat opposite the wall Theo was leaning on, her head resting on the arm gripping for support on the toilet cistern.

“Tell me what you need. What do you want me to get?” Evelyn asked, keeping her voice low, but still loud enough that Theo could hear her.

“If you won’t shoot me, get Bucky. He might take up the offer.” Theo groaned.

Wow, she really was hanging today.

Evelyn found herself smiling at the role reversal and thought back to all the times Theo had coached her through her many hangovers in her late teens, always covering for her at school and college.

“I think you need coffee and sle–”

At the mention of coffee, Theo’s stomach rolled, and she gagged, thrusting her head over the toilet seat, and depositing what little was left of her stomach lining into the bowl.

“Okay, maybe no cof–” Evelyn started, faltering as Theo thrust a finger in the air, her head still halfway down the toilet, clearly begging her to stop mentioning any kind of food and drink. She chuckled and shook her head.

What had her friend got herself into?

How she hadn’t learnt from witnessing Evelyn go through this exact moment time and time again, Evelyn would never know.

“Tell me what you need,” Evelyn repeated firmly, grabbing a hair tie from the vanity, and tying her hair into a low bun.

She contemplated fastening Theo’s hair, so it was out of her face, but she thought better of it when Theo winced as she lifted her head back from the toilet and rested it back in place on her bicep.

“Painkillers, please,” Theo begged, her voice was raspy and clearly causing her pain with every word she said. Evelyn was sure all the acid from the vomit was aggravating her throat, maybe some soothing lozenges would help. As she walked towards the door, she paused to gently stroke the top of Theo’s head, twirling a tight curl around her finger, before continuing to the bedroom door. She pushed it open and stepped out, looking over her shoulder one last time as she let the door shut slowly behind her.

Sam was laying with his head flush with the cold marble of the kitchen island.

His skull was pounding, and his mouth felt like he’d eaten half the Sahara.

He was sure Steve and Bucky were crashing and banging around while making breakfast on purpose.

He just needed to eat something greasy and go back to bed. He would never drink with an Asgardian again.

“Bet you’re regretting agreeing to join us in training this morning huh?” Bucky leered smugly from over his mug of coffee.

Sam attempted to shoot daggers at him for a reply, but his forehead crumpled when moving made the room spin.

“You can back out you know; all you have to do is admit that I’m more Steve’s best friend than you are.” He raised his eyebrows and bit down on his bottom lip, provoking Sam to fight back.

Steve must have taken pity on him, because he swiftly punched Bucky playfully in the gut as he walked past him to place a plate of the greasiest food possible in front of Sam.

“Leave him alone, man. He’s the one who’s got to suffer for the rest of the day,” he wagged his eyebrows and turned to Sam to continue, “why did you think it was a good idea to keep up with Evelyn last night anyway?”

“My ears are burning,” interrupted Evelyn, stepping into the room, an apologetic smile lifted the corner of her lips as she looked at Sam.

As soon as Evelyn had stepped in the room and made her presence known, a pair of bulky arms had crashed around her and lifted her slightly in the air, almost winding her. She squeaked in shock, and a pair of lips collided with hers, and she let out a small gasp, her eyes popping wide.

When Bucky pulled back and lowered her to her feet, she smacked him on the arm glaring at him and nodding towards the others that were in the room.

“So much for not being obvious, asshole,” she hissed at him, trying to hide how pleased she was to be back in his arms.

She hadn’t thought much about how they were going to approach their blossoming relationship, she supposed it was something they’d have to actually talk about.

Evelyn racked her brains to remember if there had been any kind of relationship clause in her contract, but her mind was currently distracted by the attentive super soldier in front of her.

She’d get Theo to look into it.

Bucky brought her back to the present when he waved a hand nonchalantly over his shoulder at Steve and Sam.

“Oh please, Steve already knows, I can’t keep anything from that punk,” he started as Evelyn reached up and tucked a stray hair back behind his ear, “and Sam already caught us–”

“–I had purposefully blanked that memory out until this very moment, thank you very much, man.” Sam said, going slightly green lifting a shaky hand to point at the couple across the island from him, “dude, she’s like a sister to me, if you dare–”

“Yeah, yeah I get it, I’ve had this talk from Steve already,” Bucky smirked looking towards Steve who co*cked his eyebrow and tilted his head slightly.

“Where’s Theo,” Bucky asked voicing the question he knew Steve was desperate to ask. He stepped away slightly, feeling like continuing to stand in each other’s arms would give them away immediately if anyone else walked in.

“That’s why I’m here, she’s feeling like Sam looks,” she replied and grin breaking across her face at the thought of her friend’s first hangover. Theo sure didn’t do things by halves. “I was looking for some painkillers, nothing too crazy, just some Advil. I didn’t know if there was a stash that wasn’t kept in the med-bay.”

“Sure, I’ll go grab some,” Bucky smiled warmly at the thought of Evelyn comforting Theo and walked across the room to open a cabinet above the sink.

“Does she want some food?” Steve asked, lifting the frying pan to show Evelyn it’s greasy contents.

“Probably not, I don’t think she’s thinking about food right now.”

A small frown appeared on Steve’s brow.

“Would she like a tea?” he started towards the kettle, picking it up and starting to fill it from the tap.

“Yeah, not a good idea, that’s a point–” She turned to Bucky, “are there any throat lozenges?”

He co*cked his head to the side.

“Throat sore from all that karaoke?” he quipped.

“Not for me, for Theo. Stomach acid does tend to burn on its way up.”

A clatter sounded from the sink, and everyone turned to Steve who had whirled round to face Evelyn, his brows furrowed, and kettle discarded in the sink.

“She’s sick?”

“Oh yeah, big time,” Evelyn stated, “honestly it’s like Niagara falls, only with vomit.” Her nose wrinkled before she carried on, “she’s currently curled up on our bathroom floor feeling sorry for herself–”

Before she’d finished her sentence, Steve had already reached over to Bucky, snatched the pills and pastilles out of Bucky’s hands, and swept past Evelyn, trying his best not to break out into an all-out sprint.

Sam raised his head weakly and looked at Bucky, “does this mean neither of us get to be Steve’s best friend?”

“Unfortunately man, I think we may be about to be replaced,” murmured Bucky, shaking his head in exasperation.

Chapter 35: national anthem

Chapter Text

As soon as Steve had taken the meds out of Bucky’s hands, and vacated the room, Evelyn and Bucky turned to Sam who was nursing his head.

After his and Bucky’s realisation that the little frizzy haired hacker upstairs was the sole holder of Steve’s heart, they had shrugged and accepted it.

Bucky poured Evelyn a drink, she had moved onto drinking green tea when she wanted a coffee.

She couldn’t say it helped per se, but it made it easier.

As Bucky handed her the steaming cup, he placed a soft kiss to her forehead. She settled onto one of the breakfast stools and pulled the day’s paper to her.

Bucky raised an eyebrow at her, she didn’t strike him as a newspaper person.

“Are you reading the paper?” he queried as she started flipping it about, looking for a particular section. She separated the paper across the counter. “What are you looking for?” he laughed as her tongue poked out in frustration.

She was adorable.

“The sports section…” she scanned the sections, turning them over to check the back of them as well. “And the Obits…”

The sports section? The Obituaries? Why?

“Why do you want to see the sports section?” Bucky was intrigued.

“Two reasons, I need the baseball scores for one,” his heart skipped. He had forgotten she was a die-hard New Yorker at heart with a love for the Red Sox. His face softened as he leant against the counter, taking in the beautiful woman who sat awkwardly on the stool.

She let her lacy kimono drape over her shoulders, the left side always falling off no matter how many times she pulled it back up. He watched every little thing that changed in her movements, her poise, her smile, her eyes.

“Yes!” she cried out loud, fist pumping into the air.

“Won?” Bucky gave her a smile that caused her heart to beat a little bit faster. She nodded enthusiastically and clasped her hands together in joy. “What else did you need in the sports section?”

“The football scores, so I can tell my dad,” she whispered the last bit, but made sure he heard her.

His heart swelled at the thought of her still telling her father the football scores, a small link she kept with him. He placed a hand on her back, rubbing small circles.

“How’d they do?” he was genuinely interested in the answer.

“Won! I should’ve come here sooner, my luck has turned since being here!”

She tapped him on the nose playfully, she was beaming a bright smile that silenced Bucky. He loved the idea of her turning up earlier, but that hadn’t happened.

He had her now; that was good enough for him.

Looking back at the other sections, she looked for the pages that told you who had died that week in the State that might be of interest.

Truth was she was looking for a few different people in particular. And when she saw none of the names she was looking for, she folded the paper back together and placed it neatly on the countertop.

She looked at Bucky and sighed, giving him a look.

“What’s up doll?” her favourite nickname caused a small smile as she leaned her head to the side, on her hand. “Bored?”

“How did you know?” she giggled back at him.

“You’ve got a look in your eyes that says ‘let’s grow a tree somewhere a tree shouldn’t be,’ and I think I may have to stop you before you do.”

He grabbed her face in his hands as she began pouting at his answer, was she that predictable?

He pressed his lips to hers, ignoring Sam making gagging noises behind them. Not letting go of her, he pulled her closer, almost off the stool but not letting her fall. Hands tangled in her green hair; he could feel flowers sprouting from her crown.

At that Sam had finally had enough and started yelling “Stop, stop, stop!”

They finally broke apart, laughing into each other as Bucky brought her palm up to his mouth; kissing it before letting her go fully.

The gesture more intimate than a usual kiss.

His eyes drifting up to the flowers that opened and closed in her hair, the green locks floating around her doe-eyed face. she tried to brush them away and make them stop, clearly having no control over it happening, but Bucky grabbed her hands instead.

“What do you want to do today?” He was leant over the counter, staring deeply at her, he really hoped that she wasn’t planning on spending the day mopping up Theo’s vomit and self-deprecation jokes.

He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could, he didn’t know how long they had until her brother made another appearance.

“Well,” she began, running her hands through her hair and shaking out her loose waves. “I was going to spend the day with Theo,” a mischievous glint twinkled in her eye, “but I might leave that for Steve to deal with.” she mused, sharing a knowing look with Sam and Bucky.

“So, what do want to do instead?” Bucky was hoping for a particular answer.

“How do you feel about going outside?”

Evelyn was used to Theo’s dramatics and attitude to spending time outdoors, so she assumed most people also felt the same way.

She stared up and Bucky with a pleading face, like she was ready for him to say he hated it. But she wanted to feel the grass under her feet without worrying about an attack or trying to counter one.

Most importantly she wanted to spend any available time she had, with Bucky.

Now they knew the other felt the same, they didn’t want to waste any more time apart; and outside was perfect.

They walked until they couldn’t see the compound clearly, but not far enough that Evelyn had gone “off-site.”

They came across a small stream, surrounded by a large clump of trees. The sunlight was cutting through the branches, causing dappled illuminations across the water and the soft blooms that dotted the waterline.

Evelyn let out a small, delighted squeak as she saw the scene in front of them, Bucky was stunned.

How could somewhere like this exist and no one know about it?

It was beautiful, as was the radiant woman who was smiling broadly and encouraging more flowers and blossoms to bloom and grow around her.

As Evelyn let the blades of grass cool the bottom of her feet, she felt the familiar movements of the flower crown that would sprout from her head.

She let it happen.

She didn’t know what flowers they were, it seemed to pertain to her mood. If she were in a bad mood, it would be thorns and nasty poison plants, embarrassed was Ivy, sad was always weeping willow leaves and happy varied from passion flowers to Black-eyed Susans.

This time however, her hair burst forth with Daisies and Gerberas.

As she took a seat, in the middle of her creations, Bucky joined her and they both laid there, talking for what seemed like hours.

They spoke about everything, including her nightmares.

She’d finally opened up and told someone the contents of them. Even Theo didn’t know the full extent. Evelyn didn’t want the same images that haunted her, to follow Theo.

“So it’s worse when you’re sober?”

He was stroking her arm as she threaded daisies through each other, making a daisy-chain. It hurt him to know she was suffering, and in order to not suffer, she still had to suffer in other ways.

He was glad he hadn’t had to witness another “Strawberry Fields Forever” incident. As mesmerising as she had been to him that night, he preferred her sober, authentic mind that he had come to know and love.

“It’s non-existent when I’m not sober,” she smiled sadly at him, “but I know I need to face them at some point.”

He knew she was smart, and he knew he would help her with whatever she needed.

“Enough about my depressing past, let’s talk about yours.”

She turned to face him, placing the now complete Daisy chain on his head. He glanced up at it, letting the smile spread on his face from her sweet actions.

“What makes you think my past is depressing?”

“I’ve seen every single Avenger’s files; you’ve all got depressing pasts.” She gave him a pointed look. “Am I wrong?”

He sighed. She wasn’t wrong, they really were a bunch of government organised misfits. He chucked and pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her, not wanting to let go.

“Well, where should I start?”

“From the beginning”

He told her everything, leaving nothing out, as she didn’t with him. And before they knew it, several hours had passed.

They found the presence of the other calming, and easy to be in. He stroked her hair as she lay down, using his crossed legs as a pillow.

She listened intently, not wishing to miss anything.

They had a lot in common, and also a lot of differences; it made them more interesting to the other. As they began the short walk back to the compound, Bucky grabbed her hand and laced his fingers in hers.

She gripped on tighter to show she approved.

She saw a bright green van with colourful spots on it driving away, she wondered what had been delivered.

Stepping back inside, they were greeted by at least twenty new plants. She stopped abruptly, staring at each plant individually.

“What the?” she started. “Is this where all those plants in my room have been coming from?”

“Normally I’d sneak them into your room before you see them,” Bucky said, running a hand across his neck in awkwardness of being caught.

“That was you?!” Evelyn was shocked, these plants had been turning up since the day after she arrived.

Had he been doing it all this time?

She didn’t know what to say, so she did something she didn’t expect herself to do, she kissed him. Just as she realised what she doing, she started to pull away, Bucky grabbed her head and held her there. Enjoying the fact they didn’t have to sneak around.

After a minute, they broke apart for air.

Dropping a soft kiss on her forehead, he offered to help her move the plants to her room, which she eagerly took up.

“I think I also need a sleep; I can’t believe how tired I am for someone who’s just sat in a field all day.”

Lugging pots and planters up the stairs, Evelyn booted the door open to find Theo who tucked up in bed, while Steve sat reading one of Evelyn’s many plant books aloud.

Bucky and Evelyn nearly dropped the pots in shock, but slowly put them down. Steve putting a finger to his lips to quiet them. They backed out the room ad turned to look at each other.

“Well, guess my plan for a nap has been interrupted by The Star-Spangled man with a love plan,” Evelyn shot to Bucky, who couldn’t help the smirk at her comment about Steve.

She was rubbing her eyes, clearly tired and needing more sleep.

She had actually only slept for a few hours the night before, due to a very drunk Theo, who kept nudging her awake and asking about Steve and whether Evelyn thought it would work between them.

She was exhausted in truth.

Bucky looked down at her and wondered if offering her his bed would be weird. He wouldn’t do a Steve and sit there while she slept, as much as he didn’t want to leave her side, he’d be a gentleman and leave her in peace.

Screw it.

“You can borrow mine?” Bucky offered, hoping she understood it was solely an offer of a bed for sleeping, just sleeping. “If you need a nap, obviously.”

She smiled at him, but then chewed her lip nervously.

“What?” he pressed.

“Um, I don’t like going to sleep without Theo nearby,” she kicked the floor with a foot as if what she was saying was silly; but Bucky understood. “And she’s fast asleep, and not well. I don’t want to wake her.”

Evelyn looked back at him, feeling like a burden, but he just tucked a hand under her chin as she looked away.

“I can stay with you?”

“I think I’d like that.”

Chapter 36: toothpaste kisses

Chapter Text

Steve opened the bedroom door and padded in, as quietly as he could, and continued towards the bathroom, pausing to knock at the door that stood slightly ajar, allowing a slim stream of sunlight to penetrate the darkness.

“Theo, can I come in?” Steve said, his voice level and quiet.

He heard a groaning from inside and assumed that as a confirmation. Pushing the door slightly he caught sight of the crumpled woman still curled up on the floor.

Her hair was knotted and more unruly than Steve had ever seen it, her face was pasty and covered in a sheen of sweat.

Theo had scrunched her eyes against the light that had illuminated her like a spotlight and raised her hand to block out the sun.

It was at this point Steve noticed she was wearing one of his shirts.

It was about 5 times too big for her and was bunched up around her hips. She had one leg bent and one lying flat in front of her.

His eyes raked over her bare legs, and he had to take a steadying breath to deter the direction of his thoughts.

Steve slipped in the room, and pushed the door partially shut behind him. He crouched in front of her and pushed the hair that had fallen in her face off of her clammy forehead.

Theo raised her head and groaned, “Cap, in the politest possible way, f*ck off.”

She was mortified that he was seeing her like this.

He chuckled and shifted his weight, moving to sit beside her, leaning against the wall, his shoulder brushing lightly against hers.

“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” Steve chuckled quietly as he passed her the pills which she took thankfully and swallowed dry. They sat in silence for a moment, Steve focussed on Theo’s shallow breathing.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, barely audible, “you shouldn’t have to see me like this.” Gesturing towards her position wrapped around the toilet bowl.

“Well, I think I’m letting myself in for a lot more, don’t you?” he replied, copying Theo’s gesture, his eyebrows raised and a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Theo looked up and got caught, once again in those sea blue eyes, smiling coyly. She nodded once and leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed contentedly.

“What do you want to do?” Steve asked, desperate to get her off of the floor.

“As Evelyn won’t let me die,” Theo stated eliciting a snort from Steve, “I think I’d better start with a shower.”

“A shower I can do.” Steve shifted gently so Theo’s head lifted from his shoulder and moved towards the large walk-in shower on the other side of the wall. He leant behind the glass and switched it on, keeping one of his hands under the steady flow of water to regulate the temperature. He turned to help Theo off of the floor, to find her already standing, lifting the hem of the overly large tee shirt.

Before he saw too much Steve slapped his hand over his eyes and turned away from her, fumbled for a towel which he laid on the vanity and darted from the room, giving her the privacy she didn’t seem fussed about keeping.

20 minutes later, Steve heard the shower shut off. He was sat in the centre of the bed, on top of the covers, leaning back against the headboard reading a book he’d found on the bedside table, ‘Deciduous Plants of North America,’ it wasn’t the most exciting read, but it kept his mind occupied.

The door to the en suite opened and out stepped Theo. She was in a white cotton bathrobe and was rubbing a towel over her somehow even knottier hair.

“Feel better?” Steve asked, raising his eyebrows, and pinning her with a questioning stare. Theo just shrugged in response and headed to the dresser where Evelyn kept the wide tooth comb that they shared. She attempted to run the comb through the knots, but only succeeded in frizzing her hair even more, making them more difficult to find.

“Sit,” ordered Steve, as he opened his legs and patted the bed in front of him. Theo did was she was told and handed Steve the comb.

His fingers where light in her hair, delicately separating the curls and detangling the knots that were focused around her nape. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the sensation, and when his fingertips brushed the skin of her neck, she felt goosebumps creep all over her body. She let out a hum of appreciation and Steve let himself grin smugly in response.

When Theo’s hair was the tamest it was ever going to get, she stretched and let out a loud yawn. Turning round and blinking blearily at Steve.

“So, what do you want to do now?” Steve asked, determined to take care of her in her fragile state. Theo simply shrugged again in response and shifted so she sat cross legged, facing him. “Did you sleep last night?” Steve continued, eyeing the nest on the floor.

“Not really, but then again I never normally do,” Theo replied smiling sheepishly. Steve patted the bed again, next to him this time and lifted the covers underneath him for her to crawl into, which she did, albeit reluctantly.

“I don’t normally sleep in a bed,” she muttered under her breath.

“I noticed,” Steve said, motioning towards the pile of pillows and blankets. “Can I ask why?” Theo didn’t reply but shook her head at him. Now was not the time to divulge some of her past trauma.

She felt happy and didn’t want to sour the mood.

“Read to me.” She asked pointedly, looking at the book in Steve’s hand.

Steve flipped to book cover over in his hand and raised an eyebrow at her questioningly, “it’s not that interesting–”

“–I don’t care.” Theo interrupted, closing her eyes, and curling onto her side facing Steve. Steve shook his head and returned to the place where he had left off. After a few minutes, he felt Theo’s breathing change, shallow and soft. He stopped reading and gazed at her dozing peacefully. He twisted to get up from the bed, when a small hand reached out to grab the side of his shirt, holding him in place.

“Please keep reading. Please don’t leave me,” Theo breathed softly, her eyes still closed and face still content.

Steve leaned back to where he had been sitting and Theo shuffled closer to him, still gripping his soft shirt in between her fingers.

She slipped her head under his arm, and rested slightly on his chest, focusing on his breathing pattern, while Steve twisted her curls around his fingers.

He sat there for hours, reading to her, and falling in and out of sleep next to her. It was the most at peace he had felt in a long time, even if she was feeling the aftereffects of the night before. He’d finished the first book and had read two more to her when the door was shoved open harshly.

He couldn’t help the “Shhh!” that escaped his lips at the two intruders. Who promptly shut their mouths and exited the room.

Steve didn’t wake Theo all day, she slept through lunch, but he couldn’t let her skip dinner. He went downstairs to the kitchen, where the whole gang was laughing and poking fun at each other as they passed around the plates and cutlery.

“Hey Cap! Is Little Miss Alcohol joining us?” Tony quipped; he was worried about her but was glad Steve was the one to care for her when she felt like this. Truth be told, Tony didn’t feel great either, hangovers got them all differently.

“Afraid not, she’s still fast asleep, but I need to get some food for her,” Steve grabbed two plates that Wanda floated over to him, the warm, inviting smells making his stomach growl.

He hoped Theo would be able to stomach it. Scanning the room, he didn’t see Bucky or Evelyn, assuming they were off somewhere being ‘in love’.

He was jealous in a way, Bucky didn’t have anyone holding him back from Evelyn, he didn’t have a Sharon in the way. Bucky could love her out in the open, without cheating on someone else.

They could be happy and together.

He wanted that for him and Theo, and he would do anything for it to happen. He resolved to ring Sharon later that evening in an attempt to catch her while she wasn’t busy. He’d already tried 4 times that morning to no avail.

Using his back to open the bedroom door, he peered into the darkened room, Theo was sitting up, rubbing her eyes, looking at Steve like she was confused at his presence. He held up the plates, “you ready to try and stomach some food? It’s Italian?”

“If I don’t eat, what happens?” She was dead pan and exhausted from her all-day snooze.

“Well, then I guess I’ll find something you will eat.”

“Gimme the plate, save you the effort,” she held a hand out and took the porcelain from Steve, a red pasta dish was spilling out the most delicious aromas and her stomach, even though it was still tender, growled. She tentatively took a bite and relaxed visibly when her body didn’t immediately reject the food. She didn’t eat fast, but she hadn’t realised how hungry she was.

They spoke in between mouthfuls, asking each other questions and answering the ones aimed at them. Steve learned that she loved games, computer ones, and didn’t like anything that didn’t run on some form of electricity.

She understood Steve’s love for anything “old”, getting nostalgia more than most. They spoke about Theo’s many degrees and doctorates that she’d earned in record time, she had five in total. Steve was impressed, and asked her about her college life, seeing as he didn’t experience it at all. He learned that Evelyn had managed all of two weeks in college before giving up and turning to dealing to pay the way, but Theo had carried on.

It had only taken the girls two years to become international, a feat that Theo seemed oddly proud of.

Theo kept the whole show running, without her, it would’ve crumbled before it even got built.

After they’d eaten most of their food, Steve finishing his, Theo settled down to sleep again. She was so tired even after her full days sleep, but she needed to rest more. She would wake up tomorrow, refreshed and she would never be sleeping in a bed again.

Horrible, uncomfortable things.

She couldn’t be bothered to move herself into her nest on the floor, her muscles aching too much from her antics the night before. As Steve turned to take the plates downstairs and leave her be, she suddenly sat up to face him.

“Are you leaving?” her face was sad, her freckled cheeks pink. Steve felt his heart tear in two, he really wanted to stay and hold her; but Sharon. It wasn’t fair on Sharon.

“I have to, I wouldn’t want you to go through what Sharon would if I didn’t do the right thing first,” he smiled sadly at her, chancing a kiss on the back of her hand. If that’s all he could have for now, he would take it. She bit her lip, he was such an ‘old-fashioned’ soul, Theo was bewitched by him, and him by her.

Shooting her one last schoolboy smile, he grabbed the plates and left. Shutting the door behind him, he walked with his shoulders dropped, his heart screaming at him to turn around and go back to the adorable woman who wanted to be with him more than Sharon ever had. His thought kept going back to Theo, and only Theo.

After dropping the plates into the deserted kitchen, he made his way back to his room. Stopping by Bucky’s door he could hear talking and familiar giggling coming from inside. Steve shook his head, happy for his friend and in awe at the green-haired girl who had captured his heart and attention.

He could only hope that Theo felt the same about him.