EVERMORE ─ marvel ⁷

I. Adult Things

Chapter One
Steve

"How was your last day at the institute?" Zy asks, wrapping an arm around Livy's shoulder, the two of them nuzzling together in one of the treehouse's beanbags.

I sigh, nodding to Lee, who is grinning my way, knowing exactly what I'm going to say. "We decided to race for the final mile of our run this morning and he beat me."

"Don't look too smug, Lee," Jo warns, giving him one of her own smug grins. "It took you eighteen months to beat him once."

"And I still beat you at pull-ups." I remind him.

He rolls his eyes. "I don't know how you did, you were far too busy flexing your arms and admiring your tattoos."

I've always wanted tattoos, but Mom and Dad wouldn't allow me to get any until I turned eighteen. I had planned to get my first when I finally did turn eighteen...but then the whole Alaric Hale thing happened, then the almost war between the enhanced and the government, then the actual war with the Kree. But as soon as things quieted down again and school resumed I started getting them. I have 'Wakanda Forever' written in Xhosa on my left forearm, the musketeers motto written in English on my right forearm, 'redrum' and a Micheal Meyers mask are on my left bicep, the Jabari mountains are across my right bicep, 'pray for the wicked' is right under the mountains because it's my favorite Panic at the Disco album, and lastly, I have a big tattoo on my back that's four daisies growing out of a human heart. The four daises are for Uncle John, Uncle T'Challa, Uncle Scott, and Aunt Okoye.

"Don't act like you don't love them." I reply with a knowing smirk.

He doesn't answer, just kisses my cheek. "The rest of our last day was pretty uneventful. Everyone is ready to graduate already, it's all any of us have talked about all week, especially now that finals are over."

"Don't you have one test left?" Livy asks.

We had to take individual final exams for each our classes, but in two days we have one final test; going on a real mission. This mission will determine whether we graduate or not. If we pass, we graduate and get sworn into the Avengers. If we fail, we have to go through another eighteen months of school. So no pressure there.

Lee is the one to say: "I'm trying not to think about the mission until it happens."

"I just wish we knew where we were being sent to," I add. "I kinda hope it's off world. I want to go to space, I'm sick of Jo being the only one who has."

Jo grins, but it's halfhearted, and she doesn't give a reply. This catches all of our attention, all our gazes. We study her for a moment, and our penetrating stares prompt her to ask: "What? Do I have something stuck in my teeth or something?"

Livy shakes her head. "You just seem a bit off."

Jo shrugs, picking at a loose string on the beanbag chair. "These two aren't the only ones graduating school. I guess I just have some nerves."

Tomorrow is Jo's graduation from school. I've been so wrapped up in our mission the next day that I nearly forgot. I give her a guilty smile. "You wanna talk about it?"

Jo shakes her head. "It's nothing, really, I'm fine. You two have bigger things to worry about. In two days you could be strung up by your ankles in the dungeon of some evil alien's lair."

"Thanks for that visual, Jo." Lee says with a glare.

"You'll both be fine," Zy says with a smile. "I have complete faith in you."