Steel Hearts

- 12 -

The next morning I had woken fairly early. Natasha had offered up half of her bed for me to sleep in when I had drifted off in the lab. Yawning, I roll over to the side of the bed and rest my bare feet on the cold floor; stretching as I sit up. Careful not to jostle Natasha, I stand up and my eyes settle on the bag with a small note sitting on it.

'Just in case. -Sam'

I roll my eyes, tossing the note in the nearby trash can before unzipping the bag to find a change of clothes, shoes, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, and dry shampoo.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me a great best friend.

I zip the bag up once more and make my way to the bathroom down the hall, changing and getting myself ready for the day before finding myself in the kitchen making a bowl of cereal. Standing with my hands on my hips in front of the coffee maker, I text Sam to ask when he had dropped the bag off for me.

Bird Suit
Figured you'd have a late night so Maria grabbed it on her way to the tower this morning.

Glowing Hands
You're the best! Thank you!

"Good morning, Ella," Steve's voice sounds from behind me. He was dressed in a light blue shirt that was just barely too tight and his blue "super-suit" pants. I turn around, cereal in hand to acknowledge him with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, but I'll be alright," I set the now-empty bowl onto the counter next to me, still waiting on my coffee; the pleasant smell engulfing the room.

He moves briefly across the room to lean across the counter in front of me, apologizing as he spoke, "I'm sorry for walking off and not coming back earlier last night."

I shake my head, waving him off while turning to add creamer to my coffee, "It's okay. You were frustrated. We all were. Plus, I got to be a lab rat again for the night. Got myself all fixed up like nothing ever happened."

"Good," an awkward beat of silence bubbles up before he continues speaking, "Maria had some news she wanted to share with all of us."

"We should probably go then, huh?" I ask, the hot coffee burning my tongue as I swallow. Setting the dishes I had used in the dishwasher; I follow him out of the room, limping slightly as I walked and my foot throbbed in dull pain.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He stops in his tracks, down the hallway from the lab; noticing my slight limp and his features show concern.

"It's just sore. I promise I'm fine," I rest my free hand on his arm, "Just be glad you don't have to carry me everywhere. That would be tragic."

"Now would that be so bad?" He uses my words from last night, smirking as he did so, hands placed on his hips as he spoke.

I roll my eyes in response, pushing myself up onto my tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek; suddenly feeling much bolder than I had before the party last night, "I appreciate the sentiment, but really, I'm fine."

Patting his arm, I move past him slowly making my way down the hallway. Spotting Tony's mouth open as he goes to speak when the two of us walk in, I tell him, "Speak and I will put you in a hamster ball and throw you off the building. Also, Maria, I don't know how you're wearing heels after last night." I look down at my simple pair of slip-on vans wondering how her foot wasn't killing her.

She just shrugged in response, passing around her tablet to show a picture of a very deceased man, "Ultron killed Strucker."

"Darn."

I examine the photo to see Strucker slumped in a corner with the word 'peace' written in his blood on the wall before passing the tablet to Thor.