Accidental Avenger

Chapter 4

The kitchen was all sleek stainless steel appliances and marble counter tops. It felt cold and uninviting, not like Mami's kitchen back home. The cupboards were made of a warm brown wood and the appliances had dents and scratches from years of use. Almost every mark had a story to go with it, like the big dent in the oven door when Papi thought it was a good idea to show Miguel how to throw a baseball in the house. The oven didn't work as well as it used to, but Mami could still cook Thanksgiving dinner with it so she hadn't been too mad.

Tears pricked my eyes as I thought about my family. Were they wondering where I was? I'd been gone for at least three days. Mami and Papi were probably worried sick. Miguel would be beating himself up about leaving me outside alone in the middle of the night.

I'd get back to them and tell them it wasn't their fault. What happened to me was random. Chance. And... damn near unbelievable. If I wasn't living it, I wouldn't believe it was possible.

I pushed the tears back down, giving myself the beginnings of a headache in the process.

Steve was standing at the stove stirring something in a frying pan. He smiled at me as I took a few tentative steps forward and then stopped. I never understood why people in books said they could feel someone's eyes on them. There were multiple people in the room and I had no idea if they were looking at me. I kept my gaze moving around the room so I wouldn't settle on one person for too long. Suddenly, the party at Gryphon Comics seemed like a piece of cake. I couldn't even remember why I was so anxious in the first place.

"You hungry?" Steve asked.

My stomach growled again.

"I'll take that as a yes," Steve said.

"Watch out for Steve's cooking," Hawkeye said, standing up. "He learned in the army, and the army isn't known for their culinary skills."

"Like you could do better, Barton," Steve said as he reached up and grabbed a plate from a cupboard.

Clint. Hawkeye's name was Clint. Took me long enough to remember it.

Clint rolled his eyes and put his dish in the sink. "Better get ready for the party," He said.

"We still have a few hours," Natasha said.

Clint shrugged. "I have a lot of beautifying to do."

He walked past me without another glance.

"Here," Steve said, holding out a plate. It was piled high with eggs and crispy bacon. My mouth practically started to water when I saw it. "And I want you to finish all of it," Steve said. "You've been out for so long you probably need it."

"Take it slow, though," Natasha said. "Don't need you getting sick."

Natasha was sitting next to Agent Hill, and Thor was on Natasha's other side. Across from them was Dr. Banner. Now that Clint was gone, I realized that Tony was the only Avenger who wasn't in the room. Somehow, that eased my anxiety enough for me to sit down and start eating.

I couldn't tell if the food was delicious because I was starving, but it was delicious. Natasha had warned me to go slow, but I couldn't help myself. I practically inhaled it all. Almost like he could read my mind, Steve had another plate of food ready for me.

This time, I ate more slowly. I was starting to realize just how exhausted I was before I ate. How could I be exhausted when I practically slept for three days?

"Tony says you saw a blue light when you... appeared," Dr. Banner said suddenly. "I was trying to wait for the right time to ask but it didn't seem like there was one. I'm Bruce, by the way. Dr. Banner."