Flawed Minds

Chapter Nineteen

Avenger's P.O.V

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, highlighting Clint, Nova and Tony in the same places they had passed out in the previous night. Nova stirred, immediately regretting opening one eye even slightly as pain shot through her skull, causing her to groan and turn away from the light, burying her face. She realized she was laying on top of someone; The cologne was telling enough but she moved her hand slightly just to make sure who it was, finding the circular metal of Tony's arc reactor and letting out a deep sigh, knowing she was safe. She went through the events of the previous night, recalling the horrible experience with the stranger and feeling truly grateful for the Avengers and how they made her feel safe, like she was already a part of their team. She could still hear soft snores coming from Clint somewhere on the floor, and enjoyed the quiet morning, almost drifting off to sleep again, until...

"STARK." Steve's voice shot through the room like a bullet as he stormed through the doors, causing Clint to let out a pained groan at the sudden loud noise as Tony moved to cover his eyes. To Nova, the sounds felt exaggerated, like they could burst her eardrums- She just wanted to cover herself in blankets and sleep undisturbed for a week.

"Come back when I'm not too hungover to care please, thanks," Tony murmured, his arm still draped over his face.

"No Tony this is serious." Steve's voice was angry. "I want to know why you and Nova left the building yesterday." Uh oh. Nova slowly sat up, her head still pounding, as Tony grumbled while pulling himself upright too.

"She had literally never been out and witnessed real everyday life before," Tony explained while rubbing his head, his eyes still closed. "It was a good experience, she didn't get hurt, I brought her back safely, no big deal."

'I appreciate that Tony but 'no big deal'? No big deal? Take a look at this for 'no big deal'." Steve thrust a newspaper toward him with the front page showing a large photograph of Tony and Nova arm-in-arm, smiling together at her new bracelet in New York City with the headline 'Stark's New Sweetheart? Or Just Another Fling?' Uh oh. She placed a hand over the wrist to hide the bracelet in question, even though they'd already been caught, and squinted at Tony, unable to read his expression as he studied the paper.

"We look real cute here, Sparks," Tony eventually spoke and she let out a loud involuntary snort of laughter, causing him to wheeze then grab his head in pain.

"This isn't a joking matter Stark, this is serious!" Steve insisted, and Nova felt a little confused, her head still all over the place.

"I'm sure the newspapers have said a lot of stuff about Tony, probably caught him doing some pretty weird stuff too-" He elbowed her lightly and she smirked. "What's so different about this?"

"It's not that simple to explain Nova," Steve replied, making her even more confused. "Stark, you know exactly what I mean."

"You're right, I admit it, I made a mistake," Tony responded, his eyes now closed again due to his headache. "I was only thinking that it would be good for Nova- and it was, so I'm not saying I regret taking her outside."

"And yet now she could be in even more danger." Steve announced, still frustrated.

"Wait what do you mean 'danger'?" Nova asked, concerned now. "Am I missing something here?" Steve and Tony looked at each other, neither wanting to be the one to speak.

"I think you should tell her," Clint had woken up, now sitting upright on the floor and listening to the conversation, almost still half asleep when he chimed in. "I mean, I think she deserves to know, and if she's in more danger now then that's even more reason."