Once Upon an Avenger

Chapter 28: Only happy ending you need

Ten days had soon gone by, during seven of which Hope was benched from missions because her and Peter had managed to sneak out, going full team Spider-pirate on anyone breaking the law in Queens that evening. May had ended up calling Tony who was unsurprisingly unimpressed about having to go out and stop the pair of them. He'd expected it from Peter, he was only a teenager after all, but Hope was meant to be an adult.

The rest of the team had gotten back during that week, and both Sam and Loki gave her an earful about not looking after herself when she was hurt once they'd found out why she was as good as grounded. She'd made a point to remind them that she was more than capable of making her own choices and that her ankle was perfectly fine, even after her little excursion.

Feeling sorry for her, Wanda and Natasha organised a trip into town one evening, going to the same bar as the previous time they had gone drinking. After which, the three of them decided to go to a local tattoo parlour and get three dots tattooed onto their ring finger, one for each of them. Even though they decided to do it after a few drinks, none of them regretted it. Both Natasha and Wanda said that it meant Hope would always be close to them, even after she went back home, something that had Hope feeling a strange mix of emotions; sadness about both her family and the prospect of leaving the Avengers. But also, guilt about using the team to save Storybrooke, only to leave once she had. However, just as she'd told Steve, her walls were strong, and she quickly pushed the negative thoughts away.

Steve had spent most of his days at the retirement home with Peggy after his discussion with Nat and Bucky. Everyone was aware that her dementia was getting worse and her condition deteriorating, Tony had even been to say goodbye to the woman he'd always known as Aunt Margaret, even if they were never particularly close.

The super soldier no longer ignored Hope, but instead reverted to his old ways of being rude to her. She accepted it, not only because she felt it was only right for him to hate her after what she'd done to Bucky, but also because she knew he was struggling, even if he didn't show it, and needed an outlet for his emotions. That being said, she didn't take it lying down, giving back as good as she got, telling herself that he wouldn't get the satisfaction he needed if she didn't.

*

It was a Monday morning when Hope heard the news about Peggy's passing. Sam had told her to be patient and not annoy Steve because he needed some space: something that Hope completely understood. He might have driven her stir crazy, but part of her still cared for him; he'd been there for her when she needed it.

She decided it was best if she wasn't at the compound much that day, knowing that her presence was often enough to annoy Steve. So, she'd offered to partake in a drugs bust mission with Clint and Wanda. It was an odd team-up, the three of them. Normally Clint would always go on missions with his partner in crime, Natasha, but she wanted to stay back and be there for Steve, even if he objected to it. Wanda also tended to stay back for the bigger missions where her powers would be useful, but despite the circumstances the mission had to go on.

They'd had a tip about a large-scale deal going on at New York Harbour at around lunchtime. The mission plan was reasonably simple: Hope was to delay the deal as long as possible, being a nuisance to whichever party got there first. Clint was positioned on top of some shipping containers, the perfect bird's eye view if anything went south, and Wanda was to evacuate civilians from the area, making sure no one got hurt, in case there was a firefight when the police turned up.

"They're on their way," Clint said, one hand on the comms in his ear. "Are you ready?"

Hope walked into the middle of the empty lot and lay on the floor. "Ready to make a fool of myself? Always."