Silence Is Deafening

Freight Car

Your days began to blur together, so you had to start writing down your schedules for each week in the notebook Bucky had given you. You wrote out each day and what things you'd started doing.

Monday: run with Steve and Sam, meet with Wanda
Tuesday: run with Steve and Sam, train with Bucky and Steve, lunch with Nat and Wanda
Wednesday: run with Steve and Sam, train with Bucky and Steve, clean room
Thursday: run with Steve and Sam, meet with Wanda, lunch with Nat and Wanda
Friday: run with Steve and Sam, training with Bucky and Steve
Saturday: run with Steve and Sam, lunch with Bruce, annoy Tony
Sunday: run with Steve and Sam, quiet time

Sometimes, things would interrupt your daily routines, but you didn't mind. Lately, it was paperwork and dealing with the outside world more than anything. Bucky was helping you adjust in ways that he knew you could understand, and you were slowly coming to grips with the whole "socializing" aspect. It was easier with Natasha or Wanda, but you knew it wouldn't be that way forever.

It was one thirty in the afternoon. You'd had to make room in your mock schedule yet again for another important date with the outside world, but this, you welcomed. You were getting ready for one of the most important decisions of your life: you were going to officially be part of the Avengers.

You looked at yourself in the mirror: You were wearing a button down and corduroys, paired with a nice pair of dress shoes and a trench coat. You could hear Natasha calling for you across the hall, so you tried one last time to flatten your growing hair, but to no avail.

It was a quiet walk to the other end of the hall where Natasha's room was. You passed by Bucky's room, hesitating at the door. Should you see if he was there? You pressed your hand to the door, then left to find Natasha's room. You opened her door gently. "Yeah, Nat?"

She was half-dressed, wearing only the bottom half of a pantsuit. She held two shirts, one ivory white and the other a dark red. "Which one?" You closed your eyes, trying to hide your smile.

Of course this is what she'd call you for.

You opened your eyes and pointed to the white shirt. "How do I look?"

Natasha came to the door, still half-dressed, and put her hands around your shoulders, surveying your outfit choice. After a moment of silence, she gave you a curt nod and shooed you out of her room, shutting the door curtly.

"Well," you muttered to yourself, "I guess that's that."

You left to go to the common room. In the room stood Bruce, Tony, Steve, and Wanda. They each seemed to be doing their own respective things, and you weren't quite sure who to approach. Thankfully, you didn't have to choose. You made eye contact with Wanda and smiled, waving curtly. She smiled in return and began walking towards you.

"You look wonderful," Wanda said with a sigh, "I'm sure you're very excited, yes?" You nodded. You had secretly hoped this would give you the atonement you wished for.

"Hey kid," Tony waved you over, "come here a second."

As Natasha came into the common room, you excused yourself from Wanda and left to speak to Tony and the others. "Tony," you greeted him with a smile. He raised his hand and then dropped it to his side, looking as if he were about to say something and decided against it.

"Are you ready for today, Y/n?" Bruce asked. You gave him a small smile in reply.

"Of course she's ready, what kind of question is that? She's--" Steve began to speak, but didn't get far into his second sentence before he paused to clear his throat. "She's bound to do good in the future."