Brother Avengers

Brother Avengers Chapter 7

"One can be a brother only in something.

Where there is no tie that binds men, men are not united but merely lined up."

~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Jane held her breath as Pepper's bright blue gaze and Sif's black one fixed on her. Pepper's brow furrowed and her lips parted, but she didn't say anything. Sif slowly folded her arms over her chest and frowned.

"Don't tell him, Sif," Jane whispered. Sif blinked.

"Loki doesn't know?"

"Your husband?" Pepper pressed, her concerned expression sharpening. Jane's jaw tightened and she shook her head. Her hair swished on the pillow.

"You haven't told him," Pepper clarified. She tilted her head. "Not that it's any of my business, but...is there a particular reason?"

Jane heaved a sigh and adjusted herself under the covers, glancing at the little lamp on the nightstand.

"I was going to tell him as soon as we got back from this trip. We were just supposed to test out the Asbru Bridge to see if it worked, and be back by dinnertime." Jane bit the inside of her cheek and looked back at Pepper. "But things got a little busy."

"You must tell him. Now," Sif insisted.

"If I do that he'll make me leave!" Jane shot back, gesturing to the door. "Right in the middle of all this! I'm not sick, I'm just..." Jane gritted her teeth. "But he'll get all over-protective and won't listen to anything I say—"

"I might have to back him up on that," Pepper looked Jane up and down, folding her hands in her lap. "You collapsed. And that can't be good for you or the—"

"Knock, knock?"

Pepper and Sif jumped. Jane's heart hit her ribcage as her gaze flew to the door. What if—

An unfamiliar face leaned inside, belonging to the tall form of a very handsome young man. He had soft blonde hair that fell across his forehead, a solemn, well-formed, gentle countenance and unguarded blue eyes. He wore a white t-shirt and cargo pants, and he carried a glass of water in his broad right hand. Jane knew she'd seen him before—hadn't he been in the room back there, during all the shouting...?

"I'm sorry—may I come in?" he asked, ducking his head and blushing.

"Sure, Steve. Thank you," Pepper smiled, standing up and taking the glass from him. She sat back down on the bed and handed the water to Jane. Jane's fingers closed around the glass, and sat up as gracefully as she could and took a sip. The cold water felt good as it slid down her throat.

"Jane, this is Steve Rogers—also known as Captain America," Pepper said, gesturing to him.

Jane almost spit out her water. Instead, she choked, then coughed.

The other three started toward her, eyes flashing.

"You okay?" Pepper gasped.

"Yeah," Jane croaked, wincing and nodding. She put a hand to her chest, coughed harder, and managed to clear her airway.

"You're...You're Captain America?" she managed, blinking at him through watery eyes. He half smiled and shrugged.

"Yeah, it's sort of an...endearment."

Jane let out a raspy laugh, and put the glass down on the nightstand.

"Well..." she swallowed and inclined her head to him. "Thank you for the water."

"I...really wasn't trying to kill you," he promised. She laughed even harder, and Pepper joined in. Jane held up a hand.

"No, don't worry about it," she told him. "My fault. Apparently I have a drinking problem."