Badass

6

The Avengers finish their dinner and Peter and Pietro take their seats on either side of me again as everyone else sits in their usual, I guess, spots. I'm continuing to mess around on my phone when I feel the sensation of being watched. I look around through my lashes before going back to phone with a deep breath and crossing my legs.

"It's rude to stare, you know?"

"Sorry." They turn away.

"FYI, she hates when you stare." Tony smirks.

"We figured." Steve nods.

"Sorry, принцесса, -princess- we didn't know." Pietro quietly apologizes as people continue talking.

"It's fine." I shrugs with a small grin. "Like you said, you didn't know."

He nods with a smirking smile as my heart pounds in my throat and I turn away. I try to act cool, but I can't get the image of that smile out of my head, causing my grin to stick to my lips like glue.

He just called me 'princess' and with an accent like that. I wouldn't expect to like hearing that from anyone, but, goddamn, does it sound good coming from a mouth like his.

"What're you smiling for?" Tony asks with slightly furrowed brows.

"Is it a crime to smile?" I shake and tilt my head with a smirk and he smiles a bit while rolling his eyes. "Just thinking about something I read earlier."

"Yeah, and what was that?"

"Not for your ears, sorry." I shrug with a grin.

"Hey, now, we don't like secrets here." Sam nods upwards.

"Well, that's rude." I furrow my brows in fake offense and he smiles when he realizes, making me slowly smile.

Pietro chuckles next to me and I turn back at my phone in my lap while side-eyeing him.

"Where's Vision?"

"Not sure." Tony shrugs.

"I'm here." He comes floating through a wall and sits beside Wanda. "Hello, Lilith."

"Hey, Vision." I smile a bit.

"You know her?" Steve furrows his brows.

"I was told to keep her a secret." He nods.

They sigh in slight defeat and move along as I stand and just start to move around, bored and tired. I cross my arks and kick my feet out, without making too much noise so that I don't annoy them.

"What are you doing?" Peter smiles a bit.

"I'm restless." I sigh. "I'm gonna go back to my room." I head towards the elevator.

"Aww, man." Tony complains. "Come back."

"What?" I chuckle lightly. "I miss my living room and music. This is so different."

"Alright." He sighs. "I get that. Have fun."

"I will." I nod.

I step in once the doors are open and turn to lean my back against the wall with my arms crossed. They start to close when Pietro waves at me, though barely visible to the others, I wave back with a tiny grin before the doors shut and it slowly fades away.

~

"Is she okay?" Wanda furrows her brows.

"She was fine two seconds ago." Natasha shrugs a bit.

"No, she's not." Pepper shrugs. "We're working on it, though." She shrugs.

"What do you mean?" Thor asks.

"We're trying to work on it, but she won't talk about it." Tony corrects. "Though, it's clear that something's going on."

"She's sad." Morgan adjusts in her seat.

"Did she tell you something?" Pepper urges hopefully.

"No."

"Oh, God." She quietly whispers.

"It's all right, Pep." Tony places his hand on her knee. "She'll be fine."

~

I get back to my floor and sit on the couch with a sigh to let my mind drift as it pleases. I eyes focus on the table in front of me and I feel my eyes water, for no reason that I can think of.

I swear, I was fine just an hour ago. What happened? Why does this happen?

The tears flow slowly down my cheeks with a mind of their own and I can't stop it. And I wish I knew why, but I don't want it to stop. It feels good to let them fall.

I sit like this for a while, motionless, silent, staring straight through that coffee table in front of me.

-

The next morning, my alarm with Friday goes off and I get up to get dressed and take my braids from last nights shower, making it curly. I got up earlier than usual so that I would have time to eat and pay a short visit to those of whom are awake in the common room, Tony, Natasha, Steven, Bucky, Sam, and Clint.

"Hey." I walk up behind Tony.

"Morning." He takes a drink of his coffee. "What're you doing down here?"

"Came to say 'hi', I guess." I shrug.

"How long do you have?"

"About ten minutes until I have to leave."

"Booo." He sings. "Not long enough."

"That's what she said." Clint smirks from across the room, making me slowly smile with a chuckle as I turn to him.

"You're a child." Natasha states in monotone.

"I have three." He nods. "I learn things from them."

And...this is what it's like to be an Avenger?" I point.

"Yup." Bucky confirms.

"Do you have any bad outfits?" Natasha furrows her brows.

"Not one." I grin down at my clothes.

"That one is." Steve raises a brow with his arms crossed.

"Fuck off?" I tilt my head with furrowed brows and squinted eyes. "Maybe?"

"You just gonna let her talk to an adult like that?" He nods to Tony.

"You know what?" I smile with my hand up. "You will get my respect when I am given yours. Respect goes both ways, don't try that 'you're a child, I'm an adult' shit. 'You do what I say' nonsense. I'm leaving, goodbye." I nod and walk to the elevator.

"What? No." Tony shakes his head. "He'll shut up." He nods. "Nat will make him shut up."

"Can I call you 'Nat'?" I press the button.

"Sure." She nods with a smirk.

"I'm sorry, but I really do have to go." I furrow my brows apologetically with my hand up as I step backwards into the elevator. "Now, I would love to stay and argue with a grown ass adult, but, sadly, I have work to do. Bye, guys." I wave at their smirking smiles and Steve shakes his head.

"Bye."