The Blip Bae

I Hate Being Right All The Time

Things were spinning out of control. Stark had said no to even discussing things with Lang, so the crew had turned to a very different looking Bruce Banner for help. They were working on developing the tech to make their time hopping a reality, while not having the best luck.

Zoe, for her part, was glad that Tony was staying out of it. She agreed with his reasoning and even offered to be a "test dummy" should he ever change his mind. When she came home after asking and told the others what he said, they were devastated, but not surprised.

It was only after Steve, Nat and Scott had tried to ask him themselves that things got especially difficult.

While Banner was working with Lang on the science, Nat had decided to track down Clint. During one of her brief fact finding missions, things finally deteriorated completely between Zoe and Steve.

They were arguing one night about the usual. Zoe thought it was irresponsible of Steve to keep looking into having children while they were working on something so potentially dangerous. He thought Zoe was petty and jealous and called her out on what he considered to be extremely selfish behavior. They fought almost daily, but this particular evening, their tensions were boiling over.

"Why can't you just do this so we can be happy?" Steve yelled, pacing their room. "Why are you making this so much harder than it has to be? Just help me decide between the final two donor candidates and we can get going!"

"Why? Because you are working on something that could easily get you killed, Steve! We've waited this long, why can't we wait until you come back in one piece?!" Zoe was crying. "Unlike you, I don't want to do this without you!"

"Come on, Zoe!" Steve threw his hands up. "Like you want to do this at all? This is just the latest excuse!"

"So don't wait for me! Have your kids, raise your family, do whatever the hell you want!" she sobbed. "You haven't needed me in a long time, why are you still putting this decision on me? You don't give a damn what I think, why should my opinion matter on who you choose?"

"Because this is going to be OUR family, damn it!" Steve roared. "Of course I need you! I've always needed you! I can't do this alone! Kids need parents, plural! You and I were both robbed of that, why would we do that to our own kids?"

"Do you hear yourself?" Zoe cried. "You keep saying ours, but there's not gonna be any us if you go and die in another dimension or whatever! You don't want to do that to your kids? Then wait until you come back!"

"But if we do this before the mission, then I have something to come back for!" Steve tried to convince her. "I would have a reason not to get myself killed!"

"Because I'm clearly not enough?" Zoe bit her lip so hard she drew blood. "Just fucking say it, Steve."

"Oh god..." Steve sighed. "That's not what I'm saying at all, sweetheart..."

"Don't fucking sweetheart me, Rogers!" Zoe spat. "You just said having a baby on the way would give you something to fight for, to come back for. None of that has anything to do with me at this point, so why are we even fighting about this?"

"We're fighting for our family, and if you're too selfish to see that..." Steve uttered. "maybe you're right. Do you not love me enough to want the same things anymore? Is that what you're trying to say?"

"I don't love you enough?!" she scoffed. "All I do is love and support you, Steve! To my own fucking detriment, might I add! How dare you?! You have no idea what it's been like, because you don't fucking care! You want what you want, when you want it, and fuck me for getting in your way, right?!"

"I have no idea what it's been like?!" He yelled again. "You have no idea! All I want is a nice, simple life, with the woman I love and a family. Why are you trying so hard to destroy what we have? Why are you trying to kill my dreams?!"