Frostbitten

Chapter 19

TW Makayla has a panic attack in this chapter. Paragraphs marked with asterisks

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I sat on my bed in my room and stared at the wall. It's been about two weeks since they let me out of the hospital room and moved me into the Avenger's tower, but I never leave my room during the day. I don't feel ready to deal with people right now so I just stay in here until everyone is asleep. I jump when I hear Steve's voice from the other side of my closed door.

"You can't stay in there forever Makayla. You need to socialize a little." He called.

I stayed quiet, not wanting to talk about this again. He knocked on my door a few more times then threatened to come in if I didn't answer him.

"Fine, fine." I said, "I'll come out but don't blame me if I punch somebody. I don't like people."

I slid off my bed and threw on a black hoodie with cat ears on the hood and some jeans and met Steve outside my door. He led me down the hall and into an elevator that went down to what I'm assuming is the living room. Steve walked in and I followed behind him trying to hide. I looked around the room and recognized a few faces from passing in the hall but I didn't know their names. Steve took me to a couch and sat me down while he gathered everyone around.

"This is Makayla." He began, introducing me to everyone. "She has decided to come out of her room and meet all you lovely people."

Murmurs of greeting passed around the room but no one made a move toward me. Eventually they all went back to what they were doing before we interrupted them.

"See, I told you this is why I don't like people." I whispered to Steve. "They don't like me either."

Steve sighed and walked toward the kitchen leaving me alone on the couch. A slim red haired woman came and sat down beside me, introducing herself as Natasha Romanoff. "Nice to meet you." She added.

"I'm Makayla but you already knew that." I said awkwardly. "It's nice to meet you too."

We sat in silence until Natasha said, "Well I'd ask you to tell me about yourself but that's out of the question I hear." I chuckle and she continues, "How about I tell you about everyone else here?" I nodded in response and she began with the man at the counter with short, dark blond hair, "That's Clint Barton, master of the bow and arrow, pretty good at hand to hand combat and his favorite place to hide is in the air vents." I laughed at the last part and Natasha assured me it was the truth. She then pointed to a man with short, dark brown hair, and glasses, "That's Bruce Banner, genius scientist, but he has some anger issues. He also had a nasty run in with gamma radiation that almost killed him. His file is pretty interesting if you ever need reading material." I hummed and she showed me a picture of a man with long blond hair and rippling muscles.

"This is Thor, he's an Asgardian and currently on another planet so you won't meet him yet. He's got a brother named Loki who gave us a pretty big fight over New York last year. You don't want to meet him."

My eyes flicked up and saw a man with very short, dark brown hair and a goatee walking toward us.

"That's Tony Stark walking over here." Natasha leaned over and whispered to me. "He's a bit arrogant if you ask me but he's very smart and very rich."

My body tensed up as soon as he got close and I started to shake. I was not liking having a strange man this close to me.

***"What have you got here, Nat?" He asked loudly. "Find another girl so you won't be alone with all these men?" He sat down on my other side, pushing me closer to Natasha. I flinched when his hand came close to me and inched closer to Natasha. He started talking over me and I felt trapped. I looked down at my hands and clasped them together, trying to stop the tremors. My breath came short and ragged as my heart beat faster. I laid my head in my hands in an attempt to block out Tony's voice but it didn't help. I heard Natasha's voice but it was muffled.

"Makayla? Are you okay?" She called, but I couldn't answer. "I'm getting Steve. Maybe he can help."

I felt the weight on the couch shift as she got up but Tony stayed seated. I suddenly felt his arm on my shoulder and I lost it. I jerked and grabbed his wrist with my metal arm and twisted it hard. He yelled in pain and I pulled his body, slamming it into the table in front of the couch. I saw Steve kneel in front of me and I snapped out of my panic attack. I looked past him and saw Tony laying on the coffee table with people crowded around him.***

"What did I do Steve?" I asked aloud, "What did I do? I'm a monster. They made me a monster and there's nothing you can do to change me."

I bolted up and ran out of the room, stopping just outside the door. I needed to hear what they said but I didn't want them to know I heard.

"What did she do that for!?" Someone yelled.

"Tony..." Another person began, but they were cut off by Steve.

"She had a rough life with Hydra." He tried to explain.

"That doesn't give her the right to throw me on the ground!" Tony yelled.

Steve raised his voice, "You don't know what they did to her Tony, what they made her do! She believes she's a monster because of what they did to her."

Tony shouted, "Well why did she go ballistic on me? All I did was touch her! Explain that Steve!"

Steve lowered his voice again, "It was because you touched her! Have you seen what she looks like? She's downright beautiful Tony! Don't you think Hydra would've taken advantage of that? Of her?"

The room fell dead silent and I resisted the urge to run back and hug Steve for defending me. The argument was over when Tony realized what he had done and I decided to go back to my room. I wasn't coming out for a long time.