Daffodils: An Avengers Romance

Cake

That weekend Peter left to go spend it with his parents and Steve and Bucky made themselves comfortable in my apartment.

"Wait, repeat that again doll?" Bucky asked as I angrily mixed the cake batter on the counter.

"I'm telling you that Hydra has marked the entire academy as its territory!" I was not yelling, but close to it. The oven rang and I rushed over while grabbing a kitchen towel to take out the cupcakes I had already made. Placing the cooling pan on the counter, I made space for it amongst the various desserts I had already made.

There was a flan, a vanilla cake and a red velvet one. None were frosted, but I was going to get to that as soon as I placed the vanilla cake I was working on in the oven.

A warm hand landed on my shoulder, gently turning me around.

"What exactly does that mean, Aida?" Steve asked as he took away the bowl from my arms and led me to a chair next to Bucky.

"It means that they are aware of everything that goes on here," I explained as I reached out for a cupcake and bit into it, "If they wish they can see into the school at anytime and, if the mage is powerful enough, they can lock down their territory to not let anyone in or out."

Bucky stilled behind me, his hands clenched into fist on the counter. I looked down at them noticing the numbers written across his fingers spelling out 107TH.

"We have to get rid of it," Bucky said, his voice sounding as if he was holding back pure anger, "No way we're letting Hydra anywhere near these kids."

I reached for another cupcake, "Way too late for that, the fact that the wards are still up means that whoever is controlling them is inside them. They have to constantly supply the magic necessary to keep them up. No way a mortal has enough magic to sustain them from afar."

"Hydra is inside the school?" Steve asked, body tense.

"Yep," I finished the cupcake and thought about grabbing another, "Your super secret evil organization is hiding out at a fucking elementary school. Or maybe the high school, doesn't really matter."

A very uncomfortable silence fell over us and I couldn't take it anymore, getting up to continue making cakes.

Stress baking was my only outlet right now.

I heard a chair scraping the floor as someone stood up, "I'm going to contact Fury to let him know. There are probably more Hydra agents in the nearby towns." Steve said.

I nodded absentmindedly, but then I felt a presence behind me. Steve's hand settled down on my waist as he turned me around again, his eyes looking straight at mine.

"Next time you decide to go out at midnight, make sure to call one of us." He gently tucked one of my curls that had escaped my bun behind my ear, "No need to go into the forest alone."

Squeezing my hip one last time, he stepped back and left the room as if nothing happened. I looked over at Bucky, who had just been sitting there and he smirked at me as he reached out for a cupcake himself.

Yeah, I was not going to unpack any of that today.

* * *

I dreamt that I was in a beautiful field of sunflowers, a warm summer breeze softly blowing around me and stirring the golden petals.

"They say dreams can be a great guide to what is going on in your life," Dream said as he appeared next to me, "A reflection of your inner fears and hopes."

I bumped my shoulder into his side, since he was way too tall for me to actually reach anything else.

"Yeah, they are if you're feeling generous." I snorted, "Honestly sometimes I feel like you just like to fuck with people and give them weird ass dreams."

Morpheus smirked down at me, waving his hand as a path opened up for us through the sunflowers. His lanky frame walked ahead of me, the black robe he always wore flowed around him, seeming to melt into shadows that shouldn't have been there.

"Why have you brought me here, Dream?" I asked as I followed behind. Few were allowed to walk next to a being so ancient and noble, and I was definitely not one of them.

"There is a stirring amongst the stars lately and my creations have been whispering of the birth of a new nightmare. One that I have not created." Dream's voice seemed to echo within itself, as if many people were speaking at the same time yet it flowed so beautifully I wanted to fall asleep to it.

"Can you please not speak in riddles today?" I asked, "It's been a couple of rough weeks, you know, I don't have the energy to try to solve puzzles."

He stopped and turned around to look at me, sharp features even more noticeable in the sudden sunset that was setting. He was beautiful, unnaturally so yet there was something about him that kept me from getting too close to him.

Probably the fact that I was aware that he was older than the world itself and held immense powers and the ability to destroy me without even lifting a finger. Maybe. Who knows?

"There is a darkness where you currently reside, Aida," Dream said, "The many deaths that have taken place there recently have started condensing and giving shape to a nightmare. One that is almost starting to come to life."

"What the fuck do you mean many deaths?" I asked before I could stop myself to reword it into a much more respectful phrase.

"The sacrifices to the Old Ones, of course." He answered as if it was obvious, "There have been many who have died to try to bring one to your world. I will never truly understand humans, the Old Ones were locked away for a reason, yet they want to release them into their dimension."

Dream stopped walking and plucked a sunflower, admiring it for a while before letting it turn to dust, "I can not intervene until the nightmare causes damage to humanity, but I do not wish for more humans to die for such a terrible cause. I ask of you to stop the sacrifices before more take place."

Dreams' eyes changed from those of a human to a complete blackness, one that reminded me way too much of Danny. I had to look away, because I was starting to all into the void of them.

"I am trying to do so, Dream." I said, "Danny themself asked me to stop the summoning of Mh'ithrha, but it's not that easy. There is a whole organization that is spread out and they have gotten their hands on Old Magic and somehow they can control it!"

"No mortal can control Old Magic without a cost," Dream said, "It corrupts the soul and twists the heart, bringing forth darkness that can never hide."

"Yeah, that's great and all, but it doesn't really help me. I can't exactly see the darkness of human souls."

"But I can," Dream said, and yeah he definitely could being the literal personification of dreams.

He reached into his robe and pulled out a ring. It was beautiful, a band of black with inlaid opals all across it like a night sky full of stars.

"When you are near the one whose soul is corrupted, this will warn you." Dream said as he handed me the ring.

"Damn, Dream you really doing it," I said as I put it on and smiled at it. I had a ring from Dream himself!

I guess I could say... It was my dream ring!

Dream gave me the smallest smile, but for him it was a rather big one.

"Be safe, Aida. I would hate to have to visit you in my sister's realm." As he said that, the landscape started slipping away and next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes in bed.

Yeah, I would also hate to meet Dream's sister Death. I bet she was nice, but I had no want to get to know her yet.

As I sat up I glanced over at my right hand and the ring that sat on my middle finger. Now, I just had to find whoever was going around using Old Magic in a freaking elementary school.

AN: I apologize for the bad puns, I just can't help myself