In Your Eyes // Steve Rogers

23

We found Tony and Bruce working efficiently in the Lab. Reducing our distance, Steve and I noticed what they were fumbling over: the crate. Our minds automatically knew what they were attempting to do.

"I'm gonna say this once," warned Steve.

Tony turned, acknowledged us, then continued to work. "How about nonce?"

"Shut it down," said Steve.

"Nope!" declined Tony.

Steve stared between them, his face hard. "You don't know what you're doing."

"And you do?" wondered Bruce. His eyes flickered to Wanda. "She's not in your head?"

"I know you're angry," started Wanda slowly.

"Oh, we're way past angry," said Bruce, chuckling in astonishment, "I could choke the life out of you, and never change a shade."

"Which you won't be doing, Bruce," I cut in sharply.

"After everything that's happened--" tried Steve

"It is nothing compared to what's coming!" yelled Tony.

"You don't know what's in there!" shouted Wanda.

The arguments escalated quickly between Tony and Steve, Wanda and Bruce. They shouted over the other, desperately trying to defend or get their point across.

It was then, watching them all bicker, that I understood. The Avengers lacked what every team needed: a bond. The more time I spent with them as a member, the more I learned that I wasn't on a team. They were a group of skilled individuals who were grouped together because of their power, not their ability to work together. They lacked the bond of a team, despite having the shared duty of one.

"Sonic," I said, nodding to the crate, "Do your thing."

He smirked at me. As he circled around the crate, pulling out wires, a silence fell, all eyes on him. Pietro dropped the last plug in normal speed, hands crossed over his chest.

"You were saying?" he asked.

A gunshot broke through the glass he stood on, causing him to fall through to the next floor.

"Pietro!" yelled Wanda, running to look inside.

A beeping on the computer alerted Tony. The minute he turned, the shield was tossed at a wall to bounce around, smashing the computer. Tony summoned his suit hand, blowing it at Steve.

Wanda curled her hands to help Steve, but Bruce grabbed her around the neck.

"Hey!" I yelled, very much lacking the menacing tone, "Bruce, stop!"

Wanda sent red energy through herself and into Bruce, the sudden jolt making him take a couple steps back.

I crawled in the middle, a hand on each of their chests, trying to stop them.

"Don't do this. Either of you," I pleaded, "We have bigger problems."

"You'd risk your life for her?" snapped Bruce.

"I'd do it for anyone who deserved a second chance," I said, my eyes narrowed.

Bruce's jaw clenched. He took a step towards me, grabbed my shirt and pushed me to the floor, set on harming Wanda.

A crackle occurred, and suddenly, Thor joined the crowd. He jumped on to the cradle, summoned lightining and directed it into the cradle.

The blinding bright lights had me turned away. I heard a crash, a couple groans, then complete and utter shocked silence.

A man was floating at the window, staring at himself in the reflection.

"Clara?" mumbled Steve.

A moment later, he was by my side, helping me up from the floor.

"Are you--"

"Please stop," I muttered, slipping my hand out of his grasp.

It wasn't his fault. I hadn't been in a phase of not having enough energy to talk in years, but after experiencing such a heated argument between people who were supposed to be team members, I had no patience to deal with anyone.

I stepped away from him, moving my attention to the man at the window.

Besides his patched red and green colored skin, and the yellow stone on his head, his body figure could have passed for a human. Staring at Thor, a yellow cape was created from his shoulders.

"I am sorry," he apologized in a British accent, "That was odd."