jackalope-- p. maximoff★

nine.

HARRIET ENTERS THE BUILDING, HER FACE A PROMINENT GLARE AT ANYONE WHO DARES LOOK AT HER.

" Why didn't Bruce tell me he's friends with the Avengers?"

Joshua laughs a little. It makes her angrier. The unfamiliar office-ish environment isn't helping either. It's huge, and if she looks up, she'd think it didn't have an end. Just glass, all the way up.

"Is he in the Avengers?"

Now they're quiet. That's enough of an answer for Harriet. "He is, isn't he?"

She tries to guess who but her mind blanks out like a Whiteout line got drawn through it. She hasn't seen her mother's friend on the news at all.

"Who is he? What, fucking Hawkeye?"

Sasha is about to answer but Joshua shakes his head ever so slightly. 

Harriet narrows her eyes. "If you won't tell me, I'll have to find out myself."

♬

Before anyone can utter a word, she starts running up the stairs, her sneakers barely making a noise as she lands on the balls of her feet.

Pot plants are pretty much the only thing she can see as she runs because she's losing her breath from the running itself.

After a few minutes of sprinting, she feels two arms wrap around her and she hisses, being pulled back by Joshua. If he does that again, it'll be one arm next time.

She can hear him laughing as he sets her down on the glass stairs. She can feel the worker's eyes on her as they walk up the stairs but she ignores them. A plant hangs above her head and she smacks the bottom to get it away from her, a bit of dirt lodging in her hair.

"Why did you do that?" She seethes, crossing her legs and balling her hands into fists.

"You're being immature." 

"I'm sick of everyone thinking i should always be mature. I'm 25, dumbass. I've just reached the beginning of somewhat adulthood, I'm recovering."

Joshua sighs. There's a palpable silence and she speaks again, not standing from the stairs she's sitting on. "Can you at least tell me who Bruce really is?"

Joshua shakes his head as Sasha appears from the bottom of the stairs, panting a little and drenched in sweat. "He should tell you himself."

"Yeah, he fucking owes me that."

★

When Harriet meets the Avengers, it's nothing like what she expected. 

Or, not what she'd seen on the news.

They're glorious and amazing and 'awesome', but they make Harriet feel lesser. 

These superheroes and their unique powers, and their unimaginable skills. It makes her envious. Scared, even. Pitying?

Black Widow looks at her-- yes, the Black Widow--, a strand of the Avenger's red hair flicking over her perfect cheekbones. Harriet swallows. This is definitely a situation she never thought she'd find herself in.

"Who is this, Sasha?" The Widow says sceptically, her eyes narrowing at Harriet, causing the girl to squirm under her gaze.

Harriet runs a hand through her hair, splitting the hairline as she avoids eye contact with anyone and everyone.

"She's Harriet. Ori's kid."

"Brown?"

Sasha nods and Harriet hums. "I'll be working here, apparently. As an office worker. It's nice to meet you."

Her voice is meek as she speaks and all she wants to do is leave the room.

"Yes, we'll keep an eye on you." The Avenger says it like it's a hesitant statement, not an agreement. The other heroes haven't said a word, and Harriet spots Bruce from across the room. She shoots him a glare from which he responds to with a chagrined smile.

Why does anyone even have to 'keep an eye' on her? Who's after her? Is she valuable in some way?

Harriet Percival Ames Brown is utterly confused. Again.

★

a/n: man sorry i haven't updated in a bit; life throws curveballs at me all of the time so you'll have to bear with me. anywaysss... pietro will be here soon, don't worry, in all his bleached glory. harriet is starting to get her memory back now btw

edit: josh x sasha canon

-m.b