PLOT TWIST ━ MOON BOYS

5| 𝐠𝐮𝐬

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      VERA WAS STOOD in the museum's basement, staring at the large inventory wall. She groaned at the sight, set her clipboard down, and stepped towards the products. She scanned over the plushies, t-shirts, and magnets. Her gaze stopped at bags of snacks, one being packs of gummies.

"Now, what do gummies have to do with ancient Egypt?" She asked aloud as she looked over the bag, flipping it to read the back.

"That's what I said." Steven's voice sounded from behind her, startling her slightly.

She spun on her heels and met the man's gaze, smiles forming on both of their lips. She chuckled at his comment and put the snack back on the shelf.

"What are you doing down here?" She questioned him.

It had been two days since their little meet-up, and Vera couldn't help but admit that she was excited to see the man again. She knew she should be following him around, seeing what he was up to when no one else was around, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. But she knew she had to do it sooner or later. Fury would be calling for any updates, and she couldn't exactly tell him that he was a vegan who loved ancient Egypt and his fish named Gus.

"I need a bin of Tawerets." He mumbled and pointed at the stuffed animals behind her.

She gave a small chuckle, grabbed the bin, and handed it to him. He took it from her arms and stood there momentarily, thinking what to say.

"Would you, uh, like to come over this evening? Meet Gus? Talk about. . Uh, work?" He phrased it all in a question.

"I would love that," Vera replied with a kind smile, pulling her phone out of her pocket and handing it to the man. He looked at the device in confusion and then at her, who laughed.

"Give me your number so I can text you." She pointed out, and his face lit up with realization.

He quickly typed on the device before handing it back. He then handed the brunette his phone, letting her enter her number. He picked his bin of plushies up and gave her a shy look.

"Text me later, love." He told her before heading off back up to the gift shop.

Vera found herself happily twirling her pen between her fingers as she thought about seeing him again. She suddenly stomped her foot and balled her fists at her actions. She lightly facepalmed herself.

How could she be feeling this way already? Or at all, for that matter? Damn him and that precious smile of his. She grabbed her clipboard with force and continued her inventory check, her mind bouncing back and forth between Steven's sweet face and her anger for herself.

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Vera sat on the small balcony that was connected to her bedroom, a glass of water in hand. Her mind wandered through so many different things - her reason for being here, her newfound affection for Steven, missing Peter and the team, and how this sweet innocent man was supposedly a dangerous superhero.

It made no sense. He didn't seem to have a mean bone in his body. How was he being looked into for the Avengers? Had the agency finally lost it and were grasping at straws? She had no idea. But she was hoping to get a glimpse of him tonight when she went to his place.

The shrill ring of her phone brought her back to reality. She glanced at the name on the screen and couldn't help but laugh.

'Steven with a V is calling'

She clicked the accept button and spoke into the phone.

"Well, hello there, Steven with a V"

"Hello, love. Are you ready?" He inquired, a smile plastered on his face.

"Of course. I'll be over shortly. ." She trailed off as she heard the man bickering with someone. She furrowed her brows as she tried to listen.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh yeah! Totally fine, was just yelling at Gus." He sheepishly responded. Vera tilted her head at his response, not believing him, but she played along.

"Tell Gus to fix his attitude; I'll be over soon!" She interjected.

"I will, but he never listens. See you soon!"

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Vera found herself at the front door of Steven's apartment. Her heart was pounding slightly, and her stomach fluttered in nervousness.

"Ridiculous." She huffed at herself as she knocked on the door.

She could hear the familiar pattern of Steven's feet approaching the door. Seconds later, the door swung open to reveal the casually dressed man. His hair was slightly disheveled, and he had a shy smile on his lips.

"Hey, you." She greeted him as he moved to the side, allowing her to enter.

Vera looked around in interest as she took in the surroundings. She made note of all the books he had piled up. She then made her way over to his fish tank. Gus was an adorable orange fish swimming happily around in his crystal-clear water.

"He's much more adorable than I imagined." She told the man who was nervously watching her.

"Yeah, he's quite the looker." He joked as he scratched at the back of his neck.

Vera grinned and continued to look around his small apartment, coming up to his bed. She raised her eyebrows at the sand that was scattered around it, along with a thick iron chain.

"Should I be worried, Steven?" She lightheartedly joked as she pointed to the object lying on the floor.

"Oh, uh, no, no. I have a sleeping disorder. If I fall asleep, I end up sleepwalking. . It's not a kink, I swear. " He admitted.

"If you sleep?" She countered curiously, trying not to laugh at his last statement.

"Yeah, I tend to. . uh not. It's easier than feeling the aftermath of my travels." He assured her.

"You're probably so tired." Vera frowned.

"Uh, massively. But I manage. But please sit. I talked all about myself the other night. Tell me about you." He insisted as he gently took her by the hand, leading her to the couch.

Vera happily plopped down on the comfy furniture and turned to face Steven, who was doing the same.

"There's not much to tell about me. How about you tell me about the museum?" She told him, bringing her knees close to her chest. She hated talking about herself, and she didn't wanna have to lie to the poor guy about who she really was.

He nodded his head and began rambling off information that he thought she would need to know. They chatted back and forth, cracking jokes and revealing simple things about one another.

Hours began to pass, and the two fell in comfort with each other. Steven told her about the many places he had woken up in when he had accidentally let sleep overtake him. She told him about the places she'd seen due to her 'old job.'

That's how the next few weeks would go. One would visit the other and chat for hours, learning new things and gaining new memories. As each visit went by, Vera couldn't deny that her heart seemed to flutter for the awkward disheveled man.

Fury continued to nag her for updates, to tell him what she learned, but she couldn't really give him much as she still hadn't initiated any surveillance. Vera simply couldn't bring herself to do it. But she had to swallow her feelings. Do what she was sent to do. And she would; she just needed time.

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