Cornelia Street - Avengers

Drifting Away

"You say I abandoned the ship but I was going down with it. My white knuckle dying grip, holding tight to your quiet resentment."

Bethany Morozov

(So Long, London. Taylor Swift)

...

Her wrist ached underneath the weight of her face, expression slack and emotionless as she counted the seconds in-between every beat from his heart monitor. She twirled her pointer finger around the small tag at the edge of the med-bay bedsheets.

"Mom just called, Happy will be here soon. The plane's taking us back to Dubai in under an hour, so I've got to head out... finish packing up my stuff," Harley said, appearing in the small rooms doorway across from her.

She lifted her head to him, seeing him tuck his phone into the back pocket of his black suit pants. "Already?" She asked, turning to him as he walked over to her. Frustration etched itself across his features, into his navy eyes, and he didn't even look at the bed, just her and then the floor. Both their attires still matched that of their failed plans from today.

Her legs shivered in her short red dress, ankle boots and ankle monitor, as she sat perched on the edge of a stool, Harley's thin black jacket proving virtually pointless around her shoulders as the cold of the facility room seeped into her bones.

He sucked in a breath, nodding before kneeling before her, taking her hand in his. His lips brushed against the back of her left knuckle, sending shivers trailing up her arm. She stared at the top of his head, biting her lip hard enough to leave a mark, trying to hide her disappointment from him. It wasn't his fault.

"I'm sorry you had to get all dressed up for nothing," he whispered, looking up to meet her gaze as she moved her hand up to hold his cheek.

"Wasn't for nothing," she offered with a smile, as Harley frowned. "I got to see you, we had a nice drive there and back, and almost got pulled over for speeding. I wouldn't say our day was entirely uneventful."

Harley's frown melted away at her words, as her thumb traced the small pattering of recklessness across his cheeks and nose. An array of light brown atop his golden skin. His eyes darkened, shadowed by thick brows, as they stared up at her. "I think that speeding was actually pretty badass. Seeing my girl drive like that? Made me fall in love with you even more. You should do it more often," he told her.

His thumb brushed against the back of her hand, a gentle caress that sent a ripple of warmth through her. "Your girl huh?"

He dipped his head, "Yeah, almost got us arrested there," he whispered, voice tinged with amusement. "But hey, at least we made it back in one piece."

"Yeah. We did," Beth whispered, chuckling softly. The tension of the moment eased as they shared a brief moment of levity. "I've had enough of hospital rooms for one day, enough of escaping authorities too."

Despite the uncertainty and chaos that seemed to follow them wherever they went, moments like this reminded her of why she had begun to fall for, Harley Stark. The one with a name she had been taught and grown to hate.

"My troublemaker."

As he rose to his feet, she reached out to grab his hand, not ready to let him go just yet. "Promise me you'll be careful," she said, voice soft but earnest. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."

Harley's expression softened, his gaze meeting her with a depth of emotion that took her breath away. "I promise," he said, his voice filled with conviction. "I'll call you when we get back to New York. And then we'll pick up right where we left off. I'll take you out for dinner and then..."