Changes | Marvel

SEVENTEEN. Fitz is a Fan

It took roughly twelve hours for a jet to be waiting for me right outside the house after Phil warned me of my presence being needed. I don't understand why it was in Fury's yard, but I shrugged it off and locked the door behind me making sure Fury wouldn't yell at me for letting someone steal his shit. Walking in, I was greeted by Billy himself and he was slightly smiling.

"Billy? Hey!" I walk over and pull him into hug, whether he wanted it or not.

"Avery. Believe it or not, but I missed your endless naggings around the place." I grin a little before sitting down.

"Is Phil and his team there?" I ask him, wanting to know if I was going to meet the team today or tomorrow.

"At the moment yes, but they can be sent out to a mission. It's really just chance." He explains.

"Alright then. Let's get this party started then." Billy heads towards the cock pit where he would control the plane, and I sat at the back with my headphones in. I listened to various music choices, RnB, Pop, Electro - anything that was on pretty much. It was a pretty short ride if you compared it to my other fights – about 10 hours in the air. We got in at one thirty in the morning, and Billy placed the plane down into the hanger which was quite empty. A couple of agents looked over to see who was coming off but I had a hoodie and sunglasses on, so they couldn't exactly see my face.

"So, this is it." I say, putting down the duffle bag that held some clothes and toiletries.

"Yep. Looks very different to how it was before. Director Coulson really went out of his way to make this place good." Billy tells me.

"I'm sorry about Eric..." I say quietly, but Billy only gives me a small, sad smile.

"He's in a better place." He tells me. "Here, I'll take you to your room, so you can get some sleep." He leads me down halls, passing various labs and holding cells before opening a certain door near a lab.

"It's not very cosy at the moment, but I'm sure you will make it yours." He says quietly. I smile and nod, sitting down on the bed. I hadn't seen Phil anywhere so I'm sure he's either asleep or out on a mission.

"I'll tell Director Coulson that you're in. There's no particular wake-up time so come out whenever you want." He closes the door behind him, and I lay back on the bed. It was much more comfortable than the other base, but not as comfy as the beds in Fury's house. He surprisingly had very soft mattresses. For some reason, my bed in Stark tower came to my mind and my chest slightly twanged with hurt.

Was he keeping my room untouched? Had he packed everything away? Was he renting my room out for someone? My hand came up to my chest, where I could feel the hard skin that was bunched up to create a scar. It was big and ugly; it made me feel insecure about myself. I would wear shirts that didn't show my chest and made sure it wasn't visible. I hated it.

I rubbed the now aching scar and tears came to the corners of my eyes. I was scarred physically and mentally. No one knew just how much I was struggling in my everyday life. Nightmares would keep me up at night, reminding me of Loki or my brother watching me die. All I wanted was life to go back to normal, but Fury assured me that it wouldn't be normal for a very long time. He was adamant on not letting Tony know that I was alive, and I had no idea why nor could I truly do anything about it since I was only young.

I don't really know what time I dosed off, but soon enough the sounds of loud voices filled the hallways which woke me up. I was asleep longer than I thought, because it was almost nine o'clock. I walked into the bathroom and had a shower, dressing into a pair of tracksuit pants and a baggy grey Nike shirt that I usually wore around the base. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and walked out, automatically seeing Phil and a bunch of people standing inside of a nearby lab. It seemed like they were all in a heated discussion and when I slipped in, I automatically knew.

"Avery stark? What?" I hear an exclamation.

"Wait, wait, wait. After a year and a half of being told that Avery Stark is dead, you're telling us that SHE'S YOUR CONTACT?" A girl with brown hair asks him.

"COULSON? WHY WOULD YOU HIDE THIS? SHE'S MY HERO!" Another guy yells. His voice cracks a little and everyone looks at him amused. He starts rambling, but I keep my body just out of view of them. "She created a self-sustaining car motor at seven years old and it's used in most car designs today. SEVEN YEARS OLD. Do you know how long it took me to even understand the concept of engineering? I've always wanted to meet her, and I almost CRIED after I heard that she died." I kind of step out into the open and all eyes turn to me, but because I was behind the guy, he didn't see. They try to motion to the guy to shut up, but he was still rambling.

"Oh my god, I think I'm going to have a panic attack. She is going to be in my presence. Do you think she'll give me an autograph?"

"Yeah, why not." He spins around, and his face goes bright red which makes me grin a little. I offer him my hand. "Avery Stark. Well, you obviously already know that." I cheekily add in. He grasps my hand, still opening and closing his mouth. "Cat got your tongue?" He still doesn't talk, and I raise an eyebrow at his flustered state.

"Ava how are you." Phil comes over and brings me into a tight hug.

"You know, chilling in Nick Fury's house, running from Hydra. The usual." Someone coughs from the side and I face the rest of the team, placing my hands behind my back. I try to guess everyone's names, but I don't recognise some people.

"Agent May?" I guess, facing the Asian woman who looks serious yet slightly annoyed. She nods, and I move on.

"Uh Skye?" I trail off, seeing the younger woman who was also grinning.

"That's me. Nice to meet you Miss Stark." I grin and turn to the guy who is still looking quite pale and embarrassed.

"You must be Fitz?"

"Uh... Yeah." He looks down and I feel bad.

"Aw, don't be embarrassed." I laugh a little. "I've witnessed worse, and quite frankly I'm actually quite flattered." He blushes again and mumbles something incoherent.

"Agent Triplett?" I turn to the darker skinned man, he nods respectively.

"Uh, I don't exactly know who you are..." I turn to the last guy who was talking in a British accent.

"Well, I suppose. I just joined the team. Hunter." He shakes my hand and I smile.

"Well now that's over and done. What's been going down? Everyone looks so gloomy." I complain. "Stark's don't like gloominess. Wait, isn't there a Simmons or something?"

"Simmons isn't currently here." Phil tells me awkwardly, glancing at Fitz.

"What about Mr I'm-actually-Hydra?" I ask, getting weird looks.

"Underground, in block D." Phil tells me, confused.

"Cool. Cool." I trail off, biting my lip. "Got any food around here? I need it." I ask suddenly.

"Need it? Or want it." Phil teases.

"Don't start this with me Phillip." I wave goodbye to the team as Phil leads me out to go get food. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful family.