They're made up of trained assassins, a genius, a rather angry doctor, an Asgardian prince, a should-be ghost, and a foul-mouthed teenager.
Who are they?
They're the Avengers. And after babysitting said teen, they're ready to take on whatever obstac...
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"You know," Tony insisted for what seemed like the millionth time since they'd set out in the helicarrier, "when I said party, I meant search party, not...what you thought I meant before." He ignored the disgusted looks he received, and added, "I just thought you guys really didn't have that much faith in me."
Cara sighed exasperatedly, but was unable to respond because of Steve's constant fidgeting beside her. He'd started out the trip standing up by Tony in the pilot's seat, but as the trip progressed, and they were flying somewhere over North Dakota, he took a few steps back, and Cara sensed his anxiety. So she'd taken his hand, and despite his quiet protests, she managed to pull him over by her seat, and sat him down, comforting him by just holding his hands in her lap.
She knew he was beyond nervous, and didn't think words would help. By just being there, she was able to eventually feel his tense muscles relax, even in the slightest, and smiled as he mouthed a "thank you" in her direction. After that, he'd been silent, but his breaths were still shaky with concern for his friend.
Cara wondered what it would be like if--when, she had to think when--they found him, what type of person he would be. Over the past month, she heard as much as Steve and the others would say:
Nat: "He's been through a lot in the past seventy years."
Steve: "When you see him, he's going to come across different than what he's actually like."
Sam: "He can be a real pain in my ass." Then, "but he's not too bad, I guess."
From those statements alone, Cara wasn't too intimidated. But judging that she was with the Avengers, she knew that things could get messed up real quick.
She glanced over at her cousin, who had gotten rid of his suit, saying it "didn't fit anyway, and it wasn't that much of a loss," but as she read his body language, watching him wrap his arms around himself, she knew he had been lying. Even though Tony had promised him a new one, she understood what he was feeling. It wouldn't feel right.
Before they'd left the tower, Bruce had returned with Peter to share the results of the drug test.
"It's a little surprising, actually," he'd said, "I expected to find something a little more complex. But it was simply anesthesia." He had stuffed his hands in his pockets and sighed. "They're as simple as Wanda and Pietro say they are, I guess."
Now, sitting on the helicarrier, she was still shocked at how little resources they seemed to have, but how much power they displayed over them. It was almost as if they were trying to fool them.
If that's the case, Cara thought, a chill spiraling down her spine, then it's working.
-
"Hey, we're here," came Tony's voice from the front of the helicarrier.
"Here" was a large forest on the west edge of Washington state, a place that had picked up rare movement on one of J.A.R.V.I.S.'s many programs. As no one knew where to actually start looking for Bucky, they took a stab at the most inconspicuous place that had come up.
Cara hoped they'd find him. If they didn't, she knew that that would only diminish Steve's hope more, and then the whole 'search party' idea would become a complete bust. She hoped it wouldn't.
Everyone but Bruce(just in case--whatever that meant) climbed out of the giant helicarrier, and stretched their legs.
"Well, damn," Sam said, looking around at the trees, trees, and the trees. "He chose a damn good spot to hide, I'd say."
"If he's here," Steve mumbled, so low that no one could hear him, but Cara had stuck close to him for the whole trip, and this wasn't any different. She heard each word.
And she wasn't having any of it.
"Okay," she said sharply, and grabbing a hold of Steve's arm, pulling him away from the group. "Give us a minute, would you?" She called to them.
She reached the other side of the helicarrier, several yards away from their friends, and crossed her arms.
"What?" Steve asked, clearly confused.
"You can't do that," she said, "you can't just act like you're optimistic all the time and then actually be in a sucky attitude in real life."
"What do you mean, I'm not--"
"Yes you are," she insisted, and refused to let him talk. She had to get this in. "This whole trip, you've been nothing but jittery. And I understand that, okay? I do, you could potentially save your best friend from the '40s from people who could hurt him, I get that. But right there, when Sam--who I've heard doesn't really like Bucky--was being open-minded and half-assed a compliment, you were unsure of yourself again." She crossed her arms. "Steve, you're Captain fucking America. And I don't care that I just swore, I just want you to understand where I'm coming from."
He looked taken aback at her words. "Cara, I get what you're--"
She held up a hand again. "No, I'm not sure you do." Sensing his surprise at her sharp, rushed accusations, Cara took a step forward and reached for his hands. "Steve, if we're going to do this, you need to be all in, every step of the way. Get rid of those doubts you have about whether or not Bucky's been captured, or anything else that's going to diminish your hope for the best. I want this to work, Steve, I want us to find him. But you need to prove to everyone that you can be the strong, open-minded, logical leader that you've been in the past." She peered up into his gorgeous eyes, and let her lips turn up in a small smile of encouragement. "Can you do that?"
He smiled, and squeezed her hands. "Yeah, I think I can."
She pulled away, raising an eyebrow. "Um, what? You think you can? Or you know you can?"
Steve rolled his eyes. "Cara--"
But she pointed a finger at him. "Answer the question."
He sighed. "I know I can."
"Again. With passion."
"I know I can."
She grinned. "Hell yeah you can," she smiled, and took his hand. As they were walking back to the group, she said, "you know, if I weren't a superhero right now, I think I'd go into motivational speaking."
He nodded, smiling in amusement as he kissed her forehead. "Yeah, I can see that."
Sorry if this is a sucky filler chapter but school has begun and I have like zero time to write so I hope you enjoyed anyway,,
