Coming Down ➢ Steve Rogers

twenty nine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Life at the Avenger's Complex was different to any sort of life Delaney had lived before. She'd been confined within white walls, lived alone in an apartment while working for S.H.I.E.L.D; resided in shoddy, cheap rooms while on the run; in the cheap room during her mission against her parents. None of those buildings had been a place she could call home - more like a temporary residential area.

The Avenger's Complex changed all of that.

She wasn't alone. There was space for all the Avengers. It was permanent. She wasn't on the run. She could decorate her room however she wished - one wall was devoted entirely to a bookshelf. 

The place got messy, dishes left in the sink, people waking up at different times and eating breakfast at varying hours of the morning, and wearing different things. Delaney had no shame when, buying a complete wardrobe for the first time, to buy and wear shirts with different Harry Potter designs on them.

It was a place she could call home.

It was a place she could belong.

In that months that passed since Sokovia, Delaney and the others had settled in quickly. The move from Avenger's Tower hadn't even been a bother. This place had even better facilities to train and experiment, even if they did miss Bruce, Thor, and Pietro.

It had been Delaney, Clint, and Vision who had spent the most time with Wanda in the wake of her twin's death. The girl had come closer to Delaney ever since she broke down in front of her. Delaney had become very fond and protective of the younger girl: she and Clint had almost become parental figures. Delaney was there to listen to Wanda and went the extra mile to make her feel comfortable. She helped Wanda set up her room, organised long movie marathons, cooked food traditional to her home.

When Wanda's broken heart slowly began to mend, Delaney had dragged her out more often, and witnessed just how fierce and strong Wanda Maximoff was. They had sparred frequently, practiced their powers together, or gone out to shop together - sometimes with Natasha, sometimes without. 

Her relationships with the others had also been affected by constant close proximity - apart from perhaps Natasha and Clint. They'd always been close, so this was really no different. Their bonds remained as strong as ever.

Delaney found she could discuss her long-lost passion for science with Tony. She hadn't been able to pursue it while on the run, but now Tony was more than willing to help her pick it back up again. He expanded her knowledge and even allowed her to enter his lab a fair few times. Though Delaney wanted to hit him sometimes on count of his constant sarcasm, Delaney saw beyond that and knew he genuinely cared, and that he was more vulnerable than he let on, wearing that bravado like a mask. Delaney thought she and Rhodey might have been the only ones to suspect what was going on with Pepper, though she was too nervous to bring the topic up. Surely it was a sore spot.

The quick friendship she'd established with Sam also deepened. It was always lighthearted fun around Sam Wilson. They teased each other mercilessly - Sam about her relationship with Steve, and Delaney about how, if she had been there, she could have stopped the man who called himself Ant-Man (she had been on a date with Steve at the time). Sam was so warm that it was impossible not to like him. Despite their teasing, they always went out of the way to help the other.

Then there was Vision and Rhodey. Delaney was starkly different to Vision, as they all were, but he was interesting to talk to. Rhodey was brilliant. Whenever they were in the same room as Tony, they didn't let him catch a break. He was steadfast, kind, and strong in principles.