Burn

Chapter three: Salaam

Still establishing the hows and whys of the beginning. After this chapter, I am confident things will start to engage.

Salaam is a salutation meaning peace in some Islamic countries.

"And now there is a divide between the Avengers. We do not fight as a team anymore, but we rather act as two sides of the coin. A decision separated us and now both sides are fugitives to the other. SHIELD is down, HYDRA is suspected to be annihilated, and now we are just wanderers."

Addison looked at Steve with round eyes, taking in all the up-to-date speech with vigor and a cup of hot chocolate nestled in her palms. She had invited them over for coffee, since discussing the matter of confidential files in public was considered dangerous. Both James and Steve were sat on either side of her square table, their untouched, cold coffee sitting in front of them. Their faces adorned stoic expressions, their brows knitted tight together. It was mostly Steve who was doing the talking, yet James had his own word or two to pepper into the conversation.

"And now you try to be as stealth as possible?" the girl asked, her big brown eyes glued to the superhero sitting in her kitchen. She still couldn't believe that a former American beacon and HYDRA asset were sitting comfortably in jeans and t-shirts in her kitchen.

"I'm still trying to reach out to Tony, despite contrary opinions," Captain answered with a not-so-subtle glare to his comrade seated in front of him. "I still have faith in the Avengers, despite the team being an entity with no one in it."

"So because of James-" Addie started.

"Bucky-"

"And conflict of interest, you guys are fugitives?" she continued, completely ignoring James' futile attempt at correcting her.

"Not just me and Buck," Steve answered, looking uncomfortable. "It's also Sam, Wanda, Scott, and Clint." Both men shared a serious nod.

Everything seemed so banal, even if the words coming out of their mouths were far from it. The situation would have been less unbelievable if they weren't dressed like random citizens; a gym shirt with black jeans for one and a long sleeve shirt and light jeans for another. Wearing their popular uniforms would have been far less awkward for Addie.

"I've heard of Wanda, but not so much the others," she said honestly.

"You will get to know them," Steve answered, his ever so kind eyes soothing the aching pain in her heart. "I think you will work well with Wanda."

"What does that mean?" she asked slowly, her voice almost a squeak. She held onto her cup of hot chocolate for dear life, her knuckles turning as white as her cheeks. James sighed as if that was what he was waiting for all along, his lips in a tight line, his brows raised. He looked as if he would rather be anywhere but in her apartment sitting on that darn squeaky chair.

"Let's not take ten thousand roads to get to the point, right, Steve?" he said bitterly, his burning blue eyes staring at his friend. He had one hand on his thigh and the other tapping relentlessly on the table. He looked mad.

"We all know you've got a chip on your shoulder, James, but I got nothing to do with it, so turn that frown upside down." Addie was prone to speak before thinking and her own attitude was a reflection of what was truly passing through her mind.

James looked surprised, yet strained his expression as if he was holding back. "It's Bucky," he gritted through his teeth.

"Anyway," Steve interjected, his brows furrowed as if he couldn't believe two grown adults were bickering. "There is no easy way to ask this of you, but I hope you take the time to consider it." He smiled sweetly, the skin of his right cheek denting slightly, and his eyes glowing bright blue under the awkward lighting of her kitchen. His face was so inviting and warm, almost like the drink in her hands. "There's a threat coming, a big one I assume. We need all hands on deck. I'm working on getting the Avengers back together, despite the process being slow and torturous, but a process nonetheless. If we have an extra hand, that would be one more advantage for us. That is, only if you want."