Lost in the Mirror (Avengers Fan Fiction)

[ 3 ]

"So Halloween's coming up." Delaney thought out loud. She sat at a table in the cafeteria with Zara. The two were eating breakfast together, trying to drag their free time out as long as they could.

"And?" Zara tore a piece off of her Pop Tart and put it into her mouth.

"We should dress up. I've never had a girl-friend to do those cute friend outfits with."

"I am a fully grown woman, Valente. You are too, technically. We don't dress up anymore." Zara shook her head. She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at this lady.

"But I think it would be fun, Zara!" Valente bounced up and down in her seat. "And I don't know what cultural customs are like around this time in India but I'm Brazilian and we do Finados, Day of the Dead."

"Kevin told me about how you talked him into making an alter for people who've died." Zara picked up her coffee cup and began to sip from it. Her eyes wandered around the room as Delaney began to speak.

"Yeah! We did it when we were in Havana! It was so much—,"

"How come no one sees much of Loki?" Zara cut Valente off. She wanted to change the subject to anything other than a conversation that would end up with her in a Halloween costume.

"I don't know." Delaney shrugged her shoulders and looked around the cafeteria. Some of the Avengers were just now walking into the room. "Have you met any of them?"

"Just Romanoff and Barton."

"How do you feel about Loki being here, Zara?" Delaney wrapped her hands around her coffee cup and settled her eyes on her friend across the table from herself.

"I don't."

"You don't what?" She crinkled her eyebrows together.

"I don't feel."

Delaney rolled her eyes and took a little sip of her coffee. She scrunched her nose up and stuck her tongue out. Her coffee didn't have enough sugar.

"How do you feel about him? You were closer than anyone to Coulson. Hell, Gentry had to save your ass from Loki—,"

"I don't want to talk about it." Valente cut Zara off quickly, standing to her feet. "I have papers to sort through. See you later, Zara."

The dark haired agent watched as Delaney left, a grin coming to her lips. Zara Khanna had limited patience for the kind of person Delaney Valente was. She usually couldn't handle the happy-go-lucky intern by herself, she had to have someone else with her. Over the few years that Zara had known Delaney, she'd learned to be a little more patient and calm with Delaney. However, making the intern go away without being rude was always a win.

Across the cafeteria, the group of Avengers sitting at a table watched as Delaney left the cafeteria.

"So what's Valente's story?" Natasha asked.

"What do you mean?" Clint took a bite of his cereal. He had his arm possessively wrapped around his bowl as if he was afraid that someone would take it away.

"I've heard of her a lot. She was always by Fury, Hill, or Coulson." Natasha stirred her coffee with her spoon. "Why doesn't she work in the field?"

"She's just their assistant." Clint shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, they're busy people. They need someone to help with things like Valente does."

"What about you, Rogers?" Tony glanced across the table to the blonde Super Soldier.

"What about me?"

"She seemed all too excited to see you." Tony smirked a little. "And you were just as happy. You even complimented her."

Steve glanced over to Bucky, who was silently listening to the conversation. The Winter Soldier shrugged his shoulders, happy to not join the talk and instead crunch on his cereal.