✓ THE SHIFTER, marvel

seven

7

"I'm in love with you," he said to her from his spot across the room, flipping through old pages on a book he kept in his suitcase. He seemed unfazed by his words, his eyes shifting to the window, the curtains covering them save for a tiny strip that lead out into the darkness.

Torrance laid on her side, heart hammering in her chest, only a sheet covering her body. "I'm sorry-what?"

He said it again, like it was no big deal at all. "I'm in love with you."

She sat up on the bed, holding the sheet to her chest, mouth parted, eyes wide. "Bucky-" she stopped herself, mouth closing as she watched the man shift in his spot by the window, not accustomed to falling in love or even expressing it. She sighed with a smile, holding out her hand for him and whispering it back like a promise, "I'm in love with you too."

He smiled, placing the book down and walking the few steps to her to miss her hand and go straight for her waist, pushing her back onto the bed with a laugh, peppering her face with warm kisses, her hands running through his hair. They were tangled in the sheets, hands intertwined, pressed against each other like they were connected by the hip.

Torrance fell from her memory like an egg dropping from the top of a building in a kindergarten class, her focus breaking and she was back. Sitting at the island in the kitchen, drink clutched in her hands, the elevator dinging shaking her from her consciousness as Fury's voice boomed through the room, "Someone want to tell me what in the hell is going on?"

Torrance spun around in her seat, feet touching the ground to stop her from moving as she stared at him, eyes narrowed. "I understand why you didn't let me help during the battle of New York," she told him, standing up. "You were afraid of what memories would be brought back if I somehow recognized Steve. I would have been corrupted if I did, but I'm just so angry with you." 

Fury crossed his arms. "So you know the truth."

"Yeah, and I'm still pissed."

"As you should be."

"It wasn't your call to keep me from him!" she shouted, taking a challenging step forward, ready for a screaming match she would win. "It wasn't your decision!"

"I know it wasn't, but it was for the best," Fury responded in a calm voice. "You were still a promising asset to S.H.I.E.L.D. and I couldn't just throw that away on a limb you might recognize him or he you. It was for the best."

"It wasn't your choice to make."

He stayed silent, staring.

"And it still isn't your choice. I make the decisions now, alright?" she countered, narrowing her eyes. 

He nodded, hands going up in surrender with a smile. "Glad to meet the real you."

She smiled back, sticking her hand out for him to shake and he did, "Nice to officially meet you, I'm Torrance Avery."

"Nick Fury."

With a simple shake, they began to work. 

~

She stood with Wanda, red magic moving between their fingers. This was part of her powers she enjoyed the most, gaining the power of the people she touched. Energy surged between them like links and Torrance felt saddened by the thought she wouldn't get to keep the powers after they simply wore off like they always do, after an hour of play.