THINKING OUT LOUD || Avengers

-)Eight: Too Many Broken Parts(-

"...And that's why eating a human brain is basically the same thing as getting an STD."

Tony leaned against the back of the elevator, hoping his sunglasses hid his eye roll, "Oh, I'm sorry, are you still talking? I tuned it out around minute negative one."

Dani, the excitable teenager that she was, didn't look put off for one moment as she bounced on the balls of her feet with trapped energy. She had already covertly pressed every button in the silvery panel to their right and it had not gone unnoticed by her current babysitter that they seemed to be making a suspicious amount of stops.

Not that he particularly cared.

"Cannibalism is actually a very unhealthy lifestyle." Dani continued knowledgeably, "Human meat is all empty calories."

"FRIDAY?" Tony asked.

The AI was quick to respond, "Yes sir?"

"Put 'question the English education system' on my to-do list." Tony ordered, adjusting his hair in the reflective metal of the doors.

Again this failed to put Dani off, "I didn't go to school. I was trained by HYDRA. One of my first missions was through a cannibal camp. It was gross."

"Hold up," Tony looked at her, "You did actual missions?"

She nodded, "Most of them were boring. A few were scary."

"Hill said you were part of the raft rescuing team in Sokovia." He tried not to let the fact that this impressed him slip into his voice.

"Lifeboat Oh-Four." Dani claimed proudly, "I saw you there, you were awesome. All pew, pew, pew! Woosh! Boom!"

"Yeah," Tony acknowledged, "And then after we did the cartoon strip, we saved the world."

Dani grinned up at him, and she really was a kid watching a TV show in that moment, punching the air when the bad guy got their ass kicked, running around the garden imitating her favourite character, "You're actual real heroes."

"You were there too, kid." Tony frowned, "You saved the same lives we did."

Dani didn't seem to be paying attention. The elevator doors clanged open for the last time and she burst out into the lab, eyes wide as she took in the bright lights and shiny objects and holographic images, "Whoa."

"I know, cool, right?" Tony asked, moving on too quickly for her to answer, "So here's the deal. You sit in the corner, you don't make any sudden movements or sounds or rude expressions and we should be good."

Dani tilted her head to look at him, "You don't like me, do you?"

Tony steered her into a corner, "What was your first clue?"

"I know it's probably because you all think I'm lying to you," Dani called from where she obediently stood as Tony picked up an examined a few curious objects, "But I'm really trying to tell you everything I can. It's weird being back in the world, and I have no one to talk to, and I'm not very good at that."

The engineer sighed and put down a wrench to look at her, "Listen, hey, I'm not great at advice."

"Okay?"

"No, that's it." He flipped a screwdriver in the air and caught it, distracted once more, "I'm not great with advice, so don't ask me for any. I got my own problems, now what's that thing you English are always saying to me? Oh yeah, piss off."

({(+)})

"Thank you, Agent Hill. I know the risk you're taking just being here."