𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙿𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝙰𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗

Chapter 40: Secrets Spilled

(Third Person P.O.V.)

Angela was still feeling nauseous a few days later. As usual, she couldn't find a single thing that seemed to help the side effects lessen. It had nearly become a routine that she throws up every morning after waking up, and every single time James would be there to help hold her hair or hand her a toothbrush. He'd helped her greatly since the railyard incident, reminding her that everything will be alright and that if she ever needed to talk he was there for her. Even though she knew this, she was still wary of telling him about her encounter with the Director. Angela knew that he would do anything to protect her, especially from her horrible past experiences, and she didn't want him smothering her. Besides, it would just be another burden for him to fuss about. He was already worried enough about her health.

After freshening up in the bathroom she and James made their way to the lounge for the weekly meeting. James held her hand lovingly the entire way, rubbing his thumb along her skin for reassurance and stability. When they rounded the corner they were met with a large group of boys arguing by the couches. As far as Angela could tell, the men arguing were Clint, Tony, Peter, Sam, and Steve. Well, Steve was more-so trying to calm everyone down. He never really was the type of guy to start an argument, unless it was with Tony. He was pretty good at that. James squeezed Angela's hand to catch her attention and then nodded his head over towards the kitchen when she looked up at him. Angela followed his gaze to three bystanders: Vision, Wanda, and Nat. Wanda had her arms crossed with an amused yet disapproving expression painting her face while Vision looked unbothered at all. Nat, on the other hand, was in the middle of slapping her forehead when Angela caught a glimpse of her. The sight made her giggle and the pair made their way over to the three.

"What's going on?" Bucky asked. Wanda pointed to the group of boys as she answered.

"They're arguing over who the most powerful Avenger is." A moment later Claire walked in with a mug filled with what looked to be hot chocolate. She took a stance next to Vision and sighed, shoving her free hand into the pocket of her sweatshirt. It was much too big to fit her correctly. It must be Peter's, Angela thought to herself.

"They're still fighting over this?" The young girl asked tiredly. Judging by her tone of voice, this must have been going on for a while now.

"It would appear so," Vision answered. Then he looked down at Wanda. "Would it be plausible for me to stop them?"

"Hey, dickheads!" Claire suddenly shouted. The room went silent and everyone turned to look at the clearly annoyed young girl. "Just play a game of rock-paper-scissors and call it good already! For Christ's sake, I've got a Netflix series to finish!" The boys glanced around at each other before forming themselves into a circle and playing an intense game of rock-paper-scissors. Bucky leaned down close to Angela's ear, his fingers still entwined with hers.

"Who do you think the most powerful is?" Angela leaned up to answer, a small smile playing at her lips.

"Are we talking in general or in bed?" Bucky laughed and kissed his girlfriend's forehead.

"Touche, doll, touche." There were triumphant screams and remorseful groans as the two turned to watch the group again. It was noticeable that Sam and Clint were the first to lose. Steve was watching them from the sidelines with an amused look in his eye. Now it was between Peter and Tony. There were a few tense rounds in which they tied before Tony ended up coming out on top. Everyone around him frowned with disappointment as Tony celebrated dramatically. Even Wanda dropped her head. They all knew they weren't going to hear the end of it any time soon. Finally, Steve called everyone together so he could announce the weekly reports and patrol schedule. Bucky moved to peck Angela's cheek before making his way towards Clint and the other guys. Angela decided to stay near Natasha.