Flower - Marvel Fanfiction

Five

F O X G L O V E

Elena's head pounded. She paced the room, a hand on the side of her head. She couldn't sit, couldn't lie down, couldn't relax without the throbbing pang in her head. After Tony found a suitable room for her, she had locked herself inside. The Avengers let her be, but she doubted that it was for long.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Elena swallowed down the bile that began traveling up her esophagus. She rubbed her wrist, leaning against a wall. Usually, she found headaches easy to handle. She'd find a dark, quiet room, and she would sit on the floor. This was different. Never had she encountered a headache that was so strong that she wanted her skull to crack open.

Elena pulled on her hair, sinking onto the ground. She gritted her teeth, steadying her breathing. Was this even a headache or was it something more?

Letting her head fall back, she sighed. Her eyes shut as she pulled her knees up to her chest. She just wanted to go home. She got what she wanted, to be a normal human, so why wasn't everything normal? Instead, she was stuck in a tower with strangers with a villain supposedly tracking her. Elena muttered under her breath. What could she do for someone that wanted to induce havoc into the world?

She opened her eyes, letting them wander across the room. Tony had given her a whole suite, and to her grudging relief, it wasn't just one color. She could have lived in the room if there was a kitchen. She had everything else: a bedroom, living room, and a bathroom. Running a hand through her hair, Elena jolted when a sharp knock interrupted her silence. When she didn't answer, the knock only came harder and quicker.

Elena stood, walking to stand in front of the door. She stared at it, arms slack beside her. Before the knock could sound again, she unlocked the door, opening it to let a sliver of light pass through. She stiffened when green eyes stared back at her. Of all people, she didn't expect Natasha to be the one to be at her door.

"Elena."

She gulped, opening the door wider. "Natasha."

Elena felt weird saying her name out loud. She didn't feel like they were close enough. She wasn't close to any of the Avengers, she supposed, but Natasha seemed harder to approach.

"We're briefing the situation in thirty," she said. "Figured you should be there."

"Alright." Elena moved to shut the door.

She stopped when Natasha's foot darted out to stop it from closing. Elena blinked, looking back up. "What?"

"We started off on the wrong foot," she said. Natasha held out her hand. "I'm offering you a new start. You're going to need someone sensible to handle those boys."

Elena stared down at her hand. She hesitated. "How long do you think I'll be here?"

Natasha winced. "I don't know," she said. "Hopefully not long, but Hydra is complicated."

Swallowing, Elena let her shoulders slump. "It wouldn't hurt to be on good terms with someone in this place, I guess." She forced a smile as she took Natasha's hand, shaking on it.

"You want a tour of this place?" Natasha crossed her arms. "Seeing as you'll be staying here, it'd be good for you not to get lost."

"Yeah," Elena replied. "That'd be good."

She followed Natasha into the elevator, and she pointed out the stairs before they stepped inside. Natasha glanced back at Elena, motioning at the floor buttons. "The bottom three floors are practically useless for you," she said. "Stark just likes to have a place that looks organized for the government."