Hoping for a Hero - part II of II [COMPLETE]

Chapter 2: A Clean Shave

When my eyes opened, it took me a moment to recognize where I was. A soft light came in from the window to try and entice me up off the couch, but something more powerful than the sun would have to pull me from Steve's arms.

His chest continued to rise and fall as he breathed deeply, still fast asleep. I carefully raised my head to look at his chiseled chin and strong cheekbones. As I silently memorized his features, it was difficult to imagine Steve as he was before the serum. I knew that I'd still love him apart from his looks, but you had to admit that they certainly didn't hurt.

As I settled my head back down onto his chest, he stirred and breathed in deeply. "How long have you been awake?" he asked after a moment.

"Not long," I closed my eyes and selfishly wished we could go back to sleep. I wanted to stay in those arms for as long as I could and be protected from the world. From my pain. But being numb doesn't mean that your problems are solved. They will always dig into and live under your skin no matter how hard you ignore them. The thorn is always there until pulled out.

"Good morning, lovebirds," Natashia smirked. She grabbed two orange juice bottles from the fridge and threw one to me. "What's on today's docket? Please tell me it's something different than yesterday. And all of the days before that."

I shook the bottle before twisting off the lid. "Unfortunately, no," I took a swig of juice. "I'm still trying to make headway on hacking into the satellites to monitor any distress signals. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s being stingy with their access codes so I'm forced to break my way in."

"Still think Tony could be out there?" Her tone indicated her skepticism, but I refused to give up.

"Yeah," I said. "Yeah, I do."

Natashia quirked an eyebrow and shook her head as she headed toward the door. "While you do that, I'm gonna head to the gym. Maybe the shooting range if I'm bored."

Steve and I watched her leave and reluctantly got up from the couch. The days had begun to meld together while we seemed to do the same thing every day. Each Avenger walked through the halls of the compound or stayed in their rooms, too somber to interact with each other. I tried my best not to succumb to the depression that haunted everyone by devoting all my time to hacking into the satellites.

My phone screen displayed 78% above a bar that slowly filled as the computer continued analyzing multiple access points into the satellite system. The program I had developed had been running for a week. Seven days of only about 10% every day. I should have been grateful for the progress, but instead, I grew more impatient. The more that bar filled, the closer we were to finding Tony.

"Any luck?" Steve asked as I entered his apartment.

I took my shoes off and checked my phone. "Well, we're at eighty percent now, so I guess we're getting closer," I said. "I should have access within the next couple of days. All we can do is wait and hope it won't be too late."

He nodded before becoming distracted by his reflection in a windowpane. After a moment of thought, he announced, "You know, I think it's time to shave."

"Aw, I kind of like it," I smirked and reached up my hand to stroke Steve's blonde whiskers. "Are you sure you want to lose the beard?"

He smiled and breathed out a laugh. "Yeah," he placed his hands on my waist and looked down at me affectionately. "I think I want to start this next chapter clean." Suddenly, he pulled me close and rubbed his face against my cheek.

"Ah!" I squealed and squirmed while laughing hysterically. "Let me go, you hairy beast!"

He squeezed tighter and lifted me from the ground while imitating a bear's growl. "It's like Beauty and the Beast."

"I'm pretty sure the prince was more attractive."

"Well," Steve placed me on the ground again. "If he's so attractive, I guess I'll just have to shave then."

I leaned against the doorpost of the bathroom and watched him. There was something relaxing about it. Seeing something be so cleanly removed. I'd miss his whiskers tickling my cheek, but somehow I knew that if anyone could convince him to grow them back in the future, it'd be me.

He finished up and tapped his razor on the rim of the sink to remove any excess water when suddenly, the floor began to shake. Our eyes met as we both thought the same thing: "Earthquake or attack?"

When a roar from outside reached our ears, we looked out the window to see the Guardians of the Galaxy's ship, the Bentar. "No way," I muttered. My phone buzzed in my pocket to tell me the bar was filled to 100%. A distress call had been found and located, but I was already on the move.

Responding quickly, I ran to the door. On my way, I grabbed my coat from over the back of the couch and hastily stuck my feet into my shoes. "Cap, I'll meet you out there!" I shouted as I ran down the hall and put on my coat.

Captain Marvel was laying down the ship as I left the building. Natasha, Rhodes, Banner, and Steve joined me as we sprinted across the lawn. Pepper Potts already stood watching the ship descend and land.

We anxiously stood together and when the hatch of the ship opened, Steve ran forward to help Tony walk. They looked like they were having a serious conversation, but Pepper couldn't hold back anymore. She burst forward and hugged him tightly.

I locked eyes with Steve. Something weighed on his mind, but I knew his furrowed brow meant he wasn't ready to talk about it. His eyes darted away and he put his arm around Tony to help him walk across the lawn to headquarters.

When we all went inside, it was time to wind down for bed but I lay under my comforter with a pulse too high to allow for rest. I was too anxious to stay there in the dark alone so I put on a sweatshirt and pajama pants and left my flat to go to the living room.

I don't know if I was expecting Cap to come downstairs again or if I thought a change of scenery would help my nerves. Either way, I pulled a book from off the shelves and sat down on the couch.

I handled my pain the only way I knew how: burying myself in another world that wasn't my own.