girl ― saved by captain america

[twenty] captain's mess

[Clint]

When the elevator doors open up to the fiftieth floor, Peter is already pacing back and forth in the lounge, waiting for us. As he lifts his head at the sound of our arrival, his expression drops from hopeful to saddened as he sees Girl crumpled up in my arms. Sam and I step into the room, the doors sliding shut behind us. "Oh Girl..." Peter sighs, walking up to meet us. The child lifts her head weakly, whimpering at the sight of her friend.

"Can I set you down, kiddo?" I ask as I begin to lean towards the floor, but Girl quickly grabs onto my vest with one hand, so I stop. "No? That's okay. I can keep holding ya. Here, should we get you on the couch?" Peter follows me as I make my way over to the large sofa, setting Girl down gently in my lap. The teen crouches down in front of us, appearing to be at a loss for words.

Sam trails in behind us, finding a seat on one of the armchairs beside us. For several moments, it's silent. "Where's Tony at?" Sam asks eventually, breaking the silence.

Peter stumbles for a minute, still preoccupied with looking at Girl. "He- downstairs. Thor and- and Bruce... taking care of- of Huber."

"That crazy doctor guy?" Sam asks. Peter nods. "I heard he had a whole team with him. Is everyone on our side okay?"

"Yeah, we're all good," I let him know. The encounter was intense, but luckily, we were ready when they arrived. The last thing I heard before Nat and I left to check on Steve, Wanda, and Girl was that Huber was going to be transferred to a different confinement unit - one with much higher security.

"Man, I kinda thought Hydra might be finished after your last big raid in Korea. Guess I was wrong. Those bastards always have something new," Sam shakes his head.

Just as he finishes, Peter reaches out his hand slowly, carefully placing it on top of Girl's shoulder through the blanket. She shrinks back from his touch, and his lips curl into a frown. "Hey, Girl. It's just me; it's Peter. I-I'm here now. You're safe. Can you come out from hiding?" The child raises her head slightly, her hair covering most of her face as she looks up warily. Peter gently tucks it behind her ear, revealing her rosy cheeks and teary eyes. "Hey, best friend," the teen whispers, trying to give her a smile. "I missed you. Are you okay? Did you get hurt at all?"

"She's okay," I assure Peter. "She was well hidden from the agents; I don't think they even saw her or knew where she was hiding." Gazing down at the frightened girl, I run a hand of my own over her soft brown hair, causing her to duck away slightly. "Are you hungry, thirsty? Do you want a different blanket?" I ask. Girl quickly shakes her head, grabbing onto the one she's already wrapped up in. "Okay, that's okay," I reassure her quickly, not wanting to upset her further. "You can stay in this one. Pretty soft, huh? I'm sure nobody'll mind if you keep it."

"Girl... c-can I- do you want me to hold you?" Peter asks quietly. With a tremor running through her breath, Girl shakes her head again. Heartbreak spreads across Peter's face in an instant, but he only nods understandingly. "Where are the others?" he asks, turning his head to look up at me. "Are they okay?"

"They're okay," I tell him. "They're doing a little clean-up at the safe-house. I'm sure they'll be back soon." At this, Girl begins to cry.

"P-please, no," the poor kid begs, letting out her first words since her return. Shaking as weak hiccups wrack through her body, Girl looks up pleadingly at Peter and I. The teen's eyes grow wide at her pleas, and he quickly shakes his head.

"Hey, no, it's okay, Girl," he tries, "it's just Wanda and Nat and Steve-" but as soon as the captain's name is said, Girl's whole body lurches, stiffening up in terror, and her tears turn to sobs. "C'mon, Girl, Steve's not scary," Peter reminds her, but she'll have none of it, shaking her head in distress.