girl ― saved by captain america

[twenty five] in her dreams

[Steve]

"Hey Cap," Bruce greets as the elevator doors shut behind me. Walking out into the lounge, I offer my friend a nod and a smile as he sits at the large dining table, appearing to be working on something in a notebook. I take a quick glance around the rest of the empty space before walking over to the kitchen, grabbing myself a glass from one of the cabinets and filling it with water. Taking a few long gulps of the liquid, I turn back around. Bruce is looking up at me.

"Where is everyone?" I ask casually. As far as I know, no one's left for any missions, and on a Saturday afternoon like this, it's usually a little busier out in the common space.

"Nat and Clint are down training. Wanda and Peter are in their rooms, I think. Tony went out somewhere. I have no idea about Thor. He might've gone back to- oh, there he is," Bruce says, nodding towards the hallway. I turn and look to see the god himself standing in the archway, his hammer in one hand, and a calculator in the other.

"Hello Dr. Banner, Captain," the Asgardian greets both of us. Walking over and taking a seat at the table across from Bruce, he offers the calculator to the doctor. "I believe that Peter might require some assistance in completing his math homework," he tells Bruce, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah?" Bruce asks, "what makes you say that?"

"He and I have been working on it for the past four hours, with very minimal progress. At this point, I advise he receives higher council." I take a few more swallows of water before I dump the rest down the drain, setting the glass in the sink.

"Where were you?" Bruce asks, looking over at me.

"I was out buying a car seat," I explain. "Natasha and I ordered most things online, but I needed some help picking one out, so I went to a store." Bruce nods and Thor pounds a few keys on the calculator, sighing in frustration. "Is Willa still sleeping?"

"Most likely," Bruce guesses. Slowly but surely, we've been working towards transitioning into using the girl's new name. We all slip up here and there, but for the most part, the change has been successful. Sam was very pleased when we let him know the news. He was also a big fan of the new name itself. 'It's kinda funky,' he had said. 'I like it.'

"I'm gonna go check on her," I decide, leaving the two men at the table to figure out Peter's homework situation.

Making my way down the long hallway, I pause for a moment at the high schooler's door, which is cracked just slightly open. Peering in, I find the boy sitting at his desk, pulling on his hair, clearly frustrated. I smile sympathetically to myself, tapping lightly a few times on the door frame. Peter glances over at me, sighing when he sees me. The dark bags under his eye tell me this must be quite some math homework.

"Hey Cap," the boy greets, his voice mimicking his usual chirpy self, though it's clear that underneath he's exhausted.

"Hey bud, heard you've been struggling with some math," I say gently in response. He nods, a frown forming slightly on his face. "I'm sure Bruce or Tony will be able to help you figure it out. Those guys eat numbers for breakfast," I reassure him. The kid nods again, seeming to know I'm most likely right. "But hey, it's only Saturday. Why don't you give the books a break for a little while?"

"I-I can't, sir. I mean- I-I shouldn't. I didn't do so hot on the last algebra test so- so I gotta make up for it this time," Pete rambles. I smile understandingly at the teen, his diligence to his schoolwork never failing to impress me.

"I'm sure you'll be just fine, kid," I encourage him. "Don't work yourself too hard, alright? You look beat."

"Thanks, Cap," he replies. "I'll try to take a break soon." At this, I give him one last nod before turning and continuing my way down the hall.