Chapter Text
The universe sucked. You had one hope; that there would be no missions, and you could avoid the feeling of the mistake you almost made. You were so relieved that there were no missions today. You checked and saw nothing on the schedule, and you felt lighter. The universe teased you. It lasted for a moment until Chief walked in, informing you of training with the Avengers today. You weren't sure who scheduled this, but they were on your shit list now. Whoever in the universe was screwing you over deserved to step on several painful Legos.
You got dressed in your uniform for the day and skipped breakfast. The nerves were not allowing you any enjoyment from food. You went to the training arena early. You started warming up and enjoyed the silence. Nerves had settled inside your body, but you would keep cool on the outside.
Slowly, everyone trickled in until it was time to start. You were talking to your Squad, trying to focus. You heard someone call your name when you turned towards Stark. Near Stark was, of course, Wanda. She wouldn't even look at you. Ouch, that hurts.
You walked over to him.
“Well, if it isn't our favorite newbie. So today we will be doing a typical mission. A simple information extraction. Typically, there are no civilians in these; however, treat it as if there could be. The Strike Team will not be training for the first half, so you can get your sea legs.” You looked and Tony, and he had a look on his face. He was waiting for your response to the strike team being there.
“I wasn’t born yesterday, Stark. You are worried about me and Rumlow, right?”
“Not at all. I have heard nothing but good things about you. Plus, we bonded over blueberries, so I trust you won't screw around.”
“Are you using my love of snacks against me?”
“You do well, and maybe I will share my hidden stash of donuts.”
“You got a deal. I hope you can keep up, Tin Can.” Stark laughed at your shit talking.
Everyone got in position. The Avengers executed their part. Going through the building to get info and work through any enemies. An explosion went off, and your team got into position. You had Peters on your hip as your Chief quickly gave out assignments. You were to search areas that were clear of hostiles and knock down any fires. You listened to comms for any important info.
You and Peters moved efficiently. In the area you heard fighting. Orders were to only engage if needed. You saw Nat fighting. Someone was coming up behind her. Panic surged throughout your body at the thought of her getting hurt. You were already moving and tackling the enemy. You struggled before getting on top and knocking him out.
“I see my hard work in teaching you is paying off.” She had laid out ten men in the time it took you to deal with one. There was a rigidity in the way she was interacting with you. It was a 180 from the way you interacted just a couple of days prior.
“Well, I couldn't have you getting hurt. Next time we spar, I plan to knock you on your ass.”
“I can't wait to see you try, firefly.” Butterflies fluttered in your stomach. A smile was plastered on your face. You were secretly enjoying the nickname from the Widow.
There was an all clear over comms. Everyone regrouped at the beginning.
Chief walked over to you.
“Flare, what the hell do you think you were doing!?” Your stance went more formal.
“What do you mean, Chief?”
“You left your partner to engage with a hostile. He could be hurt in a situation like that. You want to explain to his family why he is hurt or worse!? Not only that, if you were to engage when not seeing the full situation then, you end up in a coffin and I have to explain to Tyson why I lost one of the most important people in her life. ” The realization hit you immediately. Peters was nearby but alone. Even with the all clear anything could go wrong at a moments notice. You felt sick to your stomach. Your first thought was Peters, and then Chief Tyson flashed in your mind.
Your throat felt dry. “It won't happen again, Chief.” Your voice cracked as you talked.
“You bet your ass it won't, or else there are plenty of people who want your spot. Everyone take 5 and come back.” The Chief left the area to grab something from her office and cool down.
You walked away and left to get some water. You went to a room that was empty to give yourself a moment. You were frustrated with yourself for making such a mistake. After everything, leaving your partner should have been burned in your mind. You were so frustrated with yourself. You tried to do deep breaths to calm down.
“Well well well, if it isn't everyone's favorite new toy.” Fucking great. Rumlow.
“Not the time, Rumlow.”
“Aw, is someone having a bad day? Is it because mommy yelled at you?” He was really grating on your fucking nerves. “Or is it because someone has a crush on Romanoff, only to realize she is in a relationship with that freak Maximoff. Maybe it's best if you don't get close to anyone. I wouldn't want someone to have the same fate as that other hose monkey. Lawson was her name?”
You lost your cool and swung at Rumlow. He must have thought you would take it lying down. He had a glint in eye. He was excited to press your buttons. You dodge his punch to your face only to catch a shot to your side.
A flurry of punches and grappling was done. The training arena had everyone setting up for the next run when you and Rumlow came crashing through the door. You took the daze and jumped on him, straddling him, throwing punches from above. He tried to flip you over, but you used your leverage to keep him under you. Peters jumped into action and pulled you off Rumlow.
“Let me go, Peters! This isn't fucking over!” Peters had never seen you lose your cool like this. Even if it was a short amount of time, you have known each other. He was struggling to keep a hold on you. “This is a fucking order, Peters.” He knew how disobeying an order could end up with a mark on his record if you were serious. He wasn’t going to let you throw away your career for that scumbag Rumlow.
Rumlow charged you again, only to be held back by Tony. “Enough, Brock! You and the Strike Team are no longer needed for this training. Leave now.” There was a threat in his voice. Tony liked you way more than Rumlow so he fully believed he had started whatever caused the fight.
“You are choosing that bitch over me?” You tried to lunge at him again. Peters was holding on as much as he could. He was quietly trying to calm you down while holding onto you. Telling you that he wasn’t worth it.
“You are on very thin ice, Rumlow. I suggest you leave immediately. Go clean yourself up. We will be dealing with this.” You had done a number on Rumlow. He had blood dripping from his forehead, along with some bruises and cuts.
Rumlow left, but not without giving you the dirtiest look he could. You held back the urge to flip him off and cause another brawl. Once he was gone, Peters released his hold on you.
“Jesus, Cap, you are burning up. Are you feeling okay?” He tried to feel your forehead, but you smacked his hand away. “I leave you alone for one second, and you get into a brawl. Come on, let's get you cleaned up.”
“No, I'm fine. Let's finish training. I don't want to give the Chief another reason to be pissed off at me.” Peters started to walk back when you grabbed his arm. “Don’t ever disobey another order. You are lucky I didn't put a mark on your file.”
“Yes, Captain. Understood. Now follow me to my bag.” He pulled you over to his duffel on the side. He knew you were still running on adrenaline and feeling the anger from whatever happened with Rumlow. While a mark could stop him from moving up, he didn’t regret his actions. He had some wipes, and he gingerly wiped off the blood on your face. You had some bruising on your cheek and a busted lip. The body shot you caught also had some bruising you could feel as you walked.
You focused on the wall as Peters cleaned up the blood. You couldn't bear to look at your team or the Avengers. They probably thought you were some kid who couldn't control their anger. Maybe you should lose your spot. You couldn't control your thoughts. You wondered what Nat and Wanda were thinking.
You remember what Rumlow said. They were in a relationship, and it felt like you pushed a boundary with Wanda. God, you were really fucking things up.
You hissed when Peters cleaned the blood from your lip.
“Sorry, Cap. Maybe this will be a reminder next time you try to fight a G.I. Joe.”
You hissed when you tried to laugh. “Haha, your comedic skills once again have appeared.” You let him continue tending to your wounds.
“Let's get back before Chief chews us both out.”
You got back in position and waited for your Chief to come back. Once she entered, she immediately clocked your injuries. She immediately yelled your rank and name, asking about your injuries.
“She was helping me test out an update to the new hostiles, and they were too aggressive.” You snapped your attention to Tony. He was helping cover for you. You felt another ache in your chest. You didn’t want to be the kind of person who lies. You were going to step forward to interrupt Stark when Peters grabbed your side to pull you back. You grunted in pain from the bruising.
“Captain, if you are going to volunteer as a test subject, please duck next time.” You are about to correct what Stark said about earlier when another firefighter elbowed you in the ribs. You swallowed the groan as best you could. If it didn't hurt, you would be touched by everyone looking out for you.
The next few training simulations went without any issues. In between, the Chief went over your initial error. She was firm, and you knew wholeheartedly she was right. She didn’t give you any more consequences since you took a beating.
The Chief left first to get caught up on paperwork. Everyone was stripping off their turnout coats they use for training. You sat on one of the benches and rested for a moment. The Captains came and said they had your back. They knew what Rumlow was like and knew he instigated it. The others also gave you props for holding your own against him. At least you knew the firefighters had your back. That only left the Avengers.
A blur moved across the room and stopped in front of you. You hadn’t been able to experience Pietro’s powers much. The shock of it hadn’t worn off.
“You must have some right hook. Rumlow is built like a mini tank.” This was your first conversation with the guy. You noticed his accent was more pronounced than Wanda's.
“Maximoff #2 I appreciate the compliment. My social battery is pretty low, and my body hurts.”
“Rude, I am not #2! I am the older one.”
“Yea, by how much?”
“12 minutes.” Pietro seemed so proud of the fact.
“Wow, that's a lot of time. They call Steve and Bucky old men, but here you are.”
“Ooof is that the best you got. I heard you were more witty than that. Rumlow knock out some of your funny?”
“Jesus, you really are a pain in the ass, aren't you?”
“So they say, but I don’t take much stock in rumors.”
“Glad we myth-busted this one. Confirmed you are a pain.”
“You must be a joy at parties.” You normally could handle back and forth. Your old station was a bunch of ball busters. But you could feel the temperature rise. The anger was coursing through you. It was as if no other emotion existed.
“Can you leave me the fuck alone Speedy?” You got up from the bench. Knuckles clenching. You were trying to hold on. One wrong move and this place would go up in a blaze.
A red swirl wrapped around Pietro, pulling him back towards the Avengers. You made eye contact with Wanda. You couldn't read her, and right now you didn't care to. She was ignoring you a few hours ago, and you couldn't deal with anything else.
You felt a hand on your shoulder. One of the Captains was trying to get your attention. He mentioned training being over and that he was planning to cook. You nodded and said you would be back at the firehouse in a moment. Peters lingered longer than everyone.
“I know you want to be a square and by the book. Telling the Chief what happened will only cause more harm. Everyone here likes you as our Captain. You belong here, so don't go fucking it up, okay, Rocky?” It helped with the anger.
You let out a chuckle. “Okay, Petey. Let me put up my gear, and I will be back at the house.” You realized how wrong you were when you snapped at Peters. Threatening his future after he was trying to save yours left a solid feeling in your gut. You needed to make it up to him in some way.
You started taking off your gear and put it in your locker. Some annoyance lingered. You could feel the Avengers still lingering. When you were back in just your uniform, you turned to look at them. They were all talking. You walked over near Tony.
“I owe you one, Stark. You saved my ass a lot of trouble.”
“Just call me Tony, kid. If you have time, I could use your thoughts on something in the lab.”
“Sure, I can do that.” You shot off a message to the Captains on your whereabouts.
You entered the lab. It was just you and Tony.
“Thanks for coming, kid. I'm not going to beat around the bush. We all know how Rumlow is. He is a dick, and that is me being polite about it. ”
“If everyone knows why is he still with the team? Does he have a golden ticket I don’t know about?”
“Being a dick doesn’t get you fired; however, the incident with you will tip the scales. I don’t think he liked being put in his place by you. He was already at risk of being fired from the initial meeting. This will be the final nail in the coffin. That wasn't the only reason I asked for you to come here. What's up with the anger?” You tried your best to collect your thoughts. You felt like you flew off the handle more easily. Yea you were quick to get physical if someone you cared about needed you, but it felt like your anger was a hairpin trigger.
“Nothing. I'm good.”
“Sure, and I am Dolly Parton.”
“Ms. Parton, big fan. You ever find that bitch Jolene?”
“God, you are such a smartass. If you are worried about me ratting, I won't. You don't have to bear things alone. I understand how it feels to deal with hard stuff.” He could tell you weren't budging. “Fine tit for tat then. I struggle with PTSD. After the battle of New York, the nightmares would hit hard. I almost hurt my fiancée, Pepper, terribly because of them.” Your stance softened. Fuck he knew how to pull your heartstrings.
“Damn you, Stark,” he gave you a look. “Fine, Tony. Sometimes I feel like something so little sets me off. And it isn't all the time, which is annoying. There is no consistency. I snapped at Maximoff because he wouldn't walk away. All I could feel was anger. Nothing else existed.”
“I know you are still getting settled. It's only been almost a week. You are still establishing your roots and trust in the people. I won't force it. I had a serum made for Banner early on. It doesn't change emotions, but you won't be flying off the handle if someone looks at you funny. If you want to try it, then I am happy to help.” Tony started to type on his computer. He was giving you a chance to reach out. You wanted to feel normal again.
“Let's do it.”
You pushed up your sleeve after Stark got the serum ready. It was an easy application.
“Alright, it should make things easier.”
“Thanks, Tony. You know, after I get shots, the nurses at the hospital used to give me a lollipop.”
“You are trying to get more snacks out of me. Swindler!”
“Hey, you mentioned donuts earlier. At least I asked this time. It was either that or I take a Pop-Tarts from that huge stash in the kitchen again.”
“Dear Lord, please tell me you didn't.”
“What, why? Upset, I found your stash, Playboy?”
“Okay, first of all, I am in a happy relationship. My hoe days, as the kids would say, are behind me. And second of all, no, they are Thor's. He is super into them. I will have to remember to replace them before he visits again.” Your eyes widened.
“Like God of Thunder history books, Thor? Remind me to be out that day.”
You hung out for a bit longer. It was easy to lose track of time. You started to head out when you bumped into someone. It was, of course, the one person you wanted to avoid today. Wanda.
“Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention.” You walked past her to continue leaving. You were trying to avoid embarrassment. You thought there was a spark. A moment between you two. Finding out that two women you had a slight crush on were together made total sense. They were perfect for each other, it seemed. You felt guilty for your feelings.
“Are you okay?” You heard her loud and clear. You knew it would be petty to pretend you didn't.
“Yea all good.” You just looked at each other for a moment before you turned to walk away again.
“I’m sorry about my brother.”
“No worries. I was still feeling a lot from before that with Rumlow.”
“If you ever need backup. Just have Nat or I kick his ass.” A slight feeling struck you. Envy? Jealousy? Either way, you wanted it to go away. It was the first time Wanda spoke about Nat in the context of their relationship.
“I got it handled. I appreciate the backup.” You hated being in an awkward situation. It made your skin crawl. You needed a good relationship with the Avengers due to the nature of this job. “I wanted to apologize for the other day. I totally misread things. And then I realized I didn't know if you even swing that way. Rumlow mentioned you're in a relationship, so I'm really sorry. I swear I don't normally do that.” Once you started talking, the words wouldn't stop.
“Captain.” She said softly, and it pulled you from your word vomit. “It's okay. No harm done.” Wanda could feel your guilt and embarrassment.
“Does Natasha know?”
“Of course. I always tell her everything.”
“She going to kick my ass?”
“She wasn't exactly the happiest learning about it. She is not going to kick your ass, though.”
“Good to know I get to keep my limbs attached for a bit longer.”
“You are so dramatic. She would only take one limb.” You chuckled with Wanda. Her smile was so pretty. “I hope you won’t let any awkwardness keep you from coming by for lunch every now and again. It was nice the other day.”
“I appreciate the offer. I will keep that in mind. I still have the rest of the shift. Have a good night, Maximoff.” You looked at her enchanting eyes for a moment longer before turning and heading out for the night. You could hear her telling you to have a good night.
You were on time for dinner with the team. Chief Hayes was stuck with paperwork in her office.
“So, Cap, you sure kicked Rumlow's ass.” Peters had a proud look on his face.
“Barely. He only looks worse by a little.”
A member on Truck piped up,” Either way, it will show that meat head not to mess with one of us. What caused the fight anyway?”
“He was just trying to purposefully push my buttons. Maybe regain some of that masculinity he felt he lost after the first time we met. He knew something personal and used it to rile me up. I let it work.”
“You are one of us, and we have your back. You are family now.” Barnett from Engine added. Everyone cheered and clicked glasses. It warmed your heart. It was moments like this that made being a firefighter worth it.
After everyone ate and split off, you went to find Peters. He was alone, cleaning some Squad equipment.
“I was hoping you would be alone.”
“Why? Change your mind and plan to mark my file?” Peters tone wasn’t angry, but more clipped. You had definitely messed up.
“Threatening you like that was excusable. I never want to pull rank for something like that ever again. My mind was so focused on kicking Rumlow's ass that I would have done anything to get to him.”
“Say what you will about the length we have known each other, but I am confident I know what type of person you are. You care about those around you. Making sure everyone is fed and sleeping enough. Back at dinner, when you told us that he mentioned her friend. I understood even more.” You sat down, helping him clean the tools. “Could you tell me about her?”
You were focused on a particular dirty spot before you gave in. You told him about her transfer. She was as if warmth were a person. How witty she was, but also so caring. You told him about your injury and how she became your nurse. You had tears in your eyes the more you talked. You talked more and more about memories with her. From late-night food runs to bad relationships, she was always there for you. You mentioned how you had lost your family early on, and she helped heal a part of you. After you even told him about the fire in Chicago. The guilt, the pain, and how you still check in on her even now.
Everyone was in their bunk for the night, waiting to be needed. You weren’t used to not being on calls all shift. Suddenly, an alarm blared out. Everyone popped up. The alarm noted the Avengers were needed at a warehouse just outside of New York. You got dressed in your gear. Since it was technically further than usual, you all got into your designated QuinJet. It was bigger to accommodate all the teams and equipment needed.
You hadn’t felt this level of adrenaline since your last station in New York before your transfer. It jump-started your heart with a familiarity. Chief Hayes gave you all the rundown. A tip came through about this being used for an organization the Avengers have been tracking.
You were impressed with how quiet the jets were. Both yours and the Avengers were in stealth mode to not tip them off. You would all wait to see if you were needed. Rumbling and loud noises could be heard from the building. It reminded you of the explosion. You ignored the panic you felt. Now was not the time.
Over comms, Rogers called in for Truck and Squad. Due to the size of the building, both would do the primary search. For any people found, you would bring them out, and S.H.I.E.L.D would take them into custody. You were paired with Peters. The area you were in had a fire. You noted what sector of the building you were in and relayed it over comms. You were on high alert in case there were enemies around. This was a new level of alert for this. It was your first Avengers mission. You could feel the fire around you. It was small, but it was hungry. It was looking to feed on anything in its way.
Peters was low and walking next to you when a sound caught his attention. It was a beeping sound. Deep in his gut, he knew what it was. The timer was speeding up, and he knew he had seconds. He turned and looked at you to try and warn you. He wasn’t fast enough. He heard the explosion. In his last moments, he thought about his wife and kids. How he wouldn’t see them grow up or never get to tell his wife he loved her one last time. When he turned to look at the fire from the explosion, it was suspended. The fire twirled and moved, but didn’t expand. It was as if it were being held.
He turned and saw you next to him. Your hands were up, and you were straining. You dug your feet into the ground to give yourself more stability. The force of a bomb was being held back by you. He was sure he was dead or knocked out, maybe even dreaming this. You were keeping both of you alive. After holding it for who knows how long, the fire calmed, and the force was lessening. When it was completely gone, you were able to finally take a breath.
“What the fuck, Cap?!”
“Peters, I know. We will talk about it, but now is really not the time.” You called out on comms about a dud bomb. You think this was a trap, and the tip was wrong.
Everyone was told to exit immediately. As you were leaving, you saw a symbol. It made you stop in your tracks. Staring you right in your face was the skull with tentacles. The same symbol you have had nightmares about. The people who were responsible for the fire back in Chicago. Peters called your name, snapping you out of it.
When you exited, everyone met back at the jets. The building had no signs of life. Any info that could be extracted was. Peters informed them of the dud bomb. He took the lead on the conversation as you were still out of it. Not only was your mind focused on the symbol, but exhaustion was starting to seep in after using your powers to contain a bomb.
You interrupted Peters, “What does the symbol mean?”
“What symbol?” Rogers could only think of one symbol that would be used.
“It was a skull with tentacles. What does it mean?” Everyone was stopped in their tracks. The Avengers looked at each other, their faces looked as if they were having a conversation through their eyes alone. “Someone answer me, god damnit!”
“It’s Hydra. They are decades old. They were prevalent during WWII. I fought them before I went under the ice. When the war ended, S.H.I.E.L.D. worked on making sure they were eradicated fully. We learned they survived and evolved their goal.
“Nazis? They are fucking Nazis?”
“Essentially. Why?” You were in a movie. This wasn’t real. The explosion was caused by Nazis. Maybe you were in a coma and this was all one big hallucination or coma dream. The look on your face must not have been good.
A hand was on your shoulder to get your attention. You looked into the eyes of Natasha. She was speaking, but you didn’t hear anything at first.
“Breathe with me, firefly.” You got your breathing under control. You were no longer drowning. You hadn't even noticed that you were having a panic attack.
You closed your eyes and took one deep breath. “That symbol. It was in a warehouse in Chicago. It was the last call I took. Most of the stuff was lost after an explosion. It's why my best friend is in a coma back home. Left me some pretty scars. It's part of the reason I am here. The symbol was flagged. When I talked to OFI here in New York, they told me to drop it. Seems S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted to keep it under wraps. I came here to find whoever was responsible.”
You look at the building where you just stopped a bomb. It was better than seeing any pity on anyone's face. You wanted to look around the building. Even if it was just a trap, there could be something.
You needed space and started to walk towards the building. You were stopped by a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. It will need to be secured after checking for more explosives.
A hand landed on your shoulder. It was Natasha.
“Come on, firefly. Let's get you back to the compound. Stark is ordering some pizza for everyone. Dinner will be all together. “
After the jet landed, you were on autopilot. All you could think about was finally being closer to the people who hurt someone you love. You got out of your gear and headed to the Squad Captain’s office. You didn’t use it much, preferring to be around your team. Right now, you are thankful for it. You needed a moment to decompress before you joined for dinner.
You were feeling less overwhelmed by the time you got to the Avenger building. The pizza had just arrived. As you entered, you just watched for a moment. Everyone was smiling and laughing. You would try your best to enjoy the moment, but your mind could only focus on one thing. It was nice to see how the teams interacted with the Avengers. You thought they would be a bit stuck up like celebrities, but you could see them mesh well.
You heard someone call your name and saw Steve with some people you hadn’t seen before.
“Hey, Captain. Glad you could join us.”
“I wasn’t going to miss out on the free food.” There were two men and a woman.
“We had some people come back from a mission. This is Bucky and Sam Wilson. Bucky is a childhood friend of mine, and Sam Wilson is a good friend. This is Yelena. She is Nat’s sister.” You shook everyone’s hand as they were introduced.
“Nice to meet you all.”
“Welcome to the team. Happy to see a female Captain finally. Especially one so beautiful.” Sam kissed your hand. You tried your best not to burst out laughing.
“Cute Romeo. Would have maybe worked if we didn’t play for the same team.”
“Please forgive him. He took one too many hits while we were out and forgot how to exist around women.” Bucky elbowed Sam in the side. They both immediately started bickering with Steve trying his best to mediate.
“Those two are like a married couple. Let’s leave them to their own devices.” You walked with Yelena to the kitchen area. You grabbed some food while she grabbed a drink. “Want a beer or something?”
“No water is good. I am still on shift until the morning.”
“Bor-ing. Tell me, Captain what has brought you to the land of broken toys?”
“It’s a long story. Maybe I will tell you after a few drinks another time.”
“Deal. Got any fighting skills?”
“Enough to hold my own, but not enough to keep me from getting my ass kicked by Nat.” Yelena squinted at the use of Natasha’s nickname. You seemed comfortable using her name, and the smile you had was telling.
“We should spar. I would like to see for myself. I can only kick the asses of Kate Bishop and Peter Parker so many times before I get bored.”
“Who are those two?”
“Ah yes, you are still new. Kate Bishop trains under Clint, and Peter is Tony Stark’s shadow. Peter is in university, so he is in and out.”
“Cool, I can't wait to meet them. And if you are so determined to kick my ass, I usually work out and train in the morning.”
“Perfect, we will set up a time.”
You chatted with Yelena a little more before you decided to go around the room and talk. Being here felt natural. It helped put you at ease after the day.
You had gone to get more pizza when you bumped into Nat.
“Hey Firefly.”
“Hey Romanoff.”
“I see you talked to my little sister.”
“Yeah, she is really cool. Told me about some people I haven’t met yet. We plan to spar together.”
“Replacing me already?”
“I could never replace you. No one could kick my ass like you, I'm sure of it.” You couldn't help the smile on your face or the flutter in your stomach when you interact with Nat or Wanda.
“You'd better remember that.” Peters walked up while you chatted with Nat some more.
“Hey, Romanoff, sorry to interrupt. I need to borrow our lovely Captain.” You glared at him for interrupting your conversation. You didn’t want to leave Natasha, but also, based on the compliment, you knew this could be nothing good.
“No worries, I know she is in demand.” Before you could respond with a smartass remark, Peters was dragging out outside. The night air was cool on your skin. It didn’t bother you much anymore.
“What is this all about? You dragged me away from an important conversation.”
“Relax, Casanova. Maybe set your sights on someone single. Though that was not what I dragged you out to talk about. You owe me an explanation.” You felt a pit in your stomach. If Peters knew how obvious your feelings may be for certain redheads, then others may be aware or could catch on. Fuck. When talking to them, you would need to reel yourself back in. Nothing can happen, and you weren’t a homewrecker. You focused on what he really wanted.
“Fine, just no interrupting for questions till the end.” You mentioned the odd parts of your last Chicago call. The burning feeling, and how you also felt like you were on fire at first. Then you went over every single incident you had. From the loft, to the man you hurt, and finally the call. You told him how you practiced a little bit, but not much.
“Holy shit, Cap! This is amazing. You could be an Avenger!”
“Whoa whoa whoa, no, this is not one of those situations. I just want to do my job. Working adjacent to them is enough. I have dreamed since I was a little kid about being a firefighter.” You didn’t talk much about your parents and siblings. Everyone back home knew, but they didn't find out for some time. You felt comfortable with Peters. He makes sure you socialize when you want to isolate yourself. He can make you laugh and genuinely cares. “When I was a kid, I lost my family to a fire. I was alone and waiting for an ambulance. I waited for them to bring out my family so we could go to the hospital together. But when they brought them out, they were covered. I screamed and tried to run to them. A firefighter held me while I cried. They would check in with me while I was in foster care. They were why I wanted to be a firefighter, and it hasn't changed.” Everything had played in your head like a movie.
“Christ, Captain, you are practically Batman with a backstory like that.” That was exactly what you needed to snap you out of a sad spiral. You howled with laughter.
“God leave it to you to make that comparison, Peters. Come on, let's go back.”
As you both walked through the door, you and Peters talked. “Don't worry, Cap, your secret is safe with me.”
“Too late.” You and Peters froze at someone in the room.