Captain America: The Phoenix

15. What Do You Know?

"He's not bad."Quinn spoke about Stark as she and Steve walked down the hall, having finished a training session.

"He likes you." Steve told her. 

"You two are quite similar."

"Hm, I don't see it."

There was a silence as they entered the elevator.

"So, how are you doing?" Steve asked her as they stood side by side.

"What do you mean?" Quinn questioned right back, her voice flat, although feigning unawareness.

"Quinn," Steve reached out and caught her hand before she could continue walking. She felt his weight pulling her back to him, too close for her liking. She wriggled her hand from his grasp, but as she tried to step away from him, she felt her feet planted to the floor, as if his gaze held her in place. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his kind blue eyes.

"You can talk to me, you know," he said to her, his voice consoling and full of the same sympathy he'd been giving her since the previous night.

"I don't want to talk about it!"She raised her voice at him, her eyes intensely staring him down, as they turned misty. 

As he stared back into them, taken aback at her emotional response.She then closed her eyes and eased up slightly, letting out a calm breath.

He waited for her to speak once more, unsure of what else he could say.

"I can't talk about it," she uttered, her voice at a much lower volume. 

"If I talk about it then I'll cry and I don't cry tears, Rogers, I cry fire."

He absorbed this, understanding that she was frightened of herself and what her own emotions could do.

She gave him one last look, almost embarrassed at how she exploded on him again. He always seemed to be at the receiving end of her anger. The unwavering sympathy in his face and the patience he had for her made her wanna leave. Uncomfortable under his too-kind gaze, she turned away and continued to walk down through the corridors.

"Where are you going?" He asked, not following her.

She stopped for a second and turned back around, a significant distance between them by then.

"Back to LA. If my apartment hasn't been burnt to the ground, I'd like to go through my mother's things." She said, returning to her typical aloof nature.

"Well, do you want me to come—"

"–no." She quickly cut him off before turning away. "I'll be back by tonight."

"Quinn," he called after her, before she could turn the corner. She looked over her shoulder, awaiting his following statement.

"Be careful." 

There was a flash of something in her expression, something that looked surprised and unused to the concern from another. She gave a small nod before turning the corner and disappearing from his sight.

______

"Miss Rivera. We're nearing the drop off point," the pilot sitting in the front of the quinjet snapped Quinn out of her trance. She had been staring blankly at the wall across from her, but she stood from her seat upon processing the pilot's alert. Aboard the quinjet, was only her and Lieutenant Wentworth, a military pilot who had formerly worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., but stayed in allegiance and in service of the avengers after the shut down. Quinn stood behind the pilot's seat, looking out through the glass in front of them. The sun shone down on a quiet city. It looked as if the city was on pause and Quinn looked down on the city streets, where there were cleanup crews relieving the mess.