Captain America: The Phoenix

27. Onto the Next

That following morning, Natasha walked into the sharpshooting room, where Steve already stood, unloading a clip into the cutout that hung a distance away from him. It didn't take long for him to tell her what was going to happen with Quinn. 

And as Steve skipped breakfast to continue on training, Nat went upstairs to alert the rest of the fact that Quinn was in her room, packing up her things, ready to go.

"So, she's really doing this." Natasha said as she took a sip from her mug of black coffee.

"It's a fairly good play. A smart political move for the Senator." Rhodes chimed in as he poured some coffee in Wanda's cup as well as his own.

"Wouldn't it just put her in danger? I mean, wouldn't this put a target on her back?" Wanda asked as she warmed her hands around the mug.

"She understands the choice she's making. Cap recruited her for a reason." Sam added as he stood against the counter.

"She's prepared to sacrifice her own safety for the welfare of others. She's brave," Rhodes finished, with a large tone of admiration and revere in his voice.

"It is unquestionable that Quinn will be placed in imminent danger, given the current threat she poses to the elitists and anarchists. I believe, however, that she is the only one who has the power to incite change." Vision spieled.

Most of the time, his long almost over-intelligent monologues would confuse or even humor the avengers, but none of them laughed. He was right and there was no other way to have said it.It was silent for another few seconds as everyone seemed to be hesitant to let her go. It was clear that there had been attachments formed. They all thought about moments with her, not just the instances in which she'd actively saved their lives during missions, but the simple things.

Wanda thought about how Quinn understood how she feared herself. She lived under that same fear and it had been nice to just have someone who knew what it was like. Quinn was patient with her and supportive, almost like a sister.

Vision remembered Quinn as someone who easily treated him like a person, someone who didn't think of his statements as trivial or difficult to understand. She just always tried. Sam smiled thinking of how she said thank you after every breakfast meal. It was such a norm for the rest of the avengers that they all seemed to have forgotten to say thank you. Quinn thanked him every time.

For Rhodes it was Quinn's simple kindness, without a need for boasting or amplification. She aided all of her teammates and protected them during missions. She was always ready to put herself between her teammates and the danger. There was a tenacity in her that he hadn't even seen in the men he'd shared the battlefield with.

Natasha, well, they had a special bond. Competitive, but in a way, Quinn became her confidant. There was a sense of inherent comfort between the two and Natasha never had a clearer idea of who someone was off the bat. Quinn was someone you wanted in your corner, no matter the situation.

That was why she was the first to speak.

"Can't say I won't miss her."

Everyone looked up at Nat, giving small smiles as they all seemed to reminisce and appreciate their time with the girl.

Elsewhere, however, was Quinn's first encounter of the avengers. Steve was in the training room, breathing quickening as he pulled himself up by the core, his chest coming up to his knees. His legs hooked over the pull up bar as he hung upside down. Sweat dripped down, or rather up, his forehead as he did so.

It was very much of him to focus on his physicality during such a time. Quinn was upstairs, packing up her things to go. He wondered why he couldn't have had more time with her. She was just getting used to this place. To him, to the avengers, to having a family. But it wasn't as if she was running away or running from something. She was running towards it. He knew she was making the right decision. The most responsible decision, in fact.