different » marvel ¹

twenty-three

"What—You mean, you remember everything?" Steve's tone is full of disbelief as Bucky helps me to my feet.

"From—From being trained by HYDRA when I was a kid, to meeting Bucky, being recruited for the team. Everything. You, Nat, Tony, Bruce, Thor, Clint. I remember The Battle of New York, and—and going to Asgard. Loki, Heimdall . . . meeting my mom. How we worked for Fury and when you didn't believe me that Bucky was alive . . . the good and the bad—everything is back as if it never left." I stand, wobbling a little bit, but regaining my balance after a moment, still clutching onto Buck's hand for support.

   "I'm sorry, what the hell just happened?" Scott spoke up after my explanation, confusion practically written on his face. He was glancing between Steve, Bucky and I for an explanation.

   "It's a long story. Wait how long was I"—I gesture to the ground where I sat before—"like that?" I ask.

   "A few minutes." Bucky answers. My jaw slacks a bit as I look to the group.

   "Well, what are we doing? Don't we have to go stop Tony and them?" I look to Steve. He lets out a stifled chuckle at my sudden attitude change, a smirk coming to his face.

"You heard her. Suit up."

• • •

A comfortable sigh left my lips. It was as if a part of myself was locked away and I'd just found the key. After basically two years, I felt like me again. The suit still fit perfectly and I credited my time to being on the run for that. Steve had given me the small amount of weapons I used to clip onto the belt and put in my shoes; a few knives that were placed in the sides of my boots, a strangling wire than zipped into my pocket (courtesy of Natasha a few years back), and a standard 9mm handgun that was harnessed to my belt with a few magazines of ammunition.

   A small smile made its way to my face as I noticed the dog tags that still hung around my neck. I was surprised they didn't confiscate them when Bucky and I were taken in, but I was thankful.

Steve's voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "Are you sure you're up for this?" He asks, pulling his mask over his face.

I nod, tucking the tags beneath the fabric of my outfit. "Yeah, I'm part of this mess, it's only right I help fix it." I chuckle lightly, trying to ease the serious mood. "Y'know, going out there to kick their asses would've been a lot easier if I didn't remember who they were."

"It might not end up in a fight, Raven." Steve tries to ease my nerves.

I give him a quick smile. "You of all people should know Tony's too stubborn to give up what he wants. We all know how this is gonna go down, Steven." I swallow before continuing to speak, "As long as Bucky gets out of here, we'll be good. He deserves to be safe for once."

Steve's blue eyes turn down to me, a look of realization passes over his features. "You really care about him, don't you?" His voice is softer than before, it would usually be firm and sure, but he asked this quietly.

"Yeah, of course I do." I say without any hesitation. "Would I really stick by his side this whole time if I didn't?" I ask jokingly. "After everything that has happened and what he's been through, I want him to be happy. He's the one person I can truly talk to about everything because he gets it. Bucky's probably the only reason I didn't go crazy. Two years would've been a lot longer if I was alone."