35. Male Friends

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I climbed the stairs up to my apartment room, Lewis a few steps in front of me. He unlocked the door and stormed in still tense from the situation that happened outside.

The two of us didn't speak the whole journey up here, I was still stunned at his unnecessary attitude towards Steve, who was only being nice and giving me a lift back.

I entered seconds after him tossing my bag on the kitchen countertop. I needed to loosen up a little bit so I opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of beer, and pried opened the cap with my bare teeth.

I spat the cap onto the countertop and took a long chug just to quench my thirst and enjoy the calm before the storm.

"So, New York, huh?" Lewis mentioned, "You didn't tell me the Initiative was actually going ahead."

"It's wasn't. It was scrapped, but something came up," I notified him, "Director Fury needed us, and as you probably saw on the news, we won."

Lewis walked up to the opposite side of the countertop and leaned his arms on it, "So what happened to Hong Kong? To Lieutenant Colonel?"

"He did the mission himself," I revealed whilst taking another swig of my drink, "Fury told me that any S.H.I.E.L.D. operation is my main priority. They deal with bigger threats and those need to be dealt with first."

Lewis raised an eyebrow and pushed himself off the countertop so that he was standing up straight, "So you're telling me you stayed up for weeks- no, months for nothing?"

I rolled my eyes, "It wasn't for nothing. The mission was done. Rhodes completed it. I did my job in New York. Everything's okay, is it not?" I reassured him, but he still looked as if something was bothering him.

"No, it's not," he snapped, "We could've been spending more time together. Going on dates, but you were busy on that stupid laptop looking for leads when Rhodes was going to end up doing the mission himself!"

I slumped down and stomped my foot in frustration, "This isn't about me! Or about us for that matter. There are better things to worry about. Like the Ten Rings. The things I saw in those countries. That little boy I met in Mumbai..."

I trailed off slightly, getting emotional thinking about the kid. All the turmoil and corruption that poor child was exposed to at such a young age.

"...I've been saving lives-other people's lives-I don't think that is for nothing," I finished off.

Lewis sighed and put his hand to his face, "I'm just worried about you. All this pressure and all these responsibilities, it's going to get too much for you."

I scoffed, "I'm a big girl, I think I can handle it all myself. You, on the other hand, I think you need help," I suggested.

Lewis scratched his face up in surprise, "Me?" He asked pointing at himself in confusion.

"Yes!" I confirmed, "We've been living in D.C., for what, like, a year and a half? And what have you done? Nothing. I work, I cook, I pay the rent while you sit on your ass feeling sorry for yourself."

"I'm injured remember," Lewis stated, raising his voice steadily.

"Lewis, that was two years ago!" I shouted, I could no longer tolerate his childishness.

Yes, I knew he was injured pretty badly back then and had to go through several surgeries on his knee. And, yes, I know that he was disqualified from the military because of it, but that doesn't mean he can't find another job.

"You know how much being in the military meant to me! I don't want to be sitting around on my ass all day but I also don't want to be working in Walmart all day either," he confessed.

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