Venomous

8. Team

I pulled into a long, circular driveway behind Natasha and she pointed to a parking space behind a row of sports cars. Undoubtedly Tony's, right? I grabbed my bag from the back of the jeep, rolling my eyes in annoyance at myself as I automatically clicked the lock button on the key fob. Who the hell would steal a car from the Avengers compound? And if anyone was that stupid – or ballsy – they deserved it. Natasha led the way through the sliding glass front door, holding up a badge to the guard at the front and waving me through. The guard started to speak, something about my access, but Natasha looked at him and he stopped talking. She has that affect on a lot of people. We rode silently up the elevator, both of our arms folded across our chest, trying to pretend that the other person didn't exist. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator door binged and finally opened into a spacious hallway.

I tried not to stare. This place really was state of the art. "Friday?" I looked up expectantly only to see Natasha talking to...no one. I frowned, about to make a snarky comment about whether or not she'd knocked some sense into her head in the past five years, but another voice made me jump.

"Ms. Romanoff, Ms. Brock, the team is waiting in the lounge." I glanced around, trying to figure what the vaguely robotic but undoubtedly intelligent voice came from.

"Friday is Tony's AI. She runs throughout the building." I glanced at her and nodded. Good to know. I followed Natasha down a series of hallways, passing the kitchen, what looked like another set of elevators, a door to the rear where an Olympic sized pool lay sparkling. This place was massive, and I hadn't even seen any bedrooms yet. The hallway opened in front of us in a large, oval shaped entrance. As we stepped into the room I inhaled sharply. Holy shit balls, things just got real.

"Agent Brock is going to be joining the periphery of the team, for now." I looked up and noticed Deputy Director Hill standing at the far side of the room. I felt multiple pairs of eyes on me as I glanced around the room, suddenly slightly uncomfortable. I flinched as Natalasha (fuck it, I couldn't keep it straight in my head) touched my shoulder lightly, encouraging me forward. I shrugged my shoulders, removing her hand and she stepped back, not pushing the issue. A tall, blonde man approached with a smile on his perfectly chiseled face.

"Nice to meet you, Brock. I'm Steve Rogers." I smiled at him.

"Kind of put that together." Steve smirked. Turns out the icicle does have a sense of humor.

"You look vaguely familiar." I glanced over to see none other than Tony Stark staring at me over the rim of his sunglasses. I raised my eyebrows and shrugged.

"Oh, I think I would remember you, Mr. Stark."

We remember. I see him in your brain. I mentally kicked myself, pasting a smile on my face, ignoring the rather loud voice in my head. I turned back towards the cluster of people. There was a girl – long, brown hair, her eyes looked almost reddish, and she was looking at me like she..."

"This is one of our newest members, Wanda Maximoff." Steve gestured to Wanda, who shook her head like she was trying to get a thought out of it. She smiled shyly, raising her hand in a halfhearted wave. The rest of the team introduced themselves. After a few minutes of painful small talk, Agent Hill pulled me aside, leading me down the hall to an empty conference room.

"For now, I want you to keep...Anti-Venom...under wraps." I frowned, confused.

"But I thought that was the whole reason that..." Hill cut me off with one of her rare smiles.

"Agent Brock, you're one of the top special forces fighters that we have. You know every martial art in the book, and your IQ tests are off the chart – and that was even before you met your...friend." I blushed, realizing that I had been noticed all this time while I thought I was slipping quietly under the radar. Hill seemed to have read my thoughts because she chuckled. "There's nothing under the radar about you, kid. Not before, certainly not now. Even Fury thinks so.' My eyes widened in surprise.

"Thank you, ma'am." She scoffed and shook her head.

"The Avengers are a family. I think you've earned the right to call me Maria like the rest of them. Or Hill." I nodded and smiled, shaking her offered hand. As I reached the door, I turned back in hesitation for the first time.

"How does it look to lie to my new team right out of the gate?" Hill crossed her arms and smirked at me from behind her desk.

"First of all, Parker Brock, you're a SHIELD agent. Lying is literally your job." I frowned, thinking about it. I realized hesitatingly that she was right. "Secondly, no one expects you to outright lie. Just don't volunteer the information." I considered her request for a moment before nodding, shutting the door behind me quietly. Natasha was waiting for me in the hall.

"I'll show you to your room." I fell into step beside her, watching her red hair swing back and forth as she stalked down the long hallway. An elevator and another hallway later, she gestured to a closed door across the hall from where we stood. "Here we are." She stepped aside as I approached the door, opening it and taking a look around inside. It was cozy. Certainly not as big as my apartment, but it still had a relatively homey feel to it. Strangely, for some reason, it felt like Natasha. All of it.

"So, I'm staying then?" I glanced over to see her smirking.

"Looks that way." I nodded and hesitated in the doorway, waiting to see if she would say anything else. "I guess I'll see you around, Agent Brock." I nodded shooting her a slight smile.

"Looks that way, Agent Romanoff."

It didn't take me long to unpack the few things I brought with me. Natasha assured me that I could always run back to the apartment to grab more things as necessary. I was keeping the apartment, just in case things didn't work out according to plan. Plus, I liked the idea of a place I could go to get away – also a launchpad for our after-hours activities. I sat on the edge of the bed, glancing around the room.

Several hours later, I ventured out of my room to try to find my way back to the kitchen for a beverage and a snack. I quietly closed my door behind me and my ears perked up at a sound coming from one of the other rooms nearby. I approached the doorway, unsure of whether or not I should knock. I looked at the door, and saw pictures decorating the message board that was posted on the front. Wanda Maximoff. In almost every picture, she was with the same person. A man, probably her age or there abouts. White-blonde hair. She looked happy. I leaned forward, listening for a moment before convincing myself that I had imagined everything, backing down the hall and finally finding my way to the kitchen.

"Ms. Brock, can I assist you with anything?" I jumped and threw the box of crackers to the ground in panic as the robotic voice once again appeared out of nowhere. "I'm sorry if I startled you." I blinked a few times. The AI was apologizing to me? I glanced around warily, still sort of expecting to see a person connected to the voice.

"Friday, right?"

"That is correct, Agent Brock."

"Please, call me Parker."

"As you wish, Agent Brock." I smirked to myself. Cheeky.

"Who is that man in the pictures on Wanda's door?" I asked softly. Friday almost immediately responded.

"Pietro Maximoff, her twin brother. He passed away in Sokovia." I immediately felt a sinking feeling in my chest. I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to lose Eddie, let alone a twin. I felt for her instantly. And now the sounds that I heard emanating from her room made sense. It sounded like she had been crying.