Fire and Ice | Avengers/Steve Rogers

ten.

From outside, Tony could be seen repairing the various damages made to the metal exterior of the helicarrier. He glided slowly and carefully around the ship as he continued to use the lasers from his Iron Man suit to clear any rogue debris that had fallen onto one of the propellers. He flew directly towards it, relieving the rotors.

From the inside, Steve and Vera had made it to another control room, awaiting any further instructions.

Vera's head whipped in the direction of the main entrance of the port side. Vera wondered for a moment whether they were coming to help them. However, that thought quickly vanished as she noticed the cocked guns pointed directly ahead purposefully.

"Steve, I think we may have a little problem." As soon as the words left her lips, Steve turned in the direction she was pointing at.

Steve pushed Vera down to a crouch quickly as they began to open fire. They were not there to help.

They scurried quickly along the runway, the two managed to find an adjacent ladder leading them to the lower level of the port side. To where the soldiers were firing at them. Turning the corner to face them, Steve suddenly stopped, holding out his arm to keep the woman behind him, realisation dawning on him as he watched one of the agents pull a small, circular object from behind him.

Vera's own eyes widen in realisation before quickly jumping into action without hesitation.

Before the agent could throw the explosive, she quickly ducked and dodged Steve's outstretched arm, placing herself between Steve and the oncoming grenade, using herself as a shield. She held onto his arms, keeping him locked in the position before time slowed once more. But this time, a terrifying calmness took over her.

Steve furiously looked into the eyes of the woman.

She felt the familiar comfort of brilliant fire returning to the orange of her eyes, her skin prickling, dancing with heat as she willed her body to rapidly warm itself, the pressure within her increasing dramatically. She let out an anxious, unsteady breath as she raised her arms slightly, before giving into her powers. In doing so, she cast out a large wall of blazing fire behind her, the colour matching her eyes perfectly.

The cries of anguish were confirmation that the grenade was long gone before she turned around and pushed the wall of fire towards the agents, her feet stalking towards them like an animal hunting its prey. The mixture of smoke and heat rendering them unconscious, choking on fragments of smoke matter.

Every now and then, small choking noises came from their lips as the smoke suffocated them.

"Okay, Vera, that's enough." Steve grabbed the woman's hand, whirling her around to face him before she could go any further. "We're okay." He traced small, comforting circles on her thumb with his own.

There were no whites, or pupils, or the somewhat comforting soft orange irises in her eyes. But a pure, angry blaze. It was as if she had no control.

After a second or two, Vera blinked away the dazed look in her eyes. The fire, both in her eyes and behind her, began to gradually diminish. There they stood, completely still save for Steve's comforting gesture until finally, the gentle hue of orange returned to her irises.

"I'm sorry." She whispered gently, closing her eyes, welcoming the comfort of his touch. "It takes over sometimes when I'm scared."

Steve knew when, and when not, to comment further. She didn't want his sympathy; it was merely an explanation. Whether for him or for herself, he didn't know. She waved her hand in the air slightly and Steve watched as the smoke escaped the mouths of the unconscious agents. It was dark, almost spirit-like.