Lost Soldiers (Avengers Fan Fiction #3)

Chapter 6

Steve almost laughed out of despair, "This whole thing is just one big mess, isn't it?"

"Yeah, and it's our mess. At least we won't be viewed as vigilantes anymore. If we take out Loki's group, we'll be heroes again." No. No more of this guilt feely crap. I wasn't going to wallow in it any more. Not until our lives were stitched back together and everything was okay. I stood up and dragged Steve up with me. "Come on. Walk around the halls with me."

We strolled around the empty halls for a few minutes in silence. The sounds of different lectures wavered through the air. The smell of freshly cooked lunch in the cafeteria moseyed on up from the first floor and into our noses. Our stomachs growled at the smell, but we continued on. We occasionally glanced into a few classrooms with the doors open. Students gave presentations with beautiful visual aids and demonstrated some of their projects. In others, the students would play with their powers when the teachers' backs were turned. Some would laugh and others would flirt.

Steve spoke up after a while and admired the surroundings, "So, this is where you grew up."

"Yup. This is my home," I answered simply. I was incredibly proud of this place and all it has achieved. It was a huge part of my childhood, thus a part of me. If I could just remember the feeling, this memory, this part of my life, then nothing could make me question what side of the war I was on. I am better than the villains. Siding with people who have kept the school running for so long proved it. All I had to do was apologize to them and make it up somehow.

Steve smiled softly. "I like it. It's simple and it helps children in need. I almost wish I had something like this back in the day. A shelter that provided food in a time of need or rooms for the homeless. You know?"

I nodded. "It's unfortunate that you didn't have many resources like that back then." I couldn't imagine living back then. The tough times, the wars, the whole world changed back then. Having Steve tell me everything he went through was on my bucket list. There had to be some awesome facts that you couldn't get in the history books.

"I can't wait to spend time with Amelia when we get home." Steve tilted his head back and smiled at the ceiling like a dork. Just the thought of that little girl made him happy. She helped him get through the toughest time after Peggy's funeral. I didn't think anything could get him to smile then, but she did.

"You miss her too?" I asked, a grin starting to form on my lips.

"She's an adorable kid. How can I not?" Steve shrugged and chuckled lightly. "Plus, we promised we would take care of her. I'm a man of my word."

I squeezed his hand and tried to keep the conversation on a light note. This was winding both of us down. It was helping. Even if we were lost in this calm world for five more minutes, it would be worth it. "We can get an apartment somewhere in New York. I don't want Amelia growing up in the Avengers tower. With Tony around in the lab, things could get dangerous."

Steve agreed whole heartedly, "Clint's always waiting to scare Tony and constantly throwing things. I understand why you would want to move." His eyes lit up at his thought and he turned to me. "We could get a place in Brooklyn around where I grew up. I can show you some of the old blocks and what stores were there. Little explorations down memory lane can be exciting."

I grinned and added softly, "I'd love that."

Before we turned around, we stopped at a classroom to see what was going on. Peter and Bruce were geeking out in the lab with a few of the students. Both of them were smiling like fools and laughing. Their eyes shined bright and they seemed so happy. This was the first time they could do something they enjoyed and dive right back into science.

Bruce took a portion of the students and spoke about nuclear physics. Some of the bored kids instantly became interested when they heard he was the Hulk. Bruce's smile swayed, but he always loved to meet people who thought he was a good guy.

Peter used his time to explain interesting concepts of biochemistry and biophysics to some of the students. The students seemed fully enraptured in his words and hung on to every last bit he had to say. His hand gestures sometimes went wild as he got too excited about a concept. He really enjoyed teaching. It was written all over his face.

Peter seemed to be enjoying the robot arm too. There were some times where he glanced down at it and it wouldn't work the way he wanted it to, or a flicker of sadness spread across his features, but he would immediately snap back into the real world when a student asked a question.

Steve wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we watched both of them teach. The children were so fascinated, so ready to soak up all of the knowledge. It only enhanced my faith and strength. We were fighting for them. Whether or not we would make it, we would do it for them. For their futures. There was hope for the future. There had to be. We just had to fight to secure it.