Supernova (avengers x-reader)

Revealed

    You push your hands into your empty pockets and suddenly realize something. "By the way, I don't have very much money, and no offence, but I doubt that you have much either. How exactly are we paying for these clothes that we're going to buy?"

    Nat slips a rectangular piece of plastic out of her purse and waves it in the air like a trophy. "One of Tony's credit cards," she declares triumphantly. "He really should keep these things in safer places than on the coffee table."

    You chuckle and shake your head. The journey to the store passes quickly from there as you and Nat chat while you walk.

    "So, how are you enjoying life as a true Avenger?"

    You shrug. "It's not really that much different from regular life with you guys during those first few weeks. Tony's the same child that he always was, Steve's still a gentleman, and I'm still... sick and tired of people staring at me." You raise your voice slightly at that last statement and aim it at a group of teenagers standing in a doorway to your right. They look like the usual fuckboys that you would see clustered in pods in a high school hallway, not that you would know. They all have the same basketball shorts, the same snap-backs, the same know-it-all, superior expressions.

    Smirking at your outburst, they go back to whatever they were talking about before they had spotted the scar that snakes along the left side of your face. You self-consciously reach up and touch it when it connects to the corner of your mouth as you once again fall into step beside Nat. Whenever you're with one of the Avengers, you completely forget about the scar, and before them, you had bigger problems than an imperfect face, but before the business with Hydra, you had always hated your scar. It had been one of the main reasons that you had had extreme difficulty in getting adopted and when you were on the streets, it was a source of constant embarrassment and anger. Mothers would pull their children to the other side of the street in order to avoid you. Passersby would either stare or glance at you and then put their head down and try not to make eye contact as they rushed past you. You could never decide which reaction was worse. After so much time in the tower with people that could care less about your physical imperfections, you had almost begun to wonder why you had ever hated it in the first place. It's amazing how a few people staring at you can make reality come crashing down around your ears.

    "Hey, you okay?" Nat asks, bringing you back to the present.

    "Yeah, I'm fine," you say as you let your hand drop back to your side. "Just thinking."

    "Mm," Nat hums. "Yeah, sure. If it helps at all, we've all got scars."

    You stare at her in surprise. You've been living with these guys for how many weeks now? Sure, you've seen wounds, but you've never seen scars. Their skin seemed so perfect that you'd always assumed that Tony worked some sort of scientific magic on them to erase the scars after their wounds healed. You had always considered asking him to do the same for you, but you were afraid of sounding too obnoxious or needy.

    "Really? Where?" You ask, realizing too late that that question might be a bit too personal. "Well, I mean-"

    "It's all right," Nat interrupts with a chuckle. "I have one right here," she points to a spot on her ribs, "from a sniper. I know that Tony has a few from the shrapnel that entered his chest when he was attacked by those terrorists and Steve has some bullet wounds on his legs where his shield doesn't cover him. Clint has a few cuts and holes that I know of. I don't know about Banner and Thor, but I'm sure that even a god can get scars."

    You shake your head in wonder. "You know, this really shouldn't come as a surprise to me, considering what we all do for a living, but you never really think about the aftermath. I mean, I've seen the aftermath, but I've never really thought about it before. I've seen a few of you get hurt before, seen you get stitched up, but it's almost like you're untouchable. It's crazy, but I've always thought of you guys as invincible, un-markable."