Coming Down ➢ Steve Rogers

seventeen

He glared, and then his face melted and he laughed. "Oh, come on. I'm kidding," he mused playfully, pulling her into a hug like an older brother would.

And Delaney hugged him back, tighter than anyone. His arms felt the most familiar out of anyone and the tears fell in earnest, because out of everyone, she had missed Clint Barton the most. His easygoing manner, the way he had coached her in wielding weapons, the way he was the first person she would call whenever she woke up screaming in the middle of the night and cold sweat sticking her pyjamas to her body and he would answer, always gentle, no matter what time of night it was. Clint Barton was the person who took her to his home whenever things became too overwhelming and she needed space, Clint Barton was the person who always bought her favourite coffee at Starbucks.

Clint Barton was her brother in all but blood. Leaving him behind had almost destroyed her. And now she was in his arms again, such a familiar place, a place she thought she would never be in again.

"I missed you, Lane," he whispered into her hair.

"I missed you too, Clint," she breathed, and he held her that much tighter.

Yes – this was her family. Her parents were dead to her. They had never been her family – they had never loved her.

But despite the short days Delaney had known the Avengers, they had welcomed her back with open arms and a genuine warmth her parents were simply incapable of. These were the people who had her back. These were the people she felt like an equal with, the people she would take a bullet for, and the people she knew would do the same for her.

The Avengers were her family.

And she was never running away from them again.

+++

From the way Delaney so easily fit back in with everyone, she may as well have never been apart.

Within five minutes of her arrival, Tony had ordered pizza and they were seated on his expensive furniture, catching up. Delaney laughed with the rest, squashed tight in between Steve and Clint, with Natasha directly opposite her.

The last time Delaney had been there, Avengers Tower had been Stark Tower, and it had been partly destroyed by the battle of New York. Almost everything had changed since then, yet Delaney still felt right at home.

Home wasn't a building, she decided, as she laughed at one of Tony's sarcastic comments to the point her sides and stomach ached. Home was a place where you belonged. It was made of memories, of acceptance – and the people in it.

For her, that was the Avengers.

Delaney devoured her pizza, sinking her teeth into the goodness and moaning in delight. Pizza had been a delicacy for her for two years, and she missed the extra cheese and countless toppings. Even when she was full to bursting, she put several more slices in her stomach, enjoying it too much to stop.

After all the pizza had been finished, leaving only grease-stained boxes behind, Delaney told them everything. Why she had run away, her entire past with her parents. Even Tony was silent throughout her story and afterward, she received nothing but support. The encouragement of her friends warmed her right to her toes, like a cup of creamy hot chocolate.

"I've discovered two new things about my power," she added, once her initial story was over. She straightened her back. "The first might be easier to show than describe."

No one argued, so Delaney honed her gaze in on Clint and focused, a small crease forming between her brows. Within seconds, Clint's eyes widened.

"You can talk to us in our minds?"

"More than that. Say something back to me."

Clint frowned, but nonetheless, new words floated through his mind. Lane, what is this about?

Delaney repeated his words back to him, to general astonishment. They'd all known that previously, she had been unable to read minds, but just control the actions of others.

"When did this happen?" Bruce inquired, after Delaney had tried it on him.

"That's something that popped up over time, just recently. And – I think I have a theory." Delaney pushed her hair behind her ears, suddenly shy. She hadn't provided any theories for the others before, especially in the presence of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner. "For one, I've never really felt attached to anyone. When I was with my parents... Everyone was just an ally. I had no friends. I didn't particularly want to be close to anyone... So I never wanted to reach out to them, feel them. But then, I met you guys... I was still closed off, keeping secrets. It was only when I wanted to understand people, and truly belong..." Here, she glanced briefly over at Steve, who smiled at her, "That I started to reach out. And I discovered that part of my power."

"That sounds logical," Bruce said.

"What's the second part?" Clint asked.

Delaney drew in a breath. "My power can be rendered useless."

"What do you mean?"

Delaney repeated the story of her capture.

"This makes my parents even more dangerous," she finished, her voice dropping. Her hands fidgeted in her lap. "They can control me. They're immune to me. That would just make it that much easier for them to capture me – and so, I need to get to them before they can get to me." She forced her hands to remain still, squared her shoulders, and narrowed her eyes. "I'm going after them."

Her voice didn't raise its volume, but it was utterly calm - deadly calm. She was not going to let her parents get away with anything. She was going to bring them down to their knees.

The others exchanged looks before all eyes locked on her. 

"We'll be right behind you," Bruce said genuinely. "All of us."

"I know." Delaney smiled sadly. "I appreciate it, so much. But for this task, a smaller force would be more effective. It would draw less attention." At this, Delaney's eyes flicked between Natasha and Clint.

If there was anyone she wanted by her side for this operation, it was those two. She had been on more missions with them than they could count, and they understood each other flawlessly.

Clint nodded once. "You can count on us, Lane. We're not leaving you to your own devices, ever again."

Delaney grinned, then molded her face into a serious expression before she turned once more to the others, her focus on Tony and Bruce especially. "But before I go, you need to try and replicate whatever barrier is stopping my power working on them. If this operation fails... You'd all be at risk of succumbing to me." She shuddered at the mere thought. "And that would be disastrous not just for us, or for America. It would affect the whole world."

For once, Tony was not in a joking manner. He looked as determined as Delaney felt. "Understood. We have your back throughout all of this, Lane. No matter what."