sporadic | avengers

NINETEEN / when ant man was being robbed

"i'm telling you, man, first it was my camera," scott paused, "now it's my watch!"

"you're not being robbed, scott," steve stated plainly. "if you are, then don't leave your house and then you won't get robbed."

"leaving isn't the problem. i'm being robbed while i'm home. they're teasing me..." scott shifted with his coffee mug in his hand. steve watered the plant on the coffee table.

"so why don't you go home? they might be robbing you right now."

"they're not! i left for two days last week for my daughter's spelling bee and everything was where i left it. i read the newspaper for two minutes and my camera vanished."

"huh," was all steve said.

so scott stood and left.

_

he was reading, sprawled on the couch, when he heard shoes on his wood floors. he sat up.

"i know you're there, you sick bastard. messing with me in my own home, no less." he stood and approached the sound. "what is it? you need cash? i needed cash; i was arrested because i needed it so bad... if you catch my drift."

something hit the ground: a bag of flour.

he entered the hallway to see a teenage girl, clad in a black tee shirt and torn jeans. she was lying on the floor, flour draping her like a blanket, and a silver humidor in her hands.

"sick lady bastard," he corrected himself and extended a hand. "glad to see my trap worked."

"you set a trap? i'm not an ant infestation," she hissed. he pulled her up and took the humidor from her.

"of course i set a trap. it took me awhile to figure out which door you were coming in, and your usual way of scoping something to steal. then it was easy."

"so you're one of us?"

"i was, not anymore," he strode to the kitchen and she followed curiously.

"how'd you move on?"

"my daughter," he pointed to a framed photo of the six year old. "i couldn't see her since her mother had the rights - because i was arrested. i got a job, an apartment, a normal life. then i got to see her."

he left out the whole avenger thing.

"you should get a job, or go to school," he suggested and pulled out the 'captain crunch' cereal box and milk.

he placed a bowl and spoon in front of her.

"you should also eat something."

"i can't go to school because i need to pay for food," she said blandly and began to make her bowl.

"you can go to a homeless shelter-"

"no i can't. people get mugged there, or worse."

"a family member?" he offered.

"everyone's dead or international," she said behind a mouthful of cereal. she refilled her bowl. he wondered how long ago her last meal was.

"you can stay here," he stated. "i'll make three meals and you get a bed and running water. but you'll need a job in a month and your own apartment within a year. got it?"

she looked him up and down.

"you won't mug me? or worse?"

"pinky promise." he extended his lesser finger. she curled hers around it and then nodded in agreement. "oh, and you have to give me back the things you stole from me."

"what?!"