Artemis : The Seventh Avenger ➳ Steve Rogers [1]

02 [ 10 ]

"So," He drawls, "Just a spat, then?"

I shoot him a look, "You know we're getting there by portal. Do you want to get stuck in limbo?"

"Uh-huh!" Tony yells, pointing a finger at me, "So you can get stuck in limbo!"

I summon up a portal, letting out an exasperated sigh, "Just get in."

Thankfully, he does and I go in after him. We make it to NEXUS in a blink of an eye, a colleague of Kyle's was waiting for us.

"Where's your friend?" Tony asks as we are brought to the control centre.

"He said he was occupied with something. Couldn't make it down." I shrug.

I was certain I saw him pout, but it was gone as soon as I did a double take.

"Shame." He sighs, "I wanted to see what Cap was going up against."

I shoot him a glare, but he ignores it and dives straight into work as soon as we get to the control centre.

"A hacker who's faster than Ultron?" Tony mumbles to no one in particular as he works, "And as this is the centre of everything, I'm just a guy looking for a needle in the world's biggest haystack."

"How do you find it?" Curiosity piqued, Kyle's friend asks.

"Pretty simple." Tony answers, "You bring a magnet."

He types, humming tunelessly as he conducts his search.

"Oh, I'm decrypting nuclear codes and you don't want me to." He sings, "Come and get me!"

I try my best, but just couldn't seem to concentrate. The boy's memory gnaws at the back of my head and a name, painted in bold white letters.

"Something on your mind, Tinky Winky?" He asks.

I furrowed my brows at what he had just called me.

"Did you not have televisions in Russia?" He states, "It's a Teletubby. It's purple, like you-"

I raise a hand to stop him before he could carry on, "I know, alright. I know what it is. Just please don't call me that."

He rolls his eyes at me, before continuing to work.

"What do you know about the bombing on Sokovia?" I blurt, making Tony pause.

"I don't." He says as he looks up at me, "Not really. Why?"

I take a deep breath, deciding that it was best to tell him.

"When I took the Maximoff boy's powers, I saw his memories." I start, "That shell that took down their home and killed their parents...It was yours, Tony."

He swallows, brows drawing close together.

"What are you trying to say, Camille?" He asks, "That this is somehow my fault?"

"No, I'm not blaming you for this, Tony." I say, "You didn't know what they were being used for when you sold them. I'm telling you this because you deserve to know the truth."

"They hurt our team." He simply says.

"I know that." I sigh, "This vendetta that the Maximoffs have might not be right, but I have to believe that they're not all that bad. Their judgment is just a little clouded right now. Everyone deserves a second chance, Tony."

"Yeah?" He looks me dead in the eyes, "How are you so sure about that? The world is full of monsters, Camille."

I catch the flicker of pain behind his eyes as the words leave his mouth and I knew, he wasn't talking about the Maximoffs anymore.

"It is. But, it's also filled with a whole lot of good people." I reply.

"Who else did you tell about this?" He averts his eyes, his head hung low as he leaned over the table with a sigh.

"No one." I shook my head.

"Why?" He asks next, "Why not just tell the team?"

I shrug, "It's not my place to tell them."

We both fall silent. I look over at him, the look on his face filled with self-blame.

"Just because you've made mistakes doesn't make you a monster." I spoke again, "Good people make mistakes too, Tony. It's the mistakes that make you human."

His eyes soften, almost like he's seeing things in a whole new perspective now.

"Thank you." He whispers, the most genuine words he had muttered since I've met him.

I smile, thinking about how much our friendship has evolved over the years.

"Artemis." Clint's voice sounds through my earpiece, breaking the silence. "We're going to need backup. We have sight on Ultron."

"Go. I'll handle this." Tony says.

I nod, before pressing down on my comms. "Copy that."