LYING OUT LOUD |2| Avengers

Prologue

Daniella Atteberry stood at the edge of a crater.

She wasn't looking at the crater. In fact, the degree of focus she was putting into avoiding staring at the crater was immensely impressive. Her hands tapped a beat at her sides, her back was to the drop and her eyes were on the thick copse of trees from which she'd reached this point. 

There were breaks in the leaves every now and then, through which she could see the island spread out below. Picture perfect. The small town near the coast was mostly deserted, buildings waiting empty and unused. They never would see tennants. Somewhere down there, Carthas was sitting, watching the mountain with a creepy smirk and an idle threat. Dani shivered, despite the heat, and wished for a little more time before they had to head back to the safehouse.

If only she'd known then what the wish would cost.

"I don't wanna stay here." Dani implored of her companion without daring to face him, "I can help."

"I know, Danners." Nathan Conners said softly. 

He barely said anything softly anymore. Not since they'd lost Kim. The technonerd of their little band only ever braved showing open kindness now when he was certain they were completely alone. Just Nato and Tate and Dan.

"It's just safer if only one of us goes," he was explaining, "And Tater Tots is the oldest."

Oldest. Most experienced. Fearless. Sharp. Incredible.

There were a number unvoiced traits Tate Miles possessed that made her the natural choice to go down into the crater. Even if the whole team had been back together, assembled for one last mission, she'd still be the one braving the glowing blue light and the thing that cast it.

"Okay! I'm here!" Tate's voice drifted up, "It's pretty stable at the minute. Radiation only slightly higher than your regular background variety. I'm gonna put it in the Prism."

Dan sensed rather than saw Nato give her the thumbs up.

Then there was a terrible stillness. And then-

"Dan!" Nato slammed into her, knocking her to the ground and covering her body with his own.

BOOM!

The world shook, the sky inverted, blue whisps of light were everywhere. And she was breathing them, and they were in her mind and Nato-

Nato was dead.

({(+)})

"Dan! Dan, come on! It happened again, wake up."

She shot upright in her bed, almost headbutting the shape that loomed over her. Blinking her eyes groggily, Dan thought rather than said, My hat came off?

"Yeah." Steve Rogers tucked the beanie back over Dan's hair, and she felt the faucet that spewed her thoughts to the world switch off.

Dan looked down sheepishly at her hands where they still clutched her sheets, "Sorry."

"You got nothing to be sorry for, kid." Steve stared her dead in the eyes to let her know he was sincere. He always spoke softly, like he was terrified she might get hurt, "Same nightmare?"

The question was just a formality. They both knew he'd heard her dreaming.

She nodded, "I stopped having it a year before the Facility. I don't really know why my brain decided to do it again now."

"Brains are weird like that." He smiled faintly, "Maybe when Nat finally tracks Banner down, we can get him to take a look at yours."

"The science man." Dani grinned, "I would very much like to meet him, please."

Steve's smile widened. He ruffled her hat and stood up, "One day, Dan."

Watson, the small tabby cat with a purr to wake Egyptian Pharos from their tombs, hopped up lightly onto the mattress next to Dan, curling tightly into her side. The stiff set of her shoulders unconsciously relaxed as she rested a hand on his flank.

"Coffee?" Dan asked as Steve started to leave. There was still a lightly worried frown on her face, "Can you hear my brain leak through walls now?"

He looked stuck, "No, I- I was passing by the door, and I heard you. Lucky, I guess."

"Okay." Dani rolled over, content, "Goodnight."

There was a beat that reminded her of a different, more terrible silence.

"Night, kid."

({(+)})

Steve shut the door to Dan's room behind him with a sigh.

"The dream again, huh?"

Down the hall, Sam Wilson leaned out of his bedroom with his arms crossed. His expression was neutral, but the concern was clear in the question itself.

"That's every night this month." Steve confirmed with a shake of his head, "I don't know what to do."

"Way I see it, you're doing everything you can." Sam observed, "Kid said it wore off the first time, maybe it'll happen again."

"Maybe." Steve sounded doubtful.

Sensing the tension, Sam decided to change topic, "You all packed for tomorrow?"

"Not much to pack." Steve gave a wry smile, "Nothing Tony won't have an updated version of at the Tower. Sorry to say goodbye to this place, though."

Sam watched him for a second, "No, you're not."

"No." Steve shook his head, "I'm not."

"Not all of us can adopt the roaches into our lives. It's Stark's fault." Sam decided, "You've gone first class."

He grinned, "I think I'll get an early night. Quinjet leaves first thing tomorrow."

"Roger that, Captain." Sam saluted and disappeared.

Steve looked at the bundle of sheets and pillows on the floor outside Dan's room and sighed again. The varnished wood of Dan's door reflected moonlight from out the window. That would keep him awake.

He focused keenly, but all of Steve Rogers thoughts were, for the moment, his own. Settling himself down on the floor, the old captain waited for someone else's nightmares to haunt him.

({(+)})

A/N

Surprise! Dani's back.

Okay, so some quick notes: This is going to be set over Civil War, but I'm changing virtually all of the plot and dialogue, because it would be kind of pointless to just make you read a shitty description of something you've already seen. 

I'm not posting the first chapter for three or four weeks, because I've got some stuff to sort out with the story, and when I do post, it'll be every two weeks instead of every Saturday. This is because I'm insanely busy and I want to make sure you guys get regular updates, so I'm setting an achievable schedule. The alternate Saturday, I'll be updating a Guardians of the Galaxy story set in the same universe called 'Your Dramatic Majesty'.

I'll stop now. Welcome back.

Mischief Managed
BecauseBecky