Retribution ★ Avengers

We're Gonna Need Caffeine

"It's so good to see you, little human!" Thor laughed and wrapped her in a hug. In the few days since he'd arrived, he'd barely seen Marlena, despite her and Steve remaining at the compound for the sake of the mission. She'd been hiding out in her room simply because she wanted to rest. She definitely wasn't planning on exerting herself all that much, but in order to deal with Tony and Rocket and Rhodey and every other man she, Natasha, and Nebula were surrounded by, she needed to be well-rested. There was only so much testosterone a woman could take.

"It's good to see you, too, Thor," Marlena smiled and pulled away from him. She didn't have the heart to tell him how nauseous the smell of alcohol on his breath was making her. "You look great."

"The rabbit told me I look like melted ice cream," he grumbled.

"Because you do," Rocket's voice could be heard, and it was much too close for Marlena's comfort. "Stark said you were supposed to be helpin' us, Four Eyes."

"I'll still cook you, Rocket," Marlena replied with a roll of her eyes. She liked Rocket, at least to a certain extent. He was incredibly misunderstood and she knew that, but there were times he didn't know how to keep his mouth shut. The spiking pregnancy hormones didn't exactly help their interactions either.

"What?" Rocket exclaimed with a laugh. "I'm just makin' a statement."

Marlena simply shook her head and started backing away from Rocket and Thor. She didn't want to be around Rocket and his smart mouth, and while she would've loved to continue her conversation with Thor, she didn't exactly feel like vomiting on his shoes over the alcohol on his breath. "I'm gonna go find Natasha," she told the two of them. The redhead had disappeared the moment the two stepped into the hangar.

"She's with Captain Fancy Pants and Professor Green by the tunnel," Rocket told her.

"It's good to know you're not completely useless," Marlena replied with a spiteful grin. Rocket growled quietly as she walked away, but he couldn't be mad over her remark. He knew the annoying banter was just how the two of them worked.

Marlena approached Natasha, who was busy talking to Steve. When she noticed Marlena approaching, she stopped talking long enough to greet the brunette.

"Hey," Natasha said, and Steve turned to look at Marlena from beside her. "Didn't mean to disappear on you. Clint decided to be the guinea pig instead of Scott, so I've just been here trying to encourage him."

"Ah," Marlena eyed Clint, who was pacing around on the tunnel platform. "I was wondering why he was in the suit. It does look good, I'll give Stark that."

"They'd look better if they were just black and red," Natasha joked.

"I think I prefer black and blue for obvious purposes, but regardless, I'm just glad mine fits me," Marlena sighed and placed a hand over her belly. "I've been feeling a little bloated lately."

"I wonder why," Steve teased her.

Marlena only grinned in response. In front of her, Bruce was finishing the final touches on the system, and within seconds his voice was ringing throughout the hangar.

"Alright, Clint," he called as everyone gathered around. "We're goin' in three...two...one."

The tunnel lit up, and within seconds Clint was disappearing, though he returned again three seconds later. His scream could be heard before he could be seen, but no one was sure whether or not it was from fear or discombobulation. Regardless, they ran onto the platform to check on him.

"Hey, hey," Natasha leaned down to assist Clint, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him up. "Look at me, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Clint breathed out as he steadied himself. He held a baseball mitt out to Natasha, who seemed more than thrilled by the sight of it. "It worked."

The atmosphere in the room changed in an instant. Those that had originally been filled with doubt about the mission now felt a relieving sense of hope. They'd gotten through their first trial, and while they knew those to come would be nothing less than a challenge, they were thrilled to know they actually stood a chance. They beat time. Now all they needed to do was beat the clock.

"Did you see anyone?" Marlena asked hopefully.

"I—I heard Lila," Clint answered her, his eyes bright as he remembered the sound of his daughter's voice. He hadn't heard it in five long years, and he longed to hear it again. He knew he had to get her back. He knew he had to get his family back. "I'd almost forgotten what her voice sounded like."

Marlena only grinned, and her eyes began to well up with tears. She was tired of crying, whether it be sad or happy tears, but she was incredibly happy for Clint. He'd experienced a moment he hadn't in five years with a loved one he'd lost so unexpectedly. Marlena only wished that could be her reality, and she now had a strong feeling that wish would come true after all.

"That's amazing," Natasha said to him, her green eyes glossing over with fresh tears as well. She was absolutely ecstatic with the outcome, and she knew everyone else was as well, so much so she knew none of them would be able to sleep. The job wasn't finished quite yet. "You go change out of this, okay?"

Clint nodded before running off, and Natasha turned to face the team with a smile on her face and shining green eyes. "We're gonna need a lot of caffeine," she said to the crew.

"Ooh, that sounds amazing, I'll go get started on it," Marlena scuttled away from the group.

"Um, there's water in the fridge for you, preggers!" Tony called to Marlena, who didn't bother turning around to respond. She simply held a middle finger up at him. Tony huffed and turned back around, his eyes falling upon Steve, who stared at him with a raised brow.

"Really, Tony?"

"What?" Tony looked around at everyone else. They were more or less shocked with Tony's declaration, apart from Natasha and Scott, however. It didn't take long for Tony to figure out why, either, and once he had, he looked to Steve with an apologetic smile on his face. "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't know they didn't know."

"Four Eyes is having another kid?" Rocket laughed loudly, almost as if he couldn't believe it. "How did she even get another guy to go out with her? She's the most aggravating human being I've met, and you're all pretty freakin' aggravating." It hadn't been too long since Rocket had seen Marlena, but he didn't care enough to make himself aware of what was going on in her life. He wasn't aware of her relationship status, nor was he aware the person she shared that relationship status with was standing right in front of him.

"Wow," Steve shook his head at Rocket and started towards the stairs. "At least now I know why she wants to cook you."

Rocket watched Steve walk off the platform and turned back to the group. "Is Fancy Pants the guy?"

"Little bit, yeah," Tony answered.

Rocket glanced back at Steve's still-retreating figure and chuckled lightly. "Gotta say it...girl's lucky," he said back over his shoulder.

"I know right?" Scott agreed.

"Idiots," Nebula muttered.

Natasha could only shake her head at the team she loved so very much. It was going to be a long night, but she'd live one hundred long nights if it meant she'd one day get the chance to relive them with those she'd lost. She longed for that day to come, and she was determined to fight for it until she couldn't anymore.