FALLEN ─ marvel

II. Packing

Chapter Two
Soroya

The whole family is helping with packing. T'Challa and Nakia are packing up the kitchen, Okoye and Shuri are packing up my dance studio in the basement, Livy, Zy, and Steve are packing up their bedrooms, and Alex and Khari are helping Bucky and I pack up the family room. Jo is supposed to be helping the kids upstairs, but she comes down the stairs and approaches Alex, who swoops her up into his arms and inquires about her worried expression.

Jo gives us the answer: "Stevie's upset again, he won't pack anymore of his room."

Alex nods, setting Jo on the ground. "How about you help us pack down here? You can handle all the records."

Jo nods her head, but before Alex can return to packing, Jo tugs on his hand and asks him: "Are we going to move away too?"

Alex gives her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I know I have a second identity, too," She explains. "You told me that is for if I decide to live a normal life, which is the exact reason why they're moving away. So are you going to make me move, too?"

Alex lowers himself onto one knee, holding onto Jo's tiny hand as he shakes his head, assuring her: "No, peanut, we won't move away. Your baba is general of the Jabari, he can't leave Wakanda and we would never live anywhere without him."

Jo nods, looking more relieved by the second. "Good."

I let out a sigh, setting down the family pictures I am currently packing up, making my way over towards the stairs. Bucky follows me, knowing that we need to go see our son. Jo was right, he hasn't packed that much. All of his clothes and items are scattered around his room in piles varying in size, including on top of his bed where he is currently crying. He's holding onto all of his graphic t-shirts, using one as a tissue as he wipes his eyes, glancing up at Bucky and I standing in the doorway.

We sit down on either side of him, with Bucky placing his hand on Stevie's back and rubbing it gently, while I run my hand through his dark brown curls. We sit here silently for several moments, waiting for Stevie to calm down and speak first, which eventually he does.

"I hate this."

I lean my head against him, replying to him softly: "I do, too."

"We're just trying to do what's best for you." Bucky whispers, kissing the other side of his head.

He nods, wiping his nose with t-shirt. "I know. I just know that I'll never want a life besides this one. I want to be like you, I want to be a hero, I want to use my powers and not hide who I am."

"This life will always be apart of you, as will your powers, but as you grow older, you may feel differently," I explain, containing to play with the thick brown curls of his hair, so much like Alex's and my father's. "We live in a world where people will want to harm you because of who you are and because of the powers you possess. But besides the dangers, you have to realize that not everyone likes the Avengers like you do. Most of the world's leaders and a lot of the public are afraid of us, some of them even hate us. Your father and I weren't given a choice, we were forced to become HYDRA agents, forced to serve them, forced to do things our whole life because of our abilities. We never want you to experience what that's like."

I can tell that Steve still wants to argue, but he doesn't. He has the stubbornness of both Bucky and me, but the trait he inherited the most is my optimism. Whenever we try to tell him about the weight of our job, the weight of the life we all live, he only listens to about half we say. He can't fathom that there are people who don't love and appreciate what we do, he can't bring himself to see our job as anything but spectacular and vital to the world we live in. As much as optimism can be a strength, it can also be a weakness, as I've learned the hard way during my career. Believing in the best in people and the world is good, but when you're faced with the bad things in this world, you have to accept them and find a way to handle them. Stevie hasn't gotten there yet.