"I know you're angry," I shot a glare at him, before punching the bag in quick succession. "Oh, I'm way past angry. I'm livid. Fucking Stark. He wouldn't even consider helping," I spat, not caring about my word choice. "He has a family," Steve said. "I did too. Still helped. And I paid for it," I snarled. "What are you talking about?" I stopped my onslaught, walking over to Steve, and lifted the chain around my neck.
"What's that?" He asked, looking at the ring on the end of it. "My engagement ring," I said sharply, and he sucked in a breath. "I'm sorry, I didn't know," he mumbled. "Nobody but my family and Tasha did. We were gonna get married on July first," I admitted. "What was his name?" He asked.
"Ben. Ben Thompson," I said. "Nice guy?" My anger had mostly faded, but it still simmered in my stomach, ready to bubble up again. "Very. He was...he was Nat's dad," my voice broke as I said her name, the pain coursing through my veins. "I wish I could've met him," he said softly. "He would've fainted. He w-was a massive Avengers fan. I never did tell him I was Snakebite, despite his constant begging," I admitted, smiling at the memory.
"You love to keep that under wraps, don't you?" He asked, and I chuckled. "Not a single soul outside y'all and my family knows," I revealed. "You should get some sleep," he advised. "Why?" I challenged. "We--we might've found a backup plan," he admitted.
"Couldn't you have led with that? Alright, I'll sleep. You should, too," I said, unwrapping my hands and heading back into the locker room, putting my cloth back into my locker and closing it with a sigh. I trudged up to my room, which was on the third floor between Natasha's and Steve's rooms. I opened the door, staring at nothing as I closed it behind me. I changed into some pajamas, laying down on my bed. But, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't fall asleep.
Sighing, I looked under my bed, pulling out my katana. I went back to the gym, being sure to not make a sound as I passed Steve's room. "FRIDAY, you know what to do," I whispered. A hologram with a sword appeared, and I engaged in a fierce sparring match. When the sun was starting to peak over the treeline, I made a beeline back to my room, laying down just as Steve knocked on my door.
I faked grumbling, tussling my hair before going to answer the door. "Hey, Steve-o," I croaked. "Get dressed. Our back-up plan will be here soon," he said. "Aight. See you soon. And don't burn down the kitchen this time!" I called to his retreating back. "I'll try my best," he called back.
I pulled on some jeans, and a gray tank-top, putting my mom's old army jacket on over it. I looped her dog tags and my engagement ring around my neck before heading down to the kitchen to fix breakfast. In short, it was a long process to make food for an assassin, a former Avenger, and a Super Soldier. Tasha and Steve shuffled into the kitchen as I finished up, followed by someone. I glanced over, to see what looked like a combination of Bruce and Hulk.
"Bruce?" I asked incredulously. "Ellie! It's so good to see you!" He said, wrapping me in a hug. "What is...this?" I asked, gesturing to his new form. "Eighteen months in a gamma lab. I put the brains and the brawn together," he explained. "I think I preferred you one way or the other," I admitted.
"How have you been?" He asked. "Eh, pretty good for a survivor of the end of the world," I shrugged, seeing Steve shook me a glance. "So...this is the backup plan?" I asked, and Steve nodded. "He's the smartest person we know, besides Tony. We would've brought in Tanya and Misha, but..." I cringed, remembering their pictures on the 'Vanished' list. "Are we bringing anyone else into this mess of science and hypotheses?" I asked, and he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, uh..."