/
"I know you're in here." Natasha called out as she walked into the gym. She was wearing her training clothes, a thin coat of sweat covering her skin. She was greeted by silence and it caused her to smirk. She walked into the centre of the gym when she heard a thud as someone dropped down from behind her. Natasha smiled as she turned, kicking her foot out towards her opponent. Her opponent caught it in his grasp before spinning her away from him. Natasha jumped back to regain her balance before launching a counter attack. She swung left then right keeping low. Her opponent blocked her moves causing Natasha to throw her head forward knocking her partner off balance. He threw an arm out and Natasha leaped to the side to avoid it. She launched herself at him, wrapping her legs around him in a vice like grip. The opponent threw them both to the floor in an attempt to dislodge her but failed. They rolled on the mats of the gym floor neither one letting the other win. Eventually it was Natasha who gained the upper hand. She placed her legs on top of his arms with her knees on either side of his head to prevent him from moving.
"You know if you wanted to be on top all you had to do was ask." Clint smiled as he rested his head against the mat. Natasha quirked an eyebrow at him.
"You're losing your touch." She remarked glancing down at him.
"How so?"
"Normally you can hold out for long then that, am I working you too hard?" Natasha smirked leaning down slightly.
Clint laughed, "You're too distracting, I guess."
Natasha leaned down further so her lips were brushing against Clint's skin, "Then it's a good thing for you we're on the same side."
Clint ran his hands across the skin of her back, "How did you know I was in here anyway?"
"You entered the ventilation system from the kitchen. I tracked you down past the labs and Tony's office to here. You have to work on your stealth mode, Hawkeye." Natasha replied
"I will have you know I have the best stealth mode around, maybe I wanted you track me."
"Of course you did." Natasha laughed
"Yeah so I could do this." Clint replied raising his legs in order to flip their position. He grabbed Natasha's hands in his pinning her to the mat. Natasha gave him a smouldering look.
"Now who wants to be on top?" She remarked and Clint chuckled.
"Of you? Always." Clint replied
"I think you're forgetting something." Natasha murmured as he leaned down towards her.
"What's that?"
Natasha pecked his lips, "This isn't going to hold me." She laughed as she threw her arms out causing Clint to release her. Natasha sprung back up on her feet and returned to her fighting stance. Clint sighed.
"You're such a tease!" He groaned as he got to his feet and mirrored her stance.
/
It had been a week and 2 days and Steve still wasn't home. Ella wasn't sure what this mission was about but she knew it wasn't a routine one. Ella ignored the feeling of dread that settled in her stomach. She reached up to play with the dog tags that were still around her neck. She never took them off. Ella knew Steve could look after himself, he had proven it on many occasions and she knew if he was here he would tell her she was being silly. Ella sighed as she switched off her computer, maybe all she needed was an early night. She hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately, that wasn't something unusual. Ella never slept well when Steve was away, the bed seemed too cold and empty without him in it.
Ella changed into a pair of sleeping shorts and one of Steve's t-shirts before climbing into bed. She curled up in the middle of it with her head resting on Steve's pillow. It still smelled like him, like musk and something else that was unique Steve. It made Ella feel home and protected.
"Jarvis, can you turn the lights off please?" Ella asked the AI. The lights dimmed until the room was dark, the only light coming from a gap in the curtains. Ella closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
She was startled awake a few hours later by the sounds of the fridge opening and a muffled curse coming from the small kitchen area. Ella padded her way to the kitchen, following the trail of light.
"Steve!" She cried as she got sight of the familiar shoulders and red, white and blue uniform. Steve smiled at her and immediately walked around the table to engulf her in his arms. Ella instantly knew something was wrong; the hug he was giving her seemed desperate. Almost like he was looking for something to cling on to. Ella pulled back to study his features. Steve looked drawn; he had a smudge of dirt on his cheek and more on his neck. His uniform was torn in a few places and Ella could faintly make out a darker red staining it; blood.
"Steve? What happened?" Ella asked him running her hands up his arms.
Steve shook his head, "Tomorrow. I just want to sleep with you in my arms right now."
Ella nodded and grabbed his hand, whatever happened on that mission it was clear Steve wasn't ready to talk about it yet. Ella understood he was visibly shaken and didn't want to push him. She led him into their bedroom before gently sitting him on the bed. Ella pushed the straps off Steve's shoulders that held his shield in place. Ella gently set the shield by the bed noticing it also was covering in dirt and had new marks on its surface. Ella carefully tugged down the zipper on the top of his Cap suit and Steve shrugged it off his shoulders before throwing it on the floor. Neither said anything as Ella wiped the dirt from his face with a towel. Steve kissed her gently when she was done before standing to remove his boots and trousers leaving him in only his boxers. Steve climbed under the covers and Ella couldn't help but notice how tired the soldier looked. Steve raised his head to look at her before lifting an arm towards her. Ella smiled gently before crawling over to him and settling in his arms.
"I love you." Ella said kissing his chest.
Steve kissed her hair before replying, his voice thick with sleep, "Love you more."
/
Bruce wandered into the kitchen hoping for a small snack so he could get back to his work. The first thing he noticed was Thor, who stood in front of the oven wearing Pepper's apron with a spatula in his right hand.
"What are you up to?" Bruce asked as he opened the cupboard
"I am cooking, Jane taught me when I was in New Mexico. Scrambled egg, my friend?" Thor asked suggesting to the pan. Bruce looked over sceptically. It looked edible and he was hungry. What's the worst that could happen?
"Sure, thank you." Bruce said as he grabbed two plates out and set them on the counter.
"It is nothing. On Asgard we have mighty feasts; everyone in the land comes to dine with us." Thor replied as he plated up the eggs.
"Do you miss it?"
"Indeed, I miss Asgard very much but Earth is also a home to me. I find myself missing it and its people while I am on Asgard."
They both took a seat at the table tucking into the scrambled eggs. Bruce had to admit they were pretty good. He would have to thank Jane in the future.
"When are you next needed there?"
"Not until I am summoned. My time is better spent here, amongst friends." Thor replied clapping Bruce on the back with great force.
"What about Loki?" Bruce asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
"I fear my brother will not change. He will be held where he can not harm anyone."
"I'm sorry. He was you're brother, it must be difficult for you."
"Loki made his own choices; he must answer to the consequences of them as everyone must." Thor reasoned
"I could use you're help with something actually. I am doing an experiment but I need more power to make it work. Think you can lend a hand?" Bruce asked and Thor laughed.
"I would be honoured."
/
Bucky. Bucky was falling. Hydra was winning. If only he could have reached his hand out a little more, closed the gap between them. Now it was too late, Bucky was falling and he couldn't save him.
The plane was going down. Water and ice crashed through the windows flooding over him. The freezing cold surrounded him and his vision blacked out. He struggled with the seat but it was not use, he was stuck, he was drowning. He was freezing. He was going to die.
Steve.
Ella's voice sounded in his head and Steve wanted to cling to it, like a lifeline. He couldn't leave her.
Steve!
"STEVE!" Ella's voice caused his eyes to snap open. He bolted upright gasping for breath. Steve shivered instinctually before realising where he was. He wasn't in that plane or in the ocean. He was with Ella in Avengers tower and he was safe. He felt Ella's hands on his shoulders and Steve brought his eyes to hers. He saw the worry and fear in them.
"It's okay, it was a nightmare." Ella soothed hugging him closer to her. Steve wrapped his arms round her waist holding her close, breathing her in.
"Sorry, I'm sorry." He whispered as he ran a hand through her hair. His heart hammering wildly in his chest. That was the first time he had had that nightmare since he met Ella.
"Are you okay?" Ella asked pulled back slightly to see his face, her fingers tracing his strong jaw line and defined cheekbone. Steve nodded slowly.
"The mission just brought back some difficult memories."
"Steve, I know you said you didn't want to talk about it but if this is affecting you I want to know about it." Ella said softly
Steve knew she was right, they promised to be open and honest with each other. He sighed as he laid back down bringing Ella with him. She used her finger to trace invisible lines on his skin in an attempt to calm him down. Steve let out a small sigh, Ella's touch calming down his heartbeat.
"The mission was in Canada, I was told to retrieve Intel on a threat against SHIELD. Fury didn't tell me what the threat was at first. He didn't need to, I knew the second I saw the uniform. It was Hydra." Steve said and Ella held him tighter she knew what Hydra was and why Steve would be shaken up by it.
"We won the war but Hydra didn't give up. They regrouped and evolved then they heard about me waking up from the ice. Saw that Captain America was back in action, they started planning and moving. Fury thinks it's a good thing, we can draw them out. It seems they still want the serum, badly." Steve continued
"Its okay, you beat them before. This time you aren't alone. You have me and the other avengers. A family that's willing to help you with this." Ella replied
"That makes it worst, it's a family I care about. Hydra will rip all that away from me like they did last time. I can't lose you, Ella." Steve said
"It's never going to happen."
"You don't know that. Last time I led my best friend into battle against them and he died. Then I went in alone and I was frozen for 70 years."
"Listen to me, what happened to Bucky wasn't your fault you know that. You saved so many people, think about that. Then you woke up here and you're still saving people. If you had died back then there would be no-one to stop Hydra now. You know them Steve, better than anyone else alive today." Ella said and Steve knew she was right. This time it was personal and Hydra wasn't going to win.
/
So what do you think? Thoughts?
Favorite line/scene