His hands tighten on my hips as he tugs me back down on him, his hips rising up to meet them. I moan in ecstasy when he grunts, I love it when men grunt like that. My hands are splayed on his chocolate-colored, chiseled chest to keep me steady as I bounce on him. My head is thrown back in pleasure, my long, blonde, wild, curls tickling my bare back. I finally reach my peak and he does just afterwards into a condom, his hands squeezing my hips hard enough to bruise. I don't mind the pain. It makes my pleasure last longer. Breathing heavily, I slide off him and lay beside him on the bed, allowing the dark blue sheets to wick the sweat off me. For a few moments, we just lay there trying to get our breath back. Moonlight and the lights from the city are the only things keeping the room from being completely pitch black. Not that there's much room to illuminate. This guy has a small apartment just having a bedroom and a kitchen, but it doesn't matter to me. I never spend much time in a guy's house anyway.

"Wow." He breathes and a dry chuckle falls from my lips.

"Damn straight." I respond as air finally fills my lungs adequately for me to speak. He rolls over and puts his lips on my neck and his arms snake around my waist.

"I know you said you were a twelve out of ten, but I have to admit, I didn't believe you." He whispers next to my ear, then gently bites the lobe playfully.

"You weren't too bad yourself," I tell him as I shove him away and get out of bed. Grabbing my little black dress, little black bra, and little black underwear, I put them on before turning back to him. What can I say? I like things to match. "I give you a solid eight. And trust me, that's high." He grins lazily at me and flips onto his stomach.

"If that's high then why are you putting your clothes on?" He asks with a charming, white smile that stands out starkly against his dark skin. I sit back down on the bed and Marquis takes the opportunity to once again affix his lips to my neck as I put my blood red heels on.

"Sorry. I only stay the night with nines or tens. The nines because there's always the chance the morning sex will be a ten, and the ten...well, it's pretty obvious why I'd stay with the ten." I explain and stand. My purse sits on the floor beside the door, so I start heading that way. I'm stopped by a tug on the hem of my dress. Looking down, I find Marquis's fingers pinching the fabric. My eyes lift to his caramel colored ones and he pouts. He gets a laugh out of me and earns a goodbye kiss on his plump, pouting lips. "It's not all bad. You earned my name and number, at the very least. On your bedside table." His eyes brighten at that and he releases me to turn towards the small table beside his bed. As he picks up the paper I go to the door and pick up my little silver purse.

"Hold on." Marquis calls out. I pause and glance at him over my shoulder. His long body is stretched across the bed, still completely naked, as he addresses me. And a fine body it is. "Have you ever found a ten?" He asks curiously, fingering the paper that holds my name and number. Smiling, I open the door and slip out halfway.

"Never." I answer and exit, leaving him with the memory of me and how I taste on his lips.

* * * * * *

After I exit Marquis's apartment I start walking towards a more public street. I prefer walking through throngs of people rather than by myself. It's safer. My own apartment isn't too far away anyway, not that I told Marquis that. My tall heels click on the sidewalk as I strut down the street, a calming sound to me. Reaching into my purse I pull out my dog tags and slip them over my head. The metal settles between my breasts and I sigh happily at their presence. I feel more than naked when they're off. I tighten the bow of my halter dress and turn the corner. Now, I can see the busy street ahead. New York is the city that never sleeps, after all. As I walk I notice the sound of my heels aren't the only sound of shoes hitting the sidewalk. The hair on the back of my neck stands at attention when I identify the sound as boots. I turn down the next alley I come to and sigh when I find that it's a dead end.

"Great." I whisper and hear a man laugh behind me.

"It's great for me, baby. I can make it great for you too." The sleazebag speaks behind me and I turn around to look at him. Greasy, long, blonde hair, pale skin, dark lips, and even darker eyes. He looks like a real winner. Going on looks alone? I rate him less than a one.

"You know, I kind of just got laid, so I really don't need to do it again. Thanks." I tell him and he grins, showing off a lovely set of yellowing teeth.

"You're a naughty girl, huh? I like that." He continues as he comes near me, sneering. I huff and put a hand on my hip.

"Yes. I am a very naughty girl with the right people. Sorry, but honey, you aren't one of them." I break the news to him slowly so he understands. Apparently, I didn't do a good enough job because he comes closer until I can feel his revolting breath sliding across my neck. The brick behind me digs into my back uncomfortably as I try to move away from him.

"Come on, slut. Trust me, I'll make you feel good." He breathes. I stiffen when he calls me slut. Setting a hand on his chest, I shove him away from me and move his legs apart with my foot. He falls like a house of cards.

"Sorry, sweetheart. I don't do name calling of that sort." I snap and wave a hand through the air. Water forms into a little ball in my hand and I chuck it at his neck. It hits and I wiggle a couple fingers at it and it freezes. I throw a couple more water balls, melding all of his limbs to the sidewalk. Finally, I create a ball in my hand and freeze it. Tossing it up in the air and catching it a few times, I lean over him. His eyes are wide and scared, just how I like it. "Know your range, honey. I'm way out of your league, actually, any woman is. I'd stick to doing it yourself." I whisper and chuck the frozen ball at his, probably blue, balls. He groans loudly and I step over him, happily heading back out on the street to go home. However, I'm stopped just after exiting the alley with the asshole.

"Impressive." Another man says, although his voice isn't slimy like the others. He stands in front of me with a young girl by his side. That throws me off for a second. Hopefully it means he isn't a creep. I just hope he didn't see everything that just happened. My hand tightens on my purse nervously.

"Yes, well, I don't take too kindly to strangers." I say simply. The girl halfway behind him perks up at the sound of my accent, but I still can't see her face clearly. My gaze goes back to the man. He's wearing normal clothes; white shirt, flannel, blue jeans, and work boots. Overall? A solid seven. I can't completely see the girl, but from what I can see, she's wearing a casual red dress, black leather jacket, black boots, and a silver scarf, entirely too thick for the weather. Suffice it to say, I'm a bit overdressed. I shift my weight from foot to foot, wondering what these people want. The girl goes up on her tiptoes and whispers in the man's ear, making the man nod. "Uh, well, I'm going to go now...nice not actually meeting you..." I say awkwardly and shuffle around them.

"Wait, please!" The girl grabs my arm to stop me and I twirl around to face her. She has an accent that's very similar to mine. Finally, I can see her face. Wanda Maximoff. I recognize her from the news and the papers. I don't pull away. "I could feel your energy when you dealt with that man. I know you're...enhanced." She finishes with a glance back at, geez why didn't I see it before, Clint Barton. I look between both of them, but then keep my eyes on Wanda. She looks like hell and not in the good way.

"Like you should talk, Ms. Maximoff." I say gently and quietly. Clint places a hand on her shoulder and her hand releases my arm.

"We should go, this was a bad idea to begin with. The others are waiting for us." He whispers quickly.

"No, I'm not leaving yet." She says, then turns back to me. "Listen, I can feel the energy rolling off you. You belong with people like us. Come with us."

"Wanda. You of all people know where this can land us. Do you want to go back?" Clint says disapprovingly and Wanda flinches a bit at his words, but doesn't back away from me. She's determined, I'll give her that.

"Where else is she going to go, Clint? Shield is gone for now, and you and I both know Hydra will find her soon enough. This is the best option." They argue. She doesn't listen to Clint, and her words make me consider her offer more seriously than I was. I'd see all of them on the news, really the Avengers were all the news could talk about lately. I know everything that they've been through and what they did to help Steve Rogers, and his best friend. The media spoke on and on about the Winter Soldier. Despite what others, assholes, might think of the Avengers now, I still trust them. And while I can see both sides of the Sokovia Accords and agree with both sides, I believe in protecting the innocent. I believe in protecting the man they say is the Winter Soldier. The sounds of sirens and the sight of red and blue make me choose sooner than I would have liked. Wanda and Clint's eyes turn worried and fierce, ready to fight or run if necessary.

"Come with me." I say quietly and start running. The sound of footsteps behind me is now more comforting than scary as we run down alleys and side streets. While running in heels isn't exactly ideal, I mastered the art a while ago. We sprint away from the sirens and finally reach the bright red door of my apartment building. I usher them both inside and quickly take them to my room just to the left. After shutting the door and locking it, I kick my shoes off at the door and smile at my sudden guests. "Well that was exciting." I sass and get a grunt from Clint who has already begun to check out the rest of my apartment. Not because he's nosy, I'm sure, but to make sure no one else is here. I hold a hand out to Wanda. "My name is Akilina. Liya for short. Happy to join the group." She shakes my hand with a small smile as Clint comes crashing back into the room.

"No, no, no. You aren't joining until I know more about you." Clint says sternly, moving Wanda behind him once again.

"Clint..." Wanda starts, but Clint shakes his head. She rolls her eyes and gives me a pleading look to tell me to just go along with it. I nod.

"Akilina Vitaliya Adalaida Vasilieva." I tell him my full name and laugh at how much his eyes widen. "Russian. If you couldn't already tell from the accent, but you can just call me Liya. Lee-uh." I pronounce it distinctly for him. Everyone gets it wrong. Gently, I push him out of the way and head to my room to change. The both of them are hot on my tail. There's just a bed, a nightstand, and a dresser in here, but nothing is in any of them. I grab the sleeping bag I usually sleep in and my bag I always keep packed from the marines. Setting the bag on my bed I pull out jeans, a grey tank top, white ankle socks, and a black leather jacket. I open my little silver purse and hand Clint my phone. "Here. Look me up. Find whatever you want. I'm clean." He takes the phone from me and goes to work as Wanda stands in the door way. I slip my pants on under my dress, then slip on my socks. Moving my long, blonde curls out of the way, I untie the bow and let the dress fall to the floor. Wanda immediately turns around to give me some privacy, sweet, but Clint just smirks and continues looking at my phone. I put on the tank top and sit on the floor. I grab my combat boots from under my bed and slip them on. Standing, I slip my leather jacket on as well before Clint hands me my phone back.

"Fine. You can come." He says and I take my phone from his hand. Wanda grins in victory. "But you're explaining this to the others." He points at Wanda and starts walking to the door. I shove my dress and heels in my bag and follow them with it slung over my shoulder as Wanda responds.

"I know you like her too Clint, she reminds you of Natasha." I smirk at being compared to the Black Widow and just barely catch the smile that crosses Clint's face. He stops in front of the door and leans his back against it. A sigh slips out of his lips as he looks between Wanda and me. I grin and throw an arm around the young girl, pulling her close to me. She jumps and looks up at me apprehensively, but doesn't throw my arm off.

"Alright, here's the plan. We're meeting Steve and Sam in a nearby garage where Fury stored a quinjet, the paranoid bastard. From there, we're heading out of the country. The goal is not to be caught because then we're all in even deeper shit than before. Let's go." Clint says and walks out. Wanda and I follow, my arm still draped over her shoulders. There are still a few stragglers out on the streets, but most of them are tipsy enough to not notice two superheroes with a random girl between them.

"Well, my presence might actually come in handy here. No one will think you two are powing around with some random girl." I postulate. Clint's too focused to notice I even spoke, and Wanda just doesn't answer. Sighing, I relinquish my arm from around her shoulders and hike my bag up on my arm. We can now move at a quicker pace.

"So, born with or experiment?" Wanda asks me. I glance over at her cloudy blue eyes as they shine with curiosity.

"Born with." I fib slightly. Technically, it is true. I continue, "You know, it's nice meeting someone else who's magical. Maybe I could teach you a few things and you could teach me?" I tell her genuinely. I like her. Maybe she can even teach me a technique or two. She smiles and nods, agreeing.

"Ladies, it may not be the best idea to talk about this kind of stuff when we're trying to avoid detection from a certain few people who most definitely are listening for this kind of talk." Clint reminds us and we fall silent. "God, I need a sandwich. And some coffee." Clint complains and Wanda rolls her eyes.

"It's like, two in the morning. Why would you want coffee at two in the morning?" I ask and he manages to send me an angry and irritated look over his shoulder.

"Someone who has to fly for forever with all of you in my jet." Clint sasses and groans, apparently not looking forward to our little plane party. After a little while of more running, we reach a large garage. "Finally!" Clint exclaims and slips inside with Wanda and I on his heels. "Hey, sweetheart." He coos to the small, black plane. Wanda and I look at each other, concerned. Maybe he really does need some coffee before flight.

"Hey honey. Missed you." Sam Wilson pops his head out of the plane apparently just to tease Clint. Clint stares at him with a deadpan look and boards, punching Sam in the shoulder as he does. Wanda and I get on too and I take a look around. The accommodations are nicer than any military plane I've been on. Seats line the walls until they reach the pilot. They end there and switch to little handles that hang down from the ceiling. Those are for those who wish to stand. The jet door closes behind us and Clint sits down happily in the pilot's seat. Steve Rogers stands beside him, hanging onto a handle. Beside Steve is Scott Lang, staring at Rogers affectionately. I look around the jet again for the one of his friends that's missing. Where's James Barnes? "Hold up, who's the new addition?" Sam asks, shooting me a charming smile. He's cute. Sam's rating has to be a seven point five.

"Ask Wanda!" Clint calls from the front and shuts the back on the jet. I drop my stuff and push it to the side, ready for more interrogations. Wanda smiles sheepishly.

"She's enhanced." Wanda says simply. "If we hadn't brought her with us we would probably be fighting her in the future. This is the best option." She explains with steady eyes on Steve.

"You know, I'm not enhanced and I'm on the team." Scott interjects, taking his eyes off Steve for a moment. Sam holds his hands out in front of him to make himself seen and Clint huffs. "Right, sorry." Scott apologizes and Sam smirks a little.

"What's your name?" Steve speaks up and moves out of the shadows. He looks so different from the Steve Rogers America is used to. A thick beard covers half his face and his light blond hair is darker than usual. His eyes are just as blue though and still hold an air of authority. I find myself standing straighter, pinning my arms to my sides. Of course, I rate him in my mind. Nine point eight. I could probably bounce a nickel off his ass.

"Akilina Vasilieva, sir." The sir slips out reflexively. He nods, moving forward to stand beside Sam Wilson. Forcing myself to relax slightly, I speak again. "Liya for short." I specify.

"Alright. How long did you serve, Liya?" Steve asks and my hand instantly goes to the chains hanging around my neck under my tank.

"I joined the marines when I was eighteen, infantry, honorable discharge." I tell him, my mouth a straight line. Sam looks a little impressed, but he leaves the talking to Steve.

"Uh, hey. Thank you for your service, by the way." Scott says from around Sam. His relaxed state makes me more relaxed, so I smile and nod at him. Steve continues the conversation with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"How many tours?" He asks. Now I have his attention, and more importantly, his consideration.

"Two tours." I respond.

"How old are you?" Sam finally speaks up again. Relaxing even further I smile.

"Twenty-seven." I answer and glance at Clint who is now whispering to Steve. Sam nods and Steve comes back over, crossing his arms. The jet starts up and the door in front of us opens so we can make our escape.

"Alright, Liya. One more question." Steve says and walks so that he's standing right in front of me, but not close enough to invade my space. Of course, he's a gentleman. "Why are you here?" He asks. His blue eyes are sparkling as they look at me, with interest as well as caution. I take a deep breath and answer him quietly to keep the others from hearing.

"Honestly, uh, I never left the war." I whisper to this strange man. While his aura demands respect there's also an openness. A welcoming vibe that I can't resist. "This isn't my life. It's like a commercial, and I've been waiting for a long time for my show to come back on. You're my chance." I tell him, firmly believing my words. "I like you, at least what I know of you. I believe in the same things that you believe. I think you know that, can sense that. I want to help you and your friends because I think you're doing the right thing. I want that chance too." I breathe, uneasy with the vulnerability in my chest. Gently, he sets a hand on my shoulder. My blue eyes widen as I look in his, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from blurting out something horrid.

"Welcome to the team, Liya." He nods at me and releases my shoulder. He walks back to the front of the jet as we start to lift off the ground. I release a pent up breath and smile genuinely. That might have been the longest conversation I've had with a man since returning from the war. Perhaps I've found some friends. Fugitive friends, but really, those are the best kind. Scott walks over to me and holds out a hand.

"Hi, I'm Scott." He introduces himself sweetly. I take his hand and shake it.

"Liya. Nice to meet you." He smiles at me and nods once before going back to Steve's side. I look over at Wanda with a grin and find that she's strapping herself into a seat of the jet. Sam passes by me and starts doing the same a seat away from her.

"Hey, you might want to strap yourself in. The ride's about to get bumpy." Sam warns me kindly. I shake my head.

"Thanks, but I don't do well when strapped in places." I explain and brace myself as we start to move. I shove my hands down and air suddenly appears beneath my fingertips. Slowly, I start to hover in place. Now, when the jet shakes, I don't. Grinning, I look around at the team. Wanda's grinning wildly at me, Sam and Scott are gawking, and Steve looks surprised and impressed. I hold myself steady as we take off, then let myself back down when we're safely in the sky. Everyone seems to let out a pent up breath once we're out of the city. I sit on the floor of the jet silently. My impatience for long trips was deleted after being in the marines. Trips took a long time and I learned to accept that. There was no use getting antsy. I make a ball of water from the air and put it in my mouth. Thirsty. "Wanda?" I say her name and she looks up at me from her seat. "Do you want to practice while we're on the way?" I ask her. A small smile appears on her face and she unstraps herself from her seat. She sits down in front of me and nods.

"I don't think I understand. What exactly is it that you do?" She asks as she folds her hands in her lap. Glancing around the jet and finding all eyes on me I sigh. It'll come out sooner or later I suppose.

"I can manipulate the four basic elements to my will. Earth, water, air, and fire." I explain shortly. Her blue eyes seem to shine with wonder and curiosity. Sam, however, starts humming an Earth, Wind, and Fire song. Scott names it and they exchange a high five.

"And you were born this way?" She asks me another question. I hesitate only slightly, before nodding.

"Anyway, let's see what you can do." I say excitedly. Holding my hand out, palm up, I shake it back and forth a moment until a small tornado of air appears in my hand. "Okay, so I'll throw it up in the air and you try to contain it." I tell her. She holds a hand up at the ready, then hesitates.

"Could we try it with fire instead?" She asks me quietly, her eyes flicking from Steve at the front and back to me. His eyes are concerned but curious. I nod, shrugging. I snap and fire appears in my hand, obedient as always.

"What's your favorite color?" I ask her, wanting her to smile and not be so serious. She smiles, although it's a little downcast. What's with these people and their sad smiles?

"Silver." She responds. I hum in interest. That's not a usual color. I change the flame to silver anyway, just to please her. Now she smiles happily, the silver flame flickering in the reflection in her eyes. I toss the flame between us and she reacts instantly. Her fingers twitch and the flame is instantly encased in red.

"Good." I praise her reflexes. She smiles at me, but retains her focus. "Alright, so if you want to kill the flame I'd make the circle more solid. Cut off its oxygen. If I wanted it bigger I'd funnel more oxygen in." I tell her and she nods.

"No big flames please!" Sam pleads from his seat and I roll my eyes.

"We aren't going to blow anything up. We do have control, Sam." I assure him, but it doesn't make him feel better. Not completely anyway. The way he's looking at the two of us, there's fear there. Wanda can feel it too, going by the way the corners of her mouth turn down. "How about this," I address Wanda once again. "I'll try to make the flame grow with oxygen and you try to suffocate it. Okay?" She nods, her look of determination returning. I place my hands outside Wanda's circle of red and flick my fingers to create tendrils of air that pierce through her veil. Wanda's tongue sticks out of her mouth cutely as she concentrates. More and more red surrounds the flame as she tries to cut off its source of oxygen. The one thing that's magical about oxygen is that it's everywhere and can seep through the smallest crack. Wanda will really have to be good to keep me out. As we continue I feel Sam, Scott, and Steve's eyes on us. Sam's warier and Steve's more interested. Scott's gaze is simply idle. Clint is just humming happily as he flies. I wouldn't be surprised if he made a song to sing about his beloved plane. At last, the ball in front of me is solid red and I can no longer feel the flames energy. I drop my hands and smile at Wanda. "You did really well. I can't feel the flames energy anymore." She nods, telling me she felt it die too. She drops her hands as well and lets out a breath. This exercise must have tired her more than I thought it would. I take a ball of water from the air and offer it to her. She grins.

"Thank you." She says and manages to take the ball of water from me and put it in her mouth before it splashes everywhere. Her eyes shine with triumph and sleepiness.

"Anytime." I reply easily. Scott comes over and lays down on the floor beside us.

"You both are like, really awesome." He says. Wanda and I both laugh and smile. I'm glad to see her grin. Seeing her yawn again, makes me smile wider.

"Thanks, Scott. Uh, Wanda, why don't you grab some shut eye, sweetheart? I'll bet we have a couple hours to go at least." I tell her. I grab my sleeping back from my pack and hand it to her.

"Oh, no I don't want to use any of your things." She says sweetly, refusing to take my sleeping bag. I laugh lightly and unroll it for her.

"It isn't a problem or a burden. I don't want to sleep. Please, use it. It'll be much more comfortable than the metal floor." I try to convince her. After a few moments of considering me she nods and takes her shoes off. She crawls into my sleeping bag and is asleep in a moment. I sigh, remembering the days when sleep came that easily to me.

"That was awfully nice of you." Sam says quietly from his seat. I smirk over at him. He reminds me of Marquis a little bit, though not as broad.

"I'm a nice person." I tell him. He nods, looking like he's deliberating about something.

"I was in the fifty-eighth para-rescue. Two tours. Worked with helping veterans before that blond ass got me back in the game." He says. I nod along with his words, unsure where this is going.

"Language." Steve whispers and the corner of my mouth turns up.

"Yeah, you know that's true." Sam responds to Steve, getting him to smile slightly. "Anyway. I saw your bag. Just the way you hold yourself screams marines. I'm here if you want to talk about anything. Anything." Sam offers kindly. I stand and walk over to him. I sit down next to him with a sigh.

"That is extremely kind of you, Sam. I appreciate that a lot. I did go to a shrink before they cleared me to come back home, so I'm good. But the offer is great. Thank you." I tell him genuinely. He nods, but doesn't look convinced.

"Right, of course. But I'm guessing you didn't tell the shrink about your abilities." He states. I'll admit, I didn't. "I can see the answer on your face. So, you didn't tell them. I'm willing to bet things happened over there with your abilities that left their mark just as much as the memories left with a gun." Sam finishes, but he doesn't look triumphant. Just considerate and caring. I half-smile at him. I don't think I've ever felt such comradery so quickly, not since the war.

"Thanks again, Sam. Let me think about it." I tell him and lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. He nods, dropping it. I stand and walk over to the front of the plane, grabbing onto a handle opposite Steve. "How're we doing, Clint?" I ask him with a sigh.

"Fine. Would be doing better with a sandwich and some coffee, but..." He trails off. Steve and I lock eyes and grin at Clint's complaining.

"I'm sure King T'Challa has both of those at his facility, Clint." Steve tells him confidently. King T'Challa. Well, that at least answers the question of where we're going. Clint grunts in response.

"The sooner we get there the better." Clint says pressing a few buttons around him. "Hey, Liya." He addresses me and I perk up slightly at the sound of my name.

"Right here, Clint." I respond.

"Thanks for taking care of Wanda. She doesn't grow close to people easily." Clint surprises me and it takes me a moment to recover before answering.

"Of course, but Scott helped. Anyway, she's a sweet and talented kid." I tell him. He nods.

"Yeah, she really is. A lot of people don't see that. They fear her. Glad to see there's someone she can relate to." Clint tells me. I smile as my heart warms. Sweet Clint is different than sassy Clint.

"I'm glad to find that in someone too. It's a rare occurrence." I reply quietly, looking over at Steve. He meets my eyes sadly, knowing why my thoughts went to him. "I've been meaning to ask you, aren't we missing a member?" I ask quietly. Steve nods.

"Bucky...he's where we're going." Steve answers me, then returns to looking out the front of the quinjet. I nod, acknowledging the fact that he looks like he really doesn't want to talk about this. "Besides, I have Sam." He tells me quietly. I look over at Sam to find his head lolling over to the side. He's out for the count, fast asleep. Scott and Wanda too. I look back at Steve and nod.

"Of course, but that isn't who you're thinking of right now is it?" I ask under my breath, turning away from Clint so he can't hear. Steve sighs, the shadows under his eyes seeming more pronounced in the dim lighting.

"I'm worried about Bucky." He admits, being surprisingly open with me. "King T'Challa told me they had almost finished his new arm and that it will be ready by the time I get back, but I just don't know. Buck's been in cryofreeze for a while. I don't know where his mind is at right now. Or will be. I don't know how he'll handle it." He confides in me. My eyes soften as I look at him.

"First, worry does nothing to impede or bring on events, so try to relax a little." I tell him gently. A thought comes to mind and I bite the inside of my cheek in thought. Can't hurt to voice it right? "Second, what if I was nearby the room when they let him out and attached his arm? I could detain him without harming him or others. You know, if needed." I offer hesitantly. Steve's eyes glow a slightly darker blue than usual as he watches me. He releases his tight grip on the handle above him and steps away from Clint a bit.

"Okay. Detain me." He says simply, his voice still hushed to prevent waking the others. I release the handle I'm gripping and move so I'm across from him.

"You, uh, what?" I stutter, confused. He cracks a smile and chuckles.

"Stop me from moving towards you." He repeats himself. I blink and crouch, ready.

"You know, you aren't the first guy I've run into who likes to be tied down." I tease and his smile widens in surprise. Personally, I'm surprised he thought it was funny. Turns out Captain America isn't so wholesome after all. I nod at him to confirm I'm actually going to do this. I take a breath, then lower my hands around him. Steve reaches a hand out in front of him and meets the resistance of my walls made from air. He presses against it and I close my hands, making the box smaller. Steve pulls back to punch the box, but I simply tighten it further. He can no longer move his limbs in any way to create force. I wait and hold the box still, wanting Steve to trust me. I curve my hand in the air as if I'm caressing the air and Steve rises off the ground, now in a ball of air. Now, he can lash out as much as he likes, but he still won't hurt anyone. Steve wiggles about a bit comically and I start laughing so much that I lose my concentration. He drops suddenly and I just manage to gently lower his back to the floor before I can no longer maintain any manipulation of the elements. I clasp a hand over my mouth to keep my laughter silent and tears prick at my eyes from holding it in. At last I'm done laughing and can gasp in some air. Steve has since stood and is smiling happily at me. It looks good on him.

"I am so sorry for dropping you." I apologize profusely, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. He shakes his head, dismissing my apology.

"You didn't. Besides, you passed my test. It would be...great if you'd help me with Bucky. Thank you." He places his hand on my shoulder and I smile at the small touch and the fact I've proved myself to him.

"Cap, I've been wondering something." Clint says over his shoulder and we both return to his side. "You haven't mentioned Victoria, lately. She with Barnes?" Victoria? I haven't heard her name before. Steve's entire disposition changes when she's mentioned. He becomes softer. More like a soccer dad than a soldier. I've got to meet this girl.

"Uh, no. No, she's with Tony, Nat, and Grant. She'll meet us down here as soon as Grant's in a safe place." He tells Clint. My interest only grows.

"She still trying to keep him out of this?" Clint asks, sounding resigned. Steve chuckles.

"Of course, she is. You know Ria. She wants to protect everyone." He sighs. "Besides, she's one of the only things holding Tony together right now. Once she's sure everyone is safe there, she'll come down and see Bucky." Steve continues, longing stitched into his every word. He must love this Victoria.

"And is she sure that she's safe? Last time I checked, everyone who didn't sign the accords was basically banned from the continental U.S." Clint asks, his voice tinted with concern. She could sign the accords? Hmm, perhaps Victoria is the mystery girl with the wings that was on the news a long time ago?

"Tony won't let anything happen to her. Anyways, she can take care of herself." Steve smirks at something in his mind and I take this moment to ask what in the hell they're talking about.

"Sorry, but who's Victoria?" I ask curiously. Steve looks at me and opens his mouth to answer, but Clint beats him to it.

"His wife, basically." He answers and my jaw drops. Steve sighs and looks at Clint with frustration.

"I am never going to tell you anything ever again." He swears and looks at speechless little me. And that's rare as hell for me not to be talking.

"She isn't my wife...yet. I'm going to propose after all this is over." He explains after shooting Clint one last irritated glance. "It might be a while." He continues sadly, but I'm surprisingly excited. I throw my arms around him and hold in my squeal.

"That's amazing, Steve! Поздравления! I congratulate him with extreme enthusiasm. After he's done being startled he hugs me back, although it's very gentle.

"Thank you. You're the first to say that." He says quietly and I can almost feel him looking at Clint with dissatisfaction. I release him from my embrace and step back, joy still coursing through my body.

"You might want to wake up the others." Clint tells us quietly. We both return to his side and look out at where we are. I gasp quietly at the sight of towering green trees and a muddy river with mist rising from it. "Welcome to Wakanda."