Things were awkward now.

After the night when Nora and Tony had shared vulnerable moments, things changed a little. Partially, because could not see each other in the same light as before, the other reason, Nora's reluctance to open up about her past. 

Tony wondered just how dark it was; if she was so convinced that he would hate her if he got to know. 

Glancing at the systematic in front of him, he sighed, his hands tinkering with the new weapon he was working on. 

He did not think he would hate her; he did not think he could ever hate her.

How could he hate someone, who had become a part of his life now? How could he hate those beautiful emerald pools of hers which seemed to gain warmth day by day? how could he hate that smile of hers that he had seen only once, but the warmth it gave him challenged that of sun, how?

She had been an enigma; since she came in Avengers, her combat skills, her sarcastic remarks, the touch of vulnerability she showed before masking it up again, her problem of Insomnia that mirrored his own, and her scars. 

If not for the night, when she hurriedly left the common room and her shrug slipped, he wouldn't have known that she bore scars, due to her habit of wearing full sleeve clothing's, probably to cover them up. 

Just what exactly had she been through?

─── · 。ﾟ

"Thanks for your help, Nora," Steve said, his voice grateful, as he kept the carboard boxes on his desk. 

"No problem, Captain," she said, keeping the white paper bags in her hand, on the table. "I am glad, I could be of help, and beside I did get my payment," she said, jokingly raising the Starbucks coffee in her hand, while a white paper bag hand around her elbow. "Thank you for these," 

Steve smiled, shaking his head, "No need to thank me, it is the least I could do for your help, in getting these items here," 

She hummed, sipping her iced latte, her gaze travelled to the paintings that were hung on his wall, "You sure you didn't come to the wrong profession," she asked, looking toward him, "cause your art is beautiful,"

He laughed, shaking her hand in dismissal, "It is just a hobby, really," as he rummaged through the items in the box.

"Still," she took steps forward, gently touching one of the paintings that depict the snowy mountains of Himalayas, before her gaze shifted to a paper sticking out of a sketchbook, the initials N.R. written with black ink on one side, her hand reached out to it, before hesitating. 

Uhh, it is not polite to peek into someone's sketchbook, right?

Before her curiosity get the best of her, her hand gently grasping the paper pulling it out. 

Her eyes widened, her lips apart after glancing at the picture, it was an exquisite, beautiful piece, a girl with silver hairs sitting on a rock that was covered with moss, her hand held out, some birds preaching on it. The tapestries of tree above gave little way to sunlight to peek through, but the rays that managed to pass through illuminate the water flowing in the river. And just in the bottom of the page, in beautiful calligraphy was written, 'Happy birthday Nora,'

"Uh oh, you were not supposed to find this," Steve voice pulled her out of her thoughts, as she turns around embarrassed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to peak," she said with a nervous laugh, "I just saw my initials and got curious," her gaze shifted to the painting, thinking whether she should ask or not, "So, umm is this me?" 

She was not sure if she was this important to the team, that he would made such a beautiful gift for her, maybe he knew some other Nora. 

"Yes," Steve admitted, "you are the only Nora I know after all," 

"But why...?" 

"Well," Steve took the piece of paper from her keeping it inside his sketchbook, before turning toward her, "Tony has kind of been fussing over your birthday for quite some days now,"

"He is doing-- what?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he even threatened us that he would restrict our access to the tower, if we didn't give you a gift," Steve said, shrugging, "and truly, he had done that before once, I wouldn't put it past him if he would again," 

"That idiotic genius," she muttered, fighting hard to keep the smile of her face. 

"Well, this is kind of a surprise, so don't tell him, I told you," he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheeplessly.

"I will not," she reassured, before turning around, "I guess, I should go back to my room," 

"Yeah," he said, but just when her hand was on the knob, Steve voice interrupted her, "By the way, Nora, I don't know what happened between you and Tony, but maybe you should talk with him, that man care for you a lot, and that's itself saying a lot, considering I had never really seen him care for someone beside him,"

Wow, so the tension between them was that obvious.  

She hesitated, before nodding, "I...I will," 

With a small smile, she departed from his room, shutting the door behind her, as her steps echo in the hall, she sighed. 

Just what exactly, am I supposed to do now? 

She wanted them to go back to as they were, without the lingering tension and awkwardness, but she knew it will be difficult after that night. She knew he have many questions, and that's partially the reason she avoided him now-a-days. 

The second, that she was now hesitant in meeting him, she did not think she deserved the kindness he showed her, especially with how much she crave that care, she want to be loved, to belong to somewhere but the thought of someone doing so make her stomach churn. She was not someone made to be loved. The red of love did not suit her, she knew that, and accepted that. 

But then, why her heart fluttered and clench all at the same time, whenever she saw him?