Secrets in the Stars

Steve woke up the next morning, wrapped up under the covers with Star still in his arms. The room was completely, dark as the shades were drawn, set only to open when Star asked Friday to do so. He rolled over, and the clock on Star’s side table said nine a.m. Nine was definitely a late start for Steve.

He kissed Star’s forehead and then climbed out of bed. He put his dress pants back on but didn’t bother with his shirt and made his way down the platform to the door. It slid open and he stepped out into the hall.

Steve wasn’t expecting to run into Natasha on the way to his room. She eyed him playfully. “Didn’t know your duties ran so late into the night, Cap.”

Steve smirked. “It wasn’t about work last night, I can promise you that.”

“Well, glad to see you’re finally moving forward, Rogers. You deserve it.”

“Deserve what?”

“Happiness.”

Natasha started to walk away, but stopped for a moment when she heard Steve say, “So do you. We’ll find Banner.”

Steve crossed the hall and entered his room, finding Tony waiting for him on the couch. “Late night, Captain?”

“I’m not arguing with you about her anymore, Stark.” Steve replied. “I won’t lose her trust because you feel like starting a problem.”

“What happened with her?” Tony asked seriously, getting up from the couch and walking toward Steve.

“That’s none of your damn business.” Steve snapped.

“Did you even bother to take my warning into consideration?”

“Of course I did, but it didn’t turn out like you thought it would.”

“Well, then it’s good to know she can control her powers while… Excited.”

Steve nearly brought a fist to Tony’s face, but held back for the sake of the team, Star, and himself. “We are DONE with this conversation, Stark. Do you hear me?”

“Steve?” They heard a gentle voice say; they both spun around to find Star in Steve’s doorway, wearing only his dress shirt from the night before. “I woke up and you were gone…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to wake you. I was just coming to my room to throw on some clothes and get us breakfast. Head back to bed, okay?” Steve answered. When Star nodded in agreement, Steve leaned over and kissed her—right in front of Tony. He wasn’t going to hide his feelings anymore.

When they pulled apart Star noticed Tony and immediately looked embarrassed. She attempted to pull the shirt down to cover more of her body, but failed. “H-h-hey Tony.” She stuttered.

“Star.” Tony said, Star picking up on his aggravation.

She lowered her head and went back to her room. Tony looked up at Steve, shook his head and said nothing as he exited; his anger lingered even after he was gone.

Steve finished getting dressed and went straight to the kitchen, preparing a simple breakfast for him and Star to share. When he brought everything back to her room, he found Star at the windows, gazing at the city. He left the food on the bed and took a place at her side.

“He’s mad about us, isn’t he?” She asked, not needing to clarify the question.

“It’s nothing to worry about Star, really. Tony’s just concerned for your safety, and—“

“You don’t need to lie to me, Steve. Tony’s not worried about me, he’s worried about what I could do if my powers get out of hand. And being with you holds an outcome he can’t predict.”

“Everything about you is something he can’t predict, Star. And it’s driving Tony crazy.”

“Yeah? Well, he has no idea how crazy it’s making me.” Suddenly, Star lifted her right fist and smashed it through the glass in front of her.

Steve took a step back, his eyes wide. “Star!” He exclaimed, unsure of what to do.

She pulled her fist out of the glass and took in the sight of the blood, the deepness of the cuts, and the intense stinging sensation; just then, something in the back of her mind clicked, and the broken shards of glass found their way back to where they belonged, and her hand began to heal.

Steve stood completely still, stunned and shaken. He had seen a lot, but never anything like her before. “…I want to ask ‘how’, but I know that would be pointless.”

Star shook her head. “Something in me is starting to awaken, Steve. I know that might sound crazy, but I don’t know how else to explain it.”

“It doesn’t sound crazy, Star. I just… I want to help you, and I have no idea how.”

She sighed, “Just keep training with me, help make me stronger.”

Steve took Star into his arms, though still unable to take his eyes off of the newly perfect window she had previously smashed. “That’s a plan.”

***

Tony stood at this desk, looking down at the paperwork he didn’t want to finish, trying to not think about the crowd gathered around around the building down below. Those people were all he had been able to think of since the Battle of New York. And it was finally beginning to affect every part of his life—even in the most personal ways.

He picked up his phone with every intention to call Pepper. The sound of her voice had a way of making everything clear, usually. But lately…

He thought back to when he blew up his collection of suits; the certainty he felt when he decided that he needed her more than he needed to be Iron Man, but how the world still needed him. Cleaning up after the Hydra/SHEILD mess fell to him and the other Avengers, while at the same time dealing with the fall out of Thor’s fight with the Dark Elves in London; and he had disappeared since the fight with Ultron, the same with Banner. The world governments weren’t exactly pleased with Tony about their taking off, either.

Tony could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders… And Pepper, who once did her best to keep that weight from crushing him, didn’t seem to want to relieve him of that stress anymore.

As he sat down his phone there was a knock at the door. “Come in,” he said.

Star entered the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. “Hi Tony, sorry to bother you.”

“If you were bothering me, I wouldn’t have let you in.” Tony countered.

“Or left me that key all those years ago?” Star asked, stepping towards him. “Why did you do that, anyway?”

“To be honest, I’m not really sure. Taking in a fifteen year old girl wouldn’t have exactly made me look good at the time. But something about you made me feel—“

“Please don’t say—“

“Protective.”

“Oh.”

Neither one of them was sure of what to say next, and the awkward silence filled the room like a thick fog on an autumn morning. It had been a solid minute before Tony finally began to explain, “Something about you draws people in, Star, and it’s your power. I’m starting to think that it changes people.”

“So you only care about me because of whatever I can do? Or is it like everyone has been telling me, like you were implying at dinner—where you’re desperate to find an answer to what causes it?”

“I don’t have a good answer to that, Star.”

“Jesus,” Star snapped. “Tony, please! Let this go!”

“How can I?!”

“By being my friend! By being the guy who saw someone who needed help, and gave it to me. By being the man who defended me to someone who wanted to hold me back!”

“Star, Xavier doesn’t know what you are capable of, and letting us train you? That is meant for your protection only, so that you have a chance to defend yourself if someone comes looking for you—to use you, to kill you even. If word got out to the world about you, do you realize what would happen?”

Star looked up at Tony, but said nothing.

He continued, “Have you seen what Wanda Maximoff has been through? And we at least know what she can do, even if she hasn’t reached her full potential.”

“But I’m—“ Star tried to fight back.

Tony cut her off. “What you are, Star, is vastly more complicated. And probably the best kept secret of all time. Do you know what Ultron would have done had he known about you? Or the Dark Elves, AIM, Hydra, Loki—“

“Tony, stop! I get it! I don’t want to keep having this argument. I just want you to know that I understand why you feel the way you do… No matter how much it hurts, or how badly it upsets me, I get why you don’t trust me—why Xavier didn’t trust me. I’m volatile, a time bomb.”

Tony remembered when he said the former to Phil Coulson, and when Bruce said the later to Fury about the team.

He looked Star over carefully; wearing her training clothes, hair pulled back in a ponytail. She had a light around her body, shimmering like gold, or diamonds, in the sun. It was so unique, so seemingly unreal.

“Maybe we can fix that…” Tony said softly.

Star shook her head, exasperated. “Forget it.”

As she closed the door, Tony collapsed into his chair, feeling angry but not yet defeated. He picked up his phone and dialed Pepper; it went straight to voicemail.