Galactic Savior | Avengers✔️

✮ 𝟎𝟐𝟒 ✮

the band is back—or... the team... same thing

MARLENE sat on her window seat, eyes staring out at the people of New York below. She was twisting a piece of her white hair with one hand while the other let the blue sparks lit up in between her fingers. She let her eyes refocus, seeing her own reflection. Her eyes were a light blue as she flickered them to the shadow behind her.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked with a small smirk.

"Enough to see that you seriously need a vacation," Clint responded as she turned to face him. "Your door was open. I hope I'm not intruding your overthinking session."

Marlene let her lips fall into a small smile as she stood, fixing her cardigan to cover her shoulder. "You're not intruding," she promised, walking forward to hug him. He sighed deeply into her hair. "How's your family?"

"How do you—nevermind, Mind Reader. They're great. Laura is—"

"Pregnant. How long?" Marlene asked as she backed away from the hug. She crossed her arms over her chest as Clint let out a chuckle.

"Almost two months," Clint said with a grin. "Anyway, what're you thinking about? I don't have the reading minds skill set like you."

Marlene shrugged. "I got my memories back. Bruce and Tony helped. I don't know if I'm relieved or if I wish I would have stayed naive to it all."

"Bad?"

"Not all," she said with a laugh. Clint smirked before biting back a laugh. "Tony totally told you all about Quill didn't he?"

Clint let the laugh leave his lips. "Oh, man. He's going on and on about him. How he was too forward with you. How he wasn't even that good looking. How he didn't deserve your time even though he saved your ass. Oh, Marls. Tony is totally turning into a dad."

Marlene laughed along with him before her eyes widened. "He told Steve?"

Clint stopped laughing. "Yeah. Everyone's downstairs. Why?"

Marlene shut her eyes. "I don't know. It just seems weird, you think? That there was a guy in space that I liked at one point?"

"Well it was almost ten years ago. I don't think it matters anymore," Clint said honestly. "Quill seemed like a player guy anyway. He's probably moved on. It's okay if you do, too," he added with a gentle pat to her shoulder. She smiled at him. "Now, Cap wants to start planning those raids."

Marlene nodded. "Right. Okay. Yeah, let's go."

Clint threw his arm around her as he lead her to the briefing room where the other five Avengers were waiting. Natasha and Steve were whispering to each other while Thor was flipping his hammer arrogantly as he spoke to Bruce and Tony. On the computer was Agent Hill and Coulson as they worked for Stark Industries now.

"I have brought the queen from her chambers," Clint said loudly. "She requests you do not bring up her lover from space—Ow!" Marlene stomped on his foot as she smiled tightly at the group.

She moved to Thor, hugging him. "Hey, Thor."

"Hello, Lady Marlene. You're looking well," he complimented.

She smiled at him. "You, too," she said before moving to Steve and Natasha. "Hey," she greeted awkwardly as Natasha hugged her. Steve smiled at her, but she could tell in his eyes that there were many questions he wanted to ask. She refused to read his thoughts as he hugged her. "Why the long face, Steve?"

"Because he heard about—" Tony started as Clint smacked his arm once. "Ah, nevermind. I'll leave it be for now."

Marlene nodded thankfully at him. "Good idea," she said as she sat next to Thor. "Where are we starting to get my stone back?"

After five months of nothing with the stone but still taking down Hydra bases, Marlene found herself losing hope on getting her stone back. She also was beginning to feel tired, as if the stone's powers were being used, but she would not be doing anything. Voicing her worries, Steve and Thor decided they needed to find the next base as soon as possible. Wherever the stone was, someone was using it.

Steve found Marlene in the training room with a dummy in front of her on a dull autumn day. She was practicing her hand-to-hand combat that Tony often scolded her for not training more. It was obvious, after their latest mission, that she needed to practice since she had relied on her powers too much. It made her weaker with the stone being used somewhere else.

Watching her grunt after sending a flying kick—literally flying to get to it, Steve chuckled lightly to announce himself. She turned to face him, her white hair messily pulled in a pony tail and sweat going down her face. She cocked a brow. "What're you chuckling at?"

"What if your powers went out?" he said rhetorically. "Not like they could, but if they did? Try that kick without flying."

Marlene rolled her eyes, doing the kick. It was messy and hardly did the same effect as before, but it was done. She turned with a frown. "I don't like it."

"Like what?" Steve asked as he jumped into the boxing ring. "Being a normal human?"

"Yes. It's exhausting," she said with a smirk.

Steve rolled his eyes as he shoved the dummy aside. "C'mon. Like old times after Loki's army. Fight me."

Marlene tilted her head, waiting for him to make a move. She realized he was waiting for her, so she stepped into a right punch. Faking it, she sent a left punch to his throat. He gagged a bit before using his larger body to go on the offensive. She had to go defensive, blocking and dodging every swing and kick. He landed one on her side, causing her to fall on her knee. Glaring up at him, she swiped her legs under his causing him to lose his balance.

"Always go for your legs," she whispered once she moved on top of him to straddle him with her hands keeping his arms pinned under her. "I learned that one years ago."

Steve smirked. "Are my legs my weakness?"

"Apparently," she murmured, eyes lowering to his lips once. She went back to his eyes, releasing his arms since she knew he did not like her the way she hoped. Before she could get up, his hands went to her waist. "What?" she asked.

"The guy from space," he said suddenly. "Did you love him?"

Marlene rested one hand on his chest. "I think a part of me did. Another part of me didn't know what it felt like to be taken care of before... I don't know what love truly feels like, I suppose," she rambled before biting her lip to hold back a chuckle. "In my own way, I loved him," she said finally.

"After seeing those memories, do you still?"

"Not in that way," she whispered. "Time's changed. I'm sure he moved on."

"Have you?"

"Working on it," she said, eyes watching his blue orbs flicker to her lips. "And you? I know you loved Peggy. Do you still?"

Steve frowned. "I do, but I think I love the idea of what could have been more. I-I want to move on, but it's scary. I made a promise to go back to her. It's as if I'm moving on from who I was in 1945."

"You're not the same man," she said.

"Is that a good thing?" he asked back. Marlene nodded. "If I were to move on, would that make me a bad person?" She shook her head. "Could I try... with you?"

Marlene's eyes widened, not expecting Steven Rogers to ever want to move on from Peggy. The small crush she harbored for the super soldier was pushed down by all of the outside problems. She let her lips fall into a smile before lowering them near his face.

"If you're uncomfortable, we don't have to open this door," she whispered. "Tell me what you're thinking. I won't look."

Steve said nothing as one hand left her waist to cup her cheek. He raised his head to meet hers, lips colliding very much wanted by both parties. Marlene smiled on his lips. He pulled back, a wide grin on his lips as he placed two more short, chaste kisses before staring up at her.

"We should go find the team," he whispered. "Find the next base."

"Yeah. We got a hit if you two are done," Natasha called from the door, a smirk on her lips as she turned and walked off. "Let's go!"