Maya

I managed to find a job.

It wasn't easy.

A lot of the store owners looked at my skin and my dark hair before they said they weren't hiring.

I'm used to that type of behaviour. People have been openly racist to me since I was a kid. The concept was pretty easy to grasp. My mother explained it to me but it was such a strange thing to explain to a 6-year-old.

It pisses me off but I've learned to pick my battles. Insults slide off me like water on duck feathers now.

I prefer to let my actions do that talking than my fists.

People have said much, much worse things to my face.

I didn't go to college. All I had to my name was a GED and my experience at SHIELD. I always thought about starting online classes in between missions but never really committed.

The cabin has internet, although it was dial-up from the 90s that somewhat worked. 

I sat in my truck and took a bite of my sandwich as I decided on what to do with the rest of my day. I had a bunch of supplies loaded in the back of my truck.

I made a list of home repairs.

It might be a temporary place to live but it didn't mean that I have to live like it's the 50's.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

(A flip phone. Go figure. Cap would be proud of me.).

I put my sandwich down, wiping the corners of my mouth with a napkin.

A familiar name flashed on the tiny screen. I chuckled and flipped open the phone. I pressed the speaker button as I pulled out of the parking lot.

"Hey." I greeted. "How the hell did you get my number?"

"Good afternoon to you too, sunshine," Tony said. "How's it slumming it off the grid? Any death threats? No, wait. Don't tell me...you found Bigfoot by accident."

"You're hilarious, Stark," I snort. "Not exactly slumming it if you can find me."

I could picture him shrugging and rolling his eyes. Typical Tony. Breaking the rules when it suited him best.

I probably would have to get a new burner phone.

"So...siblings, huh?" I rolled my eyes. "Guess the old man was getting busy."

Damnit, Stark!

"I don't even want to think about it." I groaned.

"Maya Crowley. Avenger, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. And now elder sibling. How the tables have turned. And you said you'd never have kids of your own."

"They're not my kids though." My grip tightens on the steering wheel. The trees rush past me. "Gods, Tony. You know why I said that."

I hear him sigh over the speaker. "Listen, Maya. I have no right to tell you how to live your life. Trust me, I'm not the one who should ever preach anything given my life choices. All I'm saying is...does it matter anymore? There's other Anwar's now and you could just call him. I have tech that let us talk to them—"

Something inside of me rears its ugly head. Like a snake, coiling to strike.

"Tony. Let it go." I glance in my rearview mirror. "Please," I say, softly. "I messed up with him. All of you know that. You don't have to tell me."

He was silent for a moment. I could hear the sound of his garage in the background.

"I'm not gonna baby you. I just...want you to be happy."

"I know, Tony."

"You were happy with him. With us." There's a clattering sound as if he picked up the phone. "It's been months since you came back to the tower. We miss you."

My throat tightens a little. For a second the road blurs but I swallow the emotions down and remind myself that the kids are depending on me now. I can't afford to feel...whatever this is.

I do not deserve to cry

"Don't you mean that you miss me, Tony?" I brush it off. "What would Pepper say if she knew you were such a sap."

"Hey! I can be sappy if I want to be."

"As if," I scoff. "The last time you tried to do something nice, I ended up on a blind date with some prick."

"Okay. Fine. Stewart wasn't a good fit for you and that's on me but..."

"But..."

"Be honest, you had fun trying to throw him off the pier." He sounded smug.

I felt the corners of my mouth tug a little. "Maybe," I said. "Fury wasn't happy about that though. He lectured me for a whole hour straight."

"Yeah. About that. I can't believe I'm saying this but don't be too hard on the pirate." Tony said. "He's...well, you know how he is. I'm not defending him but he tried. You can give him a little credit for that."

If only he knew.

Fury was protecting me once again. Albeit in a very turned-about way. I wonder if my mother had anything to do with it.

I sigh, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. "It's complicated."

"Okay, boomer. Save it for Facebook."

I laugh, genuinely for once. "You'll hurt Steve's feelings."

"Trust me, he won't notice." He said. "I'd pull his leg more but I'd rather not wake up to find Bucky staring at me in a corner."

"He's protective." I chided.

"Only four of us think he's a cuddly teddy bear and it definitely isn't me."

I pull into the dirt driveway. The truck breaks shrieks as I make a hard turn. "I'm not the only one who placed Hello Kitty magnets on his arm for 'research.' That's on you, Stark."

"Bruce is nicer to me."

"Bruce is too nice for you," I reply. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to destroy my phone. Bye, Tony. Don't give Pepper too much grief."

"Don't you dare hand up on me—"

Beep.

—

I place a nail between my lips as I hammer down on the wooden board.

The porch has seen better days. Exposure to the elements has caused the boards to become warped and uneven.

Carlos eyed the porch swing on his way out. He probably wanted to sit out here and read a book while the weather was still nice.

My new phone beeped in my pocket, reminding me that it was almost time to pick up the kids.

I got some work done. I fixed the toilet upstairs, cut some wood for the fireplace, and set up the table for dinner. If Clint stopped by next time I would have him look at one of the pipes that was leaking.

Maybe I could do this after all.

—

I can't do this.

Annette is crying over math homework and I have no idea how to even help her. Rayan's face is covered in blue paint. (Where did he even get blue paint from?!) Carlos was busily dissociated as he tried to write an essay for English Lit. And Safia...well, she blew up at me when I asked her about her day at school and then stormed out to chop firewood out back.

Oh, and dinner was a burnt mess in the oven.

Goodbye, chicken casserole.

I placed a hand on Annette's back. "I'm sure it's not that hard. We'll figure it out. Together."

She looked up at me with watery eyes, her face flushed bright red. "I used to be good at math!" She slammed her head on the table and wailed. "I'm a disgrace!"

"You're not a disgrace," I sighed.

If anything, I am.

Rayan popped his head up from underneath the table. "Do I paint the North Pole too?" He asked.

Right, science project.

I narrowed my eyes. "Is it part of North America?"

"Yes."

"Then yes, Rayan. You paint the North Pole."

He grinned, grabbed a pen and then disappeared under the table once more.

Carlos got up from his seat, snapping his book closed. Poor kid. I can relate.

"Pizza?" I suggested.

He nodded his head and then asked, "Can we have pineapple pizza."

Gods help me.