❝When I look at myself in the mirror, I don't see the bad guy.❞

☀︎︎

NO SOONER DID ZACH enter the communication room in their new apartment, he shrugged off his heavy coat and sat down at the control board. He clicked away at the buttons blinking on the dashboard and quickly pulled up a satellite image of David Hobey's car.

Within minutes of settling in, a button on the console began flashing and a low but persistent hum could be heard. Zach searched frantically for the headphones but he couldn't find them. A moment later, Tia came in and handed him the headphones which were hanging on the wall.

"And they say you are an agent," she chuckled and left the room before Zach could retort.

Zach couldn't rid himself of the smile that played on his lips. He had always liked Tia as much as a friend could. Sometimes when she talked back to him in that smooth sarcastic tone, he really wished he was more than a friend to her. But she'd never shown any kind of emotion towards him. And that was that.

Abandoning those thoughts, he quickly slipped on the headphones over his ears and pressed the receiving button on the board. "Hello?"

"Hi, yes, it's me. I'm in a car with-" A soft yet powerful voice as clear as day spoke. A voice he would recognize anywhere in the world.

"David Hobey. I know. I wasn't supposed to tell you to make sure the encounter looked real enough," he said, glad that Anna was okay.

"Zachary Davis, I can fake an encounter very well. You needn't question my abilities," she said, annoyance tinging her tone.

"Ann, pick that bone with Damien. Not my fault," he laughed and pictured Anna's scrunched-up face.

He continued, "He'll be taking you to a condo registered in Annabeth Curtis' name. The phone that you have with you right now is untraceable by anyone not having access to the satellite code it is connected to.

It's basically a tiny black box with numbers and a speaker. Use it as little as possible. For going out in public, buy another phone.  Call me up at midnight with the satellite one every single day with your daily report or-"

"You'll come in guns blazing. I know. What's next?" Anna said and faked a perfect yawn.

"Okay, Miss Know-It-All, I've had enough of that smart mouth. Now zip it and listen to me," he said and heard Anna laugh that tinkling laugh he loved.

"Your first course of action will be to get out. Roam the city but like a tourist. Talk to people but don't give out too much. Make your presence known but remain mysterious. We need to lure Florian in. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear, Sir," Anna mocked and Zach just rolled his eyes.

"Don't take this lightly even for a moment, Anna. It's dangerous for you out there and I-" Zach had started to raise his concerns when Anna cut him off.

"Zach, I don't need saving. I caught Raegan without backup last month at the hotel in Manhattan. I can do it again. Don't you worry," she said, her voice as strong as a rock.

Zach sighed. He really didn't know how he could phrase the fact that he wasn't doubting her at all. He just wanted to protect her. He rubbed his temples lightly and said, "I never said you needed saving. I trust you. Do what you need to do. If you ever need help, Tia and I are always on your speed dial."

"Yeah, there's just one problem," Anna said, slowly.

Zach sat up straight, his mind wandering off to a thousand different violent situations. "What? What is it?"

"This phone doesn't have a speed dial?" She said and burst out laughing.

"Fuck you. I swear to god, I hate you. Take care. I'm hanging up on you," Zach said, switched the end call button, and put the headphones down, shaking his head. He sighed ever so slightly, his mind going back to the time they had fought at every possible opportunity.

"You and hate?" Tia's voice broke through his reverie. "I am pretty sure you are incapable of hate, Zach," she said and crossed the room to stand directly in front of him.

She leaned back and placed her hands on the counter behind her, above which cameras and switches of all sorts were flashing. She had ditched her blue coat and white dress for a soft cobalt silk camisole and shorts. The camisole rode up on her waist, tanned skin peeking out underneath.

Zach gulped. His throat was suddenly dry. He liked Tia, always had. They were friends, after all. But never had he seen her up close or even been this close to her.

He was used to twisting her arms behind her back and she would beat the pulp out of him during karate training. He had never seen her without gear and he decided, she definitely radiated grace this way. He suddenly jerked his head as a click sounded in front of his eyes.

Tia was laughing. "I will never understand why you lose your tongue sometimes. Come on, Avengers is on air."

At that, Zach grinned. "Now, now, now, a woman after my own heart," he joked.

He was about to exit the room when he heard a low murmur. Zach could catch the words 'if' and 'only' but he thought he must've imagined it.

He turned back just to be sure, only to find Tia smiling and bowing slightly, one hand behind her back and the other directing him to the living room.

They walked together, shoulders barely touching to the living room. Zach was about to flop down on the couch when Tia pushed him away. "Airport clothes, Zach. Go, change."

Zach made a face at Tia and strode to where the bedrooms were. When he reached the hallway, he stopped short in his tracks, "Tia, what the fuck?" She peeked her head out from the living room and quizzically tilted her head.

"What is it? A monster under your bed?" Tia curved her lips into a sad smile and batted her eyelashes at him.

"Haha, very funny. Why is this room exploding in blue and why the fuck is there only one bed?" Zach asked one hand on his hips, while the other raked through his hair.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to share a bed now," Tia winked and went back to sit on the couch.

The Avengers started playing and all of Captain America's speech about 'language' faded into background noise. Blood rushed to Zach's ears, he could feel his cheeks burning and his heart beating at a thousand miles an hour.

He'd never been happier.

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