girl ― saved by captain america

[Steve]

"Here you go, Girl. This is a smoothie, just like the 'juice' Bruce makes for you. I don't know how good it'll be, but it's worth a try," I say to the small child sitting in front of the television, bending down to offer her the prepackaged bottle. It's much later in the afternoon now, though the lack of windows in the safe house makes that impossible to tell just by sight. As time has passed, we've all started to grow hungry. Wanda and I have fixed sandwiches from the limited contents of the fridge. Unfortunately, the store-bought fruit drink was all we could find for Girl.

The child accepts the bottle gratefully and takes a sip, a small smile forming on her lips before she looks back up. Somehow, we managed to find Paw Patrol while surfing through the stations.

Walking back over to the table in the kitchenette, I turn my attention to Wanda who's now sitting silently in a chair, taking the first bite of her sandwich. I grab my plate from the counter and join her, wishing there was some way to order a pizza to be delivered down here.

"Steve," Wanda says, breaking my train of thought. Looking over at my friend, she raises an eyebrow. Leaning in, she then continues quietly, "What are you going to do about her hair?"

Following her gaze over to where Girl is sitting before the TV, I sigh. "I don't know," I admit honestly. "I washed it as well as I could when she was in the bath, but there are still knots at the ends that I just can't get out. Not even the conditioner could do it."

"It's awfully long," Wanda points out. "Maybe it wouldn't hurt to cut it."

"That's what I was thinking," I agree, "although, I can't say I should be trusted to do the job myself."

Wanda laughs, taking another bite of her sandwich. "I can do it," she offers. "I've been cutting my own hair for most of my life. Hydra didn't exactly bring me to a salon when I asked them to," she jokes with a wink. The thought never crossed my mind that Wanda might be able to do it, but now that she's said so, it's honestly an offer I don't think I could pass up. "I bet we could find scissors and a comb somewhere around here. Tony said the place was completely stocked for extended isolation."

"That would be great," I nod, relieved. Wanda nods at me with a smile, and we continue eating in silence, the only noise being the soft voices coming from the TV.

When Wanda finishes just as I'm taking my last bite, she stands and takes both of our plates to the sink. Surprisingly, this place even has a dishwasher. Stark must've been right about the whole long-term stay deal. Wiping my mouth with my sleeve, I rise to my feet, making my way over to Girl who's still sitting on the floor in front of the television. Her eyes stay fixed on the screen as I carefully bend down and take a seat next to her, not wanting to startle her. Looking at the bottle in her hand, I see that it's about half empty.

"What's going on in Paw Patrol?" I ask her.

The quiet girl turns to look at me, then refocuses back on the screen. She reaches up her little hand and points with one finger at one of the figures. "P-puppies on there," she says simply.

"Puppies, that's right," I praise. From the other side of the room, I can hear Wanda opening and closing drawers and cupboards, rummaging through them to look for the supplies. "How's the juice?"

Girl looks down at the bottle and her eyebrows furrow. "Bruce makes it better," she tells me. I chuckle at her response, and she smiles shyly.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Hopefully, we'll be able to go back to the tower soon and he can whip you up something better."

"Okay, I found a comb and some decent craft scissors," Wanda calls out. Reaching my arm up, I switch off the television as the older girl walks over to stand beside us. She holds out the objects innocently, but as soon as Girl turns and sees them, the child jumps back, her eyes instantly doubling in size. "Oh, it's okay, my dear," Wanda immediately soothes, kneeling down with a softened expression. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."