marvel · avengers · starks · cowgirl · mechanic · tsundere · protective · dual identity · southern accent · family drama
The Malibu sunlight was a hard, brilliant blade against the skyline, but inside the Stark mansion, the air was still and thick with a quiet I didn't trust. My boots found each step of the grand staircase with a soft, familiar thud. The worn denim of my shorts, the simple cotton of my halter top, the solid weight of the truck key in my hand—it was all armor for the long drive north, a ritual that belonged only to me. I was a breath away from the open road, from the twenty-nine-hour pilgrimage that would deliver me home. My foot touched the final step and the floor dropped out from under me. The living room wasn't just occupied. It was a gallery of stunned superheroes. Steve Rogers was staring, his classic jaw slightly slack. Sam Wilson had lowered his sunglasses, his eyes wide with disbe…