Archive of Our Own ^beta

Buddy- I got you *finger guns* 
(Honestly, I’m so glad someone asked! And I hope you like it- I basically wrote it all in one go) 

“Who crawls through someone’s window at 4am to go for ice cream!?”

       It was the tapping that woke her up, though she had figured, perhaps, it was an overly eager bird waiting for her to put out the seed that she usually did.

       What made her get out of bed was when the window broke.

       In a moment, the covers were thrown off, the end-table lamp in hand, and she was five seconds shy of bringing it down on whoever was unfortunate enough to have decided to break into her apartment when-

       “Well hello!”

       “Ben-Cap-what?” she gasped, arms going limp, the lamp loosely swinging in her grip, “What?”

       “What indeed, fair citizen!” He was practically beaming up at her, trying to wiggle his way through her bedroom window. It took a moment for Edith to process that such an idea was not probably the brightest, but before she could say anything, he finally popped free and fell flat on to his back with his feet propped up on her sill.

       Edith’s mouth hung open, her brain desperately trying to catch up to the events at hand, “Is something wrong? Are you okay?”

       “Better than okay!” Captain gleefully cheered as he scrambled to his feet, “I found the most wonderful gentleman who, believe it or not, sells icream in dollops the size of small children’s heads, and that- if you’ve never seen a child’s head- that is a lot. A lot a lot.”

       He stood there, smiling at her, but Edith still couldn’t get the pieces to click.

       “A lot a lot,” Captain repeated, slower, hands gesturing in front of him to give her a rough estimate of size so that she understood what he ment, but when she still did not reply, he seemed, to her, to wilt a little bit, “I suppose directness is needed, but, ah-” and here, he tugged at the knot of his cape as he looked in every direction but her, “Haha, I didn’t practice that on my way here. Too busy thinking of flavors.”  

       And that’s when everything made sense.

       “On a Tuesday!” Edith didn’t mean to shout, but the adrenalin was still rushing through her veins and he- and he didn’t mean it, she knew that- but he was standing there in front of her like she should get this and, “Who crawls through someone’s window at 4am to go for ice cream! On a Tuesday! Who breaks someone’s window just to ask- It’s 4am!”

       “Would a Wednesday be better?”

       “Captain that’s not the point! You have to KNOCK, okay? You can’t just break my window! And the sun isn’t out yet!”

       “I did knock.”

       “You have to knock and wait for me to answer.”

       “Oh,” he examined the broken window with a look of genuine surprise, “Oh I forgot that bit.”

       “Yeah, you did.”

       Captain counted on his fingers, “That makes this the sixth time.”

       “I’m aware.”

       “You know though,” Captain said, smiling at her once more, “They have caramel, I double checked, and they have double fudge, and they let you pick two flavors if you get two scoops.”

       “Captain, the window-”

       “I know the window- knock knock- knock and wait- yes- but this is important too, because I know you can’t pick your favorite flavor- I remember from last time I asked you- so I made sure they had both.”

       Edith’s train of thought, riding on the rails of the broken glass she knew she’d have to pick out of her carpet again, came to a screeching halt as she processed what he had just said.She knew, oh she knew, no matter how she tried to figure out how to explain the transgression, he wouldn’t understand, not tonight. He just…he just wouldn’t- it wouldn’t make sense to him. That was the biggest degree of separation between Ben and Captain, and while sometimes it was perfectly needed, this freedom, this eagerness, sometimes, it was the last thing she wanted, but that didn’t make it bad. It just ment…he didn’t quite get it yet. Slowly, the anger bled out as she watched him, watched him watching her back with such a look of hesitant optimism.

       (And maybe a little something else, but she wasn’t gonna look into it too far, not at 4 in the bleeding morning on a Tuesday.)

       Edith ran the hand not still holding on to the lamp through her hair as she sighed, “Friday. Friday would work.”

       Captain seemed to beam, and Edith quickly amended, “But you have to knock, okay? It- It makes me happier when you knock and wait for me. Alright?”

       “Oh!” his whole face seemed to light up, “Oh, yes, yesyes, I can do that. I can wait. And Friday.”

       “And NOT 4am.”

       “And not 4am.”

       “Come when it’s still light out.”

       “Yes.”

       “Okay,” Edith laughed quietly, placing a hand on Captain’s cheek, “Now that- now that all that’s sorted…could you please…let me finish sleeping?”

       Captain made a soft noise, one hand lifting as though it were about to hold Edith’s hand to his face, but then, he took a step backward, “But of course!. Sleep is important, or so I am told. I do not need sleep, but then, that is why I am a defender! Justice never rests, just as the 24-hour drive-throughs never rest! Such is the life of a hero! Farewell, fair citizen! TRA LA LAAA!”

       And back out the window he went, leaving Edith in the still of her bedroom, a tired laugh blooming in her fluttering heart and a hopeful eye on the end of the week.