I would like to thank HuntressofArtemis310 for the idea! Please keep the lovely reviews coming!
"Okay. See you at school!" I say, and grin at Preston. Preston is the best guy in the world, and he's also the guy walking me home. I know, right?
"Later Beth!" He calls as he walks down the sidewalk. I never noticed how cute he is in his hoodie.
I've got it bad, huh?
The only problem is, the Avengers don't know. I'd like to keep it that way. I'm pretty sure if I they found out they'd interrogate the poor guy to death. I unlock the door of the house and step inside the cool entryway. I quietly shut the door behind me and sigh. Yeah, I've got it bad.
Maybe they can find out. But later. MUCH, much later.
"Who is that guy?" Tony asks Steve while looking at Jarvis' camera feed.
"Who? The kid in the hoodie? I dunno." Steve replies, examining it as well. "Why?"
"Well, they were holding hands. And I'm pretty sure Beth was blushing the whole time." Tony answers.
"Wait a second. You don't think their dating, do you?" Steve asks.
"No. I bet they want to kill each other. Of course, you idiot! You were right when you said you didn't have much experience with women." Tony says.
"And you do?" Steve retorts. He realized what he just said and Tony shoots him a look. "Never mind. Anyway, what are we gonna do about it?"
"We should consult the rest of the team first. Get their opinions." Tony suggests.
"Good idea." Steve replies.
"So team. We have a serious crisis on our hands." said Tony, opening the meeting.
"Really? I didn't get a call from Fury." Clint asks.
"Not that kind of crisis. It has to do with Beth." Steve explains.
"What's happened to her?" Thor asks, alarmed.
"She's perfectly fine. Except for one thing. Steve and I are pretty sure she is dating some lame kid in a hoodie." Tony says.
"Awww! Cute." Natasha comments. "Why is this a crisis?"
"Because she can't date. She's our Beth. Besides, I don't want to deal with all the boy drama. Yeesh." Tony shudders.
"You know? I see his point. I don't want some teenage creep around all the time." Clint says.
"I agree with Barton." Thor says.
"Me too. He will probably mess with the lab equipment." Bruce says.
"He could eat all of my Pop-Tarts." Thor added.
"So, we're all on the same page?" Tony asks.
"Heck no. This is Beth's private life. You can't screw with it." Natasha counters.
"But the thought of some dumb kid dating her sets me on edge." Steve says.
"You guys, your protectiveness of Beth is quite adorable and sweet, but if you mess this up, don't be surprised if she hates you." Natasha warned. "He could be really nice."
"Teenage boys aren't nice. I was one, you know." Tony says.
"Fine. If you want to mess with her relationship, go for it. However, I am staying out of it. Teenage girls are sensitive. I was one, you know." Natasha replies.
"Ha. You, sensitive?" Clint teases, and promptly receives a death glare from the Black Widow.
(Three Weeks Later)
"How about a walk in the park?" I suggest to Preston.
"That sounds great!" my boyfriend replied.
We hold hands and walk together to Central Park. We have been dating for one month now, and it was wonderful. The only problem is, he didn't know that I lived with the Avengers. And the Avengers still didn't know I was dating him. I figured I should tell him now, so I asked if we could sit on a nearby bench under a tree.
"Preston, there is something I need to tell you. It's not a big deal, really. Although you will probably think I'm a nutball." I start.
Preston just stares at me, as unsure as me of where this conversation is headed.
"Here goes. I live with the Avengers. My dad is part of a government agency, and I was sent to see if their mental conditions were stable. Now, I just live there. Here's a picture." I pull up a picture of us at Christmas on my phone. Preston studies it.
"Okay. That's actually really cool. Like, amazingly cool." he says, to my astonishment.
"Wow. You aren't weirded out?" I say. "I thought you would freak out. That went better than expected. You are the best boyfriend ever." I compliment, blushing slightly.
Preston plants a sweet kiss on my cheek. "You are the coolest girl ever." he says and blushes too.
"Err, another thing. I haven't told them about you yet. I pretty sure they would interrogate you to death. They can be kind of crazy." I add.
"I get it. It's not like you have met my parents yet." he says.
"Maybe you can meet them soon. I'm sure with convincing they would love you." I tease.
"Yeah, right." he says.
I chuckle. "Won't know until you try." I reply.
"So, what's it like living with them? How's a typical day at the Avengers household?" Preston asks me, genuinely curious.
"Tony and Bruce are like my uncles, and Steve, Clint and Thor are like big brothers. Pepper and Natasha are like my sisters. Every morning, we start off by having a big homemade breakfast. It's amazing. And usually very funny. Then I'll go to school, and they will do whatever they do if there isn't a mission. I'll come home, get help on my math from Tony and Bruce, work out with Steve and Thor, and then we will all have dinner. We usually just chill after that. I talk to Natasha and Clint a lot. They're really cute. I wish they would date. I mean, it's obvious they're in love." I say.
"No we're not." I hear a mumble from up above, appearing to come from the tree.
"What the heck?" Preston and I both say. We look up, and I see who can only be Clint up in the tree, watching us.
"Clint! What on earth are you doing here? Were you spying on us?" I angrily ask.
Preston starts backing up from the bench. "Uh...Beth, I gotta go." he says, freaked out.
"No, wait! Preston, come back!" I call after him as he runs away.
I turn up to the tree. "Clint. Get. Down. Here. Now." I order, my words clipped.
He drops silently out of the tree and stands guiltily in front of me. "I'm assuming you aren't alone?" I ask.
"Nope." he says, looking at the ground.
"Any Avenger who followed me here better come out right now or I'll-" I begin to threaten, only to have all the boys rush out from their respective hiding places. Tony comes running out from behind a trashcan, Steve from a bench with a newspaper, and Thor and Bruce from the ice cream cart line. They line up next to Clint, all with sheepish expressions.
"What makes you think this was okay? That's my private life! This is exactly why I didn't tell you guys about Preston! I knew you would blow it up out of proportion! Why are you all so idiotic?" I exclaim, glaring at them the whole time.
Steve speaks up first. "We just wanted to protect you, you know?"
My anger lights up like fire in my eyes. I shoot daggers at all of them. "Protect me? Oh, no. I don't need protection. I can handle myself. You probably ruined my relationship with Preston, y'all know that? He was my first boyfriend since my ex cheated on me a few months ago. He's probably gonna break up with me because you guys poked in business that wasn't yours."
Tony decides to talk next. "To tell you the truth Beth, we all feel kind of fatherly/older brotherly to you. We thought we were looking out for you."
My eyes widen at his statement. "Fatherly? Don't you dare think you can replace my father. You are half the man he is. A good father or older brother wouldn't spy on her daughter or sister and screw with her relationships." My eyes well up with tears and my voice breaks. "I can't believe you guys. You're no family to me." I say, spitting the words out.
I turn around and run away. I hear them calling and running after me, but I don't care. I get in my car and drive away, not caring where I go, as long as it's away from them.
I'm sitting on the side of the road. My car ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere, of course. My cell phone also has no reception, so I have been sitting here crying for what seems like hours. It's getting dark out, and I'm more worried than ever. What if I'm never found?
I see something moving on the horizon. It's large and green. Quite hulking actually. I can't help but smile as my uncle bounds toward me, his massive arms swinging. He stops in front of me, grunting as he catches his breath. A rather adorable green smile is on his face.
"How did you find me? It's the middle of nowhere." I ask, wiping tears off my cheeks.
He points a giant finger at his brain. "Thor had a plan. We split up. I came this way." he says in almost childlike brokenness. Bruce can still speak decent English when hulked-out, but it's sometimes less fluid.
"Y'all were probably worried sick because of me, huh?" I ask, guilty.
"Yes. I found Beth." Bruce says in some hidden earpiece. "You want to go home now?" he asks me.
"Yeah, but my car has no gas." I reply.
"No problem." he replies. Bruce holds out his huge hand. I step on it and he hoists me onto one shoulder, my car on the other.
I shake my head in amazement. "Seriously?" I jokingly ask. "What CAN'T you lift?"
The Hulk just laughs as he strolls at a leisurely pace back to the tower.
Bruce sets me down on the front lawn and places my car in the driveway. He transforms back and we walk into the house.
"BETH!" Steve, Thor, Tony, and Clint all yell and crush me in a superhero group hug.
"Ouch! Uh, hi guys..." I say. "Please let go of me; you forget how strong you are..."
They all let go and take a step back.
"Thanks. I'm, really sorry about what I said before. Even if you all are a bunch of knuckleheads, you're my family. No matter what." I apologize.
"We're all really sorry about spying on you. It wasn't okay. We should have given you your space." Tony says.
"I accept your apology. It's sweet that y'all care so much about me, but don't go ultra-protective." I reply. "I just hope Preston still wants to talk to me." I add, my voice saddening.
"Don't worry; I still do." a familiar voice pipes up from the kitchen. Preston steps out from behind the wall.
"Preston!" I shout and run into his arms, hugging him tight.
"Not that I'm not glad to see you, but why are you here?" I ask, giggling.
"Some pretty cool uncles and brothers found me. They convinced me that they were all just crazy. And that you were a girl worth keeping." he replied.
"Both true." I say, laughing. "Preston, crazy superhero family. Crazy superhero family, Preston." I introduce, gesturing to them.
"Nice to meet you." Preston jokes.
I have a feeling he's a keeper.