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A month and a half had gone by since Peter, Ned, and Colleen's first lunch together. Colleen was assimilating into the new school environment well and most people paid her no mind. Flash, as of late, had calmed down on his advances but would always try to woo her at the most inconvenient of times. He always managed to find her when she was hanging out with Ned and Peter and would proceed to throw insults at the latter while she was present. It didn't really help his case with the girl and Colleen declined his invitation to date him every time. She would watch as he sauntered off, a breath of relief for her companions. Then they would continue with their day, doing what geeky teens do, or as Tony would like to call it, "useless millennial things."
Back at the facility, Natasha had eased up on the lectures and had found her schooling progress satisfactory. Though, Colleen was certain that Natasha backing off was just the result of her attention becoming increasingly more devoted to the Avengers's training. Sam had taken over with making her lunch, finding her embarrassment hilarious after she complained to Steve about the note in her bag. And Tony had given her a couple of "check-up" calls. With everything going on, she wasn't able to see him. He was still trying to get the Tower set up for Stark Industries as well as manage the upkeep of the new facility. Colleen also knew that he was mentally occupied with the recent split between himself and Pepper. With Tony's time allocated elsewhere, they decided to take a break in their relationship. To say Colleen was disappointed in him was an understatement. Pepper had always been a large role model in her life. Though Pepper didn't treat her like a daughter, she often played the role of an older sister or an advisor. Colleen loved her like family and she always wished that Tony would just drop to his knee and get it over with. Unfortunately, he takes his own sweet time and does things at his own pace. No amount of humming "Here Comes the Bride" and sending him pictures of viable wedding venues would change his mind. But she knew that one day, he would, and she would be there, fingers crossed.
Currently, she was sitting at lunch with the boys on a rainy Tuesday afternoon.
"So, where do you live?" Ned asked through a mouthful of pepperoni pizza. "If it's okay to ask. Peter and I go to each other's places a lot, so we were just curious," he wiped his mouth with a napkin before taking a sip from his carton of chocolate milk. The three had just settled down after discussing the latest math test and their possible grades.
"Live, right," Colleen took a sharp intake of breath. She had been dreading the moment where the questions would start pouring in. Most of her personal life had been kept private. It wasn't exactly the best idea to announce that she lived in the Avengers Facility under the careful watch of Black Widow and Captain America. That would open a whole host of problems including explaining how she came under the guardianship of none other than Tony Stark. In addition, it was pretty much assumed that Tony wanted her kept under wraps, especially since the uproar about the Battle of Sokovia was still dying down. The political climate was way too hot after that battle and the one a couple years back with the Chitauri. The others worried about how she would be perceived and treated by her peers if they found out about their connection. Thankfully, none of the other students knew of her improbable origins. "It's a bit complicated," she muttered, poking at her chicken salad.
"Oh, we didn't mean to pry. It's just that we were curious one night and we were talking about how we never heard you talk about your family, you know? Like, we haven't even seen pictures or anything-," Ned started ranting but a quick nudge from Peter stopped him in his tracks. The latter was staring worriedly at the seemingly conflicted girl. She was fiddling with her plastic fork, her eyes unfocused before looking up.
"That's also quite complicated," she gave them a strained smile. "It's better that you guys don't know," she added. The remainder of lunch was quiet. The three ate awkwardly with the occasional word from Ned about how his savings from the Star Wars model was coming along. When the lunch bell rang, Colleen quickly packed up the remains of her lunch and got up. "Sorry about that. Maybe I'll get to tell you guys soon," she ran a hand through her hair, letting some of the strands settle behind her ears. "I'm going to head off for now but I'll see you guys tomorrow? And don't you guys even think about tailing me home," she joked. "I'll know about it." She gathered her books and left for her afternoon classes. Peter stared after her. What was she hiding? It wasn't that he didn't trust her but there had to be a reason for all the secrecy. He wondered if she was in trouble with her family or maybe she was being abused at home? His train of thought was interrupted when Ned turned to look at him.
"Should we follow her after school?"
"No, Ned!"
Colleen fell back onto her bed, her phone in hand. She had rushed home, hoping that Ned and Peter weren't tailing her and nearly tripped into a puddle of water. With the help of her abilities, she was able to stabilize her imbalance. After a quick look around to ensure that no one had seen her, she continued home. Her beating heart was finally calmed when she made it onto the facility's property. She was currently browsing through Youtube when something caught her eye. She read the title of the trending video, "New Superhero Stops Car from Bus Collision with Bare Hands!", before tapping on it. The blonde flipped over so that she was laying on her stomach as the video loaded up. It opened with a black car barreling down the road and a guy in red and blue swinging in frame. Her eyes widened, and she quickly started the video over again to take a closer look. The guy had on a hoodie and goggles and was hanging from some sort of thread. She couldn't tell because the resolution from the video wasn't that great. The video continued, and Colleen watched as he fell right in between the car and a passing bus. The back of the car lifted off the ground at the sudden change in acceleration and was unceremoniously dropped back onto the ground. The video clip ended with the guy jumping incredibly high out of frame. The teen blinked, stunned. A new super hero? She scrambled out of bed and threw open the door.
"Steve!" She looked towards his room, but the door remained shut. She quickly went over and placed her ear against it. Hearing nothing, she ran down the hall only to be stopped by Vision. He had phased through the wall to her left. Collen screamed at the sudden appearance and stumbled back.
"Vision, what have we said about doing that?" She held a hand to her heart.
"I have been instructed to keep you here," Vision responded, ignoring her question.
"It's Tuesday, there's no where to go but here," she replied as she tried to pass him. He held out a hand to grip her shoulder lightly, stopping her. "They're gone, aren't they?" She looked up at him, staring worriedly into his green eyes.
"Tony's request."
"Ms. Halford, it is advised that you take a seat. Mr. Stark will not be done with his meeting for another 10 minutes." F.R.I.D.A.Y. came through the ceiling speakers of the Avengers Tower. The blonde was currently pacing the area right outside the meeting room. Her hair had been done up in a loose bun and it bounced with every step. She had managed to escape the facility through the window in her room. Sometimes, it paid to have some extra abilities. When she made contact with the ground, she was able to skirt around the facility to the front, where a couple recruits were preparing a trip to Brooklyn. Thankfully, the recruits were not informed of her sudden captivity and were happy to give her a ride.
"It must be important. Usually, he can't stand more than 5 minutes in there with other suits," Colleen frowned, plopping herself down on a chair. She eyed the door, which remained shut, despite her impatience.
"You seem agitated Ms. Halford, may I ask why?" the system spoke. Colleen still wasn't used to the change from J.A.R.V.I.S. to F.R.I.D.A.Y. She honestly missed the old AI, having grown up with its familiar male English cadence. Maybe Tony could program a similar one for her for nostalgia's sake. The teen contemplated for a moment before replying.
"Everyone's gone. Steve, Natasha, Sam, and Wanda, they're all gone. And I know this means that they're on a mission, but I don't know where or what for. Tony even asked Vision to keep me from finding them and finding out." She paused, unsure of what to say next. "And there's this new hero in town. I know Tony knows about whoever they are, but he hasn't said a word about it either. I always thought I was in the loop with these things even if I wasn't allowed to actually fight," she ran a couple fingers through her hair. "And now it's Sokovia all over again. People are going to die, aren't they? If it's not one of us, it's one of them, or the innocents. And the hero, what if Tony had inducted him into Avengers without me knowing? Can you imagine, new guy just strolling down the hallway at the facility in the whole red-blue get up and I'd be at a lost. What if I thought he was some sort of intruder?" She rambled.
"I think you are overcalculating, Ms. Halford. I'm sure the boss has his reasons," the system replied.
"He always has his reasons," she quoted the last word with bunny ear fingers. She took a breath before settling into her chair in defeat. "I just wish he would see me more of an adult, you know?" She turned her body so she could swing her legs over the edge of the right arm rest. Her head nestled into the crook of the other arm rest. She stared at the smooth ceiling. "I've always wanted to be part of his world."
"You are," F.R.I.D.A.Y. comforted her.
"The other part - the Avengers part. I never get to do anything cool or go on any missions. Always stuck in my room, watching them fight on T.V. I don't even know if they're okay until they come home, bruised and battered." She sighed. "It's frustrating to sit and do nothing while they're out saving the world. They worry me. He worries me," the young girl admitted. The AI remained quiet, letting her mull over her thoughts. All she could hear was the soft undistinguishable murmurs from the room over. She sniffled, a tear escaping her eyes. "Do you think he would ever let me call him "Dad", F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" she asked quietly. She wiped the lonely tear with the back of her sleeve.
"I'm sure the boss would like that, Ms. Halford," the system responded. They fell into silence once more before Colleen plucked up enough courage to pipe up again.
"I guess I just wish he would trust me more."
"I do trust you," a voice responded. Colleen nearly fell out of her chair. She repositioned herself in the chair, brushing her hair back into place.
"Tony! I didn't hear the door," she said, clasping and resting her hands on her lap. When he wasn't looking, she quickly dried the remnants of her tears. Her eyes followed the men and women who streamed out of the room, briefcases in hand. They barely acknowledged her as they headed to the elevator.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y., make sure that they actually make it out the front door this time. No snooping. I don't want a repeat of the New Year's towel boy," Tony sniffed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He let out a sigh once they left the vicinity. "Honestly, each and every one of them has all the personality of a dial tone." He turned to look at Colleen afterwards. "What are you doing here?"
"I missed you?" Colleen responded while scrunching up her nose.
"We both know that's not true," he waved, indicating for her to follow. She quickly got up and fell in step beside him. "So, out with it. You aren't dating, are you?" he looked at her from the corner of his eyes.
"No!" Colleen sputtered, her face flushing red.
"Blonde hair, brown eyes," the man started listing off. "About yay-high?" he asked, motioning to an area a few inches above Colleen's own height. "No? It was a good guess though, right?"
"What?" Colleen blinked before shaking her head. "That's not why I'm here," she tried to change the subject. They entered a living space filled with a couple couches, a coffee table, and some other amenities. There was a bar and a few stools in the corner and a pool table beside it. The north faced walls were ceiling high windows that overlooked the Manhattan area.
"I better meet him," Tony walked over to the couch and sat down. He crossed his right leg over left and let his arms rest on the back. He was currently wearing a dark blue suit paired with a light maroon tie and a white dress shirt. A pair of lightly tinted sunglasses rested on his face. He motioned for her to take a seat. "Not really sure about the whole awkward father talk post-intimidation but I'll make it work."
"Not likely," Colleen quickly responded before sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. "Tony, where are they?" Colleen asked. "You know what I'm talking about. I come home to Vision attempting to stop me from finding Steve. I've been kept in the dark till now. Where are they?" He continued to ignore her, fiddling with documents on his phone. She reached up to grab his arm. His fingers slowed to a stop. "What's happened?" she looked up at him. It wasn't often that Tony showed emotion and it was even harder to see. But, having lived with him so long, Colleen could pick up on the small quirks he had, especially when he was stressed out. He stared at her long and hard, his eyes steeling over. Something must have happened while he was giving his speech at MIT earlier in the day.
"My lips are sealed," Tony said simply. He turned his head to look out the windows. "I love this view."
"Come on, please, for me?" Colleen begged, pocketing the phone. His eyes flickered back over to her. She pulled out the puppy dog eyes, hoping that he'd fall for it.
"They're in Lagos. And just for the record, that," he motioned to her face, "has not worked since you were 9." A hint of a smile graced her lips as he continued. "They're looking for an ex-Hydra agent. They'll be back in the morning."
"Okay, okay," Colleen nodded. This was more information than she had hoped for. "And what about this?" She pulled out her phone and gave the screen a few swipes. She scooted closer to show him the video of the bus-saving hero. "Who is this?" He watched the playback for a few seconds.
"That just released today," he pointed out.
"It's already trending," she backed to the previous page to show him where she found it.
"Millenials," Tony rolled his eyes. "What makes you think I know who it is?"
"You're Tony Stark."
"Good point. I've done my research. It's on a strictly need-to-know basis. And you, kid, do not need to know. And shouldn't you be in bed soon, it's a school night," he raised a finger, as if he had to rack his brain for the information.
"Has that ever stopped me before?" Colleen mumbled, raising a brow.
"You were homeschooled. Your bedroom was literally down the hall." Tony uncrossed his legs and pulled out his phone. He started playing on it, pulling up random hologram articles and images.
"Well, I literally just got here." She tried to make a swipe at his phone, but he quickly pulled it out of reach.
"And now you're leaving," Tony shooed her away. She stared at him stubbornly. "Look, kid. There's a lot going on right now, business and Avengers. I'd really appreciate it if we, maybe, discussed this another time." Colleen gave him a look before rolling her eyes. It was always this way with him.
"It better be later this week. I had to eat meat mush on my first day of school for you." They both visibly shuddered.
"Mental images, kid," Tony held up his hand to stop her.
"It went in my mouth," Colleen crossed her arms defiantly.
"Alright, later, later," Tony threw his arms up in exasperation. "Now, off you go. I'll have F.R.I.D.A.Y. get a car ready." Colleen smiled before standing up. This was completely a win in her book. She began walking towards the elevator. "Oh, and tell the old man that we need to have a talk."
"Your phone's literally in your hands, Tony," she pointed out. The elevator doors slid open for her.
Tony groaned. "Always making me put in effort." With a wave of his hand, he had the phone project its screen in mid-air. He opened his contacts list as Colleen stepped into the elevator. "Don't forget homework!"
"I've already done it," Colleen called back before the doors slid shut.
"Momentary lapse in memory. Forgot that I raised you," Tony mumbled to himself as he waited for the call to connect. "I really hope that Capsicle remembers how to use his phone."
