Charlie
"So you're telling me that if I say, 'Chitauri', you have no idea what that is?"
"Go back to dicing tomatoes."
"You really were sheltered weren't you?"
"Tomatoes, Ryan."
"Like, did you live in Timbuktu before here?"
"Ryan!" I turn on him, my eyes narrowing, cheeks slightly flush from embarrassment. I open my mouth to chastize him, when my eyes land on his cutting board."That is not how you dice tomatoes."
"This coming for the girl decked out in overalls?"
I narrow my eyes at Ryan jokingly, chucking a hunk of bread at his head. He dodges easily, letting out a laugh. I do too.
"Whatever. You're still doing it wrong," I tell him, look at the red pile of mush which is supposed to be the diced tomatoes for our bruchetta. The juice is spilled all over the counter, and the pile hangs limply. It looks like a dead fish.
"It'll be fine," He tells me, putting the knife down and rubbing his hands clean on his beige cotton pants before he pushes his huge glasses up the bridge of his nose. He shoots me one of his goofy smiles. "It all tastes the same in the end anyways."
I roll my eyes, but my retort is cut short by JARVIS's crisp voice echoing out around us.
"Corinne is on the line, Miss," He informs me. "Should I put her through?"
"Speaker please JARVIS," I smile, while shooting Ryan a look to tell him to shut-up. He rolls his eyes, but obliges.
"Charlie you won't believe what I just saw!" Corinne's voice comes squealing around us. I immediately perk up.
"Lucas?!"
"Better," Her tone drops serious before squealing, "SHIRTLESS LUCAS!"
I squeal along with her in excitement. "Oh my gosh, did you get a picture?"
"Yes!" She laughs. "I'm texting it to you as we speak."
True to her word, my phone beeps not a moment later. It's one of Tony's Stark phones. I have no idea how to work half the stuff on it - it took Pepper half an hour to teach me how to unlock it and get to the texting app - but it's pretty useful still. I open up her text, and the most heavenly picture of Lucas pops up. He's smiling to the side, his blonde hair flopping perfectly to the side. His eyes are the same bright blue shade as the aquamarine sea behind him, and his red surfer shorts are lean to his build.
That's nothing compared to the best part though.
His shirt, is in his hand.
"Ohmy goodness!" I spueal again at seeing the picture. He's so tanned and fit that you can literally count his defined six pack. His arms are buff, and totally flexed as he carries a surfboard under his free arm.
"Seriously?" Ryan groans from behind me as he looks over my shoulder. "You're looking at the dumb barbie again?"
"Ugh, is the party pooper with you?" Corinne asks.
I let out a laugh at the look on Ryan's face. "Yeah. But back on topic. Where did you get your hands on this piece of perfection?"
Corinne giggles. "My fam dragged me down to the beach. I thought it was going to be a drag at first, but not anymore!"
I smile at my friend's antics. "Well keep me posted!" I demand. Her laughter ends the call. I go back to ogling my phone.
"I still don't know why you guys are so infatuated with him," Ryan rolls his eyes. I scoff.
"Please. You just don't like him because he gives you swirlries on a daily basis."
"And that's supposed to make me reconsider my opinion of him?" Ryan wrinkles his nose. "Seriously Charlie, have some class. The guy is a perv who's done it with pretty much anything he walks into."
I roll my eyes again in exasperration,although I know what Ryan's said is true. "Please. You're just jealous of his looks."
"Whatever floats your boat," He sighs, running a hand through his dark hair, and making it stick up every which way. "I am gonna finish dinner."
Sighing exaggeratedly, I put my phone away, and go to help him with the bruchetta.
It's been a couple weeks since all the crazy drama. Things have gotten relatively normal, and crazy at the same time. School is horrendous. Ever since people found out who I actually am, everyone's been trying to talk to me and be my friend. Even Breana and Sierra have been trying to convince me to join their little group. People are always asking for pictures, and clamouring me in the hall. It's suffocating really.
If Ryan wasn't there for me, I'm pretty sure that I'd have been toast by now. He's sort of taken it upon himself to be my body guard. He's pretty much with me all the time now, and if I'm not over at his house in the evenings, then he's over at our place. A usual evening consists of homework, him attempting to do my mechanics homework, and usually just chilling. He's become an even better friend to me over these past few weeks, letting me vent when I need to vent, and always lingering around for moral support. I know him better than I know myself, and trust him in a way that even Peter never really attained.
And Corinne's been a god sent too. Thankfully, she had taken the news a lot better thanRyan had, and it had helped that he had called and talked to her before hand too. Ever since she's stuck to my side like glue when we're at school, and she wards off all the other Pricks and Jerks who try to get too close. Between her and Ryan, I've never had such good friends.
Ryan and I are just placing the bruchetta on plates - my stomach rumbling from the enticing smells - when Pepper walks in the door. She looks worn, but there's a smile on her face. It doesn't quite reach her eyes though, and I go up and give her a hello hug.
"What's the matter Aunt Vee?" I ask as I pull away. She just shakes her head.
"Sorry guys, but Tony can't join us tonight. He got called out last minute."
"With the Avengers?" Ryan perks up instantly. He's absolutely enthralled by Tony's friends. Ever since he met them last week when a bunch of them were over, he hasn't shut up about them. I'm personally not so enthralled. Especially when I found out that my supposed Social Security worker, Natalie Rushman, is actually an assassin who works with Tony called Natasha Romanoff.
"Yes," Pepper says, seating herself at the table. She grabs a piece of bread and bites into it. "Loki escaped, and was sighted up near Halifax. They've been deployed to recpature him.
"They better not hurt him," I frown as I bite into my own bread. "He doesn't have all the powers he had when they fought him before, which means they could really do some damage," I speculate. I know that Loki is supposed to be the bad guy, but the stories and footage I've been showed just doesn't line up too well with the image I got when I met him.
"How'd he get out?" Ryan asks, ignoring my statement. Pepper swallows another bite before replying.
"Some sort of trick with the vans after his apology speech the other day."
The conversation slowly turns normal, Pepper commenting on the food, and Ryan and I bantering over the table in a good natured sort of way. The sun has barely set, when Pepper's blue tooth rings.
"What?"
I gulp. It's never good when she uses that tone. My appetite disappears as Pepper's skin drains of colour, and her eyes glaze over. For a moment, I'm terrified that she's going to pass out.
"Aunty?" I ask quietly, worry quenching me. I go to walk over to her, but she shakes her head subtly, causing me to halt. Ryan stands up behind me, and grabs my elbow gently, as though to make sure I don't jump my Aunt.
"I'll be right over," Pepper murmurs into her blue tooth before clicking it off. When she turns around, tears glisten in her eyes, and she quickly grabs her coat.
"What happened?" I beseech, wondering what could have happened that could've put my Aunty out so. Normally she isn't fazed by the slightest of things.
"It's Tony," She says, and my senses immediately go on high alert. "He was hit by a bomb flying over the border," Her voice cracks. "They lost his feed."
"Oh Aunty," I exclaim, pulling from Ryan's grasp, and wrapping her in a hug. I might not be overly fond of Tony, but I knw my Aunty cares deeply for him, even though I have no idea why. I grasp her tighter. "I'm so sorry."
And I am. I know what it's like to loose someone important in your life. To feel that sucking hole of oblivion just open up within you, and constantly tear at the joy you have. To suck, and suck, and pull, and pull, until nothing is left, and nothing feel's worth while anymore. I understand, and if I could, I'd do anything so my Aunt doesn't have to experience it.
"Fury wants me over at HQ," My Aunt finally mutters, pulling away slightly. "Just to make sure an incident like Afghanistan doesn't happen again," She says. I have no idea what she means by Afghanistan, but I sense enough that now's not the time to ask. "I'll be home when I can."
"I'll be fine," I tell her, walking her to the door, Ryan following in my wake. My Aunt sighs, before giving me a kiss on the top of my head.
"I know," She murmers. She looks up and catches Ryan's eyes behind me. "Feel free to stay over," My aunt says. "Sorry for having to run.
"No problem Ms. Potts," Ryan smiles kindly. My Aunt offers him a sad smile back, before running out the door. I watch her slide into a waiting limo, Happy no doubt driving. Ryan and I head back to the kitchen.
"Do you know what my Aunt meant about Afghanistan?" I finally break the silence. My voice seems to echo and revrebrate much too loudly in the house. I don't know if it's always been like that, or that the house is just larger and harder to fill without Tony being there.
Ryan shoots me a strange look, before shaking his head slightly. "I forget how much you don't know," He says, although it isn't mocking, but rather just a statement. We retake our seats at the table. "Couple years ago, Stark Industries was top of the line. It was a weapons dealer, and it made the best weapons at that. Everyone and anyone wanted Stark Tech," Ryan's voice gets distant.
"I sort of remember that," I admit. Then I frown. "But Tony doesn't deal weapons anymore. What happened?"
"Afghanistan," Ryan's tone get slightly darker. He runs a hand through his dark hair, musing it more. For some strange reason, I get the urge to reach up and flatten it once more. I do my best to resist. "Tony, he went missing. Kidnapped, gone. It sent the world into shock. I remember I was sitting at home after school, eating cereal and watching TV when the broadcast came on," Ryan shook his head, a distnat memory filling his eyes. "Tony Stark, Assumed Dead. Tony Stark, Creation kills Creator. Tony Stark - Now just a Legacy. They were everywhere, and I just couldn't believe that my hero was dead.
"He was missing for several months. And then one day, he just dropped from the sky, in the middle of no where, a flaming scrape of metal," Ryan reminisces. "He just... reappeared. Declared he was pulling out of the weapons industry. And he was... different. He wasn't the same carefree guy as before. Then all the crazy stuff with Obadiah Stane happened, and Iron Man emerged," Ryan finishes. "You know what happens after."
"So he was just gone for a couple months, and came back a changed man?" I ask in disbelief. "Where did he go? What happened to him?"
Ryan shrugs. "There's been many speculations. Your Aunt probably knows the truth. And seeing as how she reacted to this bombing, I wouuldn't be surprised if it wasn't good."
My stomach drops. "I wish we could help him," I whisper hollowly.
"Well," Ryan says, rather dejectedly. "If I could, I would. But I don't think there is anything we can do, especially if the Avengers are already involved."
A thought sparks in my mind, a dangerous, little spark that quickly flares into a half hazard poorly shaped plan. But a plan none the less. "Maybe we can help him," I say slowly, determination lacing my features once more. Ryan looks up and catches my eye, not missing the new glint in them. He raises and eyebrow.
"What do you propose?"
I smirk, the gears in my head spinning a mile a minute. "How good are you with hacking?"
Hello again. I hope this chapter was up to par! Sorry if it wasn't, but look on the bright side. We're getting into the brunt of the action now! Please leave me your thoughts, and thanks for all the support you guys have given me already :)
Until next time!
