A/N: Loved the reception the last chapter got. It was the most reviewed chapter of this story. I'm so glad that Renny and Bucky were a hit with you guys. I honestly had to do some work to get into the right mindset again for this chapter and Nadia and Peter. Haha. More feels here.
I just want to thank all those who took the time to read, review, and add this story to their alerts. Especially-
Petra0suomesta, ActionLover203, Little-Miss-Anime-Luva, Piper and Snippy, HwGenius, LoveFiction2018, Guest, and Reena.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you all so much! I'm a bit cautious leaving individual replies because this section might get too long. I'll probably reply personally with a PM instead. :)
Anyway... on with the story.
Present Day
Peter blew out a slow breath of air.
After Nadia pretty much beat him up with her pent up frustration. They both sat quietly, watching the city buzz below them from a building's rooftop. They were still in the mirror dimension, so they didn't worry about anybody seeing them maskless.
He'd let her do it, mind you. She'd chased him all around the city and launched bursts of magic at him until she calmed down.
When they'd landed on this rooftop, she looked ready to punch his lights out. He closed his eyes, readying himself for the blow, but it never came.
Nadia instead wrapped her arms around him tightly. "For a kid genius, you really are a dummy sometimes." She chuckled, but the sound slowly morphed into choked sobs. Peter pretended not to notice, it might set Nadia off again if he said something about the tears, so he just held her back just as tightly.
"I'm sorry for making you worry so much." Peter muttered into her shoulder.
Nadia gave him one more squeeze before she pulled away. "I know you are, Peter. Just…" She pulled him back to her. "Don't do that again. Don't make me feel so helpless."
"Okay…" The background noise of the bustling city was calming. "I'll do my best to know when to call for back-up even when I'm trying to prove myself." Peter smiled playfully.
"Good…" Nadia sighed. She guessed that was the best she could hope for. Peter would always have a tendency to act tough until he got older. "Now come here. I left a bruise on your face." She held out a hand.
Peter shimmied over so she could place her fingers on his cheek, making him blush slightly. Nadia didn't notice with her eyes closed as she muttered a healing spell.
The warmth of mystic energy was soothing, and when Nadia opened her eyes after casting, the light from the magic made her eyes shine almost green.
"Wow… Your eyes are really pretty." Peter breathed out before he realized what he was saying.
Nadia just smiled.
Her soft expression bolstered Peter's confidence and the question he wanted an answer to surfaced again in his mind.
"Uhmmm… N-Nadia…" He stuffed his hands in his pockets to hide the fact that he was clenching his fists from nerves. He looked away, bashfully. "I think- I r-really- I think I… k-kind of… like … you…" His voice trailed off as soon as he looked back up.
Nadia pulled her hand on his cheek back slowly, gulping. "Peter…"
That was not the tone Peter wanted to hear. Though he really wasn't sure what he wanted to hear. She sounded apologetic.
The teen jumped up from his seat, "Hey, it's getting late, r-right? I… I'll take your p-patrol today. One more day of rest w-won't hurt, right?"
Nadia nodded, not sure what to do. Not wanting Peter to feel more trapped in the situation, she opened a portal out of the mirror dimension. The teen promptly disappeared through it.
The young woman followed Peter through, but he was already gone. She put her hands over her face and groaned.
This was not supposed to happen.
Nadia flopped onto the couch, a great sigh escaping her lips.
This was breaking Outsider rules… Right?
Grandma had broken them… sorta. Even if she did have a form of relationship with Bucky Barnes, she practically ripped her heart out leaving him to his fate when he fell from the train and was trained into the Winter Soldier. She stayed true to the cause.
Mom sort of broke the rules on accident when she had me… but then again, my father never found out about me really. It didn't affect his fate.
Me though… Peter is young and will most likely get with Michelle… so the records in the Archives hint at.
Nadia unknowingly distracted him from Liz and pulled his attention to herself. Was that going to affect his fate? She wondered.
It was almost over though. The Archives were nearing obsolete and would be once the Infinity War passed.
She heard the door open and shut, followed by Stevie's claws clicking on the floor. He barked and jumped on Nadia's stomach. He nuzzled her when he sensed her distress.
"Iya? Did something happen?"
The young woman heard the concern in her mother's voice and covered her face, feeling ashamed. Nadia had opted not to be an outsider for a long time. In fact, she'd stayed on the sidelines until she met Peter. She was in charge of his fate alone and she might have made him stray.
"I should have stayed in the shadows. I'm a horrible Outsider." She groaned in despair.
"Peter told you, didn't he?"
Nadia shot up and gaped at the older woman who had a small, knowing smile on her face.
"I spent just ten minutes talking with him, and it seemed quite obvious to me, really. He admires you greatly, at the very least." Anya sat beside her daughter. "He's a wonderful and sweet boy."
"How are you supporting this?! I could twist his fate. Make something happen that will alter the future. Something horrible could happen!" Nadia raised her voice, her words cracking at the end.
"I am not supporting or rejecting the idea. And as I told you before, you are part of this world Nadia. More so than myself or your grandmother. Our responsibility and our burden ends once the Archives become obsolete." Anya held her daughter's hands in her own. "From then, if we survive the hell that is coming, we will be free to make our own decisions."
"Free…" Nadia had grown up with the constant fear that her actions and her mere existence would ruin this world. Make it stray from the path it was supposed to run. She was always worried, even if she had not taken the Outsider title and responsibilities until several months ago.
"So what do you feel about Peter? Love him as just a friend or little brother, or even something more, it will be your decision. We Capellis have been chained by the predictions of the Archives the moment we set foot in this world. Who am I to restrict you once you gain freedom?" Anya said gently. "Biologically, you are just four years older than him. That will gap will only continue to close as more time passes." The woman had a sly twinkle in her eyes.
"Four years is still a lot mom. And the eleven year gap is insane." Nadia laughed incredulously, still shocked that her mother was alright with the idea of her with Peter…
Wow… That is a really weird thought…
"I've always had to act more mature than I was. Age didn't matter… it doesn't matter. Hell, I currently pass myself off as a twenty-three year old." The young woman furrowed her brows. "There's no doubt a care about Peter. A lot… but he's a kid and the affection I have for him is as a sibling or a very close friend."
"Then that is what you tell him." Anya's expression turned serious, "And no matter what does happen, you will leave Peter to the important events of his fate until our duty is finished. No matter how painful."
Nadia gulped, looking down at her hands. "I… I know."
"So how's the Spiderling?" Tony questioned while he tinkered with a few calculations for new upgrades on his suit.
::Pretty normal, boss.:: Happy's face was on the billionaire's phone, propped against a toolbox.
"Sabrina keeping a good eye on him then." Tony smirked, feeling a small spark of pride. If he couldn't be there for the kid all the time, he was glad he sent the next best thing.
::Actually-::
Tony put up his finger. Happy was going to burst his bubble. The billionaire tapped a few buttons and saved his calculations.
"You were saying?" He stared at the man on his screen, daring him to ruin his good mood.
Hesitantly, Happy spoke up, ::The chatter between the two took a real dive since yesterday. Plus… the kid's latest notes didn't even mention Sparkles.::
Tony raised his eyebrows, "How about her reports?"
::The usual from her, thought she seemed a bit distracted. She mentioned she did most of her patrol shadowing the kid. She hasn't done that since they became "partners".:: Happy made air quotes with his fingers.
Tony's phone buzzed and a circular icon on the corner of the screen let him know someone else was trying to contact him.
Well… this is a bit rare…
::Tony, wait! I have some ques-::
The man swiped the screen with a finger cutting the connection with Happy and answering the call. He pulled up a virtual screen so he didn't have to make do with just the screen on his phone.
::Stark.::
"Hey there, Sabrina." He nodded, going back to his calculations. "You can just call me Tony, you know? The whole "Stark" thing with that serious face of yours makes me feel like a villain." He gestured offhandedly. "What's up with that anyway? From what I hear from the Spiderling, you actually smile a lot. Why-"
When he glanced up, he paused when he processed her expression. "Oh-kay… not serious today. You look worried." He groaned. "Please don't tell me you called me for girl talk." He shuddered.
::It's Peter-::
"This is girl talk." Tony wrinkled his nose in distaste.
::He told me he has feelings for me but-::
"I should be hanging up, but… Whoah there young lady! Isn't he a little young for you? I mean he's a good looking kid but-"
::Stark! What the heck?! That's what I'm trying to say here. He's a kid, and all I see really is a little brother!::
Tony let out an exaggerated sigh. "Well that's a relief. Wouldn't want my little Sabs to be a cradle robber."
Nadia gaped at the man from the screen. ::You've never-::
"Sorry to cut you off there. I don't do mushy stuff. Seriously…" He turned back to his work, "Kind of busy here."
::Fine… fine. I just wanted to tell you that Peter will probably be acting strange and somewhat distracted until I can straighten things out with him about this. I'll mostly be off the radar for a while, but that doesn't mean that I'm not watching over him.::
The young woman pinched the bridge of her nose.
::You should try talking to him, too. Not necessarily about this though. About something… He's been avoiding me, and he needs someone he looks up to to be there for him.::
"Alright then. Tell Happy. If that's all, I have some business to attend to." The billionaire sniffed.
A sigh floated through the speakers and Nadia looked at the man with tired but accepting eyes.
::That's it, for now. Make sure you eat something, Tony. And get some sleep. Pretty soon those sunglasses you wear won't be enough to cover the bags under your eyes.::
She grinned before ending the call.
Tony muttered while pulling up more screens with diagrams and calculations, working for a few minutes. He groaned before pausing.
"Friday, place an order for one meat lovers pizza. Stuffed crust."
::Gotcha, boss.:: Friday almost sounded amused for an AI.
Not that he wanted anybody to get hurt or get in some kind of trouble, but he wished that something interesting would happen during his patrols. He needed the distraction.
Ned was spending time with his family today, so he couldn't call on his best friend for a movie marathon or something. He could always watch alone, but that was completely lame.
The thought of movie marathons brought up a memory from a few months back.
-.-.-.-
"So what did you think of the newer Star Wars movie?" Ned asked as he and Peter walked with Nadia to her apartment.
"Yeah! Who's your favorite character?" Peter spoke up, shifting the bag of kibble in his arms.
"Hmmmm… Well… Poe and BB-8, of course! Who wouldn't love a daring pilot like Dameron?" Nadia laughed when she saw the two boys wrinkle their noses.
"Han Solo is still the best pilot." Ned argued.
"Han and Chewie were the best, and seeing them again in the Force Awakens was awesome." Peter agreed.
"Anakin was the best pilot." Nadia debated. "He piloted an x-wing when he was just a little kid."
"Is he your favorite character from the prequels?" Peter asked, curious.
"If I say Jar Jar Binks?-"
"WHAT?!" The two teens gaped at the same time. Nadia laughed so hard at their incredulous expressions that she actually almost cried.
Seeing her smile so wide with her cheeks so red and her eyes practically sparkling made Peter smile and feel warm inside.
"Oh gosh no! It's Obi-Wan! Ewan McGregor saved the prequels." She said, still chuckling. She unlocked her door and let the boys in. Peter put the kibble in a corner.
Predictably, Ned headed straight for the kitchen counter. Peter stooped to pet Stevie who was sniffing at the bag of dog food. Nadia set a plate of cookies on the counter along with a carton of milk.
"Help yourselves." Nadia grinned, a cookie hanging from her own mouth.
"Don't mind if I do." Ned said eagerly.
Peter stood beside him and grabbed a cookie.
"When did you last see the original trilogy?" Peter asked.
Nadia hummed, taking a gulp of milk. She put down her glass and Peter had to hold in his own laugh at the sight of a milk mustache on her upper lip.
"It's been a long time. Eight years back, maybe- What?"
"Milk mustache." Ned grinned.
Nadia reached up to touch at her lip when Peter snapped a picture. He laughed and flipped his phone to show her the picture. Nadia had a confused look on her face, her fingertips just reaching her lips.
"Peter!"
-.-.-.-
He still had that picture. He'd actually printed it out and pinned it to the wall near his desk among a few other pictures with him and Ned, their trio, and some with May.
"Eight years!"
"Blasphemy!"
"We're definitely having a marathon before the Rogue One movie."
They hadn't done it yet. And now he made things weird between them.
Gosh… why couldn't he have kept it to himself.
Crushes changed and faded all the time, right?
Why did he feel so down though?
A/N: A little Tony in this chapter. And Peter/Nadia awkwardness. What do you think?
Reviews, thoughts, suggestions, criticisms, and comments are always welcome. I love to know what you guys think of this chapter or of the story in general.
'Til next time~