Carrie. Lucy was just glad she wasn't in public school. They didn't really have to deal with bullying much in Columbia, the school was academic and the intrigue of the UES was far worse than anything teenage girls could come up with, but it was probably a good message anyways. And the musical itself was fun. The music was awesome, it had great characters and a generally powerful tone throughout.
The entire Junior year, as well as a few Sophomores and Seniors sat in the music room, having anticipated the reveal of the Junior musical; it wasn't a large group – one year in Columbia usually only had around thirty students. It was always a good time, one last chance for the Juniors to have a fun summer semester before they'd face AP exams the following year. The Juniors that were also in choir were chosen for most of the important roles with a few Seniors and Sophomores mixed in there. But not even the ones like Peter who didn't attend choir because they couldn't sing to save their lives weren't spared. Stage hands, costume designers and so forth were always needed.
Everyone quieted down after the reveal as Ms Evans shushed them and with a grin continued.
"I'm glad you are all welcoming this choice so enthusiastically, it's always easier to work with an engaged student group. Onto the roles now."
The tension was almost palpable in the air. It wasn't as if there was great rivalry – none of them took it that seriously and they didn't audition either, the teachers chose whoever they thought was capable of acting and singing and suited the role. Lucy sat up as Ms Evans pulled pulled out a piece of paper and Wanda next to her breathed in deeply.
"Alright, our first main part is Sue and she'll be played by Olivia," their teacher announced and everyone clapped. Liv looked very pleased with herself and Lucy had to grin. She knew the other girl reveled in acting the good girl. Focus on acting.
"Most importantly, of course, our Carrie, who will be played by Wanda."
Lucy had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud and Wanda just sighed but Lucy could see a happy grin. There was a smirk on the other students' faces too as they clapped, not malicious but knowing – Wanda's powers were no secret.
"I should probably clarify," Ms Evans added quickly with the most stern face she could muster (no match for Nat, not in a million years), "that you won't be allowed to use your powers on stage. We're doing effects for that, nothing unplanned, school rules apply."
Wanda nodded seriously and Lucy offered her most innocent smile. Why would they ever think they'd use this golden opportunity? Oh, because they were definitely going to, no matter what the teachers said. They should really anticipate that. If anything, it was their fault for grabbing the chance and making Wanda Carrie.
"Lucy, you'll play Chris," Ms Evans turned to her with a smile and Lucy had to suppress an out of character enthusiastic response. She loved playing villains and Chris had some of the most vicious lines. Liv turned to her with a knowing smile and both girls exchanged a short look. This musical was going to be amazing.
"Billy, Chris' boyfriend will be played by Harry."
Or maybe it was about to go up in flames. Lucy could barely contain a groan as Harry turned to her grinning but she couldn't help rolling her eyes. There was an audible snicker from Olivia and even Wanda grinned bemusedly. Lucy could only shake her head – how were their teachers able to pick up on all these vibes between the students? Some supernatural forces at work probably.
The rest of the roles were distributed quickly.
"Tomorrow is the first rehearsal, make sure you all get here in time, everyone doing crew work will meet Mr Connelly and he will put you into your respective groups. Thanks very much guys and I'm looking forward to a very productive two months." With those words, Ms Evans dismissed the students and Lucy noted from the corner of her eye that Liv stroke up a conversation with Wanda – nothing too unusual, the witch had become civil with the gang during the past few months (still not much understanding on either side but better than nothing) – but she was about to go over when a hand on her shoulder held her back.
"So Carrie, hm?"
When Lucy turned around, she saw the familiar smirk belonging to Quentin.
"Shouldn't you stay out of this? Seniors don't have time for the musical, you had your shot last year!"
"Says the one taking all the AP courses in her Junior year," the boy grinned and Lucy had to break a smile as well. "Not that I'm complaining, at least we had some classes together."
"How else am I gonna skip years at MIT if I don't take a ton of college courses next year already?" Lucy shrugged. "Besides, I've never studied in my life."
Quentin huffed. "Way to rub salt in the wound."
"You're the one eavesdropping on Junior announcements!" Lucy pretended to be offended.
"But then I take it you don't have to spend Friday night cooped up at home studying?"
The girl cocked her head challenging. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Because I thought we – well, I – could take a break and take you out for dinner?" His voice still sounded smooth, but Lucy could feel a slight nervousness underneath.
Quentin wasn't your typical Upper East Side guy. He'd only moved to the city from Connecticut about a year ago and he definitely wasn't as run-of-the-mill as the others in her year. She actually felt bad shooting him down – though it wasn't because she wanted to.
"I'm really sorry but I can't do Friday night," she answered apologetically. "We drive upstate Fridays after school so I'm usually not in the city." Before Quentin could get any ideas, she quickly continued. "I'd love to grab dinner, but right now is a bad time anyways. My training schedule is ridiculous and I'm also doing volunteering."
"It's gonna clear up eventually though, right?" he asked and at Lucy's nod he grinned. "Well, I'll try again soon. It's not like we never get to see each other anyway, we got Chemistry on Monday."
With that, he gave her one last dashing smile and left. Lucy shook her head. She couldn't believe she actually felt bad for not being able to go on a date with this guy. She always thought she was cold enough not to care.
But she didn't have time to focus on that now. Wanda was still talking to Olivia, and now even smiling, but Lucy was too busy to wonder about it now though she made a mental note to ask the witch later. Instead, she quickly grabbed her things and was out the door in no time. She would've stayed behind chatting for longer but she was volunteering at the care home today for two hours and needed to be back in time for training in the evening as well and talking to Quentin had taken long enough.
The home for the senior citizens was just on the other side of Central Park from Columbia, one of the reasons why Lucy had chosen it. Another was that most residents were relatives of someone from the UES and Lucy knew from experience that those were people that didn't have much time for anything outside work and their own social circle – and that included neglecting their family. Just like her own parents. Lucy sighed, the anger not flaming up as much anymore as it used to before she started therapy. She didn't think she'd ever forgive them completely though. With a quick swipe of the key card, the high fence opened and gave way for Lucy to walk into the small park that surrounded the big colonial style building. Most rooms had views to Central Park, just like the residents used to have in their own apartments.
Lucy made her way to the common room where she usually helped out. Her responsibilities were focused on entertaining the elderly, listening to their stories and just keeping them company. It wasn't too hard, she had quite a lot of practice in that with Steve (obviously a joke she wouldn't say out loud if she didn't want to be called lazy by Tony – all the senior citizen jabs had grown old, pun intended). Lucy liked the stories though. She liked sitting with the old ladies, talking about their families and successful kids who didn't have time to visit but would give them the latest tech to at least facetime once in a while. She liked hearing the stories of the elderly men, from when they left their fiancées and mothers behind to ship out to England. She was happy when she could provide some solace to the ones who lived through Omaha beach and the Pacific and was able to reassure them that their sacrifices were worth something – even if only the fact that her generation was able to pass the message on.
"Lucille, my dear, come sit with us!"
The frail voice belonged to one of Lucy's favorite ladies. Hazel was surprisingly robust for her 95 years and she reminded Lucy a lot of her grandmother.
With a smile she walked over to the little area where a few couches were assembled around a coffee table, all in bright white.
"Good afternoon, Hazel, Thelma, Edith," she greeted the other ladies as well and nodded to the caretaker who smiled at her.
Hazel patted the seat next to her and motioned Lucy to sit down with her cane.
"We were just talking about you, wondering when you'd come."
"Oh, I'm very sorry that I got here late but school overran," Lucy smiled. "We were given our roles for the summer musical."
"Now that is exciting!" Thelma leaned forward to grab a cookie without taking her eyes off Lucy. "Which musical are you doing?"
"Carrie, based on the Stephen King novel."
"That's appropriate for high school students?" Edith frowned.
"Balderdash! Don't be so old-fashioned, Edith!" Hazel said vehemently (quite ironic as Edith was at least ten years younger). "It's an important message for the children. Who are you playing, dear?" she turned to Lucy who grinned.
"The mean girl, Chris. It's quite fun."
"I can imagine!" Thelma exclaimed. "So completely the opposite of the well-bred, courteous young lady you are."
Lucy smiled politely on the outside but grinned inwardly. She wasn't going to ruin the perfect picture that the old ladies had of her. Of course, in their presence she was the most well-behaved and respectful girl on the entire Upper East Side. They didn't need to know that she'd gotten a stern look and a sharp rebuke from Natasha last night because she was too lazy to get up and tidy up her training clothes. Or that Sam had given her a good scolding during training that same day because she just couldn't keep her cheek under control. No, she would never let them know that.
The conversation continued, the older women telling Lucy about their favorite musicals, all the Broadway shows they'd seen with the original cast and how sad Natalie Wood's death had been.
They returned to Lucy's favorite topic like during almost every visit – history. Thelma and Edith had to excuse themselves to make it to physical therapy but they made Lucy promise to sing a few lines from the musical the next time.
Before Hazel could delve into her story, they were joined by two men, one of which was Lucy's favorite among the gentlemen in the home. Raymond was the best at telling stories and Lucy would always ask for new ones that he'd happily supply. She also loved Edward who kept up with technology surprisingly well and whose only son would visit him twice a year, always updating his electronics.
Hazel began her story. She'd been part of the WAAC's – once again reminding Lucy of Peggy – and she had some truly memorable experiences. Raymond chimed in a few times. He had been part of the Howling Commandos for some time, not with Cap during the war but afterwards and his stories about finding and following communists were breathtaking. The most intense story was probably Edward's who had been lucky enough to survive in the Pacific. Lucy was spellbound by his tales - most of the people she knew, Peggy, Howard, the 107th, had all served in Europe. The Pacific was a different picture altogether though.
As always, time went by quickly and when the clock struck five, Lucy hastily said her goodbyes, promising to bring some singing material the next time. She almost ran down Park Avenue (a good warm-up anyway) because she really didn't want to be late. Until now, there had always been more than enough time to get home from school, have some lazy hours and then go down to training. Nat hadn't been lying though when she told them they wouldn't have time for any idle thoughts anymore. Most days, Lucy finished school, went directly to volunteering so she could finish the assigned number of hours per week, then race home because training, due to the increased hours, started earlier. Then dinner, sometimes a bit of homework and then she usually fell into bed completely exhausted. Lucy wasn't stupid, she knew exactly this is what the adults had wanted. Stealing that yacht really had been a huge lapse in judgment and with how busy her punishment made her, she had no time to get bored and think of anything. She didn't mind though. She knew she deserved it and probably much more, she knew that Nat would never ask more than she could handle and that her mentor expected her to cope with these consequences. In a way, Lucy wanted them. It gave her the feeling like she was actually making up for her actions. And she enjoyed her volunteering. Training… that was always somewhat harsh – obviously since they wanted to be Avengers – but the adults definitely turned up the intensity following the yacht joyride, not only in terms of the number of hours. Even Clint, who was usually the most lenient, didn't let anything slide anymore and Nat and Rhodey who were the two most demanding trainers got even tougher. It wasn't easy but Lucy didn't want it to be. She didn't think she could've forgiven herself had she not felt the effects of the discipline for some time. And deep down she was glad for every rigorous training session – the harder, the better she'd get.
Lucy threw a glance at her phone as she stepped into the elevator – five minutes before training started, that was doable. She pulled her school shirt over her head on the way to the training room and grabbed her workout clothes from the shelves in front. She changed in record time and stepped through the sliding glass door. Rhodey was already waiting inside and looked at the watch as she entered.
"Two minutes late, thirty pushups."
Lucy dropped down immediately and, keeping the tension in her body, did as she was told. She wasn't going to argue. Fifteen pushups per minute late had always been the consequence for tardiness and that wasn't going to change just because they had more on their plates. Lucy knew Rhodey, Nat and the others couldn't care less that she was late because of volunteering – they'd tell her she didn't have to steal a yacht but she'd made that decision and would have to live with it. Lucy was adjusting to it. This wasn't as easy as saying something insolent and rectifying everything with an apology and even more difficult than putting just her own life in danger. The trust she'd squandered would take some time to rebuild but she was going to try everything. That obviously included taking her punishment like an adult and not complaining about things that were intended to push them. Peter especially didn't seem to get that part. He'd complained often enough about having to do both volunteering and training in the same day but Sam and Nat only pushed him harder as a result. It was a good tactic. They were so exhausted by the end that they didn't have the energy to complain.
Lucy finished the pushups – she'd become familiar with them by now – and jumped up, ready to get the actual training started. There was the smallest hint of a smile on Rhodey's face as Lucy stood up straight in front of him. Neither Peter nor Wanda had shown up yet and Lucy was wondering once more why they wouldn't put in more effort to get there on time.
"Since your teammates aren't here yet, we'll just start some one on one," Rhodey decided and while Lucy was excited she also knew that this was going to be more exhausting than usual.
Sam strolled in, throwing Rhodey a confused glance who only raised his eyebrows in response before turning to Lucy.
"We're doing some agility training, jumps, running stints, the usual. Start on 3," Rhodey ordered and Lucy got into starting position.
They'd been warming up for about five minutes when Wanda hurried in and stopped dead in her tracks when Sam cocked her head at her.
"Eight minutes late, that's one hundred twenty push-ups. You can do sixty now and sixty at the end."
Lucy didn't have the time to look at Wanda's face as Rhodey had all his attention focused on her but she knew pretty well what it must've looked like.
After a short while, Wanda joined in the agility session while Peter still didn't show. Lucy just shook her head inwardly. Stupid spider. In that moment he strolled in and Rhodey stopped the exercise and walked up to him. The girls tried to not look too interested but they definitely wanted to see what was going to happen.
"You're fourteen minutes late," Rhodey started and clearly expected Peter to say something but the spider just looked back with a petulant look on his face. Oh, so he was in a mood, Lucy concluded with a grin. This ought to be good.
"I think this calls for an explanation, Peter."
He just sighed at the order and stuck his chin out – Lucy admired his guts.
"I was volunteering, like I have to and it took longer to get back here."
Rhodey's face was set in stone. "We all know for a fact that you can easily make it here on time if you want to. That's no excuse." His face darkened as Peter's expression didn't change. "Two hundred ten push-ups and you'll stay longer to finish the session."
Lucy really wanted to see Peter's response because she was sure he didn't take kindly to Rhodey's words, but a strong hand on her shoulder spun her around.
"I'm pretty sure you two are supposed to get ready for your next workout, but if you haven't got anything to do, you can join Peter in doing those push-ups." Sam's tone was stern and Lucy and Wanda quickly shook their heads and made their way to the climbing frame.
Training went by pretty quickly and as always, Lucy was drenched in sweat by the time she got to her ten-minute cool-down run. When Rhodey called them off, she grabbed a towel and water bottle and dried herself off before leaving the training room. As she turned, she heard Rhodey reminding Wanda to do the last sixty push-ups and with a sigh she realized she wouldn't get a chance to talk to her or Peter before dinner since the spider hadn't even finished training yet. The staring contest between him and Sam had gone on for some time, adding to his total lateness and Lucy was sure that Tony was going to hear about this. Whatever happened in training, their mentors usually didn't address since it was already dealt with – unless Nat was responsible of course. Lucy once again wondered how she had such bad luck to choose the strictest mentor who was also an instructor. But whenever the kids played up too much and they thought they needed extra chiding, they'd tell their guardians – snitches, Lucy grinned. She wasn't upset at it. They all knew exactly what was expected of them and unlike a few weeks ago, she knew that she was capable of being as good as they wanted her to be. It was an uplifting feeling, just like the one she had now, right after finishing the training session. Lucy knew she was improving. She could feel it in her general fitness, her reaction time and her fighting style and a quick look to the training stats on the smart watch on her wrist confirmed her intuition – she hadn't broken any records today but she was on target. Even the short stint of almost giving up on it all hadn't done much damage – she'd been back in form after a week and leaning into training even harder.
Back in her room, Lucy quickly showered and changed and went to the common floor immediately. She had a little bit of time before dinner but maybe she could help with something.
Downstairs, Bruce and Tony were in the kitchen preparing dinner and greeted Lucy as she leaned on the counter of the kitchen island.
"Can I help you guys with anything?"
"Finished training early?" Bruce turned to her with a smile before tasting the sauce.
Lucy grinned. "Nope, just got there on time."
Tony snickered and Lucy knew Sam hadn't told him yet but she wasn't going to throw Peter under the bus so she just grabbed the plates and started to set the table.
When she laid out the cutlery, Nat and Clint strolled onto the floor as well. Her mentor came over and gave her a half-hug and pressed a kiss to her head while Clint ruffled her hair.
"How was your day?"
"Pretty uneventful," Lucy shrugged. "I'm such a lovely, courteous and well-bred girl according to Thelma."
She grinned as Nat only rolled her eyes. "We should invite the entire care home over for them to see what you're actually like."
There was a snicker coming from Bruce but Lucy could always rely on Clint to have her back.
"Come on guys, she's about as perfect as can be." He pressed her shoulder in support as she gave him a smirk.
"It's my job to make sure you're not getting to big-headed," Nat frowned but Lucy knew she was hiding a smile. "Parent responsibilities."
"That's where our biological ones failed," Tony winked at the girl who only sighed in response.
Nat rubbed her shoulder in comfort. "I heard some great reports about your progress in the lab and in training though. Well done."
Lucy smiled. While her mentor definitely knew how to knock the ego out of her (and she needed that sometimes – it led to joyrides on stolen yachts) she would never miss an opportunity to praise her for something she'd worked for, whether it was difficult and lengthy lab work or a tough couple of training sessions. It didn't happen too often. Most things came to her pretty easily and Nat wasn't about to go and clap her back for every single good grade she got. No, her compliments were scarce, and Lucy had to work for them. A year ago, she would've felt offended – she'd been used to heaps of glowing praise at school for nearly every task – but now she appreciated it. When she did get some of those coveted words, she felt real satisfaction; they were worth a lot.
Pepper walked into the dining area with a sigh and threw her shoes off as she made her way towards Tony. Lucy knew from the expression on her face that SI must've sucked the life out of her again. While she loved summer, it usually was the busy season for tech companies as they were preparing for the fall launches. Slowly, everyone else made their way to dinner too, Peter coming up directly from the training room with Rhodey and Sam, in a much better mood than earlier. Lucy smiled – the spider had mood swings but couldn't stay angry for long. In her more self-reflecting moments, she recognized that she was definitely the one who could stay mad for the longest time – probably because she was the most stubborn as well.
Sam eyed her with a confused look, but Lucy just raised her eyebrows at him.
"Is that my hoodie?" he finally asked with narrowed eyes. Lucy looked down herself at the grey and navy - very comfortable - sweater and shrugged.
"No idea, I got it out of Nat's closet."
The others turned questioning and amused looks to the spy who just grinned.
"I might've picked it up somewhere."
When Bruce sighed, Steve only shook his head and Tony started snickering. "That reminds me, I'm still missing that striped hoodie… I think it's been about three years."
Everyone laughed out loud and finally started passing out the food.
"They announced the junior musical today," Lucy kickstarted the conversation, eliciting a snicker from Peter which in turn made all the adults turn questioning glances to the kids.
"Why is that funny?" Steve asked innocently and Wanda's grin widened.
"We're doing Carrie and they chose me to play her," the witch explained and everyone else caught on and smirked too.
"Your teachers really typecast that, didn't they?" Tony grinned while Steve looked as proud as could be.
"You're going to do an amazing job!"
Lucy smiled and expectant gazes turned to her. "I play the mean girl… the one that dumps the blood on Carrie."
Nat hid her smirk really well and Bruce almost choked on his food.
"Please tell me that's not actually typecast too?"
"Don't know," Lucy shrugged. "Olivia is playing Sue, so make of that what you will."
"Let's hope your image in school isn't this drastically different from the one here at home," Pepper said bemusedly and with that, dinner went on pretty uneventfully.
###
By the end of the week, Lucy had only fifteen hours of her community service left, so within less than ten days she'd be done. It stirred something in her – she'd miss the homelessness shelter as well but her stomach actually turned when she realized she wouldn't see any of the old ladies and gentlemen again, neither hear their stories, nor be able to tell them about her own day and get advice. A plan had formed in her head and she just needed to ask Natasha about it. Lucy decided that right after training and before dinner when they both went upstairs to change was the best time.
"Nat?"
The way Lucy hesitated clued Natasha in that the girl was about to ask a favor.
"So, you know how I only have just over a week of community service left?"
Nat nodded and stopped, turning to Lucy expectantly.
"I was wondering," Lucy started to explain but couldn't help fidgeting a little. "I wanted to continue with it maybe? In the senior citizens' home? I just realized how much I'd miss them all and obviously I couldn't do as much as I do now but maybe once a week?"
She looked at her mentor who frowned at her.
"Why are you so nervous about asking this? I think it's a great idea and I'm glad that you enjoy volunteering for others."
Lucy breathed in deeply, glad to have this part over with and quite pleased that Nat now thought well of her. It'd make the second request easier to ask
She took a deep breath. "I actually have something else to ask as well."
Nat raised her eyebrows and Lucy cursed herself for sounding so insecure.
"Liv is having a party on Monday and I wanted to go."
A shake of the head was the only answer Lucy got and she rolled her eyes.
"You know the answer, Lucy," Nat said sternly.
"But I basically finished volunteering and I was barely late for training in all that time! Why can't we loosen the curfew a bit just once?" Her voice came dangerously close to a whine.
Natasha fixed stern eyes on her and Lucy started fidgeting again although she managed to hold the gaze.
"Your actions during Easter had been more serious than anything before. They aren't balanced out by a few weeks on good behavior." Nat paused and looked at her intently. "Do you really think you should be allowed to go to a party already?"
"Yes!" Lucy responded immediately but when Nat didn't change her expression but just raised her eyebrows again Lucy huffed, turned on her heel and slammed the door to her room.
She was still angry when she went down to dinner, though she waited until the last minute to prevent having to talk to anyone, especially Nat. Knowing that she shouldn't be around anyone while in this mood to prevent saying something she'd regret later, Lucy excused herself right after finishing her food and went back upstairs.
A knock on her door disturbed her as she was reading through the script trying to memorize her lines. Lucy had an inkling who it could be, and she really didn't want to talk to her so she kept silent, pretending to focus on her reading. She managed to ignore the next knock as well but couldn't close her ears to it anymore when she heard a soft "Lucy" from outside. Softly, without making much noise, she got up from her bed and moved to the door.
"Lucy, I want to talk to you," Natasha's voice was firm but not unfriendly. If anything, it was a bit sad. Lucy frowned.
"I'm being called on a mission and I don't want to go while we're fighting."
Lucy's heart stocked momentarily and she quickly opened the door not worrying for a second that Nat would know exactly that she'd been waiting right behind it and looked at her mentor with big eyes.
"You wanna talk?" Natasha asked and Lucy nodded mutely.
They moved to her bed and sat down, Nat taking Lucy's hand in her own.
"Steve and I just got a message from Fury. We're being sent on a mission, leaving tomorrow morning and it'll take a while – longer than a week, two, maybe three." Her voice was matter of fact but Lucy could sense that she wasn't happy about it. A part of her felt guilty. Nat was the best agent Shield had and she liked her work and only because she was saddled with her, she had to put off so many longer missions.
"I managed to avoid longer assignments for a few months now because I didn't want to be apart from you for so long but I can't push this and neither can Steve."
Lucy's head flew up in surprise and Nat frowned at her. "I know what you're thinking and you couldn't be more wrong. I'm so glad that I finally have something in my life that isn't as dangerous as a mission but makes me even happier." She grinned. "Though your training is getting you there."
Lucy smiled but she also felt slightly panicked and Nat must've seen the worry in her eyes as she got serious.
"These longer missions are more dangerous than what we do during a usual day." She stocked and Lucy grabbed her hand tighter. "There's no point in sugarcoating this. Our job is risky and there is always the possibility that something will happen." Nat tried a small smile. "Otherwise we couldn't make the impact that we do now."
Lucy swallowed and nodded but couldn't oust the worry from her eyes.
"I think it's high time that we had this talk," Nat continued soberly. "Nothing gets better by avoiding it and it's always better to know than to be oblivious."
Even though it was a frightening thought, Lucy had to agree and so she nodded again. She'd rather knew what to expect outright than live in ignorance.
"But that's why I don't want to leave when we've been fighting. I could be called away the next morning and not be able to have a conversation to clear things up with you before."
That thought made Lucy's stomach turn so she looked up into Nat's calm, green eyes.
"Should we say that we'll always resolve arguments before we go to bed?"
Natasha nodded. "I think that's a good idea. I don't want you to eat up your emotions though. We'll still talk about everything, no matter how long it takes." She gave a wry smile. "We hopefully won't argue so much that we'd have to do this every night anyway."
Lucy grinned and shook her head, so Nat continued. "Which brings us to tonight." Her voice got sterner. "Why do you think you should be allowed to go to Liv's party? I want to hear your side."
Nat's request was simple but Lucy had to swallow. She wanted to be mature, even though it would've been easier to just start whining, so she lifted her head and calmly spoke.
"I've almost completed my community service and I was even faster than I was supposed to. I was also almost never late for training unlike the others and I've been on perfect behavior since the yacht incident."
She finished and looked at her mentor who nodded in appreciation of her words.
"I agree, your behavior has been great, with a few minor incidents," she grinned and Lucy had to concede that point. "And you're spot on with the rest as well, but I still think allowing you to go wouldn't be the right decision." Nat looked at her intently. "Are you gonna listen to my reasons?"
Lucy sighed deeply but she remembered just minutes ago the shock she felt at the possibility of losing Natasha, so she nodded.
"I think deep down you understand that stealing that yacht was a huge mistake and bigger than anything you've done before. That's why your punishment looked so different and was rather long-term. We needed you to understand the gravity of this lapse. Allowing you to go out while the punishment is still ongoing would completely derail the lesson we're trying to teach."
Lucy couldn't deny that Nat had a point and somewhere inside her she'd realized that already. With another wave of shame that she actually tried to negotiate her punishment she sunk her head, but Natasha wouldn't let her. She grabbed her chin and gently forced the girl to look into her eyes.
"On top of that, Liv's parties were exactly the wrong place for you to deal with all the problems and until we both feel that you're more stable, I don't think it is a good idea to go back into that environment."
Another excellent point. Lucy swallowed and nodded slightly. Nat's face relaxed and she smiled at her.
"I understand, I really do," Lucy sighed. "Sometimes when I wanna do something, even if it's not that important to me, I get really stubborn about it as soon as you tell me no." She grinned. "I know these parties bring out the worst in me."
"They don't," Nat immediately interjected and took Lucy's shoulder. "You were in a vulnerable position and it's easy to choose the quick path to forget. You've spoken to Tony about that."
Lucy nodded and grimaced. "I'm still glad I managed to get out there in time." She paused. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm still excited to go to the parties and sleepovers again but I do wanna be able to be in control when I do that," she added.
Nat nodded. "And I understand that and it's completely normal but I'm glad you recognize it would be the wrong time now."
When Lucy smiled, Natasha let go of her shoulder and looked at her seriously again. "We still gotta talk about the mission."
Lucy swallowed and even though she still felt not ready to talk about this, there was no time to postpone it. In some ways she had to get used to anyway – she wanted to become an agent, so she had to face difficult decisions and dangerous missions on a daily basis.
"You're gone for at least a week?" She hated how insecure her voice sounded as she looked up at Nat with worried eyes.
"At least, but probably not more than three," Nat took her hand again. "It's to Eastern Europe, in the Balkans. I can't tell you much because most of it is classified and need-to-know only, but we might get some headway on your parents as well."
Lucy perked up at that and some hope mixed with the worry in her eyes and body.
"I'll be going with Steve and we should be able to handle that, although they might get more Avengers in for stints if necessary. We're not expecting any big fights, it's mostly infiltration, that sort of thing."
That calmed Lucy only slightly. Nat was the best agent Shield had and the best spy probably in the entire world currently but there were always risks associated with it. But as Nat said – they wouldn't be able to make the difference they made if they didn't accept those.
"That sounds really interesting," Lucy smiled bravely but Natasha obviously saw through her.
"I know you're worrying and that's normal since the longer the mission, the more dangerous it obviously is. But this is still quite low risk and now I have the biggest incentive to come back home," she smiled and pressed Lucy's hand.
The girl returned the smile albeit wonky and nodded softly.
"I'm far more upset about being apart from you for weeks," Natasha admitted and Lucy looked up in surprise. "Though we probably should start getting used to it since you're off to college next year."
Lucy's heart stocked. She hadn't even thought about that but it was true. She only had one more year at Columbia before she'd start at MIT and so far, it never bothered her since she was living alone in school anyway. Now, going off to college meant leaving behind the tower and the family and suddenly it all seemed much harder. Just another incentive to get through college quickly – maybe she could take another college course at Columbia next year, she could definitely handle it.
"I'll come visit every weekend!"
Nat grinned. "I hope you will but that's the future. In terms of next week, Clint is gonna be in charge. I thought you'd like that since you appointed him as number two."
Lucy nodded enthusiastically. "Definitely, that's gonna be fun."
"I don't doubt it, but he'll also be acting on my behalf in all areas, whether it's to do with school or with discipline," Nat continued sternly. "He's basically me, so treat him like you'd treat me. I don't think I need to say it but I just wanted to make it clear. He's smitten when it comes to you but he won't loosen the rules just because I'm gone."
Lucy nodded in understanding, not having expected anything else.
"Understood and don't worry, I won't get into trouble."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Nat grinned. "If you do, nothing out of the ordinary is going to happen, except that Clint will handle it. Got it?"
"Got it," Lucy affirmed and Nat gathered her in her arms and Lucy's rapidly beating heart slowed a little.
###
Lucy breathed in Nat's familiar scent and clung onto her a little tighter. Just thinking about how she wouldn't see her for over a week and the risk of this mission upset her stomach again.
"It's going to be okay, ptichka," Nat murmured. "I'm gonna be back soon and nothing will happen."
Lucy nodded into her shoulder but wouldn't let go. She didn't care that the rest of the family was waiting around – every single one of them understood her upset and Wanda didn't seem like she would let go of Steve anytime soon.
"Be good and behave for Clint, alright?" Nat spoke so quietly that only Lucy could understand her. "You know he's got a weak heart."
Lucy pulled back and looked up into Natasha's eyes and nodded seriously. Her mentor smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead, before turning to Steve.
"I guess we gotta make a move if we don't want to keep Fury waiting?"
Steve sighed, nodded and made his way to the car, leaving Wanda in Sam's arms while Clint put his over Lucy's shoulders. She tried to be mature, she tried to keep her distress hidden, but it wasn't easy. Clint's hold on her was calming and gave her enough stability to watch the car leave the compound without starting to cry.
When the Audi was out of sight, she turned around, her eyes firmly on the ground, but Clint immediately tightened his arms around her and Lucy held onto him, burying her head in his shoulder. A few tears managed to escape but overall, she kept it together pretty well. Pepper ushered everyone inside to the breakfast table that was already set.
The day went by pretty uneventfully, mostly filled with AP and SAT prep – anything to distract her from the fact that Nat was on her way to Eastern Europe. Teaching Wanda coding proved to be quite effective in taking the girls' minds off their anxieties, as well as being absolutely necessary as Wanda had set her mind on the cognitive science course at MIT. Technically, they would teach her all that stuff in the first few courses, but the witch had some issues wrapping her head around science in general but still wouldn't compromise her major. Lucy admired her stubbornness and perseverance; she didn't know if she would continue to pursue a science major if it didn't come to her so easily.
Even though she had been able to suppress her anxiety during the day, Lucy wasn't spared from it at night. With a sigh, she turned towards Clint who was walking towards her bed after having turned the ceiling lights off. If it continued like this for two weeks, she would not get nearly enough sleep – let alone if Nat had to go on longer missions more often.
"You know, falling asleep usually works better when you have your eyes closed."
Clint grinned at her, but Lucy could see that he was hiding his own worry behind the smile.
She looked up at him intently. "I can't sleep."
"Bold words." He cocked his head. "Since you haven't even tried yet."
"I know I can't." Lucy rolled on her back and watched the ceiling. "I can't stop the thoughts in my head. I keep calculating how far their plane has gotten and if they're in danger already or if I should be worried that we haven't heard from them yet or-"
"It's difficult and not easy to hear but it'll always be like this," Clint said in a sombre voice, putting his hand on Lucy's arm which prompted the girl to look back at the agent.
His words were a punch to her gut, but she was glad he didn't mince his words. They never did at the tower and she was thankful. Other parents and adults would try to calm them by downplaying the danger or not telling them details but Lucy couldn't live like that. Clint was right, this was the life she'd chosen – and she'd choose it over and over again – so she took a deep breath.
"How do you stop it? The worrying?"
Clint smiled sadly. "You won't be able to completely stop it. Not if it's people you care about. Ask anyone here at the tower or on the compound – from Pepper to Coulson, they'll all tell you that they worry constantly. But the sad truth is, the more it happens, the more it becomes normal and you'll have other things that are even worse and that sets other anxieties in perspective."
"Sounds awesome," Lucy mumbled. But she understood what he meant. It wasn't as if she herself hadn't experienced enough in her short lifetime already to exactly know what perspective felt like.
"I know it's gloomy and depressing but it's really not that bad." Clint sat down on the edge of the bed. "Seeing the three of you train and improve and be happy is definitely one of the highlights. It always has been."
A smile formed on Lucy's lips and she moved a little closer so Clint could take her in his arms.
"Can you stay for a bit?"
Clint nodded. "Of course. I'll tell you the story of the Paris Opera – but only if you close your eyes," he added, grinning.
Lucy sighed at the trick he'd been playing since she was four but complied and with Clint's voice, her heartbeat slowed, and she finally drifted off.
###
"It's not a party or just hanging out, it's also a musical rehearsal," Lucy said in her most innocent voice.
Clint nodded but the frown didn't disappear. "Then why isn't Wanda going?"
Lucy cursed inwardly. Of course, he'd be onto her. He was a Shield agent after all. "Oh, you know Wanda doesn't really like Liv and the others. It's enough to be around them during the official rehearsals." It wasn't a total lie. Well, two months ago it wouldn't have been, but in the past few weeks, Wanda and the girls seemed to have warmed up to one another. She wasn't quite ready for an entire afternoon though – especially since the musical rehearsal wasn't exactly on the forefront of their minds as the afternoon's entertainment.
"Well, that's true." He gave her another intense gaze but Lucy was used to holding Nat's, so his wasn't exactly a match for her. "Alright, you can go, but be back by 9."
Lucy grinned and nodded, giving Clint a hug. It was so easy to charm the pants off him, a nice break from Natasha who'd never fallen for any of her charisma. A tiny little speck of guilt wouldn't disappear from the back of her mind since she'd promised Nat she wouldn't abuse her being gone. But she deserved a break from all the worrying about the mission and being out with the girls would help.
She decided to leave the Audi in the garage and walk over to Liv's instead. The streets were packed on a Saturday and she would've moved about a foot in twenty minutes.
"Finally! We've missed you!" Liv smiled at her as she entered the penthouse and Lucy was surprised to see genuine happiness on the other girl's face. She wasn't just being polite, her eyes actually had a sparkle in them.
"Well, Natasha's on a mission and the others are a lot easier to convince," Lucy grinned. "And it's an afternoon, that's easier to stomach for everyone."
"I was already surprised they let you out at all after that yacht thing." Liv grinned with an impressed smile. "That was wild, even for us!"
Lucy chuckled. "It wasn't exactly my best work. Let's get some rehearsal done today so I at least don't have to lie to their faces."
The other girl clapped her back and moved her towards the others. "Good idea. Hey, Harry, why don't we start with your and Lucy's scenes?"
With an annoyed sigh, Lucy turned her head back to the other girl who had a devilish grin on her face. Harry on the other hand jumped up and seemed quite happy. Lucy resigned herself to her fate and grabbed the script out her bag – she knew her part by heart now, but it gave her something to hide her face in when she had to roll her eyes at Harry.
Hours went by quickly and by ten, Lucy had two drinks and finally decided she should get back to the tower. On the way, she racked her mind for a story that Clint would buy, but she decided that some honesty was going to be the way to go.
"I just completely lost track of time!" Lucy mustered her best apologetic look. "The rehearsals were going so well and we ordered some food, cause we got so hungry."
She managed a contrite smile in Clint's direction who sighed heavily. "You were almost an hour and a half late!"
"It won't happen again, I promise!"
"Alright."
Lucy couldn't believe how easy this was.
"But next time you're coming home before curfew, understood?" Clint tried to sound stern, but he wasn't great at it. Lucy knew better than to snicker at his failed attempt and just nodded genuinely.
"Loud and clear!"
A smile formed on Clint's face and he engulfed her in a hug before sending her off to bed. Lucy was very pleased with herself. Sure, she wasn't supposed to push Clint like that, but it was just too easy. And in a way she was practicing her spy skills so technically Nat should be proud of her. With that twisted logic, it was easy to fall asleep and the two drinks numbed her worry about her mentor even more.
###
"Why?" Lucy was trained not to whine but she couldn't help the annoyance in her voice.
Sam eyed her with a stern glance. "Because the training room and the gym is a complete mess and it's your turn to tidy up in there."
The girl rolled her eyes and she didn't care that the others saw. Nat would've objected but she was in Eastern Europe.
"Let's just get it done," Wanda interjected, clearly trying to be the sensible one. Peter seemed ready as well as he got up out of his chair.
"But why should we do it?" Lucy frowned deeply.
"Because you're using it too," Rhodey shook his head slightly. "I don't see why it's suddenly a problem."
"I know why," Sam murmured, and Lucy threw him a dark look.
"Lucy, please go and do it. We've always arranged it like this," Clint looked at her intently but Lucy only glared back. She didn't have time to come up with a retort though, as Wanda took her arm firmly and pulled her towards the elevator.
The adults could hear her complaining until the elevator doors closed and Sam threw Clint an exasperated look.
"I swear to god…," he muttered before also leaving the floor.
Clint followed the other man with his eyes until he was out of sight. "What was that about?"
"Better ask your kid." Rhodey shook his head. "Seriously, Clint, what the hell? She's never been like this!"
"She's having a hard time dealing with Nat being on this mission. She worries!"
"Yeah, right," Rhodey huffed and turned, making his way to exit the tower, leaving only Tony behind.
Clint shook his head and the confused look on his face made the inventor chuckle.
"You caught a bad case of being smitten with her charms."
"Excuse you?"
Tony grinned and waved to the chair next to him on which Clint let himself fall onto.
"This kid is really good. I mean, she's charming, she can be absolutely sweet - and she is pushing you towards the edge of the tower right now."
Clint's face only got more confused. "What do you mean?"
"Lucy is completely using you. She knows you love her and can't say no, so she's living the high life right now." Tony still grinned as Clint vehemently shook his head.
"No, that's not possible. She wouldn't do that."
"Really? Think about it. You know exactly she's not usually like that – and I know you think she's some form of angel," Tony kept talking when Clint seemed ready to intervene. "But she's still a teenager and a really smart one at that. She sees an opportunity, she's gonna get at it."
Clint was finally quiet and Tony could almost see his brain working to process his words.
"You really think I'm being too nice with her?"
Tony cocked his head. "Think about what she's done the past few days. Do you think Tasha would let her get away with any of that behavior?"
Clint frowned again. "But I'm not Tasha! I'm Lucy's uncle and the fun one!"
"But she put you in charge. Relying on the fact that you'd treat Lucy like she would."
His raised eyebrows quelled Clint's arguments once more and he kept quiet. Tony's words made sense and he really wondered how the former playboy became such a good parent.
"What do you think I should do?" It wasn't easy to admit defeat, but Clint thought back to all the instances this week where he felt insecure in his decisions to let Lucy get off the hook but couldn't help himself when she threw him that look. He was sure Nat would've not fallen for it once. "How can I tell when she's overstepping the line?"
Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Well, there's obviously different standards for everyone but since it was Tasha who made you responsible, think about what she would do. Where she'd decide that Lucy went too far. You know both of them better than any of us, so trust your gut feeling. And all of us make mistakes so don't be afraid to just go and do it. It'll be ok and don't believe your mind if it tells you that Lucy's gonna hate you when you do step up." He gave a soft smile. "She won't. She'll be grateful and your lives will be a lot easier."
Clint sat very still. "How do you know what's going on in my mind? I thought that was Wanda's specialty?"
Tony chuckled again. "You don't live and work with someone for five years and not know them inside out. That reminds me, Bruce's tea is out and I promised him I'd get more."
With that, he pushed his chair back and walked towards the elevator but turned around once more. "It's really sweet how protective you are of her. But she can take a lot, believe me. That girl is resilient as a rock and I don't doubt she'll be the best agent Shield has ever seen. You just gotta let her."
With that he stepped into the elevators as the doors closed and was gone.
Clint sighed heavily but couldn't hide his smile. Tony had always loved to pretend to be stone-cold and standoffish but since Peter entered his life, everyone could see through his façade immediately. Even back when it was just the five (and sometimes six) of them, it hadn't taken long for the iron mask to crumble. All the little things he did around the tower showed he listened and cared. Oh, geez, Clint shook his head. He had to agree with Tony, they really knew each other completely. Nat was going to have a field day when he told her that it took Tony for him to see the light.
###
Even though Clint finally understood that he'd need to change things, he was still praying that Lucy wouldn't push him any further and that Nat would return soon. But as usual, his prayers weren't answered, and he'd have to remember Tony's words distinctly to actually follow through.
They were in training, about a week after Steve and Natasha had left and Lucy had been reckless the entire day. She didn't really seem to care that the training rooms were off-limits, but Clint hoped that with enough challenge, they'd exhaust her.
Both Lucy and Peter were training in their suits today and Lucy was also trying out her blasters for the first time. Sam was quite apprehensive to let her use them in her current mood but they had promised her for weeks and there was no good reason to go back on their word. In hindsight, they maybe should've invented one.
"Lucy, will you come down and listen now?" Rhodey's voice was agitated and Peter and Wanda swallowed hard. He couldn't stand disobedience, especially not in the training room.
Lucy landed in front of him but whether she was listening was debatable.
"You will not shoot webs or blasts or magic without a command from one of us, understood?"
Peter and Wanda looked at Rhodey as they nodded but Lucy was watching Clint who prepared some ropes on the other side of the room.
Sam sent the three to different places around the room to start the exercise. Lucy went without asking twice but she hadn't really listened to Rhodey's explanation. Instead, she was guessing, based on Clint's preparation, what they had planned. Maybe she would be able to complete some tasks before they even gave them to her – proving her intelligence once more.
Clint had set up a dummy near the middle door that connected to the gym and Lucy eyed it calculating. She could probably blast it with medium power and what was she if not surprising, Lucy grinned. With a quick flick of her arm, she aimed and shot but underestimated her blasting power - or maybe her own.
When the loud crash echoed through the room, everyone jerked around to see the door burst into flames and the dummy almost evaporate into a million little pieces. Lucy was half taken by shock and half satisfied with her creation. One look to Rhodey and Sam's faces wiped any good feeling off her and instead her stomach turned. Before any of them had a chance to say something though, Lucy felt Clint's hand on her shoulder. How he'd crossed the room so fast, she didn't know.
"To your room. Now."
He sounded more serious than she'd ever heard him, so Lucy complied without question.
In her room, Lucy quickly changed out of her suit into her regular jeans and t-shirt. She had an inkling that she wouldn't do any more training today. With a heavy sigh she collected her thoughts. At least Nat wasn't here today – there would've been pretty severe repercussions for her actions. Although, and Lucy hated admitting it, she probably wouldn't have done what she did today if her mentor was in charge of training – or on the same continent.
A knock on the door disturbed her thoughts and Lucy answered quietly and subdued.
"Come in."
Clint entered her room with a foreboding expression and mutely sat down next to her on the bed.
Lucy wasn't sure how to feel about this. The man seemed more serious than usual but she also knew that she'd be able to get herself out of this mess – with Clint it was always easy.
"I'm so sorry," she started and meant it. The training room was off-limits for reckless stunts like the one today and Clint being one of her trainers didn't leave a great impression.
Clint sighed heavily. "Why did you do it when Rhodey explained to you minutes before that that's exactly what you're not supposed to do?"
Lucy bit her bottom lip and looked down on her hands. "I wasn't listening that well… I thought I could anticipate what you guys had planned and then do the task before you even gave it to me."
"You don't have to keep proving that you're smart, Lucy," Clint said softly but placed a finger under Lucy's chin, forcing her to look up into his eyes - disappointed and stern eyes, ones she had never seen before with Clint.
"I know and I'm sorry." Lucy managed a contrite smile. "I promise it won't happen again."
"Good," Clint nodded. "And we'll make sure it won't. Unbutton your pants."
"What?" Lucy was shocked and her head jerked back. Not shocked that there were consequences for misbehaving during training – if Nat had been here, this would've happened too – but Clint? He never punished her; he wasn't capable of following through with it. "But –"
"Lucy," Clint interrupted her with a calm voice as if he had expected the outburst. "What do you think would've happened if Nat was here?"
"But you're not Nat!" She attempted a weak defense.
Clint gave a wonky smile. "I'm not, but I'm acting in her stead and I absolutely cannot let this slide." His eyes and voice took on a sterner note as he continued. "And you know full well that I've overlooked far too much of your behavior during the past week when Nat would've long laid down the law."
Lucy had to admit he was right. And even though she didn't like it, she also knew that that was the only reason that she had been acting out at all last week. Imagining Nat's response was usually a pretty good deterrent for any ill-advised actions, but with her mentor on another continent? It was a free house. Until now, apparently. Since Lucy didn't want to look up into Clint's eyes again and she sort of started to accept that he wasn't going to back down, she just got up and unbuttoned her jeans.
When Clint saw that Lucy was giving in, he almost breathed out in relief. He had expected this argument since it was a new role for him – but he tried to remember Tony's words. They'd both be happier in the end, even if the next few minutes weren't going to be comfortable for either of them. He took Lucy by the wrist and softly pulled her over his lap.
Lucy left out a soft huff when she connected with Clint's lap but it wasn't much different from when she found herself in this situation with Nat. She felt her pants being pulled down and registered in relief that it was only her pants so far. Either Clint wasn't as angry as expected or he had no clue what to do and was pretty insecure.
When his hand first connected with her bottom, it was more surprise than pain but slowly, he settled into a rhythm and he became more confident with what he was doing. It was a different feeling to usual. It wasn't that Clint was any stronger than Nat – probably about the same– but his hand felt different; it was larger and rougher, more calloused and covered a bigger area. Lucy didn't have much more time to deliberate the differences in her mentors though as her backside started throbbing more and more and it became harder to concentrate on anything else. She started squirming and let out the first sounds of distress.
After Clint finished the third round, he stopped and placed a stabilizing hand on Lucy's back.
"Why are you being punished?"
Lucy knew better than to groan but she had hoped that Clint hadn't learned that much from Nat.
"Because I didn't listen in training and blasted the door."
"And why was that a bad idea?"
"Someone could've gotten hurt because it's dangerous to not follow the rules in the training room," Lucy managed to get out somewhat coherently.
"That's right," Clint responded in a grave tone and Lucy could feel him nod. "You know exactly that the training rules are strict and one of the most important things is to listen exactly and do as your told. It could have terrible consequences if you don't."
Lucy swallowed hard. "Yes, sir," she said, her voice already heavy with tears. "And I'm also sorry for how I've been acting in the past week. I've been really disrespectful."
Clint broke a small smile and rubbed her back in response. "Thank you, Lucy. I can trust that we won't have a repeat of this then?"
"Definitely not!" Lucy said vehemently.
When she felt Clint tug down her panties, she buried her face in her arms, but the tears started flowing freely as he finished another round on the bare.
Clint almost stopped the punishment when he saw the first tears leak out of the girl's eyes. Christ, this was hard! He had no idea how Nat did this on a regular basis, especially if it was as bad as stealing a yacht. But he admired her. He had been too chicken to step up and now Lucy had blasted a door that might as well have been another person. With newly awakened motivation from remembering why they were here, he tipped her forward and targeted the sit spots. If they were going through with this, Lucy might as well feel it for a few days – and he'd hopefully never have to do this again.
As Clint started assaulting her sensitive spots, Lucy tried to keep it together but to no avail and after a short time, she started sobbing openly and went limb over the man's knees, submitting to the punishment. As soon as Clint saw that, he stopped spanking and instead rubbed her back again. When Lucy calmed down a little, he replaced her clothes and helped her up, settling her in his lap.
Lucy buried her head in Clint's chest and hung onto him as if her were her life support. She had calmed down a little but the sobs were still coming, only quieter.
"You okay?" Clint's voice sounded worried and a little insecure, maybe even a tiny bit scared and tried to catch Lucy's eyes to see her face.
She took a deep breath and tried a small smirk as she looked up. "I'm fine. And I'm sorry. I promise this won't happen again."
"Good," Clint sighed heavily and gave a pained smile. "Because I hated every second of this and I have no desire to repeat it."
"Believe me, neither do I," Lucy grinned and Clint tightened his arms around her. Lucy leaned back and rested her head against his chest. Listening to the calming heartbeat, she closed her eyes.
"I just miss Nat so much. I mean, I know she wouldn't be happy with how I've been acting, but I just miss her being here. And I'm still scared that something might happen." With a sigh, she opened her eyes again to look into Clint's that were watching her with a sympathetic expression.
"Me too," he nodded. "Every time she goes out, whether I'm with her or not. But Nat can handle herself, probably better than anyone else at the tower. We gotta trust her."
"You think she's gonna be ok?"
When Lucy looked up at him with those big, blue eyes, Clint couldn't help but feel a stitch in his heart. But he decided not to let anything show and instead nodded firmly.
"I'm positive."
That seemed to satisfy Lucy and she sunk back, resting her head against his chest once more.
###
"I love May," Lucy said as she took in a deep breath to taste the fresh air, already filled with the smell of flowers and trees. "New York is finally warming up."
"Not just New York," Quentin grinned, throwing her a look and Lucy had to smirk back.
Now that volunteering was over and training had almost gone back to normality, there was more time to enjoy the nice things in life – such as Quentin.
"I'm glad we could finally do this. In a way, it's actually better now than wading through a foot of mud in March." Lucy looked up at the young man who tucked a brown curl behind his ear. Apparently, she had a type, she mused.
"Agreed, late spring is the best time for dates in Central Park. Coffee?" He pointed to a cart at the side of the path.
"It's like we're already soulmates," Lucy nodded.
When Quentin handed her the warm cup, she held it in both hands and let the smell of the strong caffeine reinvigorate her.
"Where off to now?"
"What about those rocks? I've never actually been up there."
Lucy gave him a disbelieving look. "Seriously? Man, you're missing out!"
Quentin shrugged his shoulders. "I've been in boarding school for ages."
"Well, then, let's go!" Lucy tucked the sleeve of his jacket impatiently, pulling a grinning Quentin behind her.
"This is an amazing view!" Quentin couldn't keep his astonishment in and Lucy grinned proudly, as she sunk down on the cold stone next to him.
"It's quite something."
Her heart beat a little faster as Quentin shuffled closer and carefully put an arm around her shoulder, as if he was trying it out. It should've been hilarious – Lucy was used to Harry who always knew exactly what he was doing and she should've found it funny how slow Quentin sometimes went. But it wasn't – it was cute. It was comfortable and Lucy knew she'd never had that whole heart-skipping thing until now. It terrified her as much as it felt good. She was always in control of her feelings and now, suddenly, Quentin seemed to tear down all the barricades. But it felt so, so good, so she just leaned in and placed her head on his broad shoulder. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she felt so calm and contented outside the tower without alcohol – or even with. It was unusual but not at all unwelcomed.
They sat in silence for a while, watching the people walk down in the park and the sun glisten in between the glass fronts of the skyscrapers. After a while Quentin moved softly and Lucy looked up.
"I think we should get back or they'll never let you out with me again."
Lucy pulled out her phone and almost let it drop in surprise. "You're right! How did we spend almost two hours here?"
"Time goes by fast in good company," Quentin grinned and Lucy pretended to roll her eyes when she could barely hide her smile.
The two jumped down from the rocks and made their way back to the tower. Quentin insisted on accompanying Lucy to the door and she made a mental note to tell Steve that. He'd approve instantly.
Lucy was about to enter the building, when Quentin held her arm and spun her round.
"I had a lot of fun today," he said softly. "And I very much hope we can do this again – maybe dinner next time?"
Lucy bit her lower lip and smiled. "I'd like that a lot." She looked up at Quentin's eyes whose face had gone very serious and slowly, the two moved closer and closer.
When their lips met, Lucy closed her eyes and enjoyed the kiss. It wasn't as hungry as Harry's, but soft and careful, yet still as passionate. The twist in her stomach intensified and suddenly Lucy was overcome with a feeling of not wanting to let go. She put her arms around Quentin's neck and leaned in, kissing him back. After a while, they broke a part and Lucy grinned.
"I should really get inside or we'll soon have an audience."
Quentin pulled a face. "Yeah, I'd rather not."
Lucy giggled as Quentin planted another quick kiss on her before turning and walking back up Park Avenue.
With a deep breath, Lucy turned into the elevator but was unable to wipe the smile off her face until she got to the dining room where everyone was already present.
Wanda saw her come in and had a smug, knowing look on her face. "So, how was it? We finally got our two lovebirds together?"
"Maybe," Lucy said grinning as she took her seat next to the witch.
"Well, if that smile has anything to say, I'm guessing it went really well?" Pepper smiled at her and Lucy nodded in the woman's direction.
"Yeah, I think so."
"They kissed!" Wanda exclaimed and when Lucy just nodded, the redhead squealed. "I knew it! You two suit each other so well! We've all been shipping you!"
"Who's 'we all'?" Lucy turned to Wanda, confused.
"Olivia and the rest and I," she explained as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Right, Lucy thought. She still had to get used to the fact that Wanda was now included in their group.
"I know Lucy's love life is riveting, but maybe someone wants to try the Lasagna?" Tony called out as he carried the large dish out of the kitchen and just like that, Lucy's afternoon was forgotten, much to her relief.
###
Lucy's nightmares had gotten better but she still had a hard time falling asleep, so Clint usually told her a story. That helped her fall asleep under normal circumstances, even though his stories always involved gruesome, bloody Shield missions – Lucy loved it.
"And we entered that massive building – very carefully, because we still didn't know if there were fifteen or fifty enemies – we see this huge concrete wall with no way of climbing over it. Now, I might be called Hawkeye, but no way I could fly over that wall. So, I turn to see what Nat is doing and think about what we should do and she's already stripping down her tactical gear and jumps up and five seconds later, she sits on top."
Lucy looked up at Clint in excitement, only stopping herself very narrowly from asking what happened then. She knew he'd only continue if he thought it was sending her asleep – a trick she'd learned when she was five.
He continued and Lucy was so mesmerized, she almost didn't hear the door open slightly, but she flicked her eyes flicked over quickly and even in the dark, her heart almost stopped when she saw Nat glide into the room. With a well-hidden smirk, she decided to play uninterested and focused her gaze back at Clint who looked at her confused since he had expected her to jump up and greet Nat immediately. At Lucy's expectant expression, he just continued his story, as Nat made her way towards Lucy's bed – quite offended that she didn't get the big welcome she was obviously expecting.
When she reached the foot of the bed though, Lucy couldn't play serious anymore and within a second, she scrambled down to the other end to throw herself in Natasha's arms. She never realized how good these hugs felt and how much they calmed her, but now that she was safe in her mentor's arms again, she didn't know how she survived three weeks without her.
After a while, they pulled apart and as Lucy looked into Nat's eyes, she saw how glad her mentor was too to be back. She also communicated silently that they'd talk in the morning since both were exhausted. Nat sat next to Lucy on the bed and laid the girl in her arms.
"I'm sorry, Clint, I didn't want to interrupt your story. Continue."
Clint just grinned and gave Nat a smirk before picking up where he left off. Within a few minutes, Lucy was sound asleep and Nat softly picked her head up out of her lap and laid her on the pillow. Then, she and Clint quietly left the room and went to her living room, but not before Nat got two beers out of the fridge.
Clint got to the point straightaway. "So, how come the blonde hair?"
Nat grinned and took one of the strands of her hair in her hand and twirled the blonde ends in her red hair. "Oh, you know, undercover stuff."
She sank down on the couch next to Clint and both sat quietly for a moment before Clint's face got serious and he spoke up.
"We were all worried about you. We hadn't heard from you in weeks."
Nat's stomach clenched at his words. She knew the anxiety and worry was part of their job, but it didn't get easier the more relationships entered her life.
"What did you tell the kids?"
Clint pulled a face. "We didn't wanna lie to them, but we also didn't want to freak them out." He sighed heavily. "We pretended it was normal on longer missions that we didn't hear from you because you might not have access to a phone or if you do, you might be tracked via it." He paused and Nat recognized a new emotion on his face – sadness with some underlying anger. "It's terrifying how easily Lucy accepted that explanation. It just shouldn't be."
Now it was Nat's turn to grimace. She knew Lucy's life was never going to be normal, but the ease with which she took in what should've sometimes amounted to devastating news was saddening.
"I know," she said softly, taking Clint's hand in hers. "But what we can do is try and give her as normal a home as possible. Let her be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Or as ordinary as she'll ever be," she added with a grin and felt Clint relax at her words.
Feeling the tension leave her own body too, she leaned back and cocked her head. "So, how'd it go?"
Nat popped the cap off her bottle as she eyed him curiously.
Clint just sighed, eliciting a grin from the woman.
"Well, we had some problems at the start… you're not allowed to bring this up again, but I finally stood up to her after Tony talked to me."
Nat's raised eyebrows said more than she ever could so Clint only took a deep breath and continued.
"She wasn't listening in training and blasted a dummy that might as well have been a person, so I had to discipline her. But I got it over with and we didn't have any problems afterwards."
Natasha's face had become serious and she looked at Clint with the same cut-through look she often used with Lucy.
"Are you feeling ok?"
"Actually, it made things better." Clint stocked momentarily. "I mean, it felt terrible but afterwards, everything was so much easier. I hate to admit it, but it was just like Tony said."
Nat smiled sympathetically and put a hand on Clint's arm. "Thank you. I know you absolutely hate being firm, but thank you for managing her while I was gone."
Clint smiled softly. "I'd do anything for you, you know that."
She held his gaze, nodding seriously, and Clint continued. "It's probably a good thing I finally put my foot down. She's gonna respect me in training more now."
Nat grinned. "You're a huge softie and you know it."
Clint reciprocated her smile. "But Lucy doesn't."
Both chuckled softly and finished off their beers while Nat told Clint everything about the mission she and Steve just finished.
###
"I think it looks great! Fresh and new."
"Did you just say 'fresh'?" Lucy turned to Bruce with an incredulous expression, barely containing her laughter. "The nineties are over, you know that, right?"
Peter and Wanda both exploded with laughter at that and Lucy didn't try to conceal her huge grin and just continued to snicker.
"I didn't know you were such a fashionista Bruce," Tony teased and the other scientist just threw his hands up in defeat.
Sam grinned and patted his back comfortingly. "It's hard, surviving in this tower." He turned to Nat. "But honestly, it looks really good."
Lucy nodded. "I'm just happy that I finally seem to have an influence." She grinned at Wanda's dark look.
"You better be quiet! We can't lose the redheads, I'm completely outnumbered now!" The witch sported a sorrowful look but Nat smiled sympathetically and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm only a half-blonde, so I can access both powers. Maybe it'll be easier for me to mediate between the two of you now."
"As if we're fighting that much!" Lucy pouted and Wanda immediately sided with her sister.
"We're literally never fighting! Considering we have to live with each other," she added quickly.
Lucy turned to her with an unbelieving look. "Seriously? I'm not that hard to live with!"
"Alright, that's enough." Steve quickly interjected before Wanda had time to retort. "Don't you want to finish getting the living room ready? The others should be arriving pretty soon."
The girls exchanged a look, jumped up and, talking quietly, made their way to the kitchen to carry out drinks and snacks.
"Knowing that you'll probably consume half this stuff, you could definitely help us bring it out," Lucy called over her shoulder towards Peter in a tone that made the spider immediately jump up and trot into the kitchen.
Nat grinned. Lucy was learning a lot from her.
A few minutes later, the kids had pushed around the furniture in the living room to somewhat resemble the staging of the musical and J.A.R.V.I.S. was ecstatic to play music box.
The first to arrive was Olivia with a few other girls and as the elevator pinged, they stumbled out in amazement. Lucy grinned. All of them had grown up on the Upper East Side, but just like she was amazed the first time she set foot into the tower, so were they.
Liv sported a polite smile, like Lucy was used from her, but she did recognize that the other girl was more open than she usually was. Lucy blamed it on the tower – it was so different from your ordinary penthouse.
The girls greeted the others and Wanda and Liv hugged - Lucy noticed and exchanged a look with Nat. At her mentor's questioning glance, she just shrugged. Wanda seemed to start to flourish in the company of the others and Lucy had observed a change in Olivia too. She was far more relaxed and less devious than she had been since kindergarten.
With a genuine smile, Liv came over and greeted Lucy who in turn introduced her to Nat.
"Liv, this is my mom, Natasha Romanoff. Nat, this is Olivia Waldorf."
Nat put on her 'I'm-nice-until-you're-stupid' smile and shook Liv's hand.
"It's great to finally meet you, Miss Romanoff," Liv said in her sweetest voice, but Lucy only grinned. She knew full well that Nat knew Olivia and her shenanigans and wouldn't be fooled by the 'innocent girl' façade.
"Same here. Lucy's been talking a lot about you," Nat responded in her 'I'm-nice-until-you're-being-stupid' voice. "Your sleepovers are famous." She eyed Olivia with her steely look but to Liv's credit, she held the gaze without wincing outwardly.
"Yes, I do like making sure everyone has a good time. But you know – even we have limits."
Nat broke a real smile. "That's good to hear." She turned to Lucy. "I'll disappear now and I promise, I'll try and keep Steve out of your hair."
Lucy grinned. "Much appreciated." She watched Nat turn and with a determined look and grip of his shoulder move Steve away from a group of kids that he'd been interrogating, towards the elevator, whispering to him about something.
Then she turned to Liv with a knowing smile. "You've impressed her. That's not easy, well done."
Olivia just let out a long breath. "She's scary. I completely understand why you're not coming to every sleepover anymore." She turned to Lucy and inspected her face. "Aren't you terrified of her?"
Lucy shrugged her shoulders. "I'm scared of her in the 'everyone's scared of the Black Widow' way, but usually she's just Nat." She grinned. "She's not as much of a softie as Clint, but she's really considerate."
"That's more than any of us could've ever hoped for in our biological parents," Liv sighed and look towards the elevator where just minutes ago, Nat and Steve had disappeared. "I don't think I would've chosen this, but you're lucky. You got someone who cares."
It wasn't typical for Olivia to speak so openly and Lucy felt sympathy for the other girl. She knew Liv wasn't as vulnerable as herself – she also hadn't lost almost her entire immediate family – but it still hurt to hear anyone talk like that. Knowing that Liv wouldn't appreciate grand gestures, she just placed an arm around her shoulders.
"You know, now that you're getting along so well with Wanda, maybe we should have a sleepover here. Just the three of us."
Olivia turned to Lucy with a grin. "I'll take you up on that. An entire night for you to finally fill us in on the tea with Quentin."
With a laugh, Lucy shoved the other girl from her. "Invitation revoked. Anway," she turned to the entire group who had found places on the couches, tables and chairs, scattered in the room. "We probably should get started! There's snacks and drinks on the table, help yourself, and Peter is doing stage manager, since he can't sing for shit."
"Har, har," came the objection straightaway but Lucy just ignored him and continued.
"Before we start though, we've had an idea."
"And just to be clear, that stays in this room, no one is talking to anyone or you'll be in massive trouble. Got it?" Olivia said in her scariest voice and everyone swallowed hard and nodded firmly.
"Good," Liv smiled sweetly and Wanda continued.
"As you all know, Ms Evans won't allow me to use my powers on stage, even though they totally chose me for Carrie because of them on purpose." She stopped and throughout the room, her words were registered with nods.
Lucy grinned in anticipation for the announcement and exchanged an excited look with Olivia who was sitting next to her on the table.
"We thought it'd be lots of fun, if, in the end of the show, when Carrie is causing the destruction, instead of just the staging collapsing with the special effects that we do ourselves, Wanda is gonna use her powers to flicker the lights throughout the auditorium, let some things fly over the audience's heads, stuff like that. Nothing dangerous, just some fun."
Everyone exchanged excited looks at that and nodded in agreement, giggling and snickering already.
"Obviously, the teachers don't want that so everyone is gonna keep it on a down low, but once we get the auditorium for ourselves, we'll see what we can do." Liv looked around the room with a warning glance again, but no one seemed particularly interested in blowing the surprise.
"Ok, I guess that's done, so let's get practicing!" Lucy hopped off the table and clapped her hands.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., let's play up some Carrie. Why don't we start with 'The World according to Chris'? I'm feeling in top form."
"So do I," Harry said, as he got up from his seat and Lucy rolled her eyes inwardly, but as the music started, she immediately got into character. Spiteful and bitchy was really fun to play – especially since she got to be mean to Wanda and Liv. Sometimes the bad girl was the most exciting role to play.