Author's Note: I know it's been a while but I've been distracted lately. This chapter is shorter than normal but the next chapter is probably going to be a lot longer. I'm so excited to write the next chapter because I've had it planned out in my head for so long and it's finally going to happen. Another reason it's been taking me so long to write this chapter is because I've been trying to catch up the versions of STNS on Quotev and Wattpad to this one. It's still going to take a while because I just posted chapter fifty so I have over twenty chapters to go now.
I was also working on an alternate universe fic to Some Things Never Sleep which is a real world fanfiction featuring the MCU actors and even the actress who plays Emma. I was kind of wanting to write an alternate universe fanfic for STNS so I thought why not. I've had a lot of fun writing it and I'm only five chapters in. I posted it on Quotev and Wattpad because I think there's a policy against posting celebrity fanfics on here. If it's something you're interested in I'll post a link here so you can find it. If you're not interested then just keep reading this one. It's just a fun little project I've been working on and it's a lot more light hearted than this one. I'm not sure if the link works or not but just in case it doesn't the story's called 'Matter of Time'.
So I know I got mixed reactions about this Darcy/Bucky thing but I just wanted to make sure you guys know that I can't make everyone happy. This isn't going to be a focus of the story or anything so it'll be somewhat easy to ignore but I just can't make everyone happy. I'm not going to stop writing a certain part because someone tells me to. I'm just writing what I want. I'm sorry if you guys don't like it. Thank you.
I also noticed that I've gotten a lot of new readers these past couple weeks so I'm really happy about that and welcome to 'Some Things Never Sleep'.
Matter of Time Quotev link: story/11150717/Matter-of-TimeTom-Holland-Fanfic/1
Matter of Time Wattpad link: story/156253220-matter-of-time-tom-holland-fanfic
I also want to thank everyone who gave their condolences over Wong's death. It was sort of hard the first few days but I'm doing way better now. I still miss him but I'm fine now. You guys are so nice.
plumsforbucky: Emma kind of found the reason behind Bucky's weird instant dislike of Peter last chapter but he's probably not going to like having to share her with Peter when he finds out Peter's her boyfriend. It's going to be a little difficult for Steve and Bucky to come to terms that they're not the only ones in her life anymore.
Radioactive88: I cried writing the chapter before last so much. I think I kind of cried writing the chapter where Emma told Peter about the rape but I definitely full on cried when she told Bucky and Steve. That was really hard to write. I was afraid Bucky crying would a little out of character but then I realized that him and Emma are really close so of course he'd be heart broken at hearing what happened to her.
You fill see Tony's reaction to the rape in this chapter. The others are walking on eggshells around her so you won't see much from them for a little while.
Asterion98: Well, Peter's just kind of obvious about his interest in Emma which we see even more of in this chapter. Natasha's just super observant which was why it took her very little time to find out there was something going on between Emma and Peter. Steve's not quite there yet. He can tell Peter's interested in Emma which doesn't surprise him because he most likely figured that there would be a lot of boys who were interested in Emma. However, Steve still doesn't know that interest is reciprocated. Bucky's just plain blind when it comes to that stuff.
Helenabelle2: That will definitely come up in the next few chapters.
Another random account: I love long reviews so it's really no bother. The only thing I think I can answer without giving too much away is Emma calling Steve dad. She'll probably only call him dad in really vulnerable moments between them...for now. Eventually she'll start saying it more but not just yet.
BabyPinkPuppy: The scene where Emma trash talks Liz wasn't meant to be taken seriously. Deep down she knows Liz didn't do anything wrong but it's just Emma being Emma. This was more of a comedic scene. And I obviously know that Peter's type is the sweet and innocent type but Emma's just trying to convince herself that she's better than Liz which again is a bit of comedic relief.
Just because they never met in the movies doesn't mean people can't ship them. That's kind of the point of fanfiction. I kind of ship Darcy with various different MCU characters but only because she's one of my favorite characters. I love Kat Dennings and I really miss her in the MCU.
I never liked Bucky's long hair either but for some reason in Infinity War he looked really hot with long hair. It just looked super wavy and I don't really know what conditioner he used but it looked really nice on him so I'm kind of thinking I should just keep it. I usually don't like guys with long hair and I didn't like Bucky's hair in Winter Soldier and Civil War but Bucky's hair in Infinity War was really nice.
I just want to make sure that you know (as a writer) just because my character says or believes something doesn't mean that I do too. I just wrote Peter saying something that cheesy because he's kind of a cheesy person and I felt like it was something he would say if he was as in love as he is in my story. Peter's also really young and he was lucky enough to find Emma kind of on his first try so it makes sense that he believes that. I think if he was older and had been in a couple more relationships, he probably wouldn't believe that as much. Emma doesn't believe in soul mates because she's too cynical. The only reason she thinks she could only fall in love with Peter and no one else is because she doesn't believe she's capable of falling in love all over again since she didn't believe she was even capable of it the first time. Infinity War is definitely going to take it's toll on Emma.
And um...I didn't threaten to piss you off so...I don't really know what to say to that because that's kind of all together intense. I admire your passion for the story. But I'm also originally from Texas so I'm pretty confident about holding my own and I also took a self defense class last quarter. Lol. Don't mess with Texas.
anonanon: I still haven't changed the formatting in this chapter because I had already written it but I plan to go back and eventually change it when I can.
moocella: Definitely to both. However, that's not how they find out about Emma and Peter. Everyone will probably get shown those videos later.
livelifelong2001: I don't have plans for Bucky and Steve meeting Principal Morita yet but maybe I'll eventually fit that in somewhere. Who knows. I know that Emma knows that her principal's grandfather was in the Howling Commandos so maybe she'll mention that to them at some point.
amber: Emma's car will make a reappearance soon. In a few chapters more than likely.
brainless19: I don't think it would be too OOC because he's sort of like old Bucky again who had a lot of girlfriends but it will definitely be a while before he starts up a relationship. He just got back and he probably wants to focus on Emma right now. So Emma's going to be his main priority right now which sucks for Peter. Lol.
Sorry for not answering all the reviews but I just really wanted to update because it's been a while. So thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. Let me know what you think of the new chapter and I'll try to have the next one out faster than this last one.
Tony woke up with a hangover the next morning. It had been a couple days since the attack on the compound but also only a day since he learnt the news of what really happened to Emma in that Hydra base. Hence the drinking. He didn't know how long it had been since he had a drink but he knew it had been a while. Tony had stopped drinking when Emma came into his custody and when he started looking after Peter too. He knew that he needed to be responsible because he had a couple kids he needed to look after. However, after last night, Tony definitely knew he needed a drink but one drink turned into several drinks until Tony was so drunk that he could barely remember where he was. He scoffed at himself in disgust because this was exactly the same thing he had done when Steven and Margot had died. This was the same exact thing he did that got Emma into this mess in the first place. What a great help he had turned out to be.
A useless drunk.
The billionaire got up from the couch in his office and he winced when he felt the pounding headache in his head. He groaned because the light was too bright. God, how much had he drank last night? He glanced over at the floor and noticed the empty bottle of scotch. Had he really drank the whole thing last night? Tony couldn't really remember. It had been so long since he consumed that much alcohol. Usually Tony had been trying to live a little healthier now that he was older and had more responsibilities. Green tea had really turned out to be his friend as well as those green smoothies that Rhodey always made fun of him for. But that seemed to all go out the window last night after reeling from the news that Steve gave the team. Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly, his whole body aching from spending the whole night on the couch.
"McConaughey, can you block the sun out or something? I feel like I'm dying." Tony grumbled.
"Right away, Mr. Stark." The AI system told him as the sunlight was automatically dimmed from all the windows in the office until it was dark. Tony finally stood up from the couch, wincing as all his bones creaked. He was really getting old, wasn't he? He grabbed his signature sunglasses from the floor which were lying next to the empty bottle of scotch. He put the sunglasses on, sighing in relief as the enormous amount of light was significantly decreased.
Tony left the office, knowing that if he stayed any longer then he would only try to pop open another bottle of scotch. He walked past everyone in the lab who were all busy at work analyzing the Hydra weapons. Peter paused in his conversation with Shuri as he noticed the billionaire pass by. Tony's haggard appearance didn't give Peter a good feeling although he knew exactly why Tony felt like that. A part of Peter wanted to go after him but he also knew that Tony wanted to be left alone. He could tell by the way Tony pointedly ignored everyone that the billionaire didn't want to be disturbed.
Peter also felt like he didn't know what to say to Tony. Would Tony be mad at him for knowing about Emma but never saying anything? Tony didn't seem mad at him yesterday but Peter really didn't know. He hated disappointing Tony because, in a way, Tony was the sort of father figure he had lost when Uncle Ben died. Although Tony and Uncle Ben were nothing alike, Peter really cared about Tony and he wanted to impress him. Peter just felt like he might've let Tony down by not telling him about Emma. Peter hadn't meant to let Tony down but he wanted to protect Emma. Besides…it was never his secret to tell. Emma had to decide when she was ready to tell everyone her secret and she made that decision yesterday. Peter was just proud that she had finally made the decision.
"Peter, come look at this." Shuri said in her thick Wakandan accent. Peter was still getting used to being around someone who was basically a prodigy but also a princess at that. Although Shuri insisted that he not treat her any differently than he would treat any other friend of his, Peter was still left amazed by the teenage girl. He also felt out of his depth around her because she was probably twenty times smarter than him. Peter was also sure that she was even smarter than Tony which she had made perfectly clear the previous two days as she showed the billionaire all the different ways he could improve his technology. Tony pretended to be offended but Peter could tell that he was really impressed and he knew just how hard it was to impress Tony Stark. It was nearly impossible.
"What is it, Shuri?" Peter asked as he went to stand next to her. The princess's gaze was intently focused on the holographic screen which was pretty dated in comparison to her technology back home but Shuri couldn't really complain now of all times. She stared at the numbers and words on the screen in amazement.
"I've never seen anything like this before. The energy levels are off the charts." Shuri said in astonishment as she stared at the readings of the energy levels from the weapons. Peter could definitely see what Shuri meant. This was way beyond even the weapons that Toomes had made from Chitauri technology.
"This is all coming from just one of the singular weapons?" Peter asked as he tried to piece everything he was seeing together. However, Peter felt like this was beyond his understanding and Peter liked to consider himself very smart.
"Yes, I mean…if this is just from one weapon, I can't imagine what the energy levels would be like from where this all came from." Shuri replied in response and Peter nodded.
"If Hydra was to put all these weapons together they might be able to create a sort of…uh…" Peter trailed off, unable to come up with the right answer but he didn't have to as someone spoke for him.
"Gateway." Erik Selvig answered grimly as he stood behind them. Peter and Shuri looked up at him in surprise. "That's what the Tesseract was capable of doing. I know…I saw firsthand."
"You actually saw the Tesseract in person?" Peter asked in amazement and Erik shrugged. He didn't like to think back to that time in his life very often but mostly because there was a lot of blank spaces there because of what Loki had done to him.
"I saw enough of her to know that these weapons are nothing to be messed with." Erik said gruffly as he looked back down at the two teenagers. He had been hesitant at first towards the idea of working with teenagers in a lab but he soon learned that the kids could hold their own. They were both astonishingly intelligent and well versed in all things science. Erik knew that the both of them had bright futures ahead of themselves.
"The Tesseract has the power of interdimensional travel. With the Tesseract you could travel anywhere in the universe." Erik said and Peter's eyes widened at the very idea. That was literally the coolest thing he had ever heard anyone say. He almost smiled until he heard what Erik said next.
"Just remember. That gateway opens both ways just like an actual door." Erik told them seriously which caused both Peter and Shuri to exchange worried looks. "With enough power Hydra might be able to achieve the same thing."
"Do you think the weapons here are enough to mass that kind of energy level?" Shuri asked Erik curiously. She wasn't well versed in the knowledge of the Tesseract. Shuri doubted that anyone except for Erik Selvig himself could consider themselves well versed in it since the Tesseract's properties were still a mystery. However, she was happy to learn from such a distinguished Astrophysicist.
"These weapons? No. Not even close." Erik told them as he glanced up at the readings on the screen. "But this is only a fraction of what Hydra has. If they had a lot more Tesseract powered weapons then who knows? This is why Thor took the Tesseract back to Asgard."
"Why's that?" Peter asked curiously and Erik really had to admire how innocent and naïve the boy was. Erik had been naïve too until Thor popped up into his life and threw everything he thought he knew out the window. He momentarily glanced over at Jane and Susan who were hard at work extracting the power source from within the weapon. It was a dangerous process but Jane and Susan knew what they were doing. Darcy sat in a chair with a bored look on her face as she played Candy Crush on her phone but every once in a while she would cast a worried look over at Jane. It was hard to believe that it was just a few years ago that they were driving through the New Mexico desert as they tried to collect data for their research. Everything changed when they hit Thor with that car and now, many years later, they were here. Somehow still all together. Erik then turned his attention back to the two curious teenagers.
"Because the Tesseract was not meant to be handled by mortal men." Erik told them sincerely. "Our meddling with the Tesseract is what brought Loki to Earth in the first place. Hydra's Tesseract powered weapons could prove to be equally as catastrophic."
"So what do we do, Dr. Selvig?" Peter asked him and the grim expression on the man's faded as he looked upon the hopeful expressions on Peter and Shuri's faces. He smiled softly at them.
"We get back to work and find a way to track down the other weapons." Erik stated as he became more serious in an effort to get back to work. "When I studied the Tesseract all those years ago, I discovered that it emitted low levels of gamma radiation. I'm hoping that maybe the weapons might-" Erik said but Shuri eagerly finished the sentence from him when she realized what he was getting at.
"Also emit gamma radiation?" Shuri said in excitement as Erik smiled in amusement at her.
"It's possible that they might. The Tesseract had low levels that Dr. Banner and Stark were able to track when they were looking for it back then." Erik explained to the two teenagers. "I know these weapons are just a small fraction of the power the Tesseract possessed but even a small, almost minuscule, level of Gamma radiation could be helpful."
"Unfortunately Dr. Banner's not around to help us this time which would've been nice since he's the world's leading expert in gamma radiation." Shuri said to Dr. Selvig and Peter nodded in agreement. Shuri didn't have the firsthand experience with gamma radiation, her only knowledge coming from what she had read, and Peter was much the same. He only knew about gamma radiation because of all the dissertations that Dr. Banner had written in the past. Erik nodded but he already had an idea.
"That's true but Dr. Banner might've left us something useful from when he and Stark were tracking the Tesseract the first time." Erik said before elaborating. "If we use spectrometers and calibrate them for Gamma Rays then I can use the tracking algorithm Dr. Banner created for basic cluster recognition."
"Spectrometers?" Peter said in confusion. "We need more than a few spectrometers to be able to find Gamma Radiation. The other Hydra weapons could be anywhere in the world right now. We have no idea where to even start to look."
"I have a lot of colleagues around the world. I'll give them all a call and see if they might be able to put their spectrometers on the roof." Erik mentioned and Shuri nodded in agreement. "At least this way we might be able to narrow the location down.
"I'll call my lab back home and do the same." Shuri added and Erik glanced back at Peter.
"Go tell Helen, Jane, and Susan to call everyone they know to get them to put their spectrometers on the roof. We're going to need all the help we can get." Erik told Peter who nodded furiously before he ran off to do what he was told. It was clear that they might not have a lot of time before Hydra made another move and they needed to find those weapons before Hydra could kill anyone else…before they could get Emma. Peter wasn't about to let that happen.
Tony watched her as she sat in the recreational area with Sam and Pepper. Steve and Barnes were missing but Tony could only assume that it was because the two war buddies, Rhodey, and Romanoff were hard at work trying to track down any sign of Hydra using every wirelessly accessible camera they could. Anything that was connected to a satellite would prove to be useful to them. They hadn't had any luck so far but hopefully soon. However, it was clear to Tony that they didn't want Emma involved in this. Which was why they probably sent Sam to distract her and Pepper probably joined in too because Tony knew she was really devastated by the news everyone learned the day before. She clearly wasn't the only one.
The three individuals lounged around on the couch as they watched an action comedy which happened to be Sam's favorite kind of movie. Emma had never cared much for those kinds of movies but she always loved Sam's commentary when he watched movies. He would always criticize the character's actions and clothing which had a way of bringing a smile to Emma's face. Emma thought the movie was more stupid than funny but she liked the way Sam made it funny himself. Pepper looked annoyed by his talking but Emma didn't mind. Boy, had she missed Sam. He was one of the funniest guys she knew.
Tony stood there as he quietly watched Emma as she laughed at something Sam said. His eyes glistened as he watched the way the laughter lit up her entire face. She looked so happy which made the knowledge of her rape even more heartbreaking. All these years Emma had lived with this secret, feeling like she couldn't tell anyone, and Tony had sat on his ass for all those years, never doing a damn thing. He had always known she was hiding something but he never expected it to be something like this. If he had known that she was raped…well, Tony didn't know what he would do. Maybe he would've tried harder to track Rumlow down or maybe he would've hired a therapist that was an expert with dealing with people who were victims of sexual assault. Tony didn't know the first thing about what Emma had gone though. He didn't think anyone at the compound did. Tony had never felt so utterly useless in his life as he did in that moment.
As Tony watched her in secret, he couldn't help but think back to the little toddler he had visited on several occasions. She obviously hadn't remembered him from those visits and Tony understood why. She had been so little at the time, after all. However, he remembered all those visits which is why it broke his heart even more to learn about all the terrible things that had happened to her. Back then she had always been happy to see him. She was always giggling and smiling. There was never a day that went by when he had seen a sad look on her face. Emma had been the happiest little girl there ever was with two parents who loved her more than life itself.
But things were different now. Everything that happened in that base had changed her right to the very core. Her smiles were rare and her laughter was even more rare. That same little blonde girl in pigtails that he had once known was left bitter and broken with a cynical outlook on life. She no longer rambled on endlessly about how horses were the best thing ever created and she didn't squeal in delight whenever she saw him walk through the front door. Hydra had completely broken her spirit and destroyed the little girl he used to know. Tony didn't know just what it was. He didn't know if it was all the torture, experimenting, killing, or even the rape. Maybe it wasn't one of those things versus the other. Maybe it was just a combination of all those things put together. Tony didn't know for sure but he knew that Emma had been hurting for a long time because of them.
It wasn't like she was nothing like she used to be. There were many moments where he could see bits and pieces of that happy little girl depicted in the teenager. Usually it was only when she was around Peter who seemed to bring out the best in her. Steve and Barnes seemed to make her happy too so Tony was glad that she seemed a little happier now that they had been returned to her. Maybe this was part of the reason Peter had begged him to call Steve. Tony now understood Peter's actions better than ever. It wasn't just their help in finding Hydra that they needed. They also needed a stronger support system for Emma because this was more than Tony could have ever of comprehended.
It made him sick to know what Rumlow had done to Emma. It was a whole new level of evil that not even someone like Loki could steep to. Tony had met his fair share of evil scum in his lifetime but no one like Rumlow. The thought of Rumlow, a man even older than himself, doing those things to Emma made Tony sick to his stomach. Tony knew it wasn't from the alcohol either. That fucking sick pedophile had raped and traumatized the same little blonde girl he so fondly remembered. Tony was left feeling angry and hateful at the thought of the things that had been done to Emma. He felt like taking Rumlow and blowing him up until there were nothing but ashes left. The fucking pedophile.
"Guys, I think I'm going to go to the kitchen for some water." Emma told Sam and Pepper after she noticed Tony standing a distance away. They had locked eyes and Emma figured that Tony probably wanted to talk. She hadn't exactly been looking forward to talking to him about this and especially since she felt guilty for not telling him about the rape herself. Emma didn't know why but she felt like he didn't deserve to be told with everyone else. She should've taken him aside and told him but after telling Steve and her father about it, Emma didn't think she had the energy. "Do you want anything?"
"Nah, I'm good, Em. You go ahead." Sam told her and Pepper shook her head. Emma just swallowed hard as she got up from the couch, making her way into the kitchen. She knew Tony would follow her.
Emma grabbed a glass from one of the cabinets but she couldn't help but feel so useless at the same time. She'd rather be helping her father, Steve, and Natasha track down Hydra but they were adamant that they didn't need her help. Emma could kind of see the sense in that. Even having everyone in the conference room just waiting for one of the cameras around the world to snap a photo of Rumlow or another Hydra agent wasn't going to make this go any faster. Emma didn't have the capabilities of helping out in the lab where Peter was either. Vision and Wanda were walking around outside as they caught up with each other and killed time in the process. T'Challa, Okoye, Maria, and Clint were training in the training facility across the compound. Emma wanted to train too but she was waiting for Natasha and her father to join her but they were currently busy right now. Emma just felt like there was way more that she could be doing in the meantime. She wanted anything that could distract her from thinking about Hydra and Rumlow right now.
"Mini Cap, I think the glass is full enough." Tony said from behind her and Emma snapped out of her thoughts. She looked down and noticed that the water was overflowing so she instantly turned the faucet off. God…what was wrong with her these days?
"I uh…was distracted, I guess." Emma said quietly as she turned back around to face the billionaire. She slowly took a long sip from the glass, still looking as distracted as before. Tony looked at her in concern because it was almost like she was somewhere else. She seemed distant…far away.
"You doing okay, Mini Cap?" Tony asked hesitantly as he looked at her in concern. Emma sighed heavily as she shrugged, avoiding eye contact with him. She didn't really know what to say to him. She didn't really know what to say to anyone now that they all knew her secret.
"I'm fine considering all things." Emma said but Tony knew that wasn't the half of it. "I mean, everyone's walking on eggshells around me except for Peter but it could be worse."
"You could've told me, you know." Tony said quietly and Emma looked back at him. There was a guilt ridden expression on Tony's face which she didn't understand. It wasn't his fault that this happened. It wasn't anyone except for Rumlow's fault. Everyone was acting like they had played a part in her rape but it wasn't true. There was nothing any one of them could've done no matter what they convinced themselves off.
"I could barely tell Peter." Emma told him and Tony shook his head.
"I could've gotten you help…I could've done more to help you." Tony said but Emma wasn't convinced.
"This was a very intimate and dark secret of mine. I used to blame myself all the time and I was so ashamed." Emma told Tony as she tried being completely honest with him. "Telling anyone about what Rumlow did terrified me. It was one of my greatest weaknesses…until I talked to someone with similar life experience. She finally made me wake up and see that it wasn't my fault. When I was hiding this part of my past, I was only protecting him. I wasn't protecting myself."
"Who is this person?" Tony asked, curious to know who had helped Emma through something like this. It couldn't have been anyone around here.
"She's just a friend. Anyways…it took a lot for me to even work up the courage to tell Peter." Emma told Tony as he listened to her intently. "This secret was tearing us apart and I no longer had a choice. That's why we were fighting all those months ago. He knew I was keeping something from him and I was scared that he'd leave me if he ever found out."
"Peter would never do that. He's hopelessly in love with you. I've never seen anyone more in love in my life…except for you maybe." Tony said as his gaze softened.
"I know he wouldn't now but I was being stupid. The rape made me feel worthless and shameful. I saw myself that way so I thought everyone else would see me that way too." Emma said and Tony felt a lump in his throat from the sadness on the young girl's face. "For most of my life I was trained to be the best there ever was. I was a perfectionist of sorts. Rumlow raping me damaged my self-esteem. He created all these insecurities and made me view myself as someone none of you would even want to be around."
"Emma, I would never, not once, think about you like that. It wasn't your fault. He's a sick fuck that needs to be torn apart into a million pieces or have his fucking dick cut off or something." Tony told her, his eyes flooding with tears. Despite the sad circumstance, Emma laughed a little at Tony's creative ideas for Rumlow's death. "I don't know. I'm sure we can come up with something."
"We could have him tied against the wall and then set him on fire before watching him burn alive." Emma suggested as she attempted to make Tony feel better about the situation. He stared at her in surprise. "We could kill him and then chop his body into a million pieces before dumping the remains in a swamp for the gators to eat. My favorite one is decapitating him and then stuffing his own tiny dick in his mouth. I feel like that's the best one…it's kind of symbolic."
"You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?" Tony said and Emma smiled softly before nodding.
"Kind of." Emma admitted before they both grew serious once more.
"You could've still talked to me if you wanted." Tony told her sadly and Emma shrugged.
"I know. I was just scared, I guess. I've gotten a little better." Emma said as she gazed back at him. "Peter's really helped me. I mean, I don't think he could ever understand but he's been so patient and kind. I know my self-esteem's still low so I get jealous easily because of my insecurities but he never gets mad at me. He just accepts me for who I am."
"I'm glad." Tony said, happy that at least she had someone she could talk to about all this. "He's a great kid."
"I know he is." Emma said softly as she smiled fondly at the mere thought of Peter. "He's been so supportive through all of this. My nightmares are still really bad so I know that I probably wake him up every night but he never gets angry. He's been a great comfort to me when I need it most." She then blushed when she realized that she had admitted to Tony that she and Peter slept in the same bed together which was something Tony had threatened Peter not to do. However, she was surprised that Tony didn't look the least bit surprised or angry.
"I'm not shocked, Emma. I know you and Peter sleep in the same bed together." Tony told her much to her astonishment. "I never thought you'd listen to me anyways. I actually don't care what you two kids do together. As long as you feel happy and safe." Emma smiled at him.
"He does make me feel safe and happy. He makes me feel more than that too." Emma told Tony who just nodded.
"Then I'm happy for you." Tony said before he smirked at her. "Although I can't say the same for Cap and Daddy Dearest when they find out. Something tells me they're going to be more 1940s about this."
"I don't doubt that." Emma said but she was really just thankful that Tony had been so understanding of her needs. He never tried to stop Peter and her from sleeping together even if that meant that they were doing less than appropriate things together which they weren't. He just wanted her to be happy and Emma felt touched. The smirk faded from Tony's face as he looked back at her.
"Never think that there's anything you can't tell me. I don't want you to be afraid of telling me anything." Tony told her sincerely, wanting her to know that even if he goofed around all the time that she could still talk to him if she needed to. Emma just nodded.
"Okay." Emma said and Tony's gaze softened once more as he looked at her. It was so hard not to think of the small blonde girl he used to know when he looked at her. The image of her youthful face, long blonde hair, and beautiful blue eyes broke Tony's heart.
"I'm so sorry this happened to you, Emma." Tony said and he seemed like he was apologizing to her a lot these days. Emma just shook her head.
"It's already done. I know this feels new for everyone else but this happened to me a long time ago." Emma informed him as she tried to make him feel better. "I still have my issues but I've learned to live with it since then. It could be worse. At least I'm not with Hydra anymore."
"And Hydra will never get you back." Tony told her seriously. "I'll make sure of it." Emma smiled softly at him.
"Thank you, Tony." Emma said and she hesitated for a moment before she decided to hug him again. This hugging thing was still a foreign concept to her and especially when it came to Tony. She wrapped her arms around him and just held onto him as Tony slowly returned the hug. He never understood why she was trying to make him feel better when he was the one who messed up. He did blame himself for this and he knew some of the others felt the same way. Tony just wanted there to be a way for him to somehow fix this. A way for him to erase all the pain and suffering in her past so she wouldn't have to live through it. He didn't understand how she managed to live through it all but still be as strong and brave as she was. Here Tony had been whining about wormholes and caves when Emma had been through so much worse. He felt like an asshole.
"Please don't thank me." Tony told her as they stood there in silence. He pulled away so he could look at her face and Emma looked at him in concern. She frowned when she saw the guilty look on his face. "I don't deserve it."
"I don't blame you for any of it. I don't blame anyone for it…except for Rumlow." Emma told him and Tony just shook his head.
"I just feel like I should've known that you were still alive…like there was more I could've done to prevent everything that happened in the past." Tony told her and Emma didn't know why he always did this. She didn't know why he felt so much guilt. It wasn't like there was anything he could've done. Tony wasn't clairvoyant yet he suddenly seemed to think he was.
"There's nothing to be done. What happened to me already happened." Emma told him softly. "The only thing we can do now is to stop Hydra once and for all to make sure Rumlow doesn't do that to another girl."
"You're right. I know you're right but I just feel like I've done a shitty job of protecting you." Tony told her and Emma just shook her head.
"I don't need your protection, Tony. It's not your job." Emma told him and Tony swallowed hard because he knew the truth even if Emma didn't.
"It is my job. It's always been my job…as your godfather." Tony told her with a sad look on his face. Emma looked at him in surprise although she wasn't sure why she was so surprised. It made sense, didn't it? She knew that Tony had probably grown up around her biological father. The way Tony sometimes talked about her parents made it clear to Emma that he knew them. The comment her cousin Daniel had made all those months ago, when she visited her grandmother's grave, suddenly made more sense.
"What?" Emma questioned despite being fully aware of what Tony just told her. He sighed.
"Your parents made me your godfather after you were born." Tony elaborated before going on as Emma carefully watched him. "In case something ever happened to them. I didn't want to because come on…I'm the last person anyone would want taking care of their children." Tony paused briefly as he sighed heavily before he continued.
"But Steven was adamant. He said there was no one he trusted more." Tony said as he smiled softly at the thought of Steven. "I loved him, you know. Your father was like a brother to me. Steven was always there for me when my dad wasn't. He did all the stereotypical dad stuff like teaching me how to throw a ball and taking me to the zoo. I'm just sorry he never got to do those things with you. However, he loved you very much. Both of your parents did." Emma didn't really know how to feel after hearing that. She didn't smile but she didn't cry either. She just had a confused look on her face.
"I don't remember them anymore. Not really. It's all just pictures to me. It doesn't feel real. They don't feel real." Emma said quietly as Tony stood there and patiently listened to her. "I always knew you probably knew them but I never asked because I didn't want to know. I was afraid that it would make them more real to me and then I'd really feel the loss. I've already lost so much in my life."
"I know you've lost a lot but I just want you to know that they were real people. Real people who loved you more than you'll ever know." Tony told her as a sad look crossed his face. "Which is why I feel like I failed them."
"Stop saying that you failed. You say that all the time and it's not true." Emma said, trying to be honest with Tony which was rare for her. Tony looked at her curiously as Emma sighed heavily. "You try and that's all I can ask for. The same goes for everyone else."
"You're a good kid." Tony told her as he smiled at her softly. Emma didn't really know if she completely believed him about that but she believed that he believed that.
"You're okay too, I guess." Emma told him because she was still Emma Rogers, after all, and complimenting people wasn't her strongest skill.. He just continued to smile at her as he patted her gently on the shoulder.
"Just ask me and I can tell you all about your dad…whenever you're ready." Tony said and Emma just nodded as she returned his smile.
"Maybe someday I'll take you up on that." She replied and with that, their conversation seemed to be over.
There was still a lot of hurt feelings on Tony's part over what happened to Emma but she was right in a way. It had already happened and there was nothing that he could do about it. The only thing he could do was capture Rumlow and stop Hydra once and for all. Tony knew he had to look forward from now on but he still couldn't help but wish that this hadn't happened to her. She was just a girl…a child. Children were to be protected and hidden from evil like this yet Emma was hurt in the worst way. Tony didn't know how he was going to live with the knowledge of what happened to her but he knew what he had to do to keep Emma safe. Hydra had to end. They were notorious for always finding a way to come back, it was their motto, but Tony wanted to find a way to make sure they stayed dead. Hydra needed to end because he didn't want Emma living her life constantly looking over her shoulder. She deserved better.
Later in the day Emma's father finally joined her in the training facility. It seemed like Steve had opted out but she wasn't surprised. Even back when Steve and her lived in the tower, he never wanted to train with her. He was too afraid of hurting her so she trained with Natasha, Clint, and Sam instead. Emma supposed Steve and Peter were more alike than she had ever thought. The idea of somehow hurting her had always made Peter scared of sparring with her. However, Emma knew that her father didn't have any of those fears. He never held back during their days in Hydra. Her father used to tell her that people in the real world wouldn't hold back against her so why should he? Emma just hoped that his philosophy hadn't changed from that.
The training facility was fairly full as Emma and her father both cautiously scanned the room. T'Challa and Okoye were both caught up in a training session of their own as they sparred against each other. Emma watched with interest as the warrior woman showed her king who was boss. The woman's fighting style was a lot different than the one her father taught her. Her father was most proficient in close quarters knife fighting so Emma considered that one of her highest levels of skill but he had also taught her a few other methods as well. Women, at least normal women, were supposed to be less strong than a man so they had to make up for that difference in strength using other methods. Speed, reflexes, and improvising. Her father had taught her to use any method necessary to win which also meant fighting dirty and turning anything into a weapon. Although Okoye's style of fighting was different, and not as dirty, she was clearly faster and slightly more focused than T'Challa. The warrior woman ended the fight as she managed to knock out T'Challa's legs from underneath him. It was a move he clearly didn't see coming as he fell to the floor with a grunt. His general stood over him with a proud smirk on her face.
"You froze again, didn't you?" The woman asked in her thick Wakandan accent. T'Challa just groaned as he sat up from the floor.
"I didn't freeze." T'Challa said in annoyed tone. Emma had an amused smirk on her face as she watched the two Wakandans.
"I want to fight her." Emma said, her eyes lighting up with excitement at the very idea. Her father gave her an amused look.
"She might just give you a run for your money. She's good." Bucky told the blonde who glared at him.
"Are you saying that she's better than me?" Emma asked him and Bucky just chuckled at his daughter as he ruffled her hair.
"Never. I taught you everything I know. How could she be better?" Her father said to her with a proud look on his face and Emma smiled at him, happy that she could make her father proud. Sam looked in between the father and daughter with a disturbed look on his face. Peter, who had also came down to the training facility, also looked deeply disturbed by his girlfriend's dad. Peter didn't really know what a dad was supposed to be like but he didn't think he had ever met one that would be proud of Emma's assassin skills in the way Bucky was.
"You guys are so creepy." Sam told them but neither Emma nor Bucky seemed the least bit offended. Emma rolled her eyes at the man before turning back to face her father.
"Can we fight now, Papa? I want to show you how much better I've become since we last saw each other." Emma told him in an excited voice. Everyone else in the room, including Natasha who had just walked in, observed the pair with an odd look on their face. It was strange how Emma seemed just like a regular sixteen year old who wanted to show her father a good grade she got on a test. It was even stranger when Bucky smiled down at her.
"Of course, Malen'kaya." Bucky told her. "We should warm up first though. It might not have been a long time for you but it's been a while for me."
"Should we get the knives, Papa? Remember how much fun we used to have with the knives?" Emma said to her father and her father gave her an amused smile before shaking his head.
"Not this time. We should just keep it simple for now." He told her and Emma had an almost disappointed look on her face as she nodded. As if she was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to get into a knife fight with her dad. However, she seemed to brighten up a moment later when she remembered that they would still be sparring.
"Next time then." Emma said to him as they both moved to the main section of the training facility, taking up the spots that T'Challa and Okoye had since vacated. Peter, Sam, and Natasha watched them curiously. The Viper Assassin and Winter Soldier's partnership had been legendary during their time at Hydra but all three of them were curious to see how they fought against each other.
Peter's head slightly tilted to the side as he watched his girlfriend warm up for the training session. She leaned forward as she stretched and Peter was left in a sort of trance as his eyes rested on Emma's legs. She was wearing those work-out leggings again. The ones that clung to Emma's body like a second skin. Peter had always loved Emma's legs which seemed to go on for miles. He wasn't sure why he seemed to have a thing for her legs. Maybe it was because of all those skirts she always wore. Even when they weren't dating his eyes always seemed to be glued to her legs whenever she passed by him in a skirt. At the time he scolded himself because it wasn't cool to sexually objectify your best friend. However, Emma wasn't just his best friend anymore. She was way more and she told him that she didn't mind him looking at her that way. Peter was kind of proud of the fact that Emma looked at him the same way too. He wasn't alone in his feelings.
The teenage boy's eyes ran up his girlfriend's backside, taking a moment to appreciate that too, before his eyes stopped on the area of bare skin that showed off her midriff as she stretched. Her shirt rode up a bit as she continued to stretch and Peter was left in a strange kind of stupor as he stared at Emma's soft and pale skin. At the moment, she seemed oblivious to the fact that she had his attention. Emma was too excited and focused to pay any attention to Peter's staring. However, there were two people who were more than aware of Peter staring at the blonde. In fact, they found Peter's staring to be more interesting than the fact that the Viper Assassin and Winter Soldier were about to fight. They were so interested in Peter's staring that they watched him watch Emma. Sam shook his head in disbelief as he glared at the kid who was ogling Emma and smacked him on the back of his head.
"Ow!" Peter exclaimed in surprise as Sam smacked him. He had had just been reminiscing about the other day when Emma had allowed him to stick his hand under her shirt and feel her up. Her skin was so soft and smooth under his touch. His less than appropriate thoughts had then been interrupted by Sam's hand. The teenage boy glared at the man as he rubbed the back of his head. "What the hell was that for?"
"What do you think you're doing, Spider-Boy?" Sam said sarcastically as he continued to glare at the sixteen year old boy who he had just caught eye fucking his best friend's granddaughter. "I'm not an idiot. I saw what you were doing."
"I wasn't doing anything." Peter said as he lied horribly. Sam clenched his jaw while Natasha just smirked. Whatever was going on between this kid and Emma, whether it was a summer fling or something more, was slowly coming more and more to light. It wouldn't be long before everyone else figured out the same thing she did. Natasha honestly had no idea how Emma thought she could ever keep this a secret. This boy was clearly a horrible liar and wouldn't know what the definition of discreet was even if it hit him in the face.
"Oh, so I was just mistaken when I saw you taking her clothes off with your eyes." Sam accused as he crossed his arms. Peter blushed as he tried to deny what he had been doing.
"I wasn't! I swear!" Peter insisted but Sam wasn't buying it.
"In your dreams, kid. It's never going to happen. Emma will cut your hands off before she lets you touch her." Sam told him, seeming confident in what he was saying. Peter smirked at the man as he said that because it already happened. Emma was his girlfriend and she actually seemed more than fine with him touching her. She even enjoyed it when he touched her…she enjoyed it a lot actually. However, he remembered what Emma said about running his mouth all the time. She'd probably kill him if he let out the truth about their relationship.
"What hell are you smirking at, Spider-Boy?" Sam demanded as he noticed the stupid little smirk on the kid's face. Peter forced the smirk away as he tried to push thoughts of what him and Emma did when they were alone together out of his mind.
"Nothing." Peter said innocently and Sam just narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the smug little bastard.
"I've got my eye on you, Spider-Boy. One wrong move and you're dead." Sam threatened as he poked Peter's chest, trying to get his point across. Peter tried to pretend he didn't know what Sam was talking about.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Wilson." Peter said as he tried to lie like Emma but unfortunately he didn't seem to be as skilled at lying as she was. Sam scoffed.
"Mr. Wilson, my ass." Sam grumbled as he then walked off to go watch Emma and Bucky's sparring session from the other side of the room. He couldn't stand to be around that smug little bastard for one more second. What was up with the stupid smirk on the kid's face anyways? What did he have to be so smug about? Emma wouldn't touch that little dork with a ten foot pole. She was too smart to become involved with some stupid little kid.
"My advice for you is to be careful where you look when you're around Steve and Bucky." Natasha told the teenage boy with a small smirk on her face. Peter looked at the woman in surprise. He didn't know what she was talking about. Careful where he looked?
"W-What do you m-mean?" Peter stuttered, taken back by Natasha's random statement. Natasha just continued to smirk at the boy. In a way she kind of reminded him of Emma when she smirked like that.
"I'm just telling you to keep your eyes to yourself whenever Steve and Bucky are around." Natasha told him innocently but her smirk spoke volumes. "If Barnes catches you staring at Emma's ass like that he'll probably try to kill you. Try and be more discreet." Peter blushed vibrantly as he started to panic.
"I-I wasn't staring…I mean, I'm not-" Peter stuttered and Natasha just shook her head at him.
"You're a terrible liar, Peter." Natasha told him before she went to join Sam on the other side of the room. Peter could only watch in disbelief as the older woman walked off. She actually knew about them? She knew there was something going on between him and Emma? Oh god, Emma was going to be so pissed at him. She was going to withhold their alone time together, wasn't she? Damn it. It was already difficult enough with them hiding their relationship and now this too.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Bucky asked her with a cocky smirk on his face. "May I remind you that I'm the experienced one." Emma scoffed but she smiled at her father nonetheless.
"May I remind you that I'm the more superior one." Emma retorted, referring to the fact that her super soldier serum was far more advanced than his. Bucky just chuckled.
"That means nothing compared to experience." Bucky told her before giving her a knowing look. "Don't even try those dirty little tricks of yours. That pretending to be hurt thing doesn't work on me. It never has." Peter crossed his arms as he heard Emma's father say that. He was a little bitter at knowing that her father was too smart to fall for those tricks Emma liked to pull. Peter fell for those tricks of hers every single time. How could he not?
"We'll see about that." Emma told him before she got into position. Her heart was beating fast but only because she was excited to finally fight with her father after so long. Bucky got into the stance too as he tried to prepare himself to attack her. He was a little hesitant because he remembered how vicious Emma could be when sparring. She loved to win and she would resort to any means necessary to win. He was glad she was that way because that's what he taught her.
Bucky grew close to her and Emma let him at first. He moved slowly at first, closing the distance between them, before he attacked first and threw his fist in the direction of her face. Emma anticipated this move and quickly ducked his punch. However, Bucky also seemed to count on her dodging the attack so he took advantage of the situation and threw another punch but only this time he hit her in the ribs. Emma winced from the strength of his punch and she knew that he wasn't holding back like Peter always seemed to. Emma was more than ecstatic about this.
Bucky went to hit her again, with his vibranium arm, but Emma quickly grabbed his wrist with both hands. His vibranium arm was strong and she even struggled quite a bit as he held it away from her. In her midst of struggling, Bucky quickly hit her with his other arm and Emma stumbled to the ground.
However, she was quick to recover as she rolled over and got back on her feet. Bucky stalked over to her but before he could reach him, she charged at him and kicked him harshly in the stomach. Bucky instantly fell to the floor from the force of her kick.
"Need some help, old man?" Emma asked smugly as Bucky quickly got up from the floor. He glared at his smug daughter.
"I'll show you who's an old man." Bucky grumbled as he quickly went at her again.
Emma teasing her father was just another strategy of hers. He used to be cold and calculated but he was different now which she had been counting on. He had the old Bucky Barnes' short temper so Emma knew the best way in defeating him was taunting him so that she could piss him off. His movements would be sloppier if he was pissed off. This was actually something that her father hadn't taught her. It was something Natasha taught her instead.
"Can you even punch anymore? Or have you forgotten that as well?" Emma mocked and Bucky growled as he threw another punch at her but she quickly dodged it.
Her strategy in pissing him off seemed to be working since his movements were remarkably sloppier. This teasing thing was a different strategy than what she normally used against Peter. She knew her father wasn't as scared of hurting her as Peter was because her father knew that she wasn't fragile. Emma treated her father the same way because she knew he wasn't fragile either.
"I don't remember you being this annoying." Bucky muttered as he tried to land another punch but Emma dodged it once more and countered it with a hit to his jaw. He grunted as he stumbled back from her punch. She really didn't hold back with that one, did she?
Emma took advantage of his state of surprise as she roughly pushed him to the floor with all the strength she could muster which was a lot. Bucky grunted as he hit the floor. It seemed like he had the upper hand in the beginning but now Emma was really kicking his ass. It was a blow to his ego that he was currently getting his ass handed to him by a sixteen year old girl but he knew Emma was a lot stronger than she looked. He knew that better than anyone.
Bucky didn't have time to get back up as Emma pounced on him. He groaned in pain because she was heavier than he remembered her being. It shouldn't have been a surprise since it had been years since they had done this. She immediately landed multiple punches to his ribs with enhanced speed. Her fist moved so fast that it was almost a blur.
One.
Two.
Three.
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Six.
The rapid speed she used when punching him would've shattered the ribcage of a normal human but Bucky was positive that he would just be very bruised in the morning. Bucky then used all the strength he could gather to throw her off of him. She fell harshly to the ground. Bucky didn't waste any time retaliating as he hovered over her and attempted to pin her down to the ground to end the fight. He was actually able to hold her there for a while. Emma struggled underneath him as Bucky used all his strength to hold her there.
"That new metal arm of yours is pretty strong." Emma told him as she struggled against his strong grip. Bucky smirked at her.
"I know…I think I like it." Bucky told her and Emma just smirked back at him.
"Too bad it's not strong enough." Emma told him with a snide tone and Bucky's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"What-" He started to ask but he never got to finish as Emma immediately kneed him in the groin harshly.
Bucky grunted as she immediately flipped him over so that he was the one on the ground. He tried to recover quickly but Emma stopped him as she managed to get her arm around his neck. Bucky tried to get up but Emma immediately threw one of her legs over his to keep him locked into place. The more he struggled, the more Emma tightened her grip as she kept him locked in a chokehold.
"Surrender." Emma told him softly and Bucky continued to struggle in her unbelievably strong grip. He didn't want to admit defeat. Bucky had a feeling Sam would make fun of him if he surrendered.
"No." He managed to utter and Emma just tightened her arm even more around his neck. Bucky was really struggling to catch his breath at this point as he tried to get out from under her.
"Don't embarrass yourself, Papa." Emma said and Bucky made a face of disdain by the smugness he heard in her voice. She was just as smug now as she was back then. It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed.
"You're a real brat, you know that?" Bucky wheezed as he tried prying himself from her grip. It was too bad that Emma had him sitting on his vibranium arm because he could really use the thing right now. Sam and Peter were unsure whether or not they should step in at this point. Bucky really seemed to be struggling for breath. Maybe this was going too far. Natasha, however, looked very entertained.
"Admit that I won." Emma told him and he just knew that she was smirking again. Bucky gritted his teeth as he finally began to cave into her. It looked like he had probably embarrassed himself anyways. Sam was sure going to give him hell for this one.
"Fine. You won." Bucky finally relented and a satisfied smile came over Emma's face. She loosened her grip around his neck before she leaned over and gently planted a kiss on the tip of his nose. Nothing would be alarming if it hadn't been for the chokehold she had her father in less than fifteen seconds before. Sam and Peter watched the scene in utter shock while Natasha just looked at Emma and Bucky curiously. Emma got up from the ground and Bucky followed suit as he also stood to his feet.
"You've gotten stronger since last time." Bucky said, sounding impressed with his daughter. Emma smiled at him.
"Or maybe you've just gotten weaker." Emma told him and Bucky just shook his head in amusement before Sam came up to the both of them.
"What's this, Barnes? You just got your ass handed to you by a sixteen year old girl." Sam said as he snickered at the former Hydra assassin. Bucky glared at him.
"She's a very strong sixteen year old girl in case you haven't noticed." Bucky grumbled.
"Whatever, man. That was the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. You don't know how rich you just made me…although I think Barton's probably pissed he lost the bet."
"You were betting on us?" Bucky questioned incredulously and Sam just grinned at him.
"Yes but that's not the point. The point I'm making is that Barton was stupid enough to believe that you could actually beat Emma." Sam told him as he threw his arm around Bucky's shoulders. Emma's father eyed the man's arm like he secretly wanted to chop it off. Sam then led Bucky away as he continued to tease him about his defeat. Emma watched her father in amusement but wasn't left alone long before Peter walked up to her. She smiled at him and he smiled back at her. He only spoke to her when her father and Sam were far enough away that they wouldn't hear them.
"You did really great back there." Peter told her, breaking the silence. Emma looked over at him, her smile morphing into a smirk.
"Well, maybe this will teach you not to be so fragile with me next time we train. I can handle myself." Emma told him and Peter rolled his eyes.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Emma. I don't hold back." Peter denied and Emma scoffed.
"I'll believe that when I see it." She told him and Peter knew that he was never going to convince her that he wasn't holding back. In a way she was right. It was just impossible for him to ever use his full strength with her. She was fragile compared to him and Peter didn't want to ever hurt her.
"I still think that you were amazing just now. Sometimes I forget what you're capable of. You really destroyed your dad." Peter told her quietly and Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Is that a bad thing?" Emma asked him curiously and Peter just smiled before shaking his head.
"No. I was actually…." Peter said before trailing off. Emma gave him a curious look.
"You were what?" She questioned and Peter blushed, looking embarrassed before finally answering her.
"I was a little turned on." He said very quietly before avoiding her gaze. Emma gave him a disgusted look.
"You were turned on by me fighting my father?" She questioned and Peter's eyes widened before he furiously shook his head.
"No. Not that." Peter was quick to deny before explaining himself. "I wasn't turned on by you fighting your father in particular but I was more turned on by you…um…just taking down a guy twice your size. It was really cool, I guess. It was even uh…sexy." Emma gave him an amused look as he seemed to retreat into himself, thinking that she must've thought he was weird now. She just couldn't believe he actually said the word "sexy". It wasn't like her cute little Parker to be confident enough to tell her that he thought she was sexy but Emma thought she liked this more confident side of him.
"You're into some kinky shit, Parker." Emma told him and Peter blushed more.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out or anything. I was just-" Emma interrupted his rambling as she laughed at him, taking the teenage boy by surprise. However, he didn't think there was ever a day that went by that Emma didn't do something to surprise him.
"Relax, Peter. I'm just teasing you." Emma said, her eyes gleaming with humor. "If it's any consolation, I happen to find you very sexy too." Peter stared at him in bewilderment. Emma found him to be…sexy? He obviously knew that she was attracted to him but she thought he was sexy as well. Peter didn't really think there was anything about him that was sexy.
"Really?" Peter asked in surprise and Emma nodded unabashedly.
"You know when you're at your sexiest?" Emma inquired and Peter gave her an odd look.
"Not really." Peter said, still not understanding what went on inside Emma's head. He doubted he ever would.
"When you're concentrating so hard on something that there's a little crease that forms in between your eyebrows and your tongue pokes out of your mouth." Emma said nonchalantly and Peter just stared at her in disbelief. He couldn't believe she really said what he thought she just said. That wasn't sexy. That was actually the least sexy thing Peter had ever heard of. Peter didn't even realize that he did that yet Emma apparently liked it.
"Really? That's what turns you on?" Peter asked her and Emma shrugged. That was the weirdest thing Peter had ever heard.
"Pretty much." Emma said although that wasn't entirely true. She also thought it was pretty hot when Peter took a command of a situation but she didn't want to tell him that. She didn't want to give him any ideas. "It's not like you're one to judge, Parker. You just admitted that me fighting men twice my size gives you a boner. That's a pretty weird turn on."
"Emma, why do you have to be so gross about it." Peter complained and Emma rolled her eyes.
"Let's just call it what it is, Peter." Emma told him and Peter just glowered at her.
"I'm regretting even mentioning that one to you." Peter told her and Emma gave him a curious look.
"That one? What do you mean that one?" Emma asked him and Peter blushed again. "What else turns you on?"
"I don't want to say." Peter told her and Emma grew closer to him, causing Peter to gulp. He knew what she was trying to do. She was going to try and seduce him into telling her. That's how she did a lot of things. Well…she wasn't really going to try and seduce him into telling. She was probably going to be successful in seducing him. Peter nervously looked in the direction of her father, remembering the warning Natasha had given him earlier, but he noticed that Emma's father was too preoccupied with laughing at something Sam and Clint said to him. Thank God.
"Please, Peter. For me?" She asked him softly, looking at him with those beautiful blue eyes of hers. Peter knew he was a goner. She was just so hard to say no to sometimes. Emma had him completely wrapped around her finger and she knew it too. He then mumbled his answer but Emma couldn't quite understand what he was saying. "What was that, Peter?"
"I said that I like it when you're bossy too." Peter said quietly, looking very embarrassed but Emma just thought he was cute. It was true though. Peter really did like it when Emma bossed him around. Ned would probably make fun of him for it but Peter loved how bossy his girlfriend could be at times. Well, she was bossy all the time but Peter loved her for it. Emma just smiled at him as she rested her hands upon his shoulders. Peter wanted more than anything to just grab her and kiss her senseless. The urge was overwhelming as she looked back at him.
"If you want I can boss you around right now." Emma said flirtatiously and Peter swallowed hard. He really wished she wouldn't flirt with him like that with her father in the room. It was obvious that Emma's father wasn't paying any attention to them but this was still dangerous. He wanted nothing more than to rush her off to his or her room so that they could be alone together. It wasn't a foreign concept. Whenever their flirting had taken a turn like this, they usually always hurried off to one of their rooms for privacy but that just wasn't possible now.
"Emma, don't do this to me right now." Peter whined and Emma feigned a sad look.
"Oh, is my poor little Parker horny? I'm sorry." Emma teased and Peter realized then just how evil his girlfriend could be. She was really going to get him killed if she kept flirting with him like that. He wasn't going to be able to stop himself from grabbing her and kissing her until she was dizzy which would only cause her father to kill him right where he stood. However, before Peter could say as much, their flirting was interrupted by someone unexpected. Well, someone unexpected to Emma at least.
"If I were you two I would turn the flirting down a notch." Natasha told the both of them seriously. Peter blushed in embarrassment while Emma just stared at her in surprise. "The sexual tension in the room is really thick and the only reason your father hasn't sensed it is because apparently he's blind and stupid."
"What?" Emma questioned, still shocked from Natasha basically telling her that she knew about the relationship. The platinum woman just smirked at the two teenagers.
"You are two of the most obvious people I've ever met. I figured out your little secret in two days." Natasha told them, looking amused. "Really, Emma. I'm disappointed. I thought you were more discreet than that."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Emma said coolly and Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Right. Well, I'm not going to tell anyone or anything so don't worry." Natasha reassured them before continuing. "I'll just look the other way the next time your boyfriend decides to stare at your ass for ten minutes straight." Natasha then walked away, as if nothing had happened, leaving the two teenagers by themselves. They both stared after her for a moment before Emma turned to Peter who looked like he wanted to crawl inside a hole and never come out. The words that then came out of her mouth made him really wish that he was somewhere else.
"You were staring at my ass?"