Some Things Never Sleep

by Lucky Strike's alter ego

"You never learn when to quit, Spider-Twerp." She told him. "Spider-Twerp?" Spider-Man questioned in disbelief as he glared. Emma smirked. "Well, you annoyingly seem to get in my way all the time. That and you don't look or sound like a man to me." She explained. "I am a man." He told her angrily. "Somehow I doubt that." The first time Emma and Peter met didn't exactly go well.

87. Chapter Seventy Nine

Author's Note: So I'm really sorry about another long wait before updating. Especially after such a large chapter like the last one. Obviously that chapter was really dark and I kind of needed a break from writing such dark material as lame as that sounds. I also got a job so that's taken up a lot of my time. I really want my update schedule to be more consistent now that there's only about three to four chapters of the story left(not including the epilogue) after this chapter.

Did you guys see Captain Marvel? It explained so much about everything. I loved how Fury lost his eye. That was genius. I also loved Carol's cockiness. I just found that awesome and I feel like she and Emma could get along a lot in the future. I'm also thinking of someday making them really good friends. They'd have an interesting dynamic.

The movie might also mess with a couple things in my story but I've kind of worked that out.

Important Message!

SPOILERS FOR CAPTAIN MARVEL INCLUDED IN THIS MESSAGE SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE THEN SkIP THIS MESSAGE!

The Timeline of the Tesseract in the STNS Universe:

1942- Johann Schmidt steals the Tesseract from devout Asgardian worshippers in Tonsberg and uses it to develop advanced weaponry for Hydra.

1945- Howard Stark retrieves the Tesseract from arctic waters after searching for Steve Rogers. Howard Stark keeps the Tesseract and Shield later takes official possession of it while Howard experiments with it's energy to develop new technology and a new super soldier serum(AKA Emma's super soldier serum).

1984- After creating, what Howard hoped was, a successful super soldier serum and beginning the process for readying the serum for human trials for government testing, Howard then returns the Tesseract back to Shield as he oversees perfecting the serum until it's ready by his standards.

1985- Shield lends the Tesseract to Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S. in exchange for all their notes on their research and their plans for developing a light speed engine.

1989- Kree scientist Mar-Vell, disguised as human scientist Dr. Wendy Lawson, decides to test the finished light speed engine that was created with the Tesseract. Air Force Pilot Carol Danvers volunteers to fly the prototype aircraft and during their test flight the two are ambushed by the Kree. They crash and when Danvers destroys the power core, she is exposed to Tesseract energy and receives her powers from it.

1991- Howard and Maria Stark are assassinated by the Winter Soldier in the service of Hydra in order to steal Howard Stark's super soldier serum created with Tesseract energy. Hydra tests this serum on their elite squad of deadly assassins who soon become incapable of psychologically accepting the serum and are driven to madness by the side effects of the serum. The squad of assassins are soon put in the Cyro-Chamber until Hydra can figure out how to fix the problem which they never do.

1995-Carol Danvers retrieves the Tesseract from Mar-Vell's laboratory. Goose swallows the Tesseract and keeps it safe before she at some point regurgitates it on Fury's desk at Shield headquarters.

1997- Alexander Pierce "borrows" the Tesseract from Shield's vaults and gives it to Shield/Hydra scientists to develop advanced weaponry, continuing Johann Schmidt's plans from the 1940s. They experiment with the Tesseract under Shield's nose for several years before storing their weapons for safekeeping in preparation for Project Insight.

2008- Emma Rogers is injected with Howard Stark's super soldier serum and the injection is successful, making her the second human to be exposed to Tesseract energy without any severe consequences like her predecessors at Hydra. Although, she is exposed to a much smaller dose of Tesseract Energy than Carol Danvers.

2012- After Shield conducts more research on the Tesseract, Loki steals it and uses it to open a wormhole into space for a Chitauri invasion. Natasha Romanoff was also able to use the Tesseract to close said wormhole and the Tesseract was returned to Thor. It goes with him and Loki back to Asgard.

2013- The Tesseract is used to repair the Rainbow Bridge and Heimdall is tasked with looking after it but that changes when Loki disguises himself as Odin, charging Heimdall with treason. The Tesseract is then placed in Odin's vault.

2017- During the final fall of Hydra, The Avengers cease Hydra's weapons powered by Tesseract Energy and destroy them all.

Notice I don't include anything after the current point in the story because I definitely don't want to reveal any spoilers for my own story.

I have to say I totally wasn't expecting Carol to be exposed to Tesseract Energy much like Emma was which is kind of a happy coincidence that I think I can make work in my story. It definitely gives me a new insight into what Emma's newfound powers could look like but I'm not going to make her exactly the same as Carol. I don't think she'll be as powerful because Emma was injected with a small, concentrated dose of Tesseract Energy while Carol was basically exposed to a blast of Tesseract Energy. That's all I'll say for now.

END OF SPOILERS!

WARNING!

I'm also going to say that this chapter is very much rated M. There's not an actual sex scene in it but towards the end it gets kind of smutty. I think you'll know when so just skip it if you don't like reading that. I'm always a little worried about steamier parts of the story because I always worry if I put too much or too little. But this story is rated M, after all, so I guess it should be expected anyways.

Now onto the reviews…

I've recently made the decision to just answer the guest reviewers on the author's note because otherwise it takes hours to write responses to reviewers. I should've done this ages ago but I think I started this story when I barely had a couple reviewers but I have six pages of reviews now so I can't even imagine how long this author's note would be. I probably should've updated sooner. Not that I'm not grateful for the reviews because I really am. Believe me when I say how much I love reviews and how much they can motivate me. You guys are the best readers ever and I appreciate every review you send me. Reviews are kind of like my drug, I guess. So anyways...I'll probably go back and respond to a lot of reviews from last chapter since I didn't come up with this decision until now. So if you get a response to a review that you don't remember writing, that's because I make last minute decisions.

Geena: Thank you so much! I spend so much time and effort writing the last chapter which is probably one of the longest chapters of the story so that means a lot.

Rose Holland: I think Peter might be a little more than okay as you'll read in this chapter. He's not an average human so a couple bullets aren't going to keep him down.

Key: I'm glad you love the story so much! I'm really happy where I ended things with Rumlow. I feel like now that Emma's move on in that way that she can be more happy and leave her past in her past. The stuff that happened in Hydra will always affect her but she can still move on somewhat and be happy. Steve also needed to be the one to do it in my opinion because he's probably been hurt the most by everything Hydra did to his family if you think about it. I also thought it would show a different side of him. There will be more Emma, Peter, and Tony moments to come. There's not a lot of Tony or Steve in this chapter but there will be more in the next. There's plenty of Bucky, May, Emma, and Peter though. Thor will probably find Emma and Loki's friendship disturbing as many will. I love the idea of them having kids too so hopefully someday I might reach that point in this story. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have the amount of kids they have planned out as well as the genders and names.

anonanon: I know it started off kind of slow but I felt like Emma and Peter needed to have a talk before shit went down and especially since they didn't get a talk in the last chapter. I didn't want to compromise Peter's personality or morals which is why I didn't have him be the one who killed Rumlow. I didn't really want to do that to him because I felt like it would change him too much.

eager reader: I mean, there definitely won't be anything creepy going on between Emma and Loki in the Ragnarok storyline since Emma's underage and Loki's like two thousand years old(I can't remember if it was one thousand or two). Emma did happen to have a low-key crush on Loki which all the Avengers found disturbing so it'll kind of be like her meeting her idol. Loki might like how insane Emma is and how different she is from the Avengers. I want to write the AU where Emma and Loki are a couple before Peter steals her away badly so there's definitely chemistry there but nothing to worry about. So there's a tiny sneak peek into the sequel.

Ayytekashi69: I used to have a more consistent update schedule which was once a week but lately I've been slacking off because of life so I kind of update whenever I can. I know that's terrible but my life has gotten pretty busy lately. Thank you! I'm glad you're a fan.

Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! I really appreciate it. Thanks for all the follows and favorites too which I say every chapter but I legitimately mean it. You guys are the best. Please let me know what you think of the new chapter.

---

It felt like hours.

That was the only thought that registered in Emma's mind as the Quinjet headed for the compound at top speed. It still wasn't fast enough for her liking. Not as she was forced to do nothing but stand at Peter's bedside and hope that he didn't start convulsing. One time during the journey he gave her a fright when he started puking in his unconscious state. She had to turn him over so he wouldn't choke on his own vomit.

Tony had been busy on the phone trying to get the best surgeon in New York over to the compound. He was able to pull some strings and call in some favors but Emma hadn't paid much attention to what Tony was doing. She was too caught up in the paleness of Peter's face to trouble herself with Tony. Emma was sure Clint was busy piloting the Quinjet too. Autopilot mode didn't go at the speed they were going so they needed a human pilot. Clint seemed to do the trick but he wasn't piloting the Quinjet fast enough for Emma's liking.

After Tony got off the phone, he came over to take a look at Peter.

Probably to have Friday check his vitals.

Emma didn't really know.

He spoke to her but it sounded like he was underwater. Her attention was solely on Peter so anything Tony might've told her went right over her head. She was even vaguely aware of the fact that he rested his hand on her shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. Something that brought her little to no comfort at all.

When they finally landed Tony and herself quickly rushed him off the Quinjet with Peter still passed out on the hospital bed. The aircraft had only barely touched the ground as Emma and Tony wheeled the hospital bed down the ramp and onto the landing pad.

There was already a team of people waiting there, a surgeon ahead of the small crowd of people. Emma assumed this was the surgeon Tony called in. He must've had Pepper fly her over to the compound. That explained how fast the surgeon had gotten there.

The surgeon and her team of staff on hand quickly took the hospital bed from Emma and Tony before running with it as they hurried Peter off to the medical ward of the compound. Emma and Tony chased after them, ignoring confused looks from Rhodey, Vision, and Sam who didn't quite know what was going on. They had been informed of an injury that had occured on the mission but they hadn't known anything other than that...until now.

Emma and Tony followed the surgeon and her staff until they rushed Peter off into a separate room within the medical ward. One of the staff told them they'd have to wait outside so here Emma and Tony were waiting outside the room, while the surgeon and her staff performed the surgery, forced to just watch from a window outside. Poor May had fainted when she heard the news of Peter's injury so Helen Cho had taken her to the medical ward where she was currently passed out on one of the beds.

As if Emma didn't already feel like the worst person ever…

"He's going to be fine, Emma," Tony told her but it also sounded like he was reassuring himself, not just her, when he said that. "You know how fast Peter heals."

"But he's not immune to bullets, is he?" Emma snapped and Tony watched as her sudden anger faded just as soon as it appeared. A certain sadness seemed to come over her as she started crying. The way she cried surprised Tony because he had never seen her cry before. Not like this, at least, and not at this age. He had seen her cry as a baby and had only seen a tear or two shed from her face as an older person...a near woman.

However, he had never seen her break down into tears like this.

"I'm sorry, Tony," Emma said as she cried, her face wet with tears. She tried to hide herself from Tony out of embarrassment, turning her back on him as she rested her hand against the window into the surgery room, but Tony could see her shoulders shaking as she cried. "It's not your fault. It's...it's mine."

"Emma-" Tony tried to tell her and Emma shook her head furiously.

"It is my fault, Tony. I went after Rumlow and he followed me," Emma told him, looking more hysterical than Tony ever thought she could be. "I didn't mean for him to follow me but he still did. God, why did he do that?"

"Emma, calm down," Tony tried to tell her but she wasn't any closer to calming down.

"It's all my fault that he's in there. What if they can't fix him? What if he d-dies?" Emma said worriedly. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

Tony didn't hesitate this time in wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. Emma, for once, didn't stiffen or threaten him like she normally did. In fact, she buried her face into his shoulder and just cried. Tony held her there, stroking her back soothingly like he did once when she was a toddler. She had only been three at the time and he was stuck watching her while Steven and Margot had a date night. Emma had a nightmare and Tony was forced to comfort her.

He knew she didn't remember but he always would.

This was just like then.

"He's not going to die. I've got the best surgeon in the country, probably the world, working on him," Tony whispered softly to her as Emma cried in his arms. "I'll make sure he doesn't die."

"It's all my fault," She continued to cry and Tony shook his head.

"No, it's not," Tony said, not wanting Emma to blame herself for any of this. She would only manage to make herself feel worse in the process.

"I'm supposed to take care of him," Emma cried, sniffled and Tony pulled away to look back at her. Tears were streaming down her face as Tony looked her in the eyes, maintaining eye contact to make sure that Emma didn't look away.

"It's not your job to take care of him. It's mine," Tony told her gruffly, trying to make sure she listened to him and not blame herself. He kind of knew that would be asking the impossible but he had to try. "If it's anyone's fault then it's mine."

"He's going to be okay, Emma," Tony said but it was almost like he was trying to reassure himself once more. "Peter's strong. He'll pull through."

"I don't know what I'll do if he dies. Tony, I can't be without him," Emma said, sounding incredibly terrified. It seemed like Rumlow had escaped her mind in the midst of worrying about Peter. Emma now felt incredibly stupid for ever thinking Rumlow could be more important than Peter.

Now Peter was paying the price for her stupidity.

"Listen to me, Emma," Tony told her seriously. "He's not going to die. It's going to be okay."

Emma didn't know how long she just stood there, looking into the medical ward of the facility, as she tried to see how the doctors were working on Peter. It was difficult to see anything because there was curtains drawn as well as people moving around the room as they began operating on the young hero. Emma couldn't see him but she knew he was in there.

"They told me Peter's injured. Where is he?" May Parker asked frantically as she rushed into into the hallway outside the medical ward. She must've woken up from her unconscious state. Emma and Tony looked back at the worried looking woman in surprise, not having expected to see her there.

Emma felt at a loss for words as she stared at May.

This was the woman who she promised she'd look after her nephew. Emma felt that it was difficult to now look at May because she had failed so spectacularly. She swallowed hard but remained silent as she waited for the inevitable look of blame and resentment for when May found out that Emma had failed in protecting Peter.

Tony took a deep breath before taking a few long strides to the panicked looking aunt.

"The mission was a success but Peter managed to get injured in the process," Tony said as he tried to break the news softly to her. There wasn't really a way to break news like this though.

"Where. Is. He?" May demanded, her eyes narrowing into a glare as she looked at Tony. The billionaire had a guilt ridden look on his face before he finally said the news he was hesitant in sharing with her. He already knew how May was going to react.

"He's in surgery," Tony finally told the brunette woman who just stared silently at him. "He took three gunshots in the abdomen."

It was silent for all but two minutes before May slapped Tony.

Even Emma flinched in surprise at the sound of the slap but Tony remained unmoving. Almost as if he were expecting it. It probably wouldn't be the first time he had been slapped by a woman but Emma could tell that Tony was feeling very guilty.

"You promised me that you would protect him," May said, tears falling from her eyes as she looked between Tony and the window into the medical ward. Her view of Peter was obstructed by curtains and numerous doctors but she knew he was in there.

"I know," Tony said quietly, looking as guilty as he probably felt. May just shook her head, trying to find some calmness in herself before asking about how serious his condition was. She couldn't afford to be pissed at Tony right now. Not when Peter was in there with gunshot wounds.

"What's his condition? Is it serious?" May questioned, wondering if she was a terrible aunt for letting her nephew doing the crime fighting thing in the first place. What was she thinking? He was sixteen. What was she thinking letting him walk into danger like that? What would Ben have said?

"It's three gunshots in his abdomen so it's pretty bad. Normally it would've been worst but Peter has an amazing healing factor," Tony told her despite the guilt he felt in failing both Peter and May. "They just need to remove the bullets before they do any internal damage but I've got the best surgeon in the country on it and an amazing team of doctors here in the compound so he's going to be alright."

"Really?" May asked, still looking worried and Tony nodded.

"He's only been in there for ten minutes so it'll still be a little while but he's going to be fine," Tony told her, fully believing that Peter would be just fine like he told Emma. "He's Peter. A couple bullets aren't going to take him down."

May nodded again, taking in this information while at the same time trying not to have a panic attack.

"Okay...so now we wait," May said and Tony nodded.

"Now we wait," Tony confirmed. May didn't say anything as she leaned up against the wall and looked through the window. It was no use because they still couldn't see anything but May knew he was in there so she'd wait here until his surgery was over.

Emma watched May quietly from the other side of Tony. She knew that May's anger and slap should've been meant for her. Not Tony.

It wasn't Tony's fault that Peter got injured. It was Emma's fault for even going after Rumlow in the first place. She should've known Peter would follow her no matter what because she would've done the same thing for him. He had taken three bullets for her and now he was paying the price.

Emma just hoped that nothing went wrong during the surgery. She would never be able to live with herself if something happened to Peter because of her. Tony tried to take her guilt away but it wasn't working. She still felt guilty for putting Peter's life on the line like that because she was being selfish in wanting revenge against Rumlow.

What would she say to Peter when he woke up?

If he woke up...

---

Peter's surgery was officially over about an hour and a half later.

The surgeon told May that he was going to be just fine although it might be a short while before he woke up. He just needed to rest until then but he was already healing incredibly fast due to his healing factor so it wouldn't be long before he woke up.

Steve, her father, Wanda, and T'Challa had returned to the compound after Vision and Rhodey took another one of the Quinjets to Hydra Headquarters to finish overseeing the clean up of the building. Emma, however, had no time to see Steve and her father. She was too preoccupied with how Peter was doing and she knew Steve and her father were just fine anyways.

The blonde slowly made her way into the recovery room of the medical ward. She had been waiting anxiously for the opportunity to finally see Peter. Emma decided to let May have time with him before she intruded. Well, that and Emma felt afraid of how May might look at her if she walked into the recovery room to see Peter. Emma imagined accusatory looks which would make her feel even more worthless.

When Emma finally walked into the recovery room, she was taken back by the sight of him.

Peter lay asleep, seemingly peaceful if not for the angry looking bruises on his face and gunshot wounds, in the hospital bed. It seemed like the doctor had dressed him up in the compound's version of a hospital gown which was really probably just sweats and a plain white t-shirt. He was hooked up to a heart monitor which was showcasing a steady heart rate.

Peter didn't look nearly as bad as he looked before. Some of the color was returning to his cheeks instead of how pale he looked before when he was bleeding out in her arms. Emma knew this was more than likely due to his healing factor. She wished his healing factor was faster like hers was because she was going insane with worry.

"Emma, you're here," May said from Peter's bedside as she gave the teenage girl a small smile. Emma stared at her with an unreadable look on her face. She expected a lot of looks from May but a smile was definitely not what she had been expecting. Angry and accusatory looks but not something in the form of a small, encouraging smile.

"Hi," Emma said quietly as she walked into the room and gave Peter a long look. "How is he?"

"He's looking better than before. The doctor said that he's going to make a full recovery so I'm hoping that he'll be just fine," May told her as Emma found that she was unable to tear her gaze away from him. "They managed to get all the bullets out. They said he'll probably wake up soon. Probably tonight."

"That's good," Emma said, taking a seat in the one next to May's.

"I was so worried about him," May said, staring longingly at her nephew's face. "He's going to be fine but I'm wondering if I'm a terrible aunt for letting him do this in the first place."

"You're not a terrible aunt," Emma told the older woman, quick to correct her. "Peter's always been a do-gooder. Probably before the spider bite too, right?"

"Yes, he was," May said, smiling a bit at the thought of her kind nephew. "He's always wanted to save everyone. People, animals...everyone."

"Your nephew's really stubborn," Emma said sadly, knowing the truth behind her statement better than anyone.

Peter, why couldn't you have stayed behind like I wanted?

Why did you have to go after me?

"I know he is," May said, sounding a little amused and Emma all of a sudden felt overcome with that familiar feeling of guilt. She didn't know why May was being so nice to her. Emma didn't deserve it.

"What happened to Peter isn't Tony's fault," Emma told May who looked confused. "It's my fault."

"What?" May questioned and Emma nodded, not quite meeting May in the eye.

"I'm the one who wanted to go after Rumlow. We were supposed to stay on the Quinjet but I went after Rumlow and Peter followed me," Emma told her and May was surprised to see the normally calm blonde's eyes flooding with tears. "I locked him behind a door to try and keep him from following me but he must've found a way through. Those bullets were meant for me. They weren't meant for him so don't be mad at Tony. I'm the one responsible."

Emma expected May to become angry at her. To yell at her or maybe even slap her like she slapped Tony earlier. However, May did no such thing. She just gave Emma a sympathetic look.

"I don't blame you, Emma," The brunette woman told her much to Emma's surprise. "I was only mad at Tony because I wanted someone to blame."

"But Peter got shot because of me," Emma tried to tell her but May shook her head.

"My nephew is remarkably stubborn, Emma. It's a Parker family trait so you better get used to it. His father and uncle were the same way," May told the blonde sadly as she looked back at her. "You can't tell him what to do and expect that he'll listen. My only comfort is the fact that I think you're stubborn too so you won't let him get away with everything."

"I should've protected him better. I promised you that I would-" Emma started to say but May stopped her before she could finish.

"It's kind of hard to protect someone who's hell-bent on protecting you," May pointed out before continuing. "He told me about what that man Rumlow did to you."

Emma swallowed hard before glancing down at her lap, unable to look May in the eyes.

"How much did he tell you?" Emma asked quietly and May gave her a sad look. It wasn't a look of pity but just a look any person would give a child who had been hurt so much. It was a look full of sympathy and compassion.

"Enough for me to get the picture," May told her, not looking judgemental like how Emma imagined people would look at her after learning the truth. "You've suffered so much in your short life that it breaks my heart. I wish you hadn't."

"Peter loves you a lot, Emma. I don't think you'll ever understand just how much he loves you," May told her as she continued and Emma silently listened to her. "I have to admit that it scares me just how serious things are between you. You're both so young but I also have to acknowledge that you've both found each other in less than ordinary circumstances. It makes sense that everything's that much more serious for the both of you."

"I love him a lot too," Emma told her honestly and May smiled, tears flooding her own brown eyes.

"I know you do," May told her. "I also know that you would do the same thing he did for you today. You've proven that in the past so you'll always have my blessing, Emma."

"I don't always feel like I deserve him. He's too good for me," Emma said sadly, tears streaming down her face which took May by surprise. She had never seen the usually cool and aloof blonde in such an emotional state. It might've brought May some comfort at the same time to know that there was someone else out there now too who cared about her nephew that much.

"I think you do deserve him. Don't belittle yourself, Emma," May told her as she put her arm around the teenage girl and brought her in for a hug. She might've believed that Emma would pull away but she was left surprised as Emma buried her face in May's neck which broke May's heart. This told May that Emma had probably gone a long time without any motherly affection. Every girl needed a mother in May's opinion. "You're not a bad person. You've just been through a lot of bad things."

Emma didn't say anything as she allowed herself to just cry and seek comfort in May's arms. It was a different kind of comfort than what Steve, her father, or even Tony could provide. This was comfort only a mother could give her and it was something Emma hadn't felt since her mother was still alive. Her mother used to hold Emma just like this and whisper sweet-nothings to her so that she'd stop crying. Emma didn't realize that it was a comfort she missed until now.

"It's going to be okay, Emma," May whispered to her softly as she soothingly rubbed Emma's back, knowing the poor girl needed all the love and affection she could get. "He'll wake up in a few hours and you'll see that all these tears were for nothing."

"He's going to be just fine."

Emma really hoped so.

---

Emma didn't know how long she had stared into the cup of coffee she was making for May. It could've been one minute or it could've been an hour. She had been staring into the cup of coffee for the longest time, slowly stirring it with a stirring stick. Emma didn't know what she hoped to find in there but her mind was far away.

"Are you okay?" Emma broke out of her thoughts and turned her head only to see her father standing there with a look of concern on his face.

When did he walk into the lunch room?

Emma hadn't heard him which was odd since she was usually so alert. Everything that happened at Hydra Headquarters seemed to have taken a toll on her. Between Rumlow and then Peter becoming injured, she barely had a moment to herself. Not to mention she only got a couple hours of sleep the night before. Emma was overwhelmingly exhausted.

"I'm fine," Emma lied as she finished stirring the coffee and put a lid on it. Peter had been out of surgery for a few hours now and he still hadn't woken up. This was what had Emma worried because she really just wanted him to wake up so she knew he'd be okay.

"You look really tired. When was the last time you slept?" Her father asked her after noticing the bags under her eyes. Emma shrugged.

"I don't remember. I don't need much sleep anyways," Emma tried to tell him and Bucky immediately frowned.

"You might tell Stark and the others that but I'm like you, Emma. I know that you still need a lot of sleep," He told her and Emma felt her frustration intensify in that moment. "You should go lay down for a while. You won't do anyone any good as exhausted as you are."

"And how can I sleep with Peter up there in his hospital bed still unconscious?!" Emma finally snapped much to Bucky's surprise. "It's not like you care anyways. You're probably disappointed he didn't just bite it in the first place."

"Emma, that's not true," Bucky immediately protested, still a bit taken back at the way she snapped at him. He heard about what happened to Peter when he and Steve finally returned to the compound. To say Bucky felt guilty about the way he acted towards Peter, despite everything, was an understatement. "I'm not happy that he got injured."

"Aren't you? You hate him," Emma said bitterly, still angry with her father for not accepting Peter. "I've never asked much from you and the one time I finally did ask you for something, you shot me down. I told you how much he means to me and how happy he makes me and you don't even care. You acted like I was some silly little girl high on teenage hormones."

"I don't think you're silly. I never have," Bucky said quietly and Emma scoffed.

"It's ironic that we've stolen together, fought together...killed together yet it's a boy you can't approve of," Emma retorted and Bucky flinched at the memory of their past together.

For some reason Emma looked fondly back at their time in Hydra. Not in the service of Hydra but just when they were together out in the field. Like it was normal father-daughter stuff they did together. Bucky looked back at that time and he looked at how much he failed her as a father but also as her mentor.

"He's a part of my life now. Why can't you understand that?"

"Because I'm afraid," Bucky finally blurted and Emma recoiled in surprise. She looked at her father in bewilderment. The former assassin sighed heavily before finally talking to Emma about his feelings which he had kept bottled up for a while. The two were alike in that sense.

"When I was on the run, one of the few things that kept me going was the thought of one day returning to you," Bucky told Emma sadly. "I was trying to get my head together enough for you not to be in any danger around me. I wanted to be better for you."

"Papa, you've always been perfect to me," Emma said softly, feeling sad that he would think he wasn't good enough for her.

"I didn't even know who I was when I left Hydra. I knew you would be better off with Steve and the rest of the Avengers," Bucky told her even though Emma still didn't believe that. "But I promised myself that I would straighten myself out and when we met again I would be the person I used to be. I knew that person was good enough to be your father."

"But then things didn't get that much better," Bucky said as he let her in on his life while he had been on the run. "Who was I kidding? I was a former assassin on the run from the law with zero money to my name. All my memories were like puzzle pieces I tried to fit together but could never get right. Then there was the fact that Hydra's programming never left my brain."

"Papa…" Emma trailed off, not knowing what to say to him but he just continued.

"I lived in Romania for a while...before Steve found me," Bucky told her which Emma kind of already knew. "I did little odd jobs around town to get by. It was nice there, quiet even, and I tried to imagine what it would be like if you lived there with me. Just the two of us. Not as the Winter Soldier and the Viper Assassin but as you and me. Emma and Bucky."

"I think about that a lot too. You, me, and Steve," Emma said softly, knowing deeply within herself that it had always been a dream of hers for all of them to live together peacefully...in a perfect world. "That's all I've ever wanted."

"I just…" Bucky trailed off as he tried to find the right words to say. "I just always pictured us picking up where we left off. I never expected that you would move on with your life with school, friends, and...your boyfriend."

"It's not that I'm not happy that you've moved on because I am. No one deserves more happiness than you but I…" Bucky paused, taking a deep breath before finishing his sentence. "It just scares me how much you've grown up. You have to understand that those days were you barely came up to my hip...well, those days don't feel that far away for me. Especially because of the ice."

"I thought I'd come back and you would still be little but you're not. You're almost a woman now and you have a life without me," Bucky said sadly, causing Emma to finally look at him in understanding. She now knew that this was never about Peter.

It was about her father getting scared that she would leave him behind and cut him out of her life.

"I don't hate Peter. I just don't want to lose you again."

Bucky then looked down at his hands, looking more shy than Emma had ever seen him be before. She now felt stupid for thinking that her father hated Peter for no reason. Things were usually not that simple where her father was concerned. She should've known he felt that way about her because Emma felt similarly about him when she saw Darcy flirting with him. There was a fear that he would move on without her and that scared Emma.

"You're not going to lose me," Emma told him now that she understood the reasoning behind her father not accepting her relationship with Peter. "Papa, I haven't forgotten about you. I've missed you every day since we've been apart and I've never thought you weren't good enough to be my father. You have to stop thinking that you're not good enough. You were there for me when no one else was and I'll never forget that."

"I was always too selfish and-" Bucky started to say but Emma stopped him, giving him a glare.

"Stop talking like that," Emma told him seriously. "I'm tired of you cutting yourself down like that. My childhood might not have been pleasant but I always think that at least I had you through all of it. So don't take that away from me."

"That's not what I meant," Her father told her and Emma shook her head.

"I know but you have to stop acting like you're not good enough for me," Emma said sincerely as she looked him in the eyes. It didn't escape Bucky that she didn't have to look up much to meet his gaze, reminding him yet again that she wasn't a little girl anymore. "People keep telling me about my parents. What good people they were and how much they loved me but it's like they're talking about a couple of strangers. I appreciate what they did for me but I don't know them as my parents. Not really."

"You and Steve are my parents," Emma told Bucky much to his surprise. "I missed you and Steve every day since you were gone. There wasn't a day that went by where I didn't miss the both of you."

"I love Peter and he means a lot to me but he can't replace you and Steve," Emma said, finally being honest with her father just like he had finally been honest with her. "I'm never going to leave you and Steve behind but I'm also not going to leave Peter behind either. He's a part of my life now just like you and Steve are. He's not just some boyfriend. He's my best friend too. Peter's also going to be around for a while so you better get used to him."

"I understand that now and I don't want to ask you to give him up either," Bucky finally said and Emma was hoping that this meant that her father might've finally started coming around to the idea of Peter sticking around. "I'm happy that you're happy. I also appreciate what he did for you. He saved you."

Emma frowned at that, not liking the fact that Peter could've gotten himself killed for her. He should've let that stupid Hydra agent shoot her. She had half a mind to yell at him for his stupidity when he finally woke up. Emma would've rather have been shot than watch him take three bullets for her. It was the worst thing imaginable and that was another reason why Emma didn't want to sleep. She was afraid that she would only be able to see Peter getting shot when she fell asleep.

"I wish he hadn't. I've been shot before. I would've been alright," Emma told him even though Bucky didn't really agree with that.

"I know you feel that way but I don't. I'm grateful for what he did," Her father told her honestly before looking down at the floor, a sad expression crossing his face, as he was filled with guilt and regret. "I'm just sorry he got hurt. I understand now how important he is to you."

"The doctor said that he'll make a full recovery. He's bound to wake up soon but just not soon enough for my liking," Emma said, still looking very worried about her boyfriend. Bucky could sense that so he placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"He'll be alright," Bucky assured her and Emma nodded but she'd rather not think about it at this second. Not when she would have to return to his room soon and see Peter in that hospital bed like before.

"How was the mission anyways?" Emma asked, seeming interested in the mission for the first time since Peter got shot. "Did you...get Rumlow?"

"Rumlow's dead, Emma," Bucky said which surprised Emma as she looked up at him in confusion.

"Did I…" She trailed off without finishing her sentence but Bucky knew what she meant. He shook his head solemnly.

"He was alive when we got to him but Steve and I took care of it," He said quietly and Emma nodded although her mind seemed to be everywhere all at once.

"Oh…" She said quietly. Emma didn't really know how she felt about Rumlow being dead. A few days ago she would've been elated and probably have thrown some kind of victory party but now she just felt numbness. Peter's injury took priority over any feeling she had about Rumlow. She wasn't happy but she wasn't sad either.

Emma just didn't care.

"He won't hurt you ever again," Bucky told her, making sure to leave out the part about Steve going crazy on Rumlow. The former assassin was still reeling from the shock he felt at watching Steve pummel Rumlow to death. Never before had he ever seen his best friend filled with so much rage. Bucky supposed that you could only push a person so far before they'd lose it...even the good ones like Steve.

"I know but all my life he's been looming over my head like a dark cloud," Emma said darkly. "I just don't know what it's like not having that dark cloud there."

"Well, you're going to find out," Bucky said, giving her a small smile and Emma gave him a somewhat hesitant look, not sure if she should share certain information with him.

"I killed the man who shot Peter," Emma finally blurted but Bucky didn't look surprised. He kind of figured what happened when he saw the guy dead on the floor back at Hydra Headquarters. "I don't know what happened. He was there and I was angry then he-"

"Emma, I understand. You've always had a temper and I don't envy anyone who gets between you and your temper," Bucky said softly, interrupting Emma from talking about the mysterious blue energy which had come from her hands.

Maybe she wouldn't mention it then.

It's not like she was even sure about how to explain it. Emma wasn't even a hundred percent certain that she hadn't imagined it.

Blue energy?

It may have been evidence of the Tesseract energy which Howard Stark had been experimenting with when he was creating the super soldier serum that was now flowing through her veins. Emma was still confused about the whole thing because if she was actually able to shoot beams of blue energy from her hands then how come she could only do it now?

Maybe she had imagined it, after all.

Emma wasn't sure but she didn't want to talk about it until she was sure whether or not it had been real or just a part of her overactive imagination. It was no secret to Emma that she wasn't always sound of mind. There was a time where she heard Rumlow's voice inside her head and there was even a time where she imagined him in a crowd full of people. Emma was known to be overly paranoid about certain things so she wouldn't put it past her mind to invent what she saw.

Until Emma was sure, she would keep it to herself just so she wouldn't worry Steve or her father.

Let's save my potential weirdness for another day.

"I haven't killed anyone since I left Hydra," Emma said quietly which immediately indicated to Bucky why this was bothering her. He should've known better. "I promised Steve and Peter that I wouldn't do that again."

"You feel guilty," Bucky said and Emma shook her head.

"Not for killing him. I've never felt guilty for taking lives...not since I was little. I don't know if it's because I was a child when I started and I've grown immune to feeling remorse over a lost life," Emma told him honestly, feeling as though she could be honest about these things with her father rather than Peter or Steve. Her father understood her better just like how she understood him better. "Or if I just see people like they're some kind of obstacle. That's what I used to tell myself when we were in Hydra. That they were in my way and that Hydra would hurt you if I didn't kill all those people. Maybe I just told myself that to make killing easier."

"You're not a bad person," Bucky told her, telling Emma the same thing May told her which wasn't what she wanted to hear. "You've been through a lot and it'll take a long time to heal from that. You've only been out of Hydra for three years. Remember that."

"I wish Shuri could fix my head like she fixed yours," Emma said quietly and Bucky gave her a sad look.

"Emma, you weren't brainwashed like I was. You were just a child," Bucky tried to tell her and Emma just shook her head.

"I may not have been brainwashed like you but I was still brainwashed," Emma said, remembering all the bullshit Hydra filled her head with on a daily basis. Congratulating her on successful missions like she was some kind of dog that performed a trick.

Yes, Emma had been brainwashed but not like her father was. He had a life before Hydra so at least he had something to go back to. Emma's whole life had been Hydra until she was rescued. She was still trying to become a person that had her own individual identity. Hydra was gone now, hopefully forever, but would their mark on her ever truly leave?

Emma had no idea.

"I know what we did was wrong," Emma finally said as her father listened to her intently. "I know that killing people is wrong but I just feel numb about the deaths themselves. After the stuff that happened with Ultron, I looked up some of the people we killed on the internet. I thought I'd feel sad or guilty but I didn't. I felt nothing. I just feel guilty because I know that makes me a terrible person for not feeling anything."

Bucky didn't know what to say to that because he knew that he couldn't relate to her numbness. If anything, he was overwhelmed with guilt over what he did as the Winter Soldier. He understood why Emma didn't feel much remorse over death. When you started killing that young, it was bound to have a lasting effect on your morality.

"I don't feel bad about killing that man who shot Peter. In fact, I would do it again," Emma said, looking worried about her state of mind. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you," Bucky told her as he pulled her in for a hug and held her close to him. "You've endured a lot. That's all. You're making up for it anyways. You've turned the Viper Assassin into a hero. Someone to look up to but not fear."

Emma tried to listen to the things her father was telling her but she just didn't know if she could believe him. It wasn't like she made those decisions to help people on her own. She followed in Steve's footprints first and then she followed in Peter's footprints. She never made the decision to help people because it was what she desired in her heart to do. She helped people because Steve and Peter were doing it. Emma was trying to be more like Steve but maybe she wasn't like him at all.

Maybe she wasn't capable of being like Steve.

Emma didn't know and if anything, killing that man who shot Peter made her more confused than ever. She was now questioning everything about herself.

"It's going to be okay, Emma. You'll see," Her father said comfortingly as Emma was left feeling more confused than ever. "Peter will wake up soon and I even heard about Steve suggesting that a therapist at the compound might be a good idea. Not just for you but for everyone here. Maximoff was saying that there should've been one here all along."

"A therapist?" Emma questioned and Bucky nodded, pulling away to look down at her. He expected Emma to look furious at the idea of a therapist like he had been when he first heard Steve suggest it. Now, however, he was thinking that maybe it would be a good idea.

"It makes sense, I guess. Everyone here has a story, after all," Bucky said softly and continued when Emma remained silent. "The idea of telling your problems to some quack sounds insane but maybe-"

"Would you talk to a therapist?" Emma asked him and Bucky gave her a surprised look, not expecting that question out of all the things Emma possibly could've said. He mostly expected her to recoil out of anger or fear but she didn't.

"Me?" Bucky questioned and Emma nodded.

"I think that if you talked to a therapist then maybe I could too," Emma said softly and Bucky stared at her for a minute as he processed that information. He knew he would normally refuse to do such a thing but Bucky also knew that Emma offering to seek therapy wasn't an everyday occurrence. He knew if Steve was in the room, instead of in big meetings with Stark, Romanoff, and Ross in the conference room, then Steve would tell him to agree to therapy just so Emma would do it. Bucky hated the idea of talking about his problems to strangers but he knew he'd do it for Emma.

"Of course, I'll do it," Bucky told her, his gaze softening as he looked down at her. Emma tried to act nonchalant as she just simply nodded.

"Then I'll do it too," Emma said agreeably, not believing her own words. "I think it might be good for the both of us and I want to get better. I really do. Not just for Steve and Peter but for myself too."

"Me too," Bucky said with a small smile on her face.

"I'm glad we're both on the same page then," Emma said, feeling as though maybe someday she could move past all her faults and internal flaws. Maybe the damage in her head would lessen over time like her father implied.

Maybe there was still hope.

"It'll be okay. We'll be okay," Bucky reassured her and maybe Emma was finally starting to believe him this time. Emma managed to give him a smile that wasn't forced.

"I think so too but just in case we aren't okay we'll still be alright. We still have each other," Emma said in response. "I love you, Papa."

"I love you too and I always will," Bucky said softly, a great amount of adoration in his pale blue eyes. "Till the end of the line."

It used to be something only Steve and Bucky said to each other but it wasn't just Steve and Bucky anymore.

There was Emma too.

In a way Emma was right. The three of them were like a little family and that was completely okay with Bucky. It was kind of funny in hindsight because he didn't think the Steve and Bucky from the forties could've ever imagined something like.

The two of them being parents to Steve's granddaughter. It was weird at the same time it wasn't. Bucky was glad to be a part of this small but odd family. He never felt more at home than he did now.

Steve and Bucky had always been a team since they were kids but little did they know the missing piece to their family unit had been in the form of Steve's granddaughter.

"Till the end of the line," Emma said with an affectionate look on her face. "I know it's a little past the holiday but Happy Father's Day, Papa."

Bucky felt a flood of emotions come over him at that.

It was sentence that caused his heart to soar in more ways than Emma would ever know. Bucky knew that he probably didn't deserve her but he was just glad to have her. He might've thought of becoming a father back in his and Steve's time. There was a war going on back then so the thought of settling down with a wife and kids was always something to look forward to.

Bucky realized that he was happy with his life right in that instant. He could hang up his Winter Soldier/White Wolf gear forever and not be bothered in the slightest.

The former assassin realized that he didn't feel like fighting anymore. Call him domesticated but he just wanted that cute little house with the white picket fence and the kids...well, Emma in this case. Maybe he was like the old Bucky, after all.

Not completely.

He was part something else too but he was more like old Bucky than he ever realized before.

"Thank you," Bucky said as he hugged her again, holding her in his arms and Emma was just content to remain there. Not knowing how long she would get to have her father like this. Now that they had completed the mission there was no telling when her father and Steve would have to leave again because of the accords. It's not what she wanted but Emma didn't always get what she wanted. Life wasn't a happy ending, after all.

Emma would just have to savor the moment for now.

"So you're okay with Peter then?" Emma asked quietly and her father chuckled, pulling away to look at her in amusement.

"Yes but I'm not okay with the fact that you two were in bed together doing...things," Bucky said, sounding amused at the same time that he sounded disturbed. "But I can tolerate him as long as certain rules are in place."

"I only want you to not hate him," Emma told her father and Bucky nodded before giving her a serious look, telling her that he wasn't messing around.

"I don't hate him but I don't like him either. He's your boyfriend. I'm not supposed to like him," Bucky told her honestly and Emma guessed that she could understand that. She never expected her father to love Peter anyways. Steve could love Peter enough for the both of them. "And I better not catch him in bed with you ever again, Emma."

"I know," Emma said, blushing at the fact that her father had kind of walked in on Peter and her during one of their more private and intimate moments. It's not like she and Peter were having sex but it's also not like what they were doing was innocent either.

"I mean it, Emma," Bucky said, giving her a stern look. "If I ever catch him in bed with you again then things will end badly...for him. You're too young and too smart to want to do those things with that boy."

Obviously her father couldn't read minds because if he could then he'd know that Emma wanted nothing more than to do "those things" with Peter...and to him too. However, she'd never break the news of her taking control over her own sexuality to her father. It would probably devastate him. Emma was glad that,at least, he and Steve still thought she was some kind of angel.

"Okay, Papa. I'll be sure to tell, Peter," Emma said, deciding to humor her poor sweet father. Bucky smirked at her.

"Don't worry. I'll be having a little talk with your boy toy as soon as he's feeling better," Bucky informed Emma much to her disappointment. She groaned.

"Please don't make him run away, Papa. He's already afraid of you from the last time you spoke," Emma warned her father who only continued to smirk at her.

"Good. I'm glad he's scared," Bucky said, satisfied at the knowledge that his daughter's boyfriend was afraid of him.

"Don't hurt him. I mean it," Emma said, giving him a warning glance and Bucky rolled his eyes before nodding.

"I promise not to cause him any harm. You have my word," Bucky said before quickly adding a second part. "Unless I catch him in bed with you again. Then that rule goes out the window."

"What do you think of him?" Emma asked shyly, wanting her father's opinion while wanting to change the subject from what her father would do to Peter if he caught him in her bed again.

"What does it matter what I think of him?" Bucky questioned and Emma shrugged.

"I don't know. You're important to me so your opinion matters to me," Emma explained to him and Bucky sighed heavily before giving her his honest opinion.

"I honestly don't understand what you find appealing in him," Bucky told her honestly but Emma wasn't offended. She was merely curious why he thought this.

"What do you mean?" She inquired and he shrugged.

"He's...soft," Bucky finally said, trying to think of a word to describe Emma's boyfriend.

"Soft?" Emma questioned, giving her father a confused look and Bucky nodded.

"Not that I ever pictured you having a boyfriend but he's not what I expected," Bucky elaborated as Emma listened intently to him. "He's a child. Not that you're not a child too but you've always been mature and he's not very mature. He's naive and...goofy."

"I know he is but I love those things about him," Emma told her father which should've surprised Bucky but it didn't. It actually made a lot of sense now that he thought about it.

"He also reminds me of someone but I can't put my finger on who," Bucky said which made Emma want to laugh at him because it was obvious who Peter reminded her father of.

Steve.

She just didn't know how her father could be that blind as to not see it. Emma thought it was probably better for him to figure it out himself so she didn't say anything.

"So you approve?" Emma inquired anxiously and Bucky gave her a look.

"Emma, I'm never going to approve of any guy but I think I might approve of him more than anyone else," Bucky said kindly, giving Emma a small smile that sent her heart soaring when she finally realized that her father didn't hate Peter and that he was even going to accept their relationship. That was all she ever wanted. "But he also risked his life to save yours so I'll let him stick around."

"Thank you!" Emma exclaimed happily, ambushing her father with another hug. "Thank you! Thank you!"

Bucky chuckled as she held onto him. He couldn't remember her looking this happy before but he was glad he was able to make her forget about all her pain and suffering for the time being. Bucky just wished he had apologized and accepted Peter sooner. He shouldn't have held off so long because it only hurt her in the process.

"I'm still going to have that talk with him though."

Emma laughed, her eyes sparkling with happiness despite all the worry that rested on her mind. It was nice that she could forget about all the worrying and pain for even the briefest moment. Emma's mind would be filled with worry again soon when she inevitably returned to the recovery room and saw that Peter still hadn't woken up. However, now she could just remain in her father's embrace and stand there with the knowledge that he accepted Peter.

Even if he wasn't going to be exactly nice to him.

"I know."

---

It was nearly midnight as Emma sat in her seat in the recovery room.

After her conversation with her father, she headed back up to the recovery room with May. Tony came in and out of the room several times during the day to check on Peter's progress while Ned and Michelle also came up a few times to see Peter. Ned, the usually cheerful and rambling moron Emma always took him for, was more quiet than Emma ever knew him to be as he worried over his best friend. Even Michelle, who claimed to find Peter annoying, looked over his unconscious body in concern. The two teenagers had to go back home now that the mission was over and Hydra was done but they made Emma promise to keep them updated on Peter's progress.

Emma promised them she would.

So here Emma was, reading a book while at the same time not reading it, as she waited for Peter to wake up. She finally convinced May to get some sleep an hour ago so Emma stayed in the recovery room alone with Peter as she waited for him to wake up. A small part of her worried that the doctor was wrong and that he would never wake up even though Emma knew that was ridiculous. She knew Peter had to wake up eventually but Emma was still worried out of her mind.

Emma still hadn't seen Steve in forever but she knew he was probably stuck in meetings with Ross and those stupid UN members. Her father had gone to sleep a couple hours ago but not before trying to convince Emma to get some sleep. He should've known that was a lost cause anyways. There was no way Emma was going to get any sleep with Peter still unconscious.

The blonde turned a page in her book but she was so focused on the spaces in between the words that she didn't even notice Peter begin to stir in his bed.

Peter Parker woke up from his sleep, feeling very groggy.

For a moment he was at a loss as to what happened to him. He didn't even know where he was as he glanced tiredly around the room. His eyes soon landed on a figure sitting in the chair by the window in the room he was in. It only took Peter a moment for his eyes to focus and for him to realize that it was Emma.

"Emma?" He asked, his voice drowsy from sleep. Emma dropped her book to the floor at the sound of Peter's voice before immediately rushing to Peter's side. She looked over him in concern, trying to see if he was visibly in any pain.

"Peter," Emma whispered as Peter began to sit up in bed.

It was then that Peter started remembering everything that happened before he got knocked out...or shot.

Hydra Headquarters.

The Quinjet.

The door.

Emma's back.

Rumlow.

The man with a gun.

Everything flashed inside Peter's head at once and suddenly he was left in a worried state as he looked over his girlfriend. He didn't know why he was worried when he already knew she was okay. Emma wouldn't be sitting on the edge of his bed with a look of concern on her face if she wasn't okay.

"Rumlow. Hydra-" Peter started to say but Emma stopped him before he could finish.

"Rumlow's dead, Peter. Hydra's done," Emma told him before he worried himself into an early grave. Peter relaxed against the headboard of the bed and Emma immediately reached over to feel his forehead with the back of her hand. He didn't feel like he had a temperature or anything so he likely wasn't infected from the surgery.

"Did you…" He trailed off and Emma shook her head, already knowing what he was going to ask.

"Steve and my father took care of him. We've been back at the compound for a while now," Emma told him as Peter strove to remember everything that happened but his mind was still kind of foggy. "You took three bullets to the abdomen and you got out of surgery several hours ago. We've been waiting for you to wake up for hours."

"What time is it?" Peter asked, still trying to process everything Emma was saying.

"It's nearly midnight. I promised May I would stay with you while she got some sleep," Emma told her boyfriend. "She's been worried about you. I've been worried about you."

"Oh…" Peter said, feeling momentarily guilty for worrying his aunt and girlfriend so much.

"Tony's been really worried about you too," Emma said quietly. She was always embarrassed to talk about her feelings like that but she was worried about him, after all. Emma couldn't remember feeling more worried in her life.

"Really?" Peter asked just as quietly. Emma nodded.

"He came to check on you several times. Tony, Steve, and Natasha have been busy with meetings with Ross since we got back so I'm surprised he found the time," Emma said before she felt the courage to say something she was unsure about bringing up to him the moment he woke up after his surgery. "Peter, you really scared me."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked dumbly, still a bit dazed from sleeping so long. Emma looked up at him and met his eyes.

"You took those bullets for me and I wish you hadn't. I don't know why you did that. We both know that I'm the faster healer out of the two of us," Emma told him, sounding both worried and angry with him at the same time. Peter gave her an incredulous look.

"You think that I would actually let you get shot? That I could just stand by and watch something like that without doing anything about it?" Peter retorted, sounding a bit agitated with her. He had just been shot three times, had surgery performed on him, and woke up after a long sleep sleep. Peter didn't feel like arguing with Emma right now. However, before he could say any of this to her, Emma looked back at him with tears in her eyes which instantly made his anger go away.

"Peter, I thought I was going to lose you. You were bleeding out in my arms," Emma said, looking like she was on the verge of crying which made Peter feel bad for almost getting mad at her. "Do you think it was easy for me to just sit there and wait without being able to do anything about it? I was afraid the doctor would come in and say that there wasn't anything she could do."

"I'm fine, Emma. It's not like I'm a normal person. I can still heal faster-" Peter started to say but Emma shook her head.

"It doesn't matter if you're Spider-Man or just a normal human-being...it's still terrifying," Emma confessed to him and Peter sighed heavily before pulling Emma into his arms. She didn't try to fight him or cuss him out like she wanted to for scaring her like that. Peter held her tightly and Emma just appreciated the fact that he was okay.

He was here with her and he was going to be just fine.

"I'm sorry for scaring you like that, Emma. I didn't mean to," Peter whispered softly to her as he held her in his arms. "You have to know that I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"I know," Emma whispered back to him, trying to find comfort in the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "That's what scares me the most."

"Now you know how I felt when you took off like that and locked me behind that door," Peter told her, making Emma feel guilty for what she did earlier. "Emma, that was equally terrifying. Watching you walk into danger and not knowing what Rumlow would do to you."

"I was trying to prevent you from getting injured which was kind of pointless considering everything that happened since then," Emma said, remarking at how miserably she failed at keeping Peter safe. "I should've known a locked door wouldn't keep you away."

"You tricked me," Peter accused as he looked down at her, his eyes filled with disappointment. Emma usually didn't feel guilty for a lot of the things she did. She rarely apologized and when she did apologize, Emma rarely meant it. However, Emma managed to feel shame for tricking Peter and she felt bad for abusing his trust like that.

"I know I did. I'm sorry," Emma finally said, hoping that Peter would forgive her despite all the trouble and pain she caused him. She knew she really screwed up when she tricked him. "I didn't want you to get hurt in my revenge against Rumlow. Unfortunately, it wasn't until I saw you get shot because of my need for revenge that I realized that killing Rumlow would give me nothing. I shouldn't have ever left the Quinjet. I'm so sorry, Peter."

"I'm not mad at you because I got shot, Emma," Peter said, wondering how Emma could ever blame herself for that. He took those bullets for her on his own volition. Peter didn't regret doing it because it meant that Emma was safe and uninjured. He would gladly do it again. "I'm mad because you tricked me."

"I'm sorry," Emma said again, not knowing what else to say to him to express how sorry she was. Her lack of words didn't mean that she wasn't sorry. It just meant that she felt guilty and she hoped he wouldn't hold it against her forever. Peter's harsh gaze softened at the guilt ridden expression on her tired looking face. Peter didn't know when the last time she got any sleep was. Probably a couple days ago.

Peter couldn't really stay mad at her in the state she was in. The injured teenager just sighed before holding Emma closer to him.

"Just don't ever do it again, okay?" Peter said before pressing his lips against her forehead. Emma felt relief wash over her at the fact that Peter wasn't mad at her.

"I won't," Emma promised him and she meant that. She didn't want to ever have to manipulate him again. Emma didn't mind doing it to other people but the thought of doing it to Peter just felt wrong. "Maybe I should call Tony and the doctor in here to check on you since you're feeling better."

"I guess," Peter said, not looking forward to having a bunch of doctors, Tony, and May fussing over him. He really just wanted to talk to Emma and see how she was doing with the aftermath of the mission. Peter could tell she had a lot on her mind and he didn't want her to keep it bottled up.

"You don't seem to have a fever but it's probably best for the doctor to look you over," Emma said softly. She didn't really want to part from Peter quite yet. Emma wanted to savor the moment a little longer now that she knew Peter was fine.

"Promise that we'll talk later? After the doctor, Tony, and May leave?" Peter inquired with a hopeful expression on his face and Emma smiled softly at him before nodding.

"Of course," Emma assured him as she began to get up from the bed before glancing up at the ceiling. "McConaughey, let the doctor know that Peter woke up."

"Right away, Miss Rogers," The AI system told her and Emma glanced back at Peter who was still staring at her.

"I'm glad it's you who I woke up to and not anyone else," Peter told her and Emma smiled.

"I imagine waking up to Tony's ugly mug would be the stuff of nightmares," Emma said jokingly and Peter laughed before nodding.

"Yeah, it's way better waking up to an angel," Peter said and Emma knew he was more than alright if he was flirting with her like that. Emma playfully rolled her eyes, knowing that Peter was probably the only person in the world who would describe her as an angel. The devil's mistress probably but definitely not an angel.

"You're lucky you're injured, Parker. I totally would've smacked you upside the head for that one," Emma told him before smiling at him again. She quickly, without thinking about it too much, leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. The kiss wasn't long or passionate but it was mostly to say that she was glad he was alright. Peter closed his eyes as he kissed her back and almost protested when she pulled away.

"I'm glad you're okay," Emma told him quietly and Peter smiled back at her.

"I'm glad you're okay too," Peter told her and before Emma could respond, a bunch of people came rushing into the room. May and Tony pushed past the doctor as their eyes wildly glanced around the room for Peter. It didn't escape Emma's notice that Tony's entire body sagged in relief when he saw that Peter was alright.

Somebody's more of a dad than they're willing to admit, Emma thought to herself.

"Peter! You're okay!" May exclaimed in relief while Tony pretended to keep it cool.

"I'm fine, May," Peter said, laughing a bit at his aunt's behavior. The older woman nearly suffocated her nephew with a hug. "Not too hard, May. I'm still a little sore."

"Sorry," May said before pulling away to look down at her nephew, a frown suddenly appearing as she remembered that she was also a little mad at Peter. "I hope you know you're grounded."

"I thought as much."

---

Emma didn't come back into the recovery room until a couple hours later when everyone left after becoming satisfied that Peter was okay. May went back to bed after much pleading from Peter and so did Tony after Pepper had to literally drag him out of the room. Emma had taken a long hot shower and finally changed out of her suit. She would've done it sooner but she had been too worried about Peter to just up and leave. Emma now felt refreshed, dressed in a shirt she had stolen from Peter as well as a pair of cotton pajama shorts.

Emma walked into the recovery room, expecting to find Peter asleep but she didn't find him asleep at all. He was actually sitting up in bed reading the book she had been reading earlier. Emma was surprised by this because Peter rarely read books of fiction. He was way more interested in books about scientific theory.

"Hey," Emma said as she walked into the room, closing the door behind her. Peter looked up at her in surprise, setting the book down.

"Hey," Peter said in response before glimpsing at her outfit which immediately filled Peter's head with less than appropriate thoughts. She was wearing his 'If you believe in telekinesis, please raise my hand' shirt paired with a pair of cotton shorts which were really short...meaning that her shorts showed off her long legs which were probably one of Peter's favorite things about her.

Why was she torturing him like this?

If he started thinking about her legs then he was going to start thinking about her ass then her boobs and then sex all together. Great. Now he was having dirty thoughts about her at the worst possible time. The last thing Peter needed was to be thinking about her like that when she was probably going through a lot right now. Emma didn't need him being a total pervert.

"I thought you would be asleep by now," Peter told his girlfriend, trying to not stare at her legs. Emma shrugged as she climbed into his bed.

Don't look at her legs. Don't look at her legs. Don't look at her legs.

"I don't think I can sleep without being close to you...if that's okay," Emma said to him as she crawled into the space next to him and Peter gulped as she snuggled against him. He didn't know why his mind was suddenly filled with dirty thoughts. Well, he actually did know because his girlfriend was the hottest girl in the world and he was madly in love with her. Then there was the fact that this was the first time they had been alone together without the threat of Hydra looming over their heads. Maybe there was also something about almost dying that made you look at the best thing in your life with a newer sense of appreciation.

The best thing in his life being Emma.

"It's uh...fine," Peter said, putting an arm around his girlfriend. The smell of her shampoo wafted through the air and Peter inhaled the sweet smell of her strawberry and coconut scented hair. The delectable smell was always strong after she took a shower and Peter knew that he would start up a petition online if the company that made that shampoo ever stopped production of that scent. He kind of wanted to bury his nose in her hair and just stay there for the longest time but he thought that would be weird. Peter just wanted to be closer to her after everything.

"Not that I don't like you in my bed but won't Steve and your dad get mad if they find us in bed together?" Peter asked Emma and the blonde only smiled before shaking her head.

"I almost lost you, Peter. I don't really care what will piss Steve and my father off," Emma told him and Peter laughed.

"It's easy enough for you to say since I'm the one who they'll end up hurting," Peter told her jokingly, causing Emma to laugh in return. "I'm probably crazy for falling in love with a girl who has Captain America and the Winter Soldier completely wrapped around her little finger."

"You probably are," Emma said in agreement although her eyes were sparkling with amusement. Peter leaned down and kissed her softly before pulling away, making Emma feel lightheaded. It would never stop surprising her that he could still instill those feelings in her after several months of dating. Emma hoped those feelings never went away.

"I'll gladly be crazy then," Peter told her happily and he then turned over in bed so he could look at her. He wanted to know so much about her. What she was feeling...how she was doing in the aftermath of everything. Peter didn't really know how to ask in a way that wouldn't be upsetting to her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Emma told him quietly, her smile fading a little. Peter didn't want to kill the mood but he also knew it wasn't good for her to keep everything bottled up.

"How are you, really?" Peter asked her and Emma sighed heavily because she knew Peter was trying to get her to talk. She wasn't always happy about sharing her feelings but Emma knew it was would be good for her. Peter was probably the one person who she felt like she could be completely honest with. She would say the same about her father and Steve but she was a teenager so, of course, there would always be things she would hide from them.

Especially Peter related things.

"I don't know," Emma told him but she didn't feel angry or upset like she thought she would. "I never really thought much about what it would be like after he died. I just thought about him dying."

Emma only paused briefly before continuing as Peter listened to her with his full attention.

"I wanted him to die so badly. I wanted him to hurt like I did but…" She trailed off and Peter raised an eyebrow.

"But?" He questioned and Emma looked at him, turning over in the bed to face him as she propped her head against her hand.

"But then you got hurt and I realized that you're more important to me than some petty revenge," Emma told Peter honestly. "Something happened at Hydra Headquarters. I just kind of let go of it all and found that I didn't really care if he lived or died anymore. That was more liberating than learning that he was dead."

"Do you think you can move on?" Peter asked quietly. He wasn't telling her to move on or anything. He just wanted to know if she thought she could move on after everything that happened to her. Emma shook her head.

"I think I already did but I didn't realize it until I faced him for the last time," Emma said thoughtfully as she considered the life she had made for herself after leaving Hydra. "I have a family now, friends, school, my art...and I have you. I have a life completely separate from Hydra and I'm really happy with that life."

"Really?" Peter asked, clearly happy for her.

"I mean, I think it'll be a while before the stuff from Hydra completely leaves me but I think I'll be okay," Emma told him and Peter smiled at her.

"I'm glad to hear it," Peter told her but before Emma could let him think everything was okay, there was definitely something she had to tell him. She bit her lip nervously as she gave him a hesitant look.

This didn't go unnoticed by Peter. He frowned.

"What is it?" He asked her and Emma suddenly looked very guilty. It was the same expression she made whenever she thought he'd be mad at her.

"The man who shot you...I killed him," Emma admitted and Peter gave her a surprised look. "I-I just lost control and he just...well, he was dead. I don't know what happened, Peter, and I know you'll probably be really disappointed in me-"

"I'm not disappointed in you, Emma," Peter told her honestly much to Emma's surprise. "I know that sometimes you just react and that's okay. I mean, it's not an ideal situation but that man tried to kill you so I would never be mad at you for defending yourself. In fact, I'm glad he's dead and I'm glad Rumlow's dead too. They can't hurt you anymore."

"I don't think I killed him out of self defense, Peter," Emma confessed to Peter, still looking quite guilty. "I think I killed him because I was angry that he hurt you."

Peter swallowed hard before nodding, finally understanding what she was getting at.

"I never meant to kill him. I haven't killed anyone in so long but it just...happened," Emma said, unable to meet Peter's eyes because she was afraid he would be disappointed in her. Peter just shook his head, pulling her close to him so she would know that he wasn't mad at her.

"It's okay, Emma. I promise I'm not mad," Peter whispered to her as he held her in his arms. "I don't know what I would've done if I were in your shoes but I know I would've been furious. It's fine and I don't want you to do that thing you do when you think I'm disappointed in you because I can promise you that I'm not."

"You're not?" Emma asked hesitantly and Peter smiled softly before shaking his head as he looked down at her.

"Of course not," Peter told her truthfully because he really wasn't disappointed in her. "How could I be disappointed in you? I'm proud of you for getting the closure you needed and for taking a step in a new direction of your life. I know all that anger and sadness was weighing you down so I'm just happy that you were able to let all that go."

"I don't want Rumlow to be the most important thing in my life anymore," Emma told him quietly. "I want my art and my books to be important to me. I want Steve and Papa to be important to me. I want you to be important because the three of you matter way more to me than that asshole ever did."

"I'm happy that you're moving on," Peter said, giving her an affectionate smile. "I just want you to have the life you deserve."

"I want that for you too," Emma told him and Peter tentatively tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"I'm just glad it's all over. It'll be nice to get a full eight hours of sleep," Peter said to her and Emma nodded in agreement. "No more Hydra. No more stressed out nights of worrying. Just same old, same old."

"I kind of like same old, same old," Emma told Peter with a small smile on her face and Peter nodded.

"Me too," Peter said quite cheerfully.

He would give anything for things to go back to the way they were before Hydra launched the attack on the compound. Of course, excluding the fact that Emma's father and grandfather were back because he knew how happy she was to have them back. Peter was hoping that there would be some kind of loophole in the accords so that her father and grandfather could stay without going to prison. He knew Steve and her father sticking around would be really good for her.

"Can you believe it's still summer? I know it's only been a couple weeks since all this shit started but it feels like it's been way longer," Emma told him, looking up at her boyfriend while just being grateful that they were both okay. They made it out of the Hydra thing almost unscathed and for that, Emma was eternally grateful.

"There's still, like, two months of summer. What are we even going to do now that Hydra's done for?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?" Peter asked her as he started to seriously consider what he and Emma were going to do now that their schedule had cleared up. "We could go back to Coney Island like we did for our sixth month anniversary. It's really nice this time of year. We could actually go swimming there which we didn't do the last time we were there."

"That could be fun," Emma told him, looking forward to swimming with Peter but that was mostly so she could drool over his six pack and admire Peter shirtless.

"We could also go to that arcade with all the old vintage arcade games. I know you don't like video games but I think you'd really like arcade games," Peter told her and Emma didn't feel inclined to argue with him about the arcade games. She really wanted to go to that arcade with Peter because she just really wanted to be with him after everything they went through. "Hey, we could go bowling too. Have you ever been bowling before?"

"No," Emma told him with a small smile on her face.

"We could go with Ned and Michelle and make a day of it. It'll be a ton of fun."

"I'd really like that," Emma told Peter before a mischievous smile made its way onto her face as she thought of something she knew would make Peter blush at the same time it hopefully made him excited. "We can also find other things to do to preoccupy our time this summer."

"Other things?" Peter asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Like what?"

Emma gave him an innocent look before she said something to make him blush.

"Sex," Emma told him bluntly and she watched in satisfaction as his face reddened in the way she loved. She wondered if there would ever be a day when he stopped blushing. Emma really hoped not. She liked making him blush.

"Yeah, that would definitely be something I'd be interested in," Peter tried to say coolly, not wanting his girlfriend to think he was some immature guy who acted weird and nervous around the word "sex". "I-I mean...when do you think something like that would happen? Just out of curiosity?"

Peter also didn't want to sound too eager either and come off as creepy to Emma but he wasn't good at keeping it cool. This was proved to him as Emma looked at him in amusement.

"Whenever. Not now or anything but whenever," Emma told him and Peter nodded furiously.

He kind of agreed with Emma there. Now wouldn't be a good time right after everything that had happened in the last couple days. Although, Peter wasn't sure he would be able to find it in himself to say no to sex after the months of longing, heated make-out sessions, and,of course, the dry humping. All of those were nice things but Peter felt ready to have sex.

Only if Emma felt ready too, of course.

"You're injured so I really don't think it would be a good idea."

"I'm not that injured," Peter said a little too quickly, causing Emma to smirk at him. He blushed again at sounding too eager. In all honesty, if that's the reason Emma wanted to hold off on having sex then there was really no need for her to worry. Peter was perfectly fine...a little more than fine, actually.

"I also don't really want us to have sex while Steve and my father are in another room," Emma added and Peter had to admit he hadn't thought about that until she mentioned it. Logic seemed to always go out of his mind whenever Emma talked about them taking that next step in their relationship.

"Yeah, that would probably be bad. Your dad and Steve would literally kill me this time if they found out what we were doing," Peter said, not liking the idea of them having sex at the compound. There was also the fact that the compound was filled with people who would more than likely hear them having sex. Peter didn't want that for his and Emma's first time.

"Maybe we could have sex at your apartment," Emma suggested calmly and this started feeling very real to Peter all of a sudden which was exciting. He and Emma discussed having sex before but never in this capacity where they actually started making plans. Peter was more than thrilled.

"My apartment?" Peter questioned and Emma nodded.

"Your aunt works most of the day so it could be perfect," Emma said and Peter shook his head.

"We're not going to have sex for the first time on my bunk bed," Peter told her sincerely before his gaze softened. "I want it to be really special for you and I don't want anyone walking in on us like they always seem to do here. It should just be the two of us."

"I guess it'll happen when it happens," Emma told him honestly as she looked back up at him, a slight fluttering in her stomach because she realized they were really going to take that next step in their relationship. "We should buy condoms though."

"We or I?" Peter questioned, blushing a little bit at Emma's bluntness. "I mean, since I'm the one with the…"

"Penis?" Emma asked him, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I guess it's sort of up to you."

"I know there's some in the medical ward of the facility," Peter told her as he remembered catching a glimpse of them once. "Maybe we don't have to go out and buy them or anything."

"Do you know how fast gossip travels in this place, Peter?" Emma asked him rhetorically. "It wouldn't take long for word to get back to Steve and my father."

"Right…" Peter nodded, not liking the idea of Steve and her father finding out that he was getting condoms. There wasn't a way he could talk himself out of that one. Why would he be getting condoms if not to use them when he had sex with their granddaughter? "I'll buy them then. I'll go to a store like an adult and buy them."

"Really?" Emma asked, looking surprised that Peter was going to just walk into a store and buy them.

"Yeah. I'll walk into a store and buy them," Peter repeated and tried to say confidently. "I'll just go in and buy them and…"

"Do you want me to go with you?" Emma asked knowingly and Peter's entire body sagged in relief.

"Yes. Thank you," He told her. Peter was honestly happy that she was going to go with him to get the condoms because the idea of walking into a store alone was terrifying. Peter didn't even know what he would say to the cashier ringing him up. "Let's not go to Delmar's. Let's go to the other side of town where no one knows us."

"Whatever you want, Parker," Emma said as she laughed at his ridiculousness but Peter was being serious. He didn't how he would be able to look Mr. Delmar in the eyes if he bought condoms at his store.

Emma finally calmed down from her laughter as she looked at Peter and this time she felt a bit of concern as she wondered how he was feeling. It hadn't been a long time since his surgery so she was wondering if he was healing up nicely. Emma didn't want him to be in pain.

"How are you feeling by the way? What did the doctor say?" Emma asked him and Peter shrugged.

"I'm healing really fast so I don't really feel that bad. I'm just a little sore," Peter informed her before he pulled up his shirt so he could show her the bandages from the already healing bullet wounds. "The doctor just replaced my bandages but she said with my healing factor I should be completely healed within a day or two."

"Um...that's good," Emma said as she blushed at the sight of his abs.

It's not like it was the first time she had ever seen his abs. His shirt managed to get discarded during one of their many heated makeout sessions and she had also pulled the top part of his suit down when she was trying to stop the bleeding from his wounds. Emma hadn't really had time to admire him then since she was busy worrying over him.

Now she was worry free.

"I know so I…" Peter trailed off when he noticed that Emma was blushing. She wasn't one to blush often so Peter felt great satisfaction in the fact that she was blushing while looking at him. Peter would usually feel self-conscious at the way she was staring him, something driven into him from the time he was just nerdy and scrawny Peter Parker, but he was starting to feel a lot more confident lately.

Emma hesitantly placed her hand on his abs and Peter felt his heart pounding in his chest like it usually did whenever Emma touched him. She ran her hand up and down the expanse of his hard abs and she would be lying if she said that she didn't want to have sex with him right now. However, she knew it wasn't the time or place but that didn't mean they couldn't do other things, right?

The blonde then began to pull up on Peter's t-shirt, signaling to him that she wanted him to take it off. Peter blushed but took his shirt off anyways.

"You're really hot, Peter," Emma told him as she totally sexually objectified her boyfriend. Peter would normally act modest or maybe even blush in this situation but Emma telling him he was hot was definitely a boost to his ego.

Emma finally leaned in and kissed him as she basked in the fact that he was more than okay and she hadn't lost him, after all. Peter pulled her closer to him and Emma rested her hands against his chest.

With every kiss, everything became more and more heated between them. It had been a while for them. Well, maybe not a while but the last time things were this heated between them, Emma's dad walked in on them. Peter really didn't want that to happen again but he also didn't think he could find it in himself to push her away.

"I'm really glad you're okay," Emma murmured in between kisses. She gasped in surprise when Peter suddenly pulled her onto his lap.

"I'm glad you're okay too," Peter said, his breathing sounding a little more heavy. Emma immediately resumed kissing him with even more passion.

Their kisses were more heated than before with Peter slipping his tongue into her mouth and Emma knotting her fingers through his hair. She moaned when his hand went up her shirt and cupped one of her breasts. Peter immediately froze when he cupped her breast. He pulled away to look at her, swallowing hard.

"You're not wearing a bra," Peter told her as if Emma didn't already know this. Emma really didn't feel like talking right now.

She just wanted Peter.

"I thought I was going to go to sleep. It's not like I sleep in my bra," Emma told him and Peter shook his head.

"I'm not complaining. I'm really not complaining. I love the fact that you're wearing my shirt right now too. I just thought I should mention that," Peter said as he admired the fact that her breasts fit perfectly into his hands. He also appreciated the moan Emma made again when he moved his hand over her breast before making the bold move to squeeze her nipple with his fingers experimentally. It was something he had never done before but Emma appreciated his boldness as well as his touch.

She ground her center against his clothed erection in response, his sweatpants and her cotton shorts providing a very thin barrier between them. Peter grunted at the friction and how good it felt trying to release some of the sexual tension between them.

"Maybe we shouldn't start something we can't finish," Peter said although he was cursing himself for saying that as Emma held tightly onto his shoulders as she ground against him.

"Maybe we can finish, after all," Emma whispered into his ear and Peter groaned.

"I thought you wanted to wait until we were out of the compound to have sex?" Peter asked her and Emma nibbled on his earlobe which she knew drove him crazy.

"We can do other things," Emma told him which also drove Peter crazy. He immediately gripped her hips and thrust himself up against her. Emma gasped as she held even tighter onto his shoulders.

"Yes, let's do...other things," Peter murmured, slightly panting, before Emma's lips descended down onto his again and they kissed with a feverish passion.

"Peter," Emma moaned against his lips as he thrust against her.

Peter would never get tired of hearing her moan his name like that. He rolled his tongue against hers and wondered if it was ever possible to get closer to her than this. Probably but Peter didn't think it would ever be enough. She was entirely addicting to him and he sincerely hoped that she would never get bored of him.

Peter immediately switched positions much to Emma's disappointment because grinding against his hardness was really doing it for her but mostly because there was so much pent up sexual frustration between them that even the slightest bit of relief was nice for her.

Peter easily showed off how strong he was by flipping them over so that Emma was lying on the bed and Peter was hovering over her. The blonde blushed from the abruptness of it all and sighed quite happily when Peter started kissing her neck.

She almost grew annoyed with him when he stopped to pull up and look down at her. Emma was about to tell him to get back to whatever the hell he was doing before when he said something that entirely surprised her.

"Do you want me to um...go down on you?" Peter asked a bit nervously, he might've blushed if he wasn't already flushed all over.

Emma gave him a surprised look.

He never offered to do that before but that might've mostly been because he was always afraid of scaring her or hurting her. Emma wondered what had gotten into him that made him so confident all of a sudden. Well, they were just talking about finally having sex so it might've been a sign that maybe they shouldn't have sex if they couldn't even talk about foreplay.

"I mean, it's okay if you don't want me to," Peter said, realizing that it might've been too soon for Emma when she didn't say anything. He was starting to realize that maybe he made a mistake before Emma stopped him with a blush of her own.

"No, I'd really like that," Emma said, not knowing what else to say.

Usually she would be more nervous or afraid but Emma felt a new sort of bravery that she hadn't felt before. It might've had to do with the fact that she and Peter had been teasing each other for months so she was ready for a release. However, it was also because she almost lost him and she just wanted to be close to him.

What Peter asked her was a very intimate thing to let him do to her but Emma was really worked up from everything they had been doing for the last twenty minutes.

That and Emma was naturally curious about what it would be like.

She may or may not have had a couple of really hot dreams about Peter eating her out which led to her experimenting with, "ahem" touching, herself which she thought was kind of embarrassing but it's not like she could help it. Emma was a teenage girl with teenage hormones but she was also a teenage girl with feelings that were heightened in every aspect because of her stupid serum.

"Really?" Peter asked her in surprise and Emma smiled softly at him before nodding.

"Yes," Emma said in confirmation and Peter felt his heart race in his chest because this was it.

This was the very thing he had spent the past couple months researching on the internet. Not in a creepy way but just in a way that would allow Peter to make this a pleasurable experience for her.

He suddenly felt like this was a huge test that would put all his knowledge from female oriented websites to the test. Peter chose articles that were written by women because he overheard Darcy complaining very loudly about some male focused websites on female pleasure so he thought that wasn't the way to go.

"Okay," Peter murmured as he leaned down and resumed kissing her.

The kisses became more heated and almost filled with desperation as Emma moved her hand to the back of Peter's head in an effort to pull him even closer to her. It didn't take long before Emma was reduced to a blushing and moaning mess beneath Peter.

He seemed to take delight in that too because Emma could feel him smirking against her lips. Normally Emma would feel annoyed by his attitude but at this point she felt little else but desire.

"Tell me if you want me to stop at any point," Peter whispered to her and Emma couldn't currently form any words so she just wordlessly nodded. He then started to lead another trail of kisses down her neck much like before except this time his kisses felt more wild and looser.

Peter nipped at the special spot along the curve of her neck which he knew drove her crazy no matter how many times he did it. Emma should've cursed him for probably leaving a mark there, which Steve and her father would see later on, but she really didn't have it in herself to stop him.

His hands grazed her breasts through her shirt, or his shirt rather, before he started on a path down her body.

He wasn't fast like Emma thought he would be. Peter was very slow and also very careful with her. Emma didn't like it when he was careful with her but in this circumstance she found the gesture very endearing.

When he reached her midriff, where her shirt had ridden up during all the excitement, he placed soft and tender kisses against her bare skin. She gasped at the sensation.

Emma's heart raced in her chest in anticipation for what he was about to do and she forced herself not to overthink it like she always did when it came to stuff like this. She wanted to enjoy this but most of all, she wanted to enjoy Peter too.

Her boyfriend placed his hands on either side of her hips, his fingerly skimming the edge of her cotton shorts.

He looked back up at her with his eyes blown wide with lust but Emma was sure her eyes were the same way too right now. Peter swallowed hard as he looked up at her, her face flushed red and her chest heaving up and down with every breath she took.

"Are you-" Peter began to say, wanting to make absolutely sure that Emma was okay with this, but Emma stopped him before he could finish his sentence.

"Peter, please," She begged him and Peter could feel himself throbbing, practically straining against the material of his sweatpants, at the lust and blatant desire in her eyes. Emma never begged for anything yet she was begging him to touch her and love her.

Peter might've needed to be told twice, because this was Emma he was talking about and he would never do anything to make her feel uncomfortable, but he definitely didn't need to be told three times.

With that, Peter pressed a gentle kiss against her hip before subsequently tugging both her cotton shorts and her pair of simple, yet much to his satisfaction and pride, damp panties down before tossing them aside in a manner that made Emma want him more than ever.

She always wanted him no matter what.

Whether he was working out at the gym within the compound, focusing so hard on his homework that he did that cute thing where his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth...or even when he was lying on the bed in between her thighs with his hands trembling as he gripped her hips, silently telling her that he was both excited and nervous at the same time. Emma knew there would probably never be a time where she didn't want him.

Call her young and in love but it was true.

This was part of the reason why she didn't even feel scared at all.

Emma remained embarrassed for a second because Peter had never seen her naked before. Well, she wasn't completely naked but still. She had never fully undressed in front of him before and while Emma was usually very confident, there was something a little nerve wracking about someone else seeing you naked.

Peter kissed the inside of her thigh softly which caused Emma to shiver.

He glanced back up at her one last time, admiring how she looked.

Peter promised himself that he would never forget the way she looked in that moment with her long blonde hair spread out over the pillow, her face all flushed, her/his t-shirt bunched up just beneath her breasts, and the look of desire but also the look of trust in her eyes.

Peter took a mental snapshot of this moment before putting all his research online to the test.

Emma, in an attempt to calm herself down, leaned her head back against the pillow and tried to think of random stuff so she wouldn't overthink this too much and deny herself the chance of cumming at Peter's touch...and tongue.

Her thoughts drifted to the fact that she had probably worn really unsexy underwear. She probably would've worn something a little sexier if she had known Peter and her were going to bring their bedroom activities to a new level.

Bedroom activities?

Well, that felt both new and exciting say.

Emma quite liked the sound of her and Peter apparently having bedroom activities. If they were going to keep having bedroom activities then Emma was probably going to have to wear sexier panties than her really boring and uninteresting ones for when she and Peter actually had sex.

It's not that she thought Peter would really care that much but Emma really wanted to wow him and make him want her as much as she wanted him. Maybe she would have Darcy take her shopping soon. Darcy would probably know what to buy and she wouldn't lose her shit if she found out that Emma was becoming sexually active.

Emma wondered what kind of panties Peter would prefer on her? Hopefully not thongs. Emma wasn't sure she would be comfortable wearing those but-

Her mind went blank when she felt Peter's tongue...down there.

Oh...wow. This is actually really...um...really nice.

He's-

Fuck!

How the hell does he know how to do that?! He's a virgin!

Emma started wondering if she could ever make fun of her boyfriend for being a nerd again after this. Her nerdy little Parker happened to be really good with his tongue. She didn't really have anything to compare it to since this was the first time anyone had ever performed oral sex on her but she knew how she felt and she knew what Peter was doing with his tongue and fingers felt really good.

Really good.

---

It was about twenty five minutes later when things had simmered down to a point with Emma sipping on a cup of water from the water dispenser in the room after slipping her underwear and shorts back on. Peter was only just pulling his pants and boxers back up. Peter had a goofy smile on his face as he put his shirt back on before looking back at his girlfriend who had been happy to return the favor after he got finished with her.

He was a little embarrassed that he only lasted about two minutes but it was his first time getting a blowjob and the first time Emma ever touched him. A part of him thought Emma would tease him for not lasting long but she didn't.

Peter was still reliving the past twenty five minutes in his mind. From all the moans Emma made and all the writhing she did under his touch when he finally found her clit. It took him a while to get her there even as he tried to remember everything he researched on the internet but with some guiding from Emma and experimenting to find out what she liked, she came much to Peter's delight.

"Um...are you okay?" Peter asked her and she set her cup down on top of the water dispenser before moving towards him. She smiled a bit shyly at him before getting back into bed with him. Peter immediately pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips against her forehead.

"You don't have to ask me that every time," Emma told him honestly. "If I didn't want to do any of that then I would've said no."

"I just want to make sure," Peter told her and Emma was happy that he was so considerate with her. Well, he actually just did a literal demonstration of how considerate he was but Emma wasn't complaining. "I know it may have been a little soon after everything we just went through so I don't want-"

"Peter, I almost lost you yesterday," Emma said sincerely, capturing Peter's interest immediately. "I don't think I'm scared of sex anymore. At least, I didn't feel afraid just now so everything we do together is my choice. I always want you to know that."

"Okay," He said, feeling relief at her answer. Peter then gave her a nervous look. "Did you uh...enjoy it?"

"Did I indicate to you that I didn't enjoy it?" Emma inquired with a small smirk on her face. Her mind went back to Peter's face buried in between her thighs which was probably the hottest thing ever. Not to mention his determination in getting her there was also really hot. "You're really good with your tongue, Parker. How did you even know how to do that?"

Peter blushed although he would be lying if he said he didn't feel a surge of pride wash over him at Emma's words.

"I kind of did some research online," Peter told her, feeling a bit shy all of a sudden but Emma didn't know how he could still be shy after the things he did to her. "I know I'm not experienced or anything but I still wanted it to be really nice for you."

"Peter, I can assure you that it was very pleasurable for me," Emma said, not wanting him to doubt himself for a second. She then looked up at him with a curious look on her face.

"Did you enjoy it?" Emma asked him and Peter swallowed hard before nodding furiously.

There was a whole list of dirty things he wanted to say to her.

He wanted to tell her how good she tasted, how turned on he was by her...wetness, and how her moaning his name loudly drove him crazy. Peter wanted to tell her that he didn't care if anyone heard her moaning because he knew it was all for him. Her father and grandfather could murder him for all he cared. It was completely worth it in his eyes.

However, Peter refrained from telling her these things because he was worried he would come off as creepy or perverted to her.

"It was...I don't even have any words," Peter said and he knew he was going to be reliving various moments from the last hour or so in his mind over and over again.

"I think saying I enjoyed it is an understatement."

"Was I any good?" Emma asked, feeling a bit more nervous than usual and it was obvious she was referring to how she surprised Peter by returning the favor. Emma had to admit she was a bit nervous although it was something she had given a lot of thought about. She just wanted to make him feel the same way she made him feel and Emma also just wanted to take care of him like she promised she always would.

Peter tried to assure her that she didn't have to do that. He only went down on her because it was something he wanted to do but he never expected anything in return. Peter remembered trying to form coherent sentences as she led a trail of kisses down his chest, his abs(carefully dodging the bandages where he was wounded), and then down further before she started to pull his pants and boxers down.

Peter, being the gentlemen he was, helped her but also made one last move to give her an out.

However, his mind went blank when he felt a warm mouth engulf him.

"You were amazing, Emma. This was hands down the best night, technically early morning, in my whole entire life," Peter told Emma quickly because he felt very passionately about their time together in the past hour. He loved every second of it. "I mean, I'm not discounting the night we got together or anything but this is in a whole different category."

"I know what you mean," Emma told him with a small smile on her face but she still seemed a little nervous. "I just didn't really know what I was doing so…"

Little did he know that she would also happily remember all the sounds Peter made from what she did to him. Not to mention Emma finally had her curiosity satisfied about just how big Peter actually was. She didn't have anything to really compare him to visually but now she felt even less scared about sex.

All this time Emma was worried he would have this gigantic cock which was the last thing she wanted because imagine just how much that would hurt and not to mention how intimidating it was. Even so, she was relieved to know that he was still big, or so she thought, without being an ungodly size that would give her nightmares and make her even more anxious about sex. The anticipation of seeing his penis was gone and Emma felt like maybe sex wouldn't be as nerve wracking as she thought.

"Emma, you were touching me and sucking-I mean-yeah," Peter said before his eyes widened at what he started to say. Emma gave him a very interested look because she thought she liked Peter saying dirty things. It was so unusual for him since her Peter was always very bashful and gentlemenly. A true feminist of a modern man. "Well, what I'm trying to say is that you were touching me so it doesn't matter how experienced or inexperienced you are."

"Maybe this can be a learning experience for the both of us then," Emma said flirtatiously, all signs of nervousness gone, and Peter swallowed hard as he looked down at her. "Since we're both inexperienced maybe we can teach each other."

"Uh...yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun," Peter said as he tried flirt back but when Emma said things like that she always had this ability of making him feel stupid.

"It'll be a lot more fun than all those times you helped me with my chemistry homework," Emma said as she continued to flirt with him.

"I'll enjoy it way more than our chemistry homework," Peter finally flirted back much to Emma's delight. "Maybe next time you can leave your shirt off too. I'd like to see all of you."

Peter felt like maybe he went too far with that last comment but he realized he made the right move when he saw a blush come over face. It filled him with a deep sense of satisfaction that he made her blush since it was usually her who was always making him blush. However, Peter was starting to grow a new sense of confidence after spending almost half an hour pleasuring his girlfriend.

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" Emma retorted despite how warm in the face she felt from Peter's flirting.

"I think it's obvious how much I would like that," Peter said honestly as he gave his girlfriend an amused look and she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know why you want to see my boobs so badly. It's not like there's much there," Emma said, putting herself down but Peter wasn't willing to let her do that to herself. He placed a chaste kiss against her cheek.

"I've felt them and there's plenty there," Peter whispered in her ear which made Emma shiver. She honestly couldn't believe he was flirting with her but Emma loved it. If he was like this after just going down on her then what was he going to be like after they actually had sex? Emma was excited to know but she also thought he was always going to be her cute little nerdy Parker who blushed every time she told him how hot he was. "You have no idea how many times I've thought about seeing them and wrapping my mouth around-"

"Peter!" Emma exclaimed, her blush deepening as she stared at Peter in surprise. "One blowjob and you're like a new you."

"So you can dish it out but you can't take it?" Peter teased, referring to the fact she said dirty things to him all the time. Emma laughed before shaking her head.

"It's not that I can't take it," Emma told him. "It's just that I kind of like a dirty Peter. Who knew all it took was us almost having sex."

"Well, maybe we could continue almost having sex," Peter flirted as he kissed her neck and Emma actually giggled which was unusual because she rarely did something as girlish as giggle. She playfully shoved him away.

"Peter, we'll never get any sleep at this rate," Emma told him and Peter ignored her as he continued planting kisses along her neck. "I don't know how you're not completely exhausted at this point. Between being shot, your surgery, and everything we just did together, you should be asleep right now."

"Superhero stamina, probably," Peter said, his lips finally leaving her neck. "You probably have it too."

"Yes, but just because we can doesn't mean we should," Emma told him pointedly and she gave her boyfriend a serious look. "Now go to sleep. You need rest and please don't make me nag you like an annoying girlfriend."

"Okay…" Peter said in disappointment as he started to pout. Emma thought he was adorable so she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Don't worry. We'll have plenty of time for "teaching" each other later," Emma promised him and Peter immediately felt his heart skip a beat at that.

"Really?" Peter asked hopefully and Emma nodded before she rested her head against his chest, snuggling against him. He instinctively wrapped his arm around her.

"Of course. If we're going to have sex then I think we should practice first," Emma flirted and Peter really liked the sound of this so called "practicing".

"Hopefully we'll need a lot of practice," Peter remarked and Emma laughed.

"Hopefully," Emma said in response as she allowed herself to get comfortable in Peter's arms while making sure she didn't hurt him. He might've been almost healed but she knew he was probably still sore.

"Emma," Peter said as the lights automatically turned off in the room, probably from a lack of movement in the room since they stopped their bedroom activities a while ago.

"Yes?" Emma asked him, barely paying attention as she closed her eyes.

"Merry Christmas," Peter whispered to her.

For a moment Emma was confused as to what he meant by that because it was closer to the 4th of July than it was to Christmas. This was probably the randomest thing Peter could ever say to her.

However, as she wracked her brain for a meaning behind his weird words, her eyes widened in surprise.

Last Christmas.

Macy's.

Her dirty Christmas wish.

Mall Santa.

Getting banned from Macy's,more than likely, for life.

"I know your Christmas wish came a little late this year but I hope you enjoyed it," Peter said teasingly and Emma knew the smug asshole was smirking.

"Parker, you dirty little asshole!"

---

Steve Rogers was actively looking for his granddaughter after unfortunately getting involved in meetings with Ross and the rest of the UN about the accords. The UN was currently debating over whether they should just storm the facility and arrest everyone, Tony included, despite the fact they just stopped Hydra for good. There was hours of arguing involved and they were still nowhere in negotiations with the accords. The UN was unrelenting in making amendments to it and Steve remained firm in his stance against the contingencies that were already in place.

The sole reason he was still there arguing over the accords was because of Emma.

He had already left Emma behind once and he wasn't willing to do it again. Not after all the suffering and anguish she had been through. Steve so badly wanted to find a way for himself to stay. He didn't care what he had to do in order to do that.

There had to be some kind of loophole that would allow him to still stand for what he believed in while also being there for Emma. However, Steve didn't know what he was going to do about Bucky. He already lied to the UN about Bucky already having left the compound. Steve figured that Bucky would probably be forced to go back to Wakanda. There was no way he could get Bucky out of this mess which Steve knew would break Emma's heart.

Steve obviously had a lot on his mind.

It wasn't just finding out what happened to his granddaughter at the hands of Rumlow, missing out on a lot of Emma's life, being a fugitive on the run, or the romance between himself and Susan which had pretty much fizzled out at this point. It was the fact that he had completely lost it with Rumlow that really seemed to torment Steve.

Steve had always considered himself to be fair and to always do the right thing but something snapped inside him.

All the years of thinking he had lost a family he never knew in a fire, and then finding out they died at the hands of Hydra before turning a four-year-old little girl with pigtails into a killing machine, created a darkness in his heart that he wasn't sure would ever fade. Hearing Rumlow brag about all the things he did to Emma seemed to be Steve's breaking pint.

Steve felt a rage he had never felt before and he just went crazy on Rumlow. He didn't even stop when Rumlow finally died. Bucky had to stop him which was something Steve never thought he would have to do.

The others had seen the body and naturally assumed it was Bucky who did all the damage. Steve didn't want them to naturally assume that only Bucky could be capable of inflicting such damage but Bucky stopped him before he could say anything.

Bucky hadn't talked about what happened with Rumlow since they left Hydra Headquarters and Steve was grateful.

He wasn't even sure what happened himself.

The blonde super soldier began to search every room of the facility for his granddaughter and started to panic when he couldn't find her. She wasn't in her room, she wasn't in the recreational area, and she wasn't even in the gym. Emma was nowhere to be found and Steve was beginning to go into "Captain Mode" when he realized he was being stupid.

Of course she wasn't going to be anywhere but one room.

He asked McConaughey which room was the room Peter Parker was recovering in and he immediately headed for said room.

Steve had to admit that he had gotten a bit worried over the news that Peter had gotten injured while protecting Emma. He was grateful that Peter had saved Emma but he was also worried because the kid was a nice guy who Steve thought was good for Emma. Steve had always worried over what kind of guy his granddaughter would eventually bring home. The famous Avenger had prepared himself for the worst possible scenario which was basically Loki but in reality he was pleased his granddaughter brought home a genuinely nice guy that was very polite and respectful.

Steve was also worried for Emma because he knew how much she cared about Peter.

Thankfully, Tony mentioned something about the surgery being a success and Peter being able to make a full recovery. Steve was glad but he should've known that Emma wouldn't leave Peter's side in the meantime.

Maybe he didn't think of Emma doing this because he was still getting used to her being in a relationship with a boy. This was definitely going to take a lot of getting used to but he thought this would be good for Emma. Being in love was a good look for her even though it scared him to death that she was almost grown up now.

Steve quietly opened the door to the recovery room and stepped into the dark room. His eyes immediately landed on the teenage couple fast sleep in the bed.

Steve clenched his jaw at the sight of them in bed together, distinctly remembering telling Emma that he didn't ever want to see her and her boyfriend in the same bed.

Of course, she never listened, did she?

The super soldier was about lose it and wake the both of them up, dragging Emma out of the room and grounding her for an even longer time, when he stopped himself.

Steve stared at the two of them snuggled up together in bed. The way Emma looked her exact age as she rested peacefully in the arms of her boyfriend, her head resting against his chest. Peter had her wrapped almost protectively in his arms.

It finally dawned on Steve in that moment that his granddaughter probably had a more successful relationship than he ever had. Steve wasn't jealous about that though. He was actually happy for her, believe it or not. You always wanted a better and happier life for your children than what you had and Steve really felt solace in knowing that she was probably happier than he ever got to be with Peggy.

Yes, he never got his happy ending with Peggy but maybe Emma could have a happy ending of her own.

She definitely deserved it.

So instead of waking the two up and yelling angrily at them for disobeying him, he smiled softly at their sleeping forms before grabbing the comforter on the bed and covering them both up so they wouldn't get cold. Steve never imagined he would ever tuck in both his granddaughter and her boyfriend into bed but he had seen stranger things in his life.

Steve then turned around and began to walk out of the room, letting the two teenagers get some much needed rest. A smile, the first one in what felt like forever, graced his face as his heart leapt with happiness at his granddaughter's new life which he hoped that he could be a part of too.

Besides...as far as boyfriends went, Peter was actually someone Steve highly approved of. He was smart, nice, respectful, and loved his granddaughter. Someone like Loki might've been a worst case scenario but Peter was definitely a best case scenario. Steve liked Peter and trusted him with Emma one hundred percent.

Of course, Steve wouldn't be saying that if he knew what Peter had done to his granddaughter just two hours ago.