Hallie

By the time Peter finally came back from getting Morgan to bed forty minutes later, Tony, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, and Pepper had taught Hallie how to play a card game called "Nerts," and cards were flying left and right, with people trash-talking and exclaiming as they went. Hallie wasn't great at it, but it was very entertaining to see the Avengers bickering like a bunch of grade schoolers about "house rules" and who had gotten their card down first, and who was supposed to have taken the completed piles. Steve, Bucky, and Sam had headed back to D.C. but Hallie didn't see how they could possibly have fit more people into the circle anyway. She was assured that they could fit as many people in as they wanted, but looking at the mass chaos already, she doubted it.

Peter came up behind her, and she could almost feel him reaching for her. "Pete, don't mess with me, I might actually win this time!" she warned him. The rest of the circle burst into laughter, and Tony actually fell over into Clint, which gave Hallie the advantage she needed to beat Pepper to an open spot for her black five, which meant she was out of cards.

"NERTS! I won! I actually did it!" Clint and Rhodey offered her high fives, and she heard Peter's happy laugh next to her. Suddenly remembering how she had talked to him, she turned sheepishly. "Hey, uh, sorry about that, I just-"

He cut her off with a quick kiss, then pulled a chair in close to the table. "Room for one more?"

"Ugh, no."

"Peter, you always win."

"I'm only playing if he has a twenty second handicap."

"Oh, come on, guys. I'll start from zero."

"I think we should make him start from the lowest score. Hallie, what's your score now?"

"Pepper! I just won! It can't be that bad."

"Hmm," said Rhodey skeptically. How many points did you get this last round?"

"Thirty-two," she said proudly, a moment later, after she finished counting her cards.

"FRIDAY?"

"Hallie, you are at -75."

"So you'll start at that, Peter," Rhodey said, smiling. He had raised his eyebrows in surprise at how far in the hole Hallie was, but wisely kept his comments to himself.

"Who's winning right now?" Peter asked with interest.

"That's Nat with 82."

"Let's do this."

Peter still won. By quite a lot. His reflexes were just really good, even among super spies. The other team members grumbled, but it was all good-natured.

As they were saying their goodnights, Natasha said, "Hey Peter, is it okay if I tag along tomorrow, too? Clint's taking a turn with Hallie, so he can get back to Laura and the kids, but if he's here, I'd rather be with him, you know?"

"Yeah, of course, Nat. I'm planning to set up camp somewhere on campus and really get caught up on some of my coursework and some SI business, and just reconnect with her at lunch, if we can make it. If you're both with her, that gives Chase and Ty a free day too, and I know I don't have to worry about her," he said with a smile.

"I'm right here," Hallie said under her breath.

Peter turned to her, consternation on his face. "Sorry, love. We didn't mean to talk about you like you weren't." He stroked a hand briefly down her arm and took her hand, pulling her into the conversation circle. "Is that okay with you if Clint and Nat fill in for me tomorrow?"

"Of course. It just seems… overkill."

"It really is. Either of them, plus your security back up, would be plenty of protection, but this is also their time when they're refreshing their bond, so they'd rather spend the day in the same place vs. apart."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." She turned to Nat and Clint. "Sorry you guys are going out of your way to do this for us."

"Nah, it's fun, right Nat?" Clint said, slinging his arm around his soulmate. "When's the last time we got to hang out at college? Wait… pretty sure neither of us ever got to go in the first place, other than a little community college for me, so it'll be interesting."

"You do remember she's a Chemistry major, right, Clint?" Peter asked with a twinkle in his eye. Clint's smile faltered just a bit, but he still acted like he was looking forward to it.

"Ready for bed, sweetheart?" asked Peter.

"Definitely," said Hallie, thinking about everything that had happened that day, starting with the press conference. "I feel like today has been a week long."

"I definitely agree," Peter said, guiding her toward the elevator. "Night, everyone!" he called, then turned to Tony. "You coming up soon?"

"Yeah, bud. I'll be up in a few minutes." Hallie already knew that was code for "Yes, I'll see you again before we sleep." She was still getting used to their dynamic, but they were pretty cute together. It was actually really soothing to her to see their great connection after being soulmates for nine years. Peter was amazing, and so far, their relationship was everything Hallie had never even known she wanted, but there was always a niggling worry that it wouldn't last. That, like her mom, and friends and relationships before, it would be gone someday. That he wouldn't still want to be with her.

She had a roommate last year (who she wasn't close to, but she thought highly of) who said, "Watch a guy's relationship with his mom. If he treats her well, there's a better chance he'll treat you well after the newness has worn off." Well, Peter treated everyone well. But her closest comparison for how they might be able to interact in the distant future was definitely tied to how he was with Tony. And they were so supportive and loving with each other. Plus, they had a lot of fun together. If she could really keep Peter, and if their relationship could be as good as that, she would be happy. If.

"What's going through your head, sweetheart?" Peter asked, tracing a finger down her face as the elevator stopped. "You look like you're thinking really hard.

"I… I guess I'm just thinking about the future. Not the near future, which I'm sure is going to be a little bit crazy and obnoxious, but like the later future."

"Yeah?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist as they stepped into the penthouse. "I was thinking about that, too, tonight."

"Really?"

"A little bit."

"Anything you want to share with the class?"

"Probably not just yet," he said with a smile, sliding his hand down to take hers as they walked into their suite. "But at some point."

"Hmm."

"Right now, I'm just really excited to go to bed. Does that mean I'm old?" They walked into the bedroom.

"Absolutely. Bet you're not as excited as me, though."

"Yeah?" he said, his expression growing interested and playful as he started to step closer to her.

"Yeah, because this is the best bed, ever !" she exclaimed, dropping his hand, slipping her shoes off, and launching herself into the middle of it.

Peter was silent with surprise for just a moment, but he wasted no time joining her, enjoying the quiet giggles she made as he found a few of her more ticklish spots and greeted all her favorite pillows.

Peter

Hallie and Peter both slept in just a little bit the next day. The day before had been a marathon. Hallie hurried and jumped in the shower while Peter went looking for Tony. He had accidentally fallen asleep the night before instead of checking in with him like he meant to. He knew his dad didn't mind, but he wanted to connect before they jumped into another crazy day.

Tony wasn't in the shared area. "Hey, FRI? Is my dad awake?"

"Boss is in his office downstairs."

"Thanks, FRI."

"You're welcome, Dr. Parker."

"We're starting the day that way, are we?" he said dryly to a camera sensor. FRIDAY didn't reply.

Peter found Tony on the couch in his office, scrolling through headlines. The older man looked up and smiled warmly as Peter entered the room.

"Hey, Pete. You recover from yesterday yet?"

Peter groaned theatrically and plopped down on the couch next to Tony. His dad automatically moved the tablet resting on his leg, lifting it up higher, so there was a Peter-sized space there. Peter grinned and spun around, laying his head on his dad's lap and stacking his legs on the arm of the couch on the other end.

"Oof. I feel like you fit better there when you were seventeen." Tony said, glancing at him. His mouth was skeptical, but his eyes were smiling.

"Your memory's faulty. I wasn't much smaller at seventeen." Peter shut his eyes and enjoyed being in contact with his soulmate.

"You've gained over an inch since then, and probably thirty pounds, buster."

"It's a little creepy that you keep track of my stats like that, Dad," Peter said with a smirk.

"It's really not. Combination of building you suits that have to fit since you were fourteen and the mild obsession that comes along with the bond," Tony argued casually. He sipped his coffee while reading through headlines on his tablet, then set it back down so he could run his fingers lightly through Peter's hair.

"You're right. You're forgiven," Peter sighed blissfully. "You can obsess over me all you want if it means you'll keep doing that."

Tony smirked. "How's Hallie after everything yesterday?"

"Good? She slept well, I think. She seems pretty adaptable."

"Yeah, I get that vibe, too. But sometimes those are the ones you have to watch for. They seem to accept and deal well with everything, but they might just be good at masking. Even for themselves."

Peter's eyes opened and he looked up at Tony seriously. "Speaking from personal experience, there?"

Tony smiled regretfully. "Some of mine, lots of it from other friends I've known. Just keep a close eye on her, and make sure you're giving her plenty of reassurance, yeah? I saw her eyes when you left to put Morgan to bed last night. I think she was fine with it, but she still seems anxious anytime you walk away from her. My hundreds of hours spent in therapy say there's some trauma there."

"Yeah, you're probably right. I've just been taking it for granted that she's as fine as she seems, but I'll keep an eye on it. Thanks, Dad." Peter sat up and stretched, scooting back to sit close and press their soul marks together for the last few minutes of his visit. Their locations on opposite arms made that convenient.

"Did Pep already leave for Malibu?"

"Yeah, about an hour ago. She'll just be there for a few days."

"What are you and Morgan up to today?"

"I have to go to one of Pepper's meetings - thanks for that, by the way, Mr. I-Have-to-Hang-Out-at-NYU-All-Day - and then this afternoon I'm supposed to help chaperone a field trip for Morgan's school."

"First, you're welcome, and wow, that sounds like quite the adventure. All afternoon? Where's the field trip?"

"I think it's a theater production at the library, geared for kids that age. From 1-3, I think. Then she has her after-school music program today after that, so I'll come home and Happy will bring her later."

"Sounds like a full day. You'll be glad to know I'll be doing my full set of SI duties today, remotely. Minus the meeting, of course."

"Of course."

"Nat and Clint will mostly have Hallie. We'll see how we do spending a lot of the day apart." Pete stood up and stretched.

"Sounds like a plan, kid. Love you."

"Love you too, dad."

Hallie

Class that day was… interesting. Pepper had talked to campus security and had gotten them a pass to drive into and park on campus, where paparazzi couldn't follow them. That was way better than yesterday's experience, even though other students were still taking unobtrusive pictures when they realized who was getting out. Peter had left Hallie near the door of her first class, Calculus, with a quick embrace (which still drew plenty of eyes) and headed off with Alex.

Nat and Clint weren't hiding their identities at all, since the point of her celebrity escort was to remind people which "family" she had at her back. Just to make people think twice about engaging or seeing her as an opportunity for anything. But they definitely drew even more eyes than Hallie by herself. Her professor gave them a somewhat strangled, wide-eyed look, but had been briefed, and didn't comment. Clint however, was an endless supply of quiet snarky comments from where he sat between Hallie and Natasha. He had a lot of opinions about Calculus, apparently, and none of them were complimentary. Natasha, who hadn't laughed at a single snide remark with superhuman self control, finally took pity on Hallie, who was struggling to keep a straight face. She had already drawn a couple annoyed looks from her professor when he'd noticed her silent giggling, so she was appreciative when Nat ordered Clint to knock it off. He settled back in his chair with a self-satisfied smirk (as if that had been his goal all along) and contented himself with putting his arms across the back of both of their chairs as he pretended to be raptly involved in the lecture. Hallie snorted quietly, but was able to actually pay attention after that.

They hadn't planned to meet up with Peter in between classes, having both decided it was a good day to see what their bond was capable of. Hallie had strict instructions to contact him if she started having any symptoms, though, and he could slip into Physics within five minutes of her message. He had sweet-talked someone into letting him check out a study room at the library for the day so he could get as much work done as possible.

So Hallie and her entourage went to class. Teresa, Hallie's class-friend had motioned her over to sit by her, eyes screaming with questions. As Nat and Clint filed in next to her and took the seats directly behind the two girls, Teresa's mouth suddenly dropped open.

"Hallie," she whispered furiously. "Is that who I think it is behind you?"

Halie's eyes flicked to intimidating figures behind them, then back to Teresa. "Um, probably?"

"I knew he was just more than your boyfriend," she exclaimed, shaking her head. "Just-boyfriends don't look at you that way. And I knew he looked familiar, too. What is it like being soulmates with Tony Stark's heir? And where is he? Why are there two Avengers sitting with you instead? Are you in danger? Is someone-"

Hallie shushed her, since her voice was getting louder, and since the professor was getting ready to start. Hallie tried to answer her questions quickly. They were a little intrusive, but Teresa had been nice to her all semester, and it had been so helpful to have a friendly face, that she tried not to mind the interest. "He's on campus, just trying to get some work done. He's amazing, and sweet, as you know, and I'm very happy. They," she said, nodding her head in the direction of the duo in black, "are complicated to explain, but they're technically retired, and super nice, too." She canted her head to the side. "Unless you're trying to kidnap me," she added, her eyes dancing with amusement. She had to have a little fun with all the crazy, right?

Teresa's eyes bulged. "Is. someone. trying. to. kidnap . you?" she breathed in a whisper.

Whoops. "Uh, not that I know of. They're just trying to make sure no one tries to," she offered weakly.

"Oh. Good, then." Teresa said, leaning back into her own seat. "This is all completely cray-cray, you know that, right?" she said as she side-eyed Hallie's "security detail."

Hallie smiled. "Yeah, I'm aware." Then she put a finger to her lips because the lecture had started. Sheesh, that was intense. Hmm. That made her think of her roommates, and she wondered how they were faring. She felt a little anxious about it, but for ease of communication, she started a group text with Isa and Rory.

Hey, it's Hallie. Have you guys had any interest or trouble since the press conference yesterday? Do you need help with anything?

Isa: A few reporters. Some random people. I gave them the easy answers, like your boy-toy said.

Hallie rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling at Isa's phrasing.

Rory: Same. But your old BOSS. Want me to mess him up? I know ppl

Rory: Well I -think- I know ppl. Wiilling to be embrsd asking them and finding out theyre not actlly in the mob or smthg. Cause theyre scary!

Hallie's eyes widened. That was unexpected. But… sweet? Maybe?

Uh, no, that won't be necessary! Thanks, though? :) I think Peter and Tony will have that under control.

Isa: Oh, right. They probably know scarier people than Rory. No offense.

Rory: You're good. Also right though.

Hallie's eyes were huge. What the heck?

I meant, like legally. But man, remind me to never get on your bad side, Rory!

But then she bit her lip, realizing they were probably right, thinking of just a few of their "close, personal friends" who were sitting behind her currently.

But yeah, if needed, pretty sure they know people. :)

Rory: !

Let me know if you guys need anything, okay? When things settle down we'll have you over, promise.

Isa: You'd better! Stay safe, Hallie.

As the class drew to a close she was starting to get a headache. Good thing it was lunchtime. She couldn't wait to see Peter. They hadn't been apart this long (it had been over 2 ½ hours) and her bond was getting pretty itchy. That was good progress though, and she was excited she'd made it. But she was really ready to reconnect.

As she burst out of Physics and let her eyes adjust to the bright sun outside, she tried to orient herself to where the library was. It turns out she didn't need to, because Peter was standing just across the way, leaning against a building and watching for her. His eyes lit up as they met hers. Man, he was beautiful. He'd eschewed his college-student-look-alike clothes since yesterday, and was wearing grey slacks and a white button-up, sans tie. He'd been wearing a dark green sweater this morning, but the sun had gotten quite warm for April, and he wasn't wearing it now. He tilted his head and crooked his finger, indicating she should join him. She did, immediately, not even realizing she'd left Clint and Nat behind.

When she reached Peter, he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the side of the building into a tiny courtyard she hadn't even known was there. Then he took her backpack from her, setting it on the bench next to them, and wrapped her in his arms.

Hallie buried her face in his neck and kissed him there, her hand following his right arm to where his hand was buried in her hair, so she could make contact with his soul mark. He smelled like vanilla and caramel and his aftershave. He must have had one of those sugary drinks he liked from Starbucks. It was a heady combination. Peter sighed happily and returned the favor, sliding his hand down her spine until he hit that spot that made her melt in his arms. They stood like that for several minutes, then exchanged a few kisses before Peter walked them backwards to sit on the bench, one arm still wrapped around Hallie.

Suddenly, she popped her head up off his shoulder. "Um, where did Nat and Clint go?"

"They went to pick up lunch. They'll meet us at the library."

"Do they allow food in the library?"

"Of course. When else are college students supposed to eat?" he teased. "Just not in the stacks," he admonished.

"Ah." She was quiet then, just enjoyed being close to her soulmate after several hours apart. He seemed equally happy to just hold her. Hallie did wish the bench was a little more comfortable though. She shifted slightly. Her next class was at 1:30, and at 3, and after that hopefully they could go home for a few hours before her O-Chem lab that night. All the classes seemed kind of secondary to everything else going on in her life, but she knew it was best to do her best to keep up. But right now she just wanted to curl on a couch with Peter and watch a movie. Preferably while she fell asleep in his lap.

Lunch was delicious, and Hallie enjoyed eating with Clint, Natasha, Alex, and of course, Peter, who had managed to not let go of her in the last thirty minutes. Casey was lurking outside in the main library, having already eaten. Alex was quiet, as usual, but laughed along with them at random things. He and Peter were having their own side conversation through texts or articles sent to each other and through lots of facial expressions. Hallie assumed it was about media coverage of their engagement/bond, and she kind of didn't want to know.

When it was time for her Biostatistics class, Hallie regretfully kissed Peter goodbye and left with Nat and Clint.

"So, how's college treating you?" Hallie got up the courage to ask. The duo had been nothing but kind to her, but she was still a little intimidated by making small talk with them. She'd had posters of them on her wall when she was a kid…

Natasha smiled at her. "An interesting change of pace, actually. I've been enjoying the day."

"You might change your answer after this next class. It's a little mind-numbing sometimes, and the teacher's not much of a presenter."

"Oh, good," said Clint. "I need a nap, anyway," he winked at Natasha.

Both women rolled their eyes, knowing that Clint wasn't getting anywhere near the nap zone while he was technically on duty.

They walked into class, and a group of students on the side started whispering furiously. One brave soul called, "Hallie! Come sit with us!"

Natasha looked sideways at Hallie, obviously asking if that was an invite she wanted to accept. But Hallie had never talked to those kids before, and wasn't at all interested in sitting with them. She shook her head minutely, and Natasha immediately made a show of escorting Hallie to strategic seats near the back door. That was nice. It made it look like it was her security team's decision where she would sit, not like she was snubbing the other students.

Hallie sat down and let out a big sigh. This was all so complicated. To her surprise, Clint reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "You've got this, kiddo. It'll settle down soon." She hadn't often heard him be serious, yet, and he was surprisingly reassuring. Didn't Peter say he had kids around her age? Suddenly she could see it.

The rest of Biostatistics passed very slowly, and she was happy to get out of there and move to Spanish, where Peter was planning to meet her. That cheered Hallie immeasurably, and she picked up her pace, causing Clint and Natasha to tease her a bit as they tried to keep up.

"Eager much? What are you two lovebirds going to do when he's not coming to campus with you anymore?" chuckled the redhead. Hallie didn't want to think about it. "Probably just die," Hallie fired back. "That sounds awful."

Clint and Natasha caught up, and they exchanged an amused glance. "Thankfully, that intense need to be together does fade, kid," Clint said.

"Or," amended Natasha, "you can go a lot longer in between before you feel itchy."

"Right? 'Itchy' is exactly how I would describe how it feels when it's been too long, but I'm not, like, hurting yet. And I'm not feeling any of that now. I just want to see him," she finished shyly, already regretting her outburst.

"Ah, yes. Mixing 'young love' into the soulmate equation thing does complicate things," Clint said archly.

"Gross." Hallie wrinkled her nose.

"Well, what would you call it?" Natasha asked, laughing.

"I dunno. I just don't like being away from him," she muttered. Both spies grinned, and Hallie spotted Peter outside the language building.

"Hi!" she said happily, stepping into his hug.

"Hi, yourself," he said, kissing her enthusiastically.

"Let's move it along, guys," Alex said, eying a few separate groups who had already been gathering, watching Peter as he'd been waiting there, and were whispering amongst themselves, camera phones pointed their direction.

"You're just anti-happiness, Alex," Peter said cheerfully, leading Hallie inside with him ahead of Alex's ushering. His friend slash bodyguard just rolled his eyes.

Spanish started off well enough, with Peter helping the teacher with a presentation on accent and vocabulary differences in different countries and even regions. They'd discovered in last week's discussion that Peter had background in several areas the teacher wasn't as familiar with, so she welcomed his insight, and they were kind of lecturing together for that first fifteen minutes. The students were all extra attentive, given his current celebrity status. Shortly after that, the class was split into their working groups to practice this week's vocabulary and subject matter, keeping track of some of the differences they'd just learned about.

Peter was starting to make the rounds with the professor for hands-on help, when Hallie saw him almost stumble and then freeze uncertainly. She stood up and walked over to him. "Babe? Is something wrong?"

He blinked and almost smiled at the endearment. "Something is. Something might be wrong with Tony," he said worriedly. I'm going to step outside and try to call him, okay?

Hallie frowned. "Can I come out with you?"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so," he said, as if he hadn't even thought of it. "Karen, call him."

Hallie grabbed his hand and followed him out as he held the ringing phone to his ear. They stopped outside, but there hadn't been an answer. Peter glanced at his watch. "He should be done with Morgan's field trip by now, and on his way home," he said, sounding frustrated. "K, call Happy."

It rang and rang, and went to voicemail. Peter was glaring at his phone. "Karen, ask FRIDAY if she knows anything, and track his phone's coordinates."

After a few minutes, Karen spoke up from Peter's phone, sounding as worried as an AI could. "FRIDAY reports Mr. Stark's car was in an accident several minutes ago. They are waiting for paramedics to extricate him. She said she has scanned him, and he doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger, but definitely has a broken arm, and lacerations, and will be in a significant amount of pain once the adrenaline fades. Mrs. Stark is in California, and FRIDAY and Happy are both requesting your presence as soon as possible. A hologram of Tony's location popped up in the air from Tony's phone screen. His face had lost its color, and he turned to Hallie. "I've got to go!"