Back in Queens, New York, Peter was having a pretty alright day.
It had been a week since he returned from suspension after his fight with Flash, and it was already back to his usual teasing. Ever since getting bit by that spider nearly seven months ago, Peter had vowed to himself never to use his powers for his own gain, meaning no matter how much he wanted to kick Flash's ass every time he called him names like 'Penis Parker', he had to restrain himself, be the bigger person as his Uncle Ben always told him to do.
But, that fateful day back from the weekend after winning State Decathlon, he overheard Flash taking all the credit for the win, dissing on the other team members stating he had been the best, despite having only answered a handful of questions (most of which were wrong).
Peter would've paid no mind any other day, but that day he was already irritated. He was always in an irritated mood when Danielle wouldn't show up without explanation, a clear reminder of whatever was going on in her life that was apparently more important than her friends.
So, when Flash started trying to start something in the lunch line, Peter clenched his fist, but didn't fight. He wanted to so badly, but he thought about Decathlon, his grades, his friends, May... Peter held it together and was the bigger person.
But, just as Peter had begun to walk away, Flash had to open his mouth and say the one thing he knew would get under Parker's skin when he was like this. "God, such a pussy. That's probably why your only friend, Danielle, stopped hanging out with you, Parker!"
It all happened so fast. Peter didn't even realize he had tackled Flash until he felt a weak attempt at a punch hitting his face. It was then that he realized what he had done, he had started a fight with Flash. So, instead of beating the crap out of him like Peter knew he could, he let Flash tackle him and punch him until his face was beat to a pulp.
It wasn't the most ideal situation, sitting in the front office waiting for May to come pick him up in the middle of the day with a swollen face and having to explain to her afterwards that he had just had a moment of weakness. She didn't deserve that from him, and she was right when she told him he knew better.
But, after three days of out of school suspension and a week's worth of detention, Peter was able to clean up his act, stay clear of Flash (as much as he could, at least), and try not to let his failed friendship with Danielle affect him anymore than it already did.
It was all starting to go steady again. He wasn't worrying about Danielle, he passed his Algebra test that day, Flash stayed away from him most of the time, Ned called him about getting that new Star Wars movie on Blue-Ray, and he even found a brand new DVD player just sitting there when he got off the subway. He was having a fantastic day. So fantastic, he was debating whether or not to make it even better by going out as Spider-Man that night after May cooked (or tried to cook) dinner.
But, his late night plans seemed to drastically change that day when he rounded the corner on his block approaching his apartment building's entrance.
Once Peter had caught sight of that bright orange sports car parked directly out front of his building, his entire life changed... For better or for worse, he wouldn't know, but it all just came together in that moment that he spotted the car.
"Woah..." the teenage boy said in awe, admiring the expensive vehicle. So many things were going on inside his head, like why was it here in Queens? Who would even get a car in New York in general? What idiot would buy a car and come to his apartment building if they had money like this? He obviously wasn't going to get much answers just standing out on the sidewalk, so Peter just kept on walking. Entering his building with the DVD played in hand, backpack slung over his shoulders, and both earphones in as he made his way up to his floor.
It didn't take him long to navigate his way through the busy hallways of his building, pulling the keys out of his pocket as he approached his apartment. His music still blasting through his earphones as he opened up his front door and walked in, kicking the door behind him closed and pulling out an earphone to call out into the apartment. "Hey, May," he said as he started his usual trek towards his room through the kitchen.
"Hey," he heard his Aunt call back from the living room. "How was school today?"
Peter shrugged, trying not to think too hard about the negatives like Danielle's prolonged absence, Michelle's usual brooding, Liz's lack of even knowing he existed still, and Flash's constant pestering. Instead, focusing on the good things like Ned's new Star Wars movie, the DVD player he found on the subway, or even the new shirt Liz had gotten that showed more of her collarbone and made her look cuter whenever she wore her hair up during gym.
But, sparing his Aunt the boring details, Peter just shrugged. "Okay."
Just as he was approaching his room, he stopped midway, thinking back on that car he saw parked downstairs, wondering if maybe she knew what was going on. May always somehow knew what was going on, she called it her Psychic Italian Third Eye (to which Peter had responded "I'm pretty sure it's 'Psychic Mexican Third Eye", and she had replied, "Oh, hush".) "There was this crazy car parked outside..." Peter slowly trailed off as he turned towards the living room.
He spotted his Aunt sitting upright on the couch, smiling at him. But that wasn't what made him lose his voice, or train of thought, making him forget his name and what he was saying just now. No, the thing – or rather person, making him lose his mind, was the man sitting next to her, his eyes studying the piece of bread in his hands. The man seated but a foot away from his Aunt May, was none other than Tony. Freaking. Stark.
Peter couldn't believe it.
On the outside, Peter was trying to keep his cool. But on the inside, he was literally having a mini-heart attack– if people even could have heart attacks at fifteen years old.
Finally, Tony looked up at Peter, a friendly and enlightened smile gracing his face as he greeted him. "Oh, Mr. Parker," he exclaimed jokingly as if he hadn't see him standing there.
"Um..." Peter wasn't sure what to say. His idol was sitting there. On his couch. In his apartment. Next to his Aunt. Tony friggin' Stark knew his name, knew who he was. "What- What are you doing-? Hey!" Peter stammered, totally freaking out in front of his role model. Real smooth, Parker – he thought to himself. "I-I-I'm Peter," he said, laughing nervously. He mentally kicked himself. Totally not what he was going for.
"Tony," the billionaire introduced himself casually with an amused smile.
"What are- What are you- What are you- What are you doing here?" Peter managed to make a coherent sentence.
"It's about time we met," Tony answered as May mouthed something to him that looked a bit like 'what the fuck?'. "You've been getting my emails, right?" Ironman asked him, winking once on his left side before winking again on his right side. Was that... Was that like a sign to play it cool or pretend like he knew what the actual heck was going on. "Right?"
"... yeah?" Peter replied, completely confused to the whole situation of what was going on, why Tony Stark was in his apartment, how he knew who he was, what emails he was talking about, why he was winking at him, and how on Earth he was eating his Aunt May's date loaf without gagging or even making a face close to disgusted – the man was truly gifted.
"Yeah," the teenage boy answered, a bit more convincing this time. "Uh, regarding the..." Peter looked between the genius billionaire sitting on his couch back to his Aunt who was nearly jumping out of her skin with excitement. What was he supposed to say?
Thankfully, May came to the rescue.
"You didn't even tell me about the grant," she exclaimed.
Peter nodded frantically. "About the grant," he finished his earlier statement, turning back to Tony Stark, still completely confused and lost and freaking out.
"The September Foundation," Tony supplied Peter with some knowledge, but deep down inside, Peter knew full well that he didn't apply for any grant and was now growing worried as to why he was lying to his Aunt like he did. "Remember when you applied?" Tony asked him.
"... Yeah." No!
"I approved! So, now we're in business," he explained as he nonchalantly took a sip of tea from the cheap clay cup Peter knew May had probably just gotten out of the dishwasher. He couldn't believe this was happening... Or what exactly was happening...
May, who was still completely over the moon with excitement, looked at him with an incredulous expression. "You didn't tell me anything. What's up with that?" She asked. "You keeping secrets from me now?" Crap. How was he supposed to doge that question? Was she skeptical of him now? Did she know about Spider-Man? Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!
"Well, I just- I just know how much you love surprises, so I thought I would let you know... with..." Peter trailed off, afraid he would dig himself a bigger hole when he had no clue what he was lying about. Speaking of which... "Anyway, what did I apply for?" He abruptly asked the billionaire still seated on his couch.
"That's what I'm here to hash out," Tony explained.
"Okay." Peter nodded, shifting uncomfortably while standing there awkwardly, still not having a single freaking clue about what was going on right now. "Hash- hash out. Okay."
Tony just chuckled, whether it was about Peter's awkward demeanor or the fact that whatever he was scheming was going so well, Peter wasn't really sure. "It's so hard for me to believe that she's someone's aunt," the genius exclaimed, May laughing awkwardly beside him.
"Yeah, well, we come in all shapes and sizes, you know?"
"This walnut date loaf is exceptional," Tony remarked, holding up the small piece of bread in his hand. Peter refrained from scrunching his nose, knowing damn well the billionaire was lying about that. He knew how bad May's cooking was, and if Peter – with all the torture his taste buds had gone through since living with his Aunt's terrible cooking – could tell that that date loaf was beyond gross, then he knew the Avenger eating it could tell too.
Just as the thought passed his mind, he started to freak out all over again.
Tony Stark was in his living room. Tony Stark was in his living room!
"Let me stop you right there," Peter cut in, catching Tony and May's attention. "Is this grant, like, got money involved or whatever...? No?" He asked skeptically.
"Yeah," Tony nodded as Peter expressed his amazement. "Yeah, it's pretty well funded; look who you're talking to," the billionaire smirked charmingly before turning back to Peter's aunt. "Can I have five minutes with him?"
May nodded. "Sure."
Oh, dear Christ. This was not how Peter pictured his afternoon going at all...
As much as being in the same room with his role model, Tony Stark, sounded like the coolest thing Peter could ever possibly do, something in his gut made him question allowing the billionaire to just waltz on into his room alone with him. He had never been more confused in his life as to why something was happening to him.
Sure, he wasn't a normal a teenager – he could crawl on walls, swing from webs, and stop cars with his bare hands – but Tony Stark didn't know that. So... Why was he here?
Just as the pair entered his small room, Peter watched as Tony locked the top lock to his door before quickly walking to the corner of the room to spit out the date loaf in his mouth.
Knew it, Peter thought to himself. Kept in captivity for three months with no food or not, he knew no one could stand May's cooking. Especially the date loaf.
"As walnut date loaves go, that wasn't bad," the genius exclaimed. Peter continued to watch skeptically from the corner of his room, trying to distract himself by not focusing on the billionaire IN HIS ROOM. "Oh, wow. What do we have here?" Tony Stark asked as he approached the teen's desk, looking around at the computer and other junk tech he'd picked up along the years. "Retro tech, huh? Thrift store? Salvation Army?"
"Uh, the garbage, actually," Peter answered honestly.
He immediately kicked himself when Tony responded, "You're a dumpster diver?"
"Yeah, I was-" Peter suddenly cut himself off. Why was he explaining to Tony Stark about why he was digging through the garbage to find spare parts to make himself a barely functioning computer? What he really wanted to talk about was why Tony Stark was even here, and his he knew who he was because he definitely didn't sign up for any grant. "Anyway, look, um, I definitely did not apply for your grant-"
"Nah-ah! Me first," Tony cut him off swiftly. "Quick question of the rhetorical variety," he continued as he pulled out his Stark phone, using the holographic screen to project a video. Peter was momentarily amazed by he awesome the tech was and restrained from fan-boying too much, especially when he noticed what the video on the screen was showing: him. Well, not him, but Spider-Man him... So, technically him.
Peter froze as he watched himself on the screen swing from a building, shooting out a web and throwing a man trying to steal a car a fee feet away before swinging away again, the video pausing at just the right angle to catch an image of just his mask. Thank goodness he'd thought of making that thing a full-face mask unlike half a mask like he'd seen superheroes like Eris do, or the Falcon with his goggles.
"That's you, right?" Tony asked, bringing the kid back to reality. The reality where Tony freaking Stark was asking if the video of Spider-Man was him. Him, as in Peter Parker. Him, as in just some normal kid. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real, it couldn't have been.
But, it was. Tony Stark was here asking him if he was Spider-Man. What was he supposed to say, 'yes'?
Instead, Peter tried to wipe the mortified look off his face as he crossed his arms over his chest and replied, "Um, no... What do you- what do you mean-?"
He began to stammer before Tony cut him off with a simple, "Yeah."
The billionaire flipped the screen to show a new video, this time of a speeding car going towards a group of girls on a sidewalk. Peter instantly recognized that video of the day he had stopped that car from hitting Danielle. Man, that felt like years ago- Wait! No, stop it! Focus on the Avenger in your room basically knowing about Spider-Man – Peter thought to himself as he continued to watch the video.
"Wow! Nice catch," Tony remarked as Spider-Man swung in and caught the speeding car with his hands just before it hit Danielle and whoever else was next to her. "3,000 pounds, 40 miles an hour... Saving those girls on the sidewalk-" Peter thought nothing of the side glance the genius was looking at him when he mentioned the girls, so he kept going. "-It's not easy." Tony then put down the video on the kid's desk as he began to walk away. "You've got mad skills."
"That's, uh, that's all on YouTube though, right?" Peter asked, panicking as he quickly made his way around the billionaire to look at the screen. "I mean, that's where you found that? 'Cause, you know, that's all fake; it's all done on a computer," the kid explained in a rush of words.
Tony smiled to himself, watching e teenage boy struggle as he turned away to look around the room. "Mhmm," was the only response he gave as he let the kid try and convince him that he wasn't the Spider-Man on the videos he had tracked down and had been keeping tabs on for months now. All he had to do was find solid proof to get the kid to crack.
"Uh, it's like that video," Peter continued from behind him. "What is it called-"
Sure enough, as Tony was glancing around the room, he caught sight of the attic door in the ceiling. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, you mean like those UFO's over Phoenix?" Tony asked lamely as he picked up a wooden stick from the wall and used it to pop open the attic door.
Peter, not paying attention in the slightest to the billionaire's actions, replied, "Exactly," just as he heard the sounds of the attic door opening. His head spun around just in time to see Tony Stark using a wooden stick to reveal the place where he kept his suit. Shit!
"Oh, what have we here?" Tony asked smugly as he glanced at the suit dangling from the string Peter had tied it to.
"Don't-!" Lunging from where he stood, Peter launched himself, grabbed the suit from mid-air, and chucked it into the laundry hamper in his closet nearby. But... it was too late. Peter knew that Tony had to have been blind not to see the suit.
The teenage boy slowly turned around from standing beside his closet and leaned awkwardly on the wall. "Uh... It's uh... " What was he supposed to say? Tony Stark – genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and Avenger – knew about his vigilante-ing, or whatever he was supposed to call it. How on Earth was he going to get himself out of this? Peter let out a large sigh.
"So," Tony began as he stood before the kid. "You're the Spider...Ling? Crime-fighting Spider? You're Spider-boy?"
Peter pushed himself off the closet wall and looked away bashfully. There was no hiding from it now. "I'm- I'm Spider-Man..." Wow, that felt... weird. Telling someone about it. He'd never spoken a word about it to anyone. Not May, not Ned, not Danielle... No one. Yet, here he was telling literally the richest person ever! But, it also kind of felt good just to get it off his chest and finally tell someone. Then again, that someone was Tony Stark so who knew what was going to happen next.
"Not in that onesie, you're not," Tony remarked.
"It's not a onesie," Peter defended himself as he crossed his room towards his desk to try and occupy himself. Something, anything just to calm his nerves. "You know, believe this, I was actually having a really good day today, you know, Mr. Stark," Peter explained while Tony pulled the suit from out of the hamper to study it. "Didn't miss my train, this perfectly good DVD played was just sitting there, and Algebra test... nailed it!"
Tony glanced over at the teenager and asked, "Who else knows? Anybody?" Peter wasn't aware of this, but the billionaire was hoping Peter would say a certain name. The name of a person he had discovered went to school with the Spider-Boy and wondered if they knew each other. Granted, Midtown was a huge school and there was a slim chance they'd even met, but it was a chance Tony really wished was there. After all, how crazy would that be? Two enhanced teenagers being friends out of all the people in the world?
Despite it all, Tony found himself a bit deflated when the kid shook his head and replied, "Nobody."
Damn, that would've been a fun combo. Dani and Peter. Tony threw out the thought as fast as it came because now it was no longer about being buddy buddy with the kid, she was in a lot of trouble now that she had gone off the reserve. Now, it was all focusing on getting her back, and Peter was the way.
The billionaire flipped the suit around in his hands as he took a seat at the corner or one of Peter's seats in his room. "Not even your unusually attractive aunt?"
Peter lifted his head at that. "No! No, no. No, no," he answered in a panic. "If she knew she would freak out. And when she freaks out, I freak out..." he trailed off.
Tony picked up on the fact that his secret identity was a touchy subject, especially when it came to his aunt apparently. So, he quickly changed the subject to another thing that the genius had been dying to know since finding out about the Spider-Kid. "You know what I think is really cool? This webbing," Tony said, tossing the small container of webbing from off the suit at the kid. Just as he had predicted, the kid caught it with some kind of super speed. Fast reflexes, noted.
"Tensile strength is off the charts," the billionaire continued. "Who manufactured that?"
"I did," Peter answered, much to Tony's pleasant surprise, as he threw the webbing back into the closet with a 'ping'. If the makeshift computers on the kid's desk didn't give away that he was pretty friggin smart, the webbing just proved that he was genius-level at this point.
"Climbing walls; how you doing that?" Tony wondered as he continued to mess around with the suit. "Adhesive gloves?"
"It's, uh, a long story," Peter sighed. "I was, uh-"
But just as the kid was about to explain how he got his enhancements, Tony came across the mask on the suit. On the video feed, it looked like he just had some sunglasses on, but upon closer inspection it seemed that the kid was wearing swimming goggles over his eyes. "Lordy," Tony exclaimed in disbelief as he picked them up. "Can you even see in these?" He asked as he held them to his eyes. "Ah! I'm blind," he pretended to call out.
"Yes. Yes, I can. Look, I can-" Peter, flustered, ran over and snatched the suit from the billionaire's prying hands and tossed it back into the hamper before anyone else saw – specifically May. "I can- I can see in those. Okay?" Peter emphasized. "It's just that... when whatever happened happened, it's like my senses have been dialed to 11." Peter remembered his first few days with these new powers. He even recalled those powers being the reason him and Danielle had even met. Her heartbeat was just so loud in his ears and all he wanted to do was make it stop. So, that was how he ended up helping her stay calm on the train, and how they became friend's. Or, now ex-friends, if that was even a thing...
"There's- There's way too much input, so they- they just kind of help me focus," the teen explained.
"You're in dire need of an upgrade," the billionaire remarked. "Systemic. Top to bottom, hundred-point restoration. That's why I'm here."
Peter perked up slightly. Tony Stark was going to upgrade his suit? This had to be a dream. He needed to sit down.
With that, the teenager walked over to his springy bed and plopped down while the genius across from him continued his game of twenty-one questions with him. "Why are you going this?" Peter looked at him in confusion. "I gotta know– what's your MO? What gets you out of that twin bed in the morning?"
"Because..." Peter trailed off as he bowed his head and fiddled with his hands, trying to think of the months few months that had passed that he had these powers. "Because I've been me my whole life, and I've had these powers for six months." Tony nodded and he continued. "I read books, I build computers... And- and yeah, I would love to play football, but I couldn't then so I shouldn't now."
"Sure, 'cause you're different," Tony stated.
"Exactly. But I can't tell anybody that, so I'm not," the kid explained. Tony couldn't help but refrain from jut blurting out that he wasn't alone, maybe even talk to him about Dani, just so he could maybe have a friend like him. The kid seemed pretty lonely, especially with this secret life no one knew about. "When you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen... they happen because of you," Peter explained in a moment of maturity Tony admired.
"So, you wanna look out for the little guy? You wanna do your part; make the world a better place – all that, right?" The genius prompted.
"Yeah. Yeah, just looking out for the little guy," Peter nodded. "That's- That's what it is."
Tony pursed his lips then as he stood up to walk towards the bed where Peter sat. This was a bad idea, bringing a teenager into a dangerous fight like this. But, what other choices did he have? It was either he pulled out all the stops to try and get Cap, Sam, and his war buddy to stop, or he would have to let Ross sick his war dogs onto them, which wasn't going to pretty in the long run.
But, bringing the kid was dangerous and low on his end. This wasn't his fight, he was only fourteen? Fifteen? Then again, Cap was doing the same thing with Danielle. She was only a teenager, yet him and Sharon felt the need to drag her to Berlin where she should've never been in the first place. Granted, no one knew where she was after storming out on her brother, but Tony had a pretty good idea that when Sharon Carter vanished along with Steve and Sam's gear from the vault, she might've taken the kid along for the ride. So, really, Tony was just trying to make this easier for him to stop them, whether it was they were planning.
"I'm gonna sit here, so move your leg," the billionaire told the teenager, who awkwardly shifted so Tony could take a seat beside him on HIS bed. Tony, still conflicted with himself, hesitated before slapping a hand on the teen's shoulders. Yup, this was happening. "You got a passport?"
"Uh, no," Peter answered with a nervous chuckle. "I don't- I don't even have a driver's license."
Disregarding the kid's added snippet of information, Tony followed up with another question. "You ever been to Germany?"
Peter looked at the billionaire with a puzzled expression as he answered, "No."
"Oh, you'll love it."
Peter stared at Tony Stark as if he were insane or joking, it had to be one or the other. "I can't go to Germany!"
"Why?" Tony prompted.
Peter's mind blanked for a minute as he thought in it. Why couldn't he go to Germany? Well, let's see: May would kill him, he had no actual excuse - in fact, he wasn't even sure the reason why he was going, he had school tomorrow, and the list went on. But, of course, Peter being himself, managed to answer: "I got... homework."
Tony stated at him I'm disbelief. Had he really just tried to use the excuse of 'homework' to justify not being able to go fight Rogue Avengers in Germany? "Alright, I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that."
"I-I'm being serious," Peter exclaimed as Tony began to stand up from his seat beside him. What part of 'I can to to Germany' wasn't he getting? He was just some normal kid, he couldn't afford to just up and leave New York to go to an entirely different continent across the ocean, he'd never even been out of state before, aside form New Jersey – but that didn't count! "I can't just drop out of school!"
"Might be a little dangerous," Tony mused, completely ignoring the teenager's protests as he made his way towards the door. "Better tell Aunt Hottie m taking you on a field trip."
Within a split second, Peter was on his feet, his arm extended as he shot out a single web from his web-shooters attached to his wrists, pinning Tony Stark's hand to his doorknob. The billionaire looked from his hand back to the kid, an unreadable expression on his face as Peter told him, "Don't tell Aunt May."
Tony gave him a look of interest as he replied slowly, "Alright, Spider-Man..." After a moment of silence, Tony have the kid a pointed look and gestured to his hand still tuck to the doorknob. "Get me out of this."
"I, uh, sorry. I'll get that," Peter stammered as he quickly began to scavenge his room for the knife he kept for his webs somewhere.
Peter knew that his life would never be the same after Tony Stark somehow managed to find his apartment in Queens, but he could never expect for what was about to happen... No one could.
—
Danielle didn't expect her day to go like this; curled up uncomfortably in the trunk of Sharon's rental car, crammed up beside Sam's Falcon pack, Steve's shield, her bag of things she had shoved back there, and some extra gear for someone else – who Danielle assumed was Steve's friend, the Winter Soldier. Yet, here she was.
She hadn't meant to sneak out of the Task Force Headquarters. In fact, it was just a coincidence that she had been looking for an exit without getting caught and Sharon just so happened to be shoving Steve and Sam's gear into her trunk when Danielle found her in the parking garage after running out on her brother, Natasha, and Tony in the office.
And now, here she was, trying not to make any noises of pain each time Sharon hit a bump or turned the car to fast. She also had to be sure to breath properly in this extremely hot trunk. She was practically dying of dehydration while her body was just sweating by the gallon back there. But, eventually, Danielle felt the car stop – for good, she hoped.
"I'm not sure you understand the concept of a getaway car," Danielle heard Sharon say to someone unseen, the sounds of car doors closing as the crunching of gravel began to approach the trunk. Please open, she silently begged to no one in particular.
"It's low profile," a new voice replied, coming closer to the trunk. Danielle immediately recognized that voice as Steve's. She was hoping he had made it out of the Task Force Headquarters safely, and was happy to hear he was okay.
"Good," Sharon stated, her voice now directly above the trunk. Danielle heard click and her heart fluttered. Yes! "'Cause this stuff tends to draw a crowd." Just then, the trunk lifted open and Danielle let out a yelp as she rolled out of the back of the car and face-first into the gravel floor below with a 'oomph'.
"Danielle?" Sharon and Steve gasped at the same time as the teenage girl rolled over onto her back with a groan.
She took in a deep breath, soaking in the cool air outside the trunk and the sunlight. Once she was done, she opened her eyes and looked up at the blonde woman standing over her with a look of horror and confusion. "Did you... have to hit... every bump?" She asked breathlessly.
"When did you get in there? How did you get in there?" Sharon demanded as Steve helped Danielle onto her feet.
Danielle brushed off all the gravel from her legs, back, arms, and hair before answering, "I teleported inside when I saw you taking the gear from the vault. I knew you probably wouldn't have let me come if I asked you to take me..."
"And she's right to have not," Steve replied, his voice stern as Dani turned to face him, a sheepish look on her face. "What were you thinking, Danielle? We are wanted right now, you can't be seen with us."
"You have to go back, right now," Sharon exclaimed.
"No!" Danielle immediately protested, her voice full of desperation. "No, please. Please, don't make me go back," she begged the pair. "They were going to make me go after you," she explained to Steve.
The super soldier furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean? You're just a kid."
"Secretary Ross told me that since Jack signed the Accords on both of our behaves, I had to follow them. Meaning, that if I didn't go do what he told me, I'd have consequences to face," Danielle explained. "They were going to use me, I had to leave... Please, don't make me go back."
Steve sighed heavily, turning to look back at Sharon. From the looks of it, they seemed to be on the same page.
Steve pulled Danielle in for a reassuring hug as he rubbed her back soothingly to calm her nerves. He could tell by how shaken she looked, it hadn't been a fun experience having to go through what Ross was threatening her with. "Don't worry," he told her. "We're not sending you back there." Steve pulled away from Danielle and reached into the trunk to hand her her bag she had brought with her. "Go wait in the car with Sam while we talk about this."
Danielle took the bag and nodded before walking towards the little blue bug a few yards away. Inside, she could barely make out the face of Sam sitting in the front seat. She gave him a small smile and wave as she walked to the back door on his side and pulled it open... Only to find the backseat wasn't empty.
Staring back at Danielle was none other than the Winter Soldier.
He looked huge, especially in this tiny Volkswagen Beetle. He had burly shoulders, a sharp looking a jaw, the unmistakable metal arm, and... soft blue eyes? Unlike the man she had seen though so much video footage, the cold and murderous assassin, this man's eyes were soft and inviting almost, while the other man's was hollow and empty, full of rage. She could almost feel the innocence and guilt just emitting from the man staring back at her.
"... Hi," she finally muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Hi," the man replied, sounding just as shy as her almost. Before another word was spoken, the larger man pushed himself further back into the seat, giving Danielle a bit more room to slide in behind Sam.
She climbed in, having plenty of space due to her petite size, shutting the door behind her and placing her bag on top of her lap. She tried to think of something to occupy herself to distract herself from the fact that an assassin was sitting right next to her in this tiny car. She glanced out the window, taking in the surroundings of the overpass they were parked under. She fiddled with the bottom of her skirt, she even turned the USB drive in her pocket over in her fingers a few times before she poked her head out the front of the seats. "Is there anything to drink?" She whispered to Sam.
The Falcon glanced around the car before pulling open the glove compartment and tossing her a water bottle from inside.
"Thank you," she replied before popping open the cap. She had just taken her first gulp of water when her eyes landed on the sight a few yards away: Steve and Sharon kissing. Steve and Sharon kissing! With that, the water that Danielle had in her mouth came shooting out of her nose, a fit of coughs over taking her as she tried to regain her breath. Holy crap!
Sam, sitting just out of the line of fire, burst out into laughter at the girl's reaction. "You okay?" He asked in between laughs.
Danielle, still coughing, managed to nod through her pain she felt in her nose, throat, and chest. "Mhmm."
Just after Sharon and Steve broke apart, the trio in the car watched as they exchanged few words, smiled like idiots, then parted ways, Sharon heading back to the front seat of her car while Steve stayed by the trunk. The soldier slowly turned to face the Beetle where he caught sight of Sam, Bucky, and Danielle all smiling and nodding like dorks. He flushed and gave them all looks of disbelief while still being unable to contain the smile on his face.
Finally, after the soldier packed away all the gear into the trunk of the Beetle, Steve returned to the front seat of the car. Everyone was silent as they waited for Sharon's car to pull out of the overpass and drive off. Once she was out of view, Steve started up the engine to the Beetle. The soldier could practically feel the trio's need to say something and instantly held up a hand. "Don't say anything," he stated.
Danielle couldn't contain her little giggles as she replied, "You kissed Sharon..."
"What did I just-"
"Yeah, it's about damn time," Sam exclaimed from his seat beside his friend.
"Really, Sam-?"
"I'm proud of you, Steve," the man beside Danielle told the super soldier in front of him.
"Okay, no more," Steve said as he began to put the car's gear out of Park and into Drive.
"Yeah, he's right," Sam agreed. "Let's talk about how long Dani over here had to stay squished in that tiny trunk." He chuckled, glancing at the girl through the rear view mirror.
Danielle immediately shook her head. "No. Please. My back still hurts from having to lay on the shield the whole ride," she exclaimed. "... It's not as comfy as it looks." Steve and Sam laughed lightly at her mortified look.
"Oh, Tin Man," Sam called out from the front seat, Danielle assumed he was talking to the man next to her. "This is Dani. Dani, this is Bucky; Steve's best buddy since the 1900's."
Danielle's eyes widened as she turned to face 'Bucky'. The Winter Soldier's name was Bucky... And he was Steve's best friend from the 1900's... Holy crap, she had so many questions. But, of course, she was too scared to even make a coherent sentence as 'Bucky' raised an eyebrow at her curiously. "'Danny'?" He repeated.
"It's, uh, short for Danielle," she explained in a soft voice. "'Bucky?'"
The man chuckled and explained, "Short for 'Buchanen'."
"James Buchanen... As in the President?" Bucky nodded as Danielle turned to look at Steve through the rearview mirror. "You guys really are old," she said bluntly prompting the trio of men around her to start laughing.
This was nice, she told herself as they drove through the countryside of Germany. Everything else might've been a mess, but this was nice.
"Why is my seat wet?" Steve suddenly asked. Danielle grimaced as Bucky and Sam started to laugh.
—
A/N: Ah! I loved writing this chapter. Mostly because A) Peter, duh. And B) Danielle officially meeting Bucky and some fluffy fun-ness before the angst. Prepare.
Chapter songs: Left Hand by Alt-J [It was nice to notice that they literally used the entirety of my indie-rock playlist I have on my phone for the Spider-Man soundtrack. It would be complete if they only included more of the Bleachers, Walk the Moon, and the 1975.] and All Night by Big Boi [for Danielle falling out f the trunk because it was such a dorky scene from her, which I'm glad I get to write some more fun for her because she deserves some dorky moments]
Reviews:
daeb: Aw. I'm glad you like it do much. Well, let's hope you aren't holding a baby or anything breakable when this gets updated. And here is some Peter! There will be more where this came from! A lot more.
amrawo: Nobody noticed when she left, lol. Sneaky child. And here is the update as well as a healthy dose of Peter. Enjoy.
Guest: Honestly, it's just dumb bitch hour for Danielle. The entirety of the Civil War arc, everyone is just gonna be making shit decisions. Danielle and Jack especially. The reason Danielle doesn't come clean about the USB, Zemo, and what she knows in general, is because she finds herself in a place where she isn't sure who to trust. She can't really trust Jack or Tony due to the Accords riff, she's having a bit of trouble even trusting Steve when he tries to defend Bucky. Dani just needs a nap and a counsellor. But, she will eventually straighten out a bit. Hopefully...
Incorrect Quote of the Chapter:
Dani: *lying on the floor flat on her back*
Sharon: What are you doing?
Dani: Practicing.
Steve: For what?
Dani: My future as a homeless, unemployed failure.
Sharon & Steve: ...
