Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Window to the Soul! I forgot to mention that it is going to be a Bucky/OC fic in the last chapter, though it may take a while to get there. Please read and review, and as always enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, or any of its characters. Unfortunately.
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Chapter One
Fuck Steve Rogers and his oh-six-hundred hours.
Grumbling to myself, I rested my forehead against the peeling, green door and struggled to lock up. Purse under one arm, I nearly dropped my keys, sloshing my cappuccino across my wrist in an effort to catch them. Cursing, I finally managed to twist the keys the right way and stow them away, pushing off from the door. Flicking my wrist, I blew on my skin, soothing the burn from the scalding liquid.
"Hey!"
Starting violently, I flung my drink and shrieked. Spinning on a heel, I scowled at an exceedingly sheepish Peter, the now empty cup in his hand, "What the fuck, Pete?"
"Sorry, I thought you heard me," he shrugged jerkily, offering me the cup with a grimace, "I can get you another. You headed out? Where're you going? You're not usually up before, like, ten."
"One," I raised a finger and shot him a warm, tired smile, "don't worry about it; I can stop somewhere, get another. Two, how do you know what time I get up? You been stalking me? I knew you dug me, Petey. And, three, that's classified."
"Classified?" he inquired, brows high and eyes bright as he fell in step beside me as we ambled toward the elevator, shouldering his backpack and staring down at me, "what do you mean? Like, you headed to the police station or something?"
Rolling my eyes, I tossed the cup in the trash and jabbed the down button with a thumb, "Who am I - Batman? Course not. Maybe I just have a hot date."
"At five in the morning?" he queried skeptically, trailing after me into the elevator and leaning against the wall. Folding his arms across his chest, he offered me a triumphant grin. "You never get up this early and you're doing something classified; and I don't know what you actually do-"
"Figure of speech, Pete," I snorted, departing the elevator and rolling my eyes over my shoulder at the teen, "and you know exactly what I do. I write."
"That's what you say you do," he stuffed his hands into his pocket as we stepped into the crisp, morning breeze, "but you don't actually, like, work…"
"Obviously you've never written a novel," I mused derisively, strolling toward the curb and scouring the street. No sign of my taxi, of course. Fishing my phone from my purse, I glanced at my phone.
This cab doesn't show up in the next few minutes and I'm not gonna make it, I exhaled heavily, Steve's gonna have my ass.
"Fuck, I'm gonna be late."
"For what?"
Shooting Peter an amused glance, I shook my head, "A for effort, kid. Damn; too bad that Spiderman guy doesn't provide, like, uber service."
From the corner of my eye, I watched him shift uncomfortably next to me; through his jeans and tee, his hoodie, I caught a glimpse of red and blue. Of course I knew my adorkable neighbor was Spiderman. With a power like mine, it wasn't hard to find out. I saw his suit, saw him practicing his newly discovered skills through the walls, saw him come in through his window at two, three in the morning.
Though, he honestly wasn't the most subtle superhero out there. The bruises, the complete and utter lack of a good cover story for them… How his aunt didn't realize who he was, what he could do, I'd never know.
"Yeah, yeah, that'd be cool," he agreed fervently, avoiding any and all eye contact under the guise of searching for my taxi on the empty streets, "but he, well, he probably has better things to do. You know, fight crime?"
"Or go to school," I mused, fighting a grin as he blanched, shrugging innocently and continuing, "or work. He's gotta have a job or something, right? All those superheroes do…"
Well, okay, a good majority of them didn't. Thor was a prince, Steve ran the Avengers. Tony just built suits day in and day out, almost all of the X-Men worked at Xavier's school, and Wade just did whatever the fuck he wanted.
And, well, I was doing my best to make it in the writing world, but Tony's monthly donations did wonders for me keeping my apartment, for not having to find a real job. Guess lending a billionaire a hand in saving the world really paid off.
But Pete didn't know any of this and, frankly, didn't need to.
He was a little too young to go out there, especially without the proper training. I had yet to work up the gumption to admit my identity to him, let alone offer him guidance.
"Well, I gotta run," Peter offered a quick wave, "hope your taxi comes soon!"
With that, he was jogging off to school.
Or around the corner to strip off his street clothes, leaving him in his poorly put together suit. I watched him adjust the goggles over his eyes through the brick wall; he lurked there for a moment, shifting from foot to foot before crawling up the side of the building. Crossing quickly over the roof, he shot his handmade webbing from his wrists and he swung down beside me just as I spun back toward the road.
Feigning surprise, I gaped up at him, "What the hell?!"
"Hi!" he exclaimed brightly, though he did make a poor attempt at a deepening his tone, "don't freak out! Just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman."
"Holy shit, dude, what are you doing here?"
"I was, well, I was just in the area and you - well, it seemed like you were maybe… waiting for a taxi?" he stuttered questioningly, his shoulders slumping as he toyed with his fingers, "or something?"
"Uh, yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing," I replied with a laugh, raking a hand through my hair, "jeez, my buddy, Peter- he just left. He would've loved to meet you; he talks about you all the time."
"Sounds like a cool kid," he replied, a hint of pride in his voice, his spine stiffening, "um, well, I can always give you a lift. To wherever it is you need to go."
"You don't have anywhere you need to be?" I queried leadingly, tilting my head to one side, brows high on my forehead, "a job? School?"
"A job!" he exclaimed, waving a finger in my direction as though pointing out the job in midair, "ob-obviously I'm Spiderman, not Spider… kid. But I've got time. Where are you going?"
"Classified," I replied with a smirk, watching his shoulders slump in defeat and settling myself on the curb. Might as well make myself comfortable while I waited.
He straightened again, dropping himself beside me gracelessly and resting his forearms on his knees, "Not telling me seems suspicious. You could be dangerous. Kinda seems like you could be a criminal if you won't say where you're headed."
Nice damn try, Pete, I snorted inwardly. Gesturing to my unassuming form, I rolled my eyes and huffed, "Do I look like a dangerous criminal?"
I was, after all, only five feet tall. Not all that intimidating, though it did give me an advantage; no one ever thought I was a threat until I had their asses on the ground.
Speterman was about to protest when a beat-up yellow cab came flying up before us, sending us scrambling away from the curb in an effort not to get bowled over. It screeched to a halt and I jerked a thumb at it, grinning, "Catch ya 'round, Spidey."
Brushing off my ass, I watched him take off on his spider web before slipping into the backseat. Settling myself against the grubby leather, I met the stunned cabbie's gaze; he quickly scanned the skies for any sign of Peter, querying, "You know the Spiderman?!"
Oh, bud, you have no idea.
/
The taxi was a ruse, taking me a few blocks west before depositing me in front of an unassuming cafe just off of Main. I knew Peter wouldn't follow me; he had to catch two buses to get to school on time. He easily could've made it there in less than ten minutes if he went as Spiderman, but he was completely and utterly smitten with a girl in his math class. Mary Jane, maybe?
Yeah, a pretty redhead or discovering my "classified job"?
He'd take the redhead every time.
A fresh cappuccino in hand, I took a self-driven Audi to the outskirts of the Avengers base. As the sleek, black vehicle pulled up the only road in or out of the facility, I thanked FRIDAY for keeping me company. Tony was apparently supposed to be there, but was in his lab, hungover or working frenetically on his latest suit.
Still, the AI was surprisingly good company, updating me on the goings-on around the facility in her sassy Irish accent. The new recruits were doing well, their training hard - with Nat as their instructor, I expected no less - but effective. Wanda had never had more control over her powers, Vision was learning more and more of our human customs, and Pietro was, quite literally, running laps around the others.
I could've joined them. Honestly, I probably should have. I came to their aid more than a few times, as Steve and Nat so smugly pointed out; it wasn't that I was unwilling to use my gifts for the greater good. I had and I would continue to do so, when I thought it was right. Worthy.
But I had other things to worry about than devoting my life to fighting, especially for organizations I didn't trust. SHIELD had tried and failed to recruit me several times, but I couldn't help but be suspicious of their motives half the time. Not to mention, Nick Fucking Fury was more than a little untrustworthy. And, of course, Hydra had immersed itself so deeply within the agency; people I thought I knew, people I trusted, ended up on the wrong side of the law.
So I was a part time vigilante, only involving myself when requested and, sometimes, not even then.
"Well if it ain't Golden Globes…"
Beaming, I clambered out of the car, bidding FRIDAY goodbye and jogging up to the one and only Tony Stark. With his signature swagger, he ambled up to me, dressed in jeans and a faded Black Sabbath tee, sunglasses over his dark eyes. He shoved them onto his forehead, the crow's feet around his chocolate, doe eyes more pronounced than ever as he grinned.
Wrapping my arms around him, I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, "Thanks for picking me up."
"Technically I did," he replied, leaning back, arms wrapped loosely around my waist. Brows high and eyes wide in innocence, he pouted, "I programmed the car, sent FRIDAY to come pick you up. I even chose the Essential Backstreet Boys for your listening pleasure."
"And I'll forever appreciate that," I laughed, snorting and disentangling myself from him. He draped an arm over my shoulder and we fell in step, strolling across the lush grass toward the base. "But I hoping you'd be there. Though, can't say I'm surprised; the fact that you're even up now is astonishing."
"Astonishing?" he mimicked, his tone exceedingly shrill - Christ, I hope I don't sound like that, "little strong, isn't it? 'Somewhat surprising,' that's more like it. Sometimes I'm awake at this hour."
"Only after you've pulled an all-nighter," I teased, "I remember your Malibu house parties, Tone."
"Ugh, don't remind me," he rolled his eyes skyward and winced, the memories of his wild nights partying obviously still fresh in his mind, "Cap would blow a gasket."
"No doubt," I agreed, separating myself from the billionaire and pressing a thumb to the access panel beside the door. It slid open with a soft hiss, granting me access to the high-tech facility I rarely frequented. A few people trotted here and there, those still loyal to SHIELD and the Avengers; Tony had them doing odd jobs, be it hacking, researching, hell, getting him his favorite coffee… "He's never seen you at your worst, has he?"
"Define 'worst,'" Tony smirked, trailing after me and shooting me a flirtatious wink. Hands stuffed in his pockets, he strode backwards, away from me, nearly sending several agents toppling to the ground and snorting in amusement as they scrambled out of his way. "Gotta run, GG. Got a speech at MIT this mornin'. That is, unless you wanna take my private jet to Jamaica? Promise I'll make it worth your while. Margaritas on the beach, skinny dipping in the ocean… I know you love that…"
While I most certainly did, I didn't admit it to the likes of him, not when he was in his playboy mode. I didn't dare mention Pepper, either; I knew the pair had separated and Tony's default response was to fall back into his whorish ways. Though I doubted he would actually betray Pep physically, he wasn't at all above hitting on anyone with a vagina, whether they wanted him to or not.
He was hurting, though, that I could see, so instead of worsening his pain by bringing up the Stark Industries CEO and having an unwelcome heart-to-heart, I nodded once, offering him a saucy wink of my own, "Sure thing. Once I'm done with this Mystique business, I'm down. Pick me up at one, 'kay?"
Pointing a finger at me, he grinned triumphantly, "You got it. I won't be late. Well, maybe, but don't hold it against me. Only thing I want you holding against me is that gorgeous body…"
"Tony."
The disapproval in Steve's tone was palpable and the dark-eyed billionaire grimaced, exaggerating only slightly, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're a 90-year-old stick-in-the-mud virgin, Capscicle. Got it. Don't get your panties in a bunch; I was just teasing our little Medusa, here. Course I don't want her all up on me. That'd be gross."
He stuck his tongue out and feigned a shudder, casting me a sidelong wink and mouthing, 'love you, boo.'
Chuckling, I rolled my eyes affectionately, "How many times do I have to tell you, Tone? Can't turn a guy to stone with these bad boys."
"Yet," he lifted a finger, holding his hands up in surrender as Steve cleared his throat, "alright, alright; I'm out. One o'clock, Aury!"
"One o'clock," I agreed laughingly before scaling the steel steps and approaching the Captain. He had already donned his uniform, his shield slung across his back and his arms folded tightly across his chest. His jaw and gaze were hard, his mouth set in a firm line. He looked ready for battle. "Going somewhere? I thought this Mystique thing wasn't until noon? Intel said-"
"Change of plans, Aurelie," he sighed, rubbing his jaw vigorously, gesturing for me to follow him. Shooting me an apologetic grin, he continued, "Sorry I got you out of bed so early."
Waving him off, I pressed curiously, "What is it, then? Is it Bucky? I can always come with; clear his mind, keep him from running… give you a chance to talk to him."
There was a distant, wistful glint in Steve's lovely azure eyes and I knew he wanted nothing more than just that. It wasn't the case, though, when he admitted, "It's not Bucky. Close, though."
He could only be referring to Hydra, and we had taken care of the major players surrounding Bucky and the incident in D.C.
All but one.
"Rumlow?"
"Rumlow," Steve affirmed with a short nod.
Well, shit.
The Avengers hadn't been this close to finding the crazed ex-SHIELD agent in weeks; to think they could nab him before the day was done was exciting to say the least. I was glad for them; this Crossbones, as he was now calling himself, was a piece of shit. He needed to be dealt with, and fast.
"Well, I can still handle Mystique," I lifted a shoulder, "it should be quick, pretty easy, too. We don't need the whole team."
Steve shook his head, guiding me into the command center, where Natasha, Sam Wilson, and Wanda awaited me, "Xavier's got his men on it. That Wolverine's got it covered; something about payback being a… well, you know."
Meeting Sam's gaze from across the room, we shared an amused smirk at Steve's reluctance to say even the tamest of curses.
"So that means you came all this way for no reason," Steve continued, though he didn't sound altogether apologetic. Instead, quirking a brow, an almost playful smile crossed his face as he queried, "You ever been to Lagos?"
/
Alrighty, so, here we go! No Bucky yet, but a little more of her friendship with Peter and the wonderful Tony. Please, please tell me what you think. I thrive on feedback and I promise, it gets chapters out quicker!
NESSAANCALIME6913: thanks! I hope it keeps your interest :)
Aandm20: thank you! I'm already really enjoying writing it, so I hope you liked this chapter too!
Guest: thanks! I'm glad you think so!
