Author's Note: Okay, I just want to apologize to all the fans of the story for not updating in forever. I don't know what happened but I just wasn't sure how to write the next chapter. I guess I had writer's block. It was kind of cruel of me to update so often and then not at all but I just couldn't bring myself to write. I also went back to school for fall quarter so I've been busy with that. Thankfully, now that Homecoming finally came out on blu-ray I became inspired to write again. I will be updating more frequently again so hopefully another update will come today or tomorrow. Thank you so much for your patience and sorry for keeping you waiting for so long.
I also know a lot of you wanted Emma and Peter's confrontation to go differently but this is the way I came up with it in my head. You had some great ideas but this was always how it was going to happen.
Thank you so much and I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait.
Emma had her ear buds in as she listened to Bjork on her dated iPod. She was sprawled out on her bed, listening to the Icelandic songstress but at the same time not listening to the singer. Her thoughts were completely encompassed by the new task at hand which was Peter Parker. If she was being honest she didn't really know how to deal with the teenager. Part of her was a bit excited to have found someone enhanced who was also the same age as her but another part of her was starting to think that this might be something like babysitting. Emma and Peter were the same age but Emma thought like someone over twice her age. Peter, however, was still clearly a teenager both physically and mentally. She wished that Steve and her father were there to tell her what to do… How to work with someone like Peter.
Emma knew that she was going to have to basically train him from scratch since it didn't look like Stark put any effort into training the amateur hero. Like always it seemed like someone was going to have to clean up Stark's mess and this time that person was Emma instead of the other Avengers. It wasn't a completely terrible situation for Emma because she knew there were somethings that Peter could teach her as well although she would never admit that. If Peter was an expert at anything then it was navigating his moral compass. Emma wasn't even sure she had a moral compass. After so many years of doing Hydra's bidding she wasn't even sure what was good or bad anymore. There were some things that were obvious to her but other things that Emma wasn't quite sure of. Usually she would have Steve there to guide her because he was the leading expert on right and wrong but he wasn't there to show her the way anymore. Emma was afraid of what it would mean if she had to decide what was right or wrong herself. She needed someone else to show her the way and that person could be Peter.
Emma was snapped out of her thoughts she felt her Stark phone vibrate in her pocket. It was the morning after Emma's confrontation with Peter so the only people who could possibly be texting her right now was the boy in question. She had sent him a text last night which left him bewildered as to how she had gotten his phone number. Let's just say that McConaughey was especially good at his job. She took the phone out of her pocket and quickly read the text message to herself.
Peter: Can we talk at my apartment?
Emma didn't waste anytime replying to his text as she wondered what Spider-Twerp wished to discuss. Her fingers quickly typed out the text message before she hit sent.
Emma: Sure. When?
Emma only waited a minute before Peter sent her a response. She raised an eyebrow as she read the message, a bit curious as to what made Peter so urgent.
Peter: Now.
Emma just rolled her eyes before she got up from the bed, grabbing her backpack and heading out of her bedroom. She had been ready for school for hours, unable to sleep the night before, so she would be able to arrive at Peter's apartment with plenty of time to spare. Emma walked downstairs in no particular rush as she mentally prepared herself for another confrontation with Peter. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she spotted Darcy drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen table as the brunette's eyes were glued to her phone. She was probably playing candy crush again, Emma guessed. The brunette smiled at her as she looked up from her phone.
"Good morning. Did you get some rest?" Darcy asked her and Emma shrugged as she leaned against the kitchen counter.
"Not really. I had a lot of things on my mind last night." Darcy nodded before giving Emma a curious look.
"This wouldn't have anything to do with Spider-Boy, would it?" Darcy asked and Emma only smiled.
"Maybe. It turns out that he might actually be a good ally." Emma said vaguely and Darcy smirked.
"Good… I was a bit worried there for a second. Not for you but for the Spider." Darcy told her and Emma shook her head.
"No, I think we have an understanding." Emma replied and Darcy have her a slightly surprised look.
"So what? Are you guys friends now?" Emma scoffed.
"No, definitely not but I think we can help each other out." Emma explained but Darcy only gave her a knowing look.
"You guys are so superhero Bffs." Darcy replied and Emma rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." A more serious expression came over her face as she remembered what she still had to do before school started. "Anyways… I'm leaving early because the Parker kid wants to have a discussion at his place." Darcy gave Emma a confused look.
"Parker kid? Oh, you mean that Peter guy you're in love with?" Emma glared at the older brunette.
"Love is for children." Emma told her and Darcy decided then that Emma looked up to Natasha only a little too much. Darcy decided not to continue to tease Emma about the subject because the blonde could get rather sensitive about some things and Darcy knew better than to get on Emma's bad side. She had seen the damage it had done to Tony and well… Emma was a little evil to be honest. Not super evil like Ultron or the space elves but a healthy amount of evil.
"What does he want?" Darcy asked, changing the subject. Emma shrugged nonchalantly because she honestly didn't have a clue what Peter wanted.
"I have no idea. I'm assuming it's something to do with history class." Emma suggested even though she honestly doubted that's what Peter had in mind when he texted her this morning.
"Well, be careful then." Darcy said as a smirk formed on her face. "Don't let Peter pressure you into anything that you don't want to do. If you do want to do something then make sure he has protection. We wouldn't want you to end up on "Teen Super Soldier" although that's an amazing idea for a show." Emma gave Darcy a dark look.
"You're hilarious, Darcy. Really… you should be a stand-up comedian." She sneered before she started making a beeline for the front door. There was only so much of Darcy's humor that Emma could take after all.
Emma arrived at Peter's front door about forty minutes later after making a quick stop at a local coffee shop. She decided that it would do Peter some good to wait for her so she made sure to take her time. She knocked on his door softly and didn't have to wait long before she heard his footsteps nearing the front door. The door flung open with a wide eyed Peter staring at her in bewilderment as Emma nonchalantly sipped on her Italian Bull. She noticed that he seemed a little more panicked than he had seemed last night. Maybe it was because he hadn't slept much either although it clearly showed on him. Emma was much better at hiding her lack of sleep.
"Where have you been?!" Peter asked frantically. "I texted you almost an hour ago!" Emma didn't seem bothered by Peter's annoyance as she gave him a bored look and shrugged before holding up her Italian Bull.
"I had to get my Italian Bull." Emma deadpanned as if that explained everything. Peter glared at her before quickly analyzing her appearance. It was odd for him to accept that Emma was the Viper Assassin. She didn't look like an assassin but then again Peter wasn't sure what an assassin was supposed to look like. Maybe with a metal arm like the Winter Soldier?
Emma was currently wearing a black skater skirt with a white and black colored blouse tucked into the skirt. She wore a warm looking matching black wool coat over the ensemble with a silk floral patterned scarf around her neck. Black velvet fabric ankle boots completed the look with some sheer tights to keep her legs warm. She wore some eyeliner and mascara around her eyes but other than that she didn't wear much make-up. Her hair was perfectly straight without a hair out of place like always. Peter noticed that Emma always looked incredibly put together unlike most teenage girls her age who might've smudged their eyeliner a bit or who might've worn a skirt too short. No, Emma never made even the smallest of mistakes when it came to her wardrobe. She looked like she might've come off the runway which was even more annoying to Peter because she didn't look at all like he thought a former Hydra assassin might've looked. No, she looked perfect and that annoyed him.
"What and you didn't get any for me?" He asked sarcastically, his tone laced with annoyance. Emma smirked at him smugly which frustrated Peter even more.
"I thought you were the intern." She said snidely and Peter just shook his head as Emma made a move to enter the apartment. Peter quickly blocked her entrance and Emma gave him a sharp look.
"What? You don't want me knowing where you live, Parker?" Emma said sarcastically. "Sorry but I think it's too late for that. By the way… It was a lot harder to find your apartment from the inside than the outside." The glare had faded from Peter's face as he gave her a nervous look.
"Well, there's a certain situation that I forgot to mention last night." Peter said sheepishly and Emma gave him a suspicious look.
"Did you forget to tell me that you were hatched out of an egg or something?" Emma asked. "Trust me I've seen it all." Emma tried to push past Peter again but he blocked her exit once more.
"No, it's something else." Emma glared at him.
"This is starting to get real old, Parker." Emma told him. "I'm not discussing anything out in the hallway so let me in your apartment." Emma finally pushed past Peter, shoving him harshly to the side so that they could discuss whatever he wanted to discuss in private. She knew Peter was still new to the superhero game but she didn't know he was that new. The door softly shut behind her and Emma immediately knew why Peter had been acting so weird. He wasn't alone in the apartment. No, there sat Ned on the couch and judging by his expression Emma knew that he knew everything. The boy sat there with a look of terror in his eyes as he stared at her. Emma told herself to take deep breaths and not get angry. She took a deep breath before exhaling as she prepared herself for the situation at hand.
"Is your aunt still here?" Emma asked without looking away from Ned and Peter walked over to her, shaking his head.
"No, she left for work an hour ago." Emma nodded before her hand quickly shot out and smacked Peter on the back of the head. She didn't refrain from her entire strength since she knew Peter could handle it. The force of her hand caused Peter to stumble forward but he quickly regained his balance as he rubbed the pack of his head and glared at Emma.
"What was that for?!" Peter exclaimed and Emma glared right back at him.
"For telling him, Parker." She answered and Peter gave her an incredulous look.
"How do you even know I told him? He hasn't said anything yet." Peter defended and Emma rolled her eyes.
"I can read through bullshit, Parker." Emma told him before glancing back at Ned who was looking between Emma and Peter as if the two were in a tennis match. "Look at the look on his face."
"What look?" Peter questioned.
"The I-just-wet-myself look." Emma retorted and Ned gained some courage as he frowned at Emma.
"I haven't wet myself." He said weakly but Emma didn't pay any attention to him. She focused her anger on Peter as she narrowed her eyes at the boy she reluctantly allied herself with. Emma was now starting to rethink her decision in choosing Peter as an ally. It wasn't the smartest move she had ever made.
"Can you ever keep your fucking mouth shut?" Emma said venomously. "I've never met anyone who blabs as much as you do, Parker. Except for Stark maybe."
"I'm sorry, Emma, but it kind of slipped out." Peter immediately began rambling on. "You see Ned accidentally found out about me being Spider-Man last night and then he came over this morning to talk. I started telling him I met the Viper Assassin again and then I accidentally said that-" Peter was immediately stopped in his nervous rambling as Emma held up her hand, motioning for him to stop. She had a tired look in her eyes as she contemplated what she was going to do about this.
"I don't need to hear your life story." She said shortly. "I just need to figure out how I'm going to deal with this information because I didn't know when you told me to come over that it was because you fucked up."
"I'm sorry, Emma, I don't know what else to tell you. It was an accident… I swear." Peter said sincerely, actually looking apologetic with his sad looking brown eyes. He had that look in his eyes as if someone had kicked his puppy or something and it made Emma sick. Deep down Emma knew that she was feeling something akin to sympathy but she buried any sympathetic feelings that she might be having.
"Don't apologize. Apologizing is a sign of weakness." Emma told him, shaking her head. "What's done is done." Emma then forced herself to glance back over at Ned who looked slightly worried as he took note of the unusual calm expression that had come over Emma's face. It was only a moment ago that she looked completely furious with Peter. Emma quietly stalked towards Ned which only made the boy feel more anxious since he didn't know what was going through the dangerous blonde's mind. He quickly stood up from the couch as the anticipation started getting to him.
"Hey, Emma." Ned said quietly although it came out more squeaky than he wanted to admit. Emma sighed as stopped in front of him.
"Now what should I do with you, Ned?" Emma asked rhetorically. "I reluctantly let Peter know the truth about me but that's only because he serves a purpose. What purpose do you serve?" Ned gulped at the icy tone of her voice. It chilled him to the bone how dangerous and nice she sounded at the same time.
"I'm really good at computers." Ned told her, his tone fearful as she looked him over. It might've appeared to anyone else that she was checking him out but Ned felt like she was looking at him like a lion might look at it's prey.
"That's nice but I already have an AI system built into my suit." Emma responded before pausing, a thoughtful look on her face. "You know, the moment someone ceased being of use in Hydra they ended up at the bottom of the Bering sea." Emma said as she smirked at him. Ned's eyes widened in horror as he stared back at the blonde. Peter decided that it was time he stepped in.
"Emma, don't." Peter said, a silent warning in his voice but Emma wasn't concerned with Peter trying to be tough. Emma just rolled her eyes.
"Relax, Parker. I was only kidding… well, mostly kidding anyways." Emma told them both before the smirk slipped off her face and was replaced with a kinder expression that softened the blonde's features. She gently placed her hands on Ned's forearms as if to sooth him. "I wouldn't hurt you, Ned. We're friends, aren't we?" Ned slowly nodded his head at Emma but both he and Peter didn't think Emma actually considered them friends. Beside what she had said about Michelle, Peter didn't think Emma was the type that had friends.
"Yes, of course." Ned replied carefully and Emma smiled at him but Peter could tell that the smile didn't reach her eyes. When she genuinely smiled the green in her eyes stood apart from the blue. Peter knew what she looked like when she genuinely smiled and that wasn't it.
"Then I don't need to worry about you blabbing off to someone about me, do I?" Emma questioned and Ned shook his head furiously.
"Never. I'm not a blabbermouth like Peter." Ned told her and Peter glared at the both of them.
"Hey!" He interjected but he went ignored by Emma and Ned.
"Good because I'm going to take a huge leap of faith and trust you with this, Ned. Please don't let me down." Emma said with kindness in her voice but the message was clear to Ned. If he ever told anyone about Emma's true identity then he would deeply regret it. Emma grinned at him as she softly patted him on the back. Ned stiffened as she touched him because he knew that she was much stronger than she looked and could easily break his back if she wanted to.
"I'm glad we could reach an understanding." Emma told him as she backed off. She then offered the both of them a kind smile as the two boys in the apartment gave her weary looks. "Now that we've got that out of the way, we should probably head to school." Emma then began to make her way out of the apartment. She opened the front door and then vanished from sight as she walked down the hall. Peter and Ned stared after her before Ned slowly turned to Peter.
"Is that what Al Capone was like?" He asked Peter but Peter didn't have the chance to respond.
"I heard that!" Emma called from down the hall. Peter just shook his head before grabbing his backpack, Ned doing the same. The two boys immediately exited the apartment to catch up with Emma but Peter never felt like he was more out of his depth than he was in that moment. It seemed like every day was going to be an adventure with Emma. He had thought that she was complicated before but now that he knew who she really was… Well, he felt even more lost. He had a feeling that Emma wasn't going to make any of this easy for him.
"You got bit by a spider?" Ned asked Peter as the three of them walked to school. Emma was forced to endure Ned's persistent talking as she walked between the two friends. He had been asking nonstop questions since they started walking and she was already starting to get annoyed. She wasn't worried about anyone listening in because what Ned was talking about had to sound crazy to anyone who was listening… Either that or the usual norm for nerdy high school boys that still had a lot of maturing to do. "Would it bite me?" Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Would you want it to bite you?" Emma asked, disgust clearly conveyed in her tone of voice. Ned just ignored Emma, too lost in his own thoughts.
"Well, it probably would've hurt, right?" Ned asked as though he were trying rationalize something like that. "You know, whatever… even if it did hurt, I'd let it bite me… Maybe." Emma rolled her eyes. In her experience asking too many questions was a bad trait to have and Ned asked way too many questions. "Wait… how much did it hurt?"
"The spider's dead, Ned." Peter finally said, sounding like he had enough of Ned's new obsession with the spider that had bitten Peter. Emma had been interested when Peter first told them how he obtained his powers but five minutes later she quickly lost interest. Peter had been bitten by a radioactive spider. It was a weird way to obtain superpowers but not as weird as the witch getting powers from Loki's magical scepter. How Spider-Man had obtained his powers had been a mystery to her but now that the mystery was solved she felt satisfied with having that knowledge.
"Woah…" Emma looked up as she heard the tone in Ned's voice shift. What she saw in front of her was the aftermath of last night. Delmar's Deli had been completely trashed and Emma could hardly believe it was the same place she had been in yesterday. She glanced over at Peter and observed how his composure had stiffened. He had an unreadable look on his face which struck Emma as odd because usually Peter was easy to read. "You were here?"
"Yeah." Peter replied with a far away look in his eyes.
"You could've died." Ned told him and Emma rolled her eyes. She decided not to let Ned try and give Peter a lecture. This was nothing compared to some of the occurrences that had happened on some of her missions.
"Oh don't be dramatic. It could've been worse." Emma told Ned and Peter glared at her.
"It could've been better if you had helped me instead of just watching." Peter told her and Ned gave her a bewildered look.
"You just watched?" Ned questioned and Emma shrugged.
"He was handling it... granted he was handling it badly but he was still handling it." Emma replied nonchalantly and Peter just shook his head at her as she turned her attention back to him. "Are you still mad about that? As the leading expert on holding grudges… you really know how to hold a grudge."
"What about you?" Ned said suddenly as they slowly began to walk away from the scene of destruction. Emma looked at the curious looking teenager.
"What about me?" Emma questioned.
"Weren't you born with your powers since you're Captain America's granddaughter and all?" Ned asked her and Emma turned to look at Peter.
"Did you tell him everything I told you?" Peter just gave her a sheepish look as he blushed. Emma just shook her head because she couldn't believe how much she was going to have to teach this guy. The first thing she was going to teach him was how to keep his mouth shut. "To answer your question… It's complicated." Both Peter and Ned gave her curious looks as the blonde stared at the street in front of her, not sparing them any glances.
"What does that mean?" Ned asked curiously and Emma gave him a sharp look.
"It means that it's complicated." She said flatly and Peter elbowed her playfully in the ribs. Emma eyed his elbow cautiously. Fine… she would let him have that one. Next time he touched her she couldn't say the same thing.
"Come on, I already told Ned everything. Now it's your turn." Peter told her and Emma scoffed.
"Yeah, that's because you can't stop running your mouth, Parker." Emma replied.
"Please, Emma." Ned begged. "I'm dying to know. Did you really inherit your abilities from your grandfather?" Emma eventually relented and not because she wanted to share her life story with those two idiots but because they finally managed to annoy her enough. At this point she would tell them anything just to get them to shut up for once. Peter and Ned could be better interrogators than she was and not because they were scarier… no, it was because they were more annoying.
"Fine. The super soldier serum got passed down to me but it's effects had lessened by then so Hydra injected me with something stronger." Peter gave Emma a shocked look. He assumed that all the abilities she had was from her grandfather but he supposed from a scientific perspective it didn't make sense. Her enhancements should've lessened by the time her grandfather's abilities had been passed down to her which wouldn't make her as strong as she was. Peter felt his curiosity peak as he wondered what Hydra injected her with.
"What did they inject you with?" Peter asked and Emma pretended to be nonchalant about the whole thing.
"I don't know. I wasn't the scientist I was just the lab rat." Part of that was a lie but Emma didn't want to bring Stark's father into this. No one really knew that Howard Stark created a super soldier serum and she didn't think telling too many people was a good idea. She was supposed to trust Peter since she was going to be working with him but she didn't trust him that much.
"I just thought that Abraham Erskine was the only one who had created a successful super soldier serum." Peter said and Emma shrugged.
"Apparently not."
"So..." Ned interjected as he began to change the subject. "Did you actually live with the other Avengers?" Emma gave Ned a bored look.
"Obviously." She replied.
"So who's the nicest Avenger?" Emma raised an eyebrow.
"The nicest Avenger?"
"Yes, you know… your favorite Avenger?" Ned clarified and Emma couldn't believe that he was asking all the wrong questions.
"That's a stupid question." She remarked.
"Well, just answer it if it's so stupid. It's not like I'm asking you top secret information. And you can't say your grandfather because he's your family." Emma shook her head and rolled her eyes, wondering how she went from being raised by Hydra agents to being immersed in such idiocy.
"Fine, well, I guess if I had to choose an avenger that I hate the least then I'd probably pick Falcon." Ned and Peter raised their eyebrows at the blonde, surprised by her answer. Peter honestly thought she'd pick the Black Widow since they were both former assassins. He naturally assumed there would be some kind of bond between them because of their assassin pasts.
"Falcon, really?" Ned questioned, his voice laced with disappointment. It was clear that Ned wasn't impressed with her answer. Emma gave Ned a look of disbelief.
"What now that I finally gave you an answer you're not impressed?" Emma said. "Sam's funny and does a lot of work for the VA. There's not really a better person than Sam.
"No, it's just that you have so many others to choose from. Like Thor for instance… he's the God of thunder and future king of Asgard. Not to mention he's got that hammer." Ned said, sounding completely in awe of the demi god.
"Thor's okay but he's just a bit oblivious." Peter suddenly seemed really interested as Emma talked about Thor. He had never met Thor so his curiosity was well founded.
"Oblivious?" Peter questioned and Emma nodded.
"Yes, he's a nice person but he's very oblivious and a little arrogant at times." Peter and Ned took in that information as they listened to Emma speak. It was overwhelming to meet someone that knew all of the Avengers more than a little well. Emma said that she had lived with them so she must've been close to them all.
"Black Widow?" Ned asked and Emma knew that they were going to want the analysis of all the team members. Emma didn't really care what they knew about the Avengers. It's not like any of this information would hurt the Avengers and it might even make Peter trust her a little more.
"Calculating and rational."
"Hawkeye?" Ned continued to question and Emma assumed that he was just going to ask her rapid questions at this point.
"Family oriented."
"War Machine?"
"Only plays by the rules and never lacks integrity."
"Vision?" Emma groaned at the android's name.
"Unbelievably annoying and intrusive."
"The Hulk?" The expression on Emma's face softened a bit when Ned asked her about Bruce. Peter didn't fail to notice that Emma didn't seem as tense when the Hulk was mentioned. Emma might've had a bit of a soft spot for the doctor ever since they had that chat on the Quinjet a year and a half ago. A part of her also felt a bit guilty for using him as leverage against Ross. She hoped that if she ever saw him again that he would forgive her for that.
"Sweet and compassionate."
"Captain America?" This time it was Peter who asked and Emma locked eyes with him as they walked. A sad, more vulnerable expression reached her eyes as she stared back at him and she never seemed more real to Peter than she did in that moment. The look in her eyes told him that she might not have been as tough as she made herself out to be.
"My best friend." Emma answered softly. Peter and her were having some sort of moment but Emma didn't know to describe it. Usually she wouldn't admit something so vulnerable about herself but something in the way Peter looked at her made her feel like she could tell him anything. Emma didn't like that feeling one bit. She felt like Peter had something over her and she didn't like anyone having any sort of power over her. The moment vanished as soon as Ned mentioned the next name and Emma gritted her teeth in annoyance.
"The Scarlet Witch?"
"Shoves her nose into other people's business." Emma answered and it became clear to Peter that the moment truly was over.
"Iron Man?" If Emma seemed annoyed by the mention of the Scarlet Witch then that was nothing compared to the look of anger and resentment that came over her face when Ned mentioned Stark. A dark look reached her eyes and Peter wondered where the sad vulnerable girl, he had seen moments ago, disappeared to.
"An utter and complete narcissistic asshole." She said venomously and Peter stiffened at the name she gave his mentor. He didn't like the way she talked about Mr. Stark because he deeply respected the billionaire for all that he had done for him. Ned gave Emma a surprised look as he processed her answer.
"Woah… tell me how you really feel, Emma." Ned replied and Emma immediately stopped in the middle of the street causing both Peter and Ned to stop too. She turned her attention to Peter as she looked him in the eyes.
"I need to warn you about Stark, Peter." Emma suddenly said. Peter was stricken by the fact that she used his first name again since she made a habit of calling him by his last name. "You can't trust him." Peter raised an eyebrow.
"And I can trust you?" Peter questioned and Emma sighed, choosing to ignore that comment.
"I know he made you a fancy suit with all kinds of gadgets but that doesn't mean your trust can be bought." Emma continued to say. "I'm not telling you how to feel but you have to be careful. You can't let your guard down for one moment around that man. The others did and look what happened to them." Peter just stared right back at Emma silently, one of the few people she had met that could actually hold her gaze in that unrelenting way.
"It wasn't Mr. Stark's fault. Captain America went crazy and he brought everyone down with him." Peter told her without missing a beat and Emma flinched but immediately regained composure. She was pissed off at Peter's statement but she withheld all emotion from her face as she gave him a blank look. It seemed like Stark had really brainwashed the kid well.
"Whatever. I'm just telling you to watch your back around him." Emma finally said. "He's done some really nasty things." And with that Emma started walking again, not caring whether or not Peter and Ned followed her. Peter and Ned exchanged looks before they slowly began to follow Emma's lead. Despite not believing Emma about Mr. Stark, Peter was still bothered by what she said. What did she mean by Mr. Stark doing really nasty things? Was she just pissed off that her friends and family were war criminals or did she really mean what she said? Peter was taken out of his thoughts by Ned who didn't waste anytime in changing the subject.
"So… Do you lay eggs?"
The school day had passed relatively quickly with of all of Ned's continued questioning. He tried asking about her time under Hydra's thumb but he quickly learned that the topic was off limits. Emma's death glare was enough to scare him from approaching the topic anytime soon. The talk Emma had with Peter about Stark had been forgotten and they resumed to be friendly with each other. Michelle took notice of the odd familiarity between Emma and Peter that hadn't been there the day before but Emma quickly dismissed Michelle's observations. She came up with a sound explanation as it being because her and Peter were working on a history project together and Michelle didn't question it further even though she still seemed suspicious.
Fifth period quickly arrived and Emma was seated with the other students as Coach Wilson brought out a TV. Apparently there was some fitness video he wanted them to watch for class. She was seated next to Peter on the bleachers and Ned sat on the other side of the brown haired boy. Emma wished she could say that Ned's questioning was starting to grow on her but she still felt the need to strangle the idiot. It was then that Coach Wilson turned the TV on and Emma was met with a startling image. Her grandfather.
"Hi. I'm Captain America." Steve greeted in the video. His voice sounded cheesy and the Captain America uniform he wore looked even cheesier. He also had the most stupid looking smile on his face and Emma had to ask what the hell she was watching. Emma was so caught up in the video of her grandfather that she didn't notice that Peter and Ned's eyes were on her as they observed her reaction to the video."Whether you're in the classroom or on the battlefield…"
"What the hell is this?" Emma said under her breath. She really wanted to know when Steve did the video. She never remembered him mentioning doing anything like that. It was probably before she had been rescued from the Hydra base because Emma definitely would've remembered Steve doing something like that.
"Do you know him too?" Ned asked Peter. He obviously knew that Emma knew Captain America but Peter never really mentioned whether or not he was also familiar with the Captain.
"Yeah, we met." Peter said nonchalantly. Emma watched the TV screen with much more interest than the rest of the students. She had her grandfather's pictures to look at but it was nothing compared to hearing his voice. Emma noticed how happy he sounded in that video… it reminded her of all the times she shared with them him were also filled with happiness. It hurt her so much that he seemed so close to her reach yet she knew it was just a video. Her grandfather was on the run in some foreign country and he most likely wasn't as happy as he was in that video.
"… fitness can be the difference between success or failure." Steve continued to say and Emma knew that this was so coming up when she saw him again.
"I stole his shield." Peter told Ned, causing the dark haired boy to look at him in wonder. That caused Emma to snap out of her fixation with the TV. A smirk formed on her face as she looked at Peter and Ned.
"He also kicked your ass." Emma quipped before returning her attention to the TV. Peter glared at the blonde haired girl before also returning his attention to the TV although he was sulking more than he was paying attention.
"Today, my good friend, your gym teacher…" Steve said as he pointed to left side of the TV screen and Coach Wilson waved at them from the right side. Emma snorted at Coach Wilson's maximum effort. The guy really tried hard, didn't he? "… Will conduct the Captain America fitness challenge."
"Thank you, Captain." Coach Wilson said as the video came to an end. "Pretty sure he's a war criminal but whatever, I have to show these videos. It's required by the state. Let's do it." Coach Wilson announced as he blew his whistle and everyone began to leave the bleachers. Emma had to refrain from laughing at the Coach's attitude. If Emma had a favorite teacher then it had to be Coach Wilson. He liked this school almost as much as Emma did.
"I really hope he did that for money. Otherwise, that's just sad." Emma remarked as Peter and Ned followed her off the bleachers. Peter and Ned couldn't help but agree with her.
"Do Avengers have to pay taxes?" Ned's nonstop questions had apparently started up again as soon as Peter started doing her grandfather's stupid fitness challenge. Emma didn't know how Ned came up with that many questions. She was relaxing on the bleachers with Michelle as everyone else did the fitness challenge. Emma told Coach Wilson that she couldn't do the fitness challenge because she was surfing the crimson tide and like most men he gave her an uncomfortable look before telling her to go rest.
"What does the Hulk smell like?" How the hell was anyone supposed to know that? She sure as hell never went around sniffling Bruce. If anyone sniffed Bruce then it was definitely Natasha but she wouldn't dare ask the redhead a question like that. Not if she still wanted to keep her head on her shoulders. Emma knew better than that.
"I bet he smells nice." Ned said when Peter didn't answer.
"You have to shut up." Peter told him.
"Is Captain America cool or is he like a mean, old grandpa?"
"Mean, old grandpa!" Emma called out, answering Ned's question without even looking up from her laid down position on the bleachers. Her arm covered her eyes as she tried to block out the light. She could feel Michelle's eyes on her, most likely wondering why she said that since it probably sounded random to her ears. It's not like anyone else could hear what Peter and Ned were talking about. Emma could only hear them because of her enhanced hearing.
"You better not be talking about me, Lewis." Coach Wilson called out to her and she threw her arm away from her face, giving the coach her sweetest, most innocent smile.
"Of course not, Coach Wilson." Emma replied. As Peter did his exercise he quickly put that bit of information about Emma away. So she had enhanced hearing too. He already knew that she had enhanced strength and flying abilities but this was new. He wondered just how many abilities Emma had all together.
Emma then tuned Peter and Ned out as she sat back up from her resting position. She noticed that Michelle was reading a book entitled 'Human Bondage'. A weird title but Emma summed it up as being one of those philosophical books that Michelle liked to read. Emma was mostly into literature but everyone had their own interests. Her attention was then taken away from her friend as she heard something interesting from the opposite end of the bleachers. It was coming from Liz Allan and her circle of friends as they gossiped about superheros.
"Now, see, for me, it would be F Thor…" Betty Brant told her friends as they played a silly, childish game. "Marry Iron Man and kill Hulk." Emma wrinkled her nose in disgust. Married to Stark? Emma would rather marry Loki or maybe even jump off Avenger's Tower if it meant having to be shackled to Stark for the rest of her existence. Being married to Stark had to be Emma's worst nightmare. A nightmare that could potentially surpass the one she usually had of Rumlow. Maybe if the Witch ever played mind games with her again then she would see herself married to Stark. She felt like puking from the very idea of it.
"Well, what about the Spider-Man?" Seymour O'Reilly asked Betty.
"It's just Spider-Man." Liz quickly corrected. This seemed to capture both Peter and Ned's attention as they both stopped what they were doing and stared at Liz in shock. Emma smirked to herself in amusement and even Michelle put her book down in interest. Emma and Michelle exchanged looks of smugness because they both knew this was going to be interesting.
"Did you see the bank security cam on YouTube? He fought off four guys." Emma bit her lip to keep from laughing. She thought it was hilarious how impressed Liz was with Peter. It looked like Parker's wet dream was finally coming true. She could practically see the saliva pouring out of his mouth at Liz's admission.
"Oh, my god, she's crushing on Spider-Man." Betty teased.
"No way." Seymour said as he laughed in disbelief.
"Kind of." Liz admitted.
"Oh, gross." Betty told her. "He's probably like thirty."
"You don't even know what he looks like." Seymour added. "Like, what if he's seriously burned?" Emma immediately turned to Michelle after she heard what Seymour said. She feigned a look of horror before mimicking what she thought Liz and her gossiping friends sounded like right now.
"Like, what if you take off the suit and it's actually Nicolas Cage?" Emma said after making her voice sound like Cher from Clueless. Michelle stiffled a giggle as she also feigned a similar look of horror and she played along with Emma.
"Like, what if you take off the suit and it's actually Miley Cyrus?" Michelle said in the same high pitched voice.
"What if you take off the suit and instead of being a burn victim he actually has a micro penis?" Emma said with a straight face and she could tell Michelle was really struggling not to laugh.
"What if you take off the suit and instead of being a burn victim he actually has a vagina?" Michelle quipped and Emma finally broke as she allowed herself to laugh at Michelle.
"Okay, you definitely win that one. Seriously… that was a good one." Emma told her. It was clear that Liz and her circle of friends weren't paying any attention to Emma and Michelle. The group of friends were too busy having a debate on Spider-Man. However, Peter obviously did hear Emma and Michelle and sent the blonde a nasty glare. Emma only smirked at him as she waved to him and Ned. She really loved pushing his buttons and he made it way too easy.
"I wouldn't care." Liz said as she continued praise Spider-Man. "I'd love him for the person he is inside." Emma shook her head in disgust at Liz's remark.
"Excuse me while I go barf." Emma muttered and Michelle nodded in agreement, looking just as disgusted.
"Peter knows Spider-Man!" Ned shouted out suddenly and the room instantly went quiet. Emma stared at Ned in disbelief. What the fuck was that kid doing? Peter immediately got up from the mat on the floor and walked towards Liz as he struggled to explain himself.
"No, I don't. No. I-I mean-" Peter said as he stumbled over his words.
"Emma also knows the Viper Assassin." Ned announced, trying to save his friend's ass. Emma gave the boy her famous death glare and he immediately shrank back. He knew he made a mistake because Emma looked like she was about to pounce on him.
"Don't drag me into this, Leeds." Emma said calmly but there was something chilling about her voice. It was that moment that Flash decided to crawl out of whatever hole he lived in as he plopped down from the rope he had been climbing. Emma rolled her eyes. Here we go.
"They're friends." Ned explained lamely.
"Yeah, like Coach Wilson and Captain America are friends." Flash said as he strutted over to where everyone was.
"I've met him, yeah. A couple times." Peter said nervously and Emma could only shake her head. This guy was so unbelievably bad at covering his ass. He was only going to make this worse than it already was. "But it's… um… from the Stark internship. Yeah, well, I'm not really supposed to talk about it." Peter then shot his friend a sharp look before returning his attention to Liz.
"And Emma?" Flash called out and everyone looked at the blonde in question. Emma gave Flash a bored look as she decided to handle this situation as calmly as possible. "Where did you and one of the most deadliest assassins in the world meet?"
"The granola aisle at Whole Foods." Emma deadpanned and it was obvious to everyone that she was being sarcastic which meant that she probably had never even crossed paths with the Viper Assassin. "And it's The deadliest assassin by the way."
"Well, that's awesome about you and Spider-Man." Flash said as he turned his attention back to Peter. "Hey, you know what? Maybe you should invite him to Liz's party. Right?"
"Yeah, I'm having people over tonight." Liz explained as she extended an invitation towards Peter and Ned but glanced at Emma too. "You're more than welcome to come."
"You're having a party?" Peter asked in a dreamy voice and Emma rolled her eyes again. The nerve of that kid.
"Yeah, it's gonna be dope." Flash said as he smirked at Peter. "You should totally invite your personal friend Spider-Man."
"It's okay." Liz said, cutting in. "I know Peter's way too busy for parties anyway, so…"
"Come on. He'll be there. Right, Parker?" Flash said tauntingly. Flash then gave Emma a smug look as he passed by her. "You and the Viper Assassin will come too, right?" Emma glared at the egotistical brat.
"Oh, we won't be there. Trust me." Emma replied and before he could respond the bell rang. Flash gave her another smug smirk before he filed out of the gym with all the other students. Emma decided to stay behind so she could have another lovely little chat with Peter and Ned. She honestly didn't know what the hell was wrong with those two.
"I'm going to hang back for a couple seconds." Emma told Michelle quietly. The blonde then gestured to her stomach. "It's the cramps." Michelle nodded and accepted Emma's excuse even though she knew Emma was faking her period from before. She gave Emma a small smile before leaving with the other students. Emma liked that about Michelle. She liked that the brunette never asked any questions. She couldn't say the same about Ned.
"What are you doing?" Peter said angrily as he glared at Ned. Emma quietly followed behind them, thinking of ways to beat some sense into those two idiots.
"Helping you out." Ned explained. "Did you not hear her? Liz has a crush on you." Peter stared at Ned in shock as he realized that his friend was right in a way.
"Dude, you're an Avenger." Ned told Peter. Emma raised an eyebrow at Ned's statement. Did Peter really tell him that he was an Avenger? He was only over exaggerating a lot. Peter was definitely nowhere near being an Avenger. If Emma wasn't as Avenger yet then Peter was nowhere near about to become an Avenger. "If any one of us has a chance with a senior girl, it's you." Peter and Ned's debate about Liz came to an end once Emma made her presence known. All the students had cleared out of the gym by then so it was just the three of them.
"Oh my god, Peter, a senior girl has a crush on you?" Emma said mockingly. She gave them both a unimpressed look as she moved closer to them. "I didn't realize you two were a couple of teenage girls."
"Here comes the mood killer." Ned said under his breath, thinking Emma wouldn't be able to hear him, and that's when she snapped. She lurched forward and before Peter could blink his eyes Emma had grabbed onto the collar of Ned's shirt and pulled him towards her. Ned yelped in surprise as Emma glared down at him.
"I didn't appreciate the way you dragged me into your little scheme, Ned." Emma said, looking quite furious. Peter could only watch in shock as Emma lectured Ned. "I didn't appreciate it at all. The next time you decide you want to name drop me to serve whatever teenage whims you might have then you better think very clear and hard before you do it. I'm not one of your tools to help you navigate through yours and Parker's sad high school experience."
"I'm sorry." Ned apologized, his voice sounding slightly high pitched as he did so. "I didn't mean to drag you into anything."
"I don't like being used so I would appreciate it if you would leave me out of your teenage drama. I don't care what you say about Parker but leave me out of it." Emma hissed before letting him go as quickly as she had grabbed onto him. She stepped back from the both of them and took a deep breath before exhaling. Sam taught her about controlling her anger in complicated situations like this. She couldn't let her anger get the best of her. Emma then spared Peter a single glance as he still stared at her in shock.
"See you in chemistry class, Parker." Emma told him before stalking off towards the exit. Peter and Ned both stared after her in wonder. Ned finally calmed down from his encounter with Emma but Peter was still staring at the door that Emma had walked out of.
"Maybe you should date her instead." Ned suggested softly as he was still in a state of shock and awe. Peter snapped out of his daze before he glanced back at Ned.
"What?" Peter questioned, his eyes slightly widening at what Ned said. Did he really just say what Peter thought he said?
"Maybe you could go out with Emma instead." Ned told Peter and Peter immediately shook his head.
"What are you even talking about? I barely know Emma." Peter replied.
"Just think about it." Ned insisted. "You're an Avenger… she's an Avenger. It's a perfect match. You'd be the first real life superhero power couple ever. You guys would be the Beyonce and Jay-Z of superheros."
"No, even if I thought Emma was remotely interested in me, which would never happen, I don't think I could date someone like her." Peter told his friend. "She's an assassin so she's probably killed a lot of people. That's terrifying." Ned didn't seem that bothered by Peter's statement.
"That's badass." Ned corrected. "If you guys were a couple then she would probably throat punch like an army of ninjas for you. That would make her the best girlfriend in the history of the world." Peter just shook his head.
"I like Liz." Peter said firmly, not knowing what else to say. Ned just shrugged as he rethought the entire situation. Yes, Emma scared the hell out of Ned but a large part of him admired her for being such a badass.
"Liz is a senior and one of the most popular girls in school but I'm starting to think I'm switching over to Team Emma." Ned told Peter. "Team Emma probably has samurai swords and brass knuckles. Way cooler than Team Liz if you think about it."
"Don't be weird about this." Peter replied, trying to ignore whatever thoughts about Emma that he couldn't seem to get out of his head.
"I wonder what your babies would be like?" Ned wondered, causing Peter's eyes to widen.
"What?!" Peter's voice suddenly became more high pitched as it did whenever he was nervous or embarrassed.
"If you guys have babies I wonder what kind of powers they would have?" Ned clarified. "Would they be like you and have spider powers or would they be like Emma and have super soldier powers? Maybe they'd have both. Oh, that would be so cool. They could climb up walls but then also throw people through walls." Ned suddenly paused as if something had randomly occurred to him. "Oh my god… I just realized something."
"What, Ned? What could you have possibly realized?" Peter asked tiredly. He was just giving up at this point.
"If you and Emma got married then Captain America would be your grandpa too." At that point Peter just face palmed.