Author's Note: Sorry this came a little later than I thought. I was reading Bonfire by Krysten Ritter. Super intriguing and suspenseful by the way. I'm only on chapter twelve but more and more questions keep popping into my head. Is it weird that I hear Jessica Jones narrating it as I read?
So here's another famous Emma and Peter argument in this chapter. I love writing their arguments...they really are like an old married couple. This chapter kind of shows the perspective of some of the Avengers over their weird friendship. A super emotional chapter too by the way.
So some artists I was listening to while writing the chapter was definitely Amy Shark and Vera Blue. Both are Australian musicians who I can't believe aren't ridiculously famous...especially Vera Blue. This is the mainstream pop music that should be on the radio instead of the crap that's on there now. She's so good! She's like this combination of classic folk music and modern pop music. That description sounds kind of weird but she's honestly really talented.
A huge thank you to angaran who did the amazing new cover for 'Some Things Never Sleep'. I don't know if you can tell but I really suck at making covers so it was so nice of angaran to make the new one. I love it so much! I kind of consider it a belated Christmas present. Between this and the trailer knarl made I just can't even express my gratitude enough. Thanks so much.
Onlyinitforthestories2: I don't think my frequent updates will end soon since I've super inspired to write this story lately but I don't want to make any promises. I have this idea for a Star Wars Poe Dameron/OC fanfiction but I know if I even start that I'll stop updating this one. So I'm just staying focused on this one for the time being. I've had a really bad habit in the past of starting a ton of different fanfics but never sticking with one for very long. 'Some Thing Never Sleep' is the first one that I've stuck with. I mean... around 450,000 long? I never would've imagined.
Radioactive88: I don't think I even thought about making it steamy or anything. It just kind of happened.
I am still thinking about the Peter option although I'm kind of leaning more towards Steve and Bucky at the moment. The feedback on Clint or Tony being the one is pretty limited but I was never completely sure about those options either. They were just ideas after all. I'm still conflicted but I'm hoping that the more I write, the more easy it will become for me to decide.
ImsebastianstanButter: Yeah, I'm starting to eliminate Clint as an option. It's true that he was friends with Margot and everything but Emma's way closer to Steve, Bucky, and Peter. I haven't really eliminated Tony yet but I can't think of scenario where it would be him and him alone. I'm looking more towards Steve, Bucky, and Peter. Peter I'm not that sure about because I don't want to make him kill anyone. He loves Emma and I'm sure he'd want to but I don't know if I can do that to him. He's so innocent and cute. Steve and Bucky are probably the two options that it'll come down to.
I have like ten different scenarios in my head of how killing Rumlow will go. I invented a scenario where Emma kills him pretty brutally. There was a scenario where Peter just lost it and killed him. Like two scenarios where Steve did it. One where Bucky did it. A scenario where it was Bucky and Steve together and even one with Clint. So I haven't gotten as far to think about where Emma's going to be. I'm still trying to decide if she'll really get kidnapped by Hydra again or if the Avengers will storm the base. It would be kind of interesting for Hydra to put her through that memory suppressing machine like they did with Bucky so we can see a brainwashed Emma. I'm not sure right now. It's not going to happen for a while and I have a lot of ideas. It's just the process of scraping some and deciding on others. This part is going to be the hardest to write because it's completely AU.
Raylan: Thank you! When I was writing that chapter I was trying to think of ways to show the rape scene with Emma without it being too graphic but just as frightening and I decided on that one. She always associated Rumlow with the big bad wolf and that's what he is to her. He's a monster and I really wanted to emphasize that without being overly detailed with the rape scene.
ilypopxtart333: Emma will always have a temper. I think that's why Peter and her bicker so much. She doesn't let anyone get away with anything but neither does he. They're both stubborn that way, I guess.
Avalongirl55: They'll get over their differences in this chapter so a training session like that will definitely happen. Yeah, I'm definitely leaning more towards Steve and Bucky right now as options. I'm not crossing Peter off the list quite yet either so he's still an option. Pretty sure that Tony and Clint aren't going to be the ones now either though. This is super hard which is a good thing for Emma. It's a good thing that she has so many people that care about her.
Thank you!
Guest: There will definitely be more chapters to come with Margot and Steven. I'm not completely sure but maybe in three more chapters. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter with them in it. I was worried people weren't really going to be that into it.
Red1: Rumlow's going to die but I don't think Emma's going to kill him either. There's still a lot of options I'm considering.
Okay thank you to everyone about the whole Rumlow debate. I kind of find it hilarious that we're launching into a whole 'Who Should Kill Rumlow' discussion. That should be fanfiction in itself. 1,000 Different Ways to Kill Rumlow. Lol. You guys are the best.
Thanks for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
"I don't get it. How is that you're the one who's mad at me?" Peter said angrily as he followed Emma into the recreational area of the compound. It was on the third floor of the compound complete with a huge living room/entertainment area and a fully equipped kitchen. Pepper and Darcy were really the only ones to use the kitchen these days. Steve used to use it pretty frequently but he was long gone now. Emma turned around to glare at Peter, not believing that he was seriously acting offended when all he'd done in the past two weeks was waste her time. Emma was starting to consider it a waste of time training him if he wouldn't even fight back.
"Are you kidding me?" Emma asked in disbelief. The pair were so immersed in their little quarrel that they failed to notice two other Avengers occupying the living room area. Rhodey and Vision both sat on the couch as they watched a movie but their view soon became obstructed as the two teenagers stood in front of the television screen. The two Avengers looked up in surprise at the tense stances of Emma and Peter but in all honesty they weren't that surprised. They had spent enough time around the two teenagers that the bickering between them became a bit notorious around the compound. Rhodey didn't think he had ever seen two people bicker that much in his lifetime. Not even Tony and Pepper argued that much.
"You were unnecessarily rough." Peter told her as he crossed his arms and Emma scoffed.
"Rough? I wasn't rough." Emma denied and Peter shook his head in disbelief.
"Y-You kneed me d-down there!" Peter exclaimed as he struggled with his embarrassment at Emma kneeing him a private place. Emma rolled her eyes, not believing he was being this dramatic.
"Don't be a five year old, Parker." Emma told him heatedly. "Are you seriously going to cry because I hurt your dick? Sorry, I guess little Peter's not going to get any attention from your hand tonight." Rhodey's eyes widened in surprise as he heard the vulgar bluntness coming from Emma's mouth. He wasn't used to hearing her be that vulgar but then again Emma hadn't lived at the compound for a while. Steve never tolerated that kind of behavior when he lived there but since he wasn't there anymore…
"Woah, woah, kids." Rhodey said as he tried to intervene while Vision just watched the altercation curiously. "Let's be appropriate about this. No need for that kind of language." However, the decorated Air Force colonel went ignored as Peter and Emma continued to glare at each other. Peter blushed beet red from both anger and embarrassment at the words that had come from Emma's mouth.
"Why are you so disgusting sometimes?!" Peter exclaimed, completely livid. "You can't just say things like that!" Emma narrowed her eyes at the brown eyed boy.
"I can do whatever the hell I want! Don't tell me what to do." Emma spat venomously and Peter groaned in frustration as he ran his hands over his face before looking back up at her.
"You always twist my words around. That's not what I said…I'm not telling you what to do." Peter argued back while the two Avengers sitting on the couch could only watch in intrigue as the pair in front of them continued to bicker. Their eyes even moved back and forth as if they were watching a tennis match. In all honesty they had never met someone that had the balls enough to argue with Emma without backing down. Probably Steve but Steve was Emma's grandfather after all.
It was then, however, a certain billionaire came walking into the room but froze when he saw the sight before him. A delighted look came over his face as he sneaked by the two arguing teens before sitting next to Rhodey and Vision on the couch. Tony had been increasingly more annoying to both Emma and Peter recently since he heard that comment Darcy made a couple weeks before. He constantly teased the two of them about being a couple and Darcy often joined him in on the teasing. Emma wasn't sure if he teased them because he thought the idea of Emma being romantic with anyone was hilarious or if he legitimately thought something was going on between Peter and her. Neither Emma and Peter really noticed him as he glanced over at the other two on the couch.
"What's going on with Romeo and Juliet this time?" Tony whispered to Rhodey without tearing his eyes away from the teenagers.
"Their training session didn't go well, I guess." Rhodey answered as his eyes also didn't leave the scene. The two teenagers were more entertaining than any movie on TV.
"I think you're being ridiculous." Emma told Peter bluntly and Peter gave her a look of disbelief. He scoffed.
"I'm being ridiculous?! Me?!" He exclaimed and Emma stared at him blankly.
"Did I stutter?" Emma asked him sarcastically and Peter was so overcome with emotion that he didn't know how to feel. He wanted to be angry with Emma for being so infuriating but at the same time he just wanted to kiss her. How did that make any sense? How could you want to yell at someone but kiss them at the same time? It was completely crazy.
"You didn't need to be so aggressive in the training facility." Peter told her and Emma glared at him again.
"Well, maybe you should've fought back instead of just taking it." Emma retorted and Peter did that cute thing where he scrunched his nose up in anger as he clenched his jaw. Emma didn't really get how he could be so annoying yet so attractive to her all at once. It was quite obvious to her that Peter Parker had really driven her crazy. No sane person would think like that.
"I didn't just take it…I-I fought back." He told her and Emma scoffed.
"You did not fight back." Emma replied as she shook her head. "We both know you held back in there, Parker. You're stronger than I am yet you did nothing. You let me beat the shit out of you when you could've easily fought back."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Peter denied but he couldn't fool Emma. She knew exactly what he was doing.
"Don't bullshit me. You've been holding out on me for the past two weeks." Emma accused before continuing. "What are you so afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid of anything." Peter protested weakly.
"Is it me? Are you afraid of hitting me?" Emma asked and when she saw the conflicted look on his face she knew she had her exact answer. "I'm right. Aren't I? You're afraid to hit me."
"No, I'm not." Peter denied once again and Emma just shook her head at him.
"You're a terrible liar, Parker." Emma told him before giving him a challenging look. "If you're not afraid then prove it me. Hit me." Emma told him and Peter's eyes widened in both shock and horror.
"What?!" He exclaimed in surprise but Emma had a look of nonchalance on her face.
"You heard me. Hit me." She then kept her hands strictly to her sides as she stared back at him. "I'll even let you have one clear shot. I won't even fight back…we'll switches places in that sense."
"You're insane." Peter accused as he shook his head in disbelief. "I'm not going to hit you."
"Why not?" Emma asked him as she pushed him to actually say it. "Huh? Why won't you hit me?"
"Because you're my friend. Friends don't hit each other." He argued but Emma scoffed, not buying it.
"No, that's not it." Emma then said the answer that she believed to be correct one. She'd say it if he wasn't going to. She just didn't know how wrong she happened to be about her answer. "It's because I'm a girl, isn't it?"
"What? No!" Peter denied, completely taken back by what Emma suggested.
"That's it. Isn't it?" Emma said as she continued to glare at the boy standing in front of her. He could stand there and deny it all he wanted but that's what Emma genuinely believed. Why else would he be so afraid to hit her?
"No it's not." Peter told her but it was no use. Emma was already convinced. Little did the blonde know that her being a girl had nothing to do with it. It was more of the fact that Peter was in love her. He was afraid of his own strength and whether or not he might harm Emma. Peter had almost lost her when the building collapsed and he didn't want to go through that again.
"God, you're so much like Steve, you know that? He never wanted to a hit a woman either. It's so annoying." Emma told him bitterly. "If you don't want to hit me than fine but I'm not going to bow down to your wishes and hold back too. If you want to get the shit knocked out of you than that's on you. Not me." With one last glare Emma then turned around to head back to her room. She was tired of arguing with Peter and she knew that she needed to spend some time away from him. He was only going to continue to frustrate her if she stayed.
"Where are you going?" Peter called after her as he watched her leave.
"Away from you." Emma snapped, not even bothering turning back to look at him as she walked down the stairs and disappeared from sight. Peter felt a bit crestfallen at the sight of Emma walking away from him in anger but he figured that it was probably better that the two of them had some time to cool off.
"It looks like it's time that we have a little guy to guy chat about women, kid." Tony said abruptly, causing Peter to look at all the three Avengers sitting there on the couch. It was the first time he had noticed any of them during the whole argument with Emma. He was a little embarrassed to see that they had witnessed the fight. Sometimes it was like he and Emma lived in their own world. Tony patted the spot next to him on the long couch and Peter hesitantly took a seat next to him.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about, Mr. Stark." Peter replied as he laughed nervously. Tony took off his tinted shades and gave Peter a knowing look.
"We're friends, aren't we?" Tony told Peter and the teenage boy nodded hesitantly. "Call me Tony. My father was Mr. Stark and I'm certainly not my father."
"Okay, Tony." Peter said, testing the way the name sounded coming from him. It felt kind of strange calling the man who was his mentor something so casual but he supposed that he would get used to it.
"I'm going to be really blunt with you, Peter." Tony said seriously as he looked at the troubled looking kid. "We all know there's something going on between you and Mini Cap." Peter immediately shook his head furiously as he blushed.
"No, there's not I-" Peter started to say but Mr. Stark interrupted him.
"Don't pull my leg, kid. Everyone knows it." Tony said before glancing over at Rhodey and Vision. "Rhodey knows it. Vision knows. Darcy knows it. Practically everyone knows that you have a thing for Mini Cap. Don't try to deny it." Rhodey and Vision nodded in unison at Tony's statement. Peter blushed an even deeper shade of red as he looked down at his hands, trying to avoid Tony's intense gaze.
"Do you think Emma knows?" He asked shyly, cautiously peeking up at the billionaire. Tony smiled at Peter, satisfied that he had gotten the kid to admit to there being something going on. Denial wasn't something good for two teenagers to have.
"No, I don't think so. Mini Cap is too caught up in her own brooding. She's like the male romantic lead of a Victorian era romance novel." Tony said before he smirked at the teenage boy. "But if you keep staring and drooling over her all the time than she'll probably figure it out sooner or later. Mini Cap's clueless about that kind of stuff but she's not stupid." Peter really wanted to sink through the couch and into the floor, disappearing for good.
"I don't drool." Peter mumbled to himself and both Tony and Rhodey laughed at the boy while Vision smiled in amusement.
"Look, I don't blame you, kid." Tony told him as he tried to make Peter feel more comfortable with the situation. "Mini Cap's a looker. She takes after Capsicle in that department. What a gene pool, right?"
"She'd never feel the same." Peter said dejectedly as he stared into space. Tony sighed because he knew that probably wasn't true. He had known Emma for a while now but he knew that she had been acting strange lately. Tony figured that it probably had something to do with Peter.
"I don't think that's true." Tony told him honestly, the conversation quickly becoming a more serious one. "I think Emma's spent so long trying to hide her emotions and fake other emotions that it's hard for her to show what she's really feeling. You have to remember that she spent almost ten years in a Hydra base where she was tortured and experimented on. It's not easy for her to just come out of that. She left Hydra over two and a half years ago but I think she left a part of herself behind in that base."
"Emma's a good person." Rhodey added from Tony's other side as Peter took in what they were saying. He was a bit angry at being reminded of the fact that Emma hadn't had the best of childhoods. Peter knew that Hydra did terrible things to her but he never knew the extent of it. It was never something she really talked about with him. "She's just had a tougher time than most. It's been hard on her since Steve's been away. Her and Steve are really close."
"I believe that Miss Rogers would like us to believe that she doesn't have a heart when, in fact, she does." Vision gave his input politely.
"Besides…you're a good looking kid. I don't think Mini Cap's blind." Tony told Peter sincerely as the teenage boy looked up at him in surprise. "Just be patient with her and cut her some slack. It's been tough on her since Cap's been away but I think she's getting better…I think you have something to do with that." Tony then cleared his throat as he moved on to the next topic he wanted to discuss with Peter.
"So now that we've got that out of the way let me tell you about the mystery that's been baffling men since the beginning of time…women." Tony said as he threw an arm around Peter's shoulder. "I'll give you the same talk that my old man gave me. The second you think you have a woman figured out, you'll be back to square one quicker than you would've ever imagined. Trust me…six years of dating Pepper and I still don't understand what I do wrong sometimes."
"I don't understand." Peter said, completely confused as to what Tony was trying to tell him.
"I'm saying that women are complex creatures but you've picked one that's more complex than all the others." Tony told him. "Hill just told me how your training session went and I have to tell you, Peter…just fight back. Hit her or whatever she wants. Let her have her way…it's much easier. Believe me. Especially with Mini Cap."
"But I can't hit her! I don't want to hurt her." Peter told Tony desperately. Tony gave Peter a very serious look as he heard him say that.
"Never say that to her face, kid. You think she was pissed just now…wait until you say something like that to her." Tony informed him before continuing. "You won't hurt her anyways. Mini Cap is in no way fragile. Go ahead and do your little sparring matches if it'll make her happy. Mini Cap likes sparring and I think she's just been feeling lonely lately because there's no one for her to go up against anymore." Peter looked down at his hands sadly.
"I didn't think of it like that. She never told me." Peter remarked and Tony shrugged.
"Well, she wouldn't. Anyways…the key is to keep her happy. If she's happy than you're happy. It's like that old saying…Happy wife, happy life. That's some good advice right there." Tony told him before smirking at the young, inexperienced boy. "Another thing about women…they're always right."
"No, they're not." Peter argued as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "No one can always be right." Tony just chuckled at the teenager before shaking his head. Even Rhodey looked amused.
"You've got a lot to learn, kid." Tony told him as he ruffled his hair. Peter crossed his arms as he still looked just as confused as before.
"Are you saying that I should apologize to her? She's the one that beat me up." Peter said in disbelief.
"No, I'm just saying to make a compromise…come to an understanding." Tony answered.
"Also some flowers or chocolate probably wouldn't hurt." Rhodey added before a conflicted look came over his face as he thought about what he just said. "Although now that I think about it Emma isn't really a flowers and chocolate kind of girl."
"Maybe a nice new set of knives. She might really like that." Tony quipped but Peter knew he was only joking. Peter knew better than anyone that Emma wasn't a girl you gave flowers to. She'd probably look at him like he was stupid and ask what the hell was wrong with him.
"Perhaps a nice dinner?" Vision suggested. "I attempted to cook dinner for Wanda once to cheer her up. The attempt was not successful but the sentiment was understood. Maybe you could order pizza instead?" Peter couldn't actually believe that he was getting girl advice from three Avengers…especially girl advice from Vision of all people. He appreciated the gesture since he didn't have a lot of male influence back at home.
"Well, Emma's never seen Star Wars." Peter said quietly and Tony grinned at him, giving him an impressed look.
"Okay…so there you have it. Dinner and a movie." Tony said before he started to ramble on. "Tell us when and I'll have Happy order the pizza. What do you like on your pizza? I know Mini Cap's pretty simple. She's fine with pepperoni but what about you? You seem like a pineapple kind of guy. Or maybe even-" Peter thought it was an opportune time for him to interrupt Tony before Tony launched into a full pizza debate.
"What if she doesn't want to talk to me?" Peter asked Tony hesitantly.
"Talk to her anyway. I know that I said that women are always right but don't let Mini Cap walk all over you." Tony told him sincerely and Peter nodded.
"Okay." Peter was about to get up from the couch to go talk to Emma like Tony suggested but the billionaire stopped him from leaving too soon. The teasing look on Tony's face was gone and replaced with a more serious expression.
"Look, Peter, I feel I really need to say something about this thing you have going on with Mini Cap." Tony said sincerely. "I'm happy that she has someone there for her and all. Especially you because you're a good kid…way better than I was at your age."
"But the thing is…Emma is special to all of us. We've known her since we saved her from Hydra." Tony said as he continued to talk to Peter about Emma. He was hoping to get a point across. "Steve was lonely since waking up from the ice. Almost everyone he knew was dead but when we found Emma he was happy again. Emma's his whole world…he adores her. Which is why I feel the need to step in for him in this situation." Tony sighed as he tried to be the parent figure for Emma that Steve was. He knew he could never replace Steve but he could at least try to be for Emma in the way Steve asked him to be. Tony felt like he owed it Steve and he owed it to Steven Jr. as well.
"I'm not really good at being the overprotective dad. That's Steve's job." Tony finally said as he started to wrap up his little talk with Peter. His gaze then hardened as he looked down at the teen. "However, if you ever hurt Emma than you're going to have a whole team of Avengers waiting to kick your ass including me. Well, there's only three here right now, including myself, but I'm sure Darcy would want to join in." Peter gulped as Tony, Rhodey, and even Vision had intimidating looks on their faces as they all looked down the couch at Peter.
"Noted." Peter said, a little too fearful of the three Avengers to say anything else but they could tell Peter got the message. Tony then gave the boy an amused look as he patted Peter on the back.
"Just be glad the others aren't here." Tony told him jokingly. "Not only would you have Cap, Barton, and Wilson to deal with but her father too. Something tells me Barnes isn't going to be cool with Mini Cap dating."
If Peter didn't feel nervous before he certainly did now. He hadn't really thought about any of that when he first started developing feelings for Emma. Not even when he fell in love with her. Peter had to admit that Emma's family was extremely intimidating. Her grandfather was Captain America and her adoptive father was the Winter Soldier. Not to mention that most of the Avengers felt incredibly protective over her. Maybe Tony was right…maybe it was good that the others weren't at the compound currently. The Winter Soldier kind of scared Peter…especially after all that he had learned about him. Peter knew that Emma loved him, however, so that had to mean that the Winter Soldier was a good person deep down.
"I understand, Mr. St-I mean…Tony." Peter said nervously and Tony gave him a quick nod.
"Good. Now go kiss and make up with your girlfriend already." Tony teased him, causing the teenager to blush beet red. Rhodey snickered at the look on Peter's face while Vision just seemed amused.
"She's not my girlfriend." Peter muttered as he got up from the couch and started to head for the stairs. The three Avengers watched the teenager disappear down the stairs, completely entertained by the thought of a romance going on between Peter and Emma of all people. It was nice for there to be something going on in the compound. Everything had been so quiet as of lately with everyone gone. Tony smirked at the other two on the couch.
"Things have just gotten very interesting." Tony remarked.
"God knows we need a little more drama around here." Rhodey said before glancing over at his friend. "The most interesting thing that happened recently was you proposing to Pepper and even that was kind of tacky." Tony glared at his friend.
"It was a perfect proposal. The press was there…Pepper barely saw it coming." Tony defended.
"Exactly…tacky. Who proposes in front of a bunch of reporters?" Rhodey asked him and Vision decided to intervene to stop Tony and Rhodey from any further arguing. He wasn't human but that didn't mean that he couldn't be annoyed by the antics of his teammates from time to time.
"I also believe the interaction between Emma and Peter will be a lovely sight to see unfold." Vision added as he distracted the two from an impending argument. Tony momentarily forgot about Rhodey's insult as he heard Vision. The expression on the billionaire's face softened as a small smile formed.
"They do make a nice couple, don't they?"
Emma was in her room drawing in her sketchbook when she heard a quiet knock on her door. She was still a bit pissed off at Peter for treating her like she was delicate…like she was someone like Liz. Why wouldn't he just fight her? It would make everything increasingly more simple. Sometimes she would never understand that boy. Emma was annoyed by how much she thought about him these days. Her sketchbook even seemed to be filled with drawings she had drawn of Peter. Emma still didn't quite understand how she could feel the way she did about him but at them same time be incredibly angry with him.
"What?" Emma snapped, barely looking at the door. If that was Tony deciding to give her a lecture about hurting Peter's feelings than she didn't want to hear it.
"Um…hi. It-It's me, Peter." Peter stammered from the other side of the door. Emma rolled her eyes at the way he said that as though she couldn't tell who he was by his voice.
"What do you want?" She asked, her voice void of any emotions as she tried to focus on her sketchbook. Emma was drawing the view outside her old bedroom in Avenger's tower. She's drawn it so many times that it was ingrained inside her mind. Emma would never forget the way the city looked outside her bedroom. Never.
"Can I come in?" Peter asked hesitantly. He was hesitant because Emma never allowed him in her room. In all honesty, sometimes her feelings for Peter were so intense that she felt suffocated with being around him so much. They were around each other literally all of the time. As terrible as it sounded Emma was kind of glad that Liz was gone because she knew things would be even worse for her if the girl had stayed at Midtown. Peter and Liz would've probably gotten together and Emma didn't think she'd handle seeing Peter with someone else very well. She was starting to think she was slowly becoming a jealous person. However, Emma knew that she needed some space to herself and her room was the one place where she could relax from her inner turmoil.
"Fine." Emma found herself saying. She couldn't help but agree to his request because he sounded so sad. Emma wrinkled her nose in distaste. The blonde couldn't believe half the things she thought these days.
Peter slowly walked into the room and shut the door behind him. He looked around in awe at her room, for a moment, which looked very similar to her room at her townhouse except for it looked a lot more decorated. Peter could tell that Emma had been living longer at the compound than she had at the townhouse. The room displayed a lot more of her artwork than her other bedroom as well as some other artwork. They were signed with the name Steve at the bottom so Peter could only assume that it meant that Emma's grandfather had drawn them. Peter supposed there was a lot Emma had inherited from her grandfather. One thing in particular seemed to be her artistic ability. The teenage boy's eyes then fell onto Emma who was laying across her bed, looking quite relaxed except for the fact that her shoulders were tense. The blonde was furiously drawing in her sketchbook, seeming unaware of his presence but Peter knew her better than that. Peter also noticed how the room smelled strongly of her strawberry and coconut shampoo. He gathered by her wet hair that she must've just taken a shower.
"Are you mad at me?" Peter asked her nervously. He was afraid of what Emma might say to him. The blonde glanced at him from over her sketchbook briefly and was annoyed that he had the tenacity to look at her like that with those puppy dog eyes. Her eyes quickly darted back to her sketchbook.
"Mad? No. I am incredibly annoyed with you though." Emma replied and Peter took that as a good sign. Annoyed was slightly better than being mad. He was also thankful that she hadn't told him to get out of her room.
"I know why you're upset with me." Peter told her softly but Emma still didn't look back up at him from her sketchbook. It was obvious that she was pretending to ignore him. "Mr. Stark told me that you've been wanting to train with someone for a long time but everyone's gone…he's said that you've been feeling lonely." Emma immediately shut her sketchbook as she glared at him. It seemed like that had gotten her attention.
"Yeah, well, Stark should learn to keep his mouth shut. I don't feel lonely…only soft people feel lonely and I'm not soft." Emma said bitterly as she got up from the bed and walked across the room. She stopped in front of the large glass window looking out upon the grassy clearing outside. Emma leaned against the wall as she looked out the window with a bitter and annoyed look on her face. Peter followed her cautiously and stood next to her as she looked out the window but Peter knew it wasn't the forest beyond the clearing that had her attention. He desperately tried to get a good read on her but like always she was a puzzle he could never seem to solve.
"You don't have to lie to me, Emma." Peter told her, remembering what Mr. Stark told him before. Emma was forced to control and manipulate her emotions for so long that it was difficult for her to really convey how she felt. He didn't blame her for that at all. It was all Hydra's doing after all. Peter couldn't imagine being forced to act one way all your life and then to be taken away from that and given the chance of freedom. It had to be so confusing for her. "We're friends."
"So?" Emma retorted as she still stared out the window, not even sparing him a glance. She knew that if she looked him in the eyes she would feel tempted to tell him everything…to forget all her anger at him. It's what made Peter so dangerous to her. He already had her heart and he could make her do anything if he really tried.
"Friends don't have to lie to each other." Peter told her sincerely, hoping to get through to her. "We're friends and I hope that you know that I would never do anything to hurt you."
It was then that Emma looked over at him. Her blue eyes searched his to see if she could find the truth there but she already knew he was telling the truth. Peter blushed from being under her close scrutiny. It was clear Emma had no qualms about staring directly at someone. Emma sighed as she looked away from him again because she knew that she could trust him but that's what scared her. It would be so easy to tell him everything. Emma didn't want to tell him everything about herself. She was sure he wouldn't want to be her friend anymore if he knew everything about her.
"I know you wouldn't but you still could." Emma said softly. Peter gave her a confused look, not understanding what she meant by that but Emma didn't let him interrupt. She quickly continued with what she was going to say. Her eyes rested on his face once again as she turned in his direction, leaning against the large glass window. "Why won't you fight me? What's the real reason?" Peter swallowed nervously, looking down at his shoes briefly before looking back up at her.
"We both know that I'm stronger than you, right?" Peter asked. Emma immediately glared at him and looked like she was about to protest when he stopped her. "I don't mean that in a offensive way but it's true. I'm stronger than you but I also don't completely know my own strength yet either. I don't know if I could control myself enough not to hurt you if we fought. I meant what I said when I said that I'd never do anything to hurt you." Emma processed what Peter was telling her but she wasn't angry with him. She could be mistaken but she swore she heard a small trace of affection in his voice. Well, Peter seemed to be an affectionate person…he'd probably say the same thing to Ned if he had the chance.
"I'm not fragile, Peter." Emma told him. "If I survived what Hydra did to me than I can survive a sparring session with you." Peter shook his head furiously.
"But that's the thing! You shouldn't have to survive anything and I don't want to risk hitting you too hard. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you because of me." Peter said passionately as he locked eyes with her. His brown eyes were filled with tears and Emma felt overcome with emotion as she stared at those scared and sad brown eyes. "Do you know how much it hurt seeing you trapped underneath all that rubble? You wouldn't wake up and I was so scared. I thought I lost you forever."
Emma took a step closer to Peter as a tear escaped his eyes. She didn't know what came over her as she moved towards him. Emma was never really good at comforting people or even being affectionate but it was like this overwhelming urge, to make the tears go away, came over her. She always had trouble in the past in dealing with people who were emotional but it was like Emma suddenly knew what she was doing…like it came almost naturally to her. She slowly wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. He seemed surprised by her gesture but he wrapped his arms around her as well. He buried his face in her wet hair, letting the smell of strawberries and coconuts bring him some comfort. The two teenagers just stood there holding each other for an extended amount of time. Emma didn't even feel uncomfortable or revolted by their close proximity. Somehow it felt right to her.
"I'm not going anywhere, Peter." Emma whispered to him and Peter just held her tighter, unwilling to let her go. "You're not going to lose me. I know that you wouldn't hurt me either."
"I'm still scared. I…I really care about you, Emma." Peter murmured to her so softly that it made Emma slightly shiver. He was so close to her and she could hear his heart racing. Emma wondered if he could hear her heart racing too. Probably. She found that she really wanted to stay there in Peter's arms. Emma had never felt warmer and safer than in his arms. She felt slightly guilty in thinking that because of Steve and Bucky but this was different.
"I care about you too." Emma whispered so quietly that Peter wasn't completely sure that he had even heard her. However, Peter was sure that's what she said.
"You do?" He asked her hesitantly.
"Yes." She answered vaguely but that was enough for Peter. Emma was never the most affectionate person so he knew it took a lot for her to even admit to caring. "I'd hate it if anything happened to you too. You're my best friend." Emma couldn't see his face but Peter was slightly frowning. He was glad that Emma thought so much of him to consider him a best friend but the truth was that he didn't want to be just her best friend. Peter wanted more.
"You're my best friend too." Peter told her despite wanting to be more. He wished that he could tell her how he really felt about her but he didn't want to scare her. Peter considered what Mr. Stark had told him about Emma. She needed time…Hydra had taken on a toll on her and she was still healing from what happened to her. Maybe if he was patient she might even love him back someday. Peter could at least hope. "Just don't tell Ned. He thinks he's the only one." Emma smiled at his last comment.
"I won't. I promise." Emma told him before pulling away so that she could look at him. She hadn't really wanted to pull away from his embrace but if she stayed wrapped in his arms any longer Emma wasn't so sure she'd find it in herself to pull away. She saw the tears that were still wet against his cheeks and gently wiped them away. Peter blushed at the feel of her fingers gently caressing his face with such care that it was like she was handling glass. Emma then took a step back.
"We can test your strength if you want…set up precautions even. Just some boundaries before we spar again. There's a gym Steve and I used to go to in Brooklyn." Emma told Peter as she moved onto a different matter. The moment was clearly over as she avoided looking directly into his eyes. "The guy who owns it said that I was welcomed there anytime. It's mostly empty so there's not a lot of onlookers. We could go there during the week between school and our do-gooder activities."
"I don't know how to box." Peter told Emma but she didn't seem fazed. She just gave him a small smile as she looked back at him.
"There's not much to it. I'll show you. It's not like I'm training you to be Rocky or anything." Emma told Peter before the teenage boy gave her a look of disbelief.
"You've seen Rocky but not Star Wars?" He asked her and Emma laughed that soft musical laughter that Peter always loved. Despite his disbelief he couldn't help but smile at the way her entire face lit up, her blue eyes gleaming with humor. He hoped that someday he might be able to make Emma that happy all the time.
"Rocky's a very inspirational movie. It's impossible not to love Rocky…he's the Italian Stallion after all." Emma defended, still smiling at Peter. Peter just shook his head at her but smiled nonetheless. Something the other Avengers suggested to him suddenly occurred to him as he looked at Emma.
"Do you think we could finally have that Star Wars marathon we were talking about?" Peter asked Emma shyly. Emma looked at him curiously as she considered what he just asked her. She always teased him about being a Star Wars nerd but in all honesty she was a bit interested in seeing Star Wars. Everyone always talked about it so much that Emma was dying to see what all the hype was about.
"Sure. I'd really like that." Emma told him before smirking at him. "I'll join in on your little nerd fest if you really want." Peter playfully glared at her.
"It's not a nerd fest. Lots of people love Star Wars…cool people even." Peter defended and Emma really loved how passionate he was about things. He was adorable when he'd launch into his little rambling about why Star Wars was the best. Emma was tempted to argue with him about how Harry Potter was the best but she never did. She enjoyed just listening to him talk about how much he loved Star Wars.
"Whatever you say, Parker." Emma told him and Peter instantly knew that Emma was only trying to rile him up. He wasn't mad at her for it because it was just like Emma to push his buttons. He smiled at her sheepishly before making a suggestion.
"Great…so if you're not doing anything maybe we can start the marathon in half an hour?" Peter suggested somewhat nervously. He was afraid she'd flat out refuse him but she did no such thing as she nodded.
"Sounds good." Emma agreed and Peter smiled happily, completely delighted that she had actually agreed. He nodded quickly as he gathered his bearings.
"Great…so I'll see you then?" Peter asked, almost stumbling over his words. Emma gave him an amused look.
"Well, there's minimal traffic on the stairs so… hopefully." Emma said playfully. It occurred to her that she may have even been slightly flirting with Peter. Peter blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"That's nice. So…I'll just leave you to it." Peter told her as he turned back around, starting to leave her room. Emma's smile then faded and was replaced with a frown as she remembered something.
"Peter?" Emma called out to him, causing Peter to turn back around to look at her. He gave her a curious look and Emma bit her lip nervously. "I'm sorry for being so rough with you before. Are you okay?" Peter didn't seem fazed as he nodded his head at her. He was a little sore but it was nothing a hot shower couldn't fix. His healing factor was fast so Peter was sure he'd be good to go in the morning.
"It's nothing, Emma." Peter told her seriously and Emma gave him an apologetic look.
"I'm really sorry for kicking you in between the legs too. That was a shitty thing to do." Emma told him sincerely and Peter blushed at her frankness. "I didn't kick you too hard, did I? You'll be okay, right?" Peter's face became even redder as he stared at her wide eyed. He couldn't believe she asked him about that as well. Usually he would believe it but he could tell Emma wasn't teasing him or being sarcastic. She was genuinely concerned. Peter quickly looked away from the concerned look on her face.
"It's um…well-well it's fine. I'll be okay a-after a shower." Peter stuttered and Emma nodded, still looking concerned.
"Are you sure? Do you need an ice pack or something?" Emma asked and Peter clenched his eyes shut as he continued to nod. He wanted to be anywhere but there in Emma's room right in that moment. Peter was incredibly uncomfortable with her constant questioning. He would rather not have the girl he was in love with asking him questions about his…member.
"No, I don't. I'm fine but can we just never talk about this again?" Peter asked her as he then opened his eyes. Emma realized then that she had probably questioned him too much. She blushed in realization as she nodded.
"No, I get it. We'll just forget that ever happened." Emma told him, still blushing, and Peter nodded.
"Thank you." Peter said gratefully, relieved that Emma was letting that particular topic go. His embarrassment could die right there in the moment.
"So see you in half an hour?" Emma asked as she changed the topic from that one. Peter smiled at her as he nodded once more.
"Yes." He confirmed. Emma gave him a short nod and Peter decided to take his leave then. He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as Peter was out in the hallway he leaned back against the door for a moment as he exhaled. His mind was going over bits and pieces of their conversation as well as the time Emma wrapped her arms around him. His brain felt like it was going to explode from all the feelings and sensations he felt from his confrontation with Emma. A smile then formed on his face at the thought of having a Star Wars marathon with Emma. A Star Wars marathon meant several hours of having Emma all to himself. Peter quickly left Emma's bedroom door as he walked next door to his room with the same goofy smile on his face.
Emma and Peter were back on the third level of the compound where they had their argument earlier. As they both sat on the couch in the living room area their fight seemed to be long forgotten. Everyone else had cleared out of the third level to give the two some privacy. Unknown to both Emma and Peter, however, Tony Stark was watching the video feed from the third floor like he was watching an episode of the Bachelorette.The two teenagers had just gotten finished watching Empire Strikes Back which Emma was more than impressed with. She thought A New Hope was pretty good but the sequel was better than she imagined it would be. Emma really didn't know how to explain but it was just that good. She didn't really want to admit it but she may have even liked Star Wars. The credits of the movie started rolling and Peter turned to look at the blonde.
"So…what did you think?" He asked her, anticipating her reaction to the film. Emma tried to be nonchalant as she shrugged her shoulders.
"It was pretty good, I guess." She replied and Peter gave her a look of disbelief.
"Pretty good?! Back to the Future is pretty good… Empire Strikes Back is one of the best movies of all time." Peter ranted to her and Emma fought the urge to smirk at him. She thought it was adorable and hilarious whenever he got all nerdy.
"I wouldn't go that far, Parker…Casablanca is the best movie of all time." Emma corrected him and a look of distaste came over Peter's face. He wrinkled his nose in disgust which Emma found pretty cute despite his stance on Casablanca.
"That's one of those boring old movies from like a hundred years ago." Peter complained and Emma glared at him because no one, not even Peter Parker, insulted the great Humphrey Bogart and got away with it.
"Firstly, it came out in 1942 so not a hundred years old and secondly…How do you know it's boring? Have ever seen Casablanca?" Emma asked him. Peter blushed as he reluctantly shook his head.
"Well, no." He admitted and Emma nodded. That's what I thought, Emma thought to herself.
"It's definitely not boring. One of these days I'm going to make you see for yourself." Emma told Peter as she hinted that she might want to continue this new tradition of movie marathons. Despite Peter's dislike of super old films, like Casablanca, he was excited at the prospect of just spending time with Emma in a capacity that didn't involve training or crime fighting. "I like Harrison Ford but he doesn't hold a candle to Humphrey Bogart."
"How did you even become interested in those old movies anyways?" Peter asked her curiously. He didn't mean it in a mean way but he was honestly confused about how she became so interested in movies that were several decades older than either of them. A small smile made it's way onto Emma's face as her mind immediately went to Steve.
"Steve. He always showed me movies that he and my father went to go see back in the day." Emma answered softly and Peter admired the way her smile reached her eyes. "Apparently father was quite the Casanova back then. Steve said he was always the third wheel on my father's dates." Peter raised an eyebrow. He was more than a little curious about two of the most important people in Emma's life. She didn't talk about them that often and Peter figured that it was because she missed them so much.
"Why does that surprise you about your father?" Peter inquired and Emma just shook her head as her smile faded.
"He was never like that when I knew him. It's like Steve and I knew two completely different people." Emma replied honestly before the conversation took a darker turn. "My father was always quiet and calculating when I knew him. He never said much…only when we were alone. He wasn't the funny and charming Bucky Barnes that Steve always talks about."
"I wanted to be just like him when I younger, you know." Emma told Peter and the teenage boy was hanging onto every word she said. It rare that Emma would talked about her past. "The first time I ever saw him was when he killed a man. I was terrified of him at first but with time that fear faded. He taught me how fight, how to survive…he even taught me how to kill." Emma uttered the words so coldly that Peter thought he might shiver but he listened to Emma speak nonetheless.
"I learned to not be afraid of him because he never laid a hand on me. He never called me 'Stupid Girl' and he was never cruel." Emma continued to say and Peter clenched his jaw at the thought of anyone ever laying a hand on Emma or calling her names. "The others were afraid of him though…he terrified them. I wanted to be like that. I thought that I might be able to strike fear in them so that they would leave me alone. I only ever wanted to be like him." A far away look entered her eyes as she spoke more of her time in Hydra.
"He was my first and only friend…my friend, teacher, and father all wrapped up into one person. Sometimes I even wanted to go on Hydra's missions…to kill…because I thought it would make him more proud of me." Emma spoke so softly that Peter wasn't sure that he had even heard her but the remorseful look on her face spoke volumes. "I know not all of them were good people but I still see their faces sometimes when I close my eyes."
It was quiet for a moment as they sat in silence before Peter finally spoke. That was a lot to take in but Peter still wasn't scared of her. He didn't think he could ever be scared of Emma. Not after all they had been through together. Now that he had heard Emma's recollection of her father, he understood how someone could be completely different from what they once were. The Emma he knew was cynical, calculating, blunt, and even mean at times but she was also compassionate, funny, and an incredibly intense human being. The Emma from Hydra sounded like a lost little girl to Peter. It seemed like now, however, Emma had finally found her place. She was never a bad person to begin with.
"You're not a bad person for wanting to be like him. He's your father…of course you'd look up to him." Peter told her gently but Emma shook her head.
"It's not just that Peter. I became so immersed in Hydra that I hadn't even wanted to leave when the Avengers came for me." Emma confessed, sadness in her eyes. "They came to rescue me and I fought them. It wasn't just because of my father that I didn't want to leave either. Missions were my whole life then. There was nothing but the mission…there was no movies, school, or games. No fooling around. It was just the mission and then the one after that."
"You're not in Hydra anymore, Emma." Peter said quietly, observing the look of pure self loathing on her face. He realized, despite his own curiosity, that he should've never asked her about her father. It seemed to cause her a lot of pain and that wasn't something he wanted. "You'll never have to go back there either." Emma turned to look at him, unshed tears in her blue eyes.
"But I'll always be like this." Peter gave her a confused look and Emma smiled bitterly. "Don't look at me like that, Peter. I know that I'm not the friendliest person. I honestly don't even know why you want to be friends with me. You'll probably never be able to trust me." Peter was actually a little mad at her for even saying that. How could she question the way he felt about her? It was a moment like this that Peter wanted to tell her how he loved her. Maybe it would make her happier. He then decided against that because now was probably not the right time to tell her how he really felt about her. Not when she was in a state like this. He didn't want to confuse her.
"Don't say that." He told her determinedly. "I trust you more than you know." Emma looked like she was about to protest but Peter didn't give her the chance.
"You're one of the most intelligent, fearless, and intense human beings I've ever met. You're forgiving too…just like you forgave Mr. Stark. If I was in your position I'm not sure that I would've been able to forgive him." Peter told her because continuing. "You care about people more than anyone I've ever known. You're strong and determined."
"With a past like yours it should've been impossible for you to overcome everything and become the person that you are today but you still did it." Peter said as an unreadable look came over Emma's face. "Don't ever doubt yourself, Emma."
She really wanted to believe Peter but Emma didn't know if she could. Emma believed that Peter felt that way about her but Emma couldn't believe that about herself. The truth was that she wasn't this strong person that Peter claimed she was. If anything she was incredibly weak…if Peter knew everything that went down in that Hydra base than he'd be disgusted with her. If he knew what happened that night that Rumlow came into her room than he wouldn't want anything to do with her. Emma had let Rumlow do those things to her and she hadn't even stopped him. How was she all that Peter claimed her to be if she couldn't even stop an average strength man from taking what he thought was his? However, Emma didn't say any of this as she smiled at Peter softly and tried not to think about Rumlow. She wouldn't let Rumlow ruin this night she had with Peter.
"Thank you, Peter." She murmured and Peter just smiled back at her. He was so innocent, Emma thought to herself. He was also naïve but those were things she already knew about Peter. She suddenly wished that she could be innocent and naïve enough for him too. Maybe he'd even like her like he liked Liz.
"Let's get Return of the Jedi started." Peter said as he changed the subject from such a dark topic. She wondered if he could tell read her that well…to know when and if she needed a distraction. He was dangerously close to her but she didn't really care anymore. Emma was always careful but for once in her life she didn't want to be careful anymore. Peter Parker would probably break her heart but Emma loved him too much to just leave.
"Please tell me Han Solo's alright. He's not going to die, right?" Emma asked as she pushed aside those intense emotions. Peter just smirked at her, his brown eyes dazzling with mischief.
"You'll just have to wait and see." Emma rolled her eyes but smiled at him nonetheless.
The two teenagers then resumed their Star Wars marathon, putting aside their conversation but not really forgetting about it either. They had pushed boundaries more than ever that day. Both Emma and Peter loved each other but neither were brave enough to admit it aloud. Emma with all her self-loathing and Peter because he feared rejection. Emma realized then that being away from Steve and her father was hard but Peter made it easier. She didn't miss them as much as she had before because she didn't feel as lonely as she once did. Peter realized that he didn't need stupid things like being liked by people who didn't matter or dating the most popular girl in school. He realized what was important to him and that was because of Emma…because she was one of those things that was important to him. They both made the other a better person without even completely knowing it.