They call her Human Torch! Chapter 39
Friday - Morning.
Bella-
I flinched when a door slammed particularly loud. Even with the earbuds I had on, nothing could quiet down the noise kids make. I stretched and sat up, pulling a hand through my hair to calm it before Steve woke up, he caught me of course as he rolled over and popped a head up, frowning when he saw me already sitting up.
"That was loud enough to even wake me up. Did ya even get any sleep doll?"
He looked at me with concern and I felt myself melt, he hadn't called me doll before.. it sounded so, so vintage, and hot, really hot.
"Yeah, don't worry, that woke me up too, I slept okay through the night, only waking up whenever a loud song played on my phone."
Hit eyes lit up as I mentioned my phone and he rolled over to the nightstand to reach for his. Last night after dinner, we stopped by a shop to pick up my earbuds and to add him to my line. He had protested at first, especially once he caught sight of the price but eventually Kitty and I wore him down, listing off all the benefits of having a phone. He pouted until we got back to the room but the pout turned into a grin once it was all set up and charged. He downloaded all the apps he had liked on our phones and put in the family's contacts on his own, looking super proud of himself. I looked over his shoulder and saw him looking at today's news articles. Rolling my eyes I got out of the bed and changed into workout clothes before he even noticed, proving how distracted he was since it was pretty hard to not notice your mate is no longer right next to you.
"Come on, I'm gonna have to put some type of time limit on that thing or else you will be glued to it like everyone else. Didn't you wanna go running? It's already 6:30am."
"Of course, give me a second to change."
"One.."
He looked at me exasperated for a second but a smile broke out.
"Funny girl."
I smirked at him and winked before walking out to wake up Kitty and tell her we would be gone for a while but to have a plan of where we would go and see when we got back. She mumbled out a response but I heard her rolling over through the door.
I could see the wonder in Steve's eyes as he looked around, I had to admit, it was really nice but we didn't stop to look at anything for too long, not wanting to be bored later when we came back with Kitty. We sat on the grass under a tree for a moment to set up a route on my phone. He took out his own and smirked at me, showing off that he could open the map app and knew how to zoom in and out. The easiest route was the one that went around the Tidal Basin, it was a few miles, maybe 5 but we knew we could finish it quickly so we added alternative routing to create a loop around all the nice sights.
"I think that's a good route. Ready?"
"Yeah, looks good. You wanna stretch first?.. I don't know if your body needs that or something.."
"No, not really. The serum heals me quickly, not as fast as you but I won't be sore or pull anything like regular humans would."
"Great! Lets get a move on then!"
We started off in a jog, testing out each others speeds but soon started picking it up. We were sprinting through the park, only slowing when there was someone ahead on the route.
"On your right sir."
Steve raised his eyebrow as we passed the older man.
"Didn't have that in the 40's?"
"Not that I know of..?"
"It's just manners I guess. Not everyone uses it but it's just to warn someone that you are coming up behind them and which side so they won't try getting out of the way and accidentally get in your way. It keeps them where they are basically."
He nodded in understanding and began doing it softly with every person we passed. He pushed himself to go faster when it became easy to see that I was having no trouble keeping up. I could have gone much faster but I wasn't about to leave him behind. He didn't seem upset at all, just rolling his eyes and smirking my way every time I caught up to the small distance he put between us on his speed bouts.
"Okay, I give!"
"Finally. I can keep up with vampires Steve, I think it's safe to say I am faster. I think you would have easily beaten me when I first woke up like this though."
"Why's that?"
"I didn't know how to use my fire. I already told you I am faster or stronger when I charge up my legs with the heat but at that time I had no clue how to manipulate it, I didn't know I could do it at all until about a year later I think."
"Can I see how fast you can go?"
"I would need more space than this, and there are too many people standing around. Maybe some other time?"
"Of course."
"Wanna do a few more laps and call it a day?"
"Sounds good.. I would say 'race you' but.."
I laughed loudly and sped up on purpose, just out of his reach.
"I'll catch up eventually!"
"Of course you will honey!"
I stopped suddenly after a few miles but he saw it coming and stopped right before crashing into me. Chuckling he wrapped an arm around my waist and turned me, pulling me flush against his chest.
"I owe you for last night.."
"That was random.."
He kept quiet until I sighed.
"It's fine.. Let's just keep the messing around for when we get home and have a floor to ourselves k? The last thing I want is for Kitty to listen to the first orgasm you give me."
"That sounds good.. okay, no messing around. When did you say we are going back home?"
I burst out laughing, hearing him join in a second later. Instead of responding I leaned up and he met me half way for a kiss almost indecent for being in a public place. I was not about to break it first though, I loved the feel of his large, strong hands gripping my lower back. It was so erotic to feel the length of his hand, from finger tips to wrist, covering almost all of my waist. He made me feel so small next to him and though it would feel strange with other people, with him, it just turned me on that he could so easily pick me up and bend my body at his will. An image of him pinning me against a wall, or that tree over there filled my mind.. oh god now I couldn't wait until we were both ready to have sex!
"Bella? Any particular reason your breathing picked up?"
He had a smirk playing on his lips and I threw one right back.
"No baby, you are just that good."
I could have sworn that his chest puffed up but he just smiled wide and took my hand for a moment before we finished our run. We took a slightly different route that was more isolated because of it's length but it was easy for us to quickly run it twice before deciding we would come back earlier tomorrow and use this route. We were just finishing the last turn when we saw a man ahead of us in green shorts and a force sweater. I could instantly tell he had served, his running was paced as was his breathing, it was very much boot camp running. Steve was able to tell as well because instead of slowing down and giving him a wide berth like he had done for the other runners, he just kept up his speed and said on your left as he passed the guy. The man was dark skinned and a bit older than us but he did a double take as Steve zoomed passed him. I had to hold in a laugh but shrugged to myself as I ran passed him too, much faster than Steve of course, I had slowed down to a walk when I saw the guy but I let Steve get a pretty big head start before charging up heat into my calves and reaching him easily in less than 4 seconds. He startled when he sensed my presence beside him suddenly.
"You should have looked back to see the poor guys face."
"If you ran passed him at that speed I'm sure his reaction to my speed was shoved aside."
We laughed together thinking about the freaked out expression the guy must have worn. We held hands and decided to walk back to the hotel slowly, enjoying the peaceful feeling that came with blending in with the crowds and doing something so simple as a couple.
When we walked into the hotel room fully relaxed we saw Kitty sitting at the dinner table typing something out on her laptop.
"We're back! Decided what we should do today?"
"Yeah, I'm just typing out an itinerary so it can be easier to follow. I put all the farther things today that we have to drive to and put them in order of distance and first hit up the farthest place, going to places closer and closer so at the end of the day we can be nearby already, then tomorrow everything we agreed to do is walking distance so-"
"Kitty, you have been hanging out too much around Pepper and Jane again baby girl."
She smiled sheepishly while blushing. I though it was adorable though.
"Take your time okay? We still need to get ready anyway."
She nodded, not really caring what I said since she was so absorbed in looking up addresses. I tugged Steve into the bedroom and thought about inviting him into my shower but decided keeping things pg was important if we were gonna be put on a Kitty supervised timeline today.
I walked back into the living room while Steve showered and sat next to Kitty while tugging on my shoes.
"So how many spots are we hitting up today?"
"We are aiming for 8 places so.. we gotta leave in an hour and a half."
"Steve won't take long getting dressed, we can leave in 10 minutes."
"Yeah but.. a lot of the places we are going to have exhibits and memorials.. so I already went to the lobby and printed out some stuff that he needs to know before we leave."
I was filled with warmth in my chest at hearing her words. Even if she was just preparing and organizing stuff, it meant a lot that she cared enough about Steve already that she wanted to prepare him and not just throw him into situations where he would be lost. Giving her my best smile to show my appreciation made her blush slightly. I got up to go back into the room and knocked on the bathroom door.
"Hey Steve?"
He opened the door in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, skin wet and glistening from the shower. What was I going to say again? God he was fucking perfect, his massive chest glowed and called me to lick and kiss everywhere I could reach, that wasn't even including his arms, I just wanted to sink my teeth into all the edges on his body.
"You can't do that."
"What?"
"You can't look at me like that and expect us not to 'mess around."
"Well you can't open the door wide and let me see you all wet and muscular either then!"
He grinned at me but I saw his hands twitch and his body lean forward, stopping himself from taking this another step further. Why does he have to be so damn distracting and why do I keep getting urges to bite him?! I'm pretty sure it had nothing to do with the vampire venom in me, he was just so sexy.
"Right, um, no I came to hurry you up.. because Kitty wanted to catch you up on some events before we went to wherever it is that we are going.."
"Oh? How much do I need to know? I got into the late 50's in history timelines last night and while you were in the shower. I know about the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Berlin airlift and the wall being built, I know it was built in the 60's but it came up because it's related, though I haven't read all of it, only up until '57. I got to read when the big bang theory was first formulated, Gandhi assassinated, when China became communist, NATO, the Soviet Union getting an atomic bomb.."
He scrunched up his face and thought hard, probably remembering every detail of every event that he had read about.
"The year 1950 was when the first organ transplant was done and modern credit cards were introduced and the Korean war started too. 1951 is when the war officially ended because of the peace treaty that was signed with Japan. Color TV was first introduced as well and-"
By that time he sounded more robotic than Jarvis, though it was adorable in a way, I also thought he needed to relax. I cut him off with a kiss, proving how in his mind he was when he startled and stepped back.
"Calm down Steve, you aren't on a time crunch or a deadline. You can take time to learn everything you want to and catch up on everything you need to. Honestly, most people, especially teens, don't know as much about history as you already do."
"I know, you've told me before but it's important to me."
"I know, and I support you as much as I understand. I'm just asking you to relax okay? Don't get stuck on timelines.. Come on, just get dressed, we have some other stuff to dump on you. Kitty wants to take us to some places that apparently have exhibits and memorials to events you may not understand yet."
He got a serious look on his face for a moment before striding up to me and cradling my head in his hands.
"I promise I will be more in the moment and catch up a little slower okay? I love being in the moment with you Sweetheart."
He gave me the most toe curling kiss ever given to another person, it left me breathless and with 3 scary words on the tip of my tongue. I felt my heart begin to pound but swallowed down the sudden panic and shut down those thoughts. Needing to put space between us I kissed him and told him to hurry before going back to the living room, letting my body fall ungracefully next to Kitty.
"What's up?"
"With?"
"Your face."
"Well that's rude!"
She rolled her eyes and smiled at me but gave me a look like she knew exactly what I was doing.
"Something wrong?"
I sighed and leaned back, thinking about how healthy or unhealthy it was to talk to my daughter about my love life.. It's not like I would be swinging a bunch of guys around like my mom did to me, it would only ever be Steve. I spoke softly being mindful of Steve's hearing.
"I think I'm falling for him too fast, way too fast.."
She snorted and rolled her eyes again before looking at me softly.
"I think you are way passed that mom. It's easy to tell you love him already and that he feels the same. It may be too soon to me but who the hell cares? He is your mate mom. If he was someone you were dating I would definitely be worried but according to Peter and Char, Jasper and Alice were like love at first sight and Emmett was married to his mate Rosalie like as soon as he was out of his newborn stage. It's not like anyone else will ever be in your life romantically, Steve is it, he is the one, why not fall for him? You already did you just aren't ready to admit it to yourself yet and that's fine I guess, you both are getting to know each other still."
"I just never thought I would date at all or fall in love with anyone after.. everything."
"Why not?"
"I don't know, I just feel like for so long, finding love wasn't a priority and now I feel it so strongly and so suddenly, it's like I forgot how to romantically love some one.. it comes naturally with him but then I compare it to how it was with Edward and I feel myself grow cold and.."
I sighed and decided I wouldn't finish this conversation with her, it wasn't appropriate to talk to her about intimacy and she didn't know I wasn't a virgin so she wouldn't understand what I was feeling.
"I'm sure if you think on it, you will figure it out but you have to talk it out with him, I think he feels the same as you do but if he feels you are holding back then so will he."
"When the hell did you get so smart kid?"
"Oh my god mom don't call me kid! You sound just like uncle Tony!"
We shared a laugh and I saw Steve come out from the bedroom but he paused and stared at us grinning.
"Alright, he is ready Kitty, what kinda stuff are we talking about."
She took a deep breath and stared at me hesitantly. That look I could understand, the thought of explaining some things to Captain America was daunting.
"Well, one of the main ones is 9/11.."
I felt the grin slip off my face. Oh yeah, that is definitely not an event I want to explain to an American icon. Steve saw the look that Kitty and I shared and sat across from us with a serious expression.
"What is that?"
"Um, well I totally don't remember that but my mom might? Right mom?"
She knew damn well how to explain it, she just didn't want to be the one to do it, that sneaky brat.
"I kinda remember, I was too young to understand what was going on really but yeah I remember I was in school and all the teachers looked pretty worried, it's fuzzy after that but, anyway, 9/11 is pretty much a day every American knows, that is a part of history that will probably never be forgotten."
I pulled out my phone and opened up google, hoping there was a short explanation but all I got was 2 hour long documentaries.
"They call it 9/11 because the attacks happened Tuesday, September 11, 2001. It was 4 attacks coordinated by al-Qaeda which is an Islamic terrorist group. The attacks killed almost 3,000 people and injured over 6,000..."
He sat and listened, at times seriously, other times narrowing his eyes in anger.. He was shocked when we told him exactly where the twin towers were and why it was called ground zero now. I promised that we could go when we got back to New York but he was eerily silent as we showed him the video of the plane crashing into the tower and pictures of the streets afterwards. We told him about the Pentagon and how they had a memorial as well but he didn't make a comment about visiting that while here. He got wrapped up in reading through articles for a while but we were able to move on (After promising that he would learn more later). We went over summary explanations of the ongoing Korean conflict but it was fast since he had already read some of it on his own, the Vietnam war took longer as we tried explaining the repercussions of that.
"I know there is more you want to know and other events you need to learn about but the places that we are going to today have memorials or pictures of these 3 so that's why I thought it would be easier to learn now instead of in the middle of a museum."
"Yes, thank you Kitty, it means a lot."
I felt bad for the information dump, I could see his shoulders were sagged and he had a pensive look on his face, like he was thinking over everything we had explained and it was weighing him down. I looked at Kitty and grimaced. She nodded but pulled up some papers and shuffled them over to me like they were supposed to mean something. I leaned over and read on top of the paper, first stop, Kreeger Museum.. What the hell is that? Ah art.. well I don't care much about going to an art museum but I knew it would serve to cheer him up. I smiled her way and dragged them both out of the suite, waiting in the lobby for the car.
We got there pretty soon and it was interesting to see the sculpture garden, I loved seeing Kitty and Steve talking about every piece of art they saw, sharing what they did and didn't like about it and what they thought the artist was trying to portray. They tried to include me at first and I think I did a very good job of smiling appreciatively at the paintings when they turned to look my way but I was so glad when we got to leave after about an hour and a half. We stopped at the Washington National Cathedral next and it was stunning. I convinced Steve to take a picture with me in front of the amazing stained glass window and I have to admit, we make a really good looking couple.. Some tourist volunteered to take pictures of all 3 of us and in turn Steve took a picture of just Kitty and I. We were there for less than an hour before Kitty dragged us off to the next stop. I did pull them into the gift shop and I was able to buy a 500 piece jigsaw puzzle of the stained glass rose window, getting the 750 piece version for Bruce. I ended up browsing the whole shop and found a beautiful stained glass paper weight, I had no use for it but thought I could give one to Pepper and another to Jane, it was too nice to not take. Kitty got a few as well saying she wanted to give one to Charles, Hank, Storm, and Scott. I knew she got along well enough with the whole faculty but she really respected them the most. We paid quickly and hopped back in the car.
Pulling up to the next place was a nice impressive building with simple letters that read 'The Phillips Collection' What type of place is this? Dread washed over me when we stepped inside and I saw the words 'art collections' I didn't bother finishing the readings, just focused on holding in a groan threatening to escape. I can do this, it looks like a small place, we will go through it quick enough. I hope.
1 hour later found us finally at the end of the tour.. they had a wax room, just a small closet with wax for walls, no paint or words to look at, no, just pure wax.. Steve and Kitty stared at the wax for 2 whole minutes. The damn Rothko room was what nearly took me over the edge.. I actually did feel my skin heat up just a little. It was described on the program as 'an intimate room holding 4 paintings by an abstract expressionist who preferred to exhibit his art "on a scale of normal living."' Normal my ass! It was a room with just one bench in the middle, white walls and one large canvas hanging on each wall. The first one I saw was painted all orange with a square of yellow paint on the top half.. yes that is all, that was the whole painting.. I joked to Kitty that it looked like when we painted squares in the kitchen, sampling the paint colors to decide what color to decorate the kitchen.. she did not find that funny. The next one was a blue square of paint on top and a thin white line separating a square of brown paint on the bottom. I did not bother to look at the other two but I did have to stand in the room while Steve and Kitty stared at the walls for over 5 minutes, pausing to switch sides and stare another 5 minutes at the other 2 'paintings'. Apparently I could be an artist as well if this was anything to go on.
"So, where to next?"
"Smithsonian."
Yes!
"Don't worry mom, not the one on the national mall, we are doing that tomorrow, we are going to the art Smithsonian, first the Renwick Gallery, then the Smithsonian art museum later, it's in 2 different buildings. Strange huh?"
Fuck!
"Yep, so weird.."
For a moment I was grateful that Steve didn't know me well enough yet to tell that I was not at all happy to be going to at least 2 more damn art museums and that I had never faked enthusiasm with Kitty before so she couldn't tell either.. I don't think I could keep this up for the rest of the day though.. god I felt bitchy now. Hey I'm parenting! Doing something I don't want to do because it makes my kid happy! Now I was proud of myself, I got the urge to call Darcy and tell her but I knew she would be in the lab and Tony would probably make fun of me, no actually she probably wouldn't even be up yet, it was still pretty early for her.
"We're here."
Great.
We got in fast enough but this place was a bit fuller than the last few places. The art was brighter and bigger and I was able to appreciate it more, especially a huge rainbow made out of delicate threads, it was nice to look at but it was on the small scale so we were there less than an hour before finishing at the museum cafe to finally eat breakfast. Steve scarfed down 4 entire meals but in his defense, they were small artsy plates that were fancy but still tasty.. the place was small and in no time we were on our way to the other building a few minutes away to the much larger and nicer building with huge letters that read 'Smithsonian American Art Museum' They had much nicer rooms and exhibits but in the end I got bored much faster than Steve and Kitty did. They had some stained glass windows here and there and I found myself staring at them far longer than I stared at any of the art. We were there nearly 2 long hours before they called it quits. Kitty sighed and said that was all the art we would see until tomorrow, I inwardly cheered at that but groaned when I caught the 'until tomorrow' threat.
"We are stopping at Ford's Theater next, it's a quick tour but I wanted to do it now because they close early.. Then I got a special surprise for you mom."
"Oh yeah? What are you planning baby girl?"
"Surprise mom! I know you don't like them but you have to put up with it today."
"You don't like surprises?"
"Nope. Just so you know for future reference."
Kitty chuckled and leaned forward to look at Steve.
"You should have seen her face when we tried throwing her a surprise birthday party once! She leaves every year to spend her birthday with Bruce, she does it to avoid celebrations but one year we were ready so when she came home we were all gathered around but she couldn't stand to be the center of attention so she disappeared with Paul for like an hour! Paul is from F-"
"He knows who he is sweetheart.."
I patted her hand to avoid placing my hand over her mouth. I saw Steve narrow his eyes and look out the window, his form suddenly tense besides me. Kitty, or actually no one other than Logan, knew I had sex, semi had sex with Paul that night so when Steve didn't laugh Kitty looked confused. I was able to distract her enough but I still felt on edge for the rest of the ride. Once we got to the theater Kitty rushed out to print out the tickets but I held Steve back for a moment.
"She didn't mean anything backhanded by saying that Steve, she doesn't know what happened between Paul and I."
"She doesn't? Why?"
"No one in the family knows other than Logan, I had to ask him the next day if he knew about my body trying to heal itself.. Paul and I are friends.. good friends, we agreed not to talk about it or tell anyone about it so we drove back home and continued on with the party like nothing happened."
"Drove back? Where did you go?"
"We decided to go back to his hotel room."
For some reason telling him that I went to a hotel to have sex made me feel dirty, I looked down at my feet to avoid his stare and tried to not let smoke escape my burning up cheeks. He sighed and pulled my chin up while wrapping an arm around my waist.
"Hey, don't. Look we have talked about this before, we've talked about it a bit too much honestly but I know I have no right to be mad, I am not mad at you, not at all, just the thought, imagining it.. it gets to me but we aren't letting that ruin the day right? Come on, let's keep having fun."
"Fun.. Right."
I winced when that sounded a bit too sarcastic but he didn't catch it since he was already dragging me back over to where Kitty was standing. At least I didn't have to go to an art museum for the rest of the day, kinda wish I didn't have to go back to one for the rest of the year though.
Walking around was interesting and fast, we got to see the gun that killed President Lincoln as well as the theater box where he was sitting when it happened. We also got to see a huge tower made of books written about Lincoln, apparently it is the most written about topic, second only to the bible. That got me thinking, is Steve religious? That was a thing back then wasn't it? Going to church every Sunday.
"Are you religious?"
"What?"
"Did you go to church every Sunday?"
"Oh, no not really. I mean the nuns went crazy with those wooden beams but after I finished school Bucky and I never really went back. The nuns loved to think they could pray all my illnesses away and suggested that I stop taking medicine but Bucky refused to do that and well, it just went south after that. Why do you ask?"
"Just, these books, well this topic is very popular, it says here it's the second most popular topic after the bible so I got to thinking if you were missing going to church since you woke up or something."
"No, I haven't really thought of going back. What about you?"
"Well I never had to be around nuns, my mom took me to a christian church when I was in middle school, she dropped me off at the classroom for kids my age and I learned a lot, I really enjoyed it actually but of course, like everything else in her life, it was just a phase. Some guy she was interested in or had dated was christian so she went to please him or impress him, I don't know. I still pray once in a while, it's nice to believe in something bigger that yourself you know?"
"Yeah, I understand."
I could tell he wanted to ask more about my mom but I was certainly not ready to open that can of worms.
"Besides, going to another realm and being surrounded by gods kinda messed with my faith a bit… You guys ready to go? We've seen everything right?"
Kitty had been standing next to me, smiling softly with sadness in her eyes as I talked about my mom, she knew very little herself but it was pretty known that I did not like being asked about her, I could share memories here and there but the bitterness didn't last hidden for long, the tone always came out and ruined whatever conversation I was trying to carry.
"Come on, where to next?"
They stayed where they were for a moment but I heard them start to follow afterwards. Once back in the car I closed my eyes and leaned back, feeling a bit tired.
"I need coffee.. or an energy drink, probably both."
"Mom you know those don't affect you in any way!"
She said it laughing and I could hear Steve snort besides me.
"Kitty the mind is easily fooled. Like the Placebo effect."
She tilted her head back and forth but accepted the answer and nodded in the end.
"Alright, I'll take it. Now, next place I think will get you a little energized."
I smirked her way but didn't bother asking since I knew she wouldn't tell me where we were going. She passed a paper with the address up to the driver and we were off in no time. We turned a corner and were dropped off a few minutes later but I looked around, wondering what we were doing in this busy intersection. Kitty turned Steve and I around and I did not hide the groan that escaped me, it was followed by a laugh though.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Steve chuckled next to me and nudged my shoulder while smirking.
"Is this some type of S.H.I.E.L.D office in disguise?"
Kitty busted up laughing and I followed but we walked forward anyway, feeling this could be fun or very very annoying.
'International Spy Museum' was hung on the building in large bold letters.
"Come on mom, they have interactive tests to see if you would make it as a spy, I want to see if you can pass all of them, you too man with a plan."
I laughed harder than I had all day, especially when Steve's ears got red. He cleared his throat but shook his head with a little grin playing on his lips.
"You know that was a character right?"
"Oh don't say that! A bald eagle dies every time you are not patriotic Cap! They are almost extinct too."
My shoulders shook with laughter but he just rolled his eyes and extended his arm to mess up her hair, she swatted at his hand but I saw her pause and smile up at him shyly when she caught the fond look he was giving her. That feeling swelled up in my chest again and I felt my eyes water a bit before composing myself. Kitty was only a few years younger than Steve and I (Physically speaking for Steve) I don't expect him to take her in and see her as a daughter just because he is my mate, and in turn I didn't expect Kitty to look at him as a dad but if he could, if he did bond with her and they could create that kind of relationship, if he could give her a father figure to look up to, there's nothing else I could possibly want in life. That's a lie, I would want Victoria's head on a platter but I wouldn't ruin my day by thinking about that bitch right now.
They had a James bond exhibit so we had to explain a little bit about the movies to Steve while walking through it but other than that the interactive exhibits were okay. Steve and I finished all the tasks in less than half the estimated time, too fast actually that when we got out of the room the guy at the counter jumped up and checked his watch.
"Your group is done? Already?"
"Uh, yeah but it was hard, it was really hard."
He gave Kitty an incredulous look and was about to say something else before I interrupted, thankful he didn't recognize me and looked passed Steve entirely. I tried speaking in the most annoying tone of voice I could.
"Actually, I don't think we did it right, we would have like totally never gotten out but I overheard the answers some lady was giving a kid so we just like copied them ya know?"
He glared at me like I had just slapped him.
"Was it Jenny?! A girl with blue hair?"
"Oh yeah! I remember 'cause I sooo loved her hair, totes cute!"
He rolled his eyes and looked at me with distaste one last time before muttering under his breath and storming into the room, probably to go yell at Jenny. I smirked and turned to find Steve and Kitty looking at me in slight shock and humor. Maybe some horror too.
"What? He was suspicious! What was I gonna say? Yeah we've had training so your little test, made for kids by the way, was no challenge?"
"Not that, that tone, you just channeled your inner Aunt Darcy didn't you mom?"
I laughed with her and Steve joined in when I nodded.
"Just don't tell her."
We hit up the gift shop before leaving and I was able to find a lot of potential gifts to take back home. I got some Tees that said #Hacked I figured it would be a fun gift for Tony and Peter since they could hack anything and for Darcy since she still bitched at Phil the other day about S.H.I.E.L.D taking Jane's stuff in New Mexico. I also found amazing aviator sunglasses that had a mirrored frame on the inside so when they were on you could see behind you by looking at the sides. I put them on and was happy to see they worked when I was able to see Steve in front of me and Kitty standing behind me. I got a bunch of those for Phil, Nat, Clint, Logan, and myself. Steve really liked them and I threw in a pair for him too. He saw the dark look I threw him and narrowed his eyes playfully but I couldn't help it, he looked so good with aviators, he just needed a leather jacket and some combat boots and I know my panties would drop so fast if I saw that.. Kitty thankfully didn't notice a thing and kept talking about a pen that shocked your hand when you click it saying it would really annoy Logan, Piotr, and Scott. I smirked at her and half warned her not to annoy Logan but also asking her to tape it whenever she used it.
"Alright, we have been to 7 places, you said we were going to 8 right?"
"Well we were aiming for 8 but we have gotten out of places sooner than I planned so we can squeeze in the 2 more places for today."
"Art museums?"
I kept my face neutral but a heavy pit formed in my stomach.
"No, no, we are going to the National Building museum next."
I paused and exchanged a confused glance with Steve before we turned back to her.
"Kitty.. what?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes but I could see the humor in her eyes when she replied.
"Don't worry mom, I don't have a secret love for buildings. They just have some cool looking exhibits right now and according to the reviews, it's a must visit and temporary so I thought we should go. It's not important though, do you guys wanna skip?"
"We can go, I have no problem. I just didn't know what we could do there or what they have."
We looked to Steve and he shrugged as well so we ended up going to the busy museum.
"This is fuller than all the other art museums we went to.. are buildings way more interesting to other people than I thought or.. What is going on?"
"It's tourists and locals, that's why it's full. Like I said, they have 2 big exhibits that are calling a lot of attention."
We nodded along but didn't ask anymore questions on our way. Once the driver told us where he would stay parked and assured us that we could leave our souvenirs in the trunk then we got off and faced the impressive building. It was simple but walking inside was eye opening. There were pillars everywhere and details on every inch on the place.. I mean it made sense that the building that housed the national building museum should be impressive but the detail was stunning and open, that in itself was something to stop and look at. We were soon off to the center room that housed the biggest attraction.
"It's called 'The beach.' it's like a gigantic interactive abstract art piece."
She explained it while walking us towards the line to go in, tickets ready to show we paid the additional fee to get in to this particular part of the museum.
"It's very… white."
"Really? I hadn't noticed.."
Steve smirked and nudged my ribs with his elbow. We stood still for a moment to take in the enclosed space, white walls, white floor, white 'beach' chairs, and thousands of white plastic balls that made up the 'water'. It was.. I guess interesting to look at but I couldn't see the point really. We got to the edge and were able to see the video of the artists behind the space and it was interesting but I couldn't really find it in me to see what was so artistic about a fancy looking ball pit. We walked towards the edge, avoiding all the kids jumping into the plastic and found a ledge to sit and put our feet in.
"You guys want any drinks or snacks?"
They shrugged and in that moment I could begin to see the toll our busy day had on Kitty, her legs dangled over the ledge and her eyes drooped a bit. I got up and walked over to the snack bar, grabbing some ice pops and Cheesy bacon fries, I figured some heavy snacks could lift up her energy or might totally make her pass out. Turns out Steve was already hungry because he devoured the fries, looking up sheepishly when he realized what he had done. Kitty was fine after inhaling the sugar packed ice cream so after lounging as long as we could -which realistically was only 30 or so minutes- we moved on to the only part of the museum we had not been in yet.
"The Maze?"
"Yeah, it's just a gigantic scale maze.. it'll be fun! Then we can leave."
I shrugged and was half dragged by Steve and Kitty, both being excited after eating and getting their moods back up.
"You guys wanna split up and see who makes it out first?"
"No way! You are staying with one of us at all times. I know you Kitty, you will use your gift and walk right through all the walls to beat us."
Steve widened his eyes, like he had forgotten what she could do.
"She is a sneaky one Steve, don't trust those puppy eyes she throws at you!"
"Hey! I would never! Steve I would never use my mutation to my advantage."
She blinked her eyes up at him innocently but it was easy to see the mischief laying there as well. He laughed and shook his head.
"No, of course you wouldn't Kitty."
"Do I need to tell Steve about the paintball incident?"
She widened her eyes comically before huffing and stomping away towards the entrance of the maze.
"Paintball?"
"It's a game, we went as a family and rented the whole place out.. even Nat and Clint went so you can imagine how competitive it turned.. that little brat took her paintball gun and walked right through the barricades, shooting at everyone in minutes. I don't need to tell you how pissed Nat was."
He laughed out loud but shook his head in disbelief.
"You have to admit, her gift could be very useful in war."
I threw a smirk his way but didn't comment further. The thought had run through me many times and I had way too many people tell me that already, it never sat well with me to think of her as a war asset.
"Come on, let's get in there, just one more place to go after this."
"You aren't having a good time?"
"I am, I just haven't been around so many people in a long while."
"Yes, I can understand that but I have certainly learned a lot today, about the both of you as well as the modern world."
I smiled up at him, glad to hear that he had gotten something out of today.
"Come on sweet cheeks."
"What did you call me?"
He gave me an adorably confused look but I just winked as I kept walking, pausing only to pinch his butt.
"Don't worry about it babe. Come on!"
He flushed red and looked around to see if anyone around us saw me. Once inside the maze we were slightly disappointed at how easy it was since we kept hearing kids yell out 'Look mom we made it!' so we knew exactly which direction to move to. Still it was a nice experience. We stopped at the small shop, not really thinking of buying anything when I froze as we passed the books.
"Holy shit!"
Kitty stopped to turn first, followed by Steve. They back tracked and I plucked up the book in excitement.
"Look! It's a book of the worlds most earth friendly buildings and Stark Tower is on the cover! This is awesome! I'm buying it just so I can show Tony."
Kitty nodded enthusiastically before getting distracted with something behind me but Steve still looked confused, for different reasons now surely.
"If you want to show it to Stark why don't you just take a picture of the cover with your camera phone?"
"Smart phone. And I can't just show him a picture! I want to show it to him in person so I can see his face. He probably knows about it, I mean he knows for sure that his building is incredible, it's totally self sustained, what's left of it is anyway.. but I know he will enjoy seeing it on the cover."
"Wait, you're buying a book just to see his face?"
I nearly laughed at his expression but I nodded anyway.
"Of course. You don't know Tony like I do, buying the book and showing it to him in person, letting him see my happiness and excitement over his achievement will make him see how proud I am of him without me having to say it. He gets all awkward when it comes to expressing emotions so this is one way to do it."
He smiled softly and seemed to understand the sentimental reason for buying the book now, or at least accepted it.
"I've noticed how well both of you get along the passed few days, you have a strong bond with everyone but with Stark and Logan in particular.. I know Darcy said you are best friends but it seems more with them."
"Well, I already told you about Logan, we share blood and we have helped each other in a way no one else really can because they don't heal and we know we will always be there for each other even when every one else.. when they, age. With Tony, I don't know, I get him, I was just as awkward with people, sometimes I still am but it was because I never really went out other than to go see Darcy. Growing up, my parents, my dad was not nearby so I never saw him and when we talked on the phone, it was so, it was so formal, he didn't like expressing emotions either so our talks never worked to make us bond, I actually called him Charlie instead of dad. And well you know Renee was, she was as bad a parent as Tony says his mother and father were so I have that to bond with him over. We never talk about it but we just understand that our behavior is different, people don't understand it but we do so.."
I let the sentence hang off there, not knowing what else to say but he nodded and wrapped a hand around my waist, walking towards Kitty but stopping to grab the book I had put back with a soft smile.
Getting back to the car took longer than with other places because of both foot and car traffic.
"Alright kid, last place of the day, you saved it for last so it obviously means something.. what is it?"
"Last place we are going to is the Newseum!"
"Oh we read that off the must visit lists! You remember right Steve?"
"Yes I read the name of the place but not the description."
"It's right down the street from here and right next to the national mall so it won't take long to get there."
"I feel really freaking accomplished.. we sped through 8 places in just 1 day.."
Kitty and Steve snorted but I really did feel accomplished.. bet normal humans don't have the energy to do that. Even now I knew if we stopped moving or talking for a few minutes Kitty could easily fall asleep, so could Steve and I but we did not need it like I knew she did. True to her word, 4 minutes later we were being dropped off in front of the beautiful building.
"Kitty? Why is this place so empty?"
There were plenty of people but they were all leaving, very few of them were being let in.
"Oh it's because the museum closes at 4.."
"So they are about to close?"
"In a few minutes yes.. but I got us a private, after hours tour.. it's already scheduled. We aren't the only ones though, they said there were 4 other private tours booked for after hours today."
"A private tour.. after closing hours. How much did this cost me?"
"Um.. not as much as you would think.. they gave us a 65% discount.. after I dropped your name and Steve's name.. given how you both just saved New York.. and how he just came out of the ice.. and this is a news museum, full of people who are in press. They just want 5 minutes, and you guys have the right to not answer a question.."
I threw my head back and groaned.
"Kitty! Why would you.. why didn't you at least ask? Not just me but Steve too, you think he is going to be comfortable with people asking him personal questions about his life?"
"That's why I made it clear that you could refuse to answer questions."
I glared now at the building while muttering.
"Damn reporters, always there to watch and ask questions but when it comes to clean up they are never good enough to help out.. Just filming and applauding all the volunteers, never doing it themselves..."
"I didn't know she had such a hate for public relations.."
It wasn't until I heard Kitty's comment that I looked away from the building to find Kitty and Steve staring openly at me, apparently finding my muttering hilarious..
"Are you okay with this Steve?"
"Sure, it's only 5 minutes I guess.."
I sighed and nodded.
"Alright, lets get this show on the road then."