Date: 4/16/2029
Location: S.H.I.E.L.D Hellicarrier, somewhere over the Pacific

"I thought you said he was on his way like, at 3!" Apollo groaned.
"I did, because that's what he told me." I said, for like, the millionth time.
"I guarantee that it does not take nine stinking hours for him to fly here. It takes like one, tops!"
"Sorry, I don't control him, ever, not even when I'm supposed to."
"Good point"
"Thank you." I grunted.
"Oh!" Apollo said, "I bet he stopped to see that prissy model in L.A."
"Joy."
"You're jealous, aren't you Artie?" Apollo smirked.
"I. Am. Not!" I yelled as I grabbed a pillow off the couch and hit my twin with it, hard.
"Hey!" He yelled and soon we were chasing each other around the living room with pillows.
We were so involved with killing each other with pillows that I almost missed my phone going off. I grabbed it as I ran past the coffee table and answered.
"Hello?" I gasped, out of breath.
"Permission to land, Miss. Barton?" Jarvis asked.
"Uh, Sure. Apollo, stop it! Hold on a second J. Apollo please, let me type the code." I answered while arguing with my brother. I typed my parent's access code into our keypad so Ethan could land without setting alarms off and waking up the whole hellicarrier (again).
"There you go Jarvis."
"Thank you Miss. Barton, Mister Stark will be down shortly."
"Uh, sure, Thanks Jarvis" I replied, confused, "Well," I looked to my brother, "that was weird."
"What?"
"Ethan had Jarvis request permission to land."
"Strange, he usually calls himself, or forgets and wakes up everyone on the helicarrier."
"Yeah, I know."
"Did he seem fine when you talked to him this afternoon?"
"Yeah, we made fun of each other, like always."
"Humph, very strange."
"No kidding."
All of a sudden there was a knock at the door. I looked through the peep-hole, half expecting it to be Director Coulson or Skye scolding us for letting something land at the base at such an "ungodly hour." But there was Ethan, head down, kinda looked like he was sulking.
"Now he knocks?" Apollo asked.
"Yeah…" I answered, opening the door. "Hi Ethan!" I said, ignoring the fact and putting on a smile. He didn't say a thing, walked past me and Apollo, and sat on the couch, all while keeping his head down.
"Well hi to you too." Apollo grunted.
"Ethan," I said, walking over to him, "You ok?"
He shook his head no, and leaned into me, resting his forehead on my stomach. I felt something wet on my shirt, was he crying? No, I thought, I haven't seen Ethan cry since we were kids…
"Ethan?" I put my hands on his shoulders, trying to get him to look at me. Of course, I could force him, but I figured it would be better to be gentle.
"And that's my cue to leave..." Apollo said, sliding into the hall. I heard him run down to his room, and decided I'd yell at him for being rude later.
I realized that Ethan had his arms around me now, this was so weird.
"Ethan?" I asked again, "what happened?" He shook his head again, and I slid out of his grasp. He looked up at me, eyes red, as if he'd been crying longer than I realized. He looked scared and broken, though the fear went away as soon as I sat next to him. I let him put his head on my shoulder and I put my arms around him. Figuring I'd know what was wrong eventually… right?
"She was with someone else…" He muttered ever so silently, but me and my "super ears" heard it loud and clear.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, though I had a gut feeling of what he meant.
"Lexi… she was with someone else…." he whispered.
Ah, I thought, the prissy model, the one he'd been going out with for, what? Like a year. The one I'd never met. "I'm sorry Ethan…"
"The whole time…" he muttered, "she said she only liked me for my name, my money. I got her recognized… My reputation as a hero boosted her reputation…. But she never actually liked me…"
I swear I almost cried, I was the only one allowed to hurt my friends, if anyone else did, they paid for it. And this girl, would pay for it. I knew my next mission all right. And hey, Mom and Dad said not to Kill anyone, they said nothing about hurting people, or putting puke-green dye in their spray tan bottle, or cutting all their hair off… or stink-bombing their house…or all of the above.
But I could make evil plans later, with my brother… right now, my friend needed me. I rocked him back and forth, trying to calm him down. After about an hour he slowly sat up and looked me straight in the eye, "Thanks Artie…"
"Hey, don't mention it." I smiled.
"You didn't complain that I called you Artie…" He gave me a small smirk, and I knew he was going to be just fine.
"Not yet, my friend, but I will, just you wait…"
"Oh?"
"Yes." I smirked.
He gave a small laugh. "Night, Artemis."
"Goodnight Ethan." I got up and walked down the hall to my room.
I was just about to open the door when I heard, "Hey Barton!"
"Yeah Stark?"
"I expect a gourmet breakfast at 12, sharp."
"Only if you're buying!"
"But that takes the fun out of it!"
Yeah, I thought, he'd be fine. So I opened the door and immediately grabbed the gun from my left boot and aimed it at the person on my bed. Then I turned the light on and saw his face.
"Apollo! I almost killed you!" I said, putting the gun on my nightstand.
"Sorry… you took longer than I thought."
"So you thought it was ok to nap in my bed?"
"I wasn't going to sleep, but you took forever!"
"Why does that matter, why are you even in here?"
"To ask you what was wrong with Ethan!"
"Oh… It can't wait till morning?"
"Nope!"
"He found out that Lexi was a poser. She was just pretending to like him so she could boost her rep, and get things."
"Ouch…"
"Yeah"
"But at least he's back on the market…" Apollo winked at me.
"Out!"
"Hey I'm just saying!"
"Out!" I yelled pulling him off my bed.
"It works out good for you," he laughed.
"Out!" I pushed him out the door and slammed it in his face.
"Night lover-girl!"
"Shut you're stupid face before I throw you into the ocean!"
I heard him laughing as he closed his bedroom door. Gosh, I hated him.
"Stupid brothers…" I muttered as I turned the light off and went to bed.