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arlana-likes-to-write · 1 year

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Lightning Bug - Chapter 13

Master List for Lightning Bug

Warning: mention of human traffiking, mention of abuse, guilt, nightmares, fluff,

Word Count: 6.1 K

Natasha walked out of her room and was welcomed by the scent of bacon and cinnamon. Her stomach growled. She stretched, winching slightly. Her muscles were still stiff but she was alive. She and her team came home alive and that was what mattered. She heard laughing as she walked into the kitchen. America, Kate, and Yelena were sitting down with a plate of food and the teen was flipping a pancake. It was becoming such a normal right that the Black Widow missed it when she was on the mission. More laughter echoed against the walls, it was mostly America’s laugh at what Kate said. “If you keep standing there the food is going to get cold,” Yelena said, looking over her shoulder. Natasha rolled her eyes, walking over to the group. A plate was set down in front of her.

“Want a cup of coffee?” The young girl asked.

“I can get it,”

“Sit,” she said. “I’ve already eaten.” Natasha sat down with much protest as she watched her pour a cup of coffee.

“We got the same treatment,” Kate said, taking a piece of bacon from the plate. “I’m not complaining. It’s like we are VIPs.” A warm cup of coffee was set in front of her.

“Milk, cream, or sugar?”

“Just black,” she blew on it and took a sip. She didn’t miss the way the teen’s nose scrunched in disgust. “What?”

“Nothing,” she raised her hands innocently. “I’m not here to judge how people like their coffee even if it’s gross.” America laughed.

“What you drink shouldn’t be considered coffee,” the teen gasped, clutching her heart in mock offense.

“You are never getting my pancakes again,” Kate laughed as America tried to correct the mistake she made. But Yelena didn’t join in. She was pushing her last piece of pancake around in the syrup. Natasha bumped her shoulder against Yelena’s.

“Ty v poryadke (Are you okay?)” She asked. Her sister didn’t verbally answer but her shoulders moved up and down. “Koshmar? (Nightmare?)” Yelena nodded. She knew this mission was going to be tough. “Vy khotite pogovorit' (Do you want to talk?)”

“Mozhet byt' pozzhe (Maybe later),” she answered, joining in on the conversation on the correct way to drink coffee. Natasha caught eye’s looking at her. She offered Natasha a kind smile and a nod of her head. Natasha smiled back, letting their laughter fill a part of Natasha that was missing.

You weren’t sure what Natasha and Yelena were saying due to them speaking in Russian but you knew it had to do with Yelena. It didn’t take an Avenger or a Black Widow to notice the shift in her mood. She looked like she didn’t sleep at all. After breakfast, Kate and America helped clean up and Yelena took off. You knew she was safe, the team was on strict orders from Helen to rest and recover. But there was a part of you that was anxious to know where the blonde ran off to and make sure she was safe. So, you asked FRIDAY where she was. The AI informed you she was in the shooting range and wanted to be left alone. Well, rules were meant to be broken. The worst thing she could do is turn you away or shoot you. Your hand rested on the door handle. Let’s hope she chooses to tell you to leave as you open the door.

You didn’t know much about guns but you knew it wasn’t good to be shooting in the dark. It smelt like fireworks so you knew Yelena had just recently fired. You felt the wall to find the light switch and you flipped it on. The room was illuminated. One wall was covered with lockers and a few benches. Across the lockers were stalls facing the targets. You saw Yelena sitting on the ground, her knee to her chest and her elbows resting on her knees. She didn’t look at you, didn’t notice that the lights turned on as she stared at her hands. Her green eyes were glossy, she had a far-off look in her eyes.

“Yelena,” you said softly. She made no move if she heard you. “Yelena,” Still nothing. You wondered if you should call Natasha or Kate but more people could overwhelm her. “Dorogoy,” the Russian word still felt thick and unnatural on your tongue. But the usage of her primary language snapped her out of the dissociative episode she was in. She looked at you, eyebrows together.

“I came in here because I didn’t want to be found,” she said. Her Russian accent was thicker.

“Right,” you said. “But I need your help.” She waited for you to continue. “I’m learning Russian,” you held up your phone. “But I don’t know where to start so here I am.” Her gaze softened as she looked from your phone to you.

“You're learning Russian,” you nodded. “Why?”

“Because you, Nat, and Wanda speak it,” you said. “If you’ve learned English so it’s only fair I try to learn your language.” It was why you were learning Spanish because of Lucia.

“Oh,” she whispered.

“Can I join you?” You asked, pointing to the empty spot next to her. She nodded. You sat down next to her and showed her your phone. “So I downloaded Duolingo.”

“Duolingo?” She questioned. “What is that?”

“It’s a green animated owl that teaches you languages,” she gave you a confused look. “I don’t understand it either. Here let me know you.” You took your glove off your left hand and opened the app. You showed Yelena the profile you created before you made the walk down here. You struggled at first - selecting the wrong verb to complete the sentence and incorrectly matching the word to the picture. But Yelena was patient. She gave you time to think and figure it out on your own then provided you tips to get the answer right the next time around. “You're a good teacher,” you said to her.

“You’re not the first person I’ve taught the language to,” you looked at the blonde. “Lila wanted to learn. Laura and Clint speak the language. Not sure if she kept up with it.” You nodded, returning to the app. It was quiet between the two of you. It wasn’t awkward but rather nice and peaceful. Koshmar. Koshmar. You repeated the word over and over again in your head. It was the word Yelena nodded to when Natasha said it.

“What does koshmar mean?” You asked, looking at Yelena. You tripped over the word but you knew she understood by the way her shoulders tensed up.

“It’s pronounced koshmar,” you repeated the word a couple of times. “Better. It means nightmare.” You hummed, returning your attention to the app. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I wasn’t going to ask,” you said. You continued to learn simple words and basic grammar rules but you felt Yelena’s eyes on you. “What does suka mean?” You asked. Yelena laughed.

“Suka means bitch,” you gasped, looking at the blonde.

“Natasha called Maria a bitch! That’s so mean!” Yelena laughed again which made you smile.

“That sounds like my sister,” you fell back into silence. “What are you doing?” She finally asked. “Why are you here?” You closed the app and tapped your phone against your hand.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” you said, glancing at her and then looking forward. “You don’t have to talk about it but I’m here if you want to.” Yelena sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “Do you want to hear about one of my nightmares?” She didn’t say anything as she looked at you.

“Well, when my parents were alive they liked to have parties, show off the house or celebrate something,” you said, looking forward. “The issue was no one knew my parents had a second kid so I helped set up the party, cooked, cleaned, and did anything my mother needed. Right before the party, I would be sent down to the basement. My nightmare was about a Christmas party. My brother was going to bring me food when the door opened and Natasha and Wanda came down the stairs. They taunted me and dropped the plate of food they brought down for me.

“I grabbed onto Natasha’s arm and she got bad and threw me down the basement stairs. I ran down the stairs and pleaded for them to help me but when the door opened America was there. She told me we weren’t friends,” you cleared your throat. “Told me no one cared about me.” You were leaving out some details of the nightmare but it wasn’t important.

“Minus my sister and Wanda, did that happen to you?” You nodded.

“Sort of. I was promised food if I stayed quiet and good but the power went out and I was blamed for it,” you shrugged. “A car accident caused it. It didn’t matter, my father was upset.” You saw Yelena’s jaw clench.

“He hit you,” you nodded. You noticed a fire form in her eyes. You smiled.

“He’s dead,” you told her. “Died in a fire along with my mother.”

“Death doesn’t erase the pain,” you agreed with her. Yelena rested her forearms on her knees and stared ahead. You waited for her to collect her thoughts. You were in no rush. “Natasha and I aren’t biological sisters,” you figured that much but the blood didn’t make a family. “A mission brought us together and when the mission was over we got separated. I remember her arms around me as the shipping containers opened and I was ripped out of her arms,” she looked down and you saw tears running down her cheeks. Your heart was breaking for the blonde sitting next to you.

“I’m guessing the nature of this mission is to bring back some memories.” Yelena nodded.

“Yeah,” her voice cracked. “I don’t understand why the world is so mean and cruel.” You sighed, leaning your head against the wall.

“I don’t know why either,” you said. “But I’ve been told that in the darkest moments, you’ll find the brightest stars.” You helped out your hand up for her to take. Unlike Natasha or America, she didn’t hesitate to take it. “You aren’t alone, Yelena,” she smiled, whipping away a few of her tears.

“You aren’t either,” you smiled, letting go of her hand and reopening the app to practice. You gasped suddenly looking at the blonde. “What?”

“Can you teach me how to shoot a gun?” Yelena looked, disbelief all over her face.

“No!” you pouted. “1, Natasha would kill me, and 2, why do you need to learn how to shoot a gun?” You shrugged, standing up.

“I think it would be cool,” you headed for the door. “Are you going to stay down here?” Yelena nodded.

“I’ll be up shortly,” she paused. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” you turned around to leave. “Oh thank you for not shooting me,” you said over your shoulder. “I was worried about that when I opened the door.” Yelena’s laughter echoed after you as you opened and closed the door behind you.

“Shit,” you heard followed by a crash. You spun around to see Sam trying to pick up one of his crutches that fell.

“What are you doing?” You asked, walking over to him. A shy smile formed on his face as you picked up one of the crutches that fell.

“I was going to do a light workout,” you blinked at the man standing in front of you.

“Your leg is broken,” you said. He rolled his eyes and adjusted the crutch underneath his armpit.

“I was going to do arms,” you continued to stare at him. Sam sighed and sat down on the bleaches. “Don’t look at me like that, I'm fine.” You sat down in front of him, pulling your knees to your chest.

“Are you fine?” You questioned. He looked at you.

“It's those eyes,” he said. “They stare into your soul and force you to reveal all my secrets,” you giggled. “And yes I am deflecting.” You smiled. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” you said. “I may not answer but you can ask.” Sam laughed. You liked the sound of it. It was warm and comforting. A reminder of home. You kept eye contact as you waited for him to ask his question.

“When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?” You didn’t expect that question. “Look I know you are still a kid but humor me.” You sighed, resting your chin on your forearms.

“I wanted to be an astronaut,” you loved looking up at the moon and imagining what your life would be like up there.

“Why an astronaut?” You smiled.

“Because it was the only thing I could think of to get far away from my parents,” you leaned back on your palms. “Now that I say it out loud, that seems sad.” Sam nodded, offering you a sad smile. “What about you? Did you always see yourself being an Avenger?” Sam laughed, shaking his head.

“I was a boy from Louisiana. Being a ‘superhero,’ he added quotations around the word. You frowned at that. “Wasn’t on my radar. I wanted to be a fisherman and take over my parents’ seafood restaurant.”

“What changed?” You asked. It was his turn to sigh.

“My parents died. I joined the military,” you waited for him to continue. “I served two years and was a test pilot for their EXO-7 Falcon,” you watched as his eyes became lost in the memory. It reminded you of Yelena.

“Did you lose someone over there?” You asked. He nodded.

“His name was Riley. He got hit with an RPG and fell out of the sky,” he sighed. “There was nothing I could have done.” You remember what America said about how Sam got hurt - something hi Sam that knocked him out of the air. You stood up and sat down next to him. You wondered if he felt like Riley, helpless and scared. Or did he feel guilty that he couldn’t do more while he was hurt? You smiled.

“I sometimes forget how human all of you are,” you felt Sam watching you. “I’ve seen you guys on the news and in the newspaper doing impossible things to save us normal folk,” you finally looked at Sam. “But you are human, with human emotions and human limits.” Sam looked away from you and stared at the empty training room. “I’ll say the same thing to you as I said to Nat, you can’t save everyone.”

“What’s the point then?” He asked. “Why were we granted these gifts if we can’t save everyone?” It was a tough question and one that made sense.

“I don’t think you're supposed to,” you whispered. “Good and evil, superheroes and villains, it’s a balance. One can’t exist without the other.” Sam let what you said to sit with him.

“Have you seen Avatar: The Last Airbender?” You shook your head. “It’s a good show. My nephews like it and I think you would as well.”

“I’ll check it out,” he smiled, nodding his head.

“You are wise beyond your years, young Avatar,” you giggled, making a mental note to watch the show. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” you stood up and offered your hand to help Sam stand. He took it and used the extra assistance to get this balance and pick up his crutches from the floor. “When I leave here you better not go try to work out and I’ll have FRIDAY tell me and I will come back down here,” Sam laughed.

“Yes ma’am,” he gave you a mock salute. You turned to leave the training room but stopped and turned to look at the Avenger.

“And Sam,” you said. “You are a hero. Please don’t think you aren’t. Riley would be proud of you.” Sam looked down, his brown eyes glossy with tears.

“Thank you.”

You left the training area and walked into Tony’s lab, watching the billionaire and the doctor tinker with Sam’s wings. They had a whole lineup of suits to work on, the mission must have been a hard one. “Hey kid,” Tony said, lifting his safety goggles and turning off the blow torch. “What are you doing in our neck of the woods?” You smiled.

“I was seeing if you had something. But if you are busy then it can wait. It’s not that important.”

“Of course it is,” he said. “What do you need?”

“Do you have an extra notebook or a pad of paper I can have?” He blinked at you. You could see the gears turning in his head.

“You want a notebook,” he said slowly. You nodded. “To write on.” You nodded again. “Like paper.”

“Yes!”

“Why not use a tablet?” You sighed as Bruce chuckled.

“I have one that you can have,” he stood up and went to go get it for you. You sat down on a stool Tony pointed at. The top spun.

“Why do you want a notebook?” He asked. You didn’t miss his smile as you began to spin in a circle.

“I’m teaching myself Russian,” you liked the way the world looked as you spun. The colors were blurring together.

“You're teaching yourself Russian,” you nodded.

“I taught myself how to read and some Spanish, Russian can’t be too hard. Especially when so many people in the tower speak it,” Tony grabbed onto the chair to stop spinning. “Whoa dizzy.” The billionaire chuckled.

“You’ve never been to school,” he said. “Even before you were homeless.” You shook your head.

“Nope. It’s hard to send a kid to school you wanted no one to know about,” Bruce came back and handed you a small notebook. “Thanks, Bruce,” you smiled. “I’ll see you guys at dinner tonight,” Natasha told you there was another team dinner tonight and you wanted to be there.

“Kid, wait,” you turned back to look at Tony. “Have you thought about homeschooling since you live here now?”

“Homeschooling?” You questioned slowly.

“Yes! You would have to take a placement test to see where you are at but we would be the best teachers. Tell her,” he hit Bruce on the shoulder. He glared at the man, rubbing the spot he hit.

“It should be your choice but we could help you,” Oh. You’ve never thought you’d have the chance to go to school. You’ve read about it; all the cliques, school dances, and football games.

“I feel like you have more important things to do than homeschool me.”

“Look, you don’t have to make a decision now. Think about it. The options will always be there.” Tony said.

“Thank you, Tony,” you said. “And thank you Bruce for the notebook.”

“Of course. See you at dinner.” You took the stairs back to your floor as you pondered his offer. You watched your brother go to school. You saw him stress over upcoming tests, read from textbooks, and do homework. Some kids loved not going to school but dreamt of it for so long. But you couldn’t accept Tony’s offer - they had far more important things to do. The Avengers were superheroes. They saved people from imprisonment and stopped those that want to take over the world. They didn’t have time for that - they’ve done so much for you already.

You sighed, quicking grabbing your headphones from your room, and sat down on the couch. You pulled up Youtube and found videos on Russian grammar. You lost track of time as you took notes on each video, filling the notebook with grammar and vocabulary. You were in the middle of a video on vocabulary and verbs used in a house when you felt your body tense up.

It was a weird feeling as the hairs on the back of your neck stood up. Three people entered the kitchen, and that feeling was normal. People gave off energy, you could tell how many people were in a room, what they were doing, and if they left. But this felt different, goosebumps formed across your skin. You knew it was America, Yelena, and Kate without having to pause the Youtube video and America was walking over to you. What was going on?

America jumped over the back of the couch, carefully not to land on you. You paused the video and took your headphones off. “Whatcha doing?” She asked.

“I’m learning Russian,” you smiled at the confused look on her face. “It’s slow work. Do you need something?”

“Lena, Kate, and I are going to get ice cream. Do you want to come?” She asked. You smiled.

“Yes!”

“Peter is going to meet us there,” you looked at Kate, who was texting on her phone. “Is that okay?”

“Of course, it is,” you said. “Let’s go!”

It was a different ice cream place than the one Natasha brought you to. Peter was already by the door, scrolling through his phone. He looked okay minus a cut on his cheek. He smiled, putting his phone away when you got closer. “Hey, how are you guys?” He asked, hugging Kate and America.

“Ready to eat my weight in ice cream,” America said. Peter laughed, holding the door open. You were about to follow but you stopped. They were there, Michael and his crew. Michael waved at you, smiling. His smile ran a chill down your spine and the color drained from your face. You could still feel his hands on your wrist as he pinned you to the wall. Why were they following you? What did they want?

“Hey,” you looked at Peter. “Are you okay?” You nodded, looking back down the street and they were gone.

“Yeah,” you said, walking into the ice cream. America and Kate were ordering while Yelena got a table. You waited for your turn to order but your mind was focused on Michael. When it was your turn, you got a hot fudge sundae and waited with Kate to get everyone else’s order. You brought your ice cream, America, and Yelena’s to the table and sat down next to the Black Widow. Soon Peter and Kate joined you. Yelense sensed your mood change and kept making jokes under her breath that caused you to smile.

Finally, you joined in - laughing and smiling as the stories got told. You smiled at Yelena, thanking her silently. She nodded. Your stomach was still in knots and your heart was pounding but you knew you were safe for the moment. Michael wouldn’t do anything if you were with the Avengers. With them you were safe.

Natasha watched the elevator doors open and her sister, Kate, America, and Y/n walked onto the floor with ice cream in their hands. “Just the trio I’m looking for,” Maria said. The teen pointed at herself. “Not you.” She smiled, sitting down on the couch next to Wanda. “I need mission reports on my desk by tomorrow afternoon,” America groaned, flopping on the couch. “It’s not coming from me, kid.”

“You’ll get them,” Kate said, sitting on the couch. “Thanks, Maria.” Natasha watched as Y/n laughed along with Wanda as the scenes played out. It was such a nice change, watching the teen show more of her personality. She must have felt eyes on her because she turned around. She smiled, watching the Black Widow. Natasha waved back and the girl’s attention went back to the TV.

“It’s strange,” she said to Maria, quietly to not disturb the movie. “Something changed within. I don’t know what happened.” She looked back at Maria, who was unwrapping a Hershey's kiss.

“I do,” Maria said. “You could have died on that mission, Nat. Any of you could. Maybe it was a wake-up call she needed.” More laughter drew them back to the TV. “FRIDAY alerted her as soon as we got back that you were hurt and ran to med bay. She didn’t leave your side.” Maria opened another candy and offered it to Natasha but she turned it down. “Whatever you're doing, it's working.”

The sound of the young girl’s laughter filled the room again. It sounded so free. Natasha smiled. The Black Widow always wanted kids but the Red Room stripped that right from her. Motherhood was a concept that scared and fascinated her. She was taken from her biological mother, the woman was killed because she was trying to get her back. Melina was a mother given to her because of a Red Room mission then taken from her when it was over. But she’s seen Laura love her kids with everything in her. So her concept of motherhood was skewed.

Natasha sighed, picking up a piece of chocolate and opening it. The girl wasn’t even hers and she hadn’t been here for long but Natasha knew she would do anything to protect her.

Dinner was barbeque food. You sat between America and Yelena with Sam and Maria sitting across from you. You thought dinner on your floor was crazy; this was a whole new level. Everyone was talking over one another as the food was being passed around. You could barely keep up. “Are you doing okay?” America asked.

“You guys are crazy,” the statement caused Sam to laugh.

“Welcome to the family,” he said. “You have to be equally as crazy to join.” You smiled, rolling your eyes. Family. You had a family. Something you dreamed about for yours. It was an overwhelming feeling but it didn’t scare you, which surprised you. You enjoyed it. You had a long way to go to open up and tell them the truth about what you were capable of but that was okay. Your left hand was underneath the table and felt America grab it. She sent you a small smile and you squeezed her hand back.

A stream of light and color appeared in the living room. You jumped to your feet, the chair falling to the ground. You weren’t the only one on their feet. Tony stood up, with part of his Iron Man suit on his arm and Steve was facing the light. Soon it disappeared and a group of people was standing there. The table seemed to relax but you were still unsure of who these people were.

“Ah! It appears we’ve arrived at the perfect time,” a man said. He had short dirty blonde hair and he was holding an ax. “Dinner!”

“Thor, what are you doing here?” America fixed your chair and you sat back down.

“We were in the area,” Thor said. Wanda conjured up another table that was added to the other end. “And FRIDAY informed us you were back from a mission.” The man sat down. “What a better time to celebrate.” You were watching the new additions. There were two older women; one with dirty blonde hair down to her shoulders and the other had curly black hair.

“Carol Danvers and Monica Rambeau,” America mumbled, loud enough for you to hear. You nodded. “They aren’t around a lot because they deal with more off-world threats.” You weren’t sure what she meant by that.

“And that guy is Thor, right? The God of Thunder?” You questioned. America nodded.

“He can be.” She paused. “A lot.” You giggled. Thor, Carol, and Monica sat down while the other member of their group went over to talk to Peter. She was young, maybe around your age. She had black long hair that went to the middle of her back. Before you could ask America who she was, the girl looked away from Peter and looked your way. She smiled, waved, and walked over to you. You felt your heart pound.

“Hi,” she said. “Peter said you're the new addition to the tower. I’m Kamala.”

“Hi,” you said softly. “I’m Y/n. It’s nice to meet you.” You found her smile infectious.

“Same to you,” she clasped her hand together. “Well, I’m starving. Maybe we can hang out after dinner.” Before you could say anything she ran over to Peter, plopping down in the empty seat. You shook your head.

“Like I said crazy,” Yelena and America laughed. Once dinner was over you helped gather the few leftovers, bringing them into the kitchen.

“So you must be Lady Y/n,” you still jumped at the sound of God's voice directed at you. Wait. Did he just call you a lady?

“Uh yes sir,” you said. “It’s nice to meet you.” You turned to Carol. “You too ma’am.” Carol scrunched her nose.

“Call me Carol. That made me feel old,” She said, taking a sip of her beer.

“That’s because you are old,” Monica teased, sitting down next to Thor. “Monica Rambeau.” She introduced herself. She didn’t offer her hand as you had your hands full of food.

“Here,” Thor pulled up an empty chair. “Sit with us.” You sat down on autopilot. You heard Natasha laughing.

“Take it easy on her, Thor,” she took the food from you. “I don't want you scaring her off.” She looked at you, asking a silent question if you were okay. You nodded. The god frowned.

“I’m not scaring her,” he looked at you. “Am I?”

“No-no, sir,” Thor smiled.

“Perfect!” He said. “Now, how do you like living at the tower? Are the others being nice to you? I will strike them with lightning for you, Lady Y/n?” Your jaw dropped, unable to contain your surprise. Carol laughed.

“He’s very protective of the Young Avengers,” she said.

“I’m not an Avenger,” you said, finding your voice. “I just live here.” Monica shrugged.

“Technicalities,” she said with a wave of her hand. “So, are you enjoying it?” You nodded.

“Yeah, they’ve been great,” you began to fiddle with your gloves. “They saved me.” You admitted.

“They tend to do that,” Before you could question what Carol meant, Thor slammed his hand on the table. The sound made you jump.

“We should celebrate!”

“Celebrate?” You questioned softly.

“Yes! I’m guessing you didn’t get a proper welcome home party and the others just returned from a successful mission that is a call for drinks.” Carol rolled her eyes.

“You never need to find a reason to drink.” It wasn’t hard to convince the others to throw an impromptu party. The tables were cleared and soft music was playing to fill the quiet space, not that it was quiet at all. A pool game broke out between Bucky and Steve vs. Sam and Thor. Carol and Tony were going head to head in a game of darts. Wanda, Vision, and Monica were sitting on the couch. There was music and laughter and a lot of noise. You were watching Peter and Kamala set up a table to play beer pong when Pepper sat down next to you with a sigh, a glass of wine in her hand.

“Are you playing the winner?” She asked. You shook your head.

“I’d prefer to watch first then play,” you looked at the CEO. “I’m surprised you're over here and not cheering on Tony.” Pepper laughed.

“He’ll be okay. I wanted to talk to you before the night got too rowdy,” you giggled. “I’m leaving for Paris tomorrow morning for a week.” Oh.

“I’m kind of jealous,” you voiced instead of you saying that you were going to miss the CEO. “Bring me back some chocolate.” Pepper rolled her eyes.

“Of course. Do you want me to leave you some work to do?” She asked. You nodded.

“Yeah!” You said excitedly. “I mean if you want to leave me stuff to do.” You calmed down your excitement. Pepper smiled, standing up.

“Behave,” you smiled.

“Yes ma’am,” she walked away as America and Kate came over.

“We weren’t sure what you wanted,” America said. She had a red fizzy drink in her hand and the archer’s drink looked like orange juice.

“That’s fine. I’ll go get something,” you walked over to Natasha, who was making a drink for Yelena. The blonde took the glass and winked at you as she walked passed. You jumped onto the bar stool. “Give me your strongest liquor,” you teased. The Black Widow rolled her eyes.

“A Shirley temple then,” you shrugged as she put a glass down and filled it with soda and red syrup, and placed some cherries on top. “So, how are you doing with all of this?” You took a sip of the drink. It was sweet and the carbonation tickled your nose.

“Okay,” you admitted. “It was very unexpected.”

“That’s Thor for you,” you looked at the God. He was laughing at something Sam said. “He isn’t on Earth a lot but when he is he’ll always find a reason to celebrate.” You glanced at Natasha, who leaned closer to you. “He’s gone through a lot, lost a way to many people that is why he’s protective of them,” she gestured to the ‘Young Avengers’ as Carol called them. “And all of us.” You looked back at Thor, who met your eyes and raised his glass as a greeting. You smiled and waved back at him. It was so strange, having someone that just met you has a strong sense of protection for you.

“Thanks for the drink, Nat,” you stood up and walked back to the beer pong game. You watched the game between Peter and Kamala then Peter vs Kate, the archer won by a landslide. The archer beat America and the game between her and Yelena was close but the Black Widow came up on top. You didn’t understand them. One minute you thought you had them figured it out but then you were thrown a curve ball and someone would join the group through your understanding. Still, you were jealous that they had this for so long and you knew you were a part of it now, so why were you jealous?

Yelena found Y/n right away, it wasn’t hard she chose the spot to be out of the way. So she could sit back and observe what was happening around her. Yelena saw her doing it at the Bartons. She walked over to the teen, who was sipping on a Shirley temple Natasha made for her. “Are you not enjoying the party?” Yelena asked, sitting down next to her. She was drinking a mojito.

“No I am,” the teen said. “I don’t know.” Yelena nodded.

“You do this thing,” Yelena said, slowly not wanting to offend the girl. “You stay on the outside of any social gathering and just watch. I’m not sure if you realize you do it.” She nodded, sipping on her drink. Yelena watched her ponder what she said.

“I guess I’m still trying to understand all of you,” she said, looking at Yelena. “I think I have you all figured out but then something like this happens then I don’t understand.”

“What are you trying to figure out?” Yelena asked. Again she didn’t answer right away.

“I guess,” she said, slowly. “I’m jealous.” Yelena waited for the girl to continue. “I know I’m part of this now but sometimes I wish I had this with my own family,” she looked at Yelena. “It’s just -”

“Complicated,” the teen nodded.

“Emotions are stupid,” she mumbled, finishing her drink. Yelena chuckled.

“Yes, they are. But they are a reminder that we are free.” The girl smiled, nodding her head. Before she could respond, America ran over to them.

“Hey,” she said. “We are going to hang out on Peter’s floor. Do you guys want to join?” Y/n nodded. The elevator ride was a little crowded as they rode up.

“I invited MJ and Ned,” Peter said, walking onto the floor. “Do you want to watch something while we wait for them?”

“Sure,” Kamala said, sitting down on the couch. “I’ve been off-world for a bit, catch me up on all the funny videos I’ve missed.” Y/n sat down on the floor with her back against the couch as Kate connected the phone to the TV. She pulled up Youtube and played a video of a dog riding a skateboard. Once the video stopped, she passed her phone to America. Her video of choice was a compilation of Avenger Interview moments where the team was goofing around or when they messed up. The video pulled a laugh out of the young girl. Next, it was Peter, he put on a video of pandas being clumsy around their enclosure. It continued like that, Kate’s phone being passed around the group, and a chorus of laughter followed each video. The elevator opened and MJ and Ned walked out. “Yes!” Kamala said, throwing her hands up in the air. “Let’s play truth or dare!”

Taglist: @aestruvx, @toouncreativeforausername, @modedddd,

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blurr-i · 10 months

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Murder Mystery in wonderland crew 🔪

#qt cinderella #tina kitten #blaustoise #quarterjade #masayoshi #peter park #foolish gamers #grace van dien #slime #fan art #digital art #drawing #doodle #alice in wonderland

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editfandom · 7 months

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peter park icons

like/reblog if you save

credit gagalacrax on twitter if you use

give credits if you repost, please

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lovelybarnes · 2 years

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would you rather- p. parker

pairings: peter parker x reader warnings: tiktok trends? about: request! tik tok trend 'would you rather kiss me for 100$ or the prettiest girl for 700$' on peter parker?

your nails absentmindedly tap along to the song in the video you’re watching, the beat subtle underneath the conversation of the couple on the screen. it’s a trend you had only come to recognize because of your friends, pouting over doing it on their boyfriends and receiving a kiss and a proposal for the hundred dollars they were offered. you had laughed and waved them off when they’d tried to convince you to do it, too, but you have to admit that the couple on your screen are cute.

you grin when the boyfriend pretends to think for a second before abruptly tugging his girlfriend to him, pressing his lips to hers. she giggles and kisses his cheek. “good answer,” she winks, heading back to her phone to end the video. it restarts as you take a second to think, pushing your tongue against the inside of your cheek until you decide it won’t hurt to try it.

you check the time and glance back at your door, where peter dotingly walked out a few minutes ago to get you snacks and a bottle of water at your request. he’d been gone for nearly five minutes, so you figure he’ll be back soon and open your camera while you wait for him.

you’re fidgeting with random settings on the camera when he comes back, arms full of what you asked him and far more. you sit up in surprise, eyeing him as he spreads it out on your bed with a silly ta-da motion.

you stare at him for a second, a goofy smile on his lips.

“wow,” you say after a silent second, reaching for your gummies. “i should’ve expected this with my overachiever boyfriend.”

peter hums, pressing a loud kiss to your cheek. “yeah, you really should’ve.”

you work on opening the packet of gummies, only to ultimately let peter open it for you as you furtively turn on your phone and hide it behind your leg when you get your gummies, now neatly torn open.

you lay back, popping a few into your mouth, adjusting the camera so it catches the image of peter in front of you clearly, then you press the red button.

“peter,” you start, controlling your tone so the question seems innocent, as if you just thought of it randomly.

“yeah?” he replies, looking up at you through brown tufts of hair. you want to tuck them away, but he swats at his hair, making you chuckle. he gives you a little smile.

“would you rather kiss me for—”

“hell yeah,” he cuts in, climbing on your bed over the candy, already crawling toward you with determination before you laugh, stopping him.

“i’m not done yet.”

“but i already know my answer,” he whines.

“hush and let me finish,” you insist with a soft pat on his head, brushing away the strands you wanted to before.

“would you rather kiss me for a hundred dollars or—” you raise a finger at him to cut him off when you notice his mouth opening to interrupt you again. “or kiss the prettiest girl in the universe for seven-hundred?”

peter scrunches his nose, shaking his head if to say seriously? and continues to crawl toward you until you have to turn your phone at an awkward angle to capture him in the frame as he kisses you.

he sighs dreamily when he pulls away, pressing his lips to yours again for another soft kiss.

“now i have eight-hundred dollars,” he informs, nudging your nose with his as you laugh, cheeks warm, and trend long-forgotten.

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brett-is-afraid · 9 months

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#qtcinderella #tinakitten #masayoshi #foolish #foolish gamers #peter park #quarterjade #slime #grace van dien #brett speaks

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why-i-love-comics · 1 year

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Marvel's Voices: Spider-Verse #1 - "Working it Out" (2023)

by Jason Loo

#spider friend #peter park #marvel #wednesday spoilers #spoilers #comic spoilers

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andthingsleftover · 10 months

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I don't understand how this man did ceramics and not theatre in high school.

#foolish gamers #qtcinderella #masayoshi #slimeirl #peter park #my clips

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peppermintkamz · 1 year

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I lost access to my mutantduckling art account, so I guess I’ll post some of the art from there here too

#spideypool #deadpool #wade wilson #peter park #spiderman #fanart #digital art #old art #illustration #artists on tumblr #marvel #KamzArt

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movedtodykedvonte · 10 months

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It’s always painful to remember that Peter Parker so badly doesn’t want to be Spider-Man and is heavily depressed due this conflict but can’t just give up or get rid of his power (something he’s proven he has the intellect to do) because of guilt and his own complex around punishing himself.

Peter loves the job, the ability to help people and right wrongs as much as he loathes it. He wants to be normal and give the role, the responsibility, to someone else but at the same time he’d never wish it on another soul.

It’s an odd case where everyone believes he wants his cakes and the ability to eat it them too but it’s more like he’s had tow cakes dumped on him and he is forced to eat the flavor he doesn’t want at the moment.

#remembering that Peter Parker is the saddest clown alive #like unless the villian knows hes Spider-Man they dont understand the ruin they cause to Peter's life #and how he constantly like begs and prays for a good stint in his life so he can be Peter for a few months unbothered #cause he really doesnt catch a break and Id want to give up too #spiderman #spider-man #peter park #spiderverse #my little smorpi someone let you have a good moment cause the universe punishes him for the most minor acts of selfishness #yes i know hes not innocent but a lot of time the karma is unbelievably cruel

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incorrectships-and-fandoms · 4 months

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Peter: I was voted “friendliest classmate” in high school.

Y/N: I was voted “most likely to become a clown”…

Wade: You think that’s bad? HA! I was voted “most likely to get rabies”!

#peter park #incorrect marvel quote #incorrect MCU quote #deadpool #wade Wilson #y/n #Spider-Man

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crazycookiecrumbles · 2 years

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How Parker Met Stark (3)

Masterlist

Pairings/Characters: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader (Andrew Garfield’s Peter)

Warnings: Swearing, Tony being so annoying, upside-down kissing, Clint being just as annoying as Tony in a shorter amount of time.

Summary: Yet another prequel to my Hard Enough one-shot, and the fourth overall installation of my Crumble!Verse work Which is just an AU of my Stark!Verse:

Peter Parker was the last thing on your mind. All you could think about was Spider-Man, and, to be honest, it seemed like you were the only thing on his mind as well.

This is definitely post-college, adult Spider-Man

Your door sliding opening did not wake you. It was quiet, it was subtle, it let you sleep in peace. What did wake you up was your dad shouting ‘rise and shine, pumpkin’ as he waltzed into your room. You groaned in agony and brought the covers over your head as he came around your bed and sat down on the edge. He yanked the cover back while ordering Jarvis to open the blinds and let in all the sunlight. You hissed while he nonchalantly shoved sunglasses over your eyes.

“Do I smell coffee?” You mumbled as you debated on whether or not you could stomach sitting up.

“Black coffee, doughnuts, it’s the cure to any hangover,” Tony explained as he shoved a doughnut into your mouth and then forced coffee down your throat. Honestly, you were surprised you didn’t choke to death. Tony smirked in satisfaction to himself when, after a few seconds, you shrugged, nodded, and took both items from him like a little gremlin. He pushed the box closer to your after grabbing a doughnut for himself and continued on, “Feeling like shit, huh?”

“Yes,” you groaned. “How bad is the damage?”

“Well, Pepper’s dealing with the headlines talking about an Avenger accidentally knocking out an innocent person because she was so drunk, but Spider-Man saving you actually seems to be the bigger story.”

“Ugh, I’m so embarrassed.”

“Because you were saved by a dork in spandex?”

“No! Because I was a drunken, hot mess over a dweeb with a camera.”

Tony hummed, “Right, that Percival Porker from the gala.”

“Peter Parker, dad, I don’t know how you made that so difficult for yourself.”

“Whatever. Fuck that guy, Y/N. If he can’t see how amazing you are, he ain’t shit,” Tony explained to you as he grabbed another doughnut to inhale. “Besides, you seemed to have some serious doe eyes for Spider-Man last night.”

“What? No! No, I didn’t. I didn’t and don’t have doe eyes for Spider-Man.”

He howled with laughter, “Kid, I thought you were going to grab him and kiss him before he jumped off the side of the building.”

“I didn’t think you could see us —“

“I have cameras everywhere,” Tony replied. “And I watched the footage back this morning. You had a hard-on for the guy.”

“You are fucking psychotic.”

Tony scoffed, “I’m not psychotic. I’m simply well-aware.”

“The linguistic gymnastics you perform every time you speak is outstanding,” you mumbled under your breath as you chugged the black coffee before chasing it with another doughnut.

As you two were eating, your bedroom door opened once again. You barely looked to see who was there before Wanda and Natasha were in your bed. Natasha sat like a pretzel on top of the covers, arm reaching across Tony to grab a doughnut for herself. Wanda squeaked that it was ice cold in the room, so she dove onto your bed and pulled the comforter up over her shoulders which made you snicker.

“Kid sleeps in an ice box, you get used to it,” Tony shrugged. “And now that the estrogen outweighs my testosterone —“

“We outweigh you there too, Tony,” Natasha quipped.

“—I will be taking off. Good luck, ladies. I already tried telling her she’s got a boner for the the man that cums webbing, but she’s denying it.”

Tony leaned over to kiss you on the forehead before pushing the box of pastries onto your bed. He left the room while chugging his coffee and muttering that he should convince Bruce to make an actual spider-trap, partially for science, partially for fun.

Natasha raised an eyebrow in your direction as she passed the box to Wanda, who, like a little gremlin, quickly grabbed one and held it close to her mouth so she could stay with as much blanket on her as possible. Natasha was momentarily distracted away from you as she stared at Wanda, “Shouldn’t you be used to the cold given Sokovia’s climate?”

“Nope,” Wanda said with a shrug. “That’s not the point here. Y/N is attracted to Spider-Man.”

“My guess would’ve been Steve,” Natasha shrugged as she leaned on her elbow and ate her doughnut. “He does seem like he has a great body under that spandex. You’re clearly an ass gal.”

“And you know he’s very strong,” Wanda hummed. “And flexible, given what I’ve seen on the news.”

“Okay. What is this?” You sighed. “I thought you two thought me asking out Peter Parker was a good idea.”

“Oh, no, we definitely did, but then he rejected your date and you went full Stark-mode afterwards. The walls are up again, but you know who can climb them and into your pants? Spider-Man.”

“Natasha!” You hissed at the master assassin who grinned.

“What? I’m just saying, a casual fuck wouldn’t be so bad.”

You rolled your eyes, “Whatever. I bet he’d reject me too.”

“Get him close enough, I’ll read his mind and find out,” Wanda said as she stole your coffee and dunked her doughnut into it. You and Natasha stared at her in surprise, “What?”

“That’s a little evil for you,” you teased. “Next you’ll tell me his secret identity?”

“Ah, good point, it is a violation of privacy. Never mind, then,” Wanda chuckled.

“Fucking damn it,” you muttered under you breath and threw yourself back in bed. “Whatever. My love life is a joke, I’ll never see Peter Parker again, hopefully, and I’m attracted to a man in a mask.”

“See? Told you she’d admit it,” Natasha said, holding out her open palm to which Wanda placed a crisp $20 bill into.

You stared at them both, “I hate you fuckers so much.”

~*~

You decided to take it easy that day. You stayed in bed for awhile, avoided working out with Steve, who seemed to be letting you have an easy day anyway out of the kindness of his heart and the events of the day prior. You did some work in the lab with Bruce and Tony, not that you were much help, but distracting them from their work and acting like an absolute shitty toddler by moving their tools around seemed to be the best possible fun that day.

However, you felt it was safer for you to go out at night. Well, not safer as in statistically with crime, but safer as in least likely to be bothered by anyone. Dressed comfortably, you left the tower alone and walked around the city for a little while. You happened upon one of your favorite late night haunts, a place that specialized in Belgian-style fries.

You waited for your order, grabbed it, and since the place was so overcrowded, you went and leaned against the side of the building, just outside of the alleyway so as not to have a hint of garbage with your meal.

While you were eating, you were lost in your own world. You weren’t trying to sense for anybody around you, so someone sneaking up on you was easy and likely. You had casually glanced around, as you did every few minutes, but when you looked over your left shoulder, you nearly screamed when you were face to face with an upside-down spider mask.

In fact, your fries ended up on the grounded.

“Oops,” Spider-Man said after a few seconds of both of you staring at the fries. “That was not on purpose, just saying.”

You steadied your breathing for multiple reasons. One, he scared the shit out of you. Two, you didn’t expect to run into Spider-Man ( a single girl hoped, but didn’t think it would happen); and three, you weren’t all dolled up ready to impress. You were comfortable, casual, and were not on your A-game for flirting.

Then again, you weren’t on your A-Game last night when you were drunk.

“Spider-Man,” you began cautiously. “What can I do for you?”

“Oh, you know, I was in the neighborhood, just swinging around, thought I’d check up on you” he replied. “Sorry about the frites. If it’s any consolation, they smelled great.”

You sighed heavily, “Thanks. Um…” you stared at him wondering what to do next. You weren’t prepared for this! You couldn’t even see his face to get any sort of social feedback from him. “I guess I’ll just go —“

“You’re gorgeous,” he blurted out so suddenly that you were frozen as you stared at him. “Sorry. I had to say it. I didn’t want to say it last night — I mean, I did, but you were drunk, so it felt weird if I told you that. It gave me the ick thinking about it. Not that you give me the ick. You give me the opposite of the ick. The ‘ugh’, as in ‘ugh, she’s so beautiful’ sort of thing. I’m digging myself a hole, aren’t I? This did not go according to plan. Can I start again? Hi, I’m Spider-Man, and I think you’re stunning.”

Who the fuck was this guy?

What sort of costumed superhero just casually hangs upside down beside someone, makes them lose their fries, then compliments them in the most awkward and endearing way possible. What were you supposed to do with this? How could one possibly have any way to react to this? Were you just supposed to tell him that you thought his spandex made him look sexy and —

“I like your gimp suit,” you blurted out.

Jesus fucking Christ.

You listened to him chuckle, watching as he slowly lowered himself more until eyes were perfectly level with yours, “I’d really like to kiss you, Ms. Stark.”

Your throat went dry, “Me? Spider-Man wants to kiss me?”

“If you’d let him,” he replied smoothly.

What was happening! Why did it suddenly feel like Spider-Man was you, and you were Peter whenever you flirted with him? Your heart was racing, your forehead was sweating, and your throat was so dry you thought you were going to choke yourself in anticipation. You squeaked as your arm came up so you could wipe your greasy, fry-tasting lips with the sleeve of your hoodie.

Spider-Man chuckled, “May I?”

“Okay,” you nodded urgently. “But you’re upside down, so, like ,how are you gonna —“

“Patience, Ms. Stark. I’ve got you,” Spider-Man said cooly as he lowered himself just a little more so his lips were level to yours. He lowered his mask just above his top lip before leaning towards you. Carefully, you leaned just a little bit closer until your lips were touching. You, for once, were shy, awkward, I mean, you’d never kissed a superhero before and you were one. Now you were kissing a masked man upside down? It was insane.

But, you were into it.

He hummed into the kiss as you gently cupped his face for stability. Your lips parted and you could feel the teasing sweep of his tongue against them before he chuckled and nipped your lip.

What was this fire you were feeling inside? Oh, yes, falling immediately into a probably unhealthy obsession with a masked man just based on his kissing ability alone. Is that what kissing people you were interested in should’ve been like all this time, that instant fire and feeling like you were floating in the clouds? Or was this simply crippling anxiety coupled with the act of faux-arrogance melting away?

You pulled away with a string of saliva connecting the two of you until it popped. You exhaled slowly, your hand coming up to rest over your heart as you reluctantly let go of his face, “Oh, wow,” you breathed.

“Wowza,” he hummed, suddenly sinking more and more until he unceremoniously snapped off his own web and fell on the ground.

He groaned as he lay on the ground in a heap before jumping up to his feet again and towering over you. Spider-Man moved closer towards you, head tilting down and to the side as he studied you. You held your breath as you gazed up at him and wondered what more he wanted from you.

“You’re more amazing than a guy could ever imagine, Ms. Stark,” he hummed as he fixed his mask and lowered it once more. “Why don’t we —“ suddenly his head snapped to the side as his spider senses began to tingle. “I have to go. We’ll pick this up again,” his hand came to gingerly hold your chin affectionately as he shot a web to the building with his other hand. “Stay safe for me.”

You watched him effortlessly leap into the air and swing away towards the danger. Your legs were like jelly as you slipped backwards a little and leaned against the wall for support. Was Spider-Man always this smooth? Who gave the man the right to be that smooth at all?

~*~

Meanwhile, the second he felt like he was far enough away, Spider-Man screamed in delight. He still had it in him! He was shocked! Then again, it was always so much easier to act out his desires and throw all caution to the wind and release his inhibitions. No one would see the dorky Peter Parker and see how much of a dweeb he actually was. They saw a hero, the cool, heroic, funny guy that was Spider-Man. This was so much easier, and considering he thoroughly blew it with you in the supermarket, this was his only remaining chance with you, and it seemed to be working wonderfully.

~*~

Upon returning to the tower, you ignored the sounds of Sam and Steve arguing over the original release date of Snow White in theaters. You didn’t care. You were floating as you shuffled your way to the kitchen, opened the freezer, and grabbed your favorite pint of ice cream. When you turned around, you screamed seeing Clint standing right behind you, eyes narrowed as he studied you closely. However, you were so frightened by him that you squeezed the carton, and with your powers, made the ice cream explode over the both of you.

Clint’s eyes remained narrowed as he grabbed a chunk of the ice cream off of his shoulder and ate it, “Did you get laid?”

“What? No.”

“You’re glowing and totally didn’t see me coming,” he pointed out. “What happened?”

“Nothing!”

“You also forgot my fries.”

“Clint—“

“You have to tell me or I’m going to tell Steve you had a sex dream about taking his virginity when you two first met,” Clint whispered.

“I will end you,” you growled. “Fine. Don’t say anything, okay?”

“I won’t, scout’s honor. I mean, I wasn’t a scout. I was a filthy carnie, but you get the idea of it. What’s up?”

“I kissed Spider-Man.”

Clint balked, the ice cream dripping down the both of your faces as he screamed, “You kissed Spider-Man!?”

A few seconds later, you heard your father’s voice over the intercom system, “My kid did what?! Wow, I’m so proud!”

#stark!verse #stark!verse au #crumble!verse #peter parker x reader #tasm! peter parker x reader #tasm!peter parker #peter park #series: how parker met stark #clint barton #steve rogers #tony stark x daughter!reader #tony stark #natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff #sam wilson

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arlana-likes-to-write · 1 year

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Lightning Bug - Chapter 7

Previous Chapter // Master List

Warning: religious trauma, mention of an exorcism, reader needs a hug

Word Count: 2.5

Kate groaned as America climbed over the couch and kicked her. “Sorry,” she said, getting comfortable under the throw blanket.

“You could sit on the couch like a normal person,” America smiled at the archer.

“I’m not a normal person.” The teen said. Kate rolled her eyes.

“Don’t I know it.” Yelena sat down next to Kate with a bowl of caramel popcorn. The Black said it was the perfect movie snack, a little sweet and salty. It was movie night and all the Young Avengers as Tony called them gathered (the ones that were in the tower) on Peter’s floor. The Young Avengers plus Ned and Mj but they were at the tower so much no one batted an eye when they were walking the hall.

“What are we feeling like?” Ned asked, flipping through the various streaming services.

“Action,” MJ suggested, unwrapping a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and threw it in that air, catching it in her mouth. The Black Widow groaned.

“We see enough action as is.” It was true. Besides whenever they did watch an action movie, the Avengers found themself critiquing the fight scenes instead of watching it for the plot.

“Musical?” Peter suggested. America shook her head.

“We just watched Hairspray.” Kate sighed, throwing her head back.

“Horror,” her friends looked at one another and no one objected. “Put on The Conjuring.” Ned nodded, queuing up the movie.

“Wait!” America yelled. The sudden sound caused Ned to jump and drop the remote. It landed on the ground with a crash. The back opened and the batteries scattered to the ground. “Opps. Sorry Ned.”

“It’s no biggie. Just gave me a small heart attack.” He and Peter began to look for the batteries.

“Why the sudden outburst, Lil Liberty,” America rolled her eyes at the nickname.

“Should we invite Y/n?” She asked. The mention of the newest addition to the tower made everyone freeze.

“Mr. Stark said she had a rough day.” Peter said. She had a bad day because of Stark, Kate thought. But she did seem in a better mood at dinner. “Do you think she’d want to join us?” The archer shrugged.

“Can’t hurt to ask,” Kate stood up. “I’ll go ask.” She shoved some popcorn in her mouth before heading off to her floor. The worst that could happen was she said no. She felt horrible for the teen today. When Natasha came back telling everyone she ran away, Kate felt her stomach drop. It was like she was on a rollercoaster, going up and down and up and down. Even FRIDAY didn’t even know where she went so they were required to find her the old fashion way, search known places she would likely visit. In the end, Kate was glad she was home.

You were placing the few books you owned on the bookshelf you and Tony built. To anyone that walked into your room, it looked like a normal bookshelf. But the bookshelf had FRIDAY’s interface built into it which was connected to an app on your phone. It could keep track of what books you had to prevent double buying and it kept the progress of each book you were reading. “Kate Bishop is at your door,” The AI said.

“Thank you, FRIDAY.” You said, putting on your gloves and walking to the door. “Hi,” you greeted as you opened the door.

“Hey, how are you?” She asked.

“Pretty good actually.” You answered honestly. Kate smiled.

“Good, a bunch of us are watching a movie and we are wondering if you want to join us?” Your eyes went wide.

“You want me to join you guys,” she nodded. “Why?” The question seemed to startle the brunette in front of you.

“Because you are our friend and friends invite friends to hang out.” Oh. That made sense. “So, do you want to hang out?” You nodded with a smile.

“Yeah, I’d love to.” You stepped out of your room and closed the door behind you. “Who's going to be there?” You asked, following Kate to the elevator.

“It’s on Peter’s floor,” you haven’t seen the excited teen since that night you ran into him. “So it’s him, his girlfriend, MJ, and his friend, Ned.” You nodded, if they were anything like Peter it was going to be a long night. “Then me, Yelena, and America.”

“Cool.” You said, rubbing your hands on your shorts. You were a little nervous, a little excited. It was a weird feeling running through you. The metal doors opened and Kate stepped onto Peter’s floor.

“MJ, Ned met Y/n, Y/n met the other people that aren’t Avengers but are here all the time.” You gave them a small wave. MJ rolled her eyes at Kate’s jab.

“Your life would be colorless without me in it.” You smiled, sitting down in the empty space between Kate and America.

“Hi again Peter.” He seemed surprise that you remembered him. He waved.

“Do you want some popcorn?” Yelena asked, passing a bowl to you. You looked into the bowl.

“What is that?” You’ve had popcorn before. At special events at Lucia’s store, she had a popcorn machine. This wasn’t popcorn.

“It’s caramel popcorn,” the Russian said. “Instead of butter, they use caramel.” Oh. You’ve had caramel, sometimes Annie would drizzle it on your hot chocolate. You picked up a piece and ate it. It was delicious.

“That’s really good.” You said, taking a few more pieces.

“Have you had a Reese’s?” MJ asked you. You shook your head. She tossed you an unopened candy. Chocolate and peanut butter. “You aren’t allergic, are you?”

“No..” You said slowly.

“That did not sound convincing,” Ned laughed. You smiled, opening the candy. You weren’t allergic to peanut butter. A peanut butter sandwich was a staple in your childhood, it was a food you lived on.

“This is my favorite,” MJ tossed you another one.

“Try this.” Peter handed you a red candy. Licorice, it read.

“If you like this I’ll be amazed.” America said. You opened the candy and smelt it. It was sweet. You took a tentative bite and your face scrunched up at your distaste of it. The group laughed.

“That’s not good,” You swallowed the piece in your mouth and Yelena handed you a bottle of water.

“Enough with the sweets or she’s going to be sick.” Yelena said. “Let’s start the movie.”

“We are watching a horror film,” America whispered to you. “Is that okay?” You nodded as Ned pressed play. Horror wasn’t a genre you gravitated towards but you’ve read your fair share of horror novels. Stephen King. Shirley Jackson. Your favorite was The Shining.

The movie began to play. The ominous music filled the quiet floor. The couples around you began to cuddle up with each other. You didn’t miss the way Ned gagged. You could count the number of movies you’ve seen on one hand. Movies were available at Lucia’s bookstore and the shelters you visited but movies weren’t your thing. “See always trust a dog.” Yelena mumbled. You chuckled. It was different from watching a story play out on screen then in your head. You didn’t dislike it, it was just different. The movie was scary as it followed a married couple trying to help a big family with a paranormal problem. You enjoyed. You made a mental night to check the horror books the tower had. The genre was interesting.

But it took a turn. Ed had to perform an exorcism on the mother to rid the demon that possessed her. You kept your eyes glued to the screen as the familiar Latin phrases were chanted in the room. You dug your fingers into your palm to keep you grounded, to stay in the room. It was so hard to keep your mind on the movie and not when your parents dragged you to the church. They forced you on your knees as the Latin phrases were screamed at you. Excorizamute, omnis immundus … omins legio diabolic … Humilione sub potent…

“That was an actual scary horror movie.” Ned said once the credits started rolling.

“That clapping bit was freaky!” Peter said. You agreed that part made you jump.

“There are a few more movies we can watch the second one.” Kate said. “Did you like it?” She asked you. You nodded.

“It was good. A little inaccurate.” You added.

“Isn’t it based on a true story?” MJ questioned. You shrugged, playing with a string from the blanket America was using.

“What was not accurate about it?” America asked. You didn’t answer right away. You should have just kept your mouth shut.

“Exorcisms,” you said. “They usually happen at a holy place like a church not a house.” You sighed. “They are a last resort. Most people start with medication if no improvement is made then a priest is brought in.” You explained. The group was silent.

“How do you know that?” Yelena asked slowly like she was afraid to know the answer.

“My parents were really religious,” you kept the truth locked deep inside you. “Let’s start the second movie.” You said desperately trying to get the attention off of you. Ned looked around the group, no one said anything. He took the silence as confirmation to start the second film. You sat back with your arms crossed. You caught America sending you a smile. You forced a smile back.

“That was weird, right?” Kate asked as she pulled back the covers of the bed. Yelena stepped out of the bathroom, brushing her hair. Kate tapped the spot in front of her and the Black Widow sat down in front of her girlfriend, her back to Kate’s front. The archer took the brush and began to brush the blonde hair. It was a red flag when the young girl began to talk about exorcisms like she’s had first hand experience on the matter. Yelena sighed, enjoying the feeling of Kate’s hands braiding her hair.

“It was worrying,” Yelena finally said. “I’ll talk to Natasha about it tomorrow,” Yelena heard Kate sigh. “What is it, dorogoy?” The Russian asked, turning to face her.

“I just worry about her. It seems everyday we learn something more heartbreaking.” Kate gently pushed on Yelena’s shoulder for her to look forward.

“We’ll keep her safe,” Yelena said. “She’s not alone anymore.” The Russian felt Kate’s lips press a soft kiss on her shoulder. Yelena knew they couldn’t keep her safe from her mind.

Yelena woke up early. She untangled herself from Kate and left her room. She found her sister on the couch, typing at her laptop. “Are you not going for a run?” Yelena asked, as she sat down next to her. Natasha shook her head.

“I have to get this done for Maria.” She answered, not taking her eyes away from the screen.

“So do you have time to talk?” Natasha immediately closed her laptop and gave Yelena her full attention. The blonde was grateful for this time with her sister. For years the two Russian sisters were separated but now they were back together. She knew her life could be incredibly different.

“What’s going on?” Yelena looked toward Y/n’s door.

“What do you know about her parents?” She asked. Natasha looked at her sister, trying to decode the real reason she asked.

“Not much,” The redhead answered. “We found an article that may have been about her family.” Yelena raised her eyebrows.

“May have?” She questioned.

“FRIDAY found no record of her existing, not even a birth certificate. The article said a fire killed them and it appears that she may have been in the house but survived.” Natasha explained. “Her father was a priest, a popular one. What is this about?”

“It was movie night and we watched The Conjuring. At the end of the movie there was an exorcism. She said she enjoyed the movie but said the exorcism part was not accurate,” she watched the realization wash over her sister. It was haunting. Her voice was so clear and so unlike any other time she’s spoken. “Siestra, the way she talked about it made it seem like she’s been so close to one.” Natasha didn’t say anything as she let what Yelena said sit with her.

“I’ll talk to her,” the older Black Widow stood up. “Her parents are dead, they can’t hurt her anymore.” Yelena wasn’t so sure about that. The blonde grabbed her sister’s arm, stopping her.

“We all know that death doesn’t erase the pain.” Yelena was referring to the man behind the Red Room. He was dead. The Red Room fell from the sky. It was over, done, and young girls were safe. But the memories were still there. Natasha grabbed her hand.

“You are right. But death is finite and the pain can begin to heal.”

You were startled to see Natasha when you opened your door. “Hi.” You said. She gave you a smile.

“Where are you off to this morning?” She asked.

“Oh I was going to go see Annie. I barely said two words to her yesterday.” You told the Black Widow. “Is that okay?” You added. You were going to tell someone just so they knew you didn’t run away.

“Of course it is. Can we talk? It won’t take long.” You nodded, stepping out of the way so she could enter your room. You kept the door open and sat at the edge of the bed. “Are you okay?” Natasha asked, sitting down next to you. You looked at the red head.

“I’m fine.” You said. She didn’t say anything waiting for you to continue. You were fine. It was the truth. Besides.. “Is this about last night?” You asked. You shouldn’t have said anything but your mind was scattered therefore you didn’t have time to process the consequences of what you were saying. You just spoke.

“Yelena said you said something that worried her.” You sighed. “You can talk about your parents if you need to.”

“They died in a fire,” you told her. “What more needs to be said?” You asked.

“Just because someone that hurt you is dead doesn't erase the pain they caused.” Your heart began to pound. The organ was beating against your ribs. Thud. Thud. Thud.

“I don’t think I’m ready to tell you about them,” you answered honestly. To tell them about your parents and your brother would mean you would need to tell them what you are, what you are capable of. You looked at Natasha and you weren’t surprised to see a smile.

“When are you ready we’ll be here to listen,” she stood up. “Tell Annie we all say hi.”

“I will.” She left your room. You fell on your back staring up at the ceiling. You let the beating of your heart settle down. You didn’t know how to talk about your parents. Wasn’t the point of a mom and dad to love their child? To keep them safe. To protect them. They didn’t do that for you. You wished they did, your life would be so different if they just loved you.

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