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The White Dove Pt 31 - Cooking With Riot

The White Dove Masterlist

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“Alright, Eldfalls, you’re going to have to give me a sort of warning to help me out, and please no over confidence in your status, if it needs replacing could you flame up or buzz or something?” Gradually bit by bit of the unintelligible engine was tapped and checked to be marked off in self proclaimed stunningly near mint condition as you managed to recall what Elliot had shared on the other models similar to this one. Much like human bodies regenerated its own atoms in a cycle of decades remake its own engine parts to keep the star core stable.

The damage to the rudder both inside at mounts and outside for days had your hive slowly printing out in the Asgardian metal was next. The new parts for a video, that blurred out the flame on the adapted welding torch, recorded the new trio of exposed fins you had showed off to duplicate the same pattern etched into it as the original. Sanding and scrubbing next came to smooth out the new connection points ended by a filmed clamber onto the deck to use the rudder control that had each of the repaired fins to move properly.

An alarm however had you off for a promised father son night out with Riot and Venom contained within their Others. With care you locked everything up saying goodnight to Eldfalls, pausing at turning off the light to answer your phone at Eddie’s call. “On my way back now.”

“Don’t forget, the dress code. Women wearing dresses and all that…”

“Why is there a dress code for a cooking class?”

“It’s a Cordon Bleu five star Michelin place with a top chef who wants to have a Julia Child sort of black and white shoot after.”

“Not very fair when you all just have to add suspenders and a tie,” you said making him chuckle.

“I know Sis, see you after.”

“I’m still wearing tights no matter what they say, I refuse to have anything splash on my legs.”

“Good, rhinestone ones? I can wear my rhinestone tie to match.”

“Yes, got my pinstripe dress ready upstairs just have to do something with my hair too. I refuse to have it down.”

It didn’t take long for you to freshen up and ease into the pencil skirt navy pinstripe dress, folds of the off the shoulder straps came to rest over the tops of your ribs to accentuate the bust without flashing cleavage or inhibit lifting your arms. Down the front two rows of black buttons matched the row down your left leg to help the constriction of the skirt. Tights that were sheer to above the knee darkened to black with rhinestones to really pop with your black tall heeled wedges with colorful blue ribbon to tie them. Both sides of your hair were braided back into a zig zagging bun that would not be hindered by your helmet. And due to the tightness of your skirt hindering instant access to your weapon holsters a few more bees than normal were secured in your hair to match the two daggers and grappler chord reachable in between your shoulder blades.

“Now that is snazzy,” Eddie said making you giggle and accept his offered navy and white checkered jacket to pull on for the ride that matched his checkered slacks. His pale blue shirt rested under black suspenders matching the shade of his rhinestone accented tie and polished dress shoes.

“We didn’t have to match, I know you got pressured into buying that suit by your Mate.”

And he held up a finger, “Hup, hup, hup, we are matching, even Riot’s Other is matching us, it is family night and we are going all out since you have to wear a dress. He bought Oxfords and is going full under vest as well.”

“You two are wild, all to keep people from cyanide poisoning,” you said in a shake of your head making him chuckle and guide you to his bike. Two buttons on your skirt were undone to flash enough leg to sit without tearing your skirt as he adjusted his pant legs to do the same while you secured the buckle on your helmet.

Just as he said over a half hour later out of a sports car Riot’s Other smirked in adjusting his vest and crossed the space from where he parked to where you both were waiting. “Now we’re definitely underdressed, forgot my,” he said and chuckled at Riot stealthily easing over his arm to pull the rhinestoned bow tie out of his inner jacket pocket, “Nope, I didn’t. You said rhinestones and pinstripes, all out.” With a giggle you watched him fasten the bowtie in place to the flow of more bodies due for the course dressed more for yachting or the Kentucky Derby.

All of the women at least seemed to be in their silver years and like the famous picture of Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield where the latter was getting side eyes from the former. While you weren’t flashing anything, the fact you had on a pencil skirt opposing their longer flowing or layered skirts and higher heels had them cast some serious shade your way. At least until one of the older gentlemen tried to nudge the elbow of Eddie in wait at the front door of the lavish hotel the eatery was located inside of the ground floor luring his eyes to the man who stated, “Clearly you found a nice night out for your arm candy. Hear they’ve got ample wine for tasting to really spoil her from wandering to your friend there.”

Quite casually to the statement Eddie replied proudly, “My baby sister here is nobody’s arm candy and far too young for wine, so no tasting for us tonight.”

The title for you had his wife look you over again, almost in a new light and ask herself, “Did your parents dress you alike as children?”

“Just us for a decade now and there was a dress code so we all decided to go all out so it’d be fair with the enforced skirt,” he answered.

“You seem so at home in a dress,” another wife stated and chuckled out in addition, “You can’t tell me you’re a tomboy.” The elevator doors opened and you remained silent in being led inside with them to be rested in Eddie’s arms against his chest to grant more space to the others.

“I can’t eat anything on this menu,” you muttered to Riot’s Other, who was at the shared counter, while Riot had his hand lifting every knife available from the offered wooden block for his use in sheer amusement. The guiding chefs chattered away on the details of the ingredients’ rare origins tripling the price of them to the point of exclusivity for their usual clientele.

Eddie stepped closer to allow Venom to say through him, “We’ll do the tasting,” after having heard the instructor that each of you would be forced to taste what you make before sending it to assigned people in the dining room who would grade you on them.

Cleaning shrimp was an unpleasant task to begin the makings of a surf and turf meal for the first course. Just a portion of Wagyu steak would be drizzled with a garlic based sauce, and the still bleeding things you were asked to serve medium rare had you grimace in a turn back to the station to finish off the sauce. “Now slap the knife,” you were instructed to crush the garlic clove making you shake your head.

To yourself you muttered, “Not happening.” And simply pressed on the blade rested atop the clove you then grated a section of it into the sauce simmering on top of the burner, that in a spoon you raised to mime a taste for the look of the chef. Then dropped it low to your side so Venom out of Eddie’s side could taste as you offered one of the shrimp from your skillet to Riot, the both of them who sent their comments through their Others that refused to taste theirs either to not trigger a reaction in you later on. Even though you only got reactions from ingesting your allergens when it came to food all the same they didn’t want to risk it, same with the foods like shellfish or filter feeders that simply upset your stomach and didn’t make your throat swell shut.

However they did get some amusement at your being able to sample the naked freshly cooked pasta for the next course and few morsels of rice in the one that followed. For dessert afterwards a bit of a scene had to be made.

By means of touching a still hot cast iron skillet by Riot’s Other, to have the chef glaring at each person intently as they tasted their nut based course follow the man feigning a burn his Other was already trying to bubble out to heal inside the curled fist of the man taking a few steps away. “Just a tap, I’ll just rub some butter on it, right as rain,” he said and the chef snapped his eyes to you as the dish was carried to your waiting judge to hear through you the praising comment Venom had whispered to you seconds after he slithered out behind the counter to sample the ridiculously priced treat.

“Come,” he said with an ordering clap of his hands. “Now we taste the wine, you will drink first.”

“I’m 16,” you said and in a sweep of his eyes over you he made the slightest of scoffs.

“Come, time to learn.”

Nine bottles of rather expensive wine by a waiter were poured and offered to you to smell try and break down the elements of the wines only irritating him more at your being able to detect various things. Just like when you got to the fifth and narrowed your eyes saying, “Smells like someone added raspberry syrup and vermouth to this rose,” instantly causing his neck to grow in patches red up to his ears at your learning some secret additive of the house wine.

“I don’t taste that,” one of the other guests said in a growing conclusion you were deemed wrong for the favor of the chef who now only had one person who knew the house wine secret.

All the same to the end of the miserably held lesson you stuck it out and then went back to the vehicles to go and find someplace with something actually edible to eat and kinder wait staff. Just to help cover the group discussion between yourself, the men and their Symbiotes, to help Riot and his Other grow more settled in their newfound fondness for the possibilities of culinary lessons to become a chef. A career world where one who stabbed their unruly employees if angered wouldn’t be too unbelievable to have happen in case he lost his cool and slipped to harm someone in their new hopeful dream job.

*.*.*

Dinner over the presentation of a hopeful space station project for Reed Richards amongst a great deal of Airforce personnel and scientists alike found Rhodey halfway listening to both Reed and his chosen pilot for the mission, Benjamin Grimm, who was sharing about his run in with the famed creator of the Blackhowls Rhodey had piloted.

Stark on his right however drew random glances as the stubborn billionaire continued to look over newer prints on the Goliath system overhaul after the first set became too obscured by his own notes to read the code anymore while full on ignoring the reason he had been invited here. “Still can’t believe you get to fly those. Now I’m gonna be in space for four months and training for the next year before that, no time at all to slip in a test run or ride along.”

Rhodey smirked at the fellow pilot and said, “Are you going to be in California day after tomorrow still?”

“I’ll rent a new room or sleep in a lot on the base if I have to,” Grimm replied making Rhodey chuckle.

“Have to make a run to Antarctica for a supply drop off to a research team there. Not much fun,”

“Oh it sounds like a party bus to me. I don’t care where you have to shove me.”

And Rhodey nodded, “I’ll add your name to the passenger list, one of the Privates always complains in the cold so you’ll have to help unload.”

“All for earning my way.”

And across the table a representative from Harvard supporting a fellow alumni in attendance squirmed again in his seat, as he had the whole time they had been talking over the aircraft and how Grimm had met the inventor of it. Just bursting to ask, “Okay, sorry,” he said luring eyes to him, “Have to ask, why Columbia?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Grimm and Rhodey asked together in Stark’s stolen glance up over the enhanced glasses he hoped to help pick apart the code to not break out his phone and be called entirely rude.

“Why’d she pick Columbia? She was top of our short list and she picked Columbia of all places over Harvard!” Rhodey’s eyes narrowed during the man’s panting exhale to keep himself from growing too excited in his taken slight to his alma matter.

“She lives in New York.” Rhodey answered.

But Grimm said, “Not to mention one of the scholarships she got was limited to New York schools.”

Rhodey and the man asked, “What?” causing Tony to look up again, but this time at his friend in the hint of tension in his tone at the fact that was news to him.

Grimm clarified, “Someone in the scholarship departments she applied to after the press released the news on the Blackhawks got a price tag on them and they turned her down. Largest one of the few she got out of the stack she applied to had the rule to keep it to New York schools. Said she took it bit hard being turned down for so many, but a teacher knew a guy in Columbia and they helped book a private tour and it’s close to home and work so she went there.”

“Why’d she need a scholarship at all? Those aircraft are a couple mil a pair.” The man asked.

Rhodey answered as his mind reeled, “Military only paid her base Engineer salary up front and put the rest in trust funds, in fact they wanted it all in trust until I went after them once she told me she was the only one working on them that wasn’t being paid.”

Tony said plainly, “Bit sexist,” and Rhodey looked at him, “I was sixteen when I sold my first idea to the military and they paid me in full.”

“What I told them,” Rhodey replied, “But you had a team looking after you is what they said.”

“That’s a terrible copout. What they’re afraid she’d buy too many beanie babies or something fun with that money?” Tony replied and looked back at his papers to Rhodey’s shift on his seat.

“So you’re telling me the military press leak on those aircraft ruined Pluto’s chances at going to any college in the world?” And Grimm nodded, “She could have gone anywhere!” Rhodey scoffed to himself.

And the man from Harvard said, “She could have gone to Harvard.”

Making Tony butt in blindly, “She could have been a TA at MIT with work like that and the OWLS by now.” Turning the page and bringing out the stylus in his pocket to write electronically to be only seen by his glasses notes to look back on later in his lab on the array of screens and room sizable projector Jarvis could help him bounce ideas around to get to the root of this unreadable language.

And the man spoke again, “And she graduates this year?”

“Next year, has to repeat after that midterm vote raised school core requirements.” Grimm clarified, only making Rhodey flop his hands onto his lap.

“I’ll let the guys in enrollment know to get a fund package ready. None of the other schools said anything either about a trust issue.”

“Why didn’t she say something?” Rhodey asked Grimm.

“Didn’t want to cause trouble,” he replied.

“That’s not causing trouble, I could have made some calls to the scholarship boards, explained it. And now she’s got to repeat a year…” making him all but cross his arms mid huff.

“She is a magnet for chaos,” Grimm added with a smirk repeating what you had told him. “Same happened to me,” the Harvard man already was on his phone emailing the others to let them in on the news to get ahead of other schools. And even with needing a fund to aid in studies on their campus they would be more than willing to offer full for what the world could only imagine the teenager capable of even in just the near future.

“I’m talking to her about this, I told her we’d have her back after that leak.”

Rhodey said only making Tony say, “And that’s why she didn’t tell you. She got into Columbia without any degree. Wrote this whole damn code without one too. Degrees are just a bumper sticker to that talent.” He said with a grumble in his tone. “Not even code this bit, all weird bubble symbols, like shorthand?” bringing the page a bit closer to his face to turn the page to the side.

“Have you tried Swedish?”

“I’ve tried every language known to man, this bit is half a line of the original code then it’s twelve symbols and it breaks into what look to be light sequence checks? There is no logic in this.”

“There overlap?” Grimm asked making Tony look up at him flatly, “Like a 4d map?”

“Map of what? The console light bulbs the next line orders to blink in a pattern?” making Rhodey chuckle at the latest failed try to uncover what the logic of it could be.

*.*.*

Lively the burger and steak centered eatery had colorful lights, music and decorations everywhere you looked. While fun everyone who came here always seemed to dress up and at the back balcony booth you could see why, one of Kingpin’s main men owned and ran the place settled upon his makeshift throne to look over people sending money straight for his pockets. Still the match of your clothes had more than a few people look your way upon entering, namely the owner and a disguised duo of Agents here to watch a chosen target.

The uncomfortable shift of the bun in your hair that had caught on the neck strap of the apron from cooking found you a new sort of subtle spectacle in just undoing a few braids. Atop Eddie’s shoulder however and reflected off a mirrored wall by the door your bees were recording all angles possible after your notice of the Agents in the back of the place.

A simple fluff of your hair that cascaded down your chest, face and back was all it took and in a glance back at the man along the wall in charge of allowing who was taken as strangers inside the establishment a nod was given to an easy attractive face to lure more men inside.

Two fingers were used to wave you back by the Hostess who turned as you lifted a hand to cover the rest of the bees moving from your palm back to your hair they would keep that side back out of your face.

“Cocktails?” The Hostess said in an offer of their specialty drink list for this week, her eyes directly on you knowing by the kind of nod given you were the reasoning to be welcomed in.

“She’s sixteen,” Riot’s Other said, “I’ll take one of the Flaming Bangers though.”

“We have mocktails for each of them,” subtly implying to you that you had to choose one that had you look at the list.

The third on the list had you giggle and say, “Catatonic Grasshopper, please, and can I have a raspberry tea to follow?” A secondary drink that also could be fancied up to resemble a mocktail as well.

A grin eased across her lips and she nodded, “Absolutely.” And looked to Eddie who said, “Uh, one of the Eroded Blue Lagoon mocktails so she won’t have to carry me home,” making her chuckle to his grin your way.

Pictures and shared comments of your mint green blended drink inside a martini glass and the tall blue fizzy drink with fruit liquors, juices and Sprite he let you taste joined a picture of what a Flaming Banger was to add to your social page. Alongside images from the cooking outing and a piece of the clip of you letting down your hair with a comment on a relax of your scalp now your braids were out after getting snagged earlier.

Out of possible meal choices chicken for you was chosen with noodles, veggies were to come after the opening course of mini stromboli’s and bruschetta you all wanted to sample out of the opening course options you could eat without risk of reaction. Dessert was last to add and then you were free to talk without groups to overhear or interrupt at least for a time. Riot’s Other asked, “There’s a question I’ve been wondering since you shared on your necklace, your ancestor had all those kids, it can’t just be you.”

“Um,” you said lowering your mocktail from another sip, licking away a bead of the liquid left on your lower lip to answer him, “I have an aunt, maternal, but she’s a competitive Ice Dancer on tour, doesn’t want kids. That turned me a bit off writing to her dad, he’s got some standing in Denmark. And an uncle, paternal, who is in a monastery, he um, well he sort of lost it when dad went missing, went to go find himself and didn’t take my first letter very well.”

“First letter?” he asked and looked to Eddie who held up five fingers and mimed a swipe of those fingers across his neck making Riot’s Other look at you again.

“He thought I was lying, but I sent him my social page and he was able to see I have his hair and eyes. He’s still seeking one-ness, but he wishes me the same.”

“He’s five apples short of a Fig Newton,” Eddie said lifting his own drink making you giggle.

“I think he’s on opiates, Dad’s notes say he’s had issues before, like his other brother out in Nevada who is detoxing himself with sunshine and blended cacti.”

“You can’t eat cacti,” he said and you nodded.

“Hence the lack of contact, he loses breaks of time so he’s mentally unfit to have me either way.”

“Oh I’m not asking on a matter of custody, you aren’t leaving New York or Eddie. None of us will let that happen. But, no more relatives than that?”

“I have some older cousins from the cacti uncle in Norway, they comment on my videos a lot. Their mother sort of hates me though by association to him. They work with welding in art and mechanically to make their livings so they send tips.”

“And the ice dancer? No letters?”

“She sent me a poster, but last time we talked she said I look too much like Mom. Mentioned cousins of hers that she lost touch with as kids,” five hints that the Agents were in debate on coming over to interfere with your meal and you let the comments from the guys cover a slip away to the bathroom. Those buttons on your skirt came in handy to not have to take off the dress entirely to relieve your bladder, yet halfway through washing your hands the door opened and Grant Ward slipped into the bathroom locking the door behind him.

“Alright little girl, you’re gonna tell me everything.” To the side you moved to collect one of the hand towels offered to dry your hands looking up at him once it was in hand in his move closer. “Who do you know and why no one comes after you or sends you on any missions, even reports I’ve personally filed have vanished physically and digitally. Tell me, now!”

He came to tower over you and you answered back calmly, “Must be so exhausting being a double agent who is so terrible at both sides of the aisle.” Wide open his jaw dropped and you blindly let go of the hand towel through the opening marked for their return and heard his breath hitch in the ignition of your hair and eyes luring glowing spots into his eyes as you tapped his mind. “You want to change that unimpressive record of yours, when you complete today’s tasks you are going to book a flight to Russia and show them exactly how Bucky Barnes is being held.”

The order was given and silently he turned like a good soldier and didn’t speak a word. Completing his report for the evening details discovered from sleuthing and then went home to pack and book a flight. First thing he was off leaving simply a message behind for his team he caught a lead on how to find Barnes, only to be seen on surveillance footage to have been snatched up off the street. But for the furious star spangled Avenger and Fury alike every detail of his life was being torn apart to find some clue on how he found that location.

Cooper eyed the recorded message his niece was watching once again of her ex said, “Now you have your treasure map,” only turning her head to look at him. “Pluto said you don’t teach your soldiers to think like dead men,” and he pointed at the screen, “You have your tracking beacon.”

“You think they took him where Barnes is? To that Ice place her videos talked about?”

“I know she told you to go to Russia.”

Fury butt in, “Ward went to Russia and got snatched off the street.” Beginning to pace.

“Have you read any of Black Widow’s file reports?” Cooper asked back making Fury turn to look at him.

“Your point being?” Fury asked flatly.

“Common denominator between the files.”

That had Fury turn his head to the looped footage of Ward being snatched up, “Get captured and interrogated.” And he looked at Cooper again, “It’s not a where, it’s where the people who know where Barnes is.”

Steve Rogers cross armed against the wall said, “That makes no sense. She doesn’t dislike me enough to go tell me to get myself snatched off the street.”

Nat cut in, “No she told you to send me to get captured.”

“That-,” Steve tried to talk but was cut off.

Fury said pointing at the screen, “There’s a way to track him. Under his skin, his clothes, drilled into his damn jaw bone, I don’t care, the kid knew we didn’t have a weapon to break in but a way to track him.” He shook his head, “Not about finding any location but a person,” and he looked to Stark who sat up more wondering how he could help, “She told us how to find you, got to be something there.”

He nodded and said, “I’ll get with Rhodey on it,” climbing to his feet to leave the room to find his friend with others in another end of the floor to give them their task.

“I want details, his socials, phone log, messages, bills, even the receipts he uses as bookmarks. There’s a tracker on him we have to find a hint of it.” Fury said and bodies left seats to go and follow his orders, yet still Cooper remained in place behind Fury who asked him lowly, “He’s gonna be dead when we find him isn’t he?”

“He was a terrible double agent anyways,” Cooper said turning Fury around wide eyed to see the former Winter Soldier.

“Who is gonna be on the other end of this rabbit hole?”

“Most likely, more bodies and some useful clues. Just keep Rogers from going beserk he might ruin the wrong wall or piece of furniture before you can look it all over.” He turned and said, “For now, Pluto has a night shift and I’m on watch.” He paused in the doorway to say, “She gives me hope, helps me sleep at night knowing she’s out and about.” His hand patted the doorframe in leaving the confused Agent in place until he turned back to the footage to start taking notes to uncover some sort of clue once added by more and more details.

“We got bodies,” Clint said and with a tongue depressor and mini flashlight from a pocket he got to checking tongues on the single female found outside a ring of cryo tubes, one of which held Ward clearly shot in the head. “Not much else,” seeing the place had been emptied and splattered with blood smudges. Rage was palpable in the air even days after the fight that brought about the end of the Winter Solder trainees here, and what sadness was felt in the sight of more teen girls the brands under their tongues binding them to the bloody freed soldiers found with neck kill switches activated.

Tony inside the space said in a gesture of his hand around the room, “Jarvis says they all had hidden kill darts in their bodies, and there’s traces of gas in the air.”

Nat spoke up in her pass through the space to an emptied out file room with a fist warped and bloody door, “Hydra instigates a frenzy and when they want it to end they flip the switch. We need infrared scans, black light, everything you got on you Stark. If a clue is here it’s buried in plain sight.”

Pictures of faces were next to be taken by Clint, who when he crossed Tony’s path said, “I imagine those eyes of yours could be more helpful looking for clues, we’ll take care of the kids in a bit. They’ll understand if we look around first.”

“They’ve been abducted from their homes, the street and hospitals Tony. If they’re here it’s because no one was able to find them, clues can wait three minutes.” Pictures all were uploaded into the database for Fury to run through facial recognition systems only to fill in the rest of your missing dance class students and then some.

The ping from the device as Clint had helped to look and more agents came to load up the jet with the bodies they would take back for proper autopsies and burial had him stop and bring out his phone he turned sideways and sighed at the image the girls were from. “Oh you got to be kidding me,” promptly Rhodey’s side was found and he lowly shared with him the heart dropping news, “Look who they knew.”

“So the girls got snatched up by the same ring, she got out as they got raided by Hydra. That is fucked up.”

Rogers across the room moving a cabinet aside asked loudly, “Any faces get recognized?”

“Ya Steve, they were Pluto’s friends that got snatched from Russia when she left.” Instantly that had eyes not on him dart to his deeply exhaling self in need of a corner to go walk to, “Need a minute,” he said doing just that.

Once there however his eyes and head drifted up to see flashes of yellow light and he could only have his suit shine a light on the ceiling to find a tiny hole apparently inside a pattern of dashes and dots beginning in the corner to branch outwards. “What the hell is that?” Morse code was obvious, but what took hovering up there and breaking the hole larger a small transmitter no bigger than a lemon they would add to their nonexistent sack of clues to inhibit waves out or in to keep from being tracked themselves until they could dismantle it to learn its secrets.

“Alright?” Eddie asked with a smirk as you climbed back into your seat elegantly and as effortlessly as possible, “Managed to get out and back in I see without tearing a seam.”

“You know, while a nice silhouette these are rather impractical, have to nearly take the whole damn thing off in the bathroom if you have no buttons.”

“Not an all day dress,” Riot’s Other said. “Wore one all day at a Rights March and they are wildly uncomfortable to wiggle out of but you do get a fair bit of looks.” Making you giggle to yourself. “More a two hour stunner then have a buddy wiggle you out of it type of cut.”

“I didn’t think this place had such an exclusive feel to it.” You said making him smirk and nod.

“I like it, even if they try to keep me out half the time, me and the big bird up there go way back just likes to pretend he’s playing favorites but he usually slips me in the back room when he needs the place packed with ladies. See, you can only have so many guys in a place before it changes the whole feel of the place. Too rowdy or noisy and ladies tend to make it a mellower vibe and the female staff get treated better and tips go up as the guys want to make good impressions as big shots. All works out, and the drinks help to keep it from being just another burger and steak joint. Halfway between fancy and jersey central on sports days.”

“Sounds very particular,” you giggled in another sip of your mock tail.

And he lifted a finger a moment, “Never shut up about the place back in school. Whole year could quote back and recognize the place just passing by most likely. He dreamed big and he caught it.” His smirk widened, “All thanks to the first purge, dropped on the market for cheap.” Luring a smirk across your lips that eased in the arrival of your first course.

When she left amply thanked you answered. “I suppose everything comes with its positives.”

“Ooh, we have a few more names for the next one, some of the hive moved onto greener pastures to get some heat off thanks to our big red guy.”

“And we can’t do anything?” You asked, “Won’t that bring the King Knull guy here?”

Eddie answered that, “No, latest we heard Knull is facing off against some world absorber to keep Klyntar neutral. Something about Death and that Thane guy messing with things now has his dad moving around and I can’t ever hear more out of that as they all just start screeching back on Klyntar and I can’t make it out.”

“Out of curiosity, what happens if Knull dies?”

“Someone has to claim the black throne,” Riot answered through his Other.

And Eddie added in, “Huge war, all would have to plan a planet to head to so they can fight it out, that is if the others don’t accept the absorber as their new King. But that’s where the screeching comes in,” he cut off Riot in his urgent hiss, “They wouldn’t, and the few who would are being drowned out and reminded eating the planet with the King on it doesn’t count as killing the King.”

“Plus I suppose being part of the hive would be preferable,” you said making them both nod and join you in selecting a snack from the steaming platters of food.

Food now had the main focus of the conversation while inside your hair your bees minded the growing chatter outside and in the front came in the open and close of the door allowing the noise and source of it all inside.

Identical to a fault young Johnny Storm, who was almost a mirror image of Steve Rogers entered the place. A bit more slender but no less toned, with shorter hair and longer hints of sideburns to go with the stubble around the lower half of his face to prove he wasn’t the man with the shield. And just like Rogers his blue eyes and smirk shifted your way, though in the same waitress also manning his table his try to send a new alcoholic cocktail your way had him smile boldly at her mention of your being a minor.

Even over the music and noise of his group of friends he brought with him you could hear him ask, “Purple eyes?” She barely had to answer and he gave his order he chose without much of a care to what it could be in a flash of a glance at the menu and stood to walk around her back, leaving her to take the rest of the table’s orders as he crossed the floor to your booth.

“I can’t go five days without hearing your name and finally I run into you.” He said making your puffy cheeked self mid chew hold a hand in front of your mouth widening his smile upon the fall of your eyes in him. “And if you weren’t still a kid I’d invite you to one of my parties just to show off to the rest of the team. Grimm’s an inch from begging to be on a Blackhowl team before we launch.”

Under the table your foot tapped Eddie’s as you were still chewing and he said for you, “Ya, we heard you’re doing that trip to the station Reed and that Doom guy came up with.”

His head tilted to the side and Storm replied, “Rather be riding my bike cross country testing out all the nightlife scenes I can for half a year but I suppose going up to space could only improve my brag game when I get back down,” and he said to you with a wink, “And you’ll be closer to 18.”

You pointed at him, finally able to answer him after swallowing the still scalding food your throat was now healing the sensitivity from. “Women of my line were won with deeds and honorable hearts not winks from the town whore.” That had him laugh aloud at your answer and nod in respect for that stance, “Besides I’m certain you could find more fun pieces of arm candy for such frivolous outings. I intend to be rather boring.”

“As you should be, someone’s got to keep putting Reed and Doom in their places. How the hell did you shut them up with that code you gave them?”

“Simply said in their argument of who had the broadest horizons of intellect should know what the code is.”

And his smile crept wider asking, “What is the code?”

“Firefly genetic code,” you said making him laugh again and point at you.

“Oh that is brilliant! Going in the vault,” he said miming a key locking across his lips. “Reed has been pouting about it pouring over every physics book he can find assuming it’s got to be with aviation. He is never gonna look there.”

A call from his table had him glance back and nod and then ease onto the booth beside you and hold his arm out starting a small video, “Look who I ran into! Reedykins, Doomybear, I know what the code is, and you’ll never guess it!” His brows popped up and you couldn’t help but giggle to yourself as he mentioned his shimmering silvery blue suit and angled his arm to show the guys with you saying, “Dress code’s blue tonight boys, flash some class and come down to Krinkle Plummet. You’ll never guess who’s been hiding away in the back if you don’t drop in.” He angled back to show just him and you and said, “And now I know who rode in on that stunning tankless bike outside, just maybe I might have the third of this firecracker’s exclusive custom motorcycle line. Drop in on you later guys.” He said signing off the video he added to his social pages and added a slew of tags even finding your page and Eddie’s to tag, adding one for his earlier video circle of his bike in the garage for this place he parked his own bike next to. When his eyes were on you again he said. “I really do want a bike of yours, how well do they run on fuel?”

“Solar and have a kick start momentum setting for cloudy days near empty,” Eddie said dropping his jaw, “Can run days and its great on mileage and off roading too, had it all through our summer trips through the Americas and Africa when our van wouldn’t fit on the roads.”

“How much?”

“Um,” you said and he lifted a finger.

“Okay, what body can you build one on? Saw you fixed a killer one with ape hangars for Johnny Blaze. How much he pay?”

“Any you would like I could alter it, after it’s cleaned out. He gave me 25k to go for my school books and garage costs for a boat I’m fixing.”

“Saw the boat,” he said pointing at you, “Like I said I’ve got training, so I’ll send you some pictures of the model and find the body, one in decent shape, and when I get back l’ll give you 35. I’m a bit picky on paint jobs so I’ll send some ideas for that too.”

“Okay,” you said and he shook your hand in a rise up to head to his table leaving you to begin feeling buzzes from your clutch resting against your thigh. To Eddie you looked making him chuckle at the pop of your brows up to fall back down again. “I can’t decide who I find more cocky, him or Rogers.” You said making the guys chuckle.

“I like how he asked to film us,” Riot’s Other chimed in for his Symbiote making you all chuckle again, “Such a gentleman flashing cash and smiles all around.” Eddie simply stole a quick pat on your lap knowing you were debating to have your bees keep up with the social page issue right now or to just let it pass by and keep calm for your shift you’d have to change for after this.

“We have more in the back,” you said approaching the same young woman who had been lingering in the book shop for weeks now on your shifts closer and closer to closing until approached for help by anyone else who would go to talk to her. She wasn’t confused and mainly you ignored her stares as a patient gesture you weren’t going to approach her first. But today having heard of the talk of calling someone in security for the strip mall about her you broke your rule.

A few years older than you the young woman shifted on her feet adjusting the grip she had on the dangling tassles from the cross chest purse strap still in a loss for words. You knew exactly who she was, in fact you knew her mother, aunts, and both twin grandmother and great aunt who had taken turns to flow into your path from Brooklyn. Jamie Barnes, named after the lost Barnes in place of a son unable to be conceived to hold the promise of continuing the name each generation since he was marked as presumed dead by the military.

From the first moment they had been told by Steve of the social page containing proof James was alive electronically and physically when possible one of them was there as if to not miss a single hidden clue if any sort as to where he could be found. And just maybe to bring his only known student into the fold if they just had the nerve to speak to you.

Out of your back pocket, having fetched it from your bag, a Manila envelope the size of 4x6 photographs was brought out to hand over. “Here. I would have posted them, but wasn’t sure if I should, nipple ban online and all,” you joked, and turned to get back to your cart of books to put back in place after people changed their mind in lines or after reading them in the offered sitting section. “And you’re gonna have to buy something,” you said making her stop with hold of the photographs still inside the envelope she’d opened hastily, “They’re talking about posting your picture up for security.”

She nodded and then brought out the pictures, blindly collecting a book on what would be found to be emus to lay under the envelope and captured images of her shirtless one armed great uncle at your side in a shallow wading pool helping to strap gauges on your wetsuit coated legs and arm for the upcoming diving lesson.

Over her mouth her hand moved to cover her trembling lips at the rough meeting point of flesh and metal around his shoulder joint.

In the next image of him with a rod of some sort lodged in his other arm and hold of your ankle by his metal arm, miming you were a caught swordfish, like the one strung up behind you with the other half of the clear harpoon he was shot with. Bringing up more questions on the injury an also bleeding and bandaged Cooper was seen to be binding off above it to contain the trickle of blood spilling out. A confusing but also partly adorable picture of your tiny self they were sure to be keeping calm by adding humor to the event. All to hide the reason of being atop a ship you had overtaken and snuffed out the whole unseen upper crust fishing trip by country officials within neutral waters then to be faked as a boating malfunction the coast guard would find wreckage of months later after extensive searches by their families.

Five images from outside in waterfront locations, to one where he was seen pulling the chord on a chainsaw as you held a broken shovel against your shoulder and a bag in your other hand. Without hint of what you were up to in that tree filled clearing where you ambushed a group of officials on a hunting trip and were now readying a landslide worthy explosion to conceal their real cause of death.

Followed by one where you were clearly seen with screwdriver in hand installing his new metal arm’s neural pathways as he looked on rather calmly atop a kitchen chair sipping on an iced drink. Only adding more questions but also proof he was alive and more than bonded to this strange teenager they never knew about for a good span of your childhood and for Steve more reason to find his now known to be one armed best friend before any more injuries could be gained in time apart.

She didn’t say goodbye, merely bought the book and tipped it like a cheers one would with a drink on her way out having noticed you looked her way and she was off to wake and spread the news amongst her family who would then call Cap to fill him in.

*.*.*

“So, how’s school?” May Parker asked her nephew with a spreading grin.

“Alright,” he answered pretending to be distracted by picking at his food.

“You should come do laundry with me this week,” she said making him look up knowing who she meant for him to run into.

“May,”

“Oh come on, you could ask Pluto over for a study date.”

“Uncle Ben make her stop!” He pled to the man who chuckled adding another plate of food to the table off the skillet he’d just left to cool.

“Now you know I can’t do that.” Sitting down across from the teen stealing a kiss in her cheek as he did. “My May loves to stir the pot.”

“I can’t ask Pluto on a date!” Peter fired back.

“Group then, sheesh you know what I meant. Have Ned too and some more of the kids from your team.”

“Not my team,” he muttered and shoved a forkful of food between his lips to chew in a pouting sort of way that had the couple glance at one another.

“You’re friends come on, she could help you out with school and making a solid footing for yourself. I mean you said you joined the robotics club too and you were on the fence about that.”

“You have lunch together,” Ben chimed in off what he’d been told making Peter hastily chew then swallow.

“She eats with the marching band, they’re pretty nice.”

“See! Made friends already,” she said smiling wider only making him huff.

“Don’t be nervous, she seems to like you.”

“We’re not gonna date!” Peter fired back.

“I never said anything about dating,” Ben replied and held back his smirk as May did the same. “You could be great friends, just study group, think about it.”

“Fine, study group, but I’m not going to laundry, that would be creepy, meeting her at school and asking her while we wash things.”

“Just hide the fun boxers,” Ben joked making him stare pointedly at his now chuckling uncle due to the look he got. “Fine, ask at school, neutral ground sans undies.”

Pt 32

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