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Tony Stark seemed to have a habit of taking in strays. 
 
Steve didn’t know much about the first child Tony became a guardian to; just that his name was Harley, and he lived in Tennessee. Tony kept in touch with him, would visit him occasionally, and made sure financially he would never have any issues. From what Steve knew, Harley was a good kid. 
 
Then, it was Peter.
 
Steve knew that story

much

better.
 
Discovered to be Spiderman when he was

fourteen

years old (which still flabbergasted Steve), subsequently offered an internship, and for the next two and half years he would pop in and out of Avengers Tower like it was the most normal thing in the world. 
 
Steve admired his ability to adapt and his genius intelligence. Not many kids would be able to stroll into the Avengers Commons or Stark labs the way he did.

No

kid other than him would be able to take a supersoldier (Steve) down in sparring. (He had yet to fully spar with Bucky. Peter was still a bit too nervous for that.) 
 
When Peter was 17, his Aunt May died tragically. He was left legally still a minor without any blood relatives. Steve had never seen Tony swoop in so fast; he became Peter’s legal guardian almost immediately. Peter moved into the Tower full time. 
 
He’s lived there ever since. 
 
The last time Tony Stark took in a stray? It was technically

you.

Except this time, Steve had a

lot

more to do with it. 
 
Steve and Buck were infiltrating and destroying a rural HYDRA base when they found

you

, a teenage mutant locked in a cell, your body beaten and bruised. Bucky not only recognized you, he could

identify

who you were. He carried you out of that base with every intention of hunting down those HYDRA scientists. He stood by and helped make every major decision regarding your wellbeing, and he even suggested having you live with them to help acclimate you to the outside world. They placed you on Steve and Bucky’s floor, given your enhanced strength and speed, and the fact both of them could subdue you if you had a meltdown. At the time, it was a temporary fix. It became very permanent not long after when everyone fell in love with you. You were 15.
 
Saving your life saved Buck’s; that was clear to Steve. He branched out and became more and more like the man he once knew. He had to push through, past the Soldier living deep in his subconscious, to keep

you

safe. 
 
Having a daughter, whether in name or not, saved James Barnes. 
 
How old was Peter when you were discovered? 16? It was before he moved in full time. You were there for him through a lot of heartache, grief, Peter’s first full relationship (crush to breakup), and his evolution as Spiderman. He was there for you as you recovered from HYDRA conditioning, healed, grew stronger and faster and

better

, along with your everyday teenager problems and eventually all your college problems. 
 
You two were basically attached at the hip. 
 
You were three years into your undergrad at NYU. Peter was the same age as you, but he was on his second degree already. You barely saw each other during the work week, but when the weekend hit, you both

booked

it to the Tower.
 
That wasn’t always how things were. 
 
But now you two had a system. 
 
And your…closeness… to each other concerned Steve. 
 
He snuck another glance at the two of you from the large kitchen island where he was seated. The two of you were curled up together on the couch, and it most certainly

wasn’t

out of necessity. There were plenty of seating options in the

giant

living room. The two of you shared a blanket, draped over your shoulders, as Peter held his phone, and you glanced at it with the most awestruck eyes. 
 
Steve wanted to roll his eyes.

Youths and their phones.

He looked down at the newspaper he was trying to read, but his thoughts were muddled.

Why did your closeness bother him so much?

Is it because he sees you as his daughter? 
 
Steve rubbed his face, internally scoffing at the notion. He

did

see you as his kid, but if you were

anyone’s

kid in the Tower, you were Bucky’s. 
 
If Bucky saw the two of you right now…
 
Steve stifled a smirk. He’d sort through his thoughts later. All he knew was your cuddling was bothering him, and he knew exactly how to break it up without becoming the bad guy. 
 
He sent a quick text to Bucky, telling him to come to the Commons. 
 
He didn’t need to include anything else. He knew Bucky would listen, no questions asked. 
 
And 10 minutes later, when the elevator dinged and a particularly gruff

“what the fuck?”

resounded through the Commons, Steve had to cover his smirk with the palm of his hand, his elbow resting on the island. He held the newspaper in the other hand, back turned to the commotion, while Bucky pried the two kids apart.
 
“You see that? It’s a TV. Be little tech-addicted robots through that, not your phone. You see this?” Steve could

hear

Bucky gesturing to the living room, “There are multiple cushions on these couches for relaxing while maintaining personal space.” 
 
The sound of a blanket being thrown and hitting (probably) Peter made Steve turn around. “We also own more than one blanket, no need to share.”
 
Peter was now sitting on the other end of the sofa from you, a blanket draped over his head, a bit pout on his face. You were crossing your arms, glaring at Bucky. The one thing you picked up from him in the years you’ve lived in the Tower has been his major attitude. 
 
You may have actually always had it, but it’s morphed to match Bucky’s almost identically. When the two of you argued, which you (thankfully) rarely did, it was hectic. You knew exactly how to press his buttons, and he seemed to know just the

worst

things to say in retaliation. 
 
Steve held his breath, hoping you weren’t in a mood to argue as Bucky continued to demand a ‘one cushion apart rule,’ before he made his way to Steve. 
 
Your eyes jumped from Bucky to Steve, your eyes narrowing. You could read him better than he seemed to be reading that stupid newspaper. 
 
You stayed silent, but quietly made your way back to Peter’s side. You sat (somewhat) farther apart, and you used your own blankets, but you continued to watch whatever movie or show or TikiTok (or whatever it was called) on Peter’s phone. 
 
“What’s up?” Bucky asked, stealing an orange slice from the half-peeled and eaten fruit in front of his best friend. 
 
Steve stilled for a moment before making a decision. He folded the newspaper up, got up, and declared, “let’s spar a bit.” 
 
—————
 
A thin layer of sweat shined on the bodies of both supersoldiers. Steve wiped the last of the water from his lips, setting his bottle down on the bench. Bucky was stretching on the padded floor.
 
“You called me just to separate them, didn’t you?” 
 
Steve gave Buck a guilty smile. “You think there’s something going on between them?” 
 
His best friend scoffed, shaking his head. “There’s been something goin’ on between them since the moment they met.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The second time it happened was during an Avengers movie night. Thor was visiting, and to celebrate, he requested everyone gather to watch one of the Star Wars prequels. Apparently, it was one of Jane’s favorite movies, and therefore it was one of his favorites (you figured he hadn’t seen too many movies anyways). You and Peter joined the rest of the Avengers in the Commons, taking full advantage of the charcuterie board, the variety of snacks, and the drinks. College food sucked a whole lot more when you were used to living with a billionaire. Peter got caught up talking with Bruce about science stuff (which you didn’t understand a lick of) so you took a seat. Within the next couple of minutes, the sofas, loveseats, and beanbag chairs were filled by your family. Tony and Pepper took a loveseat, Natasha, Clint, and Sam took the rest of the couch you were seated on. Thor, Wanda, Bucky, and Steve were comfortable on the other large sectional. Bruce would normally take his hanging egg-shaped lounge chair (which was the most comfy thing you’d ever sat in, but it was strictly Bruce’s on movie nights.) There were plenty of other bean bag chairs. Hell, there was more room on both ends of the couches for Peter to squeeze (or sit against. He loved the floor). You curled against the armrest, snickering as Thor tried to figure out how to start the movie. When Thor chose the movie, he liked setting it up and getting it started. It was probably the most entertaining part of your night. You loved that man. He patiently plucked at the TV remote, attempting to get it to play. Once he hit the button just right, the movie began, and FRIDAY dimmed the lights. Peter and Bruce took that as a cue to move from the kitchen to the living room of the Commons. Bruce settled into his chair, and Peter…He booked it to you. He climbed from the back of the couch, sliding down from the armrest so his chest would be against your back, slotting himself behind you comfortably. You had just gotten comfortable, your head against his chest, his arms holding yours, when you noticed a set of eyes drilling holes into the both of you.You glanced at Tony to find him in (dramatic) shock. He angrily motioned for you to separate, but you gave him a lazy smirk and snuggled closer to Peter. His motions caught the attention of Pepper, who snickered and playfully hit Tony to get him to stop. Tony realized he couldn’t silently threaten the both of you, but he didn’t want to interrupt the movie. He glanced at Thor, who with one hand was hugging a pillow, in the other was a bottle of Asgardian mead, his eyes glued to the screen in awe. Tony then shot his eyes to the two supersoldiers, who were sharing some Asgardian mead that Thor had very generously offered them. It wasn’t often they were able to get buzzed, and Tony sometimes didn’t know how they lived. He didn’t want to distract them, either. They, also, were a bit closer than normal totally platonic best friends. Tony didn’t concern himself with that too much, because he genuinely didn’t care if they were fucking. It wouldn’t shock him in the slightest. His eyes glanced back to Peter, his son, and you, who in all of the Avengers’ eyes was the daughter of Bucky. Peter was whispering something in your ear, which made you giggle. That’s it. Tony didn’t care about distracting the supersoldiers. He sent a quick text to Steve. When Steve didn’t make any moves to check it, Tony groaned internally. Old man probably turned his phone off.He had FRIDAY send a vibration to his StarkWatch. That got his attention. He sent Stark a confused glance, and that gave him enough time to nod his head towards their kids, giving him a ‘look at our fucking idiots of kids’ look. Steve nudged Bucky with his elbow. Bucky looked at Steve before following his head and locking eyes with his kid. Tony watched as Bucky scowled at her, and by the way she snuggled closer he could tell she was silently throwing him the bird. Steve stopped his best friend before he could make a scene, but he didn’t need to react too harshly. Peter soon after made eye contact with Buck, who was glaring at him with such intensity it almost made Stark’s kid jump out of his skin. Peter quietly excused himself, and grabbed a couple more snacks before throwing a beanbag chair down near Stark and Pepper’s loveseat. He sat there for the rest of the movie.That little scene was silently observed by probably everyone in that room except for Thor. (Thor also knew what was going on, he was way more observant than he let on. How did any of them think he lived with Loki for so long? He thought the little argument was cute, he just didn’t care to interrupt Jane’s favorite movie.)

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

You would spar twice a week; once at the Tower (usually with Steve or Bucky), and once at college (freshman year you found out that there was an old wrestling room that was rarely used in one of the gyms, and it was mostly private. Usually Natasha or Clint would visit and spar, since they could blend in better.) Today, Peter was coming. It was last minute, but he was more than happy to help you out. The first five minutes showed that he had no idea what to expect from you. He went way too easy, then he kicked it up and suddenly you were flying across the room. He spent the rest of the match hyper-analyzing every move, trying to balance his strength so he was a little stronger than he would be for an unenhanced, but keeping it cooler than his sparring with a supersoldier like Steve. You used the hesitancy to your advantage. The match was also probably the hardest you’ve been pushed in a while.“You know what’s up with Tony being all in our business lately?” you asked as you dodged a punch. Peter raised his eyebrow, “Mr. Stark? I think it’s a lot more of Sergeant Barnes,” he quipped as he went in for another attack. You rolled your eyes at his formalities. “Yeah, yeah, okay, but don’t you find it weird?” He shrugged, “Yeah, I guess.” You guys had never exactly talked about your proximity. Peter was just your best friend, that was it. Yeah, you guys were physically close, but that was because you both were touchy and barely got to see each other! You didn’t understand why it was such a big deal all of the sudden. No one had any issue with your friendship throughout high school, it was actively encouraged!You didn’t know what you’d do without him. You didn’t know what you’d do without any of your family. Ever since your biological father…ever since he abandoned you, you’ve just had them.You and Peter finished your sparring match, and he began winding down. You took the moment he was distracted to tackle him, but his spidey-senses kicked in too fast, and suddenly you found yourself beneath him, his arms pinning yours to the mat, his face going through ten stages of emotions before a smile formed on his face and he began laughing. His nose was inches from yours, if that.You began laughing, too.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Tony sat on a three-legged stool in his lab, a cup of coffee not too far somewhere. He was working on some nanotech, but he had taken a break to noiselessly observe Peter. His son was fiddling with a small robot he was creating, but he was making too many stupid mistakes. His mind was clearly somewhere else.Tony snatched the robot when it began sparking, “alright kid, that’s it. Take a breather.” Peter whipped his head towards Stark, an argument at the tip of his tongue. He reconsidered when he looked at the robot that was now in Stark’s hands. He ran his own hands down his face, taking the time to massage his temple. “What’s going on in that head of yours, Spider-ling?” “Nothin’, Mister Stark.” he protested weakly. “Mm, I don’t believe you, Mister Parker.” Pete was about to protest again when his phone buzzed. He looked at his StarkWatch and immediately cracked a stupidly huge smile. “You got a girlfriend I don’t know about, kid? What’s that dopey look for?” Stark cracked. Peter rolled his eyes, “[Y/N]’s comin’ back early since her Friday class was canceled. We’re gonna go out before my patrol.” Tony quirked his eyebrow, “that smile was for [Y/N]?”Peter waved the comment away, beginning to pack up his station. Stark sighed, going back to his nanotech. While Peter was leaving, he called,“Parks.”“Yeah?”“Ya like her?”Peter smiled and shrugged, “she’s my best friend, of course I like her.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Tony didn’t know exactly why he was waking up on his loveseat in the Commons, but he was. And he had a

killer

headache. 
 
He rubbed his eyes, readjusting his position, rubbing the soreness in his neck. 
 
“Stark.” The voice was

way too loud

for…what time was it? The sun was out.

Was it morning?

“What the fuck?” he cried. He looked up to the long haired supersoldier standing over him, his arms crossed. The metal was shining the sun

directly

into his fucking eyes, he swore to—
 
“Your kid has a crush on [Y/N].” 
 
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he grumbled, moving his head so the sun’s rays weren’t

blinding

him. “What’s got your panties all in a twist, robocop?” 
 
Barnes rolled his eyes. “I just told you. Keep him away from her.” 
 
Stark scoffed, “look, I’m not a huge fan of the thought of them gettin’ together either, but they’re adults, I’m not gonna

forbid

them from—”

“Anthony.”
 
“Why don’t you talk to your daughter about it instead of bothering me?”
 
Bucky stilled at the name. Yeah, he treated you like you were his, but for someone to

call

you that was…different. It made him feel things he didn’t know how to identify. Was it pride? Joy? He couldn’t let them distract him from his mission. 
 
“Restrict Parker from our floor,” he demanded. 
 
“Fine, fine. That’s not gonna change anything, y’know that, Barnes? If they’re screwing, they’ll just go to his room.”
 
Stark regretted saying that the moment he saw the glint in Bucky’s eyes that screamed

rage.

Barnes took a deep breath through his nose, made a comment under his breath about ‘not under his roof,’ (which Stark could make a

lot

of quips about but he decided to keep his mouth shut), and left.

That encounter did

not

help his headache. Stark slowly tore himself from the cushions and hobbled to his floor.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Natasha and Wanda wanted to have a girls night that Friday night, which you gladly agreed to. Peter was on patrol, and you were caught up with schoolwork, so you found yourself on their floor late that night debating between four different nail polishes. 
 
“You made any improvements with Vis, Wands?” Nat asked while filing her nails, her hair in curlers, wearing a matching pajama set. 
 
“I’m thinking of giving up,” Wanda said with a defeated sigh. You and Nat shot your head towards her, the largest protests emitting from both of your lips. “You can’t! Gosh, Wanda, he’s

clearly

interested, as much as a robot can be!” 
 
“He’s learning how to

feel emotions

girl, you gotta give it some time!” 
 
“Well how about you two!” Wanda protested, a little smile on her face. 
 
“What about us?” you asked, shocked to

not

hear Natasha’s agreeing voice with yours.

Instead, Nat was smirking at you with Wanda.
 
“...what.” You grumble, suddenly feeling very cornered. 
 
“Let’s talk about your love life, snowflake.” Wanda leaned closer.

Snowflake. Because Bucky was ‘winter.’ You were little snow. Fuckers.

“

My

love life?” you laugh. “What love life?”
 
“I think you know exactly what we’re talking about.” Nat commented, her cheshire cat grin showing her pearl white teeth. You huffed, crossing your arms, the nail polish forgotten. 
 
Wanda grabbed your hand gently and began painting them red. It was soothing and also a bit distracting, but you liked the feeling, so you didn’t argue. 
 
“I genuinely have no idea, so if you mind letting me in on my own secret, I’d appreciate it.” 
 
“You’re telling me you’ve never…thought about Peter?” Wands asked.
 
“Peter? Oh god no!” You laugh, throwing your head back. “Oh my goodness, no. I have no idea what everyone is on about! Peter and I are just friends.” 
 
“Friends who cuddle.” Nat commented.
 
“You are

not

the one to talk, Romanoff.” you say, humor in your voice. The amount of times you’ve found her platonically cuddling some member of the team was insane. She was comfortable for the first time in years. She let herself

be.

Natasha shrugged at your comment, “What if I’ve slept with the men I cuddle? Same could apply to you.” 
 
You and Wanda gap at her, but she started laughing, so the both of you backed down. You did

not

want that thought in your head, especially since she’s cuddled with

both

Steve and Bucky before. 
 
And Sam. 
 
And Bruce. 
 
And Clint. 
 
Hell, you once found her and Loki curled up during a thunderstorm when he was visiting with his brother. They had a

weird

relationship. 
 
You pushed

that

thought away and blew a piece of hair from your face, instead focusing on Wanda as she painted the second layer of red on your nails. 
 
“Why are you all just now getting on our case? We’ve been close since high school.” 
 
The two other women didn’t respond, they just shared a look with each other. You decided to just drop it. 
 
The conversation continued on, and you barely noticed how Wanda kept drawing on your nails. 
 
When she was finished, you looked down to see your red nails, but on your left ring finger she had painted a white spider web. On your left ring finger, she added a gold stripe. 
 
You secretly loved them. You outwardly rolled your eyes and waved away their laughs as the three of you continued on with your night; making chocolate covered strawberries and cocktails before watching ‘Just Friends.’

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Wednesday

You had

just

gotten settled in your bed for a nap when you heard a knock on your apartment door.
 
You grabbed your pillow and threw it over your head, pressing it to your ears.

Just let me be.

Yeah, sure, it was a completely reasonable time for any of your roommates to have company over. 4:00 on Wednesdays your roommate Lainey

usually

had people over, anyways. Through your bedroom door, you faintly heard the apartment door open.
 
“...oh! How can I help you?” Lainey said, confusion and shock in her voice.

Hm?

“This is [Y/N]’s apartment, right? [Y/N] Rogers?” 
 
Surprise flooded your body. You hopped out of bed and booked it to the door.
 
Lainey was standing in the doorway, talking to

Bucky.

Bucky, who has never been to your college apartment. 
 
Bucky, who

told you

he never would because he was too much of a target. Because people would recognize him. 
 
“Are you her DoorDash driver or something?”
 
But Lainey didn’t recognize him.
 
“Dad!” you almost shouted, running into his arms. “What’re you doing here?” 
 
Bucky’s heart melted at the name.
 
He embraced you easily, careful to keep his leather gloves tucked into his jacket to conceal his arm. “Hey, girlie. Just wanted to come and say hi while I was in town.” 
 
Lainey gawked at the both of you, before a huge smile formed on her face. “[Y/N]! I’ve never met your dad! Mr. Rogers, I’m Lainey. It’s so nice to meet you.” 
 
Bucky quirked an eyebrow at you but stuck his hand out and shook Lainey’s, looking incredibly natural and at ease. You were proud of him. “Can I steal you for the afternoon?” he asked.
 
“Of course. Lemme get some shoes on—” you led him further into the apartment while Lainey retreated to her room, giving the two of you space. You hopped to find your closest pairs of shoes while Bucky admired your set up. 
 
You couldn’t have any pictures of your family on the walls. It was a security risk. No one knew, not even the school.
 
(When the school forced you to put down the names and information of two guardians, you put down Bucky’s name.

James Rogers

. 
 
(You…did that without letting any Avenger know. You

knew

they’d scold you for being so obvious. You were just put on the spot and now that’s how it was.)
 You put down Natasha’s name as well, but at least this time you chose a fake last name. Natalia Rushman.) 
The pictures of your roommates and their families made your lack of pictures stand out. Maybe that’s why one night early in the school year you came home and frantically decorated the walls of your bedroom in the Tower. Floor to ceiling, pictures in frames or just

taped

to the walls. You with everyone, group photos of the Avengers, Spiderman, Peter, candid photos you took from events,

anything and everything.

If it existed, it was on your wall. 
 
Bucky stepped further into the apartment. He crossed the threshold into your room, where you were quickly brushing your hair. You had thrown on a flannel at some point, too. 
 
A snort escaped him when he saw the Avengers poster hanging on your closet door. It was a cheap one, a mash up of different Avengers from different events put in a collage. The funny thing is Bucky has

seen

this poster before, and he knew he wasn’t in it. 
 
But, crudely glued in, was a picture of him amongst his teammates. He couldn’t even lie and say he wouldn’t have known better. It was clearly altered. 
 
You noticed him staring at the poster. “Hey.” you snapped. “Stop that. Let’s go.” 
 
You led him out of your apartment while bidding your roommate a quick goodbye. Once you were in the car, you hit his arm.

Hard.

(Thankfully it was his flesh one. It still hurt you more than it hurt him.)
 
“What the fuck are you doing?” 
 
“Language.”
 
“Don’t you ‘language’ me! Do you know how dumb that was—”
 
“I didn’t know you had a poster of us in your room.” 
 
You didn’t immediately answer. The smirk on Bucky’s face only grew. “Sorry I miss you guys sometimes.” you crossed your arms and looked out your window, turning as far from him as you could. 
 
“How do you explain that to your friends?”
 
“I say I’m a fan?” you quip as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 
 
Bucky laughed. “Ok, kid. Sorry for coming unannounced, I just wanted to steal you for the day.” 
 
You turned to look at him again. “That’s not it and I know it.” 
 
Bucky felt himself relax in his seat a bit. “Stevie…is having a hard time. I thought bringing you back would help, even if it’s for the night.” 
 
“What happened?” 
 
Your dad chewed his lip as he made a right turn. “Peggy died last night. They said it was peaceful, but Steve’s… shaken up. He’s flying out tomorrow for the funeral.” 
 
You deflated, frustration replaced with guilt. “Oh…”
 
“I thought an easy night before take off in the morning could help…ease him. I dunno, I mean, I

was

also in the area, I just thought it’d be nice to have you home.” 
 
You didn’t know much about Peggy, but you knew she was Steve’s…alternate timeline love. She connected old 1940's Steve with 21st Century Captain America. She was a reminder to the supersoldier who fought aliens and was friends with norse gods that simpler times existed. If he had led a normal life, if he had never crashed in the ocean, she’d be his wife. 
 
And now she was gone. 
 
You chewed your lip,

how could you make anything better?

You and Bucky rode the elevator upstairs and departed on your floor. Steve was on the couch in your living room, his head hanging low, arms resting on his knees. 
 
You climbed on one side of him, Bucky on the other. He accepted the embrace and pulled the both of you closer. You said nothing. You knew that was better than anything right now. After a moment, he whispered, “thank you.” 
 
Bucky was right. The comfort the both of you brought Steve was exactly what he needed. He took off the next morning for London, knowing he may have lost his woman-in-another-life, but he had a family to come home to at the end of the day. He had Buck. And he had you.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Monday

Knock knock knock

Your eyebrows furrowed. You snuggled closer in your bed, barely registering the outside world.
 
A sliding noise coming from your living room awoke you completely. 
 
You were supposed to be alone. Lainey was at her boyfriend’s apartment, Adelaide was still at home given she only had classes Tuesday through Friday.

No one should be coming back—

Blurry blue numbers showed you it was 3 in the morning. You groaned and rubbed the sleep from your eyes, tossing your legs over the bed—
 
A thud came from your living room. You

weren’t alone.

Your hands unconsciously grabbed the gun you hid in your bedroom. Heart racing, adrenaline pumping through your veins, you slowly opened your bedroom door. Your eyes adjusted to the dark as you crept through the hall. The moment you met the living room, your gun was aimed at the intruder—
 
Spiderman stood in your apartment.
 
“

Fuck!

” you belted, dropping your weapon. “Peter, what the fuck?!” 
 
You heard him tsk, but you quickly noticed he couldn’t do much else. After turning on the lights, you noticed a dark stain on his suit covering his entire left side. He held his side weakly.
 
“

Peter! What the fuck!”

You darted to the bathroom and grabbed your first aid kit. By the time you had gotten back, Peter had laid out towels and blankets on the couch and stripped his suit. His mask laid discarded on the coffee table, his face had…seen better days. His hair was matted with blood, eyes and jawbone bruised to black. 
 
His body didn’t look much better. Dark marks splattered his fair skin, a mix of dirt and blood adding to his freckled complexion. The most blood was coming from his open wound, which he was trying to pat with a paper towel. 
 
“Stop! Stop stop stop,” you demanded, at his side immediately, You began prepping his wound expertly, almost flabbergasted at his attempt. “Peter, what happened?”
 
A thin layer of sweat coated his face, his chest rose and fell unevenly. As you stitched him up, a weak hand wove his fingers through your hair. He leaned his head back against the couch, coughing out a sob when you hit a particularly sensitive spot. 
 
“Robbery gone wrong,” he wheezed. “Swear the guy was enhanced…” 
 
You sighed, resting your forehead against his bare chest the moment you were done. “Oh, Peter…” 
 
“You were the closest…” he mumbled. 
 
“Thank you for coming to me,” you said. 
 
“Roommates?” he asked, suddenly becoming aware of his surroundings. 
 
“Both gone. Calm down.”
 
Peter got up, gently pushing you aside. He took a couple strides while examining his injury.
 
“Don’t you for a second think you’re going back out there!”
 
He turned and gave you a confused glance. “The city—”
 
“You’ve done enough for the night, Parker. You need to rest.” 
 
“But—”
 
“No buts. I have plenty of room.” 
 
“Mr. Stark knows I’ve been injured, he’ll expect me at the Tower.”
 
“I’ll call him. C’mon, I should have something that’ll fit ya.” 
 
Peter, for the first time in his life, backed down from a fight. It wasn’t everyday you were

demanding

he slept in your apartment, after all. 
 
You threw some pajamas at him and told him to change in the bathroom. As he was doing that, you piled the soiled towels and blankets in a garbage bag to wash (or throw away) later. You dialed Tony, knowing either he’d answer (that insomniac) or you’d leave a message. 
 
He answered on the fourth ring.
 
“Peter’s okay,” was the first thing you said. 
 
“He’s with you?” Tony demanded. 
 
“Yeah, I patched him up. He’s spending the night, he should be good to swing back tomorrow morning.” You took a deep breath, debating whether you should say the next part. You decided to. “Don’t tell dad.” 
 
Tony sighed. “Who knew a former assassin could be so old-fashioned,” he joked. You rolled your eyes and bid him a quick goodbye right as Peter stepped out, freshly showered. He did a good job avoiding getting his injury wet. 
 
“Well,” he strode forward, embracing you in his hold. “Thank you, snowflake.” 
 
You curled your arms up and around him, closing your eyes in the moment. “Anything, Parks.” 
 
You tried going to sleep, but the realization after the adrenaline wore away tore you to shreds. Peter got hurt,

really hurt.

And he came to

you.

And now he was sleeping on your couch. 
 
You didn’t know how long you tossed and turned. The blue numbers on your alarm shined an enraging 4:10 AM when you received a knock on your door. 
 
“Peter?” you called.
 
“Can’t sleep?” he said in both a confession and a question. He slowly turned the handle and made his way to your laying form. He smoothed some hair from your face. “Is it okay…” he started, but the sentence died on his tongue. 
 
You scooted over and invited him on your twin XL bed. He curled up against you, holding you so close you almost

tasted

your body wash on his skin. “Love ya, snowflake.” he muttered against your hair. 
 
Your heart ached at the platonic usage of the phrase. How you yearned for it to be true, for it to be real. “Anything for you, spider boy.” you whispered back. A soft snore was your only response.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

College has its pros and cons. It’s a hard transition; living with a billionaire and his gang of misfits to living in a tiny apartment smaller than your bedroom. The food sucked. Classes drained you and stressed you out so much at some points you felt like you were losing hair. (You never realized academic stress and living-with-Avengers stress were completely different). But…
 
“How in the world did you even do that?!” 
 
You wouldn’t have moments like these. 
 
It was maybe 11 in the morning. You sat at a table with a couple friends (and Peter), all working on different projects. Your friend Luca was

staring

at your roommate Adelaide’s math homework, his hands in his hair, his eyes bugging out of his head. He kept tracing farther and farther up her work, but something told you he wasn’t tracking.
 
“It can’t be that bad,” she argued, attempting to tug it out of his hands.
 
“Let me see,” Peter extended his hand, but Adelaide pulled her work closer. “Nuh uh, there’s no way. If

Luca

can’t understand there’s no way I’m disgracing your genius eyes with my stupidity.” 
 
Peter rolled his eyes and snagged the paper out of her hands. As he looked at her work, his face began to mirror Luca’s. “Hm…” 
 
Adelaide looked like she was about to set herself on fire. As Peter’s face grew increasingly scrunched in confusion, you decided to step in. You closed your laptop, reached over and closed Peter’s, before tearing the paper from him and tucking it under Adelaide’s laptop. “Let’s take a brain break. Convo starter, go!”
 
Luca, Peter, and Adelaide quickly followed suit. They pushed their work to the side, anxiously awaiting for

anything else

than what they should’ve been working on. Adelaide looked at her phone quickly, before smiling and saying, “who’s your favorite Avenger?”
 
“Where did that come from?” Peter asked, his hand gently touching your knee.
He did that sometimes when he was nervous.
 
Adelaide showed the group her notifications on her phone. The news headline read,

Breaking: Avengers Press Conference in New York City, Watch Live

…

Hm. You didn’t know they were doing that today.

“Captain America, obviously.” Luca noted, moving on from Peter’s derail. 
 
“Obviously?” You asked, leaning closer into the conversation. 
 
“He’s literally the coolest

ever!

” He pulled out a necklace from under his shirt. The dogtag-esque pendant had Cap’s shield engraved on it. “My dad adores him. You should’ve seen him when he found out he was alive! He gave this to me a little while after…” 
 
“So, family connection. Not a reason as to why he’s the best,” Adelaide remarked. 
 
“First off, that wasn’t the question. The question was ‘who is your favorite.’ Second, Cap’s the best because he punched Nazis in the face and is the last shred of true, pure patriotism left in this stupid country. He’s…a beacon of hope. Something more than consumerism.”
 
You hummed and nodded, a small smirk tugging on your lips as you felt Peter’s grip tighten on your knee. 
 
“Thor’s my favorite.” Adelaide commented. All three of the listeners hummed in agreement. “He could definitely beat Cap, too,” she added. That made you

and

Peter scoff under your breath. “That’s a bit of an unfair fight, don’tcha think?” you asked. She shrugged.
 
“Thor’s a literal god, that’s on a whole ‘nother playing field.” Peter quipped. “Most of the Avengers are the product of

science

,” he waved his hands dramatically. “Which, in my opinion, is way cooler than some mysterious magical essence.” 
 
“He could still beat your ass,” you mumbled.
 
“He could probably take over the world if he wanted to. Thank you, oh Thor, for your benevolence and mercy on poor humankind.” Luca mocked, pressing his hands together in prayer. 
 
“What if Thor joined Loki in taking over the world?” Adelaide asked. 
 
“We’d probably be kneeling and worshiping a statue of the both of them instead of our homework,” Luca said. 
 
“[Y/N]’s turn!” Peter butted in, his tone a bit frantic.

He did NOT like the road the conversation was heading towards.

“Hm…” you rested your head in your palm, absentmindedly tapping your fingers against the side of your face. Your other hand was grazing Peter’s, which was still on your knee.
 
“Bucky Barnes.” 
 
“Who?” 
 
“The former Winter Soldier.”
 
“Ooh, a unique one! Someone's a superfan,” Adelaide winked. (She

knew

you were a fan, she saw your stupid poster everyday. Whatever.)
 
You shrugged, “he just…is a symbol of resilience. Of recovery.”
 
“He’s also mysterious,” Luca remarked. “Also, I thought you were like, in love with Spiderman,” he continued.
 
“What?!” you stifle a laugh. Peter huffed, too, but you weren’t sure if it was out of surprise or anxiety. 
 
“You have that tracker of Spider sightings bookmarked,” he explained. Your face deepened 5 shades. 
 
“Doesn’t mean I’m

in love

with him,” you argued back weakly. “I also really like Spiderman, I think he’s…cool. Peter!” you turned to him. “Your turn!”
 
“Me?” He questioned. “We were just getting into the juicy confession!” 
 
“Oh shut up,” you grumble. “You’re

also

a Spiderman fanatic.”
 
“Am not!” 
 
“Uh, yeah, you are.” 
 
“I think Iron Man is my favorite.” 
 
“Shocker. You’re like a mini Tony Stark,” you gestured to his homework. 
 
“He’s a literal genius. Him and Dr. Banner—”
 
“Who?” Adelaide asked.
 
“The Hulk? Anyways, Dr. Banner and him are just

insanely

smart, I’m actually reading one of Dr. Banner’s research journal articles about radiation induced molecular regeneration—”
 
“Have you ever seen a superhero?” you cut him off, saving everyone from

that

nerd speech. 
 
“I saw Iron Man flying out of Avengers Tower, once,” Luca said. “I don’t know if it was him or just one of his suits, but it was still insane.”
 
“I think I heard Spiderman, once,” Adelaide added after all the ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing.’ You felt Peter’s hand again. You decided to move his hand into your own. He squeezed it. 
 
“He must’ve been in the alleyway near my parent’s place, because we heard grumbling and then like uh…” she extended her hands into the famous Spiderman pose, “a

thwip

sound?” 
 
“That’s so cool! Oh, oh wait, it’s almost noon!” Luca began shoving his stuff into his backpack. “I have class, sorry guys!”
 
“Oh! I’ll walk with you,” Adelaide began following her friend. “See ya guys!”
 
A few moments after they left the library, Peter turned to you and said, “Spider tracker, huh?”
 
“Shut up.” 
 
———————
 
That weekend, you had barely made it through the elevator doors when you were hit in the head by a marshmallow. And then another one. 
 
You caught the third one. “What the hell?” 
 
“These are fucking gross.” Bucky commented, aiming at your forehead. He sat at the kitchen island, the open bag half empty. Marshmallows were

everywhere.

“I told him to stop throwin’ them everywhere,” Steve called from the next room over. 
 
You dropped your backpack next to the couch and made your way over to the bag. You were about to grab one when Bucky pulled you close, hugging you with his flesh arm. “Glad I’m your favorite, kid.”
 
Gears turned in your head.

“

Peter!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Saturday

“There’s no way!” 
 
“What do you mean ‘there’s no way’?” Peter laughed, throwing another card down. “That’s what he said!” 
 
“God, people are delusional,” you mutter, grabbing another card from the desk. 
 
The dim lamp light glowed softly against the Uno cards. Stars dotted the skies through the floor to ceiling windows of the Tower. You didn’t care to know what time it was, you just wanted to continue

whatever

this was. You and Peter were alternating between video and card games, but truly those were shoved aside in favor of the conversations you were having.

God,

you missed him. 
 
You stifled a yawn as you threw down a wildcard, declaring red to be the new color. Peter…seemed wide awake. He always did. You suspected he never slept.
 
“Sleepy, much?” he joked, throwing down

two

red cards. You threw one back at him, but when he thought you weren’t looking, he threw it down again. You decided to let it slide.
 
“No, it’s only…” you checked your StarkWatch, “2 in the morning.”
 
You threw down three cards in retaliation. He didn’t call you out. “Uno!” 
 
“Tomorrow, did you wanna get brunch down the street at that new cafe? Mr. Barton says they have the best waffles in the world.” Peter asked as he laid down a draw 4 card. You laid one down on top of it and threw your hands in the air. 
 
“4-2, Parker, I win!” 
 
He didn’t seem too upset about his loss. 
 
“Also, waffles sound great,” you said, much more quietly, forcing the words through another yawn. 
 
“Remember when we both just had moved in, and we had those sleepovers?”
 
You raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah?”
 
“I thought it’d be cool if we did that, for old time’s sake,” he explained, his tone a bit wary. 
 
“Tonight?”
 
“If you want,” he began packing the Uno cards away. 
 
“Only if we go to the roof and look at the stars,” you declare, getting up from the floor and haphazardly throwing the game boxes back into their spot in the closet. 
 
“Just don’t fall asleep on me,” he teased. The moment the Commons was (mostly) clean, he grabbed your hand and guided you to the elevator. 
 
“I’m sorry, but Miss Rogers does not have clearance to access the roof unless there’s an emergency,” F.R.I.D.A.Y’s voice gently reminded, but it was loud enough to spook both of you.

When did that happen? You guys used to be able to do that whenever—

“Oh geez,” Peter whined, “Permission override.”
 
“I’m afraid you do not have clearance to override.” 
 
“Mr. Stark put this in place?” he complained.
 
“Miss Potts did, sir.” 
 
“Fine, fine.” He turned to you. “I have another way we can get to the roof.” The smirk on his face told you everything you needed to know.
 
“No, no, Peter, absolutely not!” He grabbed you by the waist and led you to the balcony. You laughed, weakly trying to push him off you, but the both of you

knew

you didn’t actually want him to stop. “Grab on tight!”
 
You arms wrapped around his neck as he shook his arm out and engaged his web shooters. He didn’t give you a warning before—
 
Your legs quickly wrapped around his waist as you went

flying

through the air. He expertly kept his hold on you while alternating his arms to swing further and further up the building, and before you knew it—
 
Your feet were on the ground again, but this time you were sucking in gasps of cold night air between laughs. The skyline in front of you glimmered against the dark blues and blacks of the night, the neverending hustle and bustle of New York City resounding through the air. 
 
“Do ya think the backpack’s still here?” Peter asked, bounding towards a small outbuilding used for maintenance. “I totally forgot about that!” You replied, hot on his heels.
 
He dragged the (somewhat dusty) backpack from its hiding spot. The two of you rejoiced, pulling the blankets from the bag before bounding towards your favorite spot to stargaze; on the Quinjet landing pad. 
 
Laying on the blankets, your head on his chest, his arm wrapped around you protectively, the two of you watched the stars sparkle the heavens. 
 
After a blissful moment of silence, where you may or may not have been drifting to sleep, Peter mumbled,“I miss you so much, snowflake,” against your hair. 
 
“I miss you more.” 
 
“I’m serious,” he readjusted, propping himself up to look you in the eyes. “I love school, and work, and Spiderman, and all that, but I find myself looking forward to…to this, to hanging out with you, to coming home on the weekends and playing

Scrabble

and being horribly, embarrassingly beaten by you in Scrabble, I mean, [Y/N], I

hate

Scrabble but because it’s with you—”
 
“Peter—”
 
“Because it’s with you it’s suddenly my favorite thing in the entire world. The past…like, 8 years of my life have been non-stop, just…go go go, and I’ve

loved

it, because how many people can say they’re an intern for Tony Stark? How many people can say they’re a director in R&D at Stark Industries? How many people can say they’ve fought alongside the Avengers? But…I’ve gotten used to you, to

us,

going without it just makes my life seem like…there’s no break, no time to relax—”
 
“Peter—”
 
“I just care about you so much, and I’m so proud of you and all you’ve been doing—”
 
He was cut off by you hugging him so tight his upper body fell back against the landing pad. You stuffed your head in his chest, using every last fiber of self control to keep yourself from kissing his stupid face.

You were so, stupidly, in love with him.

His arms quickly wrapped around your body, cradling you against him. You could stay like that forever. You could ignore the world around you. Ignore the honking and the subtle way Peter’s muscles tensed when he heard a distant police siren. Ignore the secret identities and the high stakes jobs and the fact you lived with celebrity superheroes and the fact that aliens and magic and time travel and norse gods existed. 
 
Right now, it was you and Peter, curled together watching the stars. That’s all that mattered.
 
“I love you, Peter,” you whispered against his pajama shirt. You meant it in every way.
 
“I love you, too,” he responded. You closed your eyes and drifted to sleep.
 
….You woke up in your cold bed the next morning. A note on your bedside explained the sudden emergency Peter had to attend to…Spiderman business and all that. Raincheck on your waffle cafe plan.

You stared at your ceiling and wiped your dreary eyes. You ignored the wetness that spread across your face. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you decided to head to the gym.

The punching bag wasn’t gonna know what hit ‘em.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“School goin’ alright, kid?”
 
You whipped around, startled by Bucky’s voice. He must’ve just come back from a run, judging by the sweat and the

odor

coming off of him. 
 
“What do you mean?”
 
“I saw you in the gym, you look like you didn’t wanna be bothered,” he shrugged.
 
“Oh, yeah…” you went back to the puzzle you were doing on the dining table. “Nah, school’s ok…”
 
“Then what’s wrong?” 
 
“I don’t wanna talk about it.” 
 
He stepped closer, a quizzical expression on his face. “Is it…girl things? Should I get Natasha?”
 
You scoffed as you put another puzzle piece down. “No.”
 
“Is it Parker?”
 
…you stilled. 
 
“What did he do?” Bucky’s tone was carefully calm, but you knew him. You could tell by the twitch in his jaw and the look in his eye that he was

way

overthinking it, he was getting himself all worked up and enraged—
 
“No, it’s not Peter,” you tried, but he wasn’t taking it. 
 
“Did he hurt you?”
 
“No, Buck, he didn’t—”
 
“Where is he?”
 
You stood up and grabbed his flesh arm, ignoring the fact he was still gross and sweaty. “Buck. Stop.”
 
He let out a sharp exhale, but he seemed to physically relax just a bit. You…you might as well talk to him.
 
“I like him.”
 
“You like Peter?”
 
“Yeah.” 
 
He gave you a confused look, “I know.”
 
“Like…more than a friend.”
 
He scoffed, “I know, kid. You just figuring this out?”
 
“What do you mean you

know?

”
 
“Everyone in this building knows, [Y/N]. You’re telling me you guys aren’t sneaking around?”
 
“

Sneaking around?!

”
 
“You two were on the roof last night—”
 
“How do you know that?!”
 
“And you want me to believe that you two weren’t…canoodling? Fonduing?”
 
“

Canoodling?!

What are you even

talking

about?”
 
He sighed, the awkwardness palpable in the air. “I’m…not good with these conversations. Boy talk. Maybe Natasha—”
 
“You think

Natasha

would be good at boy talk?” 
 
“I don’t know, she’s a girl!” 
 
You pushed him gently. “Go get cleaned up. You stink. I’ll sit and wallow in self-pity until you get back.”
 
Bucky looked relieved to get out of the conversation. He made his way to his bedroom while you settled back down in your puzzle…but you couldn’t continue.

Everyone knows?

Gosh, that’s so unfair, living with spies and superheroes and whatever—
 
If everyone apparently knows, does that mean Peter knows, too?
 
Your puzzle lay abandoned as you wring your hands, pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room.

You couldn’t screw up your relationship with him. You couldn’t.

The thought of losing him, it just…
 
The door opened, revealing a casual Steve with a baseball cap, flannel, and a brown grocery bag in his hand.
 
Steve noticed your state and swiftly placed the bag down on the ground before approaching you with open arms. “Are you okay?” he asked, the concern for you in his tone evident. You probably looked like a frightened puppy, caught pacing and grumbling like that. 
 
The tears started out of nowhere, you swore. 
 
The next thing you knew you were hugging Steve with a fierce hold as you sobbed into his chest. Every worst-case scenario ran through your head—Peter hating you for liking him that way, feeling betrayed. The Avengers side with him because

who wouldn’t

, you were a washed up HYDRA experiment they were expending resources to keep safe. They’d kick you out, you’d be on your own, and these people were your

only

family—
 
“Girly girl, what’s wrong? Sh…it’s okay, it’s okay, everything’s okay…” Steve comforted, gently rocking you as you sobbed into his shirt. The bathroom door opened, revealing a very confused Bucky. 
 
“What the hell happened?” 
 
“I came in here and she jus’ started cryin’! I swear Buck, if it was something you said—”
 
You pulled away, using the collar of your shirt to wipe your tears. “What if…” you hiccuped. “What if he hates me?” 
 
Steve’s eyebrows furrowed more, his hand still gently around you in a hug. Buck looked shocked, then confused, before he blew a piece of wet hair out of his face. “[Y/N], he doesn’t

hate

you.” 
 
“Who?”
 
“Peter!” you pushed yourself away from Steve fully, your feet going back to pacing. “If everyone knows,

he

must know, and I can’t…he can’t hate me, I can’t lose him!”
 
“Know what?” Steve asked.
 
“That I like him!” you cried, rubbing your face again to relieve your cheeks from the sting. 
 
“You guys…weren’t already dating?” Steve asked, his face now focused primarily on Bucky, who looked unsure of himself. 
 
“No,” you huffed, crossing your arms. Both men looked completely out of their realm. They shared a silent conversation using facial expressions that you were too tired to decipher. You didn’t need their comfort, you just needed everyone to forget about it ASAP—
 
“I’ve never had to do this before,” you heard Steve whisper. Both men were standing at the door of the bathroom, Steve’s back to you. 
 
The fun thing about 3 enhanced individuals living in an apartment together was the fact that you all had extending hearing ranges. They knew this. You knew they knew this. 
 
“You’ve always been better with this stuff—”
 
“You had a sister!”
 
“Yeah, well, I died before she could talk to me about those things—” 
 
“

Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes, Miss Rogers,

” F.R.I.D.A.Y. interrupted. 
 
“What is it?” Steve snapped. 
 
“Master Stark has just booked a team beach retreat for this upcoming weekend. He was wondering if he needed to cancel Miss Rogers’ classes on Friday in order for her to travel with the rest of the team.” 
 
The three of you stared at each other, the tension in the room quickly fizzling out. Your panic and anxiety turned into confusion. “A retreat?”
 
“Yes, ma’am. To a private island in the Bahamas. The best time to leave would be noon that Friday, but it appears that conflicts with a class.”
 
“I can skip it, Fri.”
 
“Very well. I’ll let Master Stark know.”
 
Not even a beat went by before F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke again, “incoming call for Miss Rogers.”
 
You spared a glance at your two supersoldiers. Steve was leaning his head up against the wall, exasperated at Tony, most likely. Bucky looked confused and a bit frustrated, his eyes still trained in your general direction. 
 
“From?” you redirected your thoughts. 
 
“Master Stark.”
 
“Go ahead,” you sighed.
 
“Geez, that took way too long.” He started, his voice just a tad too loud over F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s speakers. “Y’know, sweetheart, you weren’t supposed to resort to cutting class that easily.”
 
“What the hell do you mean?”
 
“I thought good students were supposed to fight that, ‘oh, no, I could never skip class, too much meaningful learning!’ yada yada yada, I don’t know! I never showed up to class. Anyways, surprised, I canceled them for you!”
 
“What do you mean?”
 
“I booked a talk with your department, so your classes? Canceled. Instead, you get to listen to me yap for 45 minutes before catching a quinjet to the Bahamas! Yay, thanks Tony! You’re the best!”
 
You nodded your head in shock. “Great,” you laughed, “thanks, Tony,” the sarcasm heavy. 
 
“Start packing! Tell Spangles and Emo Boy Band to clear their calendars. This is mandatory team bonding, ya hear?”
 
You snorted. “I hear.”
 
“Good. If I don’t see you while you're here, know I’m countin’ the days until I get to talk to NYU about the future of AI and

all

the complexities of programming an effective, cyber secure entity like F.R.I.D.A.Y.”
 
“I thought you hated meaningless presentations like that?”
 
“I do, but I’ll get to watch your face in the crowd, and that makes it worth it.”
 
“Shut up.”
 
“[Y/N], tell Tony we’re gonna talk about this later.” Steve grumbled, running a hand through his hair. 
 
“Heard ya loud and proud, Mister Americano. Island is already booked, so no take-backsies. Oh, what was that? I think Pepper’s callin’ for me. Later!”
 
The moment the call disconnected, you felt yourself deflate. Both supersoldiers looked at you with exhaustion, seemingly unsure of themselves and what to do next. “Did…did you still want to talk about it?” Bucky asked, the notion foreign on his tongue. You felt the corners of your lips quirk up.

He was trying. You loved him for trying.

“I’ll be okay, I just need to sit with my thoughts. Seems like you two need to have a talk with Tony.” 
 
“We sure do. You comin’, punk?” Steve asked as he strolled towards the front door. Bucky grunted behind him, pausing only to give you a short hug. The moment they left you sat yourself in their vintage floral print sofa and put your head in your hands.

Emotions are complicated. Life is complicated.

The worst part was the fact you couldn’t even go to your best friend for comfort. 
 
A ping from your StarkWatch pulled you away from your wallowing. You pulled out your phone and glanced at the screenshot Peter had sent you of the booked island reservation, four shocked emojis characteristically underneath. More texts popped up:

WE’RE GOING ON VACATION!!!

We’ll finally have some time to hang out!!! I’m so excited!

You sighed, a soft smile on your lips as you began typing your response. Right now, you had Peter. Right now, you could hold off whatever stupid emotional revelation or fear that he knew you loved him. Right now, you needed to worry only about your assignments due this week, Stark’s speech, and packing for the Bahamas.

Right here, right now

you reminded yourself.

Right here. Right now.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

You hadn’t seen Peter

all week.

Spiderman was frantically busy, crime was being crushed under his feet. Peter was in R&D meetings

every day.

You were spending hours upon hours working on school projects before your vacation.
 
Life was busy.
 
Friday finally came, and you could tell the

moment

the announcement of Stark’s ‘impromptu’ speech was made over your department’s page. The Starbucks on campus you were working in suddenly became hushed, and for a brief moment you could hear a pin drop. You carefully slipped an Airpod out of your ear as whispered conversations swept throughout the shop, excitement brewing through the air. 
 
Your phone dinged with notifications from your professors. You ignored them. 
 
Your phone rang. The unknown caller made you sigh, but you answered.
 
“Hello?”
 
“On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you?”
 
“11,” you replied sarcastically. “What’ll you do if I just don’t show up?”
 
“Send Parker to getcha.” Tony snarked, the clacking from his shoes indicating he was already in the auditorium. “Actually, ‘ts why I called ya. Mind stopping by early?”
 
You closed your laptop and began stuffing it in your backpack. “I can’t imagine why—”
 
“Happy just needs a key to get your stuff to the Quinjet, girlie. Plus, I can’t

wait

to tell you about the things I’ve booked for the vaycay.”
 
You groaned as you walked out of the Starbucks.

This man just loves to torture you.

“I’m on my way. Don’t let anyone else here know you’re such a schmuck.” 
 
A loud laugh barked on the other line. “Course not, snowflake.”

The line went dead. 
 
The campus security (obviously) tried to stop you from entering the auditorium early. The SI security (and the two designated SHIELD agents acting as security)

finally

let you in after a quick authorization. 
 
The look on the campus security’s faces when the SI bodyguard held the door open and greeted you with familiarity was priceless. 
 
Tony was lounging on a bench behind the stage doors, scrolling through his phone. The moment you entered, he jumped to his feet. “[Y/N]!”
 
You greeted and dropped your key in Happy’s hand, raising an eyebrow at Tony, especially his wrists. His Iron Man bands were secured snugly. 
 
“Don’t tell me you’re gonna use those.”
 
He gave you a wicked smirk. “Of course not. Just wanted to see my favorite undergrad before the speech. C’mon, it’s showtime, kid. Off ya go!” he pushed you towards the exit, the smile never leaving his face. You rolled your eyes as you hopped down from the stage and took a seat in the front.
 
People began strolling into the auditorium soon after.
 
Lo and behold, Peter snagged a seat right next to you. 
 
The sound of chatter quickly reverberated throughout the auditorium, whispers of excitement bouncing off the walls. Peter nudged you and gave you a soft smile, “I was thinking Monopoly later.”
 
“Who else would play?” you asked, turning to face him. 
 
“I think I could rope Clint and Sam in easily enough, maybe Wanda, definitely ‘Tash.” 
 
“Steve?”
 
“Steve is absolutely ruthless, but we can invite him. Barnes?”
 
“Hm…” you pondered for a dramatic moment, “he’s also pretty good, but that could be a fun challenge. We could team up on them.” 
 
Peter smirked, turning his head back towards the stage. “I like how you think.”
 
“Did’ja wanna make smores tonight?” you asked, shuffling yourself around in your seat. 
 
“Of course I wanna make smores tonight!” he laughed, brushing his hand against yours. The touch sent jolts of lighting up your arm, causing your cheeks to heat up and your heart to quicken. 
 
“Do you think Thor’ll stop by?” you whisper, knowing you were on thin ice talking about him in person. It was easier talking about anyone else, but how many people are named

Thor?

“I know he was invited, and apparently so was his brother? Which is odd,” Peter whispered back, his hand never leaving yours, still gently brushing the backside. 
 
“Seriously?”
 
“I think it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, like, he got ahold of Jane, who was with both of them, and he was just trying to be polite,” Peter explained with a shrug. You didn’t mind the idea of Loki joining, he was actually quite fun to be around. You just never would have expected Tony to

invite

him on vacation. 
 
Loki was many times the problem the Avengers needed a vacation

from.

You knew he lived in the Tower for a short while before you or Peter showed up. You knew it was an awkward time for everyone involved. 
 
“I heard ‘Tash and him had gotten close at one point, what do you think that was about?” you whispered right as the lights dimmed and the cheering began. Peter stifled a laugh and leaned closer so you could hear him, his breath tickling your ear.
 
“I don’t think it was ‘Tash they had to worry about. Have you ever seen him with Jane’s assistant?”
 
The lights refocused on a man, who was definitely NOT Tony, stepping towards the podium. You recognized him as one of the professors from your department. 
 
“I thought they were always fighting? Like, didn’t he almost fuck up part of the lab because they were—” you whispered back, but was cut off by the professor greeting the crowd. 
 
“I heard that he left New York because she got hurt in the field and he couldn’t handle the stress of caring for someone,” Peter replied, and a quite rude hush resounded from the people behind you. You crossed your legs and folded your arms, but you didn’t reply to Peter again. 
 
You cast your eyes back to the stage, where the professor was exiting and Tony was bounding towards the podium as the crowds roared. He waved, his charming smile never leaving his face as he greeted the students and faculty with the grace of a billionaire who’s been doing this for much too long. 
 
“NYU, what—a—school! I went to MIT, but NYU was always on my list, it was such a hard choice,” he charmed, getting a reaction from the crowd. “I have the honor of talking to you today about the future of AI, and, let me just say, it’s everything and more. We just need to use it

right

. Let me introduce you to someone…” he flipped his wrist and a blue hologram appeared, F.R.I.D.A.Y. 's icon zoomed in. “Fri?” he asked.
 
“Mister Stark, how may I help you?”
 
“Run an analysis on my thrusters,” he commanded. At the same time, he flipped his other wrist over and commanded the hand of the Iron Man suit to form over his body, causing a gasp of excitement to rumble throughout the crowd.
 
“Analysis shows a partial defect in code from external damage, reducing thruster effectiveness by 10%. Would you like me to fix it?”
 
“Now how did that happen?”
 
“If I recall correctly, you jammed a screwdriver into your suit after Captain Rogers frightened you—”
 
“Yeah, yeah, okay, I remember!”
 
A fury of laughs flowed. 
 
“Fri, cast yourself to the screens and show me how you fix the code.”
 
The four screens in the theater now had F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s interface casted as she brought up the coding. She marked herself with a blue cursor as she swiftly rewrote the code for maximum effectiveness. It was a relatively easy fix, but it still caught the attention of all the attendees. 
 
“Would you like me to walk you through this?” she asked.
 
“That’s okay, Fri. That’s all.”
 
“One last thing, Mister Stark. The plane has departed, but Ms. Potts wants you to know she is, quote, never allowing Rogers or Barnes to man a jet again, unquote.” 
 
More laughs followed through. Peter raised an eyebrow. “He must’ve done more work on her personality. She’s gotten witty in her timing.” he whispered. 
 
Tony deflected from that comment and continued on with his speech. He made eye contact with you multiple times and always smirked, causing you to glare back. He would only smirk wider. 
 
He finished his speech promptly on time, and before you know it you and Peter were in a sea of students trying to exit the theater. You booked it to Happy’s awaiting car, with Tony waiting inside, and soon you were off.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The flight took a couple hours, which were happily spent catching up with Peter in the jet. Happy piloted, Tony co-piloted, but he occasionally threw in a quip when he thought appropriate. 
 
The rest of the Avengers met you at the landing pad on the island, their regular attire replaced with beachwear. Clint and Sam were soaking wet, and the still fresh footprints in the sand told the whole story. You hugged a few people you hadn’t seen in a while, mainly Bruce and Wanda, before heading to your room in the beachhouse (there would never be a day in your life where you’d have to carry your own luggage. Steve and Bucky took your suitcases right out of your hands the moment you stepped off the jet). 
 
The beachhouse was a modest two story building with a wrap around porch, the back showcasing the beach below. It was maybe three flights of stairs that connected the deck to the coastline. You and Peter were put on opposite sides of the house, but you didn’t have the energy to be upset. 
 
You and Peter broke Monopoly out. 
 
You and Peter lost hopelessly to Steve.
 
As the sky darkened, and many of the Avengers left to be on their own for the last couple hours of the day, the two of you roasted marshmallows while watching the sun set over the ocean. You leaned on Peter’s shoulder. He didn’t shake you off. 
 
You spent the entire second day swimming, lounging in the sun, and admiring Peter as he played volleyball with the others. The time to relax meant your mind had time to work itself up, the self doubt flowing back in.

What if he didn’t like you like that?

But…he let you lean on his shoulder. He brushed his hand against yours. He treated you differently.

They could all be coincidental.

Or…
 
“Your thoughts are very loud.” Wanda commented.
 
You pushed yourself up to glare at her. “Stop that.”
 
“I can’t help it! They’re almost screaming at me!” she complained. “You should just talk to him, sweetie.”

“No.”
 
“Just think about it.”
 
“Wanda.”
 
“Do you want to be stuck in this limbo forever?”
 
You paused. You

really

didn’t. 
 
You glanced at Peter again. He looked…amazing. 
 
He was amazing. 
 
“Fine.” You complied before flopping back down on your back. “I’ll think about it.”
 
—-----
 
The morning of the third day was when everything went to shit. 
 
You and Peter decided to watch the sunrise from the deck, so you curled around each other in blankets as the oranges and yellows mixed in the sky. You then decided to move inside, where you rested on your phones. At some point, he laid down and pulled you to rest on his chest, in a

totally

platonic way. Your heart was racing. 
 
You knew he was choosing to ignore it. 
 
Steve and Buck got back from their morning run, shooting the two of you glances (glares) as they made their way to clean and change. Tony, Clint, and Sam headed straight for the beach once they were out of their rooms. Natasha elected to observe whatever they were doing from the deck. Wanda and Bruce hadn’t come out of their rooms yet. 
 
You and Peter were alone in the living room, under the window overlooking the beach. 
 
“Peter…” you started, your mouth moving faster than your brain. 
 
“[Y/N],” he replied, pulling you closer to him. 
 
“Can we talk?” 
 
The outside door opened and closed. Steve and Bucky were heading towards the beach.
 
“Of course, what’s up?”
 
Peter adjusted himself to look at you earnestly. You cupped his face, and he cupped your hand instinctively. 
 
“What…what is this?”
 
“What do you mean?”
 
His heart began picking up. You could feel it in his chest. 
 
“What are…we?”
 
“Are you asking how I feel about you?”
 
You begin to lose your confidence, the blush heating your face up uncomfortably. 
 
“You are my best friend,” he began, leaning closer to you. “You are the best thing that’s happened to me, I care for you so, so, so much,” 
 
“I love you.”
 
“I love you too.” 
 
“I mean it.”
 
“I mean it, too.” 
 
“No, I—” you stopped, pondered for half a second, before your lips were on his. 
 
And he responded with just as much eagerness. 
 
He pulled you closer, cupping your face as your kiss grew deeper. You readjusted so you could kiss him easier, and suddenly the two of you were sitting, you in his lap, as your hands raced to find a comfortable spot. You felt his face, his shoulders, his chest, his hair…
 
“Does this tell you how I feel?” you whispered against his lips.
 
“Loud and clear,” he replied, pulling you back in. This time, he took control. 
 
As the wariness wore off, and both of your confidences grew, and the realization that

this was actually happening

settled, Peter melted. His anxiety and fear fizzled away, and the desperate, love-hungry man emerged. He had been waiting

years

to do this.
 
You were finally

his.

He sighed against your lips, moving his to cover your cheek, your chin, your jaw, your ear, your neck. His hands slithered up your back as he found the sweet spot, sucking gently as you gasped. 
 
A noise he wanted to hear again and again and again. All because of

him.

It was almost animalistic, how he shifted. 
 
You pulled away at last, catching your breath. You looked down at him beneath heavy eyelashes, a dopey smile on your face. 
 
“I love you,” you whispered.
 
“I love you, too.” he replied. This time you knew it was everything you wanted and more. 
 
You settled in his lap again, hugging him close. He wrapped an arm around you and shut his eyes. He could live with this.

—-------

A distant gunshot jolted the both of you from your peace. Peter tensed from beneath you, his hands gripping your arms a little too tight. The second gunshot confirmed your fears, and the both of you were quickly on your feet.
 
Outside, your family was standing in various areas on the beach, their bodies rigid. 
 
Then Cap was running.
 
All hell broke loose as

dozens

of men in tactical gear emerged from the clearing. The Avengers swiftly began defending themselves; with many taking on multiple soldiers at a time. 
 Peter was halfway out the door, his mask barely on his face. “Stay here!” he demanded, jumping from the balcony to the sand below effortlessly. You froze, the realization you were alone in the house while your family was being attacked haunting you. Do you go down? Do you hide? What if you couldn’t…fight? Not anymore?  
You didn’t get to make the choice.
 
As Peter descended into the fight, the outer door

burst

open, revealing 3 armed soldiers in tactical gear. The slight hesitation indicated they didn’t expect anyone to be inside the house, giving you an upperhand. Your body unconsciously reached for Natasha’s Glock 26, hidden on the underside of the coffee table. You were holding the leader at gunpoint before they could properly react.
 
Your heart was racing too fast, sweat and heavy breathing a result of the adrenaline coursing through your veins. The soldiers were holding you at gunpoint now. You could distantly hear them shout “DROP THE GUN” through the ringing.
 
Your lifetime of training swam in your head as you assessed the situation. You slowly lowered the Glock 26 and raised your hands in surrender. From the moment you saw the soldiers, you realized how untrained they were. 
 
You had a chance. 
 
Two of the soldiers grabbed you and dragged you out of the house, pulling you down the stairs of the deck on to the beach. 
 
“Who are you, hm?” the ringleader asked, grabbing your cheeks harshly.

They didn’t know who you were.

They weren’t HYDRA.

You breathed a sigh of relief. 
 
The ringleader went back towards the house, leaving you with his henchmen. You were forced on your knees, the gun pressed to your temple as you observed the Avengers. They had taken out quite a few soldiers already, but more were still coming. 
 
The soldier holding the gun hesitated. 
 
You took your chance.
 
You swept your leg underneath your body, knocking the man onto the ground. You grabbed the gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger before he could retaliate. 
 
The other henchman soldier was on top of you before you could readjust. You managed to quickly overtake him with your legs, utilizing the training Natasha had pushed for. You shot him the same as you did his friend. 
 
The ringleader came too fast for you to evade, so you prepared yourself for the punch. His fist collided with your cheek, but you hit him back twice as hard. You readjusted your grip on the gun and pulled the trigger—and heard a click. 
 
“Fuck!” you whisper-shouted, throwing the gun away. The ringleader was back, trying to force you into a headlock. You evaded, reaching behind, grabbing his head in your hand, and using momentum to snap his neck. His body crumpled to the sand. 
 
You took a moment to catch your breath, observing everything around you. Your eyes locked with Steve’s, who noticed the three bodies around you. He grimaced and shouted, “non-lethal force, [Y/N]!”
 
That caused a few heads to turn.
 
Natasha, who was in the middle of strangling a man with her legs, gave you one of her famous wicked smiles. 
 
Then you were off your feet. 
 
The scream that came out of you was involuntary. You gripped tight to Spiderman as he swung the both of you to the top of the deck. “Stay here,” he demanded.
 
“I can fight.”
 
“

Stay here!

”
 
“I can

fight

, Peter!”
 
“I

can’t lose you!

”
 
“Don’t you trust me?”
 
He huffed angrily, shouting another “you better stay here,” before jumping back off the balcony. There was nothing to swing off of, meaning he had to run back into the fight.

Fine. You want me here? I’ll stay here.

You retrieved the Glock 26 and planted yourself on the deck, aiming at the soldiers below. You tested your aim on an approaching soldier, and you

swore

you aimed for an appendage, but he crumpled to the ground in an instant. 
 
You could almost hear Steve sigh.

This would be easier with a rifle

.
 
You worked with what you had. You (non-lethally) took out soldiers approaching, too nervous to hit anyone currently fighting an Avenger. If you had a proper gun, maybe, but not—
 
A shout caught your attention.

Six

men were holding Peter down—
 
Six men were holding Peter down.

Get up, you

urged in your mind, aiming the pistol in that direction.

Get up, Peter.

Why wasn’t he getting up? He could take them down—

The gun pressed to his head caused you to stiffen. His

unmasked

head. Everyone else was too concerned with their own fights, but you could do something. 
 
You raised the gun, but there was too much movement for you to take a confident shot.

Fuck.

You lifted yourself on the railing and jumped off the balcony. 
 
In theory, it was supposed to look cool and your body was supposed to handle it. You were basically a super-soldier, for goodness sake! In reality, the shock from the impact sored through your feet and legs, and the split seconds of your recovery meant losing time to help Peter. You cursed yourself internally but pushed forward.
 
You pulled the first man off, using the momentum to throw him as far as you could. The soldiers’ attention was now on you, which is exactly what you wanted. Tony, by this point, had realized Peter was being overtaken and came to help. He held his thruster up to the gun-wielding soldier,

daring

him to do anything other than put it down. 
 
The gun-wielder slowly removed the barrel from Peter’s head. 
 
The moment it was away, Tony blasted the man unconscious.
 
You, meanwhile, had accidentally killed another soldier. Whoops. He came at you too fast and you didn’t have time to calculate how to

injure

, this was self defense! 
 
Steve almost yelled at you. 
 
The soldiers had trickled down, and those remaining had begun to flee instead of fight. Dead and injured bodies littered the beach, blood soaking the sand. 
 
All of you stood, catching your breaths as the adrenaline wore off. The first thing Bucky had done was barrel to you and crush you in a hug, smearing sweat and blood all over you. You hugged him back with as much force. “I’m okay, dad, I promise,” you whispered, hoping only you and him heard. He kissed the top of your head and sighed. You could feel him nod. 
 
Steve was the first to recover, fumbling through the vest of an injured man. “Who do you work for?” he asked, his Captain-tone surely sending shivers down the man’s spine. The man didn’t answer.
 
Instead, Steve froze for half a second before tearing something out of the vest. 
 
“They have cameras!” he warned.
 
“They were live streaming,” Natasha confirmed, her hands on a bloody tablet that was secured in one of the fallen’s vests. 
 
“Live streaming?” you heard Peter balk.
 
His mask was floating in the shallow water maybe 20 feet away. 
 
Those men were holding him down, at gunpoint, while he was maskless. 
 
And they had been live streaming.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“I don’t think we can push it back that far. There’s already demand for comments.” Pepper’s voice explained through the speaker. 
 
“We need to fix the script a bit,” Tony grumbled, polishing the soot and sand off his helmet. 
 
Natasha was analyzing the footage from the livestream, trying to uncover who ordered this to happen and how they found them. Tony had F.R.I.D.A.Y. tracing data, but whoever called for this was apparently smart enough to send the AI on a wild goose chase. Steve was stitching a deep wound on Bucky’s arm. Clint, Wanda, Sam, and Bruce were uninjured, which meant they got to talk to the island hosts and the local police on cleanup. 
 
You and Peter were tending to each other's wounds. Somewhat.
 
You had probably cleaned the same area of his face three times now, and there was nothing more than a bruise, but you kept wiping it anyways. Peter’s eyes were distant, the tears that had fallen were now just shining on his cheeks. This isn’t how he wanted it to go. His eyes drifted to you.
 
“They know about you too, now.”
 
You paled, your hand faltering. You dropped the wipe on his lap, reality crashing into you.

You hadn’t even thought about yourself.

“You think we could combine Spider-ling and Snowflake’s coming out conference?” you heard Tony ask Pepper in the distance.
 
You cast your eyes towards Nat. She hadn’t stopped her work, but you knew she was listening to every word. She was just phenomenal at hiding her emotions.
 
You looked at Steve and Buck. Bucky was looking down, his hair curtaining his face. His metal fist was clenched on top of the counter, and Steve was whispering to him gently, a hand on his flesh shoulder. 
 
Your heart started pounding in your chest.

You hadn’t even considered how much things would change with the world knowing you…

The thoughts flying around in your head needed to stop. They

needed

to stop. 
 
You grabbed the TV remote and turned it on. It didn’t help that a still photo from the fight you had

just

wrapped up was on the news channel screen.

“With us today is Major Eric Morrowson, a hand-to-hand combat specialist in the United States Army. Major Morrowson, what are some things you’ve picked up from the clips we’ve seen?”

“Yeah, Beth, the fighting was pretty typical for the Avengers, pulling punches and trying to prevent as many casualties as possible. Incapacitate rather than incinerate. My one concern is with the girl…”

“[Y/N] Rogers?”

“Yes. She’s what, how old? She’s a college student, the same age as Spiderman, and she’s fighting as if she’s had years of experience. She was the only one on the scene who brutally —and skillfully— killed and maimed her attackers.”

“I think we’ve been putting a lot of attention on Spiderman’s identity, we’re forgetting there’s another unknown person casually on vacation with the Avengers. Who is this girl? Why is she with them? Where did she learn how to fight like that?”

“If I may,”

“Of course, Major Morrowson,”

“Her style of hand to hand is eerily similar to that of the Winter Soldier or the Black Widow. I’m concerned she is another reformed criminal the Avengers have taken in—”

“That’s really interesting. Why would they take her in, if she’s from a terrorist organization such as HYDRA?”

“The Avengers took in James Barnes and Natasha Romonov,”

“Well, at least in Barnes’ case, he was taken in solely because of his associations with Captain America. If he had been anyone else, the Winter Soldier would be six feet under right now.”

“Are you implying someone on the team knew her before…?”

“I’m just putting this out there,” a new voice piped in, “do you guys think they look similar?”

“Another thing!” A new hostess piped in. “Social media is raging about the ethics of unmasking Spiderman in this way. I mean, look at this!” She showed a photo on her phone. “It says ‘Spiderman has done nothing but protect the people of New York, and this is how we repay him? Shovel money into the hands of the people who forced him at gunpoint and identified him?’”

“What’s out there is out there. We can’t take back the fact we now know who these kids are. My issue is the fact that Spiderman has been around for

years

, and he’s only in his early 20’s! That means he was 14 when he started! Should we really be trusting the Avengers, especially Tony Stark, if they’re okay with sending a

child

into battle like this?”

The TV was shut off. 
 
“We don’t need this.” Steve grumbled, throwing the remote away somewhere. You felt frozen in place, reality finally sinking in. 
 
“Hey,” Peter cupped your cheek, wiping a tear that you didn’t know escaped. “Hey,” he repeated a bit harsher, trying to pull you away from the thoughts in your head. You stayed put, your eyes cast off and distant. 
 
Tony was finalizing plans with Pepper over the phone. Bucky was now crossing his arms and observing Natasha, the telltale sign he had something to say written all over his face. 
 
You were pulled out of your thoughts by a chaste feeling against your lips. Peter was kissing you again, just a slight peck, but it brought you back. 
 
You also felt all eyes on the two of you, as discreet (Natasha) or obvious (Bucky) as they were. 
 
“We’re gonna be okay, I promise.” He said, painting a small smile on his face just for you.
 
“We’re here. We’re safe. We’re in this together.” he promised.
 
“Together.” you reaffirmed. 
 
“Together.”