A little bit of truth
You agreed to meet Coulson the next day at a safe and secure location so you could take a look at the jet. But, before that, you were looking after Peter.
Ben and May were at work so they asked you to pick him up from school which you were all too happy to do. He was the nicest and smartest kid you knew and he was like a little brother to you at this point. You'd do anything for him.
"Behold... The fortress." You announced, kicking open the door to your apartment and balancing some work projects in one hand. "Run free, child."
Peter laughed before doing just that and jumping onto the couch where a mound of pillows had been hoarded. He kicked off his shoes and bag and tossed them in a messy corner.
"What's for dinner?" He then asked.
"Uh..." You placed down the work stuff on the kitchen island, looking through the cupboards after. "We have a glorified cheese sandwich, or good old mac and cheese."
"Mac and cheese!"
You nodded. "Mac and cheese it is."
"Thanks."
"No problem. I might even have some ice cream left over from our last hang out."
"Yes!"
You laughed at the excitement. "So how's the physics project coming along?"
"Oh, you'll love this." He retrieved his school bag again and dug out a sheet of paper. "I want to make a homopolar motor."
"A spinning wire sculpture?"
"Yep. But I want to make it flashy as well. We've got to write down each step of our project and present it so the rest of the class can try their own at home."
"Ah, the dreaded class presentation. I always hated that."
"Me too. But this is pretty simple so I think I'll get it done by tonight. If you've got what we need, that is."
"Of course I do." You started to take out the ingredients for mac and cheese. "After all, what kind of house doesn't have a neodymium disc magnet?"
Peter grinned like a kid in a candy store and wrote down the list of things needed:
- 1 neodymium disc magnet (0.5 diameter, with 0.25 thickness)
- 1 AA battery, 1.5 volt
- Copper wire (not insulated), 14 gauge
- 12 inch ruler
- Needle nose pliers with wire cutter
While you started to make the dinner, Peter gathered what he needed since he knew your apartment like his own. You occasionally watched and joined in while waiting for things to cook and by the time the kitchen timer went off, you'd gotten as far as putting the neodymium magnet on the negative end of the battery. The two of you could have made the whole thing in ten minutes any other day but since instructions were part of the project, it took longer.
"Dinner is served, fratello." You said, holding two plates of mac and cheese in each hand.
Peter glanced up from the project with a frown. "Fra-who-lo?"
You chuckled. "Don't worry. Just smile and nod."
"Right." He got up and moved to the couch, but when you didn't join him, he stared. "We're not eating at the table, are we?"
"God, no. What do you think we are, civilized beings? I'm just looking for the remote."
"It's in the bonsai pot."
"The bonsai pot?" You furrowed your brows, confused. "Why is the remote in the bonsai pot?"
"Because you have an unhealthy addiction to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and asked me to hide it."
"Oh... Okay. Yeah, that seems believable. I mean, Buffy could step on me. And dark Willow? Wow. Don't even get me started on Faith and Spike."
Peter had already zoned out of your simping and grabbed the remote, switching on the channel to the usual news. It was about an incident in Japan. Your dad had saved someone there, someone important by the looks of things.
Peter looked at you, noticing the way you looked away from the TV at all costs and started to awkwardly play with your food. He'd known you long enough to realize that was a sign that you were nervous. It happened any time Iron Man was mentioned in a conversation or shown on the TV. He'd been wanting to ask you something for a long time because of it, and now seemed like as good a time as any.
"Ellen?"
You looked up, trying not to react every time your dad flew by on the screen. "Yeah?"
"Are you (y/n) Stark?"
He had asked it so casually you were convinced you were hearing things at first.
Why would Peter ever ask that? How did he know? He was just a kid and surely still too young to remember when you were reported as missing.
How the hell did he know your name?
"Uh..." You swallowed nervously. "No."
Peter gave you a stare that clearly said he didn't believe you. "Are you sure?"
"Pete, I'd know if I was the daughter of a billionaire."
"Unless you ran away."
You blinked, growing more and more concerned. "What?"
"I've seen the old pictures, Ellen. You look just like (y/n) even though you keep changing your hair and clothes. I didn't realize until a few months ago."
"Peter-"
"Tell me the truth. Please." He begged with a pout. "I won't tell anyone. You know I won't. I promise."
Maybe...
Maybe it wouldn't hurt.
It had been years since the kidnapping, and Obadiah Stane was still very much dead. You hadn't had any incidents and things were calm. Perhaps the danger was gone.
You still had the pessimistic feeling that it wasn't over but you supposed everyone had that now and then. Besides, Fury and Ben knew and they were okay. You'd revealed the truth to Happy and he was alive. Maybe it was safe.
"Peter, you need to listen to me." You said. "You can't tell anyone. Not Ben and May, not Ned, not anyone."
Peter grinned before you gave him a stern look and he settled down. "Okay. I promise. Does this mean that you're really her? You're not Ellen, you're... (Y/n)?"
You closed your eyes tightly and took a moment to focus on breathing before you slowly nodded. "Yeah."
"Cool!"
You opened your eyes again, a little confused. "What?"
"That's so cool! I mean, Iron Man is your dad! How many people can say that?"
You scoffed. "With the way he used to be, more than you think."
He went to rant some more but suddenly stopped, tilting his head as he looked at you. "Why did you run away?"
Having known the question would pop up, you sighed. "It's a long story, kid."
"We've got hours."
"Unfortunately."
And so you began to explain. You left out the darker details since he was still only a kid but remained as accurate and close to the truth as possible. You didn't tell him that Ben knew or that you worked for SHIELD, just that a group of people knew and offered you work and safety.
"He's changed." You finished. "He used to be so distant. I knew more about the people he worked with than I ever did about him. There were so many birthdays where all I wanted was a song or even just a hug but got nothing. But he's different now."
Peter smiled sadly. "Why don't you go back?"
You thought about it but shrugged. "I guess I've just been away for so long, I've got used to it. And he's got a whole new life now as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes."
"I'm sure he'd love to see you again. I mean, you're awesome, Ellen. You can build things and you're funny and cool and you make the best Mac and Cheese."
You smiled but shook your head. "Not now. Maybe... One day."
He wanted to persuade you more but ultimately nodded in understanding when he saw your eyes becoming tearful.
He moved next to you and hugged you tightly. "Here's that hug you always wanted."
You closed your eyes, putting your arms around him and relishing the feeling. "Thanks, Peter."
"I won't tell anybody." He said. "And I'm always going to love you and be your number one best friend no matter who you are."
-
The next day, were certain you were dreaming as you looked around at the little hideaway you were meant to be meeting Coulson in. You couldn't believe that while the world thought he was dead, he was working on missions in a place like this. It was incredible.
You missed him so much. In the many months you spent together, he'd quickly become your favorite agent. He wasn't like other uptight SHIELD people who barked orders without thought and listened to what superiors told them. He actually questioned things and had morals. You admired that.
The place in question was huge, like a bunker. There were more people inside than you thought there'd be but it wasn't exactly bustling either. There were storage crates and cars going around but in the center of it all was a huge jet.
You recognized it. It was a CXD 23215 Airborne Mobile Command Station, otherwise known as a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airplane. SHIELD used them a lot during the 80s and 90s before the helicarriers came into rotation. To know that you were needed to help fix it was actually quite thrilling.
And, boy, did it look like it needed a fix. Especially the outside hull. You wondered if the interior was as bad or not.
"Ellen."
You turned at the name you'd grown accustomed to and your eyes lit up when you saw Coulson waiting on the ramp of the jet.
"Agent!" You smiled and ran forward, hugging him tightly. "You're really alive? You're real?"
He chuckled and returned the hug. "I am. I'm real."
"I can't-" You shook your head, disbelief clear on your face as you stepped back. "When Fury told me I couldn't believe it. What they did-"
"I'd rather not get into it."
"Oh." You nodded. "Yeah, no, I get it."
You then stepped back to take in the jet, changing the subject.
"What do you think?" Coulson asked curiously. "Can you fix it?"
You tilted your head as you assessed what you could see. "I'd take a guess at modest hull damage and minimal engine armor scrapes. It looks like an airlock was opened in a very unconventional manner."
He looked at you, impressed. "That's exactly what happened. You've got the quite the talent, Agent Campbell."
"I'm just an engineer." You scoffed. "I wouldn't mind knowing what caused this. Who opened the airlock?"
"That would be the Asgardian I told you about. Do you remember New Mexico?"
"With Thor? Wait... He didn't do this, did he?"
"No. This was someone else. Her name was Lorelai."
"Lor-e-who?"
He smiled and motioned to the jet. "We have a lot to talk about."