The beginning
‘Good Morning Red, it is currently 7:00am, Valkyrie would like to say thank you for staying with her last night as that she appreciates your support at the moment especially’ FRIDAYS voice rings out through the sound system in my personalised room. Bright yellow walls and a huge set of bookshelves. No desk, but I share a lab with Peter and Val.
I groan and rub my eyes, 2 hours sleep, 1 more than last night I suppose rolling over and standing up in my Pj’s, at once the glass clears and the beautiful penthouse view spreading out around me.
I pull on some clothes and run down to the kitchen. Both Caps are there, A making pancakes and M reading a book I recommended to them.
‘Hey Uncle Cap, my favourite Auncle Cap’ I say skidding in in my socks
‘Hey kiddo, I’ve made breakfast, and why is M your favourite?’ Cap A replies bringing the pile to the table where Carol joins us
‘Well, since Auntie and Uncle are gendered, I decided to think of another name to call you and squished them together, so you are now my auntcle or uncie. Is anyone else coming?’ I look around, expecting Clint to fall out of a vent or Peter to burst through a window. Carol looks impressed at my reasoning
‘Mr and Mrs stark are currently working’ FRIDAYS voice comes through the system, answering my question ‘Peter and Val are still asleep having no school today, Clint is in the vents above conference room C and Nat is working in Ecuador and Thor is off world’
‘Thanks FRI’ I reply happily helping myself to pancakes
‘Anyway, Auntcle Carol I was wondering if you could take me to school today, I think Happy’s off and I’ll be late if you don’t’ Carol narrows their eyes at me.
‘You want to me to fly you to school?’ they question, slowly putting down their fork, I explain quickly
‘No, no, no not to school, just like a few blocks down, I mean we’ve done it before, pleeeeease’ I beg, making my Puppy Eyes TM at the trying not to smirk figure.
‘You can literally fly yourself’ She laughs
‘ahhh yes’ I deadpan ‘that is the good thing about a secret identity, you can fly around in a red glow without rising suspicion’
‘Fine’ they laugh again ‘meet me on the roof at 8. Do not be late’ and with that they walk out. Cap A looks at me appraisingly
‘Those Puppy Eyes really work on everyone, don’t they’ he states, and I use them to their full force
‘Fine’ he huffs handing over the last pancake
15 minutes later I’m standing on the roof when a glow glow in the distance comes hurtling towards me.
‘hey unctie, you are 34 seconds late’ I say as Carol lands on the roof, they roll their eyes and scoops me up like I weigh nothing
‘Careful or I might deliver you straight to the door’ they laugh, shooting off in the direction of my high school.
We land gently, a few streets down and I walk a few steps before realising Carol is following me. I spin around annoyed
‘Why are you coming’ I ask, seeing they’re donning a cap and sunglasses. They laugh and runs to catch up with me
‘Thought I’d see where Junior’s un-optional third home is’ they chuck their arm over my shoulder and I know there’s no resisting. We walk in silence until we reach the gates.
‘who’s that Piris, a personal bodyguard because you’re so special from your fake internship’
Izzie has spotted us and is yelling across the playground/courtyard/I don’t know what it called. I feel my Auntcle stiffening beside me and I poke them
‘chill, it’s okay, they don’t believe I work with superheroes is all’ I offer a weak smile, but Carol has made up their mind and is striding towards my bully.
‘Hi, who are you and why are you harassing my niece’ they say shorty. Izzie stares at them then me, hiding meekly behind the imposing figures back.
‘I… I’m Izzie, Izzie Stuart’ she says, slightly confused why this random person has walked up to her.
‘Hello Izzie, Izzie Stuart, my name Carol, Carol Danvers and if you ever say anything like that to Red again, I know several people who know how to hide a body. Have a great day’ and with that the superhero turns tail and leaves. But hears Izzie exclaim behind her
‘Wait, is that Carol Danvers, like Carol Danvers Captain Marvel’ I stiffen up but my Auntcle stays cool, turning around and lowering their sunglasses in a badass way and frowning as if they’re considering something
‘I suppose anything’s possible kid, adios Red’
Al is waiting for me at the gate grinning, I check my phone quickly-still no word from Nat who’s off on a top-secret mission and return the smile walking into school with a bounce in my stride.
By period 8 I feel extremally different.
‘Red, Red, hello’ Al is shaking me. Damn it I must have drifted off again, we are I chemistry but thanks to Dr Banners tutoring I can easily zone out and catch up the work.
‘What’s the matter-no sleep again last night?’ my best friend enquires, looking worried
‘3 hours sleep in the last two days… but I’m fine, really. It’s just Val’ I explain quickly, pretending to look interested in the teacher.
‘Oh’ her face falls ‘did you break up or something?’
I reassure her quickly ‘no, no, it’s just, the anniversary of The Fall and I think she’s just remembering how much she’s moved on and doubting herself and everything. I’ve just been mopping up her tears and stroking back her hair pretty much’
Alex looks slightly happier ‘thank goodness you guys are the cutest. Tell her I say hi please’ she smiles but Mr Stephens raises his voice
‘Right girls, so, we have a very exciting announcement for you. We are going to a very exciting Field trip to the one and only… Stark Towers Avengers Compound!’
Crap.
Al hits me. Hard. ‘dude your glowing’ I look down at my hands, red tendrils are crawling between my fingers. I vanish them quickly. And run out of the room as soon as class ends, Al runs to catch up
‘Where are you going?’ she yells
‘Home’ I answer ‘well, the tower’ I suppose it is my home now, my parents have moved away so now, as a 6th former I live at the tower, sharing the penthouse with Nat, Clint, the Starks, Peter, Val and all the other Avengers.
‘Will we get to see the Avengers’ ‘maybe we could meet Thor’ ‘or see the Labs’ ‘Or meet Red Dawn, she’s my favourite’ conversations are running through the corridor like lava, but I just keep my head down and walk as fast as I can
‘come one dude, it’ll be fun meeting Earths Mightiest Heroes’ Al laughs by my side, and I retort quickly
‘I practically live there, you come over all the time and they haven’t seen Earth’s mightiest heroes sitting on the floor in their PJ’s arguing about Monopoly’
Al laughs again
‘In their defence Nat did says she wanted to choke us all by shoving the houses down our throats but that was in Russian so everyone thought she was cheating and got angry…’