The Dinner Party
“That is so cool.” Quinn looked once more at Peter’s incision. The surgery site had healed exponentially in a very short amount of time.
“Is it normal for it to be closed like that quick?” The teenager asked.
“Nope.” Quinn tenderly touched around the incision, looking for any sign of redness. She took out the stitches that morning when it was obvious the site was nearly closed. “How are you feeling? Have you had any pain?”
Peter shook his head.
Quinn made a note on her clipboard. “So, we can definitely add accelerated healing to the list.” The ‘list’ already read 20/20 vision, accelerated strength, heightened hearing, and accelerated metabolism.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t still get hurt, Pete.” Steve cautioned his son from where he stood on the other side of the hospital bed. They were in the medical wing of the Avengers Tower. Quinn had nearly fainted from excitement when she went in that morning and saw all of the state of the art technology. Her fingers itched to get a hold of the Wakandan technology, especially the table that appeared to allow a surgeon to use nanobots of some kind to perform surgery.
“Is there anything else different about you?” Quinn asked. “Remember, even the most seemingly insignificant thing could be huge.”
Peter frowned. “I guess there’s one thing.” He chewed on his inner cheek like he wasn’t sure what to say. “Sometimes, I feel things before they happen.”
“What do you mean ‘feel’ things?” Quinn asked softly and sat down on the swivel stool so she was face to face with Peter.
“Like, I can just somehow feel when something bad is about to happen, or if I’m in danger.”
“Is it physical?” Quinn started taking notes. “Does your chest feel tight or your stomach hurt when it happens?”
“No.” Peter looked to his dad for support. “It’s like if you were watching a car stuck on a train track and a train was about to hit it. You know that something bad is going to happen, you kind of dread seeing it but you can’t do anything to stop it.”
“Very interesting.” Quinn chewed on the end of her pen and copied down what Peter said.
“I call it ‘spidey-sense’.” Peter blushed a little at his confession.
Quinn smiled at the term then turned to Steve. “I wonder, was he really anxious as a child?”
Steve thought for moment. “He was really attached to Tony and I, the doctors said he had separation anxiety but that it was mainly from being moved from home to home. He calmed down after a year or so.” Steve put his hand on Peter’s back and smiled lovingly at his son before turning back to Quinn. “Why?”
Quinn shrugged. “Some people who have studied enhanced believe there are actually two streams of enhancement. They think that some people are born with certain enhancements, we call that genetically enhanced. Then of course are the people like Doctor Banner and yourself who are enhanced artificially. Another study suggested that artificial enhancement actually just brings forward traits and even minor enhancements that were already present in the genes.”
Steve nodded. “Dr. Erskine thought something similar.”
“I just wonder if this ‘spidey-sense’ is the enhancement of a trait Peter already had. It’s really different from his other new abilities.” Quinn shook her head. “Not that it matters, just curiosity on my part.”
“All of my best inventions came out of just being curious.” Tony walked into the exam room. “Are you all done here, doc?”
“Yep.” Quinn handed Tony her notes. “Your boy is perfectly healthy.”
“Great. Hey Pete,” Tony playfully smacked Peter on his head with the file. “Go set the table while Pops and I talk to the doctor a minute.”
Peter dutifully did as he was asked after returning the smack with a light punch to Tony’s shoulder. Quinn heard Steve mutter something about ‘my boys’.
“What’s the prognoses?” Tony asked.
“I think that Peter has a very interesting life ahead of him.” Quinn started to gather her materials and tidy up the room.
“You’ve seen the stuff he does on the internet.” Steve crossed his arms and drew his eyebrows together. “He wants to be a superhero, think that’s possible?”
Quinn stopped what she was doing and thought for a few minutes. This was one of those moments no amount of schooling could prepare her for. It didn’t matter who they were, all parents wanted to know about their kids was ‘are they alright?’
“Physically,” Quinn started slowly. “Peter can do incredible things and barely suffer any consequences. But psychologically, well, he’s still just a teenage boy and saving lives is a lot to put on someone that young. On the other hand, it’s not like he’ll be alone in figuring everything out.”
Tony started to escort Quinn out after sharing a significant look with Steve. “Thanks for everything you’ve done. You’ve really made an impression on him.”
They walked to the common dining area where Peter was just putting the last set of silverware down. Quinn noted that the plates, glasses, napkins, and silverware were so perfectly placed even her old etiquette teachers would be impressed.
“Hey Dr. Augustin, I set a place for you.” Peter smiled and motioned towards a chair to the left of him.
“Oh, thanks. But I should really get going.” Quinn tried to politely decline.
“C’mon, doc,” Tony nudged Quinn’s shoulder. “You’re in the fold now and the fold eats together.”
“That’s really, very nice but,” Quinn tried to find an excuse. Truthfully she just hated the idea of sitting in on a private family dinner, it felt too invasive. “I’m actually a vegetarian so-”
“Perfect!” Peter exclaimed. “So is Uncle Bucky and he’ll be here any minute. We’re having spaghetti and we made a pot of meatless sauce for him.”
Quinn laughed at the image of the surly man she met at the bar ordering a black bean burger somewhere. “I guess I’m out of excuses.”
They all sat at the meticulously made table and Steve started to pass around the pot of spaghetti and the garlic bread. Bucky showed up late and sat in the only chair left, right next to Quinn. Growing up, family dinner was a silent affair for Quinn. The only noise was the clacking of silverware against her mother’s china plates and the occasional swing of the kitchen door as a maid went in or out to deliver food.
Dinner in the Stark-Rogers household - even if it was being held in Avengers HQ tonight - could not have been more opposite. Conversation flowed easily between fathers and son and Bucky. There was joking and very loud laughter. At one point Steve laughed so hard at one of Tony’s jokes that he nearly toppled his chair backwards. Steve and Bucky consumed massive amounts of food and Tony insisted that the adults have a glass of a vintage red wine. Quinn saw Bucky help Peter sneak a small sip of the wine when his dads weren’t looking.
“So Doctor Augustin, what’s your family like?” Peter asked during a rare lull in conversation. Quinn was absolutely stuffed with a massive amount of carbs but Steve and Bucky each refilled their plates for the fourth or fifth time. She realized their enhanced metabolisms from the serum would require them to eat almost constantly.
“Well,” Quinn looked around at three pairs of expectant eyes. “There’s not much to say, Peter. I’m not close to my parents, I was basically raised by my mom’s mom and a series of nannies until I was sent to boarding school.”
“And where was that?” Steve asked.
“Saint Sebastians in Charleston, South Carolina. I was there all the way from sixth grade until I graduated.” Quinn smiled when she remembered the warm sun of Charleston and the gothic architecture of the school she considered home.
“Ah, Saint Sebs!” Tony clapped his hands together. “I was kicked out of there in ’84.”
Quinn laughed. “Yes you were! Professor Everding even has a plaque dedicated to you in his office. ‘Anthony Stark, the worst and most genius student to grace these halls with his giant head.’”
The plaque had always intrigued Quinn, but when asked about it the elderly biology teacher would just laugh and shake his head.
“Old Evilthing is still there? I made that plaque for him, you know.”
Before she knew it, Quinn was sucked into a conversation with Tony reminiscing about his brief tenure at Saint Sebs. It was refreshing to talk about the part of her past that she loved and to have someone to joke about the idiosyncrasies of the school (“Do they still allow girls in the boys dorm but no boys in the girls dorm? Do students still sneak out to the old railroad tracks?”)
When they started to talk about the rugby team the whole conversation turned to sports. Steve was a big fan of boxing and baseball, although he couldn’t quite get himself to be a Dodgers fan after they ‘sold out’ to California. Tony liked formula one racing, but Bucky said driving a car really fast shouldn’t be considered a sport.
Quinn sipped her wine and leaned back in her chair. Once again, the Stark-Rogers family launched into a loud and lively conversation. Maybe it was the wine, but Quinn felt something warm and cozy settle over her as she sat and listened. This is what family is supposed to look like. Bucky was also leaned back slightly and Quinn tried to smile at him when she caught his eye but he looked away with a frown. She wasn’t sure what she had ever done to offend the man, but his blatant dislike irked her to no end.
“Quinn?” Steve’s voice pulled Quinn out of her own mind.
“Sorry, zoned out for a minute. What were you saying?” Quinn shook her head and leaned forward.
“I just asked when you get your sling off.” Steve gave Bucky a funny look then stood to start clearing dishes, but nodded to indicate he was still listening.
“Oh, I’m going to get it checked tomorrow, so hopefully then. It’s been driving me nuts.” Mentioning the thing brought it to the forefront of her mind and she started to itch where the strap met her shoulder.
“What happened to the guy who shot you?” Peter picked up the empty spaghetti dish and followed his dad into the kitchen. The open floor plan allowed conversation to continue to flow even as each person started to pitch in on cleanup. Quinn started to take her own plate to the kitchen but was stopped and shocked when Bucky took the plate from her and indicated she should stay seated.
“He’s in jail for now. I suppose he’ll have a trial soon I’ll have to testify at.” Quinn frowned, it wasn’t something she was looking forward to.
“I bet when you became a doctor dodging bullets was the last thing on your mind.” Steve quickly wiped down the table with a damp rag.
“Yes, but it really wasn’t too bad.” Quinn walked her wine glass to the sink and rinsed it out.
“You’ve had worse?” Bucky gruffly asked from where he sat with another glass of wine at the kitchen island. To Quinn, the comment sounded condescending.
“Actually yes.” Quinn rounded on him. “I did work with Doctors Without Borders in Rwanda and we had to evacuate the field hospital while being fired on by insurgents.” She had hoped to maybe impress him with the story, or at least get him to stop looking at her in that weird way, but retelling the experience made her shiver. The sound of screaming and guns firing filled her head and she had to grasp the countertop to try and bring herself back to the present.
“You worked in Africa?” Bucky’s voice was softer and Quinn opened her eyes back up. He was looking at her differently now, less condescending and more sympathetic. His blue eyes caught her and she found it difficult to look away.
“Just for a short time. You been there?” Quinn responded quietly.
“All over, but Wakanda mainly.” Bucky sipped his wine and continued to stare at her.
“I haven’t told Shuri about all this!” Peter suddenly exclaimed and rapidly pulled out a cell phone to start texting.
“Is Shuri your girlfriend?” Quinn asked.
“No, she’s the princess of Wakanda.” Peter rapidly typed in his phone.
“Oh,” Quinn smirked at her own ignorance. “That was my second guess.” Her own phone vibrated with a text message.
Where are you? Missed laundry night! It came from Royal and Quinn smacked her forehead. She didn’t realize how late it was. Every Monday she and Royal walked to the laundry mat together.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize how late it was. I really need to get going.” Quinn grabbed her med kit and purse and started for the elevator that would take her down to the main floor.
A chorus of ‘byes’ and ‘thanks for comings’ rang out as she left. On the train ride back to Queens Quinn found herself thinking warmly about the whole night, visiting with Steve and Tony and watching their family together. She realized with a jolt of surprise that she wished she had that. Royal and Andi were the closest thing to family she had, and she loved them very much. That was enough before tonight, but now her stomach churned with a sense of discontentment.
“She’s the shit, right?” Peter elbowed Bucky in the lounge at Avengers Tower. Supper ran so late they all decided to stay the night there. Tony and Steve had long since retired to bed but Bucky and Peter were up watching a documentary on the technology of Star Trek. Peter had been on his phone with Shuri all night, the princess already had about fifty ideas for a new suit.
“Language, kid. I don’t want Steve saying you’re picking up my bad habits.”
“Have you met my Dad? Pops doesn’t think any of my bad habits come from you.”
Bucky laughed at Peter’s assessment of Tony and tried to focus back on the documentary. William Shatner was asking a scientist if ‘beam me up Scotty’ could ever become a reality.
“You didn’t answer my question.” Peter said seriously. “What do you think of the doctor?”
“She’s a spoiled rich kid.” Bucky huffed, his face not betraying any emotions.
“I’m a spoiled rich kid, but you still like me.”
“I’m going out for a ride.” Bucky stood and took his motorcycle keys from his jeans pocket. “Get to bed before your dads realize you’re still up.”
Peter smiled at Bucky’s retreating form. He only went for rides in the middle of the night when something was on his mind, and Peter was sure he knew exactly what it was.
Bucky took off on his Harley Sport Glide. The bike had been a gift from Tony and Steve. At the time, it felt too expensive, too flashy, but when Steve explained Tony had completely rebuilt it from skeleton parts it became more of a peace offering that Bucky gladly accepted. His relationship with his best friend’s husband would never be described as close, but they were slowly healing and forgiving each other, and Bucky would always be grateful to Tony for taking care of Steve when he first came out of the ice.
Bucky kicked the bike up in speed and rocketed down the street. New York might be the city that never sleeps but Bucky knew it well enough to find the streets that would be almost abandoned at two o’clock in the morning. He needed to get away soon, the crowds of people were starting to get stifling. In the years since he shed the Winter Soldier mantel he learned that he would nearly go insane if he didn’t retreat to solitude every once in a while. Sometimes he it was as simple as a weekend in the woods upstate, other times it was spending a few months on the little farm in Wakanda.
Right now, he wasn’t sure what he wanted. He felt like he was crawling out of his skin with the need to see Quinn again. Listening to her talk at supper just showed how different they were. How they had almost nothing in common and yet he wanted to know more. He wanted to know what happened to her in Rwanda and who her favorite nanny was. It was driving him insane, but he couldn’t get the way she nervously tucked her strawberry blonde hair behind her when Peter asked about her family out of his head. He couldn’t stop thinking about how her nose crinkled when she laughed or that she had a freckle in the outer corner of her right eye lid. Of course that just made him think of her pale green eyes with the dark circles around the irises. He also thought of the way her body moved, so cautious and guarded like she was expecting an attack until she had a few glasses of wine.
Bucky growled at himself and tried to focus on the road and the roar of his pipes. The last thing he needed to start thinking about was her body. He realized he had ridden all the way to Queens only half consciously. He reasoned that it was rude of them to let her go home so late by herself, he was just making sure she made it alright. Steve’s mom would be rolling in her grave if she knew her boys had let a girl go home without an escort. The brownstone Quinn lived in wasn’t far from the Royal Savage bar, he knew her address from the file Tony had on her. There was still a light on in the window of her apartment despite the late hour. A single black car was parked on the side street across from the building and it set off alarms in Bucky’s head. He ascended the steps to the third floor and knocked on the door.
“What the hell?” Quinn opened the door and Bucky groaned inwardly at her yoga pants and tank top. Ever since Nat, he avoided women like the plague. He may have been a playboy in the ‘40s, when an army uniform guaranteed a quick lay, but this new version of him had seen too much and it felt wrong to bring a woman into his life. He liked his life with Steve’s family, being an uncle was enough, it had to be. He wasn’t exactly a monk either though.
“There’s someone watching your apartment.” Bucky gently shoved himself past her and over to the window. The car and its occupant were still there.
“Black car, Benz maybe?” Quinn joined him at the window and he bristled at the feel of her closeness.
“You’ve noticed it?”
“I’ve had a car like that following me since I graduated high school.” Quinn hugged her arms tightly to herself and back away from the window. “It’s my Dad, one of his goons keeping tabs on me.”
Bucky studied her. The way she spoke sounded light, like it was the most normal thing in the world. But her face and body told the truth; she was terrified. The need to protect her was overwhelming. “Want me to take care of it?”
Quinn seemed to consider his proposition, but shook her head. “It’ll only make it worse. My father is one of the most powerful men in the country, if he wants me followed, I get followed.”
“Why don’t you fight it?” Bucky’s heart hammered in frustration and anger. “How can you stand to let someone control you like that.”
“My life is none of your business.” Quinn spoke with an edge to her voice that Bucky hadn’t heard before.
“You shouldn’t just accept things like that. Fight back!” Bucky heard his voice get louder and tried to rein in his temper.
“You really think I haven’t tried?” Quinn’s voice rose and octave and something shifted in her eyes. “Last time I took him on people wound up dead.”
Bucky growled in frustration and headed towards the door. “Someday you’re going to have to actually face him, you know.”
“Bucky, why are you even here? It’s the middle of the night, I’m tired, and I really don’t enjoy being lectured.” Quinn opened the door of her apartment and gestured for him to leave with emphatic eyes.
Bucky ground his teeth together, he didn’t really have a good excuse for being in her apartment. “I just wanted to make sure you made it home safe.” He paused in the doorway and studied her more. Her expression softened slightly at his confession, but she still wore a hard glare.
“Well you can see that I’m fine.” Quinn jerked her chin outside the door, indicating he needed to leave.
A segment of hair fell across her eyes and Bucky couldn’t stop himself from tucking it behind her ear. “Just,” He said quietly, still cupping the side of her face. “Take care of yourself.”
He took off down the hall and back to his bike before he could say or do anything else he might regret. As tempting as it was to drag the driver out of the front seat of the black car, he worried about making things worse for Quinn. Instead, he dug through his saddle bags and covertly threw a tracking and bugging device on the undercarriage of the vehicle as he passed it.