Shifter

"Rogers-"

"No, Tony, you do not get to just stand there and pretend you didn't hear him threatening her in there." Steve's barely contained fury carries his voice through the open door of the conference room and out into the hall where you stand, listening in anxiously.

"So what're you gonna do, huh? You're gonna take on the United States Government?" Tony's previously plaintive tone is replaced with a snarky edge, and you can almost picture him stepping closer to Steve with an accusatory look on his face.

"I know you took down H.Y.D.R.A. and respectively, S.H.I.E.L.D., but this is different. I really think they have a point about the Sokovia Accords." Tony lowers his voice at the end and you lean a little closer to the door. 

"So we become lapdogs? When there are crises, like in New York, like in Sokovia, there is no time to sit around and wait for a council to decide whether or not it's worthy of their time to send us. Can you imagine the deaths if we'd had to wait to step in in New York?" There's a thud sound when he says the word 'imagine', and you sneak a glance in to see Steve hunched over the table, palms flat on the surface.

"There were already deaths, Steve. That's the point. So, maybe we lose a little freedom, but we gain rationality." Tony reasons, and you dart back out of sight when he begins to turn towards the door. "Just... think it over. Please." 

You hold your breath as the room goes quiet, suddenly, and a tiny squeal escapes your lips as Tony pops his head out of the door, practically next to your face, and stares at you.

"You can come in, now." He says, rolling his eyes, and you smile sheepishly as you enter the room.

Steve has an expectant expression on his face as he watches you come in, and you sigh, deflating under his paternal glare. "Okay, fine, it's not good to eavesdrop or whatever, but this involves me." You defend.

"You should have asked," Steve states, glancing over at Tony who shrugs. "But you're right. This does involve you." 

It takes a moment for his words to settle in, and when they do, you raise your eyebrows. "What?" 

"You're right," Steve repeats himself. "And you deserve a say. Ross wants to put you in the field." 

You nod, glancing at your feet. "I mean... I do want to learn to fight." You say, and Tony sucks in a breath next to you.

"There it is." Tony says, and you shoot him a glare.

"I just- I feel so useless, stuck here when you all go out to fight evils and things. I'm not a kid anymore-" 

Tony interjects. "I beg to differ," But you push on.

"And I feel like I could be of help. Ross said something about me having... Further powers, or something. I wanna know what he meant."

"Y/N," Steve says, but when you glance between him and Tony you notice them having an unspoken conversation. 

Tony sighs, stepping towards the door and closing it gently before turning back to you. "When you were first brought in, we had to do certain tests to make sure you were okay, and also see what had happened to you there. Ross believes that your ability to, uh, shift, isn't the only thing they gave you in there." 

You furrow your brow, glancing over at Steve who has a hand over his brow. 

"But I don't believe there's anything else," Tony states with finality. "The test results didn't indicate anything of the sort, and honestly, Ross doesn't know what he's talking about." 

You pause, searching for that tiny pull of your ability in the back of your mind, searching to see if you can find something else. There's something there, something strong, and as you reach for it, you vaguely register Steve's voice saying your name, but the sound is muffled as if underwater. You push harder, feeling like you're onto something, but before you can fully grasp it, a sharp pain explodes in your temple and you black out. 

The steady beeping of the machine monitoring your heartbeat is the only sound that fills the room. Tony stands a few feet away from where you lie, brow furrowed as he stares down the computer screen, typing things and scrolling through pages and pages of data - about your health, you assume. Natasha stands with her head leaning against the door frame, opposite Steve who stands in the empty space of the door and watches your 'sleeping' form. Truth be told, you've been awake for a few minutes, but you don't want to break the silence yet - you know where everyone is because you'd opened your eyes slightly when you'd first woken up to get your bearings. The bed dips on one side, and when you sneak a peak you see Steve sitting next to you.

“How bad is it?” He asks finally, voice stern but slightly shaky. Tony walks over to where you are laying - you can hear his shoes on the linoleum floor - and pauses, sighing.

“I don’t know. One minute she’s fine, the next her levels are off the charts. Her blood pressure dropped - that’s why she fainted - but it’s back to normal now.” He pauses, presses a few buttons, then starts again. “Her heart started to freak out, beating at twice the normal speed; her oxygen levels dropped then raised again, her lungs just stopped - name one thing that could affect her health, and it changed in the last 2 hours. She should be dead, and it’s a miracle she’s not.”

Steve doesn’t say anything, but you feel a hand stretch out and stroke a strand of hair off your face. “Is she okay?” He asks finally, his hand stilling. There’s a pause, the room is quiet, the beeping of your machine the only sound yet again, and then Tony speaks.

“Yes.”

Steve breathes out, but Tony starts again.

“For now. I don’t know what happened, what changed, or if it’s going to happen again. Or if next time it happens she’ll - Or if she’ll stay okay.”

Silence again.

“Tony…” Steve sighs, hand coming down to hold yours. “Keep her safe.” He says, giving your hand a squeeze before he stands up. “Please.” He adds, before turning on his heel and leaving the room. Your eyes open slightly and watch Steve’s back as he walks away, fists clenched. You try to settle into the bed, not think about your condition and sleep. Finally, after what feels like hours, you let yourself drift off.

Tony lets you get out of bed after one whole day of running tests and making sure you’re okay - which you are. He tells F.R.I.D.A.Y. to keep a watch on your heartbeat and vitals, before finally letting you leave the infirmary. Of course, the facility isn’t the same. Since the Sokovian Accords were announced, Steve was nowhere to be found, and Tony isn’t the same - he acts somber like everything is his fault. Of course, you hate to admit it, but if you’d been given the chance you would have gone with Steve. You agree with everything he says, and despite Tony’s valid points, you couldn’t bring yourself to sign the Accords.

Most of your time, kept under surveillance, you spend reading, training, and practicing your powers - which never goes very well, and Tony scolds you every time he catches you, but you try anyway. But the one thing you do the most is keeping up with the news, and it hurts.

Steve went after his old friend Bucky - you can’t blame him for it, but they’ve both been captured as well as Sam, and Tony had to go and stop them. “Captain America behind bars” - that’s what everyone is saying. The bombing of the UN happened while Tony was still at home, but although he tried to hide it from you, you found out anyway.

When you hear of Barnes’ escape you call Tony immediately, panicked over his welfare. He assures you he’s fine and says he’ll be home tomorrow. His voice is shaky, and he sounds like he’s about to make a stupid decision, but you take it as an answer. Just before he hangs up, you can’t help but ask.

“Tony?”

He pauses. “Yeah?”

You swallow thickly. “Is Steve okay?”

A few beats pass, and you feel your chest constrict at the thought of your only father figure being hurt, or worse. “He’s fine - he escaped with Barnes and Sam.” You breathe out, thanking Tony before hanging up.

Unfortunately, with Steve gone your nightmares get progressively worse each night. You try to keep it under wraps - Tony treats you like you’re made of glass and would freak out if he found out you’re ‘unstable’ - but it gets harder and harder as the days pass. Finally, Tony comes back with his ‘mystery guest’. FRIDAY alerts you that they’re coming up the driveway, and you force yourself to act fine - you put on real pants, cover up your dark circles with concealer, and go out to the living area to meet them.

Tony gives you a hug when he sees you - but not before standing at an arm’s length and checking you up and down. When he steps aside, a boy your age steps - well, trips - into the room. “Peter, this is Y/N,” Tony says, before grabbing his briefcase and leaving the room.

You watch him leave and roll your eyes. “Hi,” Peter says, and you smile.

“Hey. Sorry about Tony, he’s a bit absentminded sometimes.” You can tell that Peter is overwhelmed by the place. His eyes widen as you step back, letting him into the hall.

“Welcome to the Avengers Base, I guess.” You say, and his head swivels around as he tries to take it in.

“Woah. This is… This is really cool.” He says, hand clutching his backpack, and you laugh.

“Yeah, it really is.” He blinks, realizing that you’re still there and he hasn’t introduced himself properly.

“I’m Peter. Parker. Peter Parker. Spider-Man?” He stutters over his words and you smile.

“I know. I mean, Tony told me he was bringing you back from New York. I just didn’t expect…” You trail off, and he narrows his eyes. “I didn’t expect you to be almost my age, is all. That’s cool.”

Peter smiles, and you find yourself growing fond of the tiny dimple on the side of his cheek when he smiles. “Come on, I’ll show you your room - you’re probably next to me.” You say, padding away.

Over the next few days, you and Peter get more acquainted in between his “training” sessions and your constant health checks. Of course, if Peter notices that you’re unwell he doesn’t say anything - Tony often calls you into his lab to check your blood or run vitals, but it’s never a long process and Peter is never there when it happens. Of course, one thing you can’t disguise is the constant nightmares. Every night, you wake up sweaty, terrified, and sometimes screaming. Tony insists on putting a beeping heart monitor in your room, saying that if it gets past a certain level it will alert him and send him in.

One night, you find yourself in a memory of your old cell. You’re vaguely aware of your heart monitor speeding up, but you can’t focus as the H.Y.D.R.A. guards come for you again.

“No…” You mumble, watching one of them uncap a syringe. “No, please.” You beg, unable to move as a hand grabs your arm. You flail, terror-stricken until you’re pulled out of it by a stranger’s voice. Jumping back, you shriek slightly as you open your eyes to a dark shape over you. You’re aware of the tingling sensation in your fingertips as you hold your hand up, shifting your hand to look like it’s holding a gun as your other hand fumbles around to turn on the light.

Peter’s dark eyes are wide as they stare at your hand, his large tee shirt hanging loosely on his form and you realize he’s in his pajamas. Your eyes widen in turn and your hand shifts back to normal, dropping to your side. “Shit, Peter, I’m sorry.” You mutter sheepishly, and he gulps before stepping forwards.

“Do you have a gun?” He asks, and you look down at your hand, realizing he doesn’t know of your powers.

“No. Uh, it’s part of my power?” You try to explain, sliding up to the headboard of your bed and sitting upright. “I can shapeshift, kind of.” You mutter, and his face lights up.

“No way.” He says, in awe, and you nod, shifting into him. He laughs, eyes wide, and you realize that no one has ever had that reaction to your powers- you’ve never told anyone. The Avengers knew your power when they rescued you, and they’re the only other people who know.

After a moment, Peter seems to quieten down and he looks at you with concerned eyes. “What were you dreaming about?”

“Oh.” You say, turning back into yourself. “Nothing.” He raises an eyebrow.

“If you don’t wanna talk about it -” he stops abruptly, eyes narrowing. “Y/N, your nose…” You lift your fingertips to your lip, coming away coated in crimson blood. The door bursts open, and as Tony runs in and your eyes flutter closed as you fall back into the bed, the sound of both Tony and Peter screaming your name fill the empty silence of the room.