Shifter

The first thing you notice when you come to is the high pitched ringing in your ears. The second is the immediate worry for Steve’s well-being (the third is the overwhelming disappointment that you never got to eat your breakfast, but nevermind that). You groan, pushing yourself into a seated position, your hands coming into contact with sharp shards of glass, causing you to wince and pull them back. You blink furiously, letting your eyes refocus, and when they do you let out a sigh of relief. The only part of the diner destroyed was where you and Steve sat – a targeted attack, but at least no civilians were harmed. Christ, I sound like Steve, you think hastily standing up. When you do, you look out the window to find Steve standing on the pavement – slightly dusty but otherwise unharmed – with drawn together eyebrows and clenched fists.

You make your way through the hole in the wall, out into the harsh sunlight, and Steve instantly rushes to your side. “I’m sorry I left you – I thought I could catch someone, but… Whoever did this is gone.” He sighs, blue eyes falling back on the pavement. When you follow his gaze, you find spray-painted letters spelling out, ‘NO MORE HEROES’. You frown, hand coming up to tug through your hair as the distant sound of sirens gets closer.

“Any leads?” You ask, and he raises an eyebrow. “To whoever-” You start.

“Yeah, I know that’s what you meant. I’m just surprised. A minute ago you were bombed, now you’re in detective mode.” He smiles, and you recognize a small glimmer of pride in his blue eyes, something that makes your heart swell.

A blur of red catches your eye, and you turn to watch as Peter and Tony zoom in, fully-costumed, to land at the scene of the crime. Surprisingly, it’s Peter who lands first, rushing towards you and checking your dusty appearance and messy hair.

“Are you okay? Mr. Stark got some kind of alert from Captain – uh, Steve. Or something. We came right away.” You raise your eyebrows.

“Yeah… I’m fine. Just, you know, someone just tried to kill me, so there’s that.” You say, and though Peter nods, Tony pipes up behind him.

“Wrong!” He says, his mask breaking apart and folding into his suit. “They weren’t trying to kill you. Or, they were really stupid. That type of bomb used couldn’t have killed you unless it was sitting in your pocket.”

You narrow your eyes, glancing between Steve and Tony. “So… What was the point?” You ask, and Tony sighs, pointing at the graffiti on the pavement.

“It was a declaration.” Peter states, solemn voice slightly muddled from the mask, and Tony nods.

“In any case, we need to go – there’s a news crew headed here right now.” He gestures at the helicopter in the sky, getting closer, and Steve pulls a protective arm around you as you put your hood up.

“Meet you back at base.” He states, to Tony, who just nods and pulls Peter towards him before the two of them disappear, once again just red blurs in the sky.

By the time you get back to the base with Steve – something weirdly strange, as you’ve gotten so used to the Parker apartment – Tony and Peter are already in the lab, sampling scrap from the bomb and analyzing surveillance footage of outside the diner. You take a few moments to clean up, washing your face, re-tying your hair, and dusting off your clothes, before you join them again. You enter the room to find Natasha and Clint already there, and Clint greets you with a warm smile and a hug, followed by Nat pulling you into her arms a few seconds later.

“Miss you, kid.” Clint says, and you smile.

“So far…” Tony buts in, and you turn your attention to the screen. “We’ve figured out it was one person, leaving the graffiti while Spangles and Y/N were out of it. They dropped the bomb, ran off, and disappeared, probably into a building or an unsurveyed alley.” You watch the footage carefully, your and Steve’s silhouette in the diner window just barely visible. Steve is watching too, you realize, with a furrowed brow and a look in his eyes you can’t quite place. He turns to you, and it’s then that you place the look – it’s his ‘dad mode’.

“Y/N, Peter, you guys should go and find something else to do.” You open your mouth to protest, but Peter gently grabs your shoulders and guides you out of the room. You huff, but decide against saying anything – you know you won’t be able to persuade any of them to let you stay. When Peter finally decides you’re far enough away (that is, when he’s steered you into your room and shut the door) he lets go of you and you flop on the bed.

“Why are you so annoyed about this?” Peter asks you, a hint of amusement in his voice, and you sit up straight and looked him dead in the eye.

“Someone set a bomb in the window of the booth I was sat in. Sure, it wasn’t meant to kill me, but it hurt. I want to know who. Why. How. I want to not be treated like I’m four years old!” You gush, vocalizing your inner thoughts from the entire day. Peter doesn’t say anything, just nods silently for a few seconds.

You barely noticed the door opening, but smile softly when Clint sticks his head in. “Hey, kiddo – uh, kiddos.” He corrects himself, eyes darting over to Peter. “Cap thinks it’d be best for you two to get back to New York. Says you need to get back to school, and a ‘normal life’.” He says, leaning against the door, and you nod in understanding – disgruntled that you have no say in the matter, but looking forwards to the idea of being back at the Parkers’ apartment. “I’m driving.” Clint adds, and you smile, following him out to the car.

A little later, the car stops in between Manhattan and Queens, before the bridge you remember crossing to get to Peter’s apartment, and Clint turns in his seat to face the two of you. “Steve mentioned something about you wanting to see the city, and so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give you two some time to sightsee.” He smirks, and you gasp, leaning forwards to hug him.

“Thank you.” You mutter into his neck, sincerely, and he pats you on the back, letting you get out.

“Parker? Make sure she’s back by 9.” He mocks a reprimanding tone, and Peter nods placing a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“Sir yes sir.”

Clint chuckles and drives away, leaving the two of you in the chilled air. “So, Parker… What’s there to do around here?” You ask, a giddy smile on your lips as you survey the skyscrapers around you and the bustling sidewalk. You catch him watching you with a smile on his face, and you nudge him softly.

“Okay… Well, we could look at the water from the Queensborough bridge? It’s not too far a walk from home, and there’s a great cafe on the corner on the way there, so if you… I mean, if you’re not too cold, that it, because if you are-” Peter begins to ramble, and you bite back a giggle, building up the courage and leaning forwards, pressing your lips to his. He freezes, entire body going rigid, before you pull back slightly.

“Anything with you would be amazing.” You say, blushing furiously, and he nods, still dazed.

On the way to the cafe Peter slips his hand into yours, pulling you closer to him as you stroll down the avenue. By the time you’ve reached the cafe, and ordered ‘the best hot chocolate in Queens’ – according to Peter, anyway – the sun is setting, the light bouncing off the buildings and onto the water, painting the buildings orange and red. You walk to the bridge, standing and admiring the view for a while, before the sun sets and night falls – in the time you get to watch the buildings turn their lights on, making the cityscape glimmer like stars.

“I’m, uh, glad I met you.” You mutter, after a while, and Peter raises his eyebrows.

“Yeah?” He asks, small smirk playing on his lips, and you nod.

“I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t. I’d probably still be in the lab.” You say, and he seems to deflate, causing you to panic. “Not just that! I mean, anyone could have shown up and taken me out of the lab – but it was you, and now I think I like you, and-”

He shakes his head, using your trick from earlier to shut you up by leaning in and pressing a kiss to your lips.

You giggle as he pulls away – a sound usually foreign to your lips, bringing the cup closer to your lips and taking a sip. “I’m glad you’re okay.” Peter manages, and you nudge him with your shoulder playfully.

“I’m always okay.” You tease, knowing full well how many times you’d been in a hospital bed in the last few months, leaning into him as he wraps an arm around you.

“So, we’ve seen the bridge and had the best hot chocolate, what do you want to do before-” He stops abruptly, and when you look up at his face his eyebrows are drawn together.

“Pete?” You breathe, slightly panicked, as he tenses around you.

“Something’s wrong.” He mutters, soft brown eyes hardening and darting around. You don’t know what good it’ll do, but you slowly shift your hand into a gun, fear washing over your body.

Peter inhales, sharply, and you frown, watching him stumble back.

“Peter?” You ask, watching as his hand comes up to his neck and pulls away… a small dart. He frowns, eyes blinking as if trying to focus, when they look behind you and his face pales.

“Y/N – look out-” He manages and you whip around, holding up your ‘gun’ and freezing at the sight of the man in front of you.

“That won’t do you much use, Y/L/N, and I think we both know that.”

You shake your head slowly, your eyes widening as a strangled sob escapes your mouth. “No. No…” You manage, trying to back up but only bumping into Peter.

“Remember me?” The HYDRA doctor smirks.