Aim: Hydra | Y/N Story | Sequel to "Aim: Avenger"

20. Boys, Meet Di

After a few minutes, I had managed to get Distortos to agree to go back inside. When we crawled back through the window, I followed after her, nearly knocking her over unexpectedly. "What the-" I steadied myself against the wall, seeing her frozen in place. Following her gaze, I saw Peter and Tony standing in my kitchen. They hadn't realized we were back yet, continuing their conversation.

"Mr. Stark, we should help her." Peter insisted.

"No can do, kiddo. She wanted some alone time with her friend. Threw a knife at me to prove it." He shrugged, one hand wrapped around a coffee cup that he sipped from, the other in his pocket. Despite his casual appearance, I could tell he agreed with Peter, itching to get in his suit and help; he hated doing nothing.

I motioned for her to stay before waltzing into the main room, stopping a few feet from the pair, shifting my weight onto my left foot and placing my hands on my hips. "I'd gladly do it again, Tin Man."

He smiled sarcastically at me. "Nice to know. How'd it go with your friend?"

"Fine. Would've gone better if someone  hadn't burst into the room." I glared at Peter.

"Hey! You said she had a gun, I just wanted to protect you!" He protested.

"I don't need a knight in shining armor, Bugsy. I can take care of myself."

"You can't stop bullets, Y/N!"

"Don't need to. She wouldn't shoot me."

"Her finger on the trigger told a different story."

"She wouldn't hurt me, and I wouldn't hurt her. We protect each other." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Now get out. She wants to eat."

"Why don't we meet her? I'm sure she's lovely." Stark suggested.

"No. She doesn't like strangers. God, do you people not remember anything?"

"We don't all have your abilities, Y/N." The billionaire snipped.

"Stop arguing." A small voice sounded behind me, and I saw Di in the doorway. She was wearing her usual long-sleeved sweatshirt with the hood pulled over her head with black sweatpants, and had pulled a mask over her face. Her hair was also pulled in front of her face, hiding as much of it as possible without covering her eyes, and she had her hands in front of her, waist-level, twiddling nervously. 

I smiled warmly. "Hey, Di. I was just getting them to leave." I glared at them. She shook her head at me. "You want them to stay?" She nodded. "You sure?" Another nod. "Okay. Give me a sec." I walked over to the light switch and dimmed all the lights, knowing it would make her more comfortable. "Want me to introduce you?" I asked, walking over to her and holding out my hand. I felt her small, rough hand grasp mine tightly, and she squeezed it twice, our sign for yes. I gently led her over to the bar, letting her get situated before letting go of her hand and making my way to the fridge. "Mac and cheese, as usual?" I asked. She knocked against the counter twice. "Great! While I make technically breakfast, you all can introduce yourselves."

"Okay. Um, I'm Peter." He waved at her.

"And I'm Tony Stark." 

"And she's Distortos, meaning 'distorted;' Hydra loved their stupid names. She doesn't talk much, just so you know. You can ask her whatever you want, one knock means no, two means yes. Silence means don't ask that again." I explained, waiting for the water to boil.

A few moments of silence passed before Peter asked, "So, you're friends with Y/N?" 

Two knocks.

"That's cool." He replied lamely, and silence blanketed the room again.

Of course, just having  to ruin the mood, Tony asked, "So, is your body count like Y/N's?"

"Tony Stark! I know you use insults and humor to hide, but can you not be an insensitive ass for three seconds!" I yelled at him.

His head snapped up in surprise, and his shoulders tensed. "What did you just say?"

"You use humor as a defense mechanism in situations that make you uncomfortable. I've been inside your head, I know." I added, straining the pasta.

"Have you . . . " Peter trailed off, pointing to himself.

"No. The only time I used my abilities on you was to show you my memory."

"So you trust the kid now? Anything you want to tell me?"

"You're hilarious, Stark." I rolled my eyes at him.

"I noticed my question has yet to be answered."

I was about to respond when I was interrupted by two knocks sounding against the island. I could hear Di's thoughts, and saw the pain in them as she answered the question. 'Monster.'  kept running through her head, breaking my heart.

"Di, stop it. You're not what you're thinking." I said gently as I brought her a bowl filled with macaroni and cheese. "Don't think like that, or they win."

'Thank you, Erin. But we both know it's true.'

"It's Y/N, actually. I dropped their name for me." I smiled at my friend.

"What's going on?" Tony asked, gesturing to the two of us.

"Y/N was probably reacting to Di's thoughts, it's a habit she has." Peter explained.

'He called me Di.'

"Is that okay? I know you don't like strangers." I got myself some food and sat next to her, looking over at her for confirmation."

'Yeah. You trust them, so I will, too. If they managed to win you over, they must be good people.' I couldn't see her mouth, but I could tell she was smiling.

"I don't know, the jury's still out on Stark." I joked, taking a bite from my dish.

"I'm not sure I want to know what you're talking about." He said. 

Suddenly, Peter jumped up, causing Di to flinch, but he didn't notice as he turned to the man. "Mr. Stark, I forgot about school! I have to go!" He grabbed his backpack from its resting place by the front door and sped off, causing me to laugh.

'People are silly.'

Di's comment caused me to laugh harder as Stark just looked at me like I was crazy. "You have to go, too, Matt Parkman."

"One, I don't know who that is. Two, not happening. I can't leave Di."

'I'll be fine on my own, Er-Y/N.'

"You shouldn't have to be, I'm not leaving you."

'Y/N-'

"No, I left you once, I'm not doing it again."

'First of all, you saved me. Second, if you want to stay with me, than I'll go with you to school.'

"But Di. You hate public, crowded spaces full of people watching. That's what high school is." I argued.

'If anything, I need a normal life. It would be a nice change of pace.'

Sighing, I asked, "Are you sure? I can just stay."

'No, you need this just as much as I do.'

"Okay. If you're sure." I took hold of her hand and gave a gentle squeeze, than turned to the confused man. "She's coming with me."

"Great." He said, clapping his hands together. "Come on, I'll take you there."

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