Rundown (Spiderman x Reader) (II)

(Prologue) Wildflower

Nobody knows a wildflower still grows
By the side of the road
And she don't need to need like the roses

No One's POV:

(Y/n) Lang had experienced loss one too many times. She had mourned the loss of her closest friends at a young age, and then her parents' divorce while his dad was in jail hit her like a truck.

Recently, she had lost the most important battle the Avengers, her heroes turned partners, had fought yet. Although she had the smallest hint of faith Doctor Strange's plan was in course, the bigger part of her knew they had officially lost.

She decided, like every week, she would visit an old friend. "Heyyy, uh, it's been a while." (Y/n)'s steps crunched along the dirt scattered by dead leaves.

The woman knew silence was expected on the other side of the conversation, so she observed the clear skies of the city.

"You don't have to say anything... I just came here to clear my thoughts. That's all." She kneeled in front of her friend. "I get a feeling we won't see each other again. Is that weird?"

A thousand thoughts were running through the girl's head, though it was hard to put them into a coherent sentence.

"Still have my job, still... still miserable?" she sighed, finally venting out. "I don't know what's gonna happen, dude. I have visited the Starks dozens of times. I have gone to the other side of the world. I traveled to space thrice, for Goodness sake! And I keep having this hole inside of me. Like, no matter what I do or who I am with, it keeps gnawing."

Her first home was in San Francisco, but when she didn't feel enough, she visited every crevice inside of the planet and outside, looking for an unknown satisfaction. Her closest companions had not seen her smile in ages, which was extremely odd in her.

The head of the newest Avenger finally met the cold piece of stone as she touched the dusty tombstone. "I wish you were here to help me, Noah. You'd know what to do." She kissed the top of the stone and placed the flower she clutched tightly. Not a lot of people visited her friend's and his parents' grave, but she was trying her best to maintain their reputation.

Going back on her worn motorcycle, she drove back to her place, remembering to pass by the memorial of the people who got dusted. How can something so pretty be the symbol of something so horrible and painful? she wondered.

Speaking of pretty, the Lang sisters had aged gracefully. Well, Cassie more than her older sister. She was kept from experiencing as much pain as possible with the cost of (Y/n) becoming her metaphorical shield.

Give or take, she looked better than those nights previous to the battle. Her height remained the same, her hair had dyed tips, wrinkles around her forehead, and eyes showed up. Her outfits became edgier, darker. The problem was her eyes didn't sparkle anymore. She turned colder, ignoring the usual behavior of turning positive the bad moments. She had lost the spark that made everyone around her feel welcomed.

(Y/n) adjusted the belt on her pants. "(C/n), do we have any news that I should know of?"

The one thing she always relied on was her abilities with programming and technology. Coming back to her old home meant she could go back to her favorite AI— after FRIDAY, of course.

"No, but my sensors have detected movement in the garage where Luis' van is located," (C/n)'s monotone voice responded.

"Huh." Shifting on her seat, she typed the beginning of a function on her computer. "Keep me updated on that, can you?"

"Will, do, (Y/n). Oh, and your sister says dinner's ready." Reluctantly, she left her laptop containing her work and went downstairs.

Her job consisted of doing machine repairs and coding, where she could travel whenever her mind required it... just don't tell her boss. Previously, when she first got back, she applied to Baskin Robbins. As we all know, Baskin Robbins always finds out.

A little bird, luckily, found her contact. Then all it took was some paperwork, and, sooner rather than later, she worked at the small company.

Cassie was sitting on the table set for two. Since Jim was busy on a case, she placed herself in charge of fixing dinner. "What took you so long? I've been screaming for you to come here for, like, 5 minutes."

(Y/n) dragged the chair so she could face the plate full of chicken, spaghetti, and vegetables. "First, I couldn't hear you; I was in the zone, I guess. Second, I am super close to fixing the coding program I was sent!"

"You have so much potential, (Y/n), I don't get why you're wasting it on Tech Blizzards."

"It's Tech Brewers." The littler one raised an eyebrow. "I know it's a horrible name, but I'm getting paid and that's what matters, okay? And I like working there. Ron's nice."

That was a lie. The salary and treatment were great, but she despised the customer service she got. It was as if she received only the worse clients.

"Your boss is nice because of your 'Stark Internship," Cassie made air quotes.

The older Lang poked the semi-cooked vegetables with her fork. "Given I have no college education, I'll take what I can get."

"Any school would beg to have you," she insisted.

"I'm fine, Cassie. Really. I don't want to be a burden money-wise. I've already caused too much trouble."

The previously mentioned huffed, continuing to spin her fork into the spaghetti. "Whatever makes you sleep at night."

The discussion went quiet until (Y/n) noticed something. "Hey, is that my shirt?"

Cassie froze and then rested her head on her palm, trying her best to appear interested. "So, you said you were working on coding today?"

"Can't distract me that easily, sis," (Y/n) waved her eating utensil at her sister teasingly. She knew it was not a worthy fight, so she sighed and proceeded to go back to her plate. "You can have it. It looks bad on me anyways."

With a mouthful of veggies, Cassie grinned. "Thanks!"

That was another usual night at the Lang household for the last five years— well, the days when (Y/n) got out of her room, stayed out of trouble or did not spontaneously travel. Of course, things change when you least expect it. The girls were not completely aware of the opportunity chiming just around the corner.