An Arrow Through The Heart

14: Tying Loose Ends

Inside the new Avengers Facility, aka my new home, Dad approaches us.

"Oh, there they are. How was the ride up?"  He asks.

"Good." Happy says.

"Give me a minute with the kids, will you?" Dad asks.

"Seriously?" Happy asks.

"Yeah. I gotta talk to them." He says.

"I'll be close behind."

"Hey, Happy, ever heard of boundaries? Leave us alone." I say. Happy rolls his eyes and steps back. Dad smiles at me. Then he clears his throat.

"Walk with me. Sorry I took your suits. I mean, you had it coming. Actually, it turns out it was the perfect sort of tough-love moment that you needed, right? To urge you on, right? Wouldn't you think? Don't you think?" Dad asks. "And Kate did steal them back, which, we'll talk about later." I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess." Peter says.

"Let's just say it was." Dad says, leading us toward a door.

"Mr. Stark, I really-," Peter begins.

"You two screwed the pooch hard. Big time. But then you did the right thing. Took the dog to the free clinic, you raised the hybrid puppies... All right, not my best analogy. I was wrong about you two. I think, with a little more mentoring, you could be real assets to the team."

"Wait, seriously?" I ask.

"To the... To the team?" Peter gasps.

"Yeah. Anyway... There's about fifty reporters behind that door. Real ones, not bloggers."

He presses some buttons on his watch and a secret compartment in the wall opens, revealing two brand new suits. The Iron Spider suit, and the Iron Hawk suit. I smile at Peter's shocked face.

"When you're ready... Why don't you try those on? And I'll introduce the world to the newest official members of the Avengers: Spider-Man and the new Hawkeye."

"I..." Peter laughs in amazement.

Dad turns to Peter. "So, after the press conference, Happy will show you to your room, your new quarters." He turns to Happy. "Where's he between? He's next to Vision?" I shake my head. Not the best place to put him.

"Yeah, Vision's not big on doors." I whisper to Peter.

"It's fun." Dad insists.

"Or walls." I add.

"You'll fit right in." Dad says.

Peter looks at me. I nod. "Thank you, Mr. Stark. But I'm good." He says.

"You're good? Good? How are you good?" Dad asks, surprised.

"Well, I mean, I'm... I'd rather just stay on the ground for a little while. Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Somebody's got to look out for the little guy, right?" 

"You turning me down? You better think about this." He points to the suit. "Look at that. Look at me. Last chance, yes or no?"

"No." Peter says.

"Kate?" Dad asks. 

"I think I'm gonna stick with my partner for a while, Dad." I say.

Dad nods. "Okay. It's kind of a Springsteen-y, working class hero vibe that I dig. Uh, Happy will take you home, Pete. Yeah?"

"Yeah. Mind waiting in the car? I need a minute." Happy says to Peter. 

"Can I go too?" I ask Dad. 

"Sure." He says.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." Peter says.

"Yes, Mr. Parker. Very well." Dad says, and shakes Peter's hand.

"See you around." Peter says.

"Okay."

Peter and I begin to walk away when he turns back around. "That was a test, right? There's, uh, nobody back there?"

"Yes, you passed. All right, skedaddle there, young buck." Dad says. 

"Thank you, Mr. Stark. Thank you." Peter says.

I raise my eyebrows at Dad, knowing very well it wasn't a test. He told me about it this morning. Dad waves me off and points to his ring finger, winking. I smile and follow Peter.

Tony's POV

"Told you they're good kids." Happy says. I shrug, though I'm thinking the same thing. The door opens, and the reporters are all bustling with excitement. Pepper walks out, looking annoyed.

"Where's the Kate and the kid?" She asks.

"He left." Happy said.

"Everybody's waiting." Pepper says.

"You know what? He actually made a really mature choice. It just surprised the heck out of us." I say.

"Did you guys screw this up?" Pepper accuses.

"He told them to go wait in the car." I say, pointing at Happy.

"Are you kidding me? I have a room full of people in there waiting for some big announcement. What am I gonna tell them?" She demands.

"Think of something. How about, um... Hap, you still got that ring?" I ask.

"Do I... I, uh..." He pats his pockets. 

"The engagement ring?" I ask.

"Are you kidding? I've been carrying this since 2008." Happy says, holding it up.

"Okay." I say.

"I think I can think of something better than that." She says.

"Well, it would buy us a little time." I say.

She kisses me with a smile.

"Like we need time." 

"I can't believe you have that thing in your pocket." She says, walking toward the conference room.

"Want me to get the door for you, hon?" I offer.

"I got it." She says.

I follow her, catching the ring when Happy tosses it to me.

Kate's POV

When we reach the car, I can't help but laugh.

"What?" Peter asks.

"I think my parents are getting married!" I exclaim.

"That's great news!" Peter says. There's comfortable silence for a moment.

"Hey, Kate?" Peter asks.

"Yeah?" I say.

"I keep thinking about what you said last night while I was under the debris..." He says. My stomach churns. Shit. I was hoping he'd forgotten about that. I turn away, suddenly embarrassed.

"Look, I'm sorry." I say, turning back to him. "I didn't mean to-," Suddenly, he puts his lips onto mine. I jump, startled, but kiss him back. When we pull away, I blush.

"So..." I say.

"I love you too." Peter says.

I smile. "A little late, but better late than never."

Peter smiles too. "Agreed."

"And I'll always love you." I say.

"And I'll always love you." Peter says.

I smirk. "Pinky promise?" I ask, holding up my pinky.

He locks his with mine. "Pinky promise."