The Forgotten -Marvel 2-

Chapter 23

The scowl remained on Happy's face. Lydia couldn't help but feel guilty. She glanced at him every few seconds, biting her lip. She felt like a child being scolded by her father for breaking the rules. It wasn't a feeling she liked. She remembered when Natasha would do that, but Happy wasn't her father. He was just watching over her.

The reason he was upset was because she met Ned and MJ. Happy had seen them enter on the security camera by the door. Meeting others was entirely against the rules. Meeting strangers put her in danger. That was a rule Fury created that Tony and Natasha refused to break, even if it meant keeping her locked up inside a building all of the time. Lydia was older now, but Happy wanted to follow the same principles. It kept her safe in the past. All he wanted was to keep her safe.

"It was my idea," Lydia mumbled, keeping her head down. "I pushed Peter into it." Happy glared at her. "Okay, but I did suggest it."

Happy placed the rag he was using on the counter. He wasn't angry with Lydia, but he was worried. "I'm not angry with you." That made her feel slightly better. "I'm just worried." Lydia stared at him, remaining entirely silent. "Of course, I want you to have friends. I want you to be a normal teenage girl, but I'm realistic about it. Peter's great. He understands this life, but his little friends don't." Still, she said nothing. "One slip up, and Hydra could show up on our doorstep."

"I know." And she did know that. "I'm sorry." She was sorry. "But I've spent my entire life hiding from the world. I don't care about the consequences anymore. I want to do normal things. I want to be normal."

"You're never going to be normal, Lydia," Happy snapped. "You're going to have to learn to accept that." His attitude catches her by surprise. She flinched. Happy sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Sorry. I'm sorry." He was just stressed. Happy never had to parent a nineteen-year-old girl with superpowers before. It was a lot of work. "I just-" he paused. "I just can't lose you too."

His candor surprised her. Lydia hadn't realized why meeting others bothered Happy until now. She knew he cared, but people had cared for her before and still left her behind. Like Steve, who left without even taking a second glance. "I'm sorry, Happy." Lydia feels an immense amount of guilt. "I just wanted to have friends."

The words hurt him. He can't imagine how hard it is for her. "Well, I guess there isn't anything we can do about it now." Lydia tilts her head to the side, slightly confused. "Just be safe, please. Be cautious. If you so much as sense something, we leave."

"Leave?" What was Happy talking about?

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Leave. We go."

She waved her hand. "Go where?"

"A safe house." Happy leaned against the counter. "I have a couple set up with Pepper in case Hydra or even SHIELD come for you."

Lydia stared at Happy. He was willing to give up his entire life in order to protect her. It means everything to her. Rather than thanking him, she wrapped her arms around him. She hugged him tightly, feeling her emotions getting the better of her. For a moment, Happy just stands there. He's beyond confused, but a gentle smile appears on his face. He pats her back. "Thank you, Happy."

"Yeah," he cleared his throat, furiously blinking away his tears. Lydia pulls away, wiping her nose with her sleeve. "Get some rest, kiddo."

"Okay." With that, she turns and walks away from him, wanting to rest for the night. She's grateful that Happy wasn't actually angry with her. It wasn't her intention to upset him. She just wanted a few friends.

~~~~~~~~~~

There were college brochures scattered across the table. They're for several schools, but there was one that had over a dozen. MIT. That was the college Peter and his friends wanted to attend. He explained that it took time to hear back after applying, and the college could still reject him. Lydia hoped they wouldn't.

Peter and May moved into the condominium nearly three weeks ago. In that time, so much had changed. She enjoyed the extra company. It was nice not being alone.

Lydia held her coffee mug tightly. In the other room was May. There was a lot of movement and grunting mixed with panting. She cautiously entered the next room. May was in the center of the room. The furniture was pushed aside. The screen displayed something that resembled a cartoon, but they were dancing. May tried to follow along but struggled.

The white-haired girl leaned against the door frame, watching the scene. Lydia could not figure out what May was doing. The woman was dancing, waving her arms around. The song Tik Tok by Kesha blared on the speakers.

Eventually, May spun around. She gasped at the sight of the girl, placing a hand on her heart. "Oh god." She grabbed the remote, pausing the video. "Hi, you scared me."

"Sorry." Lydia smiled at her. "What are you doing?"

May placed a hand on her hip. "You've never played Just Dance before?"

"No." It wasn't something Lydia had ever heard of before. "What is it?"

"It's dancing," she explained. "You pick a song, follow the upcoming movements, and get points."

It sounded interesting, but it's unclear why May was playing a game in the middle of the living room. "Why are you playing this Just Dance?"

May shrugged. "It's a fun way to exercise." It was a simple explanation. One that made sense to her.

Lydia was intrigued by the idea of exercising for fun. When she lived in the Avengers compound, her training was intense. It was never fun. It was brutal and exhausting. "That sounds smart."

May beamed at her. "Come on." She waved her closer. "You can join me on the next one."

"You want me," Lydia pointed at herself, "to join?"

"Yeah." That seemed obvious to May. "Come on. I promise you'll love it." Lydia didn't hesitate. She set the mug down and scurried across the room. "Okay." May grabbed the remote. "We will start with something simple." She clicked on a song. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Lydia was ready to play Just Dance.

When Happy arrived home an hour later, he was met with loud singing. He set down the paper bag full of groceries, his eyes landing on the scene in front of him. He watched as May and Lydia danced around the living room, loudly singing the lyrics to a One Direction song. They used remotes as microphones. Both of them were smiling.

He leaned against the door frame, watching them dance without a care. Lydia was smiling more often these days. That pleased him. Happy knew it had to do with May and Peter. Before, she would spend her days alone, taking pictures of the fridge or anything she could with a used camera. Now, she was spending quality time with others, developing valuable social skills.

It was at that moment that Happy realized he would do anything for Lydia. He knew he had been overprotective since finding her, but it was only because he feared losing her. Nothing in her life had been fair. But it also wasn't fair of him to keep her prisoner. She deserved a life, as much of one as she could get. Happy knew that he had to give her more freedom, even if it terrified him.