𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ~ Steve Rogers

Bribing the Rich ~ 3

Back at the compound, Peter and Eva sit in the recreational room, awaiting Steve's return with assistance. Peter, now clad in a hooded jacket with his mask still apparent, casually spins on a computer desk chair he's claimed for himself. Eva perches on the edge of the couch, her eyes fixed on him, frustration growing more evident at his seemingly casual demeanor.

"Peter, I really do not want to be here right now. I'm not one of the Avengers... I want to go. This is the worst birthday ever," she pouts, her discontent clear.

"It's not even your birthday, Eva," he responds, not falling for her attempt to manipulate the situation. She sighs, resigning into the cushions of the couch. Eva shoots him a pleading look, silently begging for a way out of this unexpected predicament.

"Worth a try," she concedes.

"You do realize this has become a lot more than you running out of the compound earlier today. What was all that about anyway?" Peter attempts to reason, recalling the scene she played out back here earlier in the day.

"I don't know," she mumbles, shrugging her shoulders, not willing to delve into it at the moment. "I'm going to go home." She manoeuvres to get up, but Peter persists.

"Eva, you were a witness to a bank robbery; you can't just leave now." Peter sighs, and Eva responds with a mischievous smile. She pulls out a small wad of cash she managed to gather and hide in her jacket before Steve demanded they leave the vestibule only moments earlier.

"More like an accomplice," Eva jests, and Peter's expression goes slack. His suit's eyes widen to match what his eyes are doing underneath.

"Tell me you had that money stashed away and didn't snatch it from the bank job," Peter whispers, dragging his desk chair closer to Eva in a subtle attempt to retrieve the cash. She's too quick, withdrawing her hand and swatting his back with her free hand.

"Evangeline!" Peter starts to protest, but she silences him with a dismissive eye roll.

"Oh, please. I'm not the one playing the morality card here, Spider-Man," Eva retorts, effortlessly slipping the money back into her pocket. Before Peter can press the matter, Steve re-enters the room, accompanied by Tony Stark, the proprietor of the Avengers compound, intrigued to meet the Eva, Steve had given him a brief rundown about.

Tony, donned in casual attire, clearly unprepared for disturbances tonight, leans against the kitchenette counter. "Alright, Parker, what's the latest catastrophe?" he questions, his gaze shifting between Eva and Peter, his curiosity focused on the unfolding scene.

"Stark, it was a case of right time, wrong place. We were just trying to find Eva and ended up smack in the middle of a heist," Peter explains, his hand wearily pressed against his forehead as he looks at Tony through his mask. Tony, however, remains unimpressed.

"Hey, I'm the Eva that Peter's talking about," Evangeline interjects, seizing the moment to introduce herself to Mr. Stark. Yet again, he responds with silence, his expression giving away no hint of approval. Instead, his gaze shifts to Steve, seeking an explanation. Steve, equally perplexed, meets Tony's gaze with a look that conveys his own confusion.

"Eva just happened to stumble onto the crime scene, right in the thick of it," Peter adds, attempting to break the tense silence. However, his attempt at clarification earns him a swift glare from his female companion, his choice of words only exacerbating the already uneasy situation.

"Why were you looking for Eva?" Tony probes, his eyes shifting between Peter and Eva seated on the couch. Peter hesitates, his hand instinctively reaching for the back of his head as he grapples with how to respond.