𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 ~ Steve Rogers

A Means to an End ~ 20

Peter hastens down the corridor that leads to the bedroom quarters, retracing the path Evangeline stormed away from earlier. Seizing the opportunity during Wanda and Steve's discussion about the team, he pauses upon reaching the rooms. Instead of automatically heading to his own pre-arranged space in the compound, where he resided with the others, he changes course. Recalling that Eva is only familiar with one other room in the place, he rolls his eyes subtly as he makes his way towards Steve's suite.

Eva has settled comfortably within the confines of Steve's room, sprawled atop his bed with her shoes off and eyes closed. She massages her temples slowly, seeking relief from the tension building there. Unaware of Peter slipping in and quietly shutting the door, she remains absorbed in her moment of respite. Leaning against the dresser, Peter observes her with a raised eyebrow.

"Trust you to make yourself at home in Captain America's bedroom," he comments. Eva pauses her hand movements, opening one eye to find Peter in the room. She sighs and closes the eye again.

"It's the only other room I've been forced into in this place. Just like the main room and that other space, what I fondly refer to as Eva's interrogation room," she quips, a self-amused smile dancing on her lips. Peter responds with a displeased frown.

"Why didn't you inform me that Ultron was in your head?" he asks after a moment of tense silence, looking more resigned than before.

Eva opens both her eyes this time, her gaze fixed on Peter as he walks over to take a seat on the edge of the bed. Her expression is nothing short of amusing.

"Why would I have disclosed that to you, Peter?" she retorts.

"Well, because we are—" Peter pauses, swallowing lightly and looking down at his hands, unwilling to finish the sentence. Eva sits up, using her elbows to prop herself firmly onto the pillow behind her head. Her brow raises, but her expression remains unchanged.

"That's what I told you to say... I thought Wanda unscrambled all my hard work inside your head?" she scoffs but pauses, noting that he still hasn't looked up. "You understand, we're not actually friends, right?" she asks carefully.

Peter remains silent, his jaw twitching, the only indication that her words have cut him. Eva sighs, not relishing the sudden tension. "You were a means to an end, Peter. It's not personal," she explains, unable to look at him now. "I had to get Ultron out of my head, and you were the easiest way to get into this place. Ultron needed Stark's system, so I needed someone trustworthy."

Once again, Peter remains silent, and sensing that she won't extract anything more from him, Eva rolls her eyes, shrugging as she plops herself back to lie down. He gets up and heads for the door, a defeated look etched across his face. However, Peter pauses as his hand reaches for the handle, his brows knit, and that look transforms into vexation.

"No," he utters lowly, forcing her eyes to flicker back over to him. "You don't get to do this, Eva."

He turns, finally staring at her with a serious countenance. Eva now pauses, adjusting her pillow, her eyes slightly widening at this unexpected reaction.

"You don't get to act like an emotionless bitch when you and I both know that's not who you really are," he states, arms folding, his glare still apparent.

In utter shock, Eva blinks repeatedly, an astounded laugh escaping her at his unexpected retort. She maneuvers off the bed, getting to her feet to meet him in the middle of the room. "D'accord, I've been called worse," she mutters. "Where are you going with this, Peter?" Eva mirrors his position, folding her own arms.

"Oh, I'm sure you have," Peter remarks sarcastically about her being called worse. "So you used me? And yes, perhaps you're not exactly a saint," he continues. She opens her mouth to argue at the sudden insults, but he holds up a hand, forcing her to halt as he is not finished. "But, Eva, you do care."

Evangeline's face shifts through confusion, anger, annoyance, then back to confusion, but she keeps quiet, sensing Peter has more to add. He takes a seat on the end of the bed, looking up at her, his eyes more earnest now, a departure from the bitterness he was expressing before.

"You could've just mind-controlled me to do everything for you. Get you access to the system? Or even just take control of Tony, to get what you wanted and get Ultron access like he wanted," Peter pauses for a breath, and Eva blinks a couple of times as her folded arms go slack at her sides.

"This job of yours could've been done in mere minutes. Instead, you took weeks," Peter laughs lowly, shaking his head. "Weeks pretending to be my friend, weeks spending all that time with me, Eva... Because, really, you didn't want to do this. You didn't want to take control." He pauses for another quick breath, his eyes still focused on Eva as she swallows, her gaze flickering away from his.

"And because, face the facts, Eva, I was the only real friend you had throughout this. Whether it started on false pretences, that friendship wasn't fake."

A heavy silence blankets them both. Eva falters, her eyes blinking repeatedly, jaw tight as she attempts to regain composure at his astute observations. Rolling her neck, she finally looks back down at him, finding a small smile playing on his lips.

"I get it, Eva. You wanted him out of your head. I'm sure most of us would've done the same in your position," Peter lifts himself up from the bed to stand opposite her again. Their eye positions swap, with Eva now having to look up at him and him gazing down at her due to the height difference.

"But stop pretending that you're the bad guy here. Right now, I might be the only person willing to be an actual friend." Peter places a comforting hand on her shoulder as he slips past, preparing to exit and giving Eva some space to think.

As the door clicks shut after Peter's departure, Eva is left chewing on her lip, frowning, her gaze fixed on the floor, suppressing the emotions she typically avoids acknowledging.

"Putain d'araignées..." Eva sighs eventually and lets herself fall back onto the bed, now definitely needing some time to rest and reflect.

The room falls into a heavy silence, the weight of Peter's words lingering. Eva remains on the bed, her mind in turmoil. After a moment, she shifts her position, staring blankly at the ceiling. Contemplating the complexity of the situation, she grapples with the realization that maybe Peter was right.

Minutes pass, and Eva finally allows herself to acknowledge her emotions. Frustration, guilt, and an unexpected loneliness wash over her. The realization that she might have lost the only genuine connection she had stings more than she anticipated.

With a resigned sigh, Eva decides to confront her emotions. She sits up, running a hand through her hair, and looks around the room as if seeking answers in its walls. The journey to self-reflection has just begun, and Eva knows she can't keep running from her own truths.