stay ; 𝐬. 𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 , 𝟐

01 | so you are...

0 1

so you are...

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Tony rolled his eyes at the teenager standing before all of them. "Did you really have to make a dramatic entrance?"

The boy, Peter, nodded, and Cara was positive he was smiling smugly underneath that mask. "Yeah. I know who you all are, I had to show my worth."

"But breaking my wind--never mind," Tony held out a hand, and sighed, pouring himself a drink at the bar. The room was silent as he downed it in one gulp.

"Hi, Cara," her cousin greeted, waving at her kindly. "Nice to meet you. In person, I mean, because obviously that was me on the phone two days ago; if it weren't...that'd be weird." He stumbled over his words, like an excited five-year-old who'd just been told he was going to Disney World.

"Hi," was all Cara could say. She looked back behind her, a question of what do I do in her eyes as she found Steve.

All he did was nod at her encouragingly, which caused her to take a breath, and turned back around, ready to introduce everyone when Tony let out an "oh, I know what they call you!"

Peter paused. "Uh, yeah?"

"You're..." he rubbed his chin in thought. "Spider--Spider...boy? Spiderboy," he snapped his fingers and pointed at him, pleased with himself.

"Spi-Spiderman," he corrected Tony, crossing his arms in embarrassment.

"Wait, hold up," Nat cut in, "how the hell did you even get up here? This is, like, the fifteenth floor."

He raised his head, "oh, right. You see, I did this fancy little thing that lets me--" he stopped talking, raised his arm, and everyone watched in shock as something white and stringy shot out of--his hand?--and connected with the tall ceiling. Then Peter swung himself from the floor over to the counter of the bar, landing gently on top of it.

"Don't touch my stuff," Tony said, moving the Bailey's bottle away from the boy's feet hastily. "No can you get off my counter? I already need to clean up the mess you made of the windows, and now I've got to clean up the bar? Again? In a matter of two days?"

Cara, despite her surprise, noticed the look Aunt May gave her cousin. "Peter," she said warningly.

He slumped his shoulders, and jumped off the bar quickly. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Um, just how old are you?" Asked Clint, tilting his head.

"Uh, I'm fifteen," he said, "I'm in high school."

"Coolio," Cara said, and gestured for her cousin to come near her. "That's great. See, how about the three of us just get to know each other, since we're, you know, family, and all." She glanced behind her to the rest of her friends, and they took the hint, leaving the room.

Aunt May sat down on the couch, Peter next to her, and Cara took a chair that faced the two of them. "I can't wait to learn all about you," she said, and then paused. "Uh, Peter, can you, um..." she made a gesture of taking the mask off.

"Yeah, sweetie, you should take it off," May said, and Peter complied.

"Um, sorry," he apologized, and reached underneath his chin to find the lip of his mask, pulling it off of his face. He was most definitely on the younger side, and surely looked fifteen, Cara decided. Light brown hair covered his head, and child-like features were etched on his face, while still managing to make him look mature. He looked tentative, yet confident, and Cara was sure that if she was able to get to know him, they would most definitely be friends.

"No, it's okay," she reassured him, "it's just...I'd like to see your face when I meet you in person." She rubbed her hands together, nervousness washing over her in waves. "So, um, where do you guys live?"

"New York, actually," Peter answered cheerfully, "in Queens."

"Oh, I'm a Brooklyn boy," they heard Steve call out from the edge of the living room.

Cara rolled her eyes. "Steve, honey," she said, trying not to be a little annoyed at the fact that he hadn't left the room when she'd asked him to. "Some privacy, here?" She shot him a look.

The ninety-eight-year-old slumped his shoulders and ducked his head. "Yeah, sorry," he apologized, waving himself out.

Cara watched him leave, making sure he was gone before continuing her conversation. "So, Queens, huh?"

"Yeah," Aunt May replied with a warm smile, "been there since Peter was born. Have you always lived in New York City?"

"No, I was moved around a lot, but after the lat time in a foster home, it was close to the city and I...came here. And met all these guys."

"You just, met them?" Peter said in shock. "Like, they didn't have to save you from an alien attack or something?"

Cara shook her head, knitting her eyebrows in confusion. "No," she said slowly. "I, um, oh, funny story," she laughed, and began to lose her nerves. "One morning, I quite literally ran into Steve, and then, I guess it just...went from there..." she continued to explain her finding of the Avengers team, but kept the bits of her and Steve's relationship out of the mix. For now, she decided.

When she finished her story, Peter took a breath, and then smiled. "That is...awesome!" He exclaimed. "I can't believe you live with The Avengers!"

Cara grinned. "Well, I mean, you get used to them after awhile and the shock wears off. I mean, they can get a little annoying at times--"

"Hey!" It was Clint.

"--and you don't want to get on Nat's bad side--"

"That's true," Nat said from the hallway.

"--but overall, they're a really great group," she finished fondly, "they're like, a family to me." Then, embarrassed and guilty, she gestured to her two actual family members. "Of course, you guys are my family, too, it's just, I didn't know you guys still wanted to find me, and I was lonely, and--"

"It's okay," May said, reaching out to hold her hand, and Cara loved it. She loved the feeling of having someone show their love for her, a love that was maternal, not just a love like Steve had for her.

Cara smiled. It was going to be good, this having family. She could feel it in her bones.

She had a family, she had a home, and now she just wanted both of them to stay.

-

Woo! First chapter! I hope it was okay, I'm a little puffy and in pain from my wisdom teeth, but that's okay, I'm getting better. Hope you enjoyed it!

Muah, Laura Mae