An Alluring Force ~ Captain America: Civil War

What's your name, Princess?

When I walked back in to the Parker's apartment, dinner was burned and May was ordering pizza. I found Peter in his room sitting on his bed, working on homework, while on the phone with Ned.

"Yeah Ned I know, we'll get tickets I promise. Listen dinners almost here I got to go okay? yes, yeah that sounds fine. See you tomorrow" Peter said as he finished his call. He turned to look at me and patted the seat next to him on his bed.

I sat next to him and he immediately pulled me into his chest, placing his hand on mine. He realized I was upset before even I did. I squeezed my eyes shut to stop the tears from getting on his shirt. Damn you Tony! There's a reason I push memories away.

"Is your hair naturally blonde?" Peter asks quietly. The question would seem inappropriate at the time if Pete wasn't my best friend, and I hadn't heard the question a million times.

"Yes" I mumbled into his chest.

"Does your mom have naturally blonde hair?" He asks, usually the present tension even though he knows my moms gone.

"Yes, it's part of her Scandinavian genes. Blonde hair blue eyes." I explained. Peter know the answers to all of these, and he knew that asking me to tell him about my mom calmed me. Probably the one thing that Peter knew about me that Steve didn't.

"You're eyes are hazel, brown with an outer circle of green. That is probably from your dads side." Peter said, stroking my hair.

"I didn't know my father, all the know is he met my mother in Minnesota, they moved to Brooklyn, and he disappeared. She never talked about him." I say as I lean into Peter more.

"The bomber in Vienna, the Winter Soldier, was he...?" Peter trailed off.

I swallowed, "Yes, but he was brainwashed then. I can't blame the man anymore than I can blame his arm"

"That's really strong of you. I can't imagine how this must all feel."

"Pete, I want him safe. I don't want him hurt, he's as much of a victim as me."

"Alyx, you're too pure for this world"

"You were late to a decathlon meeting because you were building a star wars lego set with you best friend in the band room. You're too pure" he chucks slightly at my joke before falling back on his bed so i'm laying on his chest.

"I do this for you, you know that right? I go and I try to save as many people as I can because I never know if one of them is going to be you." he says, his chest vibrating slightly as he speaks. "I don't know why, you can take care of yourself probably better than I can. But I want to protect you...because..."

"because why?" I mumble

"Because I love you, completely, and I never want to see you hurt a day in my life." He says, his voice shaking slightly. I sit up quickly and he sits up to, and we're both staring at each other.

It feels like an eternity, and like a second at the same time. My mind was screaming, screaming at my heart for an answer. Peter was my best friend, but did I feel more? Did he mean more?

Peter radiates so much joy, and so much happiness, that it's hard for me to believe I have ever felt sorrow. His knock on my door, speeds up my heart, and his hair always find its way to my fingers. But does that mean anything? Do I even know enough to 'love' someone?

The boy sitting in front of me now, is scared, scared that his heart that he just handed to me will be crushed. The longer I look at him the more pain appears in his eyes, and my heart hurts. A wrenching pain that feelings real, but at the same time doesn't.