𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐊

05. 𝗻𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲

PETER AND ESZTER FOUND THEMSELVES LOUNGING IN THE PRIVATE JET WITH HAPPY. After Tony left the teens on timeout, Tony had made a quick phone call to Happy as he had him pick up Eszter and Peter, quickly taking them to a safer location and boarding a jet back to New York.

Eszter avoided Tony to the best of her ability--which wasn't hard. The enhanced had seen Tony moments before she boarded the jet, and neither one had offered to flash a reassuring smile; it was tense and quite awkward between the two. Tony refrained from talking to Eszter to inform her that he was doing this for her, but Tony remembers that he needs to dissociate himself from home and work. That's his issue.

However, Eszter is tired of the back-and-forth; she's frustrated with the two different sides Tony likes to jump between, and right now, Eszter needs a father figure. Tony isn't that.

Tony is a mixture of fatherly figure and a boss to Eszter, and sometimes, the enhanced never know which version of Tony is speaking. Does he want her to live her life as a teenager, going out and having fun with her friends; or, does he need her for another mission requested by Ross, claiming that they need Eszter for military purposes?

Nevertheless, Eszter is fed up with it all.

The enhanced flinches at the touch of the ice pack touching her clothes body, hissing a little under her breath as she embraces that icy feeling. Eszter grimaces, staring at the ice pack mindlessly, avoiding Peter's gaze as she could feel his eyes burning into her head.

Eszter wasn't in the mood of sparking a conversation, especially not after Peter had witnessed her and Tony's argument. There were no longer any issues between Peter and Eszter--although there wasn't any in the first place--the enhanced had no right to be upset with her friend. A secret such as his identity is a valid reason for Peter to conceal his superhero life from his friends, and Eszter respects that, having a secret life of her own. Still, now that she knows, the enhanced is a little honored, even if she had figured it independently. Nevertheless, Eszter can now say she knows Spider-Man.

Leaning back into her chair, Eszter lays her head tilted back onto the headrest and closes her eyes; her lashes flutter a little as they stay shut, but lingering eyes continued to stay stuck on Eszter.

"You're staring," Eszter calls out.

After being caught, Peter jumped in his seat, heart racing in panic. He hadn't realized he had been staring at Eszter for this long, mostly analyzing her. Though, it doesn't deny the embarrassing feeling.

Peter clears his throat, flicking his eyes away from Eszter but still glancing back. "Sorry, it's just--I've never actually seen you use your powers before," he admits, intrigued. "Not that you had to, but you know, it's--it's cool."

Eszter snorts. "That's because I was trying to stay off of the government's radar," the enhanced sits up and stares back at Peter, still, a frown on her face. Dropping her head towards her lap, her hands resting on her legs as she plays with her fingers.

"Wanda . . . she's your sister?" Peter wonders. Eszter nods. "How come you never mentioned it?"

There was a short pause as Eszter shrugs. "Never asked," she looks up to see the look on Peter's face. "I love my sister, but I also didn't want my whole life to be associated with the Avengers."

"But she's . . . she's your sister," Peter frowns, wondering what more Eszter could be withholding. Not that he'd ask; he only wonders. "I'm sorry about what happened--back in Berlin, I mean. With Tony, and all. I'm sure it wasn't easy."

"No, it wasn't," Eszter gloomily comments. The enhanced unbuckles herself from her seat as she walks down the aisle, taking the seat in front of Peter. "So, Spider-Man, huh?" Peter chuckles small. "Who would've thought that good ole Peter Parker would be the friendly-neighborhood-hero."