Easier [on hiatus]

prologue

"Look I know three weeks is a lot of time, Pep." (Y/N) said, shoving clothes into her suitcase haphazardly. She struggled with packing a lot for someone who traveled as much a she had, minutes before all the clothes had been spread out in neat piles of dresses, pants and shirts but then she'd gotten lazy and wanted it all to be done, hence the frantic shoving. Pepper stood in the doorway watching the packing unfold. She sighed a little at her nickname, just because it was the last thing Tony had ever said to her, to anyone. (Y/N) knew this, but she couldn't call her mom, not because it didn't feel that way but because mom reminded her of dad and dad was well, gone and she couldn't call her Pepper because that made it sound like the two of them were in some kind of business relationship. "But I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be okay." She sat on top of the overflowing suitcase and tried to close it despite the fact that there were a variety of pieces sticking out at every angle.

Pepper laughed at her and said, "That's not gonna work."

"Well not right now, but there's something that'll make it work." (Y/N) looked around and thought about a solution.

"Yeah, taking all the clothes out and packing them in a orderly fashion."

"Nope, if I just-" (Y/N) lifted her hand and the zipper on the bag began to move across the edge, slowly but surely.

"Your gonna break it if you do that."

"Not if I do it gently."

"(Y/N)-"

"Fine." (Y/N) drawled, stopping the zipper and falling dramatically over the suitcase and onto the bed. "You're right. But that means I have to start over, and that's not gonna be fun." Before she could sit up again the doorbell rang.

"How about I help you with this and you go get that before morgan starts letting strangers into the house?"

"Sounds like a plan." (Y/N) heard small steps descend down the stairs and towards the front door, and she started running to intercept her sister. By the time she made it to the door, Morgan was already there and about to open it. (Y/N) sped over and scooped her up before she could. "What are you doing little miss?" She asked, "I thought mommy told you not to open the door by yourself." She tickled the younger girls stomach which made her giggle.

"I'm just excited." Morgan answered, "No one comes here anymore. Not since-" Morgan trailed off, suddenly distracted by a butterfly she could see out of the window. (Y/N) knew what she meant, since the funeral, the day where all the avengers and guardians and others had come to mourn their father.

"Pretty, isn't it?" (Y/N) asked her, shaking herself out of the memory.

"Yeah." Morgan nodded.

"Well once whoever is at the door leaves we can go play outside, maybe find some more pretty butterflies, does that sound good?"

"Don't you have to pack for your trip?" The younger Stark asked.

"How did you hear about that?"

"Mommy told me that you were avoiding it."

"Did she now?" The doorbell rang again and (Y/N) suddenly remembered that she had come down to open it. "Well let's put a pin in that and see whos behind door number one, shall we." She nestled Morgan on her hip and used her free hand to unlock and open the door. Standing on the other side ever so awkwardly was Peter Parker.

(Y/N) didn't say anything, she stood there frozen, as she did every time he came over nowadays. "Peter!" Morgan shouted and smiled, reaching out her arms so that Peter could pick her up.

"Wait a second kid, let him get in first." (Y/N) stepped back to let Peter walk into the doorway, and he pulled his hands out of his pockets to reach out for the little girl. "Alrighty here we go." Once the passoff was complete Morgan squealed with happiness.

"Peter! Did you come to play with me?" She asked him.

"Of course I did." His face lit up, and he tickled the younger girl. "I came all the way out here just for you."

"Yay! Me and (Y/N) were gonna go play outside and look for butterflies, do you want to come?"

Peter and (Y/N) looked at each other for a split second and then looked down at the floor. To break the silence (Y/N) turned back up the stairs and shouted, "Pep! Peter's here."

"One second!" Pepper called from (Y/N)'s room. A minute later she emerged and made her way down the stairs, putting her hand on (Y/N)'s shoulder when she made it to the bottom. "Your bag is a disaster, so I suggest you get started on fixing that because you have exactly forty eight hours before you have to leave."

"And your right again, I'm gonna go and get right on that." She looked back at Peter and caught his eyes again, which made both of them look down at the floor again. With the two of them there, the tension in the room was palpable.

"Are you excited about the trip Pete?" Pepper asked.

Peter bounced Morgan a little on his hip and smile.d "Yeah, I've never been out of the country before, I had to go get a passport and everything." He said, "And It'll be nice to hang out with my friends again, try to get everything back to normal, or partially normal anyway."

"Are we gonna go play now?" Morgan asked him.

"Yeah, for sure kid." He said, turning around and carrying her outside.

"And I will be packing." (Y/N) said to no one in particular, eyes locked on Peter as he shut the door behind him. He never looked back, not that she wanted him too. (except that she really, really did.)