Saving Grace

Seventy

Grace sits at her desk, unable to hear Rhodey moving around downstairs but still comforted knowing he's there, since she isn't all that used to being home alone, especially without Pepper or Happy. Her computer is on in front of her, her school assignment taking up its screen. She's meant to be doing Trigonometry, but instead, she's texting Peter, who's on a school field trip on his way to MoMA.

The Museum of Modern Art.

A virtual tour, even the one her father had the museum make specially for her birthday one year (without giving them the reason), is surely nothing compared to the real thing.

'This is the first time that I've actually REALLY been tempted to sneak out of the house,' she texts.

Peter has his head down against the back of the bus seat as he texts her. Ned is sending him memes on Instagram every few minutes, and he flips back and forth from those and his text conversation with Grace. When he receives her most recent text, he laughs quietly, but he responds, 'And it isn't even for me :('

Grace chuckles at this response, but is tempted to roll her eyes. 'I'd still be SEEING you, you dummy.'

'But that's not what you'll be LOOKING at,' Peter replies, tacking a watery-eyed emoji — one he sends more frequently than could be considered normal — at the end of it.

Grace actually does roll her eyes, then adds the matching emoji onto her text before she sends it. 'Oh, my gosh, you drama queen.'

'You'll just be looking at the art,' Peter replies. 'Well guess what?' He sends the next sentence in three separate texts for emphasis. 'I don't even NEED to look at the art,' he starts, 'because the real masterpiece,' he continues, then waiting a second to send the last part to create suspense, 'is you <3'

Grace doesn't even know how to respond for a moment, and finally just types, 'I-' She sends a second text. 'You do realize they literally have Starry Night?' And then a third, for emphasis. 'Like, THE Starry Night?'

Peter's face resembles the meme Ned just sent him — a surprised Pikachu. 'So you're just going to ignore how cute the thing I said was?' he replies.

Grace sighs, then sends, 'It was adorable, Peter.'

'Your tone says otherwise,' Peter replies, practically able to hear her speak the words in his head. It's a familiar, monotone tone designed to show she's exasperated with him.

'I'm literally texting you,' she replies. 'How could you tell what my tone was?'

Peter sends the shrugging emoji. 'Idk man AP Lit just gives you special powers' He's taking the class to get a weighted grade and college credit, and also because Grace said it would be great when he was contemplating it. Peter just trusts that she'll help him if need be.

She now sends the emoji with a raised brow, a favorite of hers. 'Evidently it takes away your use of commas.'

Peter takes longer than usual to reply, 'Ok, thank, you, punctuation, police, are, you, going, to, arrest, me, now,,,,?'

Grace cringes. 'That was literally painful to read.'

Peter chuckles. 'Our FBI agents must think we're huge nerds.'

'Because we are,' Grace replies.

'Yeah, that's true.'

She then steers the conversation back to where it started. 'Anyway, please try to appreciate the art and memorize everything that you see. I expect a five page report sent to me by this evening.'

Peter smiles widely. 'Well, hopefully, I will be at the compound later today to give it to you in person. :)'

Grace grins. 'Hopefully, you will. I have been waiting WEEKS to watch the next episode of Merlin.' They thought it would be cute and fun to watch a show together, though they overestimated the amount of time they're able spend together every week. It's becoming harder to wait to be with the other to watch the next episode.