Stones and Glass Houses (Book 1)

🕷(24) Cassie Lang

Brooklyn POV-

Spider-man's deep voice did not seem startle the little girl one bit, and the appearance of a hero at her doorstep seemed normal. Just how many times had this guy been here?

Before Brook could properly greet the adorable girl in Spider-man's arms, or even register that image properly, a blonde woman peeked her head out the door with a kitchen towel in hand.

"I thought it'd be you! Always on time" the woman said, sending a bright smile Spider-man's way before those same eyes locked on the intruder of their usual day.

The woman was not apprehensive, but instead chose to stretch out her hand Brooklyn's way. 

"Now who might you be, sweetie?" the woman asked.

An assassin. Spy. Abomination to the world.

"Her name is Brooklyn Stark, she came with me today to meet Cassie. I hope its ok that she..." the hero was cut off as the woman lunged at Brook, crushing her into a nice warm hug. 

Like the ones Pepper and May gave.

"Oh! I heard all about you! You poor thing, of course you can stay here!" Cassie's mom said, bushing Brooklyn's hair back the way May had towards Peter that one time. A motherly hold.

The girl prided herself in not flinching away.

"She's staying!?" Cassie Questioned with eyes full of hope, quickly squirming out of Spider-man's hold and as soon as her tiny bare feet hit the ground, the girl latched onto Brook's legs with a wide smile, "You're a girl!"

Brooklyn wasn't sure how to respond to that obvious statement. Though frail and endangered children were her one weakness I the world, the people she would protect at all cost...she still had no clue how to deal with them sometimes.

The kids back in her old apartment complex back in Brooklyn were either younger than Cassie, at which point they had no clue what was going on a round them, or slightly older than her, so they spent most of their time on their phones to Brook's happiness.

This ten year old girl was full of energy, with just enough cognitive presence to understand everything Brook would say, but still playful as a toddler.

How could someone like Spider-man deal with this? 

The girl was prepared to just get this over with, maybe have Spider-man deal with the baby-sitting he'd unwillingly dragged her into, but when she looked down at the girl's big brown eyes, the pure joy in them....Brook knew she'd end up relenting to anything the kid wanted.

"I am a girl, correct. It's nice to meet you Cassie" Brook said, shocked when she heard her own voice soften.

Cassie beamed, "Your last name is Stark? Like Iron Man?"

Damn. This kid was perceptive.

"Yes. He's my..." darn it, why was it still so hard to say it, "my dad"

The little girl giggled frantically as she rushed back into the house without a word. 

Had Brook said something wrong?

The woman, who Spider-man had introduced earlier as Maggie, was in the midst of putting her black heels on and scrambling to reach for her purse somewhere inside the entrance.