Beyond Time (Avengers X Reader)

Chapter 13

The team returned sometime during the evening. You only knew because the first thing Tony did post his arrival was check up on you.

One of your many quirks was stress eating. Poor Twyla used to run herself into the ground cooking for you in the exam season. Unwilling to run into anyone, except for maybe one person in particular, you noiselessly made your way to the kitchen.

Quickly, too quickly for your liking, a whizzing sound caught your ears. You barely had the time to duck when you spotted a soccer ball flying straight in your direction. But you did and it grazed past your ear, hitting the wall behind you.

"Putains de merde! Qu'est-ce qu'il se
passe ?!" You screamed, rubbing your ear where the friction with the ball had caused it to go red.

A herd of very embarrassed looking Avengers shuffled towards you. "Sorry, (Y/N), didn't see you there." Steve apologised. "Because your eyes were on Romanoff, weren't they? Don't lie." Clint nudged him.

"Great. We're all going to be sued by the French Government." Somewhere in the back of the group, Bruce mumbled.

Natasha checked your ear for you. "It's going to be fine." She assured and then went on to ask, "Why didn't you catch it though? You must've played catch with your father at some point. Or is that not a thing in France?"

All color drained from your face. "Non. It is."

It had been two weeks since (Y/N) had started high school and Twyla had been driving her there every single day. Not that she was complaining, no, she loved her. Waving her a cheerful goodbye, (Y/N) happily skipped towards class.

"Hey! The skimpy junior is back!" A voice called out in the corridor.

Ignoring it like she had learnt to over fifteen days, (Y/N) hurried to her locker.

"What's the rush? You can miss a class or two for me, can't you?" A sophomore boy whom (Y/N) had a crush on until she realised he was a complete bully blocked her way.

"Move, Jake." Though her voice had an intimidating sternness, (Y/N)'s eyes never left the ground. And that was the cause of her fall.

Evidently Jake took offense and intended to cause her the same. "(Y/N) why doesn't your dad ever come to drop you off?" He asked. Apparently, he had mistaken Twyla for (Y/N)'s mother.  (Y/N) pushed past Jake but his girlfriend blocked her way.

"You know, I understand." Jake turned around, spite dripping from his face. "He wouldn't want to be seen with a loser like you."

The hallway echoed with laughter.

"I don't have a father." The laughter died down at (Y/N)'s announcement. She herself, was surprised at how unaffected she felt saying those very words. "He's dead."

That wasn't the excuse you were going to use today. After all, you had had closure with your father. Well, more or less.

You cleared your throat to subdue the emotions which had fought their way up. "My father was often required at work."

"It's never too late to learn. Here!" Tony threw another ball at you, entirely assured to catch you off guard; which was precisely why he was surprised when you caught it effortlessly.

"You don't know whom you've messed with, le faites vous, Tony?" You turned to him with a threatening smile.

Like a man who knew well enough that he had imperiled himself, Tony wheeled and ran for his life while you gave chase, both of you laughing like children.

"Whoa. When did that happen?" Clint assessed the surreal scenario and finally commented.

Tony snuck behind the couch to shield himself from an oncoming ball which, ultimately, was to no avail because the moment he got up to stick his tongue out at you, another ball hit him square in the ribs.

"I don't know." Bruce laughed. "I don't know, but when was the last time you saw him this happy?"