Veins and Wires // Peter Parker

The First and Official Meeting

Silence filled the car as I awkwardly sat in the front seat, staring out the window to avoid Happy's looks. After father persuaded the government workers to let me go after narrowly saving Rhodey, he silently forced me to get into the car to let Happy take me back to a hotel to stay the night before leaving tomorrow.

"What were you thinking-?"

"I have heard enough lectures today, Happy-"

"You could've gone to jail-!"

"I was doing the right thing unlike that dimwit-!"

"The government could've gotten their hands on you!"

"Yeah, well, they did not so... there!"

"Do you have any idea-"

"I literally have all the ideas in the world, Happy! That is my entire thing! I know literally everything in the entire world so you would think everyone else would think 'hmm... maybe we should listen to the ideas of the smartest being in the whole damn world!'" I shouted furiously and a bolt of electricity escaped from my body and zapped the side of Happys seat, narrowly missing him. He did not flinch.

"You feel better now?"

"Shut up," I muttered back, crossing my arms and continued to stare out the window stubbornly. I brushed a couple of bright blue strands of hair out of my face and watched the cars pass us, wondering what the passengers in them lives were like.

"You could've been locked up by the government, Hailey. They would've had the right to keep you locked up, you could've been completely at their mercy to make you their weapon!" Happy lectured with his eyes still locked on the road making me grumble incoherently in return. "Do you want to repeat what happened 10 years ago?"

"He was a sex trafficker!" I protested with a glare, instantly knowing what he was talking about.

"You paralyzed him and then waited fifteen minutes to call the police on him letting those thirty girls beat him an inch away from death!"

"He was only paralyzed for three years!" I defended though it did not sound as good as an argument when I said it out loud than it did in my head. He gave me an exasperated look. "I stand by what I said."

Soon the car came to a halt and I begrudgingly got out of the car, slamming the door shut and looked up at the rather fancy hotel. Happy opened the trunk and handed me the familiar metal suitcase and threw the keys to the valet. We walked through the revolving door and to the elevator, Happy having already checked into the building long before. He pushed the 41st button and handed me a keycard with the number 393 on the front.

"I still can't believe-"

"Are we seriously continuing this conversation?"

"You're a war criminal, Hailey! Of course we're continuing this conversation!"

"A war criminal? Please! Gods forbid I express my opinion-"

"You broke a dozen laws!"

"And all laws are just ones? There has never been unjust and terrible laws, Happy? You really want to go down that road?" I demanded making him open his mouth but nothing came out. "Exactly."

"You can't just do whatever you want and expect to be bailed out."

"Did I ever say or expect that? No. Do not put words in my mouth," I barked, striding out of the elevator the moment the doors slid open and Happy followed me. I stomped to the door with the plate that had the number 393 on the front. "I am going to go charge," I grumbled, sliding the keycard under the doorknob and opened the door.