Like A Bullet [P.M.]

Chapter 34

"Good morning, roadrunner."

The sun shone on my face, making me rub my eyes with slight discomfort. Then something blocked out the sun. It was Laurel. I smiled and pulled her back into the covers. I slept on top of her as she groaned at my heaviness.

"What should we do today? Maybe go for a hike?" She managed to speak.

"A hike sounds nice." I trailed small kisses down her jaw to her neck, making her snicker and smirk.

"Let's get to it then." She pushed me off and proceeded to walk barefoot on the cold floor. All she was wearing was a sweater of mine that covered her until just below her underwear. Her beautiful legs were that of divine work.

I ran behind her and carried her downstairs, almost slipping when I reached the last step down. I put her down and she turned on the house heater. It was cold, to be honest. But I didn't feel that cold, and I was shirtless. Laurel on the other hand, shivered as we strolled to the kitchen.

"So, we have cereal, eggs, ham... You decide." She glanced at me. My eyes were set on the stove. I was not paying attention when I felt a box of cereal hit my face. I cringed in pain, rubbing my forehead where the box had hit.

"What was that for?!" I gotta say, I was trying not to laugh.

"What do you want to eat?"

"How about pancakes? Like that time we made them at your apartment." I ran beside her to close the fridge door. "I'll make them. You go get dressed for the hike."

"Okay. Don't burn down the house." She said from across the hall. She didn't have to yell since you could hear her echo from one corner of the house to the other.

I managed to scramble all the ingredients and take my time to make the pancaked correctly. I went slow and they turned out just how I wanted them to. Golden-brown and soft.

I prepared Laurel's pancakes with her favorite juice, which was lemonade, and set it on the table. I quickly set mine too and waited. Waited. Waited.

Ten minutes passed. I finally heard her come down the stairs. She smiled at my sight, glancing at the perfectly placed meal, then at my bare chest.

"You are so sweet." She sat down next to me and placed a kiss on my cheek.

We started digging in while Laurel talked about her favorite hiking routes in the area. She told me her father had built her a treehouse when she was seven. She still remembered where it was located.

"The first thing I did every time we got here for summer, was take the route to the treehouse and check if anything had happened to it." She took a sip from her lemonade. "As time went by, I learned the route by memory."

"I like tree houses." I smiled with my mouth full, which made Laurel laugh and turn away.

"Well then, finish eating and get dressed." She glanced at my chest once more and back at my face.

"What? Cannot resist?" I smirked, tightening my biceps.

"Stop." She snickered and stood up, taking the plates to the dishwasher.

I ran upstairs and changed into some sweatpants, a hoodie and some hiking shoes I found in the closet. I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs, where Laurel was waiting by the doorstep. It was currently nine o'clock and it was a bit breezy. It was cloudy as well, signaling it might rain or snow anytime now. I grabbed Laurel's hand as she guided through the woods, in search of a long forgotten tree house.

At first, the hiking was pretty easy. There was a visible trail on the ground and there were no obstacles of any sort. But that didn't last long.

"We need to go through here now." Laurel muttered, pulling me up a small hill.

The only reason I wasn't using my powers was because Laurel was the one guiding me, and I couldn't hear her directions while running at a super speed. It was like the trees got closer together, making it seem like we were being squished to the death. That is of course, until we found our destination.

It was really high, and big. It wasn't in exactly perfect conditions, the wood was getting old in some parts, but it was okay. I was the first one to go up to see if it was stable, and then I signaled Laurel to come up as well. We looked around the tree house, various childhood toys being seen in every nook and cranny. There were stuffed animals, toy cars, bouncy balls. All left when Laurel and her father abandoned this place.

There was another ladder that led up higher above. At the top, waited a balcony that could let you see above the trees. It was truly magnificent. The sun creeping through the clouds, the top of the houses peering in the horizon, the trees swaying from side to side. I was finally at peace. The fresh air was amazing, the smell was pleasant, Laurel was in my arms. This trip was a good idea. It's always good to get out of the busy, loud city of New York, and just spend some days out here. Between trees instead of buildings. Hearing birds chirp instead of cars honking. Smelling the pine trees instead of excess gasoline.

Laurel's head rested on my shoulder as I rested mine on her head. We were staring at the grey sky, looking to spot the first snowflake. Laurel looked up at me and smiled a beautiful smile. Her smile could end wars, stop world hunger, make me happy. I couldn't do anything but place my lips on her delicate ones. The taste of cherry and syrup filled my taste buds. I then released and pulled her close into a hug. Her face buried in my chest, my chin resting on her head.

I'd choose her over being an Avenger for moments like this. Alone, peaceful, and happy.