Code Name: Spider

Chapter 14

Ryder_ _ _ 
       I can't think. I can't breathe. I can't move. Stark. My Mother was a Stark. I am a Stark. Tony is my uncle. Pepper is my aunt. I have family. I have family. 

       "Ken?" Peter asks swaying his hand in front of my eyes. "Ken are you okay, do I need to call for help?" I blink a couple of times before coming out of my haze. 
       "Sorry. I- I can't believe it. My Mom was a Stark. Tony is my Uncle. I have a family, Peter. Do you know what this means?" I stand up in front of him and he stands up as well. "I'm not alone anymore." I smile and hug Peter, he hugs back happily. 
       "We have to go tell Tony." He says. I pull away quickly. 

       "We can't tell him." Peter looks taken back. "Look I am so glad to know this, but the minute this is out do you honestly think that he is going to be happy about it. His Mother lied to him for years. If he finds out he is going to hate me. I am better off just being around him and pretending this never happened? Okay? I am not his niece. We are friends that is it." Peter shakes his head. 

       "How can you say that?" He asks." After everything that we have been through you just want to what, give up? You just found your family, the one thing you have wanted your whole life, and now you are just going to let it slip right through your fingers?" I fold my arms. 

       "Since when did you become the resident expert on me? You know nothing about what I have gone through. Just because you know about my parents does not mean you know me. And what exactly do you want me to do, march right up to Tony and say, hey by the way your Mother had a child illegitimate child with a man that was not your Father. I'm that child's daughter. Want to have family thanksgiving and talk about it?" I ask sarcastically.  

       "That would be better than doing nothin-"
       "Oh plea-"
       "Can't you just shut up and listen to me!" As soon as the words leave his mouth I can see that he regrets them. "I'm sorry I didn't mean it." I look away from him. 

       "Peter, I think you need to go." The room is silent as the awkwardness of the moment turns into tension in the room. 
       "Are we having our first fight?' Peter asks. I take a breath and look up at him, about to burst into tears. 

       "Yeah. Yeah, I think we are." I say in a cracking voice. He clearly sees that i am about to cry and tries to comfort me but I step back. "Please, just go." He turns and walks to the door.

       "I'll see you later." He says before opening the door and leaving. I walk to the door. 
       "Please, come back. Come back. Please open the door. Don't leave." I say standing in front of my door. When I finally realize that he isn't coming back I turn around and lean against the door. I slide down and curl my legs into my chest. 

       The next day I wake up in front of my door. I fell asleep waiting for Peter to knock on my door and come sit by me. I didn't want to touch him or kiss him, I just wanted him to be here. My phone dings in my pocket. I get it out and am disappointed when I realize that it is from Natasha and not Peter. 
       "Be here in an hour. Be sure to jog or do some push ups before you come. Conditioning helps the muscles." Gee thanks Natasha for the heart warming text. I stand up and go to get my work out clothes on. 

       When I reach the gym Peter is already there running some laps around the gym. I avoid eye contact and walk over to Natasha. I put my stuff down and she is just looking at me. 
      "There is something different. You aren't happy today, why?" She asks. 
       I make sure to not look back at Peter as I say, " Nothing is different." She puts her hands up in defeat. 
       "Alright, today we are going to work on form. So to start off, you're posture sucks, your arms and legs are weak, you have zero muscle in your body. Have you ever done a push up, before?" I nod but stay quiet. "Alright, first thing first, 5 laps. Go." I nod and take off in a sprint around the gym. Peter is still running and when we pass one another, we just ignore each other. So this is what it's like to be in love. I can't honestly say that I like it too much. 

       After my fifth lap I go over to Natasha. She just squints at me and then looks behind me at Peter. She is about to say something when she obviously thinks better of it and stops. 

       "Are you even winded?" She asks. I shake my head. I don't get winded easily. "Okay, now we have to build up some muscle. 500 crunches, 30 minutes. Go." I go over to the wall and lay down, my feet against the wall. As I start doing crunches I see the rest of team come in. I ignore them and continue to work on my crunches. When I get done, I lay on the ground, my abdomen in pain. I look up and Steve is standing there. 

       "Here let me help you up." He sticks out both of his hands and I grab them. He drags me up like I am a rag doll. 

       "Thanks." I say. 
       "No problem, hey um I know it is none of my business what-so-ever but, why are both you and Peter in a bad mood." This starts to irritate me. 

       "I am not in a bad mood." I say a little meaner than I intend to. "Sorry ... it's nothing." Steve fold his arms and nods. 

       "I may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night. What's really going on?" I shake my head and look at Peter. He is still lifting weights. 
       "Can you keep a secret?" Steve nods. "Peter and I got in our first fight last night." 
       "And?" Steve prods. 
       "And, he thought he was right, and he was rude." I strap on the boxing gloves and start to punch the bag. Steve stands behind it and holds it in place. 
       "Don't tuck your thumb, you'll jam it." He says. I listen and start to punch differently. "Good." He is quiet for a minute, choosing his next words wisely. "Can I ask what the fight was about?" I shrug. 
       "It was baout my family. He thought that he knew me better than I knew me. He told me the things I needed to do and never asked what I wanted to do. It was like my opinion was irrelevant." Steve nods. 

       "I haven't been in many romantic relationships. But, you have to be willing to compromise." 

       "Coming from a war stand point?" I ask. 
       "No, coming from a friend stand point." I nod and stop hitting the bag. Steve comes to stand directly in front of me. "Parker's a good kid, he didn't mean to be rude I guarantee it. I think you just need to talk it through. I believe that love works out in the end." I nod. 
       "That hasn't been my experience." I say looking away from him. 

       "Then maybe you need some new experiences." He lays his hand on my shoulder before nodding and walking away. Why does Steve have to be so wise?