lie to me ➳ peter parker (2)

0.1

She sat in the back of her dad's limousine, bribed with fresh snacks and bubbly la croix in order to get the girl to sit still without tossing herself from the moving vehicle.

It doesn't take much to piss her off, a simple bump to the shoulder or harmless second glance set off multiple alarms in her brain to kill, but it took a lot to get her to hate a person. And as she sat there, smushed between her dad and the person that managed to twinge the last bit of sane nerves she conserved for a special occasion, she couldn't have hated a situation more than ever.

"Mr. Stark-" Peter Parker, swallowing harshly, glances down at his broken camera, "why-why are her eyes purple like that? I mean- I know that only happens when she's really, really mad; she's not mad is she? Please tell me she's not mad."

"I don't know kid," Tony, lowering his sunglasses to his nose in order to take a better look at his daughter's glowing orbs, cringes, "She looks pretty damned pissed off."

The boy fiddles with the pieces that used to be his favorite film camera, "Rowan? Are you mad?"

With her gaze trained forward, her clutch on the soda can tight, she slowly curls her fingers into her palms, the powerful action wrapping the thick seatbelt around Peter's neck. The boy gasps, his hands fleeing to the safety belt as he claws at the material in order to free himself of her deadly wrath. "She's definitely mad!"

"Rowan. What did I tell you?" Tony scolds dryly, his attention focused on the phone in his hands as he swipes away at Candy Crush, "no killing before noon."

With a huff, she lefts her hand fall to her lap, a sour expression spread across her delicate features, "fine. But after that clock strikes twelve, you better have that morgue on speed dial."

"Happy!" Cries Peter, the threat echoing through his mind, "please tell me we're almost there!"

The wingman, with a sigh, stops the car, "alright, here we are."

Tony then places his phone down and pats Happy on the shoulder, "Happy, can you give us a moment?"

The chubby man, turning to his boss incredulously, "You want me to leave the car?"

"Why don't you grab Peter's case out of the trunk." The bearded man instructs.

"I can keep the suit?" Peter asks.

"Yes, we were just talking about it." Tony clears his throat, "Do me a favor, though. Happy's kind of your point guy on this. Don't stress him out. Don't do anything stupid. I've seen his cardiogram. All right?" He pauses to glance at his daughter, his eyes narrowing as he notices her rather bleak expression; she looks almost... emotional.

The teen notices this too, a frown tugging down at his lips, "I didn't mean to hurt her, Mr. Stark... I swear."

His words seemed to chip away at the remaining fragments of her shattered heart, the phrase reaching into her chest and ripping the organ straight from her chest. It hadn't been long before Peter, after sharing his first kiss with the only girl he's ever had feelings for, to screw it up royally by explaining he wasn't ready for a committed relationship. Rowan took it personally, too personally, and she completely shut down and refused to talk to him. No matter how hard he tried to apologize, she'd turn him down with harsh finger gestures or a simple roll of her eyes, indicating she didn't want anything to do with him. It's been a week since she's even seen him, this limo ride breaking the streak as Tony promised her a new phone if she came along. But, unfortunately, it turned into a near-death experience for the poor boy who only wanted to explain... explain that he wants her and only her, nothing else matters but... her. She still refuses to listen, a stubborn attribute on her part, and she will still turn him down until she felt good and ready to trust him again. And it wasn't easy.

"I know, kid. It's best to leave her be for now." He replies, "but anyways, don't do anything I would do, and definitely don't do anything I wouldn't do. There's a little gray area in there and that's where you operate."

"Wait, does that mean I'm an Aven-?"

"No."

Happy, interrupting their conversation with a knock on their window, shouts, "this it?"

"Seventh floor." Tony replies.

"I can take that. You don't have to." Peter adds, eyeing the case to his precious new suit.

"You'll take it?" The chunky man queries.

"Yeah, I can take that."

"You're trusting clumsy Mc-asshat with that million dollar advanced technological suit?" Rowan scoffs, "geez, dad, I really thought you were smarter than that."

"You know, you don't have to be so mean-"

"Is it noon yet?"

"You, shut it-" Tony thumps his daughter in the head with a firm expression, "and Parker, out."

"Wait... So when's our next-- ? When's our next "retreat," you know?" The brown haired boy questions.

"What, next mission?" The older Stark cocks a brow.

"Yeah, the mission. The missions."

"We'll call you."

"Do you have my number?" The boy glances at Rowan who, most definitely, deleted his number.

"No, I mean, we'll call you. Like, someone will call you. All right?" Tony answers, shoving his fingers through the brunette's hands before she could strangle him with his own camera strap.

"From your team. Okay. All right." Peter nods.

Tony then reaches over the two of them, the boy blowing the gesture out of proportion as he went in to wrap his arms around the man. Tony, immediately retracting, states, "It's not a hug. I'm just grabbing the door for you. We're not there yet. Bye."

The teen, shooting one last regretful glance towards the girl who sat with her face scrunched up in a look of pure hurt, frowns. He opens his mouth, prepared to spill his guts right then and there but once the door slammed right in his face, he knew there was no chance of regaining her trust; he screwed up badly. With a sigh, he scoops up the case and murmurs, "They're gonna call me."

"You okay?" The older Stark questions his offspring softly.

Rowan, who fiddled with her finger as she chipped away at the broken nail polish, sighs, "I'm fine. I don't need a boy to define my happiness."

"That's funny-" the man cracks open a soda, crossing one leg over the other, "because when you're with him, you seem pretty damn sunflowers and rainbows to me."