A/N: hi!!
this is the chapter to wrap up the loose ends from the previous book and set up the terrain for what's coming. hint: you've been waiting for the upcoming chapters for the longest time
so i have been dying for an Apple Watch and AirPods for the longest time and i finally finally got them today! i got the watch in rose gold and as a professional sucker for rose gold i absolutely LOVE IT. plus the AirPods Pros are seriously soo good esp with their noise cancellation!! having new apple products always makes me feel 🥰
anyway, this chapter is mildly fluffy and sweet so enjoy!
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"This...This is love, I just know it."
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In the eight days since she had been hospitalized, the city of New York had recovered from the virus that Lukov had spread.
When the police officers searched the warehouse, they found blueprints for a cure against the virus and within a few days, it had died down before it could spread any further. However, it had still taken four lives of innocent people. Adelaide couldn't help but blame herself for those four lives. If she hadn't helped Lukov make the virus in the first place, maybe those four people would still be alive. And more than those people, Adelaide took pity on those four families who had to suffer the loss.
All because of her.
She sighed, looking out the window of the moving car.
The blood of those four people wasn't the only blood on her hands. She had killed Graves in that truck. His blood was fresh on her hands. She had nightmares about his dark, metallic liquid staining her skin and no matter how hard she scrubbed, it wouldn't come off. She would sometimes hear Graves screaming at her for killing him, telling her she had made a mistake.
The authorities wanted to question her for the murders of the two men in the warehouse, but Tony paid them a large sum of money to stop the investigation. There was no use in explaining to them that what she did had been done in self defense. And if they prodded more deeply into her past, they might find out about her powers and the last thing Tony wanted was for his daughter to become a lab rat. Luckily, money wasn't a problem and Adelaide was grateful that he had helped her avoid that catastrophe altogether.
Despite her doubts about killing Graves, she knew that he had had no other options. It was either Lukov or her.
And Graves knew that.
Then there was the gift. He obviously knew he was going to die because he had arranged for someone to drop it off to her. She still couldn't believe he held onto it for all these years...just for her. She owed him a greater gratitude than she could ever express.
So Adelaide decided a proper funeral was called for.
It was just her, Tony, Pepper, and Happy, but they were mostly coming to support her. Obviously they didn't know who Graves was. But if he had helped Adelaide in any way before, they all agreed he deserved a funeral. They were all on their way to the cemetery right now.
They didn't have a body, but Adelaide brought the knife he had given her and a picture of him she got off the school website from when he used to work there. She figured it would have to suffice.
Pepper held her hand the whole ride there and Adelaide was grateful. She wasn't sure if she could have done this alone.
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Endings are often seen as sad.
They bring what everyone dreads: absence. The absence of a person in your life, the absence of a feeling. Endings turn journeys into memories. And memories are bittersweet at best.
Graves might have been a terrible person most of his life, but he did the right thing in the end which made up for most of it. Without him, she wasn't sure if ever would have escaped that bunker in Siberia or HYDRA all together. Maybe she never would have met her new family. Maybe there would have been a lot more blood on her hands today.
Either way, she owed a lot to Graves.
"I'm sorry I never saw what you did to help me," she said quietly as she put his knife and picture in the casket, "You did good, Graves. I'll always owe you for saving me from what I could have been. So, thank you. For saving my life. And I'm sorry that I couldn't save yours."
She stepped back, into Tony's arms as they lowered the casket into the ground. She felt Tony hug her close from behind and rest his chin on top of her head. She inhaled the cold December air deeply.
Her eyes read the headstone.
Vadim Graves
1965 - 2016
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Peter needed advice.
Girl advice.
But he didn't really want to ask May about his girl problems which meant he wasn't left with much of a choice other than calling Ned. He had a girlfriend, didn't he? Maybe he was doing something right that Peter was missing. Even though his situation with Ada was completely different than Ned's situation with Vivian, he had really no other option than to ask Ned.
So he showed up at his best friend's house, completely unannounced. Peter stood there with his fist hovering just inches away from the front door, wondering if this was a bad idea. So he closed his eyes to reconsider.
The second he closed his eyes, he saw Ada's blue eyes smiling at him.
Peter shot open his eyes. Oh yeah. He definitely needed help. He just hoped he wasn't already a lost cause.
Taking a deep breath, Peter knocked on the door. As he waited, he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets, looking around himself. There snow covering the front lawns of houses and the sidewalks. The sky was dark gray, as if it would start snowing again any minute. The temperatures were dropping without showing any signs of stopping and the weather forecasters were predicting a white New Years.
Suddenly, Ned opened the door. He was surprised to see him there. Peter's eyes traveled down to his Christmas onesie with little elves dancing on it. He bit back a laugh.
"Don't," Ned mumbled, "My mom made me wear it."
"Wasn't going to say anything," Peter shrugged, letting himself inside. Ned closed the door behind him.
"If you must know, it's very comfortable," he said. Peter hid a grin.
"Oh I'm sure," he said. Ned crossed his arms over his chest defensively.
"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but...what are you doing here?"
Peter stared at the ground uncomfortably. He knew why he was here, but it suddenly felt impossible to put the feelings into words. He had barely been able to admit them to himself.
"You okay?" Ned asked, noticing his expression. Peter pressed his lips into a thin line, looking up to meet his best friend's eyes. He let out a sigh.
"It's...It's Ada," he said quietly.
"What? What happened to her? Is she okay? Is she hurt?" Ned rambled, suddenly very worried. Peter shook his head.
"No, no, it's nothing like that," he said.
"Then what?"
Peter hesitated, looking around unsurely. Ned noticed, realizing he probably wanted to talk somewhere in private and not in the foyer.
"Let's go to my room," he said and Peter nodded gratefully. He followed his friend up the stairs and into his room. Ned closed the door behind himself. Peter sat down in the chair by his desk, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. Ned sat down on the edge of the bed across from him, starting to get slightly worried. He could hear soft Christmas music coming from the downstairs kitchen.
"You have to tell me something, man. You're just scaring me at this point," Ned said. Peter groaned, covering his face with his hands.
"It's awful, dude," he groaned, "I have the worst timing."
"For what?" Ned pressed. Peter lifted his head up. His brown eyes looked sad.
"I'm in love with Ada," he finally said, "And...I'm afraid she doesn't feel the same way."
Ned couldn't say anything for a while so Peter continued rambling to fill the silence.
"What if I tell her and she doesn't say it back? What if she never feels like that for me? I-I just...god, I just feel like the biggest loser in the world. Sh-She keeps telling me she needs space, but then I went and fell in love with her like an idiot. I just know it, Ned. She doesn't feel the same way."
"Woah, woah, hold on," Ned said, shaking his head, "First of all, are you sure you're in love? Are you sure you didn't just get scared you were going to lose her?"
"No, Ned. This...This is love, I just know it. No matter what I do, I can't stop thinking about her. I talked to her just last night, but I feel like it's been days since I saw her last. When she's not there, I-I miss her a-and when she's around, I just...I can't think straight, man. She...she does something to me I just can't explain. My head gets all fuzzy when I'm around her and I physically can't stop smiling. She's...perfect, Ned. She absolutely perfect."
Ned smiled softly at his best friend. That sure as hell sounded like love if he could ever tell. It was Peter and Adelaide. Ned was sure that they had been in love since the moment they first saw each other. There was just something about them. Everyone could see it. Even if they just sat beside each other, everyone in the room could see that they were...a pair.
They were Peter and Adelaide. They belonged together.
"I'm really happy for you, Peter," Ned smiled, "I'm happy you both found each other."
"Yeah, well, don't get happy for me yet," Peter mumbled, staring at the carpet.
"Look— things are different now," Ned said, making Peter look up at him questioningly.
"How so?"
"Well, for one, Adelaide's different now. Can't you just see it on her face? She looks...happier," Ned said. Peter wasn't sure if he was right about that. He had been so busy feeling his emotions, he hadn'y noticed that Ada had changed. "I think she finally feels safe. If you two ever had a shot, it's right now."
"So what do I do?" Peter asked, "Do I just tell her that I love her? What if it completely freaks her out?"
"Just ask her where you both stand now," Ned said, "If there's anything I learned from Vivian, it's that it's always better to just ask girls how they feel instead of assuming."
Peter thought back to last night when he had asked her what they were. That conversation was still unfinished. Maybe all he needed to do was to let her finish it.
"What if she sees right through me?" he asked.
"Then tell her the truth, man," Ned said, "It's better that she knows than you spending the rest of your life wondering what if you had told her."
Peter let out a breath through his mouth.
"You're right. You're right, Ned. I just have to ask her where we stand. It'll be like ripping a bandaid off," he said.
"Like ripping a bandaid off," Ned agreed.
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Pepper was going to be coming home late so she suggested that Adelaide and Tony have dinner without her.
Without Pepper around, the two of them together barely had enough brain cells to make coffee so they ordered Chinese instead and called it dinner. The doctor had said no fast food for Adelaide but Tony promised to clear the evidence before Pepper came home and they both had settled on an alibi.
For a while, they silently watched the Christmas tree (it was seriously huge— the top of it brushed the ceiling and the penthouse had relatively high ceilings) sparkle as they ate. Then, it was time for fortune cookies. She went first.
"You will have a life changing experience," Adelaide read aloud. Tony half-grinned at her.
"I thought we already had one when you almost died for the second time this year. You're not planning on dying on me again, are you?" the billionaire asked. Adelaide smiled.
"I'll check my calendar and get back to you," she said. He gave her a pointed look. He was all for a little humor, but he hadn't exactly given the green-light on dying jokes. "Okay, okay, it's your turn." She swallowed the last of her Coke and leaned forward on the kitchen island in anticipation as Tony opened his fortune cookie.
"A good time to finish up old tasks," Tony mumbled. He frowned. "How did they know I haven't done any laundry in a week?"
"Well– and I know I sound crazy when I say this, but maybe it's talking about something else you're forgetting," she grinned suggestively.
"Nope. Doesn't ring a bell," he said, crumbling up the fortune in his hand.
"Tony," she said. He gave her a look.
"Adie," he retorted in the same tone mockingly.
"You have to propose to Pepper," she said and Tony sighed, dropping his head.
"Afraid you were gonna say that," he mumbled. He unraveled the fortune in his hand, staring at it for a second. Then he leaned back in his high chair, closing his arms over his chest. "It's complicated."
"Everything's complicated," she argued.
"It's just not the right time with everything going on...with you...and Christmas...it's just too much."
"Seriously?" she said, "Christmas? That's your argument? If that's what using your Stark genes look like then I'm seriously concerned about my future." Tony said nothing and she sighed. "What's wrong?"
"What if she says no?" he finally said, "I can barely take care of a 15-year-old, how will I take care of her?"
Adelaide smiled, "You realize that Pepper takes care of you— of us. She's really the man of the house."
"Oh, you know I do love it when you rub salt in my wound," he mumbled sarcastically, taking a swing of his beer.
"You and Pepper have always belonged together, Tony. And you don't need to take care of her or me. We all take care of each other."
"You're right," he mumbled, staring at the countertop, "I hate it when you're right. When did you get so mature?"
Adelaide grinned, "Thought you'd be used to it after all this time."
"So how do I do it? How do I propose since Malibu is obviously out of the question at this point?" he sighed.
Adelaide was just about to answer him when she heard her phone ringing from the other room.
"Hold that thought," she smiled, holding up a finger before rushing to find her phone before it stopped ringing. She found it wedged between two sofa cushions.
To her surprise, it was Flash calling.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Hey, what's up, Adelaide? Heard you were in the hospital for a few days. Does that mean I can finally get your locker?"
"Sorry, I'm still kicking," she mumbled, "What did you call me for?"
"I'm having a New Years party at my house this year. Congratulations, you're invited. And, yes, you can bring those two other dorks with you if you absolutely have to. I'm sure they'll need a babysitter."
"Always so thoughtful," she said sarcastically.
"I try my best. So is that a yes? I have a pool," he said.
"Oh, gee, how am I supposed to say no now," she mumbled. She could practically see Flash rolling his eyes.
"Look, I'm guessing a pool party is your best offer for New Years Eve. Besides, MJ is making me invite the whole team and that means I gotta invite those two dorks which is not happening and they'll only come if you do."
Adelaide glanced over her shoulder at Tony who was holding the ring in his hand with a depressed look on his face as he took a swing of his beer. If New Year's Eve would be anything like tonight, Flash was right. A pool party in the middle of winter was her best bet. Besides, after staring at the dull hospital walls for so long, Adelaide desperately needed a sense of normalcy.
"And if I don't?" she asked, hoping to get something out of this if she pressured him enough. She was never one to let up an opportunity to hold something over Flash for leverage.
"MJ will have my head on a platter."
"That does sound more exciting..."
"I'll owe you one," he finally said, "There. Happy?"
"Very. I won't let you forget it, Eugene," she said. Flash sighed heavily.
"I know you won't," he mumbled, "Party starts at ten."
Little did Adelaide know that this would be the party that changed her life, just like the cookie said.
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A/N: it's going to be THE party you guys ahahakadj
now that the loose ends are all wrapped up, we're finally sinking into the real essence of this story which, like i said previously, is all about padie. their relationship has really been through hell, but there's got to be an end to all that misery...right? ;)
so school's starting up for me in a few weeks but everything is finally going to be back to in person stuff which means i'm finally going to get to live on campus in a dorm and get the ✨true✨ college experience. i feel like if you've had at least one mental breakdown each semester, then you've had the true college experience but i'll keep you guys updated if i discover anything new
i've also been super into the that girl trend lately and been working out + eating healthy + getting my steps + getting 7 hours of sleep daily so i'm actually feeling good about the upcoming semester but i say that at the end of every summer and instantly regret it so 👀
at least we'll have proper breaks throughout the semester this time
anyway, hope this chapter was sweetish enough for you and see you next week with a mildly angsty chapter that will be the final chapter before everything ✨changes✨
question: what do you guess is going to happen at this party?
see you next wednesday!! 💛