"Good morning." Peter whispered into Valen's ear to wake her up.
Valen snuggled her head closer into his chest. She didn't want to get up just yet. Peter chuckled and played with her hair. They were in his bed after staying out on the fire escape way too long.
"Aunt May is cooking." Peter whispered again.
Valen shook her head no. She knew that it meant that it would probably be burnt. She was not willing to get up for burnt food.
"I know you're thinking she's gong to burn it, which is probably true. That's why I'm going to go help her."
Peter started to slither away from Valen's arms. Valen tightened her grip to try and get him to stop moving. He successfully stood up and dropped her arm. It fell onto the bed with a plop. Valen rolled over in defeat and put the blanket back up over her shoulder. Peter walked over to the door when Valen very tiredly turned her head to look at him.
"Hey." She whispered.
Peter stopped reaching for the door handle and looked at her. "Yeah?"
"I love you." She said with her eyes closed.
Peter softly smiled and went back over to Valen to kiss her forehead.
-
Steve stood in the corner with his arms crossed as Fury kept interrogating Ivan Alekseev. Ivan had been quiet the past few days, not uttering a single word to anyone. No matter what threat he was faced with, he stared coldly into Nick Fury's eye.
"You think you're so tough by not saying a word. You know where you're going if you don't corporate."
Steve took a step forward away from the corner. "Fury, maybe we should call it a day."
"Rogers, this man has information we need. We can not simply keep calling breaks just because he won't talk back." Fury turned to look back at Ivan. "We will get you to talk."
"Valen." Ivan smirked at Fury's furious face.
"What did you just say?"
Ivan didn't respond. He continued to stare at Fury knowing he knows what he has requested.
Fury sucked in a breath of air. "Go get the girl."
"I think we should think about this." Steve took another step. He knew this was going to go badly if they involved Valen.
"I said go get the girl. Now."
Steve didn't speak back. He stood for a few seconds hoping Fury would change his mind. But like a good solider, he left the room to go to the Avengers Compound.
Natasha was outside listening when Steve walked out of the room. "Are you seriously going to go get her?"
"Ivan won't talk without her."
"She almost killed him last time she saw him. Can we trust that she won't actually do it this time? I mean I would love for him to no longer be our problem, but..."
"We have to try. I'll be with her the whole time."
"Valen will freeze you like a popsicle to get what she wants."
"She won't freeze me." Steve said proudly and confidently.
Nat snickered. "She froze your hand to a chair and your feet to the ground before. The feet part was just because she didn't want to run."
"Then you'll talk to her before she goes in. Explain that we need her."
"I can do that. Now go before Fury kills him first."
Steve pulled up to the compound just as Valen had arrived back from Peters. He rolled down his window. "Valen, I need you to come with me."
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
"Ooh. Super secret mission. I'm in." Valen hopped inside the passenger seat. "What's this about?"
Steve gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "Fury needs your help."
"On?"
"Interrogating someone."
Valen jumped in her seat excitedly. "Who?"
"Just someone."
"Vague. So are you asking for my advice on how to interrogate him?"
"Sorta."
"Awesome! I have none, but thanks for asking."
Steve rolled his eyes. "You have to go in with me and Fury. Nat will be outside listening and watching. All you have to do is sit there."
"That's so boring. I want to do more."
"We'll see."
The two walked into a highly secured building. Even though Steve had already been there less than an hour ago, he had to be rechecked by security. Valen walked through a metal detector and all she could think about was Bucky. It made her laugh, making all the security look at her. She shut up immediately.
Steve led her to the elevator to get on the floor where Fury was waiting. Him and Ivan had been sitting in silence the whole time. Valen walked in where Natasha was sitting, waiting on her and Steve to come back.
Before Valen could look through the one way mirror to see Ivan, Nat grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. "Val, before you go in, I need to talk to you."
"Okay..." Valen wasn't liking all the secrecy.
"So the person inside who is waiting on you is Ivan."
Valen turned around with an ice blade in her hand, ready to kill that man. Nat and Steve both grabbed onto her to stop her.
"Val, calm down. You cannot lose your mind here. We need to get the information out of Ivan. You can't kill him. I know how much you want to, but you can't. He will get what he deserves. I promise you that."
"He will get what he deserves. BY MY HAND! I WILL END YOU!" Valen screamed pointing at Ivan even though he couldn't hear or see her.
"I knew we shouldn't have involved her." Steve spoke to himself.
Valen stood still. She turned around sweetly and innocently. "No. No. I can do this. I promise. My rampage is over. I apologize."
"Apologize?" Nat looked at Valen as if that was the most weirdest thing she has ever heard her say.
"Yes. I apologize for my actions. Will not happen again. At least not today."
Nat looked at Steve confused. He shrugged his shoulders not sure what just happened. "She apologized to me the other day also."
"That's because I am trying to be better for Peter. He deserves someone better than me, but since he chose me then I need to improve on how I act. It's a work in progress if you couldn't tell."
Nat put her hand on Valen's forehead. When she didn't feel any heat she pulled back and hugged the girl. "You're in love."
"That doesn't need to be public information." Valen shrugged Nat off.
"She's growing up." Steve pretended to wipe a tear away.
"Let's just go old man."
Steve and Nat laughed but went back to being serious. Steve led Valen into the room where she had to control her breathing to remain calm. If it wasn't for her, it was for Peter. She needed to stop acting impulsively and like a child.
Valen took a seat beside Fury. Ivan smiled with his yellow teeth. It grossed her out seeing him do that. Steve stood behind Valen, but not in the way of Nat's view.
"Here is Valen. Now talk." Fury demanded.
"Valen. Good to see you again." Ivan ignored everyone in the room, keeping his eyes solely on the girl.
"Couldn't say the same."
"Awe don't say that. You've missed me. I am happy to see that my bullet didn't kill you. Bet it left a scar, but it couldn't be compared to your other ones."
Valen balled up her fists. She took a deep breath and exhaled. She put her palms flat on her thighs. "Just tell us what you know."
"What is it exactly you're looking for? Where my research is? Where my organization is? Are there any other surviving experiments? Or how about how I know something big? Something you're not ready for." Ivan remained calm.
"What do you mean by that?" Steve asked.
Ivan ignored him. "Well? Which is it Valen?"
"What is the something big?"
Ivan seemed pleased with her choice. He smiled again and placed his chained hands on the table. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't want to spoil anyones fun."
Fury slammed his fist on the table. "Tell us what we want to know."
"Tsk tsk tsk. Your last name represents you well, Fury."
"Cut the bullshit, Ivan. I was brought here because you wanted it. Now stop with the games." Valen cut in.
"You are something now aren't you? Used to be so quiet. I wonder what it would be like to have you under my operating table again."
Valen looked up at Steve. He opened the door for her to leave. She stood up, debating on ending it right here and now, but she didn't. Not today. "Hear this, Ivan Alekseev. One day I will kill you. That is a promise."
Ivan cackled. "I can not wait."
-
Valen hid in her bathroom with the door locked. She was watching the girl ice skate on her hand again. The sculpture disappeared when someone knocked on her door.
"Valen? Are you in there?" It was Thor. She didn't know he was back.
"Open up Val." That was Loki. She did know he was here. He hasn't left the compound.
"Why?"
"We want to talk." Thor sounded concerned.
"There are two of you out there so talk to each other."
"Valen."
"Loki." Valen cut off Loki's sentence.
"Real mature." Loki rolled his eyes.
Thor covered Loki's mouth. "Valen, we just want to make sure you're okay."
Valen got off the floor and opened her door. "I'm okay. See?" She walked in between the two to sit on her bed.
"Your room is a mess." Loki looked around with a disgusted face.
"Brother, we are here for support. Stop making icicles feel worse."
"Right. We heard about your conversation with Ivan earlier today."
"You should be proud. I didn't kill him today." Valen laid back on her bed. She looked up at her ceiling as she talked.
"What do you want? A gold star for not murdering someone?"
Thor slapped Loki's arm. Loki looked at his brother and mouthed the words 'What? Okay, I'll do better.'
"I could do it for you. I do have a few knives up my sleeve."
Valen sat back up. "I think you mean cards."
Thor shook his head. "He did not."
Loki pulled out a knife. "I did not."
"But now brother, icicles, murder is never the answer."
Valen nodded her head in agreement. "Of course not. It's a question."
"The answer is yes." Loki finished.
"It terrifies me how alike you two are." Thor laughed like it was a joke, but unconvincingly. He felt like he was surrounded by crazy people
"V, we were sent in here by Wanda. We were told to come get you so she could set up a movie night." Loki spoke monotoned the whole time like it was rehearsed.
"You should've just said that from the start." Valen jumped off her bed and ran into the movie room.
Peter and Wanda were going through movies trying to find the perfect one for Valen to watch. Valen smiled at how hard they were trying to make her feel better. Without disturbing them, she ran to the kitchen to get ice cream. She opened the fridge to see that there was none left.
"Looking for this?" Bucky shook a tub of ice cream that was in his hands.
"Yes! Is there anymore?"
"Sorry, I just ate it all."
"Then I'm going to the store. I'll be right back. Don't start the movie without me."
Bucky shouted so Valen could hear. "Why would we? It's for you!"
Valen ran outside and took off for the ice cream store. It wasn't that far away, but she still wasn't allowed to drive a car. She stopped outside to take a breather before going inside. Once inside, she headed straight in the direction of where her favorite kind was.
She grabbed a tub before hearing screaming and seeing people run away from her. Valen turned around to see what was going on, but it was too late. A car came crashing in at full speed right at her.