"It's nice to meet you Marianna but I'm not really looking for a relationship right now." Shang- Chi says unable to look at me. My heart drops but I smile widely.
"That's okay. I hope you have you beautiful life Shang-Chi, if you ever need help or anything just go to Stark Tower and tell a worker your name, they'll know who you are." I say turning away with a smile growing nauseous and my heart feeling like it's going to beat out of my chest any second now as I take Stephens hand to ground myself and continue our walk to get Matteo.
"Marianna-"
"I'm fine. Let's just get Matteo." I say cutting him off, not leaving much space for argument.
We make it just on time arriving at our usual spot just as Matteo starts running out of his school with a wide smile on his face. He instantly makes me feel better and a wide smile spreads on my face as I open my arms for him his little body jumping into my arms giving me a big hug.
"How was your day?" I ask as we begin walking home Matteo holding one of my hands and one of Stephens, being swung between us.
"It was good, I have a project to do for social studies, and we got to practice self defense in gym and I was definitely the best in the class." He boasts being swung again landing on the cement with a small thud.
"Are you gonna need anything, or any help for your project." Matteo shakes his head.
"We have plenty of supplies at home and I pretty much know what I'm doing, I like social studies." I smile.
"Good, I'm glad you've found something you like at school."
"If you do need help just ask us." Stephen says as we swing Matteo once more.
Once we get back to the tower and Matteo runs off to do his own thing Stephen looks at me as if waiting for an answer.
"What?" I ask popping a grape into my mouth.
"You know what."
"What? What happened?" Peter (Q) asks stealing a grape from my bowl.
"She met one of her mates and he rejected her." Stephen says bluntly.
"He didn't reject our bond, but he didn't accept it."
"He did reject her with words though." Stephen adds making me glare at him.
"Want me to handle him?" Peter asks cracking his knuckles and stretching his neck. I pat his broad shoulder with a light chuckle.
"That's alright babe, thanks though I'll let you know if anything changes." I say and he nods once giving me a quick kiss to my forehead with a mouthful of grapes.
"Anything for you." He smiles after swallowing all of the grapes making me chuckle leaning into his arms letting him hold me up.
My phone starts ringing and any of my mates in the vicinity groan knowing it's going to be something that takes me out of the tower and away from them.
"Just ignore it!" I hear Nat yell as I chuckle and pick up the phone reading Fury's name now added with a corny little heart and the middle finger emoji because I'm still mad at him.
"Can you come to shield right now? And bring a couple of the others." I hear as soon as I answer without so much as a hello.
"Hello to you too dickhead, I can go there but the others still aren't working for you."
"How long is this shit going to last?! It's not for me it's for the bettering of the world! Tell them to get their petty asses over it and here or so help me-"
"Any of you up to doing something for Fury?" I interrupt letting my magic flow through my voice so I'm heard thought the tower.
"Fuck no."
"I'd help Zemo before Fury at this point."
"Is that a joke?"
I hear a mixture of answers all amounting to no.
"Looks like I'm all you got buddy you can take me or leave me."
"Whatever Yanis get your ass here asap." We hang up and I look around to my mates who've all entered the kitchen including Matteo.
"Don't let mama go alone." Matteo says looking around at my mates and I can't help but slightly smirk biting my cheek to stop.
"God damn it." Tony says quietly.
"Fine fine, a couple of us will go with you." Scott says presumably heading to the room to change into his ant suit. Natasha, Thor, and Steve all following along.
I look to Matteo and give him a wink and he half winks half blinks back at me making me snicker to myself.
Once they're ready Stephen opens a portal to shield and we all step through.
"Nice to see you all came to your senses." Fury says. Stephen laughs deeply taking a step closer to Fury and punching him right across the face making his nose bleed. Stephen doesn't try to hit him again and Fury doesn't say or do anything besides wipe the blood away before looking up at me with sorrow in his eyes.
"I deserved that and I want you to know Yanis I'll always be sorry for what I did." He says looking at only me still wiping at his nose.
"Let's just get to why you called us here." I say feeling the pang in my heart of rejection from Shang- Chi earlier.
"Well it wasn't really me who called you guys, there's people here who want to speak with Marianna specifically but also said they were going to need help which is why I asked you to bring a couple of your rotten mates." Fury says as he begins walking a familiar path to the cells he held Zemo in not so long ago.
As we move further down the hall I begin feeling a familiar tingling feeling from four of my marks, my lower spine, my right ankle, my right ring finger and my left rib. My mates can all tell what's happening with the exception of Fury who turns to look at me confused for a moment before it clicks.
I push my way in front of Fury and quickly make
my way down the hallway until I end up in front of the cell I'm looking for.
Four figures stand on the other side of the glass waiting for me, devouring me with their eyes when I finally step in front of the glass with a big smile.
Let's hope this goes better than Shang- Chi.