A/N: Warning that isn't a real warning: this is a fairly long chapter, almost double the usual length. I didn't feel like shortening it at all. The idea for this totally came from feeling cooped up in my house, but I'm not sure if I really want to write a chapter heavily inspired by quarantine or not yet, so, it only partially is, in the beginning.
I'm gonna say this now just to clear it out of the way, I honestly couldn't love fanfiction any more because it means that I can write anything, any way I want. For example: everything's fine after CA:CW. No one can stop me!
Warnings: umm, I'm blanking? Little angst. There are some allusions to things. Up to you whether they're interpreted as dirtier as they could be. Oh, and minor Stucky shipping, if that needs to be a warning to anyone.
"Who else wants to ditch this place and go somewhere with me?" You said loudly and abruptly, breaking the silence and bolting up to a sitting position from where you were lying bored on the couch.
"I'm game." Natasha sat up too. The two of you were laying lengthwise on opposite sides of the couch and you gave her a high five.
"Anyone else?" You looked around the room, meeting the eyes of the attention grabbed, but otherwise silent, Avengers.
"Where're we going?" Sam yawned, glancing over at you amusedly.
"I dunno. I was thinking road trip?" You shrugged. "Something to get out of this godforsaken base." You swung your legs over the couch. "Hey! We can go camping! Let's go camping!"
"Y/N," Steve sighed, looking up from where he was reading his book. "We're on lockdown."
"Only because of a tiny, barely even noticeable, glitch in the system!" You rolled your eyes. "You know it's probably nothing Cap,"
"Probably means there's still a probability." He frowned and you groaned.
"I wanna go," Peter cheerfully exclaimed, and the group turned their heads to face the boy as he dropped down from the ceiling.
"Sorry Spider-Boy, but you didn't get your permission slip signed by your legal guardian." You stood up and patted his cheek, ignoring his frown as you walked by to stand in front of everyone as you spoke.
"Come on, no one is leaving until Tony tells us it's okay." Steve sighed, knowing well enough that you are a stubborn teenager who normally didn't stop until you got what you wanted or crashed and burned in the attempt.
You just ignored him. "Sam, you said something? You in?"
"If you can pull this off Pipsqueak, count me in."
"Buck?" You turned to the man, who glanced over at Steve before answering.
"I mean, we all could use a break," He prompted hesitantly, shifting to sit up completely.
"Bucky!" Steve said, shocked.
"I'm just saying!" Bucky out his hands up in defense. "We've all been on missions like crazy lately, and being locked in here with nowhere to go is far from a vacation no matter how much it might seem like it, and camping sounds real nice right about now."
"Ha!" You folded your arms. "It's four against two, majority vote." You narrowed your eyes at Steve and he sighed softly, closing his.
"I said I want to go though!" Peter protested, hopping over closer to you. "Camping's fun!"
"Yeah, I know that, that's why I thought of it." You huffed. "But who knows what'll happen if Mr. Stark finds you missing? He'll probably flip the city searching for you. We don't want him worrying, so it's best if you just stay right here." You smiled sarcastically.
"And he won't worry if you go missing? The rest of the team?" Peter questioned, a bit of annoyance in his tone.
"You see, I'll be with the rest of the team, I'll be safe even though I could hold my own."
"Right. Safety in numbers. So let me go with you!"
"Hm," you scrunched up your nose like you were thinking about it. "No." Peter's face dropped. "Heimdall only knows what would happen if you get one teensy little mosquito bite on that flawless skin of yours and Tony notices, so how about you find something to do? You're smart, go mess with some of Tony's tech." You saw Peter glare at you out of the corner of your eye for a brief second before his eyes lit up, barely noticeably, and he turned around and plopped in the corner of the couch, turning on a StarkPad that was next to him.
"You could've been a little nicer to the kid," Steve started and you rolled your eyes as you turned towards him. "We all know you don't get along, but considering we're not going anywhere, that wasn't necessary."
"Steve," you groaned, pretending to force yourself to walk to him, and leaning over his chair, dropping your head right next to his behind him. "Stevie, Captain America, Cap, the Star-Spangled Man With A—"
"All right, just get to your point Y/N," Steve said flatly, ignoring the chuckles coming from Natasha, Sam and Bucky.
"My point is, if Tony's going obsess over one little blip in the screen that could potentially look irregular but is really just a normal glitch because he has the cameras on all the time," you took a breath because you'd just spit that all out in one. "Let him obsess, but we don't deserve to suffer in wait."
"What can you do if we go out camping that you can't do here?" Steve asked.
"Be surrounded by nature," Natasha shrugged.
"Get clean air," Sam added.
"See the stars," Bucky continued, and you saw Steve's face soften, a face you don't see too often but when you do it's golden.
"It'll be fun man, come on! You can bring your book, although any one of us could tell you about Dracula, it's a classic." You took his bookmark and slotted it between the pages. "I'll bring Wanda's guitar and we can sing around the campfire, make s'mores, and fish and go swimming! Just call it a group retreat if it helps you sleep better."
"Even if I said yes," you started to smile triumphantly. "How would we leave without Tony knowing? He wants us to stay here in case somethings wrong."
"Uh—" You started, but were cut of by Peter.
"I just looped the cameras here, in the bedroom halls, and the first floor to show footage from ten minutes ago when we were doing nothing so anything we do won't be seen by Mr. Stark if he checks. I muted F.R.I.D.A.Y. too, so she didn't hear anything except Cap standing his ground and she won't hear any of this either. So, I think we should go now before it gets dark and there's more of a chance for him to look over and see sunlight on the cameras when it's nighttime." Peter grinned, dropping the StarkPad and reveling in the rooms awed faces.
"Way to go, Baby Spider!" Sam whooped, clapping his hands and standing up. "You heard the kid, let's get going people!"
"Seriously?" You groaned, but then sighed, forcing yourself to meet Peter's eyes, where, under your gaze, his smile faltered a little and his expression changed to look like he was looking for something.
"I just want to go with you guys," Peter said softly, eyes on you as he spoke.
"Whatever." You shook your head, taking a deep breath. "Thanks Web-Head." You mumbled, paying no attention to the grin on Peter's face and turning to everyone else, the people still sitting now standing up. "Only pack the necessities: clothes, including a bathing suit, sleeping bags and a tent or two if we have them. I got the food and stuff handled. We need to move quickly, so no distractions." You cleared your throat, the people that last comment was directed to knowing who they were, and everyone dispersed to gather the things they needed. "Oh! And don't bring any electronics! Keep our phones, in case something happens, but I don't want to see anyone on them for longer than five minutes, got it?"
Peter literally bounced off the walls as he headed in the direction of the room he has at the compound for the times he stays over, using them to avoid the foot traffic and Natasha gracefully following behind him and Bucky, Sam and Steve behind her.
The majority of them came back less than ten minutes later, just as you were finishing stuffing bottles of water into a bag filled with food and anything else you could think of to grab with a backpack or duffel bag with them. Nat entering the room and going straight to the elevator effortlessly carrying a bag of her own and a tent over her shoulder.
"I gotta go get some clothes real quick, but I'll meet you guys in the garage, okay?" You called to them as you stuffed the bag you filled with food into Steve's arms, flashing him a grin before bounding down the hall to quickly grab two outfits and a bathing suit to wear. "I call shotgun!"
Stepping out of the elevator, you frowned to see the van waiting in front of you and Steve sitting in the passengers seat. "Sorry Y/N, but if Natasha is driving, I think I need to be here if she gets too reckless." The redhead smirked, rolling her neck and shaking her head, chucking lightly to herself.
"Fine." You groaned, opening the side door and glancing at the seats. "Good. We're avoiding as much annoyance as we can." You grinned as you saw Sam and Peter in the back seat, Bucky laughing lightly as you climbed into the one next to him, closing the door behind you and dropping your bag to the floor.
"You thought I was going to sit next to the Bird Man?" Bucky joked. "You're much better company."
"Oh, shut up, you big teddy bear," Sam kneed the back of the seats.
"Play nice you two," Natasha warned, glancing back as she pulled out of the garage and sped up as she started to drive away from the compound. "There's a chance we might get brought back before we can make it a night, so let's just enjoy as much as we can when we have it."
"As much as I hate to say that's a possibility, I 100% agree." You said as you leaned forward in between the two front seats and turned your face towards the driver. "So, floor it Nat, we're wasting daylight."
"Will do," She grinned, speeding up to borderline speed limit as she turned onto the highway, and you sat back and buckled up, winking and smirking at Steve's disappointed eyes in the rear view mirror.
—————
"You literally convinced us to do this and you're sitting up there and not down here in the water!" Sam called up to you and Nat, who were sitting on the small cliff that overlooked the lake.
"A little too much testosterone for my liking," Natasha shrugged and you smiled. The two of you were talking for the first time in complete privacy, and it was nice.
"Aw, seriously?" Sam groaned, splashing water in your direction as if it was going to reach the two of you. "I'm under attack and need backup!" He shouted right before Peter slammed a donut floaty down over his head, laughing as he trapped Sam's arms and then backing away before he could counter. "The worlds two gayest grandpas don't even care about me."
"You sure got that right!" Sam frowned at Bucky's comment, glaring at the man as he smirked back and wriggled out of the donut before tossing it at Steve and Bucky, who were resting against a giant boulder in the water a couple feet behind him.
"He does have a good argument about why you aren't down there," Natasha nudged you with her shoulder.
"Come on Y/N! The water's perfect!" Peter called up to you, and you raised an eyebrow before he laughed and started to swim away. Sam started to chase him.
"I'm good," you said, shifting back to lean on your arms. You were thinking about diving down...
"You seriously aren't going to let whatever hatred you think you have for Peter stop you from having fun, are you?" You turned your head to face Nat. "Because we both know you want to get down there and help me beat up Wilson,"
"I just didn't want him here," you mumbled, looking out into the horizon.
"He's a good kid once you give him a chance, you know," Natasha stood up and fixed her bathing suit before offering her hand to you. You knew better than to deny something being offered to you from the Black Widow, so you rolled your eyes as you clasped your hand around hers and stood up.
"I know he's not terrible," You glanced back down at the water. It was pretty hot out even as the sun was starting to set, and the water looked really pretty and you knew it would feel really good to be in.
"Good. Now let's go kick Sam's ass." She grinned devilishly as she let go of your hand, shouting a short warning before flipping off the cliff and diving into the water below. After she surfaced, you grinned and dived after her, ignoring the part of your brain that said that you and Peter were on the same side.
—————
"All right, who just did that?" You asked, turning around slowly with narrow eyes to face Peter, Natasha and Sam who were sitting on your left, and wiping off the warm marshmallow and graham cracker that hit your shoulder. The three of them just stayed silent, holding in laughter.
"Oh, you're going to be sticky forever," Bucky laughed and you whipped your head around to face him.
"And if I'm gonna be sticky, so are you." You grinned, taking off the top of your s'more, and because he was sitting night next to you he didn't have enough time to dodge the marshmallow and chocolate you smooshed into his arm. "Have fun getting that out," you laughed as Bucky frowned playfully, and although Steve tried to stop it before it happened because of his sketch pad being open, once Bucky reached into the bag and threw the uncooked marshmallow at you, and you took the same one and pelted it at Sam, he had no control over the food fight that ensued, his only choice to put his materials away and join.
Graham cracker crumbs were in everyone's hair, chocolate smeared in some places and on some people, and corn starch powdered their clothes white.
"I'm out of ammo!" You exclaimed, not seeing any more marshmallows on the ground, any left in the bag had been thrown.
"Heads up!" You heard Peter say, and you turned around just in time to see a handful of tiny white floof balls aimed at your head coming at you from Steve. You weren't able to dodge them in time, instead laughing at Peter as he dramatically jumped in front of you, playfully groaning when he got hit, and dropping to the ground. "Here, take mine," he opened his hands and the dirtied from the dirt marshmallows fell out and he tried to stop himself from laughing. "Avenge my death, Y/N,"
The fight had come to a standstill, everyone was laughing, and your hand flew to your mouth to try and control your own laughter. It was a nice moment. You were enjoying it, that was, until you were enjoying it too much.
Your smile dropped and you backed away, not liking the smile on Peter's face, or more accurately, you liked it too much, and that was not okay. Anger replaced your happy mood and without saying a word, you walked away, back down towards the water in the dark.
You sat down on the rocks close to shore and ran your fingers through your hair to shake out the crumbs as you looked out at the water, and then up at the moon. You took a deep breath, trying to figure out why the hell you were feeling.
"What is it about me that makes you hate me so much?" You turned your head at the sound of Peter's voice, seeing him walk down the hill and stop at a tree a couple feet behind you and lean against it, his arms down by his side but his tone defensive.
You stood up and crossed your arms, biting the inside of your cheek before answering. "I don't hate you, hate you." You stared at him. "Why did you follow me?"
"You obviously left because of me." He stepped forward, glancing at you before his gaze settled on your face. "And if you don't hate me, then why do you always have it out for me? You've never liked me, and-and you always try to exclude me from things. Like today."
"I really wasn't planning to be subjected to explaining myself today." You stated flatly.
"Well, this is a rare occasion, I don't think I've ever been alone with you, and I want to get answers." You paused. "I just want to know: what's wrong with me?"
"Nothing's wrong with you, Peter!" You groaned, mad at yourself for openly admitting this to him, sitting back down on the flat rock and holding your head in your hands before dragging them down your face. "It's never been you, it's the fact that you're here."
"What do you mean?" You heard Peter ask, and after a minute, his footsteps on the wet sand and gravel and then his body next to yours on the rock.
"There was just so much change going on, and you were the last straw. I-I couldn't handle it anymore." You shook your head. "Tony and Pepper, I was scared for them, then I was scared for everyone because I was left here alone while they went and saved the world from an evil manic killbot and almost died in the process and look at that! Now we have two new team members but we lost two and times are changing!" You threw your arms up into the air and dropped them back down into your lap. "And then I thought my family was breaking up, because of the stupid Accords, and I refused to pick a side and I sat, and I watched, as they argued. And when they decided to literally fight, because I didn't. I was replaced with you." You turned your head to see Peter staring at you with wide eyes.
"Y/N, I-I didn't mean to—"
"I tried to convince myself that Tony just wanted the help, but then he brought you back to the tower and introduced you to me and he personally made sure you got home, and I don't know if you know Parker, but that's a huge deal in Tony Stark's book, I don't even think you realize how much he cares for you." You shook your head. "There were just too many new people, life was too different than from what I'm used to. Sure, I was ecstatic that Steve and Tony made up, and that everyone was back together, but when you were a permanent addition, I just... I just..." you trailed off, wetting your lips because they suddenly seemed dry and sighing.
"I didn't know that," Peter whispered. "At least now I know why you would always shoot my down every time I tried to ask you out without giving me a chance," He laughed sheepishly and your head twisted quickly to face him, your turn to be confused.
"You tried to what now?" You asked, leaning back to try and get a better look at the boy next to you in the dark.
"Oh." Anyone could tell, even in the dark, that Peter was slowly going through the shades of red. "I-I thought you knew I liked you. I mean, everyone does, and- and it took a lot of begging to get them not to tell you at first, but after the first couple times I tried I couldn't care if you figured it out or not. I just thought you would've figured it out by now. I'm not very subtle." He started to back up too, not sure how he would react or how you would.
A smile slowly formed on your face, and not the good kind. You didn't care in the moment if it was a freaky moment for Peter, but you were angry, and this time, at yourself.
"I knew I was asking to get my ear chewed off and grounded when we got back to the base, but there was no way I could've predicted hearing this today," you let out a soft laugh and saw out of the corner of your eye Peter visibly relax before you turned your head again to meet his eyes, and for the first time, they weren't filled with irritation. "Why keep trying if you knew I wasn't ever going to say yes?"
"Well, I figured I might get there one day," Peter smiled for a second before worry filled his eyes. "Unless this just made you hate me even more and I ruined things even more. If-if so, please tell me right now and I'll stop—"
"Stop." Peter inhaled sharply and you groaned. "No, not like that, I just meant stop talking. Jeez, you really are a Web-Head."
"What?"
"There might have been another reason why I never liked you."
"Are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess?" Peter asked hesitantly, not quite sure how else to answer.
"How about you find out?"
—————
No one ever wakes up before Natasha, except on the nights where no one can sleep, so it wasn't too much of a surprise when you woke up and saw her sitting at the base of a tree a foot or so away from where everyone else was still asleep.
"Good morning Y/N," she said the second she noticed you, a large smirk playing across her features and you smiled confusedly, yawning and stretching before getting up and joining her.
"Morning Nat," you sat down next to her. "What's that face for?"
"What face?" She chuckled, standing up and sitting down on the log in front of the fire pit, taking a match and feeding the dwindled flames, to start cooking some kind of food you assumed, as well as a heat source because you quickly clamored over when a cool wind blew by and you shivered. "Wakey, wakey everyone!" She raised her voice, kicking Sam in the foot and her eyes on the tent where Steve and Bucky spent the night. "It's time to celebrate!"
"Celebrate what?" You asked her, glancing over at Sam who groaned and covered his eyes from the sunlight but ultimately sat up. When he saw you, his faced mirrored Natashas and that was the moment you realized what they were smirking for and rolled your eyes.
"For a vet and master assassin, you two are really immature," You chuckled, grabbing your sleeping bag and climbing back in so you were in sitting up worm position.
Soon, everyone was awake and sitting calmly around the fire, warming up and having a nice chat as you and Natasha was finishing up cooking some steak you'd stolen from the fridge back at the compound and cut into strips to make it easier to cook over an open fire.
"I wonder how Tony's gonna react," Steve hummed casually, the group turning their heads to him.
"That's one big mosquito bite, Peter," Bucky finished for him. The majority of the group laughed as Peter froze, blushing deeply and not physically moving until you nudged him reassuringly, bringing him back to the current moment and embarrassingly smiling.
Suddenly, there was a strong wind and the forest around you rustled and the six of you heard the familiar sound of a certain man in a suit of armor approaching, searching the sky, it didn't take long to see Iron Man come into view, and he powered down his repulsors and landed right in front so everyone could see him. Tony flipped his helmet up so everyone could see his annoyed face.
"I truly hate to break up the slumber party that I'm a little mad I wasn't invited too, but I just wanted to inform you that I'm okay!" He started. "Totally didn't need help from two super soldiers or a deadly spy or two super powered children because I had it completely under control!"
"I see you had a good night," You smiled, bringing Tony's attention to you and he pointed his finger in your direction.
"Ah, ah, ah! I know this was all you! Stealing the whole team? What if I really was in trouble?"
"Then you would've called us," Natasha stated cooly, glancing up after she'd taken the last of the meat off the flames.
"Yeah, you're lucky Wanda and Vision got back from perimeter sweep before things had a chance to get out of hand. Not that I needed their help or anything. They're a little bummed they weren't invited either, by the way."
"What happened?" And just like that, Steve was concerned.
"No. You guys missed all the fun stuff, you don't get to know," Tony snorted. "That's my food, you know that?" Tony stepped out of his suit and walked over. "You better have saved me some."
"Hey W, Vis," you acknowledged the arrival of the two other members of the team as they flew in. "Want some steak?"
"My steak." Tony corrected, reaching for a slice but Natasha grabbed the plate and held it out of his reach.
"That's celebration steak," Wanda laughed, walking over and taking a slice before plopping down next to you, grinning.
"Celebrat— celebrating what?" Tony asked, almost completely done with the events he missed until his eyes landed on Peter, and the boy gave him a small nervous wave. Tony paused for a moment, doing a double take over the group and running his hands over his face before smiling, shaking his head. "Looks like Legolas owes me twenty bucks."