NEED
WHEN THE last agent was taken down, my dad races to me, giving me the biggest hug. I sigh relievingly into the gesture. I'm home. He is my home. My father.
"Bucharest? Really? Out of all places, 'hey, I have no memory, I'm going to go to Bucharest'."
"Tony, take it easy on her." I give Uncle Steve a smile of appreciation.
"So, you remember everything now, right? I don't want you to karate me to death, wouldn't be good on the résumé." Sammy knocks on my head.
"If you keep saying things like that, I will. And I will be fully conscious," I threaten in a joking matter.
"That's my girl," my dad praises. Sam looks at us in panic and bewilderment.
"They're not serious, right? You guys aren't serious?" Sam tries to get reassurance. None comes, and me and my dad just shrug. Just shrug.
"Sometimes I doubt your Bucks' kid, then you talk like that and I am reassured." Stevie jokes.
"But, you keep us around." I remind the veteran.
"Yeah, and I have no idea why he does. I mean, have you met you guys?"
"I'm going to punch you," Bucky warns as he chases Sam back to the quinjet.
"You scared us, you know? You matter to us all. You are part of this team now."
"I'm sorry, Nat. I just wasn't in the right mind. You wouldn't be too, right? Having no memory or recollection of who you are nor the people around you."
"You're right. We'll have to talk to someone about getting you to therapy or something," Nat finalizes before walking off.
I cower at the thought. No thanks. We make it to the ship and load on. I yawn, but force myself to stay up. I don't know why I am tired. I woke up only two hours ago.
I will myself to stay up. I got this. "So, why exactly were you in Bucharest?" Vision questions.
"Uhm, well, funny reason! I wanted to."
"'You wanted to'?" Wanda is shocked to hear that the only reason I went to Bucharest is because I wanted to.
"It was more than want. I don't know, I just needed to go." I make the need I had known.
"Do you know why? Maybe we can help," Thor sounded confusedly.
"I don't know why, sorry."
"It doesn't matter, what matters is that you're back and safe." My father puts a hand on my head. I lean into the fatherly touch.
"That's right. I'll run some tests when we get back to the compound," Bruce announces from his spot from the driver's seat.
My Papa sits beside me and hugs me close. "I was terrified, you know? Embarrassingly terrified."
"The Winter Soldier, terrified? I highly doubt that."
"I'm not him anymore. I don't want to be. I'm White Wolf now."
"I don't want to be ShadowHunter anymore. But, I don't think I'm changing any time soon." I glumly speak.
"You can. ShadowHunter doesn't make up who you are. Sure, you know how to kill someone in under a second or could take on a fleet of people. But, that's not you."
I only nod and lean against him. The tears well up in my eyes, but I quickly sheath them. I have not cried in many years. No need to start now, especially over something as silly as this.
My dad notices though, of course he notices. He always does.
"Want to talk about it?"
I shake my head, "not here."
After only three hours, which is way faster than what I took to travel to Bucharest, we arrive back at the compound.
"Do you want to sleep off jet lag or go ahead and do the tests? They shouldn't take long."
"Tests," I pause, "what will the tests be?" My mind is forced to think of my life during HYRDA.
"Nothing bad," Bucky promises, giving Bruce stern eyes.
"Maybe you should stay with us Buck, they'll be over soon." Steve convinces.
Bucky turns to me, "you'll be ok?"
"Just fine." I smile reassuringly.
Bruce and I go to his lab, it being on the top floor with the other extra rooms.
"Just sit down on that table," he points to a metal table in the lab. "Let me get my stuff from the cabinet."
A few moments later he is beside me with a...camera? Something of the sort. I decide to question it.
"What is that?"
"It is just a tool that takes a picture of your head, your brain. I'll also hook you up to a monitor, to well monitor your brain activity."
"Will it hurt?" I quietly ask.
"It shouldn't," his bad comforting skills is more off the charts than his science.
"That's really comforting." When I get scared, I get sarcastic. I wouldn't say I'm scared, but I wouldn't say I'm the most relaxed person right now. But, when am I ever truly relaxed?
His pictures he takes don't hurt at all, the needle he sticks in me to test my brain activity didn't either. You could say I'm used to it.
"I won't get the results in like a day or so, your mind being so complexed and brainwashed."
"I have a question. How did you guys find me so fast? I was in Romania and you happen to get there and save me, well I wouldn't say save. I had it handled, but anyways it's Romania! How'd you guys do it?"
"We just used our scanners. Tony's high tech helped plenty. Also, we just guessed. You are much like your father so you were either going to a HYDRA base in London, or you were going to Bucharest. We got lucky."
In that second a very worried Peter walks in, "oh my god, I was so scared. I was worried I did something, or said something. Then, your dad-. It was just all sorts of emotions, and please never do that again." He rants and ends with a hug.
I accept the hug replying, "I'll try not."
"No! I need a solid answer, you gave us all heart attacks."
"Peter. You're such a mom," I joke.
"Harhar, Mr. Banner is she okay to go?"
"Sure, sure. Just, Vera, don't do anything strenuous to the mind."
"So no Sudokus?!" I laugh at my own joke.
"Very funny, now get out of my lab." He shoos the two teenagers out of the room.
"Anyways, about meeting Seb we wer-"
I interrupt him, "Seb?"
"Sebastian," he clarifies. "Remember the creepy friend who wanted to meet you? Him. As I was saying, we were thinking that tomorrow you can come meet up at a small cafe in Queens."
"Well, my schedule is always free. I'll just have to convince my dad to let me go travel to Queens by myself. It's not that bad of a trip? I can just take a train or get a quinjet."
"No problem. I already asked Mr. Barnes, he said you could go as long as we watch you carefully."
"Good."
"Okay, so what do you want to do right now?"
I think hard. "I have no clue, what do teenagers do for fun?"
He barks a laugh, "play on their phones. But, we are not normal teenagers. I have an idea! We can just go to the nearest city and swing from buildings!"
"What?! Absolutely not! No way I'm going to die because Spider-Man wanted to go have some fun! That sounds wrong."
"I promise I will keep you safe. Just trust me, alright?"
"I've only known you for like four days!"
"And? I'm a very trustworthy person," he insists.
"You're not wrong. Fine. But, we can't tell any of the Avengers. They would be pissed, so let's go before they come to check on us."
I grab his hand and drag him to the garage. "You know how to drive one of these things?"
I look at the motorcycle. "Shouldn't be that hard," I shrug.
"And you say I'm going to be the one to kill you!"
"Don't be such a baby. I have rode one with Uncle Steve twice, and I vaguely remember around sixty years ago my dad driving them on his missions."
"I'm going to die."
"Oh shut up, and put your helmet on." I hand him a black helmet, before sliding one on my head as well.
I walk the motorcycle to the garage door and get on. "Hurry up and get on. As soon as I open that door, a signal will inform the team of it opening. They'll find out it's us, but we'll be gone before they can get us."
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He slides on to the back of the death machine, his arms carefully wrapping around me.
"Hey, you're the one who wanted to go swinging from buildings! Now, hold on."
I open the door and speed out of the garage. It was a bit difficult to drive the motorcycle at first, but I got the hang of it quickly. I'm a fast learner.
"This is illegal, you know that right?" He shouts against the wind.
"Live it up. The most fun things are always the most illegal."
"You're not talking about murder, are you?"
I laugh loudly at his kind of joking, kind of serious statement. I rev the engine and go even faster, not answering his question purposely.
We make it to the city in no time. I park the bike at an abandoned building's parking lot.
"What if someone steals it?"
"Peter stop worrying! Look, will this make you happy," I grab a piece of paper and a pen and write 'please don't steal this' on the paper.
"You're brilliant."
"I know, now let's go Spidey."
Peter and I then go in an alleyway. "Turn around." He says sheepishly, "I need to change into my uniform."
I make an 'o' shape with my mouth. I turn and hear a rushed change in clothing.
"Okay, now put this on. I don't want news headlines going on about this little adventure." He hands me a hoodie.
"Oh, yeah. And a hood on my head is going to help plenty." I sarcastically say. "Luckily, I thought ahead." I put on an extra Spider-Man mask.
"Where did you-"
"Nicked it from Uncle T, he has so many suits laying around."
He looks astounded. "He makes me suits? Besides this one." I aww at the father-son relationship Tones and Petey have.
"Of course! He's your father figure in life. If you don't already have a father, just assuming."
"Anyways, put that thing on. I'm going to pick you up, okay?" I take great appreciation in the fact he asked for permission and warned me.
"Thank you Spidey," I pull the mask over my face. He nods, picking me up. I instinctively wrap my legs around his waist, arms around his neck.
He sticks his arms out, spider webs shoot out of him and he flings us up in the air. I scream from the sudden velocity, scaring Pete in the process.
"You good?" Him continuing to shoot webs and swing us building to building.
"Yep, perfect. Just wasn't expecting it. Give me a second to adjust. Is that stuff coming out of you?"
"Yeah, kind of. It's cool, I made web shooters to make the webs stronger and more sturdy for use."
"You made them? You must be really smart to do that."
"Well, thank you. I made the first set, and me and Mr. Stark made this suit." He says, pride clearly evident in his voice.
We continue to swing from building to building. His eyes seem to catch someone familiar, him slowing and landing on the ground. My feet wobble from the lack of use.
"Wait here." He abruptly says, walking off to a boy around his and my age. Well, physical age.
I sigh and lean against a nearby wall, waiting for Peter to come back from visiting the guy.
Petey comes back from his little meet up. "Sorry about that, he's one of my best friends."
"It's alright, so he knows you're Spidey?"
"Yeah, you'll see him tomorrow."
He picks me back up and swings in the air. This time I'm prepared, and shout in excitement. He laughs at my giddiness. And we continue to swing across the city.
Author's Note: That was cute. That's all I gotta say. I really am trying for their friendship, and it's only that. A friendship.
- J.S.
11.13.2020
2089 words