Tony's Secret Sister

Chapter Sixteen

As soon as the door slams behind me, I collapse against it, my head hitting the hard wood before my legs collapse from beneath me. Nose tingling, I hug my knees tightly to my chest and bury my face in them, the dress I wore becoming damp from my tears. Dragging myself up from the carpet, I walk across to my bed where I pull back the sheets before climbing under them.

"Are you okay?"

A small knock comes from the doorway causing me to look up from under the covers only to find a blurry Steve stepping through the door before closing it behind him. Wiping my tears away, I sit up and pull the cover tighter around my body, raising my eyebrows at Steve who makes his way across to my bed.

"What do you think?" I mumble as Steve lowers himself onto the edge of the bed, turning his body to face mine. Glancing over to the door behind him that leads into the hall and the kitchen, I close my eyes and sigh audibly.

"Okay that was a stupid question to ask you, you're clearly not." Steve apologizes, his head dropping forwards as he shuffles uncomfortably in his place. Opening my eyes again, I smile weakly at him before reaching across and placing my hand gently on top of his.

"It wasn't stupid" I reassure him. Looking up at me, Steve smiles softly and squeezes my hand gently. "you were only being nice."

My head drops down just as my eyes begin to sting, the tears tugging at the corners of them again even as I try my hardest to hide them. Noticing this, Steve moves until he's in my eye line, his own eyes filled with concern as they bore into mine. "Talk to me Abi." he whispers quietly as the water becomes too much for my eyes, a small droplet overflowing down my cheek.

"I just...I can't stand seeing them argue Steve," I mumble, another droplet of my tears following behind the other. My nose begins to tingle and my chin trembles, a salty taste invading my mouth. "It breaks my heart." Grabbing the tissue box from my nightstand, Steve offers me one and I take it, wiping my damp cheeks as more tears overflow. "I just..." I pause my words trailing off as I sigh loudly. "I wish they'd accept one another you know."

"Have you told them how you feel?" he asks, handing me another tissue which I use to blow my nose. After placing it in the bin beside me bed, I turn to Steve with a small smile.

"Tony knows that I love him, he's my brother after all." I laugh lightly, my eyes closing against the world as I rest my head against the wall behind me before hugging my knees tightly to my body. "But Stephen," I shake my head and bite my lip, another single teardrop rolling over my lip and dripping onto my dress. "He  wouldn't understand."

Silence invaded the room, the only sound the squeezing of chair legs against the floor and a door slamming in the kitchen. My eyes remain sealed tightly as I twiddle with my thumbs, my mind tangled in a million different thoughts. Each one different and yet the same. "Do you love him Abi?" Steve whispers, my eyes slowly sliding back open to reveal how bloodshot they are.

My eyes wander across the room towards my desk where a small picture frame sits on the edge. Stephen's face smiles back at me, his arm wrapped around my small frame and Peters as we stand outside the sanctum. Without realising it, a small smile begins tugging at my lips and my tears begin to dry. "Yeah, I do."

"Why haven't you told him?"

"I..." My words stop. Taking a deep, trembling breath, I pull back the covers that lie over my frail body and pull myself out the bed. Rubbing the back of my neck nervously, I come to a halt at my window, staring out upon the large fields in front of me, my eyes landing upon Peter and Tony as they train. "I'm afraid to Steve." I admit, my eyes remaining locked upon the pair even as Steve pulls himself up from the bed, making his way over to my side and following

"Afraid of what?" he asks gently, hesitantly placing a comforting hand upon my shoulder. As my eyes remain locked upon Peter, my chest begins to ache, my breathing becoming deeper than usual.

"Everytime I start to love someone they're either torn from my life or they walk out." I begin to explain, my hand reaching towards the window as I place my fingertips against it, a small smile creeping upon my face as Peter begins laughing hard outside. "And all they leave behind is a scar, a constant reminder of what almost happened." Finally looking away from Peter, I glance down at the hem of my sleeve, pulling it backwards to reveal the bare skin on my wrist. Turning my body so that Steve can see me, I show him the scar that curves around my wrist, a constant reminder of the life I had before Hydra. Before Peter. "And the scars don't fade. They just sit there and remind you that you're not good enough. That's you failed." I whisper, letting got of my sleeve and pulling back my fringe to reveal the scar that sits above my eyebrow. This one, a constant reminder of the abuse Peter's father put me through. "I don't think I could handle it if Stephen ever hurt me like that. Or worse. I hurt him like that."

"You won't lose him Abi." Steve ensures me, grabbing my hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly. His eyes remain locked upon mine even as they grow soft, a small smile creeping onto his face. "He loves you, everyone can see it."

"Can they?" I ask him bluntly, pulling my hands away from him and stepping back towards the door that leads to my room. Reaching towards the photo that sits on the desk to the left of the door, I lift it until I can see mine and Stephen's faces closely. "Because I can't." I mumble whilst placing the photo back upon the table and turning back to Steve who's raising his eyebrows at me.

"You can but you just don't want to because you're too scared of getting hurt." he argues, walking a cross the room and reaching for the door handle, twisting it with a click. As he pulls the door open, he nods his head in gesture for me to go. "Or worse, hurting him."

Sighing, I smile softly at Steve and shake my head in disbelief. I can't believe I'm about to do this, again. "Sometimes I want to punch you I your perfect teeth." I chuckle, nudging Steve gently with my elbow as I step out into the hall, momentarily stopping to smile once again at Steve who smiles back.

"Go get him."

Smile growing wider, I bite my lip and turn to the empty kitchen, my legs carrying me toward the door that leads into the hall. Pushing it open, I take a deep breath and try to recall the number of the room Stephen was staying in for the past few days. 16. Or was it 17? Just as the door closes and my eyes land upon the hall, my heart stops, the smile on my face falling. At the end of the hall stands a figure, his dark hair falling loosely around his shoulders where a green jacket clings to his body.

"Hello my queen, it's been a while." the man whispers, walking closer to me and smiling mischievously at me. No. It's can't be. Blinking a few times, I stumble backwards and accidentally knock over a vase of flowers, the pot shattering at my feet as water seeps into the carpet beneath my feet.

"Loki?" I whisper, completely disbelieving and untrusting of my eyes. "But you're dead."