Frostbite

Spidey Senses

"Do not draw any attention to yourself," Stephen warned me as we approached the door. I had been hoping to just slip out without him noticing, but that hope had lasted for a whole five minutes. My hand lingered on the door, and I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Seriously, I'm just going out for a bit. No one will notice me. I've been careful this whole time and everyone still thinks I'm overseas." He didn't seem convinced but waved me on without any more nagging.

I stepped through the sanctum's doors and out into the brisk New York streets. The leaves had already changed color since it was now October. It made the streets beautiful to behold and made me miss it even more.

I had every intention of sneaking into Stark Tower, not that I had actually told Stephen that. More than likely that's where I'd find Tony. I missed him so much, and I couldn't stand it anymore. Strange had given me the tour of the New York sanctum last week, and I'd come and gone since. It made me feel at ease to just be so close to home again.

I could have just opened a portal into the building itself, but I didn't want to take the chance of someone seeing me. There had been word that Tony had sold the tower, so it was probably full of workers clearing it out. The tower came into view, and I took a deep breath as I continued forward.

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It had been easier than I originally thought to get inside. Everything seemed to already be prepped for moving, so there weren't too many people to avoid. My access code still worked so I quietly made way up to the penthouse.

The elevator slid open, and I stepped into the familiar space. It had felt like ages since I had been here. I sighed, wishing I could go back in time to avoid everything that had happened.

"Holy shit."

I whipped my head around and held my breath as I gazed at my brother guiltily. My hunch had been right, and he had been here. He rushed toward me and engulfed me in a tight embrace. There was no stopping the tears as I clung to Tony, so glad to finally see him after all these months.

"Lanie, why the hell are you here? Are you insane? What if you get seen?" he rattled, pulling back to look at me.

"I was careful, and I just wanted to see you. I miss you. And Pepper and Happy. I won't be long. I just..." I trailed off.

"I get it. I'm glad you're safe. Where have you been?"

I laughed nervously, knowing we didn't have the time for me to tell him everything. So, I just said, "Nepal. I've been there this whole time."

He shook his head incredulously and whistled. "All of you have been too good at playing hide and seek with Ross. I swear every time he calls, he's even angrier than before." This filled me with a wicked delight, and I couldn't help but chuckle at his misfortune. Tony glanced at the clock and his face fell.

"I have a jet waiting for me, so I can't keep it waiting too much longer. And you need to get back before someone sees you, but there's something I want you to have."

I watched him in curiosity as he dug in his pocket and pulled out one of those cheap cell phones that can't be traced. My head cocked to the side in confusion as he handed it to me.

"Memorize the number. In case you need it. Or- want it." he instructed. I pulled out a similar phone from my pocket and added the number to my contacts, to his surprise. Chase had urged me to get it so we could actually communicate other than our planned meetups.

"Okay, is this yours?" I clarified. He shook his head and sucked at his lip. "Tony-"

"Steve sent it to me."

My mouth dropped open and I could only stare in shock. Steve had sent him an emergency number. A lifeline, because he still cared. I glanced back up at him, not knowing what to say.

"You don't have to ever use it. I just wanted you to have it just in case."

"Thank you, Tony." I smiled, unsure what I would do. Chase's words echoed in my mind.

We said our tearful goodbye, and he made me promise that I wouldn't risk it again, no matter what. I did and wandered back into the bustling streets after watching him leave hurriedly. My mind was still reeling over the fact that I finally had a way to get ahold of Steve.

I was close to the sanctum when I sensed someone behind me. But when I turned, there was no one. I could still feel the eyes on me though, I just couldn't place from where. Figuring they'd show themselves, I turned down a random alley.

No one followed me down, and I stopped, waiting. Great, I've lost it. I turned on my heel, determined to get back to the sanctum without any more hindrance. Instead, I came face to face someone hanging upside down like a spider.

"Jesus Christ!" I yelled, jumping back. It was the spiderling from Germany. I breathed out in relief and pointed a finger at him. "That's how you get seriously hurt, kid."

"I am so, so sorry Miss Stark. I didn't mean to scare you; I swear," he apologized, landing on his feet and pulling the mask off.

"How did you find me?"

"I kind of just- sensed you. And it wasn't too hard to pick you out once I actually started looking," he admitted. So, one of his spider traits.

"Did you need something or-?" I prodded, unsure what this was even about.

"Oh- yeah. I tried talking to Mr. Stark and Happy about it, but they won't listen to me..." he started prattling, explaining everything to me. Someone was dealing in alien weapons and had been stirring up trouble. Tony had been reluctant to do anything, and he didn't know what else to do.

"Look- I can't promise anything. I'll try and do some digging and see what I can find on this group. If you see Tony again, don't mention you saw me. He'll flip and be even more pissed if he finds out I agreed to help look into this. You're sure about this?" I pressed, not wanting to waste my time, but I didn't want to leave the kid hanging either.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Alright, here is my number. If you have any updates, let me know and I'll do the same. Do not give this to anyone, understand? I'm still a wanted criminal," I reminded him, putting the information in his own phone. He beamed, nodding in agreement.

"Thank you so much Miss Stark. I knew you'd help."

I sighed but couldn't help but smile in admiration at him. He clearly loved my brother and would do anything to help. He seemed to have that urge to make things right... just like an Avenger would.

"Stay out of trouble. I'll do what I can," I promised. Peter launched himself upward and quickly swung out of sight. I shook my head at what I had just agreed to. Hopefully, I wouldn't let him down.