The Revenge of Devil | Irondad, pepperony

Chapter 22

Teresa Fitzpatrick was disappointed.

She didn't like to say it but she was. The new year 2017 has come, two months have passed since Ross and Quentin's murder, the abduction and escape of Peter Stark, and the boy has not found her yet. He really let her down. She thought he was smarter. She thought she had left behind a lot of inconspicuous clues that he would be able to detect and read and that would lead him to her. Because she was so sure he would come. That she put a beetle in his head then. That he would look for her, that he would look for the truth, and he would not give up until he found her until he found out all the answers. But Peter gave up. Or he stopped asking. In any case, she had seen him leave school today, laughing and happy, and she simply knew that nothing bothered him. And that upset her so much.

She opened the door to Hammer's lab with a slam and looked down to find him taking a break for lunch. It was just another thing that made her so angry that she almost punched him. But then she remembered the words she had told him then. We both know that anger won't help, it'll just hurt you. Anger darkens your brain, makes you a fool. And stupidity will kill you. So she took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Frustrated, she sat down in the opposite chair and opened her laptop, just so she wouldn't have to look at Hammer.

"Bad day?" he asked her cautiously, seeing that something had thrown her off, and he didn't like to tease the snake with his bare feet. Especially when he knew what such a snake was capable of.

She growled. "Peter. Who else. Maybe I was naive when I thought he was coming. That's who he is, isn't he? He feels the desire to save the world. He knows I'm alive, so why doesn't he just come for me?" she really didn't understand. Would she misjudge him? She and her mother?

"He might come, but he knows you're a strong opponent. He doesn't want to play with a woman who can play better than he can," Justin replied slowly, choosing every word carefully. He wouldn't want to turn her anger against himself.

To his surprise, she laughed. "I like that, Jus. You're so different from Quentin. He would tell me right now that I'm just a fool. But he would be wrong," she hissed, clenching her fists." My mother didn't raise a fool. A psychopathic and cold-blooded bitch, I guess so. But not a fool."

Hammer said nothing. He decided not to put himself in unnecessary danger if he happened to say something she didn't like. Why would he risk his life unnecessarily? Yes, Quentin's loss still hurt and aroused apathy in him, but he feared death.

But Teresa seemed to return to a good mood. She drummed her fingers on the table and seemed to be thinking of something. "You're a smart guy, Justin," she said suddenly, then nodded appreciatively. "There's really something about your words."

She will give Peter another chance before she decides to play differently.

•••

After a very long time, Peter spent the afternoon at the Avengers compound. When the team wasn't here, he saw no reason to come here, but now that it was lively again and so quiet at home, he missed the hustle and bustle and felt the desire to visit others as often as he could. Moreover, after a long time, the quiet months came again, which led him to a certain stereotype, and he hated the stereotype. He needed to brighten up the recurring days with something. So he persuaded his dad and his mother, who had been dealing with their wedding lately, to see if he could go to see the Avengers with Natasha, and they agreed to his delight after a moment's hesitation.

So now he was sitting on a mat in the middle of an empty gym, staring at a punching bag by the opposite wall. Nat told him she would be training with Sam and Bucky today, and he decided to wait for them right here. And because he had nothing to do, he fully devoted himself to his thoughts.

The secret about his older sister didn't bother him so much anymore. Yes, of course, sometimes he had moments of thinking about her, but it was less often than before. His parents and the rest of the team were quite calm, so he began to believe that Quentin Beck and a team of scientists were really behind it all. Because Beck's dead body was really found, but there was no mention of his sister anywhere. At first, he was reluctant to believe it, something must have existed somewhere, but the lack of information demotivated him and slowly convinced him that his drugged and tired brain had just invented her. Because he was lonely. Because he longed for siblings. After consolation. And instead, he only got another Beck illusion. It was the second time he and Mary had deprived him of his siblings.

Although in this case, it would mean that his sister is a villain. It does not matter. She would still be his sister.

He was also thinking about Michelle. For a few weeks now, he had suspected that it would not be ideal at her home, as she often assured him zealously and a little unnaturally. He didn't want to ask, he knew how annoying it was, and it was a really personal thing. But back then it wasn't the last time he'd heard the loud beating of her heart when she lied to him. He was a little sad, he thought she trusted him. But MJ was never too much of a trusting type.

The door slammed and he jumped in fright. But since his sixth sense did not warn him of anything, he decided that there was no danger to him. And indeed. Bucky was coming to him, he had several days of stubble on his face and he looked much better than when they arrived. He seemed calmer, soberer, more relaxed.

"Hello, young man," he greeted him and stopped. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Of course not," Peter replied, still staring a little admiringly at his hand from the vibranium. "Wow. Do you have a new hand?" he said in admiration.

Bucky glanced at his left hand, a little taken aback. "Oh yeah. They prepared a small gift for me in Wakanda. Can I?" he asked uncertainly, pointing his normal hand to the spot next to him. Peter nodded and his eyes lit up like a little boy's, because, after all, this was James Barnes, and you don't sit every day next to a World War II soldier and Captain America's best friend. "You look thoughtful."

"Yeah, well... I guess so," Peter chuckled nervously, ruffling his hair.

"Are you worried about something?"

"Well, I guess it would be weird if I didn't have worries, don't you think?" he said with a small smile. "But it's nothing, really. It will eventually give in. I just... I don't want to do something hastily, some nonsense I'd regret later. I'm just in a situation where I'm not sure what's right. What should I do, you know?" he was talking about Michelle. He didn't want her to worry, but at the same time, he didn't want to hurt her if he tried to get involved.

"Actually, I understand," Bucky replied. "My whole life consists of many decisions. Good and bad. I don't know exactly what bothers you, so I don't know how else I can advise you, but I can only tell you one thing: do what your heart tells you to do."

Peter looked back at the man by his side. To his sincere face, in which caution was reflected; a clear sign that Bucky simply wasn't sure in this new life. And Peter suddenly didn't know how a man like him could be a murderous monster, Winter Soldier. He was glad he was gone. And he hoped that his father would see the man, Peter had seen in him, one day too.