Red Line

Part 10- Monster Among Men

A hand grabs onto mine in the hallway, and I pull away with a jump.
I turn and see Peter staring back confused and a little hurt.
"Sorry, you let me the other day but I shouldn't have assumed it's alright today." he apologizes.
I offer him a smile and lace my fingers through his, "No, it's alright. You just surprised me."
"I'll announce myself next time." Peter assured me.

"What would you say if I asked you on a date?" Peter muses after a moment.
I need to talk to Tony today. I scold myself. I say that every day, but haven't done it. Every time I try, Steve's comforting smile and Bucky's kind eyes pops into my head and I back down. They saved me and I owe them the same. 
You're weak, follow orders. She yells at me. I push her voice back, I'm not you anymore.
"Depends where you're be taking me." I reply coyly.
He raises an eyebrow and smiles, "It's not as much fun if you know."

"Aw look, Parker's got a girlfriend!" Flash screams down the hall.
I roll my eyes, and give Peter's hand a squeeze silently asking him not to respond.
"Parker and the weird girl." He says in a singsong voice.
Despite the fact that my hair has grown out to my shoulders, they all treat me the same as the day I cut it. Like a zoo animal.

Peter drops my hand and turn to face Flash, "The only weird one here is you! Why are you so obsessed anyway? Just leave her alone!"
Flash laughs, "Look at him standing up for her. It's like a nature documentary."
I wrap my arm around Peter's waist to prevent him lunging at flash.
"He's not worth it." I whisper in Peter's ear.

Peter's eyes soften as his gaze shifts to me.
"Let's just go to Chem." I suggest.
Peter quietly nods.
Flash continues to jeer for as long as we can hear him, but Peter just holds my hand tighter.
~~~

I sit impatiently shaking my legs staring at the double doors that lead to Tony's office. If I still had my eye, the one Hydra gave me, I'd be able to see right through, know exactly what's going on. But Tony made me an eye "for civilian life", all it does is see. Ironic considering he's the reason my life is not civilian anymore, or less civilian at least. You could say it makes me more vulnerable I suppose, but I can still hear every word he's saying; or not saying since he lied about being in a meeting.

"Are you alright Y/n?" Pepper asks hesitantly.
I'm sure she knows who I am considering Tony clearly loves her, whether he admits it or not. Despite that fact that I had never been loved until this year, I've always been very in tune to people's feelings from my training, which no longer feels like an advantage.
"No, because Mr. Stark isn't in a meeting. He's avoiding me." I say as calmly as possible.

She assesses my expression for a moment and presses the button for Tony's office, "Anthony Stark talk to this girl now or I swear-"
"I'm coming." He relents cutting her off. He obviously has no desire to face whatever consequences she would threaten.

Tony opens the door and stares me down. I push past him and make a point of sitting in his chair rather than the one across his desk. I make a point of showing I have control over the situation even though I doubt I do.
He scoffs, "really?"
I cross my arms, "have a nice meeting?"

He slides a file across the desk to me.
"What is it?" I ask.
"What I was waiting for in my meeting."
"What is it?" I reiterate.
"It's your mother's file."
I slide it back to him, "I don't want it."
He shakes his head, "it's not your favor, it's a gift for your hard work so far."
I stare at the file. I know if I accept it then I have to continue. Nothing comes for free. He knows this would tempt me to stay. He knows I had come to quit. He knows I don't know anything about her. Tony always wants his way.
"I don't want it." I tell him resolutely.

He lazily plops into the chair across from me, "What are you here for?"
"I don't want to do this anymore." I tell him.
"I just need a bit of reconnaissance. I need to know what to do with him." Tony explains.
"I don't care, do what you want, but I don't want to be part of it." I argue.
"School is over in a month, you can be done then." He negotiates.
"No, I want to be done now."
"Why the sudden change of heart?"
"You and I both know this isn't sudden."

He carefully assesses me, "Listen Y/n, whether you believe it or not, I care about you."
"You're right, I don't believe you." I stand up, "You know what I think?"
"Enlighten me." He says calmly
"I think that you think I'm a terrorist. I think you think that I was doomed from the start, you don't believe I'm a person. I remind you of the establishment that brutally murdered your parents and you can't forgive me."

He lets out a long troubled sigh, "there's nothing to forgive. I believe in you kid. I wouldn't have asked you to do this otherwise."
"Then let me go." I request icily.
"Do whatever you want, but you have to tell Peter yourself. I don't want to be the bad guy here." ,Tony offers, "I'll even still give you your favor."
"You'll always be the monster to me." I respond holding eye contact, "I wish Steve was here instead of you."
His eyes sadden, but the rest of his expression remains the same. He picks up the file and hands it to me, "Take this, no strings attached. You deserve to know."
I take it gingerly, 'thank you' would imply he helped me.

"You remind me of myself, not Bucky." Tony says, stopping me on the way out.
"Then maybe I should be as disappointed in myself as you clearly are."