Chapter Text
Violet had had a great first period, but the same could not be said about the rest of the morning. Everyone gave her weird stares in every other period that she had. She hoped that lunch would be different. Maybe Michelle would let her sit with her. Maybe she would see Peter.
Peter.
Violet had already fallen for that nerd. How could she not, he was just her type. Smart, kind, funny, and adorable, yet hot at the same time. She had been homeschooled by the Avengers for so long, she had almost forgotten what it was like to have a crush. She was just happy to have a semi-normal life now, full of boys, classes, and feeling alienated by the entire student body. Just classic high school stuff.
The issue of lunch was finally upon her. The bell had rung, so she slowly gathered her things and made her way to the lunchroom. She had hoped that she took enough time making her way to the cafeteria that Michelle or even Peter would have sat down by then, so she could sit with someone that somewhat knew her. Better than sitting alone.
Violet had her lunch in her hands and she was standing at the entrance to the lunchroom. She looked for Michelle or even an empty table. Eventually, she saw Michelle and made her way over to her.
"Hey, mind if I sit here?" Violet asked her. She held her breath as Michelle prepared to answer.
"Sure," Michelle said curtly, barely looking up from her book.
"Sure? SURE? Does she even want me to sit with her? What if she doesn't really like me? " Violet thought.
"Thanks," Violet said as she sat down, pushing away all of her anxious thoughts. She began to eat her lunch and pull out the book she was reading as she saw two people sit down at the other end of the table. Initially, she didn't pay attention to them, but something about them seemed familiar. Violet looked over and almost choked on her yogurt after noticing that it was Peter and a friend of his. She realized that his friend was in her third-period computer science class.
"You okay?" Michelle asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. All is well," Violet replied.
"Sure you are. They're both single by the way, whichever one you have a crush on."
"What? I don't have a crush on either of them," Violet replied, her cheeks getting hot.
"You almost choked on your yogurt when you looked over there and I'm pretty sure you talked to at least one of them today in chemistry. Ergo, you probably have a crush on one of them, if not, both," Michelle explained.
"Could you keep your voice down?" Violet whispered. "I don't want him to know."
"So which one is it?" Michelle asked at the same volume, ignoring what Violet asked.
"Well... it's Peter. But do. not. tell. him. I barely know him."
"Pfft. It's alright, he's too stupid to notice any subtle hints I would give. Good choice though, he's a nice dude."
"Thank you so much, Michelle. Can I be your friend?"
"Um," Michelle said, looking confused. "Sure, I guess. I assumed we were friends since I gave you my number this morning."
"Oh! Yeah, sorry. The thing is, I've been homeschooled since I was 12 so I forgot how this whole friend thing works."
"Cool, well, I will be friends with you, so you don't have to worry about it too much."
"Great," Violet said. They sat in silence for the rest of the period. However, Ned and Peter never had a hint of silence during lunch.
"Just go talk to her and see if you have any classes together. It's really not that hard, Peter," Ned said to Peter trying to get his courage up.
"But Ned, what if we don't have any classes together? Do you understand how awkward that conversation would be if we don't have any other classes together? All I can really do is hope that she is in at least one of my next two class periods, algebra and robotics."
"Dude, she seems way too smart to be in the same math or robotics class as you. She answered every question correctly in my computer science class. I didn't even know half the answers and I've been into this stuff since I was like 5. It's like she was taught it years ago, by like Tony Stark himself."
"Dude... ouch," Peter said, looking hurt.
"Anyways, why bother yourself with a girl when you have me and my new Lego Millennium Falcon."
"Dude, no way! That is so cool, you want to put it together this weekend?"
"Sure, I have nothing going on this weekend, as per usual," Ned said as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. Everyone at the table packed up to go to their next class as Ned whispered to Peter, "Let's hope your new obsession is in your next two classes."
"Dude. Keep your voice down, I don't want her to think I'm creeping on her," Peter said through his teeth.
"Hey Violet," Ned called. Violet turned to the duo as Ned continued, "What are your next two classes?"
"Um, Algebra and then Robotics," Violet answered.
"Cool, those are Peter's next two classes, you two should walk together," Ned said as Peter looked in between Ned and Violet with wide eyes and red cheeks.
"Oh sure, let's go, Peter. I don't really know where those are, so maybe you can show me?" Violet answered coolly, surprising herself.
"Um... Yeah, sure. Follow me," Peter said as he grabbed Violet's hand trying to get her away from Ned so he wouldn't say anything to further embarrass Peter.
Violet and Peter were almost to Algebra when Violet finally spoke up, “Hey, what's your friend's name?”
“Who? Ned?” Peter said. He had hoped this question didn’t mean that she liked Ned instead of him.
“Yeah, I just never caught his name and he was in one of my previous classes. I was just curious, that's all.” After a beat, Violet continued the conversation, "So, how's your first day of sophomore year going?"
"Um, pretty good, I like most of my classes on my schedule, so that's good I guess. What about you? What's it like moving to a new school?" Peter answered.
"I really like all of my classes so far, so I can't really complain. And I didn't exactly move to a new school, I was homeschooled, so this public school experience is really different from what I've called school for the past few years."
"Oh, cool, cool, cool, cool. Well, looks like we're here," Peter said as they entered their Algebra classroom.
"Great, now maybe we can stop holding hands?" Violet asked coyly. It was only then that Peter noticed that he and Violet had held hands all the way to Algebra, and Peter had been the one to initiate it. Violet, on the other hand, knew the entire time and was enjoying every bit of it, but he did need to let go cause class was going to start any minute.
"Oh. Sorry," Peter said as he dropped Violet's hand and went to his seat.
The rest of the school day was uneventful as Violet and Peter walked to robotics (without holding hands) in silence. They said goodbye to each other as school let out and they went their separate ways. Peter wished he had the guts to say anything else, but he decided that he better not push his friendship with Violet. Violet on the other hand was very pleased that she had made at least two and a half new friends. She was still working on Ned, but she would become his friend sooner or later.
Violet skipped home excited to tell Steve all about her first day of school, unaware that her second day of school would spell disaster for the rest of her life.
. . .
"Hey, Dad. I'm back from school," Violet called as she entered their apartment. She didn't know for sure if he was going to be home, or if he was going to be at the compound. She called out again to make sure that he heard her. She didn't get an answer. She was about to put some music on when her phone rang. It was Steve.
"Hey, kiddo. How was your first day of school?"
"It was actually really good. I made like two and a half new friends, so I am really proud of myself. I really like all of my classes. They all seem really easy, but it'll be fun practice."
"That's great, kid. Hey, so I am going on a mission. I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon. You should have enough money on your debit card to get dinner. Let me know if you need anything."
"Oh, okay," Violet said trying to seem chipper, but she really wanted to spend tonight with Steve. "Is it about Rumlow? Did any of the information I got help you?"
"Yeah, the information really helped. We tracked him to Lagos and we think he's going to hit something there. I'm taking Nat, Sam, and Wanda, so only Vision and Rhodey will be at the compound."
"Great, so don't expect any immediate help if I need it," Violet joked, as she held back tears.
"Yeah, well I got to go. Stay safe, love you kid," Steve said as Violet's tears finally poured over.
"Love you too, Steve. Bye."
"Bye, Vi."
Violet hung up and slid down the wall while tears slid down her face. She knew that she wouldn't have a fully normal life, but she wanted someone to come home to. She knew Steve had commitments, but Steve also committed to her. She knew, but she wanted something for herself.
Ever since the fall of SHIELD, her life had gotten so much more complicated and Steve had been less and less in the picture. He was always busy going on missions that never included her, so she was always left to worry about him alone. Luckily, she and her therapist, Susan, met weekly, so at least she had someone to talk to about her issues.
"I need to get over myself. Not everything is about me ," Violet thought as she wiped the tears off of her face. She chugged water to rehydrate herself. She didn't want to feel this way for the rest of the day and knew that the best way to work out her feelings was to go on a run. Violet got dressed in her running clothes and prepared to run her heart out. She was about to leave when her doorbell rang. She opened her door and, to her surprise, saw Michelle and an older boy at her doorstep.
"Hey, Violet, my parents knew that some new people moved in so my parents sent me and my brother over to give you this," Michelle said as she shoved a bundt cake into Violet's hands. "Are either of your parents home? We're supposed to say hi to them too."
"Um, no, my dad isn’t home. Thanks for the bundt cake?" Violet was really confused. She didn't think that anyone did this stuff anymore.
"What about your mom?" Michelle's brother asked. Michelle's eyes went a little bit wider than normal as if she knew that Violet's mom was dead.
"No, she's dead," Violet explained. To her, a dead mother didn't seem like that big of a deal, but Michelle and her brother started freaking out. Michelle's eyes snap shut, while her brother's eyes and mouth open.
"Oh. My. God. I am so, so sorry. I didn't know," Michelle's brother tried to explain.
"Oh, it's fine. She's been dead for years, my dad and I are both over it now."
It was very true that Violet's dad was over her mother's death because he was dead too. Her other dad was also over her mother's death because he never actually knew her. Violet barely remembers her mom, so talking about her being dead was never a big deal to her.
"Okay, well, this is my brother, Jacob. We are your new neighbors," Michelle explained. "And since we've properly introduced ourselves, we'll be leaving now." Michelle and Jacob quickly walked away and disappeared into the apartment next to hers.
"Interesting," Violet said to herself as she put the bundt cake in the fridge, locked up, and went on her run. She didn't know how long she had been running when she finally slowed down and began to walk. She was about to look at her smartwatch when she heard tires screeching behind her. A car had lost control and was speeding down the road toward a bus full of people. Violet was preparing to use her powers to slow down the car when she saw someone swinging in to save both the car and the bus. The figure was able to catch the car before it hit the bus. Once the car was on the ground, the figure swung away, but Violet could've sworn that it waved at her. She must be seeing things. After recovering from what she just saw, she decided that it was best to just head home.
When she finally got home, the sun was starting to go down.
"Damn, how far did I run? " Violet thought to herself. Violet checked her smartwatch as she walked into her apartment. 10.3 miles. "1 0.3 miles, just a light run ," she joked in her head. She decided to take a shower before she ordered dinner because she just could not eat dinner while sitting in her own sweat. After her shower, she ordered Chipotle from DoorDash. She ate her dinner while listening to the Lemonade Mouth soundtrack because she was in her feels.
Violet decided to go to bed early because she just wanted the next day to come as quickly as possible. As she slept, she dreamt of a future where everyone she loved smiled and played all day. Tomorrow's events would put that dream to rest forever.
. . .
Violet woke up to a quiet apartment and left behind an even quieter one. Violet walked into first-period chemistry barely making the bell. She barely acknowledged Peter as she sat down.
"Did you hear what happened in Lagos with Captain America?" Peter asked. Violet immediately perked up. Steve hadn't texted her anything, so that meant that this was going to be bad news.
"No, I haven't really looked at my phone. What happened?" Violet replied, trying to get as much information as possible. She knew that Steve wasn't going to tell her anything unless they were face to face and she couldn't wait that long.
"Well, there was a-"
"Alright class, settle down. We actually have to learn today, but first, if anyone is interested, come up to me after class to sign up for Academic Decathlon," Mr. Harrington announced to the class.
Damn, Violet thought. I guess I'll look it up in between classes. Violet felt something being slid to her from Peter's side of the table.
'You should sign up for Academic Decathlon. It's really fun and me, Ned, and Michelle are in it," Peter had written on a note he passed to Violet. As Violet read the note, a smile spread across her face because she knew then and there that she and Peter were going to become great friends.
Violet wrote back, "Enticing proposition, Mr. Parker ;)." She and Peter paid attention for the rest of the lesson until the bell rang signaling the class change. A few kids came up to Mr. Harrington at the end of class and signed their names on the paper. Violet signed her name with hearts above the I in her name. Peter had seemed to strike up a conversation with Mr. Harrington, so Violet walked to her next class alone. She had just sat down in her next class when she finally remembered about checking out what happened in Lagos.
As Violet looked through Twitter at all the reactions about what had happened in Lagos, her face dropped. Violet knew that what happened there would spell disaster and many late nights for both her and Steve. Violet put her phone away as the class started. Violet barely paid attention to the rest of the class until she realized that she should probably get ahold of Steve to see if he was alright. But what about…
Wanda.
"Wanda must be having such a hard time right now. She's been through so much already, she didn't deserve this. It should've been me on that mission. Wanda is new to this. She doesn't know. I grew up around this. I should've been there to help her. I should do something. I need to get out of here ," Violet thought frantically holding back the tears that were slowly welling up.
"Can I go to the bathroom?" Violet said while trying to keep her composure in front of the rest of the class. Her teacher let her go to the bathroom. Violet took her backpack, which raised some suspicion, but the teacher didn't think much of it. Violet hid in the girls' room as she frantically texted Steve and Wanda trying to find out if there is anything that she can do.
Fifteen minutes later, she finally got a text from Steve:
I'm coming to pick you up in five. Be ready.
Despite Violet thinking that this would solve her anxious spiral, it actually made it worse. Normally Steve doesn't text this cryptically, so she knew that something was really wrong and there was nothing that she could do about it. Violet felt an anxiety attack coming on. She knew she had to get control of it because the last anxiety attack had almost destroyed the entire Avenger compound. Violet went through the breathing exercises that she and Steve had created to help suppress her anxiety attacks as she walked to the office for Steve to pick her up.
On her way there, she ran into Peter. Although he had only known Violet for a day, he immediately knew that something was wrong when he saw her.
"Hey, Violet. What's wrong? Are you okay?" Peter asked with his voice full of concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a family emergency, so my dad is picking me up," Violet lied. "Also, tell me what we do in Algebra and Robotics. I hate missing, but I have to."
"Oh, yeah. For sure, for sure. I'll ask Ned what you do in your Comp. Sci. class as well. Do you want me to walk you to the office? You seem like you could use a friend right now."
"Yeah, I would actually really like that."
Violet knew that she could count on Peter. They walked in silence. Peter knew that if Violet wanted to talk about it, she would've already told him. He was willing to wait for her to be ready before she told him the nitty-gritty about her. He was willing to wait forever. Before they knew it, they had made it to the office.
"Well, thank you for walking with me, Peter. It really means a lot. See you tomorrow."
"Bye, Violet. See you," Peter said as he snuck a hug from her. Violet hadn't expected the hug, but it was a welcome surprise. Violet walked into the office and, to her surprise, Steve was sitting there, in the office, waiting for her with his head down.
"Hey, Dad. I'm ready," Violet said, hoping to get Steve to talk to her. Steve only looked up and led Violet to the car. They rode the entire way to the compound in silence. Violet was used to this kind of silence, but due to the current situation, the silence wasn't nearly as comforting as it normally is. As they approached it, Violet could almost feel the collective nervous energy coming from everyone that was in the compound.
Violet and Steve cautiously got out of the car knowing that something was going to happen soon, but neither of them knew what that thing would do to the family they had found in the Avengers.
. . .
Everyone Violet and Steve passed looked incredibly somber. Even Nat's smile was clouded with emotion. Violet knew that Wanda needed people by her, so she and Steve walked to her room. As they were approaching her room, they heard the news talking about Lagos.
"They are operating outside and above international law. Because that's the reality if we don't respond to acts like these. What legal authority does an enhanced individual like Wanda Maximoff have to operate in Nigeri-" Steve turned the TV off as he leaned on the door, while Violet leaned on him.
"It's my fault," Wanda said. Violet made her way over to Wanda to comfort her.
"That's not true," Violet and Steve said in concert as Vi wrapped her arms around Wanda.
"I should've clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it," he said making his way over to Wanda to show his support. "Rumlow said 'Bucky' and . . . all of a sudden I was a 16-year-old kid again, in Brooklyn. And people died. It's on me." Violet hadn't known that Rumlow mentioned Bucky. She had barely been able to get anything about what happened from Steve. She wanted to ask what he said about Bucky, but she knew that now was definitely not the time.
"It's on both of us," Wanda explained. Violet wanted to say that it was neither of their faults, but she knew that, as much as she wanted to believe it, it wasn't 100% true. She wanted to say something, but everything she could think to say just didn't sound right at the moment.
"This job… we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that, next time... maybe nobody gets saved," Steve tried to rationalize. At that moment, Violet knew that this conversation wasn't for her, she was about to leave them when Vision materialized through the wall. This invasion clearly made Wanda annoyed.
"Vis! We talked about this," Wanda scolded. Violet had to contain her laughter at what might have happened during the previous occurrences.
"Yes, but the door was open so I assumed that . . .," Vision defended himself. After a beat, he realized he wouldn't win this argument. "Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving."
"Thank you. We'll be right down."
"I'll . . . use the door," Vision said as he walked away. As he was about to leave, he turned around, remembering something he needed to tell the group. "Oh, and apparently, he's brought a guest."
"We know who it is?" Steve asked.
"The Secretary of State."
Violet knew that this spelled trouble. She had met Thaddeus "Thunder Bolt" Ross only once before. She didn't like him then and she doubted that she would like him now. As Steve, Wanda, and she entered the meeting room they made eye contact with Ross.
"Afternoon, Captain Rogers," Ross said as Cap nodded. "Also Rogers, as much as I like your daughter, seeing as she's not an Avenger, I think she should sit this one out." Both Steve and Violet were taken aback by this. Violet was always present at Avengers meetings for the past few years.
"I agree with Ross on this one, Cap. She should sit this one out, she is a minor after all," Tony explained. Steve gave her a pained expression as she quickly stormed out of the room.
Nothing like this had ever happened before, Violet thought that it was absolutely preposterous. She sat in her room for what felt like forever until Wanda texted her saying that she could come back to the meeting room. As Violet walked back into the meeting room, she heard Rhodey and Sam arguing.
"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have."
"So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?"
"117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like, 'No, that's cool. We got it.'"
"How long are you going to play both sides?"
"I have an equation," Vision decided to input, trying to calm both of them down.
"Oh, this will clear it up," Sam added sarcastically.
"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."
"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve asked trying to make up his own mind.
"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict . . . breeds catastrophe. Oversight . . . oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."
"Boom," Rhodey exclaimed thinking that the argument was over.
"The problem with what you are saying, Vision, is that no matter what kind of oversight the Avengers have, you guys will still invite challenge. Instead of being able to defend against the challenge, your overseer might decide to not let you defend. That will lead to your challenger breeding more catastrophe than what wouldn’t have happened if your overseer allowed you to defend. Therefore, this oversight should be dismissed," Violet chimed in, hoping that she sounded smart even though she didn't really know what they were talking about.
"Boom," Sam said, mocking what Rhodey said. The room was quiet until Natasha decided to release the Kraken that was Tony Stark.
"Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal."
"It's because he's already made up his mind," Steve and Violet say at the same time.
"Boy, you know me so well. And did you guys rehearse that or something?" Tony responded. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache." Tony got up from the couch he was lying on and walked to the kitchen grabbing a mug.
"That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" He says as he puts his phone in a basket and taps it. The phone projects an image of a smiling young man. He looks down, then back up, and pretends to notice the picture for the first time. "Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor-level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where Sokovia." Everyone put their heads down when they heard this news.
"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass. There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys."
"Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up," Steve said trying to stop Tony's tirade.
"Who said we're giving up?" Tony retorted.
"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame."
"I'm sorry, Steve. That - that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA," Rhodey chimed in.
"No, but it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change."
"That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stop manufacturing," Tony explained.
"Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to and they don't let us, like Violet was saying? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own," Steve defended.
"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty."
"You're saying they'll come for me. Maybe even Violet," Wanda said as she realized the gravity of the situation. Violet grabbed Wanda's hand, maybe to comfort Wanda or even herself. That much wasn't clear to her.
"We would protect you," Vision said. That didn't make either of them feel much better about the situation.
"Maybe Tony's right," Natasha chirped. Everyone turned their head toward her. No one had expected her to agree with Stark. "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off -"
"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam interrupted, asking the question that everyone was dying to ask.
"I'm just . . . I'm reading the terrain. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."
"Focus up. I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?" Tony said, asking the other question that everyone was dying to ask.
"Oh, I want to take it back now."
"No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case closed--I win." Violet was about to chime in when she saw Steve's demeanor change after he read a text on his phone.
"I have to go," Steve said as he got up from his chair and walked out of the room. She could tell that Steve was not okay, so she followed hoping to provide some support for whatever he saw on his phone. She found him crying in the stairwell. Steve sensed her presence.
"She's dead," Steve cried softly, not hiding his emotions. Violet knew immediately who "she" was. Peggy. Violet hugged Steve as he cried. They sat at the bottom of the stairs until Steve got up and said he needed some alone time. Violet let him go and walked back up to the conference room. Whatever conversation was being had stopped as Violet walked into the room.
"What happened?" Nat asked.
"Peggy," she replied. That was all anyone needed to know, Steve's first best girl had passed away. Deciding she had had enough arguing for the day, Violet hid in her room for the rest of the night screaming One Direction songs. She was thankful that those rooms were soundproof.
Violet fell asleep around midnight to her favorite One Direction song, Rock Me. As she drifted she thought of Peter, hoping she could live that song with him.
I used to think that I was better alone
Why did I ever want to let you go
Under the moonlight as we stared at the sea
The words you whispered I will always believe…