even heroes have the right to bleed.

"It sounds like you really need to enlighten her on just how good Easy Mac is. There really is nothing quite like it," Laurel said with a smile, kicking her feet against the cabinets as she leaned on her hands. "Start there and then move onto Ramen. She'll love it, I'm sure." Peter's aunt seemed like a real traditional woman, so she wasn't sure she'd ever even hear of Ramen unless it was for Peter.

---

Steve was impossibly exhausted when the scientists finally said they had everything they needed for their tests, which just left them to find out how to actually fix him, if it could be done. The more Steve thought about it the less he thought it'd be possible, unless they could revive Mr. Stark himself to perform the experiment all over again. Steve usually went back to his apartment after a long day at S.H.I.E.L.D., but he was terrified that if he left the headquarters he might not be let back in.

"I know! Especially when some of the powder clumps together and you just get that bite of powdered, processed cheese," Peter said, letting out a laugh. "She yelled at me for an hour when she realized I'd been eating Ramen for every meal a couple years ago. She'd have a fit."

---

"It reversed everything," a scientist murmured, causing Katie to frown. She ran a hand through her hair, blearily blinking as Fury approached her. "I know that you two don't want to work together, but I'm going to need you to stay with him for at least tonight, make sure that nothing happens," he said, giving her a familiar look, one that told her that arguing about itwouldn't be tolerated.

"Well, I think next time we'll have to have Ramen just to prove a point," Laurel said, sticking her nose in the air with a laugh. She said it easily before realizing she'd just insinuated they'd be eating together again, though she had no idea if that was a thing that he'd want to be doing.

---

Steve walked away from the scientists as quickly as he could, not wanting to hear anymore about what had happened. It had taken him so long to get used to living the life of a superhero, and now he wasn't sure how he was going to live without it. To him, it was like becoming blind after years of being able to see. He tried not to think about it as he walked away, much less quickly than he would have been able to do in the past.

Peter quirked a brow at her. "Next time?" He questioned, smiling faintly. She wanted to see him again. While he hadn't felt excited about seeing any girl in awhile, the idea of seeing Laurel again appealed to him. He liked her. She was cute and nice, and had a nice laugh to say the least. "Next time we can do a real meal, yeah? Save Ramen for the time after that one," he suggested, his smile turning into a full blown grin.

---

Katie hesitated a moment before glancing over to him and nodding. "Yes, sir," she said softly, swinging her legs over the edge to hop down. She winced when her feet hit the ground, her sprained ankle hurting. She walked over to him slowly, almost warily. He hadn't been happy with her, and God knew that he'd stil be mad or annoyed. "Hey uh, Fury asked me to stay with you for at least tonight."

"I'll agree to next time, but after that I'm not sure you'll want to see me for a next, next time," she said with a smile. She kicked her feet against the cabinets as she watched him cook, admiring the way the light from the window landed on his face. "I know you don't know this yet, but I feel I should warn you before you start planning too far in advance. Sometimes I snort when i laugh and I'm a very messy eater. Total turn off, I know." Peter was so sweet, and she really enjoyed joking around with him. There was just something about him that made her feel so comfortable.

---

Steve hadn't even heard Katie walk next to him, which was probably a consequence of no longer being Captain America. When she spoke, she almost startled him, but he did everything he could to hide it "Stay with me? I don't need a babysitter, Katie. I know I may not be SHIELD worthy anymore, but I'm not a child." Steve couldn't believe they thought he was so bad that he'd need someone to watch over him. He wasn't going to hang himself in the closet and he still knew how to work a gun just fine should her need one.

Peter laughed softly, grabbing a wooden spoon to start stirring the noodles. He glanced over to her, cocking a brow. "Oh, that might be a deal breaker. Snorting freaks me out," he said, pretending to be serious for a couple of seconds. He shook his head, laughing. "Well then I better warn you, because I'm supposed to be a scientist, and I couldn't even figure out how to magnetize my-" He cut himself off suddenly, realizing that he was about to say 'web'. "This thing that I was working on," he finished lamely, his cheeks flushing lightly in embarrassment.

---

"Jesus, Steve, really?" Katie burst out, staring at him. "Do you really think that low of yourself that that's why they want me to stay with you?" She asked him, scowling. "They want me as backup, idiot. Do you even know why they chose you to be Captain America? Because you were different. Because there was something about you that made you stick out, powers or not," she said, shaking her head at him. "They wanted me as backup in case whoever did this tries something. They know you can handle yourself. They just want me to help."

"A scientist?" Laurel questioned, her curiosity suddenly peaked. She couldn't believe Peter had so many interesting qualities, while she had so many normal ones. The most interesting thing about her was that she had nearly been murdered earlier that day, but that was about it. "You're a paramedic, a master chef, and a scientist? Is there anything you can't do?"

---

Steve pressed his lips together, letting out a long breath as he rubbed his temples. This day was more tiring than he had originally planned on it being, and all he really wanted was to just go home, be alone and pretend none of this had happened. "I don't need backup, Katie," Steve said, folding his arms across his chest. "And I thought we both decided that we didn't need one another's help anymore."

"I-Um, yeah?" Peter phrased it more as a question, struggling to keep his nerves from showing. "A master chef? I wouldn't really say that. But uh, can't do? Can't swing from webs. Can't do that." It was obvious - at least, to Laurel it would be - but it was true too. Now it was, anyway. He checked the noodles, making sure that they were ready before he drained the water, glancing over to Laurel with a small smile.

---

"One night, Steve. That's it. We don't even have to be in the same room, okay?" Katie suggested. She knew that Fury wasn't going to let them out of this, so she figured that she'd try to appease him as much as she could. "Well actually you decided that you didn't need my help anymore. I told you to do whatever you wanted to do."

"Are you sure about that, Peter? No more secrets you need to tell me?" She joked, raising her eyebrow up as she looked at him. Laurel watched as Peter took care of the noodles, getting more excited about their little meal by the second. She was more hungry than she originally thought she was, and she was pretty sure she was going to make good on that promise about scaring Peter away with her messy eating.

---

"If he's really making such a big deal out of this, why doesn't he just have armed guards parked outside my building?" Steve was beginning to grow frustrated with the whole thing. He just wanted to get away for a while and be by himself, but he couldn't do that with members of SHIELD hovering over him at every turn. Steve sighed, closing his eyes as he rubbed them with the palms of his hands. "I'm going home now. Good night, Katie."

Peter gave a shrug of his shoulders, giving her a wry grin. "A guy's got to keep some secrets," he replied, his grin fading into a smirk. He poured the milk and butter onto the noodles, the powdered cheese soon following. He mixed it all together, watching as it started to resemble mac and cheese more and more. "You want to grab two bowls?" He suggested, smiling faintly at her.

---

"I don't know. Maybe he thought that you'd react better to me," Katie said with a shrug, looking down at the ground. She ran a hand through her hair. "They're not going to let you leave without me. At least let me give you a ride to your apartment?" She suggested, sighing softly. "I'll drop you off and leave, okay?" And by leave, she meant park outside of his apartment so she could keep an eye on things, but that was the last thing that he needed to know.

Secrets did make things more interesting, but Laurel had always heard the old saying that secrets don't make friends, which could be true depending on how big the secret was. She really knew very little about him, and it seemed like he wanted to keep it that way. She hopped off the counter and grabbed two bowls, setting them beside Peter as she pulled open the door. "Spoon or fork? But be warned, if you say spoon, I don't think I'll ever be able to trust you," she joked, holding up both utensils and looking at him with her lips pursed.

---

"I'd actually rather walk, thanks," Steve said, looking forward to the fresh air he'd get on the short walk back to his building. He had been hoping that it would help him clear his head and make him focus better, though he knew it would still be nothing like before. He sighed, running his hand through his hair, just getting more and more frustrated as the moments went by. It was obvious that no one understood what he was going through, especially not Katie, but of course they had no reason to. "Listen, Katie, I get that you're trying to help, but I don't want it and I don't need it. I'm not helpless, I'm not a child and I can take care of myself without every agent on duty hovering over me."

Peter continued to stir the noodles, watching as they turned that familiar orange. He looked over to her, laughing softly. "A fork," he said, shooting her a grin. He honestly didn't care what utensil he used - most of the time he just grabbed something and started eating - but he figured that it would appease her. He stopped stirring, picking up a bowl and started to spoon the noodles into it before doing the same with the other. "I am so starving right now. I didn't realize how hungry I was," he said, shaking his head to himself.

---

Katie opened her mouth to respond, but promptly shut it. He wanted to be alone. She honestly had no idea what was going through his head, and was starting to realize that she was probably making it worse for him. "Okay," she said softly, doing the exact opposite of what she would normally do. She wanted to push him to accept her help, but that wasn't what was going to help him. He needed space, time to be alone and process what had happened. And she'd give it to him, even if it might have hurt - not that she would admit it. She knew that she was defying orders, but she'd deal with it. "I'll see you around then, Rogers?"

Laurel was starving herself, so she knew exactly how Peter felt. He was a very skinny guy, but she knew from experience that skinny guys could put away a lot of food. She looked between him and the bowl with her lips pressed together. "I really hope this is enough for both of us," she said as she took a step towards him, dropping a fork in each of the bowls. "I don't have any more mac and cheese and I don't know how to cook anything else," she said with a laugh, though there was still plenty of snack food in the pantry that they could devour.

---

A small smile fell to Steve's lips, relieved that he could finally be alone. He just need some time to rest and to think about everything that had happened. It was a long day and he was just ready for it to be over with, even though it had just barely approached dinner time. Chinese food sounded like a good option, though he wasn't nearly as hungry as he had been when he was Captain America. He looked at Katie and nodded his head. "See you around, Katie."

Peter gave a shrug of his shoulders. "It probably is," he said. Normally he'd be even hungrier, but since he was without his powers, he was stuck with a normal metabolism. Although being a young guy made his metabolism still pretty high anyway. He forked a large bit of mac and cheese into his mouth, smiling at the taste. "It's good," he said, forgetting that he was still chewing. He smiled sheepishly at her, shaking his head slowly. "Sorry," he said, once he'd finished chewing.

---

Katie offered him a small smile. She knew that she'd be spending the night parked outside of his apartment to make sure that everything was alright, but he didn't know that. And it wasn't like she was going to bother him, anyway. "I know that you probably won't need it, but if you do need my help - even if it's just to get Fury off of your back - then give me a call, yeah? He might listen to me," she said, letting out a soft chuckle.

Laurel laughed as Peter talked with his mouth full, eating a bite of her own but swallowing before she spoke. "Oh, don't apologize. It was cute," she said before mentally slapping herself, realizing that she'd just called a near stranger cute. He was cute, but that definitely was not something she should be saying out loud, especially not to him. She was sure her face was red, but she hoped he wouldn't notice. "You know, cute like a squirrel or something," she said quickly trying to cover it up, though her voice did crack a bit.

---

"Katie, you and I both know Fury doesn't listen to anyone. And if he does listen to you, it's because that was his plan all along," Steve said, laughing before realizing what he had said. He thought that, for the most part, it was true, but did that mean that Fury had wanted to get him a new handler? Steve had been originally surprised that he had agreed so easily, so it was a very real possibility.

Peter's face got as red as Laurel's, he was sure of it. Cute? Him, cute? He started to laugh softly, a grin easing onto his features. "I'm cute like a squirrel or something?" He repeated, speaking slowly so he knew that he was understanding her. "Are you saying that I look like a squirrel? Because I might be a little offended at that," he said, grinning to let her know that he was only teasing her. He forked another bite into his mouth, struggling to keep from laughing at the thought of him being cute like a squirrel.

---

Katie laughed along with him, shaking her head. "You know, I like to think that Fury has a soft spot for me," she said with a grin, knowing that the only reason he'd agree was like Steve said, it was a part of his plan. She paused, realizing that they were getting along better than they had in awhile. Maybe not working together would be a good thing. "Seriously, though. If whoever Fury assigns to you is a total ass, let me know and I'll try to get someone else for you, okay? Or if you need anything, I might be able to help out."

"No, no," Laurel said with a laugh, shaking her head quickly. "Like a handsome squirrel." And dammit she tried to cover it up by calling him handsome, which was way worse than calling him cute. "I mean, I'm sure lots of people tell you you're handsome." Really, at this point Laurel decided there was no winning, and everything she said just dug her into a deeper hole, so it was probably better if she just shut up.

---

"I'm sure they'll be fine," he said with a nod. "I'll just have to train them like I did you," he joked, looking from his watch on his wrist back up to Katie. He was starting to get hungry and he planned on ordering some take in and calling it an early night. "I should be going now. I've got a few things I want to do before bed." Mainly eating and showering, but she didn't need to know that.

Peter swallowed his mac and cheese, and the instant it was gone his grin widened, the corners around his eyes crinkling as he felt his cheeks flush a little. "I'm handsome now?" He questioned. He wasn't used to that. The only person that had ever called him handsome was his aunt, and she didn't necessarily make him blush when she said that. But Laurel, however, was causing the blood to rush to his cheeks. "You're the only one except for my aunt, actually."

---

Katie let out a chuckle, shaking her head at him when he said that. "Train me? I'm pretty sure that I was the one that trained you," she said, smiling a little as she looked up at him. "Well then you better head home. I heard that they're going to want you back bright and early tomorrow," she said, taking a couple steps back. "I'll see you around, Rogers," she added, offering him a small smile before turning and starting out of the room.

"What? That's really not possible," Laurel said, shaking her head at him as she hopped back onto the counter. Peter really was handsome, and Laurel didn't understand how that girl that was clearly a touchy subject didn't tell him that every single time they were together. She certainly would have if she had that type of relationship with him.

---

Steve nodded his head and pressed his lips together, fighting back that instinct that made him want to salute her. "I'll see you around, Roth." He turned on his heels to walk away from Katie and back to his apartment, where he could finally be somewhat alone. He wasn't stupid; he knew there would be one or more people stationed anywhere around his apartment, but it was as long as he was going to get.

[I'm baaaaaaack. ]

"Yeah. I mean, most people don't really call me handsome. My aunt does sometimes and Gw- couple other people have rarely, but not much." Peter had coughed when he'd almost said her name. He never did that. He never messed up. But there he was, practically choking over the first two letters. He wasn't sure what made him comfortable enough around Laurel to have almost said that, but he was surprised. No one else even got close to hearing her name.

---

Katie bit back the sigh that wanted to slip out, instead acting like she was perfectly fine despite the ache in her ankle and the annoyance tingling at the back of her mind. She was still hurt at the fact that he wanted to switch partners. But she ignored it, instead heading towards the garage to grab her keys and car so she could spend the night keeping watch over his apartment. It wasn't much, but it was something that she could do - and he wouldn't have to get annoyed at.