"Is there a Lucy Connors in the building?"

The sound of the eldest Connors sibling's voice had Lucy bolting from the kitchen of the family pizzeria. Flour coated her face but all she could care about was the fact that her sister was standing at the door, blue suitcase in her hand as she waited for her. Lucy barrelled into her, jumping into her arms and wrapping her legs around her waist. All the while the two were squealing, happy to see each other again. "Ok," Ella said, voice strained. "As much as I love this, you're sort of heavy so can you get off please."

Lucy did so, jumping onto the floor, laughing at the flour imprint now left on her sister. "Sorry," she reached for a tea towel, handing to her. "I just didn't know you'd be back so soon."

"College finishes early abroad, so I decided to surprise you."

"Is that my granddaughter?"

Ella's face lit up as she noticed the small frame of their grandmother. "Nana!" she exclaimed, rushing over to her. "How are you? Lucy been taking care of you?"

"Oh, leave her alone." Their nana chastised, thumping Ella with her walking stick. "She's done all she can while you've been galavanting around Europe."

Ella gave her a shocked look. "I haven't been galavanting, it's for research."

Their nana shot Lucy a mischievous look. "Sure, and when you come home claiming you're in love with an Italian man, don't say I wasn't right." Ella let out a surprised laugh, Lucy's eyes widening in delight before the two dissolved into giggles.

"Please, Thor's her one and only, nana!" Lucy spoke between giggles, earning her a tea towel to the face.

Nana shook her head, tutting. "I'll never understand your obsession with these super-whatsits."

"He's not a super-whatsits, nana." Ella remarked, melting into the countertop. "He's a god."

"Well, he needs a haircut."

Lucy belted out a laugh at that, as Ella rolled her eyes playfully. Then, her older sister turned to her as their nana walked back upstairs into the apartment. "Where's mom and dad?"

"Out getting more ingredients. I've been doing pizza bases all day." She trailed off, batting her eyelashes at her.

"But?" Ella finished, resting her elbows on the countertop, chin in her hand.

"But I have a thing today and I need someone to cover my shift. I would've asked Sarah but she's out with her family today." she stood closer, licking the flour off her lips. "So, now that you're here..."

"How important is this thing?"

As she asked this, the bell to the pizzeria rang throughout the place. Both looked to see a smallish teenager walk through the door, books and pens balanced in his grasp. It was Peter, smiling at her from across the room. Lucy smiled back until she began to notice that he was trying to stifle a laugh. She frowned for a moment until Ella came up behind her. "You look like baby powder exploded on you, Luc."

Her eyes widened as she took in what she had just said. She cast her eyes over herself to see that she was right, flour was everywhere. She squeaked, dashing behind the counter into the kitchens leaving Peter and Ella in the main seating area. "Hi," Ella said, nodding in his direction, "Can I help you?"

Peter set the books down, swallowing as if trying not to look flustered. "Lucy invited me, we're supposed to —"

Lucy came running back into the restaurant, face now devoid of flour but still not at all clean. "Hey, Peter, sorry about that. Take a seat, I'll be there in a sec." Peter nodded, going back to his book to sort things out. Lucy spun back to see her sister, chin in both her hands again, smiling at her innocently. "Please take my shift."

"Who's Peter?" Ella asked softly. "And why does it look like he brought his entire locker with him?"

Lucy pressed her lips into a thin line, silently wondering if she should tell her. But Ella knew about her dyscalculia, she was the one to mention it to their parents when they were in middle school and Lucy was having trouble reading the questions in her math homework. Really, she didn't have any reason to be embarrassed about telling her about being tutored. "He's my tutor. Ms. Daniels isn't too happy with my grades and wants me to get a B average by the end of the year."

"How long has he been tutoring you?"

"About two weeks."

Ella nodded, standing up straight and gesturing for the girl to give her the apron secured around her waist. "Hey, Peter." Ella called, making Lucy freeze. "Do you want something to drink? Soda? Water?"

"I'll take a coke, if you have it." Ella nodded, then looked at Lucy, silently asking the same thing.

"Water, please. I'm pretty sure there's flour in my mouth."

Ella dipped back into the kitchen, giving Lucy time to walk over to Peter who was already writing down questions and explanations. "Hey," she said, finally sitting down across from the boy. "Sorry, you now have my undivided attention."

"Was that your sister?" Peter asked, still focused on writing.

"Yep, she just came back from college today." Peter nodded before setting his pen down and looking up at her. "Ok, I think you're ready for this." he went quiet for a moment, seemingly apprehensive about something. Lucy frowned.

"What?"

A blush began to creep up from his neck onto the tips of his ears and cheeks. "I think you should sit beside me, just so I can explain it." he cleared his throat, trying to avoid eye contact as Ella approached them with their drinks.

Lucy couldn't help but smile at his nervousness. Ella sat the drinks down as Lucy brought her chair beside Peter. When she came close enough, she ruffled his hair, causing him to bat her hand away and laugh. "I won't bite, you idiot."

Then the session went on as normal, both of them fairly focused. Ella would sometimes come over and ask if they wanted anything. They completely ignored her parents as they came in and greeted their eldest daughter. In fact, the entire session went by as normal, save for the texts they both got near the end. For Peter, it was more of an alert, but for Lucy, it was a text from Sarah.

I know you said you're taking a break, but you need to see this!

Attached was security camera footage of three men trying to sneak into the Avengers Tower. He was dressed all in black, trying to steal anything that looked valuable.

After a few minutes of looking at each other respective phones, both said in unison. "Hey, I gotta go." Then stared at one another with small, thankful smiles. Lucy now didn't feel bad that she probably would've had to kick Peter out.

"So," Peter started as the two of them raced to collect the books sprawled on the small dining table. "I'll see you on Monday?"

So preoccupied with trying to get him out the door, even though Peter was just as eager to leave, she didn't really answer his question, just replied with a, "Sure thing!"

Both said goodbye pretty quickly, Lucy closing the door on the boy who then bolted down the road. Ella reemerged from the kitchen, the smell of pizza's wafting through the restaurant. "What's the rush?" she asked as she opened the door to the stairs leading up to their apartment.

"Sarah wants to hang out. Gotta go, sorry!"

"You're friend seems nice!" Ella hollered up the stairs, but Lucy didn't respond, just ran up to her room to look for her suit again. A distinct feeling of deja vu washed over her as she went through every nook and cranny for her suit. When she found it she slipped through the fire escape, this not hidden in the darkness, more along the lines of hidden in the sunset. Avengers tower wasn't too far away, she could teleport there without even thinking about it. Once she threw in her earpiece and put on the mask, she couldn't help but feel like she missed this. But she knew she had to bury that feeling, she couldn't miss it, not now anyway.

After the mask was secured on her face, she closed her eyes, feeling the pull of her power bring her to her desired destination.

-

When she arrived, a shrill alarm was the first thing to bring her to reality.

Lucy spun around to see where she was in terms of actually getting to the tower. It seemed it wasn't far away considering how loud the alarm actually was. However, while she also heard the alarm, she caught the sound of angered shouting coming from the alley behind the tower. She clenched her gloved fists, running for the alleyway. When she got there, she had to stop a laugh of triumph at the sight in front of her. Struggling to fend off three guys, dressed in his new expensive suit, was Spider-Man. "Hey, guys," he spoke in between dodging fists, "Maybe we should —oops, watch it— maybe we should talk this out, huh?" one guy caught him, decking him right in the nose, or well, where she thought his nose would be under the suit. "Ow, come on!"

As Spider-Man raised his hand to his face, one of the other guys came up behind him to pin his arms behind his back. Lucy jumped out of her spot, shouting out. "Hey!" the two not busy with trying to keep Spider-Man's arms behind his back turned to her. Upon realising that this was a terrible idea, as they were now on the way to pummel her face in. "Oh shit." she said to herself. "Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea!" she cried, as the man balled his fist and aimed for her face. Closing her eyes, she flickered from her position to right behind the man holding the web slinger. The other two blinked at each other, asking each other where she went.

Tapping the third guy on the shoulder, she smirked at him. "S'up, bro." Spider-Man struggled in his grasp, freeing himself while Lucy kicked the back of the man's thigh. He collected himself, webbing the guy to the ground once the man crumpled from her kick.

"How did you do that?" Spider-Man exclaimed.

Lucy grinned. "I don't know, but I can!"

"Fair enough!"

"There she is."

Spider-Man folded his arms, watching the two men walked to them. "Think we can take them on?"

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know, wanna find out?"

He laughed behind the mask. "Let's go!"

Lucy smiled, pressing a button on her mask, enabling combat mode. The mask pinpointed the exact place to hit the guy she was about to take on. A target appeared on his neck, which she hit with the side of her hand, snagging his pressure point. He cried out, giving her time to teleport behind him. She felt like having some fun. "Come and get me!" he swung in her direction, but she was on the other side. "Try again." again, he went for her. "Nope, again." he tried to hit her one more time, only this time Lucy caught his hand. "You are awful at this, seriously." she twisted his arm behind his back and pressed him to the wall, just in time to see Spider-Man take out the other guy.

"Need some help?" he asked. She scowled.

"Just tie him up!" he did so, sticking him to the wall. All three were taken out fairly quickly. Lucy had to admit this was one of the only times where this had actually happened for her. Usually, she was the one on the ground. She was slightly annoyed though that Spider-Man was the one to help her. Together, they stood there in the damp alley, an awkward silence consuming them. "Did they take anything?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "I didn't give them time."

"Ok, cool." another awkward silence, so all Lucy did was hold her hand. "Alright, so good job, nice working with you."

He took it, shaking it weakly. "Yeah, yeah, job well done." his lens like eyes narrowed. "Who are you, by the way?"

"I'm Flicker." he froze, his hand halting. "What?"

"You're Flicker?" he asked, disbelievingly. She nodded. "Oh my god, yes!"

Lucy blinked. "Thank you?"

"You need to come with me, now!"

"Huh?"

He took a hold of her hand, dragging her down the alley. He pressed the side of his mask and waited for a few moments. "Mr. Stark! Finally, no, don't hang up, just listen. I found her!"

There was a long pause as he listened to his reply, Lucy behind him absolutely lost. "Yeah, yeah, I'm serious." he nodded. "Ok, will do!" he must've hung up, because now his attention was on her.

"What's going on?" she asked, now slightly nervous at the mention of Mr. Stark.

He must've been beaming behind the mask, because he was practically jumping with excitement.

"I'm gonna take you to meet Mr. Stark!"

-

A/N: ending is a little shitty but Lucy is so fun to write I love it!

WHO ELSE SAW HOMECOMING AND IS STILL CRYING???

Comment, vote & follow! - Emma