THIRTEEN.
❝ truth will out ❞

SVETLANA HAS NEVER SEEN ANY MONSTER LIKE IT.

And she has seen a lot of monsters in her day.

The water is churning, strange currents coursing through the canals to form white water. Svet briefly resents herself for getting so distracted, for focusing on Peter rather than their surroundings. But there isn't a lot of time for self—scolding because then, all at once, the water explodes upwards.

Ned and Betty's boat is thrown through the water like on a tidal wave, crashing onto the pavement as they scream. Peter rushes towards Betty while Svetlana helps Ned out of the boat, her big eyes trained on the water. MJ sprints to join them, hopping over the boat to help Peter pull Betty onto solid ground. The water takes shape now, twisting and swirling until it forms some kind of huge man.

An Elemental.

It's even worse than she expected.

Svet cringes back when the colossal water monster roars.

Our food the corner of her eye, she sees Ned grabbing Peter's arms, gasping out, "What is that?"

Svet opts for silence when Peter cries back, "I don't know!"

"What're you gonna do?"

"I left my suit in the hotel room!"

"Why?!"

"Because I'm on vacation, Ned!" Peter insists through clenched teeth, "Everyone's gonna see my face. Just get them out of here—!"

"Go, just go!" As MJ and Betty rush towards the staircase, Ned quickly grabs Svet's hand, "Come on, new girl!"

"No, no, wait—!" Peter looks at her with wide eyes, hand hovering towards her, You'll stay with me, right?"

Her job is to keep an eye on Peter Parker. He's her mission. Her target. Of course she'll stay with him.

Svetlana flashes a bright grin, "Eh, what's a vacation without a monster or two?"

Somehow, no matter the chaos around them, Peter actually laughs.

Svet grins wider. 

"Stay?" Ned's eyes are big enough to fall out of his head, "Why would you stay? What? Why? Who are you—?"

Before he can ask anymore questions, Peter promptly pushes his best friend towards the stairs where Betty and MJ are waiting. The monster smashes its watery hand into a nearby building, making more people scream. The creature continues to destroy buildings and boats while Peter and Svet help people up the stairs. The girl turns just in time to see the water monster raise both fists over his head and then aim straight for them.

"Oh my God—,"

Peter ducks for cover just as Svetlana tackles him out of the way, and the pair barely make it around the corner before the monster crashes into the pavement where they'd just been standing. Concrete and water spray in every direction while they duck down side—by—side, bodies pressed. As screams fill the streets, Peter hits his palms together to activate his web—shooters while Svet snaps her wrists so the invisible vambraces come to life, gauntlets and widow bites buzzing against her skin.

"Come on."

Peter exhales one deep breath and then smoothly twists around the corner, shooting a web at the monster before Svet can protest. They both just sadly watch as the web does absolutely nothing. Because the monster is literally made out of water. Svet blinks at him. Peter's shoulders wilt.

"We can only minimize the damage," Svetlana tells him, accent back and mission face in place, "Until we discover and take advantage of its weaknesses."

He nods swiftly, "Right, right, weaknesses. Any idea what could be a water monster's weaknesses?"

"Eh..." That means 'no'.

Peter doesn't have any either.

They wince simultaneously.

It's as if people's fear draws the monster.

Because what must be his head turns towards the bridge where people are running for their lives, screams reaching a fever pitch.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Peter looks sharply at the girl, asking for final confirmation, "You and me?"

"Me and you," Svet gives it easily, grinning and already running at his side.

The girl isn't sure at what point it happens, but suddenly they are holding hands as they gracefully leap across the cluster of pile moorings. Then, without needing to say a word, Peter wraps an arm around Svetlana's waist and launches them up onto the bridge. Their feet hit the pavement at the same time.

As Svet works as a scout, Peter quickly helps a man back to his feet, "You okay? Get out of here. Go!"

The water monster raises his fist towards the bridge, and Svet's eyes shoot wide. She'll put her body between the monster and Peter. That's her job. That's her mission. She braces for the blow, snatching on Peter's wrist so he doesn't fly past her. Instinctively, he catches his hands into her shirt and hangs on for dear life as the wall of water collides into them. Now soaking wet, the boy coughs up water while the girl shakes out her hair, but they're both still standing.

Suddenly, a green light shoots at the monster from above.

A shadow passes over the sun, and Svet looks up as a cloud of green mist appears in the sky. Out of the mist, a man with a gold—trimmed suit and a cape materializes above them, wearing a glass bowl over his head that swirls with color.

A friendly, an ally, Svet remembers him from her file, Quinten Beck.

Peter swiftly looks around and sees a stand of masquerade masks collapsed on the ground. He snatches a curved jangly—looking one and tosses her an equally glittery silver mask. They won't do much to hide their identities, but it might be just enough to disguise their faces for a bit. Thankfully, any and all cameras are trained on the mysterious man. As they perch up on top of the bridge's overhang for a better view, they can see the mysterious new ally taking the fight back to the monster.

"Excuse us, sir!" Peter awkwardly calls out, hanging off the edge, the bells of his mask jingling, "We—we can help. Let us help. She's really strong, and I'm... sticky."

Svet scrunches her nose. Sticky? Gross. 

The man doesn't seem to mind, yelling back, "I need to lead it away from the canals!"

When the man flies off, the monster smashes into the top of the bridge.

In strange tandem, Peter and Svet flip away as one, landing on a nearby roof. The monster crashes through building after building in pursuit of the man, leading him further from the canals to drain him of his water. They chase behind them, trying to fix the crumbling buildings and save anyone left in their destructive wake. They get about as far as the middle of the city, and the pair stare with wide eyes as a clock tower begins to crumble, looking ready to nearly crush a group of their fellow students on the ground.

"Oh, come on!"

Peter looks ready to swing up to it when he suddenly stops.

"Oh, um..."

Svetlana's eyes widen as she realizes what he's thinking.

They need to get out of here. Peter can make that gap. Svet can't.

For a moment, they simply look at each other — the answer obvious between them. His arms extend awkwardly on either side of Svet, bobbing slightly like he isn't sure how to proceed. Svet bites her lip, feeling just as awkward. Then, before she can think better of it, she presses her entire body to his by putting her hands on his shoulders and wrapping her legs around his hips. Peter's eyes shoot wide, but he moves to accommodate her and his hands settle securely on her hips.

His touch leaves her tingling.

Now, they're nose to nose and their gazes lock.

"Oh," Peter says again.

"Is this... okay?" Svet whispers.

"Yeah," he whispers back, "More than okay."

God, she hopes Bucky isn't watching this on the news somewhere.

Forget water monsters, he's going to have a supersoldier after him.

Peter will be killed, for sure.

But Svetlana doesn't have much time to worry about that as Peter swings them through the air, pulling them up onto the bell tower. Svet buries a shriek into his shoulder at the strange sensation of his quick leaps and bounds, swinging around the tower to stick it back together with his webs.

Finally, Peter lands on the top of the tower, ducking them both under the bell to get to the other side. Svetlana pulls off his mask while he pulls off hers, both panting and watching Mysterio fight the monster when the bell tower starts to tip again. He shoots a web while she launches one of her grappling hooks, each latching onto the two buildings across. It looks like they've just about fixed it when the monster hits the tower again. Peter falls with Svet still in his arms, the girl ducking just his face collides hard with the metal siding of the bell, making both the bell and his head ring.

The girl winces as the boy groans beneath her.

On another note, Svetlana notices that Peter still hasn't put her down.

Then again, Svetlana hasn't exactly tried to be put down.

The tower cracks again, dragging the pair across and then up by their webs and hook. Svet once again ducks but Peter's head hits the bell yet again. He groans, a serious concussion already setting in. While Mysterio defeats the water monster, Peter is fighting intense dizziness and Svet is still busy trying to keep the bell tower from falling. They both cry out as the tall building inevitably crumbles. Their webs and ropes snap, and the tower finally crashes to the ground in a shower of dust and debris. Not far away, Mysterio lands and everyone on the ground erupts into applause. Peter stumbles up from the rubble, fumbling immediately to Svetlana who is shaking out her damp hair and brushing down her clothes.

"Hey, hey, are you okay?" Peter's hand finds her waist, and for some reason, it doesn't make her flinch, "Are you hurt?"

"No, no, I am fine." Svet grins back, apparently having just had the time of her life, "That was fun! How are you?"

He coughs out a laugh, smiling a bit back at her, "Yeah. It kinda was. I'm all good, too."

When she smiles and turns her back, Peter reaches into his pocket, checks for a small package, and then sighs in relief when he sees it's still intact. To an uproar of applause, the mysterious man salutes the crowd before flying away in a cloud of green smoke.

━━━━━━

THREE HOURS LATER, Svetlana has to do some damage control.

Back at the hotel, the other students huddle around the television to watch the news coverage about the man they're calling 'Mysterio' and the water monster they fought today. It seems to be a debate among them whether it was an alien, a sailor's science experiment, or even witches. Really, it's a relief none of them will ever guess what it really was. Meanwhile, Svet lingers by the door, toe of her shoe lightly kicking the wall, phone pressed to her ear.

"Oh. So you saw it on TV, yes?" Her voice is more or less back to normal, although now tinged with an attempt to keep her tone light and innocent, "The whole thing?"

"Yeah." Her father grouses over the phone, "The whole thing."

Svet winces, rubbing a hand into her eye.

Somewhere on a mission in Eastern Europe, her mother sighs playfully, "Svetti, don't worry about it. You were just doing what you had to do. You sure you're okay?"

"Yes! I am fine. It wasn't as bad as it looked. Promise it."

"Mm." With her concern now assuaged, Natasha hums noncommittally, "And how is the target?"

"Target is..." Svetlana peeks across the room to where Peter is on the payphone, likely doing his own damage control with his family. As if sensing her attention, his brown eyes catch with hers and the second he smiles, Svet quickly looks away, trying to hide her painfully annoying blush. "Good. Target is good. I have a check—in with Fury tonight to provide a full report about the Elemental. It was good the target was there to assist me, yes?"

She can practically hear her father's eye roll even halfway across the globe, and it makes her smile even as Bucky grumbles, "That kid is a huge problem."

"Papa..." She lightly scolds, now rolling her own eyes.

"You guys looked like you were working well together out there," Natasha tells her with a very certain tone that sounds oddly familiar.

It happens to remind her of all the times Svetlana herself teased and made jokes and lightly poked at the relationship between her parents. With blushing embarrassment, she's beginning to understand why Natasha teasingly told her to stay out of her love life. Being on the receiving end makes her feel all funny inside. She absolutely hates it. She also likes it very much.

"Mmhm." Svet distractedly twirls a curl around her finger, biting her lip, "He does fight good, yes?"

"He's all right..." Bucky agrees off—handedly, though a bit begrudgingly, "Not as good as me, though, right darlin'?"

She quickly swallows the urge to laugh to spare his feelings, "Net Papa, of course not. Who could ever be as good as you?"

Natasha snorts and Bucky huffs in approval, "Glad to hear you haven't been totally brainwashed. Now, doll, seriously, you know if you ever feel like this is getting too much for you, you can always back out. We'll come and get you. No questions. No hesitation. You know you can still come home, right baby?"

"I know. Thank you, Papa, but... I'm staying."

After a few more reluctant goodbyes and soft reassurances, Svet hangs up her phone and slips it back into her pocket. She edges into the lounge, waving a little when MJ catches her eye and waves her over to where she and Peter linger. Slowly, she comes to a stop at his side, her arms crossing over her chest to match his posture.

She smiles softly, "Hi."

"Hi." He smiles back before it shifts with concern, "Is your dad, like... okay with everything?"

"Oh no. He is considering forcibly kidnapping me. But it's okay, my..." She stops herself, realizing how she was about to talk about her mama. Another lie. Instead, she clears her throat and changes course, "I'm sure my uncle will talk him out of it."

She knows Peter notices her near slip up, but he's kind enough to not mention it.

"So." MJ leans around the boy between them to stare right at Svet, "Where were you during the water monster attack, Lana Rushman?"

"Running away," Svet answers easily, American accent back in place, "Like everyone else."

"Hm," is all MJ says in response.

Peter shoots her a nervous look. Svet waves it off with a smirk. Only when Peter's best friend, Ned, makes his way over does she feel her first tinge of nerves. The boy steps away from where he's been finishing sentences with Betty and skirts closer, watching the redhead with wide eyes as he approaches.

"How about that water monster..." Ned puffs a stilted laugh, "Crazy, right?"

MJ arches a brow.

Peter watches with a near cringe on his face.

Ned awkwardly bobs for a second before quickly looking back at Svet and Peter, "Yeah, so, can we, um, talk for a second?"

The pair exchange a genuinely nervous glance now, but they can't very well refuse, can they? MJ watches suspiciously when the three teens slip away and squeeze into the closet for a lack of better options, their bodies pressed among the mops and buckets and other cleaning supplies.

Honestly, Svet knew this was coming. She definitely wasn't trying to reveal her identity to any of these kids — especially on a mission, but she couldn't exactly bother with hiding her identity when they were getting attacked by a literal water monster. So, now she waits like a prisoner on trial, hands folded behind her, as Ned watches her with big eyes. Peter also waits, eyeing his friend cautiously, like he's also unsure of what's going to happen next.

Finally, Ned leans into Peter to whisper, wiggling his brows, "So, she, uh, she knows you're... you know?"

Peter nods, whispering playfully back, "She knows I'm Spider—Man, yeah."

"So she knows you have powers, does she have powers, too?"

"I mean, I think so?"

"She has to! She was, like—," Ned punches at the air a few times, "—flipping through the air and pew—pew with the—,"

Peter cuts in, still whispering, "You know she can totally hear us, right?"

As if he really didn't know that, Ned slowly swivels to fully address her.

Again for a lack of better options, Svetlana waves.

Finally, the boy asks what she's been dreading since this whole mission began, "Who are you?"

Svet slowly exhales and her American accent slips away as she reveals, "I confess Lana Rushman is only an alias. My real name is Svetlana Barnes—Romanoff, and I am the Silver Fox."

For a moment, Ned just gapes at her. And then he starts to sway. Careening further and further back so Peter and Svet jolt forward to catch him before he can fall, helping him onto an overturned bucket. He catches his breath there for a second. Svet is more nervous than she expected. She feels her palms start to sweat, listening to the rapid heartbeat of the boy before her, anxiously awaiting her target's best friend's judgment.

Then Ned looks up at her in absolute wonder, "You kick a—!"

Peter laughs while Svetlana blushes, "Oh. Thank you."

"And your parents are...?"

"Yes. James and Natasha."

"Holy sh—t." He needs to catch his breath again, "That's so fricking cool! Can you get you and your dad's autographs?"

Smiling, Svet cocks her head, "Our what?"

"Ned," Peter groans.

"So you're an Avenger, too?" These are beginning to sound less like questions than declarations, "You fought Hydra, half the Avengers, and the Red Room, oh, and Thanos too! That's how you know each other! Wow, it must've been crazy growing up in a super secret Siberian military base as a homicidal backup plan for the Winter Soldier and Black Widow. Talk about putting unfair expectations on a kid. Oh, I just wanted to say — respectfully, your mom was hot!"

Svetlana's jaw literally drops.

Peter massages his eyes with his fingers like he can't bear to look.

Ned blanches and starts to fret, "So sorry about that, by the way. Was saying 'your dead mom was hot' insensitive? I hope it wasn't insensitive! We're truly grateful for her sacrifice, you know. Like Whitney Houston said, I will always love her."

"Ned!"

"Who is this Whitney Houston?" And why does she love Natasha so much?

Ned leans in closer, voice dropping to a whisper, "Are you on a mission right now? Is that why you have an alias? Are you, like, undercover?"

"Ehh..."

"No!" Peter answers for her, absolutely confident of his answer as he glances at her, "I mean, not really. She's just using an alias so she doesn't attract attention, right?"

"Yes..." She lies softly, "That is right."

The guilt threatens to swallow her whole.

Ned is in awe, "I'd let you murder me."

Svet flinches back and gapes at him, "What? No, never! Why would I wish to murder you, Ned?"

"Oh no, no Svetlana, that's just a thing people say." Peter explains helpfully, "Like you're so cute, I'd do anything for you, I'd let you murder me. Like that."

"Oh." She ponders this for a moment, humming to herself, "That is strange. I have murdered many, many people and they have never specifically given me permission to do so. Your pop—culture is funny."

The two boys go completely silent, staring at the girl with wide slightly terrified eyes.

"Wait." Svetlana blinks, rounding on Peter, "Did you say you think I am cute?"

━━━━━━

THIS IS HOW PETER PARKER'S NIGHT IS GOING SO FAR:

Svetlana knows he thinks she's cute.

Ned is passed out on the couch.

Nick Fury is in his hotel room and he's holding a tranq gun.

Oh, Peter's also in the middle of brushing his teeth while the ex—director of shield glares at him with one eye, "You're a very difficult person to contact, Spider—Man."

"You're Nick Fury..." He pulls his toothbrush from his mouth to summarize the past few seconds with an air of disbelief, "And you just shot Ned."

"Just a mild tranquilizer. He'll be alright." Fury blandly brushes off his concern, leaning back in his chair with a distinct look of irritation on his face, "So good to finally meet you. I saw you at the funeral, but I didn't think that was a good time to exchange numbers."

"No." Peter's shoulders droop, eyes softening a little, "That was my sister, that would have been really inappropriate."

"That's what I just said," Fury bites back.

"Right..." At least Lisa would appreciate how awkward this is.

"The important thing is, you're here. I tried to bring you here. You avoided me and now you're here. What a coincidence."

"Wait." Peter squints and points at their general situation, "Was this a coincidence?"

It definitely is not.

"I used to know everything. Then I come back five years later, and now I know nothing. No intel, no team. And a high school kid is dodging my calls." The irritation is totally clear in his voice now as he puts down a device to display the information, "Here's what I do know: a week ago, a village in Mexico was wiped out by a cyclone. Witnesses say that cyclone had a face."

Ned snores. They stop to look at him.

Only once he's done does Fury continue, "Three days later, a similar event in Morocco. A village was—,"

A knock on the door cuts him off, and he trains the gun on Mr. Harrington who stands there with a smile, "Just making the rounds! See if anyone needs any emotional counseling after today's traumatic events..."

"No, we'll be okay, we're fine!" Peter desperately tries to get rid of him, "Thank you—,"

"Great because I'm... I'm not qualified... to actually..." When Ned snores once more, Mr. Harrington's voice drops to a whisper, "Oh! He's passed out. I'm not qualified to do it anyway, so good night."

The teacher waves and the door shuts. Fury frowns at him. Peter smiles apologetically.

"That was my teacher. Sorry about that." He clutches his toothbrush a little tighter, blinking quickly, "You were saying?"

"A village was destroyed by what may well be another world—threatening—,"

Yet another knock interrupts them, and now it's Betty who says, "Babe, you still awake? You're not answering any of my texts."

"Um, he's asleep, Betty."

"Oh. Already?"

"Mmhm. Yeah."

"Okay..."

Fury huffs a breath, "That's why it's imperative—,"

And again, someone knocks on their door. "Hey, boys!" Mr. Dell calls out, "So that canal water today was filled with dangerous bacteria, let me know if you develop vomiting—,"

"Another person touches that door, you and I are going to attend another funeral." Fury warns him completely seriously before he stands to stretch his body and then stretch out a hand, "Suit up. Tony Stark said that Lisa wanted him to give these to you."

Peter stares at the small rectangular box with a lump welling his throat.

He's gotten many things from Lisa in the months since her death. Apparently, she had a will drawn up before she passed and he was a major recipient for most of her cherished belongings. Truthfully, he would give it all up just for another conversation with her. But he'll take what he can get now. And this... this unexpected gift, it's likely the very last thing he'll ever get from a sister he lost too soon.

"Really?" He murmurs as he flips open the lid, staring curiously at the pair of sunglasses he finds. It's definitely in the style of a Stark, not really his own. It's a present he doesn't totally understand. Not yet, anyway.

"'Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown'." The older man quotes some phrase he's never heard before, snorting to himself, "Tony said you would not get that because it's not a Star Wars reference."

The final knock on the door has Peter nearly jumping out his skin, ready to leap in the line of fire when Fury inevitably starts blasting, but the man holds up a hand.

"Relax." Nick Fury sighs and strides to the door, "This visitor I was expecting."

The ex—director pulls open the door and reveals none other than Svetlana Barnes—Romanoff on the other side. Peter catches his breath. She looks between the two with a strange expression on her face, shoulders rolled back, chin held high, but her eyes low. And all at once Peter understands.

This wasn't because of his invitation.

This wasn't because she liked him.

This wasn't about him at all.

Svetlana pauses in the threshold of his hotel room, peeking up at Peter through her lashes. Her heart is in her throat, and this isn't how she wanted to do this. She hoped she might have more time. To break it to him gently. Or maybe not break it to him at all. But orders are orders. Yet the orders mean nothing compared to the way he looks at her... It would have hurt less if he shot her in the chest. It's the expression of absolute betrayal. He's not angry, he's hurt. Somehow this is worse.

Peter murmurs, "You were involved in this from the beginning?"

"Well, y—yes," Svet stumbles over her words, "I mean, I knew—,"

"Is that the only reason you came on this trip?"

"No!" She rushes to explain, "No, not only that, not just—,"

His voice breaks, "The only reason you were being so nice to me?"

"No," she says stronger now.

It doesn't help. That expression of hurt doesn't change, "You should have told me... You were on a mission, and you should have told me."

They don't say another word to each other. Fury doesn't really give them a chance, and Peter doesn't really want to hear it. They leave the hotel and hop on the boat ride in near silence. When they reach their small base of operations, Fury strides between them as if to keep a barrier between them. Svet wonders if they need it. She feels like she's sinking. She's breathless and she can't feel anything below her neck and she's fighting tears. She feels stupid and confused and ashamed.

Which doesn't make sense.

She was just following orders.

She was just doing her job.

So why doesn't Peter understand that? Why does this hurt so much?

Svet's not even listening to the introductions until Peter suddenly bursts, "Mysterio?"

The man from before, the mysterious man with the gold suit and long cape, is here, and though he's smiling, he looks confused, "What?"

"Doesn't matter." Peter's embarrassed, Svetlana can tell, "It's just what my friends have been calling you."

"Well, you can call me Quentin. You both handled yourselves well out there today." The compliment is meaningless to Svet, she doesn't feel good about anything she's done so far in the mission. Still, Quentin goes on, "I saw what you guys did with the tower. We could use people like you on my world."

"Thanks—," Peter stops, brows furrowing, "I'm sorry. Your world?"

"Uh, Mr. Beck is from Earth." Fury updates him, "Just not yours."

"There are multiple realities, Peter. This is Earth Dimension 112. I'm from Earth 833."

None of this is new to Svetlana who just stares down at her fumbling hands, heart thudding so loud it's hard to hear their voices over it.

"I'm sorry, you're saying there is a multiverse?" Peter steps quickly closer, speaking suddenly ten times faster, letting the science distract him from the throbbing in his chest, "'Cause I thought that was just theoretical. I mean, that completely changes how we understand the initial singularity. We're talking about an eternal inflation system. And, how does that even work with all the quantum? It's insane—," Peter's babbling quickly comes to an end when he sees how everyone's looking at him, "Sorry. It's really cool."

The general looks around the room show their confusion and even potential annoyance.

Svet, however, is watching him, awed and amused and smiling sadly.

Peter pointedly ignores her.

But Quinten is quick to assure him, "Don't ever apologize for being the smartest one in the room."

Peter smiles wider.

Svetlana sinks deeper.

"Anyway..." Maria moves on.

They all gather around the electric table when it comes to life, displaying the monsters as Quinten begins to explain, "They were born in stable orbits within black holes. Creatures formed from the primary elements: air, water, fire, earth. The Science Division had a technical name."

"We call them Elementals," Svet adds quietly, ignoring Peter's hurt look in return.

"Versions of them exist across our mythologies. Turns out, the myths are real."

"Like Thor." Peter realizes, "Thor was a myth and... now I study him in my physics class."

"These myths are threats."

"They first materialized on my Earth many years ago. We mobilized and fought them, but with each battle, they grew, got stronger." There is obvious grief in Quinten's tone, Svet can detect it. But she can also detect something else. She's just not sure what it is. Beck continues, "I was part of the last battalion left trying to stop them. All we did was delay the inevitable..."

"The Elementals are here now, attacking the same coordinates." Maria frowns at the image of the globe, nodding to the various locations on their map, "Our satellites confirm it."

"So thank Mr. Beck for destroying the other three." Fury adds from his spot at the computers, "There's only one left: fire."

"The strongest of them all; the one that destroyed my Earth. " Quinten murmurs while Svet watches him twist his wedding ring around his finger, "It's the one that took my family."

Peter knows how that feels so he means it sincerely when he murmurs, "I'm sorry."

"And it will be in Prague in approximately forty—eight hours."

"We have one mission: kill it." Fury's voice tightens, "And you and Miss Barnes—Romanoff are coming with us."

Svet isn't sure how to tell Nick that her presence isn't likely to sweeten the deal for Peter at the moment.

"I'm sorry, did you say Prague?" Peter speaks up with a breathy chuckle, arms extended as if he can push away the words with his own hands, "Mr. Fury, this all seems like big—time, you know, huge superhero kind of stuff. And I'm just a friendly neighborhood Spider—Man, sir."

"B—tch, please. You've been to space."

At least Peter and Svet have that in common. Of course neither time was a very pleasant experience, anyway.

"I know, but that was an accident!" Peter paces around the table, stepping quickly over to the man, "Sir, come on! There's got to be someone else you can use." The boy tries hard to think of any alternatives, "What about Mr. Stark?"

"Permanently retired," Nick sighs.

Maria agrees, "And his wife would kill you if you even tried."

The ex—director grumbles.

Peter tries again, "Thor?"

"Off—world."

"Okay, Doctor Strange?"

"Unavailable."

"Captain Marvel?"

Eyes wide and head shaking, Fury looks personally offended, "Don't invoke her name."

Even if he is upset with her, Peter still turns to Svet, "How about your dad and Captain Wilson?"

"Mm." Svetlana squints apologetically, "They don't really like you that much."

"Ouch, okay." For the second time this evening, the boy winces at the sting of her words and then looks back at Fury, "Sir, look I wanna help. I do. But if my aunt finds out I left my class trip, she's gonna kill me! And if I'm seen like this in Europe after the Washington Monument, my whole class will figure out who I am, then... Then the whole world will figure out who I am, and then I'm done."

Svet will admit, the whole world finding out Peter Parker is Spider—Man would be terrible.

Fury peers at the boy for a long moment and then, "Okay. I understand."

Peter blinks in disbelief, "I'm sorry, what?"

Svet doesn't even bother being surprised. Nick Fury definitely doesn't understand, and this is definitely not the end of it.

"Why don't you get back before your teachers miss you and become suspicious?" Fury is being far too casual about this, and Svet can't resist a quiet sigh, "Dimitri, take him back to the hotel, please."

But Peter seems to buy it. "Thank you, Mr. Fury. And... good luck," the boy moves towards the exits, calling the rest of his goodbyes until he reaches Svet. Then, he says nothing at all.

Svetlana can't stop herself from trying, "Peter...?"

Peter glances at her, turns around, and walks away in silence.

She swallows down her disappointment, folding her arms tightly around herself. For a moment, she focuses on her breathing, trying to get herself back under control. She's better than this. She has to be. Where was that girl who struggled feeling anything at all? Why does she now feel everything? She lied. She lied to Peter. But she was trying to do the right thing. Complete the mission. Keep him safe. None of this makes her feel any better. When she raises her head again, Svetlana finds someone already looking at her.

"You okay, kid?" Quinten gives her a sad understanding smile.

It's sweet, it's unnecessary, and it's something that leaves her unsettled. But perhaps it's just because of how she's feeling inside. She's confused as it is, she doesn't need to impose any unfair judgments onto people. She forces a shaky smile back.

"Yes, okay." Svetlana responds as best she can before glancing over at Nick and Maria, "How should we proceed now?"

"Now, you complete the mission. That's your job, isn't it?" Fury gives her a look with that one sharp eye, "Keep an eye on Spider—Boy. Lay low, watch out for him, keep him on the path of helping us out. Can you do that?"

Despite the tears in her eyes, Svet nods assuredly, "Of course I can."

It's a lie. But it doesn't matter. She is a liar, after all.

Svetlana is near tears when she returns to the hotel on her own, sneaking into the room she shares with MJ on silent feet. The other girl is sure to have noticed her absence, but she doesn't hear her reappearance as she is huddled with a blanket over her head, the cool glow of her phone illuminating her half of the room. Still, Svetlana is perfectly quiet as she slips through the door and into the bathroom. She pulls a towel off the hook and drops it along the crack at the bottom of the door, knowing it will muffle at least some of the sound.

Then, she pulls out her phone and shakily redials her most recent number. It's very early in the morning there; Mama is still supposed to be on a mission with Auntie Yelena right now and Papa is at home but he may be sleeping. Still, she takes a chance, anyway.

Of course he answers on the first ring.

"Sveta?" Her papa's sleepy voice fills her ear, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I—I am okay... I think I may have really messed up?" The girl sits down in the bathtub, pulling her legs to her chest and resting her chin on her kneecaps. She curls up as tight and small as she can, nearly gasping now, "P—Peter found out that I was spying on him... And he—he's angry with me. I think. And I don't—I don't blame him—,"

"Svetlana." Bucky's voice tethers her to reality, "Breathe, baby... Tell me what's going on?"

"I was trying to do the right thing... I—I don't understand." Her voice is barely above a whisper, "How could deception and fighting still be wrong when you are trying to do the right thing?"

Her father's voice is reassuring but honest, "The ends don't justify the means, Svetka, as complicated as that can get."

Svet's brows pull in confusion, her peach lips pursing and her eyes growing thoughtful. She'll always be at a disadvantage, never having the chance to learn or be taught right from wrong, good and bad. Anything she's learnt is merely from observing, from trying, from hoping. It isn't easy. It never will be.

Bucky just quietly sighs as he listens to her silence, "It's a hard thing. Living. Trying to have a life that is at least somewhat normal, especially... especially after what's been done to you, what you've been made to do. I don't envy you, Lana."

"Then why let me do it, Papa?" Svet sharply wipes a stray tear from her cheek, "Why let me pretend I can have anything better? Why allow me to hope? Maybe I wasn't made to ever have something good? Maybe... Maybe I do not deserve it."

"Svetka—," Bucky cuts in, hating the words coming from her mouth.

"I did what I must to get the mission done." Her big eyes stay trained on the wall, her throat tight and tears in her eyes, "I knew what I had to do. I wanted it to be right. I only... I only do not understand how it could've turned out so wrong."

With an ache in his chest, Bucky wants nothing more than to be there with her, "You always knew what you had to do. No one ever had to tell you. You were never afraid of the dark or what waited for you there. But sometimes..." Svet waits, eyes dim with remembrance, "Sometimes I wish you had been."

"I... I don't understand, Papa?"

"Maybe it would be easier, if you had been afraid, if you didn't know what was expected of you. But this is how it is. Trying to find this balance will always be a fight for you. Every day. For the rest of your life. But you weren't pretending, Svet, to deserve better. You deserve better because of how hard you fight, how hard you try to do right. What you've done, what you've been through, you're allowed goodness. Don't you dare tell me my daughter doesn't deserve every good thing."

Svet's watery expression breaks into a soft sort of smile, "Then how do I fix this?"

Bucky sighs and for a long moment, he seems to ponder her question, pondering the answer, pondering if he even wants her to fix it. But he'll never keep something she wants away from her.

"You talk to him. Tell him the truth. Tell him you're sorry. If he deserves you, he'll listen and he'll understand. He'll forgive you. But if he doesn't deserve you — which he doesn't, by the way..."

"Then you'll have to let him go."

━━━━━━ annie speaks ━━━━━━

FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE 10K. i adore each and every one of you xx

secondly, this was super depressing. it was fun and cute and then bam, angst and suffering. i was having such a fun time writing this and then i started getting secondhand hurt feelings on behalf of both svet and peter? to be fair, i DID say i was going to make them cry. and it's only going to get worse, hehe. but these two are so precious and like each other so much, but we have secrets and lies that get in the way. svet definitely has a skewed moral compass that she's working hard on trying to make sense of. and poor peter, he's all worried she didn't actually do this FOR him which she totally did. ugh, what a mess. i also wanted to reveal what svet was hiding pretty quickly so that they can work through this. i mean, hopefully? ;)

whew, anyway, sorry it took so long to get an update out. it's been a crazy time on my end. i quit my job, broke my foot, and life's just been weird. but i'm back! hooray! i hope you liked this chapter, i'm actually really nervous about it. was it okay? did it tug on your heartstrings? do you like them together? please, tell me your thoughts!!

love you all! thank you again!