NEW YORK, 2004.

Years later, Zach, at the age of nineteen, was ready to leave for college. In the years past 1996, he had grown up so much. At just the age of 15, like Tony, he had gotten accepted into MIT due to his brilliant mind, after taking up a habit to design robots like Tony had, to which the two had developed a bond.

Tony had tried to become more invested in Zach's life, which had led to the public calling him out as Stark's son, though they never knew if he was really his son. Around 1999, he was introduced to Pepper Potts, who Tony had hired as his secretary, who would always act as a mother figure to Zach and had always checked up on him. 

Zach had even accidentally called her "Mom", but she just smiled and said if he was comfortable, he could call her that. And it stuck, as Pepper would grow more motherly to him, becoming more concerned for him if he ever got hurt, and even attended his graduation.

By 17, just like Tony, Zach graduated from MIT, and pursued a life in New York to try new experiences in the Big Apple. In a penthouse by himself, paid for by Tony, he made it home in Manhattan where he had even had a relationship with one Athena Fields. However, they'd broken up after two years due to Zach having been done with school and college, and her having just graduated from High school and wanting to pursue a career in modelling. They still remained good friends although.

Around 2003, tragedy had struck the Starks when Edwin Jarvis sadly passed away. The funeral was held in New York, and Zach had felt so much grief and loss for the man he'd cherished and cared for when he was a child. The kind, elderly man had told him stories about his adventures with the S.S.R, how he recollected his tales with the ever-famous Agent Peggy Carter, and the stories of Captain America and his Howling Commandos, which had Tony frustrated.

Jarvis had been there for him for so many times, but Zach wasn't there to say goodbye. However, Tony honored the former butler by naming his new artificial intelligence as "J.A.R.V.I.S", or "Just A Rather Very Intelligent System."

But finally in 2004, Zach decided to continue his education at the University of Cambridge, and due to his reputation at MIT, they were glad to admit him. So now, Zach waited in LaGuardia Airport, awaiting his flight to the UK, with none other than Goose by his side in a cat carrier. The disguised Flerken hissed and scratched the mesh to open the carrier, but it was no use.

"Goose, you have to be quiet!" Zach scolded the Flerken. "I know you don't like carriers, but we can't have people seeing tentacles out of a cat's mouth, can we?" Goose hissed in retaliation, making Zach lean down and look at her. "Look, if I get some food for you, will you be okay? No hissing?" Zach asked.

"Meow."

"Good with me," Zach stood up to find something suitable for a Flerken, they could eat practically anything. He eventually settled for a new chain, Shake Shack, and found some food that Goose would enjoy. But before he could, he noticed a man with a beanie and sunglasses indoors, next to him.

"You findin' food for your pet?" The man asked him, and as Zach made eye-to-sunglasses with him, he noticed marks near his left eye. "Yeah, my cat, she's not a very great flyer." Zach jokes. "Well, it's her second time, but first over continents." The man chuckled with him. "Good luck with that," He said. "Never been the best with pets, so I applaud you, sir."

"Now boarding, Flight A113 is now boarding; New York to Cambridge."

"Oh, shit, that's my flight," Zach said as he rushed to his luggage and Goose. "It was great talking to you, Mr..." The man put his hand up and chuckled. "Just call me Fury. I've got a feelin' we may cross paths again." Zach waved to him, grabbed his things plus Goose and rushed to the boarding line as Fury's smile dropped and walked out to another man.

"Area's all clear, sir," The man spoke to Fury, who clearly held authority over him. "But why are we at the airport? You only mentioned we may have a possible Index candidate."

"And that we do, Agent Coulson," Fury responded and turned to the boarding line, where Zach was about to enter. "That young man right there. You remember that crazy woman in spandex we met back in '95, Phil?"

"The one talking about those shape-shifting aliens?" Coulson replied. "Where I helped you both escape?" Fury nodded solemnly. "This is classified, only between you and me. I better not hear word of this come out." He looked sternly at the agent, while he now took off his sunglasses in exchange for his eyepatch.

"Understood, sir," Coulson said. "Lips are locked." He jokingly made the gesture with his fingers.

"That right there is the "crazy woman", Carol Danvers' son," Fury listed. "Before she left, she asked me to keep my sole eye on him. He was seemingly affected by the explosion which gave her powers, giving definite reason that he may obtain them." His brows crossed as Coulson watched the Director. "He doesn't seem to have them yet, but I am thinking... he shouldn't be put on the Index."

Coulson then turned to Fury with a look of shock. "Why though?" He asked. "I mean, he's still a kid."

"Given what his mother can do," Fury responded. "The Index would just give reason for hunting him down, seeing what he can do. I made a promise I wouldn't let anything happen to him. I'm not letting HYDRA sink their dirty-ass squid suckers on him. Good thing I have people watching him where he's goin'."

But Fury thought to himself. 'But perhaps he may be more suited...for the Avengers Initiative."

--------------------------

CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND

"Mr. Stark! Welcome to the University of Cambridge!" The Dean greeted Zach outside the entrance and shook his hand. "Such an honor to have you here at Cambridge."

"Danvers-Stark," Zach corrected politely. "And thank you, it's really an honor to study here." The Dean nodded his head and smiled. "Of course, my bad," She smiled at him. "I apologize, shall I take you to our Engineering courses?" Zach exchanged another smile. "Yes, I'd love to see them."

"We saw your records at MIT, we've got to admit, we're very impressed," The Dean said. "Graduated with honors, just like your dad, admitted at 15 and graduated at 17! But what courses are you interested in here?"

"Somewhere with..." Zach looked through the paperwork of the courses. "Mechanical, Electronic, and Computer Science? That last one is to try to develop A.I... and photography, cause what the hell?"

"Yes, in fact, I think another student could help you with that!" The Dean exclaimed. "She's taking most of the same classes as you, quite brilliant she is, let me grab her quickly." She quickly left to find this student as Zach patiently waited in the hallway, checking his phone, a prototype made by Tony, quietly.

Tony

Hey, you reached safely, kid?

Pepper/Mom

Please pick up the phone for god's sake, Zachary.

9 missed calls from Pepper/Mom

"Shit, gotta call Mom..." Zach whispered, but before he could, the Dean came back with a girl around his age, who didn't look so happy to be there. She had light, but long blonde hair, a navy blue dress with light blue sleeves and a light blue collar to match. In addition, she was wearing sneakers, due to the fact no one can wear open-toed shoes in a lab.

"Zach, I'd like to introduce you to Miss Estella Monroe, or how she likes to be called, Ella." The Dean said proudly. "Top of her class in engineering, Top marks to add, and exceptionally brilliant when it comes to the technology of our time." Ella, in a bothered manner, put her hand out for him to shake. "Pleasure," She said in an annoyed tone as Zach admired her features and shook her hand. She really was quite beautiful to him.

"Now that I think of it," The Dean added. "As you two are in the same program, although you're achieving your Masters, and Miss Monroe is achieving hers as well, I believe there is a project you have, and I can't think of anyone better to be partners with!"

Ella's eyes widened and looked towards the Dean. "Surely you can't be serious," She whispered. "I have to deal with him? Stark? How do I know if he is or isn't like his dad?"

'So she's one of those people who doesn't agree with Tony's stance on weapons...' Zach thought to himself. 'I mean, I don't agree with it either, but what can I do, it's what he and Mr. Stane think is best.'

'Stane's such a dick though...'

"Miss Monroe, you haven't had anyone to share the same interest as you," The Dean answered. "Perhaps this will help, and you two can bond over this passion you both share. His dorm will be directly across the hall from yours." Before she could protest, she turned back to Zach. "I trust you've had a place to stay?"

"Pet-friendly hotel, yes," Zach replied without a complaint. The Dean turned back to Ella, who was still peeved she had to be the new kid's guide, whilst he was a Stark, whom she had a general dislike to. "Ella, why don't you show him to his dorm?" The Dean asked. "As you both will be neighbors?"

"Sure," Ella said in the same unbothered tone. "Follow me, new boy." She turned around and beckoned him to follow through the building to the student dorms.

---------------------------

"So why'd you come here to Cambridge?" Ella asked. "To a whole different continent, didn't you graduate from Harvard or something? At what, 17?" Zach secretly hoped he could get on her good side, but currently she was just annoyed by his mere presence. "I graduated from MIT, actually," Zach answered her. "And I came here to learn more about technology."

"Wouldn't be a surprise if your dad bought your way into that place. Or this place." Ella scoffed to his surprise. "Well, for your information, I got their attention," Zach scoffed back. "But I didn't hack the fucking Pentagon as my dad did."

"Sure, whatever you want to believe," She said, adding to Zach's annoyance. "And I applied to get here," Zach added again. "My dad didn't even know I got in until I told him. Just hope I'll grow on ya, cause I really don't want or wish to make enemies here."

Ella then stopped in her tracks, turned around to face him and composed herself. "Look, I never said I don't like you. It's your father I don't like," She began. "Manufacturing weapons all over the world, selling them to people, with a big ego and doesn't give a shit for the lives lost. It doesn't feel right in my book. If you can see or prove to me that you aren't your dad, I'll stop it with snarky remarks or sarcasm. Understood?"

"Fine, yeah, I get it!" Zach said and put his hands up. "I'm not my dad! Just because I have "Stark" as one of my last names, doesn't mean I'm entirely Tony Stark!" Ella scoffed once more, and then turned to her right. "Your room's right there," She said coldly. "Make yourself at home." She then walked over to her dorm and closed the door on him, leaving him alone in the hallway.

"I'm not even his biological son anyway..."

The dorm was already unlocked for him, and as he entered, he found himself a bed, a nice desk, a small kitchen with a stove and fridge, a small bathroom and a couch. "Home sweet home..." Zach muttered and took his keycard. "Better dorms than in America, I suppose. Just have to get everything set up."

A WEEK LATER

Some time later, Zach had gotten adjusted to his dorm, and in a short time, he had begun his project with Ella, much to her disgust. "So, we're trying something your dad made?" Ella asked him. "And how do you suggest we do that?" Zach turns around to pull out his Stark Phone to make an image of Jarvis and DUM-E, the robot Tony made, appear in the air.

"What I'm thinking," Zach answered. "Is that we make something of our own? Artificial Intelligence, but only made to help humans." Ella's eyes widened with surprise as she scoffed. "Really?" She scoffed. "An A.I? Made by two college students? How do you reckon we can do that, without making it the bloody Terminator?"

"You've seen Terminator?" Zach questioned her, as she scoffed again. "Who hasn't seen Terminator?" She retorted. "But really, how are we going to do that? Several all-nighters?"

"No, I'm taking inspiration from my work at MIT," Zach acknowledged as he plugged in a hard drive of info of his robot that won him an award. "And from what I know, with your brilliance of computer science and coding, and my engineering skills, I figure we can do this."

Ella suddenly blushed as her compliment clearly went noticed and looked down, causing Zach to have several thoughts pulse through his head.

'Did I just make her blush?'

'Holy shit, she likes Terminator too...'

'She's so beautiful and brilliant, Jesus Christ!'

"You really think I'm brilliant?" Ella asked feebly while making eye contact with him, causing him to smile and walk closer to her. "I know so, especially from what the Dean said," Zach said softly to her. "And maybe, we get to know each other more?"

"I mean, we'll be partners for a while," Ella answered. "So we can... but still "no" to the dates." Zach internally swore as Ella smirked. He had tried to get to know her better. "But that may be subject to change, we'll see."

"I'll take it."

For months, whenever the two had time, they were in the lab together, coding their A.I, which they had determined to be like J.A.R.V.I.S In that while, they had gotten friendly to each other, sometimes they'd just spend time talking. One time, they were up at night in his dorm, Zach had found Ella fast asleep at a computer she was inputting code for their A.I. He found her notes, highlighted in each color with the proper code notation, as a framework for how the code should be perfect.

He organized the notes, put them into a folder, and put Ella into her dorm's bed, while he just slept in his, awaiting the next day. But finally when their A.I was completely finished, they began their final steps to their project.

"So, we did it!" Ella announced. "This was quite fun, to be honest. And sorry if I was... a bitch to you." Zach held his hands up and looked down. "Hey, it's alright," He answered. "We're all good now, yeah?"

"But, our A. I need a name," She said. "Like your dad's, "JARVIS", what about ANDY? Augmented Network Designed for You? Too weird?" 

Zach nodded. "Just a little bit... what about something basic? No acronyms, just a simple name, like... Rachel?" Ella side-eyed him seriously. "Really?" She asked. "We're naming our Artificial Intelligence... on a FRIENDS character?"

"What?" Zach argued. "Jennifer Aniston was hot in the 90s! I mean, you've clearly seen it!" Ella pressed her lips together, then laughed. "I'm joking, you git!" She laughed. "I love FRIENDS! I think that'll work."

"Great!" He smiled and reached for the computer to type in the name, and program the AI's voice to female. "RACHEL is ready!" He turned to Ella. "I'll let you have all the honors, Miss Monroe." She giggled as she approached the computer. "Maybe we should both do it?" She asked as she turned around to him, who nodded. "Why the hell not?" He answered as they both went to the lever, and as their hands touched, they both blushed and put their hands on the lever, pulling the lever to turn on RACHEL.

The computer booted up quickly, and suddenly, a wavelength emerged on the screen. "Hello!" The computer spoke. "I am Rachel! You must be my creators, Zachary Danvers-Stark and Ella Monroe."

"Oh, you know our names?" Ella asked, to which Rachel responded. "Of course, I need to know my creators." Zach then pulled out something from his pocket and put up two cameras near Rachel, "Now, I wanna see if you can handle a multi-cam output," Zach explained. "So these can act as your eyes for now, with this remote transceiver."

He plugged in the cameras and the device, but unknowingly noticed his fingers glowing yellow which then traveled through the wires. It acted quickly and the system started to heat up, causing Rachel to yell, "ERROR! ERROR!"

"What's going on?" Ella asked him frantically, as Zach looked around in panic. "I don't know, I didn't do any-" Just then the camera and computer exploded, but it was enough to send him flying to the wall, making Ella scream as Zach hit the wall hard with a loud thud. "ZACH!" She yelled and ran to him to help him up.

She was sure he would have broken a bone or two, or he would have had a concussion or any sign of bleeding, but he seemed fine. "Hey, Zach?" She said as she held him up, and lightly tapped him on the cheeks. "Hey, come on, wake up. Wake up!" He still didn't wake up, he wasn't breathing either, making Ella even more worried.

"Shit... shit, shit, shit!" She said under her breath and yelled into the hallway as she tried to do chest compressions. "CAN SOMEONE CALL A BLOODY AMBULANCE?!?"

"Zach!"

"ZACH!"

---------------------------

Zach slowly felt his eyes getting less heavy as he found himself in a hospital bed, an IV drip attached to his left arm, a breathing mask over his face, alone in his room. He still felt weak and numb, as he tried to sit up and take off his breathing mask. "How the hell did I get here..." He asked himself as he looked around but then landed his eyes on the first person who came into the room.

Ella walks in with a worried expression and a cup of coffee in her hands, brushing her hair before she sees Zach awake in his bed. She drops her cup, spilling the coffee on the floor, and rushes to him to hug him tight, surprising Zach with how emotional she was. She buried her face in the crook of his neck and sobbed, as she continued to hold on to him. "I'm so sorry," She muttered and held him close. "For everything."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Zach said as he weakly reached to pat her back. "I'm up now, it's alright, El." The two blushed at the fact that he'd given her a nickname. "Still, I wasn't sure if you would wake up at all!" She exclaimed as she pulled a chair next to him. "The doctors were sure if you even would... they thought you would have died..." She was still on the verge of tears as Zach started to wonder from what she implied in her sentence.

"What do you mean, "Wake up at all?" He asked her. "How long was I out for?" She wiped her tears and looked back at him.

"Zach, you've been in a coma for two weeks," Ella frighteningly said. "The doctors were desperately trying to keep you alive, but there have been power outages all the time. They consider you being awake a miracle right now. Your mother and Stark were here, they were so worried. Your mother, especially. Tony was pulling everything to keep you alive."

"Well, that's Pepper for you," Zach groaned. "She's always been like a mother to me ever since Dad hired her to be his assistant. You wouldn't believe how worried she'd get over me. She practically adopted me, just like how Tony did when I was five."

Ella's face turned to one of bewilderment. "So your dad... isn't Tony Stark?" She asked him, as he confirmed her beliefs. "Yeah, people have always believed I'm the son of Stark, he-he," He coughed for a moment. "But I'm not. My birth mother served in the Air Force, her name was Carol Danvers. But she seemingly died in an accident, so I was sent to live in an orphanage, where Tony would adopt me." 

"Only thing I have of her are her tags," He pulled them out of his gown and showed them to her. "And her jacket, which gotta say... is fucking badass."

"We kept it a secret I wasn't really his son, but he wasn't a deadbeat to me," Zach explained. "Outside of the press and being a billionaire playboy philanthropist, he was a caring father to me, he raised me like I was his own. He and Jarvis, our butler before he passed away last year."

Ella couldn't believe her eyes. She then reached out to his hand and took it in hers. "Oh my god, I was such a bitch to you," She admitted. "I didn't even know your whole story, and I thought you were exactly like Stark..."

"It's alright, and to be fair, you didn't know much about me," Zach accepted. "So it's fair." Ella managed a smile as she rubbed her thumb on the top of his hand. "I'll go get a doctor, to check up and see if you can get discharged," She said as she adjusted her outfit, drawing Zach's attention to how mesmerizingly beautiful she was in anything she wore. There was no lie to him, she was intensely sexy to him.

"You, stay put, alright?" She said calmly to him, to which he made a sarcastic reply. "As if I can get out of this room," Zach joked, making Ella smile and lean in to peck his cheek, making him blush as she smiled and stopped to rub his hand again. She brushed her hair as she left to grab a doctor while Zach stayed back in his bed. He laid back down and raised his arm up to his head and put his head back.

"Well, that's a start, I suppose," He said to himself. "She does care..." He smirked but then felt his arm going through something he thought was strange, and as he looked up, he saw his arm was glowing a bluish color.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" He yelled as he was bewildered at the fact his arm was pulsating with energy. He hopped off the bed, confusingly screaming to the top of his lungs. He felt the energy surging through his arms, it felt strong, powerful, just waiting to unleash its untold fury onto whatever it sought. Zach couldn't hold the energy for long so he released his arm, making the blast push through his arm and to the computer, destroying it in the process.

"Oh, shit..." He muttered to himself and put his arms to his head. 'That's for sure gonna be on my hospital bill... fuck!" Then he looked in the glass of the shattered computer screen, which drew his attention as he held it up to his face, finding that his eyes were glowing cosmic blue, like how he pictured the color of the swirling universe was before they returned to his normal eye color.

The words of Carol Danvers from nearly eight years ago came flooding down his mind. "But I have a feeling that you'll see that you'll glow soon. Maybe when you're older."

"I'm finally glowing..." Zach exclaimed to himself. "I have fucking superpowers!" And then at that moment, Ella and the Doctor had returned to the room, where they looked at the broken computer. "Oh, um-uh..." Zach stuttered. "It fell?" It was a good thing they hadn't seen his declaration of superpowers. "Mr. Stark..." the doctor began.

"Danvers-Stark," Both Zach and Ella had corrected him, this time Zach was blushing, as the doctor corrected his mistake. "Oh, yes, just said what was on the paper, sorry," He kindly apologized. "If you'll have a seat, I do have something to discuss with you."

As Zach sat back into his bed, Ella couldn't help but realign her hand with his again as the doctor took his seat. "We've done tests on you in your coma, to see if you endured any kind of injury when this accident happened..." The doctor explained to him. "And consider yourself as extremely fortunate, as you haven't endured a single one! No broken ribs, although your friend," He pointed out to Ella. "had stated you fell right onto your chest and no signs of internal bleeding whatsoever. She's even stayed all two weeks to visit you."

"So is he going to be discharged?" Ella asked as she unknowingly tightened her grip on his hand while Zach turned to watch her. "Just have to get the release paperwork and he's all set." The doctor explained. "Although we did do an x-ray, and found something near the base of your neck. But turns out there may have been an error, as it glitched. As for the forms, I'll get those to you shortly." He then exited the room as Ella turned back to Zach, with concern in her eyes. "You stayed all day to check on me?"

"Uh, yeah... but are you alright?" She asked him. "What happened with the computer?" Zach shrugged. "I- uhhhhhh, kinda knocked into it. You know, being in a coma, having no feeling in my legs..."

Ella snickered adorably as Zach lightly smiled. "Well, I'll drive you back, I've got to get back to where I'm staying..." This peaked curiosity in Zach as he slowly turned to ask. "What about your dorm?" He asked her. "Old memories are still a little foggy..."

"Well, after we launched Rachel and your multi-camera link," Ella explained. "My dorm was destroyed, luckily no one was hurt... apart from you, unfortunately. I managed to get a hotel room for a while, but the money I earn from work isn't enough... I've got to deal with it though. Rachel is still secure though." She mentioned as she pulled out the hard drive, appropriately named Rachel, which was a habit that Zach developed after watching Tony program multiples of them in case.

"Well, you can crash in my dorm for that time then," Zach offered, making Ella perk her head up. "Oh, Zach, you don't need to," She said kindly. "I'll be fine..." Zach's eyebrows rose up with a "Really?" look on his face. "Come on, your dorm is the way it is partially due to me, the least I can do is let you use my dorm for the time being. I'll just sleep on the couch."

Ella blushed yet again, looked down and back up at him, took a deep breath in and let it out. "Alright then," She said. "I accept it, but you have to help me with getting my things out of the crappy hotel I'm at."

---------------------------

After his discharge, Zach and Ella journeyed to her hotel room to grab her things. It had taken a while, but they finally had brought everything to Zach's dorm. Zach pulled out his keycard to open the door, revealing Goose sitting in front of it, as if she was patiently waiting for Zach to return. She may have looked like an ordinary cat, but the Flerken was incredibly smart. However, as she put down her things, Ella awed at her and kneeled down to her level. "Aw, you have a cat?" She asked as she brushed his fur. "He's so cute! What's his name?" Goose meowed at her, loving the attention he was getting from the newcomer.

"Her name's Goose," Zach said as he joined her, making Goose's attention go to him. "I've had her since I was 11, her fur always reminded me of Crookshanks." Ella's head looked up as he continued to scratch Goose as he purred. "You've read Harry Potter?" She asked.

"All the books that came out so far until Order of the Phoenix," Zach admitted. "I've seen most of the movies too, consider me a full-on Potterhead." Ella managed to smile again. "Me too! The bookstores are always full whenever a new book is out." She exclaimed. "Got to say, I'm definitely a Ravenclaw."

"Slytherin here," Zach joked, making her giggle while Goose jumps into his lap. "You definitely give that vibe," Ella responded as they both stood up. "Enough of me jabbering on," Zach said. "The bedroom is just over there, make yourself comfortable. I'll order some pizza." Ella then walked to his bathroom to change into some different clothes, while Zach went to his bedroom to get into some sweats and a hoodie he received from MIT.

He walked out nonchalantly as he raised his arms to let the hoodie slide down his arms, and pulled it down by the waistline, adjusting it over his body. However, he didn't notice Ella staring at his bare chest, going red in the face as she just so happened to walk out in changed clothes and quickly turned away as she sat down on the couch.

Moments later, they were both on the couch, eating pizza, watching the TV comfortably and more casual conversation occurred, such as their families, their lives, and what they'd want to do in their lives after Cambridge. Their dialogue spanned for nearly hours until late at night Ella decided to call it a night.

"Well, alright then, El," Zach called her by her nickname before he looked up for her confirmation. "Could I call you El?" She nodded with a small smile for approval. "Okay, I'll just crash over here then..." He said before Ella cut him off. "The bed is quite big, I wouldn't mind if we could share?" She asked as Zach's mind went blank at the suggestion. "No, it's alright, I don't wanna make you uncomfortable; I'll take the c-couch, and you take the bed."

"Zach, come on, it really is big enough," She says softly to him. "If it makes it better, We'll be far apart on the bed." Zach hesitates for a moment as he thinks to himself, while Ella awaits his answer. "Besides, I don't think the couch would be suitable for you to sleep on."

"Yeah, I suppose that works," Zach gave in as they walked over to his bedroom. He allows Ella to get in first, as she lays down on one side of the bed, as Zach goes to the other side, with his back to Ella so he wouldn't blush in front of her... or anything else.

However, Ella laid down on her back, turning her head to face the back of Zach's head. "N-Night, Ella," Zach whispered as he reached for the light while Goose had hopped onto the bed next to him. "Good night, Zach," Ella whispered back as she closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

The next day, Zach woke up in his bed, forgetting what had happened or what happened, nearly thinking it was just a dream. However, as he turned in bed, he nearly freaked out on finding Ella sleeping peacefully on his chest. His face went flush red as he noticed her chest was directly on his, and somehow, his hand was on her back, where her shirt exposed the small of her back.

Zach quickly removed his hands off her and covertly got out of the bed without Ella waking up and getting his morning routine done. He freshened up, got some clothes together, left a note to Ella that he was going for a jog, and began to leave, but he noticed a piece of paper on his door for a party in a few days. He made a note to tell Ella about the party.

---------------------------

The night of the party had come around, and Zach and Ella were in attendance. It was held just outside the campus, by another student's house, and by the time they got in, most of the students were drunk. Some were stumbling around with red solo cups, while others were in a drunken stupor. Zach wondered with his newly discovered powers, could he even get drunk? The only thing he knew about them was that he could make blasts of what he thought were protons, or that his eyes could glow blue.

"Hey, I'm going to get some drinks," He told Ella as they ventured away from the partiers. "You want one?" Ella nodded, as she looked around the place and Zach noticed she had a bead of sweat dripping down her forehead. 'She must not be comfortable being here alone,' Zach deduced to himself before speaking up. "Actually, how about you come? I don't want to be a bad friend or anything and leave you by yourself-"

"It's alright," Ella said quickly. "Just-- get back quick." Zach kept her words in his mind, and quickly went to the punch bowl. He grabbed two cups and took the ladle to fill the cups up as someone had approached him. "Say, aren't you Zach Stark?" A girl asked him as she approached the table in a pink dress. "I've heard of you around the campus."

'DANVERS-Stark,' Zach lamented to himself. 'DANVERS! Why doesn't anyone see that in the fuckin' name?'

"Yeah, that's me," He muttered and faced her. "What can I do for you?" the girl smiled at him. "Pass me a cup?" Zach reached for the cups again and grabbed one for her. "Say, you're more handsome in person..." She licked her lips as if he was a piece of meat to her. "Are you seeing anyone at the moment?"

"Um, no, but I have my eyes on someone," Zach faltered, hoping to get away from this conversation. But unluckily for him, this only made her advances on him more uncomfortable. "Oh, one night with me will change your mind..." She lusted and got closer to him. "Wonder how I'll feel with that d-"

"OKAY, I'm just gonna go, thank you for the... lovely talk on how you want to fuck me," Zach ticked off with a very heavy tone of sarcasm to boot. "Please, stay away from me." He quickly walked off as people watched him flee away and take a sip of the punch, only to spit it out. "What the fuck is in this?" He barked as he threw them into the trash can, while looking for Ella.

And he did find her. Leaving the party with tears in her eyes, not caring if it was raining. "Shit..." He muttered to himself. "She must have seen the crazy bitch trying to get into my pants." He chased after her in the rain, where saw her crying in the rain under a tree, not bothering to wipe her tears and sitting in silence.

He quietly walked to the tree, removing his jacket and placing it on her shoulders. As she felt his jacket on her shoulders, she scoffed and glared at him. "I was wrong about you," She taunted. "You're just like Stark. Always the playboy. And to think, you were my friend... you were more than that to me..."

"Please, El, let me explain-" Zach pleaded, but she interrupted him. "NO! You don't get to call me "El" anymore." She barked. "I thought you liked me, but then I saw you with that girl, that bitch, she's always like that."

"Ella..."

"I spent days in the hospital, waiting for you to wake up," She went on and on. "I don't even know why anymore if it was because I felt like it was my fault that you were there, or for pity, or the fact that I'm in love with you-"

"Ella, please," Zach asked her again, but she had stopped, neither of whom knew why she did. Zach placed his hand on hers. "I had no intention of talking with her. The minute she said all of her fantasies, I wanted to get out of there. I honestly just wanted to spend this night with you. Just you." He pleaded and wiped her tears for her. "I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise."

"You... really mean it?" She whimpered as if she was in doubt if he was telling the truth or not. "Of course, I do," Zach whispered and flipped the hood of his jacket over her head, so her hair wouldn't get wet. "And to tell you the truth, I fell for you too. "

Ella blushed under the cover of Zach's jacket. "I confessed that, didn't I?" She asked sheepishly, making Zach smile gently at her. "You kinda did, honey," Zach snickered as Ella giggled with him. "I'm sorry for everything I said, Zachy." Ella apologized to him, but Zach just placed his fingers on her lips. "It's okay, I forgive you," Zach said with another smile, but as they looked into each other's eyes, they kept looking into each others, and slowly leaned in to each other's lips, pressing on them passionately as Ella's arms snaked on Zach's neck to pull him closer to him.

"We should take this somewhere else," Ella moaned through their kiss. "Don't fancy snogging out in the rain." Zach nodded, as he picked her up by her thighs and made their way back to their dorm. They kept snogging, and with their luck, no one was in their hall, so no one was watching them fumble around. They got into their dorm, where things began to take a turn for the new couple.

THE NEXT MORNING

The next morning, Zach groggily woke up with his eyes adjusting to the light shining into his dorm. He felt quite tired from the night before, not just from the party, but from the night in general. Granted he couldn't get drunk, he still thought the night was blurry. As he sat up, he began to remember the events of the night.

After the girl tried to get into his pants, he had seen Ella leave, which then he followed after her to confront her in the rain, and then it hit him. She confessed to him that she loved him. She explained she was feeling jealous of what she saw and thought Zach would never feel that way for her. But little did she know he did feel that way about her. She didn't know it until he had kissed her.

But that was where the night changed for both of them.

Their kiss got more heated and heated and grew more passionate as they continued off to their dorms, not breaking contact until they made it inside Zach's dorm. But even inside the dorm, it got even more intense. Clothes started flying off with more intensity between them, and then after that, they found themselves naked in Zach's bed, making love to each other. And for hours on end.

To his left, he found a naked Ella sleeping next to him on her chest with her arms on him and her hair wild on her back. On seeing the blonde, Zach slumped back into the bed and let her arms find their way up to him, and her eyes fluttered open to see him in the bed, as she pulled herself on him.

"Hey, Zachy," she muttered, tired from their nightly activities. "Wow... I never would have thought last night would have ended with us having sex together." She nuzzled herself against him. "And really fucking good sex too..."

"I kept making sure last night you were comfortable," Zach said. "You mentioned I was your first, which I find very hard to believe." His comment made Ella perk up and squint at him. "Really? You think I slept with someone else?" She asked. "I mean, I dated before, but none were ever long-term." She squinted again and looked at Zach as she pulled the covers over them. "Also, what will this be... between us?"

Zach put his fingers underneath her chin and raised it up to his level. "You tell me, El," He leaned in as their lips met again, tasting the mint of her gum she always chewed on. "What did that feel like to you?" He then leaned into her ear and whispered. "Cause I'm all yours, honey." He finished up and placed his lips on her neck, making her moan softly.

"I was --" She stopped as she felt chills down her spine. "Hoping, you'd say that." Zach pulled in again to kiss her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled through their kiss. 

"I'll go shower and get freshened," Ella whispered. "See you in a bit." She then stood up, covered herself with a bedsheet, and walked over to the bathroom, as Zach smiled, cleaned up, and put the clothes they wore the night before in the laundry. He pulled on some boxers and a tank top and heard the door open up, seeing Goose walk in and hop on the bed.

"And where have you been, Goosey?" Zach cooed to Goose as he rubbed Goose's chin, which he knew she loved. "Actually, kinda good thing you weren't here, I have no idea if we were loud or not." Goose meowed as Zach petted her. "You hungry? I'll fix up your favorite soon, alright?" Goose meowed and hopped off the bed as Zach went back near the bathroom, where his now-girlfriend was freshening up. Then he thought to check if there was a towel in the bathroom.

He walked into the bathroom with said towel, where he found Ella's round glasses sitting neatly on the bathroom counter and the shower running. "Hey, just dropping in a towel for you, El," Zach spoke up to let her know.

"Oh, that's quite nice of you, love," She said back, causing a red blush to grow on his face, but it grew even redder with the next thing she asked. "You wanna join me?" Zach gulped and composed himself. "Um, you sure about that?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I don't mind," She answered. "I've already seen you naked, and I'll be honest, I like what I saw..." Zach could picture her biting her lips and wrapping a strand of her hair in her fingers. "Al-Alright then," He said as he stripped off his clothes. "I'm coming in." He stepped in, feeling the water under his feet and facing Ella's back.

"Quite bold, are we, Miss Monroe?" Zach said quietly to her as the water drenched them both and he noticed the edges of her smile widened with him resting his chin on her shoulder. His arms went to her midriff as her left arm reached up to his head, caressing his cheek while he peppered her neck with kisses and his hand moved through her body.

She turned around to face Zach as she put her hands on his chest and ran them all over his body as he pulled her in to kiss her. No words were exchanged, just kisses on their lips and on their bodies. About fifteen minutes later, they decided to leave the showers and get dressed. Ella got on a pair of shorts and one of Zach's sweatshirts, as she brushed Goose and watched Zach cook.

"Whatcha making there, love?" Ella asked him as she continued to pet Goose, who loved the attention she was getting. Zach smiled and pulled out some cat food for Goose, who did like it surprisingly, "Full Englishes for us," He said. "And a little something for Goose, she likes bacon."

"But she's a cat, Zachy," Ella reasoned. "I dunno if she'd like it..." Zach finished up on the eggs, beans, and toast and began to plate everything. "Oh, trust me, El," Zach smiled and pecked her cheeks. "Goose loves bacon, she's a special cat if you know what I mean. She has quite the appetite." From behind their back, Goose looked at the plate of bacon and every so slightly used one of the tentacles in her mouth to grab a strip.

"Alright, I trust my boyfriend in knowing what his cat likes," Ella giggled and kissed him deeply. "I love you, Zachy," She whispered to him, as he blushed and kissed her again. "I love you too, beautiful."

(END OF PART TWO)