The Mimic

74

Back at the compound, the morning was an eerie one.

Y/n wasn't there, and it definitely left a big hole in everyone's morning routines. There was nobody to race to the bathroom, nobody to hear giggling down the hallway, nobody to blast music in the kitchen, and nobody to dance with whilst making breakfast. The compound almost felt empty. Yet there was only one person missing.

Bucky was hit the hardest. He'd had a nightmare that night, yet when he woke up there was nobody beside him. Steve had found Bucky mid panic attack in the kitchen after waking up to get a glass of water. He hated seeing his best friend so freaked out, and it wasn't like he could relate to Bucky in any way. All he could do was sit and listen for as long as Bucky needed. But it hurt. Bucky was so, so stressed and paranoid. Usually he had y/n to comfort and hold him before it even got to the point of a panic attack, but she wasn't there - which seemed to just add to more of the stress. Steve managed to get Bucky back to bed after a while. He even slept on the floor by the side of the bed, not wanting Bucky to be alone.

Yes, it hadn't been long since y/n disappeared, but everyone could sense that there was something off. Something about it just didn't feel right.

The team were all sat in the kitchen together, eating breakfast. The quiet was abnormal and uncomfortable. Usually y/n sparked up a stupid conversation that had everyone talking, but there was nothing. Everyone could tell there was something wrong, but nobody wanted to vocalise it just in case it stressed anyone else out. Wanda had turned on the radio to try and drown out the silence, but it wasn't working. It wasn't the same without y/n dancing around and pretending she couldn't hear Tony when he tells her to turn it down. 

However, everyone was suddenly ripped from their thoughts by Tony, who had slammed his hands down on the table. "I'm sick of this silence. We all know something is wrong, so why don't we talk about it? Why don't we do something about it? Everyone is vocal when we run out of milk, so why aren't we saying something now?" He snapped, standing up from where he was sat. "Oh, are we scared we're going to stress someone out? A person on our team could be in danger, and what're we doing about it? Sitting patiently and waiting for her to come back? We're the Avengers, not a suburban family of four." Tony huffed, setting his bowl of cereal down as he stepped away from the table. He set his hands on the back of his head in thought, trying to think of the first plan of action. He hummed slightly when he finally got the idea, hurrying out of the kitchen without another word. Steve quickly stood up when Tony hurried out. "Tony, where're you going?" He called out, a deep frown on his face. Tony was right, but he needed to know the plan to get involved. "Calling Peter!" Tony's voice echoed from the hallway.

Peter was running late for school. He'd woken up late and had no time to do anything but get out of the apartment. But it was worth it, he'd had such an amazing night with MJ. Peter was halfway down his apartment stairway, backpack strung over one shoulder, an apple held in his mouth, and he was pulling on his other shoe. He was a mess. Completely full of adrenaline. He could still make it to school on time if he ran, and that was his plan. Peter cursed quietly as he felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket. Who was calling him at this time? Maybe Ned, usually he was at school by now. Once his other shoe was on, Peter pulled the apple out of his mouth after taking a bite, using his spare hand to grab his phone, not even checking who it was before he picked up. It was probably just Ned. "Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way Ned. I woke up late. Hey, I have to tell you about my night with MJ! I told you I invited her to Mr Stark's party, right?" He rambled, his voice muffled as he was in the middle of eating his apple.

Tony smiled fondly at Peter's rambling, sometimes it was nice to catch him off guard like this. Usually Peter was so tense around Tony, too scared to mess up. But, this wasn't the time for smiles and laughs. "Yeah, it's me, kid. It's not Ned." Tony responded in a serious tone. Most of the team were with him in his office, Peter on loudspeaker on the desk so everyone could hear him. 

Peter's eyes widened when he heard Tony's voice, almost dropping his apple. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Uh, hi Mr Stark. Why're you calling? You know it's a school day, right? I can't really go on any missions today, I have a big test just after lunch." He rambled, weaving through the busy streets as he rushed to school. Peter threw his half-eaten apple in the trash, he felt disrespectful for eating whilst on the phone to Tony.

Tony put his head in his hands with a sigh, he'd forgotten how much Peter rambled. How could y/n deal with this all of the time? "Kid, kid. Listen to me. No, you're not going on any missions-" Tony interrupted, speaking over the top of Peter in attempt to shut him up. Usually he'd let Peter talk, but they had more important things to do. "Listen, did you hang out with y/n at all after the party? Did she stay at your house last night?" He asked in an interrogative tone. He prayed that Peter would say yes, maybe he'd woken up late because he'd been swinging around the city with y/n all night... Right?

Peter frowned in confusion, weaving in and out of people. He was walking as fast as he could, not wanting to run whilst on the phone. "No... I left the party with MJ. Why? Is there something wrong? Has she gone missing?" Peter asked, his stress of being late for school seeming to go out of the window at the idea of y/n going missing. Worry and concern was riddled across his face, slowing his pace a little.

The whole team seemed to all take in a sharp breath at the mention of y/n not being with Peter. Natasha begun to pace, running her hands through her hair. Steve quickly set a hand on Bucky's shoulder, squeezing it slightly in attempt to reassure him. But, everyone had that sickly feeling of dread in their stomachs. Tony rubbed his face with his hands, sighing as he leant back on his chair. "Great. Thanks for letting us know, Peter. Go ace that test, alright? Bye, bud." Tony hummed, hanging up the phone before he looked back up at the team with wide eyes. He didn't want to get Peter involved. Not yet. 

"But Mr Stark-" Peter was suddenly cut off by the sound of Tony hanging up. He sighed, moving to stand in an alleyway away from the busy crowds. Y/n was definitely missing, there was something wrong and she was in danger. Peter rubbed his face with his hands, staring at the wall in front of him with wide eyes. He was conflicted. Should he go back to the compound or just go to school? He knew Mr Stark told him not to, but what if they needed him? No, he was going to school. Tony would call him if he needed him. 

"Well, what do we do now?" Tony asked, an exasperated look on his face. Everyone had been hoping that their suspicions were wrong, so the news that y/n was missing left them speechless. Bruce was stood in the doorway, staring at the ground as he tried to think. His eyes widened when he finally came up with an idea, raising his head to face the rest of the team. "We check the cameras. We get the guest list and match it with the footage to determine who actually left the party. We check the roof and the outside of the compound for any signs of y/n. Come on, the first twenty-four hours are essential." Bruce said seriously, hurrying out of the room and making a beeline for the missions room so he could check the cameras. Tony nodded, standing up so he could join Bruce. "Well, you heard the man. Let's get moving!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands together.