Ok, here's the thing, I wrote the first two chapters of this a year ago before giving up on it. Since then my writing style has changed and improved, I'd decided to give this a second chance. However, this isn't going to take priority, so don't expect quick updates. Regardless of past Me's cringe, I hope you enjoy this train wreck.

Aspen Reid stood in front of her apartment building as she surveyed the damage. It was bad. A lot worse than she thought it would be.

When her friend called her, and told her about the damage Ultron's robots did to their neighborhood, Aspen had naïvely assumed that it did not mean her apartment building had been completely wrecked. Unfortunately, the young genius was wrong.

"I leave on a business trip for one week, one week, and this happens," she mumbled, resisting the strong urge to punch someone. Aspen puffed air into her cheeks and went over her options.

She couldn't stay at a friend's place, considering they all had similar issues that she had. All the hotels in the area were super expensive. Since everyone in her building would be looking for a new apartment, it would be difficult to find a place right away. And it's not like she had family to stay with, so that left one option...

Aspen sighed and pursed her lips. She really didn't want to, but what other choice did she have?

Swallowing her ego, Aspen picked up her phone. She scrolled through her contacts until she found the name she was looking for. Tony Stark: genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.

Aspen said one last goodbye to her dignity before hitting call. He answered almost immediately.

"Hey, Penzie, it's been a while since you checked in. You never call, you don't write, I got worried!" Ah, there it was. The stupid nickname Tony had given her, saying her name was too long, which didn't make much sense, considering 'Penzie' was actually a letter longer than 'Aspen'.

The young woman rolled her eyes at the billionaire's sarcasm before replying, "I've been pretty busy. But that's not why I called. Remember after Afghanistan you said if needed a place to crash I could stay with you? Well my apartment's kind of blown to bits so I was wondering-"

"Say no more, Penz, you can stay at the tower. I'll send my jet over to pick you up tomorrow. You're in South Korea now, right?"

"Yeah, Seoul," Aspen confirmed, stunned he agreed right away.

"All right, the jet will be there at ten tomorrow. See you later."

And with that, Stark hung up.

Okay... Aspen thought, that wasn't so bad. Maybe this won't be too horrible after all.

•••

"So... Are you going to stay with Stark or something?"

Aspen looked at her friend and raised her eyebrows. "No, I'm going to Hogwarts. Of course, I'm going to stay with Stark, Rya. Where else could I go?"

"Well... Umm... I guess you have a point."

Aspen flopped down on the bed adjacent to her friend's. Shortly after calling Stark, she had met up with her friend, Arya Wylder. They both contributed cash to rent a hotel room for the night. "So, who are you going to stay with?"

"Livia said I could live with her until I find another place." Arya replied. "The flight is going to take forever." Aspen had never met the blonde in person; they had only talked through Skype. If she remembered correctly, Rya and Livia were college roommates before Arya moved to Seoul for an animal rescue program.

Snapped out of her thoughts, Aspen nodded in agreement. "I'm in the same boat as you. Why the heck did I decide on Korea anyway?"

The short brunette paused before thinking of an answer. "Knowing you, it was probably for the food."

"Yeah, food was definitely a reason."

The two women stayed quiet for a moment, neither knowing what to say.

Aspen broke the silence, asking a question she had been dreading.

"Do you know how many people died?"

Arya sighed, thinking of a way to phrase her response. "I'm not completely sure, it might not be that many-"

"How many people, Arya?"

Aspen's friend closed her eyes and began to speak. "I think it was about one hundred fifty dead and two hundred or so injured."

The young genius froze at the additional information. "One hundred fifty dead, two hundred injured," she mumbled. "One hundred fifty dead-"

"Aspen, I know what you're thinking. It's not your fault!" Arya exclaimed, trying to reassure her friend.

"Yes, Rya, it is," Aspen argued. "The only reason Ultron would've came to this part of Seoul is for my research. And when he didn't find it, he took his anger out on the city, or the street our apartment buildings is-sorry was on, to be more accurate."

"Come on, Penzie," Arya said, sitting up to face her friend and addressing her with the nickname she dreaded. "Use that 180 IQ of yours and think about this logically. If Ultron found your research, think of all he could have done with it. He would have been even more of a threat."

Aspen sighed. Her friend did have a point. But she still couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for the destruction Ultron had caused. "That does make sense, but what if-"

"Aspen, stop it. It's not your fault," Arya stated, cutting her friend off.

The two friends were silent for a minute or two, then Arya made a decision.

"I know what you need to feel better-ice cream."

Aspen raised her eyebrows at her friend's statement. She had always known Rya was a bit odd, but it never bothered her. The two balanced each other out, like yin and yang. Arya, being crazy, random, and outgoing, while Aspen was calm, collected and quiet. (Well, most of the time.) When one was insecure, the other was confident. Aspen found it nice to have someone to have her back, to support her.

"So... Ice cream, is that a yes or a no?" Arya questioned, snapping the young genius out of her reverie. "I mean, you're just sitting there with your 'what the heck is wrong with this chick' face, and I can't tell what you want."

Aspen sighed, which is something she was doing a lot lately. "I don't know, it's not really the best time for that kind of thing."

"Come on, Asp, it'll be fun." Arya persisted, "One last hoorah before we go our separate ways. We can even go to that bookstore you like. So, what do you say."

Aspen allowed herself a small smile. "You had me at bookstore.".

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's blow this Popsicle stand!" Arya exclaimed, springing up from her seat.

The excited girl's companion got up as well, grabbing her bag. "Before we go, there's on last think I have to tell you."

Rya stopped halfway through the door of the hotel room. "What's that?" She asked.

Aspen grinned, "Don't call me Penzie."

And with that, the two set off.

So, there it is, I hope this wasn't as bad as I thought. Let me know what you think in the comments! Should I continue this or should I start something else entirely? I'd love to hear what you think.