Summers' Purpose

Chapter 32 (part 2)

Y/n: Cap, do invite Sam over as well if he's free. Tony, you better be here too. It's pizza night.

Tony: Since when do you give orders around here?

Y/n: Please?

Tony: Fine.

Natasha: Sure, 8 pm.

Steve: Okay

Vision: Alright, Y/n.

Y/n watched as Helen and Wanda sent a thumbs up, smiling contentedly to herself. She got ready, ordering their dinner before she jumped in for a quick shower. She drove to town to get the drinks, picking up the pizza on the way back. By the time she reached the compound, it was already 7.50 pm, and the lounge was already filled with the rest of them, chatting as they waited. She smiled as she placed the pizzas on the cleared coffee tables, the rest of the team helping to arrange everything else.

The dinner went well. The pizza was a great hit with them, but the liquor was even more so. Who knew the Avengers could party, Y/n thought, snickering to herself while listening to them catch up and banter with each other. She saw Tony and Steve talking together on one end of the lounge, both nursing glasses of amber liquid as they spoke. Sam, Helen, and Natasha were chatting, laughing occasionally whilst Vision played a round of chess with Wanda.

Despite the cheerful nature of their interaction right now, Y/n can still sense that a lot was still at the back of their minds. The liquor was just helping lower their defenses a little. Y/n was beginning to wonder if drinking around them was a good idea, as she tried to block out their emotions as much as possible. I just want one night of mental peace. PLEASE. She gulped the rest of her beer before getting another.

At one point in the night, Sam turned on the TV to catch up with the scores of a baseball match. "What channel was it again, Tony?" He called out while he scrolled through the channels one by one. The screen was suddenly filled with a group of people gathered outside a semi-destroyed building. They were chanting something while what seemed to be the police, tried to hold them back.

"...and they have gathered here in remembrance of the victims. Though most of them have refused to speak to the media, we've managed to interview some of them. Here are their thoughts." The TV's speakers blared in the now quiet lounge.

"I used to believe that these people, these heroes," a teary young woman spoke, "they are the ones who would be protecting us. But this just shows how careless they are with lives other than their own. Yar uwata talaka, who will stand up for her?"

An infuriated man's face filled the tv next. "My son! He didn't deserve this. He was a good boy. I beg the government to do something, please! These people are dangerous—"

Y/n's blue mist pulled the remote from Sam's hand, quickly turning off the TV. She looked around and noticed all of them avoiding eye contact with each other. The tension in the room was enough to make her dizzy. "Well... Is anyone up for more drinks?" She asked while walking to a cabinet, taking a bottle of what she assumed was whiskey before walking to the coffee table. Nobody answered, so she clinked the bottle to an empty glass before taking a big swig. The liquid burned down her throat, the harsh liquor a welcome help to dull the emotions she was sensing, though at the expense of her sobriety.

"I'll put on some music," Steve offered, taking the remote from Y/n.

"I'd better help with that." Tony walked to Steve's side, patting his back before asking for the remote. The two men shared glances, Steve giving him the remote without a question. Seconds later, light jazz music filled the room.

Y/n looked over to check on Wanda, noticing how frigid her body language was. Her eyes were kept trained on the floor in front of her, avoiding glances with anyone. Her eyes were glassy as she decided to take long sips of her beer. Before Y/n could approach her, Vision was already next to her, gently rubbing her shoulders to comfort her as they talked quietly to each other. The sight was not something Y/n wanted to see.