A year to Remember. Part 2, the Internship

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"Boss?", Fri calls as I begin to work. "I wouldn't recommend-".

"Mute".

-

Avengers POV:

Steve, Clint, Bucky, Nat, Pietro, Wanda, Sam, Scott and Rhodey were all waiting, anxious, for Tony and Pepper to return from Midtown. Half worried about Peter passing the test (Steve, Wanda, Scott, Rhodey), and the other ready to kill whomever sabotaged him (Sam, Clint, Pietro, Bucky, Nat in order of violence).

All 9 spread around the main area; Rhodey, Sam, Scott and Nat sitting on the couches, Wanda on the floor in front of Nat who was currently doing her hair. Clint hidden by the vents, doing Clint things. Steve and Bucky both sat by the kitchen island chatting over Steve's new tea obsession. Pietro deep in the kitchen Stress baking, something both he and Bucky do to calm their anxieties.

The Elevator's ding bringing them all their stresses together into one. "How did it go?", Pietro blitzes from the kitchen past Tony, instantly curious bout the day, "Is he coming? When does his internship start?". It's Clint's turn to ask bursting through his vent.

Steve and Bucky stand from their seats, Scott, Nat and Wanda do so as well swarming Tony. Only Natasha noticing the problem. "What went wrong". All the avengers hold their tongues. If Natasha sounds worried, there's reason for all of them to be. Tony's features harden, the pressure on him clear. "Friday, play the recording", he says into the room, the TV screen lighting up with visual guides for the voices of the audio file.

All collect by the sofas, attentively listening, not even noticing Tony as he snuck away. The preamble bores some of the avengers, though the name 'Flash Thompson' is definitely etched into multiple avenger's hit lists. Everything seemed to be going alright, that is, until the kid breaks.

"Flash had nothing to do with this. You wanna know why I failed the test? It's because I don't want anything to do with the internship, Or anything to do with you". The avengers exchange shocked looks. Surprised that the Kid had this much rage to him and worried about what that meant. A voice who the TV indicates is Midtown's principal asking him why.

"Why? Why? I know about Spider-Man, I've seen the video, read the news. He's the only damned person who cared and now he's gone because of you! One minute you're working together the next you're hunting and hurting him?". Guilt begins to pulse through their eyes, their forming frowns reflecting the shift in emotions. A shift turn sharper at Peter's following words, the pain in his voice hitting them the hardest.

"And that's not even the worst, You and the rest of the Avengers went off to crimes and let them happened, you didn't care if people got hurt! If people died! He considered you his friend and you betrayed him, like it didn't even matter. And people like me? You don't care about people like me"

Pietro speeds from the room, his speed anxiety overwhelming him, Clint and Wanda running behind him to help. The rest of the adults not taking the words as badly, but still wincing at that last phrase. Feelings multiplied by the vulnerability and realism of the next. "If that's how you treat people like me. If that's how you treat your friends, you allies, why would I ever want to be one?".

The second of silence that follows is used by the all to recoil from the weight of his words, looks shared between the boyfriends, the pilots, and Scott and Nat. "Please", his voice breaks. "Please never contact me again".

...

"What are you looking at me for?", Nat asks questioning all their incoming looks. "He- he didn't mean that right?", Scott stutters. "You're... you Nat, you can read people better than anyone here. What do you think?", Steve asks her, speaking for the group as most nod in accord. Nat sighs, rubbing her forehead at their expectance. "I'm sorry but I can't do much here".

Sam pipes up, "But you're Nat, best spy in the world, how can you not know?", he challenges, Nat seeing through to his own fleeting hopes. He hid it well, but not that well; his eyes gave him away. "Because I'm a spy, not a mind reader", she replies frustrated with their expectations. "Even if I had been there I couldn't tell you everything in their mind, only what they showed".

"Then what do you know?", Rhodey asks, more worried for Tony but needing more to know what's up. "I can tell you that the emotions match his words", I try and explain to mixing success, "He wasn't lying when he spoke, at least, he didn't think he was. He said what he felt in that moment".

"And that is?", Rhodey tries to get some clarification from Nat's vague words. "Pain? Anger? Sadness? Betrayal? I don't know, and I don't think he does either", Nat pauses as all but Bucky understand what she meant, "He blocked us for some problem, and I'm guessing we might have been part of it. But regardless, I'd wager he's still going through some things, so he doesn't fully know what he's feeling, or how to channel it".

The present avengers all nod, Scott leaving to check on Clint and the Twins, and to catch them up. Sam doing the same but for Bruce who's been with Thor and Loki all day. Settling back into the sofas, Bucky speaks up. "Do you think he'll be ok?".

Natasha exhales, looking down, "That's the one thing I can't answer". Rhodey, Steve and Bucky stare at her, worried. "He's emotionally lost, overwhelmed, his brain is dialled up to 11 and it's up to him wether he is able to release them, to move on".

The room solemns, Natasha embracing a small smile. "But knowing the way he's talked to us, helped us through our own times of chaos, I have hope." She lightens the tone, her smile shared across the room that's soon filled with a *ding*.