A year to Remember. Part 2, the Internship

Reparations and Reincarnation

Jumping up from the couch, running away from Pepper who tried to give chase, giving up if only a step later as Tony hid behind the super soldiers. "No, no. That's what we agreed, everything else is fair game", he argues from his safety wall of muscles and misplaced patriotism. Pepper rubs her eyes, certain of what Tony is thinking, and frustrated knowing she can't talk him out of it. "Just don't go overboard. Please. I don't want to justify why you made a teenager a millionaire overnight".

He smirks. He can't deny he did give the idea some thought. "Don't worry Pep, I'm not that excessive-" Absolutely no one buys his BS- "I'll leave the millions in a trust fund for when he's older". There it is. "Ok, I- not even gonna argue that", she replies with a long and hardy sigh, "just remember he doesn't want a spotlight and too much pay would do that. Gonna disagree now?".

Now they let it slide, believing his argument but knowing Tony, they're certain he'll find a workaround. "All this sounds good Tones, why shouldn't we be celebrating?", Steve comments to the man behind him, who walks around to once again be the centre of the group. Tony presses his lips, the final condition being the difficult one to break to the room. "It's his 3rd condition... They don't wanna see us, the Avengers".

Previously curious, smiling faces now fallen with frowns and hidden hurt. "Why?", Rhodey — the least hurt of them all because Tony seemed alright — is the first to ask. "Same as the recording, isn't it", Natasha answers knowingly. Nodding, "It's more personal, but yeah, pretty much", Tony agrees.

"I was able to negotiate an exception", He adds, the room drawn to his words; "On Monday and Wednesday he'll be working in the lower labs, and on Friday's he'll work privately with me in my lab", he supplies to an unreceptive audience. It, naturally causes resentment. "Bullshit", Bucky snarls at Tony, Steve pulling him back biting back his own frustrations. Pietro yells, "You selfish prick", anger seething through him as Wanda tries to hold him back.

"It's not like that", Tony defensively claps back.

Clint scoffs, "You just wanted to hide him again", he whiles dirty eyeing Tony. Too many insults too soon, had Tony barking back. "You didn't see his face! Barton!", his shout managed to echo through the room, the growl to it maintained with every repetition, pushing everyone down onto their seats. Tony didn't move from where he stood, sharp breaths as he recovered.

"You didn't see his face...", Tony repeats quieter, the room having fallen silent from his original outburst. "This isn't about preference for him. He was tense and anxious, I could feel it". The avengers all face Tony, downtrodden at the description, but touched by Tony's emotional words. "I could barely get him to agree to this, I thought I could at least help him then".

Steve walks up to Tony, catching him in a hug. "We know Tony, thank you", he whispers, with an airy and quiet voice. Tony 'not a fan of hugs' Stark doesn't live up to the name, as while he'll never say it, he needed it. "Sorry Tony", Clint adds once the hug ends, regretting his accusation.

Their conversation's cut short by an all to familiar yet unexpected buzz...

-

‏The Kid

‏Hey Guys

-

"Hold it!", Natasha scolds, stopping the frenzy of finger taps. "Only Tony and Pepper, we already scared the kid once, give him time". Insurrection is quelled by her threatened wrath. "He knows me as Ms Salt by the way", Tony nods at the confirmation.

-

Tony

Hey kid, you ok?

‏The Kid