S.H.I.E.L.D ACADEMY

55. Swallow your Pride

You were speechless. You wanted to look over at Steve, but you knew way too many eyes were on the two of you. It was nothing you could say or do that could change the outcome. They had made up their mind. Most importantly, you could not let your emotions get the best of you. These people did not care for your emotions. That's not how you appeal to them. You opened your mouth, searching for the right words, but nothing came to you.

"Why?" you simply asked, looking directly at Tony. He was the only one you trusted in the room. Everyone else here had a reason for targeting you, and you were aware of it. Tony looked up at you, his eyes were softer this time.

"We moved you up here too quickly. You got hurt in the field, and we-..." Tony's throat got dry. It wasn't a mutual feeling. It was no 'we' in this decision.

"The Academy fear that they did not give you enough support and education before you entered and could become more of a hazard than an assist to the agency" Tony said, slowly looking over at the director. You glanced over at her as she sent a paper down towards you.

"Due to the value that the Avengers see in you, we are willing to bring you back-" the director said before you interrupted her.

"I'm sorry, your 'willing to'?" You asked her, almost with a laugh at the beginning of the sentence.

You felt everyone's eyes burning into you. They were clearing being offended that you dared to speak to a higher rank like you did. Perhaps that was part of the problem with you. You didn't shut up. Not when you thought you were being treated unfairly. The silence was loud in the room. You didn't know what to do, but you knew that you deserved more respect than to feel like a left-over piece.

"Your all here to punish me, right?" You asked.

Tony immediately looked down.

"It's not a punishment Miss-" Phil Coulson shot in trying to help his colleague.

You laughed low before you looked over at Steve.

"I was taught that bad behaviour means punishment," you said coldly.

Steve finally looked up at you, as it was clear as a day to everyone in the room that it was him you were addressing. Steve didn't understand why you did this, why you put up this fight in front of everyone. It only showed how little you had learned from him. Not only that, but you were also late and not dressed accordingly. You were dressed like it was a causal day at the academy, not like the avengers. He had a theory why, but he knew better than to give you sympathy.

"It is not a punishment Y/n-" Steve repeated Coulson words before you shut him down.

You lifted your arm, and moved the sleeve up a tiny bit, not caring of the risk that people could see the marks left on your body, as you tapped in the digital watch, you widen the screen for everyone. One of the agents were about to stop you, when you pushed him back. You opened the files from the last mission.

"All of you are acting like I didn't bring in a highly sensitive information just days ago, with intel of terrorist organisation, biomechanical weapon, NONE of you had been able to access this information for years, so don't tell me that your just willing to put me back. I am an assest. Yes, I got hurt, it was only my god damn arm. I have gotten my hand broken falling down the stairs too," Now you lifted your voice as you stood up.

Tony couldn't help but be proud of you. This... this was how you handled yourself. You showed him that you were willing to fight for yourself, when no one else could've or would. That, in Tony's opinion, was one of the things that so many of the agents were missing. They had no bones in their back and followed blindly protocol. You were crazy, but you were also on their side.

"And how did you access that information in the first place?!" The director lifted her voice as she smashed her papers to the table, leaving a loud noise.

You closed your lips together. You knew what she was alluding too. You knew that she wanted you to say it out loud. You were not giving her that satisfaction. It didn't matter how you got it, what truly mattered is that you saved lives. You were no longer working against them in your little studio apartment, you worked for them. Willingly.

"I saved lives," you said.

She smiled weakly at you before she looked down at Steve.

"Mr Rogers, how did your agent access the information?" She asked.

Your stomach dropped.

"Illegally," Steve said short, not looking at you.

You took down the screen and sat down. The director came over to you with a pen.

"We have arranged for you to move back to your old dorm, and you can continue within the same class, however after the dorm accident we found it best that you'll" she said as she sat down beside Stark and Rogers taking a break as she drank from the glass.

You knew what she was going to say. Still, it didn't make it any less dreadful. She was going to take Steve away from you. It was clear, from the way she spoke. None the less, all of this had been going on under his supervision, and as the fucking dumb boy scout that he is he reported everything in. You clinched your teeth, trying to not do or say anything more that could potentially tear you down.

"You'll have a new mentor, Mr Stark will now look after you," she said, as her glass fell.

You breathed out relieved. At least it was Stark taking over for him. With him you had some freedom. You didn't have to fit into Steve's tiny box. You smiled weakly over to Stark, who did the same back. You looked at the pen. You couldn't risk working alone in your apartment again, so you signed the paper.

People began to walk out, but Steve sat still, so did you. Tony walked up to you and clapped you gently on the shoulder. He smiled weakly.

"I'm proud of you," he said. You gave him a slight nod. You knew the two of you were going to need to have a long conversation after this. He walked out, and not far behind him Steve walked. He didn't even look at you. It was easy to say that you were angry at him. He was the cause of all these problems. If it wasn't for him, you would've been perfectly fine. You rested your head in your hands taking a deep breath.

"Fucking Boy Scout," You mumbled.

Before you knew it, Steve grabbed your wrist.

"What did you just say?" He asked coldly, his back still towards you.

You knew it was two ways you could play this, and again, this was the issue with you. You never shut up.

"I said, you fucking boy scout"