SOAR: An Avengers Story

Ch.7: Someone Gets Hurt

February 15th, 2017

(Dani)

The whole thing was Barton's fault.

Dani wasn't even focused on the mission at first. She was completely checked out. Bored, really.

She sat on top of a big gray vent, the fan whirring beneath her. She was creating small bursts of light in her hand to entertain herself, each one a different color. She let them rise and fall in-between her fingers and let them fizzle and fade out whenever she felt like it.

She stopped once Peter passed through her periphery again, his blue-and-red suit making him even more noticeable. She looked up at him. 

He had been pacing ever since the strike team left, staying silent (along with everyone else). He gave off enough nervous energy, though, to fill a stadium. It was starting to make Dani anxious.

"Dude, you're gonna wear a path into the roof," she told him. He yanked his mask off and stopped. His doe-brown eyes slowly honed into Dani's line of sight. She could tell his mind was all over the place.

"What's wrong, dude?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he tried to dismiss it with a shake of his head. He was terrible at lying.

Dani scoffed and said," Liar." She tapped the empty space next to her and said, "Come on, sit down. Talk to Mama Dani."

Peter paused for a moment, then reluctantly sat down next to her. He fiddled with his mask, yanking it through his hands like a dish towel. Dani nudged him, urging him to talk.

"I'm just. . .worried, I guess. About Cas. If he's safe."

"Cas? You're worried about him? Dude, he can hold his own against Captain America. I think he'll be okay," Dani said playfully, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Peter gave a small smile before his worried look came back. He said, "But it's not just that."

"What is it, then?" she asked more seriously than before.

Peter stayed silent, thinking and staring off into the space in front of him.

"What's going on with you two?" she asked, pressing on. She knew something was wrong, especially after her conversation with Cas the night before. No matter how great things looked afterwards, there was still discord. And she figured the discord wasn't one-sided.

"He's. . ."Peter said, then sighed, "He's been distant. We were having a good time, hanging out a lot in-between training, and it went pretty well for a while. But the past week he's been. . .avoiding me? I don't know. He's become a really good friend in such a short time, and now he's pulling away. It's scary."

"What's scary about it?"

"I'm afraid he might be going back. To ARGUS, his dad, Hydra. All of it. And all of the progress he's made—we've made—is just gonna. . ." Peter stopped and squeezed his mask tighter in his hands. It was obvious he cared. 

"If the only reason you're friends with him is to help him forget, then I don't think you can call it a friendship," Dani offered, taking away the usual, critical edge she had in her voice most of the time.

Peter looked back at her, wide-eyed, as he quickly said, "Of course that's not the only reason! He needed a friend, and truth be told I needed a friend too, and it only helps that he's smart, thoughtful, caring, strong. . ."

"If you see him that way, maybe you should know deep down that he's gonna be fine," Dani stopped him before he could ramble any more. She nudged his shoulder before saying, "What's the real problem, Peter?"