✓ | parted [ ➁ ]

[ chapter fifteen ]

Everything was a mess.

Andi had to watch as armed officers subdued Sam, Wanda, Clint and... well, she didn't really know the name of the guy who had the ability to grow in size and shrink as well. She couldn't help but think that they'd come for her too, but they didn't. Not yet.

Wanda and the others outright opposed Tony. Andi had only changed her mind at the last second, which they may not even know about. Unless Vision or T'Challa were to inform Ross about it. At this point, it was impossible for her to predict whether they would or not. A lot of people were unhappy, and about various things.

They hadn't met Ross yet, probably because he was busy dealing with the others who'd been taken away somewhere. Andi stood in the hospital wing of the Avenger's base with Peter, looking through a glass window as Rhodey lay down for an MRI. She didn't get most of what the doctors said, but she knew it couldn't be good.

Steve and Bucky had gotten away, but was that enough? Did they know what they were up against? Andi felt restless. She wanted to help but she was also worried about herself, and what her last minute decisions meant for her.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Andi left the room to get some fresh air outside. It wasn't long before she realised that someone had followed her.

"You doing okay?" She turned to see Peter jogging over, coming to a stop beside her. He had changed out of his suit, like almost everyone else had.

Andi pursed her lips, unsure how to answer. "I don't think anything's okay at this point," she replied with a small shrug, staring at the grassy field ahead. The jet that Tony had used to speed Rhodey over was parked a couple of feet away but other than that, there wasn't a soul or thing in sight. Quite literally. Andi couldn't hear any voices of the dead. She hadn't in a while, because things had been good and she'd been doing well trying to keep them out of her head. With the way things were now though, she knew it wouldn't be long before she started to hear them again.

"Tony'll vouch for you," Peter tried to remain optimistic. "They're not going to do anything to you, you're too young. I won't let them."

Andi looked over at him with a half-hearted smile. "I was forced to do much worse when HYDRA had me. If they knew about all of that, I would never have been allowed to lead the life I managed to lead for the past year," she explained to him. "Tony covered it all up, but I don't think he can anymore."

Besides, she wasn't even sure how angry he was. He hadn't said a word to her since Rhodey's incident. She knew he was also mad at Nat, who, like Andi, made a last minute decision that was questionable. Nothing had happened to her either. Yet.

Andi shoved her hands into her pockets and her fingers brushed against something cold. She pulled it out only to see that it was the metal figurine she'd been working on. It was a spider — she'd initially been making it for Nat, but after her run in with Spider-Man the other day at the deli, she'd started to shift its form and paint it so that it reflected the masked hero. It wasn't done yet, but all it needed was a little reshaping.

"What's that?" Andi looked up to see Peter eyeing the object in her hand.

Andi felt butterflies in her stomach. "Nothing," she shook her head and turned it over in her hands. "Just something I've been working on." She shoved the metal spider back into her pocket, deciding that now wasn't the time to give it to him.

Andi looked up, about to suggest that they head back in and find something to eat, but she stopped herself when she noticed someone walking toward the jet. Tony. Where was he going?

It wasn't like him to leave when something serious had clearly happened to someone close. If he was taking off, it had to be something important.

Andi made an impulsive decision to follow him. She started moving forward, but Peter's voice stopped her. "Andi, wait. Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Andi turned briefly to face him. "I need to know what's happening." She played a part in it all, even if Tony didn't like it.

"Then I'll come with you."

Andi shook her head. "I can sneak onto the chopper. If you come too, he'll notice us. Just... try and cover for me as long as you can?" Andi didn't want to put him in that position either, but it was probably better than whatever she was about to walk into.

Peter didn't seem to like the idea very much, but he nodded nonetheless. "Okay," he agreed. "But... be careful."

"I will," Andi nodded. She looked toward the jet, and Tony was almost at the entrance. In a split second decision, Andi spun around to face Peter once more. She had a tendency to do things on a whim, and for this particular instance, she wasn't sure if it was the right move or the wrong one. Regardless, she went with her gut and leaned forward to press a quick kiss to Peter's cheek.

Andi's cheeks were flushed with colour before she even made her decision, and instead of sticking around to see his expression or hear what he had to say, Andi turned back around and jogged to the jet. Just as Tony walked in, she slipped inside behind him. She just had to hope that FRIDAY wouldn't notice anything unusual about her being there, and fortunately, Andi hid behind the seats easily since Tony was way up front.

She soon felt the jet lifting up into the air, and for the moment, things were silent.

Andi knew, though, that this whole thing was far from over.