WHEN THE AVENGERS GROUPED BACK TOGETHER, a strange quiet settled.
All were in varying stages of defeat and nursing injuries. The main room was covered in bullet casings and glass shards, and most of the furniture had been blown to pieces or broken beyond repair.
The moment that Tony's suit touched down inside of the tower, the metal peeled away. He stumbled out of the machinery and looked around before his eyes settled onto Harley standing across the room, hands clenched by his sides. The teen was as pale as a ghost with tremors barely concealed rippling through his body that he'd have denied to anybody.
Meticulously, Tony's eyes trailed over the teen for injuries; he had a mild concussion and a cut hidden by his hairline. The older man's face was tight and drawn as he tugged Harley towards the labs without a word, simply wrapping a secure arm over his shoulders.
He refused to look back at Natasha who was guided inside by Clint, both agents visibly bruised.
Natasha's mind felt hazy, as if it couldn't comprehend the loss of Peter. It simply didn't want to process the harsh reality which was that they had lost him. The teenager who had wormed his way in to her heart and took a chunk of it as he was torn away- numbly, she slumped into a vacant, still standing seat and promptly ignored the stuffing that spilled out from the cushion.
Her eyeline stilled to the wall but she saw nothing. Just a gun to Peter's head as it were happening in real time before her eyes again and again.
If anyone had asked Clint before, he would have denied his attachment to Peter.
Played it off as an easy joke and lied with his usual ease, claiming the teenager was nothing more than an acquaintance. But it was clear to anyone with eyes that the agent was struggling to accept that Hydra had swooped in and stolen said teenager. He couldn't shrug off the anger or mask it with a blank expression because it was practically seeping out of him in waves of contempt and despair.
Breathing hard, Clint marched out of the room passing Steve who moved to reach out for him- the archer jolted away, swallowing hard at the gesture.
"Don't." He warned, before disappearing through the doors.
Steve hesitated for a beat, before turning to look at Natasha who had barely reacted. She knew Clint well enough to know that he would need to blow off some steam and then brood in a rafter, watching closely from afar- it wasn't much of a shock, not that anything could have shocked her in that moment. She knew that he liked Peter and the loss was hitting him hard.
"Who was Peter, really?" Steve asked quietly; afraid it would anger the woman.
The question had been taunting him- what kind of kid was he fighting for? He thought he knew Peter. The Peter that Tony would dote on just as much as Harley and fall asleep with in the lab after science binges. The Peter who rambled about the new Star Wars movie and science formulas like it was nothing and a second language. The Peter who Harley would drape himself over when he felt clingy. The Peter who would bat Clint away as he ruffled his hair, and the Peter that Natasha would throw granola bars at halfway through the day.
But the Peter he saw fighting with Hydra hadn't been that, Peter.
He'd been calculated and agile. Trained with an accuracy even Steve didn't have, and he'd fought in a war. That Peter was dangerous and handled a gun like he had done it all his life, killing soldiers without a glance back and barely out of breath as though he could do it all day and then some.
Natasha blinked. "He was my kid." She croaked out, rubbing tiredly at her neck for a moment. Her eyes switched to Steve's, briefly noting his look of disbelief. "And he's gone."
"He was an experiment from Hydra." Announced Nick.
Glass crunched under his feet as he walked towards the duo; Steve turned to face the director, masking his surprise at the sudden appearance. Natasha lazily shifted her attention to the man who offered a sombre look in reply. He knew what Peter Parker had meant to the woman- she'd lived with him for an entire year; laughed and fought beside him. Fury didn't have to imagine the guilt and anger that would be churning away inside of her despite the quiet demeanour, he was feeling it too.
"And he was a good kid. Had some good role models too." He added, shaking away his thoughts before finally looking back to Rogers who looked thoroughly confused and conflicted at the situation.
"Hydra busted out Helen." Fury explained, and the assassin straightened up slightly in her seat despite the aches in her body which screamed in protest. "We don't know what they're planning, but-"
"- it'll have something to do with mutates." She murmured hoarsely and Fury nodded, expression darkening. Steve's eyes bounced between them, attempting to figure out what was happening.
No one moved for a few seconds until the woman rose from her seat.
There was a cut on her arm and a bruise blossoming on her cheekbone; but she walked confidently into the rest of the tower, a determined gleam to her eyes despite it all.
"Where are you going Romanoff?" Nick questioned.
"Call a meeting- me and Stark will join soon." She called over her shoulder without looking back.
A/N
The aftermath of Peter's disappearance- I hope I did authentic reactions for everyone! I love Clint lowkey being very protective over Peter but denying it to anyone who questions him.
Anywho! Let me know of any spelling mistakes! xoxo.