Sunshine | Pietro Maximoff

CHAPTER 17

Tony and I stood in the elevator in complete silence. The woman's words continued to echo inside my brain.

"You murdered him. In Sokovia."

I took a deep, steadying breath, wiping my hands on the sides of my dress.

"He's dead… and I blame you."

"You're not to blame, Tony." The words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them. "You… we did everything we could."

I turned my head to face Tony. He was staring straight ahead at the elevator door, his face void of emotion. Just an empty, silent stare.

"We messed up with Ultron." I continued. "But we were ready to die to set out mistake right."

"But we didn't."

The words came out so quietly, I almost thought I'd imagined it.

"We didn't die, did we? We walked away." As he spoke, his eyes remained locked on the elevator doors. "Sure, we might have got a bit dinged up in the process, but we all walked away." He turned his head to face me for the first time since we entered the elevator. "Right?"

I opened my mouth to reply, yet Tony cut me off before I could start.

"Charlie didn't. And countless others. They're people's sons and daughters, Madden. Those aren't just nameless faces; their lives are the result of us doing our best."

The elevator doors slid open and Tony stormed out without another word.

"I'm not saying they were nameless faceless, Tony." I responded, quickening my steps to keep up with him. "What, do you think I don't feel the exact guilt that you do every single day? You weren't the only one responsible for creating Ultron."

Tony stopped in his tracks and turned to me so suddenly I almost walked straight into him.

"Oh, please, you were just going along with me. We all know who the brains behind the operation was."

My heart sunk to the bottom of my feet. Wow.

"I backed you up on every decision, Stark. I was with you at every step of the way. The only reason I agreed to the Avengers initiative in the first place was for the chance to work alongside you!"

My voice had raised to shouting level, causing people around to turn their heads in our direction. I attempted to ignore their stares as I blinked away the angry tears that prickled in my eyes.

"Well I never needed you to, Ophelia. I didn't need some twenty-something know-it-all following me around. I definitely don't need that same kid telling me this isn't my fault when we both know it is."

Tony's quiet rage was so much worse than if he were to scream in my face. I was speechless, frozen to my place in the middle of the lobby. A single tear rolled down my cheek before I could stop it. Tony looked away. Then, he turned on his heels and marched out the front door. All eyes were on me. The bustling lobby had come to a complete standstill. I ran both hands through my hair, taking a steadying breath. I had to get out of here.

I walked outside just in time to see Tony's car leaving the car park. He left me. At M.I.T. With no way to get home. I leaned my back against the wall of the building, attempting to order my thoughts. Before I knew it, I had pulled out my phone and dialled a very familiar number.

"Hey, it's me. I… need a favour."

"Is everything okay?" Asked the accented voice from the other end.

"Not really… I could really use a ride from M.I.T."

"I'm on my way."

~*~

The roar of a motorcycle engine filled the air as it pulled up in front of me. The driver switched off the engine and slid up his visor.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey."

Pietro nodded his head to the seat behind him.

"Hop on. There's a spare helmet under the seat."

Without a word, I did as he said. I placed my hands firmly on either side of my seat.

"Hang on, sunshine."

The engine roared back to life once more. Pietro took off and I felt myself get lunged forward. Quickly, I wrapped my arms around Pietro's waist in an attempt to steady myself.

We rode in silence all the way to the compound. It took all my strength to keep my emotions under control after the whole Tony situation, so I was glad for the absence of conversation. Upon our arrival, Vision met us outside. His face was grave. Something was wrong.

"Is everything okay, Vis?" I asked, placing my helmet on the seat.

Vision opened and shut his mouth, seeming hesitant to answer. Finally, he spoke.

"You both better come inside."

Pietro and I shared a concerned look before following the android into the compound. Inside, it was unsettlingly quiet. Something felt off. Like there was something heavy hanging in the air. I spotted Nat and Steve speaking in hushed tones across the room.

"What's going on?" I asked hesitantly.

"There was an incident in Lagos."