Silence

Twenty-Nine

Three weeks later
A vibration in the wall closet to me caused me to flop out of my cocoon and onto the mattress. I scrambled out of the bed and stuffed in my hearing aids, the left one recently fixed. I pulled sweats on and left the room. I slid into the kitchen, nearly falling over. A couple people snickered at me and I groggily flipped them off. "Peter." A voice said disapprovingly and I whirled around, my face breaking into a smile. "Dad!" He pulled me into a tight hug and I buried my face in his shoulder. "You said you weren't coming back for another three days!" I yelled into his shirt, it sounded muffled. "I know, I wanted to surprise you." I pulled away and moved my feet to the stove. "It's my turn for breakfast." I muttered and reached into the fridge. I grabbed the stuff for waffles and bacon. Dad jumped up onto the counter and sat down. "How have things been here?"

Because of the area he was in, the cell service wasn't all that great and we barely got to talk. "Okay for the most part. How was the mission?" He sighed and I could hear the resign in his voice. "Natasha got hurt." I tilted my head to look at him and saw his conflicted his face. "She won't come back to the compound for treatment because she still doesn't know how you're doing." I nodded and went back to mixing the waffles. "Sam?" I looked over my shoulder and the male looked away from his conversation with the super soldiers. "Can you ask Pepper if she's feeling okay enough for anything more than fruit? I don't want to make too much." Sam nodded and got up, promising to be right back. "What's wrong with Pep?" Dad asked, concerned. I snickered and turned to him with a grin. "She's big preggo." Dad began to laugh and he shook his head at my antics.

"Hey Pete." I whirled away from the food and faced Pepper. She grinned awkwardly and I chuckled. "Don't worry about it, I'll cut up some fruit." She thanked me quietly and went to go sit at the table. Tony walked in a moment after she sat down, rubbing his eyes. "Holy shit Stark." Dad breathed and jumped down from the counter. He put his hands on Tony's shoulders and inspected him closely. "Yep he looks human." I snickered and flipped the last waffle. "Peter. You might want to see this." Friday warned and the TV in the living room flicked on. I sighed, knowing exactly what this was about.

"...he goes into dangerous situations with no regards to his own life! I'd say he's a hero." A reporter argued and Jameson began to protest. "He's reckless! He may risk his life but he has no regards for other people. He flips into dangerous situations and does no gauge the scene before doing his thing." I groaned and rolled my eyes. "How long has this been going on?" Dad questioned and Bucky shook his head. "Since you left. He likes to see his pictures on TV." I rolled my eyes at how selfish it sounded. "I do not. I like to hear what Jameson says about me. That man is nothing but a crook, he can't just like the fact that someone is out there keeping the world safe. So what if I cant gauge the scene? I get everyone out!" I put the food on the table and switched off the TV. Once everyone was served, I pushed away from the table and grabbed a waffle square. "Where are you going?" Dad protested and I walked into the kitchen, washing my hands. "Deadline, this afternoon. Sam I'll be at the meeting." I promised and ran to Pietro and I's room.

Clint
I sighed dejectedly and sat back in my seat. "Its okay Clint, his running off is not an all the time thing." Steve promised and I nodded, playing with the end of my bacon. "How's he been doing, in regards to the mental stuff?" I looked at Sam and he smiled. "Better. It's a slow process, but he isn't as jumpy, he lets people hug him more often and I haven't had the fear he'll hurt himself for awhile. He was out late last night, and you know that beforehand he didn't like to call because he was afraid we would hear something? Well he called me and said that there was a bank robbery and he had spent over an hour trying to make sure all the hostages were safe before the police could get in." I smiled. That's my kid. "He's been doing better at the reckless part, I haven't had to stitch him up or-" Bruce cut himself off when Pete ran in. "Helmet!" Bucky called after him and he cursed, turning around and jogging to the living room. "Bye guys! Love you!" He ran out and I heard his bike start a moment later. "Or have had him in the hospital for anything major." Bruce finished and I nodded.

Peter
I drove into the city and parked my bike at the Daily Bugle. I jogged in and pushed a hand through my messy hair. I need a hair cut, but I haven't had the time to get one. I sat in my seat in the photography section of the office. "Barton!" I looked up to see one of my photography coworkers. He's a junior and a huge fan of Spiderman. "Hey Randy." I greeted and he sat in a chair, spinning towards me. "Question, how come I don't see you in school? You're one of the top students, even now." I smiled slightly and pulled the SD card from my camera. "I'm homeschooled, I spend a few hours at night doing online work. If I'm being honest, I'll likely graduate this December." I grinned and Randy chuckled. "That's because of the trial...right? Not to push boundaries or anything." He hastily tried to make up for being pushy and I shook my head, stopping him in his tracks. "No it's okay. Y-Yeah during the trial, it was decided that I was too unstable to continue being around other students, especially when my attacker acted much like a high school student, though he was in his late twenties."

I began to edit a few of my pictures and Randy hung around to keep me company. "I've been meaning to ask, how do you feel? After the trial, you just seemed so different and I can understand why..." He trailed off and I nodded, putting a picture into a file for Jameson. "I live with one of the best specialists in our area and he helps me out a lot. I actually have to leave soon to catch a meeting with him. He's been helpful in the healing process." I pulled up the sleeves on my shirt and Randy's mouth fell agape. I looked down to see the faint words and my damage. I hummed and held out my arm for Randy to see. "This was only a month ago." He ran a finger over the scars and shook his head slightly. "I couldn't have done it. You went on for months and I couldn't even continue walking around afterwards." I gave him my best forced smile and unplugged my hard drive from the computer. "It's not easy. I'll see you next week." I muttered and stood up, grabbing my jacket, helmet and camera. On my way out, I stopped in Jameson's office, my harddrive in hand. "What Barton?" He snapped and I held up the small device. "Just meeting deadlines sir." I set the hard drive down and left his office.

I walked into the VA office and Sam clapped his hands to get my attention. "Ready?" I nodded and followed him to the same office I go to every day. "How was work?" I snickered quietly and the man turned to stare at me. "You sound like my wife." He rolled his eyes and handed me a RedBull. "It was fine, had a friend keep me company today. Jameson is as cold as usual." I shrugged and Sam leaned into his chair. "So tell me, how have you been feeling as of late? And before you say fine, I want you to be in depth." I huffed and he smirked. "I'm okay." His shoulders slouched and I laughed, smiling brightly. "That was funny. I'm okay, honestly. No nightmares." Lie. "And I haven't felt the urge to hurt myself." Also a lie. "And being Spiderman hasn't made me feel bad." And oop-another lie. Sam smiled and nodded his head.

"That's good. Now listen, Clint really wants me to take you on a trip. Get you out of New York for a bit." I nodded. "Is there anywh-" I answered immediately. "San Francisco." Sam's face dropped and I knew that he wasn't sure if that was a good idea. "I want to see Scott and Cassie." I excused my choice and Sam nodded. "I can arrange that. But you know that Wade is in that city? He's in prison, but you'll be close to him." I hummed and looked at Sam, hiding every and all plans I was formulating. "I want to go to San Francisco."