admireable mistakes
The Avengers were sprawled across the kitchen all with their own jobs making dinner.
Peter was with Natasha, washing and stabbing potatoes side by side.
Natasha glanced at the teen who was staring into space, so distracted he hadn't realized the potato in his hand was stabbed into mush.
"You know your suppose to cook them before mashing them right?" she nudged his arm snapping him out of his thoughts, teasing him while handing him another potato.
"Sorry," he mumbled taking it and carefully stabbing it, focusing on not messing up again.
Natasha sighed putting down her potato and leaning on the counter island, her elbow on the table with her head in her hand.
"Peter, are you still upset about the mission last night?"
He started bouncing his leg nervously, ignoring her by grabbing another potato and stabbing that one with slight more annoyance.
"Nobody's mad at you, you know that right?"
She comforted him softly, still smiling at him with a hand on his back.
He shrugged looking down at the potato with a sad look.
"I dunno, I just- I kinda feel like I let you all down."
"You really didn't. Beginners mistake, we've all done it." she replied quickly, making sure Peter understood that everything was fine.
"I'm not a beginner! I've been doing this for a year, I let him get away!" he kept his voice low enough the others in the room couldn't hear his negative talk.
"A year isn't a long time Pete, you couldn't have prevented the guy from getting away, we'll just get him next time."
She took all of the stabbed potatoes in a large bowl and got up from her seat, the oven just finished preventing as she slid the potatoes onto a tray and put the into the warm oven to bake.
Everyone moved to the common room to continue conversations, Peter sat on the ceiling above the couch where he normally did, still often staring lost in upset thoughts until an avenger would turn to him to ask him a question or tell a joke.
He always answered or laughed like normal.
Well he thought he did but apparently he wasn't great at hiding his bad mood even upside down.
Bruce looked up at him and being the Avengers honorary therapist (against his will but whatever) he immediately knew the face of someone who was thinking not so great things.
"What's your problem?" he asked before hesitating and quickly reiterating he didn't mean for it to sound so rude.
"I just meant you don't look so great!" he awkwardly smiled.
"Nothing." he lied through his teeth, Tony jumped in, he had a sixth sense for when Peter was lying.
"the kids still upset about yesterday" the room went from calm chatter to everyone defending Peter, all in unison they spoke of how it didn't matter and it was fine.
"It's not fine!" Peter threw his hands up (or..down? He's still on the ceiling..)
His cheeks turned slightly pink as it came out louder than intended,
Thor chimed in with his own story, "I exploded a gas truck once! Mistakes happen man of spiders" he smiled softly.
Tony groaned, "yeah we know, my ears are still ringing from that.." he mumbled quickly waving his hand dismissively.
"Shit happens kid, it's fine, it's my fault for thinking you would be ready for something like that."
Peters heart broke hearing that, no matter how much Mr stark took it back, saying it came out worse than he wanted it to.
Natasha harshly elbowed his side glaring at him.
Steve made the problem slightly worse, "he's just saying your still a kid you know? You think your better than you actually are!"
Another pissed off glare from Natasha and he sank into his seat avoiding eye contact for the rest of the entire day.
Peter moved his knees to his chin.
"you guys are horrible at this" he did have to hold back a smile but his mood was definitely worse than before.
"It happened yesterday, you've been moping about it for hours." Loki complained leaning against the wall away from everyone like normal.
"You try! That's admireable enough, by Odin you could let a thousand criminals out of your reach and these people would still love you all the same!"
the room went silent with stares, anxiously he crossed his arms and slouched,
"what?"
Peter smiled lightly, "that's actually super comforting."
he actually felt so much less tense with that one sentence alone, his knees moved away from his face and his legs returned to a criss cross.
Loki scoffed and glued his eyes to the ground.
"I just wanted you to shut up"
"I'm admireable?"
"Barely" he laughed, yet his face was red and he excused himself from the room.
Thor followed him, because of course he did.
Dinner was ready and the table was set, conversation continued as normal this time Peter was in a much better mood.
He was admireable, if not to the rest of the Avengers, then to Loki that was for sure.
Loki messed up all the time, but he was still great, so why should Peter feel bad about it?
The potato’s were great to.