Expendable
The unusual silence was deafening. As the occupants of the room seemed frozen in a mixture of disbelief and slight horror. The Avengers stared at the cause of the shock-induced silence.
The team had taken it upon themselves to gather around the headquarters. A risky solo mission being the cause of the discussion. It was more so a matter of who would take the most dangerous part of the mission. Going solo to infiltrate the base of an enemy who had recently tried to ambush their team. Gathering the information and stopping their antics against countless armed opponents would be the hard part. Which was even more challenging having to do it alone.
It'd been a chaotic conversation, to say the least as the whole room erupted into sound until eventually, Pietro muttered something firmly. Immediately causing any previous conversation to come crashing to a sickening halt.
Unsurprisingly, it's his twin who finally breaks the silence. "W-What did you say, Pietro?"
Pietro, in a moment of ignorance, hadn't noticed the sudden tension in the room. Instead once more putting up a front of cockiness and repeats his previous statement.
''I said that I'll go,'' The young silver-haired man starts. Pietro's accent is as thick as ever seeping through his words. '' It makes more sense.''
''No, it's not that it's what you said after that. '' Clint presses the subject suddenly looking haunted and seemingly troubled.
Pietro's thick brow quirks upward in question seemingly not understanding the importance.
''What that I'd go since I'm the most expendable?"
It's how subtly the words slip from Pietro's lips that has the whole room absolutely mortified. The way that it's uttered without question as though it were a fact. The finality that everyone mulls over it because that statement that word shouldn't even belong in Pietro Maximoffs vocabulary.
Expendable isn't a word that should even be used to describe the boisterous and cocky young man.
It's a weighted word one that none of which care to hear.
''What? Didn't see that coming?''The comment is clever. A ploy of words that had once been uttered in a bullet-riddled battlefield.
Pietro doesn't know what reply he'd been expecting to receive to it. Somewhere deep down he'd been hoping that the arrogance of it would have saved him from this uncomfortableness of it all. The cockiness and arrogance are all a defense mechanism and he knows it, wonders if others do as well. The thought has the speedster's leg thrumming anxiously in an attempt at filling the void of unforgiving silence. Bright cerulean blue eyes glance around, momentarily noticing the shock on his teammate's faces.
Steve seems to be the first to recover as the soldier leans forward cautiously. '' Pietro what would make you even believe that?''
Pietro's lips purse as the nervous grin falls from his lips. Nothing more than gentle breaths escape as Natasha's broken expression meets his own. His thoughts run rampant so intrusive that it has him hoping that Wanda isn't thinking of invading his mind as she'd done once before. Clint and Steve's words alone have him cocking his head in confusion. The distress behind them is what he couldn't quite comprehend. Couldn't bring himself to understand why they'd bring themselves to care so much about a mere shield. That's exactly what he is, isn't it? Nothing more than an expendable shield that had yet to pay for the things he'd done. The blood he still had to pay for that was on his hands.
Pietro Maximoff was no hero that was something he was certain of. He'd been no better than the same enemies they fought.
'' Pietro?'' Natasha's silky voice calls out soothingly over his raging thoughts as her soft hands place themselves upon his own. Her gaze flickers back towards Steve reminding him of the question.
''I thought it were obvious,'' He calls out self-deprecatingly his pearly white teeth gleaming. '' I should be the one to go It doesn't matter what happens to me,'' Wanda's deadly expression doesn't stop Pietro, nor does Natasha's shaking hands or the fact that Clint looks as though he'd just been punched in the gut. '' I'm annoying, cocky, and reckless I know you've all thought it at some point. I only get people killed --''
''That's enough!'' Clint exclaims.
Momentarily stunned Pietro stops speaking long enough to fully take in his teammates.
Wanda had her hands covering her mouth in what looked like an attempt to stifle a sob as tears glistened.
Natasha with an expression of horrified comprehension on her sharp features. He can only imagine that his statement had reminded her of the red she had on her own ledger.
To Natasha's left, Tony looked ready to lash out at whoever stood too close or breathed too loudly. Almost as though the man were a desperately wounded animal.
Next to Tony, Steve sat looking down hopelessly at the floor, hair falling miserably against the soldier's face.
And lastly, Clint's hands were tightened into fists, seemingly trembling.
Shame coursed through him because he'd done this. He'd been the one to fuck up once again and upset his teammates.
An apology formed upon Pietro's lips only to die down at Tony's voice.
"Since when have you believed that it would be okay for you to die, Pietro?" Tony was deathly calm while posing the question. Too calm for someone who had seemed ready to lash out moments prior.
The question felt like a trap leaving Pietro running his fingers through his thick silver hair in an attempt to stall. Memories of bullets piercing through him filtering through his mind.
It has him wishing not for the first time that he could just speed out of here. Away from the confrontation and pressure.
''It's not that I want to die,'' he finally settles upon. '' But between me and someone else, it's better for me to die.''
''And you didn't think that anyone would object to that? '' Clint calls out in disbelief. The archer's tone accusing. ''Did you ever think of the guilt that'd leave someone with? Did you ever think that maybe nobody wanted you to put your life on the line like that?''
Pietro can't bring himself to answer the questions being thrown his way. Nor can he stand to be in this environment any longer. Wanda seems to know what he's about to do as his twin attempts to reach out a hand towards him.
But before anyone can even begin to do anything he's already out of the Avengers compound leaving a trail of blue and a gust of wind behind him.
Expendable Chapter one
Contains alive Pietro Maximoff
[ Thor and The Hulk will be in later chapters and one shots ]
Summary-
Pietro lives through the sacrifice he had made for Clint. Although it never truly gets acknowledged or talked about. Leaving Pietro to go on thinking of himself as expendable and nothing more than a shield for others at his own expense. He doesn't mention it to others at first instead hiding the fact that he's insecure about his place in the team with cockiness. Until eventually it all becomes too much
Total words - 1,109