AN: A rather short, light-hearted chapter today before we return to darker things...
This has been a very strange few months...
And it's even stranger just how quickly it became the new normal. My old life was, for lack of a better term, stable. And maybe a bit boring, but that was okay, because I was never a very adventurous person. I was content to simply fill my free days however I could. There were worse ways to live.
Now though... Somehow, even with everything I've experienced since I came here, everything I've seen and done, things I would never have managed to do in a million years before, this is the thing that makes me realize how insane all of it is.
"Just... just let me make sure I got this right. President Kennedy wants to give ME a medal?"
The reaction to the news had been mixed among the rest of the team. Banner and Steve just seemed to be mildly embarassed over the whole thing, while Hulk just seemed indifferent when Banner let him out so we could tell him. Both Thor and Janet looked happy over the prospect, while Pym was a bit more ambivalent, caught between satisfied with his efforts being appreciated, and the ever-present fear of public appearances, which you apparently get even when you regularly grow into a giant wearing silly pajamas.
As for myself... well, I'm not UNhappy about it, obviously, but I'm honestly a bit uncertain over this. For some reason, the thought of actually meeting Kennedy for real, and not just when I'm trying to keep his brains on the inside, is making me feel weirdly nervous. Which makes zero sense since I didn't feel like this facing down a band of psychopaths led by a literal Nazi.
Sometimes I think I got my priorities all screwed up.
Stark shrugs, glancing back over the official-looking letter in his gauntlet. He's still in his armor, but he's taken off the helmet, and even though the Mk. III armor is a good deal less bulky than the older models, it's still noticably bigger than a normal human body, making his head look almost comically undersized sticking out between the shoulders. "That's what it says, yeah. Well, you and the rest of the team. And of course Cap is getting two medals, presumably presented to him by a bald eagle. Because he's Cap."
"Mr.Stark..." I can almost hear Steve rolling his eyes before he turns to adress me "Johan, you should feel proud. You've earned this, you all have. There is nothing wrong with accepting recognition for your work, even if we don't do what we do for the rewards. I've found President Kennedy to be a reasonable man, so if he thinks you've earned these awards, then I see no point in refusing them."
"Oh, is that so, Cap?" Stark says, draping an arm over Steve's shoulder "Where was this sense of magnamity when they tried to throw a Medal of Honor at you pretty much the same day we pulled you out of the ice?"
Steve sighs "There's a time and a place for everything, Mr. Stark, and I was hardly in the right mind to accept anything then. Now..." He doesn't say it, but it's clear enough that he still doesn't think he deserves it "Well, it'd be rude to refuse..."
"Oh heavens, we can't have that" Stark gasps dramatically, pretending to swoon "Guys, I know this is a bit unprecedented for most of you, but awards aren't that big of a deal, you just accept them, smile politely, and pretend you remember what they're awarding you for, then you stick the award on a shelf and never look at it again! Easy!"
"Yeah, I appreciate the advice Stark, but for those of us who haven't grown up as millionaire genius playboys, this still feels like a fairly huge deal. Also, meeting the President, which again, isn't a recurring situation for us. Or atleast not me."
Stark doesn't seem impressed "Jeez, calm down, it's not like you haven't met him before."
"Yeah, for like ten seconds, not like I stuck around to chat after I dropped him off in Washington. Frankly, a lot of the fight is a bit of a blur..." I shake my head "There's also the fact that I'm not actually a U.S citizen, am I even allowed to get this medal?"
"Apparently, turns out there's no actual rule to getting the medal other than that you've made some sort of really big contribution to the U.S, that's why the rest of us are being allowed to keep our identities secret too. And it's not like Thor is a citizen either, even if Donald Blake is."
Thor nods happily "'Tis true, friend Sunshine. That would be an impossibility as I predate this nations birth by hundreds of years! Nor do I share Donald Blake's citizenship. Regardless, I will happily accept this token of esteem for our battle against the wicked Masters, bards shall tell tales of this clash for centuries to come!"
"Well, I can't argue with that, but..." I sigh as I think of what I must do next "Guess I'll have to go shopping for a suit or something, I can't show up at the White House like this" I tug at the somewhat threadbare t-shirt under my vest. One of the drawbacks of using streetwear as your costume, I guess.
Stark lights up with a frankly unsettling grin "Sunshine, my man, I have just the guy! Let me introduce you to my tailor!"
Ugh... "I don't have to dress up in black tie, do I?"
.....
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"
"Oh good, you've decided not to overreact"
Spider-Man glares down at me from his spot in the corner of the ceiling, to which he'd just lept backwards from a standing position after being told what The Avengers would be doing next. Since I was the only person on the team who actually knew his secret identity, I volunteered to break it to him.
It went about as well as I'd expected.
"This is insane, I can't... there's so many things wrong with... I can't be getting a medal from the President!"
I move to block the window in case he tries to make a break for it "Well, hate to break it to you, but it's a bit late for that. And don't even think about running off and hiding somewhere until this all blows over, because I'll come find you. I can move at light speed, just test me."
Parker fidgets nervously in his crouched position "...I can't just up and leave New York, what will I tell Aunt May? She'll be worried sick!"
"It'll only be for like a day, it's not like we're going on a team vacation! Just tell her it's for work. Which it technically is."
"But I-"
"Look, I have to suffer through this, so do you. Now you're going to accept this once-in-a-lifetime recognition, and you're going to like it, young man!"
Finally, he hangs his head and jumps back down to the floor "Atleast I can just go in costume, so I don't need to find a suit..."
I smile and pat his shoulder "Again, bad news on that front, kid. The team talked it over, and while Thor and Hulk can skip it, the rest of us are just going to wear our masks, and dress formally for the rest. You know, class it up a bit. Don't worry, Stark already invited me to see his tailor, you can come with me."
Wow, for a sheltered teenager, Spidey knows quite a few colorful words...