(Attendance please…)
….
Everyone was seated around the large, circular conference table.
In front of them were bottles of water, notepads, and other professional meeting paraphernalia.
Gojo and the others were now just waiting for Wanda and her brother to arrive, and then for one more key player: the government representative, the one who would present them with their new collars and tell them that if they didn't put them on, they would no longer be superheroes.
So, to list who was already present: Tony, Steve, Natasha, Jarvis, and Bruce. Clint, being officially retired, wasn't here. Thor was off-world, probably on some "godly adventure or something," as Gojo would put it. Wanda and Pietro hadn't arrived yet.
Gojo, with a complete lack of nervousness, chomped down on a series of sweets he'd brought with him, one after another.
The others sat with varying degrees of tension, their heartbeats, which Gojo could faintly perceive, rising and falling, even if their faces remained stoic masks.
Well, except for those like Tony, who had already clearly decided which side they were on.
"Sorry, but not sorry," Gojo said, his mouth half-full of what looked like a croissant. "But can we hurry up and bring in the witch and her sonic-fast brother? Not to be that fat, rude guest who just eats and eats while enjoying the suffering of his neighbors who are jealous of his easy life and vast amounts of money, but Mochi has a very strict routine of going to the park in the afternoon to ogle other dogs and their owners. It's very important for her social development."
Steve, who had been staring intently at the table, looked up. "What?"
Gojo looked at him, feigning surprise. "Are you listening to music in such a tense and important moment with some of those invisible earphones Tony probably made?"
No one ever knew what Gojo might say next. It was like he would do the most expected, most inappropriate thing, but you still wouldn't expect it, because it was Gojo, and he would just… say it.
"Do you think this is the time for a joke, Satoru?" Steve asked, his voice tight. "Wanda is going through something no one can imagine. She's blaming herself for something that was way out of her hands…"
Before Steve could continue, Gojo interrupted, holding up a single finger. "First of all," he said, "I think there was a book I read somewhere, or maybe I saw it in a movie, where it was mentioned that joking during a time of great tension can actually reduce the atmosphere of unwanted nervousness and… whatever the other thing is."
Sam Wilson, sitting by Steve's side, muttered, "Is this man high or something? He's just blabbering anything that comes into his mind."
"I don't think this is the time, Gojo," Natasha said, her voice a quiet warning.
Gojo didn't listen. He lifted a second finger. "Shut up, bird boy," he said to Sam, then continued, his focus back on Steve. "And let me finish. I never said she did it intentionally, and I never said she wasn't going through something. I don't even know why you would bring that up. And in this line of work," he gestured around the room, "I think these kinds of things are to be expected. Let's be honest, no one would have batted an eye if it were some common people, like firefighters or police officers, who died doing their jobs."
He leaned forward, his tone turning sharp. "In this work, injuries and dying are things you should already know are part of the package. If she feels so burdened and guilty that she saved you, and other people on the street, and possibly stopped a biological weapon from spreading, then I think it might be time for her to consider a career change."
"This whole situation, this meeting, it's not happening because someone died," Gojo stated flatly.
"No, no, no. This is happening because the people who died were… important people. From a specific country. So, please, do not say it is because 'someone died.' Remember to include the 'important' part in that. Because people die every single day, from drowning, from hunger, from car accidents, from so many things. So, remember to put 'important' before 'people' when you're talking about those people."
"Really? No one's even going to mention that he just called me 'bird boy'?" Sam said to no one in particular. No one listened.
Gojo lifted a third finger, but then paused, a curious look on his face. Jarvis, noticing the pause, tilted his head slightly, as if to ask what the third point was. Gojo met his gaze. "Oh, third point," he said. "I forgot it for a moment, but here it is: the red witch is already here."
Everyone turned their gaze to the door as Wanda entered the conference room, Pietro right behind her. Pietro's eyes scanned the room, landing for a moment on Gojo, a flicker of something unreadable in his expression.
"I was about to apologize for our late arrival," Pietro said, his accent still thick, "but it seems the government representative isn't here yet, so we aren't exactly late, are we?"
Gojo sighed dramatically. "Great. First, I forgot my to-do list item of arriving late, and now someone else has stolen my line. Could this day possibly get any worse?"
And just like that, another person entered the room. It was James "Rhodey" Rhodes, the War Machine, dressed not in his armor, but in a crisp, official-looking military uniform. "Oh, I assure you, kid," Rhodey said, his gaze serious, "it is going to get much, much worse than that."
Gojo looked at him, a grin spreading across his face. "Yo, Iron Man 2.0! You arrived on time! The government's top dog should be coming any minute now. Though, where's your iron suit? And what's with the formal attire? Going to a wedding?"
Rhodey's expression remained unchanged, his face a mask of grim duty. "He's already here, Satoru," he said, his voice flat. "I'm the government representative for the Sokovia Accords, and for everything related to the Avengers, from now on."
….
A/N: So, how was it? Next chapter will be tomorrow or day after tomorrow so expect it in the second one. Next chapter will be debates right and wrong and whatnot.
Oh and if anyone wanna read my unpublished fics which i haven't uploaded on webnovel can join my discord and read it. You will like it there.
Q: All complaints and swearing here for the author.
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