Chapter Text
Betty Brant rubbed her arms nervously. Even though she’d seen them all before, she was still extremely excited at the prospect of meeting the Avengers again. Betty just prayed she wouldn’t embarrass herself in front of her idols.
As she made her way into Decathlon practice, she was glad to see that all her teammates were just as nervous as she was. Flash was bright red, and kept glancing around the room, while Cindy was practically shaking from excitement. Even Peter and Ned looked worried, though MJ (as always) was calm and collected.
A figure appeared in the doorway, clearing their throat only once before all the teens went silent. Riri looked around the room happily as she made her way in, taking a moment to notice everyone’s apprehensive expressions.
“Hey everyone! I hope you’re not too nervous. I promise none of them bite,” she said with a grin.
No one really laughed at that, but Betty did see the faces of a few brighten slightly.
Behind the other girl followed the Avengers. Stark walked in first, looking dishevelled despite the three piece suit, and Pepper Potts (oh my god, Pepper Potts) stood beside him. They were trailed quickly by Hawkeye, Thor, and Black Widow. Unlike Stark, the other three were all dressed in uniform, striking intimidating figures as they gathered behind him on the stage.
Riri, in her hoodie, jeans, and sunny expression, stood out like a sore thumb.
Stark held up a hand, waving at the assembled teens.
“So, as I hope your teacher has informed you,” he said, “We’re here to announce who received the new and extremely sought after internship position at Stark Industries. And as I’m sure you’ve guessed, one of you will be the lucky kid who gets it.”
Black Widow stepped up, looking almost like a cat stalking its prey. She continued where her teammate had left off.
“Before we make that announcement, however, we want to talk a little about what a position like that would entail, in case any future positions open up, as you are some of the smartest teens in America today. And because, of course, we don’t want any of you agreeing to a position you’re not ready to take.” The woman smiled sharply.
Hawkeye was the next to contribute. Betty supposed this strange way of speaking was intended to intimidate them. It was most certainly working.
“Working at Stark Industries, working for the Avengers, takes a lot, even if you’re only an intern. There are extremely strict policies on security, and the sometimes highly confidential nature of the work requires you to be extraordinarily careful. The work hours can be brutal.”
Ms Potts stepped forward, smiling. Betty noticed how terrified some of her classmates looked (particularly Flash, as Widow had been staring intensely at him for the last several minutes), and tried to remain composed herself. Not that she was getting the position anyway, of course, she sucked at Science and Maths.
“Apologies for my associates. Agents Romanova and Barton evidently decided to lecture you a little. While everything they said is technically true, it was not part of our plans for today,” she glared at the two assassins, who looked surprisingly scared of her, “so I’d quite like to move on from that little detour. When I announce who received the internship, you can come up here and take your new ID, which Thor has for you.” The God held up a small ID card, which looked even tinier in his large hands.
“Now that all those formalities are done, I’d like to congratulate….” she paused dramatically.
“Betty Brant for receiving this position.”
Betty froze in her seat, not quite processing the information, until a still shocked looking Ned leaned over and nudged her forward. She got up numbly, and walked up onto the stage.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur, ID still clutched in her hand, until she reached her locker. When she closed the door, preparing for the long bus ride home, Peter Parker’s smiling face greeted her. Betty jumped about a foot in the air, finally snapping out of her trance.
“Hey Betty!” he said cheerfully, “I was… uh… hoping I could get your number? The SI interns have a group chat, and we can update you on everything you’ll need to know!”
Betty smiled at the boy, pulling a page from one of her notebooks, and scribbling her number down.
As she walked down the corridor, pushing through the crowd, she realised just how chaotic her life was going to become.