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Steve paced back and forth in a line, everyone's eyes were on him. He called everyone there for an announcement and now there was silence. "Listen man, I know you're probably as fast as a man your age should be, but we're all waiting-" Mercury said teasingly. "Ok. Let's get to it then." Steve said, clearing his throat. "Oooooooh, Serious Steve, that's rare." Tony joked. "We shouldn't be killing anymore. Not on purpose, even if the person we're comprehending is a criminal." Steve said, putting his hands in his pockets. The room went quiet, "What if they try to kill us?" Peter asked, hanging upside down from his web.
"You do everything you can to stop them without killing them." Steve said sternly. "And what if they can't be stopped?" Nat spoke up, raising an eyebrow. "You get help. We'll figure something out." Steve said, sighing. "That's fucking stupid" Mercury deadpanned, crossing his legs. They were definitely what Steve labeled as a problem child, always willing to immediately start violence, and wouldn't hesitate to kill if they thought it was what's 'best'. Steve understood where it was coming from, ve was always protective of others, especially their family. But he couldn't have them doing that anymore, even if it was the safest route. "All of this unnecessary killing is stupid. And language." Steve huffed, "Sometimes to be a hero you have to make the harder choice, even if it is more difficult."
The silence suddenly spoke volumes. Steve didn't think there was anything wrong with what he just said, so he opened his mouth to speak, instantly being cut off. "You think killing is the easier option?" Nat suddenly asked, staring daggers into Steve's eyes. She didn't wait for an answer, "You think these kids would prefer taking a life!? You think any of us would!?" she snapped. Steve could tell he struck a nerve, not just upsetting her personally but on another level that involved the younger ones. He never thought any of this affected them, they were so normal about it.
"Well-" Steve started, wanting to defend himself before it got worse. "I'm gonna stop you right there, Rogers." Tony sighed, "You're not the leader here, there's no leader here. It's a democracy, you like democracy, don't you? So, let's talk about this like grown ups, and Peter and Merc can go play Minecraft and calm down. You're lucky Apollo and Kimi aren't here or they'd tear you an entire new ass. And you're lucky Peter and Merc are here so I don't tear you one myself." he said, motioning for Mercury and Peter to leave. "Kids. Sit down. This is an important conversation that everyone should be a part of. They shouldn't be believing it's ok to kill everyone who gives them a wrong look, that doesn't make them a hero, it makes him a murderer." Steve said, looking at the kids, though his mind was more on Mercury.
They always joked about the killings, not because it was funny, it was because xe was trying to cope. This time the room took no hesitation on calling Steve out, though both Peter and Mercury were frozen in place. "Him? And who's, 'him', Steve. Because I know you aren't talking about either of those innocent kids." Tony immediately spat, his rising anger clear in his voice. Strange got up, "I don't think you really know what you mean here, Steve. You might want to rethink your words." he said, plain but cold. "Listen, I didn't mean it like that-" Steve started. "Steve, go take a walk. Clear your head, we can talk about this another time." Clint sighed as he practically physically held Natasha back.
"I didn't mean it like that, he's just too aggressive and always kills, for what seems to be the thrill of it." Steve only sunk himself down further. Everyone was staring at Steve with pure anger and annoyance, he felt like no matter what he said, it just got worse. "I'm not saying they're a murderer I'm just saying that he kills all the time for almost no reason!" Steve tried one last time. The door slammed open, thankfully. Sam and Bucky rushed through, "Apollo and Kimi- on our mission- they're on their was to get fixed up now but it's not good-" Sam said, huffing from lack of air. Him and Bucky both seemed roughed up too, definitely needing some bandages and stitches at least.
Before anyone could process anything Mercury and Peter were already out of the room. "I-.. I'll call Carol and Maria.." Wanda whispered, immediately getting up. Everyone else quickly left to go wait for information.