(Attendance please…)
….
Gojo, who had been lounging back in his chair, finally dropped the word, his voice casual but clear.
"…Yes."
That was his answer. A simple "yes" to the whole chaotic, team-splitting dilemma they had been agonizing over.
Tony blinked. "Well, I knew you would deny it," he started, already gearing up for an argument. "I just didn't want t… wait… what?!" He stared at Gojo, his mind trying to process what he'd just heard. "Did you… did you too just agree with me?"
Tony looked around the room looking at other people and yes they too were shocked.
Two unbelievable things had just happened. First, Natasha Romanoff with her own history and all with government had sided with him on a government scheme. And now, Gojo Satoru, the very person the government had tried to hunt down like an animal just a year ago, had also agreed.
For a wild, fleeting second, Tony thought he might be secretly dying. Maybe everyone knew and they were just agreeing with him to let him go off to the after life without any worries. He turned to Jarvis, "Hey, am I dying?" he whispered.
"What are you saying, Tony?" Sam asked, looking at him with concern.
"No, no," Tony said, shaking his head. "It's just… the two people who I thought would be the very first to deny this whole scheme, the absolute last people I would have expected to agree, just… agreed. Or am I hearing things?"
"You are not dying, sir," Jarvis's voice calmly assured him. "And no, you are not hearing things. Both Miss Romanoff and Satoru did, in fact, agree with your position."
Steve looked at Gojo, a profound sense of disbelief on his face. He had really expected Gojo to be the last person to agree, the one who would stand with him against this. "May I ask the reason behind this, Gojo?" Steve asked, his voice strained. "You of all people should know what they did to you… or rather, what they were planning to do."
Before anyone could speak again, Tony shot up, holding up both hands, a finger extended on each as if making a declaration. "You two agreed. So, you agreed. No takesies-backsies on this. I will not let you. You agreed with the scheme, you're with me. No changing your minds later. It's locked in."
Gojo just laughed. "Man, you should look at your face right now," he said, clearly enjoying Tony's frantic state.
"My face is the last… no, the second to last thing I'm worried about right now," Tony retorted.
Gojo then turned his attention to Steve. "I don't really have a problem with the government," he said with a shrug. "For all I know, this whole thing will fail sooner than I expect, so I'm technically just buying a front-row ticket to the drama. Because let's be honest, it's hella boring otherwise. And as for what the government was planning… please. No one can stop me, so I can't really stop people, a.k.a. the government, from having their weird, kinky power fantasies."
Wanda, who had been watching this all unfold, her expression a mix of confusion and anger, finally spoke. "So, you're just… forgiving them?" she asked, unable to comprehend his attitude.
"To forgive someone, you have to hate them to begin with," Gojo replied, his tone simple. "I don't particularly hate anyone. Not even the government. So, me 'forgiving' them was never a topic of discussion, because I don't harbor any ill intentions towards them. Well, as long as it doesn't get in my way, it doesn't really concern me… at all."
"The hell are you even talking about?" Sam said, completely lost.
Gojo sighed. "Shut up, bird brain. Didn't you listen to what I just said?"
"I listened, and that's why I'm saying it!" Sam shot back. He turned to Steve. "Believe me, Steve, I think he's hiding something in all this bullshit."
Steve looked at Gojo, his disappointment palpable.
He had at least thought Gojo would disagree with this whole scheme, would stand with him on principle.
This was totally unexpected. Gojo hadn't just agreed; he'd seemingly forgiven the government, or, in his own bizarre way, had never even considered them a real threat to begin with.
"Though," Gojo added, a playful glint returning to his eyes, "I would really like to pluck out the one who tried to frame me for that whole 'mass murderer' mess. I like the attention, not gonna lie, but I'd really like to know who my secret admirer is. Not to mention, it was a real pain not being able to buy sweets in shops for a while." He chuckled. "And not to mention, I got a pretty big sum of money from suing all those stupid media and newspaper outlets. So, silver linings."
"Well," Natasha said, trying to steer the conversation back, "I think this is good, then, right? Cap… why don't you just give it a try?"
Steve was about to speak up, to argue again, when he felt a vibration from his pocket. He took out his phone, and upon seeing the caller ID, his expression changed. He picked it up immediately, not even considering where he was or the weight of the conversation happening around him.
"Hello?" he said into the phone. He listened for a moment, and his eyes contracted slightly, a reaction so subtle almost no one would notice. "Is it?" he said after a moment. He listened again. "Where?" A few more seconds passed. "Okay."
He stood up abruptly. "We'll have to pick this up later," he announced to the room. "I have somewhere to be." For a fleeting moment, he looked at Gojo, an unreadable expression on his face, and then he stormed out of the room.
Sam looked at Steve's retreating back, concerned. Tony just shrugged. "Well, must have been important."
Gojo, too, stood up. "So… is that all?" he asked.
"What?" Tony replied, distracted.
"I mean," Gojo said, stretching, "is that all, or are there any other fun things to talk about? Any more family drama?"
"Well, no, this was the only thing on the agenda," Tony said. "You're leaving already?"
"Well, I already gave you my answer to your little scheme," Gojo replied. "If that's all there is to talk about or do, then it's already settled. Just hit me up with a call or a message for whatever's next."
"Hey, Gojo," Natasha interjected, "why don't you stay for a bit? We could all eat together. I, for one, have missed having the whole… well, most of the team together. What about you, Tony?"
"Yeah, well," Tony said, considering, "I was planning on leaving right after this, but I'm in a surprisingly good mood, all things considered. So, yeah, I'll stay for a while."
"Sir," Jarvis's voice interrupted from Tony's phone, "what about your meeting with…"
"Just cancel it," Tony cut him off. "Reschedule it for later, or some other day. It can wait." He then looked at Gojo, waiting for his answer.
Gojo considered for a moment, then smiled. "Well… I'll stay for a moment then. But," he added, looking around, "do you guys have any dog food in here? For Mochi."
….
A/N: I'm back with this series. Its been months. But there will be more chapters coming soon.
I didn't know how to continue this series at all. Like whatever i choose will be wrong. But its was like just i was thinking and listening too much… so i just went with an easy way.
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