I Will End It.

“That’s fair.” Wren’s father was reckless, one of his most popular traits, and it definitely did not skip any generation of the family. “Can’t blame me for trying to bypass it though, right?”

“It wasn’t for a lack of trying, at least. I’ll give that to you.” Amusement etched across her features, she loosely crossed her arms. “Why do you want to fly, anyway?”

“Well, what’s the point of doing something if it’s not dangerous?” she questioned, knitting her brows together in pure confusion, “A little danger is the key to what makes life fun!”

“You sound like me when I was younger and dumber, which is why I almost crashed so many times. Flying a plane is dangerous enough, alright? There’s your danger.”

“I will totally sign the waiver, Carol, but I’m not really seeing a point. I’m a natural at almost everything. And, also, would sue if I get hurt? Cassie? That might make Cerry date night awkward.”

“Hey, hot shot. Relax, flying could be something you’re not a natural at. You’ll have to learn it like everyone else.” Carol pressed. “Clint, maybe?” She stopped and thought about what she was saying. “Mm - yeah, Cassie is more likely.”

“You’d trust me with a plane?” her deep brown eyes squinted, unsure of how serious the other was with this proposal. “You sure your head’s on right, cap’n? I mean… I’d totes be down for this as long as we can agree on one term. — I get to go as fast as I want.” 

“Not necessarily, no.” Carol narrowed her eyes. “I would have, if you didn’t just say that. Nah-uh, - my plane, my rules. Flying a plane is dangerous, especially if you go too fast.”

“You don’t trust me enough to not teach me without signing a waiver?” Wren pretended to be offended, but he definitely wasn’t - that was probably a safe call. Although his reckless ways were more suited for the ground, his mind wandered the possibilities of his recklessness in the air. “I’m still sure, I just don’t like paperwork.”

“Absolutely not.” Carol raised an eyebrow at him. She may not have known Wren personally, but she definitely knew Wade. “If either of Wade’s kids are like him, they should not be operating anything like a plane. You’re not getting in the air without that paperwork, kiddo.”

“i thought it was funny,“ course he did. and, with a sad little frown now in place, he looked down to his bowl of canned soup - the only thing he’d had left, to eat, reevaluating his life. had dad jokes gone too far? “it’s… punny.” 

“Clint, you’re making it worse.” Carol couldn’t help the chuckle. The dad jokes were always painfully bad, but at least she could get a chuckle out of them. “I thought you outgrew dad jokes after your kids grew up?”

“i mean…” not in so many words, but, “yeah?” she wasn’t an adrenaline junkie. really. that part didn’t even factor into it for nikki, who honestly thought - “it’d be fun, i guess. a blast, haha.” 

“Huh...” Carol thought she’d heard it all, but wanting to be hit was not something she heard normally. “I can’t, I’m sure that’s grounds for arrest and being dropped from the Avengers. Can I ask why you want me to, anyway?”

oh, how convenient is that? she could say whatever she wanted under the influence of..essentially a truth serum (it wasn’t), and now change her tune. Gerry sat up, twiddled his thumbs, looked around for his other mom (or anyone, anything but carol. any distraction). and then he sighed, looking down. “mom, you were thinking it, it went through your head, and you said it. and that’s fine- my actions and what you think of them do not negate your love for me. it’s what it is.”

“But, that’s the thing - I wasn’t thinking it. I wasn’t thinking anything, I-I was just pure rage.” Carol, for once, was fumbling her words. She wanted so badly for Gerry to understand that she would never even think such things. “I can never think clearly when I’m Binary anyway, adding in whatever that Mist did...I didn’t mean any of it, I would never think any of it.”

“You and me both.” Carol joked, though that wasn’t far off. “But anyway, you’re too hard on yourself, you gotta give yourself a break.”

“Clint, I say this as a dear friend,” Carol looked at him with crossed arms. “What the fuck?”

“I’m fine mom-,” just crashin’ on his moms’ couch, hiding from everyone that he knew, hoping that if he laid still enough no one would notice him there. It hadn’t worked, obviously. “how are you?” he asked with caution, his mom hadn’t been in control. But like he feared an all out skrull invasion, as he had seen during the spring event, the thoughts of him truly being a fuck up existed in his mother’s head. She had verbalized it. And he had spent days telling himself that she didn’t mean it but he knew. 

“Do you want anything to eat? You’ve been laying on the couch for a while.” Carol sat across from him on the coffee table. “I’m fine, not glowing anymore so that’s an improvement.” She tried to lighten the mood. “I’m sorry for what I said, I didn’t mean any of it. I am so, so sorry. You are not a fuck up, okay? I love you. You, your sister, and your mom are the three best things in my life.”

“You should be…but I might have possibly missed you too.” She smiled lightly, yet left it at that. Whatever had gone on in her absence felt more important in the moment. Physically didn’t count for anything with her mom, and by the sounds of it Gerry wasn’t fairing much better. “Why? Did he hurt someone thinking they were a Skrull or something?”   

“This family and Skrulls have a bad history,  it just brought up a lot of stuff he didn’t want. As far as I know, though, he didn’t hurt anybody.” Carol sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair. “I took out my rage on him, too. I said things I shouldn’t have.”

“Y’sure ‘bout that, Danvers?” A laugh escaped him. “I see no proof for this statement of yours. Y’give me proof, I’ll believe ya.”

“Absolutely sure.” Carol loosely crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, feigning hurt at his words. “I don’t need proof! It’s just the truth, just accept it.”