Oh boy, we're on our final chapter for Year Four.
Happy 4th birthday to this story!
Year Four: Agents of SHIELD
Hudson Residence - 3:45
Xavier dreaded graduation. Now it's 3 AM on the big day and he couldn't sleep.
His high school graduation wasn't a fun time. He knew his relationship was ending after, some of his friends were going their separate ways, but the ceremony itself was life-changing. He saw new sides of his friends, some he didn't expect to see for a long time if ever, even meeting people with those same barriers.
Even the fresh night air outside his residence building wasn't helping as much. Whiffs of weed being smoked make him regret standing outdoors.
"I knew you'd be brooding."
Xavier looks up and sees Ashton approaching, turning the corner towards his building. They laugh and shake having not seen each other in so long.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Xavier asks.
"My friends are graduating," Ashton responds. "Why wouldn't I be? Also, I need to crash in your room for the night."
"Typical."
"Hey, we're still roommates."
Xavier shrugs. "We're not students anymore, we're grown-ups, as they would say. Everyone says four years but it's really only a few months at a time and then a few months at home for the summer. I'm not ready for it to be over. It doesn't help that I'm staying here."
Ashton nods. "I think it'll be fun. I get my first assignments later this year so I'm mostly chilling at home base until then. Honestly, I think it'd be harder to stay here than do whatever field work would be."
"I'm gonna die at Camp."
"You already have. Could get laid there."
Xavier glares at him before a solo chuckle that Ashton copies.
-o-
Merida's Apartment - 8:55
"So, this is your new place," Natasha says.
She turns around and sees Merida standing there in her SHIELD Academy graduation gown with the blue hood draped across her shoulders. One of Clint's tenants in the building he bought as a "ploy of justice" (as he told Merida growing up) moved out so now she gets to live here with cheaper rent. She still has boxes and bags of things to unpack. If her father didn't have a unit available, she would've moved back home against her will.
Still, it would've been cool to spend time making trick arrows since that's all she's been doing since she moved out of the Academy. Even before the Academy, Merida had calluses from firing arrows.
"Мерида," Natasha starts, "your father and I have something to tell you."
"Oh no," Merida groans, "don't give me a talk on boys. I haven't been near anybody that way."
"And you better not," Clint jokingly threatens. His smile fades a little. "Look, your mother and I have alternated missions while you were growing up and while we have been slowing down, we might consider going back in together. We won't be going as often, but we'll be more selective in our clientele. And with that means…"
Merida raises her brows. "Can I come?"
Natasha laughs a little. "In a sense, sometimes. We want you as our extraction team."
Merida's heart stops. One of the whispers in SHIELD's walls was that her parents never had an extraction team. They never needed one. Sure, Merida's grown up seeing her parents after close calls and hearing wild stories, but now she isn't sure how to feel about them requesting her as their extraction.
Maybe, if she's lucky, she'll never be called. But that won't stop her from being honoured. She would go to extreme lengths to extract her parents because they would do the same for her.
Besides, she has her bow and quiver under her graduation gown. If Apollo and Britney decide to show up, she will shoot them on sight.
"Cool," Merida states.
-o-
Edison Residence - 12:57
Daniel's already dressed in his suit and graduation gown. He's sitting in his packed room, scrolling through the flood of messages he got while preparing. His parents are here with the other Avengers and Iqadi and Imanu. Before he opens another chat, someone knocks on his door. Daniel walks over and opens it, thinking it's his parents but he smiles when he sees Emily beaming at him.
After she hugs and kisses him, she remains close as she fixes his tie underneath his gown.
"Okay, Agent Banner, you have a grad ceremony in a bit," Emily mutters.
Daniel grins at her, kissing the side of her head. "I prefer Dr. Banner."
"Me too. Let's go graduate."
-o-
Academy Stadium - 16:23
After a parade of blues, greens, and yellows for each program, cadets marched in acceptance as the celebratory tradition of being agents. Surrounding them are crowds of notable agents, families, and friends in the thousands. Noisy and celebratory, every step they take is met with teary sobs from proud parents juggling phones and flowers.
The ceremony starts, and everyone's instructed to look up at the sky for an honourable fly-by of blackbirds. They sing the national anthem and raise their right hand to repeat the honourable Oath of Enlistment. After a final salute, the commandment of cadets as one unit and move past them in lockstep.
"Holy shit…" James mutters happily. "I finally graduated with you guys! I'll be called Agent Pym, holy shit."
Angela hugs him tightly, laughing excitedly before she kisses him. She holds his blue and green hoods as he kisses her again.
"You couldn't have been the only one in Sci-Tech not graduating without a Ph.D.," Angela whispers.
"Have you seen my classmates?" He opens an arm towards the scattered green hoods. "They're all nerds!"
Iqadi passes some cadets with Imanu holding her hand. They hug their friends and James wraps his green Sci-Tech hood over Imanu's shoulders.
"He has a point," Iqadi states to James' point. "Daniel has, what, two doctorates?"
Imanu laughs. "I barely went to school."
Iqadi smiles, throwing one end of the hood over his shoulder so it wears like a scarf.
"And I'd certainly not go to school here," Imanu adds.
Emily pops in to join them. "That was my logic. Oh look, your parents are talking with the SOs."
Iqadi turns over to see different groups of their parents chatting with agents. "Worlds colliding."
"I still think the same when our parents talk to each other," Imanu tells her.
-o-
"I would've held him back," Hank states to Prof Nine as he and Janet stand beside him.
Once James saw that they congregated, he rushed over since he knew his dad would make some snarky comment as such. It doesn't help that he gave Imanu his Sci-Tech hood and kept the Operations one on. If Daniel wasn't also giving a speech at graduation, James would've been chewed out on it.
"Hank!" Janet exclaims.
"Dr. Pym, you know how the Academy is with their Sci-Tech reasons…" Prof Nine starts. He looks over at James who only grins cause he knows his SO is bullshitting something. He knows his dad doesn't buy it.
"Either way, it works for me," Hank says. "Maybe it'll get him to finish his dissertation. I'll finally have another Dr. Pym in my field."
"Oh good, that field out there is dangerous," Janet adds.
"Mom…" James mutters. "I'm gonna find Merida to get drunk with."
James looks over and sees Merida standing between her parents as they talk to Agent Iyu. They make eye contact and her eyes widen, relaying kill me as she makes a drinking gesture with one hand. James gives her a thumbs-up as Natasha glances at them.
Victoria saunters up to Merida and blows her a kiss as she stands next to Iyu.
"'When the bell tolls three times, it will announce that I have been killed,'" she announces as their idol Rasputin once said.
"Can't wait for that day," Merida tells her. "I have my bow under my gown in case I change my mind and decide to handle it myself."
"I have lost my parents in the crowds for now, but we're getting drunk with James and Stark later."
Iyu ignores her cadets as she looks at Merida's parents. "As I was saying, Agent Barton will be working more with Angela and her SO, Agent Moore, since she only came to the Academy to work with one of the Rogers twins. I will be remaining here."
"Prefer the Academy?" Natasha asks.
"I still have to handle Agent Kovanova's placement so she will remain with me here for the summer. Training cadets is much more gruelling than my years on the field but more rewarding. Barton was stressful, though. I don't know how you raised her. Now they're both agents."
Merida fakes a smile. "Cute."
"She was a Girl Scout," Clint pulls out his phone and shows Agent Iyu a whole album of pictures he always has ready to present to people. Both Iyu and Victoria look and Victoria laughs loudly, showing Clint and Iyu any embarrassing pictures of Merida (which usually consist of her being stupid and drunk. One picture was Merida hanging upside down from Orchid's bunk playing with a VR headset. From what she remembers, she was in the circus and on the flying trapeze).
"Dad!" Merida exclaims.
"Cute," Iyu remarks. "I don't know what happened to you."
"Rude."
"You as a Girl Scout is my wallpaper," Victoria states, showing it off.
-o-
"You don't have to approach her," Daniel tells Keith.
"I have to," Keith responds.
The two of them stand to the side, watching Dr. BV converse with Daniel's parents and Emily. Daniel imagines that BV is telling them all about her upcoming research project which Daniel and Keith will be working on in a few months, hence why Keith feels the need to talk to her about accepting the job.
"You have the job," Daniel tells him.
"I feel bad, and now she's with your parents and your fiancée," Keith whispers. "Quadruple the intimidation."
"It's fine."
Keith looks at him. "Do you not know who your parents and fiancée are?"
"My family."
Before Keith could respond, Naomi approaches, nudging them with a bright smile. Despite being in a double program, she only has her green Sci-Tech hood over her gown.
"Hello, boys," Naomi greets, "just to give you some updates, I'll be at the Academy next year to finish my Communications degree, part-time so I can work at the same time. Spice up that CV and not rely on Stark's funding."
"Work for Daniel's SO," Keith quickly tells her. "Take my job. You deserve it more than me."
Naomi waves him off. "Don't be ridiculous. I applied in the general portal online with the Academy. I'm bound to get something from my skills, references from my SOs and profs, and availability. If I'm working abroad, then I'll study remotely so I guess I have no idea where I'll end up."
"I'm sure you'll stay here," Daniel reassures.
"You better," Keith tells her before blushing. "I mean-"
Naomi smiles at them. "I hope so too. Anyways, see you two around. I promised Victoria I'd meet her parents."
Before Naomi disappears into the crowd of new agents and their families, she passes by Daniel's parents and Emily. Emily hugs her tightly and they share a few words before Naomi becomes one with her fellow graduating class.
Keith sighs watching her go. "There goes my chances with her."
"They'll come back," Daniel reassures again.
He scoffs. "Yeah, okay."
-o-
The moment Xavier and Angela saw their parents talking to their SOs, they immediately changed directions. It was more so that Xavier pulled Angela away since he didn't want to hear what his parents would have to say to Agent Vander, especially with Agent Moore with them. Angela wanted to join in and get all the juicy details but stopped when she couldn't contain her laughter looking at her parents.
"Dad looks like he's gonna beat up Vander for leaving you here," Angela says. "He always has the same face whenever James would come over and pick me up for dates."
Xavier whistles. "God, that'd be a show. Mom and Agent Moore are being professional about it although I think Mom's gonna shoot him out back."
"Unless Mom's like Janet all good thing you're leaving Xavier here. That field is dangerous." She laughs again.
"But you get to go there."
"You get the Academy and Camp. Best of both hells."
"Quiet."
They turn back to the main conversation, hiding behind some neighbouring families to eavesdrop.
"I don't understand why you're keeping Xavier here," Steve tells Agent Vander.
"Captain Rogers," Vander states.
"Oh boy," Bonnie glances at Peggy. "I warned Vander about this."
Peggy smiles nervously and takes her husband's arm. "Steve, drop it."
"He and Angela work best together and have the same skill set," Steve argues. "You'd be hindering him from—"
"Steve."
"But Angela—"
Steve stopping himself upon realizing the hypocrisy makes him back down. Agents Moore and Vander glance at each other as Angela and Xavier start cackling to themselves. Despite the twins being more or less the same, each of them has had more liberties than the other in certain areas that peeved the other. While their parents were more lenient with Xavier when it came to most things like dating (mostly Steve), Angela could be a cheerleader without being lectured on it (again, mostly Steve).
"I've said the exact same But Angela bullshit to him back in high school," Xavier says, sighing. "Oh, I could stay at the Academy forever now that I heard and saw that."
"Look at us back in high school again," Angela smiles.
"Back where we started plus or minus some things… I should go back to football."
"You do that."
Angela steps to the side to give Brody enough space to football tackle Xavier to the ground. They laugh and hug each other like bros, grabbing Ashton in before forcing Angela to join. Brody kisses the side of Angela's head and grabs James and Merida as they approach. Even Emily and Daniel weren't safe from the immense group hug.
Brody gets a grip on Angela and James. "You two, my favourite couple." He holds Merida's head for a moment. "My favourite redhead." He holds Emily and Daniel by the shoulders. "My favourite nerds."
Orchid's sobbing as she runs over to hug the girls and James.
"I told you this was all going to happen so fast!" Orchid exclaims. "I'll miss this place but just for you guys."'
Brody hugs Orchid and kisses her temple. When she looks at Xavier, she starts bawling even more, especially when Xavier opens his arms and hugs her tightly.
"You were my first friend here," Orchid tells him, wiping her eyes on his hood.
"As if we're never seeing each other again," Xavier states.
"Like hell, I'm stepping foot on Academy grounds again. Y'all are always welcome at my farm." She parts and wipes her eyes again with her hands. Then she waves. "Baa-bye, bestie!"
Don't worry, we still have 3 more years in the story before the start of PNG.
Emily's Graduation Counterparts - Chapters 283-290
Britney's Graduation Counterparts - Chapters 280-287