LEO WAS GOING TO GET PIETRO TO LIKE HIM, EVEN IF IT KILLED HIM. He had been given multiple pep talks by Steve—"you just need to really work at it, when people go through a difficult time, they're not always willing to talk, but you just need to show that you'll always be there and you'll get through to him"—and by Clint—"you just gotta...hold on I can't find words, but you gotta love him a lot, you know?"—and was more than ready to tackle this head on.

Armed with his mints and a Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode's worth of power posing, he made his way over to breakfast, bumping into Sam along the way, the man smiling down at him and cuffing the back of his head fondly.

"Hey," the man said, more serious and kind than before, "I heard that you're planning on trying to get through to Pietro. Listen, I was a counselor, so if you need any help, I'm here for you, I've dealt with people who would rather die than talk about what they've seen. You'll get there."

Leo gave him a shaky smile, trying to look on the positives of Sam's statement; he knew it wasn't going to be easy to get through to Pietro, but he really hoped it wouldn't be that hard, because he wasn't so sure he could handle things being too hard.

Then again, considering his life, he probably had a very high tolerance for difficulty.

But while he appreciated the man's offer for help, he decided right then and there that he wasn't going to ask for any. Steve and Clint both had offered their own services, and while it the two men were incredibly large and incredibly blond and Leo would love nothing more than to have them by his side at all times, he didn't want any help on a job that was his to do; he wasn't hired to just have them do all his work.

Besides, he had to prove that he could do things on his own, he didn't need his parents or their name trailing after him to prove that he could be successful, he could do it all on his own on his terms.

He and Sam stepped into the dining room, finding all the Avengers seated, and he figured this was only a semi-regular occurrence, as Sam and Rhodey liked to go off to the city on their own for brunch and not everyone woke up at the same time, but it was nice to see everyone there, most likely because Natasha and Clint had returned.

"Hey, Legacy," Natasha greeted, nodding from where she was sipping coffee from a blood red mug, and he blanched.

He wasn't surprised that Natasha recognized his last name, but he didn't expect her to figure out his nickname. From the way she raised an eyebrow at his visceral reaction, he figured that she hadn't known at all, but now it seemed it was going to stick, what with Clint gasping and pointing at him, shouting about how he recognized his last name, everyone else asking him what he meant.

Leo reached into his pocket and pulled out two mints, popping them into his mouth, taking deep breaths as he tried not to turn on his heel and march right back into his room, all his resolve gone. He really needed a nap right about now, and he had only just woken up.

Nevertheless, he slid into the seat next to Steve, ignoring the look the man was sending his way. Sam squeezed his shoulder before moving to sit across from Arabella who was peering down over to Leo who wouldn't meet her gaze; he just wanted to eat and hide.

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option, was he was readily reminded by when Pietro stepped into the room, yawning widely as he stretched his arms over his head. He was dressed similarly to Steve with a long sleeved t-shirt and sweatpants, and he avoided all eye contact as he slid into the seat next to Clint which the man had been saving.

"Hi," he mumbled after a sharp look from Wanda who was floating in the pancakes and syrup.

"No powers at the dinner table," Clint chided jokingly, and Wanda gave him a bright smile as she stuck her tongue out at him.

While everyone laughed, Leo noticed that Pietro didn't so much as give a twitch of his lips, his eyes cold and hard as he stared firmly down at the table, having stiffened when his sister reacted to Clint's joke. He filed the information away for future reference, figuring that he could ask Pietro how he felt about his sister making more friends now that they weren't the only people in each other's lives.

He winced as he bit down on the two mints, everyone starting to pass around the food, Arabella striking up conversation with Rhodey who simply rolled his eyes at whatever jab at his person she was making next; it had become abundantly clear to Leo that Arabella was incredibly fond of Rhodey, so it only made sense that he was the target of most of her quips and jabs.

He could still remember all the pranks she used to pull on him when Fury would bring her along during his visits; he didn't like her all that much.

He didn't like the taste of mint with the pancakes, but he didn't say anything, instead smiling to Wanda when she asked him what he thought, telling her that they were better than what his mom used to make, and Natasha raised her eyebrow at the image, and he gave her a pointed look, only cowering when he realized that he was glaring at a master assassin and top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

Maybe Clint would let him sleep in his room, then he would be safe, Natasha seemed to like him the most. Maybe he'd stay with Steve if that didn't work out, he read that the two would go on missions together as well. He just really didn't want to die this early on, he had so much to live for.

At least, that's what he told himself.

"Pietro," he said, once the dishes were put away and the other team members were dispersing, "Uh, what're your plans for the day?"

Pietro paused from where he was about to head off back to his room, shrugging as he looked down at Leo with such disinterest that the boy was reminded of all the crushes he had in high school that weren't all that interested in talking to him.

"I was going to do my physical training, then rest in my room," he explained, crossing his arms, and Leo reached into his pocket, popping another mint in his mouth before replying.

"That sounds cool," he said, because he couldn't say that it was fun, "Do you want any company?"

He looked towards his sister who was washing the dishes with Arabella, the two talking softly as they did, his jaw clenching as he turned back to Leo. "No."

"Oh, okay, well, if you do—" Leo paused, watching as Pietro walked off, waving a hand towards him in aloof understanding and dismissal of his offer.

Never before had a hand gesture been so efficient and so hurtful.

Sighing, he made his way towards his room. He'd just take a power nap, then be energized enough to take down all the barriers Pietro was putting up; he was going to make this kid his friend, even if it killed him.

º º º

The power nap worked as well as it could have, considering he procrastinated sleeping to watch cartoons, only to fall asleep while watching, waking up when there was a particularly loud noise coming from his TV; it was like he was in middle school again.

Sighing, he reached over to his pack of mints, popping another into his mouth as he stood from his bed, sighing as he began to do his usual warm up routine, stretching every which way to make sure his body was loose; that was his little trick before anything, if he was loose, he was much more equipped to be confident and strong.

By the time he could touch his toes, bend over, and fall into the three different splits, he was incredibly hungry and in desperate need for a smoothie, already having consumed three more mints. At this rate, he was going to run out before he even got Pietro to look at him normally.

Stepping out of his room, he nearly screamed when he found Pietro standing in front of it. Of course, he wasn't facing the door, rather facing down the hall, which he had been walking along, but it was still a shock to find the object of his attention right there.

"Hey," he greeted, forcing himself to be calm, popping another mint in his mouth for courage, "You finished your physicals?"

Pietro nodded, continuing to walk, and Leo could only follow after him, trying to seem normal, "Nice! How did it go?"

Pietro just continued to stare forward. "Fine."

Leo wouldn't sigh, he wasn't going to do that to him, it wouldn't be fair. Instead, he nodded, pressing forward, "So where you headed now?"

"Kitchen," Pietro said, and Leo inwardly groaned, because he hadn't even bothered to add the article beforehand, that was how much the Sokovian didn't care about him.

"Me too!" he cried, because he was getting desperate, "I'm making smoothies, do you want one?"

Pietro paused for a long moment, and Leo really hoped that he wasn't going to be the one to make the young man feel like he couldn't go around in the facility without being bombarded with questions and forced social interactions, because he would never forgive himself if he did.

Then a slow, "Okay."

Leo counted that as a great win, giving Pietro a bright smile, the taller man not reciprocating, but not discouraging either, which was a win in of itself.

The two made their way into the kitchen, Leo immediately rushing around to find all the ingredients for a smoothie so he could make it before Pietro decided to run away. He didn't know whether or not Pietro liked his with fruit or chocolate, so he held up both, and the boy didn't respond, instead just staring at him.

Allowing himself a sigh, Leo simply started to make the smoothies, glancing up when he caught sight of Arabella who brightened at the sight of both of them, making her way over to Pietro who brightened at the sight of her. By brightened, Leo meant he allowed himself to give her a small smile, allowing her to hug him when she did.

Leo watched, hardly paying attention to the smoothie he was making, reaching into his pocket to throw a couple of mints into his mouth, glancing away when Pietro caught sight of him from where he was talking with Arabella, the older woman also looking over to Leo who pointedly didn't look at her.

He had heard that Arabella had saved Pietro during the Battle of Sokovia, and it seemed that they were close enough, so he didn't understand why they didn't just leave it up to her to try and coax him out and into the rest of the group to make sure that he was okay.

Arabella walked towards him, leaving Pietro go to rummaging through the fridge for probably nothing in particular, just waiting for the older woman to get finished chatting with Leo.

"Hey," she whispered, and Leo remembered how good she was at whispering so softly that he could hardly hear her as she spoke right into his ear, "If you need any help with him, let me know. He and I are tight, I'm just not so good with getting him to open up the way we need him to."

Leo pulled away, giving her an appreciative nod, and she smiled, squeezing his arm as she made her way to the fridge, telling Pietro to keep her hands off her yogurt.

He appreciated her offer, and it made sense that he could ask her for help, especially since she was closest to him, but he was his parents' son and he would rather die than ask for help so early on in his work; he'd ask for help when he was desperate, he wasn't desperate just yet.

When his smoothies finished, he opened a cabinet, struggling to reach up and grab two glasses, refusing to hop up onto the counter to grab them; he had self-respect, so he was going to grunt and groan and stretch like a short person.

He stiffened when he felt a body stand behind him, reaching up and grabbing the two glasses before setting them down onto the counter in front of him, the warmth disappearing as soon as it came.

Glancing over his shoulder, he found Pietro moving to lean against the sink, moving at normal speed, and Leo decided to file away that information for later as well, trying not to shake as he began to pour the smoothies into the two glasses.

He held it out to Pietro, opening his mouth to ask him a question, intending for the two of them to drink in the kitchen or maybe in the living area, only for the younger man to walk away, taking a long sip from the smoothie.

"Thank you," Pietro called, hardly looking over his shoulder as he began to disappear down the hall.

Leo simply sighed, popping another mint into his mouth.

º º º

By the time it was dinner, Leo was exhausted. He had tried everything in the book to try and get Pietro to spend time with him, even going so far as to make up an excuse about wanting to hide in his room due to a game of hide-and-seek with Clint, only for Pietro to tell him where the best hiding spot was, closing the door in his face.

"You're trying your best, it shows that you care," Steve tried, patting his back as they waited for everyone to come to the table, Leo with his head dropped down onto the table, buried behind his arms.

"But he doesn't," he whined, raising his head to look at the blond who simply continued to rub soothing circles into his back, giving him a sympathetic look, "It's been stressing me out so much, I'm almost out of mints, I have two left."

"What's this about mints?" Clint called out, Wanda and Pietro following close behind with Arabella, all of them taking their seats just as Natasha and Rhodey stepped out of another hall, having just finished showering after training.

"Nothing," Leo muttered, frowning down at his low supply, sighing as he pocketed the tin, giving everyone a tense smile, "Do you guys do movie nights?"

Sam, who knew that everyone sans the twins were well aware of Leo's mission, replied with, "We can if you want, that sounds like something we should start up. Are we all cool?"

"I'm okay," Pietro said instantly, and Leo nearly fell out of his chair, his entire body not finding any reason to keep going with what he was doing, ready to just sink back into the earth where he belonged.

His parents always did say he had a flair for the dramatic.

He could hardly remember dinner, unable to taste anything, what with the defeat in his heart and the taste of mint forever burned into his tastebuds, and he struggled not to drop his head into his food, not wanting to ruin the vibe by being too upset.

He wasn't angry, just disappointed, and so, so tired.

"I'm gonna hit it early. Good night, you guys," he said, once he finished, carrying his plate over to the sink before making his way out, glancing over to Pietro who simply held his gaze.

Sighing, Leo popped the last two mints into his mouth, rubbing his temples as he made his way back to his room, hardly taking the time to peel off his clothes before dropping facedown into his pillow, groaning as he kicked his covers over him.

If he opened his eyes, however, he would've noticed an interesting item waiting for him on his side table, brought by the only person who had seen him with them constantly the entire day.

A new pack of mints.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

( 09.24.18 )

I really hate this ending, but whatever! Poor Leo, he's trying so hard and Pietro is just really wary of him and being kind of a little shit on purpose, but we love him, he has his reasoning.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!