THE SILENCE WITHIN the room was so apparent that you'd be able to hear a pin drop. The guests who attended the preliminary hearing sat in the gallery looked ahead at Y/N, who was on the witness stand.

The lawyer, wearing red-tinted glasses and unfolding his walking stick, went up to the stand near his table.

"Lieutenant Carter, I thank you for being able to be here today." Matthew Murdock told him.

Y/N simply nodded. The lawyer continued.

"Can you describe your relationship with the defendant?" He asked as he motioned to Peter Parker, who sat at the table he was just at.

"Mr. Parker is a very good friend of mine. He and May Parker are close to me and my family."

"How so? How did the relationship start?"

"I joined the late Tony Stark on a trip to Queens several years ago because we needed his help for some Avengers business. Peter was a causality of the decimation and I kept in touch with May from then on. When Peter came back we were all happy."

Matt nodded. "You say Avengers business. We all know Mr. Parker is Spider-Man. Do your interests align with his?"

"Interests? As in hobbies?" Y/N asked. "I don't know...despite my youthful look, my old soul can't get into the Instagrams and the TikToks."

There was light laughter from those in the gallery. Matt clarified his question.

"More so interests in your occupations."

Y/N nodded. "Then, yes. We both choose to help those in need. Protect the people we care about."

"Has Mr. Parker ever demonstrated any sense of...ill-will or enmity during his time as an Avenger?" Matt asked.

"From what I've seen...and from what Tony's experienced, no. Whoever thinks so—"

"Objection." The prosecutor interrupted. "My respects go to the late Tony Stark, but he's dead so his supposed words are hearsay."

"Sustained." The judge agreed.

Matt continued. "You bring Mr. Stark up often. He was the one who gifted Mr. Parker with the E.D.I.T.H technology and drones. Would you say he's qualified to have them?"

"Of course."

"Why?"

"Tony wouldn't have done so if he didn't think Peter was fit to have it. He was big on trust, that I know."

Matt took a breath as he glanced at the papers in front of him. He looked back up at the soldier.

"Your father, Captain Steve Rogers, was a role model to a whole nation. Even to millions of people overseas. Would you say he was also yours?"

"Objection. Relevance?" The prosecutor called out.

"I'm getting there, Your Honor." Matt said.

She nodded. "I'll allow it. The witness may answer."

"Yes. He was the best of us. I wake up every day striving to be the man he was."

"And you're holding up his legacy. You are Captain America. A Son of Liberty." Matt replied. "Mr. Parker's idol was always Tony Stark. He gave him that technology because he knew he'd be there to carry his legacy. Do you agree with that?"

"Yes, I do." Y/N answered. "Tony saw Peter as the son he never had, he saw himself in him. He handed the tech down to him...not to be the next Iron Man...but to be a better Spider-Man, a better Peter Parker, a better hero."

Matt nodded. The people in the gallery, along with May, took in the man's words. Even Peter slightly smiled from the table.

"So from your experiences, from what you've seen...do you believe Mr. Parker is a murderer?"

Y/N immediately shook his head.

"As I said about my father, how he was the best of us, Peter is the best of us. Currently. He doesn't have it in his heart to commit what he's been accused of. He is a symbol of hope not only to the people of New York...but to the rest of the world."

Matt smiled, looking at the judge as he picked up his papers and went back to his chair. "No further questions."

Now that the defense was done with him, it was time for the prosecution to cross-examine Y/N. The prosecutor got up and went to the podium next.

"Again, thank you for being here, Y/N." He began. "Is it Lieutenant or Captain? Since you aren't really a captain and your last official rank was the former."

"Lieutenant, Captain, Mr. Carter, I'm fine with whatever...just not Y/N because I don't even know you." He shot back.

The prosecutor exhaled and looked at his papers.

"You mention that your relationship with Mr. Parker is strong. How'd it become that strong in such a short amount of time?"

"Meaning?"

"Well, you said you first met him in your recruitment for Avengers business...which turned out to be the operation to arrest your father, Steve Rogers, and his accomplices in Germany."

Y/N didn't say anything and allowed the man to continue talking. But he was soon about to get under his skin.

"Then...well, you murder two federal agents and go on the run for the next couple of years. You didn't see Mr. Parker then—"

"Objection!" Matt called out. "Even with that information being unnecessary and demeaning, Lieutenant Carter was controlled by General Dreykov, was pardoned, and sincerely apologized to their families."

"I'm just laying out the foundation." The prosecutor quickly said. "Mr. Murdock made it seem as if the witness was perfect, but nobody ever is."

"Just watch your words carefully." The judge told him.

"All right." He looked back at Y/N. "So can you confirm that you were on the run from July of 2016 to October of 2018?"

"Yes, I was."

"With a brief stay in Wakanda, correct?"

"Yes. They are the ones that cured me of my susceptible mental state."

"And they also gave you vibranium weapons and armor to take with you on your quest for vigilantism, correct?"

"Objection." Matt called out again. "Relevance?"

"Get to the point." The judge told the prosecutor.

"Sorry." He said. "Was your father for your vigilantism?"

"He was with us." Y/N replied.

"Can you clarify who us is?"

He exhaled. "Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, Steve Rogers, and myself."

"And the six of you worked together doing what?"

"We took down rackets around the world, invoking drug trading, sex trafficking, weapons."

"And why do it all yourself and not alert the authorities about them?"

"Like you said, we were on the run. We tipped them off after every takedown so they can properly be arraigned."

"Okay. So lots of things are done off the books. That's not common with upstanding soldiers like you and your father."

"You have to improvise with the hand your dealt. My father was the one who said despite our circumstances, we still had to help those in need."

The prosecutor nodded. He rubbed his chin and looked down at his papers.

"And how is your mental state now, Lieutenant?" He asked.

"It's great."

"Nothing's effected you recently? Not even the passing of your father earlier this year?"

Y/N kept his stoic look at the man. Matt was going to object but trusted the soldier to keep his composure.

"That's just a part of life." He simply answered.

"And life's been unkind in your case. In less than a year, Pietro Maximoff, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, they all perished. We can also count the late King T'Challa—"

The Wakandan's passing was so recent that Matt knew it'd affect Y/N. He immediately stood up and called out.

"Objection! What is this, your honor? Is this even leading to a question?"

The judge looked at the prosecutor. "You are being out of line."

"Your honor, like I said, I'm laying the foundation. If Lieutenant Carter sees Mr. Parker as close as he was to who I just mentioned...what's to say that is clouding his judgment on Parker's true intentions?"

"I warned you before. You're—"

"Can I speak, your honor?" Y/N suddenly asked.

The judge looked at the soldier in confusion. Matt also listened in, wondering where this would go.

"You can." She replied. "Just remember, anything you say will be used to determine whether we can move forward with this case."

He nodded and looked directly at the prosecutor. The stare made him uneasy but he kept his composure.

"You think my mental state can still be easily affected? Well, it can. But that's the case for a lot of other people in the world. People look at me and see my father...especially now that I'm Captain America..."

Several men, wearing Adidas clothing, walk around in a warehouse. One of them opens a box with a crowbar and checks its contents. Inside is a Stark drone along with extra parts.

"...they expect me to hold up his values exactly and be the Sentinel of Liberty that he was. Do things by the book like he did those early days. Like a good soldier..."

They open several other crates that contain the same contents. One high-fives their colleague.

"That guy wasn't joking when he said he had this tech."

"He wanted to get rid of it ASAP. Boss thought it could be of use."

He nodded. "And we got a couple more in the truck outside."

The man took out his radio and spoke into it.

"Yuri? There were two more boxes right?"

There was no response. He tried again but still didn't get anything back.

"Yuri?"

"A man that was never easily wavered by emotion or tough circumstances. One that accomplished the mission...missions that were assigned to him...and some that he decided to do himself."

Yuri's body crashed through the doors of the warehouse.

The criminals looked on in shock. Suddenly, a vibranium disk flew into the room and hit another man. Captain America dove in and retrieved his shield, only to throw it back and hit two others.

"Oh, shit!" One yelled and pulled out his gun.

Y/N deflected the gunfire with his shield and a bullet hit his colleague instead. He charged at the shooter and hit him with the disc, sending him crashing into a column.

"I know Peter didn't do what is being said. It's just the gut feeling I have. Maybe you think being given the technology made him reckless...maybe a little power-hungry. Maybe you assume he'll follow Stark's path and accidentally build another Ultron. But that's far from the truth."

"Again." The prosecutor said. "Making assumptions."

"Tony always said that he'd want Peter to be better. Better than he was. Tony understood that he didn't inhibit that hubris he once had. Our elders understood that their youth being exactly like them...isn't always ideal."

Peter listened to the soldier's words. He was right. Tony didn't want him to be just like him. He wanted better than that. He wasn't Tony and was never going to be.

Y/N continued. "From that...I learned something very important...very recently."

"And what is that?" The prosecutor asked out of curiosity.

After looking down for a moment, he stared at the man again.

"I am not like my father."

The bruised and unconscious bodies of the criminals laid on the floor of the warehouse. The last remaining member, battered and bruised as well, hung from a beam with wire around his neck. His fingers tried to pry it off but he continued to suffocate.

"Do I have to ask again?" Y/N asked from below, holding one end of the wire that shot out of his gauntlets.

The man gasped for air and finally spoke. "I know who—I know who it is! Le—Let me down..."

With that, Captain America let the man drop to the floor.

"I am not my father." He said again. "I'm my own man. With my own strengths, weaknesses, faults, reactions to certain emotions. But that shouldn't affect your trust in me. Especially when I say what I think about Peter."

The prosecutor didn't expect the man to tell so much about himself and his state of mind. He looked back at his papers and picked out a random line to talk about.

"Uh...you said reactions to emotions. Can you clarify?" He asked.

"We all have them, obviously. Talking back when you're annoyed at someone. Crying when you feel depressed or even joy." Y/N replied. "You mentioned Pietro, Tony, Rogers, and T'Challa earlier...with that, I can say, I did feel certain emotions. But...there was always something that'd comfort me and keep my spirits up."

"That being?"

"Family. My children. My wife."

"Your wife..." He looked at his papers again. "It's known that she's Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow..."

He nodded. "Yes."

"Is her relationship with Mr. Parker as strong as yours?"

William Ginter Rivia entered his apartment holding a bag of groceries. The former Stark Employee and member of Quentin Beck's crew had settled there recently.

He placed it on a nearby counter and went to turn on the light...but it didn't seem to work. 

Y/N answered. "If you're saying that she'd be willing to do and say anything to help him out as well..."

William was bewildered. He went over to another light switch in his living room and realized it didn't work either. Suddenly, he heard a flicker and the lamp by the sofa behind him lit up the room.

He spun around and was shocked to see the red-headed woman sitting cross-legged on his chair. She wore her black suit and smirked at the man.

"Hello, William." The Black Widow greeted him in a both pleasing and menacing tone. "Let's have a little chat."

"...then yes." Y/N finished.

There was a momentary pause as the prosecutor looked over his notes to ask something else. Matthew sat at the table, but his heightened senses picked up a commotion outside of the courtroom in the hallways.

"What the hell?" He muttered.

Peter heard the lawyer. "What's up?"

Suddenly, the doors opened. In came William, panting as if he had just run there on his own. He held up his hands and began to shout.

"It was me! It was me and a crew! We were responsible for the drones!"

The bailiffs were prepared to take down the man in case he decided to run at the judge. The lady pounded her gavel as the people in the gallery began to react.

"What is this?" She called out before speaking to nearby officers. "Apprehend him."

They went over to William and did as told. Y/N kept quiet and continued looking on at the scene. Matthew and the prosecutor were shocked at the events, but the former could sense that the super soldier had some prior knowledge about it.

"This court is adjourned!" The judge looked at the two lawyers. "My chambers."

Y/N still sat there. Before the judge left her seat, she looked at the soldier.

"I'm sorry about all of this, Lieutenant. Thank you for coming."

He nodded with a smirk. "It was my pleasure, your honor."

The courtroom was cleared soon afterward. Y/N was outside in the hallway and met up with May and Peter.

"You two all right?" Y/N asked.

"Yes, thank you." May replied. "And you? I'm sorry you had to hear what the guy had to say."

Y/N shrugged. "He tried to get a reaction out of me. He wasn't going to get it unless I wanted him to see."

"He was kinda surprised when you gave that speech." Peter remarked.

"One of my strengths, I'd say." Y/N pointed up to the sky. "Thanks, Pops."

May spoke again. "That short guy. What was that all about? You think he's really confessing?"

"Beck did have a crew. Nobody in the public knew about that." Peter answered. "If he did work for him...I wonder what caused the change of heart."

"Maybe he had a Christmas Carol moment last night and some spirits showed him the error of his ways." Y/N replied before looking at his watch. "I should get going. Have a safe trip home."

May bid him farewell and the soldier walked away. Peter watched him leave, taking in his previous remark. He let out a chuckle before speaking with his aunt again.

Outside of the courthouse, Y/N walked down the steps and went toward the street. There, a car awaited him. He looked inside and saw a familiar-looking redhead in the driver's seat, wearing sunglasses to go with her civilian wear.

Y/N opened the door and sat in the passenger's seat, strapping on his seatbelt.

"Hey." He greeted her.

"Hey." She turned to him and smirked. "How was everything?"

"It went well."

"Was it all you'd hoped it'd be? Like Law and Order?"

Y/N laughed. "I gotta be honest, it kinda was."

He looked out of the closed window and checked the side mirrors too before speaking again.

"How was William this morning?"

"Easy transport. Too scared to look at me the whole drive here."

"You did scare him last night." Y/N replied.

"Worked like a charm. Didn't flee or tip off his crew. Waited for me to pick him up like a good boy. Afraid to piss off mommy." Natasha said.

"Heh." Y/N chuckled.

Natasha turned to him. "What? That's funny?"

"No." He took out a pack of mints from his pocket and ate one. "That turned me on, actually."

That brought a laugh out of his wife. She turned the car back on and began to move away from the curb.

"You are a naughty old man." She remarked.

Y/N laughed as well. He took in another mint and looked out the window as they drove away.

"Yeah...I know."