Do better, Mr. Stark.

20 - Who calls themselves Flash?

With a successful weekend (apart from getting kidnapped, of course) in the bags, Peter entered school on Monday feeling like he was walking on clouds. And the day started off great, it really did. He'd missed May over the weekend, so they had breakfast together - courtesy of Tony Stark, who now watched Peter's every step and reminds him to eat every two hours. He did his signature handshake with Ned, talked to him and MJ about how awsome the Tower is (even MJ agreed) and got an A+ on the chem test.

Then the bell rang. As already mentioned, it was a Monday. Mondays are lab days, Peter's favorite kinda days. Knowing that the overly punctual Happy was already waiting for him, Peter happily skipped out of the classroom just on time. What he din't take into account though, was Flash. And his particularly bad mood today.

One thing led to another and Peter finally left school - ten minutes late and accompanied by a black eye and what felt like a concussion.

***

Peter walked into the Tower feeling like absolute shit, but quickly decided he wouldn't let Flash ruin any more of his days. He could at least act like he was fine, they don't call it 'fake it till you make it' for nothing!

And so, he put on a smile and walked into the common room, which was occupied by Bucky, Nat and Sam. "Hi guys!". The all smiled at the kid, he really was a source of light. For all of them. "Hi Pete, you good?" Sam exclaimed.

"I'm great! Is Tony downstairs?". Peter took every precaution, he didn't face the others completely, not wanting anyone to notice his bruise. It would be gone the next day anyways, and at least he din't have to worry about Tony noticing; the light was horrible down in the lab. Tony's a billionaire, you'd think he'd be able to get his lights fixed...

For being just as smart as Tony and Bruce, Peter sure was dumb sometimes. He din't even think of taking into account that he was literally talking to two highly trained spies. That's why he also didn't question both Natasha and Bucky frowning at him. Nat was the first to compose herself. "What happened, Peter?" she asked, clearly talking about his black eye.

Peter froze. "Oh, that? Huh, didn't notice it until now, must be from patrol last night! Yeah, I remember now, I came across two drunk guys, and... yeah" he mumbled. Sam, oblivious sweet Sam, didn't even think twice and just said "Man, you really should be more careful. Black eyes hurt like a bitch.". Really makes you think about what other irrational things Sam would believe. Bucky and Nat shared one look and immediately agreed that as much as they loved him - Peter was a horrible liar.

"Yeah, Tony's downstairs, head down there kid. Have fun." was all Bucky said. He wouldn't push Peter, who, in turn, appreciated it greatly and excitedly ran to the elevator.

***

"You thinkin' what I'm thinking?".

Spoiler alert: She did.

***

Tuesday, in contrast to Monday, wasn't a day Peter necessarily adored. No maths, no chem, not even physics for gods sake! Sure, Peter excelled in pretty much every subject (not that he would admit it), but that doesn't mean he has to like them.

If only he'd known what awaited him on this particular Tuesday.

The first few periods passed smoothly - although there weren't any classes he had with his friends yet, so Peter was ecstatic to see Ned and MJ at lunch. He unlocked that level of excitement that led him to completely forget about getting himself any food.

What the boy didn't know was that two certain Avengers were on their way. Natasha and Bucky were aware the fact that Peter's bruise couldn't be from a fight from the night before; it would've healed already. They also knew that Peter wouldn't tell them anything voluntarily. So they decided to put their spy abilities to work and visit Midtown High.

They arrived at the perfect time - in a not-so-perfect moment. "Sup Penis, don't have any money to buy lunch I see. Did your parents forget to give you any?". There was a short-lived, but deafening silence. MJ glared at the smug boy in front of her, who chose to call himself 'Flash'. For whatever reason there might be - she didn't see any.

"Oh right, you don't have any. Sucks to be you!". And that was Natasha's last straw. Earlier, they decided that it might not be smart to interact with any students, they would simply hide in the shadows and observe - in hopes of finding some sign of proof that Peter was being bullied. But this right there wasn't a simple sign. It was something bigger, something the overprotective woman could not endure.

Ned and MJ saw the Winter Soldier and the Black Widow stepping into the lunch area before anyone else did. Before Peter, and most importantly, before Flash. This would be fun.

Peter was still baffled and trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't cause even more trouble, when he noticed his two best friends having this evil grinning thing going on. Did they just reveal themselves to be super villains or something? Or did they see something funny that he doesn't? Confusion took over. What followed was shock.

He didn't have time to process what was going on before it was already too late. "What did you just say?". Oh god. Flash turned around, still visibly proud, thinking it might be a teacher who approached him. He had them in his pockets, considering who his father is. It wasn't a teacher, though.

"Wanna repeat that? Maybe we misheard you." Bucky added. "Uh-". "Yeah, no. No need to explain yourself. I think we understood you just fine". Natasha was steaming from both ears at this pont. "This is what's going to happen. You will restrict yourself from ever breathing into Peter's direction again. You will leave him and his friends alone. You will not dare to bully anyone in this school ever again. Are we clear?"

Peter was pretty sure he'd faint any second now. Nat was still glaring at Flash, awaiting his response, and Bucky had his arms crossed and his face blank, as he does when he means to frighten someone. "Wait, what?". Appeareantly, Flash has awoken from his rigidity. "How do you even know Pen-, uh, Parker?". "Well, seems like we are not clear. Peter is Tony Stark's personal intern. That means that he has every single Avenger on his side. Since you seem to struggle with understanding things that don't include you, let me spell it out for you. If you mess with Peter, you mess with us. Understood?". The glaring doesn't stop. At this point, the entirety of the lnch hall has formed a circle, all surrounding the two Avengers and with that, Peter's and his friends' table.

MJ and Ned, who usually despise attention like such, seemed completely content, even relieved, with the situation. Peter wasn't quite sure. Even though it warmed his heart to know that Nat and Bucky cared, he couldn't help fearing that this just made everything worse. "Uh, guys, it's okay, really. You don't have to do this.". Bucky's facade crumbled for a second. He hates when Peter does this, he never accepts help. "We want to, Pete. Now, we don't have all day, boy. Do you understand what we are saying?". His eyes went dark again.

"Y-yes. Yes I understand". Now even Peter had to grin a bit. He'd never seen Flash like this before. "Great. Thanks for the talk." Nat put a sweet but deathly smile on. "Let's go, Peter.". "Wait what? Nat, I still have two periods after this.". Neither Natasha nor Bucky took no for an answer. "Come on kid, you're like the smartest person I know, I think you can miss two periods without falling behind.". And so, they left.

And that's what happened. Peter Parker - the acclaimed loser - left lunch hall accompanied by Natasha Romanoff and James Buchanan Barnes, with Ned giving him a thumbs up and the entire school staring at him. This was not their usual Tuesday, to say the least.