It's About Time

Ch. 18

Steve let some of the kids train with Natasha and Clint.  They showed them basic fighting skills and then Natasha and Steve fought by request.  Okay, maybe it wasn't really a request.  Some kid had made a comment about how Steve was probably better cause he was bigger than Clint and a superhuman, so of course Steve was all for fighting Natasha after that.  After Natasha had beat Steve, she told the kid that she was trained by the Winter Soldier and a superhuman as well so if he wanted to make another comment about her not being a good fighter, he could step up and fight her next.  He didn't and Steve took them back upstairs.

"That was so awesome,"  Ned squealed.  Peter just grinned and nodded.

"You should see her when she's upset,"  Peter said.  "She likes to see how long it takes her to beat both Steve and Bucky at the same time."  Ned's eyes widened and Peter nodded.  Flash scoffed and Peter realised he hadn't been watching out for others who could have been listening.

"What?  Like you know them?"  he said.  Peter just rolled his eyes and turned to follow Ned into the living room.  Flash wasn't having it, though.  He grabbed Peter's shoulder and drug him around a corner.  "You think you're funny!  Sending Black Widow and Captain America look-a-likes after me that one day, but I know you don't actually know them."

"You're just jealous,"  Peter replied.  He'd had enough of Flash's bullying.  "Just leave me alone."  Peter turned to leave the room Flash had dragged him into, but Flash grabbed his arm and spun him around.  He punched Peter square in the nose and Peter yelled in pain.  Flash looked furious.  He might have hit Peter again, but his punch was stopped by a metal arm.  Flash froze, looking at the metal hand on his wrist then up at its owner.

"Don't touch him,"  Bucky said lowly.  Flash was staring at him, eyes wide in fear as he nodded quickly.  Peter was too busy trying to stop his bleeding nose to worry about Bucky killing Flash.

"We're just friends!"  Flash said, giving a nervous laugh.  "We like to beat each other up for fun.  Like Agent Romanov and Agent Barton."  He laughed nervously again and Bucky glanced up.  Flash turned and saw Natasha standing in the doorway, arms crossed as she glared at Flash.

"What did he do?"  she asked in Russian.  Flash looked even more nervous if that was possible.

"He punched Peter,"  Bucky told her.  Peter looked up at his name, cupping his bleeding nose.

"Um, if someone could get me a tissue, that would be nice,"  he said.  Natasha grabbed a nearby tissue box and handed it to him, not breaking eye contact with Flash.  Peter grabbed it and put a tissue to his nose.  He put his head back and pinched his nose to try and stop the bleeding.

"I thought I warned you last time,"  Natasha told Flash.  He was shaking at this point, making nervous glances towards the door.

"Last time?  He's done this before?"  Bucky asked.  Flash knew he was dead.  This was it.  His death by two super assassins.

"Natasha.  Bucky."  They both looked up to see Steve standing in the door.  What he had done with the other kids, they didn't know.  "What's going on?  Leave him alone,"  Steve said.

"He punched Peter!"  Bucky told him.  Steve glanced down at Peter who gave a weak wave then cursed as blood hit the floor.

"Get out now,"  Steve told Flash.  He nodded and raced out of the room.  Steve pointed at Bucky and Natasha.  "Go get it out of your system.  Killing a kid will get you locked up.  I'll take care of Peter."  Bucky and Natasha stormed out of the room and down to the training room.  Steve helped Peter down the hall to the bathroom.

"And then he grabbed me and punched me, but Bucky grabbed him before he could punch me again,"  Peter said, telling Steve what had happened as they tried to stop the bleeding.  "Bucky looked like he was about to kill Flash and is it bad I kind of wanted him to?  I mean, not really, but maybe just a bit."

"I understand, Peter,"  Steve said.  Peter nodded, wiping his nose as it had stopped bleeding.  He frowned down at his blood stained shirt and Steve sighed.  "Go grab a new one from your room."  Peter nodded and hurried past the living room, trying not to be spotted.  He was, though, and Wanda looked less than thrilled to see his covered in blood.

"What the hell happened to you?"  she demanded.  Peter stopped mid step and turned to look at her.  She had red hovering in her hands as she stood up from the couch angrily.  Peter saw Flash hide his face.

"I tripped?"  Peter said.  She didn't buy it and he knew it.

"Peter, you're covered in blood!"  Wanda yelled.  Peter pursed his lips.  Any hope of keeping his identity a secret had just flown out the window.

"Not your business, Wanda,"  Peter said, trying not to get upset with her for ruining his secret.  Wanda must have sensed this because her eyes widened and she forced her magic away.  "Can I go now?"  he asked, pointing down the hall towards his room.  Wanda nodded and he all but ran out of sight.  He changed his shirt and laid on his bed.  A few minutes later, someone knocked on his door.  Wanda walked in without permission, but Peter figured saying no wouldn't have stopped her anyway.

"I'm sorry, Peter,"  Wanda said, shutting the door behind her.  "I know I messed up the whole secret keeping thing, but to be fair, you walked in with blood all over."  Peter sighed and sat up.  Wanda took this as a sign to sit beside him on the bed.

"It's okay,"  Peter said after a couple seconds.  "To be fair, I think Bucky actually gave it away first.  He saw it happen and almost killed Flash."

"Wait, a kid did that?"  Wanda asked.  Peter nodded, staring down at his hands.  "Who?"

"Bucky and Natasha already took care of it,"  Peter told her.  She insisted on being told and agreed to do nothing if he told her the whole story.  "This kid, Flash, has been bullying me all year.  A few weeks ago Natasha and Steve saw him hitting me and Natasha went all Russian ninja.  Then today his punched my nose.  Uncle Steve doesn't think it's broken."

"Does your dad know?"  Wanda asked.  Peter shook his head.  They waited a few beats then Wanda grimaced.  "He does now.  And that kid Flash is about to die." 

"What?"  Peter exclaimed.  They both jumped off Peter's bed and raced back into the living room.