Akrasia

Chapter 15:

      Commotion broke out as everyone heard of Lainey's training with Nat. First off, Steve was seething. Second off, Nat was frustrated. Third off, Bucky was disappointed Lainey didn't tell him anything. Fourth off, Clint was sad that Lainey didn't ask for his help. Lastly, everyone else's feelings were mutual.
    Steve and Nat were going at it for ages. Bickering back and fourth. Too many times steve said "she's too young" which made Lainey furious. Most of Nat's responses were a lengthened and more convincing, "She needs to be able to defend herself."Occasionally side comments were thrown in by others. The kitchen was chaotic, so much that Lainey yelled,
     "ENOUGH!" Everyone froze at her raised, more like screeching, tone. Lainey had everyone's attention and took it upon herself to use it. "It's my decision to make whether any of you like it or not." Steve opened his mouth to retort something but she cut him off. "No. You listen to me Steve. My life is messed up. It will never not be. I've accepted that. I won't be able to live normally considering what's happened. One, I'm living with you guys. Two, I probably have Hydra after me. Three, Everyone basically thinks I'm dead. So yes, my life's messed up. Being able to defend myself will only help me. And it won't take long, if I'm as good as you guys claim. And who knows, maybe one day I'd fight alongside you guys. But you can't make excuses for me. I'm not normal. You can't try and mold me into being a perfect teenage girl. That isn't happening. The least I can do is train. That would at the very least make me normal amoung you guys. I'm not too young. I'm not to weak. I'm not to uneducated. I'm not too scared. I'm not anything. The only thing I am is what I say I am. And if I say I'm going to train then so be it. You'll just have to quit whining and let it be."
     No one said anything. No one knew what to say. They all just stared at the seething girl. That is until they had to look at their idiotic friend, Steve.
    "Lainey, you can't just decide something like this. You need-" Steve was abruptly cut off by Lainey, again.
    "You know what Steve. I think that you don't like the fact that I'm the one deciding, and not you. I think the only reason you're making a big deal out of this is because you want it your way. All you've ever known, from what I can tell, is people listening to you. And when they don't, you're not happy. So you argue, until you win. But you're not going to win this. It's not your decision to make. It's mine." With that she tore her unyielding stare from Steve and stormed off to her room.
     "You know what. I like that side of her." Tony remarked taking a sip from the beer literally no one saw him poor.
    "Of course you do, Stark." Steve snarled back.
    "I don't know if everything she said was true. But it was very enjoyable to watch you recoil a bit under her gaze." Tony laughed lightly to himself.
    "You weren't on my end of it."
     "That's why it was fun for me." Tony replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "As much as I'd enjoy watching this, I'm leaving." Tony just received an eye roll and a scoff from Steve. Once Tony left there was an unsettled silence.
     Bucky decided to speak up. "Steve, as much as I hate the idea of her training and getting hurt you know she's right."
     "She's perfectly capable of fighting better than all of us. Not as Night Rider, as herself." Nat added before walking away feeling satisfied because she knew she came out victorious.
    "I know. That's what scares me." Steve murmured.
     "It scares all of us." Wanda whispers looking toward the remaining people.
    "I mean heck! She caught one of my arrows and threw it back at me." Clint exclaimed before he himself walked off to find Nat.
     "You need to trust me on this Steve. She's ready and needs this more than you think. I trusted you when I least wanted to. The last thing you could do for me is return that favor."Wanda briskly walked off after her conclusion.
     Bucky gripped Steve's shoulder as he gazed into his eyes. Steve tried to look away, but Bucky wouldn't let  him drop his gaze.
    "I've grown just as fond of her as you have. I almost regret it. But we're going to have to live with it."
     "I know." Steve replied hoarsely.
      "Till the end of the line?"
      "Till the end of the line."