From the Shadows | PETER PARKER [2]

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Eloise is back to disappointing her parents. Well, they're not disappointed yet, but Eloise is sure they will be eventually. Filling her time with academics has been a distraction from her thoughts, but training with Bucky isn't just a distraction, it's a relief. She gets to punch away her frustrations, sweat out her anxiety, and kick her weaknesses in the face. She can focus on a certain technique to block a fist instead of the nightmares that plague her even when she's awake.

Bucky picks her up from school every day and brings her in to train. Her parents usually get home later so they don't realize she gets home two hours late, but if they do get off work early, they assume Eloise is in her room studying.

Peter and Ned notice Eloise has been climbing up the fire escape to sneak into her room everyday for the rest of the week. She tells them that she's just out with her friends, and the boys believe her.

Until she shows up with a black eye.

Eloise is quietly opening her bedroom window per usual, stuffing her backpack in first, when she hears Peter's window slide open a few feet away. She glances over as he pops his head out.

"What are you doing?" Peter asks with his brow drawn. The breeze tousles his hair, his light brown locks more grown out and slightly curling at the ends. Eloise must admit that he looks cute with slightly longer, shaggier hair. It suits him.

"Entering my bedroom after a long day," Eloise replies with a smirk. "What are you doing, Parker?"

Peter completely disregards her question. His eyes narrow-in on her left eye that has a soft ring of purple and yellow around it. "What happened to your eye?"

Eloise's smirk falters.

"Shoot," she whispers to herself, forgetting about the light bruise. Bucky was teaching her how to defend punches again. She was getting the hang of it, too, so Bucky stopped throwing punches in slow motion. He still held back of course, not trusting himself to use his full strength on a teenager, but he still managed to inflict a bruise when Eloise failed to block properly. Bucky wouldn't stop apologizing and insisted to hold an ice pack on it. It was more comical than painful to her in all honesty.

Before Eloise can answer, Peter asks, "Did somebody hit you?"

Her gaze flicker to his. She's caught off guard by the amount of anger and concern in his eyes as he tightens his jaw. Never has Eloise ever seen Peter as angry as he is now.

"Wha–what? No."

Her answer doesn't relieve Peter like she hoped, but it did cause some of the anger to dissipate.

"You can talk to me," Peter says, expression softer.

"I know—"

"No, you don't," Peter cuts Eloise off, sighing. When she gives him a look of confusion, he explains, "You're always gone and you say that you're with your friends, but I texted Lucy and asked if you were with her and she said that you have been blowing her off lately."

Eloise freezes. She doesn't even care that she got caught, she's just shocked at Peter's words.

"You gave Lucy your phone number?" She asks, her voice low and shaky.