Double Trouble

16.

Oooh. Last chapter ended on a pseudo cliff hanger. Y'all ready to find out more?

Also, this chapter is super duper short compared to 95% of my updates for this story. I felt like I fit everything I wanted/needed to into it and it wouldn't have benefitted from being longer. 

Mount Justice

October 23, 17:21 EDT

The team was sitting in the lounge and kitchen area, not talking. M'gann was stirring a bowl of batter as Kaldur leaned against the counter. Wally had his head in his arms on the kitchen island, Pietro and Robin sat on the couches with Artemis leaning against the back of one of them.  Conner was talking with Black Canary for their mandated therapy sessions after the training exercise that went wrong.

Black Canary stepped into the room. "Pietro, I'd like to talk with you now."

Pietro nodded, standing up to follow. He passed by the rest of the team, all of them muttering a 'good luck' to him under their breaths. Pietro sighed, closing the door behind him and taking a seat when Canary prompted him. He looked up at her, resting his elbows on his knees. "So, what're we here to talk about?"

"You just went through a traumatic experience, Pietro. You watched your teammate essentially die before you yourself were killed. One should take time to process that." Black Canary replied gently, looking at the silver haired speedster. Pietro tightened his fists, glaring at the ground as he didn't answer. Black Canary sighed. "How about we start with -"

"Start with what? I was in a coma for most of the action, missed out on most of the deaths. Barely any trauma here." Pietro grunted.

"I get it, you're too tough for help. Or too tough to admit you need help. It is not a sign of weakness to open up to your friends."

Pietro leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know that."

"Yet you still keep secrets from them."

Pietro looked up at the blonde. "Kept secrets."

"Oh?"

"Everything is out in the open now." Pietro looked at the therapist.

"Everything?"

He nodded, his mind going back a week to the night of the training exercise.

- - -

"Pietro...how come you never told us you have a sister?"

The speedster paused in his steps, looking at the team. "What...what are you talking about?"

Robin typed on his gauntlet computer for a moment before turning it to face Pietro, the video feed of just an hour or so before pulled up. The team laid on the tables, all waking up from the exercise. Red Tornado stood above Pietro, trying to rouse the boy.

<"It was an accident. No, no! Stay away from her! Don't touch her! I'll kill you! Sister!">

"See, we normally would not be able to understand this. But given the computers ability to translate all known languages..." Robin rewound the tape, playing it back again. Miraculously, Pietro sounded as if he were speaking English.

And the whole team heard him cry out for a sister.

Pietro looked at his friends as they stared back at him, confusion and hurt on their faces. "Why did you not tell us?"

"Because...because...thinking of her brings back horrible memories." Pietro lied, tightening his fists at his side. "She was...after we were stranded on the streets in Sokovia,  we needed to fend for ourselves. I...I tried to protect her as best I could but..."