Spider-Man: Keep No Secret

A Spies Training

Six year old Peter raises his hands up, fists clenched & ready to defend himself as he bounces on his bare feet back & forth. His eyes furrowed in frustration, lips straight, frown lines edged sharply, & jaw clenched tightened. His muscles were stiff & aching from the pain of constantly being thrown around like a rag doll.

But before he could even react, he was wrapped up. An arm wrapped under his chin as another pinned his arms down & trapped him.

He squirmed & wiggled as he tried to get out of their grip, but it was too tight & with every second he was losing more & more air. He kicked his legs, banging it off of his offender's shin, but they didn't budge.

As Peter held on to his last few seconds of air, he raised his arm up & tapped on their arm three times.

He coughed after inhaling deeply, he held his hand over his throat as his chest rose & fell quickly.

"Aunt Nat, I don't understand why I have to do this", Peter said as he turned back to his Aunt Natasha. "I don't want to do this anymore".

"Peter, it's for your own safety, remember when that bad guy broke into the tower & took you away", Natasha explained as she crouched down. "So then we all had to find you, we're doing this so you can protect yourself, plus, it's going to be really funny whenever someone tries to bully you at school & you just break their arm".

"That's not the message we are supposed to be teaching him", Clint said as he walked into the gym. "Peter, breaking someone's arms is bad, unless they really deserve it, which is nobody, so don't break their arms unless I say so".

"Didn't you just put Bruce in an arm lock for eating the last bowl of cereal last week", Natasha asked? Pointing Clint's argument against him.

"Like I said... unless they really deserve it", Clint said, walking past Natasha & Peter. "So what are we teaching him today".

"I have already taught him to notice social cues, & off behaviors, & slightest signs of when someone is stalking him or going to attack him", Natasha said, she emphasized the "I" in her sentence, because she has been coaching him for the past hour. "I am teaching Peter how to get out of a choke hold, being grabbed from behind, & being tied up with rope".

"Rope", Peter asked with a horrified look on his face?!

"Don't worry about it", Natasha whispered back to him.

"Sorry, I'm going to have to interrupt", Steve said as he walked into the room. "Peter, Dad & I are going to the store, do you want to come"?

"Anything to keep me out of the ropes", Peter said as he ran up to his father & took his hand.

"Ropes", Steve asked as he looked back to Natasha & Clint.

---

Peter got up from his bed with his body aching intensely. He groaned with every step he took to the bathroom.

He flicked the lights on & looked down at his sore body. He saw darkened bruises running up & down his body, he freaked, he ran over to the mirror & saw the awful bruises all over his body.

He looked over horrified as he noticed the black eye on his face.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no. Shit, no", Peter said as his mind raced, he thought of a million ways to cover this up. But he came down to only two, either staying in his room all day or putting some of Wanda's makeup on to cover another black eye. But if he covered it with makeup, Wanda would find out how he got it & then tell someone again. "This is not good, dammit".