Withered Rose

Chp 7: The Fight

Bold is Latin (Angie and Peter’s “secret” language)
Italics is Sokovian
Bold Italics is Russian

-time skip: 3 weeks-
          Wanda and I have been going on more dates, and most of them end like the first one did. And I can’t say I’m complaining. Wanda is....amazing. She’s beautiful, kind, and just completely lovable. I’m not sure what it really is about her, but I really like it. On our most recent date she asked me to be her girlfriend, to which I responded with a scream and a yes.
           Wanda and I were sitting on the couch watching TV with Steve, Bucky, and Tony. Suddenly, Peter rushed out of the elevator, limping, and came straight to me. He had blood and tears tears running down his face and was sobbing loudly.
         “Hey, hey, hey, what’s up Petey? What happened?” I asked, standing up and wrapping my arms around him. He winced and cried out, backing away from my hug.
        “Flash and his group of jackasses beat me up! I-I think my arm and some of my ribs are broken. It hurts mom!” He ran back toward me and put his head on my shoulder and continued to sob. I was so confused. What the hell really happened? Tony, thank god, understood what he was saying about his ribs being broken and had FRIDAY scan him.
          “Yup. He’s concussed, two fractures in the left arm, three broken ribs. We need to get him to the lab, like now.” I was still frozen. Bucky stood up, pulled his sleeve down over his metal arm, and picked Peter up to carry him to the Med Lab on the 2nd floor. It was lucky that he did that, because soon after Peter fainted. That seemed to snap me back to reality, and I followed them down to the Lab.

          Peter was laying in the Med Lab with me by his side holding his hand.
         “Petey, baby, can you tell me what happened? I need more details.”
         “Flash, and his stupid buddies, Jamie and Jacob Oliver, they followed me home and they all jumped me in the alley by the Jones’s grocery stand.” Peter was crying slightly. I wanted to cry, scream, and strangle someone all at once. I kept my face as even and straight as I could.
          “I am....so sorry baby.” My voice was uneven and cracking. Get it together. I have to be the mom. I cleared my throat. “I am going to talk to the school. And you are not going to be in school until your fully healed. You will be excused from any and all work because these motherfuckers landed you in a FUCKING HOSPITAL!” I screamed. Tears streamed down my face. Bucky came over to me and grabbed my shoulders, pulling me with him to the door. I tried to shake him off of me, but he is much stronger than me and is much larger than me. He steered me out the door against my protests and brought me to a room away from the lab. Steve was there, and so was Wanda. I continued to scream and cry and I fell to my knees. Bucky came to the ground with me and brought my face up from my hands in order to meet his eyes.
             “Hey, come on. You need to pull yourself together. You have to go talk to the school right now, and I’m coming with you. Wash up.”
              “No! No! They could’ve killed him! I’m not going to “pull myself together”! I’m allowed to be pissed about the fact that my son was just beat up in an alley!” Bucky pulled me into him, and I started to fight him, but then stopped. All my anger disappeared in his embrace and I was filled with overwhelming sadness. I started just plain sobbing and held him close to me. I slumped against him on the ground. How could I have let this happen? Wanda knelt down next to me slowly. Bucky backed off and let her cradle me in her arms.
           “Shhhh...shhh...it’s okay. He will be alright. Calm down my love,” she cooed. She held me tight and stroked my hair.
          “I’m leaving. I’ll be back,” Bucky said to Steve. Steve grabbed his husband’s wrist.
          “Where are you going?” Steve asked.
          “To the school. I’m going to talk this over with the principal.”
          “I’m coming with you.”
          “No! Angie needs you, you’re her brother.”
          “Buck...please. Just, if you won’t let me come, promise me you will be...nice? Don’t yell at them, stay calm. Don’t let them get the better of you.” Steve pulled Bucky in and kissed him. “Be calm and controlled.”
          “I’m always calm,” Bucky said, and with that, he was gone.