No Lie

Carnival Day

Cotton candy was something Peter always got at the carnival. It was also something that always made him sick to his stomach after he ate it and rode a roller coaster. Wanda had warned him eating two things of cotton candy before riding the roller coaster was a bad idea, but he hadn't listened. After one go on that giant purple and white ride, they'd had to stop at the bathroom so Peter could empty his stomach. That wasn't enough for his stomach though, so they sat on a bench for an hour and talked until his stomach settled.

The second Peter thought he could stand without vomiting, he jumped to his feet. "Alright! I'm good to go!"

"We'll see," Wanda said, standing up and stretching.

Not sure how long it would be until Peter felt sick again, they wander around to find another ride to go on. It was getting late and the carnival would only stay open for another two hours, so they had to rush to make up for the hour of sitting around.

"Let's try this!" Peter exclaimed, pointing at what looked like swings hanging from a carousel top.

Wanda followed him into the line without protest. She'd been on crazy rides with Pietro before; this didn't look that awful.

"After this, we should do that," Wanda said, pointing at the Ferris wheel.

Peter rolled his eyes and stepped forward as the line moved.

"Fine," he agreed, "We'll do the most basic carnival ride next."

Wanda elbowed him in the stomach and he glared at her. With a grin, she stepped around him to follow the line forward.

"Ferris wheels are fun," she told him and Peter didn't bother arguing.

When it was their turn, they happily loaded the swing ride and waited for instructions. Once everyone was strapped in, the ride began moving slowly.

It didn't take long before they were going full speed, seats swinging far out from underneath the ride top. Peter grinned and looked out over the carnival excitedly. When he looked back to see Wanda, she had a small smile on her face. Thoroughly enjoying the ride, Peter was a little sad when it was finished, but walked with Wanda to the Ferris wheel instead of asking to ride the swings again.

"How about after this, we go to the magic show and the mirror room?" Peter suggested as they stood in line.

Wanda shrugged and nodded while Peter balanced on top of the metal rail. Suddenly, he was shoved off and he stumbled forward, barely stopping himself from hitting his face on the opposite rail. When he turned to see who'd bumped into him, he was surprised to see Flash.

"Hey, Penis," Flash said with a smirk. "Who's this chick? You pay her to come on a date with you?"

Peter's face scrunched up at the thought of dating Wanda and he glanced at her.

"No," he said, disgusted by Flash's suggestion. "She's my sister."

Technically, it was only a lie if someone were to look at it legally, which, Peter figured, probably everyone would. Clearly Flash did.

"As if," he scoffed, "I thought your family all died to get away from you."

Peter felt his gut twist and he hesitated to respond. Wanda, on the other hand, did not.

"Excuse you," she said coldly, stepping forward to stand beside Peter. "Who are you and why are you insulting my brother?"

Peter could count on one hand the number of people he'd seen roll his eyes at Wanda and Flash was number two. Although Shuri could get away with it, Peter doubted Flash could.

"Why should I answer you?" Flash retorted, crossing his arms.

Peter could feel the energy of her magic fill the air when it flashed in her eyes and tickled her fingers. Flash's eyes widened and he stepped back, giving Wanda the space to step forward.

"Why are you insulting my brother?" she repeated.

Flash stuttered out an answer. "I, um, we play this—we play this game where the... where the best insulter, uh, wins?"

Wanda's energy became stronger as she brought a hand up closer to Flash's face, red covering each finger.

"Leave Peter alone," she whispered.

He nodded quickly before darting off. Peter didn't miss the slight tinge of red that hovered near his head for a few seconds, but he didn't say anything about it.

"Thanks," he murmured.

Wanda nodded once and her magic disappeared as quickly as it had come. Surprisingly, bystanders weren't looking at them, so Peter wondered if she had also confused their memories too.

"No problem," Wanda mumbled, glaring at Flash's retreating figure. "How long has he been bullying you?"

"Not that long," he lied. She gave him a look and he rubbed his wrist awkwardly. "Maybe a couple of years? But it's not that bad! I can handle it!"

"Peter!" Wanda exclaimed.

A couple of people glanced at them but quickly looked away at Wanda's sharp glare.

"You have to tell someone so we can help you stop it!"

"It's not that bad!" Peter repeated, his voice an octave higher than usual. "If I just ignore him, he gets his jabs in then leaves. If I make him stop, he'll bully other kids and they might not be able to ignore him."

Wanda closed her eyes and took a deep breath, counting to ten before looking at Peter again.

"Fine," she conceded, "But if anyone else starts to bother you, let me know."

Peter nodded quickly, promising her he would.

"Besides, it's not like you didn't mess with Flash's mind," he mumbled. Wanda narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah, I saw that! Good thing no one else did."

"I suppose I am lucky," she smirked before turning back to the line.

While Peter was pretty sure that was code for "I totally screwed with everyone else's mind and don't care", he couldn't be positive. He was certain he didn't want to know, though.