monday 16th of march 2016

J.D hated everything. She hated the fact that the weather was getting warmer, the struggle of the crutch underneath her arm, the pitiful stares she received. She hated her school, particularly the people inside it.

"Oh my gosh, J.D! Are you alright?"

"I heard about what happened, you're so brave!"

"How are you feeling?"

"Can I try your crutch?"

"Are you okay?"

"You poor thing! How are you?"

"If you want my notes for any of our classes, they're yours!"

"Are you okay?"

"Are you okay?"

"Are you okay??"

"Do you need help with your books?"

"I swear to fucking god." J.D turned around and saw Peter with wide eyes. She softened a bit, but sent him a glare nonetheless. "I have a backpack that is perfectly capable of holding things, as it was designed to do. I have two legs that work, two arms that work, and one of them might be holding a crutch but they're both doing their jobs just fine."

Peter smiled slightly at her response. He cleared his throat and stepped forward, embracing her after a moment. She froze for a second, before she rested her head in the crook of his neck. Peter squeezed his eyes shut, relishing in the comfort she unknowingly provided. "I've missed you, Purnell."

J.D was silent for a moment, thinking of words to say. "Are you okay, Pete?"

"Not really." He muttered, and sighed into her shoulder. "You?"

"Not really." She replied, and pulled back, smiling at him softly. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm always gonna be here."

"I know." Peter sent her a smile in return, and leaned forward to kiss her forehead lightly. He adjusted his books in his arm, and almost jumped in surprise when J.D reached down and enlaced their fingers together. He looked down at him and felt the familiar feeling in his gut.

J.D couldn't deny that she felt a little something too, but she ignored it.

She knew they both needed a little comfort.

+++

Gym had never been so boring. J.D sat on the sidelines, her crutch laid beside her. She tapped her knee, watching in boredom as her class played dodgeball.

She rested her head against the wall, her eyes glued to the game. A song by a popular band played softly in the background, but she had no idea who they were or what the hell it even was. Her bomber jacket sleeves were pulled over her hands, and her hair was tucked behind her ears, as it was annoying her.

"Flash, you're out!" Mr. King yelled, and she heard footsteps, then a loud thud beside her.

She glanced over and scoffed when she saw the sweat boy at her side. "Thompson."

"Hey, Purnell." He greeted, and reclined against the wall, his hands behind his head.

"Put your arms back down." She grumbled, swatting him with a scrunched up nose. "Try some deo for your B.O, pal."

Flash snorted, and looked back up at the game. "Didya see I didn't hit Peter today?"

"I bet you've been hitting him the entire time I've been gone though." She retorted, and he shrugged.

"Didn't get much of a chance, he's been out of school just as long as you have." He responded, and she furrowed her eyebrows. "He came back, looking half dead, wouldn't talk to anyone."

"You didn't do anything, did you?" She asked, her voice obviously showing the concern she was feeling.

"I tried to say I'm sorry for his Uncle, but he pinned me to the lockers before I could." He muttered the last part, and J.D's jaw dropped.

"He what?" She gaped, and he scratched behind his head uncomfortably.

"I know, I was pretty shocked myself." He said. "But he was so angry. I've never seen him like that before. He almost got into a fight with your brother, too."

"Shit." J.D mumbled and looked over at Peter, who was throwing a ball, hitting one of their classmates out. His jaw was clenched and his neck and cheeks were flushed a light pink. She had never seen him looked so damaged, so broken. "Poor kid."

Flash was silent for a moment, before looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry, J.D."

"For what?" She asked him, her eyebrows furrowing.

"For being a dick." He replied, his eyes on anywhere but her. "To you and Parker. Don't tell him I said that, by the way."

"I'm going to." She said and he smiled, shaking his head and finally glancing at her.

"Of course you will." He said, nudging her. She nudged him back, and smiled softly when he ruffled her hair. "You're not too bad, Purnell."

"Nor you, Thompson."

+++

"The Avengers are yet again making another mistake..." J.D reached for the remote and turned up the volume over Herb's cooking in the kitchen. "Are these people really our heroes? Or have they turned into the group of vigilantes the world never needed? Infamous member 'Scarlet Witch' has yet again caused more destruction than the enemy in Lagos, not being able to save a nearby building from a bomb. This is not the first time something like this has happened for the Sokovian native, and surely won't be the last-"

J.D clenched her jaw and turned the television off, running a hand through her hair.

"What was that about?" Mason asked, plopping down next to his sister.

"Just some Avengers bullshit." She muttered in response and reached for her phone, unlocking it.

"I thought you liked the Avengers?" Mason's thick eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I like Scarlet Witch." She replied with a careless shrug.

"That psycho?" He queried and she felt her cheeks turn pink in irritation.

"She isn't a psycho." She said harshly, and Mason scoffed.

"Did you see what she did in Lagos?" He argued, and she flashed him a glare.

"Yes, I did." She snapped. "Did you see what else she did in Lagos? She saved hundreds of people by doing what she did."

"Still." Mason muttered, looking down at his phone.

J.D pursed her lips and did the same, her head clouded with thoughts. She really ought to give her friend a call, but how was she supposed to contact her? It wasn't like the Avengers were like the Ghostbusters, she couldn't just chuck them a text and expect them to reply in an instant.

She couldn't deny she was also slightly hurt that Wanda hadn't reached out to her, especially after the battle of Sokovia. J.D had read about what happened online, and after months without her non-biological brother zooming through the city to find her, she had finally faced the truth.

+++

several months earlier

J.D dropped her bag on the couch and pulled her phone from her pocket, pressing the home button. The screen lit up with a picture of Tom Daley and she raised an eyebrow when a notification popped up on her screen.

UPDATE: Sokovia Attack -- What We Know

J.D pressed the banner and watched as the app opened before her eyes. She leaned against the wall, not paying any attention to her brother and Peter walking past her into the kitchen.

The Avengers have been back in Eastern Europe for what looks like a terror attack, but has been confirmed to be something otherwise.

- A large metal figure has been photographed at various locations before today, and is now what seems to be the major antagonist in the events that have occurred in the past two hours.

- Said figure has what seems like an army of 'sentries' that look like one Tony Stark's Iron Legion, a peace keeping group that helps ease unsettled citizens.

- Avengers seem to have two new members, currently unidentified, but we can confirm that they are male and female, and are enhanced.

- Death count is at 4 currently, and may rise.

- Evacuation has begun and the city is clearing quickly.

J.D continued to read until the last sentence. Her heart stopped in her chest.

- Avengers have confirmed that new member under the alias of 'Quicksilver' was killed in action.

All of a sudden she felt as if she couldn't breathe. Her phone fell from her grasp and dropped onto the carpet, chipping a bit at the side. She fell to her knees and her shaking hands covered her mouth.

"J.D?" Mason's voice was blurry in her ears, and she felt her head grow fuzzy.

She didn't say a word, she only felt her insides heat up and her anger grow.

"What's wrong?" She heard Peter ask, and she used the wall to pull herself up.

She stumbled into her bedroom and pressed the lock on the doorknob down. She collapsed onto her chair and for the first time in almost three months, she burst into tears. After the first tear fell, it seemed like nothing could stop the stream escaping her eyes.

She clutched onto the back of her chair so hard her knuckles turned white, and her face was so red you would think she was a ticking time bomb. Her cries were thick and ugly, sounding watery and raspy.

"J.D!?" Mason banged on the door, and J.D tried to breathe in, but she felt like she was choking on air. She fell off her chair and onto the ground with a thud, and she curled into a ball, hiding her face in her arms. She couldn't open her eyes, her vision was blurry and her lashes were stuck together in wet clumps as if she'd been swimming. Clear watery snot streaked from her pink nostrils down her red mottled skin to her open quivering lips. Her hands open and closed, rhythmically clenching as if there could be some violent solution to her pain if only she could find it.

She didn't hear the door burst open, she didn't feel herself being brought into Mason's arms. She didn't notice how Peter grabbed her hand and held onto it. She only buried her face further out of view, silvery streaks trailing down her cheeks.

Her body trembled as she broke, a piece of her chipping away.

Pietro, gone.

He seemed invincible, un-defeatable. He was her hero.

She couldn't hear the questions she was being bombarded with, she was only listening to some of the last words she heard her hero say.

"Be safe, my Bladerunner."

AW FEELS

HEY ALSO QUITE A SHORT CHAPTER AND NOT MUCH HAPPENED OOPS :-))))))

ALSO TOM DANCING ON SNAPCHAT CAN WE JUST

I MEAN

BOI

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