what the fuck?
Keller and I look up from the web shooter we were tinkering with.
“Elle!” I stand up off of the stool and practically run over to her.
“Hi Elle,” Keller said quietly behind me.
I pull Elle into a hug and kiss the top of her head.
“Hi Peter. Hi Keller,” she said, her words muffled by the fabric of my jacket.
“Are you feeling any better, Miss Vincent?” Keller said walking over as we broke the hug.
“Yeah, a bit. May gave me some painkillers.”
Keller hands her the twine tied sweater he came in with. They both held on and kept eye contact a little longer than they should’ve.
“I found it when I moved the air mattress. It must have slipped out and we missed it when I set up the mattress.” He smiled.
“Thank you again, Keller. For everything,” she said, advancing and hugging him.
“It was nothing, Miss Vincent.”
“Just Elle, please,” she said smiling as if she had pointed it out before.
“What are you doing here Elle?” I asked practically begging for the exchange between them to be over.
“I actually came to look for my ‘assistant of sorts’,” she said smiling and slightly laughing.
“Well here I am,” he said laughing.
“I have some papers Mr. Stark wanted. I, uh, don’t know where and how to give them to him.”
“I can help you with that,” he said.
They left with silent waves and murmured byes. I sit and keep fiddling with the web shooters.
After a bit of messing with the formula I have managed to get a shorter lasting web. I test them several times. They last for about 15 minutes this time, a new record. I revel in the victory and go to the training room to try and see how much my skill has improved.
The elevator to the training room opens and I see Natasha knock a man 3 times her size on his ass and laugh. I must’ve seen her do it dozens of times before, and it never gets old.
I hear a laugh join me, but it wasn't near me. It seemed like it was in the room with Natasha.
“Are you sure you are not also a god, miss?” I hear a subtly accented voice say, which I assume is Thor.
I peek into the training room and say hello to Natasha. I look over and see the source of the laughter and voice, Keller, sitting and laughing as the guard Natasha knocked down glares at him.
“Hey, Nat!” I say, disregarding the feeling I have from Keller being here.
“Hey, kid! Zo-” Keller glares at her, “Keller here was just gonna help me train, wanna join?”
“Sure,” I said very skeptically.
I strap the web shooters to my wrists and take my hoodie off and prepare to spar Natasha. Just as I’m about to start sparing her, Keller takes the place she was meant to be in. I stop.
“Him?” I say pointing at him and Natasha nods. “Okay then.”
I start the second Natasha demandingly whistled. I aim and shoot his hand. The shot seemed to be a second late though. The webbing lands instead on Nat who was standing sadly in the way. She didn’t expect it and it bound her arm to her side.
“Seriously, Peter.”
I look up to see that it had landed there as I see Keller suddenly next to me. He wasn't there a second ago. I go to block his punch but it was too fast. The fist lands against my arm, not to firmly though. I shoot a web toward the ceiling and jump but Keller catches the webbing mid flight, leaving his fingers stuck to each other. I look in amazement.
Nat joined the spar against Keller soon after he caught the web. An hour passes of rigorous combat, alternating between, Nat and I against Keller to me against Nat. I was able to beat Nat once or twice. I was never able to beat Keller once. I gather my things and leave with Keller.
I stop Keller directly before the elevator and confront him.
“What the hell are you? Who the hell are you?”
He stutters and seems to panic.
“I’m Keller, you know me Peter. Did Nat really hit you that hard? She said sorry,” he said, chuckling dryly.
“Don’t fucking laugh, I’m serious. What the fuck was that?” I say, aggressively motioning to the training room we just left from.
“I-fuck. Okay. I can’t lie anymore can I?”
“No you fucking can’t”
“Fine. Let’s go somewhere else, and see if Tony is back yet, first.”
“Fine.”