Peter & Bucky Are Pals

Chapter 5

The Five Times Peter Got Help With Schoolwork and The One Time It Was Done For Him

When Peter got back to the Tower after school, he headed straight for the communal kitchen and raided the chips drawer, grabbing a couple bags and sprawling out of the couch. Clint ambled in with Natasha at his heels about ten minutes later; Clint perched himself on the back of the couch while Natasha squished in by Peter's feet.

"What's up, buddy?" Clint asked.

"Who said anything's up?" Peter mumbled.

"You're eating chips," said Natasha. "They're one of your comfort foods."

Peter sighed. "We have an actual project for gym class. We have gym homework. Who does that?"

"That sucks," Clint said. "What's it about?"

"We have to make our own workout video. It has to be five to ten minutes long." Peter wiped chip crumbs from his hand and ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what I'm gonna do."

"What do you need help with?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know... I just don't know how to go about it. Whatever I do, it'll get made fun of. I don't see the point."

Clint stood up, took Peter's bags of chips, and tugged the boy to his feet. "C'mon. We're doing gym homework. JARVIS, tell Steve and Hill to meet us in the gym. Barnes can come too if he wants."

Peter protested, reaching for his chips, but Clint tossed them onto the kitchen counter and kept pulling him towards the elevator. Natasha followed them, a faint smile on her face.

"Why... What are you guys doing?" Peter asked, frowning. The elevator doors closed, and Clint let go of his arm.

"We're doing your gym homework. It's gonna be great," Clint said. Peter looked somewhat alarmed.

"You guys... want to help me with the video?"

"Sure we do," said Natasha. "Steve's going to be thrilled."

The elevator doors opened a minute later. Steve, Hill, and Bucky were already there; Bucky was perched on top of the climbing wall while Steve and Hill stood in front of a tripod, poking at a camera. Steve looked up, seemingly puzzled.

"Do any of you know how to work these things?"

"How did you get here so fast?" Clint asked. "And no, unfortunately not."

"We were already down here," Hill replied. "Peter, can you work a camera?"

"Yeah," said Peter, making his way over and fiddling with different buttons. He hadn't touched a camera in months, but it felt achingly familiar in his hands. "Someone go stand there, I have to focus it."

Hill stood in the middle of the room and waved at the camera, and Peter adjusted the lense.

"Does everyone your age just know how do do things like this?" Steve asked, waving a hand at the camera. Peter shook his head.

"So we're making a workout video?" Hill called. "Why?"

"For my gym class," Peter replied. "You guys really don't have to help me..."