flicker // peter parker

- first practice struggles -

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A LOT OF THE TIME, Elenora Rogers did not have problems with people. She made a valiant effort not to, anyway, and it felt like for the most part, herself and the world got along just fine.

Harley Keener was an exception.

Fifteen minutes into what could be a lifetime of these practices, and Elenora was ready to punch him square in the nose.

"A little higher," Natasha's voice rang out, pulling Elenora from her thoughts of vengeance, and the young girl's eyes darted to where her best friend, Bridgit Landon, was scaling a rope. Her right hand was less than a foot away from the top, but her arms were shaking with such intensity that Elenora didn't think she'd make it.

Elenora was right; four seconds later, Bridgit was slipping from the rope and landed on the mats in a heap.

"Break's over," Bucky's voice broke in, and Elenora's head spun around, her ponytail nearly whacking her in the face. "Back in the ring."

A little sigh escaped her as she wedged herself between the ropes, her back to the corner Bucky was setting a post at.

Elenora never minded sparring. Sure, it got a little awkward to fistfight her dad or even her uncle, but until today, there had been nothing but indifference in her heart for sparring.

As she faced Harley Keener, her heart held hate.

Okay, maybe a joke about wanting to fight Harley was funny at the moment, but Elenora didn't mean it, and Bucky should have known that.  Maybe it would have been fun and justice-serving if Bucky let her do anything but defend herself.

But he didn't.

Every time that Harley sent a kick or a punch, Elenora had to block but was allowed no form of retaliation.

Talk about being a punching bag.

"Tighten it up," Tony instructed from his diagonal corner across the ring.

Harley adjusted her stance, his eyes narrowing as his feet shifted and his core engaged. Snapping his head up, Harley met eyes with Elenora and threw a punch.

First off, Elenora's inner monologue started as she ducked her head, Tony hadn't even said to start yet. But that didn't seem to bother Harley one bit. He threw another punch, accompanied by a kick, and though Elenora successfully blocked both, he continued to launch attacks.

It was like he had no chill. The kid was throwing out kicks and attacks just as quick as Elenora could block them, and just so it's clear, Elenora noticed he had no sort of technique.

He was seriously just trying to hit her.

As the kicks and punches kept coming, Elenora couldn't stop thinking about how easy it would be to just grab his defenseless wrist it a choking hold, wrap her foot around his sloppily placed ankle, and get him to the ground in seconds.