Teenager drama? Tag Peter

[st_x5_494]

For three whole days Alec had graciously (according to him) put up with whatever was bothering Peter. Alec knew all too well what had happened with the temporary visitors to the inn so Alec figured it was something bad. Maybe that Flash kid showed up or maybe his Aunt May did and he just really missed her. Either way, it was getting harder to put up with the kid's new attitude. How parents survived six years of teenagehood, Alec didn't know.

He currently sat on his bed trying to listen to see if Peter was in the other room or not.

Comments

[st_arkintern]

Peter was back.

If the first slam of the door to their rooms didn't make Peter's entrance abundantly obvious, the second door slam that reverberated from their bathroom should have made it absolutely clear.

Peter turns on the water to the shower, slaps down the toilet seat lid and then sits down on top of it.

[st_x5_494]

Alec rolled his eyes to no one in particular and stood up. Maybe this was a Liz thing. Maybe that Brad dude made out with her or something - though he doubted it. He was pretty sure Peter would 'talk it out' which was why this whole thing was a bit confusing. Where was the 'let's talk and hug kumbaya' crap he normally touted?

He strolled over to the door and leaned on the door frame. "You know, if you're going to pretend you're taking a shower, you do the toilet seat before turning the shower on."

[st_arkintern]

Peter glares at the door, pushes himself up off the toilet seat, wordlessly locks the door, then sits back down on the toilet seat.

[st_x5_494]

Alec would have eye rolled again if it didn't seem redundant. "You do know I know at least five different ways to take this door down, right?" Some of them a little more destructive than others. "Plus considering how many times you've slammed the damn thing, it's probably on its last legs anyways."

[st_arkintern]

Peter doesn't say anything.

[st_x5_494]

Nothing made Alec appreciate condoms more than right now - may he never have a teenage version of himself someday.

Probably another adult with experience with kids would have done something different, but Alec lifted his food and kicked the doorknob right off the door. It made opening the door a lot easier. With the door open, Alec stood square in the doorway and folded his hands over his chest. "Oh good, you're not naked." He deadpanned.

[st_arkintern]

Peter snaps upright in an instant. "What's wrong with you? The door was locked."

[st_x5_494]

"I had to pee." Alec did not have to pee, nor did he move.

[st_arkintern]

Peter abruptly stands and attempts to push past Alec and out of the bathroom.

[st_x5_494]

Maybe Alec should have let him go, but he stubbornly remains like a brick wall, though his arms came down to his side in case he needed to manhandle Peter a little bit. "Sorry. The toll for getting out of this washroom is to explain what the hell is wrong with you."

[st_arkintern]

The narrow line that is Peter's mouth right now tightens.

"What the hell is wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you?
You break the door handle and bust into the bathroom and somehow I'm the one with the problem?!"

[st_x5_494]

"Says the pouting, door-slamming, hormonal teenager-who-doesn't-like-being-called-a-teenager." Alec felt his blood pressure rise a little. "I've put up with you like this for three days and by now even the worst woman on PMS has calmed down by now."

[st_arkintern]

"You're going to talk about me being hormonal? The first time we met, you broke a vending machine because it ate your change and suddenly I'm the hormonal one?!"

[st_x5_494]

This was definitely not like the 'I am totally an adult and I respond maturely to things' Peter that Alec knew. He stubbornly stayed in the door frame.

"Alright, spill it. What's wrong? Something with your dorky friend? You have a fight with Liz?" He almost made a snarky comment about Stark not tucking him in at night, but didn't say it out loud. "You're a pain in the ass to be around right now so something has to be wrong."

Well, a different sort of pain in the ass.

[st_arkintern]

"Nothing's wrong." Peter pushes past Alec and into the bedroom, then heads to the window. The water in the shower is still running.

[st_x5_494]

"Oh, yeah. That was believable."

Alec ignored the shower - it wasn't like he had to pay for the water bill so who cared. He turned and watched the kid, trying to debate whether or not to physically stop him - he knew he was fast enough. He didn't think it would stop Peter, though.

The knife was out from his pocket without really thinking. He waited until Peter's hand was touching a hard surface and he threw the knife instantly, intending to trap peter's hand with the knife to the wood.

Hey, he knew Peter's hand would heal.

[st_arkintern]

The knife caught Peter completely off-guard; he tenses for a long moment after it pushes through his hand and relaxes afterwards. Peter yanks the knife out of his hand and drops it on the ground.

"What is wrong with you?"

Then without saying anything else, he yanks up the window and crawls up and onto the roof and keeps moving.

He's sure that Alec's going to come after him.

[st_x5_494]

"Oh yeah, totally normal." Even though Peter was already out the window, Alec still said it as he pursued. He felt like somehow Max would have been better at this than him or Original Cindy or... anyone.

Well.. maybe not Sketchy.

He followed Peter up onto the roof. "Are you really running from your problems like a kid? I thought you were all grown up."

[st_arkintern]

Peter quickens his pace. He is not going to let Alec get to him. He's not going to engage.

Once he's close enough to the another building, he jumps across to it, landing cleanly on the other side. He really has gotten better at this since he arrived here.

[st_x5_494]

Alec cursed under his breath. Alright, they used to play this game in Manticore all the time. Someone was escaping confinement. It was time to pursue and apprehend - Alec decided he'd skip the killing part. He quickened his pace, jumping the distance gracefully thanks to whatever big cat DNA was in his system. And then it was on - Alec was going to wrestle Peter to the ground.

[st_arkintern]

"Get -- get off of me!"

Peter tries to push Alec off of him, but his roommate has him pinned hard against the roof. When this proves ineffectual, he shoves his bloody hand into Alec's face.

[st_x5_494]

"Oh, no, not blood." Alec had a lot worse in his face - and that was a depressing thought. He pushed Peter down. "I'll get off when you start telling me why the hell you're walking around acting like a stupider version of me."

[st_arkintern]

"Make me."

[st_x5_494]

"Make you?" Someone else would have probably called him a child or rolled their eyes. Alec did not have a lot of experience with stubborn people that weren't bad guys and on top of that, he didn't have experience with teenagers - even his teenage phase was a lot different than normal. His eyes suddenly became very serious and riddled with a dark intensity he didn't often show. His body stilled, though his grip remained hard, and his voice suddenly became colder - Alec the super soldier. "Do you really want me to make you, Peter? Because I can. I've been trained in interrogations and trust me when I promise you I can be very persuasive." Somehow, there was a slight undercurrent of anger there. Alec realized he was pissed off, but he didn't know why.

"Or maybe you can just tell me because I thought we were friends and, according to you, talking about this shit helps. Or was the passed year a whole lie and I go back to not giving a crap about anyone?"

[st_arkintern]

Peter just lies there, jaw set, lips pressed firmly together.

[st_x5_494]

Alec grasped Peter's bloody hand and for a moment, he almost did it - almost broke the kid's finger. It was programming that was hard to ignore when he really wanted to get the intel, but Alec pulled himself back and blinked. Had Peter been able to see the depths of what Alec would do to get information, he was sure Peter would never talk to him again.

Instead, Alec shoved Peter against the roof and then climbed to his feet. "You know what? Fine. You don't want to talk to me. You're mad at the whole damn world. Fine. Keep doing this whole temper tantrum thing," He gestured vaguely at Peter. "You think you're the only one with a messed up week? Maybe you've had your head stuffed too far up your ass to notice the brunette walking around last week looking a hell of a lot like the girl in the locket I have. And guess what kid? It's you who kept me from losing my shit. I guess all your talk was bullshit."

Alec wasn't even trying anymore - he meant all of it. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "At least get your act together before Annie sees you." Alec started to turn away.

[st_arkintern]

Peter doesn't move from where he lays on the roof -- not even when Alec mentions Rachel. He knows he should do something, say something, but he doesn't. Instead, he just stares up at the sky and tries to ignore the sting in his eyes.

[st_x5_494]

Alec just didn't get it. He understood a lot of things when it came to being upset. He got yelling. He got fighting. He got crying. He didn't get the passive aggressive thing - he didn't even have a term for it - so all the grouchy behaviour was entirely strange to him. It was the sort of thing women used to do when they'd wake up after having sex and Alec handed them a bagel-to-go or something.

He got a few steps away from Peter before he frustratingly turned around and he found himself shouting. "You're not even going to at least defend yourself? Tell me to fuck off. Do something."

[st_arkintern]

Peter's mouth finally seems to function enough to formulate more than a two-word response.

"Just leave me alone, okay?"

[st_x5_494]

He looked at Peter and somehow felt out of breath. He took a deep one in, feeling a headache coming on. "You're the one who taught me friends don't give up when they know someone's in trouble." His voice was softer now, defeated.

[st_arkintern]

"I'm not in trouble, Alec," Peter says.

[st_x5_494]

"But you're not alright, Peter. You're -" Alec wasn't sure how to explain it. "You're acting more like me than like you and I thought we both agreed I'm pretty messed up."

He didn't move closer, but he kept an eye on the boy on the ground.

[st_arkintern]

"Seriously, Alec, leave me alone."

[st_x5_494]

He paused and then fell silent, just watching Peter. With another pause, Alec did the only thing he could think of at that moment - he sat down on the roof. Just sat and watched and didn't say anything.

[st_arkintern]

Peter doesn't say anything. Instead he lays out on the roof, looking up at a cloudless sky until his eyes grow tired enough for him to close them.

[st_x5_494]

Alec took the time to wipe Peter's blood off of his face. With his knees up, he rested his arms on them and waited. He'd wait all night if Peter fell asleep - he didn't deserve to sleep alone on a roof.

[st_arkintern]

And eventually, Peter does fall asleep on the roof.