Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! This one's a pretty good one, I think. :)

Enjoy!

Hitting the bag in front of him with his glove covered fists, Adian moves lightly on his feet, just the way he'd been shown as he was growing up, imagining he's face to face with a real opponent. When he's out in the field, his enemy isn't going to hold anything back, so that's the way he trains, giving everything that he has into each and every move he makes. He has to be ready for anything or anyone that comes at him.

A slow clap coming from behind him has him stopping and steadying the swaying bag. He's breathing heavily with sweat beading on his forehead.

"Well done, Cadet Ward, you're almost as good as the rest of us. Keep working and maybe you'll be halfway there by the end of the year. Or you'll completely wash out. Between you and me, I'd much prefer the second option."

Adian remains silent, closing his eyes as he leans his forehead against the punching bag, doing his best to keep his cool.

"Aww, don't be like that, Adian. I'm sure one day you'll be as good as your parents. Or maybe you won't. What do you think they're going to do when you and that sister of yours wash out? Think they'll be disappointed and shut you out? That'd be priceless."

Quickly removing his boxing gloves, Adian throws them down and whirls around to face the other Cadet. "Seriously, man, what the hell is your problem with me?" he shouts at Dylan, his jaw hard and his eyes glazing over with anger. "Since the day we got here I have done everything that was asked of me without any questions or problems. You're the one who came up to me that first day and started talking trash about me and my family. I don't get what I ever did to you for you to come after me."

"It's nothing you did," Dylan spits at him. "It's what your parents did. But I'm not actually stupid enough to go after them. So you were the next best option."

"Maybe you'd care to enlighten me as to why you're after my parents in the first place," Adian responds. "Because I seem to be a little out of the loop here."

"Your parents are the reason my father went to prison."

"Well maybe he deserved it," Adian says simply.

"You better watch your mouth, Ward," Dylan tells him, taking a small step forward. "A mouth like that could get you into some real trouble."

"My parents wouldn't just lock up an innocent man," Adian continues, ignoring Dylan's threats. "If they locked him away, then they had a perfectly good reason for doing it."

"Do you always believe in your parents so blindly?" Dylan questions.

"I'm not blind," Adian protests. "I know all I need to know about my parents and their past."

"Do you know that your dad is a traitor to SHIELD?"

Adian shakes his head. "He was pardoned of that; the whole thing wasn't that simple and they all worked through it in the end, got past it. He even helped rebuild this place from the ground up. He's one of this organization's top agents and I won't stand here and listen to you try to diminish that."

"He's a criminal," Dylan sneers.

Adian's heart rate picks up, as does his breathing, his hands clenching into fists down by his side. "No. A criminal is what your father is. My father is a hero. People all around the world look up to him."

"People that don't know what he truly is. Or what your mother really is."

"Don't you dare talk about my mother," he says through his heavy breathing and gritted teeth.

"Why not?" Dylan asks, taking another step forward. "She's no better than your father. She claims to be loyal to SHIELD, but really, she's just a pathetic little slut who whored herself out to a known Hydra operative."

Adian's fists clench tighter, his teeth grinding together as his jaw grows harder, and then all he's seeing is red.

"Cadet Ward."

Ava looks up from her computer to see a very familiar, friendly face standing in the doorway of her classroom. She nods at him once, just as she would if it were any other agent coming to talk to her, forcing herself not to jump up immediately and give him a big bear hug like she always did growing up.

"Agent Triplett."

"May I have a word with you in private, please?"

"Of course." She stands from her seat and follows the agent out into the empty hallway just outside the classroom.

"What's up, Uncle Trip?" Ava asks the older agent, a small smile crossing over her lips.

"Something's going on with your brother, Ava," Trip tells her, no beating around the bush in the slightest.

Ava's heart rate picks up and her breath catches in her throat. "What happened to Adian?"

"Based on what other cadets are saying, we believe he was being harassed by Cadet Cafrey."

Ava's eyes narrow. "Dylan," she mutters under her breath. "That kid just won't leave him alone."

"I can't get in touch with either of your parents."

"They're on a mission, probably went dark," she tells him. "What's going on with my brother?"

The older agent sighs. "We were able to pull him off the other cadet, but unfortunately your brother still seems to be in some sort of state. He's not listening to anybody and he takes a swing at anyone who even tries to get near him. We'd rather not use brute force if we can avoid it."

"You mean tranquing him," Ava states.

Trip nods. "Yes. If we can get through to him another way, that'd be preferable."

Ava nods. "Yeah, okay. Where is he?"

"Still in the classroom where some of the cadets were training in their down time. We haven't been able to get him to leave."

"Let me talk to him."

"Ava, I really don't think that's-"

"Uncle Trip, I love you, and I respect you completely as an agent, but I know my brother. He won't hurt me. I can get through to him if you just take me to where he is. Please."

Trip hesitates a moment before nodding. "Alright, follow me." He turns and makes his way away from the classroom, Ava quickly following behind him.

.

.

.

Stepping inside one of Operations training gyms, Ava's breath catches and her heart rate clenches at the sight of her brother. He's off in one corner of the room by himself, breathing heavily with sweat covering his face. His hands are clenched into fists and he has a scowl on his face as his dark eyes dart from person to person, silently warning them off.

"Adian?" Ava speaks up softly, slowly approaching her brother. His eyes dart over to her and soften just a hair when he sees her. "Adian, it's me. It's Ava."

"Ava?" the boy speaks in a quiet voice.

She nods. "Yeah, it's me." She looks at the others around her. "You guys all need to take really big steps back, give him some space." She focuses her attention back on her brother. "Adian, you need to relax, okay? Take deep breaths and focus, okay? Just focus on me, Adian. Focus on me and my voice and everything will be okay."

She watches as Adian's face slowly starts to soften, his eyes closing as he takes deep breathes in. His fists unclench and she can see faint indentations in his palms from his fingernails.

She takes another small step forward. "Adian."

Adian's eyes open and he looks up at her with so many different emotions running through him, too fast for her to discern any of them clearly enough. "I lost control," he whispers quietly. "I tried to contain myself, but I just...I lost it."

Ava nods. "I know, Adian, I know. You did your best, though, right?"

He nods. "Yeah. But it wasn't good enough."

"It's okay. Uncle Trip's gonna take you to get your hands and your face looked at, okay? I think Dylan managed to get a few good punches in." She gently touches one of the bruises starting to form on his cheek. "At least it makes you look halfway decent now, though."

Adian cracks a small smile.

Ava smiles back. "Come on, big brother, let's go." She drapes an arm over his shoulder and leads him out of the classroom, Trip following closely behind them.

"Adian."

Looking up from the floor, Adian sits up a little straighter in his seat when he sees his Uncle walking toward him.

"What's going on?" Ava speaks up immediately from her place beside her brother. "What did they decide to do? Is Adian getting in trouble? Because I can promise you that it was that jerk Dylan started everything and set Adian off. He wouldn't just attack someone without cause to do so and if they're just going to-"

"Ava!" Adian shouts at his sister, interrupting her rant. "Chill for a minute."

She gives a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Trip says to her. "But if I could speak to Adian alone for a minute, that'd be great."

"Uncle Trip, I appreciate wanting to do that whole 'confidential' type of thing, it's actually kind of cute, but we all know that Adian's going to tell me what's going on anyways, so you might as well just say it right now."

"Ava," Adian says softly, resting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Just go, okay? I'll come find you later."

Ava huffs. "Fine. But I don't like this," she says with narrowed eyes at her brother and uncle before standing from her seat and marching out of the room.

Adian lets out a breath and turns in his seat. "So, what's the verdict?" he asks his Uncle, looking up at him. "Am I being kicked out for pounding on Dylan even though he completely deserved it?"

Trip sighs. "As your Uncle, I'm very proud of you for defending your family, even if you did resort to violence to do so. But as your superior, I can't condone it."

Adian sighs. "Yeah, I kind of figured that." He looks down and messes with the cloth wrapped around his injured hands.

"Fortunately, you won't be getting expelled from the Academy, which I'm sure your parents will be happy to hear."

"Do you have to tell them?" he asks, lifting his head just enough to look at his uncle. "They don't really need to know that I got into a fight, do they?"

"I'm afraid that they do, Adian," Trip tells him.

The teenage boy sighs. "Fine. But can I be the one who tells them about it?"

Trip thinks for a moment. "That should be fine. Once we're done here you can go call them." He takes a deep breath. "Now, while you're not being expelled from the Academy, you are being put on probation. If something like this happens again, the consequences will be very severe for you."

"Keep Dylan away from me and everything should be fine," he says with tight lips. "I can't stand that kid and he can't stand me either. It's better if we're never in any of the same classes for the rest of the time we're here."

"I don't know how well that'll work, but I'll see what I can do."

"Sure you won't be accused of nepotism because you're my uncle, even though it's not by blood?"

"Even if I do, the priority is the safety of all the cadets here. If that means taking extra measures to make sure you and that other cadet cross paths the least amount of times as possible, I'll do what I can."

Adian nods. "Thank you, Uncle Trip. I know it might cause some problems for you within the organization, but I really appreciate it."

"Just try not to let your temper get the best of you again, okay? You're a good kid, Adian, and you'll be just as great of an agent as your parents if you can keep yourself under control."

"I promise I'll try. Dylan's the only one that I have a areal problem with. He hates mom and dad for putting his dad in prison and is taking it out on me. He doesn't even know my family but assumes that we're all horrible people because of a decision dad made when he was a teenager."

"So prove him wrong," Trip tells him. "Just ignore what he says and be the better person."

"Thanks, Uncle Trip."

Trip smiles at him. "Anytime, kid."

"It's been over two hours since you talked with Uncle Trip, why the hell haven't you come to find me yet?"

Adian glances up from his phone to see Ava bursting through his dorm room door, slamming it closed behind her and standing in front of him with her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised.

"Hey, Ava."

"Don't you 'hey, Ava' me," she snaps. "What did Uncle Trip say? What's going on?"

Adian sighs. "Well I'm not being kicked out."

Ava grins. "That's excellent."

"But I'm on probation," he continues. "If I get into another fight there's going to be severe consequences."

Ava's smile falls. "Well that sucks. You didn't even start this fight. I mean, yeah, you may have thrown the first punch but Dylan's the one who egged you on."

Adian shakes his head. "Doesn't matter. If I get into another fight I'm probably gone. And I can't get kicked out, Ava. This is all I've wanted since as long as I can remember."

"All we've wanted," Ava corrects him, moving to sit down next to him on the bed. "We're in this together, Adian. And if you get kicked out, I'll leave. I honestly can't imagine doing any of this without you."

"I'm not going to let you drop out if I get sacked, Ava," he tells her, shaking his head. "Not happening. You're going to go on and become a really great agent and help save the world, just like mom and dad."

"Can you stop making it seem like you've already been sacked? Please? It's really not helping."

"Sorry."

"It's fine." She takes a deep breath and scoots back on Adian's bed, leaning against the wall. "So, what's the next step for you?" she asks him.

"Calling mom and dad," he says, letting out a sigh and waving his phone a little.

"Ooh, can I be here while you do? It's gonna be so funny to hear their reactions to you getting into a fight."

"Ava."

She shrugs. "What? It's not my fault there isn't much around here that can be considered entertainment because everyone is so crazy focused on becoming an agent. I promise I won't say anything. I just want to listen, so put it on speaker."

Adian sighs. "There's no way I'm getting you to leave, is there?"

Ava shakes her head and smiles. "Not a chance."

"Fine." He turns around and focuses his attention on his phone, unlocking it and going into his contacts. He finds his dad's number and clicks on it, then the speaker button.

It rings twice and then he hears his father's voice come through the phone. "Hello?"

"Dad, hey, it's me."

"Adian. Hey, bud, what's up?"

"Um, is mom there?"

"Yeah, she's right here, hang on." There's some shuffling on the other end of the phone before his dad speaks again. "Alright, Adian, you're on speaker."

"Adian? Hi, baby."

Adian smiles at hearing his mom's voice. "Hey, mom. How are you?"

"Your father and I are fine. What's with the phone call?"

"Oh, I uh, I just have something I need to tell you and dad."

"You didn't get a girl pregnant did you?" his mom asks immediately in a panic. "Please tell me you didn't. I am way too young to be a grandmother right now."

Ava lets out a bellowing laugh. "Please. He'd have to actually talk to a girl without looking like an idiot before he could have sex with her."

"Ava? You're there too?"

She leans forward. "Hi, mom. Hi, dad."

Adian looks at his sister and glares. "You said you wouldn't talk."

She holds her hands up in defense and leans back. "Shutting up now."

"Thank you." He turns back around and takes a deep breath. "No, mom, I didn't get a girl pregnant, I promise."

"Oh thank goodness. I'm sorry I freaked out like that and just assumed."

"It's fine, mom. But uh, I called you and dad to tell you both that I got into a fight today."

"You what?" his mom shouts, causing Adian to wince.

"Adian, you know better than that," his father tells him.

"It wasn't his fault," Ava pipes in. "Everybody else in the room said it was the other guys' fault for egging him on."

Adian glares at Ava again. "I may not have started the fight essentially," he tells his parents, "but I threw the first punch. Uncle Trip said the Academy isn't going to kick me out, but I'm on probation for a while. If I get into another fight during my probation, then I'm out of the Academy. Most likely."

"Why did you hit the other boy?" his dad asks.

"I don't want to talk about it," he says, shifting in his seat. "Just know that it was for a good reason, but I promise I'll try harder not to get into anymore fights."

"You're damn right you will," his mom tells him. "This is not okay, Adian. If you were still at home you'd be grounded for a month at least. Maybe more."

Adian nods. "I know. And I'm really sorry. It won't happen again, and I'll try harder at keeping my temper under control."

Skye sighs. "I'm really sorry you have to worry about your temper so much, baby. If that idiot Randolph hadn't stolen the Berserker staff all those years ago, and just told us what was going on, then your father might not have had to touch it and you wouldn't be dealing with this issue. But at least you don't have to worry about making an earthquake or setting something on fire when you get upset."

Adian chuckles. "Yeah, thank goodness for that."

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Kind of ends abruptly, I know. But I couldn't really think of a better way to end this one.

Also...now we know why Dylan hates Adian so much.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!