Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was just another normal day for me, or as normal a day could be when you woke up from a 9 month long coma to find you had superspeed and then become a famous superhero, not that anyone knows that, if they find out then it could cause problems for my family.

I was just walking home from work, normally I would run but the air was soft and the weather was lovely. Suddenly I feel a hand grab by my collar and drag me into a dark alley. He placed me into a head lock and placed a knife by my neck. 

“Give me all your money!!!” he said in a harsh voice, showing no mercy. I didn’t do anything. “I said give me all your money!!!! Now!!”

“Or you’ll what?” I sassed back. He placed the knife closer to my neck and my heart rate sped up quickly. I found myself reaching for my wallet and I felt ashamed. Me, the fastest man alive, the scarlet speedster of Central City, and I can’t defend myself from a mugger.

I slowly handed him my wallet but obviously it wasn’t quick enough and he quickly put the knife through my body, I looked down and saw the tip of the knife showing through my torso. He took me out of the headlock and I stumbled a little bit before managing to not fall to the ground.

When I turned around he was gone, the man had disappeared in thin air. He disappeared really quickly, and that’s coming from a speedster so that must mean something. I stumbled out of the alleyway and walked for a bit.

When I had gained back enough energy and I was out of sight, I superspeed to STAR Labs and fell onto one of the beds in the medbay. “Knife” I croaked at them. Catlin gave me a disapproving look and Cisco had a smirk on his face, was he proud of something? 

I gave him the death stare and he held his hands up in defence and walked backwards. I smiled before looking back at Catlin, who was standing there with sterile gloves on. “On 3 okay?” I nodded and she smiled. “3” and she dug her hands into my torso and removed the knife. 

“I thought you said on 3!” I told her.

“I did it on 3, it’s better to do it when you don't expect it, and it’s funny to see you in pain. It serves you right.” I just rolled my eyes. I sat up after a bit. “Now do you promise not to get stabbed again while in civilian clothing.”

“Fine.” I told her as I was about to walk out the door, she had a smile on her lips. “But no promises.”

Chapter Text

I had just done my daily patrol of Detroit. I stopped 6 muggings, 3 robberies and a house fire. All in all it went really well. I felt really chuffed with myself, I could have done it better. They all were polite and really happy for me being there, they no longer feared me, they didn’t see terror anymore, they saw hope. 

I sat down in my room at home, dad, yeah I call him that now, I feel like he has really become my dad, not the workaholic that he used to be, was down stairs making us something to eat, he knew how much eating made me feel human even if I didn’t actually need to. 

Anyway where was I, yeah I was talking about all the great things I did today. But all those great things can’t get my mind off the screaming. Off the blood on my hands. A little girl had died in my arms. One moment she was looking up at me, hacking and coughing and I couldn’t do anything about it.

She clawed at her throat to try and get air out, to the extent I extended my extra arms and carefully held her arms to stop her from hurting herself more. I held her close to my body as I flew out into the open air. She smiled at me the whole time and I smiled back at her.

She whispered to me and then her voice went raw. GRID, my artificial intelligence, told me that she had died, that she had too much smoke in her lungs. I handed her to the paramedics and let my knees buckle to the ground. In short, cybernetics cannot handle emotions as well as humans can, so they end up malfunction a little bit, it slows things down but it’s okay.

Her parents came and sat down beside me, comforting me and tried to talk to me but I just cancelled out the noise that they made. I thought that would make them leave as it goes across as rude, but to my surpirse they still stayed by my side. “It’s my fault, you shouldn’t be kind to me. I couldn’t save your daughter.”

“You tried.” They told me. “And everyone else made it.” They helped me up and I nodded to them and flew off and that got us to where we were at the start of story. Dad told me that food was ready and I rushed down the stairs and sat down. I pushed my food around on my plate, not really having my apitet.

“Are you not hungry, son?” Silas asked. I just shrugged my shoulders. “You normally don’t do this.” he lifted up my head so I could face him. Tears were falling down my face. “Hey, what’s wrong. Did something happen.” He said in a much softer tone.

“There is blood on my hands dad, blood on my hands and I don’t know what to do?” Silas looks down at my metal hands, not even a splash of blood are on them and that’s when he realises what I meant.

“Don’t worry, son.” Silas reassures me. I looks up at him slightly and try to give a soft smile. “There is blood on my hands to, we can help wash it off together.” I give him a soft smile and nod. 

“Yeah, I guess we do.” I say quietly, not really believing it.

“And we don’t have to do it alone Victor, there is always someone to suffer with, we both just have to face the same problem, together.”

Chapter Text

It has been so many days since the last time that I slept that I have no idea. I vaguely remember every night, FRIDAY telling me to go to sleep, every night I ignore her. It’s just too hard, every time I fall asleep I see Tony dying in front of me and I can’t handle it, it haunts me for days so I have just stopped going to sleep.

At first it didn’t really show, and if I was asked questions I would just say that I was studying or working on a project and they wouldn’t ask any further. Sometimes my writing would get sloppy but most didn’t notice or didn’t ask questions. Then it got worse, every time I was on the verge of passing out I would see Tony’s battered face look back at me.

Now I know that I am Spider-Man. That I am a superhero. That I am meant to be strong. To not let something this petty get the better of me. But the truth is I'm human too, maybe not completely but I am still to the most degree a human being, and just like any other human I feel the pain, the suffering and the emotions just as strong and just as powerful, and it brings me down on my knees just like everyone else.

Then things got really bad. I hadn’t been sleeping for about 2 weeks, most people would be on the verge of death right now, but as I said before, I’m not most people, I was once but I’m not now, not anymore. I started failing my assignments in school, the teachers were becoming really worried about me and I told them not to, they didn’t listen and called Tony. He came to school in a heartbeat, embarrassingly wearing his Iron Man armour. 

He retracted the helmet as he saw me sitting in the nurse's office and as soon as I saw his sad face I turned my head away from him. I didn’t want his pity. He came and sat down beside me not saying a word. He sighed. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me Peter.” He tells me. 

“There is nothing to talk about. The teachers were worried about me, for no reason. Just forget about it.” I tell him as he stands me up and we walk into his car and Happy starts to drive off. “Just drop at home and let me be alone.”

“Okay.” Tony says sternly. “Something is definitely up, you would never pass up the chance to come to the tower and work with me, and plus you live in the tower anyway, you have for the past year.”

“I don’t want to talk about Mr Stark.” I told him. “I already told you over reactive teachers, nothing new.” He shakes his head and looks out the window. I look at his face and a small tear falls down his cheek, he really is worried for me. I just forget about it as I walk into my room at the tower.

I barely ate anything at dinner that night, I just didn’t want to. So I went into my room and put on my Spider-Man costume, the one that I made, not the one that Tony made, Karen was too invasive and right now I didn’t need it. “Hey FRIDAY, can you open a window for me, I’m just about to go on patrol.”

“I can’t let you do that Peter.” She said with a hint of sympathy in her voice, something an AI should not be able to do. “In this state it would be unsafe for you to do patrol.”

“FRIDAY!!! Open the stupid window or I will break it down myself, you know I can.” I shouted at her and she was quiet for a moment and then she locked down my room. I stare up at the ceiling in horror. 

“Like I said Peter, I can’t let you do that.” I just growled at her and flopped down on my bed. “Now I would request that you go to sleep.” I just sat in my bed with my hands crossed. After about an hour FRIDAY speaks up again. “Boss has been alerted to your situation.” 

Not that long after Tony rushes into the room. “I’m not worth your time Mr Stark, I never was.” I tell him, laying back down in my bed.

“No, no, don’t say that. You are worth everything to me. A life without you is not a life worth living.” He replies. “Not what is wrong, why is your room locked down?” I didn’t answer him, but I didn’t need to, FRIDAY did it for me.

“Peter has not slept in 2 and a half weeks. He is malnourished and his vitals are low for that of an non-enhanced human.” Tony just shakes his head and sighs. 

“Why haven’t you been sleeping, Peter?”

“Nightmares.” I whisper out. “If you die, it happens everytime I fall asleep, everytime I close my eyes I see your mangled face and I think it’s all my fault. Apart from Aunt May everyone else in my family is dead, and I worry if I get too close to you that you will die, and maybe on a subconscious level I know that it’s the truth. That it’s just a matter of time that you die.”

“Peter, I am not going anywhere, you can trust me. I will fight any evil that comes my way and a petty curse that your family may have, but probably doesn’t exist, isn’t going to get rid of me anytime soon, Okay.”

“Yeah, Yeah, I guess so.” Tony is about to stand up when I hold his arm tight. “This may sound childish but can you sleep with me tonight, so I can hold you close and know you are not going to go anywhere. That I’m not alone.”

He lays down in the bed. “Night, Pete.”

Chapter Text

I was on my way home from work and decided to stop for something to eat as I was hungry again, the downsides of super speed, you have a heightened metabolism that just urges to be fed. Afterwards I walked outside and back home. Suddenly I just stopped, it felt like someone was following me all my way home. 

I quickly turn around to see who it might be but no one is there. I just shrug it off as I am just paranoid. Then when I am about to walk off I see this man standing in front of me. “Can I help you?” I ask them, wanting to be kind. They do not reply. “I said, can I help you.” I say it again, this time louder. Again he does not reply. I was a little bit annoyed. Either this guy was deaf or he was just plain rude. 

“Yeah, you can help.” He tells me as he walks closer. I feel a shiver run down my spine and I resist the urge to run away from him. Something just isn’t right about this. “Daddy needs a hit and you just might do it.” They tell me in a soft and calm voice, a hint of mocking laying behind it.

“I’m sorry, unless this ‘hit’ is going for a drink then no can do.” I tell them, sorry laced into my voice. “I really need to get home, I have work tomorrow.”

I was going to go past but he didn’t let me. “No baby, don't do this to me.”

“I’m no one's baby.” I told him. “Now don’t make me upset. I am much stronger than I look.” He pushed me against the wall muttering to himself. He leaned into my body and my eyes widened in horror, no not this, anything but this. Out off all the crimes I have stopped as the Flash or solved as a CSI, this was the worst, even worse than mass murder.

He brushed his body against mine, moaning and groaning. This guy was a maniac. He stroked my hair and told me that I was a good boy. I felt disgusted and inhuman, and not in the fact that I am a meta, but in the fact that he was treating me like his pet. 

He did it for so long, he never even stopped to let me rest for a little bit. My pants were ruined and covered in my blood, it was disgusting. Much worse than I imagined it to be. Then I suddenly heard someone come from behind me. Every footstep sounded like metal on the ground. 

The man stopped which must have meant that he heard it too, but that didn’t explain why he just froze like a deer in the headlights when he looked up. He whimpered a bit and tried to run away but the man was quick to grab him, like speedster quick and knocked him unconscious. 

He slowly walked over to me and bent down. I laid further back into the wall. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He told me in a fairly deep voice. “I’m on your side. I don’t like people like him either.” He said gesturing over to the other man’s unconscious form. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“Can you tell me your name?” I ask him.

“My name is Victor, but you can call me Vic.”

“Thanks, Vic.” He helps me stand up. Most people flinch at human contact, skin on skin after something like this, but this guy, Vic, didn’t seem to be human. His hands were some sort of metal, was this Vic guy human. The time while walking to the police station was quiet.

He walks me to the doorway, but not any further. Was Vic scared of something? Did he not like the police for some reason? “You are not coming in, you saw the guy, you have to make a statement. You saw their face.”

“I need to take this guy to the hospital.” He points to the man. “And anyway a dead guy can’t go in there. I don’t exist Mr. Allen, not anymore.” Then he left.

Chapter Text

It was just a warm and comforting day in New York, to the extent that I was worried that something bad was going to happen. It was never this nice. That just wasn’t New York. This wasn’t normal. Then again what was normal anymore. We can get alien attacks and we won’t bat an eye. I had insomnia for 2 weeks because of nightmares that originated from things that happened out on Spider-Man patrol. So normal for us is unnormal and next impossible for you.

I was sitting inside with Bucky (who he was now best friends with) and Tony eating lunch. We were watching a movie about this man who tries to find his purpose and humanity after an accident that leaves him a shell of a man. It wouldn't be fair for him to continue his football career. Anyway Peter suddenly felt so hot so he went and got a glass of water but that just made it worse. 

He went and sat back down again, maybe it will get better he told himself and with that he forgot about it. He found himself leaning into Tony’s shoulder when it started to get worse. He looked down, chuckling. “You okay, underoos.” He asked me a little worried, was there something wrong?

“I don’t feel so good, Mr Stark.” I told him, the words just rolling off my tongue without me even thinking about it. Why did my body think I wasn’t feeling good, was I ill. By the fact that Tony’s face visibly paled I guess I was. “I don't feel so good.” He held me tighter.

“You're alright” He tells me. “Now do you want to go to bed? You seem tired.” I nod and he helps me go to bed. He places me gently, my eyes already feeling really heavy. “Night kid.” He bends down and kisses me on my forehead before closing my door, me falling asleep in seconds.

TONY POV

I slowly close Peter’s door and lean against the wall. “He is doing better than he was, getting asleep with no problem, it’s almost worrying.” I tell Bucky who is standing in front of me. The glint from his metal hand reflecting the moon and the arc reactor implanted in my chest are the only light in the hallway. 

“You are just a helicopter parent, it’s normal to be paranoid, if you are really worried just ask FRIDAY to check, but trust me, I have had enough experience with Steve when he was younger to tell that nothing is wrong.”

“Yeah you’re right, I guess I am just paranoid but that won’t stop me from checking with FRIDAY.” I said as I walked into the elevator and down into my lab. I sit down and start to tinker with the Mark XVI but find my consciousness and thoughts float somewhere else. Float to Peter, I worry about him. “FRIDAY.” I say, “How is Peter?” I ask, already knowing the answer to the question, which is why I was surprised by the answer that she gave me, the one that made my blood run cold. 

“Mr Parker has woken up and is currently in the hallway. He seems distressed and confused about where he is, he appears to be attacking someone, Sergeant Barnes has already appeared at the scene.” She tells me and I just freeze. “It also appears that an unidentifiable poison is in his bloodstream, causing high fever and seeing as there is no one else apart from Sergeant Barnes with Mr Parker currently hallucinating.” 

I shake my head and run my hand through my hair. I ask FRIDAY for the components of the poison and start creating an antitoxin for Peter. Silently hoping that Peter will pull through and that I can get to him on time.

BUCKY POV

FRIDAY alerted me to Peter being distressed and that I was the closest avenger to his floor. What I saw made me feel like I was going to throw up, Peter was walking aimlessly, attacking the air. I slowly approached him and then I noticed that he seemed distant. He turned his head towards me but by the look on his eyes he didn’t know that it was me standing there, a friend, one of his best friends. 

He walked towards me and tried to punch me, okay so he was completely out of it, no way was he going to attack a friend, especially not one that was a super soldier, super strength be damned. I encased his hand in my metal hand and he managed to yank the vibranium limb right out of what was left of my left arm socket. I stared at him, even in a completely awake state Peter had never been able to do that, whatever was wrong with him was making him stronger than normal, and his normal was very strong. 

He threw my arm to the ground and kicked me in the chest and I held his foot in place, firmly planted in the middle of my torso and began bending in his leg and bringing him closer. “Boss is currently in the elevator coming up to this floor, he has formulated an antitoxin for Peter. He requests for you to restrain him so he can administer it.” I look at Peter and by the fact that his eyes have widened he understands some of what was just said, probably not the good stuff though, the stuff that he didn’t want to hear. I was proved right when he lunged at me again.

PETER POV

I had tried to stop Vulture who was standing in the middle of the hallway, he was barely moving which was odd but that didn’t stop me from attacking him. He seemed to anticipate my every move as he encased my hand with one of his and I just yanked my hand back and his arm came with it. Okay, I know that I am strong but I am not that strong, I should not be able to rip an arm right out of its socket. 

I then slowly feel my body go closer to theres and when I look up Adrian looks almost sorry, why would he be sorrowful, he never seemed to be sympathetic before, why would he start now. Then I heard something about his boss, which I didn’t even think he had and restrain, which is never a good thing. On instinct I ran at him but even with one arm he managed to overpower me. He gripped me and we both fell to the floor, he placed his one arm around my neck and then wrapped his legs around mine, effectively pinning me to the ground. 

I screamed and thrashed but he just tightened his grip on me and I squealed, he muttered a quiet sorry before pushing harder. I then saw someone come towards us, their face was very sad, they didn’t want to do this, was this Adrians boss, or whoever this man pinning him to the ground was, because he looked familiar for some reason. Actually when I thought about it, was this really the Vulture? This guy seemed to care about me and he was trained with moves that I had only seen in the avengers, mainly Clint, Natasha and Bucky. 

Bucky. This wasn’t Adrian, it was Bucky. That explained how I managed to rip the arm out of the socket. How he knew the right moves, I wasn’t in Adrian’s layer, that meant the guy called ‘Boss’ wasn’t his boss but Tony, and the voice that I heard saying it all was FRIDAY. I relaxed knowing that I was in good hands.

I heard footsteps walk towards me and Tony knelt down in front of me. “It’s okay.” He said. He brought out a syringe and I flinched in Bucky’s iron grip and he held my left arm tighter and I felt a slight prick in my arm and I started to feel an icky feeling in my stomach. It was uncomfortable. Tony brought out another and I felt another prick and I started to feel heavy and distant, my mind cloudy and I slowly fell into unconsciousness. Tony stayed by my side the whole time as Bucky held me tight. I let it lull me to sleep, knowing that I was in safe and capable hands with the two.

Chapter Text

I always thought that I was in trusting hands with dad, that he would never betray me. But why would I believe that? How could I trust him or any of his creations, my stupid AI included. I trusted Dad with my secret. I trusted him with not telling anyone what was going on with me, the nightmares that haunt me. The only person apart from Dad that knew was my biomechanical specialist, only because it could have it’s toll only my cybernetics.

I looked at Bruce who was standing in front of me. I looked back at the punching bag with gritted teeth and punched it again, enough that it went flying. “Hey mate, I know you are angry at Silas but maybe don’t punch so hard, even billionaires can go bankrupt.” I look at him sternly. “Or you can continue, all up to you.” He slowly scratched the back of his head, he was scared of me. “It can’t be that bad, can it. I mean everyone feels betrayed from time to time.”

“I don’t feel betrayed.” I tell Bruce, picking up another back and hanging it up, punching at it again, this time with all four of my limbs. “I know I am betrayed, he doesn’t know what’s good for the shell of a man he left behind, only for the new man, that is no man, he made. If he stops breathing down my back and trying to get me help then I am fine.”

“What does he want you to do? How did he betray you?” I glare at him and sigh, holding the punching bag in place momentarily. 

“Bruce, you would never want your greatest weakness exposed to the world, would you?” He shakes his head. “I’m telling you, only you and no one else because I can trust you with this, then again who am I to judge who I can trust? Anyway my biggest weakness isn’t physical like everyone else, my biggest weakness is that I can’t handle human emotions anymore but I also try to hold onto the last part of my humanity that I have left, that’s my biggest problem. It always will be.”

“Then how did he betray you?”

“Nothing on the internet can be undone, once it’s there it is there forever. Not even I, the god of technology can undo it. And in this digital era nearly every therapist on the planet, as well as Doctors and the Police keep records online, all 3 of those groups my dad has tattle-tailed to because he thinks that it is going to be a huge problem, my can’t he just keep his mouth shut. I don’t need any help.” I send another punching bag flying and turn towards Bruce again. “If I wanted to tell someone I would do it myself.

“But then why did I ever trust him? He betrayed me for all my life. Make a promise to come to Career day and never come. Tell me a million times that he will come to the talent show that I was in. Say he will come to my football game and never come. Then when I went to heaven he betrayed god and brought me back. He was always too busy doing his work, didn’t have enough time for me. He never did, I wasn’t important enough. But will I ever be, probably not. So why did I expect that?”

Bruce walks up to me. “Because he cares for you, he is doing everything he can to be noticed, so that your life can be easier, you are his only child and he wants you to live as long as possible, even if that means cybernetic intervention. And if you still live with him, tolerate him and call him dad then deep down you know that it is true, that he does care for you, it might just be too hard to notice sometimes but he always does.” 

“Still doesn’t give him the right, Bruce. What are they going to do, hmm?” I ask him, edging my way closer to his smaller frame. “We should be able to have a say over what we do. But he is not the worst of it, last night I realised that GRID had recorded everything that happened, which was normal but that he had also sent it to dad, which after what happened was normal but also an unknown user. It got me really confused and worried so I asked dad what it was about and that’s when dad admitted everything. I tried to tell GRID to stop but I didn’t have a high enough authorization to do so and it’s my body.”

“I understand how that feels, you do not want to know how many times Alfred has ended up sedating me because I needed to sleep and kept telling him that I was fine when I wasn’t, that I could deal with it.”

“But Alfred is just trying to help you by doing that.” I told him.

“Victor, if you think about it, so is Silas, the two are no different. They both are trying to do what is best for us despite the fact that neither of us want it. But Victor, if you are really worried then I can help you figure it all out.” I smiled, for once in my life I could trust someone.

Chapter Text

I was standing having mandatory leave after being raped and saved by the strange and inhuman man. Anyway I was going home after getting groceries when I heard footsteps coming towards me. I saw the grimace of a man before I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck and I landed on the ground, my nose making a deafening crack as it broke. “My food.” I shout at the man who just looks at me annoyed and I feel an aching pain and then I pass out from the shock.

It takes me a while to regain consciousness, when I do I just wish that I was still out of it. The room was dusty and old smelling, so someone’s basement. I look at the terrible room and chuckle, blood dripping out of my lip, wait blood!!! That should be healed by now and that’s when I realized it. They weren’t here for Barry Allen, they were here for The Flash, and if they had Barry Allen then either they wanted to trade my safety for The Flash or they knew that I was the all famous Scarlet Speedster. I hoped it was the latter, it would make stopping them much easier.

After a while someone walks into the room and kneels down in front of me. Their faces are painted with an angry snarl and monstrosity. “Do you know who the Flash is? We have some unfinished business with him.” I just look at him confused. “Oh, don’t play dumb with me, or I’ll leave Flash parts of your body all over the city for him to collect, one of his biggest friends, reduced to a pile of rubbish, what he is. He caused harm to everyone I hold dear, he can’t get away with that.”

So they didn’t know who I was. Though they did know that I had some relation to the Flash, though I am a friend of his, they are so close yet so far away. “I’m pretty sure the Flash, whoever he is, feels really sorry for anything bad that has happened to the innocent or the rehabilitated that he wasn’t trying to get in harm's way. And about knowing who is, even if I did know, which I don’t because he always wears his crowl when he sees anyone, I wouldn’t tell anyone, it’s not my secret so I would never spill it.

He growls. “Want to make that promise permanent, hmm. Or do you want to tell me?” He asks, I don’t need him to clarify, his threat could not be more open, he will either make me mute, which will mean I will never be able to tell him anything or he will make me tell him. I admit he is good but he doesn’t always think before he speaks. “Answer me, you piece of filth.” He yells, leaning in towards me, his horrid smell attacking my nostrils.

“Do you think before you speak?” I sass at him. “No you don’t. Otherwise you would have realized the problem with your previous statement. If you make me mute then I can never tell you the identity of The Flash, big problem isn’t it. Also did you know you are more of a motor mouth than him, and he is a speedster, quite the achievement. Also mate, do you ever brush your teeth, they smell rank. No wonder this is the job you do.”

“Oh, you little cheak.” he says, punching me square in the jaw, my vision spots for a moment before I look back at him. He looks baffled for a moment before he starts hitting me repeatedly. I barely ever flinch at his contact, some of my healing has returned so it is not affecting me as much as it would a non-enhanced human. “What on earth are you.” He asked me in amazement, giving me a little bit of rest from him hurting me.

“I, you nasty piece of work, am a human just like everyone else, just sprinkle in a little bit of black matter and you have me, in short you just decided to kidnap a meta-human. I know some criminals are dumb and think they can handle even the most challenging victims but this is a new level. “Central City is the home of meta’s and if you had used your brain that means the territory is off limits, hunting a meta is just risky and dangerous. Most of us can kill you within seconds.”

“Then why haven’t you already, or are your pathetic meta powers not going to work in these conditions, are they only good for a good party trick.” He taunts me, I smirk and laugh.

“My powers are no old party trick, they took a few months to master and are some of the deadliest ones of the bunch.” He just stares at me, a monotone expression on his face, this guy is good. “You want to know what they are?” He nods. I phase through the ropes tying me to the chair and stand up, dusting myself down. I put some of my speed into my punch and knock him unconscious. I bend down and look at his bleeding face, once I check that he is still alive, just unresponsive I smile, how dumb are criminals these days. “Sometimes what you want is right in front of you.

Chapter Text

I dragged my feet on the marble hallways lining the ground of the school as my eyes blinked lazily, struggling to stay open. I slowly but surely walked into one of the classrooms and saw Mr Harriton , plus the rest of the Academic Decathlon team (including Flash sadly) sitting there waiting for me. 

“You look like death.” MJ stated simply as if it was nothing new. It wasn’t new for today, I had been feeling crap the whole day but I didn’t want to, or felt like I needed to, miss a day of school. In all reality, despite the nano amount of common sense and self-preservation I had, even I knew it was a miracle that I had made it this far today at all. 

I chuckle slightly before sitting down on one of the chairs as MJ starts the meeting. She starts talking about how we could improve from the last session and what would make us better for the finals before finally deciding to commence a small round with the team to make sure our minds are still sharp. As I walked to one of the two sides, I doubted I would even be able to recall the periodic table, something which I can normally do as second nature.

After a bit of time MJ suddenly stops talking and I have no idea why. I then hear footsteps trying to be as soft as possible as they walk over to me. I suddenly feel a soft, yet freezing, hand on my forehead and wince away as it touches my skin.

“You’re burning up, Parker.” MJ tells me. “I’m calling May.” She tells me and I somehow grab her phone and stop her.

“She…” In the hazy and dizziness of my mind I have to stop. “At work.” I manage to say before I feel myself slump onto the top of the desk and everything goes black.

— — — — —

When I open my eyes I notice a hunched figure sitting beside me with a light in their chest. I go to sit up but the figure automatically moves without even looking up and pushes me back into the soft bedding. “Hey kid.” They tell me and I smile.

“Hi, Mr Stark.” I reply but then frown, he’s going to lecture me again isn’t he. “How are you?”

“I should be asking you that. Afterall I am not the one that decided to go to school despite feeling ill, not phone May, me or Happy when your condition worsened and waited to pass out in class before you got help.” I wince slightly, yep, lecture, knew it.”

I lean back slightly and look at May and smile slightly. “So, how bad was my fever?” I ask and May’s eyes widen, maybe I shouldn't have inferred I knew what was wrong with me and just kept silent. I chuckle nervously as I glance down at the soft blanket covering me.

“If you’re worried about us lecturing you, then don’t worry, we won’t kid.” Tony told me and I looked at him suspiciously.

“Nor will I.” May said as she stood up. “See you at dinner.” She tells me before walking out of the room and leaving me with Tony, who I turn my head and look at. 

Tony stands up and pats himself down but doesn’t say a word. I glance at him awkwardly and with confusion written all over my face. This makes no sense, why isn’t he lecturing me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be lectured but it made no sense, this wasn’t like him. This must be some kind of trick, there must be some kind of loophole to what he is saying.

Tony smiles at me before turning around the corner of the door and disappearing out of sight. I sigh slightly and lean back into the pillows and place my cold hands on my now slightly warm forehead with a smile on my face.

I suddenly hear footsteps down the hall and shoot up in the bed and I come face to face with Steve Rodgers. Haha. I just knew there was a catch to what Tony was saying. Of course he would send him of all people to come and have a chat with me.

I groaned slightly, already knowing my fate as he stood there in all his patriotic glory. He gets a chair, and just like in his PSAs, he turns it so the back is facing me and sits on it the wrong way. He gives me a slight grin and I slump forward slightly, just wondering why Tony had to embarrass me like this.

He leans forward and drapes his hands over the top of the chair. “So, you decided to go to school with a fever.”

— — — — —

On the other side of the tower, if you listened closely enough and/or had enhanced hearing you could make out Peter weeping slightly as he had to endure what he called toture and Tony called revenge for turning his hair pink.