Work Text:
It’s not as loud as you thought it would be, the crash. Usually the assumption is the sound of a car accident would ring out, would boom out over silence or a radio with no problem whatsoever. That’s not the case. The sound of two cars hitting each other at a decent speed is nothing but a pop, one that’s loud and long enough to ingrain into your mind long after it happens but that is all. No more.
Nobody tells you that the music stops and that you won’t be able to remember the song that was playing. Or that your car, new as it is, will begin to talk to you. Dialing 911, it says in a robotic voice that will refuse to leave your brain. Nobody tells you that the airbag hitting your knees will make you think that the front of your car has just caved in that much and oh my god the front of your car is touching your goddamn knees make it stop make it stop-
Worst of all, nobody tells you how much dust and smoke will appear almost out of nowhere, choking and suffocating you as if you hadn’t already been in enough danger. It burns your eyes, or maybe that’s because you’ve forgotten to blink.
The daze you’re in will not go away soon, not when you tell the dialing sound to shut up, not when you have to force the warped door open, not when you crawl out on the ground beginning to scream not intending for anyone to listen. The burns on your hands make themselves apparent by forcing your fingers to lock up until you notice the injuries. There aren’t any tears running down your face but still you wail uncontrollably.
The phone in your hand is useless. There’s no service right here, it won’t get through to anyone, no way. But you still have to try.
Peter is at the top of your call list, just like always. Some normalcy within this strange atmosphere that you were encased in. When you press his name the same ringing from earlier floods your system again, and you want nothing more than to make it stop. You don’t, you just let it play out.
He’s at school so he shouldn’t pick up but he does, because he always picks up for you. “Y/N?” The worry is apparent in his voice.
“Peter I just got into an accident, I-” The breath that forcefully entered your lungs cut you off.
“Where are you?” He speaks urgently.
At this moment Tony Stark runs up to you as if you were his own child. “I-I don’t know,” you stutter as you struggle to breathe.
Tony crouches down next to you where you are curled up next to your wrecked vehicle. “Hand me the phone kid,” he says, already reaching for it. You oblige, simply because you’re not really aware of your surroundings, only that you almost died. “There’s nobody on the phone.”
There are things you only notice when you are deprived of all your other happenings. Things like how you’re shaking so much that one would assume you were cold and shivering, and how you can hear sirens coming your way in the distance.
The other car is surrounded with people, you notice. The people were still getting out.
“Mr. Stark,” you gasp. “Is everyone o-okay?”
He had already put your phone back in your lap and you hadn’t noticed. “Let’s focus on you right now, let’s get you some air, does air sound nice? Yeah it does, come on let’s get up.” He speaks quickly like he’s trying to distract you as he stands up and holds his hand out towards you. You take his hand weakly, knowing he can feel the tremors running through every joint in your body.
When you stand up you don’t look at your car or at the other car or the smoke rising through the air. You stare at the ground, letting Tony lead you to the limo that Happy had pulled over in. Happy was standing by the door, waiting to let you in.
The air in the limousine is cold against the heat that is rushing through your body. What’s happening to you? You can’t tell. Sitting down in the back, the tears finally start to pour down your face to match the sobs that were already racking your body.
Tony follows in after you, asking Happy to bring over some water before closing the door.
“Mr. Stark, I want to go home,” you cry. The worry in his face is something you had only ever seen directed towards Peter.
“Not yet, kid. They’ve gotta ask you some questions and then we’re gonna take you to the hospital. No buts,” he adds as you whip to face him.
“Please don’t make me go to the hospital, please. There’s nothing wrong with me, I just wanna go home, please, Mr. Stark,” you beg.
Happy returned with the water and Tony handed it to you gently. “It looks like you hit your head, we’ve gotta get it looked at.” You hadn’t even noticed. More sobs shake through you while you reach up and touch your forehead, coming away with a bit of blood.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” you apologize to no one. Tony lays a gentle hand on your shoulder.
“Things happen kid.”
---
All morning Peter heard gossip about you. “Did you hear about that Parker kid’s little girlfriend?” “Yeah I saw it happen while walking to the subway. Literally watched it happen.” “Is she okay?” “Yeah, she’s fine, I saw her sitting on the ground after.”
He tries to ignore the talking but he can’t, not after he hears Ned say something to MJ. “Y/N had an accident this morning, everyone is talking about it.”
Peter rushes to his friends. “What do you mean? Accident?” You would call him if you were in danger right?
Ned’s wide eyes meet with Peter’s. “You didn’t know? She’s your girlfriend…” Peter shakes his head, waiting for an explanation.
Before Ned has the chance to answer, Peter’s phone rings. Seeing your name on the screen, he answers immediately, walking to a quiet place with Ned and MJ on his heels.
“Peter I just got into an accident, I-” He hears you gasp in breath along with the panic infiltrating your tone.
“Where are you?”
That’s when the line cut off and he hears the three dings signaling that the call has ended. “Shit,” he says, running his hands through his hair. “I have to go, I’ll see you guys later.”
He doesn’t check with any teachers or any other faculty before exiting the premises, he’ll deal with the consequences later. Right now, he has to find you. He’s running as quickly as he can. Do I have time to change into my suit? He thinks. He decides against it, finding you is his top priority.
It doesn’t take long before his cell phone rings again, this time showing Tony Stark's name across the top. He picks up, only to say “I’m sorry, sir, this isn’t a good time, I have to find Y/N.”
“I have her here with me. She’s fine, her phone’s not working. We’re going to the hospital-”
“I’ll be right there, sir.”
“Peter, no, it’s only a quick check up to see if she’s got a concussion.”
“I have to go.” He doesn’t wait to hear Tony’s response before taking off towards the hospital.
---
The hospital visit really didn’t take long. Once they got you in they tested you for a concussion, finding that you don’t have one, and they let you go. Tony used the time to gather more information about the people in the other car.
“Everyone is fine,” he says to you once you’re finally making your way out of the hospital. “Nobody was injured.”
“Thank you, Mr. Stark. Can I go home now?” A sad smile spreads across his face, unlike any smiles you’ve seen from him before.
“Sure thing, kid.” He places a hand on your shoulder, ready to gently guide you out of the building.
“Y/N!” You hear someone shout your name. You’re not ready for people to see you looking like such a mess, so you look at Tony, who only shakes his head and continues to walk towards the sound.
Peter flies around the corner and you feel your anxiety melt away at once. Tony lets go of your shoulder, and you begin to speed walk to your boyfriend.
It was like the tears knew when to stop. When he threw his arms around you, the comfort you felt was like nothing you had ever felt before. The world stops spinning around you for just a second, or maybe forever while you’re in Peter’s arms. There are no more sobs, there’s no need for anymore. You’re safe, and Peter’s here with you. “I’ve got you, you’re safe,” he whispers into your hair. His voice echoes through your mind, replacing the screaming of the memories you received today. You bury your head deeper into his chest and he pulls you tighter to him. He could’ve lost you. He won’t let go of you again.
Tony takes the two of you back to your house, jokingly threatening to tell May Parker that her nephew is skipping school to be with his girlfriend. He doesn’t mean it though. He knows how he would react if Pepper were ever in a situation like this. Tony Stark does have a heart, of course. He canceled his plans for the day to make sure that the girlfriend of the person he considers a son would be okay.
In the comfort of your own home you still feel like you’re trapped in that car. That sensation won’t go away. It’s just that, Peter is in the car with you now. And he’s the one keeping you calm. He’s the one who checks to see if you’re okay before you climb out of the car. He’s the one who holds your hand while you panic. He’s the one who holds you tight.
He holds you tight now, standing in the living room of your home. He won’t let you go.
Nobody tells you that you’ll relive the moment you wrecked for hours on end. Nobody tells you that you will flinch every time the initial impact replays in the movie going on in your head. But nobody also tells you that the one person you need to be there is not going to leave your side.
In one of the moments where you’ve calmed back down, you are lying against Peter’s chest with a blanket covering the both of you. He still hasn’t let go. “Peter?”
“Yeah?”
“How did you react? When you first found out?”
He squeezed his eyes shut. He hates that moment. He doesn’t want to ever see or hear about you in pain. It’s hard enough protecting you from people like the Vulture, he doesn’t want to lose you to a car. “It was one of the scariest moments of my life, I mean, I just heard people talking about it all morning and then I heard Ned and MJ talking about it so I knew it must be true and then you called and-” He stops himself from talking anymore. “When the phone cut off, I thought for sure I was going to lose you.”
“The phone cut off?” You weren’t aware that had happened.
“Yeah, right after I asked where you were.”
You didn’t talk about the accident anymore after that. Peter focuses on making sure you are calm. You focus on Peter. He’s the one keeping you grounded right now.
You kiss him, knowing that if he’s there, you will be okay. Maybe not now, or for a while even. But he’s there for you no matter what.
He sinks into the kiss, wishing for nothing more than to be your anchor.
With him, you are okay.