“But Dr. Cho!” Peter jackknifed up to sit on the edge of the med bay bed, trying not to look like the manoeuvre hadn’t just hurt. “You said yourself that this was a clean break! And I’m ME! I am literally already healing while we’re sitting here arguing about it!”
Dr. Cho sighed and rolled her eyes as she swivelled her chair to face Mr. Stark. “I am a world renowned geneticist, one of the biggest names in cellular biology, and work on cutting edge medical technology that will one day change the world. Can you please, Tony, tell me why, with all of that knowledge and expertise, I am sitting here having to try to convince a teenage vigilante that it’s in his best interest to wear a cast on his freshly broken arm and NOT a removable brace because he wants to go to the water park with his friends tomorrow?”
Mr. Stark heaved a sigh of his own. “He was tested, Helen, I promise... said he was a genius and everything.” He shook his head in disappointment. “So either the tests lied, or—” Mr. Stark paused for affect, “the kid is a certified idiot.”
“Hey! That’s not nice!” Peter protested, “And you know the team has been planning for this for weeks! It’s the social event of the season!”
“I do know that,” Mr. Stark agreed through his chuckles. “I also know that an uncomplicated bone break takes you an average of two days to heal enough to safely switch over to a brace. Not,” the man checked his Starkwatch and looked Peter dead in the eye, “twelve hours. I’m sorry, kiddo.”
“Gah!” Peter shouted out in frustration then dropped back in defeat onto the bed. “ow.” He glared up at the ceiling. “This is so unfair.”
“Fair or not, Pete. It’s what it is.”
“But why?” Peter whined. “I’d be careful with it, I swear!”
Tony looked unconvinced while Dr. Cho mumbled under her breath, “I’ve seen how you’re careful with things, Peter...”
“Hey,” Peter lifted his head up from the bed and glared at the two adults. “Super hearing here! You don’t have to kick me when I’m down, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Doctor Cho could see that he really was.
She pushed his head back down onto the bed, and with a sigh of defeat, got up from her stool, her own flashback to missing science camp when she broke her own arm all those years ago suddenly at the forefront of her brain.
“I can’t believe I’m even considering doing this,” she mumbled to herself before clapping her hands together and committing to the new plan. “Okay, how’s about this?” Dr. Cho headed toward a supply cupboard and started rifling through it. “I personally hate using this because all of you think it gives you permission to not follow my rules HOWEVER,” She plucked out her supplies as she located them, then placed it on the supply table, and rolled it toward where Peter still lay, “If you promise me that you’ll be careful with this cast, AND the arm lying within it, I will give you a waterproof cast.” She lifted up the blue, futuristic sleeve of resin casting material. “But only this once, do you understand what I am saying?”
Peter’s eyes widened in disbelief, “So, you’re saying I can—”
Dr. Cho cut him off. “Nope, don’t get ahead of yourself. Listen to me Peter. This is an absolute non-negotiable. You will NOT be on any waterslides or in any swimming pools. You do not know moderation and so you will still have restrictions. You can be poolside—did you hear that? On the side, but you don’t have to worry about splashing and the like. You can also have VERY limited use of the toddler splash pad zone, to splash—with your feet—IF they allow that even. Do you hear me? You will still be careful because you are still healing. No stupid stuff.”
Peter had paid rapt attention, then turned his head to look at Mr. Stark once she was done talking. “Is this really happening? Did I hit my head and I’m hallucinating? Please tell me I’m not imagining this,” he pleaded with his mentor. “Dr. Cho is being nice?”
Mr. Stark snort-laughed. “Dr. Cho is always nice. We’re just pains in her ass and she reacts accordingly.”
“True.” Dr. Cho chuckled in response. “Now stop talking and let me focus on putting Peter back together before I change my mind about this whole thing.”
“Yes, ma’am. I will be stopping with the talking right now. Not a sound. I will not utter a peep—”
“Kid.”
“Yes, Mr. Stark?”
“Shut up.”
“Yes, Mr. Stark.
/-/-/
“I can’t believe you broke your arm the night before our big Aca-Deca Waterparkapalooza!” Ned exclaimed, making no effort to hide his disappointment.
“I know!” Peter replied, “It’s not like I did it on purpose, and besides,” Peter checked to make sure the rest of the Aca-Dec team was out of earshot. “At least I can be in the water park proper to hang out without wrecking Dr. Cho’s handiwork. And Mr. Stark says he’s going to rent out the park for an afterhours ‘private function’ when I’m all healed up.” Peter announced, “It’ll be for all of his family and friends, which obviously means, like, the Avengers, and Aunt May, and us and whoever else I decide to invite AND we won’t have to worry about long lines to get on all the best rides!”
Ned’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding? Please tell me that you’re not kidding!” Ned tried not to squeal—and failed.
“Ned!” Peter chastised. “Be cool!” he hissed loudly, trying to be both heard and not over the sound of all the water moving around them, “The more people who know, the more likely that I’ll have to invite—”
“Whatcha talkin’ about?!”
“Geez, Flash!” Ned clutched at his chest as he shucked Flash off his back and turned to confront him. “Way to give a guy a heart attack!”
“Ah, you’re fine, Ned.” Flash insisted, “So? Whose being invited where? Gimme the deets, peeps. Is it black tie? Should I rent a limo? Buy a lambo?”
Peter glared at Ned now that the cat was out of the bag. “It’s nothing, Flash. Mr. Stark is just going to give me a bit of a water park re-do because of the whole arm-in-cast thing, is all.”
“Sweet!” Flash replied then cupped his hands around his mouth. “Hey, nerds!” Flash hollered over to the rest of the team off in the distance, “Peter’s hosting another water park visit once the cast is off!” He lowered his hands and looked over to Peter. “Do we have a date yet?” He asked.
Peter shook his head, ‘no.’
Hands came up around his mouth again, “Details TBD! Wahoooooooooo! Let’s goooo!” Flash bellowed as he rushed toward the others, all talking excitedly about their next water park adventure.
“Well.” Peter huffed out in frustration. “That went well.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.”
“Pfft. Don’t worry about it. I’ll just never get over the fact that Flash doesn’t set off my spider senses anymore.”
Ned grinned at Peter’s statement. “I know! It’s like were trapped in an alternate reality.”
“Eh, it’s not so bad, I guess.” Peter smiled. “Besides—” A tingle across the back of Peter’s neck distracted him. “Hold on a min—”
A high pitched scream echoed across the water park, and then everyone heard it, “HELP ME! SOMEONE STOP HIM!” A woman’s voice called from somewhere behind them, “HE’S GOT MY PURSE!”
Without missing a beat, Peter pulled out his cell phone and handed it over to Ned. “Call Mr. Stark,” he ordered as he walked briskly toward the sound of the running feet. “You know how he gets when he doesn’t know what’s going on!”
“But Peter!” Ned looked worried, “Your cast! Dr. Cho!?”
Peter didn’t have time to worry. “It’s a purse snatcher in an enclosed park with security and cameras everywhere. What can I really do? Besides, it’s just a matter of slowing him down for someone else to catch him, Ned. We’re good, okay?”
Ned nodded, not convinced, but entered Peter’s PIN regardless.
And Peter started his trek, if he could even call it that.
It took him only a minute to come upon the poor woman, surrounded by both security and friends, as she gestured wildly toward one specific pump station located inside of the park as the direction the perpetrator had fled toward.
It didn’t really make sense to Peter, but that was okay. If he wanted to make Peter’s job easier, he was more than welcome. Honestly, Peter was gonna find him either way. He just needed to block out the noise—
He closed his eyes and focussed.
Yikes.
The intensity of trying to hone in on one bad guy in a water park where the hot summer air was filled with the overwhelming chemical scent of chlorine, the cacophony of thousands upon thousands of gallons of water flowing through pipes and filters then hammering down plastic slides, and so many people... it suddenly seemed a little tricky.
But what a rush! He could do this, Peter thought. All he had to do was concentrate... find something that didn’t-
fit-
in-
Gotcha.
The swoosh of dark blue denim jeans and a rustle of a black hoodie would have blended in just about anywhere else in New York on any day of the year, even today, but in a water park where even the security guards were wearing tank tops, shorts, and water socks?
Peter approached cautiously, he thought, but the man must have sensed Peter’s gaze upon him as he turned to face him. They locked eyes, Peter and the purse snatcher, and then the chase was on.
Well for a minute, at least.
This guy had no clue what he was doing.
At least it seemed that way to Peter, which he guessed was a good thing. If the fight had gone on too long, they’d have drawn a crowd which would not be ideal, and it was already going to be tricky trying to insert himself back into the role of curious bystander. Peter just needed to find something to tie up the guy currently slumped and unconscious against the concrete wall. Then security would find him easily enough and— “Hey!”
His spider sense flared, giving Peter barely enough time to lift his casted arm up to block the pipe that was flying towards his head. (Apparently his purse snatcher friend was a big ol’ Fakey McFakerton!) Peter ignored the nauseating vibrations running up through his casted arm, instead using his good one to grab hold of the man’s wrist and twist it away then behind him as Peter forced the pipe out of his hand and his face down to the ground.
“That was not cool, man!” Peter grumped as he fought down the urge to puke. “So not cool.” He scanned the area once more for something to secure Purse Snatcher Guy’s wrists, but was having no luck. Peter was about to give up on finding anything when he looked down at himself and had an epiphany. “Ah, well.” He sighed. “It’s better than nothing,” he pulled at the drawstring from the swim trunks he’d worn in hopes of a few blissful minutes on the splash pad with his friends, and then a few twists and knots later, “Et voila!” Purse Snatcher Guy was bound well enough to keep him where he was until security showed up.
“And now, to get on with my day,” Peter announced to no one as he stood up and brushed his good hand against his t-shirt. For all that racket at the end there, he’d been sure he’d draw some observers, but there was no one. All it would take was a little sneaking for Peter to make his way back to his group... just like he’d planned.
Perfect!
Peter exhaled shakily then smiled as he approached Ned, who eyes bugged out of his head as he took in Peter’s form. “Dude! Are you okay? You look a little—”
“I’m fine, Ned.” He put his hand out to take his phone back. “Why?”
The sound of the Iron Man boosters must have been masked by the sounds of the park so there was no hiding it when Peter jumped at Mr. Stark answering the question in his stead. “Maybe it’s the Casper impression you’re trying to pull off OR maybe even because your cast is currently sporting a dent that I’m 100% certain was not there when you left the tower this morning?”
“Huh?” Peter lifted his arm to see what he was talking about, and there it was. Peter gulped. “I can explain?”
Mr. Stark looked over Peter’s head to the cluster of Aca-Deca team members that were watching the exchange with bated breath. “Maybe we’ll discuss this back at the tower with Dr. Cho instead?”
Now that the excitement has passed, Peter could admit that maybe the pipe had done a little more than dent the cast, and the idea of the med bay and a moderate dose of painkillers was sounding pretty good. Peter stepped forward, exhaled shakily, and replied, “That sounds good.”
“Perfect!” Mr. Stark smiled softly at the kid before flashing his press-ready grin to Peter’s friends, making note of each of their faces. “I’m assuming I’ll be seeing you all in a few weeks when we try this again?”
Every one of them nodded.
“Fantastic! Well then, we’re going to be off.” Mr. Stark looked over to Ned, “Ted, thanks again for the call. We’ll see you at the tower on Tuesday, right?”
“Right,” Ned smiled big.
“Okay then,” the Iron Man mask flipped closed and Peter was swept up in its arms. “Let’s go see what kind of damage you caused, kid.”
Peter simply rested his head on the suit’s chest and chuckled. “At least I didn’t get my cast wet.”