A broken little spider.
Surrounded by large heroes, large vigilantes and very large rubble – Arachnid looked so small.
“What can we do? We can’t take itsy bitsy to the hospital?” The merc with a mouth was surprisingly serious for once. His face may have been covered but you could ‘see’ the concern in his eyes – he really did care for the spider kid. They all did. They all met differently and they all kind of hated the spider at the start -she was sort of annoying- but they found a way into the older people’s hearts. In the most annoying -endearing way.
"I don’t think we have a chose; she’s going to bleed out if we don’t get her help.” Ah, Matt, ever the voice of reason in any kind of situation – normally. It was true though they would bleed out if they didn’t get help soon, bodies weren’t supposed to bend like that. Several looks were exchanged before they picked the spider up and started to move them. The blood drip form their body surprisingly slowly. The hot red sticky liquid stained the hands of the older (anti) heroes -they were arachnids’ heroes if that counted for anything- as they carried them to a hospital. It was the only choice for their kid to survive.
By the time Arachnid was in a hospital room the older people were thrown out so the doctors could start the needed medical procedures, leaving only the soft (and hard) beeping of the machinery. The doctors buzzed around the packed room trying to save their -favourite- vigilante, even if it was technically illegal to help a law-breaking vigilante. I mean they maybe a people’s hero but they certainly weren’t a legal ‘hero’.
Frank Castle could say that he never -at all- expected to care for the spider kid that always had a quirky quip, but he did. It wasn’t the type of care he had for Matt but the love he once (and still dose) had for his kids, the type that made him feel like a father again – he missed that feeling. So when he heard that the kid was in danger he rushed there quicker than he had gone before . . . yet it wasn’t quick enough because now the kid is lying unconscious in a hospital bed with the slimmest chance of waking up.
The kid -his kid- was messed up really bad, with ripped open skin, broken bones and dislocated joints. He felt ridiculous sat in a waiting room of a hospital with so many others, but arachnids’ blood still stains his calloused hands. He knew he wasn’t the one that hurt them, but their blood still stained his hands, hands that had killed so many but now he used them to give a kid a chance to live. They were a kid right, probably, to be honest he couldn’t care they would always be his kid. Not that he’s ever admit that at all, that’s between him and his deathbed confessions
The soft chatter was drowned out by the heavy ticking of the stale white clock, the hands moved far to slow for it to be normal, he watched the clock hands tick with a strong type of dedication. The kid would make it out alive, the kid had to come out alive.
They had to.
In his distracted state he nearly didn’t notice Hawkeye -both of them- entering the room both of the archers looking so worried, the younger one especially. It never really crossed him that Hawkeye (2) was close friends with Arachnid, but they were- no are close, Arachnids’ not dead. The two have been practically inseparable since the day they met, the spider allowing the bird access to Queens and the bird helping the spider on so many occasions. The bird and the spider would -have- taken so many hits for each other, gunshots, stabs, burns, you name it they’ve made sure they other hasn’t taken the hit. Safety went out the window when it came to making sure the other was safe.
Hawkeye (2) was probably feeling more guilty than the rest of them, she was Arachnids best friend till the end. They’d die for each other (they’d kill for each other) and now the spider is in a hospital room while doctors try to bring them back from the point of being practically dead. The blood may not stain the birds’ hands, but it stains her mind, that’s for sure.
Hawkeye’s (1) expression was harder to read but it was an expression Frank recognised well, the look of a father that just lost his kids. An expression of drowning in guilt. It was unclear what his and Arachnids relationship was like but they’d worked together when Arachnid sometimes worked together with the avengers. That’s another thing Arachnid hated most of the avengers for unclear reasons, but the exceptions were always the same. Hawkeye (1), Hawkeye (2), America Chavez, Black widow, captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, Cassie Lang and Monica Rambeau. Frank, himself, only recognised half the names but Arachnid refused to say more on the topic.
Wade once asked why Ironman wasn’t her favourite because they helped him the parking lot fight in Germany. He got punched in the face because she didn’t have a chose and it was for their aunt. They didn’t ask again after that.
More time passed in the plain, cream white walls before they were all asked to leave for the night, no of them wanted to leave but the visiting hours were over, and they all knew better to argue with a doctor. Leaving the room without knowing what was happening to their spider was cut deeper than any wound. With one final glance the door was shut behind them leaving a silence that was all to loud. Said silence didn’t last long before the sounds of soft sobbing filled the air, it was barely loud to be heard but with the silent chills in the air it was the loudest things in the world right there and then.
The crying came from no one other than Hawkeye (2), the looked so broken. Even with everyone around at the time she looked so alone, like a sister that just lost her sibling or a tiny girl that just lost her only friend in the entire world. The brave, confident, strong, fearless young woman that they once knew just looked so vulnerable like this was a tipping point and the ‘façade’ of being confident was forced away from her showing the hollow shell underneath. Then what was underneath she was just deeply hurting, throw over a tipping point if you will
The sight was heat breaking because she was just a little girl that just her best friend taken aways from her. She was a sister that just got her sibling taking away from her. Hawkeye (1) had her in his arms holding her almost to hid her from this cruel world, like a father would with his child. “Clint, they- their going to live right?” She sounded so broken but why wouldn’t she, she had just lost one of the most important people in her life.
Clint didn’t say anything, not confirming or denying anything. The look in his eyes said everything: “It’s not likely.” Words never spoken but yet they were heard so loud. The sounds of crying were the only sounds they could remember that night. . Arachnid didn’t scream or cry, so Hawkeye (2) did it for them, letting out all the emotions she held back in the waiting room.