Chapter 7
Friday morning
It had to be now. He had to go.
Leaving them all behind was almost physically painful, he didn’t want to leave them, he wanted to stay but it wasn’t safe. May’s words continued to bounce around in his head.
“You’re a murder Peter.”
It was his fault, all of it.
He had to keep running.
“Hey Itsy Bitsy.”
Peter swirled around, ready to strike but all he could see was the darkness of the night which swirled around him. Yet his senses continued to scream danger.
“You can’t see me yet Peter, I won’t allow it. But you’re listening, you’re learning. They’ll be safe as long as you listen.”
Peter continued to stare at where the voice was coming from, too afraid to move forward. Not of who was there, but of the consequences. He knew he could fight but there would be no need, the person speaking wasn’t in front of him, not completely anyway. He could do this.
“Okay what do I do now?”
He hoped desperately that they didn’t know of the texts and the letters, seeing as they were seemingly praising him, he thought perhaps luck was on his side. They wouldn’t be happy with him if they knew.
“I want you to continue to stay away, the Avengers are still trying to find you. You need to stay out of their view until they give up on you.”
Give up on him? Would they do that?
As much as that thought caused his heart to snap, he knew that the Avengers needed to forget about him, or at least publicly seem to have done. Peter knew he wasn’t helping by his actions but although he knew he needed to leave all he wanted is to be wrapped up with Tasha and to explain. She would help him, but he can’t let her.
“I know you miss them Peter but remember what your aunt said. You’re a murderer Peter.”
And with that part of the darkness was lifted and again Peter was alone.
What was he thinking? He shouldn’t have replied to Nat’s message. It doesn’t help, the letters are one thing the texting is another. But he doesn’t want them to forget him, he knows it’s the safest option for them and he was being selfish but they’re his family. He abandoned his family.
The tears began to roll down his cheeks as all he wanted to do was go home. Go home and be warm. Warm, safe and loved.
He shouldn’t have told Tasha he saw her as his mother that was so stupid. As if she would want a son like him, he knew she couldn’t have children and he was here twisting the knife deeper.
It doesn’t matter now he abandoned her.
Looking back at the tower that seemed so small so far away, he looked to the roof of the building. The roof where he and Nat sat and just spoke about everything and nothing. They’d made the roof their own little space, with Mr Stark’s help of course, they had everything they needed to make it as comfortable as they wanted. The number of jumpers and blankets stored up there due to Peter’s whacky body heat was almost ridiculous.
Bruce asked him once why he went up there, especially when it was cold, when he knew it wasn’t the safest place to be. He remembers laughing as he tried to explain how he just felt safe there. When Bruce told Natasha how his body didn’t produce heat the same due to the spider bite there was a second where he thought she’d never allow him up there again. They compromised he would tell her the moment he got cold, hence the blankets and jumpers.
He didn’t mean to cause all of these problems. He didn’t know.
He didn’t mean to make May hate him. He still doesn’t know when exactly she decided he wasn’t worth it, but he couldn’t blame her, with the amount of pain he brought her he’s honestly surprised it took this long. Despite all of that it still hurt. He loves her, he always will. She’s his aunt May.
The tears began to fall faster, and his sobs wracked his body, he slowly lowered himself to the floor. Feeling himself connect to the floor his tears rocked him to sleep.
God he just wanted to go home.
Walking around the streets of New York Peter began to wonder about what the Avengers were actually doing. Did they notice that he took with him a single blanket and some money he had been saving up?
Were they looking for him?
Did they miss him?
He had to find somewhere he could sleep before it got too cold, he didn’t need to be inside. He’s learnt that a couple of weeks ago. No, he just needs to find somewhere high up where he can stay dry, he can simply stick to where it would remain dry and have the blanket stick around his body to make sure he didn’t lose it.
Other than all of that he needed to make sure that wherever he decided to sleep he needed to make sure it gave enough cover that no one would actually see him, he might have left everything he needed to be Spiderman back at the tower, someone seeing him cling to the side of a building would give him away really quick.
Just because he isn’t Spiderman right now doesn’t mean he wants his identity leaked.
Finding a rooftop with adequate cover, he curled himself into a ball and made sure the blanket was stuck to his body he was finally able to sleep after being awake for 24 hours. Falling asleep he fell into a memory from before everything went wrong.
Bucky continued to look forward at the TV as Peter approached with a small cardboard box, Natasha watching them from the sofa opposite, a small smile adorning her face.
“Wolfie?” Peter voice came out softly, knowing speaking too loud or harsh tended to freak Bucky out.
That was when Bucky actually turned to face him, an eyebrow raised in question. It was times like these when Peter thought of how Natasha and Bucky had a lot in similar. Obviously other than the whole tortured assassin thing.
Holding the box in front of him, Peter slowly tipped it so that Bucky could see its contents. Magnets. ”Can I – Would – May I please see if your arm is magnetic?”
It took a moment before Peter’s words finally registered, but when they did both of the adults chuckled and Bucky simply held his arm out, “Go ahead kid.”
For the next twenty minutes or so Peter just tested every magnet that he had found on Bucky’s arm, to his delight they all stuck, like a fridge. Then he got Natasha’s help in how to organise them in the best way.
Looking up after he was done, he was surprised to see the looks in their eyes. He wasn’t sure what it was really, love? Pride? He didn’t know. But Bucky’s other hand simply reached out to ruffle through Peter’s smile and his thoughts vanished as his face broke out into an even bigger grin and he tackled the two adults into a hug.
All the time having one thought overcasting the others; he was home.