Chapter 14
To say you were shocked your dad had said yes was the understatement of the year. The bigger shocker was that he had said yes to you riding the subway with Peter and Betty instead of forcing you to ride with Happy. Maybe aliens had come back to Earth and replaced your dad but you weren’t going to say anything, especially since you were on the way to hang out on a Friday with your other best friend who you hadn’t seen since the Blip.
“What do you think Astrid looks like now?” Betty asks, holding onto the bar in front of her, swaying from side to side. “Like do you think she’s changed a lot?”
“I don’t know. It’s been five years.” You say honestly. You had wondered about that too. But more than that you had wondered if your now twenty year old best friend would want to be best friends with two fifteen year olds anymore. “I can’t wait to see her.” You add honestly, even with your hesitations. Peter’s arms are wrapped around your waist as you hold onto the silver bar to your left.
“It’s going to be good seeing Astrid.” Peter says. Peter coming along was a stipulation that you had been surprised that your dad had wanted. Sometimes you forget that your boyfriend can literally lift tons and fight bad guys so he can protect you more than you think of. To you, he’s just the sweet boyfriend who kisses you and brings you coffee when you need it the most. But your dad told you if Happy wasn’t coming with you, he wanted Peter with you. So Peter is coming to girl’s night, which you don’t really mind and to your surprise Betty and Astrid didn’t mind either.
The girl waiting for the three of you at Union Square Station looks similar to the one who had been waiting back at school the day of the field trip to MoMa, the only real change being her brunette hair being chopped into an asymmetrical bob. “Betty, Y/N, Peter!” She waves before making her way over to all three of you. She gives each of you a hug. “God, it’s like no time has passed.”
“For us, it didn’t.” Betty says. “We came back in the same outfits and everything.”
You decide to add. “I had the same amount of insulin and everything. Surprising since my pump doesn’t usually last more than three days, yet it can last for five years when we get Blipped.” Astrid lets out a laugh.
“The Blip didn’t make much sense. But I hear your dad and the Avengers are the reason all of you are back.” Astrid looks at you. “Guess we’ll have to pour one out for them.”
“Pour one out?” Peter asks.
“Yeah, so there’s a party that I found out is going on tonight, so I figure we can stop by my apartment so the three of you can drop your backpacks off, we can head to the party, and then after the party the three of you can crash at my place. We have enough space since two of my three roommates are gone for the weekend anyway.” Astrid explains as you all start walking down fourteenth street.
“We’re going to a college party?” Betty asks, a smile growing on her face.
“Sure. Why not? It’s way more fun than sitting in my apartment watching movies and eating pizza.”
“We’re not really dressed for a party.” You say looking down at your Guns and Roses tee, black jeans, jean jacket, and red high tops. Your hand would have gone to mess with the heart pendant around your neck, except that it’s wrapped in Peter’s right now.
“You look amazing always. And college parties are fairly chill. The only time people get really dressed up are if they have a theme or at Halloween. Which I’ll invite you guys for. But tonight’s is super chill. Trust me.” Astrid flashes you a smile and for a second you feel like you're back at school together. You feel like your back pre-Blip. You trust Astrid. Plus a college party? How can you say no?
A steady beat of Doin’ Time by Sublime is playing as the four of you walk into the apartment where the party is being held. You can’t stop your hips from swaying to the beat. You love this song, it’s on your Tony Stark Can Rot playlist, which you definitely should rename at this point but that’s something you can deal with later. Peter smiles at you falling into the beat. He pulls you closer, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and placing a kiss on your cheek.
“Who brought children to the party?” A tall blonde boy asks Astrid.
“Very funny Chad.” Astrid rolls her eyes at him. “These are my friends, Betty, Y/N, and Peter. They all got Blipped. I told you about them. This is Chad guys. He’s my boyfriend, for now anyway. We’ll see if he can stay above the cut.” She teases him. He lays a hand over his heart as if she’s wounded him.
“Drinks and food are in the kitchen. Feel free to help yourself. I got that beer you like babe.” He kisses her lips twice. “I gotta go be a host, but I think we’re going to play a couple of drinking games in a bit.”
“Sounds good.” Astrid leads you all to the kitchen and starts filling cups with different concoctions. “Taking guesses on what you guys will like, here, keeping the sugar out of it for you Y/N.” She hands you a drink. “Rum and Diet Coke. Betty, I feel like you’ll be more of a vodka girl so here’s a vodka and Sprite for you. And Peter, for some reason I feel like you’re going to be a beer guy. This is the beer I really like. It’s from a local brewery.” Astrid hands everyone their cups and bottles before saying, “Cheers!” You take a hesitant sip, but are surprised that even though there is a hint of something else in your Diet Coke, you don’t mind it.
“Come on guys! I think some people are playing Flip Cup and maybe some other games. Usually we play at least Beer Pong, Fuzzy Duck, and Flip Cup at each party, if not a few other games.” Astrid explains pulling you all over to the group hanging out by a folding table. You watch the first couple rounds, but end up getting pulled in by the third round of games by Astrid and Betty. Soon you’re giggling and pouring more liquid down your throat then you expected to be drinking at a party. But you’re having fun with your friends.
Peter, on the other hand, is feeling a little hesitant. He’s not into drinking as much as you seem to be into it. Plus from watching your actions, you’re not acting like yourself by the time the drinking games are over and you sit down on the couch on the other side of the apartment. “Babe, look at me.” Peter has a feeling that the alcohol has hit you harder than you realize it has. Right now, he’s just trying to see how focused your eyes are.
“You have reaaaalllllyyy pretty eyes baby.” You say looking at Peter, your head resting on your shoulder, too heavy to hold it up. Your words are slurring something fierce. Peter knows you're drunk, really drunk. How you got this drunk when everyone else playing the drinking games seem alright, he’s not totally sure. Maybe you just can’t drink as much as everyone else? Maybe it has to do with your diabetes? Diabetes- shit.
“Babe, what’s your number?”
“212- 415-”
“No, your blood sugar. Not your phone number.” He runs a hand down your cheek. If he wasn’t worried, he would laugh at your drunk antics.
“I don’ know.” You slur. Peter takes a breath.
“I’m going to look at your pump ok?” You don't say anything, just nod. You’re 93 but you have double arrows down. Shit. “Stay right here, ok?”
“Where you goin?” You ask, suddenly concerned.
“I’m going to get something for your blood sugar.”
“‘M fine. I want more ‘lcohol.” You smile as if nothing’s wrong. Peter knows from past experience if you’re dropping fast enough, you’ll just get stubborn. But he has a plan.
“I’ll get you a drink babe.”
“‘Kay.” Walking into the kitchen, he grabs the Coca-Cola and pours it into a red cup. Bringing it to you he hands it to you. You smile and drink it down fairly fast, which he’s happy for as hopefully it will bring you up quicker. “I love you Petey.”
“I love you too.”
“Like a lot.”
“I love you a lot too.”
“Yeah. A lot.”
“That’s good.” Peter smiles that this is what you want to talk about when you're drunk. However he is a little worried about your blood sugar. “Can I look at your pump?” You shake your head, the stubbornness of being either drunk or dropping saying no. He decides a distraction tactic might be the way to see your blood sugar. “Can I look at your phone? So I can take a picture of us?” You smile and hand him your phone.
“Come sit… me.” You leave out a word but Peter gets what you want. He slides up on the couch and holds the phone to take a picture of you and him. You lay your head on his shoulder and smile, turning your head towards him. After snapping a couple photos, Peter flips apps to check Dexcom. Ninety, and only one arrow down now. That’s somewhat better. Past research rings in the back of his head and he googles something that he vaguely remembers. Fuck. If you drop low enough after drinking, your glucagon won’t work. And right now, you’re dropping and even chugging an entire soda didn’t seem to help that much. He flips back to Dexcom, eighty one and one arrow down.
“I’m going to grab you another drink babe.” Peter says before getting up to get you another soda. As Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash comes on, Peter makes a decision that you will probably hate him for when you’re sober, but right now he has to think about the fact that you’re going to be two sodas in and still dropping. “FRIDAY call Tony.”
“Calling Tony.”
“Y/N? Aren’t you with Astrid?”
“Tony, it's Peter.”
“What’s wrong?” Tony’s voice is suddenly concerned at hearing Peter’s voice on your phone.
“Don’t hate Y/N for this, but we went to a party that Astrid’s friends threw.”
“You guys drank some? Y/N too drunk?” Tony teases, having been a teen at college once too.
“Yes but it’s not that. It’s her blood sugar.”
“What’s wrong with it.” His question comes out as a demand, concern for his daughter filling his voice.
“She’s dropping quickly. I already got her to drink a full soda. But she’s eighty one and one arrow down. But with alcohol her glucagon won’t work.”
“Fuck. I’m on my way. Send the address. Keep giving her sugar for right now. And Peter?”
“Yeah?”
“You did the right thing- calling me.” Tony hangs up and Peter texts the address to Tony from your phone. Then he makes his way back to where you sit on the couch.
“You took forrrrrreeeeeeevvveeeerrrrr.” You draw out the word.
“Sorry baby.” Peter says, handing you the cup. You drink the liquid in the cup. Peter knows Tony is at least forty five minutes out from the city, so all he has to do is keep getting sugar into you for now. “How do you feel?”
“Shiny.” You say with a smile. “Ain’t no power in the ‘verse that can stop me.” You quote one of your favorite shows perfectly, even if it’s a little slurred.
“Glad to hear that babe.” Peter glances at your phone to see your blood sugar. Sixty and dropping. His heart is sitting in his stomach. It’s going to be a long forty five minutes.