Chapter 20
Peter stared at the mug he was holding, trying not to panic. In fact, he did not hold him at all. No, he actually had the mug glued to his hand in some mysterious way. He just wanted a drink and this happened!
“Uh, Mom? Could you please take the mug?” he asked in a relatively calm voice, holding out his hand with the mug. Pepper looked at him with a question in her eyes, but still grabbed the mug, but it didn't move at all.
"Honey, you have to let go of the mug, if you want me to take it," she told him, and Peter was really beginning to panic now.
"But I'm not holding it!" he yelled.
"What do you mean you're not holding it?" Pepper asked, puzzled, and only now she had looked at the mug that her son wasn't really holding.
"I'm broken," he murmured in fear, and Pepper's heart clenched in pain. Why did her family still have to suffer so much?
“Don't say that, why would you be broken? That's not true,” she said affectionately, still trying to separate the mug from his hand.
“I'm broken. I have stupid mutagenic enzymes in me,” he panicked, tears accumulating in his eyes.
"Tony!" she shouted at her boyfriend. Peter had a panic attack, and Tony was the best chance to get him out of it.
"What is it? What's happening?" he blurted as he ran into the kitchen.
"Peter has a panic attack," she replied, stepping aside to give her boys some space.
It was only when Peter calmed down, realizing that she was holding a mug in her hand that caused this situation.
•••
After the debacle with the mug, his parents decided it would be better for him to stay home for a few days. At least until he found out what was different with him. Peter wasn't exactly thrilled about it. He felt terrible.
He tried to distract himself with his beloved Star Wars movie marathon, but the television was so terribly noisy. It didn't matter how much he lowered it. It was still too loud and his ears hurt. He lowered the volume until it came to zero. Annoyed by the situation, he turned off the television and reached for the book. But when he wasn't bothered by the sound, the light began to bother him for a change. He closed the book angrily and buried his head on the couch.
He tried to remember what had happened on the excursion that he had become this. The problem with the noise came back, but this time it was worse. His ears were fizzing. And then rhythmic hits began to sound.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
"How are you, kid?"
"Oh my God.Why are you yelling so much?” he asked his father, who had joined him on the couch. He did not lift his head, however, because the light still bothered him too much.
“But I didn't shout at all. Are you okay?" he asked carefully, reaching for his shoulder, which was the last straw for him. At other times, so comforting gesture for him was absolutely unbearable right now.
“I think my senses have just risen to eleven. Everything is too much,” he tried to explain. Why did this have to happen to him?
•••
"How is he?" Pepper asked worriedly as Tony returned from Peter's room. He called her and described what had happened. Pepper immediately canceled the upcoming meetings and returned home. She couldn't work when their little boy suffered so much.
"He's been asleep for about two hours now, so hopefully better," Tony sighed, kissing her cheek before going to the coffee machine.
"So what? His senses are improved?” she asked. She was no genius, but she needed to know what was going on with their son.
"Apparently. This is crazy, Pep. I can still see him lying on the couch in pain and I can't do anything. They didn't write that in the books about children!"
“We'll fight it, Tony. As always.”
“When's dinner? I'd eat something,” said Peter, who suddenly appeared in the kitchen.
"It's three in the afternoon," Tony replied skeptically, trying not to speak too loud.
“At least I'll have a snack. Hi, Mom, what are you doing home so early?” he asked, opening the fridge to see what choices he had.
“Tony called me and told me what happened. Honey, are you all right?”
“It was terrible, but I'm fine now. I'm just a little hungry,” he said, pulling the yogurt out of the fridge.
Pepper and Tony said nothing and exchanged worried glances. And then for an hour, they watched their son search the kitchen and eat everything that came under his hand.
•••
Peter threw the ball against the wall. Being at home was really boring. He missed Ned. And actually, he missed school. He tried to talk to his parents, but they were adamant and still did not want to let him go. But he was really fine!
"Stupid ball," he murmured under his nose as he threw the ball with more force, and it bounced off the wall with more energy and hit him directly in the forehead. Peter rubbed the spot angrily. He will certainly have a bruise there. He didn't need that at all.
He threw the ball on the wall in anger, but this time it did not return to him. Peter blinked a few times to make sure he really saw what he was seeing.
“Dad! Can you take a moment?” he called his father, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen.
"Are you okay? What's happening?" Tony started worryingly as he walked into the living room.
"I'm fine, but our wall completely isn't," he replied, pointing to where the ball had been stuck in the wall.
"What the hell is that?!"
“I threw it on the wall, and then the ball hit me and I got mad. I threw it on the wall with more force and this happened,” he explained, and Tony glanced between the ball in the wall and his son. Every day he was worried about what new Peter would come up with, but he really didn't expect that.
"You'll fix that wall," he said, returning to the kitchen. He knew Peter didn't want to make a big deal of it, but what the hell... How was Tony supposed to stay calm?
•••
Peter paced nervously around the living room. He united all the events of the last few days and came to the conclusion that he had: extra great strength, improved senses, was healing quickly, and something like a sixth sense. And after that conclusion, he decided he wanted to be like his dad and go out to help people. He was going to announce it to his parents, so he made wheels around the living room. He needed to calm his nerves somehow.
“PETER! What the hell is that mean?!” Tony shouted as Pepper and he entered the living room and found their son walking on the ceiling.
Peter gave them a look and frowned when he saw them upside down. "Why are you upside down?"
“I think the better question is what you're doing on the ceiling. Can you please climb down before one of us gets a heart attack?” Pepper asked and Peter looked around in confusion. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed that he was on the ceiling. Well, another superpower he'll use to fight crime.
"Sure," he muttered and jumped to the ground.
"You wanted to tell us something, or just scare us to death?" his dad asked as the room lay quiet for a moment.
“Yes, I wanted to talk to you. As you know, I have modified DNA now and I don't think I can just sit at home if I can do much more out there,” he said in a low voice. He knew it probably will not be smooth, but their family was composed of Avengers! They could be indulgent, right?
"I hope you don't suggest what I think," Pepper said dangerously.
"Wait, let's talk about it," Tony murmured, still not quite catching up.
"I want to be like you, Dad," he told them bluntly.
"Absolutely not," Pepper rejected.
"But mom, I-"
"We will not talk about it."
"Dad, say something!" He turned to his father. Tony didn't want to be between them, but it seemed to be too late.
"I think it's too early to deal with these things," he said finally. He didn't like Peter's idea a bit, but how could he say no when everyone around him was doing superheroes?
“We will not deal with it at all.I never want to hear about it again, okay?” Pepper informed them vigorously, leaving them alone in the living room. Her son wouldn't be in danger. It was enough that his father did it.