(Unwanted) - This Is What I've Feared
It had been a week since Peter had gotten back - and he was coping. Kind of. It was hard to tell where he was at emotionally. He kept having nightmares. Loud noises set him off quicker than ever before. He wanted to spend every waking minute possible with Morgan, and he felt himself breaking apart whenever she had to leave. He was less on suicide watch now, Tony would give him a chance to breathe, but now Peter found himself unable to be alone. It was too much like when Hammer would leave him in the room, alone and in pain. He couldn’t handle it.
But, Sam said he was progressing. His shoulders were pretty much healed, and his limp was almost gone, but the cane was still in use. He couldn’t walk more than five minutes without feeling like his knee was going to buckle.
Peter sat at the kitchen table, trying for the second hour to get through ten chemistry problems, but his brain felt like it was absolute mush. Natasha was sitting in the living area, a book in her hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
Peter kept glancing over at her to make sure she was really there. Tony had gone to the city with Steve, Rhodey, Pepper, Sam, and Bruce to talk over logistics having something to do with the accords - they had been iradicated, but there was alawyas paperwork to be done and meetings to be kept. Natasha had claimed that she would rather have a tooth ripped out than sit in another meeting (she’d had six that week) and that it was Sam’s turn, so she would stay home. And Bucky - well despite his newfound mental stability, he wasn’t one to be brought forward as a face of gracious diplomacy. So he had opted to remain behind as well.
The gang was set to be back within the next couple hours, and Peter was shaking with energy - itching to have Tony back in the same room with him.
“Peter?” Natasha's voice jerked Peter from his stuper.
“Y-yeah?” He stuttered.
“Drop the homework. Stark has been telling me that I am crazy for enjoying Star Trek more than Star Wars, care to show me the first couple of movies? Try and change my mind?” Natasha asked from her spot on the couch, closing up the book she had been digging into.
“Oh um- yeah. Wars is so much better than Trek, here- we can - we’ll - Friday? Can you put it on?” Peter said as he slid onto the couch, opposite of Natasha. She took another sip of her black coffee as the television screen lit up.
Peter felt exhaustion pricking at the back of his neck. He hadn’t been able to sleep the nigth before, every time he closed his eyes he could see Hammer again, could hear Morgan and Tony screaming for him - so he had opted to keep his eyes peeled open until the sun had peaked over the horizon.
He gave in five minutes into the movie, though he was awake enough to feel someone settle a fuzzy blanket over his still form.
-
“Kid - don’t panic. You have to get up right now.” And panic he did.
Peter jerked up, heart racing, as alarms blared throughout the compound. The room was pitch black, lit only with blinking red lights. Natasha was in front of him, gun drawn, and her face was deadly serious.
Peter couldn’t breath.
“Hey - hey - I understand that you’re freaking out, but Bucky is almost here. We’re going to get below ground and wait for Stark. Just breathe, okay?” Natasha said, her hand wrapping tightly around his upper arm as she pulled him forward and to an emergency staircase.
“I don’t know who is here, but let's just be safe okay? Your goal is to breathe, I can’t fight and drag you at the same time.” Peter winced as he did his best to run down the stairs, but his knee was killing him.
They made it three floors down when a door banged open on a floor above them. Natasha pushed Peter into the corner, holding her weapon out in front of her and blocking his body off. He coudl hear multiple pairs of footsteps - too many. Even with Bucky. But all he cared about was that voice - that heartbeat - the one that had haunted his every waking and sleepign moment.
Hammer was here.
“Natasha- Na- please - he’s here - don’t - don’t let - don’t let him take me - please!” He begged, his voice barely a whisper as he gripped onto her jacket.
But she was holding her ear, speaking into an earpiece, saying something to someone he couldn’t hear- then she was removing it from her ear and placing it in Peter’s and he heard a voice - a voice that he needed right then.
“Peter - Peter I need you to take deep breaths and listen to every word I’m about to say.” Tony said, and Peter could hear the Ironman suit in the background, knew that his mentor was doing everything possible to get to him as quickly as possible.
Peter forced himself to breathe and listen.
“Kid - I - Hammer is there. He broke into Friday’s security, shut her down. Natasha is going to do everything possible to keep you with her but I need - I need to be honest with you.” Tony paused, gasping as though he were sobbing on the end of the other line. “Peter, Hammer is going to take you. We’ll be there in an hour. We will get you back - I swear -” Peter was weeping, his entire body shaking like a leaf as he held his breath. “I swear to you that I will get you back. Don’t show him fear - be brave. You’re going to be okay.” Tony said, and there was Hammer. And Natasha was firing off her weapon rapidly, but Peter felt the hair on the back of his neck rising up and he shoved her, harder than he would have normally - she flew down the other stairwell, and only due to her years of extensive training was she able to break her fall.
The gunshot hit the concrete right by Peter’s head as he held his hands up. There was Hammer, looked more disheveled and crazed than he had ever looked before. He pointed a bony finger at Peter, and three of the gang that he had behind him moved forward. Peter didn’t fight - at some point the earpiece got knocked- or pulled - from his head. A black bag was yanked over his eyes and latched around his throat - his arms twisted and he cried out at the pain that it caused.
Then he was being drug, and Peter went crazy. Like a rabid animal that had been cornered he thrashed and shook his whole body - being lifted off the ground as he kicked out his legs. He heard grunting as his foot made contact with someone’s body. He continued to thrash until he heard a gunshot - then pain - so much - white-hot blinding pain in his injured knee - that he screamed. He heard Natasha yelling his name, but as he was drug up steps, his vision began to fade out, white spots overwhelming his eyes until it all went black.