Not your Fault
It had been a couple of weeks since Happy had caught Peter about to… well… kill someone. He had been to see May multiple times since then. Peter was usually at school when he visited, but the encounters he did have were very strange. Not like ew-weird-strange, but like not-Peter-stange. He had either received really sharp looks or quick, one-word responses. The kid was the motorboat of speakers normally and he had the cutest puppy eyes you could ever see. However, now that Happy thinks about it, he realizes he hasn’t seen that side of Peter in five years. Ya know… before the “Blip” as they’re now calling it.
Now, he was at the Parkers apartment, about to see May off to work after a lunch date. Before she left the apartment, May stopped Happy to tell him something. She looked a little hesitant but still proceeded.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Peter’s been really off lately. I get that he just literally came back from war, but this feels different. I feel like the Peter from 2018 isn’t going to ever come back. I mean- yeah, physically he’s- you know what I mean. He just- he went through something with Tony. He wakes up from nightmares almost every night,” she stops to take a deep breath, her face contorting into grievance, “I try to be there for him, but he just stares off into the distance, saying Tony’s name over and over again. I’ve tried to get him to go to a therapist, but it always ends in a screaming match. He’s never used to raise his voice at me or really anyone. I don’t know what to do. I thought maybe you’d have some ideas.”
Happy barely hesitated before saying: “Yeah for sure. I’ll talk to him. You don’t need to worry.” May simply smiled in response before hugging him and heading off to work, the two exchanging quick goodbye’s.
Low and behold, Happy would have to cash in that favor a little sooner than expected. He was driving back to work when he got a call from a number he didn’t really recognize right away. He picked up nonetheless. A recognizable voice came through the phone, as Happy has had to call them many times to cover for Peter.
“Hello is this Harold Hogan?” The woman's voice came through the phone. It was the secretary at the front office of Peter's school.
“Yes it is, but I go by Happy” he replied.
“Oh sorry, Happy. I was calling because we couldn’t reach May Parker. We’ve been informed that she would be at work right now. We are calling because Peter Parker was in a fight with another student. We ask that you come to the school to see out his punishment and take him home. Does that work for you?” She asked.
Happy was a little shocked, to be honest. In a way, he shouldn’t be because of what has happened, but it just doesn’t seem right. “Yeah of course. I’ll be there in maybe 10 minutes.”
“Okay, wonderful. See you then,” she replied, hanging up.
Happy walked into the front office of the school to find Peter and a boy he recognized as Flash Thompson. Flash’s face had a bruise on the side, extending from his eye to jaw. Right hook. He’d know it anywhere. Peter, on the other hand, looked otherwise unharmed. However, he must have been staring because Peter looked up and met his eye. His face was contorted with anger, but also a bit of guilt when he saw Happy.
“Happy-” Peter began, only to be cut off by the principal walking in.
“Thank you for coming Mr. Hogan. I’m principal Morita. I’ll see you and Peter into my office,” Mr. Morita explained as he ushered to the door.
The three walked into the office and Peter began to explain his side of the story after a stern talking to about the truth even though Happy knew he wouldn’t lie. “Well it started when Flash started talking about all my dead family members,” Peter said blatantly, almost with no emotion, “He started saying that my uncle and parents are dead because of me and that if he was my uncle, he’d jump in front of a gun too. Then he continued by talking about Mr. Stark. He said he doesn’t believe me, but even if I knew him, then it was probably a good thing he was dead and didn’t have to deal with me anymore. So,” he took a breath, “I punched him in the face. Figured if his jaw hurt, then he wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”
Happy looked back and forth between Mr. Morita and Peter. Peter didn’t look bothered at all, but Mr. Morita on the other hand, looked like he was in shock. At this point, Peter’s behavior doesn’t surprise him, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t worried.
“Well,” Mr. Morita cleared his throat, “thank you for being honest.” He looked confused and a little lost, but proceeded. “With your recent behavior, I have no choice but to believe you. I wouldn’t have expected this from you before the Bl-”
“Thing’s change Mr. Morita,” Peter cut in, his jaw tense and his eyes sharp. Yeah, Happy had figured out a while ago that the Blip wasn’t something to bring up around Peter.
Morita looked a little taken aback by his interruption. “Two weeks of suspension will be placed in order after today. I will have all your teachers get your assignments to you before the end of the day. You are dismissed.”
Peter stood up and left the room without a second thought. Happy was about to leave as well when the principal’s voice stopped him.
“Mr. Hogan, would you mind staying here a few minutes. I have something to discuss with you.” Happy sat back down, giving him the go-ahead. “It’s just Peter. We know that almost the whole school was impacted by what happened. Kids have been acting out left and right. Most have minor irritability, but Peter is different. A couple of his teachers have expressed a drastic change in personality. We have brushed off the times that he has left the classroom without permission or yelled at a teacher as a result of what has been happening.”
Happy looked at the man as he leaned back in his chair. He seemed genuinely distressed about this topic. “Has he been difficult to get under control?” He had really hoped this wasn’t the case.
“Oh, no. Don’t worry. We were usually able to have it handled without problems. The counselor has had to assist with possible panic attacks. It’s just-” the man sighed, “If I’m talking from personal experience I would say to help him as much as possible. I’ve been to war, Mr. Hogan. The look in his eyes- it’s something I’ve only seen in my war buddies. It’s so angry yet scared and I think that’s why he’s acting out. I don’t know what he’s been through, but if rumors in the teacher's room is anything to go off of and Peter is involved somehow with superheroing,” he said quietly, “then the war he must have gone through is terrifying. Worse than any war here caused by man.”
Happy stared in disbelief, “How did you know?”
The man chuckled. “Oh trust me. It wasn’t that hard. He does so much stuff conspicuously on the school grounds that it’s kind of obvious. Usually, I would go to the school board on how to handle his behavior, but knowing that you knew Tony Stark and the possibility of him being superpowered, I decided to come to you,” Morita said, folding his hands together and nodding towards Happy. Morita stood up and Happy followed suit.
“Well, thank you. I mean, for bringing this to my attention, not for suspending him. I mean he kind of had that coming when he punched that kid.” They shook hands and then Happy was out the door and back into the front office. Happy walked over to Peter, his face stone as to not let Peter have an attitude with him. He uttered a quick Let’s go as he walked past him in the chair and out the front door.
They made it out to the parking lot when Peter said “I’m swinging home” and walked right past Happy.
Happy scoffed and grabbed Peter’s arm, “Like Hell you are.”
Peter didn’t flinch when Happy grabbed his arm. He only waited a few seconds before turning slightly to look down at where Happy had grabbed his arm. Then, he looked Happy right in the eye and squared his hips to line up their bodies. Happy immediately recognized it as a defensive stance. He didn’t want to fight Peter. Didn’t want to let him stoop that far.
“What are you going to do about it?” Peter asked, his icy gaze still latched onto Happy. Intimidation, Happy recognized. He wasn’t going to let that affect him. Peter will have to kill him to make him stop caring. However, he must have been waiting for too long to respond because Peter grabbed his forearm back and pulled him closer.
“It’s not like you’re my dad or anything. Oh, wait… I never had one of those long enough for them to be considered a father. I don’t need you or anyone else. I seem to be doing fine on my own.” With that, Peter let go of his arm and began to walk away.
“Are you sure about that? Because to me, it looks like you’re falling apart.” Peter stopped. There it is. “This acting out and anger… it’s a cry for help, Pete. It’s okay to not be okay. You went to war. You lost another person in your life. Please, just… don’t push me away. I hate seeing you like this,” Happy admitted, his eyes beginning to fill with tears.
Peter stayed turned around, his shoulders tense, but his head bowed. “I just really miss him. If I had been faster, maybe he wouldn’t be dead. I mean I had the gauntlet and if I’d just kept it away from Thanos, then-” he sobs “then maybe… I don’t know anymore.”
There’s no way that Tony’s death was Peter’s fault. The amount of weight Peter must have been carrying for so long was insane. Without hesitating, Happy grabbed Pete’s shoulder and swung him around. There were tear tracks all down his face. The look in his eyes though was the worst. It was complete devastation, the way the caramel brown that was once in his eyes seemed to just be gone, was heart-breaking. They have no light anymore. Happy would be damned if he didn’t do something about that.
“Happy I’m sorry I took him away fr-” Peter was cut off by Happy crushing him in a hug. Happy hugged him as if his life depended on it.
“Kid, this wasn’t your fault. I don’t want to ever hear you say that again.”
So they stood there, in Peter’s high school parking lot. Holding each other as Peter sobbed. Hoping that Peter could move with the rest of the world instead of being stuck because goddammit the world has not been very kind to him Happy decided.