Chapter 21
Peter's eyes glaze over. Spiders chitter at him in concern. He's very tired suddenly. The Avengers are here - he can rest. His whole body finally lets itself slide down to the floor, quick metabolism and slight healing factor taking up the rest of his energy reserves. He's barely conscious.
The Avengers are concerned. The spiders are concerned. A doctor is flown up to stabilize Tony.
Peter is safe, and warm. And he wants to go home, the thought just hitting him, and he barely has time to process the urge. He just wants to go home, now. And sleep and talk to Wade and recite all the lines of Princess Bride in a mumble. And listen to Wade ramble about chimichangas or his ass. Heal up, maybe go visit Gwen with MJ.
The elevator doors are torn away. The elevator still works, but the doors are melted shut. He's being carried. The body is warm. Spiders crawling up the body holding him and nestling themselves on his stomach.
He's so very tired, but he's also aware. The urge to run home hits. He doesn't want to be anywhere else but home. He doesn't want to go to a med bay or a hospital or an ambulance—he wants home. He is going to go home.
He takes a deep shuddering breath, drawing a few eyes to him. "Home," he practically groans, "I wanna... go... home."
"Not until-"
"Home," he insists, brain trying to scrape together energy it doesn't possess, "Nowhere else. Don't wanna smell... the chemicals."
"But-"
"Home.”
Spiders hissing, a clear warning. There's a silence.
"He can go home,"
"But, Nat-"
"Spiders—spiders need home," Peter grumbles, his brain still trying to grab that missing energy. His whole body is screaming at him to sleep, and eat.
"I'll take them.”
"Nat-"
Peter chitters to the spiders. They all seem to understand, crawling over to Nat in a big wave of spiders. Mama Spider, understandably, stays perched by Tony. Peter's eyes involuntarily cross.
"We'll drive you home, Kid,"
"Not- a kid,"
Peter's mind blanks. He's still counscious, but he doesn't pay attention to anything. He's in a car. It's moving. They’re offering to walk him into the apartment. He hisses at them—genuinely hisses—and he stumbles into his home.
He passes out five feet from the door.