Just Out of Reach

Ch. 14: Cry To Me

"When your baby leaves you all alone. And nobody calls you on the phone. Don't you feel like crying? Don't you feel like crying? Well, here I am honey. C'mon, cry to me. When you're all alone in your lonely room and there's nothing but the smell of her perfume, don't you feel like crying? Don't you feel like crying? C'mon. C'mon, cry to me." - Solomon Burke

* * *

By the next morning you were sitting up on your own, and by the afternoon your mind had cleared from the heavy fog. You were able to make it to the bathroom yourself by the evening, and that night you left the hospital to go and stay at the Avengers Compound where you'd be monitored during your recovery.

You hadn't seen what Harley was calling your "chip" yet, but you could hardly feel anything. Unless you physically reached behind you and felt the warm metal on your neck, you never would have known. It moved against your skin as if nothing but a tattoo, only made from an alien metal.

You were trying not to think about it.

Knowing that you were in good hands, your family left the next morning after saying their goodbyes. Your mom had offered to stay with you, but you promptly told her that you were in good hands and to get home. Though you would have appreciated a few more days with your family, you had a desperate need to get them out of the city should anything bad happen.

Felicia had delivered on her and Peter's end of the deal with Vulture for your antidote, and the morning after you almost died, Felicia had handed the detonator over.

That was something you were also trying not to think about.

Your room at the Compound was nice. It was the same size as the ones you'd seen - Peter's and Wanda's - and it was right next to Étienne's, so you had a familiar face close by. Peter had been busy, apparently, since you'd started to recover and you'd hardly seen him until you arrived at the Compound that evening.

"Y/N," Tony stood at the door with open arms which you walked right into. Your body was still a bit stiff and you couldn't walk long distances without being winded, but you felt a lot stronger than you had and you enjoyed feeling Tony's embrace.

"We're so grateful you're okay," he told you, rustling your hair, "You gave us a fright, kid."

"I know," you shrugged, "But I'm here now."

"That you are," Tony bopped your nose and you rolled your eyes.

At dinner you weirdly had a casual conversation with Captain America himself. You'd been in the Compound before and you'd chatted with some of the Avengers - hell, you'd baked cookies for them a few times. But it was still strange seeing them as regular people doing regular things.

You could tell that all of them sitting together having dinner wasn't the norm and probably a bit more formal than usual, but you appreciated the gesture as you watched them all interact.

As dinner was ending and Steve was helping you to stand and get to your room, you finally asked, "Where's Peter?"

Steve sighed while opening your door for you and standing in the doorway as you walked inside.

"Peter hasn't come back to the Compound since he and Tony fought. And after Peter cleared out all his stuff from Tony's labs ... I'm not really sure that Peter's welcome here."

"Oh," you nodded before sitting down on the edge of your bed, "I guess that would make sense. I forgot ..."

You forgot everything that had happened prior to your almost-demise. You'd forgotten the way Peter had broken up with you, yelled at Tony, and left everyone behind. The hours you'd spent wrapped in Peter's arms at the hospital now felt like a sick daydream that you couldn't quite shake.