There's A Spark

Part 30: help for sherlock holmes

*I'm really bad at naming chapters haha, enjoy!*

Peter literally stayed in that same position for hours and she still didn't show any sign of waking. A few tears fell down his face at the thought that she wouldn't open her eyes ever again.
"I  thought I could protect you, if I just stayed close to you. But I've failed you again." he sniffled, trying to stop the rebellious tears from falling. "I know I don't deserve it but I hope you can forgive me. I uhm." a shuddering breath and saddened chuckle left his lips. "I love you Y/N. And I was so stupid to think I could stay away from you." He raised her hand that was still in both of his to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss and keeping it there. "Please wake up." a sob managed to escape him but he didn't care at this point. Unlike in the romantic drama movies she supposedly ironically liked, she did not wake up with his words, she didn't wake to tell him she loved him back and that she wouldn't leave. She didn't wake for days, not even for a moment, he would have known if she did. 

"Come on kid, you need some sleep too." Peter had sat himself on the couch that he subtly scooted closer to her bed, but he hadn't slept a wink. He would read a comic or scroll through his phone to distract himself but had no idea what he had actually been reading, the days had started bleeding into one another and he barely noticed that sleep was an option. "I'll wake you up if she does." Tony oddly understood what Peter was feeling. It was the same way he had felt, but he knew Y/N would get through this now that they had been able to extract the organisms.

Peter nodded in agreement, laying himself down on the couch, and Tony took a seat on the stool next to her bed. He thought about the past days. They had freed Y/N out of their grasp but were no closer to finding who was behind it and what they were after, what the purpose of these children was, apart from killing everyone. If there even was another reason. Thor thought it was revenge on Odin, for refusing the inhabitants of their planet refuge. However Tony wondered why Odin would even care about them destroying earth. He hadn't cared before.

"Hey sparkle," Tony started talking to her, just like Peter had done before, just like he had done every day. "We're getting closer to figuring this stuff out. I know you would laugh at me, saying you already had it figured out a long time ago." He chuckled to himself. She'd often do that with any kind of puzzle, mystery or movie, but she'd never tell him saying he needed to figure it out himself. He thought of those moments and smiled. "How bout you help me out this time huh."

As he spoke he noticed movement from his peripheral. His eyes snapped to the movement, his eyes now on her left hand that lay flat on the white sheets, her fingers straight and tensed. Slowly the white under her hand stained red, the burgundy substance seeping further from her fingers in a seemingly random fashion. Tony's eyes grew wide to an extent that would be thought impossible. His hand quickly but carefully picked up hers by the wrist. However looking over every inch, every pore, every crevasse of her hand, he didn't find a drop of blood or even a scrape.

He ran to the door, waking Peter in the process, calling out Bruce's name as loud as he could. Peter rushed back to the bed that he had barely let out of his sight and soon Bruce ran in a worried rush along with Clint, Natasha and Shuri, the other Avengers having already left to keep the world safe. 

"What happened?" Clint asked, Bruce and Shuri reflexively having gone to check her vitals on the screen. 

"I, I don't know." Tony muttered, his hands stuck in his hair, his breath quickened and eyes still wide. He hadn't stopped staring at the stain turning darker red by the moment as it dried. "I was talking to her and then" He didn't finish his sentence. It obviously wasn't blood. Was it? If it were, he would have found a wound. Right?

Clint stepped closer staring at the space on the bed as intently has Tony had, Y/N hand hanging unscathed next to it. His eyes went from wide to squinting before turning to realization. "What were you saying when it happened?" 

"Y/N's fine, she's actually showing signs of improvement, what exactly happened?" Bruce spoke, not having listened to what they were saying in his hurry. Tony felt a wave of relief and answered Clint. "I asked her to help us."

Clint thought for another moment, digging through the memories in his mind. "Okey, tell me I'm not crazy, do you see anything in that?" By this time Bruce and Shuri had joined them, staring at what was happening before them in confusion. Tony shot up, fuming. "What am I supposed to say, a butterfly. This isn't a fucking Rorschach test, this is my daughter who could be hurting!" Clint didn't take mind of his outburst, his demeanor and voice still calm as he spoke. "What if it is. You wanted her to help, she's helping. What do you see?"

They all stared at it for a while, mostly thinking that answering might be inappropriate or childish at the moment. "A moth?" Shuri wondered, but Bruce shook his head.
"I kind of see a cape, like red riding hood." he spoke, to which Clint's arms shot up. "Of course! It's a hood! maybe." Clint walked out, followed by the others, so determined to get to the bottom of this no one had given a second glance at the worried boy that had taken back his seat next to her bed.

*I really wasn't sure where I wanted to go after the last chapter, but I'm glad with the way it turned out. What do you think so far?*