𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐄, peter parker

nine - phone calls

oo. NINE

AS IT TURNED OUT, NADINE DIDN'T CALL MARGOT TOMORROW. Or the day after that, even. Despite having Peter's encouragement, she just couldn't face them, couldn't risk the idea that they could express their anger, and decide that they could no longer be friends.

And Nadine knew Margot, of course she did, and yes them saying or even thinking that would be nothing like them, but... even then, she couldn't confirm that without talking to them and therein lies her problem.

So, Nadine decided that she would take some more time.

Who cares if she spent most of that time in her room, trying — and mostly failing — to keep her tears at bay.

Everything was just too much, at the moment, and if Nadine felt like if she even laid eyes on her friends then she'd explode. The last thing she'd ever wanted to do was hurt them, or disappoint them, but in that moment at OSCORP, she'd let her fear get the best of her.

Not that anyone could blame her, really.

Peter surely didn't — in fact, he'd been the one to actually understand how she felt. He understood how terrifying it was to look a man-turned-reptile in the eyes, and not know if he was going to kill you, or let you live.

Nadine had seen Peter when the Lizard had tried the former, she remembered the gashes carved into his chest, from that night. She remembered the way blood had dripped from his torso, and she even remembered wiping it from her bathroom counter, too.

She didn't like remembering, all that much.

But sometimes, it was impossible.

That much was clear when she woke up for the second time that night, her subconscious mind playing vivid visions of what could have happened had she taken the antidote to Peter, instead.

It usually ended with a phantom pain that had never existed, claw marks dug through her chest, tearing apart the little wisps of her soul.

Despite having experienced many nightmares before, Nadine didn't think that climbing into her mother's bed would have the same effect — and her brother wasn't around to reassure her, either.

Which left her with another option.

    "Nadine?" questioned Peter, his voice scratchy with disturbed sleep, she could hear him suppressing his yawn, "Are you okay?"

He was alert — which, had it been anyone else, would have been weird, but given his... other identity, Nadine figured that it was probably valid. She could understand why he would worry, especially considering the fact that she knew about his mask.

    "Yeah, I'm okay." she paused, unsure what she could say next.

    "Nadine?" repeated Peter, and she could almost visualise the furrow of his brow in her head.

    "I'm sorry, Pete, I don't know why— why I—" she cut herself off, putting her head between her knees and breathing deeply, doing her best to calm down.

    "I'm on my way." announced Peter, putting his suit on. Nadine just barely heard him pulling his mask on, and his next words were muffled. "Do you want me to stay on the phone?"

    "Wh— no, concentrate on swinging, idiot!" scolded Nadine, keeping the relief out of her voice as she heard his bedroom window slide open.

    "Okay, okay, I'll be there in ten, alright? Make sure your window is unlocked." he added, a laugh pausing just before it could escape.