The World I Knew [Discontinued]

Recognition and Contribution

It didn't take long for them to get to the gate, Peter striding as confidently as possible beside Tony, the Iron Spider suit already clasped around him.

Peter wasn't expecting the horde of people waiting for them, and nor was he expecting them to be so quiet, mostly because they were a hundred strong, and it was impossible to get people to stop talking.

They all stared at him, specifically, and some of their eyes started to shine with tears, others going wide.

He cleared his throat. "Uh... hi."

One woman, with a four-year-old practically hanging from her arm was the first to step forward. She was one of the people who had tears in their eyes. "Hi. Um, my name is Susan, and, um..." her breath shook, "I-I want to thank you for saving my son."

Peter looked down at her son, confused. He didn't... really... remember saving a four year old with black hair, and a sharp nose.

When Susan saw his confusion, she quickly explained. "He had cancer before the infection spread, and... you gave him another chance. His cancer is gone now, because of you."

Peter swallowed. "Um, ma'am, I don't know if I can take credit for that. I didn't really know what was going to happen, I just... I got it started, but I wasn't able to finish it." His hands tightened into fists as he thought about his failure.

He was surprised when she grabbed him in a hug, his breath catching.

"I don't care," she said, face digging into his shoulder. "You saved him, regardless of how you did it."

Peter glanced at Tony for help, who nodded slightly, encouraging him to hesitantly wrap his own arms around her, minding the kid that decided to cling to his leg.

Apparently, it was Surprise Spider-Man Day, because Peter found himself surprised once again by the entire crowd molding around him, crushing him in a huge hug that he wasn't sure he was comfortable with. He made sure to keep the kid safe from being crushed or trampled, but otherwise did his best to keep still and just breathe, because frankly, being crushed by a hundred people in a hug was a little overwhelming.

*Ahem*

Uh... that was an understatement.

And then again, he was surprised when arms swept under his legs, drawing a yelp from him as everyone started cheering loudly, simultaneously, tossing him up in the air, then catching him, then repeating until he was nauseous, and was fairly sure he'd throw up, especially with the pain that radiated from his scars when his back landed in just the right spot on someone's hands, before being tossed up again.

"Ha, haha! Okay, y-you guys, I—oof!--p-put me down, guys--I--oh gosh--I'm gonna--guys, I'mgunnabesick--"

"Okay! Okay! That's enough!" Tony's voice cut through, until Peter was dropped on his feet, leaving him dizzy and unable to tell where up and down was.

He stumbled into someone's arms, biting back a groan and swallowing harshly to try and quell the nausea rising in his throat. They patted his arm,

"You alright Spidey?" Tony's voice asked, hovering over him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," Peter grunted, trying to straighten up, only to have the blood rush into his head. "I just don't get to crowd-surf every day." Bile rose in his throat, and he gagged, trying to swallow it back down. "Um, Mr. Stark?"

"Wait, wait!" said someone, a guy shoving through the crowd to get to them. "We've got gifts for you!"

Before he could blink, Peter had a stuffed bear being shoved into his arms. It was fluffy, and pale yellow, and about the size of from his chin, to his knees.