𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐆𝐄 . [peter parker]¹ ✓

viii.

𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵: 1,010

he was silent the whole bus ride home. he ignored the messages and calls blowing up his phone, simply taking guinevere's spot by the window and not giving anyone near him the time of day.

quinevere was concerned for colin, having already texted his father about what was happening since colin refused to function like a human being.

any good and happy feeling colin had previously for peter was gone that very second when liz's life became more important to colin. and he doesn't know why it took all that time for him to realize how much he doesn't matter to peter.

colin hates himself for ever thinking that something could've happened between them and that he wasted so much of his time pining for someone who would've let him die for a girl.

he ignored the tears that fell down his face and pretended that the arachnid who sat behind him didn't exist. if he saw peter in the window reflection watching him, he didn't acknowledge it.

heartache doesn't prepare you for a moment like this. where every part of you that made you human, was gone in an instant, leaving only a shell of who you once were. and colin didn't have his usual support team around to help him get himself back.

———

colin watched all the families reunite, a sad smile on his face. he was completely broken to the point where he didn't feel a thing when he realized he was going to be walking home.

"colin?" the stark turned to may, who had hugged him tight just like she did to her nephew a few moments ago. "are you okay? are you hurt?" she questioned, pulling back to put her hands on his cheeks, checking him over for injuries.

"i'm fine, aunt may," he reassured, but the tone of his voice betrayed him. may's look of sympathy made colin slightly mad. he didn't need sympathy, he just needed somebody to understand.

"is your father or pepper here?" may asked, looking around for his father and pepper.

"yeah, they parked up the street so nobody would see them. i'm meeting them now." colin lied, giving may a soft smile before departing, not once looking in peter's direction.

———

even when he arrived home, he ignored everyone that passed him. once in his room, he slammed the door, locked it, and flopped onto his bed, dreading having to go to school after everything.

but alas life moves on in the most horrible ways for him, and he has to suck it up and pretend as if nothing happened and that he was okay. it's his greatest feat, making everyone believe that he was happy and truly okay.

arriving at school and hearing everyone praise spider-man, made it twenty times harder for colin to keep up his "happy act". he guessed nobody realized that he had almost died, and most parts of him had wished he had gone down with the elevator.

as he walked down the school halls, already late for his class, he laughed. watching peter finally get in trouble for the stunts he's pulled has lightened his mood. not by much, but enough to keep his act going.

peter gave him a look of hurt as if colin shouldn't laugh at his misfortune. "sucks to suck parker, maybe you shouldn't have ditched us." colin spoke as he hit peter's shoulder in passing, his last two words having a second meaning that only the two would know of. "be lucky i didn't say anything to my father."

those were their last exchanged words as they went their separate ways.

———

colin bopped his head to the music that f.r.i.d.a.y played for him, ignoring his father who had walked into his room. colin casually muttered the lyrics to the song as he filled out his ap algebra work.

"i heard you scream in' that you want me dead, is that what the voice says inside of your head?" his mini concert was cut off when the music stopped due to his father. groaning, he softly slammed his pencil down before looking up. "seriously?"

"uh, yeah, seriously. you're ignoring me and the song was beginning to become depressing." tony said sarcastically as he moved to sit next to colin on the bed. "what's wrong?"

"what do you mean? i'm fine."

"kid, i raised you, i know when you're not okay. you can't hide that from me anymore." tony retorted, giving colin a look that screamed 'fess up'.

"it's stupid." colin muttered, looking down at his fidgeting hands that sat on his lap.

"nothing is stupid, babes, just tell me." colin sighed, before finally giving in. he couldn't keep everything away from his father. his powers, sure. his feelings? never.

"it's peter. he uh, hurt me. really badly dad and i'm scared." colin confessed, the waterworks already making its show which only pissed colin off. he hates crying, and he tries not to. tony kept silent so colin can finish his thoughts. that was one thing between the two, tony would be silent and comfort colin until he said he was done talking.

"we were at the washington monument, peter had disappeared and we won without him. then that whole thing happened with the elevator. but, uh, i don't know if everyone was just oblivious or whatever but nobody noticed me." taking a breath from his crying in between, tony wiped the tears, urging him to continue. "he didn't save me dad. he was gonna let me die. i didn't want to die. when the elevator finally fell for one last time, i sprung into action and saved myself once i realized that peter wasn't going to catch me. he'd rather save some stupid senior girl he is suddenly obsessed with than me."

colin fell into his father, his act broken and shattered all because of tony's love. tony shushed colin as he rocked him, calming him down. tony's one hand carded through his son's hair and the other rubbed his back.

"it'll be okay bambino, everything will be okay."