Bruised But Not Broken - Irondad/spiderson

This is not good

No more messages came through. Sunday morning, I woke up at Ned's house. Mrs Leeds offered me breakfast as I packed Little Guy into my bag and everything else I poured onto my friend's desk.

"No, thank you, Mrs Leeds; I'll grab something on my way home", I kindly reply.

 I have been eating way too much lately, and without being at the tower, it's my chance to get back into my self-hate-fueled destruction.

I said my goodbyes to Ned and reminded him to keep my secret safe. " Ned, I mean it, you can tell no one!" I called out, walking out his door.

The streets had already started to warm, and people were crowding and pushing as they walked along the sidewalk, staring down at their phones. Horns blared through the city, and men yelling filled my ears; I kept my head low and walked back home. Ned doesn't live far from my apartment, so the walk isn't bad. I liked walking; while some things are loud and destructive, like the horns and yelling, the city has lots of peace. Kid playing hopscotch on the path as their parents sit on the front steps of their homes watching, laughing. The colourful flowers in window boxes and the warm sun beaming down on a cold winter day.

My apartment building was pretty bland, but I could tell what window Aunt Mays was looking up. She had the only window with a flower bed blooming beautiful white and pink flowers; I think she even has mint and thyme growing. Climbing up the familiar stairs, I recheck my phone, nothing. I left Mr Stark on read and feel really guilty about it. But I needed help fixing this. No text would help. I'm done with the internship; I can't face Mr Stark when he knows I'm some kid vigilante who obviously failed and got shot on a simple task that I should have been able to deal with on my own. I'm supposed to be strong, but I'm weak. A failure. I walk through the door to my apartment and hear Aunt May bustling between her bedroom and the bathroom; she sounds like she's in a rush, so she's already late for work.

"Pete! Hey honey!"

"Hey, Aunt May. Are you late for work?" I questioned

"Yeah, Bud, I'm sorry. I'll be home tomorrow morning to drive you to school, though." She quickly said before grabbing her handbag, kissing my forehead and speeding out the door.

The apartment went quiet. The only sound was the rattling of the window lock in my room, which echoed through the hallway. I hesitated momentarily, taking in the stillness, before heading to my room. Once inside, I jumped into bed and pulled my hood up, seeking comfort and security. As I watched movies on my phone, the world around me seemed to grow darker, as if the shade of life had been turned down. The feeling was fuzzy and numb, and I couldn't ignore the pain in my body from not eating and being shot. It made it hard to sit comfortably as I watched Star Wars. Eventually, I switched off my phone and tried to sleep it off.

I lay on my side, staring at the wall as the sun slowly sank lower and lower, casting a darker hue in my room. The silence persisted, making me feel as if I were trapped in a vacuum, alone with my thoughts and my pain. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I drifted off to sleep, still feeling the weight of the week's events on my shoulders.

"PETER! GET UP RIGHT NOW!" Aunt May shouted, throwing a pillow at my head from the doorway.

 I swear I just got myself to sleep. Looking around, I see the bright light from the morning sun pouring onto the wood floor. Shit! I'm so already late for school.