Flower Child (Peter Parker, MCU)

Fury, Interrupted

Kollage — Carly Rae Jepsen

It was an unspoken decision on behalf of the teachers that everyone would spend the evening in the hotel. Parents and guardians were called by everyone, citing their safety and wanting to continue with the trip. About half of the group had canal water dripping on their clothing and scrapes from falling debris but otherwise, no one was harmed.

Lila was the most drenched out of all of them, and the most injured. The scrape on her arm was the worst of it by far, but it wouldn't require stitches of any kind. Michelle saw to her cut immediately, but suggested she shower before bandaging. One sniff of her clothes and Lila agreed: a shower was the first thing she needed. She called her dad (somehow her phone had entirely escaped a watery doom) as she trudged up the stairs and assured him that she was completely fine. And aside from the enormous water monster that tore its way through Venice, Lila was actually having a good trip.

She sent a similar text assuring her good health and spirits to Harry, who simply liked the message and sent a gif of the rat from Flushed Away falling into a toilet. She laughed and opened her chat to Sophie, asking about if the strange figure who helped today was one Stark Industries was aware of.

Lila debated if it was worth keeping the clothes she wore today, as she would have to carry them around the entire trip unwashed and definitely smelling like canal water. Seeing the tear in her blouse stained with blood sealed the decision, and her phone buzzed right as she threw the clothing in the trash.

You know the company I work for does not have a superhero division, right?

But no, we have zero clue who this guy could be. Glad you're safe, Phish Food, this does not exempt you from getting my souvenirs. Xo.

Lila sighed and hopped into the shower, scrubbing every inch of herself down with the small soap bar the hotel provided. It was entirely used up by the time she'd finished, and she quickly got dressed in her pajamas before throwing her shoes on and heading back downstairs to the rest of the group. They were scattered around the lobby still, and those not getting checked over by the teachers were either glued to the news broadcast playing in the corner or their own personal devices.

Peter was behind the staircase, talking on his phone in a hushed voice likely to his aunt, filling her in on what really happened. Ned and Betty were seated next to each other, staring at their respective screens. MJ was seated on the stairs, and Lila sat down next to her. The former had been waiting for her, she pulled out a small plate of food the hotel had provided: some bread, cheese and fruit neatly piled on and she handed it over to Lila.

Lila gratefully accepted, and dug into the cheese and fruit ravenously. She didn't even realize the taste of canal water was still in her mouth until it was quelled by the deliciously fresh food she ate. She also saw Michelle pull out a couple medical supplies, and smiled gratefully at her friend. Lifting the sleeve of her left arm, she let Michelle tend to her cut, hardly wincing as she sterilized it.

"You sure you're okay?" MJ asked quietly.

Lila set her plate to the side, the food already gone. "Yeah, it's okay. I've definitely had worse."

Michelle raised an eyebrow, her expression turning suspicious. "Have you?"

"It's aliens," Ned's voice interrupted them, giving Lila a brief respite. "It has to be."

Flash, who stood at the base of the stairs, moved closer to him, staring down at his phone screen. "BuzzFeed says there's a sailor named Morris Bench, who was exposed to an experimental underwater generator and got hydro powers."

"Yeah," Michelle said flatly, "You should definitely believe everything you read on the internet." She finished securing Lila's bandage, and Lila rested her head on her friend's shoulder. MJ let her, not caring that her friend's hair was still wet.