Peter Problems

Long, windy roads ahead.

*AN It's been a while since I wrote, so this chapter may be a bit blocky, but I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it!*

Tony was pacing back and forth nearby, you could say it was to the point of placing indents to the floors, but he didn't care, his heart rate was through the roof as he waited for news on Peter, to the point where he was ignoring F.R.I.D.A.Y's signals to tell him to sit down and take a breather. He couldn't help but blame himself again, second guessing his decisions to let Peter have a bit of space, but yet, he couldn't even be in the same room as the others, he didn't want to make them feel just as worried as he did, especially as they all had their own "quirks" to help keep themselves calm. Thoughts were rushing through his head, thinking was it right to put Peter into a place where there were so many other people present, but then through the use of his grounding techniques, he pushed the negative thoughts away, at least for now. 

As per usual, every second felt like a minute, and every minute an hour. Tony started to become more and more restless, to the point of Banner sending him out of the room. Banner knew that if Tony was in the room now Peter was waking back up, he was likely to freak out and cause more issues than what was needed at the time. Whilst Tony didn't like the idea of this, he chose to accept Bruce's wishes, whilst also letting out a grumble as he went back into his workspace, getting some fresh air was best for him, or he would've likely have lost his temper on Peter, not because he was angry, but because he cared. 

****

"He's stable". 

Bruce spoke softly towards the two teens who were anxiously waiting an update. Whilst Bruce wanted to run around like a headless chicken to try and find Tony to update him on Peter's condition, he also knew that Peter himself was the main priority, at least for now. He made sure that all his equipment was restocked, just in case there was another emergency. Every so often, he'd take a glance at peter, and peter's eyes would gaze at his, that spark that the two had when they first met, completely gone, and instead replaced with darkness, like there was no end.

Both teens sprinted to Peter's side, trying to hold back the tears as they spoke.

"I'm so glad you're okay" MJ paused, before continuing to speak "Sorry, we're so glad you're okay", she said with a smile on her face, looking towards Ned who also had a smile on his face, a smile that felt like sunshine in the rain as the two came in, leaning in for a group hug. Peter's frail body needing all the warmth he could get as he started on the road to recovery. Whilst the two couldn't understand what was going on in Peter's mind, they both knew all they could do was be there for him, be patient and understanding, be loving and caring, be the support he craved, as much as he wanted to push them away knowing he was a burden, or at least, that's what he thought.

Bruce left the trio to catch up, but he knew he had to speak to Peter afterwards, he didn't want to leave Peter without an adult, but he himself hadn't taken a break in hours, so he decided to grab a quick bite to eat from the kitchen whilst he had a chance. After all, he completely understood that they needed their time too, reading their body language was enough, he could read them like a book, it was a talent of his. Of course whilst standing still, he still had to twiddle his thumbs, it was a gentle coping mechanism of his, especially as he hated standing still, he always had to keep his mind busy, which was why him and Tony got on so well, or as Tony enjoyed to describe it, like a house on fire. 

As he entered the kitchen, it was like he had thousands of eyes on him, okay that was a bit dramatic, but at least three quarters of the tower had all gathered waiting for news on Peter. Hawkeye eating his half burnt pop tarts, Natasha fiddling with a rubix cube she found on the counter side, Steve watching the time on his clock as he tapped his foot on the floor and of course Thor arm wrestling with Loki, but still having his full attention on Banner as he flexed his biceps, 

"I've explained to the teens that he's stable, but he's got a long road to recovery ahead, as some of you know, he may relapse at any time, which is why it's so important that we all take turns in looking after him, and when Stark is back, I will explain the same thing to him"

One by one, each of the hero's nodded. They respected Peter's privacy for now, but all felt he was one of the family now, a close member who needed to be protected at all costs, not just because of his super powers, but also because of loosing the one he was closest to so abruptly. Before they all knew it, Tony was back, but this time, rather than being his typical confident, cocky self, he instead did a quick nod to everyone, as he rushed towards the room he knew that Peter was resting in.

****

"Peter!" Tony yelled, F.R.I.D.A.Y had made him aware that he was stable, and that he had been treated through a drip, but all he wanted to do was give him one large hug. Tears rolled down his face, his hands sweaty, his baggy trousers so dirty you couldn't even tell what brand they were, or even how long he was wearing them for. 

Peter turned looking shocked to see how quick Tony was to be by his side, he spoke slowly, his voice quiet, making short abrupt sentences, rather than trying to continue the conversation. "Oh, hey Mr Stark", he paused twiddling his thumbs, like Banner did, at times he felt like a lost lamb just trying to find it's way back into the flock as he picked up other Avenger's mannerisms. 

"What happened? I thought you were getting better?!" Tony spoke abruptly, he knew he had to be to the point or the kid wouldn't listen. 

"I...I don't know. It just kind of happened?" Peter responded, looking down to the floor, he felt like he was in trouble, like he was being interviewed, under pressure, all it took was a quick glance to notice the disappointment on Tony's face, he felt like he couldn't justify his reasonings, so instead stuttered, trying to hide under the many pillows Bruce had given him for comfort. 

Tony shook his head, before signalling for the two teens to leave the room, this was a conversation in which he knew the two would only get more overwhelmed and stressed by. "Listen kid, you can't go about doing things like this, we're built on trust, and whilst I know, I'm not here all the time, do you know how many people you have around you? People who care. People who worry about you. Banner could go grey with the amount of stress that he's been under recently". What Tony didn't realise was that when he was being firm, he was only causing Peter to panic more as his hands started to shake. 

Bruce stepped in before anything else could be said. He made the two have some space, before giving Tony a strong lecture stating that he was dealing with it, and that Tony was only making things worse. The two stepped out of the room, leaving Nat to go in and watch the trio, putting on a film to cancel out all the noise that was to follow, all of them oblivious to the tension between Bruce and Tony as they continued to heighten the tension from elsewhere. 

"Listen Stark, I get it, you're angry, you're frustrated, you're stressed, but you can't take it out on the kid, what you don't realise is his mind is split into thousands of different pieces, and whilst he feels like he has so many people he can talk to, in his mind, he always..." Bruce paused for a minute, he didn't want anything else to slip out. 

"Bruce, this isn't about you. It never is. He's MY kid, and you're not just going to stand around like a fucking lemon all the time, acting like you know better than I do, you're just A. pathetic, little scientist" Tony huffed, poking and prodding Banner not realising he was pushing his buttons to the point of Banner not being able to cope. He never swore, in fact, he didn't even realise what was going on in his head, he just spoke words, not realising the consequences. 

"He's our kid" Bruce shouted, his veins popping out of his neck, his heart rate starting to increase as his arms started to tint green. He knew this was it. He had to go and calm down, he had to go and decompress. He had to go and cry. To let out his feelings before they became too much. His glasses smashing in the process due to the pure strength he'd created from clenching his fists with anger. 

"Oh yeah, that's right, you go and hide like you normally do, typical wussy Banner" Tony huffed, quickly avoiding the high amount of objects being thrown his way, from books, to even the cupboard they were standing upon. Glass smashed, causing a slight cut to his cheek, but nothing a few small stitches could heal up. The two continued to cry, the tension being so high it could cut a piece of paper into several pieces, neither of them knowing when to stop, that was until Bruce locked himself into his room tears continuing to flow down his face, enough to create a waterfall.

And then there was silence.

(WORD COUNT 16,681)