Not So Friendly Anymore

Chapter 23: Healing, Reuniting, and Planning

(Hey everyone I hope everyone is doin well, Sorry this chapter took a while, I've been busy as the space marine 2 update came out and marvel rivals was released.

So yeah, those two have taken up most of my free time.

Sorry for the wait hope you enjoy the chapter. Merry Christmas 🎄)

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The embassy was unnaturally quiet, save for the soft hum of distant voices and muted footsteps in the halls. The light cast long shadows across the room where Peter sat, utterly still, his gaze fixed on nothing at all. He was perched on the edge of the bed, shoulders hunched, arms limp at his sides, like the weight of everything was holding him down.

Silver Sable stood a few feet away, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, watching him with worried eyes. She had tried everything, soft words, steady touches, even just sitting in silence beside him. But Peter hadn't spoken. He hadn't moved. He was trapped in whatever storm raged in his mind, and it terrified her to see him like this.

So she called for help.

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Susan Storm arrived first, stepping through the embassy doors with quiet determination. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, her expression unreadable, though her eyes betrayed the heavy worry she carried. Behind her followed Franklin and Valeria, two small figures who moved with a shared sense of unease, though Franklin's face was clouded with concern while Valeria's was carefully composed.

"Where is he?" Susan asked softly as Sable met them in the hallway.

Sable didn't answer right away. She only turned on her heel, leading them through the quiet halls, each step echoing faintly against the polished floors. When they reached the door, Sable paused for a moment, looking back at Susan. There were no words to prepare her, so Sable simply pushed the door open.

Inside, Peter sat exactly as she had left him, still, quiet, small.

Susan's heart cracked at the sight. 'This isn't Peter,' she thought. The boy she knew, the man she loved, was someone who always found a way to stand up, to keep going, no matter what the world threw at him. He was strong. He was resilient. And yet here he was... shattered.

Franklin and Valeria exchanged a look, and without hesitation, they both stepped forward.

Valeria, the more confident of the two, knelt down in front of him first. She placed her tiny hand on his knee, the touch gentle but grounding. "Hi, Dad," she whispered softly, her voice barely audible. "We're here."

Peter didn't move at first.

Franklin followed her lead, stepping up to Peter's side and placing his small hand on Peter's arm. "Dad?" Franklin said, his voice trembling, but full of love. "It's us."

For a long moment, there was nothing, just silence and the faintest movement of Peter's uneven breathing. But then, something shifted. His head rose a fraction of an inch, and his gaze moved, slowly, haltingly, toward the two children in front of him. His eyes were hollow, rimmed with red, but they blinked now, as if struggling to see through the fog.

"...You two..." His voice broke, raw and hoarse, like it hadn't been used in hours.

Franklin nodded, offering a small, shaky smile. "Yeah, Dad. We're here."

Something in Peter cracked then, a choked noise escaping his throat. He didn't even realize he was reaching for them until Franklin and Valeria were already climbing onto the bed. The moment they wrapped their arms around him, Peter broke, clinging to them like they were the only things keeping him from shattering entirely.