Lost Soldiers (Avengers Fan Fiction #3)

Chapter 5

I rubbed my eyes as I stepped out of the steam filled bathroom into the guest room. Steve was probably going to come in to sleep at any minute, so I quickly brushed my wet hair and got out of there. I didn't want to face him for another few hours. I barely made it halfway down the hallway before Peter found me.

Peter walked beside me and tried to calm his unsteady breathing. He was nervous. Too easy to tell. "This might not be the time to bring this up..."

I replied bitterly, "You're right. It's not."

He followed closely next to me, matching my pace. Peter put his hand out in defense and raised it slightly, "Hear me out, alright? Don't get sassy with me just yet."

I rolled my eyes and agreed, "Fine. I'll keep quiet until I hear something I don't like." I just needed to wind down. I have been stressing all this time, putting all of the guilt, hate, and more on myself. After the stunt I pulled in the training room, it's making people question my motives and how well I'll work with the team.

"So, I was in the lab and I was thinking...a while back, an old mentor of mine worked with reptiles. He tried to create a serum to replicate the reptile's genetics so he could grow his arm back. That didn't work out too well. Clearly." He paused, combing his hand through his hair and licking his lips nervously. "If I could just come up with a way to examine and study the way your powers work, then maybe..."

I cut him off immediately, "No." This kid was insane if he thought I would allow something like that to happen. Being this way had its perks, but it did have its downsides.

"You aren't even listening to me," Peter cried out in frustration. His face was overcome with stress and utter sadness. His lip twitched slightly and he lowered his hand to his side.

"You don't want my powers, Peter. It's helpful with what we do, but it's a curse overall." I fluffed my wet hair out and rubbed the back of my neck. I understood where he was coming from, but it won't work.

Peter began, "But, just..."

I interrupted him and kept walking, "The answer is no."

Peter stopped and watched me for a second. His brow furrowed and the twitch in his lip morphed into a quiver. He yelled in defeat, "I just want my arm back!" I stopped and turned around to face him. His voice shook and broke in a few spots as he tried to hold himself together. "I lost my arm...I want it back. I can't keep acting like I'm okay with this. I'm freaking out inside. It takes all of the power within me to keep from hyperventilating. The pain..." Peter paused and sniffled, blinking a few times to keep the tears back. "I can still feel it there, but then I look down, and it's..." He stopped and shook his head. "You know what? Forget I even asked."

Peter turned around and walked away. The pain finally hit him. He finally had to come to terms with the loss of his arm. I felt terrible denying him from using my powers to benefit him, but I just didn't want him to go through what I have to. Immortality would not have a good toll on him. I called to him, "Peter, wait."

Peter turned around and walked towards me, his feet stomping on the floor. His face contorted in anger, his brown eyes full of pain. "Why? So you can say more of my ideas are stupid? Are not worth it? Because what I am going through right now doesn't matter?"

I was shocked. Did he really think I didn't care about him and his emotions? That I was that inconsiderate? Heartless? "It does matter! It's just..."

He took the opportunity to cut me off this time, "Just what? I'm not good enough for it?"

"No! If you copy my powers, we don't know how much you'll copy. You could end up with all of them. This life...you'll end up living forever."

"And why is that such a bad thing? At least I'd have all my limbs and be able to save people for the rest of my life!" Peter cried out and rubbed his temple. This argument caused a headache to form.