Heart and Heroics ›› Peter Parker [1] #Wattys2017

21- Great Responsibility

We have responsibilities. All of us. As a teenager, we don't quite yet carry as much as adults. But it feels like we do.
Sometimes the things we face cause pain to us on the inside, where no one can see it. Sometimes it seems that the only people that understand us, are the people who know what its like to witness the same problems.

I stare down at my mask in my fingerless gloved hands. The breeze blows my dark brown hair, as I dangle my legs off the side of a building. The noise of the city below is lost in the wind.

"You probably should put your mask back on before someone sees you," a voice behind me says.
I pivot a little, "hey Peter."
"Thinking?" He comes to sit next to me.
"Yeah. Thinking."
"About what?"
"The things I have to deal with. School. My family. My life in general."
"That's deep. You having trouble?"
"Are you?"
Peter waits for a long time, and says nothing. Then says, "Yes, I am. But I got May to help me, but she doesn't know I'm Spider-Man, obviously. I've got Ned and Mr. Stark, but they don't understand me as much as... You know..."
"What?"
He's not telling me something. "Ah, its nothing."
"Oookay."

A gust of wind blows in and blows my hair like a hurricane, and I shield my eyes from the sunlight, coming from its hiding place behind the white clouds.

"If you have any other problems, you can talk to me," Peter says, looking at me.
"Its hard to have a conversation with you when you hide your face," I said.
He removes his mask, "better?"
"Yeah. Better. I will talk to you if I have anything wrong. But I'm fine. I've never been the type of person who shares their feelings. I kind of think its pointless. I'd be happy to talk to you though."
"Well, that's good. I keep some stuff to myself too," he adds.
We sit in silence.
"I think I better get going. I've got homework still."
"I've got to go too. May'll be wondering where I am. Bye 'Tense." Peter pulls on his mask again, and leaps off the rooftop.

                              🕷🕷🕷
"Hey, Mom, I'm home." I close the door to my house, and take off my shoes.
"How was school, Fi-fi?" Mom's helping Ethan with his homework.
"Okay, I guess. Boring, and I'm tired."
"So, the usual?"
"Yeah," I place my backpack against the table, and sit down across from my little brother.
Ethan looks up at me, "Are you going to spend four hours doing homework?"
"It depends. You're lucky, you doing get this much work."
" 'Cause I'm smart, and you're not," my brat of a brother says. Mom gives him a little smack upside the head. "Ow!"
"Be nice," Mom warns him. "Do your work, and don't talk to one another."
Ethan huffs as a reply, and scribbles down his answers.
"You're turning ten in a few weeks," I bring up another subject.
"Fiona," Mom says, walking into the kitchen, "I told you not to talk to him."
"Yeah, and I'm going to be a double digit," Ethan boasts, ignoring her.
"You're almost as tall as me," I smile slightly.
"Then I'll be taller and kick your butt," Ethan laughs manically, in his stupid way.
"Aaand now, I'm regretting this conversation."

After I finish my homework, I walk over to June's house, who lives next-door.
I knock in the wooden fence, "June, you there?"
"Yeah," my friend appears on top is the barrier. "Painfully. Yes."
"Then jump down."
My agile bestie hops onto the ground. "No matter how long I perch there, it still hurts like--"
"Language."
June rolls her eyes, "Again with the phrase."
"What I do best."
"Is it copyrighted?"

I think for a moment. One of Cap's catchphrases isn't copyrighted, in fact, none of them are.
"No."
"Could've fooled me. What do you plan on doing tomorrow?"
"Nothing much."



                              🕷🕷🕷
That was a lie.

Today, I'm now surrounded by falling debris. After a crane, from a construction site,  crashes its hook through the top on a building.
Peter couldn't get here fast enough, so I'm doing the best I can to clear out civilians.
"Run! Go!" I try to hustle the people away from the collapsing rubble.

I spot a chunk of concrete heading for a mother and her baby, and fly over to them. I catch the piece of debris, just as its about to hit them. I grit my teeth as I get impacted.
I throw the piece away, and turn to face the woman. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, thank you," she says grinning in relief.
"Get to safety."
She runs off through the crowd, of some bystanders.

I whirl around to the building. There's a shower of cement coming down for a small group of civilians. I fly over like a rocket, and shield them. The wind blowing doesn't help, as the harmful fragments rain down.

I then remember, in that moment, the worst time, that I'm supposed to be watching my little brother for my mom and dad. They went to get something from a nearby shop, and I forgot.
"Crap," I mutter.

I feel the bits of cement, melt onto my face, as droplets of water fall from the forming clouds above. Still the dust hasn't cleared; and I can hear the creaking of the crane. Its going to fall.

I strain to locate it, as the cement stops its pelting.
Then I can hear someone yell out, "Ethan!" It sounds like my mom, but I'm denying it.
I snap to attention, in panic. I mentally keep on repeating, please don't by my brother.
The rain comes down hard, and my hair is plastered to my head. I glance around, and then I find him. Under the crane.
My little brother I  shortly left unattended for a few minutes. But that's all it took for something bad to happen.

I rise off the ground and try to go after him. The crane is almost to him. I'm not going to make it. 

The dust has cleared, and time slows a little.
I watch as Ethan tries to get away, and it seems as if I cant get there fast enough.
Its a miracle that someone did.

Through the water streaming into my face, I can see Spider-Man grab my little brother.
I pause, my limbs tremble from shock, and relief.
"Oh, thank God," I murmur, and then I glide over.
My little brother's crouched next to Peter, the terrified look on his face hasn't seemed to leave his face.

I want to hug him and tell him I'm sorry. But I'm in my suit, and I can't do that.
Peter looks up at me, from my brother's side. He nods to me, and I return to gesture.


                              🕷🕷🕷
I clean off the cement off my face, in the bathroom, at home.
My suit is removed, and I'm in one of my oversized T-shirts. I feel guilty, and just want to curl up in a ball of misery.
It was my fault. I shouldn't have left him... But I did.

I walk into my room, and place the towel, I dried my hair with, on the bed. I look up, and notice Peter sitting on my windowsill.
I didn't even notice he came in.

"Thank you for saving Ethan," I said neutrally.

"You're welcome. And, you know, you need to lock your window." He gets off the sill.

A shadow of a smile crosses my face. "I'll try do that next time."
I sit on the bed, and rub my temples. I heavy a sigh. "I really messed up this time. I mess up all the time."

"That's not true," Peter says. "Think of all those people you've saved."

"But not my brother, Peter. That is the one person I was meant to protect the day he was born. I can't... if I can't even save my little brother. What can I do? My dream has been to save people, and if I can't save my brother. He's been a jerk, and sometimes I tell him I hate him. But I don't, I really don't."

"Fiona..."

I get up and face him. "Don't. I can't do anything right. I have failed at my own life. I have failed to save Ethan. I've failed..." I can feel tears prick my eyes, but I force them back. "And its not just that. Its everything."

"Its okay--"

"No, its not okay. How can I..? I have many more problems than I let on." A lump forms in my throat, as I choke back my tears that I'm painfully holding in. "And...And I can't fix them."

Peter's quiet for a few seconds. "Remember when I told you about my Uncle Ben? About him saying that, 'with great power comes great responsibility'?"

"Yeah," I dig my nails into my forearm, trying not break. I take a couple steps towards him.

"You carry the weight of that responsibility. Your grades, your family, stress, the world. Its too much for you. You...you need someone to help you with that."

"My mom already tried a therapy for me. I hated that."

"No. Not that. You need someone who understands you. Like I have someone who understands me."

"Who's that?" I'm less than a foot away from him.

"Uh--they--I--" Peter stammers.

"Look, I'm fine. I'm just tired, and maybe a little depressed." A stray tear drips down my face. I angrily wipe it away. "I'm fine."

"You told me, its okay to cry. You're allowed. Even heroes need heroes." Peter whispers, looking at me kindly in an understanding way. "You can let it go."

At that moment, my walls finally come down, and tears fall involuntarily. I loose my will to wipe them away.

Its like I'm on autopilot. I'm not even aware that I'm leaning into Peter. With my head on his chest.
I've never was much of a hugger, but I end up hugging him.
He wraps an arm around me. And we stand in silence.

I lost track of how many minutes past. I take a step away. "I'm sorry, for all of this..."

"I'm okay with it. I'm happy to help you," he murmurs quietly.

"Thank you."









Author's Note: Wow. That was so short.
And in case you want to know, their conversation about responsibility can be found in the part: The Good and The Bad.
If you listen to Ed Sheeran's song, Save Myself ,for that last scene, it actually seems like a movie, kind of. Just a thought.

Comment on what you think about this part. Too emotional? I mean, it was rough writing it. I'm slowly running out of ideas. And I probably shouldn't have said that.
Anyway, don't forget to vote if you liked it.
Byeeeeeeee!   ~SHIELD-Avenger