Sticks and Stones

20

Peters life was a living hell- between school, patrol, trying to find out who hid parents mystery friend was, trying to use all this new information to hack HYDRA and take them down, and actually take care of himself, he was falling apart.

"Peter, I'm just gonna come right out and say it- you look like shit." Ned said.

"Thanks, I know." He yawned.

"Have you been eating? Sleeping? Showering?"

"I've been sleeping in class, eating at lunch, and showering after gym."

"That's not enough, Peter. I'm worried about you. You're gonna get sick."

"Look, I'm fine, okay? I'm not too worried."

"You're not telling me something."

"So, you know how I'm adopted, right? My biological parents were killed years ago, and apparently, one of their friends or whatever has been watching me over the course of thirteen years, and sent me a box with all these HYDRA files, on me and my parents and almost every agent and prisoner that'd been there over the course of a hundred years or so." He explained

"Damn. Have you told anyone? Like, your dads or anyone else?" Ned asked.

"I told my aunt Natasha. She's been helping me a lot with it. She's the only I trust not to take it away from me or steal anything. Kinda ironic, actually." Peter chuckled.

—

"Alright, Peter Benjamin Rogers, you're officially grounded from the lab." Steve said.

"What? What did I do?"

"It's more like what you're not doing. You're not sleeping, you're not eating, you're not showering, you're not doing well in school."

"There's more important things than school!" Peter protested.

"Then what are you doing that's so important?" Tony demanded, and he hesitated.

"I... can't tell you. Well, I can, but I won't."

"He did this last week, too." Bucky called.

"If I go in there and it's been turned into a meth lab, I swear to god..."

"I don't do meth! It's something probably a lot more dangerous than drugs, if we're being honest, but I'm not directly involved with it, so it's fine."

"Peter, if you don't tell them what you're doing, I will." Natasha warned.

"Let's not do that." Peter said.

"Boss, you have a visitor." Jocasta announced, and everyone exchanged glances before running to get to the door first.

Peter shot a web and swung over everyone's heads and stumbled slightly when he landed, but opened the door first. "Is this an everyday occurrence here?"

"No, we normally don't get stalkers here."

"Hey, I'm not a stalker." The man rolled his eyes.

Tony had Peter's arm in a death-grip. "So, kid, you want to explain what's going on here?"

"No, actually, I don't."

"I'm Logan-I was a friend of Peters biological parents. They worked for HYDRA before realizing how bad they were, and stole as much information as they could. They had me hide it away for thirteen years 'til he turned fifteen, and I sent it to him. He was not supposed to deprive himself of basic human needs just so he could do the right thing, though."

"You've been here not even five minutes and you're already chewing me out." He grumbled, crossing his arms angrily.

"And you couldn't have told us this, Peter?" Bucky asked.

"I could have. And it's not that I don't trust you guys, it's just... exactly that." He shrugged.

"Go to your room." Tony signed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Peter rolled his eyes and stalked to his room.

—

He tuned everyone out as they all yelled at him and lectured him in being an idiot. If he tuned them out, he wouldn't cry, and if he didn't cry, they wouldn't yell even more.

But the fact that he didn't say anything just seems to make them yell more, and he couldn't just tune them out, and tears started to prick at the back of his eyes. He could feel his face getting redder and redder as he tried to keep from crying, and he was scratching at his wrist with his nail.

He could feel fresh blood on his hand but he was too afraid to move because "oh my god did they get louder? Everything looks weird, and why can I feel the blood so well? Why can I smell the blood? Are they going to hit me? Are they going to hurt me? Are they going to make me go back to HYDRA? Are my dads going to un-adopt me? Can they even do that? Are they going to make me move out?"

"Stop! Stop yelling at him!" Wanda shouted.

He stared at his trembling hands and closed his eyes tightly, trying to hold the tears back.

Everyone fell silent- he felt as if they were just waiting for him to cry.

He stood and left quickly.

—

Ned and Peter sat in silence at the ice cream store.

Peter was asleep, having cried himself out and the days with no rest catching up to him. He had his head resting on his arms, his ice cream slowly melting in the small cup it came in.

Ned stared at him, noting his puffy eyes and his red face. It looked like he had a fever.

"You're so stupid," he sighed.

"Mm... no hospitals..." Peter murmured before gasping awake. "Sorry, d'you say something?"

"I said you're stupid."

"I know. I'm sorry. You can leave, y'know. I'll be fine."

"Are you going home?"

"Psh. No."

"Then you're spending the night at my house."

"It's fine, Ned, really. I'll go home eventually. I just need to..." Peter fell back asleep, and his phone started buzzing on the table. He didn't stir.

Ned answered it. "Uh, hello?"

"Who is this?"

"I'm Ned, I'm Peters friend. He's asleep."

"Is he okay?"

There was a loud explosion, and the glass shattered. Peter jumped awake. "Holy shit!"

"Ned, what's happening?" Tony demanded.

"There was just an explosion- and Peter Benjamin Rogers don't you dare even think about trying to help, you literally passed out twice on the way here."

"Give me your phone!"

Ned handed Peter his phone while still on Peters phone with the Avengers while Peter called the police. "Ned, we have to leave unless you want to possibly be arrested."

They split up at the corner, with Ned going home and Peter going who knows where. The two of them gave each other the proper phone and ran.