irondad & spiderson oneshots

xiii. i'll be quiet now (3)

Peter doesn't wake up. For weeks Tony, May and his friends stay by his side and encourage him to wake up but it gets them nowhere. Peter doesn't wake up and they all get a lot worse.

Michelle and Ned didn't go to to school for the first few days but their parents eventually forced them. After school everyday they come straight to the hospital and don't leave until they're forced to.

May eventually has to go back work but she comes to the hospital every free moment she has. Tony stays. He doesn't leave for anything. It has been almost a month and Peter hasn't woken up.

And it's slowly breaking them. None of them are the same. Ned and Michelle slowly start getting sadder and more closed off. Flash doesn't bother them anymore, and everyone is worried for their classmate.

Because there's a chance he won't wake up and nobody knows how to deal with that. The teachers and students alike notice the absence of the chattering child and it had gotten out weeks ago what he'd try to do.

And they all wonder where it went wrong. Where he became sad and closed off and quiet. When he made that decision. And they all realize that he'd been quiet for quite some time.

Peter never realized how many people cared. Random students and teachers would stop by, leaving gifts and flowers. Even Mr. Delmar dropped by with a card.

And everyone was so guilty. Because they missed him and they all thought it was their fault. And it was. Despite what Peter thought, it was the others' fault, not his own. Peter doesn't wake up.

Until he does.

--

Peter feels absolutely miserable. His throat is dry and he feels sick. His mind was foggy and someone was holding his hands. He moans lowly in his throat and hears people gasping.

And the memory of that night flies into his brain and he's flooded with sadness. Because he can hear an EKG next to him and knows he's alive. He failed. Just like he failed every other goddam thing.

His fingers twitch and he tries to open his eyes. "He's waking up! Oh my god! Tony he's waking up!" A familiar female voice exclaims. His brows crease at the volume. Why was everything so loud?

And he hears at least four voices talking to him. He groans. "Loud." He rasps. The voices suddenly cut off. "Pete? Can you open those eyes for me buddy?" He hears his mentor whisper.

And he doesn't want to. He wants to curl into a ball and never wake up again. Tears fill his closed eyes. And he realizes that he talked. He clenches his jaw and keeps his eyes closed.

When he hears him sigh he knows they noticed. "Peter. Your voice is not annoying. We love hearing you talk. I love hearing you talk. And you really hurt us when you did what you did. We love you kid and if you were gone we wouldn't be able to deal. So open your eyes and talk to us." His mentor says.

He sniffles and peels his eyes open, a tear rolling down his face. "Mr. Stark?" He croaks. He sees Mr. Stark, his aunt, Ned and Michelle. He's confused. Why would they be here if they didn't care about him?

"Yeah kiddo. You wanna tell us what went through your mind to make you do that?" His aunt asks, taking his other hand. He realizes that Mr. Stark is holding his hand.

Peter shrugs, looking away. They're heartbroken. "Talk Parker. We missed your chattering." Michelle says. His gaze snaps to her. She actually... cared? They actually cared about him?

"I don't know. I'm annoying. You guys all make excuses and don't listen when I talk, so I figured I'd stop talking. And you can't talk if you're dead." He mumbles. That was the most he'd said in weeks and it breaks all of their hearts to a million pieces.

"Peter. I never have and never will be annoyed or tired of you. You are my kid." Tony says. Peter looks shocked. "Peter I'm never annoyed of you. You are my sweet little boy that I've loved like a son as long as you'be been with me." May says softly.

"Pete you're my best friend. I love it when you talk about everything. It's what friends are for my dude." Ned says. A grin tugs at the corners of his lips. "Peter you're smart and cool and really nice. And I like you dork, so don't ever do that again." Michelle says, looking down. Peter smiles softly.

"R-really? You guys care?" He asks in disbelief. "Yeah kid. Even Happy. He's been real worried. I think he's gonna be here soon." Tony says. Peter looks down. "So... I'm not annoying?" He asks and he looks so small.

He looks like a child that they all want to scoop up and pepper in love. So they do. They take turns holding him and assuring him that everything will all be okay. And maybe, just maybe, it will be.