I Was Joking

There's Nothing Like Summer In The City

Summer normally starts in June, so that's when this story will. Peter was just doing his thing, watching anime with college pamphlets sprawled all over his bed, using his medically-enforced time off to do absolutely nothing productive. He had just eaten another sandwich, because he is a bottomless pit, when he received a phone call from Flash.

He picked up the phone, casually answering with a "Hey man, hows it going?". That casual tone was quickly thrown away when he heard the banging and yelling on the other side of the line. "EUGENE!! OPEN THIS DOOR AND FACE YOUR CONSEQUENCES LIKE A MAN!!!"

Flash whimpered, "I-I'm scared. He's n-n-never been this mad before. And...oh god...". Peter, thanks to his sensitive hearing, heard the click of a gun being put off safety with his friend. "He's actually going to kill me.", Flash muttered, barely audible.

Peter jumped up, slipping on his shoes and grabbing his keys as he dashed out the door. "Have you called 911 yet?", the brunette asked anxiously. "Uh huh.", Thompson mumbled. "I locked myself in the bathroom." "What about Jesse? Where is she?", Peter asked, opting to run rather than wait for a subway. "In her room.", Flash mumbled, a sigh of relief hitched in fear when the banging started again. Peter doubled in speed.

"I'm on my way, as fast as I can.", the teen tried to reassure. He could see the porch getting closer. The cops weren't there yet. What was taking them so long?

"OPEN THIS GODDAMN DOOR OR I'M GONNA SHOOT IT DOWN!!", he could hear Mr. Thompson shout, from both the phone and the house.

"ONE!!" The teen went around the back, going through it enough to know the door wasn't locked.

"TWO!!!" Peter quietly ran up the stairs, defensively positioning himself as he finished with a stoic tone. "Three."

Mr. Thompson turned around, only to get knocked out by Peter's blow. If he was on patrol, the superhero might've felt a little guilty for not rolling his punches enough, but this man just threatened his friend and that was not going to fly. Taking a deep breath, Peter got up and quietly knocked on the door.

"Flash?", the teen asked meekly. He could hear the lock quickly click, but the door slowly opened. His friend's hands were still shaking as it held the phone and the door. There was a fresh shiner on his left eye and a bloody nose. Clear evidence that the man had gotten a few hits in before the call was made.

Peter took his friend by the shoulders to steady him. "Repeat after me, man. In," Peter instructed, taking an exaggerated breath. "Out. In, out." He repeated. Flash followed along, adrenaline dissipating. The two looked outside before Peter could finally, finally, hear the sirens growing closer.

The Thompson siblings held each other close as they watched the long-overdue sight of their father getting handcuffed and put in a police car. Peter stood by them protectively, before eventually asking, "Think you're gonna be alright?" Flash looked up at him and nodded with a genuine smile. "Thank you.", Jesse mumbled, still not letting go of her brother. "Of course.", the teen responded.

He stayed and hung out with the two until the last cop left. Mrs. Thompson offered to have him stay for dinner, but Peter politely declined. "With all due respect, ma'am, I should probably head home." "Would you like a ride, then? Surely there must be something we can do to repay you."

"I'm fine. Thank you for the offer, though.", he responded, giving Flash a pat on the shoulder before heading out the back, towards the apartment as the sky began to darken.