unruly › peter parker

three. deep shit

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"RHEA?" THE VIGILANTE whispered under his breath, he could barely recognize the same girl he first met in the morning with the purest heart. The girl who had made him laugh the hardest during lunch break just an hour ago, who fended off Flash Thompson from yet another Penis Parker onslaught, and who constantly talked about all sorts of things she would buy for Mira. The Rhea in front of him now? She had a glint in her eyes, one so malevolent that she almost seemed like another voicemail report he would have to make to Happy Hogan, perhaps even to Mr Stark.

And then that look in her eyes vanished.

She tried standing up, only to stumble and fall weakly on her sore ass. Instinctively, the masked vigilante approached her, placing his hands on her arm as a form of support before helping her up to her feet. It wasn't until then did he feel a tingling sensation at the back of his skull. One that alerted him to imminent danger.

His eyes widened like two flashlight beams underneath the mask, and it felt like every thought in his head was in high definition. Automatically, his fingers wrapped itself around the wrist of her free hand, which held a sharp glass fragment from the beer bottle, just inches away from his neck. And yet, she resisted against his tight grip.

Pushing her against the wall as gently as shoving someone could get, she showed no signs of giving in. "I don't want to do this," he uttered before yanking her hand towards him and twisting it ever so slightly, enough for her to let go of the shard. He didn't want her to cut herself on accident, seeing how firmly she was holding on to it.

He couldn't look at her, and it wasn't just the nasty smudge of deep purple against her cheek that made his heart ache, it was the fact that she wasn't... her, the friend he came to care a lot for in less than a day of knowing her.

Before he knew what to expect, she pushed him away, grabbing the shoebox from the furthest end of the alley and leaving nonchalantly. He stayed still though, engulfed by uncertainty.

-

Rhea was rooted in front of the mirror, eyeing the bruise that has caused her a lot of stares and murmurs at the veterinary clinic. And it didn't help that she couldn't recall what had happened after she got punched, she thought she might've blacked out. But that wouldn't make sense.

Sighing frustratedly, she left the bathroom and sat on the sofa, wondering how long Mira would have to stay at the clinic, she was malnourished and needed constant attention, especially being a young kitten, still.

The door clicked open, causing Rhea to jerk up. Mother was home. And she would freak at the state she's in. Standing up to head to her room, it was far too late.

"Rhea, darling? Mom's back," she chuckled, placing her keys down onto the table as she gazed at her daughter's back, awaiting a response.

"Welcome back," she commented before continuing to her room, until a hand grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to turn around and meet her mother's horrified face.

"What happened?!"

"I don't know," Rhea shrugged dismissively, much to her mother's irritation.

Furrowing her eyebrows with slowly-boiling anger, she questioned her impatiently, "What do you mean you don't know? Did you get into a fight?"

Rhea remained silent, honestly drained out from the day's events. She had no will to answer to her, neither did she feel the need to. Mother never cared, so she wasn't sure why she couldn't do the same.

"You got into a fight, didn't you? Here I am, working tirelessly for you, got you a nice, comfortable apartment and even a place in a good school! It's only the first day and you're already getting yourself into deep shit, spare the effort to lie to your mother next time."

What an indignant bitch, isn't she?

Rhea snickered at the voice's remark, too aggravated to even notice it was unusual. "I could say the same for you, Mother. Isn't that what you've been doing your entire life? Lying to your boss, lying to your friends, lying to me, lying about Dad!" Her words were laced with poison.

Poison she wanted her mother to taste.

The palm of her hand cracked across Rhea's face, the sound as loud as a clap reverberated in the living room. Her face stung, and came along was the sudden realisation that she had talked back to her mom, something she had never imagined herself doing out of fear. Yet, she just did it with ease seconds ago.

"I'm done with your bullshit today, Rhea. Go to your room and starve. I don't want to see your face until tomorrow."

Rhea knew what an order was, especially coming from her mother. She nodded, eyes becoming downcast as she left for her room.

Sitting on her bed, she debated on texting the new group chat with Peter, Eva and Ned in it, only to be distracted by the low grumble of her stomach.

I could really use a sandwich from Delmar's Deli-Grocery right now. She sighed once more, leaning back into the comfort of her bed and looking out the window at the sky of golden hues.

You did good, Rhea-

-but you can do better with me.

- - - - -

qotd !! ;
so to get rid of post-endgame tears, which scene in endgame made you the happiest?