Whatever It Takes

Chapter Four

Her aching body sank into her bed as if her bones had turned to concrete. For a second, Emma wondered how good her powers would really do her in the long run. If there was one. 

Unable to turn over, she silently prayed there wouldn't be one. Alas, she was Spider Man's sister, and no amount of running was ever in short supply.

Eyes still closed, Emma didn't notice Peter twist the door knob. She was paler than usual, he noted immediatley, and felt a pang of guilt tie a knot with his gut. He gingerly tossed an ice pack in his hands, looking down at it before sauntering over to his sister and offering it to her. "I wish you hadn't taken so many hits for me," he confessed.

Emma still hadn't opened her eyes, but guided the ice pack to her shoulder. She sat for a moment, feeling the burning in her muscles subside. "Yeah, well, Aunt May thinks those hits were all jet lag so keep quiet," she half grumbled her response. 

Peter was careful not to jostle his hurting sibling as he sat down beside her. A bottle of Advil sat on her nightstand next to an empty glass of water. "What did you blame that on?" Peter inquired.

"Still jet lag," Emma replied, "you might want to just sucker punch me everytime we need to take a plane. I need to keep this act up so May doesn't figure out it's actually 'being forced into Tony Stark's Friendship Issues Syndrome,'" Emma quickly gave a less than affectionate name for her body aches and pains.

"Should you even be this bad?" Peter asked with genuine confusion, "the spider bit you too."

"Bit you first," the pale brunette responded, "I just got it's last 'fuck you' as I swatted it off." Emma now dared to part her eyes, facing the ceiling illuminated by her bedside lamp. I wish I would have caught it sooner, she thought almost mournfully.

Emma listened to the silence she and her brother shared and almost welcomed it. Though they had still just returned from an airport battle in Germany, the silence between the opposing team of so called friends and the silence of Emma's bedroom was different. This was calm, warm, reassurring.

For a second, the angry pulses and aches in her muscles relaxed into her mattress. For a second, everything felt at ease.

She saw nothing after the smile of Peter who watched her drift off to sleep.

Under his clothes, he bore the suit his big sister hated so much. Peter crawled out his own bedroom window.

She couldn't catch him in her dreams, after all.

From behind her eyelids, she watched each time her brother nearly got seriously injured.

Tony Starks world wasnt done with the two yet.