Becoming SpiderMan

5

When he got home he thought it be best to call Tony to tell him something other than thinking the worst which he probably was.

"Peter? Why aren't you in school? You alright kid?"

"I'm just not feeling well," which he still wasn't.

"Yeah you sound like your getting ill. I'll tell them you won't be in today or tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks Tony."

"You'll be back on Monday..."

Peter spoke to Tony and Steve for as long as they could before they had to keep going with the mission.

Peter got up off the floor which he'd been sitting on and walked into the bathroom and splashed water on his face and put his glasses back on, he looked in the mirror and saw something on his shoulder.

He picked it off and something pulled out the back of his neck. It turned out to be a spider web with one of the little spiders attached at the end, it was dead.

"Oh shit," Peter said throwing the spider in the sink, before realising what had happened and leaving his room and going into Tony's lab panicking using his computer and googled 'spider bite.' He stopped looking after a while when they started getting worse.

On Monday Peter decided to skip school again, watching the minutes pass by on the clock. He felt empty, he felt nothing. He wished he was feeling something, but he was left with nothing. He hated days like that.

When Steve got back from his run he heard the phone ringing he answered on his way back to his and Tony's room, it was Peter's principal. He walked into the room to see Tony starting to wake up.

Tony only heard little pieces of what his husband was saying but he put the phone down before he could listen in properly. They had gotten late in the night.

"Peter's not at school again," Steve said getting ready for his shower.

"Oh I guess I'll sort it out then," Tony said sarcastically as Steve walked into the bathroom who just smiled at him.

He got out of bed and dressed before he walked down the hall to Peter's room to see him lying in bed awake staring at nothing.

"Hey Pete, you okay?" He asked walking in crouching down beside his bed. Him and Steve had read in his file that he had a history with depression but had seemed to be doing better other than that 1 day last week that they knew of.

But what they didn't know was Peter just faked it, he didn't want people to keep worrying about him. He hated that. He just stayed quiet and kept watching the clock.

"Peter, talk to me," Tony was starting to get worried, he didn't know how to help but he wanted to. "Kid?"

"Just go away," he whispered weakly.

"Alright, but tell Friday if you need me I'll be down in the lab," Tony sighed hesitating before leaving his room and closing the door behind him.

As soon as Peter's door closed the tears began to fall he started to completely break down. Peter could feel himself falling into the same place he had been in months before, almost his whole life.

Tony went down to his lab and called Peters school back telling him that Peter won't be in. He didn't know what to tell him so he just said he was still ill.

Tony was busy working on a new suit idea and had lost track of time when Steve walked in and hugged him from behind making Tony jump.

"You know I really don't like you sometimes," Tony said turning around and kissing him.

"Seems like right now isn't one of those times," they heard Natasha say from behind them.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Steve said smiling.

"I was wondering if I could steal your guest room for a little bit," she said hoping they'd say yes.

"Yeah, that's not a problem. You can meet Peter." Tony said after looking at Steve who nodded.

"Oh the kid, when?"

"Not right now. He's not..feeling too good."

"Let me help with your bags," Steve said looking at the suitcase and duffle bag she had with her.

"Thanks," she said smiling.

Peter woke up not knowing that he even fell asleep, feeling the same as he did earlier he got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom and washed his face remembering that the spider was still on the side of the sink.

He left his room and headed to tell Tony and Steve only to walk into the living room where they were with someone else. He just played it off as he was going to get a drink but was followed into the kitchen by Tony.

"Hey kid, you doing okay?" Tony asked still worried about earlier.

"Sure," Peter lied getting a can of soda out the fridge.

"Okay, you don't want to talk about it but I'm here if you change your mind," Tony said with a small smile.

"Yeah whatever. Who's that out in the other room?"

"That's Natasha, come meet her she's gonna be staying for a couple weeks," Tony said leading him in the room, "Nat, this is Peter."

"Hi Peter, nice pyjamas," she said smiling at his pink hello kitty pyjama pants and Star Wars shirt.

"Thanks," he said smiling back, a smile that she didn't believe but didn't question. "Can I go back to my room?" Peter whispered to Tony.

"Sure kid," Tony said smiling as he was leaving the room, "wait, remember what I said," Peter just nodded and carried on out the room.

Peter had finished his soda and went to put it in his trash can but it was stuck to his hand, he tried shaking it off but that done nothing. He hit his hand if his desk causing a loud bang.

Nice one, now their gonna come see what you've done. You're such a fuck up.

Peter kept trying to get it off again and this time it worked and he dropped it in the trash. It wasn't sticky though, neither was his hand which confused him more.

Tony and Steve then came in the door, everything was really loud causing him to panic, making everything even louder.

"Peter? What was that?" Tony asked in a normal voice but to Peter he sounded like he was screaming.

"Do you really have to shout?" Peter whispered sliding down the wall and sitting in the floor with his hands over his ears.

"Wha..." Tony started only to be stopped by Steve elbowing him in the ribs.

"Peter, it's gonna be okay," Steve whispered as quietly as Peter did. Walking over to him quietly and sitting in front trying to calm him down.

"Why is this happening to me?" Peter whispered feeling tears in his eyes and putting his head in his knees.

"I don't know, Pete. But it's gonna be okay, you just need to calm down," Steve said still whispering.

"I'm trying."

"I know," Steve whispered moving to the side of him and pulling him into a hug letting him cry into his shoulder.

It hurt Tony and Steve seeing him like this, they might have only been fostering him for a few months but from what they'd seen he seemed unbreakable, almost completely unfazed by all the shit in his life.

The walls he tried so hard to keep up had fell and it hurt them seeing it, but they knew they had to help. They knew they would.