The monster in the walls

Fight or flight

Peter's senses were dialed up to eleven, meaning he could easily hear everything within the tower. But amid the the various noises within the building his focus locked onto one heartbeat. The heartbeat that so often grounded him during anxiety attacks and helped lull him to sleep after a nightmare. The heartbeat that skipped every so often due to a past injury. He jolted when he heard an all to familiar growl. A sound that haunted some of his worst nightmares and seemed to follow him around like a second shadow.

And it was getting closer to his dad.

"Peter?" Bruce jumped back when Peter did, eyes wide with concern. He reached out to touch him but hesitated when the teen flinched back. "What's wro-"

"Stay here," Peter yelled as he sprinted towards the wall lined with floor to ceiling windows. "FRIDAY, window!" The AI responded by sliding one of the glass panes up into the ceiling, leaving a large enough hole for Peter's nimble body to jump through.

"No! Peter, don't!" Bruce pleaded, reaching out towards his nephew as he ran after him. But his pleas were ignored.

With the grace of a weathered gymnast, Peter jumped out the window and completed two perfect front flips before extending his wings. Catching a downdraft, he dived. Tucking his wings close to his body, Peter let himself fall at a rapid rate. Only spreading his wings and pulling upwards once he was outside what he knew to be the third floor. High enough that pedestrians walking below couldn't see his face and fast enough that nobody would be able to snap a picture. He glided around the side of the building until he found the right spot, his dad's heartbeat thumping loudly in his ears. He pumped his wings and hovered about twenty feet from the tower.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself to face an old adversary. "Come on, Peter." Bracing himself for impact, he flew straight into the window with a resounding crash. "Come on, Spider-Man!"

Grenade proof glass was no match for Spider-Man, and he went crashing through, landing in a silent crouch on the smooth tile floor. His reinforced skeleton absorbed the impact and his healing factor took care of the few, tiny cuts he'd gotten. Nothing could phase him when his loved ones were at risk.

Tony's fearful expression greeted him. A look of shock and alarm that rarely appeared on him. "Oh, no! Bud, you shouldn't be here!" The billionaire fired another shot at the alien, knocking it over and effectively keeping it away from his son. But, besides its charred skin, it seemed unaffected by the blasts and got right back up again, its sinuous muscles flexing under its rough skin. It was undeterred and only seemed to become more enraged. "I called a suit. It'll be here any minute. we just gotta keep this creep busy."

Peter ran up the wall to avoid the knocked over equipment and debris caused by the scuffle and dropped down beside his dad. "I'll web it up," he tapped his wrist bracelets together to activate his web-shooters, "while you shoot its eyes."

"No!" Tony didn't mean to yell, but his emotions were getting the best of him. Seeing Peter, who was clearly weak and exhausted, gearing up to fight this monster, made his paternal instincts go haywire. Sure the kid was highly capable and skilled. But that did nothing to soothe his worries. He could not let his baby get hurt. I can't let anything else happen to you. "The suit will-"

"We need to take this thing down now before it escapes!" Peter yelled right back, taking charge of the situation. Much like his dad would in other instances. "This thing will kill anyone in its path. It's our job to make sure that doesn't happen."

He wanted to argue, to grab his kid and fly back out that broken window, but he knew Peter was right. They were heroes. A heavy title that came with a lot of baggage and responsibility. Eventually, he conceded, "Fine. Just stay high and out of reach."