RISE | PETER PARKER [ 2 ]

32: BACK

°°°

F I V E   Y E A R S   L A T E R 

Tony Stark couldn't stop looking at the mask. It seemed like his mind couldn't get enough of it, but in reality, it was the reason he couldn't sleep sometimes. From reclining on his sofa, he sat up straight. His hand traveled to his eyebrows, pulling the skin lightly, trying to rub his thoughts away. With his eyes closed, the memory of how he got the mask in the first place came to mind.

Amelia adjusted Tony's IV on his left forearm. Pepper sat beside him, in their brand new cabin near a lake. For his recovery, Tony had opted for a more quiet place than the usually busy streets of New York. Pepper was delighted, but still gravely concerned about his health. Tony was quiet ever since he was rescued from space. He didn't seem to want to talk at all, and her fiancée respected that. Both of them felt this huge emptiness ever since the world changed. 

"There." The nurse spoke, standing up straight. "You've been recovering very fast. I'll stop by whenever I can, but remember to take your medication."

Tony nodded, adjusting himself in his wheelchair as he avoided her gaze. Amelia looked like a mess: she had huge bags under her eyes, her usually perky humor was completely gone, and Tony simply drowned himself in guilt over it. 

"I mean it." Amelia repeated as the man kept looking at the floor. She then turned to look at Pepper. "Call me if you guys need anything, alright?"

"Thank you so much for your help, Amelia. We really appreciate it." Pepper thanked, standing up. 

Eleanor's mother nodded. "Before I leave," Amelia spoke after a minute of silence. The woman approached her backpack and took out something that instantly caught the billionaire's attention. 

Tony immediately shifted, sitting up straight instead of slouching as soon as he saw what Amelia's fingers carried. 

"Steve gave me this the last time I visited the compound." She started, looking down at her daughter's hero mask. She stopped herself for a second, swallowing the knot that had formed itself inside her throat. 

She looked at the mask, moving the fabric around, which gave a small iridescent glow under sunlight. So many memories flashed through Amelia's mind: It had only been a month after everything happened, but Amelia still felt like it was just a dream she'd soon wake up from. Every day she woke up and her daughter was still gone. 

"Eleanor was the type of girl who would just shut herself inside her room and not speak a word for a month straight when she felt conflicted. She really didn't know how to deal with her feelings, she closed herself a lot."

Amelia recognized her reflection on one of the mask's lenses and kept talking. "After William- I-I was really worried about how she would take it. The last month we spent in San Francisco got me really worried- she didn't want to eat- It just tore her apart big-time, physically and mentally. It tore both of us." Eleanor's mother shed a tear. "She can- she used to be very cold and distant sometimes, and it was hard work to get her to open up. It's something we dealt with all throughout her life."