Sunset Secret (Peter Parker x Reader)

Chapter 13

Thank y'all so much for 100+ reads!! 🖤
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
YOUR POV:
~~~~~~~~
Hours pass, and I continuously pace the lab. Suddenly, the locks begin to click, and I hide, grabbing a bar of scrap metal. The door opens, and a shadow grows across the floor. They step into the lab, and I clutch the bar tighter, bringing it back and preparing to swing. My eyes move to one of the holograms still up in the room, and relief fills me when I see that it's just Tony. "(Y/n)? Why are you hiding here?"

I yelp, startled, and the metal falls to the floor with a loud clang. Tony chuckles, helping me up, and I calm down a bit. He looks exhausted. "I thought you were gonna die," I choke out, hugging him tightly. After finding out he was going to push a missile into a black hole.... "Please don't scare me like that again," I say, tearing up. He rubs my back, chuckling, and pulls away so he can come to my level. "I won't. Now, come on. The team's waiting for us."

He guides me out and to the rest of the Avengers. I run to Nat, hugging her tightly at the fact that she's okay. "Did anyone get hurt?" I ask, pulling away and wrapping my arms around Clint. "No, everyone's good," Nat tells me, and I sigh, a weight being lifted from my shoulders.

"Who is the young mortal child?" a booming voice asks, and I jump in surprise. I step back as I look at the man. He has shoulder-length, blonde hair, and is holding a hammer of sorts. "Thor, this is (y/n), (y/n), Thor," Tony says, gesturing his hand between us. "So you're the child that Stark and Romanoff have been talking about," he muses, holding out a hand for me to shake. I glance at Nat, who nods, and take it, hesitantly.

He begins to shake it, but unintentionally pulls me up. I yelp and tighten my grasp on his hand, looking down to see my legs dangling in the air, about two feet off of the ground. Tony comes up behind me and grabs my waist, holding me tightly as I let go of Thor's hand, and Tony gently sets me on the ground.

"So!" Tony exclaims, clapping his hands together, "Let's get some shawarma."

THREE YEARS LATER
~~~~~~~~
I sigh, sinking into the sofa and covering my face with a pillow. I lay down, groaning, as fatigue overwhelms me. Last night was another full moon: tiring, long, but not too painful. Over the last few years, Nat and Tony have been working on keeping me from hurting myself when I shift, really just by calming me down. The actual transformation still hurts, but I'm not injuring myself anymore. Which is good, I guess, but it still sucks. I think back, remembering nearly everything from last night, which is an accomplishment. I just wish I had control over when I shift.

I throw the pillow off my face and stand up, yawning, as I head over to the coffee machine. "Hey, Tony?" I ask as he walks in, and he hums in response. "How do you work this thing?" He furrows his eyebrows, possibly wondering why I want coffee. "Kid, you probably shouldn't be drinking coffee at thirteen." I whine, pouting. "But I'm so tiiiiredddd," is my justification, and he chuckles, shaking his head.

"I have influenced your actions too much and I am so sorry." He shoos me away from the machine, and I sigh, deciding to get caffeine in my system a different way. "Fine." I fill up the electric kettle at the sink, turning it on and putting a tea bag in one of the many plain mugs in the cabinet. I rest my elbows on the counter, nearly nodding off to sleep when the kettle clicks, letting me know the water's boiling. Tony and I make some small talk as I steep my tea, and something about him seems to be... off. I mean, yeah, the whole Ultron thing wore him out, for sure. It took a toll on all of us, especially me and Nat not knowing where Bruce is. But this isn't just exhaustion.

"Hey, are you okay?" I ask, concerned. "Yeah, there's just," he sighs, "there's something I've had on my chest for a long time." "How long? If you don't mind me asking." Once again, he hesitates.

"Four years." My eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and I take the teabag out of my mug, stirring in milk and sugar. "Well, the best advice I can give you— considering I'm just a teenager— is that you should just let it out. Don't hold it in for too long, I guess."

He smiles, nodding.

"You may be right about that."