Sunset Secret (Peter Parker x Reader)

Chapter 15

⚠️ Mentions of beating ⚠️
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YOUR POV:
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I stare down into my mug, my knees brought up to my chest. The Avengers murmur around me, wondering what they should do about the information just presented to them. "There is one thing that's been bugging me, though," I hear Tony say, and I look up. "(Y/n), if your dad was a werewolf-- and has a clearly obvious bite mark-- and your mom was just a regular human, how come you shift every full moon, too? You weren't bitten or anything, were you?"

I shake my head, drumming my fingers against the ceramic. "And since you can actually remember things from those nights, that's obviously different," Nat adds, "Maybe the whole full moon thing is dying down?"

"Odd," I mutter, thinking. Tony stops pacing, snapping his fingers. "I think I've got it."
We all look to him, expectantly, as he starts to explain. "Okay, so, earlier, when I told (y/n) about her dad, she got kind of mad at me. And then," he turns to face me, making me raise my eyebrows, "your eyes changed color. From (y/e/c) to gold. And... gold is the color your eyes are when you shift. They went normal again when you calmed down, but that gave me an idea. What if your father passed down some of his transformed genes? Like, instead of a full werewolf, you're only part wolf. What if you can shift by your own accord once you get older? Has anything like that happened before, do you think?" I bite my lower lip as I try to remember any instance that could trigger a transformation.

"The only thing I remember was when Loki attacked New York in 2012. A strange feeling went through my eyes when I was terrified and thought you'd died. But I haven't ever shifted by choice before." Tony grunts and continues pacing. "What if it's like a thing where you need to mature or something first?" he continues. "That would make sense, considering that shifting is easier each time, but it still happens. I have two somewhat-theories," the Avengers all perk up, and I tap my foot.

"One: you can't willingly change until you're around fifteen or sixteen, maybe later. Then you probably won't be affected by the full moon. Two: you can shift when you want to now, but the werewolf thing'll still happen until you're older. You'll just need more practice and time to control it."

I sigh, finishing my tea and standing up.

"Only one way to find out."

ONE HOUR LATER
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"I'm telling you, it's pointless!" I exclaim, running my hand through my hair. "Just try again," Tony says over the intercom, "Think about how it feels."

'What do you think I'm doing over here?' I sigh and close my eyes, imagining the tautness of my muscles, the stretching of my spine, and the pain that comes with it. My jaw clenches and I groan, opening my eyes. "See? Nothing." I kick the floor as I wipe the small beads of sweat from my forehead. "Maybe try tying it in to your emotions?" Nat asks, and I furrow my eyebrows. "Tony said you were angry when your eyes changed, maybe choose a really strong emotion and go off of that."

'Whatever.'

I close my eyes again, shaking my arms at my side a bit to loosen them. I inhale, trying to calm down, letting the air out through my mouth, sharply. I focus on all the pent-up anger coursing through my veins, reaching back in my memories to channel it. I think of my father-- how he hurt my mother and left me alone, destroying my life. I think of the select few caretakers that would beat the children in the orphanage who stepped out of line. I hear the whip of the belt snapping on a young boy's back as I watch, helpless, and my fists clench. I think of the women and men who took my fear and used it to their advantage, ordering me around and calling me a monster. I think of how I grew up the first few years of my life, truly alone.

With absolutely no one.

My fists tighten even more.

NATASHA'S POV:
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(Y/n) tenses up, anger and pain written all over her face. Her forehead creases, her eyebrows furrow, and her lip quivers. All her muscles are clenched up, leading her to tremble slightly with the tension. And then suddenly, she relaxes. Her eyes snap open, glowing a bright, beautiful gold.

Seemingly all at once, and with struggle, her body falls forward, clothes and skin being replaced with bright white fur. Hands and feet become clawed paws, and she gently lands on all fours. At the same time, her face changes to that of the wolf I've seen every month, snout forming and ears changing to stick up straight and pointed, and a long tail grows as well. I watch as the joints in her arms and legs change to support her, muscles visibly strengthening.

Her head hangs down as she pants, tail twitching. She looks up, meeting eyes with me, and I run into the room behind the glass, heart pounding in excitement. Tony cheers, following suit. As I sprint inside, she continues to look at me, panting still. And although it's hard for her to portray emotion, I see her tail wagging and eyes glowing brighter.

She did it.