Reborn From The Void

Chapter 23 - Cold

(Your POV):
It was cold. Cold and dark, that's all my senses could pick up. I didn't know where I was or how I got there. The last thing I remembered was being in Peter's arms. But that could not have been right, Peter still hated me. Why would he have been holding me so tenderly? I had to have been hallucinating, that was the only explanation.

But that didn't explain the state I was in. Had H.A.M.M.E.R. gotten a hold of me? Was this some sort of cruel torture that they had invented? Keep me in a world of nothingness for what felt like forever until I finally broke?

I was starting to go slightly insane, locked in the prison of my mind. I mean, I was already altering memories to make me feel better. To make me feel as though Peter could still possibly have feelings for me when, in reality, he had probably long since moved on. He could do infinitely better than me, yet I still selfishly wanted him.

But perhaps it was for the best that he left me. All of who I was, who I was as (Y/N), had been molded around our relationship and my friendships with Ned and MJ. By having him distance himself, I had to find a new way to define myself. While I still had Ned and MJ, they were not as prevalent in my life while away at college. So the woman I had become was more or less just me, with some influence from my past life with Peter and perhaps some from the Avengers.

Still, I missed him like hell. Seeing him at the battle, protecting each other, it had reminded me of the times that we had fought off my parents' creations together. It had aroused a sense of nostalgia that I longed for, but now I wasn't even sure that it had happened. How long had I been making things up, creating scenes in my head that weren't even real?

Then something happened, I couldn't quite describe. It was as though droplets of water were running down my skin, but I didn't recall being near any water. Perhaps H.A.M.M.E.R. was waking me up only to subject me to another form of torture. I mean, water was quite a popular form of torture from waterboarding to Chinese water torture.

After a few minutes, my eyelids were finally light enough to force open, but all that I could see was a blur. There were sounds around me, people talking, a strange beeping noise, the hum of machines. I drew in a long breath, my lungs desperate for air. Never had I had a breath that satisfying, it was as though I hadn't properly breathed in years.

"(Y/N), how are you feeling?" A disembodied voice asked, causing me to turn my head towards the sound, but all I could see is a dark blur.

Still, my stiff lips parted and a raspy sound left them, "cold. Why can't I see anything properly?"

"You've been encased in ice for a few weeks now, it will probably take a few moments for your body to fully adjust."

"Ice? I don't understand. Where am I?" Fear began to settle in as I tried to pick up something that would help me recognize my surroundings. Although the voice was kind, I could have easily been brought to a H.A.M.M.E.R lab. Perhaps the ice was part of an experiment, they were trying to give me new powers. That would explain why I felt a combination of having been strangled and having been hit by a bus.

But according to the voice, that wasn't what happened. He explained what had happened at the battle I had recalled, informing me of Loki's attempt save my life. Once they had a working cure, they thawed out my body to administer it and after a while, my eyes had opened. The man then realized I had no idea who was talking and assured me that it was just Steve.

I felt a warmth radiating from my hand on my other side and a different voice spoke up, "her skin still feels like ice, are you sure she's ok?"

But I knew that voice, it was his voice that I had often dreamed about. But it couldn't be. What would be doing here? I turned toward him and asked, "Peter?"

"Hey, (Y/N), how are you feeling?" His voice was tender, caring, not what I had expected from him considering the last time we held a conversation he was yelling at me. "I mean, I know you told Steve that you were cold, but, um, is there anything else? I mean you're alive, so, um, that has to be something good."

His voice trailed off and I could picture his skin tinged with pink from embarrassment. However, I answered him to try to help ease his awkwardness, "honestly, I feel awful. Everything is stiff and sore and my throat feels as though someone tried to strangle me. But I can breathe normally again, so I'm really enjoying that. It would be nice to be able to see or even just to feel my toes."

"Well the doctor wants to check up on you, so we're going to step out briefly. But I am sure you will start to regain your senses soon," Steve assured me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I heard the footsteps of them leaving the room and I could tell that they had not been the only ones visiting me with the amount of noise they were making.

The doctor checked my skin to make sure that the ice had not left frostbite anywhere, which thankfully it hadn't, at least according to her. Awareness was spreading slowly through my body so that by the time she checked, I could feel her touch down to my knees and my forearms. I could tell that she was shining a light in my eyes by the sudden brightness, but that was about all that I could register.

"All things considered, you're doing pretty well. You're incredibly lucky that you aren't dead and you seem to be quickly on the mend. I would wager to guess that you will have your eyesight back in full by the end of the day. In the meantime, you are going to need to rest up. So even when you get feeling back in the rest of your body, I expect you to stay in bed, understand?"

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(A/N): So apparently this didn't post last night? I'm really confused, but I guess I'll post another chapter tomorrow morning to make up for it but I'm still trying to figure out what happened because I remember pressing publish? Anyway, I hope you enjoy it even though it was late!