Oops, Wrong Number-- Irondad/Spiderson fanfiction

Chapter 8 ~ Nightmares and Introductions

Okay so first off, THANK YOU SO FREAKING MUCH FOR 1K READS, THAT'S INSANE!  Secondly, sorry for the break, I just didn't have the time to write. But, I do now so buckle up, lads!

Also, this is quite a full on chapter, and i think its the longest yet, so... bear with it, lmao. 

Chapter 8

Peter-

The building collapsed, the roof caving in after an explosion that rattled my teeth. Toomes was laughing, grinning down at me from above where he hovered with his mechanical wings. He was laughing at my pain, as I struggled to keep what was left of the ceiling from crushing me. My legs and arms were burning from the strain. I felt as though I had traded places with Atlas; that I was holding up the sky. But I was no titan. I was just Peter Parker, orphaned, and weak. My knees buckled, finally giving out from the weight of the warehouse. Toomes was long gone. I was glad, at least he didn't see me fail. Rubble and timber crashed down from above me, piling in a heap over where my body lay, tightly hunched into a ball. Coward.

The pain was overwhelming. My muscles felt like they had been flash-burned with acid from the inside. A searing agony pulsed through my body if I tried to move even an inch. Each time a new piece of ceiling fell, more colourful spots appeared, clouding my vision, until my mind was a disorientating haze of swirling colours. After what felt like hours, though was most likely minutes, my head stopped spinning, and my sight cleared. Replacing the colours, I could see the outlines of three figures walking towards me, slowly, teasingly, as if they could see the pain I was in, but chose to ignore it, instead taking all the time in the universe. I cried out, begging for them to help. But my pleas fell on deaf ears, as they made no move to aid me. The tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down my face. I felt the muscles of my chin tremble like a small child and I looked toward the figures, as if their light could soothe me. There was static in my head once more, the side effect of the constant fear, constant stress I lived with as Spider-Man. I heard my own sounds, like a distressed child, raw from the inside. It took something out of me I didn't know I had left to give. That's the way it is when people are hard. It's like a theft of the spirit, an injury no other person can see.

But this was no emotional pain, not at the forefront anyway. I was not crying out in grief or sorrow. It was not the weight of the world that was crushing me, while it may have felt like it. I was screaming in physical pain, and it was the roof of a warehouse that was weighing down so heavily upon my body. I used that pain to ground myself, willing the tears to come to an end. If I let the emotional agony in, I feared I would never recover.

The figures were close enough to see properly now. I squinted at their faces, trying to identify them. A cry of anguish ripped through the air, as I recognized them. The universe had heard my fears, and had acted on them. I watched despairingly as my parents and Uncle Ben walked toward me, their eyes unseeing. When they spoke, a new wave of chills ran down my spine, like someone had poured ice-water down my back. When they spoke, they spoke as one.

"Peter." They whispered, voices combined into one eerie tone. Another guttural howl erupted from my lungs. This wasn't fair. I tried to lift my hands to cover my ears, but they were pinned down beneath a chunk of timber. "Peter, how could you do this to us?"

I blanched, oh god, why now? Why, at this moment in time, did the spirits of my family decide to show up? The timing...

Ben spoke on his own this time, though his once warm, friendly voice was cold and husky. "This is all your fault Peter. You did this to me," I started shaking violently. He looked at me with that same disappointed face he'd given me a million times before. I felt a stinging in my nose and my throat started to tighten. I opened my mouth to let in a small breath as more tears welled in my eyes. I fought with everything I had to keep them from falling, but when he shook his head and turned away from me I couldn't control it. Pear shaped tears rapidly streamed down my face and I started to whimper. "please.." I begged. But it was no use. They all turned and walked away, leaving me alone. I slumped against the rocks, laying myself to rest. Everything inside me shut down. My eyes stung and my body trembled. "...don't go" I muttered to myself, collapsing completely.

Ben's voice still echoed, "You killed me Peter..."

"Peter..."

"Peter!"

"Peter? Can you hear me?" Though my eyes were open I couldn't think of why; my heart was pounding, mind empty. It's as if a hypodermic of adrenaline had been emptied into my carotid. Then, it all came flooding back. The stabbing, the sensory overload, the nightmare. My chest heaved and I felt bile rise to my throat. I sat up quickly and leaned over the side of the hospital bed, and threw up. Because I hadn't eaten in a while, I was dry-heaving, which in my opinion was worse. It was a gagging feeling, the inability to vomit while still experiencing the choking sensation.

(A/N: So, I wrote this half of the chapter literally like a month ago, so I don't really have the flow. I'll try and keep it going though :))

I sat up. I felt groggy, and still a bit shaky, but overall, I felt rested. Finally looking around the room, I realised there were several people staring at me, concern very apparent on their faces.

Great.

Sighing, I leant back onto the pillows, really not in the mood for questions. The strangers glanced at each other nervously as I looked them up and down. Clearly, my brain was still a little slow because it took me a solid few moments to realise that infront of me, stood three Avengers. Not dress-up, actor avenger. No, they were The Avengers. Capital T, Capital A. With a ™ sign!!! I shot up out of bed, distinctly aware that the only thing covering me was a thin robe. I ran over, this was finally my time to fan-boy! "Tony Stark! OMG, you're THE Tony Stark! I literally have been building models of your Technology since I was like 7." I gushed, excitedly. He looked a bit startled, but pleased nonetheless.

I turned to Natasha Romanov. "And holy... The Black Widow? I must be in Heaven!" She smirked at me, clearly enjoying it. Finally, my gaze fell upon Bruce Banner. I let out an involuntary squeal, cringing at how girlish I sounded, but I didn't care. I was in a room with my idols! I realised I was shaking slightly with all the excitement. Bruce must have taken my trembling for fear, because he sighed dejectedly and looked down at the floor.

"Dr.Banner, sir? Can I please have a picture, when I'm clothed, of course." I blushed, feeling a tad exposed.

"Sorry kid, the Hulk can't come out today." He mumbled sadly. I was confused. Sure the Hulk was cool and all, but like, the brain inside this guy was just incredible. "What? No, I want a picture with you, Dr.Banner."

Bruce-

"What? No, I want a picture with you, Dr.Banner." With me? Why would he want a picture with me? He carried on, "I've read all your books on Gamma radiation! Religiously, I'll admit. They are just so... fascinating!" I was stunned. The kid was, what, 16? My books were College Level stuff! Tony cut in before I could respond,

"You've read his stuff?" he whistled appreciatively, "Damn, I couldn't even comprehend half of the things in there. And you understood it?" Peter nodded, fervently. (I wrote Noddled, and now I'm dying with laughter. Noddled honestly..)

"Yes. It was clear from a young age that I didn't like normal fiction books. I didn't understand the fantasy aspects. I preferred things that exist, that I could understand and use later in life. My Uncle Ben used to read it to me, chapter by chapter, section by section, every night for many years..." he trailed off at the end, becoming sad at the thought of his Uncle. I finally stepped in,

"Peter, you have no idea how much that means to me." I said, "Most people either fear the monster inside me, or want to see it come out. It's been a long while since someone has appreciated my work as a scientist." I wiped a small tear from my eye, grinning down at him.

He smiled sadly back up at me, cocking his head to the side, eerily. His voice took almost a double tone when he spoke to me next. His chilling words matching the way he uttered them.

"I stopped fighting my inner demons. We are on the same side now."

Okey dokie lads, so this is the next chapter! I don't want Peter to be completely fluffy and fanboy-ish. I really like the idea that he has almost two sides to him; that his trauma has wizened him beyond his years, though while still being a smol bean.

I thought that giving him that extra edge would be nice?

What do you guys think?

~ Nyah :)