Spiderman Oneshots

Ghost Peter (3)

In the weeks following his outburst, Tony was uncharacteristically quiet. He spent a lot of time looking at pictures of Peter, or locked in his room. Pepper wasn't much better. One day Peter was bored, and noticed Morgan slipping out, unnoticed by her parents. He followed Morgan from the house, ignoring the tug that tried to draw him back to Mr Stark. She wandered towards the lake, staring out at the waves.

Then she jumped in.

Peter started towards her, brotherly instincts kicking in before he realised that she was fine, paddling in the shallows with ease. He watched her swim, taking pleasure in her pure delight.

The wind picked up, sending ripples across the surface of the lake. Peter only noticed how far Morgan had gone from the shore when she began trying to swim back, shivering in the sudden cold. Peter watched desperately, unable to do something as her strength waned and she began to sink in the water, spluttering. He glanced back at the cottage. Neither Stark had noticed their daughter's absence. Then she stopped swimming altogether.

Morgan was going to drown, and there was nothing Peter could do.

No. He'd be darned if he wasn't at least going to try to save his little sister. He dove into the water, the cold embracing him like an old friend. He wrapped his arms around the unconscious child. They passed right through her. No. For Morgan, he could be solid. He tried again. This time, he felt her, so cold and yet a burning furnace compared to him. He pulled her towards the surface, latching onto that thread that still tugged him towards Mr Stark and letting it drag them both onto the shore.

Morgan wasn't breathing. He saw a hazy outline begin to flicker above her body.

No

Peter, trying to convey his desperation, took ahold of that string connecting him to Mr Stark, and gave it a firm, urgent, tug.

It worked.

A moment later, Tony burst out of the cottage, and let out a cry when he saw Morgan. One of his suits came, and then Pepper was there and they were defibrillating Morgan, and she was coughing up water, and that hazy outline was gone.

Exhausted, Peter slept.

After that day, Peter made time to play with Morgan. The leash between him and Mr Stark had slackened, allowing him to venture further without too much effort. On the good days, Peter joined in with Morgan's games, lifting the action figures or helping her to dress up. On the bad days, he just kept her company. When Morgan told her parents about him, they dismissed him as an imaginary friend, created by Morgan to help her deal with the trauma of almost dying. Peter didn't mind.

Over time, his strength grew. He found it easier to touch or move objects, especially around Morgan or when he was by himself. He started experimenting.

One day, he tapped Mr Stark on the shoulder when he seemed lost in dark thoughts. The man whirled around, looking for whoever had touched him. Another time, he accidentally knocked over a chair in the kitchen whilst the whole family was watching TV. Then he smashed an ugly mug that he'd always hated whilst Pepper was doing the drying. The incidents built up, but it was when Mr Stark caught him playing with the switch on Morgan's lamp to make her giggle that it all really kicked off.

"I can't be the only one that's noticed the weird things happening around here," he announced one day during dinner.

"No," Pepper admitted. "Little things. Like I know left my keys on the kitchen table yesterday, and they were hung up on their peg this morning. And the other day I found a hat I lost months ago just sitting on the end of the banister." Peter had been bored and was just trying to be helpful. "What do you think it could be?"

"Don't laugh, but I think we might be being haunted. And it only seems to be getting more powerful - we can't let it hurt Morgan."

"Not laughing. What do you suggest?"

"An exorcism."

Peter stumbled back in shock, knocking over Pepper's favourite vase. He tried to catch it, but it smashed on the floor. Everyone turned to look in his direction, wide eyed.

"What's a... egg sore sim?" Morgan asked.

"It's a way of getting rid of dangerous spiritual forces."

Morgan frowned. "Will it hurt? I don't want him to go away!"

"What do you mean, him?"

"It's just my invisible friend. He's clumsy, you see." Morgan waved in Peter's direction. "He plays with me, like I told you."

The adults shared a look. "We need to call an exorcist."

"No!" Morgan cried. "If he's really a ghost, can't we try talking to him? With an... oogy board?"

"A ouija board, you mean? How do you even know what one of those is?"

Morgan smiled sweetly. "Can we, mummy? He'll be really good until then."

Pepper shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. But you're not to play with your friend anymore, understand?"

"Awww."

"Morgan."

"Fine."

The next day, the whole family headed into the city to buy a ouija board. As Morgan had promised, Peter was on his best behaviour. He had taken extra care not to touch or bump into anything, and now he was sat beside her in the back seat of the car. During the long drive, the young Stark entertained herself by huffing on the window and drawing in the condensation.

Peter couldn't help himself- he leant over and drew a smiley face on the glass. Morgan giggled quietly.

Hi, she wrote, then breathed another patch onto the window. Peter hesitated, then wrote, 

Hello Morgan :)

Morgan beamed.

What's your name?

Peter didn't want to answer that, so he wrote instead,

Thanks for not exorcising me :)

Morgan squinted.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, dear?"

"What does that say?"

Peter quickly wiped the window clean as Pepper turned around in her seat.

"What does what say, honey?"

"He wiped it off," Morgan complained. "We were writing to each other on the window."

"Really?" Pepper looked a bit worried. "What did he say?"

"Just hello, then something I didn't know how to read."

"Can you get him to do it again?"

Morgan huffed on the window again.

Hello? Please write something.

Peter pressed his finger to the glass but he was too drained, and it slid right through the window.

"Don't be shy," Morgan encouraged.

Peter tried again, but his hand shook, leaving a jagged line in the condensation. Pepper gasped. "Tony, you have to see this."

Exhausted, Peter was asleep before Mr Stark even turned around.