. It was not your fault but mine .

While uncertainty was rising inside the avenger's tower...there happened to be more prominent things arising far elsewhere.

Away in Wakanda, there happened to be a miracle occurring. T'challa and Shuri brought in quite the wounded man. a hero you could say. They've spent hours with the best doctors they had in saving the man's life. there were certain days throughout the year after the defeat of Thanos, and the retrieval of this man, where they didn't know for certain that he'd wake up. 

" You really think he's going to wake up? " called Shuri as she followed beside her brother, down the little medbay to where the injured man was residing. T'challa gave her an incredulous look for a split moment, which gave Shuri, in her own right, to keep going. " I mean it, T'challa. He's awake, then he's not. he's awake, then he's not. he's awa-"

" Alright, alright I get your picture, little sister. " T'challa cut Shuri off, not walking anymore as he turned to face her with a semi-serious= look, mixed with a soft one. " but are you willing to give up on a man who just sacrificed everything he's got to make the world safe for his wife? his little girl? " T'challa rebutted with certainty, he wasn't ready to give up on this man, not now. 

It did give Shuri something to think about before she kicked at the ground in shame. " I hadn't forgotten about his family...I'm just...thinking realistically here, T'challa."  "Well so am I, Shuri. I believe he can pull through this. I merely just met the man when we came back from that blip, but he's given a lot to help. I remember...the look on this child's face..well- he's about 16-17, around yours. He lost someone who was like a father to him, he had to be pulled away...A young boy should not have to experience such an ache as we did with father. "

Okay, now Shuri felt a little more guilty about her doubting thoughts of the hero pulling through. Damn her brother and his good human nature sometimes. " My god...well.Let us hope you're right for once. ha! I never thought I'd ever say that willingly in my life." she grinned, cracking up as well as her brother who nudged Shuri playfully now.  

" I will be right. It is Tony Stark after all. " 

||

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Back at the compound, Peter was coming through, he had thrashed about so much when coming in that the poor boy was sedated. It took 40 minutes before peter came through. 

In his little bedroom in the Medbay were May, Wanda, vision, and steve. But may? oh she was a wreck, holding her sweet nephew's hand now. " Hi you...it's good to see those baby brown eyes open.." a weak laugh, but it was one nonetheless from may and her watery eyes. 

Peter couldn't return the same said smile to his poor aunt. To those enclosed at his bedside. " what happened..wh..why am I here...? "

His voice stood weak, eyes half-open. God, it was a sight..one none of them could handle staring at peter's current condition. It wasn't right. It was horrific.

" you came in hurt, Pete..there was blood and you were scared. Wouldn't let anyone of us come near you. " sam was the one to explain it, leaning against the doorframe. " What happened out there..? What happened to you? "

" Sam..- " Steve hushed the man gently before the sound of the bed creaking, may and Wanda quietly ushering for Peter to lay down again filtered through his ears.

" Kid- you are not getting up. Not when you look like this. " Steve frowned, not letting his eyes wander off Peter as the boy stubbornly laid back, shrugging away any sort of touch. " Luckily, it seems you didn't sustain any major head injuries. But, that still doesn't mean there isn't any sort of injury anywhere else that we can see on screen. " the blonde man proceeded, sighing finally as his eyes laid on peter in a guilty means.

Peter knew what steve was hinting at, he didn't like it. He didn't feel ready yet.  But there was...it was only a matter of time before the truth gets out.

Why did this have to be so difficult?

" Pete..? Please...honey we wanna understand what's going on. Please...just...just talk to us. Even if it's small, even if it's barely anything. " may butt in, her voice level-headed as much as it could be in the predicament. There was never a time she saw her nephew like this.
God, what would Richard and mary do?

Silence rang the space for another 10 minutes before peter carefully eyed each of the people in his room like he was trying to detect if they were lying to him or they weren't.
" ...got attacked..that's all I wanna say. I'll get better. I'll watch out more carefully than I did. I swear. " clenching his jaw, peter locked eyes with his aunt, then Wanda, vision, and steve.
He didn't know if they believed his partial truth or not.

But they seemed to be satisfied they had something to soothe their worry. It was all Peter could ask for right now.

" If anything happens, anything, please..please just signal us. Call any of us and we will be there, peter. " Wanda took his pale fumbled hand in hers, a sign of pressing comfort for the boy. Not just because it was a mother institution that hovered over her when he came in hurt, but also as his friend, his family. With all peter's dealt with so far in life, It just wasn't acceptable.

"..thank you..really...thank you Mrs. Maximoff. " peter cramped on his words, a weak smile quivering to place itself on his face. " but there won't be a next time. Cause I'll be careful, I will. I promise. "

" even with a promise, we just wanna make sure, parker. Sometimes bad things can happen that not even strange himself can predict. " Steve added, voice warm and caring for the boy in the bed.
Was it just him...or did peter look....pale? Sick?
He was probably worrying a bit too much. It was probably the adrenaline.

" oh I know. I do, Mr. Rogers. But that's also what my spidey senses are for..right? "
" yes...but...what if they didn't work like they had today? " vision even cut in with his own concerns. " we cannot rely on our intellect all the time peter. People are our greatest allies. Family and friends. "

Yeah...family and friends....
He used to consider skip a friend..family. Until the day he turned 13 years old. The advice was wise and plentiful, something peter found nice of vision as he nodded, taking it all in.

" That's true..I can't argue with it..just... " he rubbed the bridge of his nose, there was no other way peter could decipher this without accidentally dropping something out about skip.
" ..never mind. I'll remember that next time...thank you..vision. " peter weakly smiled, a small sniffle escaping him as he rested there.

The emotions eluding from peter clearly and slowly inflicted the entire room, there was this awkward silence upon all as they glanced to one another, then to peter.
" hey queens, you want us to leave for a bit? So you can rest up? We'll get you back in time for dinner. " Steve offered with a soft smile, " Tommy and Billy are here too, We wanted to surprise you about it..but with what happened, we decided now was the best time to tell you. "

Tommy and billy maximoff. Oh man, peter adored those sets of twins, while morgan was like the little sister he never got. They were the little brothers he's always wanted!
Now a genuine smile came from peter in his bed in the medbay.
" that'd be nice. A little more sleep couldn't hurt I suppose..."

" I'll come for you when it's ready, honey. I love you. "

May pressed a soft kiss to her nephew's head, brushing curls away from his forehead while she did so, earning another small little smile.

" I love you too, may...see you guys soon. "

Peter waved them off, watched as they all left the medbay one by one, until the  silence came back full force into the room. Leaving him to shiver, wrap his arms around himself.
No sleep would come to him. Peter knew that, but he craved to show them he was okay.
Even if he was the farthest from it.

All tarnished and..and dirtied again because of him.
Because of skip wescott.