Title: Maybe it could be for us
Summary: It was always a comfort to come back to you and now he wasn't sure what to expect. He needed that familiarity. He needed to see you.
Pairing: College!peterparker x blackcat!reader
Warnings: Veryyy angsty, mental illness, symbiotes, cursing, depression, loss of identity, Peter’s a sad boi, you are too, fighting, death, murder
Word Count: 15k
Author’s Note: OUR FIRST FULL FANFIC ON TUMBLR WHOOOOO Okay so I’m still uploading but this one’s personally my favorite thing ever right now. Like this took me weeks to write and I’ve never written this much before so please let me know what you guys think. I did a bunch of research on the marvel comics and I think it came out well.
Masterlist and Taglist
A thump sounds from behind and you look over your shoulder with an annoyed look on your face.
“Sorry,” Spiderman says sheepishly, and you scoff holding a finger to your lips. He nods too quickly, and you turn away. You shuffle a few more feet before stopping at the sound of voices. The pouch swings against your leg and you stop it from swinging with your hand. The vial containing the weird reddish substance wasn’t supposed to be broken at all. Along the lines of Tony’s words, immediate death would follow. He was exaggerating, you could tell a liar when you saw one but better safe than sorry.
“How are we doing in there, Black Cat?” The Black Widow’s voice kicks in through your com unit. You reach to press the button on your ear and whisper back your response.
“So far so good. We’re in the vents headed out.”
“Yeah, there’s some bad guys talking beneath us.” Peter chimes in and you roll your eyes. You wait quietly for a response but after a few seconds of hearing grunting from the fighting outside decide against speaking again. You’d probably end up breaking her concentration and that could cause some serious damage. The German voices fade, and you begin crawling forward. The area is big with plenty of turns and twists to confuse anyone. Not you though, this was your expertise.
“Just get out of there safely so we can all get out of here safely.” Ironman says cautiously, the sounds of the beams no doubt coming from his hands following his broad statement. You nod in response knowing full well that no one besides your partner behind you can see you. The cold of the metal digs into your skin as you shuffle around making a right turn that should lead down an almost empty hallway. Something bumps against the wall making a loud echo and you cringe placing your hand on the wall out of instinct. The sound stops and you turn back to a wide-eyed Spiderman.
“How are you so loud?” you hiss, and he flinches. You shake your head and peer down into a small hole in the vent. Two men walk past not even glancing up at the two of you. They’re singing some song about a broken heart, and you shake your head. You turn back to Peter and mouth for him to shut up. Then, for extra effort, draw a line across your neck and point at him afterward. He waves you off and turns away and for a moment you feel bad. It was a stealth mission and usually, he went all out. All those street fights have left him with a heavy foot. But at the same time, he has the genes of a spider. Every other time he wants to jump scare you but the one time he needs to be silent he bumps into every wall. Your hand scraps over a rusted nail and you cringe at the tap of pain in your finger. Carefully pressing it into your suit you pause. Peter taps your foot, and you ignore him with a sigh. After a minute, you begin to move again only this time on the palm of your hands. Spiderman does his best crawling behind you and only hits your feet a few times. So, when you reach the empty hallway in which both of you had come into the first vent you pause just before gracefully sliding down. You land in a cat-like position and stand-up walking out of the way.
“Come on down Spidey.” The red and blue suit drops down and he lands in a Spider-like position. You chuckle to yourself seeing how well the names fit your action sakes. He walks to your side and nudges you with his shoulder. You shove him back and he grins throwing his arm around your shoulders.
“You know I think we did pretty well on our first stealth mission.” you shrug off his arm and turn to him pointing a finger at him.
“You mean thank you Y/n for knocking out those two guards. Without your help the stealth mission would have been a failure!” you say dramatically earning a head shake that you know has him smiling beneath the mask. You turn towards the entrance and pick at your suit feeling the cloth snap back into place.
“How’s the new suit?” You shrugged in response, but you were still getting used to the feeling of it. The suit that, at first, was uncomfortable leather rubbing against your skin. This new suit was slightly different from your old one.
“I guess I like it.” There wasn't the feel of the worn-out leather and the smell of all the places you'd been. It smelled like a new car, and it almost annoyed you. The authenticity of your suit always comforted you in the most dangerous scenarios. Scenarios like this one. But Tony Stark had insisted on making the suit over and when you had denied it, he still made it. In his words, it was a chance to ‘stretch his brain muscles’. In the end when he'd shown you it your love for it had grown by the second. With its retractable claws and easily deployable mask, it was your old suit with the upgrades that you couldn't dream of. He'd said he wanted it back but now that it was on your skin, you were never letting go. It mirrored your previous one almost to a T. Of course, the old man didn't approve of your amount of skin showing on your chest, so he closed it a bit.
“What’s that Y/n? Was that appreciation?” Stark's voice cuts in through coms and you roll your eyes. “Wait I didn’t get it on tape, one more time and with a smile please.”
“Tony seriously?” Captain America pipes in and Tony lets out a small fine. Their mics cut off after a few seconds of fighting and you push the button on your ear which turns your mic off.
“Plan still the same?”
“Run towards where the Quinjet waits with Mr. Banner? Unless you know, you want to go rogue again.” you scoff and turn around your hair flipping over your shoulder.
“That was one time Peter. Thought you were supposed to be a friendly superhero. Doesn’t that entitle a little forgiveness?”
“I am and it does. But next time you leave me on top of the Ferris wheel to go punch some kid in the cart below us I would like a warning.” Laughter cuts in through the mics and you scowl at Peter. He realizes his mistake and taps the mic off and you shake your head in defeat. You walk towards the door and swing it open. Peter’s cry of alarm catches your attention before you see the soldiers in front of you. They hold guns in their all-black uniforms and they’re aiming straight for you. White webs shoot at the tip of their guns preventing any bullets from leaving the weapons. You leap to the right and push the man's gun into his face. He cries out and tries to swing at you, but you drop placing both hands in front of your face just as Steve taught you. Once you rise you throw a punch at his face and as he stumbles backward you put power into your right foot as you swing it into the left side of his head. He goes down as he’s knocked unconscious, and you run towards where Peter stands over the body. He turns in alarm, and you raise your hands in defense.
“Oh, it’s just you.”
“We have to leave now.” a bullet whizzes past you and Peter’s heads and you glance backward seeing dozens of soldiers headed your way. The whites of Peter’s eyes widen, and you snap a finger in front of him.
“You take half away and I’ll deal with the rest.” He nods and shoots his web onto a nearby tree getting a swing that catches some attention. You crack your neck and feel the claws extract from your suit. A sly grin comes across your face as you start running towards the group of soldiers.
“Hello Ms. Y/n might I assist you?” a voice comes from the inside of your suit. A screen lights up in front of your eyes and you blink in surprise.
“What the hell is this?” you mutter, sliding to the right avoiding an onslaught of bullets.
“I’m a program inserted by Mr. Stark. I’m Karen, the AI in Mr. Parkers’ suit as well. Place your hand up towards men please.” you furrow your eyebrows in confusion and a metal shield covering the top half of your body with a spot for your eyes to see. Bullets spring right off it and you laugh in disbelief.
“Okay very cool. How do I take this thing off Karen?” The shield disappears into your gloved hand and your claws replace it. You chuckle to yourself at the perfect upgrade when a red and blue figure swings in front of you. You drop and look up as the soldiers shoot at the figure.
“Sorry!” he yells, and you scoff in disbelief. The distraction worked and you’ve got a few guards to handle on your own. You take a head count and see about 6. Just as Nat’s simulator was. Only now you’ve got no partner to stop it.
“Hey boys. Wanna have some fun?” you tilt your head placing a beautiful smile on your lips. They aim their weapons at you, and you place your hands behind your head letting your knees hit the ground. Hesitation laces their faces as they slowly walk up to you with their guns still aimed. A single soldier proves braver than the others and pushes forward standing directly in front of you. You look up and wink as his face fills with fear. He leans down and you push the gun downwards and kick it with your foot. It slides across the ground and the other men yell in German bullets flying after you. Luckily, you hug the man's body to you, and it takes the blunt of the bullets. They pause to reload, and you step back kicking the dead man's body directly into 3 soldiers. The other two stare at you wide-eyed as you run at them. Your claws scratch across one and face and he doubles over. The other grabs your shoulder and you pull his arm and his body flips. You blow him a kiss and swing him at the two of the three soldiers that were pushed by the dead soldier. The other aims his gun at you and shoots before a white web steals the gun from his grasp. You jump out of the way of the bullet and run at him. His arms pull into a basic defensive position, and you throw a punch, and his arm blocks it. He grins and you smirk kicking directly in between his legs. His hands fly to his crotch and throw a right hook directly into his face. His body falls to the floor and a fist hits the back of your head. You stumble forward and the last two men approach reaching for you.
“God, I need a raise,” you mutter and duck one of their hits. You stand up and aim a kick towards their head and one catches it and twists. You hit the ground and your hair falls in front of your face. You flip and place your hands beneath your body and launch your legs into the air. Both feet land directly in their chest, and they fly backward. You stand up brushing the dirt from your suit and look at the two. They stumble to stand up and you walk towards them, your black suit glinting in the sun. They stand dazed as you grab both of their heads and smash them together. They both go down groaning and you kick them before turning away.
“Yeah, she’s been training with Nat.” Clint kicks in through the com unit and you laugh turning in a circle to see him shooting areas a hundred or so feet away.
“Steve that’s money I’m collecting.” Tony pipes in and Steve groans.
“I believed in you Y/n, and this is how you repay me?” you open your mouth to respond when Nat’s voice kicks in.
“You guys are jealous because she knows I’m awesome and you’re the idiots who have toys.” Smart remarks from the other avengers follow and you stifle a laugh. You catch Spiderman’s suit in the clearing you’ve made and start to make a run for him. He sees you and slows down his swinging. H sits perched on a tree until you surpass it. He jumps and lands softly beside you as the two of you run through the forest. You punch his shoulder, and he rubs it as he jumps over a fallen tree.
“Guys get to the jet as soon as possible. More Hydra agents are on their way.” Bruce warns and you lock eyes with Peter.
“Clear the way for me?” He nods and you wink at him before he swings off. Gunshots and the sounds of grunting and punches sound throughout the woods as you’re left alone. You look to your left and see Nat fighting soldiers at a bunker and silently debate going to help her. As if knowing you’re there she turns and shakes her head pointing towards the Quinjet’s location before elbowing a soldier in the face. You turn and gasp as a man jumps in your way. Too late to slow down you jump on him not delaying in your sprint. A hitched breath leaves his lips as the both of you slam onto the ground the weapon flying from his hands. You lock your legs beside his waist in a straddling position as you lean forward pressing your elbows into his chest. You peer into his eyes and frown. His eyes are wide at your attire and his eyes have strayed from your face. Disgusted, your claws extract from your suit and you slash out at him as he screams in pain. His arms push you off him with such force that you don't get the chance to have a swift landing. You are shoved into a bunch of rocks and dirt as he stands up to run holding his face in his hands. He tries to kick you as you sit on the ground, but you swipe his foot that he didn't swing, and he goes tumbling to the ground. Your eyes land on the gun that now lies a few feet away and, in a flash, you jump away from him. You pick the weapon up eyeing its weird design. The logo of Hydra stands bold on the side marking its territory. The pistol felt heavy in your hand, heavier than a normal gun would. It felt out of place like it didn't want to stay in your hand. You aim it at the man who lays quivering at your feet. His fear was evident enough. He was terrified.
"Next time do a girl a favor and treat her with respect." you purr leaning over him with the pistol in hand. The barrel leans into his head and he flinches from the cold. You couldn't help but smile at the four scratches that decorated his face. Hydra agents were always thinking they could take you or an Avenger out. It was ridiculous. How couldn’t they see all the destruction they caused but see it as a way of life?
"Come after me again, and your face won't be the only thing getting scratched," you tell him as you trail a finger down his chest. His gaze trails your descending hand as you stop above his belt and lock eyes with him. Your eyes glint with humor as your tongue flicks out over your lips and a broken gasp escapes his. You stand up and toss the gun to the side. A wet feeling spreads across your leg and you look down in disgust. You open the satchel and the red substance jumps at you and soaks into your suit. You curse and kick the agent in the face.
“Tony, we got a problem. The vial broke.”
“Jesus, you need to get to Banner right now and go into a quarantine unit.” You give back an okay and look down at the bleeding soldier.
"P-please d-don't hurt me."
"Now why would I ever do that sugar?"
"You’re the Black Cat, aren’t you?" you frown and turn away. No soldiers seemed to be with him. A lone wolf or an escapee. You turn back and see the differences in the suits he’s wearing. The light grey with a holster belt that looked like it was rushed to be put on. The ruffled hair and the dirt on his skin.
“You’re a hydra prisoner.” Fear trickles in his eyes as he nods. You tap your chin in thought and your eyes land on the screen.
“Karen send a message to Peter. I’ve got a hydra hostage that needs to be taken to safety.” The AI sends the message without a response and your vision goes blue in the top right corner. You look down at the boy who has sat up against the tree now. His ruffled blond hair falls in front of his bright blue eyes that stare up at you.
“Look, Spiderman’s coming to get you. We’re going to get you to safety.”
"I'm coming with you." you laugh and turn to the boy. He’s walked a few feet away from you. You look down at the ground and realize he’s gone to grab the gun that you had tossed. He turns back to you with a smile, and you frown at him.
"You couldn't even take me down."
"Well, you can fight really. Can anyone take you down?" you tsk at his words and shake your head. Your nails retract from the suit unintentionally, but the action proves useful. He flinches at the silver, his eyes tracking their every movement.
"I'm going with you. Spiderman did not save me, you did." he nods. "I owe you a debt and I intend to pay it."
"Fine. Hold your own and we'll see." he grins placing the pistol in his holster. You turn around annoyed but slightly grateful for the company. You make a mental note to keep an eye on him because it hadn't gone past you how quickly his loyalty had changed, and it would take a lot more than a ‘life debt’ to convince you. He could be a good fighter, but it was unlikely, seeing as he got captured and for God knows how long too. What he was if you really thought about it was a distraction and you couldn’t let him get in the way of your mission. You sigh in frustration letting your claws disappear. You reach for your coms unit and press the black call button. Static fills your ear before a certain super soldier's voice comes in.
"Stark told me what happened. Are you quarantined yet?”
"No but I found a Hydra hostage. Owes me a life debt."
"Okay, I specifically told you to get to quarantine. We don’t know the full range of damage that stuff can do to you.”
“She knows Mr. Stark. She sent a message to me through Karen. I’m going to get the guy she’s going to head on her way.” The Avengers voices tune out as a loud ringing takes over your ears. You hit the side of your head, but it gets louder. Your sense multiple and you feel the hairs stand on the back of your neck, and you get the feeling that something wasn’t right. You don’t know if it’s you, but your mind feels as if it’s on fire. A whisper fills your head repeating the same thing repeatedly. The boy. The boy. Who else would give you the prickle of uncertainty this close? You turned to the boy who now had his weapon aimed at you. Of course, a Hydra agent couldn't let go of his illogical beliefs. The thought of you believing even for a moment he had changed makes you scoff. His eyes no longer held the same innocence you once saw in them instead, they were white with not a drop of color in them. His skin has gone sickly pale and sweat drips down his face. Gone is the boy who pleaded with you to save his life but a mutant of some sort. Your face turns into a snarl and a grin begins to spread across his face.
"You should never have hit me. Now you’re going to feel the pain they made me feel." He walks closer to you pulling a pair of handcuffs out of the black belt. His gun presses against your suit making you flinch slightly. He leans in close his lips dangerously close to your neck. His hands slip the handcuffs around your wrists as they slip on. A click sounds through the woods that have gone eerily quiet and you can feel his grin against your skin. Your knee snaps up and he goes doubling over. He howls in pain as you hit him over the head with your restrained hands. He falls and you reach into the same pocket pulling out a set of keys. Never failed to work the 'compliant prisoner' act. You'd have to thank Nat for that one later. You chuckle to yourself as you maneuver the key into the lock. The cuffs fall off your wrists and you rotate them feeling the pain from the tight feel of it slowly go away. You lean down and grab his throat pulling his face dangerously close to yours.
"I saved your life. Now I get to take it." your hand tightens against his throat. The white in his eyes has disappeared and was replaced with terror ridden emerald, green eyes. A flicker of shock runs down your spine as your mind battles for control of your body. You watch the boy struggle against your grip, and everything screams at you to stop but you just don’t want to.
"Yes. Take his life Y/n. After all he was so willing to yours." you smile as he starts to thrash in your hand. Choked gasps leave his body as he tries to reach the air around him. His grin has disappeared, and his face is desperate for the air that surrounds him but can't reach. His eyes are wide with his mouth slightly agape. He stares into your eyes, but they don't feel like yours. It feels like your body is there, killing the boy, but you're the watcher to a movie. How a director watches the scene as it goes down. Something about it doesn't feel right. You knock people out but only kill when necessary. Life was precious in a way but the thought of killing him makes you lick your lips. To see the last drop of life from his eyes leave, the last strangled breath leaving his body with you knowing full well another won't come. The power that follows taking a life. Becoming one of the most feared killers and winning. Your hand tightens around his throat as a strange prickle of excitement sends its way down your spine. His thrashes have become weaker, and the gasps have become less frequent. You cock your head as the blond boys' pulse slowly stops beating against your hand. His head rolls forward as death consumes him. You toss his body to the side and stare at it for a moment. Red fingerprints mark his throat from where your fingers held him hostage. Your mind rings with adrenaline and staring at the sight of his body furthers your rush.
"You need more. Oh, so much more power." you nod in agreement turning around to a familiar red and yellow suit. His arm is extended towards you and before you can do anything the light in his palms brightens as a beam of blueish-white electricity flies towards you. It hits your shoulder, and you fly backward hitting a tree. You feel the split in the wood, and everything begins to double. Your vision is blurry as tears threaten to spill from the pain. A million needles stab at your back and you gasp from the pure pain. As if swimming in the victory, the now doubled Tony Stark walks up to you. Metal clinks far away as he says something you can't make out. A fleeting thought passes by that you could have a concussion. Football players come into view, and you chuckle at the silliness of it. Tony's head isn't turned towards you anymore though it's to someone behind you. You turn your head in an attempt to see it and catch the red and blue suit of Spiderman. You groan in pain, and he rushes to your side. You wanted to ask him what was wrong, but your body wouldn't allow you to. All you could do was stare at the blending colors around you. His touch on your shoulder soothes you, quieting the voices that raged in your head. His elder begins pointing at you and to the body of the boy. You could tell he was angry without even needing to see his actual face. Then it strikes you that he saw you kill the boy. You don't know what to make out of the situation as more colors come into view. With those colors came familiar faces and you couldn't focus on just one. You furrow your eyebrows in confusion not completely understanding the actions of the rest of the superheroes as someone rips something away from your waist. Your hand makes a grab for it, and it doesn't occur to you that at that moment you hadn't ordered it to. They pointed and the shaking and movement of Peter’s eyes makes you realize he’s responding.
"He hurt you. He tried to kill you Y/n. You need to show him you won't be discouraged so easily." you mumble in agreement to the voice in your head. Your partner gives you a look as if to tell you to calm down when the eyes of his suit go wide. You stumble to your feet avoiding the rising voices from where you sat and the stares that followed. It took all you could to get a few steps away from the voices that were rising as you attempted to stand up straight. You couldn't focus on anything as the colors swarmed towards you making you throw your hands out in front of you to stop them. Memories flashed before your eyes, and you squeezed them close and opened them. Your head was filled with the same ringing noise and the sound made you scream in pain as you fell to the ground holding your head in your head. Everything hurt and all you could do was scream. Scream as hands reached for you. Hushing noises sounded in your ear trying to calm you. The ringing was getting louder, and you pushed the people away. You looked like a mad man now swinging your head around. You couldn't find the source of the noise, but something told you it was near you. The Ironman suit glowed a red hue around it, and you snarled.
"You tried to kill me, you piece of shit!" you spit sprinting towards the metal man. He is taken off guard as you knock him to the ground. You're swinging at him like your life depends on it as his mask turns black. The ringing is louder in your ears and with it comes a voice pushing you on.
"That's it. He was going to kill you. Hurt you. You'll show them not to mess with you." The sound of metal on metal from your claws hitting the suit gets louder and louder as the ringing slows. Hands yank you back and you try to lash out at them. You kick and scream at the figure dragging you away. Your head whips up seeing the captain looking at you with a concerned look on his face. The same face from a night of good times and music. The memory flashes before your eyes and you weaken in his arms for a moment. The bastard was going to hurt you too. A tear slips down your cheek at the thought of him attacking you after all the secrets had been spilled. After all the both of you shared. You knew he would at least try. His body started to glow with the same red hue, and you growled easily feeling your temper rise. You launched yourself into the air, your body flipping out of his grasp. Your legs wrap around his neck, and you lift with all the force you can, bringing him with you into the air. His body flips into the air as the two of you somersault and he's underneath you, gasping for breath after having the wind knocked out of him. He lies on the ground as you stare at him, chest heaving. His shock equaled your own. You had seen Natasha doing it once before but stuck to your traditional training. It was an escape piece, one that Steve had guided her through. You had only stuck by because Peter had wanted you to see how training would go.
"What the hell happened to you?" he whispers as his eyes stay locked on yours. You don't respond, only continue staring at him. You tilt your head to the side as the black hue appears. Whispers follow trying to convince you to kill him. That he'd harm you. But even now he makes no move towards you. Something in your plague written brain understands this and processes it. You get up and step away from the captain. Those images of him on the couch as a girl and boy continue dancing across the screen. He's pointing at them as they shimmy on a ride at the fair. Your mind spins with confusion as the two Steve's lie next to each other. You shake your head and the Steve who laughed a moment ago disappears. He's replaced with the one who can't stop staring at you with a look of horror mixed with shock. Normally someone staring for that long would have gotten a smart remark of some sort. Now your mind was blank as the events unfolded before you in slow motion. His body became swarmed with the red glow and your mind thundered commands.
"Take his life!" it hissed, and it took all you could to not. He was a soldier, one that dragged you from taking another life. He was your everything besides Peter. It wasn't just him you noticed with the red hue it was everyone. Natasha stared at you beside Clint, and you flinch as the two of them on a couch with beers in hand flashes. Tony who stands away from you, his suit covered in scratches. The same people who didn't care if you weren't apart of the avengers on paper but in their hearts you were. They cared for you, created nicknames and here you were attacking them. Whatever was left of your sanity fought for this thought to remain in your mind. It screamed at you to kill to make them feel your power, but you couldn't. The memories were burned into your vision, and everyone was laughing with content. Peter's arms were around you as Tony gripped Mjolnir. You climbed off Steve stumbling to a nearby tree that looked strangely like the bar in the tower. You were desperate to hold onto the memory that locked itself in your brain. To stay there instead of the horrifying reality of what you were now. Your hand reached for it, and you missed. You fall with a hard thump to the ground, and you groan in pain. The ringing was coming back, and you couldn't focus with the whispers getting louder and louder. The memory slipped from your mind as you stared into the sky. The trees covered your view of the blue, cloudy sky and it gave you an eerie sense of peace. Another Metal suit comes into view, but you don't dare make a move as you whimper on the ground. Your head was killing you and you didn't know what to do. It was like you were floating in a ring of pain that came and went. It was always near but never far. You didn't even feel the needle entering the skin at your neck. The only indication that you got was the feeling of sleep taking over you and the whispers slowly disappearing into the dark.
~~~
Peter couldn't breathe. The girl he had fallen for had been possessed. On a mission that he had asked her to join him on. It had never occurred to him that anything would go wrong. That you would get hurt because he'd be by your side the entire time. Even as both of you had decided to split, he stayed close enough but not to be considered crowding you. He looked away once and came back to Tony blasting you to the ground. The overwhelming feeling of guilt wouldn't leave him at all. The what ifs kept ringing through his mind although he knew it was useless. It was weird how he could make up so many different scenarios and not even one would make anything better. After Rhodey had stabilized you, they had taken you back to the compound. Tony had figured that the guy that you killed, Ryan, he smashed into you and the residue got on the both of you. The red residue had spilled through the thin strings of the satchel. It was only a matter of tests before they figured out it was what had caused the sudden change of heart. The entire inside of the satchel was coated in the red residue and it had jumped out at them, which by the way had freaked the hell out of them. That had been ten minutes of them avoiding its tedious clutches from the lab floor. It ended, well Bruce almost destroying the lab as he threw a lighter at it and it had gone up in screams with smoke slowly suffocating it.
As a precaution, Tony confiscated the body of the kid and found red smidges dripping from his lips. Even Captain had traces of it on his suit. They did all sorts of tests until Banner recognized the substance. He then explained that she had all the symptoms of a symbiote. The urge to kill, the holding of the head it was slowly taking over her mind. Which means it was the symbiote that you both had been required to steal, and it just so happened to be the one they called Carnage. The symbiote communicated through you at the moments you lost in the fight for your mind. It never failed to scream its name. It made you snap and turn into a cold-blooded killer. He and Steve both saw your eyes. The way before you attacked, they turned black. It seemed that whenever Carnage came in control your eyes turned black. How your reactions to the two of them were that of confusion. It terrified him that something had taken over your body so quickly and how it treated your body as if you were worthless. It had been an almost unanimous decision to lock you in the containment cell beneath the Tower. Tony had built it as a precaution in case something was to ever go wrong
"She choked the life out of a kid Peter!" Tony slammed his hand on the desk.
"It wasn't her!" He was beginning to get even more frustrated with the whole situation. The Avengers all sat in the conference to discuss what to do with you. Peter knew you would have wanted to be present but in your current condition, you couldn't. That didn't mean he wasn't going to do everything in his power to protect you.
"Look I know you care about her; we all do-"
"No that's just it Steve. I love her and you will not burn her at the stake as if she's a fucking witch!" He didn't know why the suggestion had even been brought up. Killing you was out of the question. That would mean losing you. He couldn't live without you, and he'd be damned if they laid a finger on your little head. He hadn't gotten to tell you how he felt. He wanted to get to know the girl under the mask and build a life with her. There was a stepping stone in his path and he couldn't move it. It hurt to know he couldn't help you physically. The day had passed into the night and your screams of pain could be heard throughout the lower levels of the tower. They rained hell in his mind, and he couldn't stop until you were freed from it.
"What can we do?" he asked quietly gaining looks of pity from the other Avengers
"Kid-"
"What can we do?" he yelled standing up so fast his chair flew backward. His elders flinched in surprise as they watched the normally calm boy come undone in front of them. They knew the pain he held in his eyes and couldn't help him. That feeling of being helpless was contagious. In the short time, the Avengers had gotten to know you, they had grown a small attachment. You had shown off your good side with the occasional assistance in a mission. Some knew you more than others and they regretted not trying hard enough. It wasn't easy losing someone like you, but you were special. You'd always helped with the occasional catfight in the tower or more than likely were in the catfight. Everyone accepted you like family because once you grow deep with the Avengers there was no getting out. Even during Steve's hour-long debriefings, you'd seemed interested, and you'd asked questions. They didn’t ask where you disappeared throughout the day or asked why you never stayed a night at the compound even though most knew. Another thing that came into play was your age. You were the same age as Peter, and some couldn't help but feel parental protection towards you. It was nice having another young Avenger around and one that especially made Peter happy.
"Peter is going to NYU for today."
"Tony-"
"No debate on this or I get Aunt May." he replied sternly locking eyes with him. Peter let out a huff of frustration before walking away. The last thing he needed was for his supposed team to destroy one of the most important things in his life. The thought of losing you forever wasn't an option, and he would be damned if they chose to kill you to protect their asses. He reached the door and turned around locking eyes with every Avenger in the room.
"She's not here when I come back..." he finally locks his eyes on Tony once more "You can forget about having a friendly neighborhood Spiderman on your side." with that he walked out of the room. He slammed the door behind him as FRIDAY sent out a notification that Peter Parker had left the room. Tony sighed in defeat before slumping in his chair. Steve straightened in his and placed his hands on the table.
“There’s really nothing we can do?”
“We can’t figure out how to get it out of her safely. She’d end up dying or being too severely hurt to suffer it.” Bruce speaks up and Nat buries her head in her hand. The conference room stays silent for a while as they all think over their options. Steve looks at Tony and Tony nods.
“She stays in the cell.”
~~~
It had been a few days since the debate on what to do with you. The science bros were still testing theories and making sure that anything they tested on you would help in some way. It was limited because the few samples they had managed to scavenge from the satchel kept screaming and jumping at them. While Stark and Banner stayed in the lab with Vision, the other Avengers kept you company. Even if you were in a mood where the symbiote caused you to go into death mode they stayed in the downstairs prison. They knew you weren't fully aware of what you were saying and how you reacted to their presence. That somewhere deep inside your mind you were fighting to get back to yourself. Fighting a battle none of them could help, except wait and offer their moral support. Then there were the times where you'd beg to be let out. You would pound on the glass windows of your cell and scream for hours at a time. It was hard ignoring your pained cries as they knew they couldn't do anything. After the second day you had given up on interaction with anyone. You just stayed in a ball of your own emotions as you avoided the stares outside your glass prison. The one thing that was always different was when Peter visited you. You stayed calm and you appeared to be happy. It was like the symbiote disappeared from your system. Whenever you felt his presence in the room it was a calming sensation and all the whispers you heard in your head ceased. It was the one time you felt... normal.
"There's my favorite Spider. Tell me what story have you brought for me today?" You tease weakly releasing your hold on your knees. You had been in a fetal position as the whispers had tried to take their hold over you again. You knew that you would have lost the little bit of control that you had gained against the thing inside you had it not been for his arrival.
"Well, it's one I thought of myself. Figured you might want to hear it." He sets his book bag on the floor before turning his attention to you. You blush a little and turn away as he grabs a chair. He drags it towards you and sits on it backwards.
"Well, it's about a boy and a girl." You grin and pretend to be deep in thought. His face matched yours as he took the hood of his hoodie off revealing his messy brown curls.
"Do I know the story?"
"Probably not but I'll tell you. The boy met a girl on a roof top. Now they were both vigilantes so they couldn't see the others faces." He continued making you smile back on the memory. "The girl was beautiful in the boy's eyes but he couldn't tell her that. She was the villain he was tracking down, the one who was robbing people of their jewelry!"
“But was she really a vigilante?” you ask and Peter rolls his eyes.
"Well, she wasn’t at the time but this other vigilante he got her into the saving the world-” you raise an eyebrow, and he stutters “L-look it’s a process, okay? Let me just finish. They argued on the rooftop as he tried to get the stolen jewelry back. She wouldn’t give up so; they came to an agreement. They would part ways and she would stop. At least, that's what she thought. Instead, the boy had placed a tracker on her, and he followed her movements through the city.” your frown and Peter slaps a hand over his mouth. His eyes widen as you point an accusatory finger at him with mock fury on your face.
“You did track me! I knew it!”
“Just that once! But shut up seriously I have a story to tell. A couple of days later the boy found the girl at another robbery. He chased her through the dark streets and finally with his special webbing captured her once more." He raises a finger at you, and you bite your lip to keep from laughing. He knew exactly what he was doing. A hiss fills your head, and your heart drops a shiver going through your body. Peter’s expression becomes painful, and you give him a weak smile answering the question that was clear in his eyes.
"I'm sure diamonds can't harm anyone Spidey. Let’s keep it a secret. The boy in the suit shook his head and opened his hand to her. You’ll steal from the wrong person one day and get hurt. My knight in shining armor she whispered back.”
"What the boy didn't know was she had claws in her suit. With one swipe she tore the webbing and kicked the boy in his chest. He was caught off guard flying a few feet away from where he stood. He couldn't take his eyes off the girl as he leaned down like he had done moments before. You know I'm starting to wonder if you can take care of yourself or if you'll need a gal pal to help you out, she told him leaning in close. He felt like he couldn't breathe with every inch she came close. Well, I hope you're not offering yourself up for that position because I might be in more danger. She looked confused for a moment before she placed a delicate kiss on his cheek. They both said nothing as she ran away, and he didn't try to stop her.” Tears prickle at the back of your eyes as you think back on the night where you and Peter had first met. Not as yourselves yet but as the people behind the masks. The ones that you used to protect yourself from the world. You remember being annoyed that he kept trying to stop you repeatedly. Yet, through your nightly prowls, you still couldn’t help looking at the sky and looking for those familiar colors of red and blue. To this day you wouldn’t take anything back.
Peter walks towards the glass and peers into it, placing his hand on it. Immediately, you place yours on the other side. The glass was cold, but you could imagine feeling your fingers intertwined with his. The warmth and comfort that he always seemed to bring. The whispers returned murmuring promises that kept getting worse. You didn't know what would happen anymore. The longer you were kept in the cell, the worse it felt to keep the thing out of your mind. It promised that f you let it take over that nothing would go wrong. That you wouldn’t ever be in pain again. It took everything you had to keep the promises from being overwhelming. There were times when you blacked out and woke up shivering with no memory of what happened. These moments with Peter were your only peace and even now you knew your time was running out. It took so much for you to fight the being who was inside you. The one who made your vision turn red. The thought of Peter seeing what you could be again... it couldn't happen.
"Don't be weak." it hisses in your mind "show him you don't need a cure because we make you perfect." your other hand curls into a fist and you try to force the thoughts away, but you can't. The pounding in your head returns and you know it'll be different. This time you're not sure you can stop it from taking over. There's one thing you had to do though.
"Peter, I need you to leave."
"What?"
"I can't fight it anymore." you whisper, and his eyes fill with tears. The sight shocked you because never in any situation had you ever seen the boy breakdown. He had been the strong one of you two. When you had gone to break your dad out, when you had been shot, he was the strong one. It was one of the things you admired most about him. Knowing that you were causing the damage hurt even more.
"They've almost got it please, Y/n-" a tear slips past his barrier, and you move forward to the mirror placing your head on the glass. Sweat drips down your cheek as the room feels extremely hot. You know that he can't handle death and that it tears him apart. Any pain to the ones he loves that he takes it personally. No matter what you said, he would always take the blame.
"We were supposed to live happily ever after." his head lifts to meet your eyes and the sight of his tears gives you the urge to wipe them. You didn't want to do this, but it was for the best. He had to move on, and you were going to be the one to give him the push.
"That wasn't made for us Peter. But that doesn't mean you can't be happy." you smile weakly tapping against the glass. The silence feels too much to bear because the pain at seeing him and knowing that you wouldn't truly be you anymore was finally setting in. Whatever had taken over your mind was returning rapidly, and you couldn't push it away much longer. Peter moved away from the glass and wiped his tears. His curls sat in front of his red eyes, and he had a blank look on his face. One that you wish you could wipe away with a funny remark or flirty comment. He moved a few steps away and you turned your back to the glass. You were trying to be strong for him, but you knew that the minute you heard that door close it would be over. The sound of the chair scraping back into place made a shaky breath leave your throat. No matter how much you repeated the words that you would be okay you didn’t truly believe it.
The sound of a metal door opening makes your nails dig into the palm of your skin until arms wrap around your waist, and you gasp in surprise. He turns you around and engulfs you in his embrace. He shoves his face in your neck and you can feel his tears wet your skin as he cries quietly. You hug him back with the same eagerness running your fingers through his curls. He pulls away for a moment and you wipe the tears from his eyes. His eyes are glassy with sadness, and it breaks your heart even more.
"I love you Y/n." he says as he brings his lips to yours. In that moment, like every time he kissed you, the world disappeared. It was only you and him as if nothing mattered. You curled your fingers in his hair as he pressed his hand into your waist. His lips moved in sync with yours and his tongue swiped at your bottom lip promising more. You clung onto him as if you would never let go but in the end the both of you pull away to catch your breath. Your forehead touches his as you see more tears slip down his cheeks no doubt matching the ones on your own.
"Please don't go." You lift your hand to the side of his face and sigh. Your thumb swipes the wet area, and his hand moves to hold yours. You can feel the callouses that riddle his palm from fighting. Fights that you had helped or caused. The memories seemed to overwhelm you more and more as they flash before your eyes.
"Peter, I need you to go tell Tony and Bruce to keep trying. If there's even a chance I can come back to you-"
"They will bring you back to me." He nods gripping your hand. He was so full of determination and love you had no doubt that he would find a way. Your vision blurs as the red hue fills your vision again. You push away from Peter, trying your best to ignore the look of pain on his face. You walk backwards shaking your head.
"He doesn't care for you. None of them ever did. They can't even save you." It laughs and you shout for Peter to leave. His hand reaches for you, and you shake your head sobs overtaking your body. He hesitates before he turns and locks the cell door behind him. He moves to his book bag and pulls out a figure you can't make out. His hand shoots at the door of your cell and you can see the blur of white. You know from the experience of seeing what the web shooters could do that the door was tightly sealed with the sticky web. You sit in the corner of the room and wrap your hands around your knees. You don't see him leave the room that holds your cell and head towards the elevator. You don't see him collapse in the elevator as the reality of what's happened hits him. The last thing you see before the symbiote takes over your mind is the memorized image of a smiling Peter Parker.
~~
"Open the door, Peter."
"Go away Vision."
"I know you don't want that. You want comfort."
"The only comfort I'll get is if she's back." he responded shooting daggers at the door. It had been 3 weeks since the symbiote had taken over your body. Peter couldn't get the image of your body shaking in the corner as he webbed the door. His life had fallen apart in a matter of days and Tony and Bruce still had nothing to help put it back together. He didn't try to get up anymore and the only time he left his room was to patrol the streets. He barely ate anymore, picking up a sandwich from Delmar's occasionally, it didn't hold the same appeal as it once did before. He'd been planning on taking you there on a date.
Yet here he was lying in his bed while the symbiote controlled, your body. Warped your perception of anything and everything. They all knew it wasn’t you. Funny thing was it looked a lot like you. Knew things that only you knew. Seeing everyone had a horrible effect on them. All he could see was fun times and, in the tower, and movie nights with Steve and Bucky. A piece of him felt guilty for not visiting you since that day but he didn’t think of him as visiting you. It was visiting Carnage. Steve had told him about the symbiote. How it covered your body in a red monster form and told of the things it would do to New York when it escaped. That had been the last time he’d contacted anyone.
Without telling anyone he’d been doing his own research. A way to fix the wrong that had been committed against you, but it always ended in a fire in his room or a failed procedure. He couldn’t do anything without a live sample, and it was far too dangerous to steal one or collect one. So, he patrolled the streets and avoided thoughts of you as much as possible.
It didn’t work a lot, but it did the job.
Vision slides in through the door and Peter lifts his head from the pillow. The synthezoid stands uncomfortably with his hands tangled in front of him.
"Didn't anyone teach you how to knock?"
"Well yes Wanda did but seeing as that didn't work... I let myself in." Peter scoffs as he throws the covers off his body and gets off his bed. Since he didn't have a choice now, he threw on a shirt not bothering to care about his appearance. His sweatpants and messy hair were a symbol of his pain and grief. Even if that was the look you had said you'd always admired when he caught you peeking in his window on one of his days off.
"Well maybe Wanda had a point. Now can you please get out Vision?"
"I'm afraid that it would be impractical, Mr. Parker. We have to figure out a way to help you."
"We is too many people. I'm fine!" he shrugged running a hand through his hair. It's very clear that he's not fine but he isn't going to tell him that. Vision looks at him with eyebrows raised but he says nothing. Peter looks around the room and he can see where his room did not help that statement. There were dirty clothes everywhere, random T-shirts and jeans. His suit was tossed over his desk chair as his desk was littered with papers from all his classes at NYU. It was a reminder of the 3-page essay on the possibility of a quantum physicality of the multiverse theory which he had abandoned after the first sentence. He groans as he makes his way to the desk walking around the silent android.
"I've been told to bring you out of your room Peter."
"Yeah, Vision do they have a cure for her?"
"Not quite but they do have a theory that could possibly cure her. Would you like me to explain?" Peter's heart stops. His pencil has been abandoned as he flies out of the room. For the first time in three weeks the smallest smile appeared on his face as he makes his way through the long halls in the Tower. He stops by multiple rooms, throwing the doors open as he tries to find his way. He was still new to the place after Tony had offered him a place so he could be closer to you. It had been a blessing then but now it was like a cruel joke throwing the pain in his face repeatedly. But the minute that Vision had mentioned a possible cure it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. After all this time of thinking there would never be something there was. He didn't care about the consequences because he would be with you. That was enough to put the spirit in him that had been missing. He came across lab 23 and he burst through the door. A cup crashes to the floor as someone yelps and FRIDAY announces his entrance. His chest rises and falls heavily as the Avengers look at him and his disheveled appearance is noticed from him throwing the door open. The room was full of the Avengers and Clint's daughter who held his hand. They all looked like he had come in screaming that the building was on fire.
"You look like a mess." Natasha says bluntly as she stirs her coffee beside Steve. Peter turns to her and offer of them this had been the first time in weeks they'd seen him. Peter walks past Clint and Lila to stand in a lopsided smile as he attempts to fix his shirt and run his fingers through his hair. Without a mirror it was pointless, but the effort didn't go unnoticed. For some a corner of the lab. He can feel the eyes of everyone in the room trail him. A hand grabs his arm, and he looks back in alarm. Tony raises an eyebrow.
"You ever pull a stunt like that again I'll release Pepper on you." He chuckles at Tony's comment and pulls him into a hug. He had figured Tony was the one who kept the others at bay. Even as hard as it was for him, he knew Tony had been extremely worried about him, so the hug was a much needed one for Tony. He gripped his mentor with just as much enthusiasm before pulling away
"Sorry Mr. Stark."
"God I've missed that." he mutters, and Peter stifles a laugh. The two share a knowing smirk before turning their attention to Clint and Lila. Peter still wasn't sure why the 17-year-old was in the middle of the room but clearly it was important. Clint wasn't normally around because of the time he spent with his family. That and he always said he was retired but then came back. In a way he was glad Clint was there. It was different than the usual Avengers. It was a symbol of hope in his eyes, and he needed it. Clint nodded at his daughter, and she sighed pushing her phone in her pocket.
"I overheard Aunt Nat and Dad talking on the phone about Peter's girlfriend." She starts, looking at him. Her eyes soften at him, but she doesn't look away as she continues "So, when Dad mentioned that the other piece of the symbiote burned to death I remembered something from my show. These kids were trying to get the mind flayer, the main villain, out of Max' stepbrothers body. They put him in this sauna and turned the heat up and it almost worked. So, what if you made it hot enough and forced it out?"
"You're telling me this grand idea came from a kids show?" Bucky crosses his arms raising an eyebrow. She nods but she still hasn't looked away from Peter. Maybe it's the fact that it was happening to him and not anyone else that she spoke to him. He had never gotten to know Lila because Clint usually kept his family away from his separate world even if they knew about it. In that moment he felt a deep respect for Lila. After all she had only met all the Avengers a handful of times and here, she was trying to help someone she didn't even know. Even if that was the case it made it uncomfortable, but he didn't look away.
"It's the only idea you've got right?" Peter shoots back, determined to defend her. Bucky mutters something to Sam who sighs with a shake of his. She smiles at him before turning back to her dad. Sam looks at him taken aback before his face hardens. The two archers say their goodbyes before Clint leads Lila out of the room.
"I'm with Bucky on this Peter. You did hear about the part where it almost worked, right? Key word being almost?"
"Yeah, but it's also the best idea we've had in days. Nothing we've done has worked from what Carnage says." Tony points out with a worried glance towards Peter. "We also don't have that much test material to try out and the longer we wait the farther gone she is from us." There were murmurs of agreement from all sides but still some Avengers had skeptical looks on their faces. Tony walked over to Bruce and the two made their way to a lab table. From what Peter could see the two were scribbling equations on their paper. Temperatures were thrown out into discussion as Vision walked in with Wanda shortly after. Even as he made his way over to the chair the amount of peace, he felt the situation was different. Things were going to work out, but something was still bothering him. It was a good idea but at what cost would it bring to your body?
They knew the symbiote took over your mind completely and it had access to all your memories but how had it taken a toll on your body physically? Were you still as active as before or even more enhanced? Would you disappear into a puff of smoke? All these questions came to mind, and he couldn't answer one. It was frustrating but he was the one who had avoided the thoughts for weeks. Dug deep into the claws of patrolling New York and school to avoid getting hurt again. He looked around at the Avengers who were locked deep in conversation and sighed. He knew they wanted the best and wanted to fix everything, but somethings couldn't be planned. If anything proved this your situation did. He didn't want to be in the room anymore, he realized. It was suffocating him as thoughts of horror raced his mind and his breathing grew rapid. His mouth felt dry as how he'd last seen you popped into his mind. It made his heart tighten and he let out a gasp. The room felt like it was closing in and the temperature was rising. Beads of sweat formed on his brow as the room went out of focus. He looked at his hands to reveal they were shaking, and they were soon replaced with yours.
You slammed against a tree and a dead body lay nearby. He had to get out of there. He stood up walking over to the door quickly. His hands were clenched by his sides as he tried to get a grip on reality. The door handle zoomed in and out of focus as he thrust the door open and closed it behind him. It slammed shut and he breathed a sigh of relief as the cool air of the hallway hit him. He slid down the wall beside the door and buried his head in his hands. He could feel his heart beating faster than normal and his throat was constricted with emotions. He wanted it all to be over. He wanted to be able to talk to you and ask you about your day. He hated what you had become and how he'd probably never see you the same as before. The carefree, loving girl that always made him smile. He blamed himself even though he knew he shouldn't. It wasn't his fault that the symbiote turned your mind inside out. It didn't stop the thought of how he brought you to the mission.
"You okay Peter?" Steve asks peering through the silver door. He looks up and sees Nat pushing her way out of the door and Steve following. He doesn't respond and they both sit beside him. No one says anything for a few minutes.
“You know they’ll take weeks before they make a decision.” she comments and Peter nods absently. Nat pokes him in the shoulder and he looks at her with dead eyes. She nods down the hallway towards the door that leads to a stairwell. A stairwell that leads to your cell.
“Nat-” Steve starts but the glare that she gives him shuts him up. Peter stares at the door and feels the tugging at his heart turn to an ache. Nat looks at him expectantly and he turns away to face Steve.
“She’s not wrong.” Steve places a hand on Peter’s knee as Natasha stands up. She pulls out a cellphone from her pocket and unlocks it. As Steve and Peter stand up a voice beeps from the electronic and a click sounds in the door behind them. They look at her in alarm and she gives them a lopsided grin.
“Direct link to Friday. Took it from Tony on my way out.” Steve shakes his head and starts down the hallway. Nat follows close behind and Peter takes slow steps. He’s anxious to see what has happened. Will it be you? Was it all just a dream? Or will you be the monster that Steve has described to him so often. Steve looks back and raises an eyebrow at him. Peter gives him a nod and Steve slows in his step. Either Natasha doesn’t notice or she doesn’t care because soon enough she’s at the door as they walk slower down the hall.
“I’m fine Cap. I’m sure Natasha can use the company.”
"Don't lie to me Peter. I'm a soldier so I know a panic attack when I see one."
"So, what do you want me to say Cap? Oh yeah just had a quick panic attack because there's a possibility the love of my life is probably never going come back to me and I've been running from it for weeks and it just hit because that's what happened. Then we have a possible solution to fix all that’s happened and I can’ stop thinking about how she’s changed or whether what we’re doing might kill her." Peter’s voice cracks at the end as he pauses in the hallway. Steve stops with a sigh and turns to Peter.
"Just don't lie about your feelings. Talk about them instead of tearing yourself apart."
"Yes, because Captain America, the nation's hero, is the one person to dish out advice on feelings. How ironic you can't even admit something as simple as your own as Steve Rodgers." Steve grabs at Peters arm and Peter rips it away as he glares at him. Steve muttered under his breath before looking away from him. He didn't know why but something told him this was affecting him too. His reaction came and calmed Peter down. The way he was quiet in the lab. Steve's uneasy breathing confirmed it as he took a shaky breath before looking behind Peter.
"You ready for that son?" He nodded towards the door in front of them. It was a black door with a silver handle. It held two words in silver engravings that meant so much more than anyone could imagine. Holding Cell. Peter wasn't entirely sure if he was ready to see Carnage like you. But he had to face the reality of the situation. You were his rock and his water. The thing that kept him grounded but could send him floating in a sea of wonders and worries. He couldn't run from the fighting and the anxiety that was filling him. He didn't know what was going to happen but he wouldn’t be alone. Steve and Nat were going to be there. Whatever the three of you saw, it wouldn’t be worse than what would happen if the experiment failed. Even then he knew that you would prefer to die than be held captive in your own mind.
"I need to be." he whispered as Steve's eyes softened. Steve walked past Peter and Natasha reached over pushing the door open. Peter could barely process what was happening as they walked into the stairwell. The light flickered overhead adding the anxiety that the three were already feeling. As he took each step he couldn’t help but think that the lights reminded him of a hospital hallway at night. In a horror movie.
He looked down the staircse to see the two shoulder to shoulder, Nat’s face turned towards Steve’s in a low whisper. Peter stared in curiosity as Steve replied and placed a comforting hand on Nat’s shoulder. She shook him off before turning back to the tablet. Steve sighs and turns around the intent clear in his eyes. He was willing to be Peter's emotional support. He was going through the same thing he was in a different way that Peter could see it now. The pain in the usual strong soldiers' eyes mirrored his own. Fear and terror for what the two of them were going to witness. Peter nodded before walking up to the captain. They reached the final step and Peter could hear the assassains shaky breaths as she clutched the tablet in her hand. The air was full of intensity and anxiety as they all stared at the door.
"She was like a daughter to me." Steve blurts out. Natasha stares at Steve with a knowing look and if Peter had guessed there was a slight tear in her eye.
"She came to my floor in the tower one night. I didn't recognize her because she was in jeans and a T-shirt, but she knocked on my window. It was about a year ago but she told me what she had been about to do. Told me she was going to tell you who she was."
"When was this?" Peter chokes out. He can feel the emotions from earlier resurfacing from being so close to the broken version of you. He was trying to keep those feelings back. After all he'd done it for three weeks.
"She told me she couldn't tell you. She thought you wouldn't love her like she did you. She wanted to do it right, not by showing up to your windowsill. I told her that you'd understand and that you'd never stop loving her. You were gone for her Peter, and she was you. You still are and somewhere in her mind she still cares for you. We talked about countless things that night. Before she turned into that thing, I spent every Friday with her. Through her bad days and good ones, I was there every Friday. I've been there every Friday talking about the same things and leaving at the same time. She's not the same anymore. You need to know that." Steve looks at the door that holds so much devastation behind it.
“It’s difficult losing family that you love. It’s even worse losing the ones you love the most. Despite what goes on in here, we have to know that isn’t Y/n.” Natasha says looking them directly in their eyes. She presses a button on the tablet and the sound of metal clicking out of place slips through the silent corridor. The door slides to the left and a blast of cold air sends shivers down his spine. The ceiling lights were off, and he took a deep breath before walking in. He couldn't see anything until the lights overhead kicked in. He lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the bright light that flashed overhead from the motion sensors Tony had installed. He lowered his hand and fixed his gaze on the glass cell in front of him. There you stood with a black leather jacket covering a white tank top. Your hands were shoved in dark jeans that tucked into your combat boots. You took his breath away and to top it off you were smiling. Smiling so bright like nothing was wrong in the world. Like seeing him had taken away the past few weeks.
"Peter." you call out beckoning him closer. It was like honey to his ears hearing you call his voice. Something he never got used to and something he didn't want to. His feet carried him to the chair he had once sat in everyday after school. He spins it and sits on it backwards never taking his eyes off you. It was too good to be true that you were you in all your glory. Your smile flickered and his heart dropped as he looked deeper in your eyes. There was nothing. No emotion. No love. There was nothing and he hardened his face, feeling foolish for giving in so soon. This had been what Steve had been warning him about. He couldn't look at you anymore without the burning feeling of betrayal. He turned to Steve and Nat and the apology was clear in their eyes. At some point they knew that Peter would have fell for your rouse but that it was okay because he fell out of it. It comforted him to know that they were there to be his support. After all he did need it. Even now as Nat stood by the door leaning against it with her arms crossed and Steve walking towards the panel on the wall he felt strangely protected. The thought made him feel guilty because he never would have thought he’d need protection from you.
“Ah couldn’t let me have some time with Pete alone, could you? Such a shame really. We could have had so much fun us three.” You grin and your voice changes. Peter stares in horror as half of your face morphs into a red monster that matches half of your smile.
“Meet the new me Peter!” You giggled throwing your hands out to your sides. He watched in horror as the red symbiote spread all over your body until all he saw was the monster known as Carnage. His skin looked slimy, and his tongue hung slightly out of his mouth as he laughed.
“We want to talk to her Carnage.” Natasha’s voice calls out from behind Peter and Carnage laughs his dark laugh. He turns in a full circle before shaking his head at Natasha with a pointed finger at her.
“We are one in the same Natasha. Her mind is mine and my body is hers.” Peter turns to Steve whose exterior has hardened. His entire body throws off fumes of rage and walks back over to Natasha. He snatches the pad from her hand and before she can stop him, his fingers are sliding across the screen.
"Come back to us kid." Peter hears him whisper and he notices the change immediately. The heat starts to rise slowly. A small trickle of sweat down his neck, and a small one down carnages. It figits in place as it stares with a confused expression on its face. Almost as if it was trying to figure you out. To anyone who looked in nothing would seem wrong except they wouldn't know how wrong they were. The red slipped from your body until it disappeared leaving you looking fragile and weak. You mustered a small smile at Peter and stood up straight, stumbling towards the glass.
"Turn the temp down will you guys? It's fucking hot." you get no response as the soldiers begin swiping at their foreheads and necks too. The perks of being in the cell were affecting both you and each visitor. No one would show how much it was really affecting them, but it feels like Peter's suffocating as the heat molecules burn on his skin. The image of a burning sun spreading its rays onto the beach where a human lies on a tanning bed. That was him times a thousand. Not only was he sweating from the heat but from his nerves. The only thing repeating in his mind was you. You laughing at him at the grocery store. Tickling you on the couch because you wouldn’t shut up during a Star Wars marathon with Ned. Seeing you for the first time on that rooftop as you trusted him with your identity.
It wasn't even a matter of strength but just a matter of hope. He hoped you would be okay at the end of their experiment. At this point he'd do anything to make sure you were okay. Ten minutes pass as the heat grows higher and higher. At some point the captain took off his brown leather jacket, leaving him in his white T-shirt and blue jeans. Natasha has thrown her hair into a tight ponytail of red locks that stick to the back of her neck. Even Peter’s shifted from his sitting position once or twice as the clothes start to stick to his body. Still the room stays silent as you all begin to avoid each other's glances. No matter how hard he tried his eyes could never stay for long off you. It was both a curse and a blessing because what was in front of him threw pain and pleasure in his path as if he were a dog chasing the mailman. Your hand was holding your head and your breathing had become shallow. He was beginning to become worried as you started hyperventilating from the heat.
"T-turn the heat down P-Peter." You mumble not looking up from your spot on the floor. He could see something was happening. Sweat dripped down your face more frequently and you had tried once more to wipe it away but had given up very quickly. Your face was swollen from the humidity but that wasn't what stroke him as weird. Your whole figure was yours but not yours in the slightest. Your shoulders were drooped, and your hands hung by your sides as if they held too much weight for you to bear.
"So, you have figured out my weakness Avengers." Carnage hissed moving to the glass wall. Your body staggered as your hand reached for the glass wall and his palm slammed onto it. The force of it gives a crack as the red palm slides down the glass. Your head tilts up and a grin spreads across your features as you lifted your head to lock eyes with Peter. He looked on in horror as Carnage fought for control over you. His body would come into presence but disappear just as quickly.
"Come on Y/n. Fight the son of a bitch." he heard Natasha whisper as your head drooped down the glass a little bit. Your breathing was getting heavier by the second as the heat rose. Your hand slammed into the glass again and a laugh escaped your mouth as it kept slamming on the glass again with so much force that a crack appeared in the glass.
"It's too bad. I was actually growing to like you all so well." It grins as the red monster takes over your face, turning to Steve. He disappears and for a minute the room stays silent. Your mouth opens as if to say something, but a scream escapes it instead. A long, shrill terrified scream that never ends. A scream that mixes with a low, horrible scream. The glass protecting the Avengers from you shatters like glass and Peter jumps backwards avoiding the glass shards. They stare at you as a monster and a civilian fight for control over one body. He can't help you and he can't hold you. It's tearing him apart. You're holding your head in your hands and you start to sob, and another scream leaves your mouth. He's sure everyone in the tower can hear it and it fills the silence of the room like a pin has dropped. Tears are streaming down your cheeks as your sobs and screams are all that fill Peter's mind and soul. It's as if a part of him is locked in that battle with you, wishing he could hold you and stop the pain.
"Holy Shit." Tony says from behind the three of you. The door is opened and the rest of the avenger's spill into the room seeing the monstrous sight before them. The faint thought that they must have come in earlier passes through his mind as they all stare in horror.
You're screaming your head off and the sight is terrifying because you won't stop looking at him. Eyes locked only on Peter and all he sees is the pain and agony in your voice and the flicker between you and the symbiote. Your head lashes back as your body arches back. It's like something out of a poltergeist movie Ned had showed him in his sophomore year in high school and just as terrifying. Your mouth is cocked open as you start to mumble words that are said too fast to comprehend. The dark voice that only belongs to Carnage speaking fast and angrily. The voice is rising, and Peter's sense goes wild. Something isn't right with you and as he looks at The Avengers, he can tell they know it too. Peter's eyes return to you as he watches whatever it is that was in you leave your body. Your body begins to shake and your hand claws at your throat as a red fog starts leaving your body. It leaves through your throat and into a cloud above you. He's stuck in the film as your body betrays the venom it had gotten so used to.
"What the hell is that?" he hears Bucky murmur and Sam just responds with a string of curses. They all watch as the fog gathers above your body in the shape of an ill cloud. The only sound anyone can hear is their own breathing as your face drains of color as the last drop of the cloud leaves your system. Your mouth snaps shut, and your hands drop to your side. You sway for a second before your legs give out. Your body drops to the ground, and something snaps in Peter. He lurches for the opening leading to you and several cries of alarm call out to him as he reaches for you. His only thoughts are you and how he can help you. Glass crunches beneath his feet as he catches you in his arms. He lets himself fall to the floor and holds you carefully. Your head lifts to look at him but your eyes remain unfocused as if some part knows he’s there but can’t find him. His mind is on overdrive as his hands hold your head and lift it carefully into his waiting lap. You moan softly as if it takes too much energy to even say anything.
"Shh I'm here Y/n. You don't say anything." he kisses your cheek as you murmur things in a soft confused tone. Now that he's got you, he can see the Avengers standing in front of the door staring at the thing above him. It hisses softly as it moves around in its form. Steve's holding the iPad again with Tony over his shoulder pressing buttons that Peter knows will make the temperature rise even more. His hand pushes away stray strands of hair from your face as your eyes stay closed. He places a soft kiss on your forehead and your eyes flutter before shutting again.
"What are you doing to me?" the cloud hisses as Peter murmurs comforting things in your ears. The cloud is making weird, shrieking noises above him like it did before leaving you. It gets louder and louder and he soon recognizes it as its screams. Truth be told he's terrified. This thing could easily take over his mind the same way it took over yours. He's in mortal danger but the only thing he's focused on calming is you. Your skin is covered in sweat and your hair has become so wet as if you just came out of the shower.Your mumbles have ceased, and he feels your body shaking with exhaustion.
He shakes you a little bit to make sure you're okay enough to respond and you groan softly. He sighs in relief but the small victory doesn't take away his initial worry. He slides the jacket off your arms to cool you as the heat takes another fateful rise. It's like he's entered the desert and when he breathes in, it feels like he's suffocating. Carnage, it appears, is doing far worse than he is. The symbiote is reacting badly to the heat as its screams get higher pitched. He looks up as the cloud appears to be almost glitching. It's a terrifying thing to look at and to know he’s unprotected and that there’s the possibility he can't protect you if need be. He can only imagine what horrors it holds in store for you two now. Would it take over the Avengers as it had with you? Would it destroy the foundation on which they stood? The screams drowned out his thoughts as the air became difficult to breathe as the around him swirls. He clutches your body to him tightly as he whispers sweet nothings in your ear as you begin to whimper in fear.
"This will not be the last you see of my kind." It screams as Natasha yells out a warning, but the screeching has gotten so loud and the air so thick with smoke that Peter can only make out a few words. A loud boom vibrates throughout the room as the cloud turns into a red substance once more. It splatters like a paint bomb and the room goes deathly quiet. He can feel the sticky substance on the back of his neck, and he hears The Avengers groan in disgust. He lifts his head and looks at the Avengers in front of him wiping red goo off each other. Everyone's muttering as the red goo gets worse to take off and Peter laughs. They look at him like he's crazy and maybe he has gone mad, but he can't stop laughing. He hasn't laughed in what has felt like forever but when he does, he can feel the weight off his chest. He can laugh because everyone's okay and you'll be okay without that sick ass symbiote destroying your mind. He can finally have his happily ever after with you and protect you forever more.
"Never stop doing that." you whisper with tears in your eyes. His eyes travel down and the smile on his face grows wider. You're smiling at him and he's feeling the tears at the back of his eyes and the choked emotions in the back of his throat. You raise a hand to his face and swipe some red goo off his face. You mutter a curse when it just smudges, and he chuckles as his hand moves to yours. The warmth he's missed so much is finally back, and nothing could take that away. It felt like it wasn't long ago that he'd held your hand in the grasp of a goodbye, but this was something new.
“You’re not going on missions for a year.” you chuckle before a cough rocks your body. Your hand flies to your mouth and more red goo comes out. You both look at it in disgust and you fling your hand, the red goo rubbing against the wall.
“Everyone gets a quarantine shower to celebrate.” Tony claps but it’s not quite a clap but goo that strings when his hands separate. A few of the Avengers laugh as he stares at it in disgust. “Banner how the hell are we getting this off?” He asks as he turns around and walks out of the room with more Avengers following him. No doubt they’d have you all burn the clothing and shower in burning hot liquid that might take a few layers of skin off, but he turned his eyes back to you. His beautiful Y/n that was finally back in his arms after so long.
"We get our happily ever after." He laughs softly leaning close to you once more. His forehead touches yours and for a moment he gets lost in your eyes. They aren't the emptiness that they were once before. They hold the happiness and love he'd missed.
"Maybe it could be for us." you smile as you tilt your head up so that your lips meet his. In that moment nothing could have made him happier. You were his princess, his hope, his wonder of the world and nothing was going to change that now that he could finally, and officially make you his.
