𝐝𝐞𝐣𝐚 𝐯𝐮, peter parker

xxv. the guy in the chair

chapter twenty-five
the guy in the chair

    MEDICS HAD arrived in ambulances. Luckily, there weren't too many people who needed to go to the hospital. Some were taken for a check on concussions, someone had a broken arm. But no one was hurt badly. No, Peter had taken the blows for them all. Parents were arriving, running out of their cars to envelop their kids in hugs and sobbing kisses. Nina glanced around, watching them all with her phone lit up from her texts from her mother saying: We'll be there in a few minutes! Honey, are you okay?! Promise me you're telling the truth! She had already rung two times, and Nina did her best not to sob when she did, overwhelmed and scared━not for herself, but for Peter who wasn't returning her calls, either. 

     Her eyes wandered. There were kids in shock blankets, medics checking their eyes with small lights. Nina's gaze settled on Flash. His parents hadn't arrived either ... she had a feeling he hadn't once picked up his phone with a call from them. 

     Nina checked her phone again, hoping Peter had replied to her texts. He hadn't yet. He's okay, she promised herself. He's okay━she glanced back at the school, feeling her throat and her stomach tighten with worry. 

     She was staring at her phone, pacing in circles when Gwen returned. Her best friend carefully rested a hand on her shoulder and expected Nina to immediately turn towards her, letting herself be pulled into a tight hug. Gwen was still shaking under her blanket, but when Nina wrapped her arms around her, she felt her friend relax. 

     "He'll be okay," said Gwen, chin resting on Nina's shoulder. "I━I mean, he's Spider-Man, of course, he'll be okay?"

     Nina remembered the night just passed where he showed up by her window, bloody and bruised. She held onto her friend a little tighter, "He's not invincible."

     Gwen pulled away. She pursed her lips, her blonde fringe a little astray. "I won't tell anyone," she then promised. Nina let out a breath. "Not my dad, not anyone, I━" she shook her head. "I don't care what he says, Spider-Man's a hero. Peter saved my life."

     They watched a group of heavily armed SWAT team rush past them, armed and muttering━trying very hard not to be terrified of what they might encounter━into the school. Nina had a feeling they won't find the Lizard inside.

      She pursed her lips, and tried Peter again. Gwen hovered by her shoulder, watching the phone ring with bated breath.

     Finally, this time, he answered.

     Nina gasped and brought her phone to her ear, hugging her stomach. But she did her best not to slump with relief at the sound of his quiet, "Hey," like he hadn't just fought a bloodthirsty Lizard that was once her's and Gwen's mentor.

     "Where are you?" she asked. "Are you okay━?"

     "I'm fine," he answered quickly, "I'm okay. I'm down the sewers. I'm tracking him. I gotta stop him before anyone gets hurt." Nina nodded. She glanced at Gwen and mouthed, he's okay. She let out a breath, hands on her hips as she registered her words. "But, Nina, we need an antidote. You know how to run a serum?"

     Nina made a face at the question. "Yeah, of course," she said. "I know how to run one, easy━"

     "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Peter cut her off. He sounded calm, but she could tell he was in a rush. "Great, great, great, okay, l━listen. I━I need you to go to OSCORP. I need you to access the cross-species file, it's a blue serum, file 12389."