Peter Problems

Edgy Education

Tony took this role seriously, he rummaged around his messy (yet tidy in his eyes) lab, in doing so he found a bell, not sure why it was there, he didn't question it, though as the day went past, he started to get used to the idea of ringing it every hour or so to remind the trio that they had to go to their next "lesson". MJ and Ned seemed excited to be in this new environment, a classroom just to themselves which sounded just perfect, especially with the mix of both practical and theory which they were all getting used to as the time went by.

Peter on the other hand? Although he had the idea of being in a safe environment, specifically with Tony being nearby and all that, he couldn't help but think to himself that Flash was somehow still there, lurking, moving from room to room started to get to him more than he thought it would, all the moving around caused his stomach to churn with anxiety, but he tried not to show it, especially as he really wanted to make sure his two friends were happy, but he just couldn't shake those feelings off. Keeping busy was all well and good for him, but the trauma he went through simply wouldn't leave him. He couldn't help but frequently check his phone, just to make sure there was no texts, checking all his socials in the process, just to make sure.  

Even during Peter's favorite subjects, the ones where he could spend time secretly working on his webs, he couldn't help but feel the sharp pains that were going on in his stomach area, it felt like constant knots that simply wouldn't go away, like even if he tried to run away and escape it, he'd come straight back to where he was, almost like stretching a rubber band. He knew this feeling all too well, but chose to ignore it knowing he had much more important things on his mind, things like focusing on his studies to make sure he didn't slack behind, and of course keeping an eye on both his friends to make sure they were doing ok too, after all Peter wasn't called the People Pleaser for nothing. 

It wasn't long before it was time for all the Avengers to gather in the lounge ready to get some lunch. Natasha was already in the kitchen preparing food, after all, she enjoyed doing it as a hobby when she wasn't busy focusing on her spy skills, or messing with Clint. Each of the Avengers had their own types of food they liked, but Natasha was always great at making it work for all of them, this time around it was just some smoothies, to make sure they all had the right energy. Cap had blueberries, rasberries and some coconut, Tony had strawberries and banana, Wanda had cranberries with a hint of sugar for that sweetness, Clint had a frozen grape smoothie and Bruce had kiwi and blackberries, a strange combination, but it suited him, and the others just grabbed what they could and hoped it would work, of course with Natasha's guidance (A/N gold star if you can see what I did there). It became routine for Tony to make Peter's, just because of how spesific it was, whilst MJ and Ned decided on a toasted bagel with different fillings, Peter would usually have a strong appetite, especially with his high metabolism, but today, he didn't seemed too interested in food, though of course he couldn't turn down something from Mr Stark himself. Kate had also come to visit to do a couple of things with Clint, it seemed like she was there frequently too, especially with her mum now in Jail. So of course, where Kate went, Lucky went, so as the others left the table, Peter decided to give Lucky the piece of toast he had been picking at for a while. 

Tony turned around after washing a couple of the plates, of course leaving Clints behind deliberately, as he always made the most amount of mess, he knew something didn't seem right, but didn't want to question it as he was just happy to know Peter had ate. Or so that's what he thought. Peter just smiled back at him, before heading off to his room, but before he could leave the room, Tony started to speak, once again in a slow, yet steady tone to make sure he didn't startle Peter in any way. 

"Hey kid, everything ok? You usually wolf down your food?" Peter nodded, he didn't want to bother Tony over something as simple as just his anxiety playing up, Tony raised an eyebrow, he watched the way in which Peter was positioned, his body more tense than usual, gritting his teeth, but decided now wasn't the time to bring anything too sensitive up, he didn't want to upset the kid once again, especially after last time, that was hard enough.  It wasn't long until dinner anyway, so surely he'd eat then right? After all, no one could turn down Steve's macaroni, with the chicken strips, you'd have to fight to get them, especially with each of the avengers using their powers to just get one, they were that good, and yet Steve would never give anyone the recipe!

MJ, Ned and Peter all started to continue with their workload throughout the day, but there was only one thing on Peter's mind. He just wanted to leave, go and explore, get his head away from being overwhelmed with anxiety. He knew Tony was acting suspicious, like he just knew something was up, but Peter just didn't want that attention, not for now anyway. Time felt like it had been slowed down, but eventually, it was time for dinner. All of the Avengers once again gathered in the lounge, before Steve placed the bowls of Macaroni and chicken strips in the center of what felt like such a huge table.  

Before Peter even stepped towards the table, the scent made him feel squeeze. He took a deep breath  and sat down, his legs vibrating from the inside with fear, his heart rate increasing as the adrenaline got to him, trying to calm down he started to faintly scratch his arms once again, just to try and focus on something else. To stall for time, he started to cut up his food, and with that everyone else was wolfing down their food. Peter on the other hands, wasn't hungry, at all. So just as a couple of the others had finished, he smiled, said his thanks to Steve and Bucky, and left the table, but not before Tony got his word in. 

"Hey kid, you've barely eaten, you ok?" he said before putting his hand on Peter's shoulders. Peter just nodded, he knew he had to respond so quickly stated that he wasn't hungry, and that he was off to go and do some late night reading up in his room. His anxiety had been bad before? But this seemed like something completely different to him? Like he was loosing the battle, his heart was telling him to snack on Steve's legendary chicken strips, but it was like his mind was in control, and that every little scent was overwhelming him more than usual. So, he did what he usually did when he felt that way around Aunt May, he wanted to go on patrol. Off he headed, through the window, in his Spiderman suit out to look around New York, not sure of what was to happen when he returned... 

(WORD COUNT 13,166)