The escapee - Marvel

Chapter 61 - Grey hairs and great peripheral vision

"Peter?" Pepper's voice came through the phone and wrapped Peter in what felt like pure happiness and a warm hug.

"Mom?" Peter asked and Pepper couldn't help but sob at the sound of his voice.

"Oh my god, you're alive? Peter, I've missed you so much and so has Tony" She blurted out before gasping, "oh my god I need to tell Tony! FRIDAY tell Tony to get his metal ass down here right now and tell him that I mean right now as in right this damn second!"

Peter heard FRIDAY give a curt reply in agreement and he laughed at his mother's words, his laughter mixed with sniffs as he cried.

"Peter we have missed you both so much," She said again and Peter could tell she was crying now, sounding slightly hysterical.

"Pepper?" He heard Tony's voice in the background and he cried harder, Aria watching him with wide eyes. She moved closer to the window, pulling Seven's body away from the boy and into her lap so she could clean her up.

Aria poured some of the water from the litre bottle onto Seven's abdomen so she could wipe the blood away. She figured they had some water to spare and she didn't want her mother to see her like this, plus she was trying to give Peter some sort of privacy. After she wiped the blood away she cradled her friend close, telling her quietly about some of the constellations she could see.

"Pepper, what's wrong?" Tony's voice was tense and his worry heightened as he had the phone thrust into his hand. "Who is this?" His voice was accusing and Peter had to stop himself from laughing.

"It's me, Dad." Tony's heart stopped.

"Pete?"

"Yeah. It's me. I'm alive"

"Thank fuck" 

"Language" he heard Steve in the background, and Peter guessed he was walking through. "Wait, Pepper are you crying?"

Peter listened as Pepper explained what was happening, her voice less hysterical now and soon he was saying hi to Steve. He felt more and more tension dissolve as he spoke to his team, soaking in their relief to hear his voice. 

"Where are you, Peter?" Steve asked and he could tell that they were trying to put him on speaker now as they argued. He imagined all three of them cramming around the table, Steve trying to figure out how to work the phone.

"Russia" 

"You're safe?" Tony asked and he reassured him.

"Wait Pete" Pepper interjected after being silent for a while. "Who was the kid?"

Peter looked over to the window where Aria was leaning her head against a beam, she had been whispering to Seven about the stars but had fallen asleep, snoring softly. Right now she had her guard down and she looked the youngest he had ever seen her.

"That's Ariadne, she was Seven's cellmate in the facility." He replied, "She's the smartest kid I've ever met."

"Oh god, how is Seven?" Steve asked, thinking of the redhead.

"Can you put her on the phone, Pete?" Tony asked, "I've been missing her voice and her stupid jokes."

Peter missed her voice too.

"Uh," he swallowed the lump in his throat, eyes wandering over to his best friend. "No"

"Is she sleeping?" Pepper asked, 

"no"

The New York side of the line fell quiet.

"Peter?" Steve asked, "Is she okay?"