Metamorphosis - An Irondad Fanfic

Chapter 5 - The Ignorant

"You've gotta be KIDDING ME!" Peter exclaimed, trying to rip off his scalp with the bruising grip he had on his hair. He spent the last thirty minutes trying to scale the laundromat wall to get into the apartment, but his hands weren't working with him. He tried webs a few times, but they wouldn't even come out of his wrists. He was stuck outside, cold, tired, hungry, and he calculated if he fell asleep exactly right now, he'd have four hours before his alarm.

That is if he could get inside to fall asleep right now. 

"C'mon! You were fighting bad guys a second ago!!" he yelled at his palms. His lips curled back without his permission, yearning for the taste of... liquidized flesh. Peter almost heaved into his hands, shaking his head violently. He remembered the fight like a spectator. His body moved with its own code, acting on something programmed in his DNA as an animal would. What snapped him fully back to control was that bizarre hunger. 

The feeling in his chest wanted out. It longed for the dark, cold places in the city. It yearned to choose a street and bend the skyscrapers together with web to create its perfect home. Peter, on the other hand, longed for a warm blanket and his pillow. "Please. I just want to sleep please," the teen whispered to no one. 

He pulled his head against his knees, balling like an egg against the wall. A watch ticking echoed around him like thunder against his skull. The criminals' scared faces as they struggled in their woven prisons ripped through his memory, igniting the hunger in Spiderman's belly. The spiritual tang of blood danced along his tongue. Peter pressed his hands over his ears and closed his eyes tight. A flash of the man that got away seared his eyes and sent the teen flying back. The pull in his chest hissed, releasing venom from phantom fangs.

It wanted blood. It wanted to feast on evil.

Peter panicked, grabbing at his heart through his pajama shirt. His knees shook as he violently shook his head. "No. No, I'm not doing that," he whispered frantically. "I'm not DOING that! You hear me?!" 

Hyperventilating, he threw his hands over his mouth. Yelling at this hour wouldn't bring him any good attention. Peter needed to calm down. He needed to take control. 

Deep breaths. He had to take deep deep breaths. Deep breaths deep breaths deepbreathsdeepbreathsdeep-

He couldn't. Peter's hand flew into his pockets, his tight grasp almost shattering his phone. He pressed the only contact who would pick up at this hour. The teen listened to the ringing with the phone pressed to his ear. As if that could make the watch ticking disappear. 

"Peter?" Ned's sleepy voice croaked. On command, his heart slowed. "You know it's like- Insanely early, right?"

The curly-haired teen let his eyes fall closed as he leaned his head back against the wall. "Yeah," Peter whispered. "I'm sorry for calling. I- Well, I just- It happened again."

He could hear Ned shifting on his bed, probably propping himself up on his elbows. The familiar sound caused tears to spring in those brown eyes. "I'm glad you called, Peter." 

He was always so honest. A horrible liar by birth, a truth-teller by choice. The vigilante wished he had that too. He wished he had so much of what Ned had. Ned's parents held him close, kissed his head, and pushed him to succeed in school. Ned was a beacon in the dark. He was a true friend, up at any hour of the night just because Peter called panicking. He extended a helping hand to every person in school and held no resentment when they slapped it away. 

Peter carried resentment as far as he could throw it. He had so much guilt stored inside him, so much jealousy, and infinite amounts of self-doubt. Peter panicked, refused help, and snapped when he felt overwhelmed. He felt overwhelmed more and more often.