MIND GAMES|PETER PARKER

2.3

Jessie was in a hospital bed when she woke up. She didn't open her eyes completely knowing that whoever was speaking above her, was talking about her.

"I'm not going to put her with the others so you don't have to worry about that. She wasn't sure from the beginning who she wanted to side with. But she will be put under strict ground rules when she wakes up," She heard the man say.

"Where is she gonna stay? She was with Clint before the battle. And now?" A woman asked.

"She can stay with me," A higher pitched voice spoke from beside her.

"Um, I'm not so sure that's a good idea," The woman said.

Jessie finally opened her eyes to see who was trying to get her to live with who. She looked straight ahead and saw a lady with short red hair and a man with brown hair and a light coat of facial hair.

"She's awake," She heard the guy next to her say. She looked to her right and saw the attractive blonde hair, brown-eyed boy, she owed an apology to.

"Where am I?" She asked as Peter stared down at her.

"The hospital," Tony answered for her. She turned her head toward them and she met Tony's eyes hoping she could read his thoughts.

"What's happened to me? Why aren't my powers working?" She said as tears sprang toward her eyes.

"They think that the part of your brain that was damaged, was the same area that controlled your powers," Nat explained. Jessie could no longer keep herself from crying so she let the tears fall from her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey. Shhh, Jess, it's gonna be okay," Peter said as he wiped her cheeks. She shook her head.

"It's not going to be okay. You don't know how many people are after me because of my powers. Now what am I gonna do for self defense?" She asked them and Nat sighed while Tony looked away in frustration.

"None of this would've happened if you would've just stayed out of it," Tony scolded her.

"I had no choice! What would you have expected me to do? Half of my family was fighting the other half!" She explained as she cried more and Peter tried calming her down.

"You should've joined our side! I gave you the chance. You chose wrong," He responded and she took deep breaths to try and calm herself down before speaking again.

"You shouldn't have been fighting in the first place. I'm done," She told them and Natasha's eyes widened at her last words.

"What?"

"I'm done being an agent. I'm done being an Avenger. And I am done with all of you," She said with a broken voice.

"Where will you go? Huh, Jess? It's not like you have parents," Tony fired back.

"You're right. I don't. But I'd rather be alone on the streets than live with you," She cried out and he stormed out of the room. Natasha sighed and followed him out.

Jessie looked up at Peter and he smiled softly. "I'll talk to them." She nodded and he left the room as well.

He walked down the hallway to Rhodey's room and stood outside of it with Tony and Natasha.

"She'll live with you for a while," Tony stated and Peter's eyes widened at him.

"Wh-What?"

"She's right. People will be looking for her. And since she doesn't have any of her powers anymore, she won't be able to protect herself. If she lives with you and goes to school with you, she has a chance at a normal life. Hidden from the others," Tony explained.

"And-and if she wants to come back?"

"She's won't. Trust me. Being with you is the safest place for her right now. She trusts you more than ever. She needs you to guide her through. She hasn't experienced the regular human lifestyle. Help her. And keep me updated. I'll stay in touch," He finished and walked into Rhodey's room.

Peter realized how much responsibility Tony was giving him and he took it with pride. He jogged back to Jessie's room and saw her getting discharged from the hospital bed.

"Hey, you're coming home with me," He stated and her eyes widened. He smiled and her cheeks burned bright red.

"Okay."