SHIELD hospital was crap.
The beds were like sleeping on wooden planks and the pillows were just rock solid.
He groaned, partly because of the poor quality mattresses. The other was mainly because of the blinding light he had woken up to.
The first thing he saw was his pops sitting beside him. His dad was by the very uncomfortable wooden chair fast asleep. Peter smiled.
Then, all the memories came flooding back to him. Harry. His uncle Loki. He felt his face. His mask wasn't there as per usual anymore. He remembered his father and the entire family saving him from bleeding out under that building. The look on their faces when they found out that he was Spider-Man. How disappointed they were.
Peter wasn't aware of his heart moniter beeping wildly. That had woken up his pops and Steve shot up from his chair to see his son awake and having a severe panic attack.
"Peter! Calm down! You're okay! I'm here. Dad's here too. You're okay. Just breathe." But Peter couldn't breathe at all. Every gulp of air hurt his lungs. He remembered that the last time he had difficulty breathing was when he was seven an had a severe asthma attack much similar to one he was currently experiencing.
Tony then shot up in his chair, his eyes widened in shock as it took him a second to realise what was going on. It took half an hour for the both of them to calm Peter down. They had called Bruce who had given him his inhaler and all was alright, lowering the speed of both of their heart rates.
"I'm sorry." Peter murmured as he clutched onto his pops shirt, his hands never letting go as he sobbed.
"Hey. Come on. Let's get something in you, yeah? You must be hungry." Peter all but reluctantly listened and a few minutes later, he was sitting in bed. There was a tray of plain bread, a glass of plain water and some chicken soup. "Nothing too high in calories." Bruce had said before leaving, reminding his fathers to inform him if Peter had another attack again.
His pops and dad had been eventually convinced leave the room to eat, shower or even sleep. It took some time and a one very stern Bucky Barnes, but they budged.
Some of the Avengers had stopped by to greet him. Clint and the Maximoff twins stayed to attempt to cheer him up. They had made horrible jokes and puns, but making Peter laugh nonetheless.
Loki then came in for a visit. The God of Mischief looked concern. He was the first visitor actually, it was just that he came in the night while Peter was asleep. JARVIS who was aware of it did not say a word, knowing as an AI, Loki was probably the only person that had any chance of helping the young boy now.
"Hello Peter." Loki said. Peter had just awoken from his sleep. He smiled at him. He remembered that the other Avengers were still wary of Loki even when he had first arrived on the very doorstep of the their humble home. They never really accepted him as their teammate, he knew. But Peter didn't mind. He enjoyed talking to him. It made him feel relaxed. Like he could share his secrets without any judgement being passed upon him.
"Hey Uncle Loki."
"How are you feeling?" Loki asked as he settled himself on the armchair beside Peter's bed.
"Fine."
"This place is absolutely horrendous! How on earth can anyone possibly thrive in this filthy environment? The rooms are so small they could give anyone claustrophobia just by being in it." Peter laughed. He hadn't really laughed like that in such a long time. It was great. It felt pleasant. To be able to just not worry about anything but the moment.
"It's not that bad."
"I should bring you to Asgard. The healers are the best of the nine realms and the rooms will be spacious. Even the food will be better than . . . this."
Loki said as he poked a leftover slice of slimy bread in disgust.
"That was reckless of you Peter. Why didn't you call for help? You could have died."
"I guess I just didn't want you to worry about me. I though I could just handle the situation and be done before dinnertime. I never really had any help before. I was always on my own. Even before pops and dad adopted me years ago. The orphanage wasn't a pleasant place to live in. I was always pushed around because of my . . . condition. The other foster parents always pushed me aside. I didn't think that anyone would . . ."
"Care? Come for you? Peter. Do not ever think that you are unwanted or unloved. Do you understand? All of us love you very much and only wish the best for you. I understand what it is to feel unloved and neglected. What you have now, that is not the case. You are surrounded by love all around you. Mr Barnes, Rogers, Stark, Romanoff, Barton, the Maximoff siblings and doctor Banner. Even my big oaf of a brother does. You are never alone in this. We will always be there for you in your times of need. This is not a burden that you are to shoulder by yourself. But we can only help you if you want to be helped."
"You're not angry?"
"Angry? Beyond words. But, I am willing to put that anger aside in terms of understanding. You are destined to do great things in life, Peter. Things that will change the world for the greater good. And know this, young one. I will be there every step of the way. That, you have my sacred word."
"Thank you."
"Rest well, Peter." With that, Peter dozed off to sleep once more, a warm feeling tingling at the bottom of his heart.
