Bullets || Peter Parker

Fifteen

"I'm sorry. I love you".

"He's just a child! Stop! What are you doing? He's just a child!"

"You are our asset. You are not a human. Do you hear me boy!"

"Again. Raise electricity to level four. Again".

"Peter! Peter! Come back! Peter!"

"Don't kill me! Please!"

"Emil! Stop ruining my suits! Why the hell do I put up with you white people?"

"You're a nobody! A science rat without parents. You're only an asset! Now shut up!"

"Again. Raise the electricity".

"Again!"

Emil woke up screaming. He tumbled out of bed, hitting the floor with a sharp thump that would surely leave a bruise, before automatically jumping up onto his feet. His arms raised into the trained self defence pose as he glanced around the room. Breath coming in short pants as sweat dropped down his neck.

Everything was quiet. The room in Avengers headquarters was not much bigger than his at New York. It held a sense of emptiness though, something that made Emil ache inside. Now, as he anxiously surveyed the room, this emptiness seemed to be suffocating. The green curtains were closed, leaving the room in darkness. Emil gazed around with his night vision. Everything was in place. His sketch book was lying on the floor along with a mechanical pencil and eraser, all knocked off the bedside table during his nightmare induced panic. His trousers from the previous day were crumpled on his wheely desk chair where he had left them and the wardrobe door was shut. Nothing was dislodged from the book case and the photo frames on top were still in place. Emil's breathing softened as he stared at the images. Peter's and his own smiling faces, distorted by the night vision, grinned back.

Sighing, Emil dropped out of his defensive pose and shuffled over to the picture. Peter was grinning at the camera, fingers forming a victory sign next to his face. Emil's own face was smushed next to it. His eyes were screwed up in a comical grin with his cheek against Peter's. The photo had been taken on the helicopter pad at Stark, now Emil's, tower. Both boys were standing with their backs to the city below them and the sunset of the New York skyline. Shuri had taken the picture on the last day of her visit. A week before getting dragged to space. A week before the snap.

Emil's bedroom door burst open. Bright light suddenly shone into the room and he jumped, dropping the picture to cover his eyes. Steve and Natasha stormed in. Both were still in their sleepwear but Natasha had a gun in her hands. From where she got it from, Emil had no clue. She was wearing a oversized night top and a pair of leggings with a grey robe wrapped around her. Other than the sleep wear and behead, she was wide awake and alert. Steve just looked sleepy and ruffled in a white tshirt and blue sweatpants. He blinked at the room, yawning.

"Everything okay?" Nat asked as she disarmed her weapon once she realised that the room was empty. She tucked the gun into a pocket of her dressing gown and crossed the room to where Emil was standing.

Emil rubbed his eyes, wincing as they adjusted to the light. "Um yeah. Just a nightmare", he mumbled. Nat bent down and picked up the photo he had dropped. She set it back on the bookcase, angling it so that it was in the exact position as before.

Steve sighed tiredly and walked over. He pulled Emil into a hug, resting his head on his shoulder. This was not the first nightmare Emil'd had since waking up. It was the firs time he had woken up screaming though. "Hey there bud. It's okay", he said soothingly. His hand stroked through Emil's hair comfortingly. "Do you want to tell me about it?" Steve asked. Emil shook his head.