Wrong number :/~~Spider-Man

The Love Story

The clean up process for Peter was similar to last time's. Stephen was dead silent for the majority of the start, and Peter felt like cowering under some covers, just as he had before.

The best similarity had to be Cloakie's excellent work as an operating table. He doubled as a hand to squeeze when Peter couldn't sit still:

As it turned out, Stephen learned, Peter had been burned. All up and down his back. That stinging wasn't only from whatever the hell Skip had done back there. It was just a mangled mess of flesh.

Stephen delt with that first. He hadn't realized how bad it was, because Peter just walked it off like nothing was wrong.

The kid's pain tolerance was off the charts. Stephen hated how even though Peter hardly budged, he could feel the ripple of emotions from a spell he'd cast not to long ago lingering in the air around him. It was suffocating for Stephen with even just a little taste.

He had no clue how to handle it.

So he just kept going.

The healing process was brutal with magic. Things were funny that way. 'The price of magic' and all that.

"I think I am going to put you to sleep for this, Peter" Stephen uttered in a hushed tone after he'd read over the spell for a second time.

"What? No, I—I got it mr Strange. I can handle it" Peter tried defending, turning over to face the wizard.

"It's not the same as a stitch-and-go, Peter" Stephen sighed, "this is a rough spell on the victim. It hurts. By the looks of it in these later passages, it has even been used as a torture method for information. I'm not going to do this casting if you're awake. You don't have to prove anything to us you know.. You won't even feel time passing, it'll be over in a second-"

"Oh yeah?? Really?!" Peter cut him off, swiveling around to face Strange with a shout, "because last time I heard that same sentence, I woke up in a hospital with my aunt in jail looking like the aftermath of a stampede running over my face. Pardon me if I'm not.." his words drifted out as the will to cry returned.

Stephen stared at the kid in stunned silence.

Nobody had even thought about that..

"I'm sorry" Peter whispered after a second, looking down to his lap.

"None of that, Peter. It's understandable you would feel that way. That was a bad on my end" he tried consoling, opening up his book again while side-eying Peter's reaction.

"I just.." he inhaled, not meeting Stephen's eye, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do now.. After everything that's happened, I'm sorta just.. here. Not sure how to go about things".

Peter fumbled with his hands, reeking of guilt.

Stephen left the index of the book, flipping to a later point. He skimmed over the newer spell before he decided to speak again.

You're going to have to hold very still, Peter" Stephen sighed, giving in, "I can cast something to sooth the pain a bit, but it won't help too much. I can't give it my all for both at once, so it'll take a little while longer if I use it".

Peter nodded, debating between the two options. He contemplated both ends of it.

"I can take it" he decided.

That did not help Stephen's own internal doubts.

"So.."

"Both, yes".

Stephen hated this. He knew it was gonna suck. For Peter and for himself.

However Peter reacted, be it screaming, dead silence, or somewhere in between, Stephen knew he was going to struggle to stay focused.