Misadventures in Paradise ↠ Peter Parker [2]

08 | Doing the Right Thing

╔══════════════════╗

MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
viii. DOING THE RIGHT THING

╚══════════════════╝

   PETER COULDN'T STOP PACING. His heavy gaze was trained on the closed door, where Beck was tending to Riley's burns on the other side.

   No one spoke for the hours that came.

   It was strange. Not the fact that one of their soldiers was teetering between life and death. That happened every other day. It was the fact that it was Riley. She, who survived explosions, kidnappings, wars, attempted assassinations, universal decimations, and time travel, was finally reaching the end of the line.

   Peter hated this. He hated that it was her. He hated that Beck seemed to be the only person on this planet that could save her. He hated the lack of updates, the anticipation, the fear of losing her again. His heart was glass. It cracked with every breath.

   An agent soon asked, "Who's going to call the Starks?"

   "Not me," another said. "I don't wanna be on the same planet as the Starks when they find out. Or any of the Avengers."

   "She's barely been back for a year, and she's already back to almost dying. Maybe Fury was right. Valor will be a weapon until the day she dies... which could be tonight."

   "What if she does?" another fretted. "Will anyone believe us?"

   "I wouldn't. She's indestructible. She isn't supposed to die. Not like this."

   "What, by saving the world?"

   "I don't know." The agent shrugged. "I always thought she'd die of old age, with a family of her own, maybe retired after bossing us all around for a few decades. She's survived every war. She's not supposed to die like this. She can't."

   Peter could agree. Mostly because he didn't know what he'd do if she did die tonight.

   She'd slipped through his fingers so easily. He couldn't live with himself knowing he was right there. He could've prevented this. He could've saved her. There could've been another way. Riley would've found another way.

   All conversations fell when a stone-faced Fury finally exited his office, with Maria in tow. They'd been privately debating something for the past hour, something even Peter couldn't hear. All he caught was, "How are we going to tell him?" He assumed they meant Tony.

   How would Peter face Tony? Pepper? Morgan? His heart dropped further at each name. What about Roman? The other Avengers? They would be crushed, and nothing could be done. She could never be avenged. The monster was gone, but the scorch was permanent.