𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋 ~ Druig

𝐕𝐈

Achilles knew Peter well. He was the nerdy kid with a cute smile that lived in the apartment underneath her with his aunt. He used to smile at her in the hallways, his big eyes gleaming with delight when she walked past. Years after she moved out, he told her that he had known who she was. Known what she could do and though most children his age at the time were afraid of her for it, he had looked up to her. He once even called her his first super-hero experience, Tony had almost broken a rib from laughter over that. 

She watched him walk alone down the busy walkways of Queens. She noticed the dark bags underneath his eyes, the slight twitching of his fingers and the way he seemed to scan the area around him. He hadn't been sleeping. He was desperate to put his suit back on and patrol around the city, watching while safely tucked away in the confines of New York City's rooftops. He looked almost nervous to be without his mask, as if his adrenaline refused to subside, constantly searching for a threat. She looked at him with sadness, she didn't need to read his mind to tell that the battle had left its mark on him just like it had left its mark on everyone else and she felt guilt that she didn't reach out to him sooner. She knew his spider-sense wouldn't have picked her up, she couldn't explain why but she knew the only way of getting his attention would be to call him.

"𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳." 

He turned quickly in shock. His eyes meeting hers across the road. He heard her. Her powers gently reaching outwards to the edges of his mind, her voice softly asking for his attention. She was comfortable using her powers for this, she couldn't cause any harm like this. She smiled gently at him before crossing the road, her black boots thumping slightly on the tarmac. 

His eyes scanned her form, taking in her strikingly green coat and empathetic grin. Closing the distance between them she wrapped her arms around him in greeting. He hugged her tightly but carefully enough in order not to cause her any harm even though he knew he probably couldn't even if he tried. 

"Hey." 

His voice seemed as filled with fatigue as his face did. Her grin vanished as she placed her hands on his shoulders looking up into his face with worry. 

"You look tired." 

He snorted, a small smile forming on his face. "You were always one for honesty Ms. Achilles." 

She chuckled at his words , flashes of a little boy with a mop of curly brown hair on his head shouting out 'Hello Ms. Achilles' when ever she passed him running through her mind. 

"Come on Parker. Your aunt would kill me if she knew I let you carry on like this. That's go to that Japanese restaurant you like so much. I've been craving some Miso Soup." 

Before he could even begin to refuse she had wrapped her his own and had started dragging him through the street, his protests silenced by her long red locks slapping him in the face. 

They sat in the corner of the restaurant in a bright red booth. She had deliberately chosen this booth as she knew that facing the door of the restaurant would be a slight comfort to Peter, his eyes scanning the entrance as hers scanned the menu. 

"Why do you even read the menu if you already know what you are having?" 

She glanced up at him, smirking slightly at his slight jab. "Parker I'm the one paying for your meal, if you have a problem with me looking at the menu then you can pay for the ten platters of sushi you're about to eat on your own." 

He nodded quickly, his cheeks flushing as he fixed his gaze upon his own menu ignoring her slight chuckles. 

They ate their food in mainly silence, only asking each other trivial questions about such things as school, food and music. He looked better now, his smile now more genuine and his laughter more frequent. She smiled at him, her eyes crinkling as she laughed at a story about his friends. There was nothing better than some food and surface level conversation when it came to taking your mind off of things. This was what he needed. This is what she needed. Just a few hours where they could just be normal. No avengers. No powers. Just them and some soup.