"Our bed frames and mattresses weren't put in storage, so we had to go buy new ones," May tells Peter and I on the way down the elevator.
"So no more bunk bed?" Peter asks, pouting.
"No more bunk bed," May chuckles.
When we walk outside, Happy is attempting to get May's bed frame out of the moving truck they rented. May runs over to help him, and Peter grabs a twin sized bed frame, picking it up easily with his super strength.
"Peter!" I hiss.
His eyes widen in realization as he looks around to make sure no one saw, trying to make it look heavy. I shake my head, laughing under my breath, and help him lift it. We carry it to the elevator, Happy and May behind us.
"This one won't fit in the elevator, so we're going to take it up the stairs," May says.
"It would be really nice if a someone could use her powers to take it up the stairs for us," Happy says.
I laugh under my breath, not mentioning the fact that I haven't used my powers since I fought Thanos. Happy and May carry May's bed frame to the stairs, and Peter and I take his twin bed frame into the elevator. We are silent as the elevator closes, and I stare ahead, even though I feel Peter's eyes on me.
"Have you tried to use your powers since..." he trails off.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because there's no point."
"But what if-"
"I'm not going to die, Peter."
"You don't know that."
"Peter-" I raise my voice.
"No, listen to me, Gracee!" The tone of his voice makes me look at him. "You've never went this long without using your powers. What if using them was the only way to prevent the serum from killing you?"
"Then I guess we'll find out," I say, not showing any emotion.
"No." He shakes his head, tears welling in his eyes. "Gracee, I can't lose you."
The elevator door opens, and I look away from him. Peter and I don't say a word to each other as we carry the bed frame to his room.
•
It takes us a while to get all of the bed frames and mattresses up separately. By the time we're done, I'm exhausted.
After taking my shower, I change into some of Peter's clothes and sit on my bed, crossing my legs beneath me. My bed is in the corner on the left side of my room. Peter's bed is right where mine is in his room, so the wall is the only thing separating us. There are light pink sheets over the mattress, reminding me of my bed at the compound. I don't have a comforter yet, so I wrap a fluffy blanket around me. It does nothing to stop me from trembling.
I stare at the wall across from me, not feeling the emotions I know I should be feeling. I try not to replay this past week in my mind as I think about everything and nothing at the same time. It feels like I watched it through someone else's eyes.
The only time I felt like I was actually there was when I was with-
"Gracee?" I look at Peter as he stands in the doorway. "I... I just wanted to tell you goodnight."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight." He closes the door, and I stare at it.
I don't know how much time has passed before May reopens it. "Hey, are you okay?"
"I don't know." My voice wavers.
"Do you want to talk?"
"I don't want to keep you up."
She sits on the bed beside me. "Gracee, you can talk to me."
I smile, and my eyes fill with tears. "I just miss them."
She hugs me, resting her chin on my shoulder. "I know you do."
"Will it always feel like this?"
"Sometimes it will; sometimes it won't. But no matter how you feel, I'm here for you."
"Thank you," I cry.
"I love you, Gracee. We need you here. Peter needs you."
I look at her, and she smiles, wiping away my tears. I get under my fluffy blanket, and she stands up.
"Try to get some sleep, okay?"
"Okay."
"Sweet dreams." Based off of the sadness she tries to hide in her voice, I know she knows about my nightmares.
"I love you."
"I love you."
She smiles, walking out off my room and closing the door behind her. I lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. My eyes start to feel heavy, and exhaustion takes over.
•
It's not long before a nightmare wakes me up. I jump forward in my bed, pressing my hand over my mouth so no one can hear me scream.
When I stop shaking, I wipe my eyes and step off of my bed, walking down the hall to Peter's room. I open his door, and he is staring at the ceiling, awake.
"Peter," I whisper.
He sits up and looks at me, noticing my tear streaked face. "H- hey. Are you okay?"
"I had nightmare."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
I nod, closing the door behind me. I get under the blanket with him, laying down and staring at the ceiling.
"I used to have nightmares of Hydra. They went away when I met you." I pause, taking a deep breath. "I slept throughout the night and woke up in the morning. I forgot what it felt like to wake up in the middle of the night thinking I was back there. I forgot how scary it was.
"I see them every time I close my eyes. I'm on Vormir, hanging off the side of a cliff. I can see her looking up me. I can feel her hand in mine. And then she's falling, and there's a flash of white. I wake up on the ground, in front of my dad. I can hear him trying to talk to me. I can smell his flesh burning. And then..."
I look at Peter, trying to get the image out of my mind. He's crying, too.
"This time I lost you. And now I understand why you're mad at me. I don't want to die. I know I need to use my powers. I'm just so scared."
"I'm not mad at you, Gracee. I'm scared, too."
Peter pulls me into a hug. The feeling of his arms around me makes me feel safe.
"I can do this."
"I know you can." Peter smiles, kissing me.
He leans back, and I lay on him. I bury my face in his neck, breathing him in. He is my favorite smell. If warmth and comfort had a smell, it would be Peter.
His reminds me of like a crisp autumn morning. When the breeze blows by you and the chilly air clears your mind and makes your skin tingle. When the leaves fall from the trees, swirling around your head as you smile. That's Peter.
YOU ARE READING
Undefeated
Fanfiction"I just want everything to go back to the way it was before." "We'll never be those kids again." Five years after half of all life was erased by Thanos, Gracee Stark makes a mysterious reappearance. She joins the remaining Avengers as they go back i...
