SPECTER ━━━━ peter parker.

012. hijacked

 "Shit!" Peter shouted, rubbing his hip with a wince as he nervously approached the bed again. "I'm sorry! You were like - mumbling, and your face looked like you were upset, and the buses are leaving in twenty minutes and I-" 

 A muffled voice from outside of the door cut the boy off. "Grayson? Peter?" Betty called, and Peter immediately grimaced as Gray continued heaving in generous breaths of air. "I heard a crash..." there was a pause, followed by a skeptical; "what are you guys doing in there?" 

 "Nothing, Betty!" Peter exclaimed, his face flushing red. "We're coming soon!" 

 "Mhm, okay!"

 "Oh dios mio el viaje - la estupidez-" Gray mumbled, his words slurring together as he regained bearing of his surroundings. Pressing his hand to the top of his hair, he grabbed a handful of dark locks and exhaled sharply through his mouth. "Parker. Jesus Christ. I wasn't, I just-" 

 "A bad dream?" Peter interrupted, lacing his fingers together as Gray sat up. The atmosphere settled, enough for Gray to notice the streaks of light that were painting the hardwood floor. The windows were dusty, making the yellow of the sun seem diluted as they bathed the room in a warm glow. 

 Gray blanched. "I - I didn't-" 

 "I get it," Peter shrugged, nervously adjusting the collar of his flannel sweater. "I get them too. Nightmares - I mean."

 Gray felt his eyes soften. Peter really did know how to make people feel better. But still; an edge of defensiveness crept into his tone as he threw off his covers and rose to his feet. Looking down at Peter, he squinted his eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about." 

The boy's face turned red, but before he could say anything; a knock at the door made Gray take a half-step away. Ned stood in the doorway, a grin on his face as he proudly showcased a cup in his hand - presumably filled with coffee. "Guys! The bus is here!" 

 The grin on his face faltered as he took in the atmosphere of the small room. Raising an eyebrow, he shook the cup. "MJ found a coffee place, and we got espressos! We're placing bets on how long it's gonna take for Abe to explode, hurry up!" 

 "We're coming," Gray stated cooly, running a hand through his hair as he dodged around Peter to get to his bed. He could feel the aftermath of his dream pressing down on his shoulders; so he kicked the edge of his bedframe to try and ground his senses. He didn't understand how dreams could be so vivid... so real. 

 And he didn't know how to speak about it. How to even think about it. So instead, he stayed quiet and ruffled through his bag; unaware of the Parker boy's burning gaze on his back.

***

"HAVE YOU EVER TRIED Italian espresso before? I think it's just cocaine in an Americano."

 Gray tugged at the strings of his maroon hoodie, the scent of coffee only making his erratic heartbeat quicken as he tapped his fingers against his thigh. He was on edge - and it was obvious from just looking at him. But he knew that things tended to drift when he wasn't focused on his conscious; so he was trying to get a grip as soon as possible.

 MJ took another sip of her drink. "And I don't even like coffee. I just like expanding my cultural horizons." 

 "Huh," Gray's eyebrows knitted together. Peter was walking next to Ned, speaking in a tone of voice that made it nearly impossible for Gray to eavesdrop. He wondered if he was too harsh earlier - besides, Peter was just trying to help. But Gray didn't like being seen as weak, especially now; since the world saw his alter-ego as the mysterious persona who would aid humanity after the downfall of Tony Stark. Gray couldn't possibly live up to Tony - and he couldn't imagine how Peter felt about his part in this crazy plan.