Hamartia [Peter Parker]

Chapter 16 - Arc Reactor

A/n: I've finished writing the remaining chapters so I'll be updating on Tuesdays and Fridays! There's a total of 21 chapters!! There won't be NWH spoilers besides out-of-context gifs but none of them really contain any spoilers, so if you haven't seen NWH, you should be safe from spoilers!!

It's been a week since Peter came back to the tower. It was a little weird at first, having him back and him being back. In a way, he didn't feel like he fit in anymore. He wasn't really gone that long, but something in the back of his head just felt like him leaving had betrayed the tower. So in a way, it felt like he wasn't quite welcome anymore. Peter knew that wasn't the case and no one had even done or said anything to give him that impression. It's mostly just the nasty voices of guilt and regret lingering in the back of his head.

As for Shiloh, it just felt awkward in a way. She was so happy he was back because that meant he was safe and sound. He wasn't wandering the streets looking for another fix or some petty crime situation. He was here, with her, in the tower and he was safe and seemed to be happy. But, she's wary. The last time he was here, the last time she let him fully into the safety and comfort of her home, he left, which to be fair was partially her doing with her telling to him leave but he did leave. She's afraid he'll leave again.

There's that saying, something Ned had even told her. You can't save someone that doesn't want to be saved. If Peter leaves again, does that mean, from the bottom of his heart, he doesn't want to be saved? Shiloh tried so hard to save him before because she knew the Peter she once knew was still in there and somewhere deep inside his cold lifeless exterior, he wanted to be saved and she was right.

Shiloh's a lot of things, but being wrong is not usually one of them and Peter proved that. But, it worries her he'll leave again, that she could be wrong and he's just come back now because of bone-crushing guilt and not because he cares about himself or her. She doesn't think she's wrong, but what if she is?

In a way that's a bit uncanny, something Shiloh doesn't understand, Peter is her lifeline to hope. That poor spider-boy has been through more than anyone can even imagine and has seen too many horrible and gruesome things in his short life. If he can survive, so can she. Maybe it doesn't make much sense given their situations are different, drastically different, but if Peter can win this constant battle of devastation, maybe she'll beat the fire killing her from the inside out.

Nonetheless, the week goes by and everyone falls back into their own routines with Peter going to FEAST everyday to volunteer, Shiloh in the lab, and Harley working with Pepper at Stark Industries. The three spent more time together as just the three of them instead of one-on-one.

Harley, being Harley, is not only worried for Shiloh's deteriorating health, but also her sanity. Shiloh is not the only one worried about what will happen if Peter leaves again. Harley can tell it'll be Shiloh's last straw so for him, if he can just be around the two of them all the time, maybe he can prevent any fight or anything that could potentially make Peter want to leave or have Shiloh snap. And he really doesn't want Peter to go off on his own anyway. Harley isn't a big fan of the idea of losing another person, but especially Peter or Shiloh.