Saving Grace || Peter Parker

Part 22

Peter carried her with a strong grip that gradually weakened as they landed, a tremor overlapping his features, fear rattling his bones.

Nadia, too, was shaking. She hadn't expected that thing to be so truly inhumane, to be fears and dreams, fog and clear skies all at once.

Her head hurt.

Once he let go, Nadia gripped her hand around his bicep, she noticed his eyes. They were wide like a deers, clouded and shielded. No tell tale of what he was feeling.

Not until....

"I killed it" he whispered, afraid that if he said it too loud, he'd truly be admitting to it. He truly killed it. He did what we wanted not to.

"Pete..." she whispered, eyes brimming with tears as she realised. She shook her head and took a step closer.

He was stoic, staring numbly at the wall.

Nadia placed herself in front of him, making him attach his attention onto her. She took his face in her hands and wiped his stray tears.

"You're not a bad person, Peter" she whispered to him, scared that if her tone was louder then she would scare him away.

"Is that what you tell yourself?" He spat back. But Nadia held strong. She knew he didn't mean what he was saying, that he was in a vulnerable state and couldn't contain his emotions.

He hated himself right now, and he was taking it out on her.

Nadia would take it all, though. She'd take a thousand poisoned words from him if it meant that he was fine.

"Yes" she nodded weakly "only the guilty ones go mad, Parker"

He looked into her eyes then, liquid starlight pooling around his iris.

"Well, you're not completely sane now are you, my beautiful?" He whispered, placing his forehead against hers.

She breathed a laugh "no, no I'm not"

"You were in trouble" he began, his voice shaky "I could hear you screaming but I couldn't see you. And-and it was right there and all I could hear were your screams and I had my opportunity to stop it but I still couldn't find you. Everything happened so quickly, I don't even remember killing it"

She nodded "your brain blocked it out. Trauma response"

He just wordlessly nodded. They stood like that, skin on skin, tears mixing with blood and ash for a while. The moon eventually anchored in the sky, rays of silver moonlight seeping through the blinds and drowning them.

They moved to the bathroom, Nadia making Peter sit on the toilet whilst she cleaned his cuts. He had taken a fall when trying to look for her, in his chaotic and frantic state he was clumsy.

She gently cleaned the area and placed a butterfly stitch there, leaving a phantom kiss after it. His head fell onto her chest, her fingers immediately roaming his tangled locks.

"You're gonna be okay" she whispered to him.

"How do you know?" He whispered back.

"Because" she sweetly cooed "you don't have to be sorry for saving the people you care about. You saved so many people today, Peter. That thing could've ended anyone. Do you think it would've felt guilty? It wouldn't of.

"Sometimes, the right thing doesn't always feel right. The world isn't split into good people and monsters"

He looked up to her and raised an eyebrow "did you just try to quote Sirius Black?"

She smiled "maybe"

He smiled too. It had worked. She had gotten him to smile.

"Thank you" he whispered to her.

She shook her head "don't. I only know the right thing to say because of my past"

"Which makes it all the more truthful. Which gives me hope. Because you're good. You've always been good"

"Well...thank you"

"We're in this together, моя любовь (my love)"

She raised her eyebrows "are you learning Russian?"

He smiled cheekily "I want to know what you say all the time, so yes"

Her cheeks heated "you're too cute"

His nose scrunched almost in disgust "don't call me cute"

She laughed "but you are, spider-ling"

He tickled her side "definitely don't call me spider-ling"

She just shook her head and laughed. She would stand by Peter Parker until her heart stopped beating and her body went limp and cold. He was her person. And she would forever help him work towards being a better person. That started by distracting him whilst he was contemplating his entire life decisions. It ended with making him laugh.