Bruised But Not Broken - Irondad/spiderson

Back on Patrol

As I stepped out of the shower, the hot steam filled the bathroom and enveloped me in its warmth. With a towel wrapped around my waist, I reached for the mirror. I wiped away the thick condensation that had accumulated on its surface.

As I stared at my hollow reflection, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow. I am staying in a billionaire's house, while last week, I was sleeping in the warmest clothes I could find because the heater in Aunt Mays's apartment was broken.

I should feel happy to be here, but I'm undeserving and out of place. The outline of my ribs sticks out from my paled skin, scars and bruises scattered around my torso. Seeing my ribs oddly fulfils me; I'm doing one thing right, a counterweight to this rewarding situation. Wanding out of the ensuite and into my temporary room, I saw some extra stuff had been added while I was at school.

 The desk has improved, with many shelves abstractly placed above it. I run my fingers across the books on the shelves: mechanics, engineering, bioscience and many more scientific titles. Maybe Mr Stark wants me to study these.

As I glance around the closet, I notice that the clothes are neatly organized by colour, style, and material. The shelves are lined with shoes of all types, from sneakers to dress shoes. There are also several hats and belts hanging on hooks along the wall. The note on the folded shirts catches my eye: 'an upgrade -S', and I unfold them to reveal a new, stylish t-shirt set. I select one of them and put it on, admiring the softness of the fabric. However, as I look in the mirror, I realize that the Ironman face on the shirt is much bigger than I had anticipated. Despite this, I can't help but chuckle at the thought of Tony Stark picking out my clothes for me.

I pull my phone out to check the time, only to see a few messages from Ned and Mj in a group chat. While I was away, they became good friends; Mj seems a bit weird, but she's really pretty with her curly brown hair and shining hazel eyes. I've noticed how she sees things differently from me. She seems to find beauty in the weirdest things, which is admirable.

N: Pete, you must tell us how your first afternoon at the internship was! I can't believe you get to work with Tony Stark.

M: Yeah, dweeb, spill the details.

P: It was pretty awesome, guys! Mr Stark is helping me create my very own assistive lab robot.And guess what! He called and asked my Aunt if I could stay the weekend to work more on lab stuff! I'm going to have dinner with them all again soon!

N: What! No way, dude, that's so cool. I wish I could have dinner with a Billionaire.

I quickly laughed, reacted to Ned's response, and turned my phone off. It was only 6pm. I pulled out one of the new books about biomechanics Mr Stark put in my room. The book smelt of freshly printed paper as I opened the first page.

As I started reading, I was deeply engrossed in the subject matter. The author had a way of explaining complex concepts in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. I made a mental note to thank Mr Stark for the book the next time I saw him. After an hour or so, I realized I had been reading non-stop. I looked up and noticed that it was already dark outside.

Exiting my room, I was in a long, white, empty hallway. I aimed to find Mr. Stark, who was supposed to prepare dinner. One suddenly opened while walking past several closed doors, and I bumped into Miss Romanoff.She was holding a tray with glasses of red wine, and I could see she had been busy with work. Miss Romanoff looked at me and gave a small smile.