SACRIFICE / P. PARKER

SUPERSONIC

Peter felt cold.

The winter air bit at his pale skin and wore away at his patience. His trembling fingers tangled in his mop of unruly curls, trying to will the tears stinging his eyes to leave him the hell alone. He was sick of crying, he had cried enough in the last few weeks to last him a lifetime. He was sick of being alone. He was sick of seeing her lifeless body being poked and prodded at for days on end. He was sick of everyone trying to console him.

He was sick of feeling cold.

Cold, the absence of heat. In which Ellie was his Sun, but he was forced to live without her.

Tony had watched Dr. Farrow's procedure video, scoured over her notes for hours; but it all led to one thing. A flawless operation. There was nothing she did to cause Ellie's sudden and critical relapse. Even if she did, she wasn't present to take the blame; she had dropped off the radar and ignored all of Tony's incessant calling.

In the weeks Ellie had been unresponsive, more battles were fought, more wars were waged. The fighting was at a temporary, but hopefully permanent, ceasefire. Captain America and his team had retreated to some unknown location, everyone strongly insisting they didn't know where that was. If he remembered correctly, both Ana and Pietro were "Switzerland and we are effectively staying out of this."

However, Peter can recall many nights where Ana came sneaking back into the tower, her footfalls thunderous in his sensitive ears despite all of her attempts at silence.

Nearly the same footsteps that approached him now, but without their usual carelessness. He ran his fingers through his hair, which had long since desperately needed a haircut, and allowed Ana to slide into the seat next to him.

Her hair was now tied up into a slick ponytail, her sharp features now free of makeup. She glanced at Peter for a moment before turning her attention to the park, specifically staring at one area. The park with it's artificial greenness sprayed on by men who did not understand the patience needed for nature to bloom. It looked clean and nice and uniform, but this area didn't.

It was sprayed over, much like the rest of the park, but it looked ragged. The paint didn't stick to the blades of grass, revealing their natural charred color. Ana looked regretful.

"You know," She started, her voice smooth and comforting, like velvet. "I have made many mistakes. Many. Like, an infinite amount of mistakes. They've led to disaster, heartbreak, and more than once, they've lead to death," She whispered, before focusing her attention back on Peter.

"The thing that has always made a difference, was facing those mistakes," Ana breathed, eyes nervously flickering back to the spot of grass. "No matter how painful it is, it always brings comfort, in any way, shape or form. Even if it's not for yourself."

Peter felt sick, he knew where this was going. His throat closed in on him, choked by the weight of the tears sneaking up on him.

"You haven't even visited her."

"I know," He hissed, hoping his vehemence would banish his sorrowful tears away. But to no avail, they only quickened the inevitable. The salty tears started streaming down his cheeks.

"Did you ever consider that maybe she needs you? She needs you Peter. She needs you and you haven't been there," Ana told him, the gentleness in her voice suddenly absent.

"I know," Peter growled, not even bothering to wipe the tears from his cheek at this point. "I haven't been there. But she doesn't need me. It's taken me a while to accept it, but I have. I am the reason these things happen to her. The reason she went blind, the reason she could be dying right now. It's me. I can't do anything right for her. I can be a superhero to anyone who needs me, but I can't be anything good to Ellie. I am nothing, but pain."

Anastazya looked incredulous. "She talks about you like you put the stars in the sky," She breathed out, shaking her head. "There is nothing in this world that could make her see you the way you see yourself. Don't you love her enough to give her a chance to show you?"

Peter whirled on Ana, and Ana felt sympathy for him in her heart of hearts. He looked so broken, it had only taken a month in this life to shatter someone so full of hope.

"I love her so much I can't even breathe, I can't even think straight. I love her more than I know what to do with it," Peter choked out, in a fit of oncoming sobs. "But I can't hurt her anymore."

Ana opened her mouth to speak, but found herself distracted by an unmistakable pulse of energy in the air. Peter stopped too, before cowering to his knees, clapping his hands over his ears and letting out a strangled cry. Ana rushed to him, startled as he removed his hands, the pale skin of them covered in blood.

Ana did not have Peter's keen sense of hearing, but she had already suspected the words before they had even been uttered. He had sobered up from his sorrow fairly quickly.

"E-Ellie," He choked out, before breaking into a full sprint towards the tower. Ana was stunned for a moment before following him, looking ahead at the tower, shocked to see the outer glass panels were completely shattered by some unknown force.

Once inside the tower, Peter wasn't surprised that all of the glass panels resembled the one's on the outside of the tower. Including the ones outside of Ellie's room. A pale Tony was in the midst of hoisting himself up from the ground, while Pietro laid motionless beside him, ears and nose gushing blood. Ana fell to her knees beside him. But Peter did not stop to check on them. He only had one concern.

And that was the crying girl curled up in her hospital bed. Arms bleeding from ripping out her multiple IV's, face discolored and pink lips chapped to the point of bleeding. Everything in her room was thrown askew. Her eyes stared in his direction, their newly white color seeing nothing, yet everything at the same time.

Peter rushed to Ellie's side, touching her shoulder gently, feeling heartbroken as she flinched.

"W-Who is that?" She asked, tears streaming down the plump of her pale cheek. Peter felt as if there had been a hole punched through him. She couldn't see anymore. She couldn't see him anymore.

"Hey Elle," He whispered, cautiously wrapping his arms around her. "It's just me. It's Peter."

"P-Peter?" She asked, voice breaking in the midst of her question. "W-What's happening? It hurts Pete, it all hurts so much." She sobbed.

"I know, Elle. I know," He whispered, feeling guilty all over. He didn't know. He hadn't been here. If he had been here, none of this would have happened. People wouldn't have been hurt. Ellie wouldn't have been scared.

Peter glanced at Tony, Pietro and Ana all huddled in the doorway. They were all leaning on each other for support. The blood in Peter's ears had dried by now.

"Ellie? It's me, Ana. You're going to be okay. We're going to help you."

"Really?" She whimpered, shaking profusely.

Peter tightened his grip on her, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head before resting his on hers.

"Yes. I promise," He mumbled. Ellie had always said the best promises were made to be broken.

But not this one. Not this time.