Unsteady » Peter Parker

chapter 15 » terrified

"Uh...AJ, c-can I ask something?" Peter says, the softness of his face turning to confusion.

"Go for it." Ajax says moving to the couch and taking her seat.

"So, uh, w-where does this leave us? It's okay if you don't know," Peter starts his usual rambling but Ajax just lets him talk. "Really, I don't expect you to jump into a-anything but if you wanted to that's fine, totally fine and great. I'm okay with it if you are but I don't want you pressured. It's up to you but I just...I just want to know, ya know? Like Mr. Stark said, we should figure it out..." Peter takes a deep breath before continuing. "But I don't want you leaving me out to dry next week either." Peter's voice drops with the words of honesty, him finally finishing.

Ajax nods, understanding that he has every right to fear for her to just push him away next week. For once, she's not mad, she's not hurt. The only thing she feels is guilt because she hurt him. It's what she thought she had to do at the time and yeah, maybe it was still the right decision but that doesn't change that she hurt him.

"Sit, Spider-Boy." Ajax pats the couch. "How 'bout I explain everything to you?" Ajax offers, taking a deep breath while her hands grow clammy.

"E-everything?" Peter asks, him still standing and looking down at her.

"Yeah," Ajax nods once, her voice unsure but her mind made up. This was it. No more secrets. "Everything and you can ask whatever questions come into your head and I'll stay up all damn night answering them."

Peter's brows knit together, processing the situation. "A-are you sure? You don't have to. You said-"

"Peter, sit down and I'm gonna turn on E.T." Ajax grins, glancing to the logo and then back to his eyes. "And I'm gonna talk more than you've ever heard me talk before."

Peter nods and takes a seat on the other end of the couch. Ajax leans her back against one arm of the couch as Peter does against the other while she uses the panel to turn on the film. Peter pulls one of the blankets over them, his heart starting to thud against his ribcage in at a frantic pace, unsure of what Ajax was going to say. He was ready to hear it but it scared the hell out of him.

"So, from the beginning and it's gonna be long but just hear me out okay?" Peter nods and his full attention is on Ajax. "Alright, when I was ten, I was kidnapped, right? I know, I know, insane considering where I live now. But hear me out we had this rule, my family because I'm sure as you know, superhero and being anything with them is dangerous. Yeah, well we had a rule. Someone I know would pick me up from school if something happened and if no one showed, suck it up and stay at school until someone came. That was the rule but I didn't listen once because they said it was my dad and I freaked out and yeah I have powers but I was told never use them if I didn't have to and before I know it, a cloth is covering my mouth and I'm out cold. I woke up tied to a weird chair and in a ton of pain."

Peter's eyes darted with Ajax's words. "They didn't-"

"No! No, no, no, no." Ajax shook her head quickly. "They didn't even hit me, at least not while I was awake."

"Okay, okay go on." Peter nods, pulling his legs in to sit cross-legged.

"Basically, my dad had some bad blood as heroes do and I don't know, I was ten and Tony wasn't much help in telling me anything and neither was my mom and the guys are dead, ya know? So whatever but anyway, I guess they knew who my dad was despite him hiding his identity and such. Figured out he had a family. If you want to hurt someone, you hurt someone they love. Remember that, it's important to my next explanation." Peter nods again.

"Okay so they kidnap me knowing my dad has some tracker on me but here's the thing, they wanted to see if they could reverse powers and take them. Ya know, if you're born with them, is it possible? They really wanted to find out. Well, they fucked something up and injected me with something that caused the pain and ever since then, I can feel people's emotions. It's fucking annoying but they didn't get anything from my powers from it which is nice but ya know." Ajax takes a breath, her word rambling from her mouth so fast, Peter is having a hard time keeping up.