Walking the Wire | PETER PARKER [1]

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Her breath catches at all of the names. A tear slips down her cheek, but Eloise doesn't bother wiping it away.

She hurt Peter, Ned, Tony, Bruce, Bucky, and Steve? Did she hurt anyone else? How did she hurt them, why did she hurt them, and why can't she remember?

Eloise looks down at her shaking hands in utter horror of what she's done.

"I'm a monster." Her voice is so quiet she's surprised Peter catches it.

"No, gosh no you're not a—"

"Yes I am!" Eloise sobs, eyes darting between Ned and Peter. Both look torn at the sight of how broken she is. Just the sight of Ned's broken arm and Peter's badly bruised face makes Eloise want to vomit. "I hurt you guys!"

"You didn't know what you were doing," Ned shoots back in a begging tone, wanting her to believe him. But looking at the two of them, she know what he's saying about her isn't true. "You really aren't a monster. Russo's the monster, if anybody is."

Eloise curls into a ball again and presses her forehead against her knees, hugging them to her chest tight. Tears leak down her trembling face and dampen the hospital gown as she tries to process everything. She can't imagine hurting so many people. How did they stop her? How did they fix her? Where even is she?

A hand brushes against Eloise's knee and she violently flinches away, her head snapping up. Eloise's watery eyes lock with Peter's miserable ones as he retracts his hand from her knee. His face, all bruised and swollen, is closer to Eloise and she just wants to take all the pain she caused everyone away.

She shakes her head. "I'm sorry." Her voice shakes. "I'm so sorry." Eloise presses the back of her palm to her quivering lips as she holds back violent sobs, her eyes squeezing shut as more hot tears leak down her cheeks.

Ned and Peter watch her break down helplessly. Neither of them know what to do, but there isn't really anything they can do. So, they just watch, their eyes glossy as well.

Eloise covers her face with her hands. "C-Can you guys—can you guys leave, p-please?" She hiccup.

"Yeah," Ned says softly. "Of course."

He turns and steps towards the door, but when he notices that Peter's feet are glued in place and he's still staring at Eloise brokenly, he grabs Peter's arm and tugs him gently.

"You heard her, Pete. She wants to be alone right now," he whispers to him.

Slowly, Peter's wet eyes flicker away from Eloise's shaking figure and he looks at Ned. He nods.

"Okay." His voice cracks.

With one last lingering glance at her, he follows his best friend out the door and closes it behind them.

Coldness fills the room where the two boys were. The only sound is the buzz and occasional beep from the monitor next to Eloise. That is, until her face crumples and she lets out the sobs she was holding in. The ugly, loud cries she didn't want to show. Big, salty tears cover her entire face and drop onto her gown and the blanket. Each sharp inhale burns her lungs and makes her head ache.

Eloise grasps onto her hair and buries her face in her arms sitting on her knees.

Eloise lets it all out.