xii. - A SUIT OF ARMOR
🕊 ↳ ˚ ✧ ☁️ ∵ ☽ ↶ 🕸 ✶
˗ˏˋ i'm in love with all your charm ˎˊ˗
TONY WONDERED WHAT PETER WAS DREAMING ABOUT. The kid was in the deepest kind of r.e.m sleep, full-on drooling, mumbling about pink dresses and someone with a J name. Sleep like that, you woke up and didn't know what year it was. And Tony also wondered how on God's earth Peter was comfortable. He was laid out across three hospital chairs, the armrests digging into his side and his knees, head hanging above the ground, dangling above the trash can for his drool to drop into.
Peter had been at the hospital all weekend, changed into a pair of sweats and a midtown tech long sleeve that Aunt May had brought him. His hair was wet, almost spikey looking after his most recent shower again thanks to Aunt May and her stash of hotel bottles of shampoo and conditioner she stole and brought to Peter. She had to come to terms with Peter not coming back until Jane did- so she made it work.
Technically, this was the first real sleep Peter had gotten in three days, and Tony kinda felt bad about waking him up.
Kinda.
The billionaire smacked Peter's feet, knocking them off their chair and slamming into the ground- Peter nearly jumping out of his skin as he frantically crawled away from the demon who'd woken him up- tumbling off the edge of the seat and onto the hospital floor with a grunt.
Tony seated himself. "Morning."
Scrambling to his feet, shaking out the drops of water still stuck to his hair and dusting off his pants, he let out a breath. "Mr - Mr. Stark. You're- you're here. Why- why are you here?"
Tony shrugged, leaning back comfortably, crossing one leg over the other as Peter cautiously took the one beside him. "My Sunday was free, thought I'd drop in."
"Oh."
Tony looked to Peter, eyes on the ground before eve that lifting to meet the teenager's nervous gaze. "You okay, kid?"
Peter let out a breath, eyes floating down the blindingly white hallway ahead of him, the door to room 312 still closed and darkness behind it. He never liked hospitals to begin with, so he didn't exactly enjoy spending days here in a row. But it was for Jane, so it didn't really matter anymore. "Uh... she's asleep. Doctors said she was lucky to be alive."
Tony nodded.
"Broke her leg in three places, shattered her kneecap, and seventeen stitches in her side. They said it's probably gonna scar." He admitted, almost shamefully.
He felt Tony's hand on his back supportively. "She's tough. Gotta be, to handle you all the time."
"It was my fault she was there."
Tony knew the guilt game, he's a veteran player. He knows everything about that life, about the monster eating away at Peter, blaming him for every bad thing under the sun. "And the reason she survived. Two sides of the same coin, pal. It's the gig. People are gonna get hurt."
Peter shook his head, resting his head in his hands. "Jane wasn't supposed to."
He sighed. Real stubborn kid, he remembered, shaking his head. This wasn't an argument, and he knew that. There was no point in arguing with Peter, having been in that exact same position before. "Look, you can't save everyone. So, you protect who you can, who you should. And sometimes you gotta put a suit of armor around your world."
Peter looked up at him. "Huh?"
Tony reached into his hoodie pocket, pulling out a thin bangle bracelet. It was a sleek black and a tiny etching of Jane's initials on the inside of it. He placed it in Peter's hands gently, "You have your suit- and now she has her's. A suit of armor around your world."
The Parker boy furrowed his brows. "A bracelet?"
"An expensive bracelet. Don't smudge it." Tony mumbled, before taking it back simply to show him the inner working- specifically the slits in the sides of the bangle, "Nanoparticles. Thirty seconds flat shed surrounded by some of the strongest shit on earth. Bulletproof, building proof, and a few minor Jane-specific upgrades I won't spoil. She's not on the front lines, but I like insurance on my secret weapons that wear high heels to high school- for some reason."
"You made her a suit!"
Tony grinned. "More or less. Like wearing a shield, it'll call you if it deploys, keeps her safe till you, me, or the cops show. Someone's gotta put some respect on her name, protect the good stuff. Did some research into her web stuff- it's intense. Tiny person, lot of brains, might have to steal her from you every once in a while. She like the Hulk? I think she and Banner'll get along nicely."
Peter thought for a moment, before quickly looking back at Tony. "Is there any way you could maybe... maybe pay her for helping?" He asked carefully, trying to avoid sounding greedy more than he was trying to be helpful.
The Stark furrowed his brows. "She's fifteen. What's she blowing bills on, Lego sets?"
Peter winced, titled his head. "She uh... her dad isn't exactly there all the time. He's gone for months at a time and he doesn't really send home child support."
Tony softened. He had a weak spot for this stuff exactly. Apparently, he was more like these teenagers than he imagined, wondering how alike they truly were. "Before I donate to this case- can I get any more info?"
Peter felt a bit bad for telling Tony her life story, but then again, Jane would never ask for help like this. Even if she deserved it. This way- she'd be making an income, it wouldn't exactly be charity. "Her mom totally bailed on them and her dad just kinda... disappeared. Lots of drinking and breaking her mom's old stuff. He didn't handle it well... I guess. He tossed her chem kit and ruins all she's got left of her mom. I know it's not really my place to ask- but Spider-Man can't exactly fix this problem."
Tony breathed out gently. "You can save lives, but you can't save people from life."
Peter deflated. "Yeah... I know. I just- she deserves a lot more than she got, and she won't let me or Ned ever help out."
"When Miss Watson gets up- tell her to give me a call. I'm sure I can find something for Minnie Mouse to do." Tony smiled, leaving a business card and the bracelet on Peter's knee as he stood to leave. "You asked her out, right?"
Peter winced. "Um.... I kissed her. Kinda." A red hot blush spreading over his cheeks as he remembered that Jane had explicitly stated he cold finish that kiss very soon.
Tony patted his shoulder like a proud dad. "Thatta boy. I'll see you around Pete, you're a good kid. You take care of her and that aunt of yours- I like her."
"Yes sir."
PETER WAS HAVING A GOOD DAY. It was Jane's first day back at school since the accident, and Peter was more than ecstatic. In less than a minute, he'd be on the subway heading towards her apartment complex to walk her to school. He offered to skip with her, totally understanding if she didn't want to head to school straight after spending two weeks in a hospital bed.
But Jane was Jane, and she was stubborn.
So, waiting for the next train, Peter was about to vibrate right out of his wiener-dog socks. And he nearly leaped a foot in the air as his phone started ringing in his back pocket. He huffed as he yanked it out, seeing Ned Leeds contact photo in his screen, swiping it open, "Dude, I'm kind of busy."
"Are you still freaking out about picking up Jay?"
Pete frowned harshly, stepping onto the subway as the door opens, free hand going to the pole in the center of the train. "I'm not freaking out." He grumbled, patting down his shirt for the hundredth time and checking his watch to make sure he was on time to be early. "Sorry for caring. You know, just our best friend coming back to school after being in the hospital for two weeks and saving the city. You're right- no biggie. No biggie at all, just the most beautiful girl in the world actually kissed me and now I have to pretend like I'm not totally losing my marbles and walk her to school. My apologies, Ned." He sassed, eyes rummaging through the crowd of subway-goers.
Ned froze. "You kissed Jane?!"
Peter shut his eyes close and pursed his lips, before wincing, humming at a high pitch. "Er- maybe? Just- just a little bit? A lotta bit? Maybe?" His fingers pinched together with a minuscule gap between his pointer and thumb. "Okay- yeah, a lot. We kissed."
Ned scoffed over the line. "If I was standing beside you- I would hit you."
Peter threw his hand into the air confused, shrugging his shoulders. "What is with you and Jane and the hitting?"
Ned blew a raspberry, the noise on his line getting louder as he climbed onto the school bus that took him to school, "Dude! What about Stark, Rogers, and Romanoff? Three Musketeers? Tres Amigos!"
Sighing and rolling his eyes, Peter read the destination roll across the subway screen, his stop. "Ned, Mr. Stark really doesn't like Cap anymore- I'm pretty sure. And we aren't dying, we're all still friends. It's still us three." He mumbled, slipping through the crowd and off the subway, breaking into a giddy skip across the station and up the double flight of stairs and onto the sidewalk. "Look, Ned, I'm at her apartment. Could you not tell Jane that I geeked out about it? I'd prefer for her to actually want to kiss me again."
"Dude, you're simping."
"I'm hanging up now."
And he does just that, shoving his phone into his pocket and taking three steps at a time as he climbs to the front door of her building. And just as he pulls the door open, Jane steps down the steps inside, backpack tightly strapped on and slightly out of breath.
Peter nearly stumbles over his own feet into the building, still somehow taken aback by the enigma that was Jane Watson. How he'd taken for granted all the time he'd sent with her, how many times he should've seen that she was a complete checklist of everything he'd ever needed. How many times he'd failed to realize she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
She hadn't had time to re-dye her hair- the brunette roots were showing. He'd never seen those before, he didn't even know she was a brunette. And he just smiles, noticing she still dresses like Jane would- a light olive green sweatshirt with a white pleated skirt, save her the struggle of pants and the giant medical boot on her leg.
He ignores the boot. Otherwise, he'll spiral again.
Instead, he chooses to skid across the tile and straight up to her, both arms quickly wrapping around her waist and lifting her up and onto the ground floor in a quick moment. He resituates her crutches under her arms, hearing her laugh quickly. Grinning along with her, his hands move to pull her backpack off her shoulders and onto one of his own, "What are you giggling about? The fact that you're directly laughing in the faces of your doctors and going down a million flights of stairs? Jesus..."
Jane lifts her head and narrows her eyes, "No, just you- being a total control freak. Nothing new."
Despite his usual ignorance to how her brain works, Peter is very much expecting Jane to act like nothing happened to her at all. It's very 'Jane' to not want to seem like a burden, or like she's taking up too much space. She likes her little bubble how it is, and he knows that. "You're lucky I'm letting you walk at all- I should be carrying you to school. Actually, better idea, we don't go at all?"
"I'm going to school, Peter."
"Then let me help you."
She sucks in a sharp breath and looks over the boy curiously. He'd a weird one, she knows that. "How did the thing with Stark go? He give you a million dollar check?"
Peter hums, walking as close as he can to her as she starts her journey towards the front door, "It was like a test kind of thing, see if I learned my lesson about staying close to the ground? I passed, flying colors."
She nods. "And the suit?"
Peter physically can't hold back his smile. "Waiting for me in a brown bag on my bed. I'm back, baby."
Instinctively, he props the door open for her as she swings by him and through it. They pause at the top of the building steps, and Jane holds out her wrist. Accompanying her handmade friendship bracelets from Ned, a rubber pride month one from Michelle, and her dozen stringy ones- theres a snugly fitting black bangle.
The Stark one.
"Well, tell him I freaking love mine. I tried it on this morning and oh my god." She gushes, visualizing herself in the mirror from this morning, the classic iron suit much like Iron Man, but more neutral metallic colors.
And a spider symbol in the middle. Tony's way of saying she was just as much Spider-Man as Peter was, even if the dork couldn't get the words together to say it.
Before Jane tries to give him a heart attack and go down the stairs at an agonizingly slow speed- Peter kicks into gear and steps in front of the small girl. "Get on, if you're serious about nothing changing, you've gotta go a little faster than the speed of a snail." He chuckles, feeling her hands collect her crutches in one and do a little wiggle and jump onto his back. His heart races, her hands gliding down his collarbone to get any kind of good grip on him as he bounds down the stairs and begins his venture down the sidewalk.
"Hey, Pete?"
"Hmm?"
Her grin grows, and her head moves in as her lips press against his neck right above the neckline of his science pun t-shirt. She's too prideful to admit that she's thought of this type of moment a dozen times before, none of which includes crutches and a broken leg, but fate is certainly odd like that.
And Jane can feel Peter's skin heat up, the goosebumps rise along his spine and blush swirling in his dimpled cheeks. A breathy laugh tumbles out of him, unable to describe the mess of thoughts his mind had become- yet completely empty at the same time. "Ohh, uh... wow. Yeah, um...what- what was that?"
Jane laughed curtly, resting her head into the crook of his head as he made light work of carrying her in the direction of Midtown Tech. "I dunno, couples kiss don't they?"
Peter swore Jane could feel his heartbeat all the way from his back. "Uh...couples?"
"Is- is that what we are?"
Doing this. Holding hands in the hallway. Kissing on the subway. Feel her hands take his spider suit off. Holsing her impossible tight on the small twin bed in his bedroom. Actually staying the night at her empty apartment so she didn't feel so alone. Giving her his sweatshirts to wear. He wants all of it more than he swears he wants anything in this entire world. He's made for Jane Watson, crafted to make her smile. "Yes, yes to all of it-yes, please."
Face masks and video game nights. Fancy dinners he spends a month saving money for in Chinatown. New Years in Times Square on top of the Empire State Building. Sightseeing together on academic decathlon field trips. Movie nights with Aunt May. Get her out of that apartment for good. Keep her safe.
Peter was excited to be a boyfriend.
"Good. Me too."
He felt Jane rest her head into the crook of his neck, probably able to feel his heartbeat through his spine by now. Her touch was impossibly intoxicating, and he was more than willing to get addicted. He felt cliche, knowing he used to believe this kind of love was childish, too rare to truly exist.
But it was all too real. He felt what his Uncle Ben felt for his Aunt May.
He was made for Jane Watson, crafted to make her smile on her bluest days. They were bound by fate to find the other, become a team unlike any other before.
He felt like he was daydreaming.
Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson; who could've guessed?
"So are you gonna put me down?"
"Oh, absolutely not."
AUTHOR SPEAKS !
- is this is the end?
really? already?
why are all my books ending?
first cosmos and now this?
i feel sad.
i'm also undecided if i
want to write far from home.
any ideas for it if i do?
thanks for reading
i love you
so very much
and especially during pride month
spread love,
ur bisexual author
- spidermandes