(Hello everyone! As you all know I was diagnosed as being autistic five years ago. And decided to write a chapter of Peter being autistic. Clearly my writing sucked back then, so once again I'm revamping an old chapter. Also, I haven't been writing much, because of my surgery. Don't worry, I'm officially recovered and doing well.)
Anyway, on with the story.
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Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. The condition is estimated to be diagnosed in children every ten minutes in the United States alone. Peter is one of those kids, he was diagnosed at the age of two, and everything has been an interesting journey since. He wakes up every morning with the same routine from day to night.
He gets up at eight in the morning on the dot not a second later or he would stress out about being late. He got up out of bed making it before hopping in the shower. Once he finished, Peter then got dressed and brushed his hair and teeth, setting a timer counting how many strokes he took on each side of his mouth. When his alarm went off he headed to the kitchen where he saw his dad making breakfast, flipping a couple pancakes, and his mom sitting on a chair at the island with a freshly brewed coffee cup in her hand. "Good morning." He announced.
"Mornin' Pete." Tony greeted back.
"Good morning sweetheart." Pepper replied, gently kissing his forehead.
Peter sat down next to his mom, his eyes darting from the coffee pot sending delicate smells through his nostrils to the faint buzzing of the lights. He hated it, all it did was distract him from what he was originally doing. It would sometimes send him into sensory overload. He could hear the pan of sizzling eggs being scraped his dad was cooking. He could smell the scent of his mother's perfume she was wearing sitting about two inches away, he felt the light getting brighter making him feel nauseous.
"Peter, hey, sweetheart are you okay?" Pepper asked, she noticed him covering his ears and shutting his eyes, which only meant one thing, he was going into sensory overload.
"F. R. I. D. A. Y. activate sensory overload protocol." Tony said, when Peter goes into sensory overload, he didn't like to be touched, so when he was ready he'd initiate it. But otherwise stay a few inches away. Then he thought, I have to go to school.
"You good, Peter?" Pepper asked.
"Yes, I'm okay," He replied.
"Can I have breakfast? I have to go to school in... ten minutes." He trailed off looking at the clock.
"Yes you can, Peter Pan." Tony said.
Peter shook his head, "I'm not Peter Pan dad. Peter Pan is a fictional character."
Tony chuckled, "I know bud, it's a nickname."
"Oh, I like it then." Tony walked to the table giving Peter his food separating each food so they wouldn't touch. That was something he hated when in his mind, it tastes like the thing that touched it. Peter picked up his fork and started eating. It was in between he finished, washing his plate and setting it in the dishwasher. He then grabbed his book bag and walked to the elevator Tony and Pepper walked toward him wishing him a good day at school. "Remember if it's too much, call me and I'll come and excuse you." Pepper said.
"Okay mom." He replied. Peter then took the same subway route he always rode to school by. Listening to his playlist on the way. He got to the school in no time, and walked in immediately going to his locker taking his books out and saw Ned and MJ coming his way. "Hey Peter." Ned greeted.
"Hi loser." MJ said.
"Hello, I'm almost done, let me grab my chemistry textbook." Peter gathered his belongings and they walked to class. Meeting with their teacher Mr. Winchester at the door.
"Right on time you three, surprised Ms. Devin didn't write you up again." Mr. Winchester joked.
Ned and Peter stifled a little laugh while MJ smirked shortly, "Nonsensical statements usually imply sarcasm. Which I found people often answer sarcastically or jokingly." Peter concluded.
"Good observation Peter." Mr. Winchester said, smiling at the teen. A lot of people didn't know Peter was autistic, they just found him odd, which applies to just about everyone on planet earth. Only his teachers, principal, Ned, and MJ knew. He doesn't mind being different, that just makes Peter... Peter. Most of his teachers were understanding, they knew what the young boy was capable of. Peter was incredibly smart and a good kid, just because he was autistic didn't make him any less than worthy to become successful at anything he achieves.
"Alright class, today, we are working on the art of deception, put your phones away please and thank you." There was a knock at the door Mr. Winchester went to open it only to be greeted by Principal Morita. "Can Peter Parker come with me?" He asked.
Peter got up from his seat and followed Principal Morita to the office. He was getting a little anxious so he started counting the steps from Mr. Winchester's class, wondering why he was being called down to the office. He got to the office and sat down in the chair looking at Principal Morita. "Peter, there have been some reports of issues with another student. Would you like to tell me who it is? I promise you aren't in trouble." Mr. Morita explained.
"Yeah, Flash hasn't been very kind." Peter answered, he knew he wouldn't be able to lie, so he might as well fess up. Besides, he knew who made the complaint, no matter how anonymous they tried to be.
"Peter, what all has Eugene done to you?"
Peter shrugged, "Just some name calling, and sometimes he pushes me around."
"Is that all?" Mr. Morita asked. Peter nodded his head, Mr. Morita smiled and sent him back to class if didn't get far, seeing as MJ and Ned were waiting for him. "Pete, what happened?" Ned asked, noticing Peter stimming with his hands.
"Principal Morita was just asking some questions. That's all, I'm not in trouble, Ned." Both teens were satisfied with that answer and they headed back to class. The day was boring as usual, but today Peter was excited to see the new LEGO set Ned got. That excitement quickly diminished as soon as Flash walked up to Peter looking angry, Peter had a good idea as to why he was.
"You're dead Parker." And before Peter knew it, he was being held against his locker door, a couple inches off the ground. Peter at that point blocked off whatever Flash was spouting out of his mouth. His personal space was being invaded, and he didn't want to talk about anything. It wasn't until a person shouted something when Peter finally snapped out of it. He recognized that voice anywhere, it was MJ, and she was angry, both she and Ned ran to Flash and got him off the other teen.
MJ told Ned to get Principal Morita and watched Flash like a hawk until the adult got to them. The other two explained the situation, and the man ordered Flash to come with him. While Flash stared daggers at MJ, Ned, and Peter, MJ flipped him off and turned her attention to her friend. "Peter, are you okay?" Peter nodded sheepishly in response, the other two took note of that and didn't question further, but Ned took his phone out of his pocket and called Tony.
Principal Morita came out to get Peter, MJ and Ned followed suit. Once they got to the office all of the teens sat down, Peter assumed they were waiting for their parents to show up. Which they did, Tony was angry, someone assaulted his kid. Principal Morita told both boys to tell their sides of the stories. Of course Flash fibbed and said Peter messed with him in class. But when Peter had to tell his side MJ and Ned helped him, as Peter wasn't being very verbal.
"I'm sorry, but this is hearsay. The boy isn't even speaking, and these other teens are talking for him. So how do we know that they aren't lying?" Mrs. Thompson said.
Tony crossed his arms, trying his best not to blow up in anger. "Your son has been terrorizing mine and these two for years. Stark Industries provides proper security in the school, correct? So if we check the footage, we'll see the truth."
"Mr. Stark is right, if Flash isn't lying we can check the cameras." Ned replied, as MJ stood beside him looking knowingly. Soon the adults watched the footage, showing Flash harassing Peter, then MJ and Ned interfering. Flash sunk in his seat, he knew he was in trouble now.
"Alright, Mr. Thompson, you will receive your punishment in a minute. And Mr. Stark, I apologize to both you and your son."
"Thank you Principal Morita. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, if your son ever comes near my kid or his friends I will make sure your reputations cease to exist." Tony told them in a low voice. Tony took the three kids and they left the building, Ned and MJ informed their parents they would be hanging with Peter as he had a bad day. Peter's mood lightened up when they got home but Tony could tell he was drained.
They watched movies, ate pizza, and had a mellow night, Peter was glued to his side and eventually dozed off. Tony had Happy take MJ and Ned home, while he brought Peter to his room and laid Peter under the covers. He leaned down and kissed Peter's forehead, whispering goodnight, and leaving the room.
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The End of Chapter 191