lowkey me rewriting the last chapter I did with this prompt.
Peter waited as the gash on his shoulder slowly closed up.
It took longer than the others. The whole vulture incident got him pretty bad but it was fine because he always healed. Always.
Though, there was one wound that just wouldn't heal. Well, it was getting better but just very slowly or maybe there was more that needed to heal.
It was deep after all.
Peter remembers the excruciating pain he felt as a mechanical claw dug into his shoulders and lifted him up off the ground. A shiver runs through him at the thought every time.
It took weeks and weeks for the inflamed mark to create a thick scab and the scab to finally fade away and turn into a jagged, white mark on his skin that traveled from his shoulder blade to almost his collarbone. It didn't heal any more from there. He didn't know he could have scars. He thought they would always close up. Every stab wound, every bullet that pierced his skin had taken maybe a week at most to be fully gone.
It kind of scared him. This invincible feeling he'd had since getting these powers sunk away because apparently, not all his wounds would heal. The euphoric feeling of being a super-hero made it easy to forget that he too was mortal.
It was a little embarrassing to Peter that he had such a scar. He's supposed to be as powerful as Captain America. Captain America doesn't have a big scar along his shoulder from some stupid Big Bird themed criminal.
So, Peter tried to hide it. It wasn't very hard to do so, as it was along his shoulder and he didn't exactly wear anything but t-shirts and hoodies, but then, something happened in gym.
"Yeah, Peter has a cool scar."
In Ned's defense, he doesn't know about Peter's little internal struggle, nor did he tell anyone how exactly he got that scar. He just mentioned that he has one. That's all.
He still gave his friend a look of exasperation though.
Peter wasn't listening when they'd started the conversation, but the class had been talking about scars and stories behind them. They were all pretty much the same, cat scratches, accidents that happened when they were kids, falling in the street, or one of them who had fallen down the stairs holding a pair of scissors. Abe got a deep cut on his finger from his AP physics textbook a few months ago.
Flash closed his finger in his locker. Peter had chucked under his breath at the thought.
"So Parker, what's this crazy scar of yours? Step on a lego? Stub your toe on an Ironman suit," Flash teased.
He had actually done that once. Screw stepping on a lego, that hurt so much more.
"Uh," he stuttered, "No, it's nothing really, Nothing, like, cool."
"C'mon Peter contribute! We showed ours and the stories, you show yours!"
Ah yes, peer pressure at it's finest.
Peter hesitated. He only has one. He used to have a small one on his hand from when he'd gone to Mr. Delmar's and kitten-Murph had latched onto his hand but it'd sealed after the bite.
"Um, I mean, I just have this one..." He pulls his shirt down his shoulder to just reveal a small part of it. Maybe they'll think it's small and won't pry.
"Holy shit!"
"Woah that's so cool."
To Peter's dismay, Abe comes over and inspects it. His jaw drops as the student grabs onto the sleeve of his shirt and yanks, stretching out the collar just slightly to reveal the mark.
"This is huge Peter. How did that happen?"
He glances at Ned with an expression that can only be read as 'You owe me' and his friend just smiles sheepishly in return.
Peter runs his fingers along the slight bump of it, eager to get the attention off himself. He should've listened to Cap's peer pressure PSA.
"Nothing happened." "So nothing happened to cause this huge, totally badass scar." "Nope."
Cindy whined, "Peter, c'mon! Why do you need to act so mysterious all the time?" "I'm not!" "Are too!" "Kind of are," MJ grins, and it brings heat to Peter's face. "You arent allowed to comment. You're supposed to be on my side!" "There are sides? I thought we were just talking about scars."
"I think MJ should share then," Peter says, "She hasn't showed hers."
"While drawing, I got the same papercut in the same place on so many occasions that it scarred." She holds up her hand, showing the crease of her ring finger. It's healed but looks newer than Peter's, as it's got a red tint to it.
"Ouch," Liz says.
Their conversation gets cut off with the bell ringing and Peter thinks he's saved before the entire class continues to badger him about this.
"Ok everyone's shared but you. All you've done is make the audience more and more intrigued, Parker." "Yeah, c'mon!"
Peter's eyebrows drop with stubbornness. "I dunno, man, a bookcase fell on me when I was like, 6. Anyway, I got to go." He pushes himself up off the floor and makes his way to the front of the school.
Thank Thor this day is over.
The talk about it all kind of soured Peter's mood. He liked forgetting it existed.
Happy picked him up and brought him to the compound. The two barely shared a word and he was, for once, the one speaking between silences.
Peter doesn't mean to make the man worry. He just didn't have much to say today. He was distracted to say in the least. Even when he makes his way up to Tony, his eyebrows are furrowed with thought.
"Why do you look like a kicked puppy?" "Wha- I don't look like a kicked puppy," he replies scrunching his face in offense.
His mentor laughs and brings a quick pinch to his cheek before sitting down in his chair. "Kind of do. What's on your mind?"
"Nothing." "There's never nothing on your mind kid."
He purses his lips. He can't decide whether he wants to talk about it but... maybe Tony would understand. He'd never judged Peter before.
"I... what do you think about your, you know... scars."
"My scars?" "Yeah. Do you...like them?"
Tony's eyebrows furrowed. "I wouldn't say I like them but I'm not ashamed of 'em either."
Peter's silence makes the man tilt his head. "Is there something bothering you?"
"It's just- people at my school were talking about scars today and they liked talking about theirs and I was just gonna stay out of it but then Ned was like 'Peter has a cool scar." Tony raises his eyebrow in amusement when Peter changes the pitch of his voice to match Ned's.
"And I really didn't want to talk about it but they convinced me to show them and they were all like 'That's a badass scar."
"Don't say badass." "Point is, I don't feel the same."
"Is there a reason?"
"I just," he stutters, running a hand along his shoulder, "I'm supposed to be one of the strongest avengers, right? You say I'm close to Cap strength- wise. I've never seen something like this on him."
He pulls the collar of his shirt down to reveal it and Tony looks rather upset at the sight. "What's that from?"
"Homecoming night."
"The...the building?" He shakes his head, "Not even the building left something. When he- he got me with his claw things. I'm surprised I didn't get like, tetanus or something."
"Ok... what've you got to be ashamed of though?"
"That wasn't some big mission! It was- it was a minor threat. I got this huge scar from a moderate criminal! It's... embarrassing."
"Embarrassing?" He sounds like he finds it almost funny Peter can even think such a thing. "Pete, you getting these, you're helping people. You're saving lives."
"But-"
"Ah-ah. And you were saying Cap doesn't have any scars from ''minor' accidents? Come with me."
Peter's yanked up to his feet by his sleeve and the two of them wander into the living room, where the team is lounging.
Tony plops onto the couch and Peter hesitantly takes a seat next to him.
"Scar stories, go."
"What?" "I'm being a good mentor. Cap, you're up first. Give us that time you fell through your bed."
Steve's jaw drops. "Hey. I thought we'd never talk about that." "This is more important. Now, let's share with the class."
Steve grins as he recalls the ridiculous memory, ears tinted red.
"Ok, uh, Bucky took my phone once and we somehow ended up running 'round the place-"
"Like children." "Do you want me to tell it or not?Anyway, Bucky hops over the bed, I go after him up onto it, and my leg goes through the mattress. The spring got jammed into my foot."
Peter's jaw dropped. "That left a scar?"
"The idiot ripped it out."
"Can it, Stark."
"Gross." "I know. I had to buy a new mattress," Tony says. "Ok, onto the next one."
"Uh... I fell out of the vent once into Bruce's lab. I fell on top of his beakers. Glass cut my chin." Clint points at his jaw, revealing a tiny white mark. "It's small but it hurt like a bitch."
Tony and Steve managed to bark his name in unison, "Clint."
"Mother hens, the both of you."
Some of the others in the team shared their little stories. It made Peter feel a lot better honestly. Maybe... maybe this was ok.
"See kid? Scars are ok. Superheroes get 'em too." Tony throws an arm around Peter, "Overall though, I'm really proud of you, alright? You're doing great." He smiles as the man gently bumps into his shoulder. "Thanks Tony."
"Don't act like you're so special Tones we know you have loads of stories."
"Oh, yeah I have a bunch. DUM-E dropped a fire extinguisher on my foot once, I've got loads on my hands from, you know, making a bunch badass inventions and weapons.."
"Sir if I may inject, I have videos of your trials with your Mark 1 suit. My favorite is the one where your boosters threw you into the wall. I'm sure it will make Mr. Parker feel better."
"You put those up and I'll sell you to a retirement home."
"Playing videos now, boss."
"No. way."
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