Hiding In Plain Sight

Chapter 9

POV: Peter Parker

I helped Mr. Stark on his ironman suit for a few hours. Then, my stomach growled and that alerted him of the emptiness.

"How about you stay for dinner, Pete?" He looked at me from the corner of his eyes. I spoke, "Uhh well... No thanks, sir." Mr. Stark gave me a look. "I can call your parents if that's the problem...?"

I started playing with the flannel collar poking out from my sweater. "I don't think the cemetery is accepting calls," I say, barely above a whisper. "Oh... Sorry kid."

We work in silence for another minute before he speaks again. "I can call the orphanage caretaker. Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

I nod. "I'm sure, Mr. Stark." He blew out an... Annoyed sigh? "How about you come over tomorrow? It's Saturday and you can come at nine." I knew it was inevitable for me to stay for a meal, so I accepted his offer of coming in the next morning. Mr. Stark cracked a smile. "Thanks, kid. Oh, and I'll send Happy to pick you up."

I denied but he promised me that Happy would be there. Mr. Stark just doesn't take 'no' for an answer, I guess.

We finished one last thing and then I started to head home on the subway, taking care to hide my slight limp. I should've left earlier because I was still late for my seven o'clock curfew. That earned me a gash on my forehead from Heather and a night in the closet.

Heather was Mrs. Games girlfriend. I know what you're thinking, Sarah Games was a married women, right? Very true, but whenever her husband wasn't here, she invited over Heather. She was mean and always had a sinister glare outlining her eyes, which were usually coated in dark colored make-up.

Mr. Games was on a business trip at the moment, for his primary job as a travel agent. At least, that's what he told us and his wife. I had always suspected that that wasn't the truth, but kept my mouth shut.

POV: Tony Stark

"FRIDAY, tell me everything about Peter Parker." A few files came up and I selected the topmost one. "Read it to me, FRI," I command the AI while also grabbing a piece of leftovers.

"Peter Benjamin Parker was born August tenth, (insert year here), to Mary and Richard Parker. They both died due to a plane crash when Peter was three years old, where he then lived with his aunt and uncle, May and Ben Parker. Ben was shot a few years later while May was killed in a house fire when Peter was age nine. He moved into an orphanage and currently attends Midtown Tech with a four point zero GPA. Would you like to read more, boss?"

"No thanks." Damn, I was stunned of what this kid had been through. He'd lost everyone close to him.

I knew I had made the right choice of inviting him over and making him my intern. He humored me and brought out a part of me that I thought I'd lost.

***

POV: Peter Parker

I woke up and stretched before remembering that I was in a small closet to the side of the office. I turned off the alarm on my phone and dressed carefully in the dark to avoid hitting my head.

A few minutes later, a grumpy Heather opened the door and pushed me when I tried to stand, knocking me back to the floor. I guess she had to wake up to let me out in time for my internship.

When she pushed me I tripped over my backpack and sustained a cry. My ankle was still injured and I rewrapped my wound in an old cloth I had found.

I stumbled into the kitchen and made breakfast. I thought about eating since it had been a few days, but decided against it.

Next, I had to cover up the dried blood which clinged to my hair from last night. It looked pretty grim, I have to say. My skin was pale and whiter than I remembered it being, making the purple swelling near my eye stand out even more. I wet a paper towel and rubbed it against my head lightly.

Then, I ran down the steps once I looked presentable and waited for Happy.

He showed up a few minutes later and opened the door. He was also too distracted to look at my hood- covered face. "Thank you," I muttered. Happy didn't hear, but I'm kinda relieved because my voice was weak and I felt my throat burn. I thought about how nice a cool, drink of water would be right now.

When we arrived, he finally noticed my face. "Are you alright, Peter?" I waved him off and limped into the elevator. I had to lean on the wall to remain standing. I gasped and croaked and wondered what was wrong with me.

As if FRIDAY could read my mind, she said with a hint of urgency, "Peter, it seems like you have a broken nose, two broken ribs, a broken ankle, a black eye, several bruises and cuts including a deep gash on your forehead, and my scanners are reporting signs of dehydration and starvation. I advise you seek medical help, would you like my to call Tony?"

"N- no, FRI!" I snapped as loud and fierce as I could muster despite my stutter. The AI stayed quite for the remainder of the ride.

I played with my incredibly dry hands, when I realized something strange.

The room was spinning. In fact, everything was moving at a quicker pace. My breathing, my heart, and ceiling spun round and round, gaining more speed. Faster and faster and faster before engulfing me with darkness.

**Cliffhanger!

Remember to vote on the ships at the end of the previous chapter.

And remember that I'm not a doctor or medical professional, so if stuff is wrong then I'm sorry.

Word counts will be displayed now at the end of each chapter of you're interested.

Words: 1023

Aztecl out