Fears (prequel)

  Peter stared at the clock above his teacher’s head, counting precious seconds until the day would be finished.  It was a Friday afternoon and like him, everyone was doing their best to either nod off-Harry- or try to pay attention to the lecture. He blinked and flinched as the sunlight coming down from the window started to blind him.  Peter heard a chuckle and glanced to Gwen shaking her head.

“You really are impatient today, aren’t you?” She asked quietly, momentarily paused in her note taking. Peter felt his face heated up in embarrassment and scratched the back of his ear.

“Well, yeah. It’s Friday, Gwen, I can’t just wait for the weekend.” He whispered back. 

His friend raised an eyebrow at that and pointed her pen at the clock.

“Nor can you make it come any faster, child.” She laughed at Peter’s mumbling. “Peace, the time will come when we can leave.”

Peter rolled his eyes and rested his cheek on his hand. “Macbeth has really gotten to you, hasn’t it? You sound like-“

“Uh-ah!” Gwen exclaimed, cutting off the teen. “We’re not suppose to talk about that, remember?”

Peter sputtered and sat up. “I was going to just say his name! I know we aren’t allowed to talk about that here-“ They heard a shuffle from behind them.

“Aren’t suppose to talk about what?” Harry yawned and covered his mouth, slowly moving his body from being spilled all over his desk. His friends glanced back at him as he stretched and situated himself for conversation.

The same couldn’t be said about his drool, unfortunately. Peter resisted a snicker.

“Oh you know, my family.” He turned back to Gwen with a scowl. “You know I made that rule, right?”

She took on a face of innocence. “Of course, Peter! I’m merely making sure that rule is enforced.” She glanced towards Harry.

“Did your father have something to do with that?” He grinned cheekily and dodged a pen thrown his direction. “I’m just asking, jeez.”

“Anyways,” Peter interjected, “I’m just excited, is all. Dad said he was going to start teaching me how to ride a motorbike this weekend.”

Gwen stared at him for awhile, then sighed and turned to shut her notebook-class was about over. “Alright.” 

A short  while later the bell rung and the students began to get up and pack away their things. Gwen got out her binder from under her seat and Peter dragged his backpack from the back of his. Harry yawned once more and stood up; he slung his own pack over his shoulders and leaned on his desk as he waited on them.

- - -

“You know you shouldn’t stay up so late,” Gwen commented on their way out of the building, “it’s got you counting sheep in about three classes.”

“Not to mention, my needing to tutor you even further then just algebra and chemistry.” Peter added, glancing at his best friend who blew air from his mouth. Peter noticed bangs under the eyes.

“It’s not like I want to-ok, I do, but I’ve got no choice.” Harry answered, kicking at some rocks. The three friends followed him as he lead the way down the street, taking a left. “Sleep just doesn’t seem possible at night-“

“The dreams?” Peter asked knowingly. Harry nodded and Gwen sighed.

“You know there’s nothing to fear, right? That thing is just something perceived from your mind.” 

“Maybe its from seeing one of Uncle Bruce’s bad incidents.” Peter theorized and put his hand on Harry’s shoulder, smiling.

Harry shook his head but laughed. “Too big, heavy, too-“

“Hulkish?” Gwen attempted, and Peter laughed at Harry’s look.

“Really?” He asked, but chuckled anyways. They passed by one of Peter’s favorite book stores and waved at the owner-Peter noticed they were almost to Gwen’s place.

“Yes really,” Peter continued, “it’s nothing but a bad nightmare, dude. You know I could actually ask Uncle Bruce to look at you if you want-“

Harry’s face went white. “No, I’m fine-I’ll just take some sleep pills tonight.” He took out his cell phone and started flipping through it, aimlessly.

Peter frowned. Gwen looked at him and he shrugged; he’ll have to see what’s up and tell her later. The teens took one more turn before they found themselves at the local police station. Peter and Harry bid farewell to Gwen, both giving her a hug each before taking off towards Peter’s home.

 There was silence between them as they walked. Harry finally put away his phone and spoke.

“How do you do it?” He asked wonderingly. 

“What?” Peter’s eyebrows furrowed. He looked at Harry.

“You. How are you not afraid of anything?” His friend clearifed and Peter shorted. “Yeah, right, I’m not afraid of anything-“

“But you are!” Harry exclaimed, interrupting Peter, “You aren’t fazed by anything-at least, not anything I know of.” 

“I doubt that.” Peter defended easily but fidgeted with his sleeve regardless.  The pair turned down an ally that would lead them to the secret entrance into the Avengers Tower. Good, Peter was almost home. Harry looked unimpressed at that statement and rolled his eyes.

“You aren’t afraid of the dark, you like thunderstorms, you love flying, you help insects, you’re fine around the man who turns into the Hulk-“

“That doesn’t count!” Peter interrupted, scowling. 

“-you don’t shy away from bullies,” Harry kept going, ” you don’t bat an eye at the best spy and director of SHIELD, and you love vegetables.” He gave a look at his best friend, and Peter felt his face go red again. He sort of had him there. 

“Well..you know,” he began, coughing, “I was just sorta…raised like that. Whenever something scared me, someone-my dads, or someone else-would always be there to show me that it wasn’t as terrifying as I thought. Even Uncle Bruce-I think he might have been the first, actually-no wait, second. But really, those things are nothing.”

Harry gave out a frustrated breath, fixing Peter with a questioning gaze. 

“Then what are you afraid of, Peter? Seriously, you’re doing a poor-ass job of convincing me that you don’t fear anything except the world ending!” He crossed his arms. Peter struggled to answer that question.

“That’s not…I can’t really..” Luckily for him though, they had arrived at the tower’s entrance.  ”I’ve uh..got to go!” He quickly moved away from Harry, who  seemed to be thrown off momentarily, and unlocked the door.

“Hey, wait! Peter-” He made to grab the other teen, but Peter quickly slide behind the door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” He shouted before fully going inside. The door automatically locked behind him, and Peter can faintly hear Harry curse, then footsteps walking away from him. He sighed and pushed his hand through his hair.  His friend was going to have a fit with him tomorrow, Gwen too. Peter shook his head and started off walking. The lights came on above his figure, illuminating the small ‘tunnel’ to his dad’s workshop and making Peter feel slightly better. 

 He took out his phone to check the time: exactly two hours before dinner. 

Peter smiled and put the phone away. No homework, no chores, and it was a Friday to boot. That would give both his dad and him  a lot of time to start the lessons. He wondered if he’d be scared-

“Then what  are you afraid of, Peter?” Harry’s question hissed at him. The teen cursed and rubbed his temples, irritated. A sliver of doubt made it’s way into his thoughts and Peter ‘tsked’.

It wasn’t his fault that he grew up with abnormal fears, was it? He lived with superheros-and Iron Man and Captain America as his dads. They raised him, all of them: Dad, Pop, Bruce, Clint, Natasha, Thor, and Pepper. 

Hell, even Fury had taken time out of his schedule to look after him! Peter smiled. Who knew the spy had a heart, huh?

Come to think of it, he always ended up seeing a little bit of a different side in each of his family members when it came to caring for him-

Especially Thor, jeez. Peter would have gone on believing he had no volume control, had it not been for that one time.

[Next]

- - - - - -

Part two, which technically should have been one, is done! Now with Harry, Gwen, and an off mentioning of Nick Fury *woot*  I’ve included a link, so you can go to the first part-even though you’ve probably read it already lol-and read it. Adios!