Chapter Text
As Peter gazed out at the tulips, their fragile petals swaying in the gentle breeze, he found himself shaking.
Staring at his left hand, watching the tremors go through him, he knew that the weight of his failure was the reason. He also knew that he desperately needed to calm down somehow. Happy would be there within the hour… If he was really coming. It didn’t feel like enough time to collect his thoughts. His gaze wandered to his right hand, where a pay as you go brick phone that a kind man in the town had loaned him was being held. He lightly, lightly squeezed- careful not to break it with his strength, and his brain turned over an idea on who to call to calm his racing heart and trembling hands.
Before he could think twice, he was dialing a familiar number, and held the phone up to his ear. It was early in New York, and he was calling from an unknown number - so he was certain it would go to voicemail.
He’d hear the message that - if Pepper hadn’t changed it - was still in Tony’s voice.
He’d get to hear his mentor - that’d calm him down a little.
And so he waited - counting the rings, his heart still racing- waiting-
“Hello?”
The poor boy’s heart nearly stopped. Unfortunately, his mouth didn’t.
“M-misses Potts?” His voice was raw and quiet.
“Peter?” Pepper answered “Why are you calling me at 5? Aren’t you on vacation?”
“I-I…” He wanted to say something, anything “ I got hit by a train”
There was a long, horrible silence that made Peter regret ever being born.
“What happened?” When she finally spoke, voice was stern, but not unkind. It was moreso an order than a request, and Peter couldn’t help the hiccuped sob that escaped him.
..So he spilled.
He went over the whole story - from ghosting Fury in New York, to the hijacked vacation in Venice, to befriending Quentin in Prague, to the betrayal and then finally, the hallucinations in Berlin. He then told her about how he was in Holland.
“And.. that…” He let out a bitter, wet chuckle “That’s… all. That’s how I screwed everything up”
“... You said his name was Quentin Beck?”
He swallowed “... Yeah”
Pepper let out an audible exhale. “Fury wasn’t supposed to give you EDITH until you graduated from college” She changed the topic “You’re 16, Peter. You weren’t ready - even slightly - for what Tony wanted for you” The heat - the anger behind her voice was unmistakable, and Peter could feel the tears escaping him.
“M-misses Potts I-” He took in a breath “I’m so sorry, I-”
“No.” She sharply interrupted “If you blame yourself for any of this I’m coming to Holland just to kick your ass”
Peter wasn’t sure how to respond to that.
“I messaged Happy. He’s 10 minutes out” She continued “Get on that plane, get taken care of, and get to London”
“Wh- London? But, I-”
“No buts. She you there” And she hung up
Peter stared at his phone after the line went dead, his expression probably hilarious to any onlookers. The boy exhaled and put the phone down, looking over at his left hand.
Huh, he wasn’t really trembling anymore.