Good Monday to everyone! Wishing you a nice week.
The gravel dug into her back as sunlight streamed onto the ground, overwhelming her sight and causing her to try and raise her arm to her face. "Ugh," a wisp of sound was all that escaped her mouth. Peyton tried to straighten her body but it wouldn't cooperate. A throbbing emanated from the right side of her abdomen and another soundless utterance escaped in protest. She vaguely remembered Mr. Stark telling her to stay down and realized that she may have fallen harder than she first thought. It was difficult to piece together everything that happened after Ant-Man fell. Peyton grinned ruefully when she realized that her plan had worked. Well, the plan from Alien but she was the one who had thought of it in the moment. Working in tandem with Mr. Stark, Mr. Rhodey, and everyone, they all brought down the colossal Ant-Man. Oh. Of course she childishly had been celebrating to early and had thus been hit to the ground. It wasn't her fault that it had been an epic takedown. Resigning herself to lying there until her healing worked, Peyton began ruminating about Mr. Happy.
Happy did not like her. Well, he didn't like Spiderman. The man's glower could win prizes and Peyton had been subjected to it for the whole plane ride to Germany. Mr. Stark had told her not to take it personally, that Happy was like that with everyone. But it was hard to remember that as she practically melded into the seat, trying to make herself invisible to the bored stare. She had been uncomfortable about boarding the plane. There had been no time to meet Mr. Happy beforehand and she held a slightly weary feeling over anyone knowing her true identity. It wasn't that she didn't trust him; anyone Mr. Stark trusted, she did too. This was more her own fear about the situation. It took a lot out of her to reveal her identity to Mr. Stark and she wasn't quite ready to do that with anyone else. Her and Mr. Stark had talked it over and thought it would be best for her to go about as normal before Germany. Meaning she couldn't use the amazing suit they designed yet. Things were complicated enough without adding to it. So she was clothed in her original suit, homemade goggles and all with Mr. Happy appraising her from across the aisle. She wasn't sure what Mr. Stark had told Happy but assumed the new suit would be waiting for her somewhere before the fight.
Peyton was pretty sure her face was the exact same color as her mask when Mr. Happy had glanced away and mumbled, "Can't believe I have to waste ten hours on a plane." And what a plane it was. She had been so nervous that she spent the night before researching plane protocols. Most of the stock photos involved pinched faced people squeezed into seats like sardines in a can. The majority included some type of screaming child as well. Very pleasant indeed. With that image in mind Peyton was pleasantly shocked by the spacious interior that greeted her as she explored the plane. It was sleek and more importantly completely empty besides the staff. The seats, which had heat options, were individual little pods and they even had blankets and pillows. She had tried to be polite; May and Ben had always taught her that everyone deserved respect until they gave you a reason. But making a good first impression on Mr. Happy was proving harder than she initially thought. Maybe it was the mask or maybe she smelled; she could feel the nervous sweat accumulating under her arms. It wasn't clear why.
The exact moment the pilot turned on the plane the rumbles messaged her senses, smoothly at first, like white noise. It relaxed her but then the plane started forward and the turbines began to spin faster; gradually they started grating her nerves, scraping into her skin like a carpet burn running along her body, inside her veins. It was like she was in every space of the plane; her head was jammed next to the engine, her ears faced the wind rushing past the airframe. She could hear the pilot talking to the ground crew and the sound of the engine reverberated throughout her head, making her sight tunnel.
The only thing that seemed to help drown out the ringing was talking. If she could focus on the words coming out of her mouth there was no need to pay attention to the harsh lights shining from the half opened window in her aisle. She already had so many questions and comments that they spewed out of her mouth. Mr. Happy just sat there engrossed in something on his phone; occasionally murmuring a "yeah, kid," or "sure." If Peyton was paying him her full attention she might have felt awkward enough to stop but once she began there was no end in sight and it felt so relieving to focus on something else.
She really wasn't trying to be annoying. But really, who wouldn't be excited about flying on a private jet to Germany, complete with any choice of movie. The itching feeling seemed to dissipate once they took off and she had a moments reprieve. Her awe of being there possessed her and she cautiously unbuckled, not knowing if a detector would go off, and moved to the window seat; quickly re-buckling. She pressed her nose and forehead on the window, leaving a small grease pattern on the glass, and peered out into the expanse of blue in front of her. The ever-evolving white and blue watercolors painted a masterpiece just for her. If it were possible she would have sat there forever and a day, taking the world in from above.
Up here there were no niggling thoughts or excessive uncertainties, only endless fancies waiting for someone to dream up. There weren't any expectations either. Each one of her anxieties floated up and away on the clouds passing by. She wasn't Spidergirl anymore. There was no media following her, trying to see what she would do next or who was under the mask. She wasn't even Peyton in that moment. Things like her empty college fund and people at school seemingly vanished. She wished that moment had lasted forever. If there was a way to commandeer the plane to never stop flying, to be in an endless orbit around the planet, the clouds could become her home.
The peace was broken when their flight dipped rapidly in the sky and shook with a vigor that had Peyton's hands gripping the arm rests. The lulling motion of the flying was quickly replaced by illuminated seatbelt warning signs. Each rock of the aircraft felt like it was conducted into her skull. The seatbelt around her waist was too tight, squeezing her harder into the seat. The headrest seemed to dig into the back of neck, and even the feel of the gloves around her fingers made her itch. Quickly she removed them and tucked them into the pocket of the seat in front of her. She stuck her hands under her thighs and squeezed her eyes shut. The words erupting from her mouth weren't even making sense to her anymore but all she knew was that it would become too much if she were to stop.
Mr. Happy finally looked up and said, "Can we just stop talking for now?" He looked bored and went back to looking at his phone. Peyton knew that she was being bothersome and he wasn't being unkind, she could understand that this wasn't exactly what he wanted to do with his weekend. Basically he was acting babysitter to some random person in a pilled old sweat suit. But even so, she felt properly chastened and to her horror her throat began to close up. Little pricks tugged at the corners of her eyes and a fresh heat of embarrassment assaulted her. She tried to be silent, to just deal with the sensations quietly, but felt like she was trapped in the ocean. Everything came crashing down on her and she was back in herself. Spidergirl, niece, student, Peyton. It all engulfed her. There were no floats to grab onto and the waves kept crashing down over her. Excusing herself she stumbled to the bathroom, her legs shaking as she grabbed hold of the chairs in order to keep upright. Her hands trembled making sure the lock was fastened difficult.
She didn't know how much time had passed but the first thing that came back to her was the sound of breathing. It was loud in stark contrast to the quiet room and she began to focus on smoothing out the harsh exhales. Try to find a steady rhythm. She found herself sitting down in the corner of the small bathroom. Her legs were pulled close to her chest, arms hugged around her knees. Exhaustion came over her and once Peyton got her breathing mostly even she slumped her head back down to rest on her knees, rocking it back and forth between the two hills, still not being able to focus on more than just the physical sensations around her. The sink was dripping consistently and she tried to measure the time through each falling droplet. The red mask sat beside her, crumpled in a ball. Slowly she got up and leaned her arms against the small sink, staring down at the floor.
Two knocks on the door had Peyton's heart pounding again. "Everything okay in there?" She had thought she detected a note of concern from the voice but brushed it off as aftermath from her mini breakdown. Mr. Happy was just checking as an obligation. "Yes, Sir. Mr. Happy. Everything's… Everything's okay. Thank you." She held her breath hoping he would leave and give her time to clean herself up. There was a sigh from beyond the door and he said, "If you need anything let me know." Then footsteps getting quieter.
The mirror had a plastic quality that made the reflections look warped but Peyton wasn't sure if that mattered. The light overhead glared down onto the top of her head. Her hair was matted and sweaty, bangs sticking to her forehead. The eyes that stared back at her looked glassy and her movements felt slow, weighted. Gathering some water into her palm she tried to see if her reflection was different there but the image that looked back was even more distorted. In that moment she wasn't sure if this wasn't what she really looked like, if this wasn't the truth. She brought it up and splashed her face, massaging her palms into her eye sockets; trying to block out the light. "Come on Peyton. Stop being so sensitive. Mr. Happy has taken the time to be here for Mr. Stark. You can't disappoint him."
A light she had forgotten was shining on her face disappeared and she opened her eyes. A face hovered above her. "Kid, are you okay? Come on, Peyton. It's Tony Stark." That name sounded so familiar and everything came to the forefront of her mind. All she could picture were the swirls of red magic and menacing faces coming toward her. Threatening her, hurting her. "Kid, you've got to calm down," the voice said and she felt cool hands circling her wrists. They were fighting on their own, her body reacting before her mind could piece everything together. The pressure terrified her and she fought harder, trying to get away from the unknown threat. Burning pain shot up her arms and she was back under the walk ramp that had fallen on her. She tried to keep it up but it was too much and kept pushing her back down to the ground. It was going to crush her if she wasn't strong enough!
"Peyton, you are okay. Look at me." The eyes in front of her became clearer as she focused. Those eyes were familiar. They were kind and had held a quiet calm and sometimes sparkled with mischievousness. As she stared the pressure became gentler and the weight that had been so heavy on her body moments before lessened. The energy running through her suddenly drained, leaving her weak. The face turned away, leading the strobes directly into her eyes. "Oh," she raised her hand to block the light and found that this time she was able. Peyton could see the back of his head and knew he was talking to someone else.
"Get down here Happy. Yeah, it's over. Gotta take the kid back. I can't and I'm telling you to." When he turned around to look at her she smiled at him and his dour expression turned into an all out frown. He looked away. "You promised me you wouldn't fight, kid. I took you at your word." She knew he was right but well, "I'm sorry Mr. Stark. I am, but I don't regret it. You needed all the help you could get and I could give some, Sir. I wanted to." She trailed off hoping this would appease him. No chance. His brows where furrowed and he wouldn't meet her eyes.
Laughing slightly she added, "Plus I made that sick entrance. Did you see me take Mr. Captain America's shield?" Mentally crossing her fingers, she hoped he would just look at her, tell her she did okay. A breath. And deliberately he turned, blocking the sun once again. Another, different kind of pain stole into her chest. He looked so sad, the lines etched into his face seemed deeper and she had a feeling she didn't really understand what he was thinking. "Kid, I will never forget that. Friday got it all recorded and I will be watching it on repeat." They shared a smile and he held out his hand to her. "You have. You should have listened to me." Another pause. "Can you get up?"
With his help she stood up, ignoring the pain in her abdomen. She didn't want him to be disappointed in her. Plus, it wasn't so bad. She was sure her healing would fix it up no problem. "Come on kid. Happy's going to get you back home. I have to take care of some stuff here." He looked her over once more and with that flew off to finish what he had started.
She sat back down on one of the few crates not broken up. Her side was throbbing and pressure was starting to build in her head. A sense of futility was sneaking its way into her thoughts when Mr. Happy pulled up in an expensive looking SUV and waved at her from the drivers seat. She expected that was the signal to get into the car and started walking towards him, her side twanging most uncomfortably now, when she realized her body wasn't moving at a normal pace. By now she should have been entering the back doors and sliding into a seat but was still walking toward the vehicle not far from the spot she had been sitting at moments before. From that spot on the tarmac she couldn't see Mr. Happy's face but bet that he was getting annoyed. Determined not to end their encounter with him displeased, she began walking faster. The squeezing in her head was getting unbearable and when she looked up there were two Mr. Happy's rushing toward her with what, in any other person, might have been a concerned face.
She tried to reassure him that everything was okay but his brows became more furrowed. His voice seemed to be coming strangely slow. "Hey, are you alright kid? You're looking a little pale." Peyton tried to answer, she really did but the world began to tilt, a churning sensation came over her as her stomach clenched tightly. "… need to get you back to the car and then we can deal… what the hell was Tony thinking. Don't know why he brought someone so green." Mr. Happy seemed to be talking to himself and felt like it might be rude to interrupt but she was really not feeling well. She promptly fell to her knees; jarring her side and making her vision go white for a moment. Yeah, that definitely wasn't a good sign.
"Um, Mr. Happy. I'm… okay." The words were staggered and slurred. And was surprised when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Was that Mr. Happy? He didn't seem like the most touchy, feely person and it momentarily distracted her from the sensation growing in her stomach. This was so embarrassing, she thought before promptly throwing up onto the gravel. It painted the most grotesque image as the dirt started to dilute the liquid she had just spewed. Moisture started to gather at the corners of her eyes and she brought her hand up to wipe her face, covering a cough that seized her chest. A white handkerchief appeared under her noise and looked to see Mr. Happy. This time, even she could tell, he positively had apprehension on his face and she realized that he was talking to her, murmuring low words of comfort she couldn't quite make out. His other hand was situated on her back, rubbing circles there. Trying to sooth the hurt out of her.
"Okay kid. Do you think you can make it back to the car? I need to get you to the hospital." The churning in her stomach was calmer and was close to being nothing more than an awkward swishing. She couldn't go to the hospital! Everyone would know who she was; know that she wasn't good enough to stop herself from being hurt. "No!" Her voice louder than expected and continued, "No, please, Mr. Happy. I'm fine." His lips pinched and he observed her for a moment, unconvinced.
"Can you walk?" was simply what he asked. She nodded vigorously causing her to loose her balance. He sighed and carefully put his arm around her shoulder, leading her to the car. To her surprise he took off his jacket and bundled it up so she could rest her head on the makeshift pillow. Her eyes were becoming much heavier now but she desperately wanted to keep them open. Mr. Happy was getting into the drivers seat and swiveled his mirror so he could see her reclining on the back seats The whole time he kept talking, trying to keep her engaged but she was so drowsy. A nap sounded like the best thing in the world at the moment. The car was moving now and the circular rotating of the tires soothed her.
"… and Tony, he was so pissed. He walked right up to this guy and said, 'Listen here, you mother fu…' um, 'you asshole. I need my suit back and I need it now.' Well you can imagine the shocked look on the guy's face when a naked Tony Stark confronted him. Pepper still has pictures of it somewhere." She smiled to herself as her eyes slowly shut, missing the long look Happy sent to the back of the car. His eyes softened at her curled up on the back seat. See, Mr. Happy wasn't so bad, she thought. The motion of the car and Happy's voice worked in tandem and slowly she fell asleep.
There were voices around her, and bright lights shot through her closed eyes, making her scrunch them even tighter. The atmosphere felt unfamiliar and sterile. And when she opened her eyes was confused at where she was. The table underneath her was soft but didn't give under her body weight. When she tried moving her legs a crinkling sound much like wrapping a present filled the room. Looking straight up was uncomfortable, the lights being bright, so she turned her head to the side and saw Mr. Happy talking with some woman. The door was cracked open and Peyton tried to concentrate on what they were saying.
"… needs to stay awake.."
"What happened to her?"
She couldn't quite make out what Mr. Happy said in response, the strain from moving making her head fall back onto the table. So he had taken her to some type of doctor after all. She wished she could be mad but it just wouldn't rise up within her. All that came was a slight sense of foreboding. What would happen now? Just a day ago only one person had known who she was. Today, she wasn't even sure how many people. The doctor stole a glance into the room and finished up her conversation with Mr. Hogan, leaving him to shuffle back into her room.
Peyton heard the door shut as he walked into the middle of the room. A chair scrapped along the floor and it stopped at the side of where she was resting. She could hear the material of his suit crinkle and move with his actions until it was silent once again. Peyton didn't dare open her eyes yet. "Kid, I know you're awake." Oh. She turned her head to gaze upon him. A five o'clock shadow had grown into his cheeks since they had last seen each other. "Hi, uh. Hi, Mr. Happy."
He snorted and raised his eyebrows at her. "Just call me Happy, everyone else does." The latter was said as more of a mumble to himself but he looked serious enough with the request. "I know you said no doctors but I wasn't taking a risk. Now don't look at me like that. Tony fixed it all so there were doctors here that could be trusted. He wasn't sure, if everything came to a fight and if people needed help. He wanted it to be there in case. You can trust these people. Tony trusts them. Hell, I do too. That lady was scary good not to mention super discrete. Just straight to business. And I, uh, checked her out myself, just to make sure. She didn't even ask for your name. Which, uh, what is it, by the way?"
A smile stole across her face, as she looked at him uncomfortable for the first time in their short acquaintance. His face was getting almost as red as hers did! Taking pity she said, "Call me Peyton," and reached her arm up from the table and held it to the side. She smiled warmly at him, remembering his hand pulling her hair back from her face and running along her back, so much like May did when she was sick. He reached forward and smiled back. "Hello, Peyton." They stared for a second before she asked, "Did Mr. Stark really get arrested for public nudity?" Happy looked mildly shocked that she remembered but laughed and affirmed the question. They stayed there, Peyton lying on the table, and Happy sitting, legs crossed in the chair laughing.
Happy cleared his throat and became gruff again but Peyton could see a hidden softness in the back of his eyes. "Ok, now that you're all check out we need to get you back on the plane. Doc said you're going to have some pretty bad bruises and that you have a concussion. So you can't sleep on the way back."
She nodded and moved to sit up. The pain wasn't as bad as before and she was able to keep her face blank. It was hard not falling asleep, Peyton was exhausted. Thoughts of the fight kept popping up randomly through the car ride and she was nervous for Mr. Stark, wishing he were with them on the way home. Praying that he was safe. If Happy knew anything about what had happened after she left he didn't say anything. They made it to the plane and she hunkered down to watch a movie, Happy back to scrolling through his phone. Peyton so engrossed in watching Finding Nemo that she missed the way he continued to glance up every once in a while to check on her.
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