One Month

Chapter Two

Peter sat in the quiet room for a while, but he lost track of time quickly. He reached up and pulled off his headphones, listening for any sign that the reporters were still present. When he heard nothing, he stood to his feet and grabbed his bag, stuffing the headphones back in. He grabbed his phone and shoved it into his back pocket.

He could hear two people talking before he opened the door, and the smell of blueberry pancaked invaded his senses. He covered his nose to try to counteract another spell, and he could feel eyes on him from the doorway he stood in. After another minute, his sensitive senses calmed down a little.

"Are you good, Peter?" Wanda questioned him, and Peter glanced at her. She and Vision stood in the kitchen, flour and batter on their faces and clothes. He nodded his head as he walked over and cleared his throat.

"Just stupid disorders," he mumbled, and Wanda watched him. Vision finished the last pancake and slid it onto a plate. "Why the pancakes?"

"For you, and me," Wanda grinned and slid him a plate. "Pepper was worried that you hadn't eaten." Peter took the plate and Vision handed him a fork.

"Thank you," he mumbled out before he cut into the stack. He took a bite as Wanda and Vision stared at him. "These are good," Peter said as he tried to ignore their stares. The two gave each other a high-five before Wanda began to eat her own plate.

"We will show you to your room when you are finished," Vision told Peter and Peter nodded his head in thanks. The compound was much quieter than when he arrived and his curiosity got the better of him.

"Where is everyone else?" Peter asked in between bites. Wanda pointed her fork at Peter, and Peter frowned thinking he was to blame.

"They want to throw you a party," Wanda began, "but Pepper's having to convince Tony that a small party is better than a crowded one." Peter sucked on his tongue as he thought of a large party. He didn't even like parties to begin with, let alone large ones.

"I hope she convinces him," Peter mumbled. He yawned and finished off his plate. Wanda rushed to finish off her own, and Peter grabbed it before he placed the two in the sink. Wanda thanked him. Peter washed the plates and utensils as Wanda and Vision got lost in conversation.

Peter glanced at the time once he was done with the dishes, and he sighed. It was barely one in the afternoon, but he was exhausted. His whole body felt numb, and he twisted at his sleeve once again.

"Come, Peter," Vision instructed simply with Wanda at his side, and Peter followed the two. They headed upstairs before Vision opened a door. "This will be your bedroom." Peter almost immediately pushed past them for the bed, but he followed them in and thanked them.

"I'm going to, um, take a nap," Peter stumbled. He didn't want them to think that they were boring, "I'm sorry, I'm just really tired." Wanda gave him a look and smiled.

"You do not need to apologize," she told him before she pushed Vision out. "Have a nice nap, Peter." She closed the door, and Peter sighed as he took the satchel off and placed it on the desk.

As soon as he was sure that he was alone, he tore his shirt off and switched from jeans to sweatpants. The fabric was less invasive, and he relaxed at the feeling.

Peter climbed into the bed and melted into the pillows, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he closed his eyes and began to drift off.

***

Peter woke up two hours later to a crash downstairs. It took him a minute to register where he was before he remembered. He yawned, stretched, and climbed out of bed before he headed for his suitcase that Happy had placed by the door.

Peter pulled out his toothpaste and toothbrush, and he headed to the bathroom connected to his room. He brushed his teeth to rid his mouth of the taste of sleep. Then, he headed downstairs to discover where the noise had come from. From the balcony, he could see the majority of the avengers downstairs along with glass shattered on the floor, and he inhaled deeply before he even barely felt ready to face them all.

His eyes locked on to Natasha Romanoff's as she caught him staring, and she grinned before she headed to the stairway. "Hello, little spider," she greeted, and Peter stared at her, not really sure what to say. "I don't think we properly met the first time. My name's Natasha Romanoff." She stuck her hand out and Peter hesitantly shook it.

"Peter Parker," he introduced himself, and his eyes went back over the balcony. "What happened?"

"Tony thought that he could lift the table by himself," Natasha told Peter. "He broke it into a million pieces, but that's what he gets for not listening to us." She tapped on Peter's shoulders and he turned to her. "You might want to get a shirt on and some shoes before you head down there."

Peter nodded his head, "Right. I'll be down in a minute." Peter disappeared back into his room and he pulled a t-shirt with a science joke on it. He glanced in the mirror and laughed at it, which made him grin.

Peter took Natasha's advice and slipped on some socks and sneakers. Finally, he headed downstairs.

He stalled on the last step and watched as everyone got along so easily. It felt like his barrier between his world and theirs. Even though they were all picking on Tony, they worked together to pick up his mess so they could enjoy the party they had planned.

Pepper came to Peter before he even realized that she was there, and he cursed his spider-sense for being "off" the last couple of weeks.

"Do you feel better?" Pepper asked, and Peter nodded his head.

"A lot," he replied as he stepped off the last step.

"Great," Pepper guided him around to the kitchen again before she turned to him. "I warned Tony about having too big of a party, so I really hope that this doesn't bother you too much." Peter watched her before he glanced at the clean-up crew.

"I don't think it will," Peter said. He hoped that he would be fine. He felt awful for getting sensory overload over a crowd of reporters, but he had had several spells since May's death. It was like her passing made everything in him just stop working. All agreements on disorders and superpowers just stopped and it seemed like his body only worked to make him suffer now. "I don't think it will," he mumbled to himself again and Pepper smiled.