The last thing he remembers was… taffy limbs? Floating Reedchute? There was the woman in the space suit screaming in his face, the rush of air as the capsule was crashing… there was that explosion. Oh pain. That pain was no fun. And then that feeling of rubbery arms wrapping around him and the cosmonaut. Then floating. And that was it. So it was only now that consciousness slowly began to return to the young man known as Peter Parker.
And indeed, Peter Parker is most likely the name the Fantastic Four now knows him by as well. He had ripped off his mask during the wild fall towards the river. For some reason the face of his mask caused the space traveller to scream and panic, as if she has seen such a thing before and it had terrified her. But when he revealed his normal human face… she at least let him pull her free of the capsule.
Knowing his identity may also have allowed them to track down his aunt and let her know why Pete would be otherwise preoccupied. His injuries were extensive but weren't life-threatening. Something about his physiology, however, must make it so he can heal at a rapid pace as those wounds started to knit quickly and despite the expectation he'd be out for the next few days…
He wakes up abruptly with a start in the infirmary. A quick gasp is pulled from him and his eyes are wide as he sits up, looking around frantically for only a moment before he recalls he's amongst friends.
*
Infirmaries are places where medical personnel tend to linger. The closest one on the Fantastic Four's team happens to be a biochemist. Sue Storm, with a pair of dark glasses perched on her nose stares at a sample of blood underneath a microscope. She frowns slightly and then plucks another sample from beside her… which she repeats the process. And then with another purse of her lips, she grabs a third sample — her last test tube that is carefully put on a sample sheet to fit underneath the microscope's lens, only to be startled by the gasp of breath, prompting her to drop the sample on the floor. The tube cracks; the sample is contaminated.
But none of that matters. In fact, despite herself, a small grin tugs at the edges of Sue's lips as she treads towards Peter's bed. "Hey hey hey," she murmurs softly, in a tone typically reserved for the members of her family. Mothering sometimes comes way too easily.
"You're okay," she soothes. "You're in the Baxter Building. You're okay," she repeats softly as she reaches out to press him back to lay down. "Please. Just give yourself a minute — "
*
"Oh man," Peter's eyes are wide as he looks over at Sue, "Everyone okay?" He asks, his first concerns immediately to the others. "How is the astronaut gal? Man she was flipping…" His gaze is still a bit manic and his expression is wild as his thoughts race a mile a minute. "Wait," He reaches to the side and lightly touches his hip, but then his brow furrows and he touches his face with splayed fingertips. "Uhh,"
Yup, no mask, and his injuries are not as pronounced. And there seems to be something up with his vitals but with someone like a mutated human such as Spider-Man… it's hard to tell what is considered normal really. "So, hi." He asks a bit warily.
*
Sue is still working at getting Peter to lay back down. "Everyone is fine~" Sue virtually sings, this is a rhythm she takes to easily. When members of her team are injured, she steps into the caregiving role. "The cosmonaut will be fine. Everyone else is fine." She manages another flicker of a smile as she tugs the glasses from her nose, suddenly needing to bring Peter back into focus.
Her lips purse lightly as he touches his face, and she nods once. "Hi…Peter?" her eyebrows draw together, "You're safe. You're…" she looks over his latest vitals "…healing remarkably well," and this is coming from a woman who sees multiple people heal quickly. "You've been unconscious for approximately," her eyes sweep to the clock on the wall, "twenty hours."
*
"Oh man, my Aunt…" Peter's brow knits together with concern even as she's able to work her magic, easing him back into a more relaxed posture, his elbows still holding him up partially. "I should give her a call or…" He looks a little confused as he glances to the side, then looks back to her. "Twenty hours?"
His eyes lift as if he were offering some small prayer to the Almighty and then he takes a deep steadying breath as he looks back to her. "I suppose it could have been worse." He breathes again deeply, and rubs a fingertip over his temple. "Umm, hey thanks for…" He lifts a hand to indicate the infirmary, as if they were going to throw him out into the street otherwise.
*
Peter has partially disconnected.
*
"I called her," Sue replies softly. "May is lovely." She manages a small smile, "She thinks that you had an opportunity to work in our lab overnight on your graduate level work. It isn't often that Reed Richards invites bright graduate students to engage in research in our lab." Her smile softens some. "I have a younger brother who I helped raise. Believe me, I wasn't going to let her worry needlessly."
Amusement colours Sue's expression and she issues him a one shouldered shrug as she treads back to the microscope, "It's nothing. We take care of each other. Always. We're just fortunate we get to do that in the open."
*
Peter has partially disconnected.
*
Another breath is allowed to be drawn and that seems to steady him fully. He smiles faintly and looks around while shaking his head. "Man, that was… the whole swoosh, rescue thing, and then you guys working together like… fwoosh, super cool. Is it always like that for you guys?" He smiles faintly and pushes a hand through his moppish hair. "That was just… crazy."
"And thanks for covering for me." He looks to the side, then lifts up his cover and his cheeks colour faintly. "Umm, are my clothes…" No, he ditched them before coming in to the Baxter Building. "I guess my costume's ruined, huh? Ugh."
*
"It's like that when it works out the way it's supposed to," Sue offers with a subdued smile. "We've been doing this for awhile. Always together; always a team." Her smile softens again. "Honestly, how you've been holding up on your own?" Her head shakes, "I couldn't. Not without the support of my family. Too hard."
Her lips press into a thin line an she ponders the question, "Well… what remains of it is in the box under your bed." Because that's how they roll. "That said, we have resources if you need them to rebuild whatever you require. That is one of the perks of being around her." She shoots him a lopsided smile.
*
"You guys are really fortunate." Peter looks across the way to her and then /leans/ over the side of the bed to peer at the box. He pulls up the shirt and idly sticks a finger through some of the shrapnel and scorch marks and tears. A small chuckle slips from him and he shakes hi shead, "I usually do okay. For me the craziest bit is usually trying to balance… you know, life. With everything."
Then he looks across the way towards her, "Am I cool to go? I mean… I feel alright. But that could just be the initial burst of 'yay I'm not a squished spider' sort of vibe."
*
"Well, I suspect balancing… " Sue swallows hard and allows her eyes to hone on the floor "…is always the trick. For many. Like I said, this is every piece of who we are. We do other things sometimes. Graduate studies, projects, other interests, but ultimately, this is our lives." Her lips twist to the side thoughtfully, "Well, your readings are good, Peter," she struggles over his name, "and I suspect everything is fine, but I'd like you to linger a bit longer if you're able." She lifts her hand, "That's not… you may leave whenever you'd like. Just, I'd be more comfortable if you waited at least until the day's end."
*
"Sure, I suppoooose I could be convinced to stick around for like dinner. I'm pretty starving." His lip twitches and in some ways he might seem so much like Johnny what with the faux innocent look. But then he tilts his head, "Do you umm, maybe have like a set of sweats or a jump suit or something I can wear? I figure I'll walk out of here and dig up where I stashed my clothes…"
He puts his costume back under his bed and figures it might be best for it to just get tossed out later. Of course Peter's already worrying about the logistics, since so much of his life involves that. "Ah crap, I also gotta call Dr. Connors if that's ok. Had an appointment with him…" He lifts a hand to the back of his neck as he considers his best course of action.
*
Sue can't help but smirk at the all-too-familiar expression. She hums quietly. "Of course, you're welcome to stay for dinner." And then flatly she adds, "I can't promise you it won't be pizza," she cringes. "But you're still welcome to stay." Her lips twist to the side and she strides to the cabinet to pull out, an It's Clobbering Time t-shirt and a pair of Fantastic Four brand sweats which are set on the bedside table next to Peter. "We have…" her eyes turn down "a lot of merchandise." Again she smirks.
"And of course you can call anyone you need to." Her head turns towards the door. "The phone though is downstairs in our living room. We try to keep the infirmary just for healing. The lab for sciencing…." in some ways it begs questions what she was working on earlier. "I'll… meet you downstairs when you're ready." She strides to the door. "And then we'll make sure there's dinner."
*
"Hey, Sue…" It's rare he uses her name despite the occasional suggestions he does so. But for once he feels it's fitting and alright to do so. "Thanks. For everything. And hey… tell the others if you see them before I do?" He reaches over and grabs the clothes off the side table and starts to unfold them even as she's heading on out towards the door.
*
Her name causes Sue to pause just inside the door. She looks over her shoulder and manages a small smile for him. "You're welcome. Sincerely. We will always look out for our own. You're in good company, Peter." She steps through the doorway, back downstairs.