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By this point, Peter guessed that he should just avoid public transportation completely.
They had just been on the bus, another field trip - even if there was still a sense of skittish, nervous energy among the students, all of them remembering the last time they’d been on a bus and how horribly wrong it had gone.
Peter had been listening to Ned talk about the newest update to Beast Slayer , nodding along as he snuck glances over to MJ - her nose stuck in a book, taking up an entire row to herself.
But from one moment to the next, it felt just like it had been the day the world had ended - the hair on his arm standing straight up, his back straightening as he whirled around - seconds before he saw the explosive hit the back of the bus.
The explosion rocked them sideways, Peter holding on tight to the seat in front of him as the people around him screamed - the driver losing control of the bus as he swerved.
It was as if Peter could see everything in slow motion, anticipating exactly what was going to happen before it did - the edge of the bridge coming fast when Peter glances to the front, having only two seconds to brace himself before it hits.
There’s an immediate rush then the familiar sensation of being weightless - one that Peter knows well from swinging around the city even if the terrorized screams from his classmates reminds him that for anyone else, the closest they ever got to this feeling was from the quick moments on a rollercoaster, right before it dives downward.
Peter had never been a fan of rollercoasters before the bite and all things considered, hadn’t had much time for amusement parks since his weekends now usually involved stopping drug deals and muggings till the early hours of the morning.
Yet it’s the only thing his mind can think of as the bus feels like it’s suspended in mid-air, the cold water below rushing up to them.
When the bus hits the water, Peter can feel the shockwaves - the bus bobbing at the surface before it slowly starts to sink, immediately glancing around for how to fix this as everyone continues to scream.
“We’re gonna die!”
“Break the window!”
“I can’t break the window, dumbass!”
Ned immediately grabs for Peter, the fear in his eyes so sharp that it almost stops Peter in place - hoping that he’s able to communicate to him everything that he wants to say without speaking a word.
We’re gonna be okay.
Ned nods his head furiously before Peter says, “Check the bus driver.” Ned immediately moving out of his seat to go forward.
Peter’s mind races, trying to figure out what his options were. Unlike what Flash had said, he could break open the window - immediately reaching for the emergency exit and opening it only for his eyes to widen when he glances up.
He sees them then, men all in black - guns pointed down at them as his stomach drops, remembering that this hadn’t been an accident but that the bus had been a target.
Peter didn’t know who they were searching for but he had a good guess, terrified at the possibility that his classmates were in danger because of him .
He sees the shoreline over to the side and pushes through the fire exit anyway, sensing the bullet fire before immediately swinging towards the water - taking a deep breath before he’s submerged.
The water is cold - stinging like needles all around him, the adrenaline and the panicked screams from his classmates motivating him to swim down - rushing forward as much as he can as he gets to the front of the bus.
He can see through the front window that MJ has joined Ned, the two of them moving the bus driver away, seeing Ned’s panicked stare as Peter motions for them to move forward - bracing himself against the front of the bus as he kicks.
The water is freezing, his fingers feeling numb as his legs kick - his lungs and his limbs already screaming at him from the strain of pushing the bus through the icy cold water.
Peter knows that the men will be looking for him but can only hope that they don’t care about his classmates - moving his legs as fast as he can as he propels the bus forward, hearing the groan of the bus through the water as it starts to change its descent, moving in the direction of what Peter can only hope is the surface.
He can his arms start to shake but the adrenaline is coursing through his veins, distantly aware that saving his classmates would make any chance of his identity being a secret after this a far off dream.
But Peter couldn’t risk their lives, not when he was sure he’d been the reason for why their bus was attacked in the first place - swimming as fast and as hard as he can to get to the shore, even when the pins and needles of the freezing cold water make his entire body feel numb - blinking slowly as he continues to push.
He can tell when the bus hits the surface because of the change in weight, his lungs aching for air that he knows he can’t have - willing himself to move forward as his legs continue to frantically kick.
Peter needs air, but he needs to save his friends - pushing as hard as he can until it’s almost too much to bear, letting out a pained yell as the bus is pushed forward onto a flat surface, the relief instantly transformed into regret as the cold water rushes into his mouth.
Peter flails his arms about, trying to move back to the surface but the water is everywhere, invading his throat and his lungs as he chokes - seeing the surface above him start to ripple as his mind starts to grow foggy, blinking a few times as his hand listlessly floats above him - the glint of the watch Tony had given him before the end of everything reflecting in the water.
It’s painful, the struggle to breathe when all he feels is water - a choking feeling in the back of his throat.
And yet the water is eerily peaceful - quiet and dark, feeling weightless again as the cold wraps around him, his eyes fluttering as the sunshine above ripples throughout the water.
Peter has had so many near-brushes with death he’s lost count, the memory of crumbling away into dust feeling nothing like he does now - cold, alone and in the dark - his mind growing fuzzy as his vision blurs.
He thinks of Ned and MJ, hoping they’re safe - hoping everyone is safe, the last coherent thought he has going back to May… to Tony… letting the cold swallow him whole as he sinks.
Peter blinks once more, the light transforming into darkness - an object moving into his vision that he distantly recognizes before he slips into unconsciousness.
If Peter dreams, he doesn’t remember it - doesn’t even remember being asleep, his eyes blinking lazily as he glances up at the ceiling, his throat feeling like he’s swallowed glass.
His entire body aches, his limbs feeling he’s being weighed down as he tries to make sense of his surroundings.
Peter can feel the oxygen mask strapped over his face, sensing the heated, weighted blankets on him as his mind takes a half-second to remember how he got here, a familiar face coming into focus, blinking at her a few times when she smiles.
“Hi sweetheart.” May softly whispers, blinking at her slowly as her hand comes up to rest on his cheek, feeling her thumb run across it as she says, “You’re okay.”
Peter’s eyebrows furrow, the events of how he got here starting to string together - the last thing he remembers was sinking further into the water, only for Tony to appear on the opposite side of May, Peter’s eyes shifting slightly to him as Tony gives a pained smile.
“Gave us a hell of a scare, kid.” Tony’s voice is shot, thick and low as his hand rests on Peter’s arm, Peter just blinking back at him - only for Tony’s eyes to move away from him to May.
“May you think he’s--”
“He’s gonna be just fine.” May whispers, Peter’s eyes shifting between the two of them - the hand she has on his face going to rifle through his hair, the motion so comforting that he can already feel the pull to sleep.
Peter suddenly feels exhausted, warm in a way he hadn’t when he’d been in the water - hearing Tony’s sigh as the pressure on Peter’s arm increases for a moment, even if his eyes search Tony’s - hoping he understands the question he can’t bring himself to ask.
“Your friends are fine. Even the driver.” Tony assures him, the anxiety in his chest loosening as he blinks back at Tony, seeing the watery smile on his face. “You saved them all, Pete.”
He leaned forward, seeing May smile out of the corner of her eye as Tony whispers, “Your aunt’s right, kid. You’re gonna be okay.”
Peter blinks at him once more before his eyes close - feeling warm and safe as he lets himself drift.
“Rest easy, kiddo.”
He still had a thousand questions - who had targeted them, what his friends thought of his identity, how exactly he got out of the water - even if Peter had a sense that Tony’s tired smile had to less to do with stress and everything to do with being there.
But Peter lets it go for now, letting the warmth of the blankets and of the love he feels so clearly from May and Tony surround him - drifting back off into a peaceful sleep.