Chapter Text
Green! Green! Green!
It’s all he could see, it polluted his vision. He was trapped, it appeared to be a glass cylinder, that much Peter could make out.
Peter tried to scream but the green liquid kept drowning him in it.
Ok,ok. Don’t freak out Peter. he told himself trying to keep the last tinges of his mind free of the green liquid that surrounded him everywhere else.
Peter took stock of himself he was still in his spidey suit. Not the one mr stark had given him most recently but the one that mr stark gave him for the civil war with mr Captain America,
He had his web shooters and his mask was in his hand.
Peter realized again that he was trapped in the cylinder still. He touched the glass, it was thick but he could maybe break through.
Peter pushed through the glass hard enough to break it.
The green liquid started pouring out creating a puddle with glass shards. Peter carefully stepped out he realized he shouldn’t wear his spidey suit. Peter didn’t know how he would be treated, where everyone loves him in New York, he could be in New Jersey. Peter repressed a gag for comedic value.
Peter decided that he would wear a hoodie that he happened to find in the lab that he was in and some shorts that were underneath his spidey suit.
He was wearing running shoes that he already had on just so he didn’t have to change into them later. These were the ones Peter had really wanted from aunt may. Wait, wasn’t aunt may dead, wasn’t Peter dead? He knew he felt himself flake away on titan if flake was even the right word. It felt more like he was becoming sand and slowly he was being grated by a cheese grater.
How is he alive? F*ck!
How is he alive?!!
Does he even still have his abilities?
Peter ran to the exit, desperately trying to get away from the green following him. In his head he felt the inky green substance still there. It was like thick putty was stuck in his mind.
Peter ran up to the steel doors and pushed. He pushed like his life depended on it probably because it did.
When he reached the surface his mind felt fuzzy, almost numb.
“-ey, ki-” there was a figure standing there almost fumiliar. He had a tight spandex suit on. It was black with a blue bird on rhe chest, the chest bird span accors his whole wingspan.
“S-stay b-back.” Peter said, although he could barely hear them. That’s strange, he could usually hear everything but now he could barely even her his own words.
“-ey ki-? Ca- you -ear me clearl-?” The man in the spandex suit tried.
Oh sh*t peters voice is probably not clear right now. He can’t really hear so he shakes his head and gives the guy who Peter assumes is either vigilante or a cosplayer a so so sign with his hands.
The guy proceeds to pull out a little metal thing from his utility belt. Peter takes a clooser look and realizes that it’s a hearing aid. What does Peter have to lose? So he shakes his head yes and the very kind vigilante/cosplay man puts it on him.
It feels weird, but then he feels the man touch his shoulder
“Hey kid?” The guy asks
“Yeah?” Was all Peter could respond. He still found it hard to speak after almost drowning like a gazzilion times.
“Where were you coming from bud?” The guy said squatting down to peters level.
F*ck! How had he now just seen that he is this small. Based on the size that Peter is, he would say that he is about thirteen.
The vigilante guy looks safe so Peter starts to ask for help
“mr? I Don’t know Where I’m”
“It’s ok, and I haven’t introduced myself yet, I’m nightwing. Where do you live?” Nightwing spoke in a way that made Peter feel like a little kid.
“Why would I tell you? Stranger danger!” Peter said. If this so called nightwing was gonna treat him like a little kid, he was gonna act like one, and a petty one at that.
“Here kid, here’s a map for you.” Nightwing paused
“You have an accent… hmm… alley?”
Peter had no idea what he was talking about so he just nodded.
“I’m assuming you don’t have a guardian?” Nightwing asked. Peter just shook his head in response
“Ok… I’m pretty sure hood has a safe house around here…” nightwing trailed off reaching into his belt to see what safe house was closest.
That was all Peter needed. For all he knows, nightwing could be a pedophile!
Peter runs, no sprints with all his might the other way. He makes it to a place that the map he swiped says crime alley?
What kind of a name is that?
***
“Hey nightwing?”
“Yeah rr?”
“There is a unexpected power surge at a abandoned power plant. Can you check it out and report back?”
“Yeah I’ll try.”
By the time Dick gets there he already spots a kid. The kid is young not much older than thirteen and has a mop of messy brown curls stuck to his hair.
“Hey kid?” Nightwing tried.
“S-stay back.” The kid responded however Nightwing could hear that his voice was kind of muffled as if he couldn’t hear it.
“Hey kid?” No response
“Can you hear me clearly?” He tried again. The kid just shook his head no.
He sighed and pepper out a hearing aid that for some reason rice makes them keep in there utility belts at all times. I guess now he knows why.
He quickly puts it on the boy and then rests a hand on his shoulder so he couldn’t bolt.
“Hey kid?” Nightwing asked the small boy in front of him.
“Yeah?” Was the only response he got. When the kid spoke it sounded like he hadn’t in years. Like when they first adopted cass and she wasn’t allowed to speak. Whenever he thought about it, it always made his heart sink. Who would do that to this child?
“Where are you coming from bud?” Dick asked, slightly crouching down to his level. He recognized the kid was scoping out him and analyzing so he just let him.
“Mr? I don’t know where I am.” The kid said, avoiding Dicks question with ease. Damn somebody did train this kid.
“It’s ok, and I haven’t introduced myself yet, I’m nightwing. Where do you live?” Nightwing stated, his tone gentle.
“Why would I tell you? Stranger danger!” The kid said, crossing his arm.
God this kid was an alley kid through and through. He almost reminded him of himself when Bruce first took him in.
“Here kid, here’s a map for you.” He said fishing for one in his utility belt.
“You have an accent… hmm… alley?”
The kid just nodded.
“I’m assuming you don’t have a guardian?” The kid looked away in response. “Ok… I’m pretty sure hood has a safe house around here…”
Dick reached into his belt trying to see if he had the list of Jason’s safe houses at their ready.
Apparently that meant run away in the kids mind.
***
It was getting dark and Peter needed a place to sleep. He made it all the way to an abandoned fire house. It looked safe. Well as safe you could probably get in this city.
He realized that no one else was squatting in it so he figured he was just lucky. Well it did have running water and a semi working fridge along with a spare pile of scrap parts. That would be great for Spider-Man.
Peter had found a $50 bill lying around on the ground and decided to go out and buy a few things. He looked around while keeping his head down. Now Peter did recognize that he looked suspicious but who would ever suspect a kid?
When he finally made it to the store, he bought a sleeping bag, a tarp and a bucket pocketing the rest for food later on.
After he got back and set up his camp, he decided that he should sleep so hopefully his spider healing would heal whatever had happened to him that day.
He took out his hearing aid and climbed into his sleeping bag letting the dark void of sleep over take him.