Broken Bones - Tumblr Posts

Day 5, 9, 10, 17, 18, 30- Lost in the Darkness

aka Working very hard to keep Bakugou blindfolded the entire story

prompts- pinned down, stranded, you're a liar, touch aversion, blindfold, bridal carry- building collapse, broken bones, head injury, Bakugou being Bakugou, Kiri not taking his shit hehe

AO3 link- https://archiveofourown.org/works/50415793

Sometimes Katsuki entertains the idea that he might regret coming to U.A.

He didn’t, he would never accept anything less than the school that All Might attended, but circumstances like this gave him plenty of time to think. Especially since he couldn’t do literally anything else at the moment. Currently, he was blindfolded, with his hands tied behind his back, suspended in the air hanging from a rope that was connected to a harness, being forced to pretend to be a hostage. As much as the training scenarios were as close to real life as they could be, hanging from a singular rope tied to a ceiling was not something to be fucked around with, and Katsuki could be grateful at least that he wouldn’t get injured by his classmates’ idiocy in this shitty simulation. He wouldn’t put it past them to just cut him down without warning him so he fell flat on his face. They really were that stupid. As soon as they’d gotten him in the air, he’d wanted to get out of his restraints himself, perfectly capable of rescuing himself, but Aizawa had told him that if he didn’t play his ‘randomly’ assigned role (bullshit, Aizawa never left anything up to chance) as ‘regular citizen’, then Katsuki would lose an entire grade over it. Damn fucker was using his stellar academic record against him, and Katsuki had to admit, it was currently working. As impressed as he was that Aizawa had found something that got him to go along with this dumb exercise, Katsuki also never hated his teacher more than right now.

So, unfortunately, here he was. Hanging here, in complete silence, cut off from the world around him. God, this fucking sucked. Had to be one of the most humiliating things he’d done since getting to this school, and to make matters worse, he was so bored. The classmates who were pretending to be the villains who ‘captured’ him had left him ages ago, off fighting the heroes of the exercise, being serious fucking idiots as you should never leave a hostage alone because you don’t know what they’ll do or the heroes plan and then you lose your bargaining chip. … Sue him, he was bored, he could think both sides’ actions through, and he certainly wouldn’t have acted this dumb, and he’d win the battle against anyone assigned to be his enemy. That first fight with Deku was an outlier, and Katsuki refused to count it.

Noises caught his attention, and Katsuki hoped that this shit would be over soon. He just wanted to go to his room, make a pot of coffee, and forget today with some violent video games he could take his anger out on. Maybe if he was lucky, Kirishima would be down to play too. He always felt better after annihilating one of his friends. But then the noises shifted, and Katsuki carefully turned his head, trying to pinpoint where they were coming from without getting the rope to spin.

“Bakugou!” Dunce face. Wonderful. “Guys, I found him, come on!”

More noises followed her shout, footsteps, and he sensed the area around him fill up with people. He’d been right, as he always was, going off to the fight and leaving him alone was a dumb move by his classmates and they’d gotten their asses kicked. From what he could hear, since they still hadn’t taken off the damn blindfold, dunce face, pink cheeks, and shitty hair had come to his ‘rescue’. Joy. At least pink cheeks had some measure of sense when Deku wasn’t involved, and Kirishima would hopefully keep Kaminari from being too stupid for his own good. He supposed this was the best out of a shitty situation since he was stuck here anyways.

“So how do we get him down?” Kaminari asked. “If we just cut him down, he’ll fall.”

Katsuki bit his lip, trying to keep himself in check. The answer was so obvious Katsuki could’ve screamed.

“Ooh, Uraraka, if you float him, I can cut the rope.” Thank god, Katsuki thought that discovery was going to take them three more years as they chattered.

“On it, Kirishima!”

Five fingers came to his chest, and the horrible feeling of weightlessness infected his whole body. Katsuki had never liked pink cheeks quirk in the first place, and he hated it even more now. He hated not being in control of his own body. Katsuki bit his lip harder.

Katsuki swung a little as Kirishima sawed through the rope, and he felt it when the rope attached to his harness suddenly went limp. He floated around for a moment before he got too fed up with their idiocy.

“Let me down. Now.” Katsuki hissed, his voice as venomous as a snake.

He could tell he surprised pink cheeks in her gasp, even though they still hadn’t taken off the goddamn blindfold, but he seriously didn’t give a shit. This day was shitty enough, he didn’t need her to add to it more than necessary. He heard her speak her stupid words, she really didn’t need to say it every time, from what he could tell of her quirk, but he used the sound to prepare for the sudden fall he was about to experience.

The freefall he was expecting got interrupted by strong arms, Kirishima balancing him so he could stand on his own without falling over. Under the blindfold they still hadn’t taken off, his eye twitched. And he thought today couldn’t get any worse, but he supposed he’d underestimated just how fucking stupid these assholes were.

“What do we do now?” Kaminari said, doing fuck knows what.

“How about you untie me?” Katsuki growled, his desire to keep his grades perfect fighting with his desire to just fuck all this shit and take the fucking hit so he could be fucking done.

“I got you, bro!” Kirishima said, and Katsuki heard Kirishima’s quirk go off again. He felt a swish behind his back, and his arms were finally freed from those damn uncomfortable ropes.

“Fucking finally.” Katsuki muttered, rubbing at his wrists. “Took you idiots long enough.”

Katsuki’s hand went to the blindfold, ready to rip it off himself, when the whole building shook. He instinctively put his hands out to steady himself, and before anyone could speak, Katsuki felt the ground crack and split open, and they were all freefalling with a shout. Katsuki had a single moment to curse in his head, as apparently things could get worse, and he’d just jinxed himself. But before he could try anything that might mitigate the shit the building collapse had started, his head crashed into something hard and unyielding, sending bright sparks across his eyes before he fell into a darkness a blindfold couldn’t create. 

~~

Katsuki’s first thought as he slowly rose to consciousness was that his whole body hurt, and he didn’t know why. He could feel heavy weights pressing down on him, completely covering his right arm, left hip, and there was one pushing directly on his face. His face was sticky, his arm was sticky, and his hip was throbbing two beats faster than his heart. He groaned, trying to move to escape the weights but they kept him pinned down, his legs scraping on dust, sliding through the dirty ground like a waterslide.

“Hold on, I think I heard him.” He knew that voice. That was… that was…

Oh shit. As he heard his best friend, memories came rushing back to his mind. Putting on the harness in the unhappiest way, being lifted into the air, and Aizawa handing him the blindfold to put on before his teacher gently tied his hands behind his back. Chattering voices from his idiot classmates, who joined him only to leave him there a little while later. Other voices of different people, Kirishima cutting him down, cutting the ropes, and then the ground disappearing out from under them. The building must’ve collapsed, that’s what the weights were, debris from the cave in. And the blindfold was still on his fucking face.

Kirishima must’ve found him, because soon the weights were being lifted off of him, and he heard a soft, “fuck.” The weight on his face was lifted very slowly, gently, and fingers probed at Katsuki’s temple, and he twitched as Kirishima disturbed the dried sticky shit on his face and in his hair. He was pretty sure it was blood, but he couldn’t be sure, as who knows what kind of plumbing had been disturbed when they’d fallen. Be easier for him if it wasn’t blood, though.

“Kami, get over here, turn up the light. Bakugou’s hurt!” No shit, Kirishima. Why not say other obvious shit like they were in trouble or that they were trapped?

Kaminari must be using his quirk to have his electricity crackle around him, giving them what light they could get. Light began to penetrate his darkness, and he shut his eyes harder, the light stabbing needles into his brain. A pained gasp slipped out unconsciously, and his left arm tried to shield his eyes from the light, but Kirishima took his hand, and held it.

“Easy, bro, you took a lot of damage.” Kirishima murmured. If Kirishima kept saying super obvious things that didn’t need to be said, Katsuki was going to blow him up.

Katsuki ripped his hand out of Kirishima’s, and came to his face. Since none of these assholes would finally take off this goddamned blindfold, he was going to do it himself. But as he pushed the fabric upwards, strobe lights blinded him, his vision going white as he screamed. A hand pulled his away, the blindfold falling back into place. Firecrackers of light assaulted his mind, taking away his ability to process the world around him. Flashes of what he’d managed to see popped through his mind, Kirishima with minimal cuts and a few bruises, Kaminari’s jacket tied around Uraraka’s bloody shoulder as a tourniquet, and Kaminari was nothing but an essence of overly powerful, bright light.

“Bakugou, what’s wrong?”

All he could manage was a strained, “bright.”

Kirishima’s fingers pinched at the blindfold, putting himself in between Katsuki and Kaminari, and through the shining light setting his nerves on fire, he could see his best friend frown before putting the blindfold back. “Shit.”

“What is it, Kirishima?” Kaminari asked, sounding unsettled, like he had in the mall training. Two was enough for a pattern for Katsuki, he was going to rage at Aizawa for letting this happen to him again, and swear that he wasn’t doing anything like this again until the teachers fixed this shit so a third time never happened.

“Bakugou, I think you have a concussion or something.” Kirishima muttered, knowing to talk to him despite the fact that it had been Uraraka that had asked. Katsuki hated being talked about like he wasn’t there. “And your arm totally looks broken, dude.”

Even though Katsuki couldn’t see it, he knew Kirishima was biting the inside of his cheek. It was one of his nervous habits. But a head wound meant the stickiness on his face was blood, and that complicated shit. Adding a broken arm to the mix was a disadvantage he would struggle to get through, but Katsuki refused to let this stop him. The marathon this had been going to be had just turned into a triathlon. Fuck. Still, he could do a triathlon with his eyes closed.

Actually, he was going to have to. Katsuki could see the overpowering light still through the blindfold, but it was easier to deal with with the blindfold on. Goddammit, his day could not get any-- stop. Don’t jinx yourself again. He didn’t know how this could get worse, and he didn’t want to know. Today fucking sucked ass, he should leave it at that.

“You with us, bro?” Kirishima asked, and he realized he’d been getting talked to, but honestly he couldn’t care less.

“Yeah.” He muttered. “Just figuring out how to get us out of here.”

Since Kirishima had removed the debris, Katsuki was able to lean to his left side, using his good side to get himself up. He could practically hear Kirishima wanting to help him, but he also knew Katsuki wouldn’t accept it. His left leg was shaky, his hip screaming at him to stop, but pain was just a call he didn’t have to answer. Pain never stopped All Might, therefore it wouldn’t stop him.

But as soon as he got himself as upright as he could, a bout of dizziness hit him, and he lost his balance, crashing into Kirishima. His best friend fumbled a bit catching him, making a surprised noise, but got him standing after a moment.

“Okay, dude, I’m sorry, I know you hate this, but you can’t walk by yourself.” Kirishima said, regret lacing his words, infuriating him. Kirishima was the only one he could trust not to pity him, but he still hated needing his help. Kirishima had learned the language Katsuki spoke, to know when to ask for something because Katsuki needed it but wouldn’t say it, to brush everything off as not an issue because Katsuki didn’t want to talk about it, ever. This wasn’t his language and Katsuki growled at him, the warning sign that he was about to get his shit rocked.

But Kirishima never took his shit, so he just adjusted Katsuki so his left arm was slung around Kirishima’s shoulders. And he thought that being tied up was humiliating.

“Bakugou,” Kirishima said, lowering his voice so only he could hear. “You can’t take the blindfold off, Kami’s light is too strong for your concussion, and you can’t walk. Just this once, let me help you. Let me be your crutch.”

Oh damn him for using that shit against him. He let Deku be his crutch one time and they never let him live it down. Katsuki was going to find a reason to blow Deku up for this, whether it was a good reason or not. This was all his fault anyway.

Regardless of how he felt though, Kirishima was right. He couldn’t see, and being trapped under a bunch of debris was not something that he could get out of on his own if he was blind. He couldn’t even see what was in front of him, the light radiating off Kaminari too bright for him to see anything but blurs and blobs of where he assumed people and objects were.

It felt like swallowing broken glass, but he ground out a quiet, “fine.”

“Thanks, dude.” Kirishima whispered, wrapping his arm around Katsuki’s waist. He hobbled them over to the others, Katsuki struggling to walk in step with Kirishima since he couldn’t fucking see where the bastard was stepping. God, he just wanted today to end.

“Dude, Bakugou, you look like shit.” Kaminari exclaimed, crackling faintly.

Katsuki tried to shy away from the bright light without looking like he was doing that. “If anyone else says one more blatantly obvious thing, I’m gonna blow all three of you up.”

He heard Kaminari’s, “yeesh, sorry” but it was soon drowned out by pink cheeks.

“Hush, Bakugou. You can’t do that anyways, you’ll just make this worse, unless you want this to cave in more. Now, we need to take care of your arm. Okay, what can we use to make a sling?”

Lots of ideas were discussed, and shot down violently by Katsuki, but eventually he allowed Kirishima to take the harness off and use that, Katsuki using his good arm on Kirishima’s shoulder to keep himself upright. Katsuki refused to let any noise of pain out again, but internally he was screaming as Kirishima moved. Oh yeah, his arm was definitely broken, it felt like almost a Deku level of broken, and when Kirishima finally stopped and took his waist again, Katsuki was trying to minimize his heavy panting and shove down the tears in his eyes.

“Here, Kirishima, I can make Bakugou float so it’s not as hard for you to carry him.” Uraraka said, way too chipper for what she was saying.

Katsuki felt a flash of panicked anger ignite in his chest. Not being in control of his body when he was trapped and blind was a step too far, and he didn’t care what it meant for him to refuse it. He’d rather drag his own ass out of here on his own, completely blind, then have the last thing he had taken from him. Control over his body was something he refused external assistance for, and he would not let her steal that from him, he didn’t care how hurt he was.

Sensing her fingers as they began to brush his skin, Katsuki kicked out at her. “Don’t touch me!”

He must have connected with Kaminari accidentally, as he got a static shock from it, but the “ow!” Kaminari made made up for it a little.

“Bakugou! Don’t kick me!” Pink cheeks squealed, which just made his resolve stronger. He ignored Kaminari’s, “don’t kick me either!”

“Then don’t fucking touch me.”

“Come on, man.” Kirishima said in his ear. “We need to get out of here.”

“I’m not letting that bitch touch me.” Katsuki growled back.

Pink cheeks made an affronted shout, but Kirishima was quick to understand what Katsuki was actually saying, that her quirk was off limits.

“He doesn’t mean it, Uraraka,” uh, yes the fuck he did, “but I’ve got him. He’s not heavy to me.”

Somehow Katsuki got a sappy vibe from that comment and he promptly ignored it.

“If you say so, Kirishima.” Uraraka said, doing that stupid pouty face she made when she was trying to be serious. He didn’t have to see it, he could hear it just fine.

“Come on guys, let’s get out of here.” Kirishima said, and they started walking. “There’s a path, Bakugou, if there’s anything you can trip on, I’ll handle it.”

Kirishima kept to the back, not leaving Kaminari’s light but also trying to keep as much of it off Katsuki as he could. This is why Kirishima was his best friend, even though he hadn’t actually wanted a best friend when he came to this school. But Kirishima understood him, helped without helping, didn’t shove his weakness back in Katsuki’s face. When they got back, he supposed he could make too much gyūdon and give the other bits to Kirishima for this. He supposed it’s been a while since he had that, and he could just randomly have a craving for a meatier dish.

The more they walked, the more Katsuki couldn’t help leaning on Kirishima. Each step with his left foot sent another bolt of pure agony to his hip, and every step with his right jostled his arm, and Katsuki’s head was already swimming from so much movement that he could barely keep track of the world beyond the pain. With the blindfold keeping the torturous light away, he couldn’t see the worried looks his friends were shooting him, only being able to sense a tension rising in the air, unable to place where it was coming from. It was strangely quiet as they walked, which unsettled him. Kaminari usually was a motor mouth, Katsuki always had to yell at him to be quiet. But now, no one was talking, and that didn’t seem right.

Suddenly, the light stopped, and they all froze.

“Kaminari!” Pink cheeks shrieked, the sound sending another bolt from his ear to his brain, and then back. He couldn’t be worried about Kaminari for a minute, he was so wrapped up in agony.

He heard knees and hands hit the floor along with winded gasps. Kaminari must have been pushing the limits of his control, his quirk more suited for attacks rather than support, keeping the volts so close to him had been exhausting him. As worried as he wouldn’t admit he was for his idiot, he was more worried that this would make dunce face go into whey mode. Not only would they lose what little light they had, but Katsuki wouldn’t be the only one out of commission, and Katsuki didn’t think their little group could take much more.

“I’m okay.” Kaminari panted, and the light started up again, but it was duller. “I’ll be fine. Plus ultra, right?”

The light was so dull in comparison to what Kaminari had before, that he reached around Kirishima’s neck, strangling him a little but for a good reason, and he peeled back the blindfold for a moment. It was still too bright, driving icepicks into his brain, but he could make out his friends now. Uraraka had knelt down to Kaminari’s level, and Kaminari was trembling, but from what Katsuki wasn’t sure. To let Kirishima breathe, he let go.

“Take a breather, man, you’ve been going for like, forever.” Kirishima said, and again the light went out, as the sound of shifting echoed in the darkness.

Katsuki never liked darkness, not that he was afraid of it like a baby or anything, but he never liked being able to see what and who was around him. Especially since… well. He supposed both. Kamino had only added onto what had happened with the sludge villain. But being plunged into darkness now wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, and he was glad to hear Kaminari’s breath evening out.

Standing was becoming unbearable as they waited for Kaminari to be ready again. His left leg was trembling fiercely, and his right wasn’t doing much better. His arm was still against his chest, but just being upright was making him dizzy, the world spinning painfully, like being stabbed into a ceiling fan as it rotated. At this point, Katsuki was standing on pure willpower alone. He wouldn’t fall, he already had to lean on Kirishima, he wouldn’t embarrass himself further and fucking fall. He wasn’t Deku, clumsy as fuck and idiotic. He. wouldn’t. fall.

“Okay, I’m ready.” Kaminari said, though they could all hear the exhaustion still in his voice. But the relief Katsuki felt might’ve slipped through, as Kirishima adjusted his hold a little, taking on more of Katsuki’s weight.

The sound of electricity crackled in the air, the light reappearing. It wasn’t as bright as when Katsuki had first woken up, but it was better than Kaminari’s second attempt. Still too bright for him to take off the blindfold, but instead of thirty icepicks digging violently into his brain, now there were only twenty.

Katsuki realized he’d been wrong before, standing wasn’t agony, but continuing to walk now was excruciating, so much worse than standing. His steps shuffled a little, his mind unable to send the signal to lift them up all the way, and Kirishima had to take more of his weight. He was practically carrying Katsuki by his waist, Kirishima’s arm wrapped almost all the way around.

A rumbling sound in the distance.

“Did you hear that?”

“That sounded like--”

The rumbling got closer. Katsuki could just barely make out the sound of roof cracking under too much stress.

“Shit, run!”

Footsteps took off, but instead of his own following, Katsuki felt Kirishima shove him to the ground, cracking his head again on the hard ground, and he just barely felt Kirishima’s hardening activate before he passed out again.

With every breath he took, he felt his chest brush something stiff, and he could hear heavy breaths that weren’t his own.

“Shitty hair.” Katsuki moaned out, coming back to consciousness for the second time that day. Honestly he was just pissed off at this point, he hadn’t even jinxed them this time!

“Hey, Bakubro.” Kirishima said, and the awful sounds of rocks shifting and falling to the ground echoed too loudly in his ears. “Was a little worried I put you down too hard.”

“Fucking threw me.” Katsuki groaned, opening his eyes to darkness. His heart beat a little quicker. “Where’s dunce face? ‘S dark.”

“I’m not sure.” Kirishima sighed. “I knew I could only protect you with my quirk, so I told them to run. They did. Hopefully they outran the collapse.”

Katsuki did hope they outran the collapse. He was no doubt someone was coming after them, but it was probably the other idiots in their class. Aizawa hadn’t even set foot in the mall when it collapsed. And knowing his idiots, it would take them two days to find a sponge in a sink. With Kaminari and Uraraka trapped alongside them, it would be even harder to find them.

God, he just wanted to go to bed.

“Bakugou, wake up, hey don’t sleep.” Kirishima suddenly said, shaking him a little.

Katsuki let out a noise that meant that hurt and if Kirishima did it again, he’d regret it.

“Sorry, bro, but you can’t sleep.” Kirishima said. “I don’t know what’s going on with your head right now, but I don’t think it’s safe for you to sleep.”

Shit. He hadn’t been trying to fall asleep, he must have been passing out. That was a problem.

“What… what does this shit look like?”

“What shit?”

Katsuki’s good arm grabbed Kirishima’s face awkwardly, and rolled it around, trying to gesture to the space around them. He stopped when he heard the debris.

“Oh.” If rolling his eyes wasn’t painful, he would’ve. He settled for huffing. “I don’t know. I can’t see anything either. I can feel the debris on my back, but it keeps shifting around when I breathe. But don’t worry, I can keep this up for a while, you’re safe, bro, I got you.”

Right, Kaminari had been their only light source. He hadn’t really been worried about his safety, he’d wanted to be able to crawl out of here. But that wasn’t happening apparently. They were just stuck here until someone found them.

“Hey, Bakugou?”

“Mm.”

“Do you ever think about death?”

“Hah?!” Kirishima’s voice was way too blasé for this subject. “The fuck kinda question is that?”

“I’m trying to keep you awake and that was the first thing I came up with!” Katsuki heard Kirishima’s blush in his explanation. If he wasn’t hardened, he’d have gotten a smack for that. Katsuki just kept telling himself that rolling his eyes would hurt, rolling his eyes would hurt, don’t do that.

“Think of something better!”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!”

There was a beat of silence. Katsuki groaned. God his friends were stupid.

“Are you and Midoriya exes or something?”

And he thought the death one was bad. “Excuse the fuck me? Has he been saying that? I’m going to fucking murder him!”

“No, no he hasn’t!” Kirishima said, saving Deku’s life, for now. “He’s never said that, or implied that or anything. We all just… we just wonder why you hate him so much. Like, I know you hate pretty much everybody, but your hatred for him is intense, dude. So we all kinda have a sort of bet going on, trying to figure out why. Couple of people think it was because you two dated and then had a bad break-up, especially since he knows so much about you.”

Katsuki blinked. That was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard, and he’d known Deku for over ten years. Holy fuck.

“Shut down this ‘bet’, shitty hair, you all can stop fucking guessing.” Katsuki snarled.

“Oh yeah?” Kirishima perked up. “You gonna tell me?”

“No.” Somehow Kirishima deflated without moving. “First off, you assholes can stay the fuck out of my business, it makes no fucking difference to you why I hate him.”

“Yeah but we like Midoriya.” Kirishima sighed. “And we like you. We thought maybe if we could figure out why you hate him, we could help fix it.”

Katsuki supposed it was well-intentioned, but the idea still made his skin crawl. His relationship with Deku was his own, and… he didn’t want to think about it. His head already hurt too much.

“You can’t fix it, shitty hair.” Katsuki sighed. “None of you can. It’s only between us. Personal. Though if you could get him to stop crying every other second, that might help.”

Kirishima laughed breathlessly. “I’ll see what I can do.”

It was quiet for a minute.

“Does it… bother you, that I don’t like him?” Katsuki didn’t like how unsure his voice was, and he fully blamed it on the nondescript head wound.

“Bother, no, but it kinda makes me sad.” Kirishima said, shrugging and then freezing as more debris shifted. “I mean, you’re my best bro, and Midoriya’s a good bro, and it kinda sucks that we can’t like hang out together or do fun stuff. But if you don’t like him, I’m not going to force you to do stuff with him. You’re allowed to not like people. We’ll all just hang out separately.”

Katsuki couldn’t name the emotion in his chest, and he refused to try.

“You know, you could do better.” Katsuki said. “You’re one of the only idiots in our class who’s somewhat tolerable.”

“Aww, I love you too, Bakubro.” Kirishima chirped, and Katsuki’s eyes widened. “It’s not like that though, we’re just friends.”

“I didn’t fucking say that.”

“Maybe not in those words.” Kirishima said. “But I know you.”

“Not well enough apparently.” Katsuki muttered. “I didn’t fucking say that. I don’t say that shit to anyone, let alone you.”

“Aww, Bakubro!” Kirishima whined, and Katsuki knew he was wearing the stupid smile he was always wearing when he teased Katsuki. “You’re breaking my heart.”

“That was the intent, yes.”

Kirishima laughed, and the echo died in the walls of fallen debris around them.

“How’s your quirk?”

“I’ll be alright, Bakugou.” Kirishima said, and Katsuki could hear the strain Kirishima was trying to hide from him. “I’ve got you. I can keep this up a while longer.”

Katsuki didn’t doubt that, Kirishima had already risked his life for Katsuki once, it didn’t surprise him that he’d do it again and again. He was a good friend.

Silence followed for a moment.

“Bakugou, you still alive?” Kirishima asked.

“Mhm.” Bakugou murmured. “If I die, I’ll let you know.”

Kirishima huffed a strained laugh. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

The tiniest shines of light then filtered through the cracks of the debris. A spark of hope ignited in both of them. A muffled voice echoed through.

“Kaminari? Uraraka?” Kirishima shouted, and Bakugou whimpered. Damn, that hurt. He understood its necessity, but goddamn that hurt.

The voices got stronger, and so did the light. The debris was being shifted around, pink cheeks obviously using her quirk to move the debris safely. Thank fuck.

“Kirishima?” Kaminari’s voice rang through, and Bakugou just groaned quietly. That seemed to be answer enough, as he heard a, “I can hear them!”

Debris began to move quicker, and the light kept getting stronger, a pocket shining through. Katsuki didn’t have to see the head popping through to know that Kaminari was able to see them now.

“How buried am I?” Kirishima asked. “Can you see it?”

“Yeah I can see it, sheesh man, you’re under a lot of rock.” Kaminari said. “But Uraraka should be able to get you out, bro. Just give us a little time.”

“Thanks, bro.”

Without a watch but with a head wound, Bakugou couldn’t tell how it took them to move the debris, and the sounds sort of amalgamated into a noisy blur that he couldn’t quite distinguish. Eventually, he felt the chest he constantly brushed as he breathed disappear, and he could hear Kirishima shift around without the debris falling off of him. A hand came to his shoulder, but thankfully didn’t shake him. 

“You still alive, bro?” Kirishima whispered.

“I haven’t told you I’m dead yet so what do you think?”

Kirishima laughed quietly. “Come on, Kaminari unburied me. We can stand up now.”

Ah shit. This was going to be hard, but Bakugou couldn’t back down now. He hoped that what sort of rest he’d gotten laying down would allow him to be able to stand again.

Okay. He could do this. He’d stand if it killed him.

His left was already trembling as he tried to push himself up, his hip screaming at him to stop moving as he moved his body. Instead of even trying to lose his left leg, he put all his weight on his right, but using his left arm and right leg to stand wasn’t working, and he could feel Kirishima’s hands begin to touch his shoulders. Dammit, he didn’t need fucking help!

Putting any weight on his left leg suddenly became the stupidest decision he’d ever made, as it hadn’t even been three seconds before he was crying out in pain and falling back to the ground.

Several versions of his name rang out in almost perfect unison, hands touching all over, and he just groaned. Today had to be one of the shittiest days of his life. At this point, he’d rather just pass out so he didn’t have to deal with this anymore.

“Bakugou, are you alright?” Kirishima’s voice finally made a sentence instead of just an exclamation.

“Stop fucking touching me and I might be.” Katsuki hissed, and four of the hands retracted themselves. The other two belonged to Kirishima, but he couldn’t see where his friend was to smack him with his good arm.

“Please don’t hate me for this, Bakubro, but you’re too hurt.” Kirishima said, and one hand stayed under his shoulder and the other moved to his knees.

Shit, wait, no, he wasn’t ready-- Kirishima lifted him into the air, and his hip screamed through his voice. The sound he made didn’t even sound like him. The versions of his name were shouted at him again, pounding his head so hard he could barely process their words.

“Hip.” Katsuki panted, finally taking control back of his voice from his hip.

“Dude, what do you mean?” Kirishima asked. “What’s going on?”

“Left hip.” Katsuki gasped. “Been broken since I woke up.”

“Dude!” Kirishima shouted and Katsuki grimaced. “I-- sorry, bro, but why didn’t you say anything? We’ve been walking with you this whole time!”

“Could handle it.” Katsuki groaned.

“Bullshit, Bakugou.” Kirishima snapped, and he sounded angrier than Katsuki had ever heard before. “Look, dude, walking with a head wound and broken arm is one thing. Walking on a broken hip is another. Kaminari, Uraraka, you two keep going. I’m gonna stay here with Bakugou.”

“I said I can handle it.” Katsuki said, trying to push out of Kirishima’s arms. Kirishima just held him tighter.

“I don’t care what you say, Bakugou.” Kirishima snarled. He was beginning to sound like Katsuki.

“Kirishima, are you sure?” Uraraka asked. “If we go, you’ll be completely in the dark.”

“I’ll be fine.” Kirishima said. Bastard even had the audacity to ignore Katsuki’s “I’m already fine.” and continue on like he hadn’t said anything. “Seriously guys. You go ahead. I can protect him with my quirk if anything else happens. We need help, now, and you two are our best chance at getting it. We won’t go anywhere, so you’ll know where you left us. It’ll be okay.”

Katsuki could hear the worried looks his friends exchanged, but they said their goodbyes and footsteps started to fade.

Kirishima knelt to the ground, and placed him down flat on the ground. He heard a bit of shifting before Kirishima pulled Katsuki’s head into his lap. It was somewhat comfortable, the darkness keeping Kirishima from seeing Katsuki’s unhappy blush. A soft hand came to his hair, brushing softly through his spikes, and that helped his headache better than the lack of light.

“You’re such a liar sometimes, Katsuki.”

Kirishima’s voice was soft, but the emotion in it was just as strong. Caught off guard by the sudden use of his given name, Katsuki barely managed a confused, “No I’m not.”

“Yes the fuck you are.” Kirishima snapped. “Saying you can handle walking on a broken hip when you can’t see and you can’t even catch yourself if you fall because of your arm. No one can do that, not even you. I can’t believe you sometimes, hiding that from us. From me. Seriously, Katsuki, how could you be so stupid?”

“I wasn’t being stupid!” Katsuki growled.

“Walking on a broken hip is stupid.” Kirishima insisted. “You know better! If it were me, you wouldn’t let me walk on it. You would’ve made Uraraka use her quirk on me so I didn’t put weight on it. What’s wrong with you, Katsuki? Why the hell did you do that?”

Even though they were arguing, the soft hand in his hair didn’t change its rhythm.

The pout on Katsuki’s face also matched the blush spreading to his ears. He wasn’t sure about how he felt about Kirishima using his given name, and he didn’t think he could figure it out with the headache that was trying to resist the comfort from Kirishima’s fingers.

“All Might worked for years with a hole in his side.” Katsuki pouted. “I could make it for one fucking day. It’s just pain.”

“Yeah, but you’re not All Might.” Kirishima said, and Katsuki bristled. “You’re not! You’re gonna be the number one one day, I’m sure of it, but you’re not there yet. And walking on a broken hip is a good way to make sure you never get there. What if you damaged your hip permanently?”

“I wouldn’t do that.” Katsuki grumbled. “I know when to stop before it gets that bad.”

“No, you don’t.” Kirishima refuted. “If you knew when to stop, you would’ve told me about your broken hip right when you woke up. Come on, man, I’m supposed to be your best friend. Why didn’t you at least tell me?”

“Not like I can keep a secret here.” Katsuki muttered. “If I’d said anything, then those two extras would’ve overheard, and pink cheeks would’ve used her stupid quirk on me again.”

“She was trying to help you.” Kirishima sighed.

“I don’t need her fucking help.” Katsuki seethed. Clenching his jaw made stars appear over his eyes, so he forced himself to ungrit his teeth. “I don’t want her fucking touching me. I don’t want anyone fucking touching me.”

“I’m touching you.”

Katsuki pouted again. “It’s different.”

“Because I’m ‘tolerable’?” Kirishima asked, with just the hint of a smirk. Bastard.

“Somewhat tolerable.” Katsuki huffed. “Just because you’re not literally the worst doesn’t mean you’re actually tolerable.”

“Uh-huh.” Kirishima said, not believing him at all. Damn bastard. “I don’t know what it is that makes you like this, but come on, Katsuki. Keeping us out when it comes to shit like this is only gonna turn around and bite you in the ass. I mean, look at us now. You can’t move, you still can’t even see even if it wasn’t dark, and now I have to stay here with you so you don’t die or get crushed or something.”

“You don’t need to rub it in.” Katsuki snapped.

“I’m not.” Kirishima sighed. “You’re my best friend, Katsuki. I don’t want to see you hurt, and just be stuck watching as you purposefully make yourself worse to prove some sort of point. I don’t even know who you’re proving it to, none of us care that you can’t walk on a broken hip.”

“I care.” Katsuki said. “I’m not like those extras who whine and cry every time they get a tiny scratch. They’ll never even make it to the top twenty with that attitude.”

“And you think you’ll make it to the top twenty if you constantly ignore your body?” Kirishima snapped back. “You constantly yell at Midoriya because he’s always breaking his bones all the time, and yet you do something like this!”

“It’s different!” Katsuki repeated.

“Ugh, no it’s not!” Kirishima groused. “What are you trying to prove, Katsuki? That you have absolutely no regard for your own well-being?”

“That I’m strong enough on my own.” Katsuki hissed.

The hand that had been softly running through his hair disappeared, and he refused to miss it. It came to his cheek, a softer touch than Katsuki would’ve suspected for how strong Kirishima was, and how mad at him he was.

“What if someone wants to be with you?” Kirishima asked softly, his thumb brushing up and down his cheek. “What if someone wants to stand by your side, to be there as you shoot to the top, wants to help you get there by calling you out on your bullshit, wants to hold you when you have nightmares, wants to have your back, wants to help prop you up when you can’t see or stand?”

Katsuki blinked.

“What was that middle one?”

“Wants to help you get there by calling you out on your bullshit.” Kirishima said. That hadn’t been the middle one he’d been talking about, but he let it go. Maybe he’d just misheard. “And that? That was bullshit.”

Katsuki huffed. “Okay maybe… maybe it wasn’t my smartest decision.”

“No shit, sherlock.” Kirishima muttered. Katsuki ignored that.

“I didn’t figure it would be such a big deal. It’s just pain. Pain is a call I don’t have to answer. I’m not weak, pain isn’t that big of a deal.”

“Your pain is a big deal to me.” Kirishima said. “Just because you acknowledge you’re in pain doesn’t mean that you’re weak.”

“The pros get hurt all the time in the field.” Katsuki retorted. “If they can rise above and keep moving when they’re hurt, then I can too.”

“You know, when we went on the Shie Hassaikai raid,” Kirishima said slowly, obviously thinking about his every word, “I passed out after that fight with Rappa.”

“You told me about that.” Katsuki said, unsure of where this was going.

“Yeah I did.” Kirishima said. “That fight took everything out of me. I had more cuts and bruises than I could physically count. And you know what Fat Gum did?”

A beat.

“He took me out of the fight.” Kirishima answered himself. “He found a place where we could be as safe as possible, and he got me medical help. I didn’t rejoin the fight after that. Fat Gum didn’t either. He stayed with me, kept me safe.”

Katsuki didn’t say anything to that.

“So why is it that Fast Gum, the actual pro, takes pain into consideration when making decisions, making sure that the people he was with were protected, but you, the teenager, don’t?”

“You were unconscious, I wasn’t.” Katsuki deflected. “I keep telling you, it’s different.”

“I wasn’t unconscious the entire time.” Kirishima shot back. “I woke up before Overhaul destroyed the street. And Fat Gum still stayed with me. Helped me get to the ambulances, even went with me to the hospital. He didn’t go back into the fight, he just stayed with me until I was taken care of. And he’s a genuine pro.”

Katsuki refused to answer his unspoken question.

“I think you’re running out of reasons why it’s different, Katsuki.” Kirishima said.

“Fuck you.” Katsuki snarled. “And why the fuck are you all of a sudden using my given name? I didn’t say you could do that.”

“You’re deflecting again.” Kirishima called out. “Give me a reason, dammit. A real reason. Why is it so different?”

“Because it’s me!” Katsuki shouted back. “I have to do this.”

“Dammit, why?”

“Because I have to be good enough!” Katsuki shouted, his voice echoing in the empty hallway.

A choked noise of pain followed, and Katsuki lost track of reality as his world became nothing but unending agony, the pain so overwhelming that he couldn’t even be sure that he was breathing. It felt like it went on for three separate lifetimes, drowning him in a torment so excruciating he didn’t think he could ever describe it in words.

Shaky breaths were the first thing he became aware of when the pain finally began to subside. The fingers on his cheek were in his hair again, lightly dragging their nails across his scalp, and he clung to that feeling as his only salvation as he managed to get through the final assaults of the pain.

“Katsuki?” Kirishima’s voice was so quiet that Katsuki barely heard it.

Katsuki made the quietest noise he’d ever made in his life in response. He only just now realized he was crying, tears running rivers down his cheeks.

“You’re good enough, Katsuki.” Kirishima whispered. “You don’t have to kill yourself like this to prove you’re good enough. You’re good enough on your own, Katsuki.”

Katsuki couldn’t even think of a response, the pain had completely cut his voice off.

“It’s gonna be okay, Katsuki.” Kirishima kept going when he didn’t say anything. “It’s gonna be okay. You’re enough, you’re good enough. You’ll be okay. It’s alright. Yound soonna breathing, it’s okay, you’re gon it’s okay. Yound soon it’s alright. You’reat.”

The hell? Katsuki was completely losing track of what Kirishima was saying. The fifty icepicks in his brain were beating a drum beat that went two beats faster than his heart. When his mind tried to understand what Kirishima said, he just got indecipherable static in return. Darkness was slowly beginning to encroach around his mind, easing the pain by just trapping him in shadow.

“Omatsuki! Matsuki?” Katsuki couldn’t even feel Kirishima shaking him now, his mind so wrapped up in shadow. “Comake uke Kaki! Wake mase uple. Come Kaki!”

Kirishima was shaking him harder now, his voice insistent and desperate, but Katsuki couldn’t feel a bit of it. The shadow that stole him from consciousness to ease the pain had already put him completely under, the darkness of unconsciousness swallowing him whole.

Something was different. He couldn’t tell exactly what, but something was different.

Voices surrounded him, voices that hadn’t been the people he’d been stuck with. The only one out of the cacophony that he could properly pick out was Kirishima. Oh! That’s what was different! He wasn’t in Kirishima’s lap anymore, with no fingers running through his hair. That had felt really good, he was a little sad that Kirishima had stopped. It had really helped with the pain. That… he was no longer in. His hip was still throbbing, his arm still ached, but his head was kinda floaty, and that helped drown out everything else. What was going on? Katsuki tried to ask, but all that came out was a soft groan.

“Bakugou?” Kirishima must have heard him. “Hey, Bakugou, you back with us?”

He made a small, affirmative noise.

“There you are.” Kirishima chuckled breathlessly. “I was getting worried you’d sleep through the whole rescue.”

“Dum’ass.” Katsuki mumbled.

Katsuki could hear Kirishima’s relieved smile. The soft hand that was in his hair came to his cheek again. Unconsciously, he leaned into it.

“You really scared me, Katsuki.” Kirishima’s voice dropped, shaky and scared. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“Hah?” Katsuki replied, and he tried to get his head on straight, get away from whatever was making him feel all floaty.

“Shh, it’s okay, Katsuki.” Kirishima said, his thumb running up and down Katsuki’s cheek again. “You’re gonna be alright now. Everything’s okay.”

“You?”

“I’m okay too, Katsuki.” Kirishima murmured, but he didn’t quite sound it. “I asked Recovery Girl, she said it was okay for you to sleep.”

Katsuki made an uncertain noise. “Don’t, sound, okay.”

“Yeah, well, when you think someone you love just died in your arms, you don’t sound okay for a little while.”

Katsuki couldn’t think for a moment, and it had nothing to do with his head being floaty. Loved? Kirishima loved him? Sure, they were best friends, Kirishima was the closest friend he’d ever had, but that didn’t mean anything. Katsuki had walked away from his friends from middle school without even thinking, he’d realized he didn’t care whether they were around him or not. They weren’t good for him, encouraging him to do shit he shouldn’t, and they were just lackeys who followed him because he was the biggest fish in their little pond. He’d figured that… he’d figured that all friends were like that. That that was why Kirishima had forced his way into Katsuki’s life, that that was why all of Kirishima’s friends had followed suit. He’d made it clear on day one that he was one of the most powerful students in this class, even if he hadn’t done it in the best of ways. The USJ incident had been a better judge of his power, and his character. He hadn’t been able to lose Kirishima after that, and as soon as Kirishima had deemed him acceptable, the rest of the Bakusquad followed suit. But he’d never thought that Kirishima had deemed him acceptable because he’d cared about Katsuki, just that Kirishima thought he could use Katsuki to get ahead, and the squad followed because he could keep them afloat academically. The invitations to movie nights, playing video games, hanging out outside of school, and now caring when he got hurt, he’d thought that was just pretenses. That they didn’t care whether he showed up or not, that if they found someone who could do what he did (who had a better attitude) they’d walk away from him without thought. Did all of the Bakusquad feel that way? When he could think properly, he had to give this a ridiculous amount of thought.

“Shh, just go to sleep, Katsuki.” Kirishima said, somehow sensing that Katsuki’s mind was going a million miles an hour. “We’ll talk later. Sleep.”

Even though it was Shinsou who could control minds, Katsuki’s mind still seemed to shut down when Kirishima told it too, only just now noticing that he was completely exhausted. The soft touch to his cheek continued, gently settling him into a comfortable sleep.

And goddammit, he was still wearing that goddamn blindfold.

DAY 1: Tick Tock Goes The Clock

Sam gets lost in the forest. This action has consequences.

First day of Whumptober, one of the few times I'll be on time too. It's Dean's turn today! Congrats to him (?) This was supposed to be a story about Sam getting lost in the woods and it ended up being a character study of Dean and his self-worth issues. I'm not unhappy about it. Triggers Warnings: - Mild Graphic Description of Violence - Mild Blood and Injury - Broken Bone - Dean's Canonical Self-worth Issues - John Being an Asshole Fandom : Supernatural (TV 2005) Character(s) : Dean Winchester Relationship(s) : Dean Winchester & John Winchester & Sam Winchester Words Count : 2,714 No. 1: RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK Search Party | Panic Attack | "If only we could hold on.” (Icysami x Renegaderr, Strangers.)

Dean tightened his grip on his silver blade, listening for any sound. He was alone in the forest, the full moon visible through the treetops. Dean barely dared to breathe for fear of being heard, every crack of branches or wind through the leaves putting him on alert in the deathly silence that surrounded him.

He had been separated from Dad and Sammy hours ago, but Dean wasn't worried. Sammy was with Dad, nothing could happen to him. Now it was up to Dean to fulfill his duty. It was the last night of the lunar cycle. If he didn't kill the werewolf he was tracking tonight, it could run away and continue to hurt innocent people for another month.

(There were five of them in the woods, all thinking they were the predator. But only three of them would get out of here alive.)

A shadow, lit by the cold, metallic light of the moon, shifted on a trunk and Dean turned abruptly. Good thing he did. The werewolf he thought he had been following for the past hour jumped at him, sharp claws aimed at his face. With a practiced reflex, Dean protected his head with his arm holding his blade, throwing himself out of the werewolf's path with agility.

Not fast enough.

A claw hit his arm, tearing through flesh as easily as the fabric of his jacket, drawing blood onto the forest floor. In pain, Dean let go of his silver blade, sending it a few meters away from him. He clutched his arm to his chest, quickly assessing the damage. For a terrifying moment, he could no longer remember if a werewolf's scratch was enough to infect a human.

(If it did, what would he do? What would Dad do? Dean couldn't imagine his father accepting a monster as a son. And Sammy? It didn't matter, Dean would rather die than hurt an innocent.

Dean killed monsters indiscriminately, no matter who or where they came from. That was what he had always been taught. Hunters killed monsters. Dean knew what he would have to do.)

Calm down and think, idjit!

Dean forced himself to breathe through his nose. A scratch wasn't enough to turn someone into a werewolf, only a bite could. Easy, Dean could avoid being bitten by a dirty mutt.

The werewolf snarled, drool dripping down its chin, yellow eyes flashing wildly in the night. It was getting impatient and the adrenaline that was pulsing violently in Dean's veins would soon fade, leaving him to face all the pain of his wound.

Dean had to get his hand on his weapon. And fast. He mentally calculated the distance between him, the werewolf and his knife. But the werewolf noticed the direction of his gaze.

"Oh no!" the werewolf threatened, its words chewed in its rage.

The werewolf threw itself at Dean, but this time Dean was ready for it. Using his opponent’s momentum against him, he kicked the beast in the sternum, deflecting its course and sending it into a thicket of brambles. The werewolf struggled through the brambles, howling in anger, giving Dean enough time to lunge for his silver blade. His fingers closed around the handle, a sigh of relief and comfort escaping him. 

A hand grabbed his ankle, claws digging deep into his ankle, cutting through tendons. Dean fell, his chin hitting the ground hard. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He tried to grab roots, clawing at the ground to keep the werewolf from pulling him towards it, thorns digging into his skin. Dean struggled and kicked, ignoring the searing pain, to force the werewolf to let go of him. But the monster held firm, twisting his bones as it laughed in satisfaction.

A guttural cry escaped his lips, tearing through his dry throat.

“A fighter, I like that,” the werewolf mocked. “I don’t usually turn men, but I might make an exception for you. You’re pretty enough.”

“Go to hell!” Dean spat, choking on his blood.

Dean forced himself to turn his torso to face the werewolf, straining his bruised muscles. He swung his knife in a wide arc in front of him and sliced ​​the monster across the face, damaging one of its eyes. The werewolf cried out in pain and finally let go of Dean, bringing a hand deformed by claws to its face.

Dean stood up quickly, putting as much distance between himself and the werewolf as he could. He spat on the ground, a mixture of blood and dirt, and grinned victoriously, his teeth tinged red. He gripped his knife in his left hand, his entire body on alert.

(He had practiced using both hands, but his left hand was still his weakest. This would have to do.)

Dean had never wanted a gun more than he did now. But they had only managed to get one single silver bullet and giving it to Dean who had a better chance of missing his target would have been a waste. It had made sense for Dad to take the gun, he wouldn't miss. Still, sticking a standard bullet between the werewolf's eyes would have reassured him, even if it would have barely slowed it down.

"I take it back," the werewolf growled. "I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart and eat your heart. And when I'm done hearing you beg, I'm going to hunt down your delicious little brother and take him with me. That is, if my friend doesn't kill him and your demon of a father first."

Dean's ears twisted and his vision went red. Sammy .

"Stay away from him!" Dean growled, his voice as animal as the monster in front of him. 

The werewolf smirked and Dean knew he had made a mistake. He had just revealed a weakness, something precious to him and the predator in front of him had smelled it. Dean's determination only grew, he couldn't let the werewolf go now that it had so clearly threatened his little brother.

( Sammy, he had to protect Sammy. )

With his good foot, Dean kicked the dirt at his feet, creating a protective screen of dust and blocking him from the werewolf's sight for a few seconds. It wasn't enough, not when all the senses of the monster in front of him were heightened but it was something.

Dean attacked from the right, the side where the werewolf was blinded by the wound Dean had inflicted on it. But the werewolf abruptly turned to Dean, having sensed him coming, and met him head-on with a punch to the stomach. Dean's breath caught in his chest for a moment, bile rising in his mouth. He doubled over in shock and the werewolf grabbed his hair before yanking .

Dean kneed it between the legs, forcing the werewolf to let go of him and sank his blade deep into the werewolf's ribs. He brought his knife up to the werewolf's heart, puncturing its liver and lungs.

The werewolf grabbed his wrist, crushing his bones and twisting Dean's arm until Dean let go. A sickening crack echoed through the forest and his arm went limp in the werewolf's grip, broken mid-forearm. Dean couldn't help but cry out in pain and fear.

The werewolf grinned wickedly and, straining on Dean's broken arm, sent him into a tree. Dean's head hit the trunk hard and he fell to the ground, his broken arm beneath him. He staggered to his feet, slower than he would have liked, the world spinning indescribably around him.

"I'm going to kill you," Dean slurred, pointing his broken knife at the werewolf.

Dean realized a second too late that the blade of his knife had been separated from the handle, still inside the werewolf, just below his heart. A few inches more and Dean would have succeeded. Oh well, if he had to shove his hand between the werewolf's ribs to retrieve his blade and finish the job properly, he would.

The werewolf looked at him in horror, coughing up blood. The wound wasn’t fatal, but there was no way it could get the blade out of its body. With any luck, it would die from its injuries without Dean having to do anything. But Dean had stopped relying on luck years ago. He alone was in control of his destiny, and he couldn’t give the werewolf a chance to hurt someone— to hurt Sammy .

The werewolf took off running.

In the direction Dean had left Dad and Sammy.

Dean gave chase, excruciating pain shooting through his nerves every time he stepped on the ground. He couldn't take more than three steps before he collapsed, tears streaming down his cheeks and leaving trails in the dirt and blood.

"Dad!" Dean screamed as he tried to get up. " Dad!!! "

God, he was so useless.

His scream tore through the night, Dean not caring if he lured the other werewolf to him. The icy panic in his veins wouldn't let him think, he had to warn Dad. Sammy was in danger. Because of him.

"DAD!"

Dean finally stood up, his throat dry and every nerve ending in his body on fire. But Sammy was more important than him. He started running again, branches whipping at his face, following the werewolf’s tracks. A shadow appeared at the edge of his vision and barreled into him, pinning him in its arms. Dean struggled fiercely, trying to free himself.

“Dean!” the shadow snapped.

Dean relaxed instantly, recognizing his father. He could have cried with relief at the sight of him. If Dad was here, it meant Sammy was okay. Even if Dean had screwed up again, Dad would be able to help him.

“Where’s Sammy? We need to get him out of here,” Dean said, panicked.

(A part of his brain recognized that he was still in his father’s arms. He couldn’t remember the last time Dad had hugged him.)

“What? I thought he was with you!”

Dean’s heart stopped for a second.

This time, his tears were filled with despair.

“No, no, no,” Dean cried, shaking his head. “He was supposed to be with you. Safe .”

“Dean, tell me what happened,” Dad ordered calmly, his hands on Dean’s shoulders, but Dean could hear the urgency in his voice.

“I didn’t manage to kill the werewolf, he ran away. And he said he’d turn Sammy if he found him,” Dean explained, recognizing an order even through his visceral fear. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Dad clenched his fists in anger, his eyes stormy and his posture dangerous. But Dean didn’t know who his anger was directed at.

“I’m sorry,” Dean repeated. “Please, Dad.”

(Dean didn’t know what he was asking his father to do, to take him back in his arms, to help him, to forgive him, to save Sammy.)

“Apologies won’t help, Dean,” Dad said abruptly. “We need to find Sammy. Fast .”

Dean stopped himself from apologizing again and straightened up, waiting for the next command.

“It’s hurt,” Dean added, forcing himself to ignore his pathetic outburst of emotion. “My silver blade is stuck in its ribs under its heart and he can’t use its left eye.”

“Good,” Dad replied, deep in thought. “It’ll be to our advantage. And you, are you hurt?”

“No,” Dean lied, almost by reflex.

“I don’t have time for lies, Dean!” Dad shouted out of patience, making Dean flinch. “Your brother may be in danger and every second you waste could very well be vital.”

"Both my arms and my ankle," Dean answered quickly. "And my head."

"Damn it, Dean, I thought I had you better trained than this," Dad swore. "But I could use you. So stay with me. But if I tell you to run, you run. No protests. You'll only get in my way anyway."

"Yes, sir!"

Without another word, Dad started walking, handing Dean his silver blade. It was caked in blood and Dean wiped it on his pants before testing its weight in his hand.

"How are you going to do without a weapon?" Dean asked, following his father.

"I still have the bullet," Dad replied, patting the gun strapped to his thigh. "Now shut up, I don't want the bastard to hear us."

Dean lowered his head, concentrating on keeping up with his father's fast pace. He didn't want to be any more of a burden than he already was. Dad would never forgive him if Sammy died tonight. And he wouldn't forgive himself either. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain, each frantic beat of his heart feeling like a countdown to his little brother's death, a bomb waiting to explode.

(Dean was nothing without Sammy, he couldn't lose him. Not his little brother.)

They didn't have time to waste.

XXX

Dean and Dad had walked for what seemed like hours, searching for Sammy. The werewolf’s tracks had finally disappeared around a bush, as if they had never existed. The full moon setting on the horizon should have been a relief, the end of a long night, but it was only a mockery.

They were running out of time.

Reluctantly, Dad had agreed to let them split up to cover more ground. Every second that passed was like a stab through Dean’s heart. It was his fault, it was his negligence and weakness that had allowed the werewolf to escape, that had put Sammy in danger.

The adrenaline that kept him upright had worn off, and Dean struggled through the forest, limping like a newborn fawn. He was dehydrated, having not had a drink of water in hours and having thrown up even more times. His head was killing him, blood pulsing violently in his temples. But Dean welcomed the distraction of the pain, anything to avoid thinking that he might find Sammy’s heartless corpse with every step he took.

(He resolutely forced himself not to look at the inhuman shape of his arm—flaccid, shapeless, and in two pieces—or the bleeding, festering cut on his other arm.)

Dean didn’t let it slow him down, despite his body begging him. He would rest when he was dead.

At the end of a path, Dean could see the edge of the forest and beyond it an abandoned hunter’s cabin. He stopped, hesitating for a moment, and tried to think like Sammy. A cabin like this was a good shelter to wait out the full moon. Dean knew he'd regret it if he didn't at least check it out. But it could also be a waste of crucial time.

What would Dad do in this situation?

You're a smart kid. Follow your instincts.

Dean changed direction toward the cabin.

A branch snapped behind him and Dean spun around abruptly. His knife stopped inches from his father's jugular as he raised his hands in the air in peace.

"Sorry," Dean apologized sheepishly, relaxing his arm.

"Don't be," Dad replied gruffly. "That was a nice reflex you had there."

Dean was too tired to appreciate his father’s rare compliment and let his arm fall back to his side. But Dad stopped him, gently grabbing his wrist and examining the wound on his arm.

“That’s a nasty cut you’ve got there,” Dad said. “You’ll need antibiotics, I’ll call Bobby as soon as we find your little brother.”

“It’s not important,” Dean refuted, trying to pull his arm back. “Sammy’s the priority.”

Dad stopped him, looking almost sad for a moment.

“Your well-being is important. You’re important,” Dad said with a hint of desperation, as if he really meant it. He looked like he was going to say something else but thought better of it, his gaze drifting toward the cabin. “You wanted to go take a look?”

“That’s the kind of place Sammy would hide,” Dean said. “He’s smart like that.”

“Good thinking, wait for me here,” Dad ordered, finally letting go of Dean's arm.

“What? No!” Dean protested fiercely.

“Dean, I don't have time for this,” Dad snapped.

Dean didn't listen to the end of his father's sentence. A blood-curdling scream shattered the quiet of dawn and Dean rushed towards the cabin, stealing the gun from his father's hand. Dean knew that voice, he knew it better than his own.

(It should never have contained so much pain and fear.)

“ Sammy !”

Sorry for the cliffhanger (or not). I actually combined two days in this story (and played around a little bit with the prompts too) so you will have Sam's POV and the end of this chapter on the... (drum rolls please) 19th! (Also, it's my first time writing whump so I don't know if it's enough hurt. Feel free to give me your opinion on the matter.)

My Hero Incorrect Quotes based off of shit me and my friends said:

Yaoyorozu: Do you want to break your other arm?

Midoriya: Yes.

Selfie

Dean’s Escape

@painsandconfusion

This is based on a prompt that painsandconfusion got, but I did brotherly love instead of parent or guardian. There’s not much recovery, but I tried to do a vague description of recovery for the characters. I hope that it’s still satisfying though.

TW: Chains, broken bones, mentions of beatings, mentions of dead characters, murder

Note: This does involve an injured child who is also blind.

Please let me know if I need to add more warnings or tags. Story is below the cut.

Dean huffed as he continued trying to get the lock on the cell door to open. It was pitch black, but he was determined. He'd already managed to get the cuffs off both his feet and his wrists with no light to help. He'd luckily had a bobby pin in his pocket that the woman apparently didn't think to take from him. Dean was grateful that his girlfriend convinced him to always carry one in case she forgot hers.

He really wished that the cell door had a slot in it or something that would allow him to see if there were cameras outside. He'd been working at it for hours since he got the cuffs off. The psycho who'd taken him weeks ago and started calling him John had finally left him alone long enough for him to figure out a way to try and get the door open. His body was aching all over from the beatings he'd been receiving from his kidnapper, but he was determined to stay alive and get out of there before the woman could beat him to death.

He focused on the moments before he'd been taken while he worked on the lock to the cell he'd been trapped in. He'd been walking back to his off campus apartment when he'd been attacked from behind and knocked out. It had been later at night, and Dean hadn't even thought about calling his girlfriend or anyone to pick him up or taking public transportation that he couldn't afford because he lived so close to the campus where he was working on a Master’s degree in Education. He had come to regret that decision of not asking for a ride.

He took a deep breath and held it in surprise as he finally got the lock to open. He carefully opened the cell door and looked around. He stepped out cautiously while finally releasing the breath he had held. His eyes took a moment to focus again. There wasn't much light, but it was still disorienting as it wasn't pitch black. Once he got his bearings, he laid his hand against the wall and looked around.

He didn't spot any cameras, but he became nauseous at the fact that there were at least four more cells like his own that he could see based upon the dim lights that were hanging from the ceiling. He had to be in some sort of basement or something. The ground outside the cell was just like inside the cell. It was a smoothed out dirt floor.

He exhaled calmly and bit his lip as he thought about what to do next. He yelped as he then heard a loud cry come from one of the other cells. He had no idea if the woman was trying to trick him or something, but he couldn't hear something like that and not try and help whomever sounded terrified. He was hurting all over, but he was determined to get to whomever had made that pained sound.

He quickly, but carefully made his way down the hall which was lined with more cells than he had initially thought. The sound of crying was getting much closer, and he could even see what appeared to be an exit to this hellish place. He became confused and worried as the loud sounds of crying sounded like they were coming from a kid.

He was thoroughly worried as he finally isolated which cell the loud crying was coming from. There was a window slot in this one, and it was open. The cell was also lighted. That must have been how he'd been able to hear the crying, because otherwise, the cells were soundproof so far as he knew, at least according to what the woman had told him, but she wasn't very trustworthy.

It was slightly disconcerting to think about though, as there could be more people locked down there, but for now he just had to worry about getting himself out and trying to help this person that he knew was down there for sure. Dean looked through the slot and cursed as he noticed that the occupant was a child that couldn't have been older than eleven.

Dean immediately worked on finding the lock on the cell door. He eventually got the lock to open, and he could hear the child begin to cry louder. He wished that he had keys to unlock the chains that wrapped around the poor child's arms and held her to the wall, but he didn't, so he really hoped that the bobby pin would work again.

The child's eyes were shut tight as Dean made his way further into the room. The child's wrists were restrained with chains and locks on both arms. Dean was angered that someone would do something like this to anyone, and it angered him even more that this was a child! He knew that he had to get them both out of there. The poor child reminded him of his little sister, and he couldn't bear the thought of leaving this poor girl behind just so he could find help quicker.

Dean spoke calmly "Hey, hey, calm down. I'm going to try and help you."

Dean felt a bit hypocritical by telling her to calm down.

Dean took in a heavy breath as the girl's eyes finally opened and Dean was disgusted. Of course the woman had kidnapped a blind child!

The girl spoke "Wh-who are you! I don't know where I am! Let me go! I WANT MY BROTHER!"

Dean's heart felt like it was breaking as he tried to calm the child.

He asked "I'll try to get you back to him, kiddo. What's his name?"

She was shaking in the chains as Dean tried to unlock one of the locks. He was thoroughly startled as she screamed when the lock came loose and her arm fell quickly before he could catch it. He then noticed that her arm was broken, and the chains must have been aggravating the injury the whole time. He looked to her other arm and noticed that it too was broken and the chain was twisted around it in a way which would cause pain.

Dean quickly apologized to the girl for accidentally causing her more pain. In all of his twenty-three years of life, he never expected anything like this to happen. He'd just wanted to go back to school and get his Master's degree, and this happened. He quickly and more carefully worked on getting the chains off of the girl's other arm.

He gently lowered her to the floor as she continued to cry after he got the chains off of her. His own wounds were aching as he checked for more wounds on her arms. The girl was still crying, but not as much as she had been. That had to have relieved some of the pain on her arms.

He wiped the hair out of her face and questioned "Do you think you could walk with me if you hold my hand, kiddo?"

The girl sniffled and shakily answered "I d-don't know. I'm scared.WHO ARE YOU?!"

Dean winced as he realized that he never introduced himself.

He spoke to both answer who he was and distract the little one from the pain "My name's Dean. I don't know where we are either, but I'm going to try to get us out of here. What's your brother's name?"

He decided to carry her instead of risking her straying from him as they would try and escape. He carefully picked her up as she answered "Billy Tomlinson. Yo-you're r-really trying t-to help m-me?"

Dean smiled as he answered "Yeah, kiddo. I'm trying to escape too."

The girl continued to sniffle as she curled into Dean's shoulder. Dean's ankles were killing him, but he was determined to get them both out of there. He proceeded forward and was greatly relieved as they came to what appeared to be an exit from the hellish place they were trying to escape. It only had a simple lock on it, as if their captor wasn't afraid that any of her victims would be so bold as to try and escape.

He gently sat the girl down as he fiddled with the lock and got it open. There were stairs leading upward. Of course it had to be stairs. He gently picked the girl back up and slowly made his way up the stairs. She was still sniffling, but she was considerably calmer. She yelped every once in a while as her arms were jostled, and Dean felt horrible about it, but he couldn't stop. He had to get both of them to safety.

Eventually, they reached the top of the stairs, and they were inside what appeared to be a normal home. It was very surprising and highly disconcerting that someone could be hiding a place like that under their house. He cautiously observed the hallway that he had entered after leaving the stairs. There were family pictures all along the hall. Some of them appeared to show a girl just like the one in his arms, and there was even a guy who looked startlingly like him.

The light was much brighter within the house than it had been down there, and he cautiously walked down the hallway and into the main room which was the living room. There were more photos there, but there appeared to be no sign of the woman who'd been hurting him and the child. He observed more photographs. They were all of the woman who'd kidnapped them and a child and a man who looked quite a bit like him.

He quickly found a phone and checked for a dial tone, but had no luck. The phone service seemed to be off. Dean groaned at his horrible luck. He went to the window and drew the curtains back, only to see that they were in some sort of forested area. But, there was a vehicle outside. He went to the main entrance and noted that that door was locked from the outside. It had been much easier to open than those cell doors had been.

He opened the door, then went back to the living room and picked the girl back up. He had searched for keys to the car outside, but he hadn't found any. He didn't shut the door behind him as he took note of the address number listed on the door. He made his way off of the run down porch and towards the vehicle. He carried the girl on his hip as he tried opening the door to the small car that was sitting in the driveway.

He was lucky, as the door opened. The interior of the vehicle smelled, but he got lucky, as the keys to the vehicle were lying in one of the cup holders. He opened the door to the backseat and he sat the girl on the seats.

The girl had become much calmer, and actually fell asleep by the time Dean was done making sure that she’d be safe back there. He knew that he shouldn't have wasted time on making sure that she was securely strapped in, but he still hadn't seen any signs of their kidnapper being anywhere near, so he figured that he had time to at least do that, but he still had to try and start the car.

He once again made sure that the girl was settled in the back seat before he closed the back door and got in the front to try and start the car. He grabbed the keys and attempted to start the vehicle. He groaned as the vehicle didn't start. He continued to try and eventually, he revved it long enough where the engine finally started. He could tell that it had been a long time since that vehicle had been used.

He quickly put it into gear and started driving. He was excited as he realized that he had gotten out of that place, but he wasn’t out of danger yet. He still had to get to a police station or something and try to get the girl back to her brother after they got medical help. He knew that he wouldn't leave her side until she was safe with her own family again. He couldn't leave her. He knew that he was responsible for keeping her safe until she could be returned to her brother.

Dean drove for an hour before they finally reached a small town. He had been lucky that they had made it there. The gas gauge was close to empty. It hadn't been hard to find the small police station. He had stopped the car and gently got the girl out after parking. He knew that he'd be a sight for sore eyes as soon as he walked into the station while holding the girl in his arms. He knew that it'd look really weird, especially since he all he had on were his boxer shorts because the woman thought it's be funny to deprive him of most of his clothing. Luckily, she had not been so cruel as to take the child's clothing away.

Dean was exhausted. He could feel that his adrenaline levels were dropping now that he'd reached a place of safety. He soon walked in with the girl and was immediately noticed by the very shocked police officer who was working the desk, and before he knew it, he was keeling over.

~~~~~~

Dean woke up suddenly and with confusion as he stared around himself. He was shocked as someone put their hand on his shoulder and attempted to tell him to calm down, and that he was alright, but that wasn't what he was worried about.

He noticed that it was his girlfriend by his bedside who'd tried to calm him, and he questioned "Jess, where's the girl? Where is she? Is she okay? Please tell me that she's okay?!"

Jess smiled softly and said "Calm down, honey, she's resting right now. If you look to your left, you'll see her."

Dean took a relieved breath as he glanced to his left and noted that the girl was sleeping calmly. Dean was still worried though.

He questioned "What happened after I passed out, Jess?"

She explained "The police will be over in a few hours to get your story, but they're pretty sure that you two were victims of the woman they arrested for attempted kidnapping yesterday. She tried to kidnap another child like the girl, but she got caught, and they found blood in her car from the little girl's brother. She murdered the poor girl's brother to get the girl."

Dean frowned as he said "So she's been caught. We're safe?"

Jess sighed and said "If it's the same woman the police show you when they come, then yeah, she's been caught, and you're safe."

Dean frowned deeper as he said "You said that the girl's brother had been killed. Does she have any other family. What's her name?"

Jess smiled softly and said "Wow. Someone's attached. You've barely known her for a day, and you're acting like you're related. Her name's Claire Tomlinson. Her brother was her last remaining family and her guardian. She's got no one else."

Dean gritted his teeth in anger. The woman had killed the poor child's only remaining relative.

Dean then said "Well she won't be alone. I'll take care of her."

Jess frowned and said "Hon, how are you going to do that?"

Dean frowned as he said "I don't know or care. I'm not going to leave her though. I'll do whatever I have to to keep her safe."

Jess hummed and said "Alright, but it's not me you're going to have to take it up with. I don't control CPS or anything."

Dean grimaced as he thought about CPS. He knew that they'd want to take her, but he couldn't let anything happen to her. She needed someone, and she needed stability, especially after the trauma that was experienced at the hands of the psycho who'd kidnapped both of them.

Dean then said "I'll think of something. I'm not going to let them take her somewhere where she'll be scared out of her mind."

Jess then said "Hon, you've only known her for a little bit, why are you so worried?"

Dean then angrily looked at her and said "I'm worried because she has no one who's gone through what she has and who could support her if she goes into the system, and have you forgotten that I grew up in the system until I was adopted when I was twelve!? I wouldn't wish that on anyone, much less someone who's been through what we have."

Jess sighed, but nodded. Dean knew that the conversation wasn't over, but he also knew that he wouldn't stop until he knew that Claire would be safe and in an environment that would help her heal from the trauma.

~~~~~~

The police came by shortly, and it was confirmed that the arrested woman was the one who's taken both Dean and Claire. The car that Dean had used was one that she’d left in her driveway years ago. It had been a miracle that it had worked for Dean at all.

The woman would be going to prison for a long time, if she didn't face the death penalty. Dean and Claire were safe from her though, and it was later revealed that she'd had multiple victims before both of them, and that the cells under her house in the woods had held the dead bodies of previous victims that all matched the same profile of her dead family members, John and Melissa, who'd died in a home invasion five years ago. She’d been trying to break her victims and mold them into her dead family members. The misery and grief had driven her to do crazy things, and she became irredeemable.

~~~~~~

CPS did come for Claire, but Dean remained fiercely protective. His adoptive parents and sister had come to see him while he was still in the hospital, and the parents knew that their son had taken it on as his personal mission to always protect the girl. They were open to adopting another child and his sister was happy that she’d have another person close to her own age in the house.The ball was now rolling where Claire would be legally adopted by Dean’s parents soon. She would become their daughter, and Dean's other little sister.

The physical wounds healed far faster than the emotional and psychological wounds ever would, but Dean would be there for Claire to help her through the trauma.

He had even taken many specialized classes to learn braille and other things that he would need so that he could work at the school that his sister attended. He’d happily started teaching at the school for the blind and deaf after he graduated with his Master’s degree.

Claire was never in an environment without the support she needed. Dean had ensured it. Dean couldn't protect her from the nightmares, but he did his best to protect her from everything else.

Even after he and Jess's wedding, the two adoptive siblings remained close. He was Claire's protector in all ways that he could be, and through the years, he never stopped protecting her. He was more protective over Claire than his other little sister, but his other sister understood that Dean and Claire’s bond was extremely special.

Years later, after Claire was able to get surgery on her eyes and finally had the ability to see with her eyes, he was the first person she saw, and they hugged for a very long time. Nothing would ever stop Dean from protecting the little sister he had gained after going through a horrible experience.

HI! Part two of my Refuge series based within the TSSM universe has been posted on A03.

Summary: What will happen when Tombstone goes after Peter? 

TWs: broken bones, blood and injury, blood, loss of tooth/teeth, guns, violence, non-consensual drug use, kidnapping

Disclaimer: I do not own anything!

Story under the cut and on A03!

Montana huffed as he did his best to calm himself. He didn't take kindly to anyone threatening the kid, and now his own boss had made a major threat towards the kid. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed, but he knew that it'd have to be done carefully. He entered the Group chat on his phone and sent a message for an emergency meeting at Ock's lair later that night. He didn't want them all crowding in his apartment while May and Peter were still staying there.

~~~~~~

Peter hugged Harry before leaving to meet Montana. Normally, he'd just walk, but with how crazy things had been, it would be better to have Montana pick him up. Peter took note that Montana was tense as they drove back to his apartment building.

Peter cautiously questioned "I take it that your meeting didn't really go well?"

Montana grimaced and responded without looking at Peter "Nope."

Peter didn't pry further, but he did wonder what had put his uncle on edge.

~~~~~~

Late at night, Montana left the apartment quietly.

It was quite easy to make it to Ock's lair. He was solemn faced as he entered the lair. Ock was quick to greet him, but did not yet ask any questions. It only took a little while longer for the whole gang to appear.

Quentin appeared to be the most worried as he took a seat by Montana.

Once everyone had focused on him, Montana began.

"As some of you know, I had a meeting with my boss Tombstone this past afternoon. It didn't go very well, as he accused me of not doing my job and proceeded to threaten Peter's life. I'd say that we could take them out of the city again, but we can't keep uprooting the Parker's lives every time a new threat comes around. We need to handle this differently, and Tombstone's not as direct of a threat as Osborn was. I have no doubt that Tombstone has spies watching Peter though." Montana said as the others showed varying degrees of surprise or exasperation.

Adrian rolled his eyes "Is it really worth it to protect his child if he keeps getting himself into so many messes?!"

Ock spoke "Of course it's worth it, Adrian. The boy is highly intelligent, and of much use to us. You know that, otherwise you would not have helped defeat the Goblin."

Adrian huffed and stood down.

O'Hirn said "One of us can always try to tag along with the kid. Sandman and I can try to schedule more tutoring schedules so he stays busy outside of school or patrol and he'd be with one of us most of the time."

Montana replied "That wouldn't work full-time, but it would help. I know there's no way to stop Tombstone from watching Peter, but so long as one of us is always around the kid, he'll be fine. We need to make a schedule for who'll stick around the kid each day."

Dan spoke "well, none of have really strict work schedules, so we'll probably just have to do it day by day."

Ock spoke "Precisely. I will also keep a closer eye on the surveillance system of his school. I know that the Enforcers likely have a job tomorrow, and I am going to be busy. Anyone free for a shift protecting the child tomorrow?"

Quentin spoke "I'll do it. Tomorrow's my day off at work. Plus, I can actually blend in and act as a substitute teacher and keep an eye on him all day. TInk helped me with my photostatic veil idea, so I can use tomorrow as a test run."

Montana nodded and said "Thanks, Quentin. Keep us updated if you spot anything suspicious."

The group meeting soon dissolved, all in agreeance that Peter must be protected.

~~~~~~

Tinkerer stood tall as he was escorted to Tombstone's office. He was unsure of what the meeting would be about.

He raised an eyebrow as Tombstone motioned for him to sit.

Tinkerer did as requested and Tombstone spoke "Tell me everything you know about Peter Parker."

Tinkerer furrowed his brow and said "He's quite intelligent, and as you know, he's been working in my workshop for a little while. He's improved upon the equipment that the Enforcers use and has helped me work on a few other projects. I know as much as Hammerhead has likely already told you."

Tombstone nodded and said "I figured, but I also need to know about his interactions with the Enforcers."

Tinkerer grimaced and said "Why such an interest? The kid has no dreams of working for us full-time."

Tombstone's eyes flashed with anger as he said "It is not your place to question my motives."

Tinkerer was not cowed as he said "It is my place to question you when you seem to have taken an interest in the kid."

Tombstone hummed and pursed his lips.

He then said "I see that Parker has gained your favor now as well. Just remember who your boss is, Mason. You either answer to me, or you will lose funding."

Tinkerer huffed and said "Fine. I will not answer any more of your questions. I don't need your funding. I just stayed on with you because you needed those suits for the Enforcers. You can find someone else to do that or they can hire me personally. I don't answer to anyone but myself."

Tombstone gritted his teeth and angrily ordered "Get out then!"

Tinkerer calmly stood and walked to the door. As one of the lackey's opened the door for him, he looked back at Tombstone and said "I suggest that you be careful. Peter Parker has many people who care about him, and you would be treading dangerous waters if you intend to mess with him."

He could hear Tombstone's aggravated growling as he left the room and shut the door behind him. He calmly left Tombstone's hideout and headed for his own apartment. He had to update everyone on the group chat that Quentin had added him to.

~~~~~~

Peter sighed as he finally returned to school with Harry. His arm luckily didn't have to be in a cast any longer either. Luckily, Gwen and MJ policed the crowd of students that tried getting to them to ask questions. Peter was not really looking forward to the next week. He had quite a bit of work to make-up for his classes and now more was going to be added.

Luckily, nothing new had been added in his English class, as there was a substitute for the day. He didn't recognize their name or appearance, but their tone and the way they moved seemed familiar. The guy also seemed to be super passionate about the topic of the work they'd been given to complete while the teacher was out for the next week with the flu.

All the other classes seemed to pile on the homework though. He even had an essay to work on for his advanced biology course. He wouldn't have time to hang out with his friends or uncles for  a while. He considered himself to be good at school, and none of the assignments were really hard, but they would still be time consuming.

The day luckily came to an end after his chemistry lab. It had been an odd day purely because random classmates would occasionally come up to him and ask about his disappearance before Gwen or MJ could stop them. Peter was kind of flattered that they had practically made it their mission to keep other students from hounding him with questions that he didn't really want to answer.

He went to his locker to grab a couple of things and met Harry outside of the school. Gwen and MJ had already left.

Harry questioned "Did you want to hang out or work on our mathematics homework?"

Peter replied "Sure. We can either go to your place or Montana's place."

Harry then glanced behind Peter and smiled as he called out "Hey Quentin!"

Peter turned and smiled.

Quentin spoke "Hey guys! You two need a ride? I was in the area so I figured that I could pick you both up after school."

Harry answered "Yeah! That'd be great! Pete, can we go to your place?"

Peter nodded as they walked to Quentin's car.

Quentin smiled and said "Good! To Montana's we go!"

Peter smiled fondly.

~~~~~~

Quentin smiled in relief as Peter didn't seem suspicious of him. Peter had stared at him a few times during his English period, but luckily didn't seem to know that it was him. The photostatic veil that he and Tinkerer had made worked splendidly. Quentin had to admit though, it had been kind of fun substituting.

He knew that the normal teacher would be out for the rest of the week, so he went ahead and signed up to be the substitute for the rest of the week. He wasn't getting paid as much as his usual job, but at least he'd still get paid while using his false identity. He'd just take the next week off from his normal work.

They arrived at Montana's building soon and Quentin spoke "Go on up, kid. I'll be up there in a few minutes."

Peter soon left and Quentin got his phone out. He whistled as he sat in his car and opened the group chat to inform everyone that he had the in school surveillance of Peter covered for the week, but that someone else would have to pick him up after school.

~~~~~~

Peter and Harry finished their work fairly quickly and had enough time to relax before Harry wanted to return to his home. They luckily avoided talking about anything concerning the fact that Peter would be inheriting the Osborn fortune. Quentin soon had the honor of taking Harry home.

~~~~~~

Peter yawned as the day went by slowly. Once it was late enough, he'd gone out and patrolled a little bit, and unfortunately stayed up so late that he only got a couple of hours of sleep. Both May and Montana had reprimanded him for staying out so late, but it had been worth it. Granted, it probably wasn't the greatest choice, considering the fact that he couldn't stop nodding off in the middle of his classes.

He yawned as he leaned his head against his hand while trying to pay attention. Luckily, the bell soon rang, and it was the lunch period.

Peter just laid his head on the table and started snoring.

Gwen, MJ, and Harry shared a concerned glance as Harry said "He must have stayed up too late when studying last night."

Harry then glanced at a frowning Gwen. She'd have an earful for Peter later. She and Harry both knew that Peter was tired because he'd been out so late last night because of his Spider-Man duties.

All three of the friends were surprised as Peter's head suddenly popped up and his eyes were wide open.

Gwen could tell that Peter had suddenly become tense. Harry soon caught on and MJ noticed his change in demeanor.

Soon, Peter could feel the eyes of many students on him, and it was even worse than when he'd come back a few days ago. He tuned into many conversations around him and he heard many whispers of his name and the fact that he'd inherited the Osborn fortune and everything. Peter bit his lip. Someone broke the NDA and let all of the information out. Peter knew that there was going to be trouble.

Gwen and Harry shared a look as the intercom sounded "Peter Parker to the Principal's office."

Peter quickly got up and left for the office. He really needed to get out of the school before any reports could show up to harass he and his friends.

The other three friends shared looks of worry for Peter as they too could hear some of the conversations going around the cafeteria.

~~~~~~

Peter was greeted by both May and Montana as he arrived at the office. He'd already been checked out for the day.

Montana spoke "I'm sure that you may have already heard, but someone broke the NDA. We wanted to come and get you before any press could ambush you after school."

Peter steeled his jaw and nodded as Montana and May stood beside him while they walked out. Luckily, the press was not at the school.

The trip back to Montana's apartment was quick. The midday news was on and playing as they entered the apartment, and Peter was greeted with a picture of himself on the screen and a banner revealing that he was the heir to the Osborn fortune. All he could do was sit on the couch and hold his head in his hands as May rubbed a hand on his back in comfort.

Montana, however, was angry. He'd find whomever had broken the NDA and ensure that they paid for releasing the confidential information.

~~~~~~

Peter ended up having to take a day off from school, as reporters had been trying to contact him again. They'd also been trying to contact Harry for questions, but luckily, Harry was used to dealing with the press, so he gave no comments. Peter felt horrible about the entire situation, but there wasn't much that he could do. Harry had met him at Montana's after school to give him any homework he had missed and told him that thing would blow over eventually.

Peter wasn't quite sure if that would ever happen.

~~~~~~

"Boss, I don't think that going after the kid's going to end well. Not to mention the kid was the main benefactor of the estate when Osborn was killed." Hammerhead said as Tombstone raised an eyebrow.

"If you wish to remain in my employment Hammerhead, I suggest that you not question my actions or orders. I know what I am doing, and I do not need or want to explain my reasons to you."

Hammerhead grimaced and said "Alright. It'll be done. I'll make sure that one of our guys is on the security team at the kid's school."

Tombstone nodded and replied "You are dismissed."

Hammerhead soon took his leave while thinking that his boss's plan wasn't going to lead to anything good.

~~~~~~

As Peter expected, things were different when he returned to school a couple of days later. He would have waited longer, but he wasn't going to let the actions of the press control his life. He'd just try to take a note from Harry and express the fact that he didn't want to comment. Plus, it helped that they couldn't be too persistent, as he was still a minor.

Honestly, he could handle the reporters. The reporters were no where near as annoying as many of his fellow classmates who continued trying to ask him questions or be his friend. He hated the additional attention, and had no idea how Harry had dealt with that for most of his life. Though, he did have more of an understanding of why Harry could be so standoffish sometimes, and definitely understood why it was harder for Harry to trust people. You could never know if someone was truly trying to be your friend sometimes. Peter was just glad that Harry knew that he, Gwen, and MJ were his actual friends.

Not to mention it was kind of uncomfortable that the security around Midtown had increased since Reporters had been seen outside of the school. Peter could also tell that his uncles were worried about him. He was getting texts from them more than usual as they worried for him.

Peter was slightly zoned out as he munched on his lunch.

He only zoned back in when Gwen laid a hand on his shoulder and asked "Are you alright?"

Peter smiled lightly and responded "I'm fine, Gwen. Man, Harry, I don't know how you ever dealt with this kind of thing."

Harry shrugged and said "I lived with Norman Osborn for many years. Dealing with reporters and 'fake friends' was nothing compared to always being seen as a disappointment by him no matter what I did."

Peter was slightly surprised as someone sat their hand on his shoulder. He grimaced as he turned slightly and noticed that it was one of Flash's friends whom he couldn't even remember the name of. His spider sense was up a little, but he knew this guy wasn't an actual threat, just an annoyance.

"Hey, Parker! Here's an invite to my party! It's at my house tomorrow!" the guy said as Peter shrugged his hand off.

Peter said "No thanks. I'm not a party person."

The guy then frowned and said "Aw, come on Parker! It'll be fun!"

MJ spoke up "He said no. Quit bothering us."

The guy rolled his eyes and said "Really Parker, you're going to have a girl speak for you? Just come to the party. You can even bring these other losers with you. You're already on your way to being the most popular guy in the school because of how much you've been in the news, and you being at my party would be great for my own popularity!"

Peter stood up and huffed as he said "I already said no, and please don't talk about my friends that way."

Peter went to turn and leave, and the guy grabbed his arm. Peter turned around and glared at the offending hand that was gripping his arm.

The guy spoke "Just come, Parker! I'll even say please if I have to. I really need something to boost my reputation after I got a speeding ticket last week and my girl dumped me!"

Peter shook his head and wrenched his arm out of the guy's grip as his other friends stood up and practically pushed the guy away. Peter groaned. He could feel a sensory overload coming on. His head was hurting.

He grimaced as Gwen gently touched his shoulder. She looked at him and noticed that he'd flinched slightly. She went to say something, but Peter spoke "I'm going to go outside for a little bit. Sensory overload."

Gwen nodded and watched as Peter left. Harry wanted to follow Peter, but MJ said "Leave him be, Harry. He's overwhelmed."

Gwen nodded and said "He'll be alright. We'll check on him if he doesn't come back in before the bell rings. He'll have to come back in here though. He left his phone and bag at our table."

~~~~~~

"Agent 1187 reporting. I have eyes on the boy. I am leaving my post from within the school to follow the boy. I will radio further information in when it is clear for Mr. H. to come." the Agent reported as he followed Peter to behind the school's gymnasium.

Agent 1187 watched as the boy finally stopped and stood against the wall. The boy was hyperventilating and had his eyes closed. It was the perfect time to strike. Agent 1187 made their move.

~~~~~~

Peter was uncomfortable as he leaned against one of the gymnasium walls. His sensory overload had only gotten worse as he left the cafeteria. He closed his eyes for a little bit and held his hands over his face. He could tell that he was hyperventilating, but he couldn't do anything but ride the overload out. Not to mention it was annoying how his sensory overloads always set off his spider sense.

He was unprepared when he felt someone grab his arm, and his eyes shot open. Before he could turn around, a needle was shoved into his neck and he was pulled against someone as he tried to cry out, but his mouth was covered. He tried to pull himself out of the person's grip, but he was so tired and still aching from the sensory overload.

He made small noises of discomfort as he was gagged and blindfolded. He was feeling horrible. He soon lost his battle to remain conscious.

~~~~~~

Gwen and Harry went together to check on Peter. They knew that he'd likely gone behind the gym. When they got there, he wasn't there.

Harry said "Where could he be? He left his stuff at the lunch table, and he wouldn't just leave the school. I'll check the restroom and you check the halls in the five minutes of lunch we've got left?"

Gwen nodded and said "Yeah."

The two searched, but by the time the bell rang, Peter wasn't back or found anywhere close to the cafeteria.

They knew that something had to be wrong. Peter wouldn't just leave his stuff behind, especially not his phone.

They met MJ back at the table and she grimaced as she questioned "No sign of him at all?"

Harry and Gwen both nodded a negative.

MJ nodded and said "Okay, let's go to the office. They likely won't be much help, but we've at least got to tell them that there's a missing student."

It did not take them long to get to the office and speak with the principle.

The principle furrowed their brow and said "I'll have security check on a few things."

The three waited at the office outside of the principle's office while the head of security came in with a sheepish look. The guy headed into the principle's office and closed the door. The three friends shared a worried look as Gwen leaned closer to the door and listened in.

She heard the security officer say "One of my men has gone missing from their post, and none of the others have seen Mr. Parker. I'm sorry, but I think that my staff has failed to do their job. We need to go on lockdown and get the police here."

Gwen leaned back and bit her lip as she whispered to MJ and Harry that Peter was most definitely missing along with one of the security staff missing form their post.

Harry quickly got his phone out and started texting Quentin about the situation. None of the uncles were going to like this at all.

~~~~~~

Peter groaned as the blindfold and gag were taken off of his face. He had only just started to stir. He soon noticed that he was tied to a chair, his hands tied behind the back of the chair. He had a massive headache and his spider sense was still going off, but he wasn't having a sensory overload anymore. He was surprised when he looked forward to see that his kidnapper just so happened to have brought him to Tombstone.

Tombstone said "So, Peter Parker, what makes you so special that my Enforcers aren't doing their jobs? Is it because you're so obviously not suited to be a criminal even though you won't hesitate to make technology for them? What makes you so endearing to them? Why are you so important in the grand scheme of things? I know you're not biologically related to any of them, so what makes you special to them?"

Peter just bit his lip and looked away without saying anything.

Tombstone sighed and said "Answer me, boy."

Peter grimaced and looked directly at Tombstone, but refrained from answering. Tombstone looked to the side and made a small hand motion. Peter grunted as his head was knocked to the side by a punch. He could have avoided it, but he didn't want this guy even having a hint that eh wasn't a normal human.

Peter grimaced as he tasted blood. He could feel a little bit of it dribble down his chin. A tooth must have been knocked out. He spit out some of the blood as he flexed his hands behind his back.

He glared at Tombstone as the man raised an eyebrow.

Tombstone hummed as he said "Impressive. You don't even seem to be phased. That will not last very long though, unless you choose to answer me now, boy."

Peter said nothing as he stared at Tombstone. Things were about to get a little more painful.

~~~~~~

Montana was furious as he and Quentin got to the school. May had stayed behind at the apartment in case the police were to come by. Tinkerer had come over to stay with her while he went down to the school with Quentin. Montana knew that the others, including Dan and Ox, would be meeting at Ock's place to see if they could track down where Peter had been taken through Ock's cameras.

He didn't bother to even listen to the security people as he barged past them and into the school that was no longer locked down once they'd figured out that there was not a threat to any of the other students. Quentin followed close behind. Montana headed directly for the office. He knew where it was because he'd picked Peter up from there a couple of times.

He stalked in there and paused as he saw Harry, Gwen, and MJ.  Quentin walked past him and Harry stood up. Quentin hugged him and said "Hey, kid. We're working on trying to find Peter. I hear that you three are being kept here for a little bit because police want you to answer a few questions."

Harry nodded and Montana spoke "Well they can't keep you here, and they likely won't be any help. Unless they force you to stay here, you guys can go or come with Quentin and I. The students have been released for the day because of Peter's disappearance."

Gwen spoke "I'm coming with you two. I already texted my dad and said that I was going to be with Harry and MJ for a little while to study."

Harry and MJ both nodded in agreeance.

Montana nodded and then said "Alright then, I parked close. We'll take my vehicle to Ock's place."

The principle came out and said "Wait, Mr. Brice! You can't take them with you!"

Montana gritted his teeth and looked back as he said "I'm not taking them with me. They're following me. They have permission from the school to leave without the need of a guardian signing them out."

He then turned away as the principle continued trying to get his attention. He once again shoved past security people, who weren't really good at their jobs, and everyone got into his vehicle."

MJ sat beside Gwen and said "So, I'm guessing that Ock refers to Otto Octavius. How did Peter even get involved with this bunch of people that he now calls uncles?"

Harry shook his head and said "That doesn't really matter. All that matters is that Peter trusts them, so we should too."

MJ raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

~~~~~~

Peter's breathing was erratic as his head was held up by one of Tombstone's goons standing behind him. Blood was running into his eyes as he stared back at Tombstone. He'd lost another tooth, his nose was broken, and he'd been hit so many times that he'd be surprised if he had any unbruised skin left. Not to mention, it was getting harder for him to see between the blood getting in his eyes and the swelling from all of the hits.

Tombstone curled his fists as he said "Your refusal to speak is rather annoying, boy."

Tombstone looked up and motioned to one of his men "Again, but this time, break some bones."

Peter cringed as his head was dropped. He couldn't keep a scream from being released as his left kneecap was broken.

~~~~~~

Hammerhead grimaced as he stood outside of Tombstone's office. He couldn't help but feel that his boss's actions just weren't right. Don't get him wrong, he's a criminal, but there was no sense in beating a kid like that just to get some answers and threaten the Enforcers. He really felt bad for picking the kid up in his limo after Agent 1187 knocked the kid out.

Honestly, it was kind of impressive how well the kid was doing though. The kid hadn't said a word at all yet. There had been plenty noises of pain coming from Tombstone's office, but the kid hadn't spilled anything.

Hammerhead cringed as the kid suddenly screamed. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to contact Montana.

~~~~~~

Montana was pacing as Ock scanned his cameras. Tinkerer had even joined them to try and search through the footage.They had gotten footage that the kid had been put into an unmarked and unlicensed limo, so they were fairly certain that the kid was going to be taken to Tombstone. Only, they weren't sure which of Tombstone's bases they would have taken the kid to, and they couldn't afford to raid the wrong base.

Ock combed through the footage for hours, but nothing seemed to be working. The limo just disappeared from any footage once it gets close to the outer city limits.

Montana's pacing and Ock's arguing with Quentin and the Vulture did nothing to help calm the three teens that had come along with Montana and Quentin.

Gwen was aggravated as the three monitoring the cameras continued bickering over something stupid concerning the proper way to go through the footage.

Gwen stood and whistled loudly.

She spoke once everyone's eyes were on her "Okay. Everyone needs to cool it or stop arguing over things that won't help track down where Peter was taken. Since some of you have flight capabilities, why don't you try to go out and patrol and see if you can track down anyone who may have pertinent information. Mr. Brice, do you know if Peter had any other electronics on him that could have been tracked?"

Montana just shook his head. The kid's phone was still with them, so there wasn't really a way to track the kid's location that way.

Toomes grimaced and nodded as he said "Very well, Miss Stacy. I don't like taking orders very much, but you have a level head, and it does make sense to do so."

Toomes soon left the room.

Quentin just looked sheepish as he said "Sorry guys, I'm just worried. I'll send some of my gremlins out to search. Tink's already sent some of his drones out, but none of them have detected anything yet, and they don't go beyond city limits yet, so they're not helping much. I think that my gremlins can go quite a way's away from the city though, so they might help until we get a concrete location."

Dan nodded at Quentin's statement and said "Maybe we should just make our way through the bases that we know Tombstone has out there, Montana. He already knows that we'd do anything to get the kid back. He's going to expect us to retaliate anyway."

Montana grimaced and said "It's too risky to go in blindly to a random base of his. I don't want to risk that he'll move Peter around if we raid the wrong base."

Dan sighed and said "Montana, we've got to do it. We'll find the kid either way, and we can't let him stay in Tombstone's hands for very long. We both know that Tombstone does whatever he wants to do in order to get what he wants, and right now he wants something from Peter. We've got to risk it."

Montana nodded and said "Okay. We'll suit up and go. You three kids stay here and help Ock watch the cameras."

None of the teens looked thrilled about sitting and waiting, but they knew that they'd just get in the way if they went with the Enforcers to try and find Peter.

Montana spoke again "Quentin, be ready to tail us and act as backup. We should be able to do it ourselves, but we need to be ready just in case."

He then went to leave the room, but then his phone rang. Montana looked at his phone and grimaced as he recognized the number. Hammerhead was calling him.

He put the phone on speaker and threateningly said "Where's my kid, Hammerhead."

Hammerhead spoke "We're at the base about forty miles west outside of the city. Hurry, Shocker. Tombstone's hurting the kid, and I just don't condone that. I'll back you up when you get here."

Montana practically growled as he said "We'll be there soon. Don't think that just because you're helping right now, you won't face out wrath eventually. You still had a part in getting the kid to Tombstone."

Hammerhead just sighed over the line and hung up. They had an exact location now, presuming that Hammerhead was being truthful. Based upon the resignation and worry in the guy's voice though, Hammerhead was not lying.

Montana spoke again "Flint, O'Hirn, Quentin, you're with us. Quentin, you'll get Peter out of there and the rest of us will handle things. Tink, please hand me some of your enhanced restraint cuffs. It's time to wage war on Tombstone."

The Enforcers were soon suited up and ready to go with the others. They had a kid to get back.

~~~~~~

Peter was clenching his fists hard as he did his best to hold back his tears even though it was hurting his arm. He felt awful. His arm was broken again, and both of his kneecaps were in bad shape. This would take quite a while to recover from.

Tombstone spoke "I don't know how you handle this physical violence so well, but let's move on. Since that's not working, how about we move on to threatening those you love. You answer me or else that aunt of yous will face some consequences of your refusal to answer me."

Peter growled as he hissed out "Don't you dare go after her!"

Tombstone laughed and said "So, he finally speaks. How far do I have to go to get you to answer my questions though. Should I bring her in?"

Peter responded "Never. I'll tell you that I view the Enforcers as my uncles. What more do you need to know? Why am I so interesting to you?"

Tombstone growled and yelled angrily "You are a threat to my business, and I will not allow threats to remain within my midst!"

Before Peter could reply, the door behind him was opened and one of the lackeys reported that the base was being attacked.

Peter smiled painfully. He knew that his uncles had come, and Tombstone was doomed.

~~~~~~

Hammerhead let the Enforcers and company into the base. He said nothing as O'Hirn and Flint went a separate way and started destroying things.

He led the way to Tombstone's office. It was quite easy for him to just push the lackeys aside, as they were too wimpy to fire at him and definitely couldn't defeat the Enforcers. Not to mention, all of their guys seemed to be horrible shots. Hammerhead really had to reevaluate who he was hiring.

He was equipped with his own strength plus a couple of guns he stole from the lackeys along with his own gun. It was not going to be easy to take the Big Man down.

~~~~~~

Montana was furious as he entered Tombstone's office and saw that he was standing behind the chair in which Peter was tied to, and gripping the back of the kid's neck.

Tombstone looked at the group gathered around the entrance and said "Hmm. Hammerhead, I see that you have betrayed me to the Enforcers. That will be remembered once this fight is over. Meanwhile, my Enforcers tear my base apart just to get to this boy. Tell me, Shocker, what is so important about this boy?"

Shocker growled as he said "We already had this discussion, Lincoln. Release my kid."

Tombstone laughed and said "Why would I do that, Shocker. If I get rid of this whelp, you'll go back to doing your job properly."

Dan spoke "You're crazy if you think we'll ever work for you again after you hurt the kid."

Tombstone spoke "Snapping his neck will be easy. It'd be done before you could ever make a move towards me."

Tombstone was startled as a voice sounded from behind him "Not before me though."

Tombstone was then bombarded with some of Quentin's gremlins as Quentin laid a punch on Tombstone's face. Peter was no longer in Tombstone's grip. Dan quickly ran towards the chair and untied Peter and picked him up while Quentin was distracting Tombstone.

Montana spoke "Mysterio, move."

Quentin quickly moved back towards where Dan had carried Peter towards the door and took Peter in his own arms while Montana launched an attack on Tombstone.

Peter didn't complain as Quentin took him away from the fight.

Montana spoke "You know, after tonight, you ain't going to be the big man of crime anymore. You harmed one of my family, and NO ONE gets away with that, crime boss or not."

Tombstone just threw off another gremlin that had been trying to chew on his arm and gritted his teeth. He looked towards Montana and said "You really think that you can beat me! There's a reason that I've been the Big Man of Crime for so long. You can't beat me. You're lucky that I'm not killing you right now."

Montana shot at him with his gauntlets, and Tombstone dodged it easily.

Tombstone spoke "Pathetic attempt, Shocker."

Tombstone then grunted as he was hit from the side by Dan and knocked into Ox who punched him.

Tombstone growled as he spit out a tooth.

He then quickly drew his gun and started shooting. Montana was grazed on his right shoulder and Dan ran straight at Tombstone.

Things were about to get a lot more heated.

~~~~~

Quentin grimaced as he took in Peter's appearance while getting the heck out of Tombstone's base. The kid looked awful. Not to mention the kid was out. He wondered if it was from blood loss or something else. He could tell that the kid had multiple broken bones along with some severe bruising. It made him hope that the others were giving Tombstone the beating he deserved.

Luckily, their transportation was equipped with good first aid supplies. Quentin was glad that he was familiar with first aid, though he hated that it was the kid who had helped him become so familiar with how to perform the proper first aid. He started cleaning the cuts and wounds that he could while attempting to stabilize the breaks. They had to get the kid to Ock's fast. He'd know how to set the bones right since he had all of the proper medical equipment in his hidden laboratory. Kind of freaky, considering the lab was there for sinister reasons until Ock figured out that the kid was Spider-Man, but at least it could still come in handy.

He was honestly surprised, but grateful, that the kid didn't have any gunshot wounds, considering how much Tombstone liked his guns.

~~~~~~

Montana punched Tombstone after discarding the busted gauntlet that Tombstone had hit when fighting him. Montana was also quite pleased that he was the first to draw some of Tombstone's blood. After his punch, the brute fell back and spit out a tooth as blood ran down his chin.

Tombstone snarled at him and went to shoot at him again, but had run out of ammunition when he'd tried to gun Ox down only minutes ago. Ox had easily dodged most of the bullets, and the others had been caught by his awesome armor that was bulletproof thanks to some improvements done by peter and the Tinkerer. If only Montana had used the new bulletproof armor, then he wouldn't have a graze on his shoulder.

Montana got the firearm away from Tombstone and threw it across the room where Ox crushed it easily.

They were prepared when Tombstone pulled out another hidden gun. Montana sent a blast towards hm and knocked the man back into the wall which caused him to lose his grip on the gun. Dan was able to pull it away as well and Ox crushed it as Montana fought Tombstone hand to hand. Tombstone may be vicious, but nothing was going to stop Montana from making the man pay for hurting the kid.

The two continued to fight and eventually passed into the hallway, where Tombstone tripped over a fallen lackey. Before he could even try and get up again, he was held down by Hammerhead's foot.

Hammerhead spoke as he took in Tombstone's furious glare "I suggest that you stay down unless you want to die by their hands soon, because for that kid, they'll fight to the death. I warned you not to go after the kid, but you didn't listen. It's time for a new Big Man of Crime to take over and actually listen to their workers."

Tombstone snarled as he said "Even if I'm put in prison, I will be able to get myself out. I have enough money and a good reputation within the community."

Dan glanced down at Tombstone and stared him in the eyes with disgust as he said "You forget, Tombstone, that the Enforcers keep their own records of missions they go on for you. We served our time for some of those things and got out, but you were never caught because we covered your tracks because you secretly got us out. You forget that we keep proof of everything we do. we don't leave a paper trail, but we do keep records. You can thank the Tinkerer for never trusting you enough to not keep our own records once we first got our suits made by him. You will go to jail, and your reputation has been ruined. Proof of what transpired today with the kid will also get out. Your money won't be enough to keep you out of prison, Tombstone. Just be lucky that we're giving you a chance to live. Your hide may be close to impenetrable, but there are other ways to kill you. So even if you ever think of getting out or coming after us or the kid again, don't be surprised to find something rather dangerous in your drink, because we will be watching you."

Tombstone just snarled as Hammerhead moved to the side as Ox came and restrained Tombstone. They were so glad that Tink had sent them out with enhanced cuffs.

Dan could tell that Montana was still tense and ready to kill Tombstone as they started to leave.

Dan laid a hand on Montana's shoulder and said "Why don't you go check on Flint and O'Hirn?"

Montana recognized that it was a distraction tactic, but he didn't care. He nodded and left towards the direction where he could hear screaming from some of Tombstone's people. He knew that if he were to spend five more minutes within the immediate vicinity of Tombstone, the albino man wouldn't be living for much longer. Impenetrable skin or not, he'd find a way to kill the man. After all, he had hit hard enough to knock a couple of the guy's teeth out earlier.

~~~~~~

It didn't take Montana long to find Flint and O'Hirn. He couldn't help but be a little bit pleased as he took in all of the damage to Tombstone's property.

O'Hirn and Flint were both relieved when Montana told them that they had restrained Tombstone and gotten the kid out of the place. They had been there to cause damage, and boy did they do their job.

They soon headed out of the base and to their transportation. Luckily, Hammerhead was going to transport Tombstone to law enforcement with his own limo. Dan had reluctantly volunteered to go with Hammerhead to be sure that Tombstone was taken in.

Montana was really worried as soon as he got to their vehicle and noticed that Quentin was just cradling the kid in the middle seat while whispering reassurances wile Ox was looking on with worry.

Ox's eyes were teary as he said "Fawn hurt bad."

Montana steeled his jaw and got in the driver's seat as everyone else piled in.

Quentin spoke "We need to get him to Ock quickly. His pulse is off and he's sweaty. He passed out as I was taking him out of here. I don't think that the drugs they gave him ever fully ore off. Should Peter even be affected by drugs like this?"

Montana grimaced and answered as he hightailed it on the highway "I don't know how it works. I know that regular cold medicine works for him if taken in higher doses, and so does ibuprofen if taken in a large amount, but I don't know how normal doses of a tranquilizer woudl affect him."

Quentin hummed and held peter closer. The kid wasn't looking good at all.

~~~~~~

All at Ock's base were prepared when the posse of uncles got back. Vulture had radioed ahead from where he had followed them by air once they got back within city limits. Gwen couldn't help but gasp in fear when she saw Peter's condition though. He looked like he was on death's doorstep.

Gwen only stopped staring when MJ sat a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly.

She said "He's Peter. I know that he looks horrible right now, but if we know Peter, we know that he'll recover and bounce back better than ever."

Gwen nodded, but she couldn't help but worry. Harry seemed to be in about the same boat as he stood outside of the medical lab that Quentin had taken Peter into. The three teens watched as Montana and Quentin helped Ock treat the worst of Peter's wounds. They knew that Peter had multiple broken bones, and they were kind of glad that Peter was not conscious as the bones were set.

They only looked away for a brief moment when Dan came in with May. May stood at the window and leaned against Dan after looking in and seeing how hurt Peter was. She was teary as she curled her hands into fists. She knew that this wasn't a Spider-Man incident. She never had any thoughts that anyone would go after Peter Parker the civilian. Dan held her close as he steeled his jaw.

Eventually, only Montana remained in the medical area while the others poured out.

Ock spoke "I have taken a couple of blood samples, but I did find evidence that Peter was injected with something more recently than when he was drugged when he was taken. That would likely be why he had not regained consciousness. He had a broken knee and a broken arm along with severe bruising across his torso, head, and legs. He is also missing a tooth. His heart beat was erratic when he arrived and he was diaphoretic, but I have treated him to the best of my ability, as it is not recommended that he visit a doctor unused to dealing with human mutates, and I may not be a medical doctor, but I have the knowledge needed to help him medically. I have administered a proper dose of pain medication. His condition had been stabilized."

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief that Peter had been stabilized.

Eventually, Ock's tests were completed, and it was confirmed that Peter had been overdosed with a tranquilizer shortly before the Enforcers had arrived at Tombstone's office to rescue him. It was also relieving that Ock had been able to combat the adverse effects of the tranquilizer, though it had not been a relief to know that Tombstone had likely tried to kill the kid via an overdose. With luck, Peter would be awake sometime soon.

Though, Ock had failed to notice that he had mentioned Peter's mutation in front of a few who were not yet in the know that Peter was Spider-Man.

Flint, O'Hirn, and Vulture were quite curious about what Ock meant by Peter being a human mutate.

~~~~~~

Peter groaned as he reawakened. He still felt horrible, but based upon his lessened spider sense, he was back in a safe place.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by the sight of his uncle Montana dozing in a chair beside the uncomfortable medical bed. May was dozing in another chair on the other side of the medical bed. He wondered what exactly had gone on after he'd passed out from the second tranquilizer that Tombstone had injected him with.

Montana soon stirred and noticed that Peter was awake. He leaned forward with a smile.

He whispered "Hey, kid. How are you feeling."

Peter replied "Not great, but at least the swelling's gone down and I can see properly again. It's also nice to not have blood in my eyes anymore."

Montana cringed but said "Do you need more pain meds? It's been a while since Ock gave you any."

Peter sighed and replied "I would not be adverse to it. Man, I'm aching and hurting all over."

Montana got up and said "I'll go get Ock."

Peter nodded and soon Montana had left and come back with Ock, who had a proper dose of medicine prepared. Peter hadn't even noticed that he had an IV connected until Ock injected the medication through it.

Peter questioned "What all happened after I was drugged again by Tombstone? I remember you guys coming into his office, but nothing after."

Montana spoke "We took Tombstone down, and he's imprisoned with no chance of getting out."

Peter sighed in relief.

He also cringed as he realized that he had disappeared from the school when he was supposed to meet back with his friends in the cafeteria.

He questioned "How are my friends?"

Montana answered "They're good. They only left a little while ago. They were worried about you too. You also don't have to worry about school for a little while. They'll be closed for the next couple of days while they reevaluate their security team and get a better security system installed since it was one of them who initially drugged and kidnapped you."

Peter nodded and yawned.

He sleepily replied "Thanks for coming to get me out of there."

As Peter drifted off, the last thing he heard before falling asleep was Montana's soft words "I'll always come for you, kid. Always."

~~~~~~

Hammerhead smirked as he entered one of the Big Man's bases after the news broke out that Tombstone had been incarcerated. Now that Tombstone was gone, it seemed that the power all deferred to him. None of the lackeys made a move against him, and someone had to take on the title now that Tombstone was in prison. He made his way to Tombstone's old office and went in. He sat in the chair that used to be Tombstone's favorite and reclined slightly. Yeah, he could get used to being the new Big Man of Crime.

Story four of my Refuge series is up on A03!

Venom comes back with a friend to finally try and rid the world of Peter Parker. 

TW: Violence, blood, attempted murder, kidnapping

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

Things were quiet for another couple of months, and it was now the beginning of summer. There would be much more free time to work with and enjoy with family. Peter was also looking forward to going back to the Brice family land for the fourth of July in a couple of weeks. He had missed them for quite a while.

Not to mention, there was another new development. Gwen had made the first move and asked him out, and now she and Peter were a couple. A similar situation happened with Harry and MJ. Both couples were happy, and now they had the summer to spend together doing fun activities.  Plus, the friend group could talk openly with each other about Peter's identity. MJ had actually figured out Peter's identity on her own when he ended up saving her from a mugging and she recognized his voice.

They hoped to have a great summer.

~~~~~~

Eddie hummed in his cell at Ravencroft. They all thought that he was crazy, but he knew he wasn't. He'd been trapped in this place for ages, and the symbiote was near full strength again, but remained mostly hidden. He knew that the symbiote hadn't truly left him. It just disposed of most of itself in order to fool Parker and the others until it could regain its strength.

Eddie clenched and unclenched his hands. He hated Ravenroft. Once the symbiote reached its peak fitness, they'd escape, and he would be able to destroy Peter. These people at Ravenccroft trying to change him would be the first on his kill list after Parker.

Only, he hadn't noticed that every once in a while, parts of the symbiote would chip off when it emerged before it was strong enough to take him over, in need of new hosts, and so near his own cell laid a very unstable man named Cletus Kasady.

A lone bit of Venom spawn made its way to Kasady's cell, ready to gain its own strength, and ready for Hell to be unleashed.

~~~~~~

Peter laughed hard at a joke that MJ made after a particularly bad part of the movie that they and all of the uncles had made the decision to go and watch. He did his best to repeat the joke, and soon the whole group was rolling with laughter while MJ sported a huge smile. Harry had even laughed so hard that soda came out of his nose. Gwen had no sympathy whatsoever.

MJ smiled as she took int he group. She was the newest member to this rather odd group. Peter's uncles were a large group, but ever since they'd shown that they truly cared for Peter, she'd had no problem being around any of them.

They'd unfortunately been kicked out of the theater for being disruptive, but none of the group minded. Most people had already given them a wide berth anyway due to the fact that villain group were quite recognizable, though they couldn't currently be prosecuted for any crimes, as they hadn't committed any recently. MJ thought to herself as she watched everyone. Peter was good for all those guys.

~~~~~~

Eddie smirked and snickered as Venom purred into his ear after another couple of weeks of agonized waiting. It was almost time. Just another few days, and the symbiote would be ready. All it needed now to completely heal itself was a human brain. Eddie smirked. He couldn't wait for Kafka to come in. She'd taste glorious to the starving symbiote.

Meanwhile, in the cell over, Kasady was smirking as guards hovered outside of his cell. He'd bitten the ear off of one of them the previous day, so now he was restrained. He couldn't help but smirk under the mask covering his face. A little devilish morsel had greeted him last night and crawled on his leg and seeped into his skin. He could feel it pulsing within him. The two of them had similar wants and needs. He let his anger fuel it as he surrendered his body, but not his mind, to its control.

Soon, the guards were rushing around as a red substance spread all over Kasady's body as Kasady cackled behind his mask. He knew the first person whom he'd visit after killing everyone within this hellhole. He'd make a little visit to Peter Parker and thank him for rejecting the symbiote which spawned his own. Just the thought made Parker's brain sound all the more appetizing. Without his rejection, the beautiful rage of the symbiote would not be making him stronger.

Eventually, all of the bonds were broken, and the symbiote completely covered Kasady. Kasady continued cackling as he easily broke out of his cell and ripped the head off of those who had been guarding him. He continued within the hallway, killing every person he saw as he went. Patients or doctors, all tasted pretty good to him.

The only one left alive within the facility when he was done was Eddie Brock, now in his Venom form after breaking out and killing as well.

Kasady purred as he approached Venom and said "Hello, Daddy. Call me Carnage. Time to find Parker."

They shared a maniacal laugh as they both grinned.

Soon, they left the grounds of Ravencroft. It was about midday and it was the first time either of them had seen the actual sun in so very long.

~~~~~~

Peter smiled as May yelled to him "Don't forget the popcorn, dear! We need it for the family movie night tomorrow! Be careful!"

Peter replied "Yes ma'am! I'll grab them after I drop these books back off at the library."

He hummed as he walked along the street. He could just web sling, but it was nice to just take a relaxing walk once in a while. He couldn't wait for tomorrow's weekly movie night with everyone. It was finally his turn to host it at his house. Not to mention, it would be a little bit easier to fit in their living room than Montana's. Their living room was a little bit more spacious.

The walk to the library had taken a little while, but Peter had enjoyed it. Now all he had to do was stop by the store and grab a couple of things.

Only, as he started walking again, he started hearing terrified shouts from a block over, and soon his eyes widened as he was greeted by not only Venom, but another guy with a symbiote. Peter turned and went to run, but was quickly caught by one of Venom's tendrils. He grimaced and turned to glare at Venom.

Venom purred and said "Uh, uh, uh, Peter! You're coming with us!"

Peter then yelped and screamed as Venom restrained him with more tentacles and started running off.

Peter struggled in the symbiote's grip, but couldn't escape. it had somehow gotten stronger. He thought that he'd destroyed that thing, but he'd been wrong.

He grumbled and yelled "Let me go, Eddie! Where are you trying to take me?!"

Carnage was the one to look back at him and reply "We're taking you to a most public place to string you up high where everyone can see you, and then we'll eat you!"

Peter was disgusted as Carnage grinned and bared his long sharp teeth which were dripping with blood.

There wasn't anything that he could do to escape or call for help. He really hated symbiotes. He wondered how he was ever going to get out of this.

~~~~~~

Robbie rushed into Jonah's office and firmly said "Jonah, turn your monitor on! A new situation with Venom's come up. The thing's targeting Peter again!"

Jonah grimaced and turned his monitor on and curled his fists as a news helicopter followed the movements of Venom and a new symbiote person. He soon started barking orders to get reporters on the scene. He had to find someone else to do the photography since Parker was the hostage in the situation.

Jonah felt sorry for the poor kid. He just always seemed to get the short end of the stick when it came to crazy things happening.

~~~~~~

Peter could do nothing as he was strung up by Venom's tentacles. The tentacles put him in a very high up position where Peter knew the news helicopters could get a great view of his terrified face.

Along the way to this destination, he had been disgusted as Carnage just ripped the head off of whomever happened to be in their way.

Venom looked away from him and Peter decided to try to appeal to Eddie "E-Eddie, don't do this! We were like brothers, remember!"

Venom growled as he said "We may have been brothers once, Parker, but your actions ruined my career! You will die today!"

Venom then turned back around and put his arms out as if beckoning for the cameras to give their attention to him.

He spoke loudly "People of New York, I welcome you today for this presentation! Today you will have the honor of witnessing Peter Parker's death by my own doing!"

Venom grinned towards the news helicopters that flying and capturing every event that was happening. Peter looked down and could see that multiple news vans had arrived, and were surely catching every word that Venom spouted.

Venom was happy to have an audience as he continued "I have been trying to get rid of this little pest who resisted me and ruined my life for what feels like ages! No one paid attention to me when I revealed that this little pest is Spider-Man, and likely still will not! Either way, Peter Parker is Spider-Man! He rejected us and he wronged us, and for that he must die! He decided that he was too good for us! The time for his reckoning has come! Watch as I end the life of this meaningless imp!"

Peter struggled within the bonds of the Venom symbiote's tendrils. The thing had somehow strengthened. He still wasn't strong enough to get out of its grip. He struggled harder as Venom grew in size and used additional tentacles to raise himself to his level and stare him in the eyes. He was terrified and Venom could see it in his eyes.

Venom grinned as he yelled "Finally, my revenge on Peter Parker will be complete! I will bite of your head for everyone to see, and it will be delicious!"

Carnage was now beside Venom after crawling up the side of the building to the left, and growled "I thought that we were going to take him down together, Daddy! I thought that he was going to be my prize since he's the one who rejected you. You seem to be getting all of the glory and eating the one that allowed for our creation! Well, NOT THIS TIME! I AM CARNAGE! I AM STRONGER! HE IS MINE!"

Carnage then bared his long teeth and started ripping into a furious Venom. Venom was pulled downward towards the ground, and his control of the tentacles holding Peter began to slip. The tentacles restraining Peter had loosened, and Peter couldn't help but yell as he began to fall to the ground. He closed his eyes, ready for the worst. Not even Spider-Man could handle that drop and hope to live.

Only his momentum was carefully arrested as he and another person grunted. He slowly opened his eyes and laughed before sighing in relief. His uncle Adrian had caught him.

Peter could see news copters following their track as Adrian flew away with him. He could still see the two symbiotes fighting though. Adrian was slowing down. Adrian landed carefully on top of a roof close by.

Peter was gently placed on his feet and Adrian kept a steadying hand on his shoulder.

He spoke "Everyone was notified as soon as Ock's monitors captured the symbiotes coming into the city. We were a little bit late to try and get you to safety though. I'll distract the news copters for the moment though. Here's your suit. I know better than to try and get you to stay out of this fight. Montana and Quentin will arrive for back-up soon. At the moment, they're the only ones other than you with the tech in their suits to help against these things."

Peter smiled as he took his suit and watched Adrian fly away. The news helicopters followed him. He quickly suited up and perched on a ledge close enough for him to get a good view of the fight from.

Peter couldn't help but stare at the two as they fought. it didn't seem that either one had noticed that he'd been released. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed other than maybe using sound waves again.

The two symbiotes screamed as they battled each other. It was quite vicious. Venom's claws ripped into Carnage and went beyond the symbiote. Kasady could be heard screaming from within.

Carnage yelled "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"

He ripped into Venom with his extended tentacle blades and managed to stab Venom through multiple points. The symbiote shrank back slightly, and Eddie could be heard screaming. Carnage didn't let up as he continued the fight. He continued making more tentacle blades and stabbing Eddie over and over. The Venom symbiote was doing its best to heal Brock and keep over his head and the most vital areas, but Carnage's attacks lived up to the name.

Soon, Eddie was vanquished, and only the symbiote remained. It was truly disgusting as Peter watched with fear and disgust when Carnage just scooped the symbiote up and consumed it. He was terrified for his life, but he had also just watched the one he had previously considered a brother die at the hands of that monster. He was angry at the loss of Eddie.

Peter's breathing was hard as he dropped down to the ground close to Carnage and activated the sound pulse. It hurt his ears too, but he knew that it would work on the monster. He was stunned as all it did was make the thing angry. It didn't harm it in any way.

Before Peter knew it, Carnage grabbed him by the neck. Peter struggled for air as Carnage held him up off of the ground and smirked.

Peter was grasping at Carnage's arm as he tried to get some air in. Carnage just purred and laughed.

He spoke "Awwww. Stupid little spider. That only worked against my daddy, and I'm not my daddy! I'm stronger! I bet you'll taste so much better without that mask on though!"

Carnage licked the mask as Peter tried to get himself out of his grip. Nothing was working, and Peter could tell that he was close to unconsciousness.

He barely felt it when Carnage ripped the mask off of his face, though he felt it when Carnage laid his bloody and sickening tongue on his face and licked him again.

Blessed breath finally came back to him when Carnage howled. One of Dock Ock's tentacles was piercing Carnage's chest and the end was spinning and cutting up Kasady's insides as Ock pulled it back out.

Carnage worked quickly to try and heal Kasady. He was breathing heavily and rasping as he growled at Ock and dodged the next attack. Only, it was worse, because the Shocker had finally arrived on the scene. He used his modified gauntlets, and though Carnage wasn't as sensitive to the frequencies, the modified blast from Shocker's gauntlets along with a different frequency that Peter had used caused Carnage to shriek in pain and start separating from Kasady.

Peter was laid on his back and could hear the fight, but he wasn't strong enough to do anything. He felt awful. His heart was pounding and his neck was hurting so much. It felt like Carnage may have broken something. It was still really hard to breathe. It was getting so much harder to avoid losing consciousness.

Kasady was screaming alongside his symbiote. Sooner, rather than later, Mysterio arrived and brought more sound along with fire to the scene. Peter had once told him that these things were sensitive to heat, so he figured that while the others slammed on their attacks, he could use literal fire against them. Ock easily weakened Kasady's body to near death, and the symbiote finally completely separated from his body.

They kept up the onslaught of attacks, doing their best to avoid Peter's prone body. Soon, the Vulture was back on the scene and the Carnage symbiote was scooped up into a secure containment unit that it couldn't get out of. It was going to go to one of the most secure facilities on Earth. The fighting soon stopped and Kasady was already dead on the ground from his wounds.

Soon, the Rhino, Sandman, Dan, and Ox arrived on scene. Their eyes widened as they took in the scene of death and saw the prone body of their nephew. They'd been in charge of helping civilians escape.

Soon, Montana was the first to kneel by Peter's side. He ripped off his own mask and gauntlets and threw them to the side. Peter's eyes slowly met his own and Peter smiled lightly.

The others soon joined Montana, but Peter solely kept eye contact with him as he let out a tiny breath and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as his body lose the tenseness that had still been there.

Montana started to hyperventilate as he checked Peter's pulse.

He shook his head and said "No. NO! I refuse to lose my nephew!"

He quickly started chest compressions. He wouldn't let Peter die. He couldn't. The kid had too much ahead of him to lose. He had too many people to leave behind.

~~~~~~

Gwen yelled in fear as she watched the fight with Venom and Carnage on television. She'd been happy when Peter had been picked up by the Vulture, but now she was utterly terrified, as she'd just watched her boyfriend be unmasked for the whole world to see, and with this, there was no way of going back to normal. Peter's secret was out, but that wasn't what worried her. What worried her was the fact that Peter was lying on the ground surrounded by what used to be the villains and Montana was doing chest compressions.

George soon raced into the living room where Gwen was watching the fight from and said "Gwen, what's wrong----" and cut off when he saw the television and cursed.

George steeled his face and said "Gwen, have they shown Peter's face while he's been in the suit?"

She nodded and then paused before questioning "Wait? How'd you know that it was Peter?"

George just smiled softly and replied "I'm not one of the world's best detectives for nothing, Gwen. I've known his identity since almost the first sighting. Only, now, everyone knows. I'm going down there to hopefully mediate the crowd. From the looks of the television, emergency medical services have already arrived."

Gwen bit her lip and looked back at the television as she listened to her father leave. She watched with sadness as one of the other Enforcers, Ox, had to hold Montana back as the paramedics worked on Peter and did their best to help him.

Her hands shook as all she could do was stare at the television in fear and ignore the texts she was no doubt getting from Harry and MJ. She only had eyes for Peter, and right now, she just hoped that Peter hadn't died.

~~~~~~

Jonah couldn't help but stare at the monitor in shock. The kid had fooled them all the whole time. He really was Spider-Man.

He'd be more worried about it if it didn't look like the poor kid may have just died. Jonah couldn't help but steel his jaw and watch as the footage continued. He hoped that the kid would survive.

~~~~~~

Montana and Quentin stood outside of the intensive care unit that Peter had been shuttled to once the paramedics had gotten his heart started again. Octavius was with the doctors to assist, as he had the most knowledge about working with Peter's unique biology. The others remained outside of the building to keep an eye on the perimeter and at as security in case any reporters or threats were to come up and try to get to Peter.

Before too long, Dan came in with May. Montana hugged her as she teared up and wiped her eyes as she sniffled.

It had felt like ages before Otto came out of the room and reported "Peter is currently critical but stable. He has a broken hyoid apparatus, cracked atlas and axis, and multiple broken cervical vertebrae. Surgery will have to be done. I will be assisting as I have the knowledge over dosage for medication and knowledge of human anatomy. The forms for the procedure are currently being drawn up. Ms. Parker, I highly suggest that the operation be done. It will give Peter the highest chance of survival."

May leaned heavily against Montana. Montana steeled his jaw and hugged her to his side while Quentin just clenched and unclenched his hands repeatedly.

May sniffled and replied "I'll sign whatever needs signed! Just do whatever you have to to save him!"

Otto grimaced and replied "I'm afraid that even if the procedure goes as expected, Peter may be completely paralyzed."

May covered her mouth and turned her head into Montana's shoulder as he held her close. He too was sniffling.

Quentin's hands began to shake as he said "I'm going to join everyone outside. Call me if there are any updates."

Montana nodded and Otto agreed.

~~~~~~

The surgery took nearly twelve hours to complete. Otto had observed the entire procedure and assisted with a couple of the most delicate processes. Repairing the bones was quite hard, but it was rather fascinating to watch as the boy's healing factor was working on repairing the bones as they were placed back together during the surgery. Peter's enhanced healing was far more valuable than Otto had previously thought.

With how rapidly the healing was taking place, no screws or metal had to be placed, but it also made the reconstruction of the bones harder as some had already tried to heal and had to be rebroken. Every twenty minutes, more scans were done, and more X-rays were taken. His brain activity looked fairly normal every time it was checked.

Only twenty hours after the reconstructive surgery, most of the bones appeared to be close to perfectly healthy. It would still be a waiting game until Peter showed signs of waking up though. The boy had quickly fallen into a coma post-surgery.

Otto worried about whether or not Peter would ever be able to move his head properly again. If he ever regained consciousness, even though the bones appeared to have healed well, there could still be problems. The bruising on his neck was still rather prominent, but the swelling had gone down quite a bit. Normally, the bruises would go away fairly quickly, but it appeared that Peter's body worked on repairing the worst of the injuries first.

It was now a waiting game.

~~~~~~

Reporters did their best to try and get the scoop on Peter Parker, but no one would do it. Jonah Jameson had even put out a plea in his paper for people to leave Peter Parker and his loved ones alone. Detective Stacy had dropped by the hospital to talk with Montana briefly and express his grief at the fact that Peter was in such a bad state. Peter's friends were all terrified as they had all been updated that Peter was in a coma after having such grave injuries.

Gwen had even told off a reporter who had tried to interview her about her relationship with Peter. Her father had been the only one to keep her from decking the guy.

~~~~~~

It had been four weeks since Carnage and Venom had both been destroyed.

May hummed as she rubbed circles into the back of Peter's right hand. She and Montana had been there almost constantly. The others would stop by occasionally, and were ever vigilant around the hospital, but neither May nor Montana could bear the thought of leaving Peter for very long.

Montana was on Peter's other side. It hurt seeing the kid connected to so many machines.

Only, today would be different. Today, both May and Montana had immediately noticed when Peter's hand twitched and his eyes started to flutter open as the alarms on some of the machines started to beep.

Montana pressed the button to call a doctor in as he and May both worked to calm Peter down. He had seemingly been fighting the endotracheal tube until they calmed him. They also took note that he seemed to be grimacing.

The doctor soon came in alongside Otto. Unfortunately, an extubation had to be done right then. Peter was coached through it, but it was still quite uncomfortable. He was tearful as his vitals were checked. He grimaced as he turned his head towards Montana.

Otto soon gained his attention by questioning "Peter, does it hurt to turn your head?"

Peter shakily and raspily replied "A little bit, but it's mostly just achy."

Otto let out a sigh of relief and asked another question "Would you try to move your toes for me?"

Peter furrowed his brow and attempted to do as requested. Everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief as Peter was able to move his toes.

Otto said "That's a very good sign."

Peter looked like he wanted to say something, but his throat was still aching. Otto handed him a small tablet that he could use to communicate with them.

Peter typed a question "What happened after Carnage choked me? Did anyone else die? Are all the others fine?"

Montana answered "Carnage has been destroyed. No others died after you were choked. Most of the fatalities from that day took place as the two were escaping Ravencroft."

Peter grimaced and said "My identity?"

May replied "Everyone knows, dear. It was broadcasted on the television when when that monster ripped your mask off. The reporters have calmed down slightly though over the past couple of weeks."

Peter grimaced and typed another question "How long have I been in the hospital?"

Otto answered "A little over four weeks. You nearly lost your life. Your neck was broken when you were choked. We were afraid that you would not make it or that you would be paralyzed even after the bones were repaired."

Peter steeled his jaw and typed another question "How are Gwen, Harry, and MJ?"

Montana answered "Worried about you, but good other than that. Same with all of the others. Everyone's been coming in too see you every once in a while. Even that Jameson guy's stopped by to check on you. We almost didn't let him in until May approved. You'll have more visitors soon if the hospital allows it, by the way. I notified everyone through the group chat that you came out of the coma."

Peter nodded. It really was extraordinary that Peter had little consequences remaining from the injury. It appeared that the main thing remaining from the worst of the damage was the slight atrophy of his muscles.

Peter smiled and typed "You know, I'm feeling pretty sad right now from the fact that things have changed so much concerning my identity. Can I have a hug?"

Montana snickered as Peter smiled. Both Montana and May gave him a gentle hug.

~~~~~~

Peter had to attend physical therapy for about a month until it was deemed that he was strong enough to return to his Spider-Man duties. He'd regained most of his strength and muscle mass within the week of waking up, but everyone wanted to be sure that he wasn't going to overtax himself. They were lucky that he hadn't suffered any permanent damage.

The worst part of everything though, was that Peter had ended up missing half of the summer break, and missed the trip to the Brice's for the fourth of July. The family had been told why Montana and the Parkers couldn't come, and they had sent their well wishes. Peter still hoped that they could at least get a trip in to see them sometime soon though.

The first time Peter had made a public appearance after the coma, it had been for another press conference and consult with his lawyer Matthew Murdock. Everything had gone well, and the reporters had been appeased. Not to mention, his uncles had all hovered and went into protect mode.

The first time Peter was stepped back out as Spider-Man though, that was a highly celebrated event. The people of New York City were happy that the hero from Queens was back in action. They knew that Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man, would always do his best to protect them.

@badthingshappenbingo

Fandom: Marvel, Spider-man, Iron Man

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, May Parker, Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts

TW: Broken bones. compound fracture, blood, etc.

Summary: There's an explosion in Stark Tower, and Peter can't get out before he is grievously injured.

Before I broke my entire foot I never considered that I didn't lose 1 limb when I had to start using crutches- I practically lost all of them

bones are crushing (crushin' me) (994 words) by whatno Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Donatello & Raphael (TMNT), Donatello & Leonardo & Michelangelo & Raphael (TMNT), Donatello & Casey Jones & Leonardo & Michelangelo & April O'Neil & Raphael (TMNT) Characters: Donatello (TMNT), Raphael (TMNT), Leonardo (TMNT), Michelangelo (TMNT), April O'Neil (TMNT), Casey Jones (TMNT), tigerclaw (TMNT) Additional Tags: bruh tigerclaw just straight up doesn't have a tag lmao, Violence, Broken Bones, Torture, pain and suffering, Angst, Whumptober, Whumptober 2023, donnie pov, Raphael-centric (TMNT), Raphael Angst (TMNT) Series: Part 3 of whumptober 2023 Summary:

Tigerclaw laughed. “What will you do? Spit at me from the floor and hope it burns?” God, Donnie thought, gritting his teeth and attempting (and failing) to lift himself up enough to get a leg under his torso, I really fucking hate this guy. Raph cackled manically, a sound similar to a shriek. He sounded fucking crazy. “Come closer and find out!”

No. 5: “You better pray I don't get up this time around.” Debris | Pinned Down | “It's broken.”

Whumptober: Oh, Breathe Without Me (Under Pressure)

A/N: Oh look, a song verse as a title (Wozwald by Yuu Miyashita)

-----------------------------

Leonardo tested the door first, then signaled to his brothers that it was alright as he slid the door open just enough for him to creep in and duck into a hiding place. His family followed suit and disappeared into the shadows, hiding from prying eyes, invisible if you didn’t already know that they were there.

The building itself that they were “breaking into” was a large, multi-tier warehouse that Raphael reported seeing Purple Dragons at when he was with Casey. He said that they looked like they were taking only specific crates, and it was decided upon with unanimous vote that it was worth checking out, since the new leader of the street gang had been willing to step things up quite a bit.

“So, here’s the plan,” Leonardo whispered, “Raph and Donnie will take this level, look around for any gang members and see if they can learn anything or see what they’re taking. Me and Mikey will go to the top level and do the same thing, then we meet midway. Any objections?”

When he received only silence as a response, Leonardo took that as a sign that nobody was against it and began walking over to the staircase, Mikey following close behind.

The two went to the top floor, and worked their way through the whole level, finding a single member moving about, but nothing important or worthwhile, not what they were looking for. Still, they covered the whole floor, making sure that they checked every suspicious object, every nook and cranny, anything that looked fake and could be hiding something.

But they found nothing, so they went to the middle floor to get a headstart on looking there. Leonardo began to grow frustrated, though, feeling that familiar itch. Had they been too late? Had they missed the things that they actually needed to see? What if they missed something that had been really important, and everything was messed up just because of it? He bit back the low growl that threatened to leave him. Calm, he needed to be calm. They weren’t done here yet.

There were a pair of voices, and Leo was obligated to move closer to listen in, as he couldn’t yet make out what they were saying. It was a pair of gang members (finally, something they might be able to use!), leaned up against the wall and speaking in undertones.

“Are we almost done here?” The one to Leonardo’s left grunted. He had a long, winding snake tattoo that started on his snake and roped around his right arm, that Leonardo honestly thought was cool. However, he sounded like he had been chain smoking for years, which would explain the aged look on his face, even though Leonardo estimated that he could only be in his twenties or thirties.

“Almost,” The one to his right responded automatically. In contrast to the one on his left, this member looked a heck of a lot younger. There were no scars, no tattoos, he didn’t look nor sound any older than fifteen. Instead, he had long hair pulled into a tight bun and a few piercings, some of which were shaped like crosses. Huh, he was religious, maybe? “We’re just grabbing the last of things, and then they plan on blowing the place to the high heavens.”

Leonardo froze, exchanging a look with Michelangelo, who looked equally as appalled.

“Really? Won’t that grab us attention as terrorists?”

“Dunno, but the boss don’t care ‘bout that.”

“Huh.”

And then they just left, as if they hadn’t talked about blowing up a building in the middle of a highly populated city, risking probably quite a few civilians’ lives.

Michelangelo looked at him, and Leonardo nodded, understanding what he meant immediately. They needed to tell Donatello and Raphael, and get out as soon as possible, or try to step them from blowing up the building.

They bolted towards the stairs, just as the middle pair were coming up. All four of them ended up retreating back to the middle floor, ducking between crates as Leonardo and Michelangelo passed on what they had learned, earning almost yells and curses.

“We need to find the detonator before they set whatever bombs they have set up,” Leonardo said, stating the obvious. “The member with it is probably outside already, but I did see somebody lingering on the top level, and I think I’m gonna see, just in case. I don’t think they would blow up their own.

Leonardo didn’t want them in the building if it exploded. He was putting them in a potentially dangerous situation, he needed them outside, they couldn’t get hurt there. At least, not too terribly. Maybe from debris, but that would be more manageable then being in the building when it went down.

“Are you sure?” Raphael looked him over, eye ridges furrowed in concern. They were catching on.

“Mhm. I’m going to stay inside for just a minute, I’ll be out soon. Just try and check the people outside. At the very least, make sure that whatever they’re exporting stays here.”

Thankfully, they bought it, leaving him alone in the building. Now he just had to keep going with the act. And yes, he was afraid. No, he was terrified, he knew that he was probably going to die, but it was an occupational hazard, he guessed. They weren't always going to have some form of protection.

Leonardo turned and went upstairs, just in time to hear rapid beeping before a near deafening explosion. Then, everything went dark.

%%%

A splintering pain in his lower back and legs was the first thing, and Leonardo let out a low groan. What happened? Why did he feel like he was getting crushed? Had they fallen asleep in a Turtle Pile again?

Something shifted above him, and dust drifted down lazily. Oh right.

The only thing keeping him from having his skull crushed were some metal rods that creaked and bent under the weight of the concrete. A little movement revealed that his legs were most likely crushed from the boulders, and the only thing keeping his spinal cord from meeting the same fate was his shell, a natural armor he would be eternally grateful for. He struggled a bit, which only elicited protests and screams from his aching body.

Then he then heard people, humans, talking, close enough to feel them stepping over the concrete, but they sounded so far away…

He froze, then retreated into a cracked shell, holding his breath and waiting for them to pass.

“I could’ve sworn I heard somebody over here…”

A few minutes passed, then they moved on, leaving him alone to his misery. While the help would have been appreciated, he couldn’t risk letting humans see him, especially not in a state where he couldn’t move, much less defend himself.

Leonardo thrashed a bit, being careful not to let his shell hit things and make sounds that could draw attention to himself, but was quickly stopped by white hot fire in his arm, like a thousand needles pushed past his scales.

No, apparently that was not going to work.

Leonardo worked his mind for paths out of his situation, trying desperately to seek some way to get out of the hole he dug for himself, and eventually fell asleep. There was nothing he could do in the day, when he was at a higher risk for being seen by humans.

%%%

When he came to, he quickly realized that it was night. Unlike before, there was barely any light streaming through the cracks between the debris, leaving him nearly blind.

Taking hold of the situation, he started struggling. He had to get out, he couldn’t stay there, not when there were people depending on him to come back. By the second, his struggles grew more and more frantic, scrambling at the boulders pushing on his legs and shell to the best of his ability with his limited reach.

But the agony only grew in his fractured arm, pushing him to the point of tears, burning and tearing through his muscle. Him, Leonardo “Supernatural Pain Tolerance” Hamato, crying over a fracture. Shell, now the tears were flowing freely, racing down his face and staining the ground beneath him. Frustration and pain and anger, all mixed together and finally bursting free. How could he have been so stupid?

He didn’t remember falling asleep, but suddenly he was opening his eyes, head resting on his good arm. It wasn’t another day, as far as he knew, since the humans probably would have been working on removing the rubble. It was still dark, he still couldn’t see. The sounds of cars felt distant, although he wasn’t too far from the road, as far as he knew. Had the explosion done something to his hearing? Shoot, was he deaf? Or, at least, almost there? It wouldn’t be too terrible, he didn’t rely on his hearing that much, but. It was still a shocking development-

He couldn’t feel his legs. Frick, he couldn’t feel his legs. He needed to say alert, he needed- He couldn’t start losing then, trapped under cement and at risk all the time. Leonardo clawed at his arm, biting his tongue when it burned, spreading the same agony from before, but the pain was good- The pain was good, pain helped stay alert, he couldn’t lose himself then, couldn’t lose feeling.

Leonardo was loopy, he knew. He was in and out again, a faint blue light of the early morning streaming in. But he heard voices again, so close to him he wanted to cry. He knew the voices that time. His family hadn’t left him, why would they? They came back for him, even if they were risking coming early in the morning, when the humans were waking up. 

He took a shaky breath, then: “Marco.”

The response that came was from Michelangelo, sounding overjoyed in his response and like he had been crying too. “Polo!”

“Marco.”

“Polo- Donnie! Raph! He’s here, I think he’s here!”

The grating and scratching was faint, but the light grew, he could hear them, he could hear them looking, they were trying to dig him out!

“Shoot- Don! I found ‘im!”

Strong arms wrapped around him as the last of the rubble was moved off of him, and slowly pulled him up. Beside him, Raphael growled: “You’re so stupid, Fearless. What were you thinkin’ playing a dang martyr?”

Donatello came running over from where he was a few feet away, a short, strangled sob leaving him.

“Oh my God- Leo! Leo I’m so sorry, we should have come sooner, we should have realized, I- You-”

“Hey,” Leonardo hushed him, struggling a bit in Raphael’s grip although he couldn’t even stand on his own, “It was my fault. My plan.”

“No, you shut up- Raph carry him, we need to be home fast.”

Leonardo bit his tongue to hold back a protest as Raphael smirked and lifted him up bridal style. He noted that the younger was careful not to jostle him too much. He was still being careful.

Once home, Leonardo received a thorough lecture (who would’ve thought?) and a check-up, before being told he needed bed rest, and couldn’t leave. Donatello announced that both his legs were, in fact, broken from the weight on them. His shell was the only reason that he wasn’t paralyzed from the waist down, taking the brunt of the hit. However, from being so close to the explosion, Leonardo was, for the most part, hard of hearing, just as he thought.

For the rest of the night, they all insisted on being close enough to him to smother him, but he wasn’t complaining. It wasn’t like he could run from it, anyway.

-“K.A.A.N. the Conquerer” by K.A.A.N.

Just broke my toe by dropping a beer can on it and my dad sent me this