InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "A blancmange impersonator..."

Peter Parker (itsallspandex) wrote in wariscoming,
@ 2012-12-03 23:43:00

Entry tags:

gwen stacy, lydia bennet, peter parker/spider-man

Peter, Lydia & Gwen
Monday morningish, December 3, 2012; Somewhere outside the complex in the massive mess
Lydia going out like a BAMF, Peter having feels, and Gwen finding Peter/pulling him away from Lydia.
High (character death, angst, all the feels ever)/Complete

And for a second, Peter felt a sense of relief wash over him. But that second was short-lived...

The attack that had been launched on the complex sent everyone into either panic mode or fight mode . Everything had happened so fast, it was all a blur of screams and shouts, pain and panic and everything was chaos.. There were people fighting everywhere, fighting for their lives, for their friends, fighting to save the place they were calling home. There was hardly time to think, nevermind focus on anything outside of exactly what you were dealing with at that exact moment.

Lydia had insisted on coming with Peter and he hadn't bothered giving an actual protest. He would have rather she stayed where it was, theoretically, safer, but he knew no amount of trying to talk her out of it would have worked. So, he conceded and decided it was better to have someone at his side.

Peter had gone into some sort of auto-pilot, the training from Bobby's demon camp firmly in his mind as he went through the monsters that kept coming, endlessly from every direction. He had lost track of Lydia in the mess, but he had to keep going. He was battered and bruised and he wouldn't be able to move if he stopped, so he just kept on. In this exact moment, Peter was on the losing side of a battle with a Wendigo. It had caught him off guard, knocked in some good blows—which he was pretty sure had bruised some ribs—because of it and the thing's claws had already slashed across his chest, leaving deep gashes behind, which had left him far worse for wear now.

Just as the monster was coming at him again, ready to finish what it had started, Peter noticed a flash of light from the corner of his eye and before he had time to process what was happening, it was over. Lydia had come from somewhere just outside of his field of vision, guns blazing. Literally. The flares she shot off hit the creature squarely and the flames engulfed The Wendigo. And for a second, Peter felt a sense of relief wash over him. Immediate impending doom was taken care of. But that second was short-lived when he realized Lydia hadn't re-emerged. He glanced around, looking for the familiar face of his friend, but he was not greeted with it. Until he looked down where the remains of the monster were.

The wave of emotion that crashed over him sent him to his knees. When she had jumped out to take the shot at the Wendigo, she had also been in the direct path of the creature's attack that had been directed at Peter and it had slashed her neck, deep and lethal. He winced at the pain from his own wounds as he pulled her into his lap, “L-Lydia?” He let out a sob as he realized how limp her body was. There was no time. There was no saving her and he knew it. “Oh, God...Oh, God.” he whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks as he just sat there on the ground, holding her in his lap, rocking gently, mumbling incoherent things into her hair.

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imintrouble
2012-12-03 07:07 pm UTC (link)

Gwen had every intention of keeping safe. She really did. She didn't want to get into any trouble and she didn't want to put herself into any danger and run the risk of getting anyone else or herself hurt. At the same time she felt the need to be prepared. She wanted to see the crash course in case things did get into the complex. She wanted the flash bombs and smoke grenades to help protect people and give them a chance to get away if they could be used. She didn't want to be involved in this because she was so far from being prepared, but she couldn't help the fact that she couldn't just hide and be completely useless. She was far too much her father's daughter to just hide like a scared child. She might have felt like one, but she couldn't be that.

She hadn't just been able to let the things that had been made and left in the kitchen left to be useless. So that had been Gwen's priority. She didn't know how much the things would help, ultimately, but anything that might give the people here at the complex a leg up against the evil....had to be tried, right? Gwen hadn't found herself able to retreat to Lois' room.

She knew what Peter had asked her to do, but couldn't actually do it. Gwen wasn't quite sure what she was doing, actually. She'd delivered the smoke and flash distractions to people, but she found herself treading very carefully through the complex. She had holy water in one hand, a cross in the other, and her amulet was firmly in place around her neck. Where she'd wound up....she wasn't prepared for what was going to happen. She saw the flash of the flare, not knowing who had set if off, but worrying that someone needed help. That was the reason that she left the safety of the complex. If someone needed help....she couldn't leave them all alone.

Gwen moved quickly, though she was obviously worried about her surroundings. And what she found was so far from what she had expected. There was Peter. He was in fairly bad shape himself and he had Lydia in his lap....with what looked like an extremely nasty gash to the neck. Gwen felt sick. She actually had to stop in her approach to hold her stomach, gagging lightly. After a moment she vomited quietly. She straightened herself up before she approached, Peter. She wanted to be strong for him. As much as the sight made her stomach turn and as scary as it all was. Peter was not in a good place. She could see how upset he was. He was so visibly upset that it hurt just seeing him.

Gwen approached him slowly and quietly, bending down to put her hand on his shoulder. "Peter...." Her voice was low and slightly hoarse. She didn't know what had happened, she just knew that he was in danger out here. "It's not safe out here." She told him, worrying. The longer they were both sitting here....the more and more dangerous it was, really.

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itsallspandex
2012-12-03 07:54 pm UTC (link)

Peter hadn't moved since he pulled Lydia into his lap. He couldn't. He had no motivation to do anything except sit there and hold her and let the tears roll freely down his cheeks. How none of the monsters that were lurking about the area hadn't noticed the obvious vulnerability he was at that moment, no one could be sure, but later when he had a clearer mind, he would look back on that moment and be thankful. Probably. He couldn't fathom "later" right now, though.

He had been so lost in his own world and when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he tensed up, quickly snapping his head up to see who had touched him. Gwen. He relaxed, at least a little. "No, it's not. You should go back inside." his voice was monotone, almost devoid of emotion, and so very much not like Peter at all.

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imintrouble
2012-12-03 08:06 pm UTC (link)

Gwen had already made her mind up. Before she had even vomited she knew that she wasn't going back inside without him. Peter wasn't in any shape to fight against anything anymore. He wasn't doing well emotionally or physically. He was hurt and he was upset over Lydia. It didn't take a Valedictorian to put those clues together. An idiot could have told what was going on with him. He'd lost his friend, or whatever she was to him, and that had to be hard. Gwen didn't understand exactly how he felt, but she could empathize. She understood what it felt like to lose someone that you cared about.

Feeling him tense, Gwen didn't move her hand, leaving it where it was settled. His voice wasn't his own, really. He didn't sound like himself. It was almost like a stranger was talking to her. All Gwen could manage for a moment was a shake of her head, her other hand reaching to touch his face. "I can't leave you out here alone." She told him softly. She meant that.

He had to come inside. If she left him here there was just too much chance that something might happen to him too. She didn't want to lose another person that she cared about. If he refused to come in she'd wait out here with him and if he wanted to bring Lydia in...she'd help because she cared about Peter. No matter what, she wanted him to come inside, though. He was in no shape to fight now. She was pretty sure no one would have argued that point with her right about now, save maybe Peter himself. And she wasn't even sure if he could muster that up at the moment.

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itsallspandex
2012-12-03 08:29 pm UTC (link)

"I'm fine." the words were blank, not even halfhearted, just empty words with no meaning, spoken out of instinct more than anything else. He was too numb to say anything that meant something. "Go back inside." he muttered.

Peter didn't want to go inside. He didn't want to move. He wasn't even sure he could have if he wanted to. Everything was so numb. The world felt like it was at a standstill. His mind was racing, his vision was kind of swimming. That might have been from those gashes across his chest, but the thought didn't really register. That could be fixed. This... this couldn't be fixed.

How many times was he going to have to live through watching people he cared about die? Family. Friends. Was he supposed to be alone? Had he done something that the universe or the Gods or whatever other sentient thing out there really felt he needed to be punished this much for? He knew, somewhere deep down, that it was all random chance. It had nothing to do with him, or anything he'd done. He wasn't being punished. It wasn't his fault. But that was logical. Far too logical of a thought process to reach his brain at that moment. And right now, he just felt guilt.

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imintrouble
2012-12-03 08:41 pm UTC (link)

"No you're not." Gwen's words were automatic. It didn't take anything to know that he was so far from fine. He was so far from fine and even his own words betrayed that fact. Gwen didn't move her hands, though she did lean in a little, making sure that he was looking at her with the hand on his face. "I'm not going inside without you, Peter." Nothing could have convinced her to change her mind right now either. A monster could have ran up and she would have remained. She was scared. That didn't matter at the moment, though.

Up close she could see that he needed to get treated for the wounds, but that wasn't even the only reason that she wanted him to go inside. Sitting here and holding this body, Gwen was sure that it would catch something's attention sooner or later. She knew that he was upset. It was hard not to feel her own emotions bubbling up seeing him like this. It made her think about her dad. It made her think about how she would never see him again. She understood how he felt. He'd just lost someone. The emotions that a person felt just knowing the lost a loved one were bad enough, but he had been right here and from the looks of it....witnessed it.

"Peter, you're hurt. And I know that you're upset, but you can't stay out here. I can't let you stay out here." Gwen told him, speaking softly, not wanting to upset him and not wanting to gain the attention of anything that might be around. "Lydia wouldn't want you to stay here like a sitting duck." She hated to use that, but she needed to get him inside to safety. She knew that it would hurt, but hopefully it would work.

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itsallspandex
2012-12-03 09:14 pm UTC (link)

When she bent down to make him look at her, his eyes locked on hers, but they were so...empty. All he could think about was how it all played out. How he should have done this or could have done that. "You have to..it's not safe...I told you to be safe." his voice was quiet, not even argumentative.

The first half of what she was saying fell on practically deaf ears. He didn't want to hear it, so he didn't. He didn't want to move. He didn't want to go inside. He wasn't worried about the injuries. But then she was talking about what Lydia would want and it struck him. Hard. He knew she was right. He could almost hear Lydia yelling at him to get inside. There was a long silence between her words and his next, but finally he conceded. "...Okay." was all he could manage.

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imintrouble
2012-12-03 09:32 pm UTC (link)

It was so hard to see Peter...as a shell of who he'd been. there was no twinkle to him at all. There was nothing there that appeared to be the Peter that she knew. He wasn't the guy that grinned and stumbled awkwardly over his words. He wasn't the guy that had stolen as many kisses as possible between serious conversations. He was so empty. She didn't even know if the words were actually reaching him. "I was safe. I'll be safe once we get inside." If he were himself he would have been so much more argumentative and so much more bothered by her not quite listening to him when it all boiled down to it. Peter wasn't himself at the moment. Nobody could blame him for that.

It was very lucky that Gwen knew what to say. It was lucky that she knew to say the one thing that would get through, but would perhaps hurt him. It was the right thing to do, though. It was going to get him inside. Gwen knew that the moment before he spoke, hearing his concession was a relief. Gwen moved, sitting up a bit more. "Peter." She said his name, in an attempt to get his attention. "Do you want to carry Lydia inside so that...," She almost said body and then thought better," so that she's safer?"

Gwen had been lucky that she hadn't seen her father pass. She didn't have to see his body after he'd passed. She saw him cleaned up and looking presentable in the casket. This was so different, and nothing Gwen was prepared for, but Peter needed someone to be strong now. She was going to be strong for him even if the thought of touching that poor dead girl made her stomach churn. She would manage it.

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itsallspandex
2012-12-03 09:55 pm UTC (link)

Peter was still in a daze, his thoughts were still clouded and he wasn't thinking straight. No one would blame him. How could they, after what he had witnessed? It wasn't even the same as the night he'd watched his uncle die. That was still, for all intents and purposes, what could be considered a "normal" death. That didn't make it any better. But it made it easier to wrap his head around. This. This was more than that. It was the monsters of horror movies and ghost stories coming to life. And despite being in this world, and knowing these things, for a few months, it was so completely different when facing it head-on.

When Gwen said his name, Peter blinked, hard, trying to make his eyes focus and he looked up at her, trying to focus on what she was saying through the haze. He nodded wordlessly and finally shifted to get ready to stand up, Lydia's lifeless form in his arms. His legs were heavy as lead, but he knew he had to go inside. Some tiny part of him was screaming out logic at him in the back of his mind and he knew, he knew he couldn't stay outside.

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imintrouble
2012-12-03 10:12 pm UTC (link)

Gwen knew that Peter wouldn't be able to forget this. She could remember when his uncle died, she remembered trying to be there for him, but it hadn't worked very well. She only hoped that this time he would let her help him. When her father had passed he had taken it to heart, he had felt like he had to honor his wishes. Peter was bad about dealing with death. He'd had too much death in his life, more than his fair share, but it wasn't his fault. Really, it was just awful luck. He hadn't caused any of the deaths, no matter how much he felt like he did.

She hated pushing him like this, but the longer they remained outside the more danger they were in. So, even though he was silent, his movements were encouraging and closer to getting him and her to safety. Gwen stood with him, staying close, just in case he had any trouble with the other girl's body. He was hurt, though Gwen knew that he wasn't weak. She put one hand on his lower back, giving him just the lightest nudge. "Come on, it's not far, Peter. We'll put her somewhere safe."

Gwen felt bad for the girl that had lost her life. She didn't deserve this. At the same time she was glad that it hadn't been Peter...as awful as that was. Gwen knew she shouldn't think like that, but what would she have done if something had happened to him?

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itsallspandex
2012-12-03 11:01 pm UTC (link)

Peter was silent the whole walk back towards the complex. There was nothing to say at this point. And he was a little afraid that if he tried to talk, he'd lose whatever little bit of resolve he had left. The adrenaline high that had dulled the pain he'd had during the fight was wearing off and he was becoming increasingly aware of his own injuries. But for right now, in that moment, it didn't matter. Because the important thing was getting Lydia somewhere safe, much as the thought hurt him because really, she wasn't safe. She wasn't anything...because she was dead.

After they had gotten Lydia somewhere "safe", Peter could already feel the resolve slipping and the pain wasn't getting any better. He stood for a long moment in the doorway of the room they'd put the redhead in. Somehow, in that moment, the reality of it all hit him like a ton of bricks to the gut. It wasn't that he hadn't known before, but there was a large part of him that had been hoping, praying, wishing, begging that this was all some insanely realistic nightmare and he might wake up from it. But now he knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that wasn't true. A shaky gasp escaped him and he had to hang on to the door frame to keep from collapsing. For a moment, his mouth moved wordlessly before his eyes cut back to Gwen. "She... she's really gone." he whispered, choking back a sob.

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imintrouble
2012-12-03 11:23 pm UTC (link)

It was so hard to watch him like this. She couldn't even imagine everything that he was feeling. Most of her didn't want to. She knew that it had to hurt tremendously. Peter didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve having to bury another person, or having to carry a friend's body to safety. He didn't deserve to be hurt. None of the people here right now deserved to be going through all of this. It was hard for Gwen seeing him like this. She was on the verge of a whole lot of emotion herself, knowing there was nothing she could do to help or make this better.

It was hard to watch him. She'd gotten him to where it'd be safe to leave Lydia's body, but it was sad. She was so young and it really was not fair that this had happened to her. Gwen waited, giving Peter whatever distance he needed at the moment. She felt almost like she were intruding on something private, even if she weren't exactly. It just felt wrong to watch him. She had to make sure he got to the medbay, though. He was hurt.

Hearing his voice brought Gwen out of that, though. She looked up at him, giving a light nod. "She's gone, Peter. I'm sorry." And Gwen couldn't help herself, she moved in and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, wanting to do anything that she could to help him through this moment. No matter how hard it was.

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itsallspandex
2012-12-04 12:36 am UTC (link)

As soon as her arms were around him, that was it. It was over. To say it simply: He broke. He clung to Gwen, ignoring the pain that it caused because that mattered so much less than this. He needed the contact to remind him to breathe, to feel. And for awhile, he just stayed like that, half leaned up against the door frame, clinging to her, letting all of what he had bottled up was over him.

He wasn't sure how long they were like that, but after awhile, he was finally breathing in a normal pattern again. And he was incredibly aware of the pain, wincing and letting out a hiss of pain as he pulled away from her.

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imintrouble
2012-12-04 01:03 am UTC (link)

Gwen was ready to stay like this for however long Peter needed. She didn't mind that he was practically clinging to her. As long as he wasn't causing himself a great deal of pain....she would stay like this. Well, unless something attacked them, but at the moment even that didn't quite cross her mind. For now, Gwen just hugged Peter back because that was what he needed.

It didn't really matter how long they were like that to Gwen, but him pulling away reminded her exactly what they need to do next. Mostly because of that wince. "We need to get you to the medbay." Gwen told him, her hand going to his arm yet again. She knew that it wouldn't actually keep him up or magically help him, but for some reason she just felt like she needed to stay close. It made her feel better.

"You can make it, right?" She asked, just to double check. She just couldn't quite tell how bad his injuries were. She wasn't a doctor. He'd know just how badly he felt, though. If he needed, she would run and get help for him.

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itsallspandex
2012-12-04 01:21 am UTC (link)

"I know," he said softly to her comment about the medbay. He didn't mind her being so close. It helped, actually. Maybe not physically, but mentally. It reminded him he wasn't alone. And right now? That was incredibly important. Probably more than anything else.

He nodded at her question, "Yeah, I'll be okay." He assured her. As okay as he could be, anyway. But he didn't want her to have to go get someone else so they could help him down to the medbay. He didn't want her to leave. He wasn't sure he could do it, that he could handle being alone right now, even if it was just for a short while.

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imintrouble
2012-12-04 09:47 pm UTC (link)

"As long as you don't fight me on it." Gwen told him, though it wasn't really all that great when it came to joking. This wasn't really a time to joke.

It was a little hard to be so close to him and to be so comforting, but at the same time Gwen knew that this was what she needed to do for him too. It was a little hard to forget the fact that where she had come from he had broken up with her. In his own time he hadn't done that yet, so she didn't really know where they stood at the moment. Gwen wasn't sure what had been between Lydia and Peter. Whatever it was Gwen knew that her loss was upsetting to him. She didn't want to be selfish, especially at a time like this. It wasn't about her, it was about Peter, he was the one that was hurt and he was the one that had lost someone he cared about.

"I'm here if you need to lean on me or anything." She reminded him. She'd be right there alongside him. Gwen remembered where the medbay was, luckily. She hoped that things were all right there.

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