𝗼𝐧𝐞
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She saw it coming, but she ignored all the signs and kept going.

Y/n Stark is an intelligent person. Some people might call her crazy, some call her a genius, and sometimes a bit of both, just like her father. Yet when it comes to love, Y/n Stark is an absolute idiot. She wasn't inexperienced in the Love Department. She had her fair share of relationships in the past, a lot of them, yet none of them had cured the pain in her chest. Because her heart only yearned for one boy. Y/n didn't know when she had started loving Peter, but all she could remember was the feeling of something warm in her chest and the want of just being by his side forever.

But that crumbled until this very moment.

Y/n watched from afar. MJ and Peter, happily united, talking and finally...kissing. As she watch the scene unfold before her, the feeling of her chest tightening, and the lack of oxygen came back. She could feel it slowly, the roots spreading across her chest, stems growing bit by bit, and the flowers starting to bloom. It wasn't until later that she felt herself choking and the need for oxygen. First, she coughed up one petal, then two, until it became a pile scattered on the concrete floor. She immediately went behind a bus to hide from her two friends and continued her coughing fit. Her mouth sputtered more yellow petals and blood. They couldn't see her like that. She doesn't them to see her like that.

Yellow Carnation - the meaning of rejection in the flower language. Y/n laughed at the thought of how such a beautiful flower could symbolize something so painful.

Rejection. Y/n Stark had experienced it two times in her life. The first, being the rejection of her mother, hence why she now lives with her father. And the second, was Peter's. She hadn't confessed to Peter, but she knew even before, he already had his heart set on someone. And that someone wasn't her.

"Miss Stark, would you like me to take you to the nearest hospital? I am seeing some restrictions in your trachea, which is making you hard to breathe." Edward, her A.I., spoke through the earpiece she wore.

"I'm fine Edward. Just- Just get me out of here." she managed to speak out in labeled breaths.

"But your wounds, Miss. You need to tend to them, it would le-"

"Just get me out of here Edward!" Her head was immediately wrapped in her nanotech helmet and she flies across the sky as fast as she could. She didn't know where to go, her mind was completely elsewhere. But when she saw a nearby building, she didn't hesitate to land and release herself from her suit. She knelt on the ground, shaking. Her body felt so fragile she could feel herself breakdown from the physical injuries she had taken, and the emotional ones taking over her body.

The bracelet buzzed on her wrist, indicating an incoming call. She opened the holographic screen, and Happy's contact picture appeared. She pressed the green button.

"Kid!" his panicked voice rang in her ears. "Are you alright? Where are you? Your suit is sending me an alert!"

She sniffled and sobbed out, "Happy. Ha-Happy it hurts. Please pick me up."

"It's okay kid. I got you. I'm coming for you so stay there. Okay? Just hang on!"

The call ended and she curled up in a ball. The comfort of the wind blowing past her made her feel a bit better. She closed her eyes in hopes of getting rid of the pain. Although her body received a lot of physical damage, the pain couldn't be compared to the pain she felt inside.

***

His hand held her shoulder while hers were place on his neck. The kiss was soft, and blissful. Peter could've sworn he was dreaming had MJ not been holding on his neck as a gentle reminder that it was indeed real. He couldn't believe it. He got the girl..

They broke away from each other, both teens with a smile and awkward stances as they stood.

"I-uhm. I should probably head back to the class." she cleared her throat and started walking backward slowly.

"I-I should too. Go check... Uhm- some stuff." he replied with a hearty grin.

"I'll see you later then."

"Y-yeah. I'll see you."

A grin was etched on his face as he looked back to take one last look at MJ. Peter had a skip in his step while walking back to the other side of the bridge. He couldn't be happier. Out of everything that has happened in this trip, this was the best. He played with the torn mask in his hand, Definitely gonna have to repair this once I get home, he thought.

He stops in his tracks when he felt something on his shoe. It felt icky and bit slippery when he glided it against the concrete. He looked down to see what he stepped on.

A pile of yellow petals covered in blood.

He cringed at the sight and started wiping his soles on the concrete floor. "Ugh. Gross." he mumbled under his breath. "Now that's a sight you don't see every day." he jokes to try and forget the picture. What was a pile of yellow petals even doing there anyway? Peter shrugged it off.

By the time he got to the other end, a sudden wave of realization hit him, and panic coursed through his veins. "Shit. Y/n!" he fumbles with his mask and immediately puts it on. "Karen! Call Y/n!" He runs through the streets and starts swinging around the strike zones. Her contact photo displayed on his screen. The call rang once, twice, until it went straight to voicemail. He called her cell again, no answer. He proceeded the call, but this time he contacted Happy. Thankfully, he answered.

"Hello, Peter?"

"Happy! Thank god you answered. Have you seen Y/n? I can't find her anywhere in the strike zones. Was she with you at the vault?"

"She's with me, Pete. Don't worry."

He felt relief wash over him. "Okay, okay. I'll meet you there. Where are you guys right now?"

"Uh we're stitching her up. But don't worry, you'll see her tomorrow with the class. Y/n- she needs to rest for a bit."

"What?" His brows furrowed. "'Stitch her up'? Is she hurt? I'm coming there as soon as I can."

"No! Uh- She's fine, she's fine. Just go and meet up with your class. I'll make sure your teacher knows that Y/n's gonna be with us for a while."

"Are you sure? Happy, I can get there in-" and the line went dead. He looked at his phone again in confusion. Happy never drops a call, unless it was pure bullshit. Something tells Peter that Y/n might not actually be alright. Last time she saw her, she was taking on a bunch of drones, yelling at him to take on Beck, and he quote, "Get the damn fucking glasses and kick his fucking ass for me and Dad!"

Peter senses were on about something, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Maybe it was his nerves acting up, not knowing if his best friend was fine or not. "Karen, can you track Y/n's bracelet for me?"

"Her systems are offline, Peter."

"What?" he blinked, "But that's impossible. Y/n always has her suit online."

"It could be possible that her suit is damaged. She had taken a lot of hits earlier."

Peter became silent. Things were started to get weird. Was Y/n really alright? She would've told him through the comms if she wasn't. Edward would've sent him an alert by now if she had gotten hurt. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He's gonna have to wait until tomorrow and ask her on the flight back to New York.

***

"Hey, has anyone seen Y/n? She wasn't with us on the plane." Betty asked.

It was a question that plagued Peter's mind all throughout the flight. Tomorrow had already came and he still hadn't seen Y/n. She wasn't at the hotel before they left, she wasn't on the bus to the airport, and She wasn't on the plane with the class. MJ noticed his distress the moment they sat together on the plane. So she offered him to get some sleep. It was awkward at first, but he soon became comfortable sleeping on her shoulder. All thoughts of Y/n's sudden disappearance were forgotten, until now.

"I heard from Mr. Harrington that she was taking her own flight back to New York using the Avengers' jet with her bodyguard." Flash appeared behind the group, scrolling through his feed and would look up from time to time. "Something about security and family matters, I think. I wouldn't blame her though. If my family could afford a jet, I would've gone ahead all of you guys."

Everyone rolled their eyes, "Yeah. Sure, Flash."

Peter and MJ fell into step easily, their hands entwined, and shoulders brushing from time to time. He held onto her hand tightly seeking comfort from the anxious thoughts that still ran on his mind, and thankfully, the normalcy MJ had provided just that.

"Do you think something happened to her?" he asked out of the blue but kept walking.

"Maybe. But I think she's alright. I mean, it's Y/n. She can handle almost anything, right?"

He smiled. She was right. If something had happened to Y/n, she would be fine in no time. But deep down, Peter knows there were some things that weren't in her control. He could only hope Happy was with her, safe and sound. "Yeah. You're probably right."

"And I always am. Look, there she is right now."

Peter's eyes followed the end of her finger, and she was right, yet again. Y/n was standing idly at the side. Her red turtleneck and jeans covered her body, showing no ounce of skin. He can tell that she was trying to keep a low profile to not attract any unwanted attention. Her cap, earphones, and the glasses she wore (which was her father's, until she snatched it and claimed it hers) told him so.

He didn't hesitate to walk towards her, pulling MJ along the way. Somehow Y/n still hadn't noticed the set of eyes on her and their presence coming. She was usually wary of her surroundings and could sense people easily. Peter thought of two possible reasons: either she was really digging the music she was listening to and was drowning the people around her, or she's ignoring their presence.

It wasn't until their shoes were below her phone that she took notice of the two. She looked up, took out her headphones and flashed them a forced smile. "Hey guys!" she greeted. He immediately knew something was wrong. She was trying to sound cheery and there was something off about her voice, like she was choking or something. Her eyes flicked from their entwined hands to his eyes, he could feel heat warm up his cheeks. He had hoped she wouldn't notice; Y/n wouldn't stop teasing him even before.

"So, you finally got the girl, eh?" She said smugly, wiggling her eyebrows in the process. "Congrats you guys! I'll be expecting an invitation in future. Just give me a call and I'll take care of the bills." Y/n laughed at her own joke, but Peter wasn't. He was staring her down, and his jaw became tight.

"Where were you? I went looking for you everywhere! You weren't on the bridge, you weren't on the other strike zones, and you weren't in any of the nearby buildings. I tracked your phone, you were offline. I called Happy, and he said I'm just gonna meet you on the flight back to New York. But you weren't with us. I didn't see you for almost 24 hours!"

Y/n stifled a laugh. "Geez. Sorry Grumpy, didn't knew I had such an effect on you. Don't worry, I was with Happy this whole time. Pepper wanted me to take the private jet with Happy 'coz she wasn't keen on letting me take the flight with you guys after the whole fiasco."

"But none of that explains why I couldn't find you after the fight."

"I went to Fury and Maria, needed me in headquarters. I also asked them to put me in med-bay 'coz to fix me up. They turned off my suit in case Beck's accomplices tried to track me, as well as my phone. Look, I'm back in one piece." She turned around to show him. "Honestly Peter, you're making it a big deal for nothing."

Peter curled his first, starting get annoyed. How can she be so nonchalant about this? The last time he saw her, she was fighting a whole armada of lethal drones. Then he calls Happy and finds out she had taken a lot of hits and was actually at the med-bay? And she thinks she's hiding it well, but he could see her leaning on her other foot instead of her dominant one, which was injured. He knew she was lying, and on top of that, she was hiding something.

She probably forgot, but Peter can read her like an open book.

"How can I not make a big deal out of this, Y/n? You were taking on lethal drones! I couldn't contact you for hours! Sorry if I'm "making a big deal for nothing" because my best friend's been MIA for the past 18 hours and I didn't know if you were fine or not 'coz Happy didn't want to tell me where you were!"

"Peter."

MJ's voice rang in his ears. It was like silence in a crowd of people. She placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, and thankfully, it helped him through. He heaved as he looked down on the floor. Not noticing Y/n's stare lingering on the hand on his shoulder. She puts her hand on her mouth to cough, and it wasn't an alright cough for Peter. I almost sounded like she was going to throw up.

"Are you done?" she said, unfazed by his outburst.

"Yeah. Yeah I am. Sorry."

"Look," she sighed, pocketing her phone. "I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone about my whereabouts firsthand, especially you. I wouldn't be so calm about it if I didn't know I wouldn't be fine afterwards. So you don't have to worry about anything Pete, I'm not going anywhere. It's not like I'm dying or anything. It's not like the end of the world, we just surpassed that."

They laugh at her own joke. It slowly died after in a moment of silence. "So, are we good?"

He grinned. "Yeah, we're good." He leans towards her to pull her in for a hug, but she backs away and coughed again, holding her ribs in the process. Peter looked at her confused.

"Sorry. Forgot to tell you I kinda broke a few ribs back in London, so no bear hugs for six weeks."

Peter scoffed, "Since when did that stop me?" He lets go of MJ's hand and wrapped his arms around her shoulder, making sure to be gentle in case she had other injuries. His face settled on her neck and his lips were just by her ear. Y/n could feel the hairs on her arms stand up from the feel of his hot breath. She tried to keep her heart calm, hoping that he wouldn't hear its pace from the simple action.

"I was really worried for you, y'know?" He said in a hushed tone. Now that surely would make her heart go crazy. "You're my best friend, I don't know what I'd do without you." Her heart immediately drops after hearing that. At least she wouldn't have to trouble herself keeping her heart place at a normal rate.

Y/n chuckled and whispered back, "I'm sure you'll live."

She didn't return the hug like she usually would. Instead, she patted his back and pulled away. It hurt Peter, but he brushed it off. It probably was best if she didn't because of the broken ribs. What he doesn't know was that Y/n didn't want to upset MJ who was just standing back, watching them reunite. If Peter was dating MJ, she should probably step back from being too touchy with him. It wouldn't look good, despite knowing MJ wouldn't really care about those kinds of things.

"Uhm-okay, I better go." She coughed. "I gotta get out of here before the reporters find me." Another cough again, and this time it wasn't any better than the last few. She reached for her handkerchief in her pocket and covered her mouth, wiping her mouth after and crumpling the cloth in her hand. "Sorry, that was gross. I promise you guys, I'm not contagious with anything, just got the flu."

MJ walked towards her, concern in her eyes. "That didn't sound good. Are you sure you're alright?"

Y/n had a teasing smile on her face. "And here I thought you were just gonna hang there forever."

"You guys were in the heat of the moment. And besides, Peter here needed some clarification. He was losing his mind during the whole of the flight." The tanned girl then narrowed her eyes, "And don't try and change the subject. I know what you were trying there, Stark."

She shrugged, "Eh, it was worth a try. And to answer your question, for the hundredth time this day, I am." Her mouth gave another hack and she directed it away from them. As she stood upright both Peter's and MJ's eyes widen at the sight. Soon, Y/n started mirroring their expression, and she was hoping they hadn't caught on what was happening to her.

"What? What is it?" She questioned cautiously.

"Y/n, you're bleeding." MJ pointed at the corner of her mouth. She immediately wiped it away with her handkerchief. "Ah shit, I bit my tongue." Y/n laughed off, waving like it was nothing.

"Y/n you're coughing up blood." Peter took a step forward to examine her face, but she was quick on her toes to take one step back and push away his hand. She coughed again on the piece of cloth

"I'm not." She wheezed out. "Look, I really have to go now, okay. Pepper wants me back home before I have to deal with the paparazzi. I'll see you guys soon, but I gotta go. Bye!"

She left before they could even get a word out. Y/n didn't turn back, just left as quickly as she can and get through the horde of people who were waiting at the gate. She could still feel the lingering stares and the concern in both of her friends' eyes. It hurt her to watch them. She could still see the picture of their hands entwined together. And just when she thought she won't see them again after the trip.

She was sorely mistaken.

***

Y/n lied about meeting up with her friends soon.

Every time their group would plan to go out for a movie, eat at a diner, go to the arcade, or simply hang out at each other's place, she didn't come. It was always the same reasons: she planned on sleeping in, had to babysit Morgan, Pepper showing her the ropes in the company, Training with Bucky and Sam, or hanging out with Wanda. They wondered if she really was doing those things, but Peter had already seen through all her lies.

  And so, Betty brought up an idea. "Why don't we surprise her? You know, go to her house, or something."

"Yeah right. Like we can just "walk up" to the Avengers Compound and surprise her." Flash scoffed, scrolling through his phone."

"I'm sure they'll let us in, we're her friends. And besides, Peter's with us. He's been there a lot of times; he could get us in." Betty turned to him, "Assuming you'd be fine with that, Peter?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course!" He nodded, a little too excited. You can't blame him though. As much as Y/n had been avoiding her friends, she had given the same treatment to him as well. He would try and chat with her until late at night like they always do. He tried calling her and asked her if she was alright whenever he would notice that something was wrong. But it was always the same, short replies and would end the call after two minutes of starting it. Truth be told, Peter hadn't even been to the Compound for a long time now. He would try and come by, but she would tell him not too and give him a bunch of ridiculous reasons just to keep him away. There had been a shift in their relationship, and it was evident since the day at the airport. When she felt uneasy the moment she saw him and MJ hand in hand.

He would sometimes call Happy and ask if she was okay. But he was just the same. And he always had that uneasy tone like the last time he called him in London.

There definitely was something wrong with Y/n, and Peter was dying to find out why.

Flash was the one who drove them at the Compound. Says he wanted to come because it was "A Chance of a Lifetime" to be able to visit where the Avengers lived. All of them were in complete awe - besides Peter and MJ. They start looking around once they entered, jaws still slack until they reached the elevator.

"Good morning, Peter." F.R.I.D.A.Y. greeted through the speakers, making the teens jump. "Would you like me to inform Y/n of your visit?"

"No. Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y."

They elevator stopped and the metal doors open to the communal area. His friends stared at him, waiting for an explanation of what happened. "Oh-uh, that was Tony's A.I... She kind of controls everything in here." They gave a silent "Oh." And continued to walk around the area, but careful as to not break or step on anything worth more than-probably, their lives

"Bucky! Did you steal the last cup of my cookie dough?! I told you to get your own stock!  If Morgan finds out she's gonna rip- "

The Stark girl stopped in her tracks when she noticed the familiar faces in the living room. Her eyes were wide in surprise and she almost dropped the freshly cooked bowl of popcorn she was going to bring up to her room. Betty had a gift basket in her arms, Flash had his phone out to record the whole thing, Ned had a "Get Well Soon!" balloon, and MJ and Peter stood side by side, still as close the last time she saw them. Her heart clenched again, and she could feel the flowers, wanting to throw up a whole bouquet then and there.

"Surprise!" Ned and Betty greeted awkwardly throwing their hands up. They were the first ones to come up to her and give her a warm hug.

"W-What are you guys doing here?"

MJ started, "We wanted to surprise you. It's been a while since we last saw you- "

"And hung out with us!" Ned interjected.

"So, we decided to come and visit you." Peter finished for them.

"Back at the airport you were looking pale, so we thought you were still sick until now. Hence why we brought this lovely gift basket and balloon for you."

"Thanks guys. But you really didn't have to."

Betty waved it off. "Oh please, It's the least we could do. You've been here ever since our trip ended! We missed hanging out with you, right guys?"

"Right." they answered in chorus.

She had a soft expression on her face that Peter couldn't quite place. Isn't she happy they came by? Before Peter could voice out his question, Y/n started to hurl, and she covered her mouth to prevent whatever was in her mouth spilling on the floor. She quickly dashed to the nearest sink and coughed out the bits in her mouth. The running water rushed down the drain, while the garbage disposal took care of the yellow petals she coughed out. She gripped tightly on the edge of the sink and heaved to catch a breath. She flinched when she felt a hand on her back.

Everyone was circled around her, and the fear of them finding out about the secret she's been hiding for so long wasn't helping with the anxiety she moved away, making sure she was at least a few feet away. Her friends gave her a concerned look, not knowing why she was acting strange. But she could see another glint in their eyes: pity. One of the many things that Y/n Stark hated, being pitied.

"Woah! Y/n, how long has that been going on? Are you sure you're not sick? That looked crazy!" Flash exclaimed, not tucking away his phone. He had the same concern in his eyes. It was rare to see Flash concerned about something.

"Thanks, Eugene. But I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Peter spoke up in a rather harsh tone. It caused the air to become tense and Y/n's heartbeat spike from the anxiety. Y/n never would have thought Peter would have to use that tone at her – again. She thought by now he would have already forgotten her little episode in the airport, what with all the hang outs he did with the others, patrols and dates with MJ. "You haven't been feeling well since you came back. It's wasn't just the flu, was it Y/n?" He walked closer to her but takes two steps back every time he does.

"No, No, Of course not. I'm just feeling a bit under the weather- "

"You're lying!" everyone shook at his outburst. "Stop making things up and tell us you're fine, 'coz we can clearly that you aren't. Y/n you haven't been fine since we came back. Just tell what's going on so we can help you through it."

  Y/n sighed through her nose. It was quiet for a moment before she opened her eyes and gave them a sad look. "You guys should go. Pepper doesn't want me to have visitors until I'm cleared." Without another glance, she left them and went back to her room. She looked at her windows and saw her friends leave the compound. Regret filled her after that, and she tried to keep herself distracted from the heavy feeling that weighed on her shoulders. Text messages came through her phone that night. She received each one from her friends and left them on read. She had hoped Peter would've sent one too. But the day ended, and none came through from Peter.

  ***

Once he was sure everyone was asleep in the Compound, Peter sneaked out of his apartment. It was in the middle of the night, and the Compound was quiet. Sneaking to Y/n's room was easy. She always left her window for him so that he could sneak in and visit whenever he liked. Lucky for him, her window was still open. He slipped in quietly and closed the glass. The room was a bit of a mess, compared to the usual clean and kept room he had been used to. Y/n wasn't in her bed, but the covers were pulled up, meaning she must've woken up. The bathroom light was on, and he could hear the faucet running.

Peter walked around the room, unsure of what he was supposed to do now. He doesn't usually do this. When Y/n was keeping something from him, he lets her be. She always promised that she would tell him, and they would talk it out when the time was right and when she was comfortable with telling him. But seeing her condition worsen and the blood on her lips while she coughed her lungs out, he became desperate. He was not about to lose another valuable person in his life. Just as he was about to take a seat on the bed, he noticed something on the floor.

  A pile of yellow petals covered in blood.

  It trailed, all the way to the bathroom.  And just as Peter was about to stand up and walk to the door, the water stopped running and the knob turned. Y/n came out wiping the corner of her mouth with a towel breathing heavily. She looked paler than earlier, and her eyes were red. She had only taken notice of the other presence in her room when she looked at Peter. He had this horrified expression when he looked at the trail that connected from the little pile beside the bed to her. She stood in front of him, like a deer caught in headlights.

No use in hiding it from him now.