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｡･:*:･ﾟCHAPTER FIFTEEN ｡･:*:･ﾟ
"anti-gray defense"
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GRAY OFTEN WONDERED what percentage of his traits were hereditary.

 His hair, his skin, his eyes. The way his voice softened when he spoke Spanish and the way his words twisted into the slightest accent in times when he didn't even realize it. The way he never perfected long division but learned to roundhouse kick after an hour. The way he could remember lyrics and phrases and the tone of which people spoke, but often had to rely on muscle memory for exactly what he had to do. His sharp jawline and slender hands that never stopped fiddling, and his messy hair and feminine eyelashes. Essentially, him as a person derived from people he couldn't even remember. A product of factors that still existed but didn't hold a prominent place in his mind.

 And then there was the only side of things. The way he scrunched his nose and rolled his eyes whenever people that he didn't like spoke. The way that he held a certain sense of superiority in his thoughts; causing him to often wonder why others couldn't see how his opinion was obviously correct. The way he laughed when he was uncomfortable and looked for answers even when they were already present. The way his gaze was always drifting to meet the eyes of someone who understood him. Who taught him to be who he was. 

 And lately, he couldn't find that gaze.

 But he knew that all of those traits could converge and force him to focus on one thing. The worst case scenario. The wreckage; or perhaps the aftermath, of every event that pans in his life. Gray had grown too familiar with the erratic beating of his own heart, and the way it made his throat hurt and his eyes burn. Anxious, suspecting, a boy who observes possibilities instead of facts. 

 But sometimes, the facts are hard to ignore. Especially when they are engulfing statues and blowing up in flames directly in front of your face. 

The Elemental was so close to him that Gray felt uncomfortable heat smothering his skin. He tapped the side of the mask, causing the bottom half of it to cover his mouth and nose; allowing him to breathe comfortably. His eyes darted across the civilians screaming and hurrying away, and exhaled sharply. "The thing is literally right on my ass, what am I supposed to do?"

 "You know what to do, Specter." Beck said in his earpiece, and Gray resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He stepped into the middle of the large open space, glancing over his shoulders at the hundreds of people yelling and struggling to run away.

 "Right," Gray mumbled, shaking out his arms. "Crowd control."

 The Elemental roared, smashing its hand onto a parked car. Flames were spreading faster than disease; but Gray remembered the tip about metal. He outstretched his hand, feeling the pull of gravity on his fingers as he sent the car skidding away. 

 He raised his voice to be heard over the yelling. "Hey! Prick!"

 The creature turned his way, so Gray outstretched his hands. He counted to three, before glancing to his right. "Anytime now, Parker."

 Seconds later, a fire hydrant to his right exploded. Gray turned, grunting as he motioned with his hands to direct the water at the creature. His muscles contracted, so he clenched his jaw and focused on the matter at hand. The creature stumbled back, the water connecting with the fire and filling the area with thick smoke. 

 A green blast of energy almost knocked Gray off his feet. It wasn't even directed at him - and was courtesy of Mysterio; who stepped next to him and pushed the creature back with what seemed to be minimal effort.

 Gray scowled. How was it fair that Gray had to sleep for three days after exerting his powers to feel normal again, and this rando could do it like it wasn't even an inconvenience? He wished the scientists who gave him his abilities were better at their job.

The Elemental lashed its fist out, and Gray realized with a mini-heart attack that it was directed at Peter. The boy springed out of the way, his new all black attire making him hard to follow in the night. He landed on top of a carousel; but didn't even have a moment to regain his surroundings before the creature hit him again, the children's ride blowing up in flames as Peter was thrown away.

 Gray cursed, running forward. He tried to pull the creature's arm back, but it was growing as he moved; and the action made Gray's arms shake. It lashed its fist out at him. Gray managed to catch the hit, the fire fanning out as it came into contact with the shield his powers provided. Still, the force was strong enough that it made his feet skid backwards, the suit not providing enough traction to keep him in place. He grimaced, groaning as he struggled to hold the blow back. 

 A blue glint caught his eye.

Gray momentarily lost his focus. He saw it again; a blinking blue light that seemed to be encapsulated by the fire. Almost as if it was... a part of it. Gray blinked, before the air left his lungs as he was thrown backwards. His back hit some sort of metal structure, his only thought being "oh shit" as his head hit the ground. Pain flashed through his forehead, and he grimaced, turning and clusmily stumbling to his feet.

 That's why he thought he was hallucinating when he heard voices from above him. They sounded vaguely familiar, but he wasn't sure why. He also wasn't sure what they were saying... it sounded like they were yelling "monkey" over and over again, but that didn't make any sense...

 He saw the creature hitting a green forcefield surrounding Peter, so he exhaled and ran forward. He wasn't sure what he was doing at this point, but he vaguely recollected Beck telling them to "hit it with something it can't absorb."

 So Gray turned his attention to a large mound of rocks that were the remnants of a probably super old fountain. He lifted one with a mild struggle, cursing under his breath as he reared his arm back and threw it at the creature with as much force as his tired arms could muster. "Absorb this motherfucker!"

 The rock hit him, but pretty much did nothing else. Gray cursed, turning to sprint away as the Elemental roared and pursued him. He slid under an arch of rock, pressing his back to one of the bigger boulders as fire shot out from all around him, singing his hair and probably giving him second-hand smoke lung damage. 

He popped up as soon as the flames stopped, yelling as he pushed the creature backwards; assisted by a blast from Mysterio. He felt it again; the exertion pulling him in two different directions. Like this fire-monster was somehow trying to rip him in half. 

 As if he was fighting more than one fire monster. 

 "Something's wrong here!" Gray yelled, his mask disappearing around his mouth so that his words could be heard more clearly by the man beside him. He glanced to the side, ignoring the trembling in his arms as he took a step forward and thrust the creature back another step. "Beck!"

 "We have to keep it away from the ferris wheel!" The man yelled in response, making Gray's gut tighten with frustration. 

 "The ferris wheel isn't gonna mean shit if-"

 He was cut off by a loud crash as the monster rammed into the structure behind it, metal poles plunging into its exterior. Gray cursed, stepping forward to shove Mysterio's hand back. He waved his arms, sending the poles flying to the side. 

"It's no use," Beck said, earning a wild and disbelieving side-eye from. The man lifted a finger, pointing at the monster as if it were about to swallow them whole. "Look."

 It was growing. Growing so much that it didn't make sense. Gray continued to rid its form of the metal, but it continued to rise towards the sky as if his powers were the thing fueling it. Like it was benefiting from his pain... or perhaps from his failure.

 It didn't make sense and it was driving Gray to the edge. He stepped back; inhaled smoky-air until he felt lightheaded, and scanned his eyes over his surroundings. Fire. Burning. Ash. Rubble. It sure looked like a battlefield. But Gray didn't feel the same way he did when he fought Thanos on Titan. He didn't feel any hope or lack thereof. He just felt as if his mind was about to literally explode from how hard he was struggling to think. To rationalize.

 It didn't make sense.

Gray pushed past the man, feeling the heat on his face and the energy from the creature ruffle his hair. He held his arms out, steeling his nerves, before focusing all of his attention on what he could feel in the Elemental. It felt normal from far away; like he was rooted to it - as he was everything else. He could feel the pulsations of energy emitting from it; as well as the heat climbing up his arms. When he clenched his fists and pulled his arms to the side; he could feet it's matter splitting with the gesture. He was pulling it apart; yet it wasn't moving. It seemed to be mending itself; like it was supplied with its own form of white blood cells. 

It's own anti-Gray defense.

 He yelled, trying to ease some of the pressure under his skin; but it was no use. He felt a sharp pressure on his chest; as if it was pushing him back, and he lost his balance. Stumbling backward, his back hit the ground, making him lose his grip on the creature as it continued to grow. 

  He coughed, rolling over to his side. His confusion had since transformed into anger. Pure, unfiltered rage at how this stupid fucking thing wasn't conforming to the laws of physics. Or, the laws of Gray physics. He rose to his feet, fully prepared to go full Gray Method on this bitch; but didn't get the chance.

 It was Mysterio. Green light surrounding him; pulsating erratically as if in direct reference to the beat of his heart. Yelling as if enraged or in pain, rising into the air and flying directly towards the creature. They seemed to collide - which didn't register in Gray's mind. He was too focused on trying to figure out what was going on. The light was growing painful to look at, so he turned back and knelt down, bracing himself. A hot blast of energy richocheted away from the monster and the wizard with a deafening boom; and Gray was momentarily stunned to the capacity that he didn't notice he was knocked off his feet until he was staring at the sky.

 His ears were ringing. He couldn't hear anything except for his own blood pumping through his ears. He sat up, his eyesight slightly blurry; a thought registering in his mind. Peter.

He didn't even realize he mumbled the name aloud; stumbling to his feet and looking around. His surroundings were charred and smoking; but were no longer being catapulted around by a fictitious monster. Everything was so dark in the absence of fire and green light, but Gray could spot Peter easily. He was kneeling next to a motionless Beck; who seemed to have slumped amongst the remains of the fight. 

 Gray felt like he was going to puke. Something was so very wrong. 

 He walked over and grabbed onto Peter's arm. The boy turned to look at him, his face completely obscured by his mask so that Gray felt as if he was staring at his own shadow. "He's alive." He panted, and when Gray's mask began to disappear from his face, Peter rapidly shook his head. "Not yet." 

 Gray glanced over his shoulder where the boy gestured, spotting two figures hanging precariously from a spot on the ferris wheel. Even through the smoke he recognized Betty and Ned; and rolled his eyes. Of course they ended up here right as a deadly elemental did. Impeccable timing. 

He directed his attention back to Mysterio. The man's eyes were open, and his skin was burned and red from the fire. Other than that, he seemed perfectly fine for a man who literally just blew up an other-wordley demon.  Peter helped him to his feet as Gray crossed his arms.

 Beck situated himself on a piece of rock, breathing heavily as Fury approached the three. He was also donning all black; and the smoke obscuring him only made him seem more deadly. Gray regretted yelling at him. "So it's over?"

 "That was the last of them." The man panted. A small spasm echoed through the muscles in Gray's arms, so he grimaced and turned to walk a few steps, shaking them out and slowly clenching and unclenching his fists. When he returned, Fury was looking down at Mysterio with what seemed to be partially hidden admiration in his dark eye. 

 "There's a void in this world for someone like you." The man said, and the words made a flash of anger jolt up Gray's chest. "Hill and I are going to Europol headquarters in Berlin tomorrow, you should join us."

 The man rose to his feet, "thank you. I might just take you up on that."

 Gray's mask dematerialized around his mouth as he scoffed. "A void?" He repeated incredulously as Fury turned to look at him. "Seriously? You're trying to replace him with-"

 "There is no replacing happening here, Moreno, and it's a trivial thing to suggest." The man shot back in his sharp voice. "You're more skilled than I care to admit, but I can't imagine you'd be okay with leaving behind your family to work with me, would you?"

 "Sir," Gray began slowly, lowering his voice. "There's something weird about those Elementals. I could feel it when-" 

 "It was incredibly powerful." Fury said, his tone finalizing. "Not everything has to have an ulterior motive."

 "No that's not what-" he clamped his lips shut, so frusterated that he could cry. He settled with silence, thankful for his mask as he shot Mysterio a sharp look. Fury walked over to Peter.

"You got gifts, Parker, but you didn't want to be here."

 "Mr. Fury, I-"

 "I'd love to have you in Berlin, too. But you got to decide whether you're going to step up or not. Stark chose you. He made you an Avenger. I need that. The world needs that."

 Gray suddenly felt as if he was suffocating, so his mask default disappeared from his face. He wasn't too worried - his back was facing the ferris wheel - but his gut twisted. Peter's eyes drifted from Fury's as the man spoke the next words; meeting Gray's as the ashen wind ruffled his hair. "Maybe Stark was wrong... was he?"

 Peter's eyes on his made Gray's skin crawl. Fury repeated his last words, as if reiterating their meaning. "Was he?"

 Fury turned, walking toward his car. He passed Gray on his way, the boy tapping his temple so that his red face was hidden. He couldn't stand there much longer - he felt like his muscles were unraveling instead of holding him upright. Hearing Fury talk about Tony - trying to recreate his words even after he was dead - made Gray sick to his stomach. He was trying to get into Peter's head; but the memory of Gray's mentor was choking him and preventing him from speaking up. Mysterio walked slowly up to Peter, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let's get a drink."

 Gray spun around and began to walk away. He was taking deep breaths of air, but couldn't seem to be able to breathe. How was it that Tony could be everywhere at once, yet no where? Dead, but still prominent; a fact that made it impossible for Gray to find his balance. 

 "Gray-" he wasn't sure how many times Peter had called his name, but he managed to grab his wrist as the boy was passing through a tight alleyway. He turned to look down at him, his only discernable features his eyes. "Hey, are you okay?"

Gray's mask disappeared, his red face on full display. "Don't tell me you don't see it." He said, his chest tight. 

 Peter blinked, "See what?"

 "Come on, Parker!" Gray gestured to the direction they came from, his heartbeat increasing to make up for lost oxygen. "That thing! It was wrong, it didn't make sense!" He was flustered now, and kept glancing back and forth to root himself to his surroundings. "It-it destroyed Beck's planet? How did he beat it in less than ten minutes here?"

 "I don't know, maybe we just got lucky-" 

 "Lucky?" Gray repeated incredulously. "Peter, you do understand the aptitude of 'world destroying' right?"

 "Yeah, of course I do!" The boy grabbed onto Gray's arms, shaking him slightly. His words felt earnest, but Gray could sense the barrier between them. "I just guess I can hope that things were easy this time, you know?"

 "Things are never easy."

 "Easy enough that I don't have to be the next Iron Man?" Peter demanded, his voice rising an octave; presumably alongside his nerves. "Gray, how am I supposed to live up to that? How can I possibly be what Fury wants me to be?"

 Gray's emotions did a somersault in his stomach, so he took a step backward and gestured widely with his arms. "Why is everyone talking about him as if he was some weapon that can just be replaced?" 

 "Come on, you know that's not what I meant-" 

 "Whatever, Parker." He started to turn away, but Peter grabbed his wrist again. 

 "You can't just say 'whatever' to everything and expect it to go away!" 

 "Yeah, well I can try." Gray rolled his eyes. "Have fun getting drinks with Beck. Ask him about his old planet if you can."

 He wondered if he got his double-jointed thumbs from his parents. If idiosyncrasies could be hereditary. Perhaps his easily-reddened cheeks were courtesy of his mother; and the way his bit his tongue when he focused was from his father. Still, there were some traits that he couldn't discern between inherited and taught. Pushing people away instead of asking for help... something more self destructive than effective; maybe it came from his genes. Or maybe it was just another aspect of himself that Fury saw as if in remembrance of a man who was more than anyone else could imagine.

 And with that thought, he turned and walked into the clearer side of the night.