Chapter 68 – A friendly hug
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"And kid, unfortunately it's all true. But I don't blame them, it's normal for some not to know the difference and even be afraid of someone who not only is enhanced, which in itself is quite scary for regular folks, and on top of that, this person not being American, but what can you do, they've always been like that, they prefer to bet everything on a superhero who couldn't care less about anything other than fame and spotlights instead of trying to trust a foreign enhanced."
Tony still standing by Peter's bed while looking at the young man with a mixed expression; sometimes he would get serious because of everything that was happening with Wanda and, at other times, he would be indifferent to everything that was going on, typical of Tony Stark.
"How long are they going to continue with this senseless prejudice? This won't lead us anywhere, quite the opposite. This is how they end up creating villains. Imagine if Wanda keeps receiving this kind of treatment, and soon she, who is a person, how can I say, unstable, ends up exploding and directing all this resentment against us?"
Peter asked with a serious yet somewhat relaxed expression, which even scared Tony with the maturity the young man showed.
"I fully agree with everything you said, kid, but we still have a lot to learn from the world. But if I were you, I'd go talk to her."
Tony said, looking at Peter.
"I would go, but the problem is I don't know where she went. Before I could go after her, her brother stopped me, telling me to leave her alone for a while."
Peter replied in a calmer and more tranquil tone, a bit different from the young man who was talking to Tony a few seconds ago. After saying that, he starts walking slowly towards the window of his room, where there was a beautiful view of the woods right in front.
"You're looking at it."
Tony said quickly, not dwelling too much on his words.
Before continuing, he started walking towards Peter and pointed towards the woods, saying.
"This isn't the first time this has happened and whenever it did, she always went there to try to clear her mind. At least that's what her brother told us."
Peter stared at the woods through the window for a few seconds without saying a word. He wanted to go, but he was also on the fence. What if she really wanted some time alone and he ended up ruining that moment? Tony, noticing the young man's uncertainty and already knowing the reason, tries to give him a little push.
"Go on, kid. Who do you think you're fooling? I know you're itching to jump out of this window and go after her. You're not fooling anyone, and everyone is starting to notice."
Tony said, trying to encourage Peter to go after Wanda.
"I don't know, what if she..."
Peter said, still hesitant, but he couldn't finish because Tony interrupted him.
"Kid, there's no 'I don't know'. She's there alone and needing a friendly shoulder, if you know what I mean. You're just going there to try to console her, got it?"
Tony asked, not giving Peter time to speak, let alone think. His only option was to accept or accept, there was no "no" in the alternative Tony was offering; either he went, or he went.
"Alright, Mr. Stark, I'll go. You convinced me."
Peter said, smiling sincerely, but who was he kidding? It was evident how much he wanted to go after Wanda, all he needed was a little push. And Tony, realizing this, went there and gave him that push the boy needed.
After saying that, Peter starts walking towards his backpack, which was on top of the bed, Tony noticing this starts staring at the young man with a curious expression on his face.
"What are you looking for?"
Tony asked, still not understanding the reason for the boy's sudden action.
"I'm looking for my old web shooters."
Peter replied as he searched for a small black device with some shades of blue. After finding it, Peter puts it on his wrists and turns to Tony. Who still stared at him without understanding.
"Why are you still using those old things when you have these new ones?"
Tony asked, now pointing to the watch on Peter's wrist.
"I don't know either, probably because of nostalgia. These shooters have been with me for a long time. And even though they are already quite old and worn out, they have saved my life several times."
After saying that, Peter shoots a web on each side of the window and starts to retreat to gain momentum. After that, he launches himself out and, in a quick and precise movement, shoots another web, this time towards the complex and propels himself again, this time towards the woods.
INSIDE THE WOODS
After arriving in the woods, Peter spent almost half an hour wandering through that small forest in search of any clue that would lead him to Wanda's location. But so far, no sign of the redhead's presence. It was as if she wasn't there, or perhaps didn't want to be found by anyone.
"Wanda, where are you? It's me, Peter. I just want to talk."
Peter shouted, trying to get the attention of the redhead who, for some reason, was hiding even from him. As he raised his voice, he began to search the surroundings for any sign of the young woman, but unfortunately, no sign of Wanda.
(Dang, Wanda, where did you go?)
Peter thought as he walked still aimlessly and without direction.
After almost two hours of walking through the dense forest, he came across a small river and, coming from that direction, he noticed a gentle sob. With cautious and calm steps, he approached and found Wanda by the river, with her arms wrapped around her knees and still shedding some tears.
RECOGNITION TO MEMBERS:
Matthew Jimenez🤝 - THANK YOU FOR ACTIVATING THE DOMAIN EXPANSION "MAHAYANA PRISON".
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