epidemiology | blinded me, with SCIENCE!

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blinded me, with SCIENCE!

CHARACTERS: Peter & Stiles
DATE: idk a time-ish time
WARNINGS: peters and stiles combined are always the worst
SUMMARY: SCIENCE!!!! for a bounty. this one.

( now, Perdition's Rest is a busy place, and it seems like there are a lot of people in need of a lot of things. it's kept Peter on his toes, which is a good thing. he's always better off when he's too busy to really think about things. like the fact he's sleeping on the floor not five feet from an alternate-reality version of his dead girlfriend that has spider powers of her own. he's gotten better about thinking about that, but still, sometimes a guy needs a distraction.

and when he'd heard of Farmer Zephyr's well problem, it sounded exactly like something he could fix. fix without need of his spider senses, which was actually nice on occasion. and of course, Peter never seemed to do anything alone, not so long as he could hassle Stiles into coming with him. since Stiles slept maybe six feet away from previously mentioned alternate-reality version of his dead girlfriend, it was often easy to harass him into tagging along.

the well in question wasn't too terrifying, honestly. pretty stone, a quaint little wooden frame. Peter peered down to the bottom, head tilted. ) No apparent smell or anything, so that's something, but plenty of poison is odorless so I'm gonna need a s— Oh god, there's something in the well, run while you still can!

( unfortunately for Stiles, Peter could fit right into a horror movie, and his utter commitment to his terror is probably enough to terrorize Stiles too, until he realizes there's nothing actually pulling Peter into the well. thankfully, Samara skipped this one. Peter does not deserve to be saved from the non-existent threat, especially when he laughs at the momentary panic. why is anyone friends with him. he nudges Stiles with a shoulder, and his grin is endearing, even if he's the worst friend in the world. ) It's water. I guess I should have expected that. My bad.

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[ it was easy, to fall into the same pattern he was so used to, the two-member team feeling more comfortable than working on his own. Peter is his first and best friend among the Audentes, and as much as Stiles lives and breathes sarcasm, his heart beats in time with loyalty — something that Peter earned since day one.

(besides, it was clearer than day that as great as it was having Gwen around, her existence was still causing his friend some... uh, was headache even the right word? anyway, Peter needed to get the hell out of the saloon every once in a while, have something else in his head, something to focus on. and this was perfect.)

at least until Mr. Spider Senses is tilting down and shouting in utter terror and Stiles jumps, flails, moves to grab the back of his shirt— ]

... oh my god, I hate you so much.

[ it's only luck that makes him stop in time for the both of them to not go splashing down into the well. he fixes his friend with the judgiest, most done-with-everything look in the entire world... but dammit, Peter, stop grinning like that, it's impossible to be cross with you like that. ]

I should just push you into the well, leave you to web your way out of there. [ but as he is the best friend in the whole wide world and universe, he isn't doing that. maybe. ]

( Gwen showing up does have him out of sorts, that's a fair assessment. he and Stiles haven't really talked about it, though it's no doubt bound to come up sooner or later when they're all in the same room for at least five or six hours a night. it's still stuck in his throat, but it's only fair they talk about it, and they will.

is it so wrong that he wanted something a bit lighter-hearted with a friend today? maybe, but even Spider-Man can be selfish sometimes.

he laughs despite himself at the reaction he earns, though there shouldn't be anything funny about the fact Stiles tried to save him, even when he's super-powered and arguably could be left to face the worst with the expectation he can at least survive it. it's kinda nice that Stiles still likes him enough not to take the risk. though when he acts like this, one has to wonder why. )

Sorry, but you should have seen your face. ( he doesn't flinch at the h word, he knows that isn't true. ) Oh yeah? Shove me into a potentially anti-matter contaminated well? That's harsh man, I am at least part human still. ( it doesn't look it when he leaps to the rim of the well, maintaining effortless balance as he peers down to the basin. it isn't safe to just jump in, but... ) I could get a sample if you keep an eye out for me? ( he's clearly not suited up, but it just seems the easiest way to get down there... unless Stiles wants to lower him via the bucket, and that seems like a lot of unnecessary work.

though, granted, it'd be safer than climbing, actually. he just pointed out how dangerous it could be, and he's still willing to risk falling in... mostly because he doesn't seem to care as much about his health and safety as his friend does. )

[ nice to know "something light-hearted" translates to "giving your friend an actual heart attack"... no, alright, maybe not literally. but it sure was close, shaved one year off his life expectancy.

Stiles sighs and rolls his eyes, waving his hand in a haphazard motion that's at once dismissive and annoyed. ] Thanks, man, I'll make sure to bring a mirror next time you decide to try for the first horror movie Oscar.

[ logic dictates that he should be even more annoyed by Peter's effortless show of agility and balance, but if there's one thing he's used to, by now, it's being friends with extraordinary people — instead, he pauses to consider the possible dangers of the well actually being contaminated, of it containing some dangerous minerals that could act like Kryptonite for Peter.

after a pause, he bites his lip and glances up at his friend. ]

Are you sure that's a good idea? We don't know what's down there. What if the well contains some weird minerals that only affect those with, you know, powers? I mean, I'm all for getting this done, but I'm also all for you not getting horribly maimed or worse, so...

[ ... yeah, he definitely seems to care more about Peter's well-being than Peter himself. ]

Good idea.

( a mirror would be great, solid plan. if only their jewelry had playback features, he'd just record it, problem solved. OR WOULD NEVER EVER DO IT AGAIN, obviously that's what he really meant!

it really should have occurred to him that crawling down to grab a sample was ... probably not the best way of doing it, but Peter didn't always think about his weaknesses. he didn't have that many, thanks to spider genes, but the ones he did have were easily ignored for the sake of a good cause. he frowns down the well, before standing to walk around the rim of the well to eye the rope and pulley system that must have been used to draw water up.

the bucket was of no help, rusted and disintegrated so badly that the bottom had fallen out. Peter couldn't tell if that was age or a part of the contaminated water. still, it meant that the rope was free, and that meant it could be their backup plan. tie it into a harness, and bam, if he did lose his grip there would be a failsafe. )

I know this is kinda a Boy who Cried Wolf situation, but after you say you're for me not getting horribly maimed, you kinda volunteered for pulling me up if I yell abort. ( he hands Stiles the other end of the rope, though at least it comes with more than expectation. ) Please?

[ playback features, what an idea!! or they could reappropriate Gwen's cell and record that, or have her record that... or, you know, she'd probably film stuff on her own without prompting.

anyway.

he moves closer, not quite close enough to climb where Peter is standing, but enough to peer down as well, eyes glancing at the rope. it's easy enough to put together what his friend is considering... and still, he sighs, waving his hand before grabbing the rope handed to him. ]

Fine, but just because you asked nicely. I so wouldn't be doing this otherwise. Also, dude, if you pull me down accidentally, I'm looking at you to bail us out of there.

[ the first part of that is such a lie, he'd be doing this even if Peter hadn't asked nicely, or asked at all... don't call him out on it though, thanks. ]

( luckily, they will both go without the confirmation that Stiles would help him out with or without the please. Aunt May was still out there somewhere, her ears would probably be burning if her boy forgot to use his manners. even when he'd used them to ask for aide to crawl into a potentially contaminated well... okay, maybe Aunt May's ears were burning for more than just his lack of manners.

he manages to get the rope close to secure and laughs at the mention of pulling Stiles in accidentally. )

If you fall in, I'll get you out. Don't worry about it. ( there's easy reassurance there, there's no need to even second-guess it. he may not have the mask on but he has enough strength and reflexes that he has no doubt that both of them will make it out of this alive. there's no if; of course he'd get them out safely, or as close to safe as he could manage.

for now, though, he was going in solo. hanging over the edge, he couldn't help make one last joke. )

Don't look in the water, though. That's how the little ghost girl gets you.

[ he hears the of course, the reassurance lurking in between the words, saturating the beats of silence — but the thing is, he doesn't need to hear them to believe. somehow, trusting Peter with his life has become just as easy, just as effortless, just as natural as trusting Scott has always been.

he gives the rope a few experimental tugs, as though to see whether it'll hold; once he's satisfied it does, he grins back. ]

Yeah, yeah. I watch out for ghost girls, you watch out for Kryptonite, got it.

[ as Peter starts to lower himself down the well, he can hear a solemn narration accompanying him: ]

Well, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Team PS: their half-hour mission, to explore strange new places, to seek out possible anti-matter in water, to boldly go where no man (hopefully) has gone before!

[ he even hums the star trek theme..... ]

( the easy trust seems to be a two-way street. the risks of being dunked in an anti-matter contaminated well are ... well they're pretty lengthy, even if you're part spider. Peter still has no fear putting his life in the hands of his friend. somewhere along the line that uncertainty had faded. there were two people he could trust unconditionally in Audentes, and Stiles was probably the only one that had earned it.

his laugh at the narration echoes up the stone as he holds onto the rope and tries to hold still as possible, to make lowering him easier. he should have insisted on crawling down the wall, he thinks; he can't be light, even with the winch supporting some of his weight. )

Seriously though, I hope nobody has gone here before. All my jokes about ghost girls aside, I'd really rather not meet one. ( his voice gets farther and farther as he gets deeper and deeper, until he has to cup his hands by his mouth to shout up. hopefully Stiles can still hear him. ) Okay, slow! Gonna crawl down the rest, just a few feet. ( he twisted until he could get a grip on the wall, before slithering down it like the spider he was. the brick was damp and admittedly, his grip was uncertain. he was pretty glad for the back-up plan. he tugs a glove on with his teeth before cautiously collecting his sample, making sure to toss it in a bag for good measure to keep any contamination from reaching anyone else. ) I got it, Stiles! ( he was officially ready for liftoff. )

[ his arms are burning, there's no denying that, the way he's gritting his teeth just to make sure Peter won't fall down — but any discomfort this gives him is irrelevant. he promised; he's going to do this.

honestly, he wants to laugh at the comment, but in his experience, ghost girls down in the well are all too close to what he's used to back home. ]

Yeah, fingers crossed! I mean, yours, not mine, I can't really manage that right now. Toes crossed?

[ the next time Peter yells up to him, his voice is faint, barely anything more than an echo, and Stiles has to strain to hear the words. he catches slow and crawls and puts it together. ] Okay! Be careful!

[ after that, it is an agonizing wait of, oh, five minutes at the most, though it feels twenty times longer — when he finally hears something, he can only guess what the words actually are... ]

I can't hear you, man, I really, really hope that was an "I'm ready" call and not a "help, a water spirit is trying to eat me", but anyway— let's get you up!

[ heigh-ho ]

( he should have guessed that at this distance, words would be distorted. he can't really hear much of a response, either; he fishes in a pocket to try to contact Stiles via communicator when suddenly the rope starts hoisting upwards. okay, then, any news is good news, it seems.

he feels guilty the second he sees the strain on his friend's face, but at least he can crawl out the last of it on his own. ) Good news, I don't have seven days to live and I didn't find a dead body down there. As for contaminated water — ( he shakes the specimen with the carefully bottled sample as proof of his success. ) Well, we'll see. Thanks, man, you know, you've got way more guns than I would have guessed.

( and you didn't even need to get bitten by a radioactive spider to boot! nice job, Stiles! ) C'mon. I owe you a drink, and then I'm gonna see what I can find in this stuff.

Edited 2016-11-06 02:29 (UTC)

[ the communicator does cross his mind, but considering that using it would mean letting go of the rope with one hand, at least... yeah, not an option. "the strain" ends up being more like Stiles looking halfway in the grave — as soon as Peter is safely out, he quite literally flops against the well in a heap of limbs, groaning unintelligibly.

he does, however, manage to give Peter a thumbs-up.

and then, after he's caught his breath again, ]

Dude, only your very watery, very uncomfortable death was motivating me to hold on to that rope. But the next time you get an idea like this... uh, maybe let's ask someone else along? Like Achilles. Achilles would be great.

[ he's grinning then, though, so he's not that mad about this whole thing. actually — it all went better than expected. ] Oh my god, I would kill for a drink right now, please and thank you, can we teleport to the saloon?

And, hey, let me know what you find. I'd offer to help with that too, but... [ you know. only one of them is a budding scientist here. ]

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blinded me, with SCIENCE!

im sorry this is so late ;;;;

i don't forgive you goodbye forever

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