LAURA

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'I don't know how to say this nicely,' Peter said after setting the most recent issue back on Barnum's desk, 'but you're so screwed, Miss Sharp.'

My young friend was of no help then and now. I hadn't slept in twenty-four hours, ignored my meds and ran on coffee since twelve am last night. Peter and I had trampled past security in the headquarters using my badges and managed to work on the front-cover article all night. Peter had loads of input given he'd read the files, cases, and shreds of evidence and helping me construct the entire column in the most controversial way possible. And to top it all off, I used my boyfriend's name to publish it.

This was necessary, I convinced myself. People had to know that Venom wasn't at fault for the chaos caused at City Hall and we, as the press, had the freedom to speak our thoughts. I'd used this advantage to the fullest, ignoring the consequences and ready to defend Eddie and Venom at any cost.

By the time the company had reopened officially, I'd bitten my nails so much, that it had retreated down to the nail bed and my gaze every second or so, shooting to the closed door of Barnum's office. Pete was sprawled across the short-sized sofa beside the desk, flipping through the crossword puzzle on the last page. 

I kept chanting that I was okay under my breath, my feet rhythmically tapping anxiously on the wooden surface, wondering how the hell I looked at the moment. I saw my reflection on the blackened screen of my phone, my eyes sunken in and my skin paled out from the lack of medicines in my body. The low sting started to sprout near my abdomen, which brought me to my utter realization that I was still in some flimsy shirt and tights that barely managed to conceal my over-exposed skin.

'Oh shit,' I mumbled, dropping my phone beside me and dropping my face into my palms. 'I'm so getting kicked out. I'm going to be jobless again.'

'If it makes you feel any better,' Peter said slowly, placing the paper down, 'it's a valid article. I'm sure it vocalizes to the public.'

I smiled at him from the edge of my palms and he returned the smile. The door behind us creaked with the entrance of our visitor, both of us leaping to our feet to greet the devil's advocate.

'Mr. Barnum.'

'Sharp,' he nodded at me and then looked at Peter quizzically. 'Uh, who's this?'

Paul looked like he had the gravest night ever. At that moment, Paul and I resembled each other in the worst way possible, his hair out of place and his shirt wrinkled from the usual. Tucked under his arm was the most recent paper that it the press and the reports from the HOD of the same. My heart thudded faster at the sight of the reports, Peter shuffling closer. 

'Hi,' Peter stretched out his hands in an introductory gesture. 'Peter Parker. Photographer from Queens.'

'Oh,' Paul said in recognition, the name hitting a chord. 'Front page photo, that's you?'

'Yep, that's me.'

'You've got a good eye, kid. You here on freelance duty?'

'No, professional,' he corrected with an almost offended glance at me. 'I have great expertise.'

'Well,' Paul cleared his throat, obviously awkward from the amendment to his sentences. 'You work what you got.'

My boss turned to me, his demeanor changing from dry laughter to monotone. Peter took this as his cue to leave us two alone, walking out the door not before shooting a thumbs up at my direction. The room was calm before the storm as he strolled past me to his desk, the hushed bang of the papers hitting the desk. I turned to him with my hands behind my back, hiding my fidgeting self from him. 

'So,' he started, 'Brock's article made the front page. Again.'

I swallowed audibly. I glanced at him from underneath my lashes, not ready for his outburst on how his article was supposed to make the opening page this week but Eddie had beat him to it. Of course, it wasn't Eddie who wrote it and published it. I published it on his behalf.

It was me.

'You helped him edit it? Behind my back?' He said suspiciously, moving his stance in front of me and leaning onto his desk. I sucked in a deep breath when he crossed his arms as if interrogating me.

'He needed my help,' I said suavely, shrouding my high levels of nervousness. My fingertips pricked sorely. 'And, to be honest, he had the juice.'

'Cut the bullshit, Sharp,' he said rashly. 'I talked to Eddie this morning. He had no clue about this article.'

My fists curled tightly beside my sides. Being caught in the act was a constricting feeling, but I wasn't all too new to this. I could feel my chest cramping painfully at the copious amount of nerve-wracking stress I was supposed to avoid, my breathing coming out in short spurts, hot and nervous.

Oh no. Not now. 

'You wrote the damn column, didn't you?' He said, his voice dangerously low. 'You used his name to get it published. You ruined my chance at getting my article on the front page.'

'I did it to prove Venom's innocence,' I justified myself before he assumed anything else. I forgot my pain at the spur of an instant, looking at him head-on. 'Our society has the right to know that whatever the hell that is murdering vics is someone else.'

'You have no evidence,' he spat. 'You faked the news, I could get you arrested for this.'

'You can't because I have Dr. Kafka's exact words on tape and the Sheriff's interview from last night,' I fired back. But yes, I could get arrested for illegally publishing an article without consent from the right authorities.

'You twisted her words, Sharp. The agencies won't be silent after this. They'll come for him,' he said, loosening his tie. His face was red with fury, his gray eyes holding mine tensely. 'If anything, you put Eddie's name at stake.'

I felt the air leave my lungs in a state of shock. If anything goes wrong with this impulsive article I wrote to change views of people, of course, Eddie would be the one to answer. I had forgotten the consequences of my actions. My eyes shut strenuously, my teeth catching my lips. 

At any cost. 

His voice low, almost sultry. 'Now, we wouldn't want that.'

I felt a fleeting touch over my shoulder when drowning in my own paranoia, flinching repulsively. He let out a shush at my short whimper, his hand latching firmly over my shoulder. His breaths seemed to close to be normal, hitting hotly over my cheek.

'I won't call the cops on you,' he said, his lips near my ears. 'I'll speak to the rest about this and let it slide.'

I couldn't run, his firm grip too strong for me to make a move. His fingers dug into the base of my neck, lilting any form of movement. 'If you listen to what I say.'

The pain that stung near my abdomen spurted up to the rest of my lungs, a burning sensation embedding underneath my skin. I forgot about Barnum and his advances, all my focus on controlling the pain from causing any blackouts. His fingers traversed down my waist, my breathing becoming rapid as he neared the small of my back.

'Please,' I could do nothing but beg, all the energy and focus drained out of my body. 'Let me - '

Before he could cross his limit any further, the door flung open and I couldn't make out anything properly. There was a flash of curly brunette that whizzed past me to pummel a clocking over Paul's face. Obviously, it packed a punch causing Paul to straight up pass out after smacking his face over his own desk with the extreme force and down to the ground. 

I looked back at Peter who was shaking his fist to rid of the pain and with a fierce look on his face. This side of Peter was different from the smart, young teenage boy I'd grown used to. His head was shaking and his lips had twisted into a nasty grimace.

'He was mistreating you,' Peter said in a low voice, his gaze set on his feet. 'I'm not even sorry.'

I glanced back at Barnum unable to respond properly to anything that took place around me. The agonizing pain in my chest started to build, more changed from what I'd usually have to experience. Rather than pricks of pain, it felt like someone was ramming on the frontal part of my body over and over again. I could feel my fingertips numbing even as I tried to feel them with each other.

'I called Mr. Stark. Laura, I - '

'You called T-Tony?' I tried breathing out, my face contorting with every word I tried to make out. 'I told you, Pete.'

'I know, but I can't lie to him.'

My knees wobbled ungainly, my legs giving out on me. I hit the ground with a hand massaging the pain near my chest, hoping it would vanish. I felt the pricks climb neck up, soon settling near the nape of my neck and continuing its ascent slowly.

'Ms. Sharp? What's wrong?'

I couldn't make out what he was saying after, my vision blurring with the blinding light from the windows that pierced through. I lost control over my motor functions, incapable to feel any of nerve endings any more. Like someone had thrown me under the bus and cut off all ties with my all of my limbs, I couldn't move anymore and only look up at the fearful brown eyes that kept tap-tap-tapping against my cheek. 

I felt the slow burn of coldness seeping through from my heart and clasping around my neck tightly. I was unable to touch or move when I tried to suck in a breath, some additional force binding me to the ground.

'I don't know what happened, Mr. Stark! She just has something on her chest and holy crap, she's passing out! No, no, no - wake up!'

A beat may have passed or maybe even a few minutes. Even with the pain, I familiarized myself with another voice. A baritone to it. Like it was being passed through some analog-to-digital converter.

'Mr. Stark! I didn't - I don't -'

'Move over, kid. Relax, I got her.'

'What about the press outside? And this guy?' 

'Right. We'll use the window and get her to Banner. Leave the dude, he'll come around - whew. You did a number on him. Balls or face?'

' . . . face.'

The last thing I felt before my eyes closed on their own harmony, was two arms trapping me close to a metal boulder and the whizz of cold air that cocooned around me. A sharp sound of blasters resounded and I was off the ledge.

- ♣ -

[ w/n: oh no, what's wrong with Laura? I have a few clues - sin, energy, and tony . . . that's it, no more! I'd love to hear your theories! ]