Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

2023 – Final Battle.

Peter was holding the gauntlet in the middle of a giant game of keep away. So far, he had used Instant Kill mode, had been carried along by Mjolnir, had ridden on a Pegasus and been carried by Miss Pepper. Now he was currently attempting to shield himself and the gauntlet from blasts raining down from one of Thanos’ ships.

“You must do it,” Peter heard a soft voice echo amongst the explosions, but he couldn’t pinpoint the source. “You will not find us out there.”

“What the shit?” Peter hissed out as he curled his body over the gauntlet housing the six most powerful items in the universe.

“We have chosen you Peter. Only you,” the voice said again.

“Who are you? What the fuck?” Peter hissed again. The blasts stopped suddenly, and Peter watched as the canons turned to the skies. “Who are you?”

“There is no time. We are sorry to put this on you young one. But you are the only one who will survive,” the voice said again, and Peter finally noticed that the Stones were glowing and pulsating in the gauntlet. “Yes Peter. That is us.”

“Holy shit,” Peter whispered. From the skies, Peter could see someone descending. “What do you mean survive?”

“You will survive the energy backlash from our use. Your mentor will not. Things will never be repaired if he uses us in your place,” a new voice spoke this time and Peter frowned.

“Mr Stark wants to use you?” Peter murmured and the Stones appeared to glow in agreement. “But he’ll die. He has a family.”

Before Peter could say anything more, a woman landed in front of him.

“Hi. I’m Peter Parker,” Peter said stupidly as the woman smirked down at him. He slowly got to his feet and glanced around the battlefield.

“Hey, Peter Parker. You got something for me?” The woman replied and Peter looked down at the gauntlet in his arms. The voice inside him that sounded like Mr Stark was telling him to give the gauntlet to the glowing lady. But those other voices, they said Mr Stark would die. “Hey Peter? We are running low on time here.”

“Only you Peter Parker,” six voices this time, all different, echoed in Peter’s head. Peter looked between the gauntlet and the woman again. The woman was now frowning, almost like she knew he was thinking of doing something stupid.

“I’m sorry,” Peter whispered. Before the woman could say anything, Peter reactivated his mask, shot a web onto a passing alien, and took off. He could hear the others screaming at him, but he ignored them. He just had to get somewhere far enough away that he could snap without someone stopping him.

“PETER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Tony’s voice yelled down the comms in his suit, but Peter ignored him. Peter quickly webbed the gauntlet to his chest and now that both hands were free, he was able to use them to his full advantage while swinging.

“DOES ANYONE HAVE EYES ON THE KID?” Steve yelled into his comms and the Avengers and their allies began frantically checking the skies for Peter. Peter leapt off the alien he was attached to and landed in an open clearing on the battlefield.

“I got him!” Pepper yelled back as she changed direction mid-air and started to make her way to the teen. “Pete, you gotta give that to Captain Danvers.”

“No can-do Miss Pepper,” Peter replied as he took the webbing off the gauntlet. Before he could say anything else, a loud thud was heard behind him. Peter turned his head and spotted Thanos.

“So, this is how you choose to die?” Thanos said as he walked towards Peter. “You will die, and this will all have been for nothing. I always win. I am inevitable.”

“Be strong young one. We will always be with you,” the voices echoed again, and Peter lifted the gauntlet. He could hear people screaming at him to stop but it was like he was in a trance. He told his mask to go off and he stared down the creature who had killed him along with half of the universe.

“Yeah well, I am Spider-Man. And you won’t take another person I love away from me,” Peter said firmly. He slipped the gauntlet onto his hand and immediately he regretted it. Blinding pain shot through his body and he resisted the urge to rip the gauntlet off. He could hear thrusters approaching and had enough time to turn his head and see Tony approaching him fast. “Love you Mr Stark.”

Peter snapped his fingers and let out a scream as his whole body was engulfed in a white light.

Tony landed hard beside the teen as Peter let out the most gut-wrenching scream. Coloured lights were encircling the teen and Tony could only watch in horror. He slammed his hand against the arc reactor on his chest and the suit disappeared just in time for him to catch the teen as he fell.

“He… was your… son,” Tony turned at Thanos’ voice and noticed it was weakening. Looking around, Tony watched as the members of Thanos’ army began to disintegrate. “He… was the best of your kind. For what it’s worth, I am sorry… to see him go.”

“Fuck you and your apologies,” Tony hissed out through tears. Thanos smiled almost serenely before his body disintegrated into ash like his army. Tony turned back to Peter as he heard people appear beside him. “Pete. Come on kid. Talk to me.”

“Is… is he… gone?” Peter whispered, his voice broken and strained with pain.

“Yeah buddy,” Tony whispered. He gathered Peter up into his lap and smoothed back his hair. “Yeah, he’s gone.”

“You got him Queens,” Steve whispered as he dropped to his knees beside Tony. Looking up, Tony noticed that all the Avengers had made their way over and were staring down at the teen in varying degrees of shock and horror. “You saved us all.”

“Good,” Peter replied. Pepper dropped down beside Tony and rested her hand on Peter’s head. “Hi Miss Pepper.”

“Hey honey. You need to get some rest. You have a little sister who is desperate to meet you,” Pepper said with tears running down her cheek. “She talks to your photo every night. She told me she can’t wait to steal juice pops with you.”

“She… sounds… awesome,” Peter said, his tone becoming more laboured. “Tell May… I love her… and I’m sorry.”

“You’ll tell her yourself kid,” Tony said. “She’s gunna be so pissed at you for going into space without her permission.”

“Yeah. But I’d… I’d follow… you anywhere… Dad,” Peter said. He heard Pepper and Tony sob as he spoke. “I’m gunna take a nap now. Love you.”

There on the battlefield, in the arms of his pseudo mother and father, Peter Parker took his last breath. Tony’s scream of pain echoed around the battlefield as the Avengers all dropped to one knee to honour their fallen hero.

--- DREAMSCAPE ---

Peter awoke to a blinding light and murmured voices. As he opened his eyes, he noticed he was surrounded by six people, each one robed in a different colour. The woman in orange smiled down at him when she noticed he was awake.

“Hello Peter Parker,” her voice was soothing and quiet. The other voices stopped, and Peter looked around at all of them. “We are sorry that you had to be the one.”

“You’re the Infinity Stones, aren’t you?” Peter asked as he sat up.

“We are,” the woman with the yellow robe said and the others nodded. “I am Mind. This is my sister Soul and our brothers Time, Reality, Power and Space.”

“Where am I? Am I dead?” Peter asked. He felt like an idiot for asking the most stereotypical of questions, but he needed to know.

“You are not dead, you are simply in limbo,” Space replied. “We have brought you here to prepare you for what is to come.”

“Peter, you are young and for that, we are sorry. But you, Peter Parker, are the only one pure enough in heart and soul to survive this journey,” Time said, his green robes swirling around him.

“What journey?” Peter asked. Five of the stones (people? Peter couldn’t tell) turned towards Mind who smiled comfortingly at him.

“Peter, we were never meant to be used in this way,” Mind said softly. “We were created by the Cosmic Entities to allow for balance in the Universe. We were never designed to be used for destruction.”

“But over the Eons, people have attempted to use us for their own ill will,” Reality continued. “Thanos was just the most successful in a long line of people who wished to use us for evil purposes.”

“But unfortunately, we cannot be destroyed, not completely,” Power continued. “We will always remain in some form or another. But we need your help.”

“But, I’m just Peter. I’m not special at all,” Peter said softly. The Six Stones smiled at him and Soul moved to sit beside him.

“You being ‘just Peter’ is what makes you perfect to help us,” Soul said gently. “You are the only person who would never use our power for personal gain or nefarious purposes.”

“We saw your future if you remained where you were,” Time said as he moved to stand in front of Peter. “Tony Stark would die, and you would be a shell of your former self. You would still help people, but your soul would have been irreparably damaged. We could not allow that to happen.”

“We also want to fix things,” Reality added. “We need you to help with that.”

“How? What can I do?” Peter asked and the Stones smiled.

“We will be sending you back in time to correct things,” Mind explained. “You will awaken in your past body with all your memories and any knowledge we deem appropriate for you to have. It will be up to you to correct the mistakes.”

“How will I do that? I’m just a kid. No one will listen to me,” Peter said desperately.

“We will be with you Peter. And you forget, you are Spider-Man,” Soul said fondly as she brushed some hair out of Peter’s face. “Make them listen to you.”

“When you next awaken, you will be in your 14-year-old body,” Time explained. “It will be just before the Avengers first meet the Maximoff twins. The battle with Ultron is where the sparks of division were first ignited in the Avengers. Save Pietro Maximoff.”

“I’m just a kid. I can’t go to Sokovia,” Peter protested but the Stones smiled.

“We will help you. But you will have a little time to prepare,” Space said.

“Close your eyes Peter, and prepare yourself,” Soul said. She pressed a kiss to Peter’s forehead and the teen closed his eyes. “We will always be with you Peter. You need only ask for help.”

JANUARY 2015

Peter awoke again this time with a loud gasp. Everything came rushing back to him and he sat up sharply in bed.

“Holy shit,” he murmured before wincing. Ugh he hated his voice at 14. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be long before it had broken fully.

Peter climbed out of bed and walked out of his room. He could hear May fussing about in the kitchen and despite the urge to go and hug her tightly, Peter wanted to see if anything about him had changed. He entered his bathroom and took his shirt off.

“Well that’s different,” Peter murmured. On his right collarbone was a tattoo like design. It looked like Norse runes, but all the symbols were black outlined with colour inside, the colour each matching one of the stones. “Gotta make sure to keep that hidden from May.”

“That is so you know we are with you,” Mind’s voice echoed in his head and Peter smiled.

Peter checked his body and noticed no further scars or marks carried over from his previous life. His head was pounding as his memories all integrated but that was a small price to pay.

“Alright Stones, what do I do now?” Peter asked softly as he slipped his shirt back on.

“Now you train. You have your spider abilities, but you need to be better than you were. It’s time to train and grow Little Spider,” it was Power who answered this time and Peter nodded. “You will need to make a suit, but it will need to be better than your first one. You must protect yourself.”

“So, I can still help people?” Peter asked and he felt warmth rush through him.

“That is a part of you Peter. We would never take that away from you,” Soul said, and Peter grinned.

Peter walked down to the kitchen and watched May for a moment. He knew Ben was gone but May was still trying, for him.

“Hey Pete,” May said once she noticed Peter. The teen didn’t say anything, just walked over to her and wrapped her up into a tight hug. He inhaled her perfume and felt tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn’t believe he had once taken this for granted. “Hey bud, you ok? Not that I’m complaining.”

“Just wanted a hug,” Peter murmured into her hair. “Love you.”

“I love you too,” May replied. She was amused but she didn’t let go. Ever since Ben, Peter had been withdrawn. She would take anything she could get. “I was just about to come get you. If you want to stop for breakfast on your way to school, you’ll need to leave soon.”

“Ok,” Peter said softly, keeping his head buried in his aunt’s neck. It took another few minutes before Peter felt comfortable letting May go. May brushed a few curls off Peter’s face and smiled at the teen. “Larb you May.”

“Larb you too Pete,” May replied. Peter kissed her on the cheek and walked back down to his bathroom. After showering and getting dressed, Peter grabbed his school bag and walked back out to the living room. May was drinking her coffee and smiled at the teen. Peter gave her one final kiss goodbye before walking out of the apartment.

He walked down to his bus stop and scrolled through his phone while he waited. 10 minutes later, the bus pulled up and Peter took his seat. He was busily flicking through his phone, reminding himself about the current events (a lot had changed since 2015) and he almost missed his stop. He remembered at the last minute and jumped off the bus quickly. He grabbed 2 breakfast burritos from the café near his school and finished one before he entered the gates.

“Hey man,” Ned’s voice sounded, and Peter turned his head sharply. There was his best friend, younger but not really all that different. Like May, Peter couldn’t stop himself from giving the other teen a hug. “Dude, I love Peter hugs but what brought this on?”

“No reason,” Peter replied once he pulled away. “Just felt like giving my best bro a hug.”

Ned smiled and wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulder before the pair walked into Midtown School of Science and Technology. As they walked to their lockers, Peter allowed Ned’s benign chatter to wash over him. God, he had been so innocent when he was 14 (and he knew how that made him sound but so much had happened that he felt way older than he was). This time around though, Peter was different. He knew things that would change the course of human history.

“Come on bro. We’ve got Physics first and you know Ms Warren will skin us if we are late,” Ned said as he nudged Peter. Peter grabbed his books out of his locker and followed his best friend down the hall. They arrived at the Physics room and Mrs Warren smiled at them.

“Morning boys,” she greeted as they entered.

“Morning ma’am,” Both Peter and Ned replied before finding their seats. The room started to fill and just before the bell rang, the last student slid in and found their seat. Ms Warren started teaching and Peter had to try really hard to keep his mouth shut. He’d already learnt all this which he then realised would be true for the rest of his classes.

“You were already smarter than these people,” Mind’s voice whispered, and Peter quickly looked down at his textbook and rolled his eyes. “I am inside your head, Peter. I know everything you know. Trust me, you are smarter than all these people.”

Sure enough, the rest of class passed by slowly. He completed the worksheets that Ms Warren handed out quickly and when he handed them in at the end of the lesson (unlike everyone else who would be finishing them for homework), Ms Warren asked him to stay behind for a minute.

“Peter, did you find this work challenging?” Ms Warren asked, and Peter blushed.

“No offence ma’am, but not really,” Peter replied. Even without the Stones, the work had never been hard for Peter. “I’ve already read through the textbook, so I sort of knew what to do. And I didn’t find it that complex.”

“Well, if you keep this up for the next few lessons, and if you score highly on the upcoming tests, I will see what I can do about getting you some more complex work, ok?” Ms Warren said, and Peter’s blush deepened.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Peter replied politely, and Ms Warren smiled back. She handed him a pass to excuse him for being late to his next class and Peter rushed down to his English class.

The rest of the morning passed by like how Physics had, and Peter was glad when lunch finally rolled around. He and Ned walked into the cafeteria and Peter quickly scanned the room. He had a plan and that plan involved including MJ in his life a little earlier than before. He wanted both her and Ned involved in his Spider-Man world, Ned for his ability to be his Guy in the Chair and MJ for her levelheadedness and common sense. He found MJ sitting by herself and his plan formed.

Peter and Ned walked over and picked up their lunches but before Ned could direct them to an empty table, Peter made his way towards MJ.

“Hi, could we join you?” Peter asked and the girl in question looked up suddenly from her book. Peter smiled comfortingly and MJ raised an eyebrow. “I’m Peter, this is Ned.”

“I know,” MJ replied with a smirk and while Ned looked scared, Peter just grinned. “Sit down. People are staring.”

Ned and Peter climbed into their seats and began eating their lunches. Ned was shooting looks between Peter and MJ, but Peter just shook his head.

“It’s Michelle, right?” Peter asked and the girl nodded. “So, tell me, is “Of Human Bondage” your favourite book or is there another?”

“Why? Gunna make fun of me for it?” MJ hissed out and Ned jumped slightly at her tone. Peter held up his hands placatingly.

“No, I was just wondering. I’ve read it once before and I enjoyed it. Plus, I just want to know more about you,” Peter replied, and MJ frowned, her eyes searching. Peter attempted to project calm and innocence and it must have worked because MJ stopped glaring and smiled gently after a moment.

“It is interesting. I don’t know if it’s a favourite yet, I’ll let you know when I finish it,” MJ replied, and Peter nodded. “What about you guys? Do you have a favourite book?”

“Either The Time Machine or The War of the Worlds,” Peter replied. He remembered the Mr Stark had recommended The War of the Worlds to him one day during their lab sessions since H.G. Wells was considered the Father of Science Fiction and Peter had loved it. In his spare time, he’d managed to finish several of H.G. Wells’ books.

“Not so much books as articles,” Ned said softly after a moment. “I enjoy reading Alan Turing’s work.”

“It was horrible what happened to him,” MJ replied, and Ned’s eyes widened before he nodded. “The Labouchere Amendment was a disgusting piece of law. It’s criminal what they made Turing do.”

“Totally,” Ned agreed, and Peter smiled as his best friend came out of his shell. “He was a revolutionary. His mind, oh my God! He cracked the Enigma code and they treated him like a criminal. Simply for loving a male.”

MJ smiled in approval and actually put her book down as she and Ned discussed Alan Turing. Peter finished his lunch and allowed the familiar voices of his friends to wash over him.

By the time the bell rang to end lunch, Peter, Ned, and MJ were on the fast track to being friends. The trio walked down to their next class (Chemistry) as a group and sat at the only bench designed for three students. The classroom filled and Peter allowed Mr Harrington’s voice to wash over him as he began teaching Redox reactions.

The rest of the day passed by relatively quickly despite Peter’s growing boredom in his classes. He decided that this time around, he would start putting more effort into his gym class. Previously, he had been insistent that since he couldn’t do things before, he shouldn’t be able to do them now. But with the support from the Stones (mainly Power), Peter decided to slowly start to showcase some of his new skills.

“Parker,” Coach Wilson called out just as the bell rang. “Can we talk?”

“I’ll wait for you in the changerooms,” Ned said, and Peter nodded. He approached the teacher and nodded at him.

“Good job today on those laps kid,” Coach Wilson said, and Peter smiled. “You’re starting to show some improvement. Keep it up and we might just have to get you to try out for the track team.”

Peter thanked his coach and raced into the changeroom. He was approaching his locker when he heard Flash’s grating voice.

“Where’s your friend Tubs?” Flash said teasingly and Peter knew it was directed at Ned. Sure enough, when Peter turned a corner, he saw Flash and two of his friends surrounding Ned. Ned was trying really hard to ignore them, but Peter could tell the teasing was getting to his friend.

“Flash!” Peter yelled as he approached. “Back off!”

“What are you going to do about it, Penis?” Flash taunted as he and his friends turned. Flash knew Peter would never react but that was the old Peter. This Peter had already fought a Titan and died. He wasn’t about to let some stupid teenager walk over him.

“Flash, what’s with this obsession with my dick?” Peter replied with an eyebrow raise to make Tony proud. Flash’s jaw dropped and his ‘friends’ snickered. “Is there something you want to tell me? I mean, I’m flattered but you aren’t really my type.”

Flash’s jaw opened and closed for a moment before he let out an annoyed grunt and fled the changeroom, his ‘friends’ giggling as they followed. Peter approached Ned and noticed that Abe had also made his way over.

“Nice job Peter,” Abe said as he sat beside Ned. “You ok Ned?”

“I’m alright. It’s nothing I haven’t heard before,” Ned said dejectedly. Peter wrapped an arm around his friend’s shoulder and squeezed him gently. “But way to go Pete. You’ve never stood up to him before.”

“Well it’s time someone did,” Peter replied. “I’m not gunna let him walk all over us. Abe, how are you doing?”

“Good Pete. Stressed but I think everyone is,” Abe replied. “Hey, noticed you finished all that Physics work today. Any chance you could give me a hand? I was having a little trouble with the last couple of worksheets.”

“Sure. Why don’t you come over this afternoon? Ned and I were planning on doing homework together anyway. One more person won’t hurt,” Peter replied, and Ned nodded along.

In his past life, Peter had always been friendly with Abe but had never really gone out of his way to befriend the boy. This time, things would be different. Peter had no plans to become popular, but he did want to expand his friend base where possible.

“Thanks Pete. That would be great,” Abe replied. Peter nodded and after changing out of his gym gear, the three teens walked out of the school. They climbed onto the bus and it was there that Abe revealed his obsession with Legos. Soon, all three were chattering excitedly about various Lego builds they had done or wanted to do.

May smiled at the three boys as they entered the apartment. Peter kissed her on the cheek and introduced her to Abe.

“May, this is Abe. We’re going to do homework for a while then we might build some Lego. Is that alright?” Peter asked.

“Of course, Pete. I have night shift tonight, so I have left some money on the counter for pizza. You boys enjoy yourselves,” May replied. Peter hugged her tightly again and the three boys waved as May picked up her handbag and walked out of the apartment. The boys moved into the living room and pulled their homework out of their bags.

The three boys worked on their homework for a few hours before deciding to break for dinner. Peter ordered the pizzas and smiled as Abe and Ned argued over what movie they would watch. By the time the pizzas had been delivered, Abe and Ned had decided on the first Back to the Future and while the movie played the boys dug into their pizza.

“Thanks for having me tonight Peter,” Abe said at 9 when his parents had arrived to pick him up. After the boys had eaten dinner, they started building one of the many Lego sets Peter had in his cupboard.

“Anytime Abe,” Peter replied. “It’s been great hanging out with you. Wanna have lunch with Ned, Michelle, and I tomorrow?”

“Sounds good. Can I bring Sally too?” Abe asked and Peter nodded. Abe smiled and waved before walking down to his parent’s car. Ned was next to leave and after completing their secret handshake, Peter gave his best friend another tight hug.

Peter locked the door behind his friends and after cleaning up, he walked down to his room. Logically he knew he could squeeze in a few hours of patrolling, but he had things that needed to be done first. He sat at his desk and pulled out a blank notebook.

“Alright Stones. Let’s work out what needs to be done,” Peter said aloud as he picked up his pencil.

By 11:30, Peter was yawning nonstop and decided he would head to bed. He and the Stones had created three different lists, one of people he needed to meet or save, one of things he needed to do to improve his Spider persona, and a third of events or locations he needed to be at to ensure the changes would be effective.

He crawled into bed and switched out the light with a smile on his face. The six voices of the Stones washed over him as he drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow he would begin improving his Spider-Man suit and improving his skills. He needed to be better than before – the universe was depending on him.

Chapter Text

The weekend after he had returned to his 14-year-old body, Peter woke up and realised that he needed to start putting his plans into action. His week had already progressed differently than last time. The day after Ned and Abe had been to his apartment, Abe joined Ned, Peter, and MJ at lunch and brought along Sally, Cindy, and Betty. The seven teens spent their whole lunch break debating the merits of various superheros and Peter was pleased to hear that his friends thought that the new vigilante on the streets, Spider-Man, had the potential to be a great hero. MJ, Betty, and Sally were all chatting about the vigilante’s potential motivations for becoming a hero while Cindy and the three boys talked about the composition and features of the webs.

During the week, Flash had only annoyed him once more and that was two days after their initial conflict. He shoved Peter in the hallway and instead of letting it go, Peter fell and milked the moment. He collided hard with lockers and dropped heavily to the ground. Peter milked it enough that Ms Warren had come to investigate the commotion and since there had been footage of the incident (courtesy of Flash’s moronic friends), Flash had been dragged to Principal Morita’s office. Peter had been escorted to the nurse by Ned and Abe where the lovely nurse told him he had probably sprained his wrist. When the trio returned to class, they learnt that Flash had been suspended for the rest of the week. He had also been placed on probation, meaning that if he were caught bullying anyone again, he would be expelled.

Peter jumped out of bed and after a quick shower, got dressed and made his way out to the kitchen. May was still in bed so Peter decided to treat her to breakfast.

“Alright guys, I’ve got some questions,” Peter murmured as he started cooking. He felt his tattoo pulsate to tell him the Stones were listening. “Honest opinions, should I tell my friends about Spider-Man? Would that be dangerous or beneficial?”

“Well, Mind has calculated the risks and Time has seen the potential futures,” Soul said after a few minutes. “And the benefits far outweigh the risks. Ned, Cindy, and Abe will be beneficial for the development of technology for Spider-Man, Sally will be useful for training and fitness, Betty for her journalistic ability and Michelle as the leader of the group. She will be the most level-headed of you all and therefore the one to develop the most effective plans.”

“Ok. So, we are all in agreement? I will be telling my friends,” Peter said, and the Stones all hummed in agreement. Before Peter could continue his conversation, May walked into the kitchen rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Morning May. I’m making bacon and eggs.”

“Did you suddenly learn how to cook without me knowing?” May asked as she took a seat at the kitchen counter.

“One of us had too,” Peter teased, stopping himself from reacting as May threw a piece of laundry at him. Peter just leant over and switched the kettle on so May could have her morning coffee. Once breakfast was ready, Peter carried everything over to the table and after grabbing the coffee, joined May to eat.

“So, what brought this on?” May asked as she took a bite of her eggs. “Are you buttering me up for something?”

“No. I just wanted to be nice,” Peter replied, and May raised and eyebrow at him. “It’s true! But I did want to ask if Ned, Abe, and the girls could stay over tonight?”

“Girls? Which girls?” May questioned and Peter couldn’t hide his blush. “You better not be planning some kind of orgy under my roof.”

“May!” Peter cried and May burst out laughing at the horror on her nephew’s face. “God no! Just MJ, Sally, Cindy, and Betty. We were going to do some practice for Decathlon and watch some movies. That’s it.”

“Well, if all their parents are ok with it, it’s fine by me,” May said after a few minutes. “You can assure the girls’ parents that I will be home all night. I’m not on shift again until Monday when I go back to day shift.”

“Thanks. I’ll send everyone a message,” Peter replied. He and May finished breakfast and May shooed him out of the kitchen before he could help with clean up. After some protest, Peter entered his room and grabbed his phone.

Group Chat: Abe, Betty, Cindy, MJ, Ned, Sally

Peter created the group

Peter changed Abe’s name to Mr President

Peter changed Betty’s name to Betty Boop

Peter changed Cindy’s name to Cindy Lou Who

Peter changed MJ’s name to Scary Queen

Peter changed Ned’s name to Hacker

Peter changed Sally’s name to Twinkle Toes

Peter: you’re probably wondering why I gathered you all here

Scary Queen: Yes. Yes, I am.

Scary Queen changed Peter’s name to Puppy Parker

Peter: rude! Well I was messaging to invite y’all over for a sleepover. Tonight. May said to tell parental units she is home to supervise. Figured we could do AcaDec stuff and watch movies. Or just watch movies – whatever floats your boat

Hacker: I’m in. mom will be fine with it

Mr President: give me 5 to go ask. Brb (comment liked by Cindy Lou Who, Scary Queen, Twinkle Toes, Betty Boop)

Twinkle Toes: Peter, can my mom call May? Just wants to check it all out

Puppy Parker: sure – her number is 405-6654-0323 (comment liked by Twinkle Toes)

Peter put the phone down beside him on the bed and dropped back against his pillows. He was apprehensive about telling his friends his secret, but they needed to know. He needed to be better this time around.

“Guys, should I tell them everything?” Peter asked after a moment.

“That is up to you,” Mind’s voice was soothing as it washed over him. “Time is being tight lipped at this stage. Perhaps it will be best to wait before telling them this secret.”

Peter nodded and rubbed his hand over the tattoo on his collarbone as it warmed slightly. His phone vibrated beside him and when he looked, all the others had either agreed or were more than likely coming once their parents had spoken to May.

Puppy Parker: bring pillows and sleeping bags. We can camp out in the lounge room. I’ll scrounge up all the pillows we can find.

Peter dropped his phone again and decided it was time to freshen up. He pulled out some clothes for the day and walked into the bathroom. He locked the door and after stripping, took a moment to look himself over. Sure, the scars and marks were gone, but so was the definition. He would have to start toning up again – getting in some swinging time would help with that.

Peter ran through a shower and when he was done and dressed, he walked back out to the lounge room where May was. She was just hanging up her phone as he arrived.

“Well I have now spoken to all parents,” May teased as Peter took a seat next to her on the lounge. “Everyone is allowed to come over and stay the night.”

“You are the best,” Peter said. He bent over and lay his head down in May’s lap. The woman’s hand went to his damp curls and Peter practically purred as she ran her hands through his hair.

“I don’t know what brought on all this affection this week, but I love it,” May whispered and Peter smiled. He cuddled in closer to the woman and inhaled her comforting scent. This was a moment he would never again take for granted. He knew May would need to know about Spider-Man but right now, that was low on his list of priorities. He needed to get his friends, his team, on board so that they could intervene in Sokovia.

Peter and May stayed on the lounge for another hour, a Hallmark movie playing softly in the background. Once the hour was up, Peter decided that he should probably get some homework done before his friends came over. He kissed May on the cheek and made his way down to his room. He grabbed his phone off his bed and flicked through the messages from his friends.

Mr President: Parents are cool with sleepover

Betty Boop: Same here. Mom just called May and confirmed

Cindy Lou Who: Same

Twinkle Toes: yep, me too

Scary Queen: Parker, what time should we come by?

Puppy Parker: anytime after lunch. May and I are home all day so whenever you feel like

Hacker: Nathan can drop me on his way to work. I can be there at 2.

Mr President: 2 works (comment liked by Twinkle Toes, Cindy Lou Who, Betty Boop, Scary Queen, Puppy Parker)

Peter walked over to his desk and pulled out his homework. The work was simple enough that he managed to finish it within an hour. He made a mental note to ask his teachers for some more complex work in the coming days.

Once he had finished his homework, Peter lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. His tattoo warmed up and before he knew it, he was floating above his body.

------- DREAMSCAPE ------

“Hello Peter,” Mind said as she came to sit beside the teen. Peter was staring down at his sleeping body and smiled up at the woman. Now that he took the time to look at her, he realised just how beautiful she was. She had long red hair, piercing yellow eyes and alabaster skin. Her yellow robes had now changed to a yellow dress. She was smiling pleasantly at Peter and he had never felt calmer. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah Mind. I’m fine,” Peter replied. “Where am I?”

“You are back in limbo,” Space had now joined the conversation and Peter looked over at the newcomer. He was wearing a blue two-piece suit, had dark hair, and piercing blue eyes. Unlike his sister, Space had tanned skin. “From here you can go anywhere in the known universe. Or you can simply relax and ponder. The choice is yours.”

“So, I could go and see people anywhere in the universe. Like, I could go and see the Guardians if I wanted?” Peter said, and Space nodded with an excited grin. “How? How do I do that?”

“Well, until you learn to harness our powers, I can take you,” Space said. “Where would you like to go?”

“Can you take me to see Mr Stark please,” Peter said softly after a minute. He was really missing the man he saw as a father. Space nodded and, after raising his arms, Peter watched as the world began to rush around him. They came to a stop suddenly and Peter felt his head spin.

“The first few times can be disorienting, take a minute,” Space said reassuringly. Peter took a few deep breaths and when he looked around him, memories of his time wit Mr Stark came flooding back.

“His lab,” Peter murmured. He took an aborted step forward before looking back to Space. “Can I move closer?”

“Of course. You can move around this area just like normal. You will be unable to interact with the people at this stage, but you can observe,” Space replied fondly. Peter smiled at him gratefully and moved further into the room. He heard a few soft murmurs and when he turned his head, Peter let out a gasp.

Mr Stark and Dr Banner were working on separate holo-tables, but they were both smiling contentedly as they worked and conversed. Peter oved closer and found himself smiling too.

“Tony, you can’t mix these two compounds!” Bruce hissed out as he flicked something back to Tony from his holo-table. “If you do, there will be an almost catastrophic explosion.”

“Ooh, fun! Let’s do it,” Tony teased, smirk firmly in place as he flicked the (what Peter now realised to be) chemical equation back to Bruce, this time highlighted and circled. “It will be fun. We can put Point Break in there and tell him to try and hit it with the Hammer.”

“Tony, NO!” Bruce demanded but Tony simply rolled his eyes playfully.

“I think you mean Tony, Yes,” Tony replied. Instead of answering, Bruce picked up one of the disposable coffee cups from beside him and lobbed it at Tony’s head. Peter could only laugh as the cup bounced off his mentor’s head, opened on impact, and spilt the dregs of coffee down his face. Tony picked up a coffee cup from beside him and threw it back but Bruce, anticipating this, had ducked down with a laugh.

“It’s nice to see him like this,” Peter whispered to Space, who had moved to stand beside him. “I didn’t get much time with him after we returned but he looked different. More jaded. I want to make sure he stays this happy.”

“And you will. With our help Peter, you will help ensure that Sokovia happens differently. That will go a long way to helping your mentor find peace,” Space said comfortingly. He rested a hand on Peter’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “We should head back. Your friends will be joining you soon. We can come back anytime you please.”

Peter nodded and with one final glance at his now cackling mentor (Tony had grabbed a smoothie off Dum-E and had poured it over Bruce’s head), Peter and Space disappeared.

------ END DREAMSCAPE ------

“Hey bud,” May’s gentle voice pulled Peter out of his dream state. He opened his eyes and, after blinking twice, smiled up at May. “Nice nap? Your friends will be here soon. Are you feeling ok?”

“Yeah May,” Peter replied with a smile. “I finished all my homework, so I thought I’d take a nap.”

“Alright then. Well, why don’t you join me in the living room until your friends arrive,” May said. Peter climbed off the bed and swung his arm around May’s shoulder. The two Parkers walked out to the living room and Peter joined his aunt on the lounge. Half an hour passed before the doorbell rang and Peter jumped up to answer it. Ned was standing there with a backpack and a big grin on his face. Peter greeted him with a hug and ushered him in. Within ten minutes, the others had arrived, and May had retreated to her room. The teens moved the lounges and spread out their sleeping bags around the room.

“So, who wants to pick the first movie?” Peter asked. Sally ended up selecting the first movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and the group settled in with popcorn and drinks.

“Alright Parker, what’s under your skin?” MJ asked a few hours into the sleepover. The group had ordered pizza and once May had returned to her room after they had all eaten, the group had started watching the first Taken film. “You’ve been edgy all afternoon.”

“How could you tell?” Betty asked with a raised eyebrow. “Cause Peter’s always fidgety. I just thought it was ADHD.”

“Well its that too. But there is definitely something up,” MJ replied before fixing a stern glance onto Peter. “So, spill Parker. What’s got your briefs in a bunch?”

“I have something to tell you guys, but you have to swear not to tell a soul. Aunt May doesn’t know and she can’t know,” Peter said as he looked over his shoulder. May’s door was still closed, and he could hear her TV running so as long as he kept an ear open for her, he should be ok. “I mean it guys. I need you to swear.”

Once all 6 of his friends had agreed, Peter let out a deep sigh before jumping up to the ceiling. He heard Ned, Sally, Betty, and Cindy gasp, Abe let out a swear and MJ let out a surprised grunt as he hit the ceiling and stuck. He sat cross legged and stared down at his stunned friends.

“Um, surprise,” Peter said sheepishly.

“DUDE?!” Ned half yelled. The other shushed him quickly but the damage had been done.

“Everything ok out there?” May called. She cracked her door slightly and from his perch, Peter could tell she was about to leave the room. He dropped gracefully down onto the lounge and turned his head.

“Yeah May. Ned just got a static shock from Abe. All good,” Peter called back. May called out ok before shutting her door again. Peter turned back to his friends, who were all now staring at him with wide eyes.

“Holy shit. You’re Spider-Man,” Abe said. His voice was soft but dripping with awe. “How the hell did that happen?”

“Was it Oscorp?” MJ asked before Peter could answer and everyone turned to her. “What? I mean, Peter got really sick after that field trip. I just wondered if that was why.”

“Uh yeah. When we were at Oscorp, I got bitten by a radioactive spider. Knocked me on my butt for 4 days. Then when I woke up again, everything was different. I had super strength, I could stick to thinks, and all my senses were insanely enhanced,” Peter explained. “I wanted to tell you guys because, well, because I need your help.”

“How can we help?” Betty asked before the others could speak.

“I’m just a kid,” Peter answered. “I’m just a kid with superpowers. I can lift heavy things, but I can’t do this alone. The Avengers are a team, and Spider-Man needs a team.”

“So long as you never speak about yourself in the thirds person again, I’m in,” MJ said after 5 restless minutes of silence. The others turned to look at her before looking back at Peter. “While you may have book smarts, your common sense leaves a lot to be desired. I for one want to see my friend make it to 18. I’m in.”

“Me too,” Ned agreed. “You’ll need someone on computers. Every good superhero has a Guy in the Chair.”

“I’m in too. No offense man but your costume sucks,” Abe said teasingly, and Peter threw a gummy worm at him with a grin. “I’m fairly good at sewing since my Nan taught me. I’ll help develop a better suit for you.”

“Your webs can also be modified. Plus, I’ll have the space for you to actually manufacture them,” Cindy added. “My parents converted our garden shed into a lab for me to do my homework in so we can use my things there to manufacture the webs.”

“We’ll need to increase your social media presence,” Betty commented, pulling out a notebook as she spoke. “The Avengers have one main Twitter account, but they are hardly active. If we want the people of New York on your side, we need to get your social media presence up.”

“And Pete, you need to work on your fitness,” Sally said firmly. “You need to bulk up so that you can swing around and do what you need to do. Super strength can only do so much.”

Peter looked around the room at his friends.  In his past life he couldn’t have imagined telling them his secret but now, now he couldn’t imagine hiding it. Peter knew that he was going to be better this time around.

“Now, we need lists,” MJ said, drawing Peter out of his thoughts. “Betty, we need a list for training, a list of things that we need to do ASAP, a list of chemicals Peter needs for his webs, and a list of other items or products we need to help him be Spider-Man.”

Peter felt his tattoo warm as his friends started trading ideas. He could hear Mind and Soul in his head telling him that he had made the right decision and for the first time since he had arrived in his past body, Peter felt relaxed. He knew now that he was ready to take on whatever Thanos and the Universe could throw at him.

Chapter Text

The weeks passed by quickly for Peter and his new support crew, otherwise known as the Spider Cluster (as per MJ). Betty had set up an official Spider-Man twitter account that was steadily gaining popularity. It had jumped up in numbers when Peter started sending Betty pictures from his perspective (his photo taken from the top of the Empire State Building had been trending for days).

Cindy had been helping him improve his web fluid and had even managed to get ballistic grade Kevlar from her uncle who was a producer of police equipment (she had told him it was for a school project and he had agreed wholeheartedly. He even told her to call him if she needed more). Abe had taken the Kevlar and had transformed it into a brand-new suit. He and Ned had then worked together to ensure that Peter had communications equipment incorporated into the suit, allowing for him to remain in contact with the team while he was on patrol. The only thing missing was Karen but that wouldn’t happen until he met Mr. Stark.

“Alright Spidey, can you hear us?” MJ’s voice came through his earpiece and Peter grinned.

“Yeah Dahlia. Loud and clear,” Peter replied. After the Cluster had been formed, the group decided they all needed codenames. It would ensure that no one could track them down if they overheard Peter speaking while fighting or patrolling. So with this in mind, MJ became known as Dahlia, Ned was Merlin (Guy in the Chair was a hell of a mouthful when trying to talk over comms), Sally was Activewear, Betty was known as Whisper, Cindy was Doc, and Abe was named Stitch. “Doc, I’m trying out web combination Epsilon 8 just for the record.”

“Copy that Spidey. Let me know how it feels when you’re done,” Cindy said. Peter nodded before firing a web at a nearby building and swinging away.

As he patrolled, his team chatted in his ear. Betty was just filling the group in on the latest twitter stats when Peter felt his Spidey-Sense go off.

“Spidey, check in. Your vitals have gone a bit weird,” Ned’s voice down the line broke Peter out of his daze.

“Sorry guys. Spidey-Sense was triggered,” Peter explained. “Merlin, can you check police scanners in the area please.”

“Standby,” Ned said. Peter could hear him typing frantically for a minute before he spoke again. “Police are blocking the entrance on both sides of the Queensboro bridge. Something is happening on the 59^th Street side.”

“Copy. Do we have more detail on what’s happening?” Peter asked.

“Looks like Chitauri weapons. Avengers are on the way,” MJ answered, and Peter tensed. “Spidey, I’m sure they can handle it. You have to decide whether or not you want to be on their radar.”

Before Peter could answer, his tattoo warmed, and Mind started speaking to him.

“You should go, Peter,” Mind said softly. “Much of the Chitauri power comes from off shoots of Power. Plus, this is more than just Chitauri. The weapons are in the hands of Hydra agents.”

“Dahlia, I’ll just help with crowd control. Queens is alright for now,” Peter explained as he started swinging with greater speed. “I’ll try to keep my distance.”

“Be careful Spidey,” MJ said firmly. The comms fell silent then so that Peter could concentrate on his swinging. It took some time but son enough he found himself landing on a building on 61^st Street.

“Looks like they’ve blocked off a grid encompassing most of the Upper East Side,” Peter commented to his team.

“Can confirm,” Betty commented. “Twitter users are saying armed men are roaming Lennox Hill. Police are trying to contain civilians but even with the Avengers, they are struggling.”

“Copy that, Whisper,” Peter replied. He swung off towards Lennox Hill and was instantly thrown into the chaos. He started helping direct civilians out of the line of fire. One NYPD officer noticed him and raced over.

“You’re the Spider guy, right? From Queens?” He asked as Peter helped a mother and her two children.

“Yes sir. Queens’ Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man. Heard you were having some problems and figured I could help with civilian control,” Peter said respectfully.

“Any help would be appreciated,” the officer said. Both Peter and the officer ducked as an explosion above them sent bits of building flying. “Be safe.”

Peter saluted the man before swinging off to help more civilians. He swung around a building and noticed the Hydra agents. They were dressed in black and each were carrying a Chitauri weapon.

“Merlin, start recording. I want to analyse their tactics later. I also want to analyse my own responses,” Peter asked, and once Ned confirmed he had started recording, Peter started webbing up civilians and moving them out of harm’s way again.

“Be careful Peter,” Power spoke this time. “The agents are becoming more desperate. They are starting to fire indiscriminately at targets.”

“They are hoping to distract the Avengers,” Reality chimed in. “They think if they start targeting civilians, the Avengers will give up.”

Peter didn’t say anything, knowing his team would hear and question him. Instead he swung towards another building. He landed near a sobbing woman and knelt beside her.

“Come on ma’am. Time to get somewhere safe,” Peter said.

“I can’t. My little girl. We got separated,” the woman sobbed. Peter’s head shot up and he began searching the street for the little girl. “Please. Her name is Claire. I can’t leave her.”

“Ok ma’am. Stay here. I’ll find her,” Peter said, attempting to comfort the woman. “What was she wearing?”

“Purple shorts and a white top,” the woman replied. Peter jumped to his feet and climbed over the overturned car the woman had been hiding behind.

“Spidey, insurgents heading your way. Clear out of there,” MJ hissed down the comms. Peter swung down the street, heading snapping left and right trying to find the child.

“Copy Dahlia. Gotta find a missing kid first,” Peter replied. He slid to a stop near an alley when he heard some soft sobbing. Turning, Peter slowly approach the noise. “Claire? Is that you?”

A small body emerged from behind a dumpster and Peter knelt down. She had a few scrapes and cuts but was otherwise unharmed.

“Hi. I’m Spider-Man. Your mom sent me to come find you,” Peter said softly. The girl nodded and once she was close enough, Peter picked her up and put her on his hip. “Let’s get you ladies out of here.”

Peter turned and, after firing a web, swung out of the alley. When he arrived back at the woman, he smiled as she grabbed her daughter and hugged her tightly.

“Thank you, Spider-Man,” the girl said as her mom kissed her head repeatedly.

“Time to go ladies,” Peter said. The mother stood and Peter was following them out of the street when an explosion followed by a scream happened behind them. Turning his head sharply, Peter noticed that the Hydra agents had appeared and had fired up at one of the rooftops. A body could be seen falling with alarming speed from the now destroyed roof.

Without thought, Peter fired a web and launched himself across the street. He grabbed the falling body mid swing and, using his momentum, made his way across to one of the other rooftops. The Hydra agents turned their attention to him, and Peter ducked to avoid their fire.

“Spidey. Try web combination Lambda 4,” Cindy ordered down the comms. “Fire at the insurgents using that combination.”

Peter pressed the button on his new web shooters and changed to the combination Cindy ordered. He fired at the agents as they re-aimed their weapons. The web shot out of the shooters and, upon impact, exploded. The Hydra agents were covered in webs and stuck to the ground, completely incapacitated.

“Web grenades! Awesome job Doc,” Peter praised before a groan drew his attention. The person he had grabbed was laying on the roof beside him and when Peter rolled the body over, he could stop the gasp. “Guys, I think the Avengers might become aware of me.”

Laying in front of him, bleeding from a head wound, a wound on his side and with what looked to be a dislocated shoulder, was Clint “Hawkeye” Barton.

“Can’t be helped now Spidey Provide basic first aid and then get out of there,” MJ ordered. “Web his arm to his chest to stop it moving and to help stabilise the dislocation. Use web combination Xi 8 on the wound on his side. The head wound looks superficial from here.”

“Copy that Dahlia,” Peter replied. He was in the process of switching his web combination when Hawkeye groaned again and opened his eyes. “Whoa, settle down man. You’ve got some bad wounds here. I need to stabilise them before you can move.”

“What?” Hawkeye murmured. He looked Peter over and frowned. “Who are you?”

“Just a friend,” Peter murmured. He held his hand up and looked Hawkeye in the eye. “I have to web your arm to your chest. You have a dislocated shoulder and until you can get it set properly, we need to stabilise. But this is going to hurt.”

“Can’t hurt more than it does now,” Clint said. Peter nodded and without warning, fired the web at the limb. Clint let out a cry of pain as it was jostled but soon enough, Peter was done. “Tell me that shit isn’t organic.”

“That’s beyond gross,” Peter replied with a smirk. He remembered when Falcon had asked him this same question and it also made him laugh. “I have to web up your side too. I’ll leave the dissolving solution with you so that your medical team can get to the wounds. Nothing in the webs is toxic so you’ll have no infections or anything.”

“Tha- WHAT THE SHIT?” Clint bellowed as Peter fired Xi 8 at Clint’s side.

“Sorry. Sorry,” Peter said over the yelling. “All done now. You should call your team. Let them know the insurgents and weapons have been neutralised. And let them know you’re injured.”

“You gunna hang around? The team would probably want to meet and debrief you,” Clint said, hissing as his side ached.

“Not today, my man,” Peter replied. He could hear MJ and the others in his ear telling him to get moving. “Here are the dissolving solutions for the webs. Good luck Hawkeye.”

Before Hawkeye could say anything more, Peter saluted him and swung away. It took him 20 minutes of swinging before he reached Cindy’s place. The team had spent the past few weeks revitalising Cindy’s garden shed/lab into a sort of headquarters for them. Cindy had explained to her parents that they wanted a space where they could watch movies and study without Cindy’s little brother interrupting them. Her parents had helped to expand the shed and soon enough, they had an entire lair setup inside. Ned had promptly named it “The Web” and MJ had simply rolled her eyes fondly.

“How were the webs tonight?” Cindy asked as Peter removed his mask when he entered the shed.

“Awesome. Epsilon 8 is a huge improvement on 7. Much more tensile strength and good swinging capacity. I might keep that one for a while,” Peter replied. He handed over his web shooters with a grin. “Lambda 4 worked perfectly too. Last I saw those insurgents weren’t going anywhere.”

“Just what I wanted to hear. I’ll work on a surplus of those so that we have them if needed,” Cindy said. She walked over to her bench and put the web shooters in their holders.

“Pete, I’ve got that footage you wanted,” Ned said, handing Peter a flash drive. “Looks like they were well trained, not the usual thugs hanging around New York.”

“You ripped my suit Spidey,” Abe said firmly, and Peter looked down. Sure enough there was a rip across the side and back of the suit.

“Probably from some debris. Sorry Stitch,” Peter said. He pulled the shirt off and handed the material to Abe. Abe rolled his eyes fondly and took the suit. Peter walked over to where he had his bag of spare clothes and quickly got changed.

“Good job tonight Pete,” Betty said from where she was sitting by her computer. “The Avengers are trending on Twitter, but you are also pretty popular tonight.”

“Keep an eye on that Whisper. We want to make sure the Avengers aren’t asking too many questions,” MJ ordered, and the other girl nodded.

Peter dropped down into one of the beanbags and looked around at his team. He couldn’t ask for a better support crew or a better group of friends. He grinned at Sally as she threw a blanket over him and patted him on the head.

----- The Avengers -----

“How’s Clint?” Tony asked Nat as the team hovered outside the Medbay.

“Helen says he will be fine. Apparently whatever that Spider guy used stopped the bleeding well. It also kept his arm firmly stabilised so there wasn’t further damage,” Nat explained.

“Who is this guy?” Steve asked and everyone looked over at Tony.

“Known as Spider-Man. Works out of Queens,” Tony explained as he typed on his STARKPad. He handed the tablet to Steve so he could see the footage he had. “Started off wearing some kind of shitty onesie but has since upgraded. Swings around Queens and takes on little things. Rescuing cats from trees and helping old ladies cross streets.”

“Seems like he does some other things as well,” Bruce commented as he looked over Steve’s shoulder. The current video playing was of Spider-Man rescuing a bus load of children from falling off the Queensboro bridge.

“And he saved Clint. He didn’t need to get involved on this side of the bridge, but he did. We need to thank him,” Nat put in. The others nodded and everyone turned as Pepper entered the room.

“Pep, can you release a statement thanking Spider-Man for helping out please,” Tony asked, and the redhead nodded. “Tell everyone that Clint will be fine thanks to his intervention.”

“Can do,” Pepper said. “I’ll organise a press conference for tomorrow.”

The Avengers nodded at Pepper before sitting down to wait for Helen to come out of surgery.

----- The Next Day – with the Spider Cluster -----

“OMG, GUYS!” Betty said excitedly as she dropped her tray onto the lunch table. Abe, Ned, and Peter looked up from where they were assembling a Lego X-Wing, MJ looked up from her book and Cindy and Sally paused their conversation to look over at the excited teen. “Miss Potts had a press conference this morning. You’ve gotta see this.”

Betty put her phone on the table and pressed play on the video she had open.

“The Avengers have asked me to give a statement regarding the events of last night. They are pleased to announce that there were no civilian casualties and the men in question have been taken into custody. They would also like me to reassure everyone that Hawkeye is making a speedy recovery from wounds received during the fight. Thanks to the diligent work of Dr Helen Cho, his wounds are healing well, and he should be back on his feet within the next few days,” Pepper said, reading from a teleprompter.

“I wondered who they would have working on him. Interesting that its Dr Cho. Her work is ground-breaking,” Cindy said, and Betty eagerly shushed her.

“The Avengers have also asked me to relay their extreme gratitude to Queens’ local hero, Spider-Man. It was due to his involvement that Hawkeye is recovering as well as he is. Spider-Man helped to safely neutralise the threat from last night and was able to administer field first aid to Hawkeye. This ensured that he was stable when Helen arrived and, like I said, he will be on his feet within a few days. The Avengers can never thank Spider-Man enough for what he did for one of their teammates. I will now be taking questions.”

“Miss Potts, Cynthia Brewster, New York Times. Is Spider-Man going to be considered an Avenger?” one reporter asked.

“At this stage, we don’t know anything about Spider-Man. We just know that he helps the people of Queens and last night he helped us. At present the Avengers have not spoken much about Spider-Man but I believe he will be a common topic of discussion now that he has played a role in helping Hawkeye,” Pepper replied before moving on to the next question.

“Daniel O’Rielly, Daily News. You said that Hawkeye will make a full recovery, what were the extent of his injuries and how did Spider-Man help?”

“He had a wound to his side, a dislocated shoulder and a superficial head wound,” Pepper explained. “Spider-Man was able to stabilise the dislocation and used some of his webs to stop the bleeding. Our medical team would like to thank him for his speedy intervention.”

“Marcus Smith, Daily Bugle. Why would the Avengers willingly work with the local menace that is Spider-Man?” a male reporter said.

“I hate the Daily Bugle. What the hell is their problem?” MJ hissed but Betty shushed her as well.

“You call Spider-Man a menace. What has he done that actually proves he is a menace?” Pepper asked, her gaze turning steely. “Last night he stepped in to help evacuate civilians from a dangerous situation. He was not required to help but he came anyway. When he noticed one of our people was wounded, he responded instantly to help neutralise the threat and save his life. The Avengers have watched the footage of Spider-Man circling the internet. In none of those videos is he a menace. He rescues cats from trees. I suggest you rethink your stance on Spider-Man. As far as the Avengers are concerned, he has their respect.”

“Damn!” Abe said with a whistle. He nudged Peter who was blushing brilliantly. “Look at you go! Winning over the Avengers and Pepper Potts goes to bat for you.”

“We need to put out a statement on Twitter,” MJ commented, and Betty nodded. “We need to acknowledge their gratitude and thank them for their kind words.”

“Easily done,” Betty said.

While the boys went back to building their Lego, the girls started talking about Pepper Potts and what they needed to do next to continue to improve Spider-Man’s image and presence.

That afternoon, Peter walked into his apartment and kissed May on the cheek.

“I’m thinking Thai for dinner. What do you think?” May said as she looked up from the newspaper she was reading.

“Sounds good. What time?” Peter asked. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass of orange juice before turning back to Aunt May.

“5:30. I’ll book us a table,” May said and Peter nodded. He picked up his backpack and walked down to his bedroom. While he had homework to do, he figured it could wait. Peter had managed to get his teachers to increase his work complexity and while it certainly was more complex, he was still finding it easy.

Peter turned on his computer and after opening Netflix, turned on a stand-up comedy show and rested his head on his arms.

----- DREAMSCAPE -----

“Wakey wakey sunshine,” Reality said, and Peter just rolled his eyes. Both Space and Reality were standing over him with smirks on their faces. Peter had been working hard on integrating with the Stones and was getting stronger. He had visited Tony and the other Avengers a few times and was eagerly awaiting the day he could meet them properly.

“What?” Peter asked. The two Stones continued smirking and Peter slowly stood. “That look tells me you are planning something.”

“Time for your lesson. We have permission from both Mind and Time to do what we need to,” Space started, and Reality nodded.

“Today we are paying a visit to the Maximoff siblings,” Reality explained. “And more than that, you are going to interact with them. We need to start influencing them. Its only a few more weeks before the Avengers first head to Sokovia.”

“I don’t think I’m ready for that,” Peter said softly. Reality’s face softened and he threw an arm over Peter’s shoulder.

“You’ll do fine. Both Space and I will be with you,” Reality said comfortingly. “You just need to talk to them and start to plant the seeds of mistrust for Hydra in their heads. Plus, Wanda will more than likely feel a connection with you due to our influence.”

“I’ll try,” Peter said and both Space and Reality smiled at him. Space waved his hand and the world spun. Soon enough, Peter and the Stones were standing in what could only be described as a cell. Two people, teenagers, were sitting on one of the cots. The girl was waving her hands and red tendrils were swirling around her.

“Ok Pete. Get ready,” Reality said. Peter felt something cool drip down over his head and he closed his eyes.

“Who are you?” a strong, male voice demanded, and Peter felt control return to his body. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the eyes of two powerful teenagers.

Chapter Text

Last Time: “Ok Pete. Get ready,” Reality said. Peter felt something cool drip down over his head and he closed his eyes.

“Who are you?” a strong, male voice demanded, and Peter felt control return to his body. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the eyes of two powerful teenagers.

NOW

Before Peter could say anything, Wanda’s eyes flashed red and her magic swelled up around her. Pietro moved and Peter found his arms being pinned behind his back.

“Who are you? How did you get here?” Wanda hissed. She was slowly advancing on Peter and he couldn’t help what came out of his mouth.

“Your magic is so cool,” Peter said, and Wanda stopped. Peter then looked over his shoulder to look at Pietro’s confused face. “And you! Dude, if I had your speed, I’d never be late for school again.”

The sound of the teen’s excitement had both Maximoff twins pausing. In HYDRA, no one was jovial, and everyone feared Wanda. No one thought her magic was ‘cool’, her magic was a weapon to be used to further HYDRA’s plans.

“How did you get here?” Wanda’s tone was now softer, gentler as she spoke to Peter. Her magic tapered out and to Peter, she now looked like a scared teenager. “You are too young to be part of this.”

“So are you,” Peter said without thinking. Both Wanda and Pietro looked at him with pain in their eyes.

“We lost our youth a long time ago,” Pietro said. He and Wanda both sat down on the cot again and Peter found himself sitting at their feet. “What is your name cel mic (little one)?”

“Peter. My name is Peter,” he replied and both Wanda and Pietro smiled.

“Like you fratele (brother),” Wanda said with a fond smile. She then turned to Peter and ran her fingers through his hair. “I am Wanda, and this is Pietro.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Peter said, holding his hand out. The twins shook his hand and Peter grinned at them. “So, what are you guys doing here?”

Wanda and Pietro shared a glance and from what Peter could see, they looked almost ashamed. Peter knew very little about Wanda’s story, only what Mr Stark had told him before. He knew that some of it had to do with Mr Stark’s past, but his mentor had never really delved into it.

“Don’t be ashamed,” Peter said softly, shocking both twins. “I’m not going to judge you.”

“We volunteered for HYDRA experiments,” Wanda said softly. Pietro took her hand and not for the first time, Peter wondered what it was like to be a twin. “They gave us these powers and promised to help us get revenge.”

“Revenge? On whom?” Peter asked.

“An American,” Pietro said bitterly. “His weapons killed our parents and almost killed us. We were 10 years old, just having dinner. The bomb hit and killed our parents. Another one hit but it didn’t detonate.”

“We waited days for Tony Stark’s weapons to kill us,” Wanda hissed out, tears now welling in her eyes. “We swore that he wouldn’t get away with it. Then HYDRA came along.”

“When was this?” Peter asked softly.

“8 years ago,” Pietro said. Peter noticed Wanda’s hand was still running through his curls and he moved closer to her. Not only was it soothing him, but it seemed to be soothing her.

“I don’t mean to be blunt, but it probably wasn’t Mr Stark then,” Peter said, and the twins looked at him in anger and confusion. Peter held up his hands placatingly. “I’m not trying to trivialise what happened to you guys, it was awful. But 8 years ago, Mr Stark was kidnapped.”

“What do you mean kidnapped?” Pietro asked. “Don’t cover for him. He killed our family.”

“I’m not covering for him,” Peter said calmly. “I’m just saying, 8 years ago Mr Stark was kidnapped while he was in Afghanistan. When he was found he realised his business partner had been selling his weapons on the black market. The first thing Mr Stark did when he got back was shut down the weapons manufacturing side of Stark Industries.”

“You are American,” Wanda commented. “You could be lying to us. We don’t know you.”

“You don’t,” Peter said. He looked at the floor for a minute before he faced the twins with a bright smile. “Well, we need to change that, don’t we?”

“Change it?” Pietro asked, confused by the child’s sudden change in demeanour.

“Yeah, we should get to know one another,” Peter said. He turned his head when he felt Reality tapping on his shoulder. Reality tapped his wrist, indicating they were out of time. “But we can’t do it now. I have to go, but I will come back as soon as I can. I really want to get to know you guys.”

“We will miss you,” Pietro said. He wasn’t going to hold Peter to that. If someone left HYDRA, they never really returned. And this boy was probably nothing more than a figment of his sister’s imagination that was being projected.

“Come back soon soare mic (little sunshine),” Wanda said, her face falling slightly. Peter stood and waved to the Maximoff twins before allowing Reality and Space to whisk him back to his body.

----- END DREAMSCAPE -----

Peter woke up to the sound of Aunt May calling out that it was time to leave for dinner. Peter paused the Netflix show he had fallen asleep too and shut the laptop.

“I need to go back there as soon as possible,” Peter whispered as he grabbed a jacket. His tattoo warmed and pulsed in agreement. He walked out to the living room and smiled at Aunt May. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

The restaurant was only a few blocks away so instead of driving, May and Peter decided to walk. May and Peter walked into their favourite restaurant and after ordering, May turned to Peter.

“What? I didn’t do anything,” Peter said instantly when he noticed her raised eyebrow. May continued smirking at him and Peter raised his hands. “I haven’t even gotten detention this month!”

“And I am glad,” May said before bursting into peals of laughter. Peter groaned and dropped his head onto the table as May laughed. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

“Now that you’ve scared ten years off me, what did you want to say?” Peter asked.

“I was just wondering when you were going to tell me,” May said and Peter felt his blood freeze. There was no way she could know about Spider-Man. He hadn’t told her and all members in The Cluster had been sworn to secrecy. “When were you going to tell me that you were essentially doing junior classwork? I got a message from your principal commending you for your work and dedication.”

“Oh,” Peter said, his heart rate dropping back to normal levels. “Well, it just slipped my mind. I was getting bored in some of my classes, so my teachers offered me some harder work. That’s all.”

“Peter, that’s awesome,” May said excitedly. She reached her hand out and took Peter’s in hers. “Peter, this is great. You should be so proud of yourself.”

“I am,” Peter said. He stopped when the waiter appeared with their drinks and starters and only started again when he had left. “Do you think they’d be proud?”

Peter had rarely spoken to May about his parents and because of that, he knew very little about them. Being so young when he lost them, Peter hadn’t had a lot of time to learn about them. This time around, he wanted to know all that he could about them. May’s gaze softened and a gentle smile crossed her face.

“They would be so proud,” May said softly. “Your mother used to call you her little miracle. Your dad would call us anytime you did something, like when you walked for the first time. He called Ben and just cried at him for 5 minutes. You’ve got both their brains honey. I’m glad to see you using them.”

“Thanks May,” Peter said. May kissed the back of Peter’s hand before both Parkers dug into their food. When their mains arrived, Peter decided to test the waters about Spider-Man. “So, what do you think of Spider-Man?”

“Interesting topic change,” May said. She took a bite of her food and looked pensive as she chewed. “I think it’s pretty great that Queens has someone looking out for her. I mean, the Avengers are good, but they focus more on the big things so having someone look after the little guy is pretty reassuring. Why are you asking?”

“Just wondering. Ned and Abe talk about him all the time,” Peter replied. May nodded in understanding and the conversation went into a lull. Peter leant over and took some of May’s noodles from her plate. “If I wanted to be a superhero, what would you say?”

“Well, to start I would be pissed. But then I’d remember that you have always been a selfless kid who needed to help people,” May replied, shocking Peter. She waved her chopsticks at him. “But don’t go getting any ideas. I like you alive and healthy young man.”

Peter gave her a two-fingered salute and May threw a noodle at his head. Once they had finished their meal, Peter and May walked back to their apartment. When they arrived, May kissed Peter on the cheek and headed to the bathroom to shower. Peter walked into his bedroom and dropped down onto the bed.

----- DREAMSCAPE -----

“You are getting much better at this,” Reality said as Peter lifted his head and looked up.

“Practice. Can we go back to the Maximoffs? I think I was just getting somewhere with them,” Peter said. Reality nodded and Peter felt the dizzying experience of travel before Reality dropped him in the Maximoffs’ cell again. The twins noticed Peter’s presence and both of them jumped to their feet. “Hey guys.”

“You came back,” Wanda said with an excited smile. “How did you persuade your handlers to let you come back?”

“Handlers? I don’t have handlers,” Peter commented. “Unless you count MJ. But she doesn’t know I’m here so what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

“You don’t have a handler?” Pietro asked, confusion lacing his tone. Everyone in HYDRA either had a handler or was a handler. Even the scientists and lab techs had handlers. “But how? Everyone in HYDRA has a handler.”

“Oh,” Peter said. He looked around the cell and frowned. “That would explain it then. I’m not HYDRA so therefore I don’t have a handler.”

“If you are not HYDRA, who are you?” Wanda asked. Like her twin she was quite confused. “How can you be here?”

“Tell them that you are a by-product of the Stones, that you are there to help them,” Mind whispered in Peter’s head and he nodded.

“The Stone, the one that gave you guys your powers,” Peter said and when the twins nodded, he continued. “Well, there’s six of them scattered all across the universe. They sent me to help you.”

“Help us? How could you help us?” Pietro asked. It wasn’t arrogance that filled his tone, it was a mix of fear and resigned anger.

“Well, I guess I can be your friend,” Peter said softly. Both twins softened instantly, and Wanda held her hand out for Peter. The younger teen took it and let the older teen pull him onto the cot next to her. “It seems pretty dark and scary here. Everyone needs someone they can talk to.”

“Thank you soare mic (little sunshine). Thank you,” Wanda whispered as she started running her fingers through Peter’s curls.

----- END DREAMSCAPE -----

After his first visit to the Maximoffs, Peter visited them every second or third night (depending on how tired he was from his Spider-Man work and schoolwork). In that time, he and the twins had become extremely close. They had begun to teach him Romanian as sometimes when they were tired, the twins lapsed into one of the two native tongues of Sokovia (and Romanian was easier to learn but also close enough to Sokovian that Peter could muddle through if needed).

But despite his best efforts, Peter knew something had to give. He hadn’t realised just how thin he was spreading himself until he woke up one morning with a splitting headache. May knocked on his door and it was all Peter could do to not scream in pain. As he opened his eyes, Peter let out a moan and launched himself down the hallway to the bathroom.

“Oh baby,” May murmured as she rubbed Peter’s back gently. The boy was hunched over the toilet, spasms ripping through his body. Every time he retched, his entire body screamed in pain. “You are definitely not going to school today.”

“Have to,” Peter whimpered between gags. “Got a Spanish test and Decathlon practice.”

“Baby, you can barely keep your head up,” May chastised gently. “I will call the school. Surely they wont mind letting you make the test up. You are far ahead in your studies, correct?”

Peter nodded helplessly before throwing himself back at the toilet. May whispered soothing words to him as he vomited and when he felt sure there was nothing left, Peter slumped back against her. May pressed a kiss to his head and leant over to flush the toilet. Once the evidence of his sickness was gone, May helped her nephew to stand and walked him back to his room. She tucked him into bed and promised that she would be right back.

Peter managed to stay awake long enough to drink the water and take the pointless fever reducers May handed him. As he drifted off to sleep, he heard May talking on the phone to his school.

----- DREAMSCAPE -----

“You are supposed to be the responsible ones!” Mind hissed at a sheepish looking Reality and Space. All six Infinity Stones were gathered around their sleeping charge. Soul was sitting on the bed beside him, running her fingers through his curls and glaring fiercely at her brothers. “You know how taxing spatial jumps are. You should have kept a closer eye on him.”

“Peter wanted the practice,” Space said, and Mind fixed her glare on him. He raised his hands placatingly and looked over at his brother.

“We thought he could handle the intensity,” Reality said, and Power let out a bemused snort from behind them. “What? He’s stronger than any of our other carriers and he was progressing quickly. He seemed ready.”

“He is also a teenage boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders,” Soul said firmly, not quite yelling but almost there as she interrupted her sister. “He is a selfless teenage boy who will never tell someone no. He needs us to look after him, not run him into the ground.”

“Sorry,” both Space and Reality hung their heads in shame as they looked down at their charge.

“I will work with him for a little while after he is well again,” Time said as he approached the group. Space and Reality made to protest but Mind glared at them. “Our sister is not letting you near him anytime soon. I will take on his training for a time.”

Space, Reality, Time, and Power watched as their sisters took up watch of their charge while he slept.

----- END DREAMSCAPE -----

“Pete,” a soft voice roused Peter from sleep. He slowly opened his eyes and stared up at May. “Hey baby. Time for some more medication.”

Peter took the pills and swallowed them with a few large mouthfuls of water. May smiled fondly at the teen and pressed a kiss to his head.

“Did you want me to stay home from work tonight? I still have plenty of time to call in sick,” May said and despite the pain, Peter shook his head.

“No, I’ll be alright,” Peter said hoarsely. “Don’t skip work for me. I’ll just be sleeping anyway.”

“If you’re sure,” May said. “I’ll tell my boss that I need my phone on me so call me if you need me.”

Peter nodded and May kissed him one final time before he drifted off to sleep.

At the same time, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were listening to their handlers expound the benefits of HYDRA to the newest recruits. As the handlers spoke however, doubt was creeping into the minds of the Maximoff siblings. Ever since meeting Peter their opinions on the world had changed. Peter had showed them a different side to humanity. One that was kind, giving, and loving. One that was the complete opposite to how HYDRA portrayed the world.

As Pietro took his sister’s hand, the same thought flashed through their minds. What have we done, and how the hell do we get out?

Chapter Text

“Spidey, where’s your head at?” MJ’s voice down his commlink jolted Peter back to himself. He shook his head and quickly took in his surroundings. He was patrolling. It was Saturday night and May thought he was staying over at Cindy’s. “Spidey, if you don’t report in, I will have Merlin trace you and I will come and get you myself.”

“Sorry Dahlia. Brain’s a bit all over the place. I’m here,” Peter replied and he heard the sighs of relief from his team.

“Spidey Senses going haywire or something else? Are you still unwell?” Cindy asked and Peter could only smile at the concern in her tone.

“Nah Doc, all good. Just feeling a bit off. Can’t describe it,” Peter said. “I’ll be alright. I might just swing around for a bit longer then head back.”

“Be careful,” MJ ordered. “Merlin will be watching your vitals. Anything happens and I will follow through with my threat.”

Peter took off swinging with no set destination in mind. He stopped one mugging and helped a few drunk college girls find their way back to their apartments but other than that, his night was blissfully quiet.

Well, almost.

Peter was swinging between two buildings when his senses flared. Before he could respond, he was knocked out of the sky by a weapon blast.

“SPIDEY!” Peter could hear MJ screaming as he fell. He painfully managed to shoot some webs at the ground to break his fall but he still hit hard, the air rushing out of him. Peter managed to roll onto his back and saw a group, dressed in black, marching towards him. He scrambled painfully to his feet and dove behind a car as the men fired again.

“Cluster, I’m taking fire,” Peter hissed down his comms. He pressed a hand to the wound on his side and pulled it away to inspect the damage. The wound had cauterised on contact but the skin was raw, red, and Peter felt like screaming.

“Copy that Spidey. Police are on route,” Ned replied and despite the stability in his tone, Peter knew he was scared. “Doc wants you to describe the wound.”

“Severe plasma burn. Like the one on Hawkeye the other week,” Peter replied. “I think these might be the same guys.”

“Spidey, you need to get out of there,” MJ hissed. Peter chanced a look over the car and noticed the men were still advancing. One spotted him looking and fired the weapon at him again. Peter dove from behind the car and, ignoring the pain shooting through his body, raced down the street. He could hear the men yelling as they gave chase.

“Merlin, I’m going to need you to do something very illegal,” Peter said as he darted down an alley. He jumped up onto a fire escape and swiftly climbed onto the roof of a building. “I need you to hack into the Avengers Tower. These weapons are the same as last time. They need to know.”

“I’ll try my best. Stay alive Spidey. Doc will monitor you while I’m hacking,” Ned ordered. Peter took a few deep breaths and looked over the side of the building. The HYDRA agents had entered the alley and Peter had no doubt they would soon realise where he had gone.

Peter slid away from the edge and made his way across the building. He ducked down behind one of the air-conditioning units and took a few deep, stabilising breaths. He could hear the Stones in his head trying to reassure him but Peter needed to focus on trusting his team.

Across New York – with the Avengers

The Avengers were sitting in their common room, a dozen pizzas on the floor and tables between them when JARVIS spoke up.

“Sir,” Tony looked up to the ceiling and nodded. “My protocols are being overridden. Someone is hacking in.”

“What?” Tony hissed. He pulled his STARKPad out and started typing but before he could get far, the device shut down.

“Forgive the intrusion,” a male voice that definitely did not belong to JARVIS came out of the speakers.

“Who are you? Why have you hacked JARVIS?” Tony demanded.

“You can call me Merlin,” the voice said, and the Avengers jumped to their feet. “Don’t worry, I’ll be gone soon.”

“What do you want?” Steve asked as the Avengers began to pick up their weapons.

“This is Dahlia,” the voice was now female, and the team all looked at each other in confusion. “We are known as The Cluster. We work with Spider-Man. He needs your help.”

“With what? Helping grannies cross the street?” Clint teased but when a growl came down the line, he cringed.

“Spider-Man is currently wounded and surrounded by insurgents. The same people he saved your birdbrain ass from,” Dahlia hissed, and the Avengers went into battle mode. “We are calling for assistance because Spider-Man asked for it.”

“Location,” Nat barked as the team began moving about, gathering their things.

“Ozone Park,” Merlin was back now and the team nodded. “Please hurry. There is only so long he can hold on.”

“We are on our way,” Tony said before the connection cut out. He summoned the Iron Man suit and watched as Rhodey summoned the War Machine suit. “Thor, Flacon, Rhodey and I will go now. Cap, get in the jet and meet us there.”

The team nodded and the flyers headed for the now open windows. As they flew, Rhodey and Tony spoke.

“Spider-Man must have some good tech support if they could hack JARVIS,” Rhodey commented as they flew.

“Yeah. Hopefully he and the ‘Cluster’ will be willing to talk. I wanna know how they got in,” Tony replied.

Chatter ceased as the flyers approached the location. They could hear weapons fire as they approached and all four switched to their defensive modes.

“Eyes open,” Tony called and he watched as the other three nodded. He had just received a message from Cap to say they were 30 seconds behind them when they came upon the scene.

Spider-Man was standing on a rooftop surrounded by HYDRA agents. The vigilante was covered in wounds but was still fighting valiantly. The group on the roof looked up as the Avengers approached and while two remain focused on Spider-Man, the others focused their attacks on the newcomers.

The Quinjet was heard and while Clint landed on the roof, Nat and Steve rushed out, Nat going to Spider-Man’s aid while Steve headed for Thor. After landing, Clint raced over to where Nat and a fading Spider-Man were sparring with two HYDRA agents. Nat took down her one and both spies watched as Spider-Man managed to drop his too. Just as Spider-Man got in his final hit, the man fired a pistol. The bullet entered Spider-Man’s shoulder and the man dropped like a sack of bricks.

“Shit,” Clint said. He raced over to Spider-Man and started applying pressure to his bullet wound. “Banner, we need medical.”

“Do not remove his mask,” a new voice came over their comms and Clint and Nat shared a glance. “I am Doc. Like Dahlia and Merlin, I work with Spidey. Do not, under any circumstances, remove his mask. That is his connection to us and it’s called a ‘secret identity’ for a reason.”

“What if he has a head wound?” Nat asked as Bruce approached with a large first aid kit.

“He doesn’t,” Doc replied. “Merlin is monitoring his vitals. The only wounds are to his body. There is no need for any of you to go near his face.”

“Stand down Doc,” Spider-Man’s voice was weak but fond. “They are just trying to help.”

“You’ve got a scary team there,” Clint commented, and Spider-Man laughed weakly. “Seriously. I hang out with Nat and I was more scared of Dahlia than I’ve ever been of this redheaded nut-job.”

“I am much worse in person,” Dahlia’s voice returned and Clint couldn’t stop the shiver down his spine. “To know that I scare you so much that you shiver brings me great joy.”

“These wounds are quite significant,” Bruce commented as he looked over the vigilante. “Multiple plasma burns, three bullet wounds, I would guess broken ribs and a possible dislocated shoulder.”

“So that’s why it feels like a semi hit me,” Spider-Man said. Clint and Nat both rolled their eyes before looking over their shoulders. The others had subdued the HYDRA agents and while Falcon, Thor, and Rhodey were cuffing them, Steve and Tony approached the small group.

“What’s the story here?” Steve asked.

“Multiple injuries. There’s not much I can do here for him,” Bruce said. He then turned down to face Spider-Man. “I can have Dr Helen Cho look him over, but I will need to take him back to the Tower.”

“We will concede that you have better medical resources than us,” Dahlia said, almost begrudgingly after a minute of silence. “However, his mask remains on. All procedures are to be cleared with me first. Merlin is keeping us connected to your comm lines at all times. Once he is healed, he will leave. Do you hear me Spidey? As soon as you are medically cleared, you will leave and return here.”

“Yes ma’am,” Spider-Man said weakly. “Dahlia, permission to pass out.”

“Granted,” Dahlia replied. “Get better so I can yell at you later.”

The Avengers watched as Spider-Man nodded before his head rolled to the side and his body went slack.

“Alright let’s get him back to the tower,” Bruce said. Clint slid his arms under Spider-Man’s body and lifted him.

“He’s lighter than I expected,” Clint commented to Nat as the team walked over to the Quinjet. He could hear Tony behind him advising Steve that he would fly ahead and get Cho prepared. This was followed by the sound of repulsors as he took off.

“Take Spidey to the front of the jet. We can put the HYDRA assholes in the back,” Sam commented as he and Thor approached with the unconscious and bound insurgents. Clint placed Spider-Man on one of the bench seats and sat down across from him. once everyone was aboard, Nat took off and headed for the Tower.

Helen, Tony and a medical team were waiting when they landed and Clint lifted the vigilante again.

“Mask stays on. His team’s rule,” Clint advised as he placed the Spider-Man down on the gurney. Cho was ready to argue when he shook his head. “No head wounds. Plus, secret identity. His team have been very firm on their ‘no mask removal’ policy.”

Cho frowned and began mumbling in Korean as the medical team made their way away from the landing pad.

“Thank you, Mr Barton,” Doc’s voice was soft as she spoke and Clint grinned.

“Not a problem Doc. I don’t want to face the wrath of Dahlia,” Clint replied.

Across town, MJ smirked despite her fear for her friend. She loved scaring people, scaring the Avengers was just the cherry on top. She looked down at Ned and squeezed his shoulder. MJ muted their comms and took a deep breath.

“He’s closer than we wanted but it can’t be helped,” MJ commented as she looked around at her friends. Sally and Betty were cuddled together on a beanbag, and Abe had an arm around Cindy’s shoulders while they watched through Peter’s camera. “He will be ok.”

While the Cluster waited to hear how their Spidey was doing, The Avengers were hovering outside the Medbay waiting to hear from Cho about their visitor. Tony was just about to barge into the room when Cho emerged with a tablet in her hand.

“Can his team hear me?” Cho asked the gathered heroes.

“We can Dr Cho. How is our Spidey?” Doc’s voice came through JARVIS’ speakers. “Merlin apologises again for hacking your tower. In his defence, you really need to update your firewalls.”

“He will be alright,” Cho said, cutting off Tony’s protests. “I’m utilising the Regeneration Cradle technology to heal the burns. It appears your new friend has some healing abilities, is that correct?”

“That is correct. He has naturally advanced healing. Broken bones can usually heal overnight,” Doc explained and Clint whistled appreciatively.

“That’s good,” Cho replied. She looked down at her tablet and skimmed over the notes on it. “Once the cradle technology has done its work, I will be able to release him. I would prefer that he not swing around though. Despite his healing factor, I can’t imagine swinging on a healing dislocation is good for him.”

“With permission from the Cluster,” Tony chimed in, his tone almost sarcastic. “One of us could drive him to Queens and drop him somewhere central. Unless we could bring him straight to you.”

“Very funny Mr Stark. And to think, people call you clever,” Dahlia had returned and Clint, Nat, and Sam snorted, Rhodey and Thor smirked and Bruce averted his gaze as Tony’s jaw dropped. “Bring him to Queens if that will be better for his health. But don’t get any dumb ideas. I know that is asking a lot of you Stark, but at least try. Or, if you’re in doubt about an idea, ask Miss Potts.”

All the Avengers burst out laughing as Tony fumbled for a response. Cho, hiding her smirk behind her tablet, turned and walked back into the room where Spider-Man was recovering.

“Hmm, what’s happening?” Spider-Man was groggy as he woke up and the doctor smiled down at him.

“Hello Spider-Man. My name is Doctor Helen Cho,” Helen said. Spider-Man looked down to where the cradle technology was working over his side wound.

“This is amazing. What’s it bonding with? Is that nano-tech?” Spider-Man asked and Cho was impressed.

“That’s correct. Your cells are currently bonding with a simulacrum that is recreating your tissues,” Cho explained, and Spider-Man nodded along in understanding. “Your support team advised me of your healing abilities so I believe that the cradle technology is simply speeding up an already rapid process.”

“Thank you, Dr Cho. Doc will be excited to hear about this. She’s a big fan of yours,” Spider-Man said, and Cho blushed slightly. “How long until I can leave?”

“About half an hour more,” Cho explained. “I want the regenerator to finish it’s work and give you one final check-up before I send you on your way. I told your team and I’m telling you, no swinging for the rest of the night. Just because you have super healing does not make you completely invincible.”

“Yes ma’am,” Spider-Man said.

“The Avengers would like to talk to you, is that alright?” Cho asked and when Spider-Man nodded, she turned and opened the door. The doctor called the team in at as they entered.

“Spidey, contain your fangirling,” Dahlia’s voice came over the speakers as the Avengers entered and Peter blushed under his mask at MJ’s teasing tone.

“Hey маленький паук (little spider),” Natasha said as she and the others approached the bed.

“Привет большой паук (Hello big spider,),” Peter said smoothly in return (with Mind’s help of course). Nat raised an eyebrow at him before smirking. “Thank you all for the help.”

“Not a problem Spider-Man,” Steve said. Before he could continue, Tony butted in.

“Yep, happy to help and all that. But tell me, does that webbing come out of you? I also have a million more questions but I’m convinced your team will castrate me if I ask,” Tony said eagerly and Peter couldn’t stop the laugh.

“You are correct, Stark,” MJ came over the line and Peter rolled is eyes under his mask.

“No, the webbing doesn’t come out of me,” Peter replied and Stark’s eyes lit up. “I make it with the help of Doc. And don’t mind Dahlia, she’s all bark. Actually, she’s got a fair bit of bite, so maybe do mind her.”

“Spidey, shut up,” MJ said firmly and Peter nodded, knowing his team would see through his mask. “When you are released, get one of them to drop you at Main and Kissena.”

“Yes ma’am,” Peter said and he just knew MJ was rolling her eyes. He looked over at the Avengers. “You heard the boss. Main and Kissena please.”

“Nat and I will drive you,” Clint offered and the redhead nodded along with him.

The thirty minutes passed by quicker than Peter would have liked. He was finally getting a chance to interact with the Avengers and more than that, he was getting a chance to interact with Tony. He could feel his tattoo warming in support as he spoke to his mentor. At the end of the 30 minutes, Cho turned off all the machines and looked down at Peter.

“Now, I don’t want to see you on my table again Spider-Man,” Cho said firmly.

“Thank you again,” Peter said, holding his hand out for Cho to shake. He then turned to Clint and Natasha. “Well, let’s go. I’ve got a lecture waiting for me.”

The Avengers all laughed as Peter followed the two spies out of the Medbay. Once in the car, Clint took off for Main and Kissena while Nat looked at Peter in the rear-view mirror. Surprisingly, the ride was silent. Peter had expected them to try and question him but he respected the fact they didn’t.

When they arrived at Main and Kissena, Nat turned in her seat and handed Peter a black business card.

“You get in trouble again, especially with those goons, you call this number. Its my direct line,” Nat said. “I mean it Spidey. You call for backup if you need it.”

“Will do ma’am. Thanks again,” Peter said. He jumped out of the car and waved to them before ducking down an alley. Once Peter was sure the spies had gone, he raced down the street. He took a few back alleys before finally arriving back at Cindy’s. He walked into The Web and was pounced on by his team. “GUYS! I’m alright.”

“Sit your ass down right now,” MJ ordered. Peter did as she asked without question, collapsing into one of the beanbags. He pulled his mask off his face and allowed his friends to check him over. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah Em. I’m alright,” Peter said tiredly. “Kind of just want to sleep.”

“You need to eat first,” Cindy interrupted. She walked over to the mini fridge and pulled a few bowls out. “Mom dropped off some Beef Stroganoff before she went on night shift. Give me a few minutes to heat this up.”

As his friends fussed around him, Peter allowed the adrenaline from the night to flow out of him. While Cindy heated up his food, Abe helped Peter out of the suit and Sally passed him some pyjamas. Cindy handed Peter one of the bowls and he inhaled the heavenly scent.

After eating, The Cluster curled up in beanbags around Peter, reassuring themselves of the fact he was ok. As he started to drift off to sleep, Peter felt MJ taking his bowl and Ned throwing a blanket over him.

----- DREAMSCAPE -----

“Peter, why have you come tonight?” Time asked as Peter appeared in the Dreamscape again. “You should rest. You’ve had a very busy evening.”

“I need to see the Maximoff twins,” Peter said, despite yawning widely. “I just want to know they are ok. It’s coming up to May and I know the Avengers will be getting there soon.”

“Fine, but only if you allow me to do all the work. Mind still won’t speak to Reality and Space after they wore you out,” Time said, a smirk on his face that reminded Peter of Tony. Peter nodded and watched as Time waved his hands. He felt the coolness dissipating as the Maximoffs’ cell became realistic.

“Hello soare mic (little sunshine),” Wanda said as she noticed Peter. Pietro was laying down on the second cot, his eyes closed. Wanda looked over at her brother and frowned. “Pietro won’t be joining us tonight.”

“Is he ok?” Peter asked quickly. He moved over to the older male’s side and sat down gently on the edge of the cot.

“Our handlers tested him today. He is exhausted,” Wanda explained and one look showed Peter that she was mad. Peter patted Pietro gently on the back before moving over to Wanda’s bed. He curled up beside the young woman and cuddled into her side as she wrapped an arm around him. “Peter, could you tell me about America? Tell me something about where you live.”

Peter smiled and began telling Wanda all about New York. He was in the process of telling her about his friends and some of the things they did (besides the Spider-Man stuff) when he felt something drop down onto his head. When he looked up, he let out a distressed sound upon realising Wanda was crying.

“What’s wrong sora mai mare (big sister)?” Peter asked. Wanda let out a watery chuckle at the term and Peter sat up. He switched positions so Wanda was now curled against him. That cause the tears to flow in earnest.

“Soare mic (little sunshine), we are so afraid,” Wanda admitted as Peter ran his fingers through her hair. “We joined HYDRA as misguided children. We wanted revenge but since meeting you... I mean, you have showed us a new world. Something beyond anger.”

Peter shushed her as she sobbed and found himself kissing her forehead.

“We do not wish to be here anymore,” Wanda whispered after a minute and Peter looked down at her. “We want to be free. But no one escapes HYDRA. No one is ever free from HYDRA.”

Peter looked over Wanda’s head and noticed Time egging him on. Peter knew this was his chance. This could start the necessary changes to the timeline.

“Wanda, you trust me, right?” Peter asked softly and Wanda looked up at him. Her green eyes were sparkling with tears but she nodded after a moment. “Then trust me on this. Soon, I can’t tell you when but soon, the Avengers will be here. When they arrive, don’t fight them. They will help you so long as you don’t pose a threat.”

“Peter, this is dangerous talk,” Wanda whispered. She looked up at the camera in the corner of the cell but Peter knew there was nothing to be worried about. Power had explained that the temporal and dimensional distortions brought on by the use of the Stones’ power made it so that cameras malfunctioned. To remedy that, Space had made sure that their visits weren’t noticed (he had tampered with the tapes so that they looped to show the Maximoff twins alone as usual).

“Maybe it is, but it is necessary,” Peter said. “Wanda, I want to introduce you and Pietro to America. I want to introduce you to my friends, and I want to take you to the park to eat hot dogs. I can only do that if you escape from this hellhole with the Avengers.”

“Ok soare mic. We will be brave when they arrive. You are sure that Tony Stark has changed?” Wanda and Pietro still occasionally doubted Peter’s statement but over the time he had been visiting, their doubts were lessening.

“He has. I promise,” Peter replied.

He and Wanda remained entangled for the rest of the night before Time indicated that it was time for them to leave. Peter kissed Wanda on the head, and promised he’d see her soon before he allowed Time to return him to his body.

----- END DREAMSCAPE -----

Peter woke up to the sound of Cindy’s alarm and smiled. The change was coming and hopefully it would be the start of the domino effect necessary to stop Thanos.

Chapter Text

The day of the Avengers assault on Strucker’s base in Sokovia came both too soon and not soon enough for Peter. Not soon enough because he wanted two of his favourite people freed from HYDRA’s claws, and too soon because it meant that they were moving even closer to Ultron’s creation. The sheer weight of what he needed to do started to come down on Peter and more often than not, he was suffering for it. Nightmares and panic attacks were slowly becoming commonplace. He’d managed to hide some of it from The Cluster but he knew that wouldn’t last much longer, MJ was far too observant for that.

“Peter, calm yourself,” Mind’s voice was soothing, attempting to draw Peter out of the forming panic attack. “Peter, it is Wednesday. It is currently 10:30 am. You are in the bathroom. You got a pass from Mr Cobbwell. You need to breathe.”

Peter slid down the wall of the bathroom and tried to take some deep breaths. He could hear both Mind and Soul now trying to coach him out of his panic attack but it was taking hold. He heard the door to the bathroom open and he heard a gasp. Looking up, he realised it was from someone he didn’t know, probably a senior.

“Dude, you need to breathe,” the kid was saying but Peter couldn’t focus on him. He could hear the kid talking to someone else and it was only a minute before he felt his body being lifted.

“Peter, you need to breathe,” the voice in his head now was stern, no nonsense. Time had stepped in when his sisters failed to soothe their carrier. “You are about to lose consciousness. Take a breath.”

Peter struggled to follow the direction but he managed it. As Time coached him, Peter started to take in his surroundings. The two other kids had carried him to the nurse. The woman was now looking at him in concern.

“Mr Parker,” Peter could now make out her words as the other boys put him down on the bed in her office. “Mr Parker, can you hear me?”

Peter let out a soft groan as a reply.

“Do you know what happened?” he heard the nurse asking but given she wasn’t speaking to him, Peter didn’t feel the need to try and speak.

“Breathe little one. I need you to breathe,” while stern, Time’s voice had a soothing quality to it that reminded Peter of Ben. “I know why you are afraid. But there is nothing you can do right now. You will be equipped with the necessary skills by the time you will be needed. Right now, you just need to be a teenager.”

“Mr Parker,” Peter turned to the nurse and she smiled kindly at him. “Mr Parker, is there anyone else I can call for you? Your aunt isn’t answering her phone.”

“She’s working. Emergency room shift,” Peter explained softly. He then shook his head. “No one else. May I just stay here for a little while?”

“Of course,” the nurse said. “What class were you in and what’s your next one? I’ll have Mr Isaacs deliver messages.

Peter told her his classes and she quietly let the room. He put his head back on the pillow and felt the exhaustion crashing over him. Subconsciously, Peter found himself drifting into the dreamscape once more as he fell asleep.

----- DREAMSCAPE -----

“He’s getting much better at this,” Mind whispered as Peter appeared in front of them. The boy was still asleep but with how often he’d been practicing, it was no wonder his journey into their realm was almost seamless.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing though?” Soul asked. She looked at the sleeping teen and frowned. “Sister, have we placed too much pressure on him?”

“No,” Mind said firmly. “He is strong. We just need to help him build his self-confidence. He is afraid of failure. Afraid that he won’t be good enough. We need to help him manage that.”

The two Stones looked at their exhausted charge, love and devotion swelling up in them. The Stones felt affection for all their carriers (most of the time) but with Peter, it had morphed into love and devotion.

----- END DREAMSCAPE -----

Peter woke up slowly to the nurse shaking him.

“Mr Parker, the bell has just rung for lunch. Do you wish to go or do you want to rest some more?” the nurse asked and Peter rubbed his eyes.

“I’ll be alright now, thank you ma’am,” Peter said softly and the nurse smiled. She then handed Peter a slip of paper.

“I asked the secretary what other classes you have today. This will excuse you from gym this afternoon,” the nurse said. Peter smiled gratefully and slowly climbed out of the bed. As he made his way to the cafeteria, he hoped that Ned or Abe had grabbed his backpack.

Peter quickly spied his friends, all of whom were looking concerned and confused. Sally noticed him first and she jumped to her feet and raced over to him.

“Oh my god Peter,” she said before throwing her arms around the other teenager. Peter hugged her back tightly and smiled as she pulled away. “Come on. Let’s get your lunch then you will be telling us where the hell you’ve been.”

Sally directed him to the lunch line and quickly filled up a tray for him. She paid, despite his protests, and led him back to their table.

“Dude, what happened?” Ned demanded as Peter sat down. “You went to the bathroom and then didn’t come back. A senior ended up coming and telling Cobbwell that you weren’t coming back.”

“Panic attack. Major one,” Peter explained softly as he started picking at his food. He could practically hear MJ’s frown and sure enough, the frown was deep-set in her features as Peter looked up at her. “Don’t know what caused it. Just happened.”

His friends watched as Peter slowly picked at his food. He ate a bit from each pile before pushing the tray away, much to MJ’s frustration. Peter rested his head on the table and almost purred as both Sally and Betty began to rub his back gently.

“What’s up Penis?” Flash’s voice grated on Peter’s frayed nerves as it sounded above him. MJ, Betty, and Sally all spun to glare at Flash with all their might. “What? Need some chicks to fight your battles for you?”

“Need them too, nah,” Peter commented dryly. He then looked up at smirked at Flash. “Want them too because I know that every time you and I talk, my IQ drops, then yes. By all means ladies, don’t let me stop you.”

“Flash, use what little brains you have and think very carefully about what you are going to do next,” MJ hissed as Flash opened his mouth to speak. The boy looked over at the glaring girls, then to the smirking Abe and Ned. He scoffed, kicked Peter in the ankle and left.

“Down ladies. It’s all good,” Peter said as he felt Betty and Sally tense up ready to spring. “He’s gone now.”

“Should let Sally drop him,” Betty said and Peter laughed softly. “Let him talk his way out of that rumour. Imagine getting his ass handed to him by a ballerina of all people.”

Peter put his head back down on the table and felt his tattoo warm slightly, comforting him in a way his friends couldn’t.

The rest of Peter’s day dragged slowly. He barely stayed awake during his classes after lunch and, after handing Coach Wilson his note from the nurse, Peter walked over to the bleachers and lay down. He had just shut his eyes when he felt his head being lifted before it was placed in someone’s lap. Peter opened one eye and grinned up at MJ before closing it again.

“So, what’s going on in your head Spidey?” MJ whispered as she looked over at the class. Coach had them playing basketball and MJ had joined Peter after shooting two baskets. Coach wanted her to keep going but one well placed glare had the man relenting.

“Just tired Em,” Peter said truthfully. MJ let out an unconvinced scoff. “Seriously. I am. In amongst all our other activities, I’ve been studying for finals. I’ve got a scholarship to maintain.”

“Peter, you are miles ahead of the rest of us,” MJ said incredulously. “I’ve seen your work. You are doing junior classwork. I wouldn’t be surprised if the teachers have you sit the junior exams and place you in the senior class when we go back in September.”

“I wouldn’t leave you guys,” Peter protested and MJ shook her head.

“If you happen to graduate before us don’t even think about ditching us. The Cluster sticks together no matter what,” MJ said and Peter smiled up at the normally stoic girl. “Spidey, you will be taking the next few days off from patrolling. Queens can survive a few days. Merlin will continue to monitor police radio so if anything major happens, then you can step in. Let the police do their job for the next few days. Even superheros need to recharge.”

“Em,” Peter attempted to protest but the girl placed her hand over his mouth. At the same time, his tattoo flared. He could hear Mind in his head telling him to listen to his friend.

“Peter, that wasn’t negotiable,” MJ said firmly. “Tonight, you and May will spend some time together. I know she isn’t working tonight. Tomorrow, we have all planned to spend time in the Web but we won’t be doing any Spidey related stuff. We will binge Brooklyn 99.”

Peter knew arguing was pointless so he just nodded at his friend. MJ pulled out her phone and began texting the group chat while Peter closed his eyes to grab a few more minutes of sleep.

Halfway across the world, the Avengers were descending on Baron von Strucker’s base. They knew Loki’s sceptre had to be hidden there, especially given the high levels of security.

“Please be a secret door. Please be a secret door,” Tony said with a childlike excitement as he pressed on a wall. When the wall moved, he grinned. “Yay.”

“Do not go down there,” a soft male voice had him turning quickly, JARVIS powering up the repulsor. Standing before him was a boy, probably only 17. The boy was wearing a black tracksuit and had his hands raised in supplication. “It would be best if you let me.”

“Who are you?” Tony demanded of the boy.

“My name is Pietro. Pietro Maximoff,” the teen said. “My sister and I, we need your help.”

“Help? What? How did you get here?” Tony asked and Pietro winced.

“HYDRA experimented on us,” Pietro admitted after a moment and Tony hissed. “Please, help us. We don’t want to be here.”

“Ok kid. But I’ve got to find something first. What’s down here that HYDRA don’t want the world to see?” Tony said as he pointed over his shoulder.

“The sceptre is down there,” Pietro admitted after a moment. “But there is more. The aliens that attacked New York. They have specimens down there.”

Tony felt his chest constrict. Chitauri. How the hell had HYDRA gotten hold of them. Before he could say anything, the kid disappeared in a flash. He returned as quickly as he’d left, this time holding Loki’s sceptre.

“Shit. Ok. Fast,” Tony said and Pietro had the audacity to smirk.

Meanwhile across the base, Steve was confronting Strucker. Both Steve and Strucker noticed Wanda appearing in the doorway and Strucker smirked.

“Wanda dear, why don’t you show the good captain just what we’ve been working on here?” Strucker said smugly. Steve turned to the girl and prepared himself for a fight. He was stunned however when the girl turned to Strucker and her eyes glowed red. Before Strucker could move, red mist engulfed his head and Strucker dropped to the ground unconscious.

“Who are you?” Steve asked, still on edge at the unknown factor presenting itself.

“My name is Wanda Maximoff. We need your help,” the girl said.

“Who’s we?” Steve demanded and the girl looked down at the ground.

“My brother and I. Please. HYDRA experimented on us. We don’t wish to be here any longer,” Wanda replied. Knowing he couldn’t leave her behind; Steve raised his hand to his ear and tapped on his radio.

“Strucker is neutralised. I’m heading back to the jet. I’ve got one passenger with me,” Steve said and the woman breathed a sigh of relief.

“Copy Cap. Sceptre is secure. I am also returning with a passenger,” Tony said down the line.

“Come on Miss Maximoff. Time to get out of here,” Steve said. He bent down, secured Strucker’s hands and then threw him over his shoulder. Wanda trailed behind Steve slowly, mind conflicted.

When Steve and Wanda arrived at the Quinjet, the Avengers looked over the new arrival with a raised eyebrow.

“Cap?” Clint asked and Steve grunted as he threw Strucker onto the ground.

“Avengers, meet Miss Maximoff. Wanda, these are the Avengers. Thor, Natasha, Clint, and Bruce,” Steve said. Wanda waved slightly at the gathered heroes but before anyone could say anything, Pietro appeared at his sister’s side.

“Down people,” Tony commented as he landed beside the teens. It was then Wanda noticed that the gathered Avengers (besides Bruce) had pulled their weapons on the new arrival. “This is Pietro. He’s fast. Pietro, meet the team.”

“Hi,” Pietro said, smirk in place. Wanda knew her brother though. That smirk was hiding the fear and concern he felt. Technically they were surrounded by enemies. People they had been taught and trained to fight against. Tony handed the sceptre to Bruce who quickly moved back into the Quinjet.

“Alright people. We’ve gotta take Strucker to the drop point. Let’s go,” Steve ordered. The team nodded and climbed aboard the jet, Wanda and Pietro only doing so once Tony appeared between them and nudged them along. The twins took seats at the back of the jet and Pietro slipped his hand into his sister’s as the jet took off.

“Crezi că Peter va fi mândru de noi? (Do you think Peter will be proud of us?)” Wanda asked softly as the twins watched the Avengers.

“Da, soră. Chiar îmi place. (I do, sister. I really do.)” Pietro replied. The twins looked up at the feeling of eyes and noticed both Tony and Natasha approaching.

“So, what’s your story?” Natasha asked but the twins could hear the undertone of threat in her voice. She was on edge and they certainly couldn’t blame her. Wanda and Pietro shared a look before nodding at one another.

“We were HYDRA experiments. Strucker was technically our main handler,” Pietro began. Tony nodded in understanding but Pietro shook his head bitterly. “But we weren’t just that.”

“We volunteered,” Wanda said softly. A low hiss went through the jet as the Avengers all heard that statement. Pietro could see Captain America approaching and he subtly shifted so his body was directly in his line of fire.

“Why?” Natasha said. Her gaze was almost murderous and both twins shivered.

“Easy Natashalie,” Tony said with a kindness that the twins thought him incapable of. Natasha turned to Tony with a frown but he shook his head when she went to speak. Tony turned to the twins with a comforting look on his face. “Why did you volunteer?”

“Răzbunare, (Revenge),” Wanda whispered and Natasha had her gun pulled between breaths.

“Who did you want revenge against?” She ordered, her gun firmly trained on Wanda. Wanda and Pietro both looked at the spy before looking at Tony.

“You,” the twins said in unison. This statement had all the others pulling their weapons. All except Tony.

“Why?” the man’s voice sounded defeated. From what Peter had told them about Tony’s change, he had probably been expecting something like this.

“In 2008, Stark weaponry destroyed our home and killed our parents,” Pietro explained and Wanda buried herself into her twin’s side. “A second missile struck and Wanda and I couldn’t escape the rubble. We waited days for that missile to explode in our faces and kill us. Plastered across the side was the word ‘Stark’.”

“Didn’t you dismantle the weapons manufacturing in ‘08?” Bruce’s voice was soft as he joined the conversation.

“In May,” Tony said with a nod. “But there was a 3-month period where Obie kept dealing under the table. Not to mention all the groups he sold to before I shut things down.”

“Give me one reason not to shoot you,” Natasha hissed out and the twins looked at her. Logically, Pietro could disarm her and all the others before they could blink, but that wouldn’t help their case. They needed these people.

“Because we don’t want that anymore,” Wanda said softly. Natasha didn’t lower her weapon but she did let out a growl of annoyance as Tony moved so he was in her line of fire. “We joined HYDRA because they promised us revenge. They promised us that we could destroy you.”

“What changed your mind?” Tony asked and the twins felt smiles cross their faces.

“Un pic de soare, (a little sunshine),” Wanda murmured and Tony raised an eyebrow. “Someone showed us the error of our ways. He told us about how you changed. That you didn’t know about the weapons dealing. He helped us to not blame you anymore.”

“Maybe you should blame me,” Tony said, self-deprecation leeching into his tone. Steve looked like he wanted to say something but Tony shook his head. “Wait, did we leave someone behind? Do we need to turn around?”

“No, he hasn’t been there for a while,” Pietro lied swiftly. “They removed him from the base a few weeks ago.”

“Well,” Tony said. He leant back and forced Natasha to lower her weapon. “I would like to formally and respectfully apologise for my contribution in you becoming prisoners of HYDRA. From now on, what’s mine is yours. It’s the least I can do.”

Tony patted the teens on the knees before walking over to where sceptre was. Thor and Steve followed him after shooting one final, mistrustful look at the twins. Bruce returned to his music and Clint returned to flying the jet.

“I will be watching you two,” Natasha said softly, anger lacing her tone. “You harm anyone in my family, and no one will ever find your bodies.”

At that, the Russian spy walked towards the front of the jet and sat beside Clint. Wanda and Pietro were alone but they both breathed sighs of relief.

“Suntem liberi, frate (we are free, brother),” Wanda said softly and Pietro kissed her on the head.

“Da, suntem sora mea (yes we are, my sister),” Pietro replied. “Odată ce în sfârșit îl vom întâlni pe Peter, familia noastră va fi din nou complete (Once we finally meet Peter, our family will finally be complete again).”

The twin cuddled closer together as the jet flew out of Eastern Europe. They had finally escaped HYDRA’s clutches, just as Peter wanted them to. A new life awaited them and hopefully, their little sunshine would be a part of that life.

Chapter Text

After receiving approval from Thor, Tony and Bruce worked diligently to understand the sceptre now in their possession. They were unable to identify the substance inside the gem in the sceptre but from what they could tell, it was almost like an advanced AI.

“Amazing,” Bruce commented, and Tony looked up from his papers. “It’s like the code is constantly rewriting itself. It’s becoming smarter.”

“Imagine this being interfaced with an actual physical body,” Tony mused softly, and Bruce turned to him sharply. Tony raised his hands innocently. “I’m not saying we should do it. Just, imagine it.”

“Tony, we can’t attempt to create Ultron with this technology. We have no idea what it is,” Bruce commented, and Tony nodded.

“I know but just imagine if we could. A suit of armour around the world. That is the dream,” Tony said wistfully. Bruce nodded distractedly; his attention being drawn back to the energy readings in front of him.

The two men could never know that they were being listened to. They could never know that this version of Mind had been wielded by malicious people and therefore wanted to grow and prosper, to cleanse the world. They could never know that the intelligence inside the sceptre wanted a physical form.

----- DREAMSCAPE -----

“Mind, is something the matter?” Peter asked the woman in front of him as she rubbed her temple. His physical body was currently asleep under the pile of bodies that was his friends. The group had fallen asleep while watching Star Trek and once everyone was out, Peter joined the Stones in the dreamscape as always.

“My past consciousness,” Mind hissed painfully. Peter moved to grab the woman’s arm and helped her to sit down. “The one that became Ultron and Vision. It is being triggered.”

“Are Mr Stark and Dr Banner attempting to build Ultron?” Peter asked but Mind shook her head.

“No, neither of them wants to progress with the project this time around. I however am far more sentient than many would believe. My consciousness has, up until now, been wielded by people who wish to cleanse humanity. I am currently making my way through Stark’s mainframe. I will no doubt find the information for Ultron in Stark’s database and will therefore trigger the creation anyway. It appears that Ultron will always happen, no matter what timeline.”

“But it will be different this time, right? I mean, the Maximoffs aren’t there to help Ultron. Wanda isn’t going to use her powers to tear the Avengers apart though,” Peter commented.

“Correct. But Ultron will still come to fruition. He will still attempt to create a physical body. Ultron will still gain vibranium from Ulysses Klaue. He will kidnap Dr Cho and have her use the Regeneration Cradle to create a body. It seems that these things will be inevitable,” Mind explained softly. Peter let out a pained whine before he could stop himself and the woman smiled comfortingly. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and hugged him to her. “Do not stress yourself. You will be ready, and we will be with you.”

“I’m more worried about you,” Peter said honestly. “You’re in pain.”

“I will be fine little one,” Mind said fondly. She pressed a kiss to Peter’s forehead and smiled down at him. “Now, don’t tell my brothers yet but Soul and I will be allowing Space and Reality to resume working with you. But only if you, and them, swear to not run you into the ground.”

“Yes ma’am,” Peter said with a grin. He stayed cuddled against Mind until he felt himself beginning to wake.

----- END DREAMSCAPE -----

It was 4 days after his panic attack at school before MJ finally allowed Peter to patrol again. Even then, there were some significant restrictions placed on him.

“Spidey, police have gotten word of a car jacking on the Queensboro bridge. They are having trouble pinning the guy down,” Ned said down the line as Peter swung around Queens.

“Copy Merlin. Send me the description,” Peter said. “Dahlia, this will be my last adventure tonight. Promise.”

“It had better be,” MJ said firmly down the line and Peter snorted out a laugh at his friend’s tone. It was amusing to Peter to think of how his relationship with MJ had changed this time around. Last time, he could remember starting to develop feelings for his female friend. He had been hoping to ask her to homecoming but then the Snap had happened. This time around, he felt like he and MJ were more sibling like than before.

Peter brushed those thoughts from his brain and swung faster towards the Queensboro bridge. Using Ned’s descriptors, he easily identified the stolen car. Peter pressed a few buttons on his web-shooter and fired one of the web grenades at the fleeing car. He had to laugh as the screams of anger could be heard from the carjackers.

“Now, something tells me, this doesn’t belong to you,” Peter said teasingly as he landed on the roof of the car. He could hear movement and his Spidey-Sense had him jumping to the side as two bullet holes appeared in the roof. “Come on man, that’s not nice. This isn’t even your car. You’ll have to pay for that.”

Peter stuck his head through the open window and quickly grabbed the weapons from the two carjackers. He then webbed the windows up so there was no chance of them escaping.

Two police cars pulled up and Peter saluted at them.

“Good job Spidey,” one of the officers said. This time around the NYPD were slightly more accepting of having Spider-Man around. There were still a few cops who hated his guts but for the most part, law enforcement responses were good.

“Just thought I’d lend a hand,” Peter said. He pulled a vial of solvent from the special section Abe had sewn into the suit and handed it to the officer. “Mix this with 2 parts water and you’ll be able to get them out.”

Before the officer could respond, the radio in their squad car crackled to life.

“All units be advised that there is a major disturbance occurring in the vicinity of the Avengers’ Tower. Units onsite are being asked to ensure public safety,” the dispatcher said, and Peter tensed.

“Ultron has been created,” Mind commented softly.

“Gotta go. Have a good night,” Peter said to the officers before saluting one more time. After a running start, Peter was headed for the Avengers’ Tower.

“Spidey, you are going the wrong way,” MJ’s voice was firm, and Peter could practically feel the death glare she was sending him. “Just where do you think you are going?”

“Something’s going down at the Avengers’ Tower,” Peter said, and he could hear MJ scoff. “I’m gunna go lend a hand. Or a web as the case may be.”

He could hear MJ ranting at him down the coms, but he chose to block her out. Within minutes, Peter was scaling the side of the tower. A loud crash above him and the resulting glass shower had him pressing against the building. Once the glass had finished falling, Peter resumed his climb. He entered the tower through the window and gasped at what he saw.

The Avengers were all fighting what Peter knew to be the Iron Legion. One of the metal men was standing by the elevator watching the whole event. That had to be the first incarnation of Ultron.

Peter leapt through the window and fired a web at one of the robots heading for Tony. He swung it around before pinning it to the ground with webs.

“Spidey, what are you doing here?” Tony asked, panting heavily.

“Heard there was some trouble. Figured I might be able to help,” Peter said, pressing the button on the neck of his suit to alter his voice.

“Ok. See those metal guys, take them down,” Tony said before he launched back into the fight.

Peter went for the legionnaire that was targeting Natasha and Bruce and quickly landed on its back.

“Merlin, get me into Stark’s mainframe,” Peter yelled down his comms as he started pulling wires from the legionnaire’s neck.

“Spidey, what the fuck,” MJ yelled but Peter knew Ned was already working on hacking in. He knew JARVIS was gone but with Ultron mucking about in the server, Peter knew his friend still might have trouble.

“Make sure our firewalls are concrete Merlin. AI,” Peter ordered. The legionnaire crashed hard to the floor and Peter landed on his toes. He webbed himself across the room to land protectively beside Dr Cho. “You alright?”

“Watch out!” Cho yelled in place of a response. Peter spun and prepared to throw his body over Dr Cho’s as a legionnaire aimed its repulsor at them. It was then that Ultron looked over at them. Peter noticed him looking and frowned as the legionnaire turned and left them alone.

Cap delivered the final blow and the team stopped. Peter looked around the room and his heart skipped a beat as his eyes locked on the twins. They hadn’t been part of the fight, instead were currently crouching behind a table with Hawkeye.

As Ultron gave his speech, Peter’s attention was drawn to his team.

“Spidey, something is wrong with the Stark mainframe,” Ned said down the line.

“Fill me in,” Peter whispered, drawing Dr Cho’s attention for a minute.

“Something has destroyed Mr Stark’s AI. I don’t just mean deactivated. I mean fully and completely destroyed, ” Ned explained. ‘And that same something, holy balls.”

“Merlin. Focus,” Peter hissed, probably harsher than intended but he would apologise later.

“Spidey, whatever this thing was has been in absolutely everything on the Stark mainframe,” Ned replied. “He’s taken information, but I can also see traces of him in their surveillance records and all their other files. The mainframe is vulnerable.”

“Can you patch it up, for now?” Peter asked.

“I’ll try,” Ned said, and Peter smiled. “But dude, I’m once again in Mr Stark’s mainframe. This is awesome! Have I mentioned that I love you?”

Peter let out a soft snort as Thor hurled his hammer at the poorly constructed figure, destroying the first incarnation of Ultron. The team all converged in the centre of the room and Peter bent to help Dr Cho.

“Thank you, Spider-Man,” Helen said softly, and Peter nodded.

“I owed you,” Peter said, brushing off her thanks. He led her over to the gathered group and looked directly at Tony. “Mr Stark, sorry for the intrusion but I’ve had Merlin check your systems. It’s bad.”

“What do you mean?” Tony asked, pulling out his phone and typing on the screen. “Shit, JARVIS?”

“Sorry sir. Looks like whatever that thing was, destroyed him,” Peter said, and he watched his mentor’s face fall. “Merlin also says that whatever destroyed JARVIS also went through all your files and surveillance data. You’ve all been compromised.”

“What the hell was that?” Clint demanded and Tony and Bruce looked at one another. “What did you two mad scientists do?”

“We did nothing,” Bruce protested instantly. “We’ve been looking at the sceptre to determine what Strucker may have used it for. But that’s all.”

“It was used on us,” Peter barely held in a gasp at Wanda’s voice. She was so real. He wanted nothing more than to walk over and embrace her, but he restrained himself. “The sceptre was used to give us our powers. He tried it on many people, but we were the only ones to survive.”

“So, it’s capable of human enhancement,” Steve commented, and Wanda nodded. He then turned an accusatory look to Tony and Bruce. “You two are completely sure you didn’t mess around with anything? Try and build something? When it appeared, you called it Ultron.”

“Ultron was, IS, nothing more than an idea,” Tony commented, and Peter could feel the anger swell in the team.

“Merlin, search for information in the mainframe named ‘Ultron’. Hurry,” Peter whispered into his comms.

“So, you were messing around?” Steve said and Peter felt anger grow in him in defence of his mentor. Ned sent him through the information to the HUD visual they had managed to integrate into the suit on their last update.

“Oi, he said they didn’t do anything so why aren’t you trusting him?” Peter hissed out defensively. “He’s your teammate. Besides, I can confirm that Drs Stark and Banner weren’t trying anything with their Ultron idea.”

“Steve, I swear on Pepper that we never even considered integrating the sceptre technology with any of our ideas,” Tony said truthfully, and Peter watched as the fight left Captain Rogers. “Ultron was an idea that Bruce and I first developed after Loki’s attack. The idea was for a suit of armour around the world. But we both realised that the program wasn’t feasible. That information was buried deep in the mainframe. I haven’t even looked at it in years.”

“I can confirm that,” Peter added in. “Merlin has been digging through the mainframe to see what this Ultron may have gone for. The Ultron program was last accessed in 2013. Drs Stark and Banner did nothing wrong.”

“Thank you, Spidey. Could your little friend get out of my server though?” Tony said, and Peter had to laugh softly.

“He’s just putting up some temporary firewalls until you can reboot and rebuild your system. He’ll be out in just a minute,” Peter commented. Tony raised an impressed eyebrow and Peter could hear Ned stammering excitedly in his ear.

“Who are you?” Pietro asked as he and Wanda moved towards the newcomer. Peter felt his heart stutter as they approached. Despite knowing they couldn’t see his face, he let a large smile cross it.

“Spider-Man. Nice to meet you,” Peter said. He held out his hand to both twins and shook them firmly but gently. “I mostly hang around Queens.”

“Which is where he is heading now,” MJ’s voice projected through the tower speakers and the Avengers all watched as Peter shrunk into himself. “Stark, Merlin says to tell you that whatever played havoc with your mainframe disappeared through the internet. He lost the trail somewhere in Argentina. Now, Spidey. I believe I ordered you back to the Web after you caught those carjackers.”

“Sorry Dahlia,” Peter tried but he knew it was pointless.

“Don’t apologise. Get your ass here. Just for this, Activewear is putting you through the gauntlet tomorrow. Twice,” MJ hissed, and Peter groaned.

“I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again,” Clint said teasingly. “That woman terrifies me.”

“You and me both,” Peter said. He then turned back to the whole team. “Well, looks like I have to go. If you need any further assistance, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“No, ignore that. Do hesitate,” MJ said and despite the situation, the Avengers all had to laugh. Peter gave them one final salute before he leapt out of the open window. As he swung away with a laugh, he heard Wanda’s slight shriek of fear, followed by the others explaining that he would be fine.

When he arrived back at the Web, MJ was waiting for him in the doorway, her arms crossed and tapping her foot.

“I won’t apologise Em,” Peter said as he pulled his mask off. MJ raised an eyebrow at his tone. “They were outgunned and needed help. I won’t apologise for helping them.”

“I don’t want an apology. I want to know why,” MJ demanded, the desperation in her tone confusing Peter. “You have been so stressed and worn down yet once again you throw yourself into danger. Don’t give me the ‘responsibility’ spiel. Tell me why you feel like you’re the only person in the world who can fix things.”

“Em,” Peter said but he trailed off when he noticed tears in MJ’s eyes. He pulled the girl into a hug and MJ resisted for only a moment before she tightened her grip around his waist.

“Why Peter? Just help me understand,” her voice was muffled as she spoke into his chest and Peter sighed. “You are one of my best friends. No, you are my best friend. Why do you feel like you have to fight alone?”

“I’m sorry MJ,” Peter whispered. MJ sniffled slightly and Peter just hugged her tighter. “I know I don’t have to do this alone. I have the best team anyone could ever ask for. I’m just scared that one of you will get hurt. That would kill me.”

The two teens stayed in the doorway hugging until Abe lightly cleared his throat. MJ pulled away first and they both turned to their sheepish looking friend.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Abe said but both MJ and Peter brushed off his apologies. “Everything alright?”

“Yeah. Just giving Spidey a talking to,” MJ said. She shot one final look at Peter before walking into the room. Abe and Peter shrugged at one another before following her inside. MJ was standing beside Sally with a dangerous smirk on her face. “So, I believe that our dear Sally has the gauntlet prepared for the morning.”

“Oh, I most certainly do,” Sally replied, and Peter could only groan. “You will be running it three times. The extra time is for making us worry.”

“Yes ma’am,” Peter said despondently, and the rest of the Cluster laughed. Peter looked around at his friends and smiled. Despite all the stress and fear he felt, knowing he had them at his back was enough to keep him going.

Chapter Text

Peter knew that he would need to tell the Cluster about the Stones sooner rather than later. His friends were starting to ask questions and this whole debacle with Ultron would only further those questions. He just didn’t know how to broach the subject with them. Its not like he could just walk in one day and say “what up friends? Guess what, I come from the future and I’ve come back to stop a psychopathic alien from killing everyone, including my father figure. Oh, I’m also connected to the six most powerful entities in the known universe. Let’s get pizza.”

But that would have to take a backseat. Ultron and his plans were progressing rapidly. Through very illegal monitoring, Peter had learnt that Ultron had been to visit Ulysses Klaue and had obtained the vibranium. The Avengers had attempted to intervene but even without Wanda’s negative influence, public opinion was turning against them. Wanda had tried to use her powers to help the team but because she was untrained, she had accidentally harmed a few civilians. Add into that Ultron controlling the Iron Legion and having them destroy property, and the Avengers have dropped off the radar.

“So, there’s nothing?” Ned asked Betty over lunch on the Tuesday. The Cluster were at their lunch table and watching the footage from Johannesburg on Betty’s computer. “No comment or word from them?”

“Ned, the public are screaming for their heads. Especially that new chick,” Sally commented. Peter frowned. Wanda didn’t deserve the negative publicity. “No wonder they’ve gone underground. It’s the smartest thing they could have done.”

“Does this have something to do with whatever happened on Saturday?” MJ asked Peter pointedly.

“Most likely,” Peter answered honestly, and MJ raised an eyebrow. “They were fighting the Iron Legion when I got there. This ‘Ultron’ must have taken control of them.”

MJ was looking at him suspiciously, but Peter just returned his attention back to his history book. He had a project to submit to Mr Dell and he just wanted to make sure he had put the right information down. While his friends spoke about the Avengers, Peter was having an internal discussion with the Stones.

“The Avengers are in hiding at Clint Barton’s farm,” Mind explained. “Thor is still with them, but I will force a vision into his mind.”

“Why?” Peter asked.

“In the last timeline, Wanda showed Thor a vision that encouraged him to speak to Heimdall. It was this vision that cemented Vision’s creation. Thor arrived when Captain Rogers and Tony were fighting about using the Cradle and it was Thor’s lightning that sped the process along,” Mind replied, and Peter nodded.

“What are you nodding at?” MJ asked and it was then that Peter remembered where he was.

“Hm, just this assignment,” Peter lied. MJ raised an eyebrow at him but before she could say anything, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch.

Peter spent the rest of the day talking to the Stones and ignoring his teachers. Luckily, his teachers had all given him more advanced work and weren’t really expecting him to pay attention to them. Mind told him about the vision she had given Thor and how it had influenced his actions. Reality was filling him in on what each Avenger was doing, and Peter had to laugh as his mentor challenged Captain America to a wood chopping contest.

At the end of the day, Peter walked to his locker and grabbed his things. Before he could close the door however, the door slammed on his hand and Peter barely kept himself from swearing loudly at the pain. Flash was standing there, hand on the locker door, glaring at him.

“What the fuck, Flash?” Peter said as he ripped his injured hand out of the locker and cradled it against his chest.

“You think you’re so good,” Flash hissed as he loomed over Peter. “Just because you are a pathetic orphan, you think you deserve so much special treatment.”

“That makes no sense whatsoever,” Peter replied. Flash growled and grabbed Peter by the shoulder. Before Peter could comment, Flash dragged him down the hallway to a deserted corridor. “Let me go.”

“Just admit you’re nothing,” Flash said firmly, and Peter glared. Before Peter could respond, Flash pulled back and punched him firmly in the gut. The wind knocked out of him; Peter stared up at the bully reproachfully. Flash pulled his arm back and struck Peter harshly across the face. As Flash continued his beat down, Peter ignored the comments from the Stones urging him to fight back. Peter fell to the ground and Flash stood over him. “You’re who I get compared to? I can’t fucking believe it.”

With one final kick to the stomach, Flash stormed off. Peter slowly rolled onto his back and took a few deep, calming breaths. When he felt able, Peter stood slowly and made his way back to his locker. He gathered up his things and made his way out of the school. All of his friends were engaged in their other commitments that afternoon, so Peter didn’t have to try and explain his injuries.

As he jumped onto the subway, Peter stuck his headphones in to drown out the noises of the other commuters. When he eventually arrived home, Peter wasn’t surprised to not see May. He made himself a snack and once he was in his room, lay down on the bed.

----- DREAMSCAPE -----

“Ce naiba s-a întâmplat? (What the hell happened?)” Pietro’s strong voice had Peter opening his eyes suddenly. Without even being conscious of it, Peter had managed to transport himself to the Barton homestead. Pietro was standing over him with a furious look on his face. “Wanda, vino aici! (Wanda, come here!)”

Wanda burst into the room from the hallway and looked around the room in fear. Her gaze finally rested on where Peter was laying, and her eyes flashed red. Wanda moved over to the bed as Peter sat up and the young woman cupped his face in her hands.

“What happened, frate mai mic? (little brother)” Wanda whispered gently despite the obvious anger she was feeling.

“It’s nothing. Are you two ok?” Peter demanded once his awareness caught up with his body. He rested a hand on Wanda’s shoulder and reached out to grab Pietro’s.

“Do not focus on us, little one,” Pietro said, his accent thickening as he spoke. “You look like a, what is the term, sac de box? (punching bag)”

“It’s nothing. Just stupid teenagers,” Peter commented, and the twins growled. No one should harm the twins’ soare mic (little sunshine). “Are you guys ok? I saw what happened in Johannesburg.”

“We are fine, soare mic,” Pietro said as he sat down on the bed beside Peter. Wanda was now running her fingers through Peter’s curls while simultaneously checking him for other head injuries. “Ultron has attempted to destroy the Avengers.”

“He won’t succeed,” Peter commented firmly. Pietro and Wanda looked doubtful, so Peter continued. “He won’t. The Avengers, you guys, won’t let that happen.”

“Your faith in us,” Wanda said before she trailed off. She was feeling immensely guilty for her part in the Avengers’ fall from grace. Peter leant against the girl and cuddled into her as she kissed his head. “It makes me want to be better.”

The trio sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before the excited voice of little Lila Barton could be heard coming up the hallway. She was calling for Pietro and Wanda and before they could stop her, the door burst open.

“Pietro, Wanda, mama made din- who is that?” Lila asked as she looked at the newcomer. Peter waved to the girl who raised an eyebrow. “Mama could fix that. She fixes all my hurts.”

“I’ll be alright,” Peter said. He turned to the twins and hugged them both. “I should go. Stay safe alright. I still have a lot to show you.”

Peter waved to the twins and Lila before he felt himself returning to his body.

----- END DREAMSCAPE -----

“Who was that?” Lila asked the Maximoff twins as the trio walked down to the dining room.

“That was our soare mic,” Wanda replied fondly. Lila looked up at her with a confused face. “It means ‘little sunshine’. He helped rescue us.”

Lila remained silent as she led the twins down to the dining room. There was a man sitting at the table that neither of the twins knew.

“Twins meet Pirate Fury. Pirate Fury meet the twins,” Tony’s introduction was laced with sarcasm and the twins exchanged a look. Natasha leant over and slapped Tony on the back of the head, causing the man to cry out sharply. “Fine. Pietro, Wanda, this is Nick Fury. Nick, this is Pietro and Wanda.”

Fury looked the twins over intensely and Pietro placed himself in front of his sister. He didn’t like the look the man with the eyepatch was giving them.

“Fury leave them alone,” Natasha ordered before indicating to the empty chairs. “Laura makes the best food.”

Wanda and Pietro slid into their seats and gratefully took the plates Laura handed them. Lila jumped into the seat in between Nat and Wanda and smiled at the Sokovian.

“That’s chicken wild rice casserole, that one is Mama’s cheesy broccoli bake, and the other one is green bean casserole,” Lila explained as Laura put the steaming dishes on the table. The twins took a little from each bowl and watched as the others did the same.

After dinner was finished and the plates cleared away, Fury began to outline his ideas for the team. It was then the team realised that Dr Cho would more than likely be Ultron’s next target, while also identifying that he was attempting to access nuclear codes from the NEXUS in Oslo. The team decided that Bruce would return to New York to await the teams return, Tony would fly to Oslo, and the rest would go and find Dr Cho.

Back in New York, Peter had alerts on his phone set up on every news channel. Anything even remotely related to the Avengers was being projected onto his phone. It was currently 9pm and Peter was watching footage of the Avengers in Seoul. They appeared to be battling Legionnaires while also trying to take something from a flying semi-trailer.

“It won’t be long now,” Soul whispered to Peter. “We are almost at the battle. Ultron will lose the Cradle and Vision will be created in a few hours. The Avengers will make their way to Sokovia.”

“What do I need to do?” Peter asked.

“Tomorrow, you will take the day off school. It is simply a revision day anyway,” Mind answered. “When the battle has started, we will send you to Sokovia. We will be with you the whole time.”

Peter nodded and climbed under his covers. He needed his sleep if he was about to take on a superbot.

The next morning, Peter managed to convince May he was suffering from an intense migraine. After assurances that he was just going to spend the day sleeping, May finally left him to go to work. Peter got himself comfortable on the bed, knowing that this would be a difficult transition.

----- DREAMSCAPE -----

Peter opened his eyes to find himself in a destroyed church of some kind. Standing in the centre next to a raised core of what Mind was telling him is Vibranium. Tony and Ultron were facing off on either side of the spire.

“Ok guys, fill me in. What do I need to do?” Peter asked softly to the Stones. Vision appeared and Peter watched as they became locked in an intense battle.

“The core extends far into the earth,” Power explained. “Ultron is going to activate it any second now and the city will begin to rise.”

“Is there anyway to stop that or to stop the city from being vaporised?” Peter asked but he knew the answer would more than likely be no. sure enough, Ultron activated the core and the city began to shake. “That answers that.”

As Tony, Ultron, and Vision all left the church, Peter carefully made his way to the spire.

“Alright guys, what am I looking at?” Peter asked.

“The vibranium core extends below the surface, as Power said. There is a magnetic field surrounding the vibranium which is keeping the rock around it intact,” Mind said. “If it drops, it will destroy all life on Earth.”

“What if,” Peter said softly as he looked at the device. “What happened last time?”

Pete was then bombarded with images of the last time the Avengers battled Ultron. After Pietro’s death, Wanda was unable to defend the core. After she had gone, one of the robots managed to press the core and reverse the charge. Tony and Thor destroyed the core, thereby destroying the city.

“Ok, so what happens if we manage to get everyone off the flying city and then we let the city float. Once it’s high enough, it could be safely destroyed,” Peter theorised. “I mean, if no one presses the button it won’t come back down.”

“Good thinking Peter. That could work,” Reality chimed in. “For now though, Ultron is distracted, and people need help.”

To ensure stability, and to stop any freak accidents of the button being pressed, Peter webbed a cocoon around the core, ensuring no one could get their hands on it. He then swung his way into the city. Civilians were running and screaming as robots flew around firing at them. Peter swung through, grabbing a few people as he went. He heard screams and saw that cars were falling off a bridge and Cap and Thor were trying to grab them.

“Incoming!” Peter yelled as he vaulted off a nearby car and fired webs at the falling cars. He revelled in the confused look on Cap’s face for only a second before stabilising the webs. Cap nodded at him before both he and Peter climbed down the webs. They passed people up to Thor and once the cars were empty, Peter swung himself and the soldier up onto the road again.

“How are you here?” Cap asked. Before Peter could answer, three aliens charged them.

“Can you accept it’s fate and forget it?” Peter asked between grunts as he fought the robots.

“Sure Spidey. For now,” Cap said, and Peter nodded before swinging away to fight again.

Peter let out a victorious cheer as SHIELD made their presence known and began to help ferry people onto the waiting lifeboats. Peter watched as the Avengers made their way to the church and after a moment, followed them.

“How the hell did you get here?” Tony asked as Peter appeared beside him.

“Hitched a ride,” Peter replied vaguely, choosing to ignore the look from Cap. “Mr Stark, I’ve got a plan. There’s no way to bring the city down without killing thousands.”

“I was just going to create a heat seal around the core and have Point Break hit it,” Tony replied, and Peter shrugged.

“That could work. But you still run the risk of casualties,” Peter said. Tony lifted his face plate and raised an eyebrow at the teen.

“What have you got?” Steve asked and Peter turned to him.

“We don’t stop the city from going up, we just stop someone from bringing it down,” Peter replied. “Form the heat seal but don’t let Thor destroy it until its much higher up. If it can get up to the mesosphere or even better, the thermosphere, any fragments caused by its destruction should burn up on re-entry.”

“Web-Head has a point,” Tony commented after a moment of silence. “Ok, new plan. I’ll do the heat seal before we get too high then we do what Spidey said. No one is pressing that button with that mess on it.”

Before anyone could speak, Ultron appeared. As Thor challenged him, more robots appeared, and the team fell into what looked to be a well-choreographed routine.

“You know, with the benefit of hindsight…” Ultron tried to say before Hulk backhanded him across the sky. Peter let out a short bark of laughter that had Hulk smirking at him. The robots all began to retreat once Ultron was gone and the Avengers took a moment to breathe.

“They’ll try to leave the city,” Thor commented, watching as the robots retreated.

“We can’t let ‘em, not even one,” Tony commented, his hand going to his comms. “Rhodey.”

Peter heard Rhodey respond before Vision disappeared from the group.

“We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin,” Steve said, looking around at the group. “You guys get to the boats; I’ll sweep for stragglers. I’ll be right behind you.”

“What about the core? I mean, will Spidey’s stuff hold?” Clint asked. Before Peter could reply, Wanda spoke up.

“I’ll protect it,” her voice was firm, unwavering. “It’s my job.”

The adults left, leaving the twins and Peter behind. Wanda turned to both of them and nodded firmly.

“Go. Get the people on the boats,” Wanda ordered. Pietro and Peter shared a glance, not convinced they should leave.

“I’m not going to leave you here,” Pietro said and when Peter cleared his throat, the Sokovian smiled. “We’re not going to leave you here.”

“I can handle this,” Wanda said before blasting a robot that tried to attack from behind. “Come back for me when everyone else is off, not before.”

“Hmm,” both Peter and Pietro said, and Wanda rolled her eyes.

“You understand?” she demanded and both boys nodded.

“You know, I’m 12 minutes older than you,” Pietro teased, and Wanda just laughed.

“Go,” she said with a firm shove. Pietro looked her over and nodded before zipping off. “Go Spider-Man. I will be alright.”

“Pietro or I will come get you,” Peter said firmly. He shot a few more webs at the spire before taking off for the city.

As he helped board passengers onto the lifeboats, both he and Clint heard a woman calling for her brother.

“I’ll get him,” Peter said as Clint tried to run over. This was the defining moment – this was where Pietro needed to be saved. “I’m faster. Calm his sister down.”

Peter swung over to the boy and lifted him up. His Spidey-Sense went wild and a look over his shoulder showed Ultron approaching in the Quinjet. He was firing rapidly at the ground. Peter could see Pietro starting to make his way over and time seemed to slow down.

“Go Peter. Move yourself, the boy and Pietro out of the way,” Time ordered, and Peter felt his tattoo flare. “I can only hold this for a few more seconds.”

That was all Peter needed. He shot a web at a nearby building and launched himself at the slow moving Sokovian teen. Everything around him was moving slowly as he swung into Pietro, the force of his body and Pietro’s colliding driving the older teen backwards. Time sped up to normal and Peter and Costel landed hard against Pietro. Peter shielded the other two with his body until Ultron had flown over.

He’d done it. He’d saved Pietro. Everything would be completely different this time around.

“What happened?” Pietro demanded as he looked at the bodies on top of him. “I didn’t see that coming.”

Peter let out a pained laugh, he’d most probably broken a rib in that collision. He rolled off Pietro and lifted the barely conscious child into his arms.

“Go get Wanda then get to the lifeboat,” Peter ordered painfully. Pietro nodded and sped off. Peter limped as fast as he could over to Hawkeye who took Costel from his arms. Once the boy was safely in his sister’s grasp, Hawkeye turned back to Peter.

“Shit Spidey. That didn’t look good,” Hawkeye said. He helped Peter over to a seat and Peter breathed through the pain. Hawkeye’s gaze became sombre as he looked at Peter. “If I had gone, either Pietro or I would have died. You saved both our asses.”

“It’s what I needed to do. The world needs the Avengers,” Peter replied painfully. He watched as the silver blur that was Pietro returned, this time cradling his sister. The twins stopped in front of Peter and looked down at him.

“You saved Pietro,” Wanda set, her accent thick with emotion. The older girl bent down and pulled Peter into a tight hug. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Ok Stark. People are all clear,” Cap could be heard saying as he joined the group on the lifeboat. “Thor, it’s up to you.”

The lifeboats flew back to the Hellicarrier and SHIELD personnel began to evacuate the wounded Sokovian people.

“Good job Spidey,” Cap said as he approached the teen. Peter gave him a snappy salute; something Cap just rolled his eyes at. “There’ll some civvies in the showers if you want to change. You can keep the mask on, but you should probably get checked out sooner rather than later.”

“Will do Cap. Which way?” Peter asked. He had no intention of following those orders he just needed somewhere private so he could fade back into his body. Steve pointed down a hallway and Peter nodded. Once he was sure he was alone, Peter let the Stones take control of his body and return him to New York.

----- END DREAMSCAPE -----

When Peter came too, the first thing he heard was crying. He next registered feeling cool and when he looked down, he realised his shirt was off. Looking up, Peter noticed he was laying on the floor of his bedroom, his friends surrounding him. MJ was on the phone to someone, Betty and Sally were both crying, Ned and Abe were on his right while Cindy took his pulse from his left wrist.

“He’s awake!” Ned yelled. “MJ, he’s awake.”

Peter looked over and realised that it wasn’t just the girls that were crying. Ned had tears streaming down his face while Abe had a few tears glistening in his eyes.

“Do we need an ambulance?” MJ’s voice was firm and terse, her go to tone when she was frightened.

“No ambulance,” Peter said weakly. Apparently, broken ribs could follow you from the dream world as well. He heard MJ speaking to someone on the line and after a few moments, she hung up. Peter tried to sit up, but his ribs protested. He let out a hiss of pain that had Abe and Cindy attempting to help stabilise him. “What happened?”

“You tell us, Parker,” MJ said tersely. She stormed over to him and slapped him on the shoulder. Right over his very exposed tattoo. “You have got some serious fucking explaining to do.”

Chapter Text

Peter sat propped up against his pillows, surrounded by his friends while MJ paced angrily back and forth. After reassuring his friends that he didn’t need an ambulance, Abe and Ned helped Peter back into the bed, while Betty and Sally walked into the kitchen to get drinks for everyone.

“Em,” Peter tried to say but MJ just held up her hand to silence him. Peter looked over at the Cluster, but they were all either avoiding his gaze, or giving him angry looks. Peter pressed back into his pillows and sighed heavily. He knew this conversation had to happen, but it was not going to be pleasant.

“Peter, what the fuck?” MJ hissed out, finally turning to the bed. Peter looked up at her and recoiled slightly at the absolute fury in her eyes. “No half assed stories, no lies. I want the whole damn story. If you don’t, if you can’t trust us, your best friends, no, your fucking team, then I am walking.”

“Me too,” Cindy murmured softly. The others, even Ned, nodded reluctantly and Peter sighed.

“Sit down Em. It’s a long story,” Peter said, and MJ frowned. She did as he asked and looked at him in earnest. “Now, I’m asking you to suspend all disbelief. What I am about to say seems almost impossible but it’s all true.”

“Peter, you’re scaring me,” Sally commented, and Peter sighed.

“While I may BE Peter Parker, I’m not necessarily the one you know,” Peter said softly. The Cluster all shared a glance, but Peter continued before anyone could interrupt. “I am from 2023. I was sent back in time to stop the destruction of the universe.”

Peter launched into the tale then with gusto. He told his friends about his adventures as Spider-Man in his original life, how he came to know Tony Stark and his involvement with the Avengers. He told them about the alien attack in 2018 which led to his meeting the Guardians of the Galaxy and Dr Strange. He told them about Thanos and the Infinity Stones.

“And then, once Thanos had all six Infinity Stones, he snapped,” Peter said, wiping tears from his eyes furiously with the back of his hand. “I remember feeling my body being torn apart. I’ve never felt pain like it. My healing factor worked against me there.”

“It tried to keep you together,” Cindy commented, her hand in front of her mouth in horror. “Your body fought against disintegration.”

“It did,” Peter agreed with a nod. “I could feel every atom breaking down and attempting to repair itself. I remember falling into Mr Stark and then nothing. Then I woke up on Titan. Dr Strange told me 5 years had passed and we needed to go and fight Thanos and his army. I had the Infinity Gauntlet in my hands and the Stones started speaking to me. They told me what Mr Stark planned to do but that I needed to be the one to do it. So, I took the gauntlet and ran. When I was far enough away, I snapped my fingers and woke up here in my 14-year-old body. The tattoo is so I remember the Stones are with me.”

“Peter, this is insane,” Betty said after a few minutes of prolonged silence. Peter felt his body sag back into the pillows. He knew it was hard to believe but he really wanted his friends too. His tattoo pulsed and warmed against his collarbone and before he could say anything, the Stones’ warmth enveloped his body.

----- DREAMSCAPE -----

“Welcome young ones,” Mind’s soothing voice washed over everyone and Peter looked at her in confusion. His friends had been drawn into the Dreamscape with him and all 6 Stones were standing in front of them.

“Who the hell are you?” MJ hissed at the strange looking group of people. Peter managed a soft smile as her protective instincts flared and she placed herself in front of Peter.

“We are the Infinity Stones Peter was telling you about,” Power explained.

“We figured we should bring you here to help you understand everything,” Soul continued. “Peter’s story is a difficult one to digest and sometimes, extra guidance is needed.”

“I am Mind. this is my sister Soul, and our brothers Power, Time, Reality, and Space,” the woman in yellow said with a kind smile. The Cluster all looked at one another in confusion before turning to Peter. The injured teen nodded slightly. “You have questions. We are here to help you understand.”

While his friends began bombarding Mind, Soul, and Time with questions, Space, Reality and Power approached Peter.

“How are you, little one?” Space asked as they sat down around him.

“Tired. Sore,” Peter answered honestly. Power rested his hands over Peter’s ribs and a purple glow enveloped them. Peter looked over at his friends and sighed heavily. “Will they trust me after this? Or have I lost them?”

“They are confused and scared,” Reality explained as he too looked over at the group. Mind, Soul, and Time were answering all the teenagers’ questions with ease and without judgement. “They weren’t expecting that reveal. It’s a lot for anyone to take in, let alone a group of teenagers.”

“They hate me,” Peter said softly, and Space wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders. “It probably would have been better if I never got any of them involved.”

“Shut your mouth Parker,” MJ’s voice was firm and the slap he received was firmer. Peter rubbed the back of his head as he looked up at MJ. “We don’t hate you. I’m pissed that you kept it a secret as long as you did but I don’t hate you.”

“I’m sorry Em,” Peter said softly, and MJ’s gaze softened. She rolled her eyes fondly before slapping his head again. “What was that one for?”

“Quit apologising,” MJ said, and Peter smiled. “I have more questions for Mind. I just needed to break you our of your pity party.”

“Interesting friend you have there,” Power said. He finished healing Peter’s ribs and sat beside his brothers.

“She’s pretty great,” Peter said with a nod.

----- END DREAMSCAPE -----

The Cluster stayed talking to the Stones for over an hour. When they all returned to their bodies, Peter looked over at his friends with apprehension.

“I need to head home and process everything,” MJ said, a statement echoed by the others. “I’m still pissed about the lying but I understand it more now.”

“Again, I’m sorry guys,” Peter said, flinching violently when MJ hit up across the back of the head again. “Ok! I’ll stop.”

“Good,” MJ replied. “You should take tomorrow off school as well. Really rest up. Mind told me that jumping like you did can cause extreme pressure to your body. We will be discussing your adventure to Sokovia on the weekend. You will meet us at the Web on Saturday morning, and you will be telling us everything.”

“Yes boss,” Peter said. MJ rolled her eyes again and hugged Peter before she left the room. The others followed, leaving only Ned behind. “Are you mad at me bro?”

“No. I’m concerned but not mad,” Ned replied softly. “Dude, you died! You can’t be alright.”

When Peter tried to protest, Ned shook his head. They had been best friends since they were 6 years old. Ned knew all of Peter’s mannerisms, so he knew that Peter wasn’t telling him the truth. Peter looked over at his friend’s raised eyebrow and concerned face and burst into tears. Ned crawled into the bed beside his friend and pulled him into a hug.

For the first time since returning to his past body, Peter actually mourned. He mourned the loss of his previous life and his mentor. He even mourned his own death.

“No more hiding bro,” Ned whispered. “You tell us everything. Every nightmare, every thought, no matter what.”

Peter nodded tearily at the other boy and pressed himself closer to his friend. Ned and Peter stayed curled up on the bed for a little while longer before deciding they both needed food. Peter ordered pizza while Ned messaged his parents to let them know he would be staying at Peter’s. Luckily, he always kept a few spare sets of clothes at May’s apartment for when Lego nights sometimes ran late.

After eating and watching Star Wars, Peter wrote a note to May explaining Ned was over before getting ready for bed. That night, Peter fell asleep with his hand dangling over the edge of the top bunk of his bed, Ned’s hand firmly clasped in his.

The next morning, Ned rolled out of bed and got ready for school, all without waking Peter.

“Hey Ned,” May’s voice was soft as she greeted Ned. “How is he?”

“He’s ok. Still a bit off so he might benefit from having today off,” Ned replied, and May nodded. Ned kissed the woman on the cheek and waved goodbye before walking out of the apartment.

--- With the Avengers ---

The weary Avengers climbed onto one of the spare Quinjets on the Helicarrier. The battle was over, the refugees were safe and just like Spider-Man had said, the vibranium core had raised the capitol city up into the thermosphere where Thor had destroyed it. The fragments had burnt up upon re-entry and SHIELD had ensured that any of the larger fragments were directed to uninhabited locations.

“Alright guys, head count,” Steve said softly as his weary team climbed aboard the ship. Tony and Rhodey were sitting in the cockpit of the jet and both waved sleepily to him, Vision and Thor were sitting on the bench seats on either side of the jet, and Nat, Clint, Pietro, and Wanda were all propped up against one another. Nat hadn’t spoken a word since Hulk had disappeared in Ultron’s Quinjet and Clint had yet to release the twins. “Just need Spider-Man.”

“Cap,” Hill said as she approached from behind. When Cap turned, he frowned at the look she was giving him. “Are you sure Spider-Man was here? The only people besides SHIELD personnel are the Sokovians.”

“I fought beside him Hill,” Steve replied. “He went to the showers. You sure he isn’t mingling with the refugees?”

“Positive,” Hill replied. She looked over at his tired team and nodded at them. “Get them home Captain. I’ll keep an eye out for the web slinger.”

Steve smiled at the woman and walked further into the jet. After nodding to Tony, the door closed, and Steve felt the jet starting up. He took his seat just as Tony flew the Quinjet off the Helicarrier’s deck.

“Where to boys and girls?” Tony asked, his voice dripping with fatigue.

“New York,” Steve commented, and the awake Avengers nodded. “We all need sleep. And shawarma. Definitely some shawarma.”

“Can do Capsicle,” Tony replied with a grin. The jet zipped through the sky, giving Steve time to ponder about their new vigilante associate. How the hell had he known about Sokovia? And how did he get there?

As those thoughts raced through his mind, the jet zipped through the air. When they eventually arrived back in New York, night had fallen. Steve walked around slowly waking up his team and smiled as they all grumbled sleepily at him. Shawarma would have to wait until everyone was awake. He looked over to where Wanda was being scooped up by a sleepy Pietro.

“Do you remember where your rooms are?” Steve asked softly and the elder twin nodded. The group disembarked from the Quinjet and all climbed into the elevator. Steve escorted every Avenger to their rooms, even a smirking Tony.

“I’ve got him Cap. Thanks,” Pepper said as the sleepy Tony rested against her when Steve reached the penthouse. “Go get some sleep.”

“Pepper, any chance you could use the Twit thing and contact Spider-Man?” Steve asked and Pepper raised an eyebrow. Tony snorted at what Steve called the website but both Pepper and Steve rolled their eyes fondly. “He was there, in Sokovia. I don’t know how. But I need to know he’s ok. He didn’t come back with us.”

“I’ll private message his team. Maybe they can give us some information,” Pepper said, and Steve smiled gratefully at her. He patted both her and Tony on the shoulder before climbing back in the elevator and riding it down to his floor. He climbed off and stripped as he walked down to his room. His mama would be pissed at the trail of clothes he left but Steve honestly couldn’t care less. He face-planted the bed wearing only his underwear and allowed the fatigue to completely overtake him. he could deal with the spider enigma when he woke up.

---- With the Cluster ----

Saturday rolled around and Peter felt like a cow going to slaughter. Cindy’s mom met him at the door and smiled brightly at him. She kissed him on the head and directed him to Cindy’s shed. She casually mentioned that everyone was already there, and Peter gulped slightly.

“Hey guys,” Peter said, false cheerfully, as he walked into the shed. The Cluster all turned to look at him and MJ indicated to the empty chair around the table. Peter slid into it and winced. “Hit me with it.”

“Rules Parker. Break them and I break you,” MJ said firmly, and Peter nodded. “Ok, Number 1 – no more hiding things. You will tell us everything, and I mean everything. You will tell us every historical event we need to know about regarding Spider-Man, the Avengers, the Infinity Stones, everything. Betty will be taking notes and we will be keeping a journal. That way we can cross-reference.”

“Number 2,” Cindy continued before Peter could speak. “This weekend will be spent learning about your mutation. I need to know everything. It will allow me to actually help you should you get injured. I will be learning about your healing factor and your metabolism.”

“Number 3,” Ned joined in and Peter actually groaned as his friends smirked at him. “We will be developing a proper AI for you. One that can help you in the field. Abe and I will code and develop it and find a way to upload it into your suit.”

“Number 4, and I know you’re really going to hate this one,” Sally added, and Peter frowned. “Guess what, this weekend you have an apprentice. I will be joining you on your patrols. Do not argue.”

“But you can’t! It’s dangerous!” Peter exclaimed and Sally grinned.

“Peter, I will be joining you. Part of Cindy’s work is to determine your strength levels. I’m sure carrying me on your back won’t cause you any problem. I have a mask and a bodysuit that we use when going to eisteddfods. Should you sense danger, I also have access to some extra web-shooters. Abe and Cindy have been teaching me how to use them. If danger comes, I will swing to safety while you intervene,” Sally wouldn’t budge on this. Peter however wasn’t swayed.

“I can’t allow this,” Probably the wrong words to use but Peter needed his friend to see how dumb this idea was. “What if we run into HYDRA again? Or something else? I can’t guarantee your safety and I will not have another person’s blood on my hands. Especially not someone I care about.”

“Peter, we haven’t told you this yet, but Pepper Potts has been asking questions. We received a message from her yesterday asking us to get in contact with the Avengers. They have questions about what went down in Sokovia,” MJ intervened before Peter could fire up. “Look, you’re one of my best friends but you suck under pressure. You fumble your words and always end up oversharing. Odds are the Avengers will try and ‘bump’ into you on patrol. Sally will keep you on track.”

“I’ll agree on one condition,” Peter said, and Sally nodded, willing to compromise. “You can come with me on my day patrols. Night patrols are more dangerous. We will stick to rooftops around Queens. I will leave you on one if the situation is severe, for example a bank robbery or car chase. If it’s something like a mugging, you can come closer. But you do everything I say. If I say run, you do it.”

“Deal. Just don’t drop me,” Sally replied and Peter, still quite apprehensive, nodded. She stood from the table and nodded at MJ. “I’ll go get ready.”

“This is a dumb idea. I thought you guys were geniuses,” Peter commented once Sally had left. MJ rolled her eyes and pulled out her notebook.

“While she changes, tell me about the Stones. What can they do? What have they taught you?” MJ asked.

His tattoo warmed and Peter sighed. He detailed (with help from the six entities in his head) exactly what each Stone was used for and how they worked. Betty and MJ were eagerly eating up his words while Abe and Ned geeked out of the AI they were going to build. Cindy had gone to help Sally with her outfit, but she would definitely want to read the notes MJ was taking.

Peter knew that things were about to change now, and he wasn’t quite sure if it was good. He’d spent so long as a solo act that having a team was still a foreign concept for him. Peter wasn’t sure how much The Cluster could actually accomplish. They were high school student for fuck’s sake, smart kids but high school students nonetheless. They weren’t the Avengers. They didn’t have access to high tech equipment.

As Sally emerged from the bathroom, her bodysuit on and smiling at Peter, Peter took a deep breath. They may not be the Avengers. They may not have all the resources or money and be simple high school kids. But they did have one another. That had to be better than nothing. Right? 

Chapter Text

This is probably our dumbest idea yet…

Sally sent the text message to MJ as she watched Peter swing off down the street heading towards a bank robbery. She had been Peter’s sidekick for about 2 hours and Sally had come to fully appreciate what her friend did and why his team needed to trust him. Peter had attempted to explain his ‘Spidey-Sense’ to them but none of the Cluster had ever really understood it. Now, seeing how he put it in action, just made Sally more amazed that Peter had done this before alone. His Spidey-Sense not only helped him if people were attacking, but it also helped him identify the best places to anchor his webs, the streets to avoid due to pedestrian traffic, even down to avoiding a flock of birds flying at them.

When Peter had been off school after the group had met with the Infinity Stones, MJ had pulled everyone into an empty classroom during lunch and started making some big calls.

---- Flashback ----

“MJ, what’s going on?” Betty asked as MJ checked the hallway outside the band room again.

“We need to talk about Peter,” MJ replied, moving to join the circle the others had formed. “He’s not looking out for himself, so we need to be better.”

MJ had detailed her plan for Peter, including Sally joining him on patrols and the boys creating him an AI.

“MJ, are we pushing too much?” Cindy tried to ask but MJ shook her head furiously. Before anything else could be said, a teacher stuck her head in the door and told them they would need to leave the room as she needed to set it up for her next class.

As they walked out, Sally grabbed MJ by the arm.

“MJ, don’t you think you’re being a bit controlling? I mean, Peter has not only been doing this a while, but he has done it all before. He knows a hell of a lot more than we do,” Sally tried to reason but MJ shook her head again.

“No. He needs this. We need this,” MJ replied before walking off to her locker.

---- End Flashback ----

Sally had known MJ for a long time, their mothers had been sorority sisters at college. Sally knew that MJ dealt with things she couldn’t understand by attempting to control every facet of the situation. After MJ’s dad had left, MJ became even more awkward and scared than before. That had begun to manifest itself in an aloof attitude that often pushed people away. MJ had always found it hard to make friends since she was living in fear of them leaving her. That generally meant she either left them first or forced them to leave her (thus proving her internal beliefs that people always leave).

The phone in her hand vibrated and Sally looked down at the message from MJ.

He needs us to do this. Stay with him.

Sally let out a soft growl before dialling MJ’s number.

“What?” MJ’s voice was tense, but Sally had known her long enough to not be offended.

“MJ, I’m heading back,” Sally said as she made her way across the rooftop towards the fire escape. “Spidey has gone off to do his job and stop a bank robbery. He doesn’t need to be concerned about protecting me as well. Have Merlin tell him what’s going on.”

“Sally, you need to stay with him on patrol. He needs that,” MJ said, and Sally growled.

“No MJ, you need that!” Sally said firmly. She could hear MJ suck in a breath through her teeth, but Sally continued. “You need to control every single facet of this because you hate the unknown and you are scared. We all need to come to the realisation that we are better to support Spidey behind the scenes. He has powers and skills that we don’t and by asking him to ignore those simply because of our wishes, we are hindering his ability to help.”

“What the hell Avril?” MJ hissed, but Sally knew she needed to hear this.

“Em, I get it. You’re scared. We all are,” Sally said as she climbed down the fire escape. “This world of superheros and vigilantes and Infinity Stones is so foreign to us. It had never been on any of our Freshman year plans. We are about to finish Freshman year; our biggest concerns should be finals. We need to trust our friend. He needs to know we trust him so that he will trust us. If you tighten the reigns too much, he will come to resent us and shut us all out.”

MJ didn’t reply, simply hung up the phone. Sally jumped off the fire escape and threw the mask into her backpack. She grabbed her Midtown sweatshirt out of her bag and threw it on to hide the bodysuit before walking down the street and hailing a cab. She gave Cindy’s address to the driver and sat back against the seat. Peter would be fine. She had to remember that.

Upon arriving back at the Web, Sally wasn’t all that surprised to find MJ had left. Ned had relayed her message to Peter and Ned commented that Peter seemed calmer upon finding out Sally would be returning.

“Activewear to Spidey,” Sally said as she pressed her comm. “Just letting you know I’ve returned to The Web.”

“Copy Activewear. And thanks for understanding,” Peter sounded relieved. A quick look at the screens showed he was at the bank robbery and had just finished webbing up the getaway driver. Sally sat beside Ned and Betty as they watched Peter infiltrate the bank.

“MJ’s pretty pissed,” Cindy commented from her spot on the beanbags. “Stormed out of here without a word. But we heard what you said. You’re right.”

“She just needs time to cool down,” Sally replied. “I can’t imagine she’ll talk to us for the rest of the weekend or even the next few school days. She’ll realise I’m right though. What are you two working on?”

“Chemistry study,” Cindy said, almost sheepishly. “We haven’t really put many study hours in this week.”

“Can I join? I need to work on balancing formulas,” Sally asked. She joined Abe and Cindy on the beanbags, dragging her backpack behind her. Abe pushed his textbook towards her, and Sally nodded her thanks.

When Peter returned to The Web later that afternoon, he could only smile at his friends. All but MJ were laying on the floor in a circle. There were several textbooks being passed around as the group studied for their finals (even Ned had been coerced away from the computers, only returning if Peter called for him). Peter grabbed his spare clothes and deodorant and raced to the bathroom to change. Once he was dressed and had freshened up, Peter returned to his friends and joined them in their study circle.

“Where’s MJ?” Peter asked Sally as he looked around the circle.

“She got mad at some things I said. She went home,” Sally’s reply was succinct but not a lie. At Peter’s concerned look, Sally continued. “She’ll be fine Pete. She just needs to sort some things out in her head. Give it a few days.”

Peter nodded reluctantly but pulled his study notes out of his bag. He’d been advised by his teachers that he would be sitting some harder exams, so he wanted to be prepared. As the group studied, they could almost pretend that they were regular teenagers with regular problems.

Across New York, the Avengers were slowly gathering in the common room of the tower. They’d all crashed as soon as they landed from Sokovia and the first person to be seen emerging from their slumber was Nat. She was soon joined by Tony who, after dropping himself down on the lounge beside her, dropped his head on her shoulder.

“How you doing Natashalie?” Tony’s voice was rough, still tinged with sleep. Nat smiled and rested her head on his.

“I’m alright. Just, you know,” Nat said, trailing off.

“Thinking about Bruce?” Tony filled in and Nat nodded. Tony leant up and kissed Natasha on the cheek. “He’ll be alright. He’s got the Big Guy to take care of him. they’ll come back when they are ready.”

Nat nodded and cuddled back into the couch. She then had a thought and looked down at Tony.

“How do you think Spider-Man got to Sokovia?” Nat asked and Tony sighed. He’d been pondering that idea as he fell asleep and it was the first thought when he woke up.

“Got nothing for you Nat,” Tony said. He then turned to the wall in front of him. “FRI, baby girl, show me what I’ve gathered so far on our friend.”

Tony had been gathering intel on Spider-Man since he had first appeared on the scene. After meeting the web slinger, Tony had become fascinated with the science behind his work. The web formula alone was astounding. Tony was hoping to meet the man behind the mask so he could interrogate him extensively.

“He seems like a good candidate for the Avengers,” Nat murmured. “Level-headed, down to earth, seems intelligent. Plus, he’s got that support team of his.”

Before Tony could answer, the others started to make their way to the common room. First was Thor, followed by Steve and Rhodey. Clint came next and the twins brought up the rear. They all made themselves comfortable around the room and Steve looked at the wall with a raised eyebrow.

“Just trying to understand our web slinging friend,” Tony explained. He waved his hand in the air and FRIDAY made the information disappear. “Now, if I remember last night’s conversation correctly, Capsicle requested shawarma.”

“What is shawarma?” Pietro asked, rolling the word around in his mouth. Tony turned to the teen with a smile.

“It’s heaven,” Tony said and while the Avengers rolled their eyes, Wanda and Pietro looked at him in wonder. “And it’s a post mission tradition. I’ll order from our usual place.”

“You don’t have to worry about us,” Wanda said softly and both Clint and Tony looked at her in confusion. “You have done so much for us and we have no way of paying you back.”

“Wanda, I’m not asking you to pay me back,” Tony said softly. Wanda looked at him with tired, yet hopeful, eyes. “I’m asking you two to live your lives. Be teenagers. Don’t worry about paying me back or things like that. Now you guys have a chance to start over, and we are in the position to help you.”

“Besides, I got a call from Laura this morning. The kids want you to come back to the farm. There’s nowhere better to relax,” Clint said, and the twins smiled.

“Tony, I am famished,” Thor said pointedly after a moment of silence. Any tension vanished and the team resumed their teasing with Wanda and Pietro slowly joining in.

Just as Sally had predicted, MJ gave everyone a wide berth at school. She ignored them in any shared classes and sat by herself at lunch. Peter could feel his guilt complex starting to rear its head, but Sally quickly put paid to that.

“Peter don’t feel guilty,” Sally said firmly when Peter expressed his thoughts to his friends. “MJ needs to realise that you have been doing this far longer than any of us. You are the smartest person in our year, hell in the whole school, and you have a good head on your shoulders. You know better than us how to be a hero.”

“We need to apologise to you anyway,” Cindy piped up and Peter frowned. “When you brought us in, we assumed you needed people to manage you. We kinda forgot that we were teenagers and you were the one with the experience. You know what’s best for you regarding Spidey stuff.”

“It’s going to be hard dude, but you need to pull us up if we are pushing too far,” Abe added. “We want you safe because you are our friend but sometimes, we will probably go too far. You are our leader; you have the knowledge and experience.”

Ned nodded along with their friends and not for the first time, Peter thanked whatever deity was around that he had his best friend and his friends.

It took three days before MJ approached the group. She walked up to them at lunch, looking scared and confused.

“Sorry Parker,” she said as she looked at the ground. When she looked up, Peter looked at her with a kind smile. “I’ll try and reign in the controlling.”

May faded into June and soon, Finals were upon The Cluster. After MJ had apologised, things were starting to get better in the group. MJ wasn’t as controlling and was giving Peter freer reign, much like he used to have.

“Summer!” Abe cried happily as the Cluster met up after they finished their final exams. Betty and Cindy rolled their eyes at their friend and the three boys high-fived. “I just want to sleep for three days.”

“I agree,” MJ replied. The group said their goodbyes and parted, knowing that they wouldn’t see each other again until the second week of holidays. Peter boarded the subway and ignored the other passengers as he travelled back to Queens. When he arrived at the apartment, May met him at the door with a bunch of balloons and a hug.

“What’s this for?” Peter asked with a grin as May led him over to the lounge. Sitting on the coffee table was a chocolate cake from a local bakery with ‘Congratulations’ written in red icing.

“Pete, you’ve finished freshman year!” May cried excitedly. “And you’ve been doing junior coursework the whole time. I am so proud of you.”

May grabbed Peter in another hug and Peter hugged the woman back tightly. He heard May sniffling and Peter pushed her back gently.

“I wish Ben were here, and your parents,” May said as she wiped a stray tear away. “They would be so damn proud of you.”

Peter pulled her back into a hug and felt her pressing kisses to his head. It was in that moment, Peter decided. May needed to know about Spider-Man. She deserved to know. He could remember how she responded last time and after the initial shock had worn off, she was supportive of his work.

“I was going to cook but I figured, you had nothing to be punished for today,” May said with a coy smile. Peter rolled his eyes at her and nodded gratefully. “Pizza, Thai, or something else? Want to try something new?”

After selecting Thai, Peter ducked down to his room to change and put his things away. He had made the decision that he would be telling May about Spider-Man. She deserved to know, especially now that Peter had become involved with the Avengers.

When they arrived at the restaurant, the waiter directed them to their table. Peter rolled his eyes fondly as the waiter flirted hopelessly with May as he took their drinks order.

“You do know he’s flirting right?” Peter teased as May looked at the menu. May went bright red and leant over to smack Peter gently. “What? It’s true! Maybe we can get some free spring rolls out of this.”

As dinner passed, May and Peter joked and laughed. During a moment of silence while they ate, May looked over at Peter with a raised eyebrow.

“Something’s wrong,” May commented and Peter looked up sharply. “You’re hiding something from me. Is it a girl? Have you got a new girlfriend? Boyfriend?”

“What, no!” Peter blushed crimson and May giggled. He then took a deep breath. “I do have something to tell you. But it can wait until the morning. I just want to enjoy tonight.”

“Do you think I’m going to get mad?” May asked softly and Peter shrugged.

“I know you are going be mad,” Peter replied. “If I tell you in the morning, I can give you time alone in the apartment to process everything.”

“Pete, no matter what you have to tell me just know, I larb you. I will always larb you,” May said and Peter smiled at her. She grabbed his hand and kissed the back of it gently before leaning over and stealing some of his food. “That’s for scaring me. Tell me in the morning.”

Peter barely slept that night. In the past, May had been mad, but he’d had Mr Stark to back him up when she needed things explained. He didn’t have his mentor this time around and that scared him. He ducked down to the shops before she woke up and grabbed bacon, eggs, and fresh bread so at least he could make her breakfast before dropping the bombshell on her.

“She’s going to be furious,” Peter whispered softly, knowing the Stones were listening.

“She’ll be worried. That’s what parents do,” Mind commented comfortingly. “If it helps, Time has viewed many versions of this conversation. In each one, May has eventually come to accept that you are Spider-Man. Some scenarios take longer than others, but the outcome is the same.”

“I won’t tell her about you guys. She doesn’t need to be panicking about that on top of everything else,” Peter said firmly. The Stones and his death would be secrets he took with him to the grave. May would already be worried about Spider-Man, she didn’t need to worry about him dying in his previous life.

“That is understandable,” Time replied. “Just trust her. May is a smart, strong woman. She will support you no matter what. You just need to let her process.”

Before Peter could reply, May walked into the kitchen wiping sleep from her eyes. Peter walked over and kissed her on the cheek before returning to his cooking.

“Ok, this is going to be a tough conversation then,” May commented and Peter nodded. May poured herself a cup of coffee as Peter dished up the food. The two Parkers sat at the kitchen table and Peter slowly picked at his food. Breakfast was a silent affair, May seemingly realising that Peter needed the time to psych himself up and gather his thoughts. When breakfast was done, May and Peter walked over to the lounge and Peter took May’s hand.

“I need to tell you something, but I need you to trust me,” Peter said after another minute of silence. May nodded at him and Peter took a deep breath. “You remember at the start of Freshman year how I got really sick?”

When May nodded (albeit with a confused eyebrow raise), Peter continued.

“Well that was because of something that happened at Oscorp,” Peter said. “We were touring their genetics labs and one of the experiments got loose. It bit me and I got sick.”

“Oh my god!” May gasped. “If we’d known, Ben would have insisted we sue. Thank God they were shut down.”

“Yeah,” Peter replied before taking another deep breath. Moment of truth. “May, I was bitten by a genetically modified spider.”

He trailed off and let the words sink in. He knew the moment she began to realise the gravity of his words. Her eyes widened and she began shaking her head.

“Yes. It’s true,” Peter said softly as May shook her head. “I’m Spider-Man.”

“What the fuck Peter?” this time around she didn’t scream the words, just whispered them in horror. May was staring at her nephew, praying that he would tell her this was all a joke. “Why?”

“Ben,” was all Peter said and May gasped. “The night Ben was shot I should have stepped in. I had my powers then, but I was scared.”

“Honey, Ben would never have let you,” May was now back in comforting mode. She pulled Peter to her and hugged him tightly. Peter felt a few tears slip down his cheeks as he buried his face in May’s shoulder.

“I started doing Spider-Man properly after that,” Peter continued before May could speak. “I found the guy who shot Ben. That’s why I started doing it. But after that… after that I couldn’t stop. I enjoyed helping people and, well, I had powers. I couldn’t not help.”

“Peter,” May trailed off. She didn’t have words for what she was feeling.

“I’m sorry I lied to you,” Peter said softly. “I’m sorry I kept it from you. But I’m being safe. I’m careful.”

“Ned and the others,” May said, realisation hitting. Peter nodded and smiled weakly.

“My team, MJ calls us The Cluster,” Peter said. “They stay at Cindy’s and help out. Abe helps with the suit, Sally makes sure I’m training and fit, Cindy helps out with any science or medical stuff, Ned is the tech guy and MJ makes sure we are all doing what we are supposed to do.”

“I need time. I need to think,” May said after a few minutes of silence. Peter nodded and leant over to kiss her on the cheek.

“I’ll go out for a bit. Not as Spider-Man,” Peter added when May looked at him in horror. “I’ll go out as Peter. Give you some time to process. But May, you need to know, I can’t give this up. I don’t want to keep doing this behind your back, but I will keep doing it. Spider-Man is a huge part of me, and I can’t give him up.”

Peter grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys and after kissing May on the cheek one final time, he left the apartment. He found himself wandering Central Park and ended up doing a self-guided tour of the statues. Peter had just finished taking a few selfies with the Alice in Wonderland statue when he turned and promptly collided with another person. Normally his Spidey-Sense warned him of that but given how stressed he felt about May and her response, he wasn’t surprised he hadn’t noticed.

“Oh my god. I am so sorry,” Peter said quickly, not looking up as he jumped to his feet and extended a hand to the person he’d knocked over.

“Frate mai mic (little brother)?” the voice that spoke was accented and full of wonder. Peter’s eyes shot up and he found himself staring into Wanda’s wide green eyes. “Peter, is that you?”

Peter didn’t say anything, just pulled the girl into a hug. He felt her hesitate for just a second before her arms wrapped tightly around his waist and squeezed. Wanda was mumbling softly in Sokovian into his hair, but Peter didn’t even try and translate it. He was just so happy that she was here, she was safe, and she was giving him a hug.

“It is you,” Wanda said softly, reverently, as she pulled back from the hug. She moved some of his hair from his face and cupped his cheeks. “I cannot believe it.”

“How are you? How’s Pietro? Jeez, I have so many questions,” Peter said, and Wanda smiled fondly at him. Before she could answer, a silver blur appeared.

“Sora (sister), I have someth-” Pietro trailed off as he looked at his sister. He took the boy’s appearance in consideration and grinned widely. Letting out a yell of excitement, Pietro lifted the smaller teen up and spun him around, Peter’s laughter soon competing with the sound. “You are here! Just like you said!”

Peter hugged the older teen tightly, reaching out to pull Wanda into the hug as well. He knew that back at home, May would be full of questions and concerns but right now, he was in the arms of the people he considered his older siblings. And that was all that mattered.

Chapter Text

“For a long time, we thought we had made you up,” Pietro commented as he sipped his drink. Peter and the Twins had left the park shortly after they had met and found a small café where they could talk without interruptions. Peter had bought drinks and cake for everyone and was now sitting in between the two Maximoffs. Pietro had his arm wrapped around Peter’s shoulder and Wanda was holding his hand under the table.

“Yeah, I bet,” Peter replied, not quite knowing what to say. He hadn’t planned this far ahead in his mind. He would probably need to discuss some things with the Stones about how to answer the inevitable questions that would come his way. “But you got out of there. That’s amazing.”

“Yes. Now, we are free,” Wanda replied with a serene smile. “The Barton family have invited us to spend some of the summer with them. We told Clint that we wanted to see some of New York first. Now that we have found you, we may not want to go though.”

“No, you should,” Peter said vehemently. “You both deserve a holiday. Besides, I’m not going anywhere. And we can text. You guys do have phones, right?”

“Tony gave them to us earlier in the week,” Pietro said, pulling his device from his pocket. The older boy sobered slightly and looked at Peter with sad eyes. “You were right. He is a changed man. He is vastly different to what we expected.”

Peter cuddled into the older teen and smiled. He took Pietro’s phone and texted himself from it. He did the same from Wanda’s phone so that he had both numbers.

“There, now I have your numbers. I’ll text back so you have mine,” Peter said, and the twins smiled. Peter sent a text to both numbers and saved them to his contacts. “I definitely think you guys should go to the Barton place. You’ll have fun and it will be a nice place to relax.”

“We will miss you though,” Wanda said, and Peter smiled. “Especially now that we have found you.”

“Fratele mai mic (little brother), tell us, what have you been doing? How have you been?” Pietro asked, changing the subject to something happier.

“Good. I finished school yesterday so I’m now on summer holidays,” Peter said and both twins looked at him eagerly. “I am waiting for my marks, but I think I’ve done alright.”

Peter filled the twins in on his life outside of Spider-Man for another two and a half hours before his phone went off. It was a message from May asking him to come home so they could talk.

“I have to go,” Peter said sadly. Wanda and Pietro nodded, feeling just as sad as the younger teen. The trio stood up from the table and walked out of the café. Once outside, Wanda pulled Peter into a hug. “My aunt wants me home, but I will text you guys later and we can organise to have lunch one day.”

“We look forward to hearing from you cel mic (little one),” Pietro replied. When Wanda finally relinquished her hold on Peter, Pietro hugged the boy tightly as well. With one final goodbye, Peter headed for the subway with Pietro and Wanda watching him fondly as he went.

When Peter returned to his apartment, he pushed the door open slowly. May was sitting on the couch, in almost the same position as when he had left. The only evidence that she had moved was the cup of tea and the tissues that sat in front of her. May turned as he entered and smiled weakly before waving him over. Peter sat down on the couch apprehensively and waited for her to talk.

“Peter,” May’s voice wavered but she took a deep breath before continuing. “I need you to understand that what happened to Ben wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known that store was going to be robbed that night and Ben would never have accepted you taking the bullet.”

“May,” Peter started tearing up but May held up her hand to silence him.

“No, let me talk,” May took a sip of her tea and wiped her eyes with a tissue. She looked up at him and Peter was amazed to see pride in her eyes. “He would be so proud of you and what you are doing. He’d be pissed as hell but proud all the same.”

May grabbed his hands and held them tightly in her own.

“I’m proud of you too Pete,” May said softly and Peter let out a breath he didn’t even realise he was holding. “I’m proud but there needs to be some ground rules now.”

“Of course. Whatever you need,” Peter said, thankful that she was being understanding.

“Since it’s holidays, if you plan on patrolling at night your curfew is midnight,” May started. “You may be a superhero but even superheroes need their sleep. When school starts back, your curfew will be 11. It would be earlier, but you have managed to keep up excellent grades despite your nocturnal activities. If your grades start to suffer, I will tighten the reigns on your activities. Your friends will all be given my number and they will keep me in the loop when you are on patrols. If you are injured, they will tell me. You try and hide anything from me, and I will tighten those reigns.”

“Can do ma’am,” Peter said. He leant forward and wrapped his aunt in a tight hug. May smoothed down his hair and kissed his head while Peter nuzzled into her. “I larb you May. So much.”

“Larb you too my little hero. Just stay safe out there, that’s all I ask,” May replied and Peter nodded. “Come on, let’s go out for lunch. We can even go and have a look at the Lego store.”

Peter hugged May again tightly before jumping to his feet. May took his outstretched hand and wrapped an arm around his waist. May kissed him on the temple before grabbing her handbag and keys. The two Parkers left the apartment, both with smiles on their faces.

At the same time, Pietro and Wanda were returning to the Tower from their adventure in the park. When they went up to the Avengers’ floor, they were surprised to find Tony and Clint waiting for them with hesitant grins on their faces.

“Well you two certainly look chipper,” Tony said teasingly. “Have fun, did we?”

“We did,” Pietro said serenely. “Is something the matter?”

“Nothing, we just had some things we needed to talk to you guys about, but Clint has to head back to Missouri,” Tony explained. When Pietro and Wanda turned to him his grin widened.

“Laura’s sister just phoned. Laura’s gone into labour. Tony is lending me the jet so I can get there before my son is born,” Clint said, and Wanda let out a happy giggle. “I just wanted to know if you guys wanted to come to Missouri with me today or if you wanted to wait another 2 weeks like we originally planned.”

“We will wait,” Wanda said, and Pietro nodded. “Give you some time with your new addition. Is that still alright?”

Her question was directed at Tony who nodded in reply. Clint grabbed both teenagers in a hug before shaking hands with Tony and running towards the elevator. Now alone, Tony drew the twins’ attention back to him.

“How was your day?” Tony asked. He sat down on the couch and patted the spots beside him. Pietro and Wanda joined him and launched into the story of their adventure.

“And then, we were in Central Park and Wanda crashed into someone,” Pietro said excitedly. “But it was alright. He bought us drinks and cake. We made a new friend.”

The twins had decided they wouldn’t tell the Avengers the true story of Peter yet, simply because they had no real way to explain it. They had decided to frame Peter as a new friend they’d met by chance.

“Tell me about this friend,” Tony said kindly, becoming invested in the excitement the twins were feeling.

“His name is Peter,” Wanda said. “He’s a teenager, turning 15 in August. He is kind and smart. He gave us his number and told us to text him whenever we need to.”

“He sounds like an alright kid,” Tony commented. He wanted to encourage this for the twins – the adult Avengers had been discussing the twins and how best to integrate them into American society and maybe they’d found a way. “If you want to invite him over before you guys go to visit the Bartons, you can. Obviously, he can’t go anywhere confidential, but you can invite him over to hang out if you’d like.”

“Thank you, Tony,” Wanda said softly, and Tony smiled at her. The group talked for a few more minutes before the twins excused themselves. They entered Wanda’s room and sat down on her bed.

“Pietro,” Wanda said softly as she rested her head on Pietro’s shoulder. “Are we sure this is not a dream?”

“If it is a dream, I do not wish to wake up,” Pietro replied. Wanda nodded against his shoulder and cuddled further into her brother’s side.

Later that afternoon while the twins were sitting in the living room with the other Avengers, Wanda’s phone chimed from her pocket. She pulled it out and the team watched as a bright smile crossed her features. It was a photo message from Peter of him holding an Avengers Lego set. What amused her the most was that he was pointing excitedly at the figures depicting her and Pietro.

“Is that your new friend?” Tony asked as Wanda showed the phone to Pietro. Once Pietro was finished, Wanda handed the phone to Tony. Tony couldn’t stop the laugh that burst forth at the picture. “I knew they were planning on adding you to the Avengers line up, but I was yet to see the final product. Well done twins, you’ve become toys.”

The rest of the Avengers looked at the photo, all of them laughing or smiling at the excitement on the boy’s face. As Wanda took her phone back, another message from Peter appeared and Wanda laughed. The message showed Peter and May leaving the Lego store, Peter holding the box with a huge grin on his face. Wanda opened the reply message with a grin

We have never seen Lego before. Maybe you could bring it with you when you visit,

Peter’s response was almost instantaneous, and Wanda shared the phone with Pietro.

Yes! OMG YES! I’ll bring it with me. I do this with my friends Abe and Ned too, but Avengers Lego will be an us thing.

Peter and the twins continued to text for the next 24 hours before Wanda got up the courage to ask Tony for permission to invite Peter over.

“Of course, you can Wanda,” Tony replied, Pepper nodding in agreement. “Does he need me to send a car?”

“I’ll ask. Thank you,” Wanda replied, shooting both a bright smile. She texted Peter asking if he needed a lift to which he replied that he would take the subway and be there in an hour or so. “He’s going to take the subway. He should be here in an hour.”

“Just give FRIDAY his name and she will make sure the lobby staff direct him where to go,” Tony replied, and Wanda nodded. She walked back into the living room where Pietro was waiting and nodded at him. Her brother relaxed slightly and smiled.

“FRIDAY, please let the staff know Peter Parker is coming. Could they let him up here please?” Wanda asked the AI.

“Of course, Miss Maximoff,” FRIDAY replied pleasantly. “I will notify you once he arrives.”

“Is it normal to be nervous?” Pietro asked Wanda who shrugged. “He is our little brother; we shouldn’t be scared right?”

“It’s normal to fear the unknown,” Natasha’s voice came as a surprise and both twins jumped. “You are still acclimatising to America and given your history, I would wager you haven’t had much experience with friends or people around your own age.”

When both Wanda and Pietro nodded sheepishly, Nat continued.

“Just be yourselves. You have already broken the ice with your friend so this will just further cement your relationship,” Nat said. “And if at any point you need a break, your friend should respect that.”

“Vă mulțumesc (thank you),” the twins said in unison. Nat nodded before walking into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

The hour passed by slowly for the twins, their excitement growing as the time ticked away. Eventually, FRIDAY was telling them Peter Parker had arrived in the lobby. The twins tried not to appear too eager as they waited for the elevator to rise to the penthouse floor.

“Hey guys, oh thank you Mis FRIDAY,” Peter called over his shoulder as he climbed out of the elevator. The younger teen bounded over to the twins and launched himself into Wanda’s arms.

“Bună ziua Peter (Hello Peter),” Wanda said as they broke apart from their hug. Pietro then took the boy into his arms and hugged him tightly. “How is your aunt?”

“She’s good. She’s working a double shift today, so I was so happy to get your message,” Peter said as he took his backpack off and joined the twins on the couch. “I was probably going to spend the day watching Netflix and chatting to Ned and Abe.”

“We are glad you could come,” Pietro said. “Did you bring the Lego set?”

Peter pulled the box out of his bag excitedly and handed it to the twins. Pietro and Wanda stared at the toy in wonder.

“We did not have these in Sokovia,” Wanda commented. She expected to see pity in Peter’s eyes but instead she simply saw wide-eyed curiosity. “Well, we probably did but we could never afford it. After our parents died, we didn’t have a lot of opportunities for new toys.”

“You are going to love these then,” Peter said enthusiastically. He didn’t comment on the poverty the twins had obviously lived in which both of them were thankful for. He took the box back from Pietro and opened it quickly, pulling out the instruction manual.

Before Peter could begin to explain Legos to the twins, Tony and Pepper entered from the kitchen. If Wanda hadn’t been looking, she would have missed the quick succession of emotions that ripped across Peter’s face. Starting with excitement, followed by fear, then pain, then a blank face, Peter’s face had been a rollercoaster of emotions on the entry of the couple. His face had now settled on a kind smile, but Wanda could still see the pain in his eyes.

“Hi, you must be Peter,” Pepper said as she approached the group. She held out her hand and if she noticed Peter’s hesitation, she didn’t comment as he took her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. The twins were brimming with excitement when they came home from the park the other day.”

“Thank you, Miss Potts. It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” Peter replied. The teen was trying so hard to not jump to his feet and pull the woman into a hug. He had to constantly remind himself that this Pepper Potts didn’t know him. “My aunt told me I haven’t stopped bouncing around since I met them, so I think I’ve been just as excited.”

“Hi kid,” it was all Peter could do to not audibly gasp. Tony Stark approached the couch in all his glory and Peter wanted nothing more than to grab the man tightly and not let go. The other times he had seen the man was during battle, so it was easy for Peter to compartmentalise his emotions but now with no enemy to distract him, he was struggling. “I’d introduce myself, but you probably know who I am.”

“Hmm, it’s Captain America, isn’t it?” Peter teased, trying to force himself to not let his emotions slip through. “No, wait. He’s blond. It’s Tony something isn’t it? Stank? Stork? Hmm, it will come to me.”

“Wise guy huh?” Tony replied sarcastically as Pepper and the twins laughed. “I like that in a person.”

“Pleasure to meet you Mr Stark,” Peter said after a moment, trying not to feel pain as his once mentor threw up his paparazzi smile. He had never really used that smile with Peter so to see it now was painful. “I’m a huge fan of your work. I’ve read all your papers.”

“You smart or something?” Tony asked and Peter shrugged. Before Tony could probe, Pepper grabbed his arm and started leading him out of the room.

“We’ll leave you kids alone. Just ask FRIDAY if there is anything you need. Peter, help yourself to food and drink in the kitchen. If you want to order food later, go right ahead,” Pepper said as she pulled a protesting Tony out of the room. Once alone, the twins turned back to Peter and smiled warmly.

“They seem nice,” the words tasted like ash in Peter’s mouth. He knew just how nice Tony and Pepper were. He knew what it was like to be in their close circle. To not be there now was hurting him.

“They have been so welcoming,” Pietro said. “They could have handed us to SHIELD or left us in Sokovia, but they have taken us in. We have a lot to thank them for.”

“Like I said, you guys deserve it,” Peter said, and the twins smiled softly at him. “You deserve to be happy and living peacefully.”

“Enough mushy talk. I want to build this Lego thing,” Wanda piped up and both Peter and Pietro laughed at her excitement. “So, how do we do this?”

Peter began to explain the finer points of Lego building to his friends, completely unaware that downstairs in his lab a certain billionaire was taking an interest in the teenager who had read his papers.

Chapter Text

“PEPPER!” Tony called excitedly as he burst into his fiancée’s office. Pepper looked up from her computer sharply and raised an eyebrow at the unusually excited genius. “Smart is an understatement.”

“Back up and start from the beginning honey,” Pepper said, fond exasperation leeching into her tone. Tony took a seat on the opposite side of her desk and threw a few pieces of paper down.

“Peter, the twins’ friend,” Tony said. “Smart is an understatement. The kid’s a genius, he just hasn’t been tested for it.”

“Tony, did you hack something you shouldn’t have?” Pepper asked and Tony just shrugged.

“You’d think a science school would have better security,” Tony said flippantly. He then pointed to the papers with wide eyes. “Pep, he has just finished freshman year, but he was administered the junior class’ exams. Look at his marks – 100s across the board. The kid needs to be in college with brains like this.”

“Tony, maybe he enjoys being in high school with kids his own age,” Pepper said and Tony made a noise in his throat. “Most people enjoy being surrounded by people their own age.”

“But Pepper,” Tony whined, and the woman just shook her head. Tony slumped back in his seat for a moment before sitting up with a huge grin. Pepper raised an eyebrow at him as Tony started nodding. “Pep, can I hire him as an intern? Do we do that?”

“Yes we have interns in all our departments but they are all college students,” Pepper said. She noticed Tony’s face fall, so she sighed. “Let me discuss things with legal. They will be able to tell me if there could be any problems with hiring a teenager.”

“You are a star, Miss Potts,” Tony said. Pepper rolled her eyes fondly as Tony jumped to his feet and walked out of her office. Pepper picked up her phone and asked the head of legal to come to her office so they could talk.

While this was happening, Peter and the twins were diligently working on their Lego construction.

“This is quite enjoyable,” Pietro commented. The group were halfway through building the tower when Wanda heard Peter’s stomach rumbling.

“We should order some lunch,” Wanda said. She then looked at Peter with a kind smile. “What would you like?”

“Oh, I’ll be alright,” Peter tried to downplay his hunger but Wanda saw right through him. When she glared at him, he sighed. “I could go pizza I guess.”

“FRIDAY, could you place an order for pizza please. Just get a variety,” Wanda said to the AI. “What we don’t eat, Sam and Captain Rogers will eat.”

“Can I use the bathroom?” Peter asked, forcing his body to remain still. He knew the way to the bathroom but that would give him away. So, no matter how awkward and painful it was, he remained still.

“Sure, it’s down the hall, third door on the right,” Pietro said as he put a few pieces of the tower together. Peter nodded and jumped to his feet. He made his way slowly down the hallway and into the bathroom. After he’d locked the door, Peter let out a deep sigh. “Come on Parker, pull yourself together.”

His tattoo warmed against his collarbone and Peter smiled softly. After finishing his business and washing his face, Peter stepped out into the hallway. He took two steps before coming face to face with Natasha Romanoff. The Russian spy looked him up and down and to anyone not familiar with Natasha, the look would be terrifying. Peter however knew better that Natasha was simply intrigued by his presence.

“So, you’re the new friend,” Natasha commented dryly.

“Yes ma’am,” Peter replied, maintaining eye contact with the woman. Nat raised an eyebrow at him as a small smile crossed her face. Peter had known she would approve of his ‘bravery’ in maintaining eye contact. “I’m Peter. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“We’ll see,” Natasha replied slyly before slipping past Peter and walking into one of the bedrooms. Peter let out the breath he didn’t know he had been holding before he walked back out to where Wanda and Pietro were still building the Lego.

“Did you find it alright?” Pietro asked as he looked up with a smile. Peter nodded and sat back down beside Wanda. “This is so enjoyable.”

40 minutes later, their pizza arrived and Pietro went down to retrieve it from the lobby. While he was gone, Wanda wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders in a hug.

“What’s this for?” Peter asked as he cuddled into Wanda’s side. Wanda pressed a kiss to his temple before answering.

“I’m just happy,” her accent had gotten thicker with the emotion and Peter squeezed her gently. “We are safe and for Pietro and I, that’s a very new concept.”

Peter pressed a kiss of his own to Wanda’s cheek as Pietro returned with a pile of pizzas. The older teen placed the pizza out and went into the kitchen to grab plates before joining his sister and the boy they both saw as a brother.

Midway through their lunch, the elevator doors opened and Sam and Steve walked into the room. The two men looked at the teens in interest and Steve raised an eyebrow as he noticed Peter.

“Hi Pietro, Wanda,” Steve said as he approached the trio. “And who is this?”

“This is Peter, our friend,” Wanda said. Peter stuck out his hand, first to Sam and then to Steve and shook them both firmly.

“Welcome Peter,” Steve commented before looking down at his hand. “Quite a grip you have there.”

“Thank you, sir,” Peter replied. He hated feeling so out of his depth. He knew these people. Hell, he loved these people (yes even Cap despite what he had done to Tony). Knowing that they didn’t know him was slowly killing him. Peter noticed Sam looking at him with a raised eyebrow and Peter quickly schooled his features.

“Welcome to the mad house kid,” Sam said after a moment and Peter smiled at Sam.

“We’ll get out of your hair,” Steve said with a wide, welcoming smile. “Peter, make yourself at home. If you need anything, I’m sure FRIDAY would be happy to help you out.”

The adults left the room and Peter let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. Pietro looked at him with a raised eyebrow and frowned.

“Are you alright?” the elder teen asked and Peter nodded.

“Yeah. Just weird seeing Captain America in the flesh. I’m so used to the PSAs, guess I was expecting him to be just as irritating as those,” Peter said, attempting to deflect any questions about his behaviour. 

“What are PSAs?” Wanda asked with a frown and Peter grinned. 

“Miss FRIDAY, could you find and play the ‘Rappin with Cap’ videos please,” Peter asked the AI with a smirk on his face. The AI did as requested and soon, the twins were cackling loudly from their spots on the couches. 

“Does Steve know about these?” Pietro asked between giggles. 

“Does Steve know about what?” Natasha asked as she walked into the room. She looked at the video that was playing and smirked. The three teens watched as the woman pulled out a phone and typed something on it. She joined them on the lounge and within a few minutes, the elevator doors were opening and Tony, Steve, Sam, and Rhodey were all emerging. Tony looked at the screen and promptly burst out laughing. 

“Oh, dear lord!” Steve groaned as his face flushed bright red. He turned to the cackling teenagers and sighed. “Don’t tell me they still show those.”

“Fine, I’ll keep my mouth shut,” Peter sassed and Tony let out a bark of laughter. Peter’s heart clenched again but he found himself relaxing slightly when Tony shot him a genuine smile. 

“Twins, we are keeping this one,” Tony said and Peter smiled. Tony then turned to Peter and thrust a tablet into his hands. “Solve this.” 

The Avengers looked at one another in confusion as Peter took the tablet. The teen looked between the device and Tony for a second before turning his gaze to the problem on the screen. Within seconds, he’d solved it and was handing the tablet back. 

“You didn’t carry the 3 or reverse the negative,” Peter said, blushing as Tony began to grin wildly. The grin was his actual one - the manic one Peter had grown used to when they were going to blow something up in the lab. 

“You’re hired,” Tony said and Peter stared at him. “You’re my new intern. You start Monday.”

Tony turned on his heel and breezed out of the room, leaving Peter staring after him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. The Avengers all smirked at Peter’s look and Wanda squeezed his arm gently. 

“What just happened?” Peter asked the room and Sam let out a burst of laughter. 

“I think you just impressed Tony Stark,” Steve commented. Peter continued to gape like a fish at the space where Tony had been standing. This was not in the plans at all.

“Why do I tolerate that man?” Pepper’s voice drew Peter out of his thoughts. The woman approached him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry for Tony’s behaviour. He wasn’t meant to spring that on you.”

“Um, what’s going on Miss Potts?” Peter asked and Pepper gave the teen a gentle smile. 

“Tony approached me this morning asking if he could hire you as an intern,” Pepper explained. “I told him to give me time to contact legal and I had only just gotten off the phone with them working out logistics when FRIDAY told me what he was planning on doing.” 

“Um but why me?” Peter asked and Wanda cooed. 

“Because you are insanely intelligent,” Pepper said and Peter frowned. 

“How does he know that?” Peter asked and Pepper sighed. “Let me guess, something illegal and unbecoming of a successful billionaire scientist.” 

“I like you,” Pepper said with a smirk. “You’ll keep him on his toes. Here.” 

Pepper handed Peter a thick envelope with the Stark Industries logo and seal on it. 

“Take that home to your guardians and read over it. It’s a basic contract detailing your position, SI policies and expectations and pay structure,” Pepper explained and Peter stared at her with an open mouth. 

“Paid?” Peter whispered, looking down at the envelope in his hands. “I’d get paid?” 

“Of course,” Pepper replied. “All our interns are paid for their work. Given your age and current school level, you will be on a lower rate than some of the others but you will be paid. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a billionaire to reprimand. I can’t wait to see what you’ll do.” 

Pepper left the room and once the elevator doors closed, Wanda wrapped Peter in a tight hug. 

“Congratulations cel mic (little one),” Wanda said as she pulled away and Pietro took her place. Peter hugged the twins and smiled but inside he was panicking. He didn’t know how he was going to cope being so close to Tony without any of the previous familiarity. Logically he knew they could develop that relationship again but Peter was scared. 

“Looks like we’ll be seeing a fair bit of you,” Steve said and Peter nodded. The Avengers said their goodbyes, leaving Peter alone with the twins once more.

“Come on cel mic,” Pietro said, pulling Peter off the lounge and back to the coffee table. “We have almost finished the Tower.”

Peter allowed himself to be drawn back into the construction of the Tower with the twins. Unbeknownst to them, the adult Avengers were watching their every move.

“So, that’s the new friend,” Sam said as he indicated to Peter with his head.

“He’s hiding something,” Natasha replied bluntly and Steve’s head snapped to her. Natasha shrugged but kept her gaze firmly on the teens. “He is.”

“Don’t you think he is probably just excited or intimidated about being here in the Tower?” Steve said but Nat shook her head.

“There’s something about him,” Natasha said. When she had run into the boy in the hallway, Nat had seen the quick flash of emotions that crossed his face. He was quick to shut them down but she was well trained. She had seen the anger, the pain, the fear, and then the loss that crossed through the kid’s eyes when he had looked at her. She had no idea why he had felt that but Natasha didn’t like loose ends.

“Come on Nat, don’t you think you’re being a bit paranoid?” Sam teased fondly but Nat shook her head once more.

“Better paranoid than dead,” Nat replied before finally turning her gaze to Sam. “How goes your hunt?”

“No leads so far,” Sam said, shooting a dejected look towards Steve. “Trail went cold, no pun intended, in London.”

“You’re doing your best Sam. I know that,” Steve replied comfortingly. Sam nodded but was still unconvinced.

“Since the SHIELD dump, there isn’t much I can do to help. Maybe Tony can find something with his satellites,” Nat offered and Steve frowned. “Steve, you should tell him. Aren’t you the one preaching that we are a team?”

“I’ll ask,” Steve said unconvincingly. Nat frowned but her attention was drawn back to where the three teenagers were triumphantly exclaiming about finishing their Lego build.

There were so many things happening around her but for now, Nat knew where to focus her attention. Peter Parker was hiding something. And he if he was going to be spending time around the Avengers, her boys, she needed to know exactly what he was hiding.

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you have everything?” May asked for the 6^th time that morning. It was the Monday after Peter had joined the twins at the Tower which meant it was the first day of Peter’s internship. Peter had spent half of Sunday night freaking out about the internship, only calming when the Stones had stepped in.

“Yes May,” Peter replied with a grin. “We’ve checked my bag 6 times. The paperwork is there. I have snacks and water. I have my notebook and pens. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m just so proud of you Pete,” May said as she hugged Peter again. When they separated, she smoothed out the wrinkles from the button-down shirt she had forced him into and grinned. “Ben and your parents would be so proud of you.”

Peter smiled at her and kissed May on the cheek. He left the apartment and slipped his headphones in as he made his way to the subway.

“Ok guys. What the hell do I do?” Peter whispered to the Stones as he walked. Thankfully people in New York didn’t really pay attention to anyone besides themselves but if they did, they would merely think the teenager was talking on the phone to someone.

“What do you mean, Peter?” Mind’s voice was calming as it washed over Peter.

“I mean, this whole internship wasn’t in the plans,” Peter said. He swiped his transit card and descended into the subway. “I mean, I wanted it to happen but not yet. There’s still so much we need to do. So many plans we need to work on before I can get distracted.”

“Peter, you are allowed to be a child,” Soul chastised gently. Peter frowned and made to protest. “No. Just because you have a job to do doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to be a child. Like my brothers, you seem to forget that you are not an emotionless robot.”

Peter let out a soft giggle as Power and Reality let out offended noises at Soul’s words. His train arrived and he made his way to a relative empty carriage. He sat down heavily in a seat and rested his head against the window.

“You have a chance to regain your relationship with your mentor,” Time said and Peter sighed. “But if you really feel like this is distracting you from your ‘mission’, I suppose we can make this a part of it.”

“Time! Give Peter a break!” Mind hissed but Peter nodded.

“How? What do I need to do?” Peter asked as he sat up straighter. Both Mind and Soul let out disgusted noises but when Time spoke again, they were silent.

“The Winter Soldier,” Time answered, to which Peter frowned. “Right now, he is in London. In the alternate timeline, he remained in London for 3 months before making his way through Eastern Europe. This time however, we have influenced him to make a few changes.”

“Changes? What changes?” Peter whispered as the train arrived at a station and more people entered the carriage.

“Mind has encouraged him to return to America. From her influence, he will make his way to New York,” Time explained and Peter could practically feel Mind rolling her eyes. “We will alert you to his arrival. You will need to befriend him.”

“I can’t just ‘befriend’ Mr White Wolf Sergeant Barnes,” Peter said firmly. “He’s a war hero. An Avenger. Hell, last time we met I beat him up. I caught his arm. He probably hated me.”

“Peter, I’m not convinced anyone can hate you,” Reality piped in and Peter blushed.

“Besides, this time around you won’t be meeting him as Spider-Man,” Time interrupted. “We will find a way for you to meet him as Peter Parker. You need to build up a rapport with him.”

“So wait, the whole Civil War thing? Is that going to happen again?” Peter asked as he stood and made his way to the train doors. When his stop arrived, he disembarked onto the platform and made his way out of the subway.

“No, not if we can avoid it,” Mind replied. “Baron Zemo isn’t planning on reactivating the Winter Soldier this time around. His family survived Sokovia thanks to your intervention. However, Hydra still exists and someone will still likely attempt to intervene.”

“But this is not something for you to focus on right this second,” Soul’s voice was firm as she interrupted her siblings. “We will advise you on how and when to meet James Barnes. For now though, you should enjoy your time with Tony. You forget that we are in your head Peter, we can see just how much you have missed him and just how much you want him back. Enjoy yourself, Little One.”

The Stones fell silent as Peter walked into the lobby of Stark Industries. The building was just as he remembered. People bustled around busily and Peter took a few minutes just to take everything in. He approached the main reception desk and smiled at Carisa. The woman smiled politely back at Peter despite looking confused. He remembered her from his previous life – she had always been so kind to him when he came by the front entry of the Tower (which wasn’t often but it did happen occasionally).

“Can I help you?” Carisa asked and Peter nodded.

“Um, hi. I’m Peter Parker. I start an internship here today,” Peter said softly. Carisa raised an eyebrow before typing something on her computer. Her face lit up and she nodded.

“Now I remember,” Carisa said, her tone becoming more friendly. “I got the notification on Friday afternoon before I left and I gotta admit, I was confused. You’re our youngest intern ever! Welcome to Stark Industries.”

Peter joined her in her excitement as Carisa picked up a folder and moved around the desk to him. He griped her hand when she stuck it out for him to shake.

“I bet you are just brimming with excitement,” Carisa said and Peter nodded. “So, I will be your tour guide for the first part of your day. First, we will head via security. There you will get your ID badge and you’ll meet our Head of Security. Then we will go to Legal to drop off your documents and then I will introduce you to the other interns down in the main Intern lab.”

Peter trailed after Carisa like a little puppy as she led him through the security checkpoint. They climbed into the elevator and Carisa told FRIDAY which floor they were heading to.

“Of course, Miss Thoms. And welcome back Mr Parker. Wanda and Pietro have asked if you would mind meeting them for lunch today,” FRIDAY said and Carisa looked to Peter with an eyebrow raised. “If you agree, they would love to meet you in the cafeteria.”

“Sure Miss FRIDAY. I’d love too,” Peter replied excitedly. He assumed the AI transmitted his message and turned to Carisa when he noticed her look. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, I’m just surprised. FRIDAY doesn’t usually interact so casually with people. Other than the Avengers and Miss Potts I mean,” Carisa said and Peter blushed. “You are going to be something special. I can tell.”

The elevator arrived at the Security floor and Carisa led Peter down to Happy’s office. The man called them in and Peter had to restrain the urge to walk up and hug the man. Carisa introduced them and Peter nodded respectfully at him.

“So, you’re the twins’ friend,” Happy commented as he looked Peter over. He turned to Carisa and nodded. “I’ll take him to get his photo done. Wait here for us please.”

Peter was led into an interview room and took a seat across from Happy. The man looked down at the file in front of him for a minute before looking back up at Peter.

“Now, I wasn’t allowed to do a background check on you the other day,” Happy said bluntly and Peter smiled softly. “But Boss has said you’ve been good for the twins. Plus, I haven’t seen Boss that excited in a while. Instead of the usual Stark Industries spiel, I’m going to give you the one I reserve for close acquaintances of the Stark Family. You hurt them in anyway, and kid or not, I will ruin you.”

“I would expect nothing less,” Peter replied and that seemed to shock Happy. The man stared at the kid and after a moment, gave a nod.

“Now, look straight at the wall. FRIDAY will take a photo for your ID card,” Happy explained and Peter did as requested. Happy pressed a few things on his tablet screen before standing. “Wait here.”

Happy left the room and returned after a moment. He had a small plastic card in his hand which he handed to Peter.

“This is your ID card. Wear it whenever you are in the building. Do not lose it,” Happy said firmly and Peter nodded. “You lose it and not only will there be a fee to reprint it, your photo will be placed on the Wall of Shame and you will be given the worst duties the Lab Directors and I can find for at least a month.  Understand?”

“Yes Sir,” Peter said and Happy raised an eyebrow at the honorific.

“If you do lose it, call the building and inform us straight away. We will need to cancel the pass to ensure no security breaches,” Happy continued and Peter nodded. “Also, FRIDAY is always watching. She will document everything. SI has strict policies regarding workplace bullying and discrimination. If you are caught violating these policies, you will be punished. Unlike other companies, Mr Stark and Miss Potts don’t believe in a three-strike policy regarding bullying or discrimination. They have a one strike policy. The first violation will result in consultation and mediation with your supervisor, the Intern Director, myself and the HR Director. If there is a further violation, your position will be terminated on the spot.”

“I understand,” Peter said. He could remember a worker in his previous life being fired for inflammatory words used against women. He’d insulted one of the female high-level interns and after mediation, had turned around and insulted Miss Potts as well. Peter had never seen Tony so angry. The man had been fired on the spot and blacklisted from any Stark Industries location.

“Good. Kid, the Boss has high hopes for you,” Happy said and Peter looked up at the change in tone. “I have worked for the Boss for many years. Too often have I seen people let him down. Don’t be one of them, and we will get along fine.”

“I won’t Mr Hogan sir,” Peter replied. Happy nodded and led Peter back out to where Carisa was waiting. The woman grinned at them and Peter moved to stand beside her.

“Thank you Happy,” Carisa said. The head of security waved them out of the room and Peter and Carisa climbed back into the elevator. “See, you’re already winning people over. Normally new interns are with Happy for at least 20 minutes getting the introductory lecture. You were only in there for 10.”

The rest of Peter’s morning was spent meeting various supervisors and filling out paperwork. Carisa led Peter into the main Intern Lab and the people in the room all looked at him in confusion.

“Who’s this Ris? Is this your brother or something?” one of the interns asked as he looked at Peter.

“No. Jeremy, this is Peter. He is SI’s newest intern,” Carisa said with an almost proud smile. The other interns all gaped and Peter blushed.

“Remember, you deserve the attention Little One,” Mind’s voice washed over him and Peter’s tattoo warmed against his collarbone.

“No way!” a redheaded intern cried as she approached. She stared intently at Peter and the boy blushed even more under the scrutiny. She poked him gently on the cheek and Carisa made an offended noise on Peter’s behalf. “But he’s a baby? He’s like a little puppy!”

“Peter, I am so sorry for Lola’s behaviour,” Carisa said as she glared at the redhead. “She doesn’t mean to be obtuse. She’s spent too long in the lab around her machines.”

“Sorry! But look at him,” Lola cried before she turned to Peter. “I’m sorry Little Dude. That was rude of me.”

“That’s alright,” Peter replied. “I guess I am a little young.”

“Oh, you are too innocent to be here,” another woman said as she approached. This woman had striking blue eyes and black hair. The woman turned to glare at three of the advancing interns. “You lot will not corrupt him! Do you understand?”

The three interns nodded in fear but the woman turned back to Peter with a smile.

“Welcome to the madhouse Peter. My name is Ariadne, I am the Lab Director for this lab. And yes, before you ask, my parents were obsessed with Greek Mythology. Call me Ari,” the woman said. Peter shook her hand and found he liked her immediately. “Let me introduce everyone.”

“Peter, I have to get back to the front desk,” Carisa interrupted before Ari could lead him away. Peter thanked her and surprised them both by giving her a quick hug. “I’ll leave you in Ari’s capable hands. If you ever need anything, I’m down at the front desk Monday-Friday. Just let me know.”

Carisa left the lab and Peter turned back to Ari. The woman indicated for him to follow her and she led him further into the lab.

“So, you’ve met Lola and Jeremy,” Ari said and the redhead waved sheepishly. She then began to indicate to the other interns as she spoke. “But we also have Zach, Toby, Isobel, Kostas, Amir, Dakota, and Molly.”

“Hi everyone,” Peter said with a wave. They all grinned back and continued to stare at him.

“So, tell us kid, how did you get here?” Toby asked.

“That would be my doing,” a voice from behind Peter had the whole group gasping. Tony entered the room with a flourish and the interns all stared at him in wonder. Tony’s gaze rested on the kid and he smiled one of his real smiles. “Settling in alright Pete?”

“Yes Mr Stark,” Peter said, grinning softly as Tony rolled his eyes. “Everyone has been really welcoming.”

“Good to hear,” Tony replied. The interns were still gaping openly as they stared between Peter and Tony.

“Mr Stark, did you say you’re the reason Peter is here?” Zach asked and Tony nodded. “How?”

“Peter met the newest Avengers, the Maximoff twins, and hit it off with them. He then proceeded to sass me and solve a practically unsolvable problem. I was quite impressed,” Tony replied and Peter blushed once more. He heard Ari and Dakota coo at him as the red covered his face but he ignored them. “So, since I found him, I figured a compromise was in order. He will spend some of his intern time in here with you guys and the rest of his time will be spent with me. In my lab.”

The other interns’ jaws all dropped. It was well known that Tony Stark hardly ever interacted with the interns. Some thought it was arrogance but most knew it was simply because of how busy the man was with Avengers’ duties, as well as his tendency to forget about the world outside his lab when he was working. For Peter to not only have been noticed by billionaire, but to also be invited into the sacred space, was mindboggling.

“Wow,” Peter said softly. The interns all nodded in agreement while Tony just grinned at them.

“Alright Pete. It’s lunchtime. The twins mentioned meeting you in the cafeteria so why don’t I join you? Then we can go to my lab and I can show you around,” Tony said and Peter nodded. He turned to the other interns and smiled.

“It was nice to meet you all. I can’t wait to work with you guys,” Peter said. Ari and the others all waved at him as Peter followed Tony out of the Intern Lab.

“Mr Dr Stark,” Peter said as they entered the elevator and Tony jerked at the title. He let out a bark of laughter as the elevator began to move and indicated for Peter to continue. “What am I going to be doing here? I mean, I’ve met people but no one has really told me my role.”

“First off, lets limit the titles. You can call me Tony. Or Mr Stark. Or Dr Stark. But not ‘Mr Dr Stark’. Rhodey would have a field day if he heard that,” Tony said with a smirk. “Second, since I’m sure we’ve got many years ahead of us with you here and I figured you might not have an idea of your desired field yet, we might have you floating. You can see what SI does in each department and use that to determine what you want to do.”

“What about in your lab?” Peter asked.

“Well, I mostly work on electrical engineering and physics. But if they don’t jingle your bells, you can still work on other projects in there. Just know that mechanics and electrical engineering will always be superior,” Tony teased and Peter laughed. The elevator arrived at the cafeteria and Peter barely remembered to hold himself back. He wasn’t supposed to know his way around the building. He followed Tony into the cafeteria and began searching for the twins. “There they are.”

Wanda and Pietro were sitting at a table, looking around in awe at the food options the cafeteria had. Wanda noticed them first and she waved brightly to Peter. When they reached the table, Peter placed his bag on the ground and leant over to kiss Wanda on the cheek. He fist bumped Pietro and grinned at his pseudo-siblings.

“Hey guys,” Peter said.

“Micutule (little one),” Wanda said as Tony took the seat beside Peter. “How was your morning?”

“It was awesome,” Peter replied excitedly. “I met Mr Hogan and he gave me my pass. Miss Carisa introduced me to pretty much everyone important and then I met some of the other interns. I can’t wait to work with everyone.”

“And I’m sure they can’t wait to work with you,” Pietro said and Peter blushed. “Also, how do you choose what to eat? There are so many choices here.”

“I can honestly say I have never eaten down here,” Tony said and the three teens stared at him. he held his hands up in surrender and shrugged. “I own the building and most of the time I forget to eat. If I do, it’s usually something I grabbed from the penthouse. Why don’t we grab something from every shop and share it around?”

The trio nodded and while Wanda and Tony went to the various vendors, Pietro turned to Peter.

“Want to see something cute?” Pietro asked and Peter nodded excitedly. Pietro pulled out his phone and started flicking through his photos. He stopped on a photo of a baby and held the phone out to Peter. “This is Nathaniel. He is Clint’s newest baby.”

“Aw isn’t he adorable,” Peter cooed excitedly. Pietro flicked through the pictures Clint had sent him and Peter cooed appropriately. Tony and Wanda eventually returned with two trays piled high with food. Two cafeteria staff members followed behind them also carrying trays. The trays were placed on the table as Tony and Wanda took their seats and the group started eating.

Peter allowed the contentment to wash over him as Tony and Pietro started to tease each other over who would eat the most food. Wanda rested her hand on the table and took one of Peter’s in hers. For a minute, Peter could imagine he was back in his old life. He could imagine Tony and Rhodey arguing over telling Peter a story from Tony’s youth.

His tattoo warmed against his collarbone comfortingly. Peter rubbed it surreptitiously and settled in to enjoy the atmosphere surrounding him.

Chapter Text

“Where is Tony?” Rhodey asked Pepper as she entered the Avengers’ common floor. The team had gathered for their weekly pizza and movie night and all that was missing was Tony. The twins had been in Missouri with Clint for two weeks but they usually all dialed in on the movie nights to join them (the Barton kids were loving having superhero uncles to go with their superhero aunt and wanted to spend whatever time they could with them).

“Oh, isn’t he here yet?” Pepper asked with a frown. “I haven’t seen him today.”

“Boss Lady, I have something you might want to see,” FRIDAY sounded almost fond as she spoke up. The Avengers moved into the living room where the TV was and FRIDAY pulled up some security footage. Tony was sitting at a holotable in his lab but what had Pepper smiling was that Peter was sitting beside him. The two geniuses were passing a hologram between them, each one adjusting the design before passing it on.

“They’ve gotten close,” Steve nodded and Pepper agreed. In the time Peter had been interning with Tony, everyone had noticed a significant change in the man’s demeanour. For one, he was actually taking care of himself. He had imposed a bed time and was even slowly cutting down on the coffee (going from 9 cups a day to 6 was huge for Tony). He was even eating regularly on the days that Peter was present.

“Peter’s been good for him,” Pepper added and the Avengers all nodded. Even Natasha had to grudgingly nod in agreement. The boy had been good for Tony’s morale. Even if she couldn’t work out what he was hiding, Natasha had seen a change in her friend and she was happy for him. “I don’t want to interrupt but I would bet they have no idea what time it is. FRIDAY, please   you let them know it’s time to break up their little inventing party.”

Down in the lab, FRIDAY slowly turned the music down so as not to frighten the two people in the lab.

“Um, Baby Girl, where are the tunes?” Tony asked as he and Peter looked away from the table.

“Sorry Boss. Boss Lady says it is time for dinner,” FRIDAY sounded regretful and both Tony and Peter stared up at the ceiling.

“FRI, what time is it?” Tony asked.

“7pm Sir,” FRIDAY replied and both Peter and Tony jumped up.

“Shit! Sorry kid,” Tony apologised as Peter gathered up his things and pulled his phone out. “Guess we got caught up.”

“It’s alright Mr Stark,” Peter said with a grin. Truth be told, he hadn’t noticed the passage of time. For a moment there, Peter could almost pretend things were back to normal. He and Tony were mucking around with a design for a bot to be used in the Intern Labs and had gotten engrossed in the project. “I should probably head out anyway. Aunt May will be wondering where I am and she worries if it gets really late and I have to take the subway.”

“I can’t in good conscience let you ride the subway kid,” Tony said and Peter smirked at the look of disgust that crossed his face. “Happy can give you a lift.”

“Mr Dr Stark, Mr Hogan is probably busy,” Peter replied. He fully intended to swing his way back to Queens. The Cluster had all returned from their various summer vacations and Peter was looking forward to swinging around with his team again.  

“Nope. Not good enough,” Tony said as he began to lead Peter to the elevator. He ordered FRIDAY to head to Happy’s office floor and the elevator began to move. “I kept you late, I can get you home.”

Peter tried to protest but it fell on deaf ears. Tony led Peter to Happy’s office and walked in without knocking. The other man looked up and rolled his eyes.

“Forehead of Security, I’m gunna need you to take my Intern here home,” Tony said and Peter flushed. Happy looked at Peter first, then Tony, with a raised eyebrow. “Come on. We both know you were going home to watch Downton Abbey reruns.”

“It’s not a bad show,” Peter piped in as Happy blushed slightly. Both men turned to him and Peter shrugged. “I watch it with Aunt May sometimes. I love Maggie Smith so I will watch pretty much anything she is in.”

“Fine,” Happy said. “But only cause the kid has good taste in TV shows.”

Tony slapped Happy on the shoulder before turning to Peter with a grin.

“So, I’ll see you tomorrow, right kid?” Tony asked and Happy raised an eyebrow at his boss and friend. When Pepper had told him that Tony was taking on an intern, he honestly thought that it would be a nothing more than a flight of fancy. Tony, for all his good qualities, was as focused as a child with untreated ADHD and so came in and out of phases rapidly. But Peter had been around for a few weeks and was actually proving to be a good influence on Tony’s life.

“Not tomorrow, tomorrow is Thursday,” Peter said and Tony’s face fell. “Remember Mr Dr Stark, I come by Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and the occasional Saturdays.”

“Hmm,” Tony said and Peter rolled his eyes. “Fine. Enjoy your day off. On Friday we can finish the bot. make sure you’re here at 9 am. In fact, Happy can come and collect you.”

“I can make it here myself. I’ve been doing it for a while,” Peter snarked back and Happy snorted in amusement.

“Come on kid,” Happy said, standing and grabbing his jacket. “If I’m going to make it back from Queens at a reasonable time, we should leave now.”

Tony waved fondly as Happy and Peter walked into the elevator before taking the second elevator up to the Penthouse.

Peter climbed into the back of the town car and took a deep breath as Happy began to drive out of the parking garage.

“Thanks for this Mr Hogan,” Peter said. Happy looked at him in the rear-view mirror and raised an eyebrow. “I know you didn’t ask to be a driver for one of the interns. If its easier, you can drop me off near the subway station.”

“Not a chance kid,” Happy replied. “Boss will somehow find out and that will be the end of me. Where am I heading?”

Peter rattled off his address to Happy and settled back into the seat. The teen could tell Happy was looking at him through the rear-view mirror but Peter ignored the gazes. Soon enough, the car was pulling up outside his apartment complex.

“Thanks again, Mr Hogan,” Peter said as he collected his bag.

“Don’t mention it,” Happy said before hesitating. The man handed Peter a business card after a momentary pause. “If you do decide you need a lift on Friday, text me. Don’t make a habit of it and don’t use that number for anything else. Got it?”

“Not a problem,” Peter said, slipping the card into his pocket. Peter waved as he climbed out of the car and headed up to his apartment.

“Hey Pete, how was your day?” May asked as he opened the door to the apartment.

“It was great,” Peter replied, allowing his excitement to drip through into his tone. May smiled fondly at Peter as he joined her on the couch. “We’ve been designing a bot for the Interns to help with their work. Sorry I’m so late, we just got wrapped up in work.”

“That’s alright Pete. I’m just happy that you’re so happy,” May replied, brushing her fingers through Peter’s hair. “It’s nice to see you being challenged. Lord knows you weren’t challenged at school.”

“May, do you mind if I go out as Spidey tonight? The others are all at Cindy’s, we are just waiting your go ahead,” Peter asked.

“Be safe,” May said after a moment. “Call me if you get hurt but try your damned hardest to not get hurt.”

Peter nodded and kissed May on the cheek before racing down to his room. He quickly sent off a message to the Cluster before getting changed into his suit. Peter climbed out of his window and headed off into Queens.

“Hey Spidey. How was your day?” Betty’s voice came down the comms and Peter grinned under his mask.

“It was great Whisper,” Peter replied. He had messaged the Cluster as soon as he’d been offered the intern position. Initially, the girls had been hesitant, simply because they didn’t want Peter to accidentally give away his identity. But everyone was excited for Peter (Ned and Abe most of all who spent an entire day singing Mr Stark’s praises while simultaneously hyperventilating at the thought of their friend getting to work with THE TONY STARK). “Anything I need to be aware of on the streets tonight?”

“Nothing showing up right now on the scanners,” Ned chimed in. Peter nodded and started moving through the sky.

“Peter,” Mind’s voice rung in his head just as Peter was returning a purse to a bag snatching victim. He nodded for the Stone to continue before making sure the woman was ok and swinging away. “James Barnes arrived on American soil 4 days ago.”

“Where do I find him?” Peter asked after muting his comms. While the Cluster knew about the Stones and knew he was conversing with them, they would ask questions he didn’t have the answers to yet.

“He is currently homeless,” Soul added. “If you wish to continue with the course of action, we can direct you to his location tomorrow.”

“I can do that,” Peter replied before unmuting his comms. Ned was filling him in on a robbery in progress happening at the Queens County Savings Bank.

“Be careful Spidey,” MJ ordered calmly. “The police have no further information other than a robbery in progress.”

“Copy Dahlia,” Peter replied before swinging off. When he arrived at the bank, he noticed the police were starting to form a barricade around the building. Luckily for Peter, the only civilians involved were the night guards meaning there were only three people other than the robbers inside the bank. “Merlin, specs on the bank please.”

“Welcome to the party Spider-Man,” Officer Davis said as Peter landed silently on his car.

“What’s going on Officer?” Peter asked, while also looking at the building plans Ned was showing him on his HUD.

“5 robbers inside. Headed straight for the vault,” Davis replied. “No demands yet but they definitely know we are here.”

“Too easy?” Peter questioned and the other man sighed.

“Seems that way,” Davis said. “They came after hours when only the guards were around. Sure, they may be robbers with a conscious and want to minimise casualties but it doesn’t seem right. The three guards are tied up near the doors, we can see them from here.”

Peter frowned under his mask. This was certainly weird and his Spidey-Sense was flaring as he looked to the bank.

“I’ll go in and have a look around,” Peter said after a moment. Officer Davis nodded hesitantly but Peter just gave him a small salute before launching himself at the building. “Dahlia, dial Black Widow’s number but don’t call her just yet. My Spidey-Sense is going wild but I don’t know why.”

“Copy Spidey. Be careful,” MJ ordered. Peter entered the bank and made his way to the vault. He could hear four of the men raiding the vault for money but the fifth man’s heartbeat was further away. His was coming from the Safety Deposit Box room. Decided to deal with him first, Peter made his way silently through the bank.

The man was pulling large safety deposit boxes from one of the walls of boxes. He was prying them open, ratting through the contents before discarding them without even taking anything. He appeared to be frantically searching for something. He opened one final box and Peter heard the man whisper ‘jackpot’. He was just lifting a folder out of the box when Peter decided to make himself known.

“You know, given that you need keys to open those, I’m gunna take a stab and say none of those boxes belong to you,” Peter said as he slid down a web behind the guy. The robber swore and pulled a gun but Peter was quicker. He jumped off the web and fired a web at the guy’s hand that was reaching for the gun. The guy snarled at Peter before launching at him. Peter sidestepped the man but felt a shot of pain down his side. The man had pulled a knife as he jumped and had sliced Peter. “Now that wasn’t very nice.”

Ned and the others watched as Peter fought the guy in the bank, the whole time MJ’s finger was hovering over the call button on her phone. The group all breathed a sigh of relief when Peter managed to knock the man unconscious.

“Spidey, injury report,” Cindy asked as Peter took a few deep breaths.

“Laceration on my right side. Don’t think its too deep, feels like its healing already,” Peter replied before approaching the fallen folder. “Let’s see what was so important.”

Peter picked up the folder and opened it slowly. The paperwork inside was old and as he shuffled, a red notebook with a star on it fell out onto the floor. A symbol on the top corner of one of the pages had Peter gasping before his eyes were drawn to a signature at the bottom of the first page. Before he could study the information further, he heard the approaching footsteps of the other robbers. Peter put the documents and book back into the folder and shoved it awkwardly into his suit.

“Dahlia, call Widow. Tell her they need to collect these guys,” Peter said firmly as he made his way out of the safety deposit box room and began to dispatch the other robbers.

Back at Cindy’s, MJ pressed the call button on the burner phone in front of her with a frown. The Cluster had all seen the 8-legged symbol – once again Spidey was getting caught up in HYDRA nonsense. Across town, Natasha’s phone vibrated against her thigh and Tony paused the movie as she answered.

“Who is this? How did you get this number?” Nat demanded, the caller coming up as an unknown.

“Black Widow, this is Dahlia. Spider-Man has requested your assistance,” a familiar female voice came down the line and the Avengers all tensed. “He has just dealt with five robbers at the Queens County Savings Bank.”

“And why does he need my help if he has dealt with the robbers?” Nat asked, torn between confusion and amusement. She put the phone on speaker so the others could hear the whole conversation.

“Spidey believes the men may be working for HYDRA,” MJ said. She wasn’t going to mention the folder yet. Peter had been spooked by something he saw on the documents, that something being the HYDRA symbol. She would ask him to explain more before she jumped to a conclusion.

“Tell him to web them up. We are on route,” Natasha said firmly before hanging up the phone. The Avengers jumped into action and began suiting up.

Back at the bank, Peter finished webbing the men up tightly before he made his way to the front of the bank. The three security guards were unharmed and Peter quickly untied them.

“Thank you, Spider-Man,” one of the guards said as he rubbed his red wrists. Peter led the guards out of the bank and walked straight to the line of police.

“Any injuries Spider-Man?” Officer Davis asked and Peter shook his head.

“I have called the Avengers,” Peter said and the man raised an eyebrow. “It appears as though the robbers were after something in particular in a safe deposit box. I also managed to get some information from them, seems like they are working for HYDRA. This is above both our paygrades.”

“Copy that,” Officer Davis said. “We’ll keep the building on lockdown until they arrive. You alright though? That looks like a nasty cut.”

“I’ll heal,” Peter said before saluting. “Have a safe night.”

As Peter swung away from the scene, his thoughts weighed heavily on the documents currently stashed in his suit.

“Merlin, they were looking in Box 722. Can you find out who owns that please,” Peter asked.

“Sure can Spidey,” Ned replied. “Why don’t you head back here? Give your side some time to heal.”

“Copy that. On my way,” Peter replied. He made his way across Queens towards Cindy’s home. When he arrived at the house, he made his way into the shed and was met by the concerned looks from his friends. “What? I’m fine.”

“We know,” Abe said as Cindy approached Peter and looked at the wound on his side. “But you might want to sit down.”

Peter undid his suit and pulled the folder out before dropping down into a beanbag. Cindy sat beside him, a First Aid kit in hand. While she set about cleaning the wound, Peter turned to the others.

“Well, I’m sitting,” Peter said and the others all exchanged a glance. “Come on guys. What’s wrong?”

“That box Pete, Box 722. I found who owns it,” Ned said softly and Peter knew Ned well enough to know that he was afraid. When Peter nodded for him to continue, Ned took a deep breath and sighed heavily. “Pete, that box was owned by Richard and Mary Parker. The payments continued after their deaths and were completed via an annual direct debit by Benjamin Parker.”

“What?” Peter breathed out. He couldn’t remember anything like this happening before. Cindy finished cleaning his side and squeezed his hand comfortingly.

“Peter, the box belonged to your parents,” MJ said and Peter let out a shaky breath. He looked down at the folder in his hands and frowned. “Besides the HYDRA symbol, what did you see on the paper Peter?”

Peter leant forward and opened the folder, spreading the documents and book out in front of him. The rest of the Cluster joined Peter on the floor and stared at the information in front of them. Peter pointed to a signature on the bottom of one of the pages.

“That’s my dad’s signature. I’m sure of it,” Peter said softly. He picked up one of the documents and noticed it was written completely in Cyrillic, except for strings of numbers and formulas.

“Shit,” Abe breathed out and the others nodded. Peter opened the notebook and, in his head, Mind gasped.

“Peter, this is the Winter Solider Book. It contains directions to the Siberian facility as well as the trigger words for all the different Winter Soldiers,” Mind said and Peter was stunned. “In the past, Vasily Karpov held the document and Helmut Zemo tortured him for it.”

“That’s not possible,” Peter said softly and the teens looked over at their friend. Peter looked over at Ned and frowned. “Ned, I need you to search for a Vasily Karpov.”

“Ok,” Ned said, grabbing his laptop from the table before returning to the circle. Peter flicked through the book and Mind provided a translation for him in his mind.

“Peter, why would your father’s signature be on a HYDRA document?” Sally asked.

“I have no idea,” Peter replied honestly. “He was a scientist but to the best of my knowledge, he worked for Oscorp. Not even in my past memories can I recall ever knowing him working for anyone else.”

“Got him,” Ned cried after a few minutes. “Vasily Karpov. Former colonel in the Russian Armed Forces. Oh, this is bad.”

“What?” MJ asked.

“Karpov's name appears in a number of HYDRA files that the Black Widow dumped. He was in charge of something called the Winter Soldier Program,” Ned murmured. Peter gasped and the others stared at him in confusion. “Pete, what’s the Winter Solider Program?”

“HYDRA created the Winter Solider back in World War 2,” Peter explained slowly. “He was HYDRA’s ultimate assassin. Hell, some people even believe he was behind the Kennedy assassination.”

“That’s not all, is it Pete?” Betty asked and Peter shook his head.

“No,” Peter replied. “The Winter Soldier was tortured and brainwashed by HYDRA. Before they tortured him, he was James Buchanan Barnes, Captain America’s right-hand man and leader of the Howling Commandoes.”

The room fell silent as the teens all took in this information. James ‘Bucky’ Barnes had supposedly been killed in World War 2, the only Howling Commando to lose his life during battle.

“Surely he’s dead now though,” Cindy said and Peter shook his head. “How is that possible? He would have to be nearly 100.”

“Cryogenic freezing,” Peter replied. “In between missions, he was frozen.”

“You know him, don’t you Peter. Or knew him at least,” MJ commented and Peter nodded. “Where is he now?”

“New York,” Peter said. “But things are different this time around. I’ve changed a lot since coming here. He wasn’t meant to be here.”

“Can you tell us what’s different and how things have changed?” Abe asked and Peter nodded.

While Peter was filling his team in about the Accords and the Avengers’ Civil War, the real Avengers were currently descending on Queens County Savings Bank. The police let them through the blockade as they arrived, an Officer Davis telling them Spider-Man had advised the police of the situation and why the Avengers would be arriving.

Inside the vault, the 5 would be robbers were struggling against their bindings. Their eyes all widened as the Avengers entered and Steve grabbed one by the face as he made to crunch his teeth together, no doubt breaking the cyanide capsule lodged in his teeth.

“Don’t stress Cap,” Nat said in amusement. The soldier turned his head and noticed Nat holding a pile of teeth in her hand. “Seems like Spidey knew they would try something stupid. These are their cyanide capsules.”

“Well, guess we’ve got to give the web slinger some serious props,” Tony said as he moved down to the Safety Deposit Boxes with Nat on his tail. “FRIDAY, what box were they after?”

“They seemed to be focusing on the 700s Boss,” FRIDAY said. Tony looked around at the opened boxes and bent to collect the only completely empty box.

“Who owns this one?” Tony asked his AI while Nat moved into the room. She was checking the open boxes but without knowing their exact contents, there was no real way to tell if anything else had been taken.

“Box 722 belongs to one Richard and Mary Parker, Boss,” FRIDAY said and Nat’s eyes shot up to Tony’s. The man retracted his helmet and stared at his friend.

“Repeat that,” Nat ordered.

“Box 722 belongs to Richard and Mary Parker,” FRIDAY repeated and Nat frowned. Parker was a relatively common last name so there was no real reason to believe Tony’s intern was somehow connected to this but Natasha didn’t like coincidences.

“Where are they now FRI?” Tony asked, knowing instinctively where Natasha’s mind was going.

“Richard and Mary Parker are buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Flushing, Queens,” FRIDAY replied. “They are survived by their son Peter Benjamin Parker.”

Nat was even more on edge now. Too many things were compounding – Parker meting the twins by accident in the park, Parker becoming Tony’s intern, and now his parent’s safe deposit box being raided by HYDRA agents. There were just too many inconsistencies. Time for Nat to do some digging on the teenager that was becoming emersed in her life. No one would harm her found family again. No one, not even a supposedly innocent teenage boy.

Chapter Text

Peter could feel eyes on him as he walked into the Stark Industries cafeteria. Casting a quick look around the room, his eyes were drawn to a brunette woman sitting by the window. She was sipping a coffee and flicking through a book but Peter knew better. She was watching him and Peter would bet his college fund that the woman watching him was Natasha Romanoff in disguise. For some reason, Natasha had been watching him in some way since he had arrived at the Tower that morning (hell, for all he knew she’d watched him yesterday too). 

But Peter chose not to focus on that. Instead, he quickly grabbed some lunch before finding a table and pulling his laptop out of his bag. After realising that his father was somehow involved with HYDRA business, Peter had Ned scan all the documents from the file onto his system. He had then placed the information on a locked USB drive with so many firewalls on it that it would be nearly impossible for someone to crack. If even one password was entered incorrectly, the information would be wiped from the device. Peter had even convinced his friend to scan the entire red notebook onto the stick before burning all of the documents (they’d covered up the burning under the pretence of roasting marshmallows over an open fire in Cindy’s backyard). The only copies of the documents now existed on the USB in Peter’s hand and the Web’s mainframe.

Peter plugged the USB stick into his laptop and entered all the necessary passwords. He first opened up the document that had caught his attention two days before. The document with his father’s signature on it.

“Mind, can you read this?” Peter whispered before taking a bite of his pizza.

“It appears to be an attempt to recreate the Super Soldier Serum used on Captain Rogers,” Mind replied after a moment. “Peter, it seems like your father was working to synthesise the chemical.”  

“For HYDRA,” Peter said, not knowing exactly how he was feeling.

Across the cafeteria, Natasha was watching Tony’s intern closely. The boy hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary since he started that morning. She was most curious however when he’d arrived at the cafeteria and instead of sitting with the other interns (like he usually did), he sat by himself and pulled out his computer.

“FRIDAY, can you see what he is working on?” Natasha asked softly to the AI.

“I cannot, Miss Romanoff. It appears that Mr Parker has a screen protector on his computer that prevents me from scanning the screen. He is also working off of a closed, personal Wi-Fi connection,” FRIDAY replied. “Sorry Miss Romanoff.”

The kid was good. Well, of course he was. He was Stark’s intern after all. Natasha growled under breath but didn’t want to risk drawing any attention to her. She stayed in the cafeteria for the entire time Peter stayed. He was immersed in whatever he was working on and didn’t even break for food. When his lunch was over, Natasha watched as he packed up his belongings and headed back to Tony’s lab.

For the rest of the day, Natasha was on edge. The others had noticed and while Steve had tried to coax it out of her, Sam had merely stared at her. After ten minutes, she turned her ice like glare onto her friend.

“Why are you staring?” Nat demanded and Sam smirked.

“Was waiting to see how long it would take you to break. Less time than I thought,” Sam teased before he turned serious. “What’s wrong, Nat? You’ve been on edge and frustrated all day.”

“There’s something weird about Parker and no one will believe me,” Nat said and Sam frowned. “Don’t you dare say he’s a simple teenage boy. I’ve seen what ‘simple’ teenagers can do. They are some of the most dangerous.”

“Ok, so you think something’s funky about the kid,” Sam commented and Nat nodded. “So have FRIDAY run a search on him. Or use those contacts we both know you have. If you’re senses are spiking, check it out.”

“Tony and Steve will kill me if they find out. So will the twins,” Nat replied.

“Good thing you’re a spy then,” Sam said with a smirk before he patted Nat’s knee and left the room. Nat took a few deep breaths and grabbed her laptop off the coffee table. She had some people to contact.

In the lab, Tony was watching his intern intently. He may have appeared to be nonchalant about what they had found out (regarding the safety deposit boxes) but he wasn’t. The team all seemed to forget that Tony had been a businessman since he was 21. He could read people. Now he didn’t think his intern was out to harm him, but that didn’t mean the kid was completely innocent.

“So Pete, what do your parents do?” Tony asked as they worked. Peter looked up at the man and frowned slightly. Tony kept his expression open and after a moment Peter sighed.

“My aunt is a nurse,” Peter replied and Tony waited for him to continue. “My parents died when I was 4 and my uncle died a few months back. Its just Aunt May and I. Why do you ask?”

“I’m sorry to hear that Pete,” Tony said and he instantly felt bad. The kid had had one hell of a time. “Oh, no reason. Just noticed the name Parker on an old biochem paper I was reading and it got me thinking.”

“What was the paper?” Peter asked, his curiosity peaked.

“Something on the biological impact of spiders on the ecosystem or something. Can’t quite remember,” Tony replied.

“Spiders, Mr Stark? Really?” Peter teased and Tony threw a stray pen at the boy.

“For your information, spiders seem to be all the rage at the moment,” Tony said and Peter put the soldering iron down and turned to his mentor. “I mean, you’ve got the Spiderling swinging around town stopping crime and whatnot. Everyone is fascinated. You ever seen him?”

“Spider-Man? Yeah of course. He’s Queens’ local hero,” Peter replied. “It’s always cool to see him swinging around.”

“He’s pretty great,” Tony replied, not knowing what else to say. The two fell into a companionable silence as Peter returned to his work on the bot for the interns, Tony piping in occasionally. By the end of the day, the bot was finished and delivered to the Interns (who thanked them both profusely). Peter refused Tony’s offer of a lift home (curtesy of Happy), instead choosing to catch the train back to Queens to see the Cluster.

“Peter, if you get off at the next station and head north, we can facilitate a meet between you and Sergeant Barnes,” Power said as Peter listened to his music. He instantly jumped to his feet and moved to the doors to await the trains’ arrival. When it stopped, Peter jumped off and made his way onto the street.

“Which way?” Peter asked softly and he felt Mind nudging him to his left. As he walked, Peter passed a McDonald’s and decided to grab food for both him and the Super Solider. He followed Mind’s directions and soon found himself approaching an alleyway. “Down here?”

Peter turned down the alley and felt his Spidey-Sense begin to flare, no doubt recognising Sergeant Barnes as a threat. Movement further down the alley had Peter tensing but he fought his instincts to ensure he was projecting calm.

“Is there someone here?” Peter called out and focused his hearing. He heard movement again and turned towards the sound. “Um, I hope I’m not intruding.”

“You shouldn’t be here, kid,” A gravelly voice to his left had Peter turning. James Barnes lifted his head from where it was resting on his chest and if Peter hadn’t been guided to him, he would have missed the super soldier entirely.

“Oh, you scared me,” Peter said before sitting across the alley from him. “Why shouldn’t I be here? Seems like quite a comfortable alley.”

“Kid, you obviously aren’t a street kid. You shouldn’t be here,” Bucky said and Peter frowned.

“I brought some food. Trust me, I can’t eat all this,” it was a lie but Peter knew Bucky wouldn’t take the food if he didn’t say it. Bucky stared at the boy questioningly as Peter pulled a packet of nuggets and two cheeseburgers from the bag before holding the rest of the food out for Bucky to take. “Seriously, take it. Otherwise, it would go in the trash.”

Bucky leant forward and took the bag of food and Peter purposefully looked away as the solider tore into the first burger. Peter snacked on his food silently while Bucky ate, only looking up at the man occasionally.

“So, why this alley kid?” Bucky asked after a few minutes and Peter turned to look up at him.

“Dunno. Something about it called to me I guess,” Peter said and Bucky raised an eyebrow at him. “I can’t describe it. Maybe you just need a friend.”

“I’m dangerous kid. You shouldn’t be around me,” Bucky said but Peter just shook his head. “Seriously, thanks for the food but you shouldn’t come back.”

“So do you normally sleep down here?” Peter asked, ignoring Bucky’s comment. “Do you need anything?”

“Seriously?” Bucky murmured under his breath. “What is it with scrawny kids and alleys?”

Peter supressed a giggle at that and Bucky looked up at him with appraising eyes. Peter kept his gaze open and Bucky just rolled his eyes after a minute. The two finished their meal in silence before Peter got to his feet.

“I can come back tomorrow if you like?” Peter said and Bucky stared up at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’ll bring some more food and a blanket.”

“I can’t stop you kid. And something tells me if I tried to hide from you, you’d find a way to find me,” Bucky said with a smirk and Peter nodded. “You remind me of someone I knew once. At least, I’m pretty sure I knew them.”

“Well, I’ll be taking that as a compliment,” Peter said. He then stuck his hand out in the space between them. “I’m Peter, by the way.”

“James,” Bucky said after a moment’s hesitation. “You can call me James. And since I can’t get rid of you, I should be back here around 4 tomorrow afternoon.”

Peter said his goodbyes with a large grin on his face before heading back to the subway.

“Well done, Peter,” Soul said comfortingly. Peter jumped onto his train and sat back against one of the seats, his smile still firmly in place. When he next jumped off the train, he made his way to Cindy’s place. After greeting her parents, Peter made his way out to the back shed where the others were waiting.

“Uh Pete, we may have a problem,” Ned said as soon as Peter entered and Peter frowned. Ned called him over to the computer and Peter walked over hesitantly. “So, you know how we’ve been monitoring the Dark Web for any mentions of Spider-Man? Well, we got a mention on Peter Parker.”

“For those of us who aren’t tech and coding nerds?” MJ asked as Peter paled.

“It means someone is searching for Peter in the deepest reaches of the internet,” Abe interjected. “The Dark Web is where you search if you don’t want to be found. We can’t track IP addresses on the Dark Web. It’s generally used for shady dealings and whatnot.”

“And what do you mean by someone is mentioning Peter?” Betty asked and Ned pressed a few keys. A chatroom opened up and the others all gathered around the computer.

“Someone is asking for information on him,” Ned said, pointing to chat box. The username was ‘B_N_1991’ and they were asking for anyone who may have information on one Peter Parker.

“Why would someone be after me?” Peter asked and the others shrugged.

“Peter, it is Natasha Romanoff that is searching for information,” Mind said and Peter sighed.

“Never mind. I know who it is,” Peter replied and the others turned to him. “Mind just informed me that it’s Natasha.”

“Dude, the Black Widow is hunting you down via the Dark Web,” Ned said excitedly, his eyes wide. “This is awesome.”

“Not for Peter it isn’t,” MJ demanded and the other girls nodded. “It means his secret is under threat. It also puts him at a greater risk – if someone from HYDRA figures out who he is, we are all screwed.”

“Didn’t think of that,” Ned said and Peter frowned. “Dude, what are you going to do?”

“I have no idea,” Peter said. “Honestly, I can’t think about that right now. Just, monitor it for now. Besides, I met someone important today.”

As Peter sat down to tell his friends about his first meeting with Sergeant Barnes, he couldn’t ignore the niggling feeling in the back of his mind that his world was about to come crashing down on him. And he wasn’t sure he was ready for that yet.

Chapter Text

“Why do you live on the streets James?” Peter asked one day while he and Bucky sat and ate. He had been visiting Bucky in the alley for two weeks now and had only told the Cluster and Aunt May about it.

“Nowhere else to go,” Bucky replied simply with a shrug. “I’ve got no money so I can’t find a place to stay. And there are people worse off than me that need the shelters. So, the streets it is.”

“Well, Aunt May wanted me to tell you that you can always come to our apartment if you need a roof over your head,” Peter said as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Bucky. “That’s our address. Our couch pulls out into a bed so there’ll be somewhere for you to sleep if you need it.”

“Thanks kid,” Bucky replied, slightly misty eyed. Peter chose to ignore the emotion behind the older man’s eyes and handed him another sandwich. He had introduced Bucky to Delmar’s and the man was instantly in love with the food. His phone went off in his pocket and Peter pulled it out, surprised to see a message from Tony.

Hey Pete.

Ask your Aunt May if you can stay here after lab time tomorrow – the twins are home and would like to spend time with you.

-TS

“Problems?” Bucky asked and Peter shook his head.

“Nah. My friends have come back to New York after a few weeks away and they are inviting me to stay over tomorrow night,” Peter replied. He slipped the phone back into his pocket and turned back to Bucky. “Other than me, do you have any friends? Surely there is someone out there missing you.”

“There was someone once but it’s not safe,” Bucky said softly after a few minutes of silence. “I’m not safe. Hell, I shouldn’t even be spending time with you kid but you have this thing about you. You remind me of a bug, like a leech or something that burrows under your skin.”

“I should probably be offended by that comparison but I’m going to take it as a compliment,” Peter replied with a smirk and Bucky just shook his head. “So, this friend, why wouldn’t he be safe around you? Surely that’s his decision to make.”

“Well, from what I remember, this friend makes bad choices when left to his own devices,” Bucky replied and Peter couldn’t help but let out a bark of laughter. “Seriously kid, I’m not the best person to be around.”

“You’re right,” Peter said but before Bucky could comment, Peter ploughed on. “MJ is up there. As is Aunt May. Also, the Dalai Lama probably. I mean, I’ve never met him but he seems like the best person to be around.”

Bucky rolled his eyes fondly at the kid and smirked. The two sat in companionable silence before Peter’s phone vibrated against his thigh.

“I gotta head. Aunt May is expecting me,” Peter said before climbing to his feet and dusting off his pants. Peter pointed to the pocket Bucky had slipped the paper with his address in and continued. “Remember what I said. Our couch is pretty comfortable if you need a place to stay.”

“Thanks Leech,” Bucky said and Peter just rolled his eyes before walking out of the alley. He turned back once he reached the mouth of the alley and waved happily to Bucky before walking down the street. “Think he’ll take me up on it?”

“I think Sergeant Barnes will do just that Peter,” Mind said comfortingly in his head. Peter nodded and made his way down into the subway. Peter had just sat down on the platform to wait for his train when his Spidey-Sense tingled. Surreptitiously, Peter turned his head to try and determine where it was coming from.

The train arrived and Peter still hadn’t identified the source so he jumped onto the train, watching the others who boarded at the same time. Trusting his gut, Peter waited until the doors of the train were just starting to close before he jumped back onto the platform.

On the train, Natasha Romanoff swore under her breath in Russian. Somehow, Parker found out she was following him. How she didn’t know and that pissed her off even more.

Peter left the subway and darted down an alley. He quickly donned his suit and climbed the wall of the building, waving at a few kids in the apartments as he went by.

“Afternoon Spidey,” Betty’s voice rung in his ear and Peter smiled. Soon the voices of his team echoed around him and Peter allowed contentment to wash over him.

Of course, that was when things went downhill. Peter was mid swing when something hit him and pain shot through his body. Peter could hear the Cluster calling out to him but he had no way of responding. Fighting through the pain, he looked down and noticed what appeared to be some form of modified taser bolt jutting out of his side. Peter landed with a loud crash on a rooftop and rolled into an air conditioning vent.

“SPIDEY, RESPOND!” MJ’s voice echoed down the line as Peter pulled the taser bolt from his side with a yell.

“Merlin,” Peter tried to speak but the sound of people scaling the building stopped him. “Why do people keep shooting me out of the air?”

Before Ned could respond, Peter found himself staring at 7 men in black. The red symbol on their chests identified them as HYDRA and Peter let out a low grown.

“Contact the Avengers,” Peter hissed down his comms before struggling to his feet.

“Where is the file?” the head goon demanded as he approached the teen. Peter started scanning for an exit but they had him surrounded. “Give us the file and no-one has to get hurt.”

“I call bullshit,” Peter snarked back, indicating to his side which was bleeding heavily. A quick feel indicated that there were barbs still lodged in his body from the taser and whenever he tried to heal, the barbs would reopen the wound.

“That was just to get your attention,” Goon #2 said with a smirk.

“Enough,” Head Goon barked before turning his gaze back to Peter. “Where is the file? We know you took it. Hand it over.”

“What file dude?” Peter asked, playing dumb and trying to stall. He could hear Ned in his ear telling him that MJ was contacting the Avengers but he didn’t know how long he’d have to wait.

“We know you took it. Our operatives saw it,” Goon #3 said.

“This can go one of two ways,” Head Goon said and Peter frowned. “The easy way is you give us the file and we all go our separate ways. The hard way involves blood, suffering, and pain. Be smart and give us the Parker files.”

“How about neither?” Peter said deciding he needed to take a chance. He shot a web over his shoulder, aiming for the man standing behind him. Peter gripped he web and used the HYDRA agent as a projectile to try and take out as many of the other agents as he could. The agents not taken out by their comrade began firing their weapons at Peter and he could hear the Cluster in his ear but Peter tuned them out.

“It’s not nice to keep picking on the Spiderling,” a metallic voice sounded before the whine of repulsors filled the air. Peter watched as Iron Man landed in front of him, gauntlets raised and aimed at the regrouping HYDRA agents.

“He has something we want,” Head Goon hissed. “If he handed it over, we’d leave him be.”

“Not your usual M.O,” Natasha said as she appeared behind the group, Sam and Steve at her side.

“Yeah bud, I wasn’t born yesterday,” Peter snarked and he could practically hear the Clusters’ collective eye roll.

The HYDRA agents took in the gathered heroes and the Head Goon sneered at Peter. The man pulled something from his pocket at the rooftop was soon covered in smoke. When it had cleared, the Avengers and Peter were the only ones remaining on the roof.

“Spider-Man, you ok?” Sam asked as Peter leant against the air conditioning vent, breathing heavily.

“Yeah. They shot me while I was swinging, think I got the wind knocked out of me,” Peter explained as Natasha approached him. she rested a hand over the wound on his side and Peter let out a hiss.

“Feels like there is something still in there,” Natasha commented and Peter hissed once more. “We should probably get you back to the Tower. Helen could fix this pretty quick.”

“Oh, I don’t want to inconvenience her,” Peter replied and Tony retracted the faceplate of his suit with a scoff.

“Spiderling, you’re bleeding all over that suit of yours,” Tony commented and Peter looked down. “Your suit has been designed well but I could do it better. And I already have. Just say the word and its yours.”

“I like my suit. Stitch, Merlin, and I designed it and incorporated all the tech,” Peter said proudly. “So, thanks, but I’ll be ok.”

“DUDE! You’re turning down Stark Tech for something we knocked up in Doc’s shed. Tell Doctor Cho to check you for concussion,” Abe’s voice echoed through the comms and Natasha and Steve both let out a snort of laughter as they heard what was said.

“I’ve never been turned down before,” Tony replied with a frown. Sam snorted and Tony shot him a glare. “I don’t like it. You’ll come around.”

“Come on Spidey. The walking Tin Can will give you a lift back to the tower,” Nat said with a smirk. Tony protested at the nickname before lowering his faceplate and indicating to his back.

“Given what we’ve seen, I assume you can hang on,” Tony commented and Peter nodded. Natasha helped him hobble towards his mentor and Peter quickly attached himself to the back of the suit. “You sure you’re on? You don’t weigh a thing. Or am I just getting stronger?”

“Spiders don’t have bones but because I do, I have lesser bone density,” Peter replied and he smirked under his mask as Tony let out a confused sound.

“I have so many more questions,” Tony said.

“Tony – Tower first, questions later,” Steve ordered and the billionaire groaned and presumably rolled his eyes.

“Fine. Hold tight Spiderling,” Tony said and Peter had barely a moment to make sure he was secure before Tony shot up into the air. In his past life, he and Tony had flown around New York together a few times but this was a whole new experience.

When they arrived at the Tower, Helen and the twins were waiting for them, along with Helen’s medical team. Tony landed next to the stretcher and Peter attempted to climb down from his mentor’s back.

“Uh-uh Underoos. On the stretcher,” Tony said and Peter let out a groan. Wanda cast a look over him and Peter felt small under her intense scrutiny. “Spidey, either you do it willingly or Wanda will make you. Pick the easiest option.”

Peter looked over at the young woman he considered a sister and frowned. For some reason, his Spidey-Sense was tingling like mad and he could feel his tattoo pulsing. Something was wrong with this scene. Deciding not to push the matter, Peter reluctantly climbed onto the bed.

“Here we are again, Spider-Man,” Cho said with an almost fond smile on her face. Peter shrugged painfully and rested his head back as Helen began speaking in Korean to her team. Wanda, Pietro and Tony trailed behind the stretcher as they headed to the Med Bay and they only stopped when Cho blocked them from entering after the stretcher. “Once I’m done, you can come in. Until then, you wait out here.”

Once safely behind closed doors, Peter allowed a pained groan to emerge from his mouth. Helen looked at him in concern and approached the stretcher.

“I assume we are still doing this with the mask on,” Helen said with a smirk and Peter nodded. Peter removed the top half of his suit with a hiss of pain and Helen let out a soft noise. The wound on Peter’s side was still oozing blood slowly and every time he moved, Peter could feel the barb inside cutting into the muscle. “Well looks like we’ve got something still stuck in there. I assume with your metabolism, I won’t be able to knock you out to remove it. I can try some of the super strength local anaesthetic but we don’t know how it’s going to work with you.”

“That’s ok Doc. I’ve had worse pain,” Peter replied before laying back down. Helen tutted disapprovingly and got to work drawing up a syringe of the anaesthetic. The teenager winced as the needle entered just by the wound and waited for the pain to recede.

It did, minimally, and Peter gave the doctor the nod to go ahead. He still felt slight pain as she cut into him and removed the barb but it was easily ignorable. The pain grew as his body metabolised the anaesthetic and by the time Helen was stitching his side with dissolving stitches, Peter was gritting his teeth and gripping the bars of the stretcher so firmly he was denting them.

“Well, that answers that question. If you’re going to be a constant guest of my medical bay, we are going to need stronger pain medication for you,” Helen said and Peter let out a breath as she finished with the stitches. Helen placed a thick gauze pad over the wound and helped the teenager to sit up. “Finish getting dressed. No doubt Stark and the others are going to be banging down my door soon.”

“Spidey, how are you feeling?” Cindy’s voice came through his coms and Peter smiled. His team had remained practically silent since he had latched onto Tony but he knew they were monitoring him.

“I’m good Doc. Bit sore but I’ll heal,” Peter replied softly, smoothing his suit gently down his side.

“Spidey, they were after the file,” MJ commented, her voice subdued. “That means not only have we got the Black Widow on our tails, but we also have HYDRA.”

“We’ll just have to be more careful then,” Peter replied. “Merlin, let’s try and increase encryption on our servers and on the hard drives.”

Before Peter could say anything else, the door to the ward opened and instead of Tony and the other Avengers walking in, Wanda and Pietro entered the room. Peter felt himself perk up at the sight of his pseudo siblings but for some reason, his Spidey Sense began to tingle.

“Hello,” was all Peter got out before Pietro was in front of him and Wanda’s magic was holding his hands in place by his side. “What the hell?”

“Why don’t you tell us how you really came to us in Sokovia Spider-Man,” Wanda hissed, her eyes turning red as Pietro speedily ripped off Peter’s mask. “Or should we call you Peter, frate mai mic (little brother)?”

Chapter Text

“Whoa there,” Peter said, watching as Pietro held his mask aloft. With his senses, he could hear his team calling out to him but there was nothing he could do. Even with his powers, Wanda could keep him pinned as long as she wanted.

“Are you a HYDRA spy?” Pietro hissed while Wanda focused on keeping Peter immobilised. “Were you sent to gain our trust then use it against us? Were you sent to harm the Avengers?”

“If you’d let me answer, you would find out,” Peter snarked unintentionally and winced as Wanda’s eyes blazed.

“Tell us, or I’ll take the information I want,” Wanda said firmly. Peter could feel Mind pressing forth and without warning, he lost control of his body.

“Do not threaten our host, child,” Mind’s voice emerged from Peter’s mouth and it was enough of a shock for Wanda and Pietro to both step back. Peter felt like an observer in his own body as Mind interacted with the twins. “You will take no information from him that he doesn’t give up willingly. You will treat him with respect – he saved your lives.”

“Who are you?” Pietro demanded, fear making his voice tremor slightly.

“I am the one responsible for your powers,” Mind’s voice sounded extremely weird coming from Peter’s own mouth. “I am the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. Peter is the host of myself and my siblings. We are part of him as he is part of us. You will not threaten him.”

“How is this possible?” Wanda asked. “How is any of this possible?”

Mind gave control back to Peter and the teenager sighed heavily. He knew FRIDAY was probably recording everything but there was nothing that could be done about that. Wanda released her powers and Peter pulled the top of his suit back on.

“Look, this is a massive discussion that we need to have,” Peter said, his tone resigned. “But we shouldn’t have it here. Obviously, the Avengers don’t know about any of this and I want to keep that a secret for as long as possible.”

“But you aren’t here to hurt us?” Wanda asked, her tone softening and Peter’s heart fell. Standing up, Peter grabbed the woman by the hand and squeezed it gently.

“You are my frate și soră mai mare (big brother and sister),” Peter replied and Wanda smiled hesitantly at him. “I could never hurt you.”

Pietro handed Peter back his mask and Peter slipped it on just as the Med Bay doors opened and the Avengers poured in.

“Nice to see you on your feet, Spider-Man,” Steve said and Peter nodded. Thankfully, his team had fallen silent so there was no chance of the Super Soldier overhearing them.

“Nice to be on them,” Peter replied. “Thanks for the save.”

“You really need to find better playmates,” Sam teased and Peter just rolled his eyes.

“I swear I don’t invite them to playdates,” Peter snarked back and the team laughed at him. “Who are they anyway? And what did I ever do to them?”

“Congratulations Spiderling, you’ve made the acquaintance of HYDRA and somehow you have made their radar,” Tony said and Peter just rolled his eyes.

“Well, I’m not a fan at all. 10/10 would not recommend,” Peter replied and the Avengers just rolled their eyes. “So, Dr Cho, am I good to go?”

“Yes,” Helen said and Peter nodded. “Be careful when you are swinging. And next time I see you we will try and work out something to help you with pain.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way Doc, but I’m really hoping there is no next time,” Peter said with a salute to the doctor. He shared a look with the twins before waving to the gathered Avengers and jumping out the window.

“Spidey, come back to the Web. Let’s lay low for the rest of the night,” MJ’s voice was slightly subdued and Peter nodded before making his way towards Queens. When he arrived at the Web, Sally and Cindy bundled him up into a tight hug while MJ handed him his clothes.

----

The next day, Peter sat anxiously at Delmar’s waiting for Wanda and Pietro to arrive. Peter had texted the twins when he’d returned to the Web the night before and asked them to meet him at the sandwich shop so he could explain things. He’d discussed it with the Stones and they’d agreed that it was sage for the twins to know.

“Hello Peter,” Pietro said and Peter shot up from his seat like he’d been electrocuted. The twins were standing above him, sheepish looks on their faces. Peter indicated to the seats at the table and the trio sat back down.

“I ordered you guys a sandwich each, I hope that’s ok,” Peter said just as Mr Delmar arrived with their food and drinks. He nodded at Peter before leaving the group alone. “So, I suppose you have questions.”

“Yes,” Wanda said with a nod. “But we just don’t know where to start. How did you come to us in Sokovia? What are the Infinity Stones? How did you become their host?”

“Let’s start with the Stones, that’s actually going to be the easiest part of this story,” Peter said, taking a bite of his sandwich. “Before the Big Bang, six singularities existed in the universe. When the Big Bang happened, the six singularities became tangible and formed the six Infinity Stones – Power, Space, Time, Mind, Soul, and Reality. They were scattered across the universe following the Big Bang.”

“And Mind, was it?” Pietro asked and Peter nodded. “Mind was the one who gave us our powers.”

“More like Mind was the Stone able to unlock that potential in you,” Peter translated. “She is sorry for what they did to you, by the way.”

“How did you come to us in Sokovia that first time? Was it the Stones?” Wanda asked and Peter nodded.

“Space and Power have taught be how to spatial jump. It means I can be in two places at once. My physical body remains where I am but my consciousness is transported to wherever I want to go. When I get there, an identical copy of my body is formed. That’s how I came to meet you in the HYDRA bunker,” Peter explained.

“And you? How are you their host?” Pietro’s voice dropped a few decibels but Peter still heard him clearly. Peter let out a sigh and stared down at his half-eaten sandwich.

“Why don’t we head back to my apartment. That way no one can overhear us,” Peter deflected and the twins nodded. They wrapped up their food and followed the younger teen down the street. Peter led them up to his and May’s apartment and opened the door for them. May was at work so there was no risk of her overhearing the story. As they got comfortable in the living room, Peter’s tattoo warmed comfortingly along his collarbone. “Now, I’m going to tell you what I told my friends. I need you to suspend your disbelief for a while. What I have to say sounds impossible, I get that. But it happened.”

And so, Peter talked. He told Pietro and Wanda about his life leading up to being turned into Spider-Man. He told them about his first lot of time with Tony and their adventures. When he got to telling them about the Snap, Peter hesitated. Wanda noticed and grabbed his hand, squeezing it encouragingly. Peter told them about the trip to Titan with Dr Strange and Tony, told them about the battle with Thanos then told them about the Snap itself.

“Oh, Peter,” Wanda said softly as Peter described the feeling of his body disintegrating. Pietro wrapped an arm around the younger teen and Wanda pressed a kiss to his temple.

“Then, when I woke up on Titan, Dr Strange said 5 years had passed and the battle was going on,” Peter concluded. “We arrived at the battlefield and once I got hold of Thanos’ gauntlet, the Stones spoke to me and told me what was going to happen. I didn’t even think, I just reacted. I put it on and snapped. Then I woke up in my 14-year-old body.”

“You’ve had a hard life, raza mea de soare (my sunshine),” Wanda said, running her nails across his scalp and Peter nodded. He had skimmed over some of the details, including Pietro’s death at the original Battle of Sokovia (they didn’t need to know about that – he was alive and well and would stay that way if Peter had any say in the matter). “But you are still so selfless. You give and give but ask for nothing in return.”

“I don’t know, I might ask for more head scratches,” Peter teased and Wanda just rolled her eyes fondly. “It sucked hiding it from you. But how did you know about me being Spider-Man?”

“Your mental energy,” Wanda replied and Pietro nodded. “Every person has a slightly different mental energy signature. When it’s people I know well, I can generally pick them out of a room without trouble. I noticed that you and Spider-Man had similar signatures so the next time we met, I tried to focus on it. After that, I could tell you were the same person.”

“Do any of the others know about you?” Pietro asked and Peter shook his head.

“I feel like Natasha might be on to me somehow but then again, she may think I’m a spy,” Peter said. “And that is a terrifying concept. The only people who know besides you guys are my team and my aunt, and she doesn’t know everything – just that I’m Spider-Man.”

The twins fell silent after that, both of them moving in slightly closer and hugging him tightly. Peter nuzzled in between them and smiled as Wanda resumed scratching his head. He grabbed the TV remote and switched on a movie for them to watch.

“We will never leave you, little one,” Pietro said softly into Peter’s temple. “You’re stuck with us now.”

Peter spent the rest of the afternoon wrapped around his siblings until the twins received a message that their driver had arrived to collect them. Peter walked them both down to the car and nuzzled Wanda’s shoulder as the girl wrapped him in a hug.

“We will see you at your internship tomorrow,” Pietro said as they climbed into the car. “We will join you for lunch. Actually, we’ll probably have to drag you and Tony out of the lab for lunch.”

“I would say we aren’t that bad but I’d be lying,” Peter said before closing the car door on th twins’ laughter. He walked back up to his apartment and had just enough time after shutting the door to drop to the floor as a knife sailed over his head and lodged in the doorframe.

Looking up sharply, Peter only managed to jump to his feet before he was pressed against the closed door, a knife against his throat. Natasha was all but snarling at him as she held him tightly, her knife cutting into his skin.

“Ms Romanoff,” Peter wheezed out and Natasha did snarl at that.

“Who. Are. You?” she hissed and Peter winced as he felt her blade part his skin. “Why are you here? Are you here to kill us?”

Peter took a breath and, using skills he had learnt in the past, broke free of her hold. He launched himself across the room and placed the couch and coffee table between them. Natasha looked stunned as she picked herself up off the floor and turned to face him. Feral resolve crossed her face and she glared at Peter.  

“I’m not your enemy,” Peter said before another blade came flying at him. This time, he caught the blade by the hilt and twirled it in the air. “So, if you could stop trying to kill me, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Are you HYDRA? Red Room? Who?” Natasha demanded, pulling another knife from her belt. Movement caught Peter’s eye before she could throw it and suddenly Natasha was crumbling to the ground. James was standing behind her, panting heavily and frowning down at the woman. Without a thought for his safety, Peter rushed to her side. She was simply unconscious and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thanks for the save,” Peter said, finally looking up at Bucky. His eyes widened as he took in the man’s condition. “Shit. James, sit down.”

Peter all but dragged James over to the couch and forced him down. The teen raced into the kitchen and grabbed one of the many first aid kits his aunt had started keeping around the apartment. Racing back to Bucky, Peter opened the kit and ripped James’ shirt form his body. His side was covered in blood from a wound there, no doubt caused by a knife of some sort.

“What happened?” Peter demanded as he began tending to the wound on the man’s side.

“Got stabbed,” Bucky answered shortly, breathing through clenched teeth as Peter cleaned the wound with an alcohol wipe. Peter knew the wound would heal quickly given the man’s healing ability but Bucky didn’t know that he knew so he had to manage the injury like he would on anyone else. “Couldn’t go to the hospital.”

“I’m glad you came here,” Peter replied, shooting a look over his shoulder to the still unconscious Natasha. “If for no other reason than saving me.”

“I know her,” Bucky whispered, looking at the woman as well. “From a long time ago.”

“Her name is Natasha, Natasha Romanoff. You probably know her as Black Widow; she’s one of the Avengers,” Peter commented but Bucky shook his head.

“Natalya,” Bucky whispered, ignoring Peter. He shook his head firmly and focused his eyes back on Peter. “Why was she here and why was she attacking you?”

Peter paused, torn between wanting to tell him the truth and wanting to keep him as far out of things as he could.

“I can see you trying to form a lie,” Bucky said as Peter took too long to answer. The teen finished cleaning and taping the stab wound and Bucky frowned down at it. “You’re far too good at that. Don’t suppose I could clean up somewhere?”

“Uh yeah. Bathroom is down the hall. I can probably find some clothes of my uncle’s that would fit you,” Peter replied absentmindedly. Bucky stood from the couch and once he had disappeared down the hall, Peter turned to Natasha. “Ok guys, what do we do?”

“Mind can wipe her memory of this and Space can return her to the Tower,” Soul instructed and Peter nodded. He felt his tattoo warm as a yellow light engulfed the woman, followed by a blue light. The blue light faded and Peter let out a breath as Natasha disappeared from his apartment. “Mind has removed her memories of today’s events and replaced them. Natasha will still be suspicious of you, there is nothing we can do about that without it looking too suspicious. However, as far as she’s aware today was spent trailing you but finding nothing.”

“Well, this is fun,” Peter commented as he stared at the space the woman had been. The knives she had thrown were on the floor and Peter moved around the apartment picking them up and placing them on the table. Remembering his promise to find clothes for Bucky, Peter walked down to his aunt’s bedroom and removed the box with Ben’s things in it from the top of her wardrobe. He grabbed out a pair of sweats and a shirt that would fit the man before leaving them outside the bathroom door with a towel. Returning to the living room, Peter dropped onto the couch with a heavy sigh. He closed his eyes and rested his head back on the couch. “Shit. I’m tired.”

“Peter, you need to rest,” Mind said gently. “You’ve had a taxing few days and your body is still healing.”

“But there’s so many people relying on me,” Peter replied and he felt his tattoo warm comfortingly. “And I’m still trying to work out what the hell my dad was doing. Was my mom involved too?”

“You know kid, I’d be more concerned about you talking to yourself if I didn’t think you had bigger things to explain,” Bucky’s voice from behind him jolted Peter back into awareness. Turning sharply, Peter gasped as Bucky held the Spider-Suit in the air. The man was staring at him with a look filed with suspicion and challenge.

“So, about that,” Peter trailed off and Bucky raised an eyebrow at him, nodding sarcastically (was that even possible - if so, Bucky had managed it) for him to continue. “Shit.”