Chapter Text
“The truth is…” Peter takes a shaky deep breath; the fabric sticks to his body with sweat. His hands are shaking, his pulse elevates. “I am Spider-man”. The words feel weird against his tung as he speaks to them. He’s imagined this moment since he was a young kid, watching Tony Stark makes his big reveal on TV, with Ben. Since then, things have changed a lot, but what never changed was the never-ending dreaming, of staring into the camera and saying those words. Words that would forever change his life. He’d just never imagined saying them so soon.
That was great, Peter! D.A.I.S.Y’s newest voice update leaves her voice echoing through the limo. On of Matt Murdock’s drivers sits in the front seat, looking back in the mirror. Though, I thought maybe you’d do something more Original?
Peter lets a weak chuckle fall over his lips before he sighs with a weak shake of his head. He pulls his hair back, running his fingers through the overgrowing curls, watching it in the mirror place in the back of the limo’s one seat. It’s gotten so long, that it hangs down his face. Covering up his eyes. He desperately needs to get it cut. “You’re right Daisy, any ideas?”.
The AI hm through the speakers, before an answer appears. I would say though like; I’ve dreamt of this moment all my life, and now it’s here. I am, Spider-man.
“I think I’ll make the choice when I’m there. Get a feeling for the crowd, you know” Peter says, as he pulls out his phone. There are long messages of encouragement written across the phone screen, in text apps, and messenger. One from May about how proud Ben would be, and one from Natasha reminding him, that he has shield in his back if he needs any help.
There’s a few shorter once from Avengers and vigilantes, that’s been given his number over the last days, since he decided to go through with revealing his identity. Daredevil, of course, but also Deadpool aka Wade Wilson. There’s a short message from Captain Rogers, a few emotes from Thor, and a good luck wish from T’challa who’s revealed his own identity just after the civil war. It feels like it’s been years since he was the kid, in his apartment sitting on the bed next to Natasha, but it’s only been a few months. Who would have thought the world could change so much, in such a short time.
Lastly there’s a message from Sam and Bucky. Contact with them has been spars since Berlin, but Peter lets a smile cross his lips. He’s got a whole world of Superheroes backing him. A whole family, of people running around spandex suits. And soon, he’s going to MIT. He’s got a whole life planned out, ready for him, waiting for him. After this… because this is the end of a chapter.
Peter, I’d recommend you putting on your mask now. The limo will reach the crowd in about 30 seconds. D.A.I.S.Y informs him with her soft, robotic voice.
Peter lets his fingers grasp around the Spider-man mask. It feels almost strange pulling it down, over his head. Maybe it’s knowing that soon the mask won’t hide anything. Maybe it’s him growing and changing.
There’s a part of Peter that’s ready to put Spider-man on a shelf. Maybe to take a break, before coming back, stronger, and better than before. Maybe for good, never returning to the world of being a hero. He’d done much good, and he wanted to keep that going for as long as he could, but there was a deep and desperate part of him that was ready to stop. He knew that a lot of people had been put in danger, because of his secret. Even more people would soon, when the words had left his mouth, and he’d enter a world of being a public superhero.
As the mask slides over his head, the newly installed HUD activate. Blue light blinds his eyes, as a virtual layer is placed over his reality. Information about the limo, as well as blueprint, is downloaded and place over his view. The text messages from his phone have a neat spot, underneath vitals, and suit power. Videos and pictures of the court, both inside and outside shows up too. Subtitles run along the bottom, and if he looks at it long enough, the crisp sound of the speaker fills his ears.
With the HUD activated, the lenses add their darked filter over his eyes, and the car windows follow trop, darkening the world around him greatly. But also prevent outsider from looking in through the tinted glass paints.
The limo makes its last turn, and shows up on one of the video feeds, Peter can hear the crowd screaming. Small flashes of lights pass through the darkness. Paparazzi’s desperate for a picture they can use for their articles, that will pride the internet number-one-search for weeks.
They slow down greatly, as they roll the last few hundred meter up to the pristine, white building. He’s only ever seen this place on TV, the few times Stark had been in to testify, the first time during the Stark expo of 2010. Back then the world had only just heard about Iron man, and his place in the world, as a hero, had yet to be created. Of course, that changed only weeks later when Aliens decided, that New York was a great place for a picnic.
The limo comes to a stop. D.A.I.S.Y changes from the car to the suit, and Murdock’s drivers gets out first. “Stay here, I’ll open your door, and keep crazy people away the best I can”.
“I’m a superhero” Peter reminds kindly, wondering how Murdock’s driver could ever believe he’d need protection. Matt Murdock, as Peter had found out, was blind. Not just blind, he was a blind Lawyer. “I can protect myself”.
The man gives a stern look to Peter and unbuckles, getting out of the car. “Sure. But even Tony Stark allows his bodyguard to protect him for stuff like this. Sit back, kid, relax”.
Peter can see the blue outline of the man, as he makes it around the car. The door beside him opens, the crowds scream is elevated to a new level. Peter has to stop himself, from slamming the door back shut, and regret this. The sound overwhelms him.
He’s done enough things with decathlons that he knows, people are loud. But where schools might have a hundred cheering parents, Spider-man as a million cheering fans. “Daisy, activated noise cancelation” Peter whispers, and waits for the program to set in. Only people who’s been directly added to the program, can talk to him. That includes the driver that holds out a patient hand for Peter, but also a large number of different superheroes that lives in New York.
Jessica Jones, Johnny Storm, Iron first, and Power man.
“Matt get’s overwhelmed by the sounds too, sometimes. Because he’s blind, he’d developed enhanced hearing. It can be a bitch in the ass, that’s why he has me” Foggy Nelson says slowly. His name hovers over him in the virtual layer, and Peter slides out the door.
Fans are screaming his name, waving large posters and signs with the Spider-man logo on. Though a few cheers for Iron man instead, hoping for a win to him, instead of their friendly neighborhood Spider-man.
Out of the car, feet against the red carpet, Foggy gives a nod in goodbye before he takes the car and leaves. Peter’s safety guard for the day places a hand against his shoulder and smiles, as they together make it inside the court building. Bucky’s metal arm is cold against his touch, but not as cold as it had been when Peter fought him in Berlin. One of the many Wakanda upgrades Peter hadn’t heard about yet.
And the make matter even better, when Peter looks in the once empty, cold, hard, eyes, he now sees an intense softness. There’s a protectiveness over the ex-assassin. “Thank for you for this Bucky” Peter says, with a smile on his lips. Though he doubts it can be seen through the mask.
“You did the same for me” Bucky replies with a half shrug. They make it up the steps, and in through the front entrance with quick steps. Bucky, despite no longer being on the run, can’t go into the actual court. He’s connection to Steve Roger, Stark’s fiancé and soon to be husband, means he’s too connected to the case. Even if he’s still Peter’s friend. But Sam is waiting as the door, ready to take over Bucky’s roll.
Camera’s a pointed at Peter from one from one of the hallways. The pictures show up with a slight delay on the HUD, were text starts forming. “And it appears, Spider-man has finally made his entrance into this, intense case. To any new viewers, here’s what’s happening. Almost six weeks ago, a ferry as split in half in the water nears Queens, in New York City. The incident happened during a shield certified operation, and almost cost the life of the young Hevan Miller. But what was a great tragedy, might have been preventable, if not Tony Stark had broken the rules of the accords and acted without proper permission.
We’ve over the last few weeks follows the case closely, but without Spider-man testimony, it’s been looking bad for the case. But now, our all’s beloved hero, and savior of Hevan who testified earlier this month, has finally decided to join the case”.
Peter lets small waves slide to the camera, as he awkwardly turns to Sam that places himself between Peter and the cameras. “You’ve got this”. Peter gives a shaky nod.
The door into the court is opens, Spider-man is called in. Peter walks up through the middle, slowly. The room is filled with law enforcement, and shield agents, but also a handful of the higher end superhero fans had somehow gotten a spot on the benches. Wearing Spider-man hoodies, and cosplay web shooters, making the typical web shooter hand as Peter walks by.
As the last witness, he’s asks to take the witness stand right away. From here, his view on the court is great. Stark is of course in the front, a police officer on one side, and his Lawyer on the other. Peter’s own lawyer, Matt Murdock sits at a table to the side. He’s here should his age, or name prove to become an issue during the court case.
The judge stands. “Before we get started, Mr. Spider-man-“.
“Just call me Spidey, please” Peter says, in a shy voice. Mr. seems so odd, and Spider-man is long.
The judge gives a small nod, “Spidey, do you swear that the evidence you’ll present today is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing by the truth?”. Those words echoes, in the back of his head he remember the picture of Hevan. She’d looked so scared that day, as she explained each detail. She’s looked so powerful, at the same time.
Peter doesn’t feel powerful, yet he takes a deep breath, before he nods. “I swear, that I’ll tell you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing, but the truth” he confirms. Every word come out steady, the way he’s practiced so many times before, over the last two weeks. Between sleepless nights, and hours in front of Skye’s room with flowers and chocolate, that helped nothing to fix the newly created gab between them. A goodbye he’s yet to say lingers in his mind, but now he has to be focus.
“Spider-man, could you please tell us, what you were doing on the ferry at the day of the incident?” the judge asks, as he sits down. The pen in his hand taps lightly against the wooden stand.
Peter gives a shaky nod. Now or never. “I’d been pulled out of my schedule, since Shield who I’ve been working closely with since I signed the accords, had found new information on a case we were working on. There was supposed to be sold illegal weapons, made with alien technology from the invasion in 2012. Me and the shield agents at the scene, were supposed to contain the weapons, and if possible, stop the source”.
The judge pen moves quickly over the paper in front of them, each letter is written on neat little rows. They’re perfect, despite the speed they’re written with. Better than any notes Peter could ever possibly take in class at the speed.
He makes sign for a picture to be pulled up at the screen, showing the only surviving piece, of the weapon that had exploded. “Can you confirm that this was indeed one of the weapons from the scene?”. Peter gives a nod. “And can you confirm this was the weapon that caused the ferry to be torn in half, during the incident”. Peter nods again, shakily. He knows Stark has thrown a lot of blame his way, the questions don’t surprise him. “Could you explain what happened?”.
“We failed to contain the weapon, as an unknown enemy, the vulture showed up at the scene” Peter says slowly, as the picture fads to one of Adrian Toombs, in an orange prison suit. “During the attack, the weapon overloaded. In an attempt to contain the blast, I made a cocoon of web around it. It didn’t work”.
The judge gives a nod, as he places a dot the end of the sentence. “Is it correctly understood that you then webbed the two pieces of ferry back together?”.
“That is correct” Peter nods. His muscles still feel sore thinking about what happened that day. Pictures flashes in his head, of the 101% successful mark, the falling girl, the fear, the panic. “My webbing is made as a long-chain polymer knits, similar to nylon. That forms tough, yet flexible fibers, that is great for situation like the one of the ferry”.
“And yet” the judge says slowly, meeting Peter’s eyes, “It couldn’t hold it together?”.
“The webbing is made to dissolve safely, whin an hour or two. As well, as made from non-toxic materials making it safe for human skin” Peter explains as professionally as he can, pictures of his webbing, fades over the screen, showing off it’s strength and creation prosses. “This means, that it isn’t as strong as it could be, and does have weaknesses, to protect humans and the planet. One of those weakness cause my webbing to break up it’s polymer chains, due to the large amount of vibration, the Iron man suit, and repulses created”.
“And you made Mr. Stark aware of the situation?”.
Peter nods. He knows this is only confirming what’s already been proven before, when recordings from suit lady had been shown. “Protest”, a loud, hard voice cuts through the room. Stark lawyer gets to his feet, hands solidly place in the table, “Spider-man has enhanced senses. There is no way Mr. Stark, would have been able to hear anything over the noise of the ferry”.
“Is this true, Spider-man?” the judge looks at him, a raises eyebrow almost flying up into the air.
Peter can still hear the sound of the ocean threatening to swallow him up from below. The sound of the suit, as it had neared. It had been loud, to him as well. It had taken a toll on his enhanced senses, that had taken days to recover fully from. Though, Skye’s being there had been comforting.
He takes a deep breath, before he lots out a small yes come out of his mouth. “It was loud. But he wouldn’t have to hear it from me, the AI in the suit was directly created by Mr. Stark, and was connected to his own personal AI, that would have notified him of the situation”.
“With that I think it’s clear to all, that Mr. Stark is not without fault in the incident” the judge says, placing a soft smile on his lips as he pads Peter’s shoulder. “Though, we’re not quite done”.
Here it comes. The moment Peter has been waiting on.
The ferry incident was only one, of the cases between Spider-man and Iron man. There had only been a few people, believe Peter to be the sinner in the ferry incident, while another case presented a much bigger issue for Peter.
After the ferry incident, Peter had taken down the vulture. It hadn’t been a shield case, meaning Peter too, had broken the accords, he’d signed. Broken the very same rule, that Mr. Stark had broken earlier that week. And as if breaking the law once, wasn’t enough. Peter had caused a lot of damage to public ground, as well as to privet inventory, during the plane crash.
Damage, that Mr. Stark claim, was an attack Peter had made on him because he feared there wouldn’t be a fair trail to punish Mr. Stark. That claim, had seemed farfetched at first, but with Peter disappearing shortly after, Stark had been able to tell his own story.
Of course, Peter had been with Skye. But most of the world didn’t know about that, even if Shield had reported whole the inhuman case in, as soon as they possibly could. So that it couldn’t be used against Peter later, if Stark somehow caught wind of that situation as well.
“Spider-man, it’s been brought to our attention that you, days after the ferry incident brought down a Stark industry plane. The hasn’t been registered as a official shield mission, nor has there been any official statements made about it, outside of the court room. Would you care to explain, what you were doing that night?”.
He's thought about this a lot. He knows that he can’t possibly hide what happened that night. Homecoming was a disaster, but it was also something he needed to do. Prove to himself, and rest of the world, that Spider-man still had it. That Spider-man could still be a hero, even if it was hard for him to see for a while. The truth it is, then. “I brought down a Stark industry plane. I went against the accords, to take down someone I believed to be a criminal. I was right. The vulture was taken into custody later that night, and dangerous technology, was secured”.
“And you did that, fully aware that it went against the accords?” The judge looks to Peter. He gives a stiff nod, the judge sighs. He knows that’s not the words the judge had wanted, he knows a lot of people would questions that confession. “And you, can’t in any way, so how dangerous that was?”.
The questions hit Peter square in the chest. Can’t he see he messed up? Can’t he see that a lot of people could have been hurt, if not worse? Can’t he see that he didn’t do the right thing?
Maybe he can. If the plane had crashed anywhere else, millions would have been killed. If Peter hadn’t done anything, millions would have been killed, with the stolen technology. If Peter hadn’t been there, whoever had, might have killed Liz’s father. Left him to burn in the flame, like a piece of trash. Maybe then, Peter wouldn’t be sitting here.
“I know I messed up” Peter says slowly, “I know I did. But… but when I…” Peter shakes his head. He could tell them about Ben, or about Skye, or about what Tony Stark said on that rooftop. “When I was first asked to sign that accords, Natasha Romanoff turned up in my home. Her, and the remaining Avengers needed help, needed someone who was willing to talk first, shot late. Apparently, I was that person. I didn’t know what that meant when she said that I’m still not sure I do, but James Barns got a second chance. The night the plane crashed, I gave a father, a second chance too. A chance, no other Avenger would have given him. Doesn’t that count for something?”.
A low chatter fills the court room. The judge looks down into his papers, checking up on the info Peter has just given him. Another person looks over his shoulders. There are whispers, so low that even Peter’s enhanced hearing can’t catch it. Then a nod.
The judge hesitates to speak his mind, maybe he’s looking for the right words. Maybe, he’s angry, or sad, or something. Maybe he needs to fight, to keep his voice steady. “The fact that Adrian Toombs is a father, hasn’t been made public information until now. Could you explain, how you came across this information?”.
Peter nods. It’s not a mistake that he brings the information up, he’s thought about how he’d get to this point, for a while. Getting the free word. He stands, nods towards the open spot in front of the desk, where Stark is sitting. “May I?”.
The judge gives a puzzled nod, and Peter makes it onto the floor. Someone once told him, you seem more confident when you stand, so he follows that tip. Let’s himself shine through the mask, as he makes it to the spot.
The cameras focus their undivided attention to Peter.
“When I was fourteen, my uncle bleed out in my arms, and the last thing he told me was that ‘with great power, comes great reasonability’. If he knew then, was I could do, I don’t know. But I promised myself, I’d live after those words. And so, I became Spider-man. That’s only three years ago”. There’s a loud gasp, followed by silence as those words sink in. As people realize, Peter isn’t just young, he’d only 17. A minor, fighting crime, in a costume. “Trust me, I’ve question if that was the right thing to do, more times than I can count. But that’s not important. What is important, is the fact I left my homecoming date to take down one of my classmates, father. A person that I trusted to drive my team to the homecoming, just hours earlier. And I did that knowing… a lot of people could get hurt. But if I didn’t, I knew a lot of people would get hurt”.
Peter shakes his head, lets his shoulders slump. His hands are shaky, and sweaty, as they slowly move towards the mask. “Don’t let my age fool you, I’m possibly more responsible than any other hero out there. Because I’m willing, and able to see things, from more than one point of view. Because I’m willing to listen, and save the people, who might not deserve a second chance”.
The camera’s zoom in further, Peter can see it in the display. His thumb slides under the edge of the mask, on each side. Let’s the fabric separate from his skin before he slowly pulls it over his head. The virtual layer fades and leaves the world naked.
“I once dreamt about standing here, saying ‘the truth is, I am Spider-man’. Because once, Spider-man was all I was. I thought, that was all I was supposed to be” Peter lets a soft smile fall onto his lips. “But the reality is, Spider-man wouldn’t be any better than the criminals I fight, if not for who I am underneath the suit… a kid who created web fluid, and an AI, in my chemistry lab”.
He looks up, his eyes catching the camera that’s nearest. “The truth is, my name is Peter Parker. And I make mistakes. I mess up. And I learn from it. If you take anything with you today, let that be it, remember that even heroes can mess up. That’s what the accords were created, that’s why I signed them. Because when I mess up, I want to be held accountable. Because if I aren’t… how am I any better than the billionaire superhero, that tried to reveal a minors identity on open camera?”.
***
Skye stands, leaning against the apartment door, when Peter and May return. Peter’s carrying a plastic bag from Mr. Delmar’s, holding a number 5, extra pickles, real flat, and May’s number seven with extra chicken and spicy sauce.
The special made wrist glows that Simmons and Peter has worked on for weeks, sits tightly around Skye’s wrist. Her hair has been cut shorter, hovering just above her shoulders. There’s something in her eyes, that’s so different from the Skye, Peter used to know. In some part it makes Peter happy to know that Skye has changed, and in some ways, it makes it heart break. They haven’t spoken since Peter turned his back on her, on the ship.
May nudges at him carefully, were he’s frozen in place. She guides the bag out of his hands, and nods toward the apartment door. “I’ll be right inside; I think you two needs to talk”.
She disappears through the apartment door, slowly. It clicks as it closes behind her. Skye’s eyes meet Peter’s. They’re darker than they used to be, the honey brown, growing to a deep chocolate. Highlights fill the roots of Skye’s hair, the neckless hangs around her neck.
“Hey…” she says, in a whisper, “Great speech you have, at the courthouse”.
“I hear shield whipped your fathers mind” Peter ignores Skye’s words, lets his eyes flicker to the wall behind her, “Doesn’t seem like a good idea”.
Skye shrugs halfheartedly, “He needed a second chance, shield could give him that”.
Peter shakes his head and moves past Skye. Paces back and forth in the hallway. His hands itch to fidget, with the edge of the hoodie sleeves. His mind is working at top speed. “Skye…” he says slowly, desperate to not lean into the old tone of love and care.
“It’s Daisy now” Skye corrects, cheeks blushing red.
“Daisy” Peter says slowly, letting the word form against his lips, “Like my AI, that’s fucking weird you know. My AI is named after my ex-girlfriend. Nop, you’re still Skye to me, no negotiations. Doesn’t matter anyways. Daisy… the point isn’t that your dad needed a second chance, that point is, that he hurt a lot of people. Whipping his mind won’t teach him anything, and it won’t give anyone justice. It’s wrong”.
Daisy-Skye gives a shaky nod, “I guess it’s that opinion that caused you to leave shield”.
“What caused me to leave shield, wasn’t one thing” Peter says sternly, it had been a combination of so many things. Skye, of course, had been a part of it. Her father, the inhumans, Lincoln… because anyone with eyes in their face could see how Skye and Lincoln was together. Flirty lovebirds. Spider-man had been a reason too. Ever since he’d joined shield, Spider-man hadn’t been what he was supposed to be, the cases were too big, too dangerous.
“So…” Skye-Daisy says slowly, Peter’s hand hovering on the doorknob, “You’re going back to working alone”.
Peter looks over his shoulder, takes a deep breath, and shakes his head. “I’m making a team” he says, “Team red. Daredevil, Deadpool, Falcon, Bucky” he goes over the members, “And I’ll be teaching the future of Spider-man. Some kid same Miles. Came to me after the court ended, showed me what he could do. Turns out, he’s luck on fieldtrips is a shitty as mine”.
“Peter- Pete, I know I screwed up. But… I, is there any chance we could-“.
“You didn’t screw up” Peter snaps, “You didn’t. But, Skye. Daisy. When we first meet, when we kissed, when I confessed that I love you... we were under a lot of pressure. There was fear, we were confused, we’re kids. You work for shield, I’m better on my own. We’re too different, to far apart. Plus… I know. I know about Lincoln”.
Skye takes a deep breath, nods.
Peter sinks to the floor inside of his apartment, takes a deep breath. Lets his fingers hover of the tattoos against his wrists. The Daisy’s decorating his skin. Skye’s steps leaves down the hallway.
The world have changed. The world is better for it.
When all this started, Peter was dumpster diving, and learning how to be a hero. Now he has a team of his own. A student of his own.
And maybe… that’s just in time. Because as the world trembles under his feet one last time, the infinity stones call out through the universe. Calls for protection.