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Peter

Peter Parker's first clue that something bad was going to happen was that the bus had been stopped for five minutes. His second clue was the police that drove by at full speed with their lights and sirens on. The next was hearing about the robbery of a biochemical weapon on one of the police radios with his enhanced hearing. His fourth clue was the hair on his arms standing straight up like it did whenever his "spidey senses"—as Peter affectionately called them—went off. His fifth was the gunshots echoing through the air and the people abandoning their cars around the bus and running in the opposite direction down the highway. His sixth and final clue was the gunmen who climbed onto the bus and pointed their weapons at Peter and his classmates.

Just once, he wanted a normal field trip. The last time their class took a field trip, a giant spinning donut appeared in the sky and Peter died in space. Thanos had been defeated and everyone who disappeared had returned—Peter himself was evidence of that fact—and Captain America and his friends were no longer fugitives, but this was New York. There was always crime. And this time it involved Peter's field trip.

A classmate at the back of the bus whispered, "Spider-Man will save us!"

Peter winced. Their Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was going to have a hard time saving them since he himself needed saving as Peter Parker.

There were five criminals in total. Two of them had stayed outside the bus, large guns nestled in their hands. One of them held a gleaming steel briefcase. Their attention was focused past the bus in the direction they had been driving. Peter couldn't tell exactly what they were gazing at, but he thought he saw a police blockade. He could have sworn he had seen a flash of metal near it too, like Tony Stark's Iron Man suit.

The other three gunmen stood at the front of the bus. One of them was pointing their gun at the bus driver, while the other two surveyed the bus, waving their guns around slowly. Their chaperone had already been knocked out cold by a swift punch to the face.

They were dressed in black, including the classic black ski mask with three holes cut into the fabric for their eyes and mouth. They were all about the same height, a little under six feet. They were breathing heavily and glared at everyone on the bus.

"Now, if no one tries to be a hero, then no one gets hurt," one of the men said. He strolled down the aisle of the bus, looking at the students.

As he walked closer, Peter was horrified to see that the guns they held were not normal guns. They glowed with alien technology, like the kind the Vulture and his people had used. Peter had faced them before, but he, Ned, and Mr. Stark remembered well how difficult it had been to take care of them, and how unpredictable they were.

For once, MJ's face across the aisle from Peter showed her true emotions. Normally she wore a mask of indifference, but there is nothing like the threat of being shot to change that. Her brown eyes were wide and she was pressed as close to the window as she could get, clutching her book to her chest. A few rows in front of Peter, Ned was very slowly turning to look at Peter. He mimed shooting a web out of his wrist, and Peter gave a small shake of his head. He couldn't reveal himself as Spider-Man to his entire class. Not only would it put his life in danger, but their lives and Aunt May's as well.

"For two of you, it is a very lucky day!" the gunman said, still walking up and down the aisle, gesturing with his gun and making students whimper as he did. "You get to meet the Avengers!"

Peter's heart raced faster. The Avengers were out there? So that was Mr. Stark outside! Good, they would be saved without Peter having to reveal himself. Wait, two of us get to meet the Avengers? Oh no.

Peter realized their plan a split second too late, and the gunman had already grabbed Flash by the collar of his shirt and was dragging him to the front of the bus. Flash was fighting back as hard as he could, but the man was much bigger than him. Some of their classmates screamed, but with a wave of a gun, they were silent. That, and the fact that Peter was now standing in the aisle.

"Wait! Take me instead. Let him go, I'll go with you," Peter found himself saying before he had even registered what he was doing.

Peter's classmates stared at him with wide eyes, and the gunmen looked at him suspiciously. Only Ned looked relieved since he knew Peter could handle himself.

"I thought we said no heroes," the man growled. Apparently, he was the only one who would talk, as none of the others had said anything yet.

Peter shook his head, raising his hands in surrender and taking a cautious step forward. "I promise I won't do anything. I won't fight back, I'll go with you willingly. Just let him go."

The right sleeve of Peter's jacket fell down a little, and the metal bracelet that housed his Iron Spider suit was visible. Ned was the only one who knew what it was.

The gunmen shared a look, and then Flash was released and pushed down the aisle. Peter grabbed his shoulders, steadying him. He looked him in the eyes and shook his head, trying to communicate with him silently. Flash seemed at a loss for words, and Peter couldn't blame him. He still wasn't sure why he was saving Flash. But like Peter told Mr. Stark—if you have the power to do something but you don't and someone gets hurt, then that's on you.

Peter slowly walked towards the front of the bus, and one of the criminals grabbed him roughly by the hood of his jacket when he reached them. Before he could protest, the first gunman stepped forward and grabbed his second hostage.

Ned.

More students screamed and Ned tried to scramble away, but the third gunman who had been watching the driver the whole time fired his gun at the ceiling and the bus fell quiet. There was now a gaping hole in the ceiling of the bus, the edges charred and smoking from the alien weaponry. Peter locked eyes with Ned, trying to tell him to stay calm and that he would be okay. Ned let out a tiny sigh of relief before carefully following Peter and two of the gunmen down the steps of the bus. The third brought up the rear, keeping a close eye on them.

The two criminals that had stayed outside powered up their guns as the other three along with Peter and Ned joined them.

"Finally, now let's get out of here. What's the plan?" the one with the briefcase said.

The gunman who had spoken on the bus answered. He seemed to be the man in charge. "We're not getting anywhere with the Avengers on our tail. We need to negotiate with them, let them know we've got two hostages that we won't hesitate to kill if they try to follow us. Then we'll take two cars, one hostage in each, and split up. Meet at the rendezvous point."

No one disagreed with him. "You three–" he pointed at the two who had stayed outside and the one who had held a gun to the driver–"stay behind us. We'll each take a hostage," he said, referring to himself and the fourth gunman. "Keep your gun to his head," he instructed him, pointing at Ned.

The man in charge wrapped his arm around Peter's chest, putting pressure on his throat. Peter grabbed the man's arm with both hands on reflex as the man rested the barrel of his gun against Peter's temple. His senses went into overdrive. The other man did the same to Ned, and even though Peter knew Ned trusted him, he looked terrified.

The sky above them was bright blue with not a cloud in sight. A slight breeze disturbed the otherwise calm air. Cars were deserted haphazardly around the bus, stopped diagonally across the lanes. There were no civilians left. They had all run away minutes before. Peter assumed it was because of the large armored truck that lay smoking on its side against the rail of the highway. Across the way, Peter saw that he was right and a police blockade had been set up, but instead of the New York police manning it, it was the Avengers instead.

Well, some of them. Iron Man was the only one completely suited up since he was never without his suit because of his nanotechnology. His face was uncovered though as he talked with Captain America on his left, who was holding his signature shield. He wasn't in his uniform but somehow was still dressed in red, white, and blue. To his left was the Winter Soldier, holding a wicked-looking gun that almost rivaled the alien tech and flexing his metal arm. With two pistols in his hands, Falcon readied himself next to Bucky.

On Mr. Stark's other side was his best friend and fellow Avenger, Colonel James Rhodes, aka War Machine, aka Iron Patriot. He didn't have his suit, but Peter had no doubt that he could still hold his own. Next to him was the deadly assassin duo Black Widow and Hawkeye, wielding fists and a bow and arrow, respectively.

Apparently, the Avengers had come prepared, but they hadn't had much time. Peter didn't even know how they had heard about the robbery, or why they were there. Small crime like this was usually Peter's job. Maybe the bio-weapon was very valuable. Or very dangerous.

The gunmen started walking forward, dragging Peter and Ned with them. The Avengers looked extra protective and angry when they realized two kids had been dragged into the mess. Mr. Stark did a double-take when he realized Peter was one of them. Peter looked at him, trying to tell him silently that he was fine.

They kept walking until they were about fifteen feet away from each other. Peter was relieved when he looked around and realized that they were far enough away from the bus and there were enough cars in the way that none of his classmates could see what was happening. That meant he didn't have to worry about his secret identity. The police were waiting by their car doors, but they were the least of his worries.

Peter noticed as the rest of the Avengers recognized him as well. He grimaced. That could be a problem. After the war against Thanos, Peter needed time to recover. He realized how big of a deal it was to be an Avenger, and just how dangerous it could get, and he wanted to stay a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man a little longer. So, besides Mr. Stark, the Guardians, and Dr. Strange, no one knew that Peter was Spider-Man.

Sure, the Avengers knew Peter Parker, but only as the kid who sometimes hung out with Mr. Stark in his lab at the Avengers compound. After the whole deal with Thanos, Mr. Stark had started inviting Peter over every once in a while to work on their suits and AIs. The Avengers thought he was just some intern Tony had taken a liking to. None of them knew who he really was.

"Peter? Are you all right?" The Star-Spangled-Man-With-A-Plan was the first to speak.

"You know this kid?" the gunman holding Peter asked, but Steve didn't answer, completely focused on Peter.

Peter didn't speak, but he gave a very small nod, trying to play the part of a scared teenager. If the Avengers were here, then maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't have to reveal himself as Spider-Man. He wasn't worried about the criminals finding out, since they would be sent far away once they were caught. Obviously, whatever they had stolen was high-value since the Avengers had been sent after them, so they wouldn't go to some minimum-security prison. He was worried about the Avengers knowing because then his life would get even crazier than he ever thought he could. Plus, Peter wasn't sure if Steve and his friends still held a grudge against Spider-Man for fighting against them in Germany.

The robber laughed. "Good, that'll make this easier. You know this kid. You like this kid. And you guys are the Avengers, you're not gonna want innocent blood on your hands. So you're gonna let us leave, and no one will get hurt."

"Let the students go," Natasha growled. She kept glancing back and forth between Peter and Mr. Stark, and Peter realized why.

Mr. Stark showed absolutely no concern for Peter's well-being. He was only glaring at the gunmen, trying to figure out the best way to take care of them. He didn't seem to care that his intern had a gun to his head, and that was making the others suspicious. Natasha wasn't the only one who noticed. Clearly, everyone else had too, and Peter internally groaned. Mr. Stark was all but giving him away.

"Stay calm, Peter, we're gonna get you out of this," Rhodey said, holding a hand out towards Peter. "What's your friend's name?"

"Ned," Peter breathed out, and the gunman tightened his grip around him.

"Ned, it's gonna be okay," Clint reassured him. "Peter, you're gonna be fine."

Peter mentally groaned again when Mr. Stark let out a little laugh.

"Mr. Stark," Peter whined, trying to get him to take the hint.

"Stark," Steve barked. "What is wrong with you? Your intern has a gun to his head and you don't even care."

Tony smirked, but before he could defend himself the man holding Peter spoke again. "All right, since this is obviously a joke to you, let's show the world how the Avengers let one of their own die. After all, we've got a whole bus full of hostages to replace him with."

The sound of the gun powering up filled the air and he pushed the barrel into Peter's head, making his head tilt. At the same time, the Avengers and Ned shouted Peter's name and they twitched, trying to move forward but stopping when more guns were powered up and pointed at them and Ned.

"Peter, you're gonna be okay," Sam said.

Peter shook his head, his left hand curling around the bracelet on his right wrist. "Mr. Stark?"

Tony understood immediately. "Kid, think this through. You might not like what'll happen if you do this. You can't go back."

"Enough!" the gunman yelled. "He dies!"

None of the Avengers were fast enough to stop the robber as he pulled the trigger, but Peter was. He pressed the button on his bracelet and shoved the gun away from his head a split second before it went off, causing it to fire harmlessly into the sky. In a second, Peter was encased in the Iron Spider suit and given a greeting from Karen, and he had backflipped over the gunman and kicked the gun out of his hand.

Thankfully, the Avengers knew better than to question Peter's new outfit and went to work immediately. Captain America and the Winter Soldier charged the gunman holding Ned while Mr. Stark attacked the man with the briefcase. Natasha and Clint ganged up on the fourth gunman and Sam and Rhodey launched themselves at the fifth.

As for Peter, he was preoccupied with his former captor.

"What the hell? You're the Spider-Man?" the gunman exclaimed after he had turned to face Peter.

Peter didn't bother answering his rhetorical questions, and the criminal clearly didn't want him to as he had quickly started throwing punches. Peter easily dodged them all and somersaulted over the taller man, simultaneously firing a web at his legs. When he landed, he tugged on the web and the gunman fell to the ground. Before he had a chance to get up, Peter was webbing his arms to his sides and kicking the gun out of reach.

When he looked up, the fight was already over. Peter hadn't expected it to last long—after all, they were only five common criminals against two super-soldiers, two assassins, two military veterans, a genius encased in flawlessly designed weaponry, and an enhanced teenager. Even with their alien technology, there was no contest. Peter let out a sigh of relief when he saw Ned standing off to the side, unharmed. Mr. Stark's Iron Man suit had disappeared and he was holding the briefcase, brushing off his business suit while the five gunmen lay groaning on the ground in front of them.

The police appeared, taking the men and cuffing their wrists. They took the briefcase from Mr. Stark and carefully confiscated the alien weaponry. Peter was thankful when they didn't question Spider-Man's presence.

The Avengers gathered near Peter, who was still hiding in his suit. They were about to start talking to him when Ned walked over, and Peter forgot about his worries. His mask disappeared as he stepped up to his friend.

"Ned, you okay?" he asked him, ignoring the Avengers for the time being.

Ned nodded enthusiastically. All his fear had vanished, replaced with pure joy as he stood before the Avengers. "So cool!" he said, barely containing his excitement.

"Sure, Ned," Peter said. "Listen, I need to talk to them, and the police will probably want to talk to you soon. Go back to the bus and tell them what happened and that I'm okay, but leave out the part about me being Spider-Man, obviously. Tell them I'm talking to the police and that everything's fine. I'll meet you once I'm done."

Ned nodded again, still grinning like a fool. He stared starstruck at the Avengers as he walked away, finally taking his eyes off of them when he stumbled into a car.

Peter took a deep breath before facing the Avengers. They were all staring at him in shock, except for Mr. Stark. He was trying not to laugh. Natasha also looked like she had known all along.

"Your friend seems awfully calm for having found out you're Spider-Man. You do, too," Sam finally said, trying to break the tension.

Peter raised his shoulders a little. "Probably because he already knew."

"Peter, why didn't you tell us you're Spider-Man?" Steve asked.

Peter rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Because I'm still in high school and I don't want Aunt May to get hurt?" He phrased his answer more like a question. "Also I kind of stole your shield in Germany and fought against most of you, so I wasn't sure if you were still holding a grudge about that."

"Wait a second—Stark, you brought a kid to Germany?" Steve glared at him.

"Yeah, and he kicked your team's butt," Mr. Stark responded, not at all guilty.

"Look, we can scold Tony about his decisions later," Rhodey said. "We're just glad you're okay, Peter. And I don't know about the others, but I'm glad it's you in that suit and not someone else, even though I wish you were older. You're a good kid. No wonder you're always working with Tony. Come on," he addressed the rest of the Avengers. "We need to coordinate with the police, and Peter needs to get back to his class. This isn't the time to keep talking about this."

The Avengers spared Peter one last look of disbelief before walking away, but Mr. Stark stayed behind. Somehow he knew what Peter was going to ask.

As the Iron Spider suit retracted into the bracelet, Mr. Stark placed a hand on Peter's shoulder and said, "I'll do what I can to keep your identity a secret. I know you don't want it out in public yet. The Avengers will respect that, and I'll make sure the police won't say anything either. Now get back to your bus so your teacher can see that you're okay."

Peter nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Stark."

Peter turned to walk away but stopped when Mr. Stark said, "Hey, kid?" Peter faced him and Tony smiled at him. "It's Tony."

Peter turned around and walked back to the bus, failing miserably at hiding the huge smile on his face.

🕷

The next day at school, all everyone could talk about was what went down on the field trip. The entire school knew, and somehow the story hadn't even been corrupted with each re-telling. People kept asking Peter and Ned what it was like to be held at gunpoint and then saved by the Avengers. Peter just echoed whatever Ned said, since no one knew that he was Spider-Man, or that Spider-Man had even been there.

Peter had been having a pretty good day since all the attention he was getting was positive for once—until Flash approached him after the last bell had rung. Peter rolled his eyes and tried to walk away, but Flash grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

"Parker, I just want to talk to you," Flash said, pulling him over to the lockers so they weren't in the middle of the hallway.

"What?" Peter asked, not in the mood to deal with him.

Flash had trouble looking at Peter, and he was fidgeting. He seemed to struggle when he finally choked out, "I, um, wanted to say thank you. For taking my place. I don't know if I would be here right now if you hadn't. So, uh, thank you."

Peter couldn't look at him either. "You're welcome."

Flash bobbed his head awkwardly. "You, uh, let me know if anyone gives you trouble, all right? About anything." He didn't wait for an answer before shuffling away.

Peter's grin widened as he walked away to meet up with Ned before heading out to the Avengers compound, a skip in his step. If Flash was starting to take a liking to Peter, then who knows? Maybe Ned was wrong, maybe people do want Peter Parker instead of Spider-Man after all.