New York. A city that was once one of the safest in the world, and certainly in America. Everything changed a year ago. The hero who once protected this city vanished—just as suddenly as he had appeared—and there was no sign that he would ever return. It’s not that Peter stopped being Spider-Man—he simply disappeared without a trace. One day, he was at work, and the next, he was gone. He never showed up again, and his apartment was left empty.
Of course, as soon as criminals found out, they spread across the city like wildfire. The police couldn’t keep up with the overwhelming number of robberies, and people were too afraid to step outside. A city once known for its constant crowds had suddenly become eerily empty. Residents only went out when absolutely necessary, playgrounds stood deserted, and most nighttime events stopped happening. Many people lost precious family heirlooms and their savings, while stores were regularly looted.
The Avengers? They tried to patrol the city, but somehow, even the entire team couldn’t handle it as well as a single Spider-Man. Many crimes went unchecked. On top of their usual missions—things like fighting aliens—they now had to take on the defence of New York. The workload was crushing. They barely slept—if at all—and ran on nothing but coffee.
“I’m gonna lose my mind,” Clint groaned, collapsing onto the couch in the Avengers’ base. “How the hell did Spidey manage all of this on his own?”
“I have no idea, but I respect him more and more. We know for sure that he’s young, yet he handled things way better than all of us combined,” Sam agreed.
“Oh, come on, stop whining and let me sleep,” Ant-Man muttered quietly, comfortably sprawled out in one of the armchairs.
“Hey, we’ve got a little problem.” Bruce walked into the room, his gaze slightly unfocused, his voice quiet and exhausted. He was just done with everything.
“What happened?” Lang asked groggily.
“Fury called. In half an hour, you, Sam, and I are heading out on some mission. Hydra’s back.”
“Damn it,” Wilson growled under his breath. “Can’t villains take a damn day off for once? These missions keep coming, and I’m so over it,” he sighed, drained.
“Language,” came another voice as someone entered the room.
“What, Bucky? Playing Steve now?” Sam smirked, but the expression quickly faded. They all missed their friend, who had left after the war with Thanos.
Although Falcon and the Winter Soldier hadn’t always had the best relationship, after losing their friend, they buried the hatchet and did their best to support each other. Sam missed Captain America—the role he had been forced to take on. Bucky longed for that small, sickly blond kid from their childhood, from the days before the war, before the serum, before Hydra. Before his life started falling apart, when he and Steve were just carefree kids. Steve had always been the one who needed rescuing, but to Bucky, he wasn’t just a friend—he was a brother. The closest person he had after losing his family.
“All right, we better get ready for this mission. We need to be good to go by ten,” Banner said before leaving the room, followed by Falcon and Ant-Man.
It had been a long time since the war with the purple Titan, but memories of their fallen friends and loved ones still cast a shadow over them. Clint missed Natasha the most—he had never fully recovered from her death. They had been best friends for years. He had saved her and brought her into S.H.I.E.L.D., and from that moment on, they had understood each other perfectly. They always had each other’s backs. Bucky and Sam missed Steve, who had chosen to leave them behind for a love from decades ago. And then there was Tony. The billionaire might have been the biggest arsehole and egotist on the planet, but he was their friend. They missed his sarcastic remarks.
Everyone missed someone, and it weighed on them all.
“Robbery at the MoMA. The perpetrators have alien weapons.” The Avengers still in the room heard the voice of the AI Stark had left behind.
“For fuck’s sake!” Clint shouted in frustration. “Why isn’t the patrol team dealing with this?!” he growled. Who the hell decides to rob a modern art museum on a Sunday night?
“Strange is busy fighting some alien. By the way, what’s he even doing out on the streets? Wasn’t he supposed to stay in his fancy sanctum and do his magic tricks?” Bucky replied while scanning the city’s security footage.
“He decided to lend us a hand,” Barton muttered. “And Wanda is busy stopping a gang war in Central Park.”
“And we were supposed to have a few hours off tonight…” Barnes grumbled under his breath before heading off to get ready. Hawkeye did the same.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the designated location, but the sight before them was completely unexpected. Fighting the thieves was none other than the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man himself—alongside Deadpool. The very same Spider-Man who had disappeared months ago! The city’s protector had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and was now taking down criminals with the mercenary.
Working together, they had already defeated about twenty well-armed men in under five minutes. Even though they fought side by side, it was clear that Spidey was doing most of the work—he could have easily handled them all on his own. The only thing the Avengers could do was stand there and stare. The same went for the police and bystanders. After all, it wasn’t every day that you saw Deadpool preventing a robbery, and Spider-Man hadn’t been seen at all in months.
After webbing up the criminals and handing them over to the police, Spider-Man casually walked up to them and greeted them as if nothing had happened.
“Hey, sorry for being late. I couldn’t make it earlier, I had… some problems,” he said cheerfully.
“Spidey, where the hell have you been?! What happened to you?!” Clint shouted.
“Let’s just say I took a nice vacation abroad for a while. I’ll tell you more at the base—if, of course, you invite me. For now, call the others who are out in the city. I’ll handle the robberies,” he stated.
“How the hell do you manage all this? And of course, you’re always welcome at our place. You can come by tomorrow around noon,” Bucky finished.
“Experience,” he simply replied. “Can I ask how the hell the city is crawling with criminals, gangsters, and aliens when the Avengers are supposed to be protecting it?” he asked in a cheerful tone.
“Just go back to base already, and take Strange and Wanda with you. You all look exhausted,” he added.
“We’re not,” Barton retorted.
“Guys, I’m not blind. You’re all barely standing. Go home, get some sleep, I’ll come by tomorrow. Oh! And bring as many Avengers as possible, if you can. Maybe we’ll even get Thor… Haven’t seen my favourite wannabe god in a while. See you!” He called out, grabbed Deadpool with one arm, and swung away on his webs.
“Can someone explain when exactly he came back? And why is he working with a mercenary?” Bucky asked quietly, still in shock. “And did he seriously just leave us without an explanation?” he added.
“I have no idea. Come on, let’s call the wizards and tell them to return to base,” Hawkeye said. “I also need to call Laura and the kids. If Spider-Man’s back, maybe I can finally spend more time at home.”
The next day, around noon, the heroes heard the doorbell of their headquarters. Sam, holding a cup of coffee, opened the door. Standing at the entrance was Spider-Man, of course, in his spidey suit.
"I'm here!" he grinned. "I hope it's not too early, but honestly, I hope I can grab something to eat. A sandwich will do. I just got back from patrol and I'm a bit hungry," Spider-Man said. He conveniently skipped over the fact that he was also a little battered, and the food would help his super regeneration kick in more efficiently.
"Don't worry, we just got up. We're having breakfast, so there should be something for you," Wilson assured him.
"Thanks," Spider-Man said, walking into the room with Sam.
Everyone was in the room, relaxing and enjoying what was likely their first day off in months. When they saw who had arrived, they stood up and hugged Spider-Man.
"Spidey! When did you get back?" Wanda asked cheerfully.
"Last night," he replied calmly.
"Why has it been so long since we last saw you?" Scott asked, and the others echoed the same sentiment.
"That's the thing," Spider-Man sighed, grabbing a Nutella sandwich, and when he noticed Strange's puzzled look, he added, "What? Sam promised me a sandwich. I'm starving after the patrol, and I don't know what to do about it. Unless I break into Wade's place again," he muttered to himself. "Anyway, I'd love to tell you everything, but I warn you, it's an Oscar-worthy story. First, I know you probably want to know who I am and get to know me a bit, since we've known each other for a while, actually longer than you think," he added quietly, but nobody heard him. "This will add some context to the whole story, and I really have nothing to lose. What do you think?" he proposed.
"Why not, but first, tell us where you got that suit. It's awesome," Scott asked with interest.
"This isn't just a regular suit. It kind of resembles the armor Tony had when he fought Thanos," Bruce muttered.
"Exactly, it's Stark's nanotechnology," Spider-Man said.
"Where did you get it from?" Banner began, but Bucky interrupted him.
"If you don't let him talk, we'll never find out."
"So, yeah," Spider-Man began, taking off his mask and suit, revealing a regular tracksuit underneath. "My name's Peter, Peter Parker." There was silence in the room. It was finally time to match the name and face to the Spider-Man, but the tired, young-looking face left everyone stunned. Additionally, there were fresh marks on his face from Hydra, adding a touch of grotesqueness to the scene. Most importantly, Spider-Man's secret identity was something almost sacred, and the fact that they knew it filled them with a sense of pride.
"Peter... Peter... Peter..." Bucky muttered to himself. "I think I can get used to this. Go ahead, Peter," he smiled.
"In a few months, I'll be nineteen, and..." At this point, Sam interrupted him.
"Nineteen! We knew you were young, but we thought you were at least twenty-five!" Sam exclaimed, quickly silencing himself under the team's murderous glares.
Peter began to tell his story, starting from the death of his parents to the spell from Strange. When he spoke about the deaths of Ben, May, and Tony, there was an unmistakable sadness in his eyes. He spoke about how he met them all. He even mentioned that he had watched Star Wars with Tony, something no one wanted to believe.
"No way! Tony and movies? He wouldn't even watch anything with us!" Bruce didn't believe it.
"He has pictures, he'll show us later," Peter responded.
"So, we’ve known each other for a few years, you knew our secret for a long time, and Stark took a fifteen-year-old to the Civil War!?" Wilson summarized quickly. "And... Where were you living before you disappeared?"
"Perfect summary," Peter laughed. "As for the question, I rented a small apartment. One room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. I work in some shop, so I can afford the rent. But now, if it's not a problem, could I maybe live here with you guys?" he asked.
"Of course, no problem, you can stay here as long as you want," Clint answered for everyone.
"What have you been doing for the last year? And how do you know Deadpool?" Bucky asked.
"Ah, right, I forgot about that. So, basically, Hydra kidnapped me. They wanted to make me their next Winter Soldier. They tortured me for a few months, but they couldn't break me. They didn’t have a new program to implant me with, so they just settled for torturing me. They said I was mentally stronger than Barnes, so I guess I can be proud of that," he smiled, but his eyes betrayed a hidden pain when recalling Hydra.
When Bucky heard that Hydra had tortured the young man, he froze. He looked at Peter with a gaze full of fear, sorrow, and understanding. If they had done to him what they had done to Bucky, then, according to Barnes, the fact that the nineteen-year-old survived was a miracle. Literally. The Winter Soldier had survived Hydra’s hell, and he wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. Nobody noticed the sudden shift in mood and the emotions in his eyes. Nobody except Peter, who smiled at him reassuringly, as if he knew exactly what Bucky was thinking, and wanted to calm and comfort him. It helped.
"I was saved by Deadpool. I met him on one of the patrols, after the spell. We became friends. Wade started acting more like a hero, though he still does it in his own brutal way. Anyway, he found me and destroyed the whole Hydra facility. He was angrier than ever—probably because I missed our 'Shrek' screening," no one who even remotely knew Deadpool would believe it, but Spider-Man stuck to his story, claiming the infamous mercenary wasn’t as bad as they made him out to be.
"Deadpool found me by accident. He made a massacre in the Hydra base, found me in some cell, and said: 'Ooo, Spidey, what are you doing here? Got any new friends I don’t know about? You didn’t tell me you were going to the latest edition of Hydra-camp! Do they have a snack bar?' Then he wiped out everyone who was still there and took me with him."
A silence fell over the room. Everyone tried to process the information they had just heard.
"So, what happened after that?" Clint asked.
Peter shrugged, as if he were talking about something trivial, not about bonding with a notorious serial killer.
"I recovered. Wade helped me get back in shape. Don’t ask how. It was a mix of violence, illegal healing methods, and dumb jokes," he suddenly paused. "Since both you and he know who I am, and the world and multiverse aren’t in danger, I’m going to visit my friends from before the memory wipe! Maybe I can remind them about me," he suddenly had an epiphany. "Ah! I’ll leave you some of our pictures together, maybe it’ll help you remember! Karen?"
"I’ll send a few files," the voice of a girl responded.
"Who’s that?" Thor asked, speaking for the first time since Peter's arrival.
"Karen. My AI. Actually, I got the prototype from Tony, but I tinkered with it, and now it runs way smoother. Ah... How I love improving and finding flaws in that guy's projects," Peter said with a strange sadness in his voice. "Alright! I’m off!" He put his suit back on and simply jumped out of the window, heading toward Ned's apartment.
"He ran off again," Clint sighed. "Can this guy sit still for even a few hours?"
"Let’s hope these pictures help us remember at least some of the good times we had with the kid," Thor said.
"And I’m most curious about how the hell I agreed to cast that spell..." Strange muttered under his breath as he followed the rest. "Good thing Wong doesn’t know, or I’d already be dead," he added quietly.
"Hey! People! He really watched Star Wars with Stark! How did he get him to watch it?" Scott’s surprised voice rang through the base.
Hearing this, Strange quickened his pace, eager to witness this rare phenomenon himself.