Avengers Anonymous
Peter darted through the halls, pausing now and then to peer around corners, making sure no one was following him. When he finally reached the lab Bruce shared with Tony, he took a deep breath, brimming with excitement. Bruce was usually the calm one, the scientist who tolerated Peter’s questions. At least, most of the time.
Just as he was about to knock, the door opened, and Bruce looked down at him with a wary but fond expression.
“Morning, Peter. I take it you’re here to avoid something?”
“Who, me?” Peter tried for an innocent face, but Bruce’s knowing look made him shrug sheepishly. “Fine. Tony might’ve mentioned cleaning duty if I got into trouble, but come on, what kind of trouble could I possibly—”
Bruce crossed his arms. “Please don’t finish that sentence. I can’t handle another round of glitter clean-up.”
Peter held his hands up in surrender. “No glitter this time, I swear!”
“Uh-huh.” Bruce stepped aside, letting Peter in. “Just… keep your hands off the gamma radiation samples.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Peter mumbled, already eyeing Bruce’s setup with wide-eyed curiosity. He didn’t understand half of what Bruce did, but the sight of the lab, with its shiny equipment and chemical compounds, was like catnip for his inner science nerd.
As Peter began to poke around, Bruce worked on his computer, keeping one eye on the “Parker tornado” bouncing from station to station. To his credit, Peter managed to not break anything. This time, anyway.
After a few minutes, Peter looked over his shoulder. “Hey, Dr. Banner?”
“Yes, Peter?”
“What’s the weirdest theory you’ve ever heard about Spider-Man?”
Bruce raised an eyebrow, but the twitch of amusement in his expression was undeniable. “You mean besides the alien one? Or the one where you’re secretly an immortal time traveler?”
“People actually believe that?” Peter’s eyes sparkled with glee. He reached for his phone, flipping through the latest Bigfoot forum posts, all of which seemed to have theories about Spider-Man sightings in dark alleyways and on rooftops. “Look at this one. Apparently, I have retractable wings. Can you imagine?”
Bruce chuckled, leaning over to scan the post. “You know, if they ever find out who you are, this entire forum is going to explode.”
Peter shrugged. “Mystery’s half the fun, right?”
Bruce sighed, smiling despite himself. He had to admit, Peter’s endless enthusiasm was a nice change from the usual gravitas that came with Avenger duty. “So long as you keep it a safe mystery. Tony would have a heart attack if you ended up on the news for, I don’t know, claiming to be a forest spirit or something.”
“Tony? Nah, he’d be thrilled. Probably brag about it to Steve.” Peter’s grin faded, replaced by something softer, quieter. “But… yeah. I know he worries.”
Bruce noted the shift in Peter’s tone, giving him a nod. “He just wants to keep you safe. Sometimes it’s hard to switch off that part of our brains, especially for Tony.”
Before Peter could reply, the door opened, and in walked Natasha and Clint, looking far too amused.
“Why is it,” Clint began, eyeing Peter, “that every time I turn around, I hear something new about you being spotted in some dark alleyway?”
Natasha smirked, crossing her arms. “Apparently, you’ve got fans in the cryptid community.”
Peter’s grin was back. “Oh, I do. It’s practically a fan club at this point.”
Natasha raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Bruce, who was trying—and failing—to hide his amusement. “Well, as long as this fan club doesn’t get the wrong idea.”
Peter’s face split into a mischievous smile. “Don’t worry, Nat. I only send them anonymous tips once a week.”
Clint choked on a laugh, and Natasha gave him a look. “You don’t actually do that… right?”
Peter leaned back, shrugging innocently. “What kind of mysterious, spooky Spider-Man would I be if I didn’t keep the fans guessing?”
Bruce chuckled, and Clint threw a thumbs-up Peter’s way. “Honestly, kid, you’re doing a great job. Let’s see how long it takes before someone tries to track you down. Maybe set up a trail of clues?”
“Already on it,” Peter said, beaming. “I left a spider charm on top of the Empire State Building last night. See if they find that.”
Natasha rolled her eyes but couldn’t entirely hide her smile. “Just be careful with those stunts, Peter. The last thing Tony needs is a call saying Spider-Man’s been spotted half-dangling off the Chrysler Building.”
“Duly noted,” Peter said, barely listening. He was already plotting his next “sighting.”
Back in the common area later that evening, Tony was relaxing with his tablet when Peter plopped down beside him, practically vibrating with energy.
“Guess what?” Peter nudged him, eyes alight with excitement. “I left a new clue in the city!”
Tony looked over, exasperated but also entertained. “Please tell me you didn’t climb the Statue of Liberty again.”
“Who, me?” Peter’s grin was angelic. “You know I’d never do anything that reckless.”
“That’s exactly what you would do, and that’s exactly what worries me.” But he ruffled Peter’s hair anyway, a hint of pride in his expression. “Gotta say, though, I appreciate the creativity. What’s your fan club think about it?”
Peter stretched out, resting his head on Tony’s shoulder with a sigh. “I dunno. Probably think I’m the Loch Ness Monster at this point. And hey… speaking of monsters, Clint told me they made a betting pool about whether or not you’d officially adopt me.”
Tony snorted. “I hope you put in a bet for yourself.”
Peter shrugged, mumbling, “I don’t need to bet on it. You already know I’m practically your kid.”
Tony’s expression softened. “Yeah, kiddo. Guess you are.”
Peter beamed, and after a moment, Tony wrapped an arm around him. It was one of those rare, quiet moments—one they didn’t get very often, with missions and superhero duties always looming.
For all his cryptid quirks, Peter felt like the most normal thing in Tony’s world. And if he could give Peter a sense of stability, even a family of sorts, Tony figured he’d be the luckiest man alive.
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