Is He an Avenger Now?
Peter glanced at the clock above the whiteboard. There were just five minutes left before the bell rang. Next to him, Harry was breaking the tip off his pencil on his notebook cover and sighing out of boredom.
“Want to come over to my place after school today? I got Call of Duty for us to play,” Harry asked, turning to Peter.
“I’ve got tutoring today,” Peter replied without taking his eyes off the clock.
Harry raised an eyebrow, dropped the pencil, and leaned in closer to Peter’s desk.
“No way. This semester, you’re only gonna be my tutor.”
“It’s just that a student needs help and…”
“But you said you didn’t have time for many students right now.”
Peter looked away from the clock and faced his friend, laughing.
“You’re making me think you’re jealous, Harry.”
Harry gave him an annoyed look and put his hands on Peter’s shoulders, shaking him lightly.
“Come on, Peter. Please! You haven’t been to my place in forever. My dad’s gonna die from missing you so much.”
The bell rang, and Peter started packing up his stuff into his backpack, with Harry doing the same. Harry slung his backpack over his shoulders and gave Peter a pleading look.
“Your dad? I didn’t know Norman Osborn loved me so much.”
Harry rolled his eyes.
“That guy totally adores you,” Harry said with a grin. “One of these days, he’s gonna show up at your door and convince May to swap you for me.”
Peter laughed loudly as he followed Harry out of the building. A black car was parked right in front, and Harry opened the door.
“Ready to go?”
Peter got into the car, and they headed towards the Osborn apartment.
----
Peter didn’t take long to say goodbye to Harry and came up with a quick excuse to start his patrol. The city was buzzing with activity, and he soon spotted an area that needed attention. With a swing, he shot out a web and soared through the air, feeling the cold wind on his face as he swung between the buildings.
In the distance, a chaotic scene caught his eye: a group of three armed men were intimidating pedestrians outside a warehouse. Women and children were running scared, while the thugs shot into the air, causing panic. Peter approached cautiously, sliding down from the roof of a neighboring building to get into a good position.
He expertly shot a web that disarmed one of the criminals, sending the gun flying. Before the other two could react, he dropped down and landed a precise kick to one of their legs, taking him down instantly. The third thug was quickly wrapped up in webs, struggling to break free.
Meanwhile, the last guy tried to flee, but Spider-Man caught up easily, wrapping him in webs and slamming him gently against a building wall. In just a few minutes, all three were captured and secured, with their weapons carefully collected and stashed away.
“Can someone call the cops?” Peter asked one of the stunned bystanders who was still trying to process what had just happened.
As the crowd began to disperse and the police arrived to arrest the criminals, Peter noticed something odd: a small metallic rat, hidden among the boxes in the warehouse, was emitting a signal. Curious, he approached and saw the device connected to a bunch of gadgets and detailed plans, but none pointed to a specific villain.
With a puzzled expression, Peter examined the plans and gadgets, trying to figure out who was behind the attack. Without many leads, he noticed a trail of smoke coming from a gap in the warehouse. Following the trail, he entered a small hidden room and found a scrawny man in a makeshift rat costume with oversized glasses. He was trying to activate a device, clearly frustrated by the recent interruption.
“So, who are you?” Peter asked casually. “Seems like you’ve got a unique taste in disguises.”
The man, scared, tried to activate a smoke device, but Peter was ready. With a quick move, he used his webs to disable the gadget and pin the villain against the wall, making sure he couldn’t escape.
“Look, I don’t know you, but you clearly have a knack for getting into trouble,” Peter said, adjusting the webs to make sure the man couldn’t move.
The villain, now captured and defeated, grumbled and struggled, but it was all in vain. Peter called the police again, giving details about the device and the plan. With the officers on their way, he prepared to leave.
“Another night of work well done,” Peter thought, as he swung back into the sky, disappearing between the skyscrapers of New York.
----
When he got home, Peter jumped into his room through the window, took off his mask, and sighed, exhausted.
“Peter Parker.”
He jumped and quickly turned around, surprised to see someone sitting on his bed.
“How did I not notice someone was here? Did my spider-sense not give me a heads-up?” Peter thought, staring in shock at the unexpected visitor.
“Tony Stark,” said the man with a smile. “Nice to meet you, kid. What you did in that warehouse was pretty impressive for someone your age. How old are you again? 13?”
“I’m 16.”
Tony stood up and gave Peter a serious look.
“I’ve got an offer for you,” Tony replied, his tone turning more serious.
“An offer?”
“Yeah, and it’s a big one. I need some heroes who can take on Steve Rogers.”
“Captain America? Seriously?”
Tony pulled out his phone and showed Peter a video. In it, Peter was seen stopping a packed bus with his bare hands.
“And from what I’ve seen, you might be just the person to help me with this.”
“Wait a minute. What’s going on? How did you get into my place?”
“Look, things are complicated. Rogers is leading a group of heroes acting without oversight, and it’s causing a lot of problems.”
“And you think I can help?” Peter asked, frustrated. “How am I supposed to know if I’m doing the right thing without knowing what’s really going on?”
“Governments want to regulate superhero activity, and Rogers is against it. He believes that oversight will limit heroes' freedom to act. I, on the other hand, think we need some control to avoid more damage.”
“So, what exactly are you asking?”
“I need someone with amazing skills who has a good sense of right and wrong. We might not even need to fight directly, but if things get bad, I need someone who can act quickly.”
“And why me?” Peter asked. “Why do you think I’m the right person for this?”
Tony looked at Peter with a softer, but still serious, gaze.
“Look, you were fighting in a hoodie until last week and still do everything you can to hide your secret identity. In a few minutes, you’ve asked more questions than my therapist does in a year. It’s clear you’re doing this out of nobility, not for fame. The last thing I want is to see more people getting hurt because of a lack of control. Rogers might have good intentions, but his actions are causing chaos. We need someone on the right side of this fight.”
Peter recalled his uncle’s words: “With great power comes great responsibility. You’ve been given something extraordinary; you should be grateful.” It was the advice his uncle gave him right after he discovered his powers, the only person who knew, until now.
“I get it. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt if I can do something about it.”
“So, you’re in?”
Peter thought for a moment, feeling the weight of the decision. Finally, he nodded. Tony smiled, satisfied.
“Perfect,” Tony said, extending his hand. “Welcome to the team.”
Peter shook Tony’s hand, feeling the gravity of what he had just agreed to. The decision was made, and he was ready for whatever came next.