Balancing Act
Peter landed on the balcony of Avengers Tower, the city skyline twinkling behind him. He pulled off his mask, the cool evening breeze hitting his face as he caught his breath. It wasn’t the rooftop he’d been running across or the webs he’d been slinging—it was the emotional whirlwind that came with balancing his life as Peter Parker and Spider-Man.
Felicia had a way of throwing him off balance, leaving him excited and confused all at once. But before he could dwell too much on his feelings for her, he was reminded of the fact that he was late. Again.
As Peter stepped inside the tower, the sounds of the evening filled the space—Tony’s usual tinkering down in the lab, Morgan giggling in the living room, and the faint hum of chatter from Natasha and Pepper in the kitchen. For a moment, everything felt normal, and Peter was glad to be back.
But his reprieve was short-lived.
"You're late," Tony's voice called out from the kitchen, followed by a clank of metal as he set down some gadget on the counter.
Peter groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I know. I was—"
"—out with your 'friends'?" Tony raised an eyebrow, leaning against the counter. He didn’t even need Peter to explain at this point.
"Something like that," Peter muttered, stepping further into the room. Natasha stood nearby, a cup of tea in hand, watching him with a raised eyebrow of her own. It was clear from her look that she knew exactly who Peter had been spending time with.
Pepper glanced up from her tablet and gave him a soft smile. “Dinner’s still warm if you’re hungry. Aunt May called to say she’ll be by tomorrow for breakfast.”
Peter sighed in relief. “Thanks, Pepper.”
"Briefing's in five minutes," Tony said, cutting through the calm atmosphere. He gave Peter a knowing look. "You’re lucky. We haven’t started yet."
Peter’s stomach sank. He had almost forgotten about the SHIELD briefing, but the guilt that came with letting his "family" down hit him harder than any villain could.
“Right,” Peter nodded, heading toward the elevator that led to the war room. “I’ll be there.”
The briefing was filled with the usual SHIELD intel—updates on potential Hydra activity, reports from other global teams, and something about a break-in at a high-security facility that caught Peter’s attention. His ears perked up at the mention of stolen tech, but the detail was brief. Tony would probably handle that one, leaving Peter to stick to his web-slinging duties.
As the meeting dragged on, Peter’s mind wandered back to Felicia. The thrill of their rooftop escapade was still fresh in his memory, but it was more than that. There was something about her—something unpredictable—that he couldn’t shake. She wasn’t just a thief; there was more to her story, more to their connection, and Peter was drawn to it, even though he knew he probably shouldn’t be.
But just as he was deep in thought, Tony cleared his throat loudly, snapping Peter back to reality.
“Earth to Spider-Man,” Tony said, smirking. “You with us?”
Peter blinked, realizing everyone in the room was looking at him—Tony, Natasha, even Thor, who had been lounging in the corner looking mildly bored until now.
“Yeah, sorry,” Peter said quickly. “Just, uh, thinking.”
Tony’s smirk deepened. “Thinking, huh? Anything you want to share with the class, or is this about your extracurricular activities?”
Peter’s face flushed. “No, no, just… focusing on the mission.”
“Uh-huh,” Natasha chimed in, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Because you’ve definitely been focused lately.”
Thor chuckled from the corner. “The boy is in love. It’s written all over his face.”
Peter nearly fell out of his seat. “I’m not—what? No. I’m just… I mean, I—”
Tony shook his head, cutting Peter off before he could dig himself into a deeper hole. “Alright, Underoos. Focus. We’ve got a lot going on, and I need you at your best, not distracted by—what was it? A certain someone’s complicated situation?”
Peter sank lower into his chair, his embarrassment turning into frustration. "It's not like that," he muttered under his breath, though he wasn’t entirely sure he believed himself.
Pepper’s voice crackled over the intercom, breaking the awkward tension in the room. "Tony, I need you in the lab when you’re done. Peter, Morgan’s asking if you can help her with her science project before bed.”
Peter let out a sigh of relief. At least one person in this tower didn’t constantly tease him.
“Sure thing, Pepper,” Peter replied, eager to escape the intense stares of his fellow Avengers.
Later that night, Peter found himself in Morgan’s room, a mess of building blocks, wires, and kid-friendly science kits scattered around them. Morgan was bouncing with excitement as Peter helped her build what was supposed to be a miniature robot.
“See, Petey? This part connects here!” Morgan said, showing him a tiny circuit board. “Like how Tony showed me!”
Peter grinned, relaxing a little after the chaotic day. “That’s awesome, Munchkin. You’re gonna be building suits like your dad before long.”
Morgan giggled. “Maybe! But I think I wanna build something for you first.”
Peter raised an eyebrow, glancing at her. “For me?”
She nodded, her eyes lighting up with determination. “Yeah! Like a new suit! A Spider-suit! One that’s better for chasing bad guys!”
Peter laughed, the tension of the day slowly melting away. “I think your dad’s already got that covered. But thanks, Munchkin.”
Morgan grinned and went back to her project, humming quietly to herself.
Peter leaned back against the wall, his thoughts drifting back to Felicia again. He couldn’t help it. He wondered what she was doing right now—probably out on another adventure, stealing something priceless or getting into trouble. She was like a whirlwind, constantly pulling him in.
But he also knew that it wouldn’t be long before Tony or Natasha started asking him more questions, pushing him to define whatever it was he had with Felicia. And, truthfully, he wasn’t sure if he could.
Morgan’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. “Petey, is Felicia your girlfriend?”
Peter’s eyes widened. “Wha—? No! I mean, she’s… no, we’re just… friends.”
Morgan tilted her head, unconvinced. “But Tony says you talk about her a lot.”
Peter groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, Tony says a lot of things.”
Morgan giggled again, clearly enjoying Peter’s discomfort. “Okay, Petey. If you say so.”
Peter sighed. “Let’s finish your robot before bedtime, okay?”
As Morgan happily went back to her project, Peter couldn’t help but feel like his life was spiralling into something even more complicated than before. Between his duties as Spider-Man, his responsibilities with the Avengers, and whatever was going on with Felicia, the balancing act was getting harder every day.
But, for now, he could focus on the simple things, like helping Morgan build a robot and making it through another day without too many questions from Tony.