The one where they meet the Avengers
Peter made it halfway to the base before the sound of loud fighting distracted him. Loud booms that were torturous to his sensitive ears rattled the air and he immediately swerved off path. Not far into the woods, he saw the action.
In a squirrel-like fashion, Peter scampered up a tree and used his web shooters that he kept clipped to his wrists to swing from branch to branch. Before he could confirm his fears on who was attacking them, he heard the whine from repulsors that he had been made to study tirelessly. A strong blast rocked the tree he was perched in as the iconic red and gold suit flew past below.
The tree groaned pitifully before it began falling, but Peter was quick enough to leap out of the branches. It may have been the least of his worries, but it angered him to hear other trees meeting similar fates across the forest. This woods was usually so peaceful, now it was being ruined.
The sound of more repulsors soared above Peter and he craned his neck to watch Stark’s “Iron Legion”, flying in a V-formation towards town. Good luck, Peter thought. No one in Sokovia (Except for maybe Annika’s mother) trusted the Avengers, and he didn’t doubt that the bots would only be met with hostility.
Peter continued to silently dart above the battle-field until he finally caught sight of an Avenger. Clint Barton; “Hawkeye” the archer. He was hiding behind the same tree that Peter was perched in, preparing to aim his weapon at a stationary machine gun bunker. Between his training sessions, he was instructed to relentlessly study the Avengers and their fighting tactics.
Barton drew his bow back with an arrow that was more than likely an explosive, so Peter pressed his fingers into his ears to muffle the sound. But the sound never came, only the familiar pounding of his brother’s lightning quick feet. This happened a couple more times before Hawkeye made the mistake of stepping out from behind the tree. Pietro was only a flash of blue light that knocked Barton completely off his feet.
Pietro finally revealed himself, strutting cockily past the downed Avenger, “You did not see that coming?” he smirked before disappearing again.
Unfortunately, Barton was exposed for too long, and a shot rang out from the bunker and seared the Avenger’s side. Peter winced and swung away silently in the direction that Pietro had left. Peter hated seeing people in pain, especially when he couldn’t help without getting in trouble. Pietro and Wanda said it was because he was young and good. His instructors told him it was because he was weak. Peter was more inclined to believe his instructors, because he was not meant to be good, he was meant to be strong. A weapon.
Once he was far enough away, Peter called out for his brother “Pietro!” Peter leapt down from the tree, his feet landing in the dusty snow, only to regret it immediately when his spider sense flared at the base of his skull. He spun around just to come face to face with Captain America.
“You shouldn’t be here,” The Captain said, his voice just as authoritative and annoying as the clips of him, “go back to the city, kid.”
“Maybe I should be here,” Peter said with a shrug, though his fists were clenched tightly.
“It’s way too dangerous out here,” He said, pointing towards the direction of town. The Captain was clearly far too at ease around Peter. His shoulders had relaxed and the grip on his shield was weak, so Peter took advantage.
Peter yanked the shield from the Captain's hand and chucked it like a frisbee, “Fetch!” he shouted delightedly. Rogers only gaped at Peter, making it easy for the boy to land a solid punch on his jaw that sent the Captain reeling.
“Peter!” Pietro’s voice cut through the air, startling Peter enough to minutely lower his guard. This was all Rogers needed to sweep Peter’s legs out from under him. However, before Peter could hit the ground, Pietro swept by and caught him without even slowing his pace.
Once they were completely out of sight of the Captain, Pietro came to a stop, Peter still clinging on for dear life. His hands were shaking with adrenaline but also excitement because he had just sucker punched Captain America.
“You know I could have taken him,” Peter finally said, making Pietro promptly drop him into the snow.
“Oh sure,” Pietro smiled playfully and put his hands on his knees, leaning over Peter, “My baby brother beating Captain America?”
“Who’s had the most training for this?” Peter said cockily, pointing at himself.
“Alright let’s go see,” Pietro said scooping Peter back off the ground, “let me just go drop you off-”
“No no no, you were right,” Peter pretended to swoon, “I am so helpless.”
Instead of joking back, Pietro’s gaze sombered, “Not helpless, but you are my little brother.” Peter nodded in understanding. His siblings had always been very protective of him, and while he sometimes got irritated, he understood. Survival instincts don’t go away quickly after living in the streets.
“I know,” Peter said fondly, patting his brother's shoulder. Their moment of peace was interrupted by a not-so-distant explosion.
“Let’s go back to base, yeah?” Pietro didn’t even wait for a reply before taking off in a blur. Only a moment later he was setting Peter down on solid ground. Pietro caught Peter’s shoulder when he tilted forward, dizzy with the sudden movement. Peter’s stomach churned with a mixture of motion sickness and anxiety, but he didn’t have long to dwell on it before Wanda rounded the corner.
Her face was pale with fear, “Stark is in the building, and the rest are on their way. Peter you need to hide.”
“What! No!” Peter squawked, “I have been specifically trained to fight these people,” he argued, “I can do it.”
“Please,” Wanda begged, “I know you could, but for my peace of mind,” She gripped his upper arm tightly, looking down at him. She was only a couple inches taller than Peter now, and they were all sure he’d be taller than her soon.
Peter sighed, “Fine.” With confirmation that Peter would be safe, Pietro once again ran off.
“Go hide in the scepter room,” Wanda said, pushing Peter away. Peter hated the scepter room because of the dead Leviathan hanging from the ceiling. No one else could smell the rotting flesh (he wasn’t sure why), so they didn’t quite understand his aversion to the room. Also it was creepy.
“Fine,” He knew the chance of any Avengers actually finding the room were slim to none because of the hidden door, “please be careful, Wanda.”
Wanda pressed a kiss onto his forehead before turning away, “I will, I promise.”
Peter spun around in one of the scientist's chairs across the concrete floor. He had only been hiding for fifteen minutes, but he was wildly bored. The most frustrating part about being stuck in the room, besides the dead space whale, was the fact that he could be helping.
He heaved a long sigh just as a jolt ran up his spine, his spider senses giving him a heads up just as the hidden door began scraping along the floor. Peter immediately jumped up and scaled a wall to hide in the metal rafters.
Iron Man himself came strutting into the room, minus his armor. What a fool, Peter thought, watching the defenseless man glance around the room. He was humming something to himself and Peter risked a glance around the beam he stood against. Stark finally caught sight of the scepter and paused to stare.
Muscles coiled like a spring, ready to launch at the man should he reach for the scepter, Peter let his past year of training take control of his instincts. He was just about to jump when he caught sight of Wanda, sneaking up behind the billionaire. Stark didn’t so much as flinch as Wanda contorted her hands around his head, the red mist of her magic swirling into his ears and eyes.
The man was clearly in a trance, so Peter deemed it safe enough to use a web to swing himself beside his sister. Pietro also chose that moment to join them, huffing silently to collect his breath.
“What did you do?” Peter hissed as he heard Stark’s rapidly beating heart.
“Shh,” Wanda held up her hand to silence him.
“He’s going to get the scepter,” Peter quietly argued, but Wanda’s eyes only grew wild.
“Good,” He grinned almost wickedly, “Let him.” Pietro said nothing, only nodding in support of Wanda.
Peter watched in horror as Stark shook himself from Wanda’s vision and his gaze hardened on Loki’s powerful staff. An iron gauntlet grew over the man’s hand as he snatched the scepter off of its table. As soon as the scepter was in the billionaire's hand, Peter’s spider sense began screaming like never before.
This is going to end terribly.