chapter 9
When Peter managed to extract himself from Bucky’s tight hug, he could feel the Avengers glares on his back before he even turned around. At least his classmates had left, Steve must have kicked them out at some point. Slowly, Peter span to face the very angry, betrayed, adults. He saw a bow drawn till its string looked on the verge of snapping, a pistol with the safety off aimed at his face, the iconic shield held in a defensive position. All of that made him raise his hands, palms facing them, anything to make them understand that he wasn’t going to hurt them. But none of that really phased him, he barely knew them, who gives a shit if they think of him as a villain. It was Bruce and Tony that broke his heart. Tony hadn’t bothered suiting up, and Bruce had nothing to suit up in, they were just standing there, in shock, staring at him. He must of had a father figure when he was younger, but Hydra had burned those memories out of him long ago, but how Tony and Bruce cared for him, that’s how he always imagined a father to be. They were like Bucky but with more authority. Bucky. Oh shit. Bucky was standing in a fighting position infront of him. Bucky was ready to take on the world to defend him. Immediately, Peter launched to him feet and brought his fists up to guard his face before dropping them to hang at his sides.
“Buck, no,” Peter pleased as he stepped infront of him and drew his hands backwards as if that would stop Bucky from getting to the Avengers.
“Look, I’ll explain everything later, answer all your questions, but I’ve got to go to my classmates now or I’ll never be able to play this off to them.”
Tony’s voice came across cold, “how can we trust you, you’ve lied to us before, how can we trust that you won’t just run as soon as we can’t see you?”
So many answers flashed across Peter’s mind, that he wasn’t Hydra, he was like Bucky, that he didn’t know them well enough to tell them that he used to be Hydra, that it wasn’t really lying, was barely even a lie of omission. But he went with probably the saddest truth as an answer.
“You can trust that I won’t run because I haven’t got anywhere, anyone, to run to.”
Tony looked doubtful but he took a step back and nodded to the door.
Peter didn’t waste any time and sprinted through the door, he heard the wood splinter but there was no time to apologise. After half a minute of searching he heard his class talking anxiously. The second he saw them they all yelled “Peter!” Even Flash said “Parker.”
Flash took a step forwards and asked “Parker, what the fuck was all that about.”
Peter scrambled to think of an answer, but all he could think about was his time in Hydra, he could feel his eyes tearing up, he couldn’t cry, not now, not ever. “Parker?” Flash sounded less sure of himself than usual, “are you, uh, are you alright?”
Shit, if Flash was worried then he really was
not doing a good job of pretending he was ok. He felt a drop of liquid roll down his cheek and he quickly wiped it away. When he looked at his hand he saw it had a red smear on it, oh, it was blood not a tear.
He should probably answer Flash’s question soon. “Yeah yeah, I’m fine, I uh, I just knew Bucky when I was younger.”
No one had time to comprehend what a shit lie that was as five Hydra goons smashed through the door the second he finished his sentence.