Out Of This World

It’s late at night (well, he thinks) when Peter hears unfamiliar movement outside the room he’s been thrown into. Moving about in the cuffs, Peter looks up the door, and groans. It hurts as the metal tugs at his wrists, and there’s no point in fighting anymore. He’s exhausted.

But then the noise he hears is something that maybe he has heard before, from the day he was rescued in the first place. And a light bulb is suddenly above his head, and he thinks that perhaps Tony’s already found him, and tracking the phone worked. There’s less fear, less exhaustion, and Peter’s over the moon and regretful that he ever left.

“Tony?” he whines.

The door opens, Peter smiles, but then he sees a worried looking Pierce is staring down at him with a gun in his hand. He looks tired, hair tussled and blood on his arm… he’s clearly been fighting for his life. For all Peter knew, there were thousands of others like him on this man’s command, and perhaps Tony had let more than just him roam free.

“You’ve lost,” Peter sneers, “Tony’s won, he’s come for me, and he’s beat you. What are you going to do now? Shoot Iron Man with a handgun? Pierce it’s over, just give yourself in and maybe the people in the world will prove themselves a thousand times more merciful than you ever were.”

“I haven’t lost yet, Peter,” he says, walking over. He grabs the side of the cuffs that’s attached to the pole in the middle of the room and unlocks it. But he keeps control, handcuffing himself to Peter. He presses the gun against the temple of the young boy’s head. “I’ve won. I have you, Peter, and soon you’ll see what a man does when another puts their son at risk. People are like that. They’re a disease. Sacrificing hundreds, even thousands, just to keep that one safe. We’re selfish. We’re horrible. We take and we kill, and we’re good at it. We win.”

Peter squeezes his eyes shut, trying his hardest to ignore the feeling of the weapon as Pierce pushes it in, further and further. He can feel the pressure, and with one push of the trigger it’ll all be over, and Tony will have nothing left to find. “Please,” the young boy whispers, “all I want to do is go home. My home- far away from this place.”

“Oh, Peter, that’s all I want as well. I want us to go to together. I want to make sure I see the beauties that all the aliens over the years told me about,” Pierce says, walking slowly down the emptied, dark, hallway. Peter can barely see the light at the end of the long stretch, and if that isn’t symbolic of anything then he doesn’t know what is. “So, are you going to show me how?”

“I don’t know,” Peter says, truthfully. He tears up, hand shaking. He’s only a kid, a kid who was forced into an unknown planet after every being of his species passed away in front of his eyes. He’s scared, lonely, and all he wanted was some security, and the closeness of the few people he learnt to love, but instead he’s subjected to torture with every route he’s taken on Earth. All for the benefit of them, when they give him nothing at all. “Please,” Peter begs, “I really don’t know.”

“Of course, you do! Peter, be honest with me,” Pierce snaps. “You’re not telling me the truth.”

“I am!”

“Peter…”

“I am, please. I swear. I am,” Peter begs, as they get out into the back of the building.

Sunlight hits his eyes through the one window, and he winces, and he can’t see Tony anywhere. Where’s Tony? He can save him. He really can! He’s done it before, so where is he now? It’s all Peter wants, all he needs, now that he feels like this is the end for him. He’s crying, tears falling down his face at such a speed that he could’ve sworn it was raining. A fast-flowing stream, and at the end of it there’s no flowers, or cute little animals desperate for a drink. No, it’s only destruction, pain. Humanities greatest creation… suffering.

Just as Pierce loses his patience, Tony walks around the corner with the entire team at his heels. He sees Peter first, and his faceplate lifts as he smiles. But then his eyes dart to the gun, and to Pierce, and the situation is suddenly a lot more tense, and Peter’s terrified.

“Pierce?” Tony asks, softly. “Please. Put the gun down.”

“You don’t understand, Tony. I was close. So close. I could’ve done it, and I would’ve succeeded if you never found this little brat. Is he really worth all of this Tony? Forget the ‘space race’ to small, unhabitable planets such as Mars, America could be the first country to go beyond our galaxy. We’d be heroes, more than you are now. I don’t understand how a genius like yourself doesn’t want this?”

“Yes, he’s worth this. All of it, Pierce. Plus, he doesn’t even know how to get home himself,” Tony explains, trying to calm the situation as if he was a negotiator. “You just need to let him go, and maybe the punishment for entrapping all those aliens will be lessened.”

“You think that this was my only collection?” Pierce scoffs, “I’ll always be one step ahead of you. And I’m keeping Peter. He’s the closest I have ever got to the truth.”

“I’m not going to let you do that.”

Peter locks eyes with Tony, looking as scared as the day they met. Tony mouths ‘it’ll be okay’ and Peter’s worried that he’s so quick to believe him. Tony’s warmth, Pierce the opposite, and he’s stuck between the two. It feels like limbo, like he’s going to be here forever until the cosmic powers decide his fate. Will he be welcomed home into Tony’s arms? Or will be whisked away once more to be Pierce’s puppet?

“If you try to stop me, I shoot him.”

“No, you won’t,” Tony says.

“And how are you so sure?”

“Because you said it yourself, Pierce. He’s your ‘only shot’, so why would you kill him? It doesn’t make sense. You’re not going to trick me into just letting him you take him,” Tony tells him, “but thank for being so damn egotistical. Talking for this long really helped our plan.”

Pierce’s face dropped. “What?”

But before anyone could answer, before even Peter could understand what was happening, Captain America’s shield went into the back of the villain’s head. The man went tumbling to the floor, taking Peter down with him. However, before Peter’s head hit the carpet he was saved by his biggest hero. Looking only at Tony as Natasha grabs the key to the cuffs and separates him from Pierce, Peter starts sobbing as he throws his, now free, arms around Tony’s shoulders.

Burying his face into the side of Tony’s neck, he cries harshly as Tony rubs a comforting circle into his lower back. Tony rests his head against Peter’s, “hey, bambino, it’s okay. It’s all alright. You’re here now, it’s okay. I’ve got you. I love you.”

“I want to get out of here, get me out of here. Please, Tony. I want to leave.”

Hearing those words, Tony made sure Peter was tight against him before he immediately got out of the dingy, old, and frankly scary warehouse. He flew to the nearest building he could find, setting the young boy down on the roof. Getting out of his armour, he joins Peter and takes his hand.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you again, Pete,” he says, sighing. “I won’t be mad if you want to go far away from this place. I’ll get the world’s smartest people together and we’ll figure something out.”

“I don’t want to think about it right now, Mr Stark,” Peter whispers. “I just want- I want to stay with you, and I want to watch them put Pierce away, and-and I want to see May and my friends again. I just want everything to go back to normal.”

“Well then, bud. That’s exactly what we’ll do.”

A few days later with May Parker

May is sat on her porch, cocktail in her hand as these days there’s nobody around to tell her no. She’s staring out to the garden, which is now overfull with weeds, but one thing remains the same. Right by where the wood of the porch ends, there’s a giant hole where Peter first landed when he just a little kid, before something happened to him- when he disappeared months ago.

There are flowers on her table from her neighbours, all of which were given when they found out her husband was killed in action. She takes a deep breath, putting the glass by her side as she wipes one tear away from her cheeks with her other hand brushing through her long, brown, hair. She takes her glasses from their case, putting them over her eyes as she takes out the weekly newspaper to see if there’s any news on missing teenagers. If the local police can’t find him, she will.

But just as she gets reading, she hears an engine revving outside. She ignores it at first, but it gets louder. Now, knowing she lives in a quiet, undisturbed, neighbourhood, she realises that maybe there’s something going on outside. So, she steps up and walks out of her garden’s gate to see the havoc. A few neighbours have also stepped outside, and a few of them have their hands over their mouths in shocks. But what are they looking at?

And that’s when May sees the car.

Leaning on the side of the car is Tony Stark, and the person holding onto the man’s hand is… Peter?!

“Pete?” May says, eyes wide, “is… is that really you?”

Peter’s smile is beautiful, reaching to the side of his eyes. And although Ben was never his biological dad, it looks just like he’s come back to her. May rushes towards them, apologetically pushing Tony out of the way as she grabs Peter and pulls him into a hug. She kisses him on his forehead, and then on his cheek and the other and all over his face until he’s laughing and groaning.

She leans back, moving her hands to his cheeks. “Oh, darling. Look at you. Have you put some muscle on?” she laughs, ruffling his hair. “Oh, that’s definitely got longer.” When he makes a face at her, his face scrunching up as he struggles to keep the tears in, she sighs softly and smiles gently at him. “It’s a good look, you look handsome. You look just like Ben, honey.”

“It was my fault, May. It was all my fault,” he whispers.

May shakes her head, pulling him back into a hug. She sways back and forth, holding like old times as she squeezes her own eyes shut. “Don’t ever say that, baby,” she whispers softly. “It wasn’t your fault. None of it was.”

“H-how do you know that?”

“Because I know my boy, Pete. I know how kind-hearted he is, and how lovely he is. I know he’s the best kid I’ve ever met, and that all Ben wanted was him to be safe. Him going after you was a way of showing how much he loved you, honey. It’s not your fault that people came after you,” May tells him. She steps back, holding his hand, as she finally glances over at Tony. “And what a fancy car you came home in, hm?”

“It’s got heated seats,” Peter smiles, using his free hand to grab Tony’s. He pulls the man over to where the two of them are stood, looking up at him with pride. “This is Tony, May. He saved my life.”

May, of course, knew exactly who the man was, but she smiles and introduces himself anyway. “May Parker,” she says, “I imagine you’re quite used to people thanking you, but I cannot express my gratitude that you brought my baby home.”

Tony tightly smiles, as if he’s hesitant to leave Peter here. He doesn’t want to say goodbye. Before he even says anything, May looks at him knowingly.

“You’ve been with him for a while,” May says.

“I’m sorry, May, it was my fault, I asked him not to take me home as I was scared that they’d come after yo-,”

“I’m not mad at either of you,” May chuckles. She looks at Tony, “he’s brilliant, isn’t he? He just worms his way into your heart, and you can’t get him out. You don’t want to say goodbye. But can I just say… we’ve got an empty room. And I’m sure you do in that big, big, house of yours.”

“I do,” Tony nods, a chuckle escaping his mouth.

“There we go,” May smiles. “I guess we’re co-parents then, hm?”

Tony Stark

Driving home, Tony consistently looks over to the passenger seat which is now empty. He left Peter behind at his house, and his heart feels like a black hole. He knows he’ll see him soon, and to be honest they’ve already planned a visit. And they’ve said that when the kid’s back at school and settled that they’ll have lab days every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. So, it’s not like they’ll never see each other again. But when you go from seeing someone every day to sporadically, it’s a change in routine, and it really makes Tony realise how much the kid means to him.

Co-parenting is hard.

When he gets back to the compound, his first port of call is to research how many sites Pierce had. There could be thousands of other aliens in need of assistance, stuck in small cells and scared out their minds just as Pete was. They could be younger, older, or even the same age, and it makes Tony sick to his stomach.

But nothing comes up.

Frustrated, he turns and works on his armour instead. Updating, adding new features, and polishing old ones, Tony looks over at DUM-E and smiles softly. He’s back to old habits, and he figures Peter will be too. He hopes the kid’s happy now and knows that if he’s back with May… surely, he’s staying around for good.

Just as he’s working on some coding, his phone buzzes on the table. Grabbing it, his heart flips upside down when he sees just who’s calling him.

“Hey, kid. What’s up?” he answers, tilting his head when he sees Peter with a young boy he doesn’t recognise.

“Hey, Mr Stark! Look who’s already at my house!” Peter says, face too close to the camera. Tony must look confused, as Peter just chuckles and says the answer for him. “It’s Ned! MJ is here too, but she’s too busy catching up with May. I swear she likes my aunt better then me, and she’s meant to be one of my best friends.”

“Hey,” Ned says, “I’m your best friend. I even set up a mural for you when the whole school thought you died. I totally knew you were still kicking, by the way. I could sense it. There was no way my best friend was leaving me behind, you know? But when he said he was staying with a ‘Mr Stark’, I was like- what?!” he says, grabbing the camera and pulling an over-exaggerated surprised face. When he’s done, the camera pans back around to Peter who’s laughing as Ned continues to talk. “I was totally shocked. Peter has told me bits- like I know he’s an alien now, which, by the way, I totally knew before. I’ve got like extra-terrestrial x-ray goggles, and I saw right through the façade.”

Tony laughs. No wonder these two are best friends, they’re exactly alike. “I bet you did, Ned.”

“Woah, this is so cool. I’m talking to Tony Stark, right now. Like- this is me, Ned Leeds, talking to Iron Man! You wait until I tell my mom about this, she’s gonna flip! You totally saved her in the New York attacks in 2012. She’s like your biggest fan ever.”

“That’s just what I do,” Tony winks. “Now, do you boys want to see the new armour?”

“Yes!” both say simultaneously.

As they fawn over his creation, he thinks of Pepper… hm, maybe he really does want to start a family. Well, more like expand the one they’ve already made. Peter would be the best big brother, and Ned would be a funny big brother’s best friend. After a few hours of chit-chat over the phone, Tony tells the kids that it’s time to go to bed, and as May walks into the kid’s room that they’re having a sleepover in, looking as if she hasn’t slept, she shares the same sentiment (and Tony can’t help but laugh as he sees a young girl looking just as frustrated as May… ah, so that must be MJ).

When the facetime ends, Tony rests the phone on top of his chest and looks up at the ceiling with a fond smile stuck to his face. He can’t help it- he just loves this kid so much.

Peter, a month later

Settled back into school, Peter’s beginning to enjoy everyday life again. He’s in band, academic decathlon, and right back at the top of his class like he should be. He’s going to Tony’s every Tuesday and Thursday like they had planned, and he’s overjoyed that he can experience life without the fear that some manic is going to try and kidnap him once more. Because if they do, they’ve got Tony Stark to deal with.

It’s a normal lunch time when Peter makes a decision that changes his life.

Everyone is talking about some ‘Avenger’s level threat’ as soon as they’re let out for lunch. And when Ned shows him the footage of the team fighting Crossfire (apparently a villain that’s been a thorn in Clint’s side for a while now) over an evacuated city, he realised he had un-tapped potential in him that he could use to help the humans. Instead of fearing them and leaving them to hurt each other, he could be a superhero just like Tony was.

So, that night, he picks up sewing… and May never has to know the reason why.

The first few patrols are so good that Peter’s on the highs of life. He feels helpful, powerful, and like this was the reason why his mama sent him here. To be their hero… it’s his calling! Obviously, he gets a few hits that he can’t hide from Tony, but he blames them on falling down the stairs at school which, weirdly enough, Tony seems to accept.

Soon enough, ‘Spiderman’ is a household name, and either Tony’s forgotten what his powers are like, or he doesn’t care enough to ask… but the adults, and everyone else, in his life haven’t caught on yet. And when Spiderman finds a base, and a bunch of aliens like himself inside it, he’s ecstatic. Making his final plan to find all these bases and to free thousands, he puts himself on Tony’s radar… again, but for a completely different reason.

They meet after Peter got to his fifth base, freeing everyone inside it. And as he sits on the roof of it, eating a celebratory hoagie, his eyes go wide as the Avengers come running to the doors. They haven’t seen him yet, and he can barely make out what they’re saying to each other, but he tries to listen nonetheless.

“Do you reckon that ‘Spiderman’ beat us again?” Clint says, looking over at Tony who’s holding his mask underneath his armpit like it’s a motorcycle helmet. When Tony huffs, he laughs. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“How does he even know about this? Do you reckon he’s working for Fury?”

“Fury no longer works for anyone himself, Tony. Did you not read the email? After everyone found out about Pierce, more secrets were uncovered. Turns out Hydra was hiding underneath all the cracks too,” Steve explains.

Tony blinks. “Oh,” he says. “You know that I don’t read emails. It’s- well, it’s ancient. Just send a text message.”

“Back in my day we had to rely on-“

“Carrier pigeons, I know,” Tony interrupts.

“I was going to say telegraphs,” Steve mutters.

“Well, if all of you would just turns your heads up to the roof then you’d have your answer,” Natasha rolls her eyes. She smiles softly at him, and part of Peter figures she’s already caught on. “Are you going to come down?” she shouts.

Peter does as he’s told, shoving the hoagie down his mouth, and finishing it before he swings down to meet them all. “Hey,” he smiles. “Nice to meet you all. Spiderman, at your service,” he tells them, saluting.

“…Am I talking to a twelve-year-old?” Tony asks, glaring a little at the mask.

“Hm, no,” Natasha replies. “He’s at least fourteen,” she adds, before secretly winking at Peter. Oh, she definitely knows… right?”

“How did you know about these bases?” Tony asks, straight to the point.

“I have twitter, and it was a trending topic when you got to one the other day.”

“Oh,” Tony mumbles. “Well, keep doing it. I guess. I mean, you’re obviously talented at finding them. And I’m not about to stop you from doing my job. Just... be good to them, okay? The first one had my kid in it, and I love him. If they’re anything like him, they’re perfect.”

Peter blushes, “well, he loves you too,” he mumbles, before swinging away quicky before Tony could digest his words.

“…What?”

Coming from the stars, Peter’s more human than the people that tried to take him. He starts to love the people he lives amongst, wanting nothing more to see everyone happy and safe. And he does that perfectly as a superhero just like ‘Mr Stark’ does, and as the nicest person around like ‘May Parker’.

He’s got amazing friends, an amazing family, and he’s happier now than he’s ever been. He might miss the people he left behind on the planet in which he was born, but now, as he sits on top of a roof with a mask over his face that’s only lifted a bit for yet another hoagie, he realises that this is home. There’s nothing else to go back to, there’s no rocket he needs to build, because here, amongst these strange, complicated, yet loving people… he’s right where he needs to be.

Humans come in a range of different ‘shells.’ They’re flawed, mean, harsh, and even evil, but, on the other hand, they’re kind, loving, forgiving and they’ll do anything just for the sake of others. Humans are so diverse, and so different, and Peter loves getting to know each and everyone he comes across. He has his favourites, of course, but when there’s nothing to do with Spiderman… his favourite pastime is to sit and watch the world go by. He’ll watch a couple of his age experience love for the first time, and just beside them are an old couple that are experiencing it for the thousandth. But you can see in the depths of their eyes that, to them, nothing has changed since the day they were the teen’s age. Because love is so strong, built to defeat any evil- and Peter feels privileged to have it everywhere in his life. Yeah, there’s no way he’s leaving this planet… plus, he’s still got a job to do.

Deep in rural USA, there’s a small village of only fifty houses. They live close to the sea, and the only exciting thing that has happened to them before is when a child flew from the sky, met Tony Stark, and started to save the world as Spiderman. But, other than that, it was a completely ordinary village and a long story which has a happy ending.

Well, until the other planets start to threaten them… (and Tony figures out who’s behind the mask) but that’s for another day.