Chapter 12
"Jesus, kid!" Clint winced, looking Peter over. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Not the time, Clint." Steve said, slowly moving forward, not wanting to upset Peter.
The boy's eyes were wide with emotions, none of them anything Steve wanted to see. Peter hadn't done anything wrong.
"It's ok, Peter." he said evenly. "Let's get you inside and cleaned up. Tony will be here in just a few minutes."
Peter's eyes darted between the three Avengers as his feet shuffled.
"I wouldn't consider running, baby spider." Natasha smiled, openly sincere.
"You're one of us now."
Peter looked up at her. He wasn't sure how to feel about her easily given sentiment. He didn't know why they were bothering trying to make him feel comfortable. They could see him. They could see the blood.
The blood that clearly wasn't his.
"Come on, Peter." Steve said easily, moving slowly forward so as not to alarm the teen.
"Let's get you cleaned up."
Peter looked between the three. His anxiety was rising as the understanding of his current state was setting in.
"Let's go, Peter." Natasha smiled, breezing past Steve's cautious form and placing her hand firmly on Peter's back.
"You'll feel better once you've gotten cleaned up and in fresh clothes. Things are going to be hectic when everyone gets back, so I suggest making use of the relative quietness in the meantime."
Peter just started up at her as she left him inside and towards her room with Steve. It probably would have been better to take him to his own, but given Peter's severe apprehension to everything that had happened the last few hours, letting him know a room had already been set up for him probably wouldn't be the best move.
Gently, but firmly, she guided him towards the bathroom. Without speaking, she grabbed a towel and wash rag and laid them on the counter.
"Just use the soap and shampoo that's in there." she said before turning and looking him over.
"You're a little on the small yet precious side, but I'm sure we can find you something to change into."
She grinned at him once more before turning and walking out, shutting the door behind her. Peter waited, listening to the sound of her footsteps getting further away.
Once he could no longer hear them, his eyes locked on the window. Moving across the bathroom, he placed his hands on the glass and inspected the window.
"I have been given temporary audio access to the bathroom, Mr. Parker. I am to inform you that I have placed the windows on lockdown. You will not be able to open them."
Peter jumped at the sound of the AI speaking.
"H..how did you.."
"I detected pressure applied to the glass. Given your last visit, I made the assumption that it was best to go ahead and warn you against trying to exit that way."
"Of course." Peter mumbled as he moved back to the shower.
Turning on the water, he began to strip off his heavily soiled clothes. Of all the ways he could have pictured the day going, showering in Black Widow and Captain America's bathroom hadn't been a part of it.
Sliding under the warm spray, Peter did something he hadn't been able to do in years.
He shut his mind off.
No thoughts of anything. Just the feeling of the warm water hitting his skin.
Soaping up the rag, he watched in a detached way as the tinted water made it's way down the drain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Where's my kid?" Tony asked, walking into the common area.
"Taking a shower. He was filthy." Natasha said, looking up from her book.
"What happened to him?" Clint asked, concern on his face.
"Not sure." Tony sighed, flopping down on the couch.
"I still can't believe you put him in a suit and sent him here." Steve said, shaking his head.
"You saw him." Tony defended. "He didn't need to be out wandering the streets period, but much less looking like that! He tried to run from me, you know. The kid needs help and unfortunately, I don't see him just accepting it."
"You can't force it, Tony." Steve frowned.
"No, but I can give him every opportunity to take it."
"You're going to have to have a serious talk with him about what you've done." Natasha said, looking him in the eye.
"I'm well aware." Tony groaned. "Not just with him, but Pepper too. I'm sure that, if FRIDAY doesn't. one of you will rat me out."
"Where have you two been?" Clint suddenly shouted, jumping up from his place on the couch.
Everyone turned as Wanda and Pietro stood frozen at the entryway.
"We...just needed to get out for a little bit." Wanda stuttered.
"There's been a lot going on." Pietro shrugged. "We just needed a moment."
"That's fine, but next time, you need to let us know you're leaving."
Natasha smiled as she stood up and walked to the twins.
"We need to have a talk before-"
"Ms. Romanoff?"
Everyone turned as Peter's voice called out, closing in on where everyone was.
"Thank you for the clothes but I think they're a little bi-"
Peter stopped abruptly as his eyes scanned the room. Not only had Tony finally arrived, but so had Wanda and Pietro.
The three held eye contact, and Peter suddenly felt very uncomfortable in his slightly to large, borrowed clothes.
Clothes that were obviously Pietro's.
Still, beneath the awkwardness, the flame of the soul bond ignited once more. It spread its warmth throughout Peter's body, slowly pushing away at his tenseness.
Oh no.
This wasn't supposed to happen!
DO NOT RUN!
Peter flinched slightly as the voice boomed in his head.
A throat clearing finally broke the stillness as Tony stood up and made his way over.
"Hey, Pete. I'm guessing you might want to-"
"Peter!"
Peter spun around as a sobbing Pepper darted into the room.
"I was so worried!" she cried, pulling him close and tight.
The two stood with Pepper clinging to him a few moments before she pulled back and cupped his face between her hands.
"Oh, Peter." she laughed wetly. "I'm so glad you're safe. When we got to the home and you were gone, I didn't know what to do. Then we heard about-it doesn't matter. I was so afraid you had been hurt. Thank goodness you're ok."
Peter stood, frozen in Pepper's warm embrace. He didn't know what to do. Genuine concern for his well-being and safety wasn't something he had experienced since Ben and May.
"I should ground you good, Mister." Pepper sniffled again. "Keep you inside and in my line of sight at all times."
Peter couldn't even remember the last time he had been grounded.
No one ever seemed to want to give him a reason to be around.
"And you two," Pepper said, addressing Wanda and Pietro without letting Peter go. "I better not hear about you two just disappearing again either. Now, get over here."
The two grinned, rushing over and sandwiching Peter in between them.
Despite himself, Peter felt his body relax.
Physical affection.
He secretly craved it, but had long since buried the idea of ever getting it.
"Can I join in?" Tony grinned, only to have it fall as Pepper shot him a glare.
"Are you going to trap us in a suit to do it?"
"FRIDAY, you traitor." Tony mumbled, backing away from the little group cuddle.
After taking a steadying breath, Pepper pulled back. Wanda and Pietro remained in contact with Peter, their bond demanding physical confirmation that Peter was actually with them.
"A suit, Tony, really?" Sam said, walking up behind Pepper with a raised eyebrow.
Huffing, Tony threw up his hands.
"I needed to make sure he was ok!"
Peter lowered his head as the others joined in on chastising the billionaire for his choice. Even though he shouldn't, Peter felt guilty hearing Tony be yelled out when he was just trying to help. He just wanted to make sure Peter was ok, and now he was getting fussed at for it.
Just another person suffering because of him. Tony never would have done that if he hadn't ran.
"Peter?"
Peter jumped at the voice suddenly in his ear. Turning his head, he looked into Wanda's worried face.
"Are you ok?"
"Do you want to go some place a little less....crowded?" Pietro asked.
Yes.
"I....I..." Peter struggled to speak.
Say yes!
Why was this stupid voice so insistent? Nothing good would come of this move.
"Boss,"FRIDAY interrupted."The police are on the line."
Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Pep, I think we should both take this one."
Pepper nodded, moving to give Peter one last squeeze before following Tony out of the room. Once they were gone, there was an awkward silence for a moment before Steve broke it.
"Don't worry Peter, we'll get everything sorted out."
Peter looked into the comforting face of Steve Rogers, a contradicting sinking feeling in his stomach.
"Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'm starving." Sam said, making his way to the kitchen.
"That's a fantastic idea!" Clint grinned, following behind.
"Are you hungry, Peter?" Wanda asked, turning him toward the kitchen.
"Sam's the best cook here." Pietro grinned. "You donotwant to miss out."
Hungry!
The voice shouted, and despite his anxiety at his location, Peter had to agree. Besides, it would do him good to keep his energy up.
"Y-yes. A little."
"Good." Natasha said, coming up behind the three. "You're to skinny as it is."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, that was fun." Tony said, leaning back against his desk as the call was ended.
"Well, at least we get tokeepPeter this time." Pepper replied with a sigh.
"They should have let us keep him in the first place." Tony huffed. "He was better off here anyway. The adoption papers were already filed and there's are serious charges filed against his former gu...I refuse to finish that."
"We'll need to keep a close eye on him. He ran from us here once, then from the home. No doubt he'll try again." Pepper said, moving to stand in front of the large window.
"I should inform you Boss that Mr. Parker attempted escape from Mrs. Romanoff and Mr. Roger's bathroom earlier. I have the windows on lockdown as programed."
Pepper looked back at Tony with questioning eyes as Tony gave a little smirk.
"Protocol Glass Jar." he shrugged. "Can't have our little spider escaping on us."
"Glass Jar, Tony? Really?"
"Well, it was better than Protocol Bug Box."
Pepper made to respond before stopped with a pinch of the bridge of her nose.
"You know what, it's fine. It keeps Peter safe."
"I knew you'd come around to it.
"Don't push your luck, Stark."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter watched with fascination as Sam moved fluidly through out the kitchen, Dish after dish of food made it's way to the table
Why haven't we already been eating like this?
It's not like I had many options.
Peter grumbled in reply to the accusation in the voice's tone.
You need to eat. We are hungry!
You will wait! These people are heroes, they need to eat first. We shouldn't take so much from them.
We. Are. HUNGRY!
Peter angrily pushed back against the voice. This wasn't his home, so it wasn't his food. He shouldn't be taking anything from them really, but he wasn't stupid either.
Yes you are.
Shut-up.
You said they get to eat because they are heroes. We are ahero.
Spider-Man is a hero. I gave up the suits. We're not a hero.Not now.
The voice's angry rumbled under his skin as he was directed to a seat between Wanda and Pietro. The two smiled happily at him as they both piled food onto his plate
"We gotta put some meat on you." Pietro grinned at him.
Peter nodded back, a warmth crossing his cheeks.
"Go ahead and eat, Peter." Wanda smiled warmly. "We don't do shy at this table."
As she said that, Clint moved to steal a piece of bacon off Natasha's plate, only to have his hand slapped and his own bacon stolen.
"Hey!" he shouted in indignation.
"You should know better by now." Natasha gave him a pointed look.
"You could have just slapped my hand. You didn't have to steal my bacon."
"You obviously won't learn from words alone."
The two continued to bicker as small talk took over the rest of the table. Peter looked around at the smiling faces. Everyone seemed so happy and at ease with each other.
Was this what a healthy family looked like?
He remembered meals with Ben and May. They were always happy times, even when May burned the food.
But that had been so long ago it seemed. Almost like another life. He hadn't seen this type of family meal in a long while.
I don't belong here. Everyone is so happy. I'll only ruin things for them.
HUNGRY!
The voice shouted, snapping Peter out of his thoughts. He looked down at his plate, his eyes widening at the amount of food before him.
Eat. Now.
Picking up a piece of bacon, Peter bit down, letting the flavor wash over his tongue. For years now, he had been living off bland foods since he wasn't valued as being worth any of the good food. Now, something a simple as bacon was the best thing he had ever tasted.
Baffling once again, his brain shut off as he dove into the food with an eagerness he hadn't had in a long while.
Delicious! More!
Peter continued to eat, missing the smiles around the table as everyone was happy to see the to thin boy eating to his content. No one bothered to try to include him in talk, not daring to disturb him and risk him completely stopping.
Occasionally, Wanda or Pietro would run their hand through his hair or brush up against him. Without even thinking, Peter would lean into their touches, an action that didn't go unnoticed by anyone at the table.
The unfamiliar feeling of fullness began to settle in Peter's stomach as his plate emptied.
"Tell me you saved us some!" Tony's voice cut into the room as he and Pepper entered.
Peter looked up at the two as everyone assured them some had been set aside before telling how they had just wanted to make sure Pepper had some.
"Ha ha. I'm kicking you all out." Tony huffed.
Everyone laughed as Pepper rolled her eyes and the two sat down.
"Everything ok?" Steve asked.
"Yeah. We're all good." Tony replied, throwing a smile Peter's way.
Conversation picked back up around the table, even more relaxed than it had been after Tony's words.
Peter wondered what had happened that had changed things so quickly.
Slowing down his eating, Peter studied Tony Stark.
The man had been supportive of him, yet he had also betrayed him on multiple occasions. How could he sit there, acting like everything was fine when the only reason Peter was even there was because Tony had basically kidnapped him.
He hadn't run because he wanted to, he had run because he had to. He had to leave. He was meant to be alone. Always alone.
Otherwise, the people her grew to like got hurt.
Tony had brought him into their home.
Tony had doomed them.
"Peter?"
Peter looked over as Pepper smiled at him.
"Once you finish, let's go talk, ok?"
Peter nodded, unsure of what else he could do. He was essentially trapped here until he could figure out how to bypass the AI system.
We want to stay. The food is good.
Peter grumbled quietly as he finished up.
"I'll take that Peter." Wanda smiled, scooping up his plate.
Peter watched her walk to the kitchen, a sadness at the loss of her closeness flittered over him.
"Come on, Peter." Pepper said, ushering him out the room.
"We have a few things to talk about, sweetheart. Things that are very important for you to understand."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter followed Pepper down the hall and back into the very office he had stood in only hours ago.
"Have a seat, Peter." Pepper said, gesturing to one of the large chairs.
Peter shuffled over, sitting down slowly.
Nothing had been going how he had planned or thought it would. He was supposed to be gone, alone somewhere far away from the Avengers and his soulmates. They weren't supposed to be welcoming him into their home as though he was worthy of being there.
"I wanted to let Wanda and Pietro come with us, but I think you and I need to have a talk alone."
Peter swallowed. Maybe he wasn't as welcome as he was beginning to think.
"I'm going to start by saying, you're not going back to the group home. You will be staying here."
Peter's head snapped up to look at Pepper's face.
"Everyone is in agreeance, thathereis the best place for you. We got some......serious news while on our conference call with the police. The Matthews have confessed to all the charges that were going to be placed against them."
Peter's eyes widened in shock. Kathy and Kent had.......confessed? Confessed to what?
To your abuse.
I wasn't abused.
Peter replied.
They treated me how I deserved to be treated.
The voice hissed angrily, a tempered rage.
You were abused!
"Peter?"
Peter jumped as Pepper's voice cut through his silent argument.
"Y-yes?"
"I said, some....other accusations have been set against the Matthews. Accusations that don't pertain to you, but due to your placement with them, it's important you understand how necessary it is for you to stay here and avoid the city for a while."
Peter frowned. If the charges against the Kathy and Kent didn't have anything to do with him, then what did it matter?
"The media already know they had a child in their custody. It won't take long for them to figure out who you are. We're trying to bury your involvement, but we can't account for everything."
Peter frowned. Nothing was making sense. Pepper's words didn't sound like Kathy and Kent were facing any charges against his conditions while living there, so what had they confessed to?
"Don't worry any more about them, Peter." Pepper said as though she could read his mind.
"They're no longer people you should concern yourself with. You'll never be seeing them again."
Peter nodded cautiously at Pepper's definitive words.
"Now, despite the extreme circumstances, there have been a few things in our favor. Since we applied for your adoption prior to the arrests of the Matthews, the courts are going to allow us to proceed with things. They are hoping a quick adoption will also offer you more protection from the press. It's no contest that you're safer here with us than at a public group home."
"Then, why was I sent there?"
Peter froze.
Why had he asked that? It didn't matter that he had been sent there! It was where he needed to go to be able to leave! Now he was here, and there was no way to leave!
Pepper smile softly at him.
"At the time, the allegations against the Matthews were just that, but now, they have been confessed to. Now they are official charges. Before this, the protocol was for you to go to the group home until a time that your adoption could be addressed."
You ran. They are afraid you will do it again.
And he would. He knew he would.
He had to.
"You'll be staying here as your adoption is getting pushed through. A social worker will be out tomorrow to discuss some things with you and us." Pepper paused, studying Peter's hunched form.
"I need you to listen carefully to me, Peter."
Peter nodded slowly, his stomach churning.
"You are now considered a flight risk. Security on you will be tight until we can assure the state you won't run. If, and we really do hope it won't, your picture gets out, people will be keeping an eye out for you. They'll want to know your story of your time in the house."
Peter swallowed hard. The more Pepper spoke, the worse it got. He was causing them all so much trouble.
"I know this is hard for you, Peter." Pepper sighed. "A lot has happened in such a short time and you haven't been given any real chance to process things. I want you to know though, you're safe here. No one feels put out by you being here. quite the opposite really. I think they'd be upset if you left us."
Peter looked away as Pepper spoke. He knew she was just saying those things to make him lower his guard. They didn't really want him there. Maybe they wanted Spider-Man, but not Peter Parker.
Spider-Man was gone though.
He is not gone. He is us. You can't get rid of him. You are being stupid.
A knocking on the door stopped their conversation though, something Peter was grateful for.
He suddenly wasn't as Tony Stark strolled into his office.
"Sorry to interrupt Pep," he started. "But I think this would be a good time to talk with the kid myself."
"I don't think it would be." Pepper frowned, crossing her arms. "After the stunt you pulled today, you're lucky I'm letting you anywhere near my son."
Peter gasped as he his head shot up to look at Pepper's defensive pose.
Her son?
"Or our mate." Wanda huffed, her and Pietro storming in behind him.
"What is this? Gang up on Tony day?" Tony grumbled.
Peter watched as the four bickered amongst each other over his state. The last time anyone had fought over his feelings was when Ben and May had fought over which flavor would make him happiest in his birthday cake.
"He's a chocolate boy May!" Ben had stated confidently.
"No, he likes the traditional yellow cake." May had argued.
"Chocolate is what will really make him smile."
"You're insane Parker. My boy is a yellow cake man."
"We'll compromise, dear. Chocolate center, yellow frosting." Ben grinned.
"Nice try. Yellow center, chocolate icing."
Ben sighed in mock defeat.
"Very well, dear."
"That's what I thought." May grinned and giggled.
Peter had been more thrilled over the silly argument than the actual cake, but they hadn't need to know that.
Peter shook the thought away. It had been the last "argument", if it could even be called that, the two had had before Ben's passing.
"You can talk to him another time Tony." Pepper said, no room for argument in her words.
"After what you pulled today, I doubt he wants to talk to you anyway."
"Fine." Tony scoffed, throwing his hands up and marching out the door.
There was silence before the three turned their attention back to an uncomfortable Peter.
Arguments were something he tried to avoid when he could. They never ended well for him and he was always proven how in the wrong he was.
"I'm sorry, Peter." Pepper sighed. "Tony can be...."
"Pushy."
"Thoughtless?"
Wanda and Pietro offered.
"Sometimes." Pepper agreed with a little fond smirk.
"Anyway, how about we go see your room."
"M-my room?"
Peter looked at them, not sure he was understanding their words.
Why did he have a room? He knew they weren't actually going to keep him. This was only because they were also involved in the Matthews case because of him.
Just another inconvenience he's caused. They should have just left him alone.
"Yes, your room!" Wanda smiled grabbing his hand and pulling him up.
"Wanda spent most of yesterday arranging things like a mad woman." Pietro grinned, ruffling Peter's hair.
Peter felt his cheeks heat up at the attention.
"Let's go then." Pepper smiled, leading them out.
Wanda laced her fingers with Peter's as Pietro wrapped his arm around his shoulders.
They followed Pepper to an elevator that was tucked off to the side. The ride was quiet but surprisingly comfortable.
"Here we are." Pepper said, stepping off into a large living area. "The bedrooms are off this way."
Wanda, Pietro and Peter, still wrapped together, followed behind her as they walked down a spacious hallway, stopping in front of a black door.
"This is your room, Peter." Pepper smiled widely, pushing open the door.
Peter's eyes widened as he looked around the large room. His room at the Matthews 'could easily fit inside this one. Against the wall was a large, king size bed, covered by a deep blue comforter and more pillows than he had ever seen on a bed.
Against another wall was a large dresser, with all the drawers in proper working condition.
There was a bathroom attached to the room, as well as a walk-in closet.
A large window looked out over the green lawn surrounding the compound.
Empty shelves lined the walls and the empty bookcase stood waiting for anything to fill it.
"We wanted you to have space to add your own touches." Pepper smiled. "We don't know what kinds of books you like, or toys or anything, so we wanted to provide you with some places to put them once we start shopping for them."
"The dresser and closet already have clothes for you." Wanda grinned, opening up one of the drawers.
"We used FRIDAY's measurements for your suit to get your clothes." Pietro said, hoping to calm any fears the clothes may have given Peter about his privacy.
Peter moved over to peer inside the drawers, catching sight of the science pun on the front of the top shirt.
They were spending money on him.
Money he didn't deserve to have spent on him. He hadn't done anything to deserve the clothes. They had put themselves out for him and he didn't deserve it.
"I had no idea Tony would do what he did, so I hope things aren't to awkward with letting you know that our room is just down the hall. This is our private floor so you don't have to worry about anyone barging in on you."
Peter's head snapped up, looking at Wanda and Pietro before he spoke.......without thinking.
"I don't get to stay with you?"
There was complete silence.
Peter felt as if his whole face was on fire as what he asked sank in.
How could he ask that?
Why would he ask that?
Having his own room was the best option while he was here. Why was he basically begging to be with them?
Pietro and Wanda snapped out of their frozen states and surged forward, pulling Peter to them.
"We didn't want you to feel pressured." Pietro said, rubbing his back.
"We would love to have you with us." Wanda smiled, eyes misty. "But it's your decision, little spider."
She cupped his face, bending slightly to place a kiss against his forehead.
Peter felt his body warm up with comfort of the physical connection with his soulmates. His face continued to flame as they showered assurances upon him of their desire to be with him, but wanting him to feel comfortable and have some private time to adjust.
Deep down, despite how hard Peter tried to bury the feelings and thoughts, he wanted to be with them.
He felt loved.
He felt conflicted.
He wanted to cry.
Why did they want him?
What had he ever done to deserve them?
He had, over time, began to question if Ben and Mayhadreally been victims of their love for him. That loving himhadkilled them.
His parents.
Ben and May.
They had all loved him.
They were all dead.
Stop thinking. You are annoying.
Peter shut his eyes against the sting, and leaned into Pietro's chest. He felt Wanda's cool fingers run through his hair.
Slowly, as if of their own accord, he felt his hands lift and grab ahold of both of their shirts tightly. A silent plea to continue to hold him.
The two didn't move, only held him a little tighter.
His eyes grew heavy while embraced in their warmth. He hadn't had any sleep since yesterday, and the excitement of the past two days was catching up to him. He just wanted to sleep. He was warm, and safe, and....relaxed.
He closed his eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pietro caught Peter as he slumped against them.
"He must be so tired." Wanda frowned as Pietro scooped the small boy up and carried him to the bed.
"Would it be weird if we stayed with him?" he asked, chewing his lip.
"I don't want to leave him alone somewhere strange." Wanda said without hesitation as she crawled onto the bed, tucking Peter in to her.
Peter let out a little breath as he snuggled up to her in his sleep.
"We can always slip out before he wakes up. He seems pretty happy with things right now. Come on." Wanda smiled, motioning for him to join them.
Pietro smiled, slotting himself in on Peter's other side.
He couldn't remember ever feeling this content.
"We have to make sure we're out before he wakes up. We told him we didn't want to pressure him. Waking up with us in bed might be to much." Pietro said, running his fingers through Peter's curls.
"We will. Until then, I plan to enjoy having him with us. I feel so....right."
Wanda smiled down at Peter's peaceful face. He looked so relaxed and unguarded. She could only hope they would get to see him wear the expression all the time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter blinked his eyes open slowly. The room was bathed in the pinks, reds, and oranges of a setting sun. He pulled the blanket that had been thrown over him closer, missing the warmth he knew he had been feeling when he fell asleep.
Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and looked around. He stared blankly around the room, trying to figure out why nothing looked familiar.
"Where am I?" he shouted, jumping up, panic running through him.
"You are at the Avengers' compound, Mr. Parker."
Peter yelped in surprise, tangling his legs up in the blanket and face planting on the floor.
Get up. You are embarrassing us!
"Shut up."
Peter muttered, pulling himself to his feet. He looked around the large room again, the events leading up to being here playing through his mind.
"Wh...what time is it?"
"It is currently 7:00. You missed lunch and supper, but food was set aside for you to have when you woke. I have alerted Ms. Potts that you are awake."
"Ms. Potts?"
"I have been given strict instructions not to involve Boss in anything pertaining to you, Mr. Parker."
Peter blinked in surprise. Pepper Potts had the ability to override Tony Stark?
She really was the one in charge.
Peter looked over as the door opened, and a smiling Pepper walked in.
"Hello, Peter. Did you sleep well?"
Peter nodded. He had slept well. He hadn't slept so deeply in a long time. He had just about forgotten what a good night's sleep was like. He was so used to sleeping lightly, ready for any form of attack.
Yet here he was now, awake from a sleep so deep that he hadn't remembered he had even fell asleep to begin with!
"I...I did. Thank you."
"Good. Come on, honey. We saved you some supper. I'm sure you're starving."
As the words left her mouth, Peter's stomach rumbled loudly.
Pepper chuckled, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and ushering him out the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep right on through to tomorrow, baby spider." Natasha smiled as Pepper led Peter into the empty kitchen.
Peter ducked his head as Pepper sat him down at the bar and began pulling out plates from the refrigerator.
Natasha frowned as she took in Peter's slightly hunched form. She had only meant to tease him a little, yet Peter's entire demeaner told her he had taken her comment very seriously.
Peter acted like she had scolded him.
Things were worse than she thought.
Hoping to ease Peter's nerves, she slid onto the stool next to him.
"So, how do you like your room?"
"I...it's very nice." Peter said softly. "It's big."
"That's because Tony Stark doesn't understand the meaning of moderation." she grinned.
"He walks a thin line between it being endearing and a character flaw." Pepper chuckled, setting a plate baked chicken, potatoes and green beans.
Peter looked down at the plate of food, once again amazed at the portion size.
"Steve said we should keep an eye on your portions. He figures your metabolism is probably faster than a normal person, which is why you're so thin."
"I've always been thin." Peter replied hesitantly.
"As you'll most likely remain." Natasha shrugged. "But you're thinner than you should be right now. Eat up."
EAT!
Who even are you?
.......You ask us now?
Peter couldn't argue with that question. Instead, he began to eat as Pepper and Natasha talked.
"Peter! You're awake!"
Peter looked up as Wanda bounded over to him cheerfully.
"Did you sleep ok?"
Peter felt her warmth, as warmth he was almost positive had felt traces of when he had woke up.
"Yes. I...I did."
It wasn't a lie.
"Good." Wanda said with a nod. "You looked so tired when we showed you your room."
Peter felt the blush cross his cheeks as she brushed a few stray strands of hair off his forehead.
"Is everyone still in the common area?" Pepper asked, refilling Peter's glass with juice.
"Yeah. Clint and Pietro are currently competing for Mario Cart champion." Wanda said, rolling her eyes.
"Do you play, Peter?" Natasha asked.
"No. I..I never had the chance. I wasn't very good at them anyway."
"Well, that settles it." Natasha said with a smirk. "You're my favorite, my pебенок паук."
Peter looked at curiously. He wasn't sure what he had said, but her tone didn't suggest anything wrong.
In fact....it sounded rather fond.
"Oh no you don't." Wanda huffed, wrapping her arms around Peter and tugging him close.
"You have Clint's kids. You can't have Peter."
"Is that a challenge my little witch?" Natasha grinned, tossing her red hair over her shoulder.
"Um...I'm right here." Pepper grumbled as everyone looked at her.
"Yeah. Me. Peter's soon to be mother. I think I have a claim on him."
"He's my soulmate!" Wanda cried in exasperation.
"Semantics my dear." Pepper replied before Natasha could.
Peter sat, frozen in Wanda's hold.
Were they.....were they.....fighting over him?
Why?
Why would anyone fight to have his attention?
Who would want it?
He wasn't special and his attention didn't mean anything.
"He's mine." Wanda huffed. "He's mine and I'm taking him."
Peter felt himself pulled off his stool and shuffled to the doorway. His mind was whirling, desperately trying to process what was happening.
There was no way they were fighting over him.
No one fought for him.
People just fought him.
"Come on, Peter." Wanda said, backing out of the kitchen, keeping Pepper and Natasha in eyesight as though they might come to try and take him.
Wanda's possessive stance and feelings shot through the soul bond they shared, washing over Peter. His face colored and his breath hitched.
What was this?
His hands twitched, wanting to reach up and hold on to her.
No! Don't get attached!
He scolded himself for nearly losing his senses. He couldn't encourage that kind of behavior. He wasn't going to stay.
You are conflicted. It's annoying. It makes us want.....control.
Control?
The voice didn't answer, just festered under his skin. Like an ache to act. On what, he didn't know.
Wanda led him toward the door outside.
"I figured you might not want to be around everyone right away." she smiled at him.
"So I thought we might take a walk."
Peter felt his nerves spark. Being alone with Wanda? That was a dangerous step to take. It implied the desire for intimacy that he couldn't afford to have.
It wasn't like she was doing this for any reason outside the bond. Wanda pushed open a door and led him out into the last moments of sunset. The lights outside the compound were turning on, bathing the sitting area in a soft light.
"I want to get to know you. The real you. I want to know Peter Parker."
No you don't.
"I've gotten to spend time around Spider-Man, and as much as I like him, he's not Peter."
You should be grateful he's not.
"I bet Peter is just as good."
He's really not. You'll be disappointed if you continue this.
"So, tell me about yourself."
He didn't know what to say. There wasn't anything to say. He had no friends. He didn't do anything outside of school and Spider-Man. His hobbies weren't something he had indulged in in a long time.
He wasn't even sure he'd still like them.
Maybe if I tell her the truth, she'll realize what a loser I am and let me go before things get to far.
"There's really nothing to tell." he said, looking to the side.
"I don't have any friends, or any hobbies. You...you already know about Spider-Man, but outside of him, there's nothing else."
Wanda frowned as Peter refused to meet her eyes.
"Just because you haven't had opportunities, Peter, it doesn't mean there's nothing special about you."
Peter frowned. That was exactly what it meant. He wasn't special. Spider-Man was the only good thing about him, and he couldn't tell anyone about that!
Spider-Man was a secret!
Besides, no one would believe Peter Parker was Spider-Man anyway.
"There really is nothing to tell. I'm boring. I know it."
"Peter!" Wanda gasped, turning him towards her. "You are not boring! You're so strong, and that has nothing to do with Spider-Man! Nothing that happened to you in that....place," she hissed. "Was your fault. You didn't deserve any of that and you kept going! Your grades are perfect, Peter. With what you went home to everyday, that's pretty amazing. You were on your own Peter, and you've held yourself together better than you think."
Peter pulled back, looking at her sternly.
"You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand. You don't know what it's like being around me. You haven't spent enough time with me to know how terrible I am! You'll learn soon enough if you make me stay here though! You'll all learn, and you'll hate me just like everyone else! If you don't find out how worthless I am, you'll end up dead like my parents or Aunt May and Uncle Ben!"
Peter felt the tears sting his eyes. He knew he shouldn't be yelling at Wanda, she had only been nice to him, but he couldn't stop.
"People hate me because they should! I only cause trouble! I get thrown into the lives of people who never wanted me, but have to take me! I disrupt everyone's lives! No one ever gets to be happy when I'm around! Just do yourself a favor and leave me alone! Send me away! Send me somewhere you'll never run the risk of seeing me again! Just let me go and leave me alone!"
Peter turned sharply and ran towards the compound. Tears trailed down his face and he could feel Wanda's hurt and sadness course through their bond.
She would get over it though. They would send him away for sure now, and she and Pietro would get over it.
Once she told everyone how he had yelled at her, that would be it.
He somehow managed to find his way to the elevator and up to his room without being noticed. Hurriedly, he checked his bag that had been dropped off. Guiltily, he shoved a few of the clothes in the drawers into the bag. Once they sent him away, extra clothes would come in handy.
Now he was stealing.
He wiped the tears from his cheeks as he closed his bag and stood.
"Going somewhere, kid?"
Peter jumped, spinning around to look at the door. He swallowed as he took in the form of Tony Stark.
"I..."
Tony raised an eyebrow as Peter struggled to form words. Sighing, Tony walked in, placed his hands on Peter's shoulders and led him to the bed.
"Come on kid, I think it's time for you and I to have a little chat. If you're going to be yelling at anyone here, it should be me."
Peter flinched. How did he know?
"There's cameras all over the place here, Pete. I've been keeping an eye on you since Pep refused to let me see you."
"Of course you were." Peter grumbled.
"There we go." Tony grinned. "That's the attitude I wanna see, not that self-loathing one I saw you unload on Wanda."
Peter looked, anxious as to what Tony had to say.
"Look kid, I know I haven't been exactly.....trustworthy where you're concerned. I'm actually well aware of the lines I've crossed when it comes to you, but I can't say I'm sorry about it."
"Then why did you do it? You don't know me. You barely know Spider-Man if we're both being honest." Peter frowned, surprised by his own forwardness.
"I think I'm generally a pretty good judge of character kid." Tony smirked. "Spider-Man is already a better hero than I started out as. Spider-Man is devoted to being there for those in need. He doesn't go around showing off for the sake of it. He's a true hero, but he can't exist without you Pete."
Peter glared down at the floor. He wondered briefly where the strange voice was, why it had chosen now to remain silent.
"You still lied to me. You lied to me about finding me, and then you forced me to come back here. You put me in a suit against my will!"
"Admittedly, not my best decision, but what did you really expect me to do? Kid, you were covered in blood and already on the run. The police were out looking for you and whoever's been committing those murders struck not far from the home. I couldn't just let you be out on the streets."
Peter's hands clenched.
"I would have been fine! I could have handled myself!"
"Really? That bag was pretty lacking in supplies."
"You went through my bag?" Peter shouted, jumping up. "Who told you you could go through my stuff? You act like you can just do anything you want when it comes to me!"
"Considering the fact you shoved two very expensive Spider-Man suits under a bathroom cabinet, and I didn't immediately call you out on it, I think I should be given a little bit of a break on your privacy invasion. If you can even call it that."
"Of course you can call it that!"
"I noticed you didn't address the two suits." Tony deadpanned.
Peter hesitated. He didn't want to talk about the suits. This was about Tony crossing a line!
"I'm gonna stop you before you start, Pete. I do understand the fact things won't be the same between us for a while now that I know why you really didn't want me to find you. With that said though, I'll be talking with your mother about mandatory therapy sessions. I don't want to see another outburst like with Wanda."
"You...you can't do that!" Peter shouted, completely missing the fact Tony had called Pepper his mother.
"Look kid, I know all about self-hate, kid. In fact, no one is harder on me than me. I've gone to therapy for it, and although I'm loath to admit it, it's helped. After everything you've been through kid, you need it."
Peter growled, his anger rising despite the absence of the voice.
"You can't fix me! There's nothing to fix! This is who I am and everyone who gets involved with me learns that fact real fast."
"No, you've been made to think that way. As far as the real truth goes, you're just afraid of this being just like every other home you've been in. You're afraid that a pretty picture has been painted, only for it to be terrible once the dust settles. The real truth is that buried deep down, you know how you've been treated was wrong and that, no, you didn't deserve it and it scares you to acknowledge that fact because somewhere along the way, you suffered greatly for it."
He is right.
'Just...just shut up!" Peter cried, covering his ears.
He felt the warmth of tears as they rolled down his cheeks.
"Why fight the truth?"
"It's because you're lying!"
"Oh, I'm a liar? Isn't that your area? Arn't you the troublemaker here?"
Peter's eyes widened, snapping up to meet Tony's calm gaze.
Neither moved as Peter's heavy breathing filled the room. Tony knew he was being jerk, but he was fully prepared to be the villain if it led to Peter's path to healing. He'd take the abuse from the entire team if it helped his kid.
"I...I..." Peter struggled.
"I tell you what. I'm just gonna go. Why don't you take some time to really think about things. Think about how you've been treated here so far, and really think about the words everyone has spoke to you. Also, you should apologize to Wanda. She loves you." Tony said, brushing past the teen as he headed for the door, leaving without looking back.
As soon as the door closed, Peter collapsed to the ground in tears. He hated Tony Stark! The man thought he was so smart but he had no idea what he was talking about. He was just an asshole who thought he knew it all!
As Peter fumed over Tony, the voice took note of his lack of self-blame. Never once in his fuss did he put himself down. He focused on how Tony's treatment of him crossed the line, but never once considered the, what would have been normal, thought that he deserved it.
Tony Stark may have been as ass, but for the first time in years, Peter didn't blame himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Do you feel proud of yourself?"
Tony jumped as he came out the hallway to find Natasha waiting on him.
"I could hear the yelling from here."
"You gonna rat me out to Pepper?" Tony asked, rolling his eyes.
"That depends. How do you feel?"
Tony stood, looking at the ground but not really seeing it.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I feel pretty numb at the moment. I guess I'm just waiting for Peter's response."
"My guess would be anger."
"Yeah. I'm anticipating that. No, what I'm looking for is what he does with our argument. How will it, or will it at all, affect his way of thinking."
"You really should let Sam handle this kind of stuff. It's his area of expertise." Natasha sighed.
"I told him he's going to therapy."
"Oh, I'm sure that'll go over well. Forced therapy rarely works, Tony."
Tony shrugged.
"If you think he would have talked either way, you're not the super spy I thought you were."
"Of course he wasn't gonna talk, but Sam wouldn't antagonize him either. That little stunt could have set him back."
"You just told me you heard us yelling!" Tony huffed, crossing his arms. "The kid fought back. He didn't cower and let me just push him around. Thats a pretty far jump from what we've seen."
"Just.....just don't try anything like that again, ok?"
"Fine." Tony said, looking off to the side before continuing. "I saw what I needed to."
"What was that?"
Tony grinned proudly as he looked at her.
"The fight hasn't been beaten out of him yet."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wanda sniffled as she lay on her bed, dried tears staining her face.
Peter had yelled at her.
He had yelled at her and ran.
"He's just stressed sweetheart." Pepper soothed, rubbing her back as Pietro wet a rag in the bathroom.
"I'm sure he didn't mean it."
"I...I know he's....he's going through a lot, but....but it's like he's....he's purposefully trying to ignore our bond." Wanda sobbed, looking up as Pietro tilted her chin and carefully wiped her face.
"He might be." Pepper agreed, shocking the twins. "He's lost a lot of confidence. The amount of affection he's getting here probably seems fake to him at this point."
"But....he should be able to since our sencerity through our bond." Pietro frowned.
"Yes, but it doesn't mean his mind believes it. It's going to be a process, so it's important you keep trying. Try not to get discouraged. The soul bond doesn't lie, Peter just has to get over his fears."
"Should we give him space?" Wanda asked.
"No. I don't think so." Pepper replied, shaking her head. "I'm not saying to crowd him, but he needs to see that nothing he says if going to push you away. In his mind, he's protecting you and himself from disappointment. Showing him that you're still going to stay with him will be very important."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Anyone heard why Wanda ran through here crying?" Clint frowned, his eyebrows furrowed.
"No, but my guess would be it had something to do with Peter." Steve sighed. "I wish we had found him sooner."
"Well, we can't change the past." Sam said, patting Steve's shoulder. "All we can do now is work on the future."
"I'm gonna go call Laura." Clint said, getting up and walking out the room.
"Think he'll leave? I know this whole thing has been hard on him, having his own kids." Sam asked.
"Honestly, I don't know. I know he cares about the twins as if they were his own, but Peter's went into the system young. Him and Nat have been pouring through Peter's files, and from the few I read, I'm really shocked that Spider-Man's been on our side and not the other. Given everything in his files and his age, it would have been understandable if he had turned to crime."
Sam frowned. He hadn't seen any of Peter's files, but if he was going to counsel him, he needed to get on it.
"Where'd they put his paperwork?"
"It's in our room. I suggest you take it to your room to read. We don't want Peter to know we have them." Steve said, standing up and leading Sam towards his and Natasha's room.
Entering the room, Sam waited as Steve entered the closet, rummaging around for a moment before emerging with the overly thick pile of paperwork.
"Jesus." Sam gasped. "All that's on Peter?"
"Yeah. It's a hard read, trust me."
Sam speechlessly took the files from Steve, a feeling of dread settling over him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter curled up on his large bed, hugging himself tightly. His anger at Tony hadn't left him, but other thoughts had started creeping in.
He felt guilty over yelling at Wanda. She hadn't done anything wrong. All she had wanted to do was get to know him, and he had yelled at her for it. He had yelled at someone who was being nice to him! All the people he had dealt with who had hurt him and shouted at him, he had never raised his voice against, yet Wanda speaks sweetly to him and he practically bit her head off.
Exactly why I should be alone.
You are overwhelmed. You need to work off this feeling. I am ready.
Peter frowned. He didn't know what the voice was talking about.
It was ready for what?
We need to leave for a bit. The streets are dark.
What did that matter?
I can't leave. You heard Tony.
I will take care of it.
And with those words, Peter's eyes closed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Returning to the common room after dropping off the files, Sam looked as everyone, minus Wanda, Pietro and Pepper were staring intensely at the tv.
"What's going on?"
"A strange development." Steve mumbled.
Walking over, Sam focused on the news broadcast.
"After their arrest only yesterday. The couple, Kent and Kathy Matthews confessed to multiple serious accusations from their hospital room. The two had been found having been victims to a brutal home invasion before being taken in by authorities after a call came through suggesting they go check on them. According to reports, the Kents were found with evidence surrounding them of cases of child abuse and human trafficking.
Authorities confirmed the Kent's had been extremely forthcoming in details of their crimes.
We have no news as of right now when the court proceedings for their case will occur, but with this confession, it's likely to happen very soon.
It had also been reported that the Kent's were in custody of a teenage child at the time of the arrest. While the child has been removed from the home, it is unknown if he will testify against them for his own abuse case at this time."
Natasha frowned as she looked at the tv.
"I know what you're thinking." Clint said, looking over at her.
"They were gone a while." she replied.
"You don't think..." Steve started.
"Wait, wait, wait," Sam said, shaking his head. "I know where this is going. We all know those two were missing for a bit, but you can't possibly think they had something to do with this."
"If they did," Tony smirked. "I want details."
"Tony." Steve sighed.
"What, I'm only saying what everyone else is thinking." Tony shrugged.
No one argued.