Rise of the Vigilantes
Peter and Harry were at a bakery together. Peter started tearing up at the sight of the cakes and donuts on display. Harry wrapped a comforting arm around him, and tried to keep his own tears out of his eyes.
"This is trippy, isn't it?" Peter murmured as Harry ordered them their coffees (dark for him, caramel latte for Peter) and they sat down at a table.
"Yeah," Harry murmured. "First taste of coffee in six years."
"Can we get donuts, too?" Peter asked excitedly. "I'd pay, but I'm legally dead, and using my credit card wouldn't end well so. . ."
"Okay," Harry said, smiling fondly at Peter. Peter was like his little brother that got excited over every little thing.
"Oh, my god," Peter groaned as he took his first sip. "I might cry again."
"Me too," Harry murmured as he sipped his dark roast.
"First coffee in six years, man," Peter said. "They didn't believe in caffeine in Nanda Parbat. Something about how you shouldn't rely on drugs to function properly."
"I mean, they've got a point," Harry replied.
"He says, as he downs the coffee as black as his soul," Peter said cheekily.
There was a comfortable silence for a few moments. "Do you still carry your lance?" Harry asked conversationally after a few moments of silence.
"Do you still carry your bow?" Peter asked rhetorically.
"Good, because some guys are giving that girl a hard time," Harry answered, pointing to an alleyway behind the coffee shop.
Peter smiled at Harry. "You wanna deal with it?"
"Hell, yeah," Harry answered, grabbing his dark roast and downing it.
Peter and Harry both made their way to the alleyway. "Hey, fellas," Peter said cheerfully. "You know this isn't how one goes about getting the attention of a girl, right?"
The three guys exchanged amused glances. "Got a problem?"
Harry checked his nails casually. "Yes, actually," Harry said, before punching him in the face, causing the other two guys to reel in shock.
"Hey!" one of them yelled angrily, but Peter flipped him over and stepped on his stomach casually.
"It's one of my many signature moves," Peter said, smirking.
"You're crazy!" the third yelled, his voice cracking in terror. He ran off, leaving the girl with Peter and Harry.
"Thank you so much," she sobbed out gratefully.
"No problem, ma'am," Harry said, rubbing her shoulders lightly.
"Wait a minute," Peter said, looking at the girl closer. "Gwen?"
"Gwen?" Harry repeated, also taking a closer look.
"Oh, my gosh, Peter? Harry?" the blonde asked, launching herself at them. "I mean, I heard that Harry came back, but Peter, why didn't your dad do anything? He'd usually tell everyone listening. I mean, you're alive."
"I can't tell anyone. Well," Peter amended. "Anyone influential."
Gwen paused, her arms still around Peter. "Why?"
"It's a long story," Peter said.
"Come on, let's get lunch. You two are going to tell me everything," the blonde said sternly.
Both boys looked at each other gulped.
oOo
"Wow," Gwen said when Harry and Peter finished. They gave her the watered down version, not wanting her to know the worst moments. Hell, Harry didn't even know the worst of Peter's moments. He didn't push, knowing that Peter would tell him if he wanted to. "That's brutal, guys. So, Peter, you're being hunted by some assassins?"
"Yeah," Peter said, trying to sound nonchalant, shoving fries into his mouth.
"And you spent years on a desert island?" Gwen asked, turning to Harry.
"Yup," Harry said casually, also shoving fries in his mouth.
"What are you going to do now?" Gwen asked.
"I'm gonna try to hide out," Peter said. "I'm trying to stay on the down low, so don't tell anyone I'm alive, especially not my father."
"Yeah, yeah, of course," Gwen said instantly.
"But we're thinking about helping people, you know?" Harry added as he and Peter kept shoving their faces with food. "Vigilantes."
"Like Batman?" Gwen asked curiously.
"Kinda," Peter said. "But with more training and a really really bad track record." Harry snorted in agreement.
"Well, if you're gonna do the good work, then you'll need someone behind the scenes." Gwen wriggled her eyebrows.
Peter grinned mischeviously. "Yeah, you think Flash Thompson's looking for a job?"
Gwen punched his shoulder.
2 weeks later
Two weeks ago, two vigilantes became after, not long after Harry Osborn was found. There is much speculation of whether he is one of the men in the mask. No evidence has popped up of him or the other masked man. More news after the break.
"It's obviously Osborn," Clint said from where he was sitting.
"No evidence backing that up," Bruce said, not looking up from the book he was reading.
Clint shot him an incredulous look. "Harry Osborn comes back. Not even two days later two vigilantes show up. You're kidding, right?"
Bruce shrugged amicably.
"Guys," Steve said, Natasha and Tony behind him. "SHIELD wants us to grab these guys. He wants them working for him."
"How hard?" Clint asked.
"Both obviously have some training. The smaller boy has a lot more," Natasha said, walking around Steve and pointing at an obscure image Tony pulled up. "We're pretty sure one is Harry Osborn, but we don't have much to go on for the other."
She looked at Tony carefully before adding, "The other one might be one of his companions from when he went out." She hesitated before adding. "The bodies of everyone but Peter Stark was found."
"Let's get 'em," Tony said, refusing to meet anyone in the eye. "If it's Peter, then I can try to talk to him. Get him to come home."
Natasha looked at him impassively. "Okay," she said finally. "Here's the plan."
oOo
"That's our Aleankaput, isn't it?" the man asked.
Zaiem nodded, smiling solemnly. His daughter stood beside him, looking relieved. "Will we bring him home, father?" she asked.
"Yes, my dear," the man said, smiling. "We will bring him home."