I'll Be There For You ('Cause You're There For Me Too)

Peter was giggling as Bruce and Tony both arm wrestled on the coffee table. Wanda and Stephen were out training, and no one really wanted to know where Natasha and Steve were.

“Get him, Tones!” Peter cheered. Tony grunted and pushed Bruce’s hand harder.

“You’re supposed to be on my side,” Bruce complained, clearly putting in no effort in holding Tony’s hand up.

“I’m always on your side,” Peter cried back indignantly. “Tony needs a turn.”

Stephen and Wanda appeared in the living room right as Bruce got bored and slammed Tony’s arm down on the line. Peter clapped, then yelped as Bruce disappeared.

“Sorry, bud,” Peter gasped.

Tony frowned. He saw the perspiration on Peter’s forehead. “Don’t worry, Bruce can hang around as a ghost for a bit.”

“Okay,” Peter mumbled, subdued.

Wanda smiled and sat next to Peter, who beamed at her. “How was training?”

“Good,” Stephen replied curtly. “Wanda isn’t going to destroy the world any time soon.”

Wanda winced. Peter threw an arm around her. “Hey! Progress!“Tony’s snorted.

Just then, Steve and Natasha came down, looking pale. “What’s wrong, Moonboy?” Tony asked offhandedly.

“Uhh,” Steve muttered. He glanced at Peter, who was giggling at something Bruce was doing. “We read one of Dad’s notebooks on us.”

Everyone winced. “What did you find?” Wanda asked.

“Yeah,” Peter agreed. “Who’s juicy secrets are being dug up now?”

Natasha pursed her lips. Only then did everyone notice the notebook in her hands. Stephen snatched it from her hands and started flipping through it. Tony peaked over his shoulder.

Everyone started when they suddenly paled and started reading the notebook more intently. “Oooh, must be fun,” Peter giggled as he tried to get closer. He jumped when Stephen slammed the book shut.

“What’s the book about?” Peter asked.

“It’s not important,” Stephen snapped out.

“It can’t be insignificant if you’re staring at me like that, Stephen,” Peter said cheerfully. He tried to peak, but Stephen threw the book at Steve.

“It was something about the moon,” Steve said suddenly.

“Ohh,” Peter said. “I see. Anyways, I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up when you need me.”

oOo

“Okay, Brucie,” Peter stared as he dug through his closet. “I have a mission for you.”

“A mission?” Bruce asked dryly.

“Yeah!” Peter exclaimed. “There’s clearly something messed up about me in that notebook, and we need to find out what was in there.”

“You mean you want to know what you need to cover for by having me spy on our siblings?” Bruce asked.

“You do it all the time!” Peter argued. “They’re probably talking about it right now! You tell me what’s in it and report back to me!”

“Why would I do this for you?”

“Because you love me and want me to be happy?” Peter smiled sweetly.

“Try again.”

Peter’s expression became affronted. “Because I am your only physical tie to this realm of existence, how about that?”

Bruce sighed. “Fine, I’ll do it. But Steve already said it was about when he was on the moon.”

“Stephen wouldn’t be reacting like that if all the notes were about was a big rock in the sky.”

Bruce hesitated. Peter wasn’t wrong. “Okay, I’ll do it. But you’re going to suffer when you can’t use the enabler card anymore.”

“Says the guy who still uses the dead card!” Peter answered cheerfully, throwing himself into his bed when Bruce disappeared. He smiled and curled into his mattress. Hopefully Bruce would let him know who to bug for the next week.

oOo

Bruce walked into his siblings clearly in the middle of a heated discussion.

“What do you mean we just tell him?” Tony demanded.

“We can’t hide this!” Natasha argued. “Either he finds out from us or from some trauma nightmares, and we all know what happens when you find out crucial information from nightmares!” She shot an apologetic glance at Wanda, who waved her off.

“I agree,” Wanda said. “This will blow up in our faces if we keep it hidden.”

“But he doesn’t remember,” Steve argued. “Why should we remind him of those experiences?”

Bruce was perplexed. He walked over to Stephen, who was still reading the notebook intently. He peaked over Stephen’s shoulder, reading.

Bruce felt himself pale. There was now way even Howard Stark would be that cruel. But Bruce knew Howard wasn’t a liar, especially when it came to his experiments. 

00.04 has passed at 12:34. Suspected cause of death: strangulation. If the pattern holds up, 00.04 should wake up in approximately two hours. However, if 00.04 has yet to get over his weakness, then he could prevent himself from reaching his true potential.

Once he wakes, 00.04 will spend the rest of the night in solitude in the infirmary. The rest of the children have become desensitized to his absences, and likely won’t notice at all.

Bruce took a shaky breath as Stephen continued to flip through the book, seemingly oblivious to his siblings arguing. Bruce balled his fists to prevent the other guy from making an appearance, not that the other guy could do much in his incorporeal state.

Bruce left hastily before he could read anymore.

oOo

Peter woke up to Bruce looming over his bed, pale. Ignoring the ghost, Peter stretched out and yawned languidly. “Hey, Casper,” he started cheerfully. “You find anything interesting?”

Bruce didn’t answer. Peter frowned, noticing Bruce’s eyes flickering green. “That bad?” Peter asked. Bruce nodded quietly.

There were only two people’s training sessions who got that bad. “You or me?” Peter asked, sitting up.

Bruce let out a hollow chuckle. “Don’t go snooping for that notebook, Peter.”

Peter gasped. “So it’s about you,” he mused. “So that’s why they didn’t read it around me. They thought you would sneak a peak.”

Bruce pursed his lips. “Please, Peter. Whatever you do, do not seek out that journal.”

Peter pouted. “That’s not fair! You know everything that happened with my secret training. I should know everything with yours!”

“Peter,” Bruce said firmly. “Promise me you will not seek that journal out.” Peter didn’t say anything. “Promise me.”

“Fine, I won’t try to read that journal.” Peter grumbled. In Bruce’s relief that Peter wouldn’t read the journal, he didn’t notice that Peter didn’t promise.

oOo

Peter wandered into the kitchen alone to see Tony cooking dinner. “Look  at you, defying gender stereotypes,” Peter cooed, smirking when Tony stiffened and turned to him. “Love it!”

“So, Tony,” Peter started, sitting up on the counter next to the stove. “Y’know that journal that Steve found the other day?”

Tony stiffened more. “Yes. What about it?”

“I need you to tell me what’s in it.”

Tony started, turning to Peter. “Wh-what?” He stuttered. “Why d-do you want to see it?”

Peter ran his fingers through his hair. “Bruce told me not to go snooping for it after he read it, so I’m assuming it’s really bad. I need to know how to help him deal with whatever he found.”

Tony blinked. “Bruce didn’t tell you what it was about?”

Peter huffed. “No,” he pouted. “And that’s not fair. He knew every dirty little secret about my training, it’s only fair that I know all of his!“

“Don’t you think he had a reason for keeping quiet about it?”

Tony’s mouth snapped shut. Peter narrowed his eyes when he saw his expression. “That little shit,” Peter hissed. “It was about me, wasn’t it?“

That explained why his siblings were walking on eggshells around him the past week. Why Stephen would glare when Peter would glance at a less than friendly ghost, or why Tony was taking him out for dinner so often, or why Steve was staring at him like a kicked puppy.

“What was in it?” Peter demanded. “My training? The mausoleum? My OD’s?”

Tony grabbed Peter’s arm. “You never told us you were locked in a crypt!”

Peter’s anger didn’t lessen. “What difference does it make to you?”

Peter had gotten sympathy from his siblings when he’d came clean during one of their trauma bonding sessions. As much as Peter would have liked to pretend he got away scot free, he couldn’t show up empty handed.

Peter knew that his siblings would never truly understand what it was like in there. It was just dark emptiness to them, while it consisted of screaming, desecrated corpses for him.

“A pretty big difference!” Tony yelled back. He was about to say more, Tony’s knife accidentally knicked his arm. Peter used Tony’s shock to slip away, running up the stairs to his room.

Bruce and him were going to have words.

oOo

“How did you only last a week?” Stephen demanded. “A week, Anthony!”

Tony pressed his head in his hands. “It wasn’t on me! Bruce was spying, and got all the details mixed up!”

“Wow,” Stephen scoffed. “Blame the one person who can’t defend himself. I’d ask him, but to do that, we’d need Peter, which defeats the whole purpose of keeping it from him. I’ll admit we should have accounted for Bruce spying, but you’re the one who ratted us out!”

“Let’s calm down,” Wanda cautioned. “What’s done is done, and now we just need to deal with the consequences. Peter knows at least part of the story, and we need to figure out whether to tell him or to try to keep it from him.”

“We have to tell him,” Tony argued.

“Do we?” Steve asked. He put his hands up defensively when everyone whirled to glare at him. “I just mean that Peter doesn’t remember. Why should we remind him? How do we know how Peter will react?”

Silence filled the room. Wanda fiddled with her hair nervously. Steve’s hands were clenching and unclenching. Stephen’s fingers were twitching, like he wanted to jump away from the situation. Tony was moving a knife between his fingers, a habit he’d yet to outgrow.

“We don’t know how Peter will react,” Wanda said. “And that’s the point. We don’t know how Peter will feel. But he has a right to know, and we don’t have a right to withhold this knowledge from him.”

“She’s right,” Natasha agreed. “Peter’s not alone anymore. He’s got Bruce and us, and nothing good comes from keeping it from him.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” Tony sighed. “But I agree with the big guy. Peter’s been clean for the better part of six months. I don’t want to mess that up. We shouldn’t punch a gift horse in the mouth and all.”

“That’s not the saying,” Stephen hissed.

“It’s metaphoric,” Tony argued.

“It’s bullshit - “

“Guys,” Steve interrupted wearily. “Not the time.”

Tony huffed. “For Stephen, sure. He’s never got the time anyways.” Tony shot a glance at Stephen, unable to keep the bitterness out of his eyes.

Stephen’s eyes turned icy. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You tell me,” Tony challenged. “It should be easy for a genius like you to guess what an idiot like me is thinking, right?”

“Guys,” Natasha argued. “Not right now. We should be talking about how to tell Peter, not argue because we feel guilty.”

No one said anything. Finally, Steve spoke up. “We can’t vote without everyone here.”

“And how the hell do you suggest we get Bruce in here without Peter playing translator?” Tony demanded. “Get a ouija board and wait for him to move the piece?”

“Besides, we already know Bruce’s opinion,” Stephen added offhandedly. “He didn’t tell Peter what was in the notebook. So either he doesn’t want Peter to know, or doesn’t want Peter to find out alone."

“Exactly,” Wanda argued. “Peter’s getting better with his powers. What if these memories are triggered?” No one answered.

“He’s going to drink himself stupid,” Tony finally choked out. “Best case scenario, it’s just alcohol. Worst case, it’s every illegal substance under the sun. I’ve waited too long for Peter to be sober, and I don’t want to tempt fate.”

Wanda perked up. “We’re telling him?”

“Yeah,” Tony sighed. “Better from us than a trauma nightmare. He’ll probably mess around with this, anyways.”

“Bruce wouldn’t let him,” Steve proclaimed, but that sentiment rang hollow in the fact that Bruce couldn’t do anything Peter didn’t let him.

“Should we give him the book?” Natasha asked. “That would be friendlier, right?”

“Yeah,” Stephen mumbled. “It’s better than the alternative.”

Everyone froze. “What do you mean?” Steve asked quietly.

Stephen’s eyes widened. “Shit,” he muttered. “Forget I said anything.”

“No, no, what did you mean the alternative?” Tony demanded.

“Look,” Stephen sighed. “Howard Stark considers himself a scientist. He’s kept meticulous notes on all of us. I thought it was stupid to consider that he didn’t keep video evidence as well.”

“And you found something,” Wanda guessed quietly.

Stephen nodded grimly. “I found something.” He held his hands out. “I just didn’t want Peter to stumble on it by accident.”

“Where did you find it?” Steve asked.

Stephen grit his teeth. “If you’re going to waste this time Bruce has bought us to ask me inane questions, then I’m out.”

“What are you saying?” Tony asked.

“I’m saying that if we want to do this right, we’ll need to watch the tape,” Stephen said through gritted teeth. “Stark’s notes are purely objective. There’s no emotion in what he saw, so there’s a chance this video is bad.”

“We’re all watching it,” Natasha immediately said.

“Are you sure,” Stephen asked, pointedly glancing at Wanda. “Because this is not going to be pretty, and the situation is delicate, so we don’t have time to take breaks if someone develops a weak stomach.”

“No,” Tony said, going to grab the TV. “We owe Peter this much.”

oOo

“So, everyone’s arguing downstairs?” Peter said, ambling down the hallways.

“Yep,” Bruce said warily. “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t.”

“Even Stephen?” Peter asked innocently. “I need to ask him something.”

“No, and don’t go in his room,” Bruce added when Peter moved towards it. “Cmon, Pete, you know how much he hates it when people are in his room. Go downstairs and eat something instead of waiting in his room.”

“Which is why if they were trying to hide something from me, they’d put it in Daddy’s office, right?” Peter winked at Bruce’s shocked expression. “I hid drugs in this house all the time. Leaned a couple things.”

Peter needed to know what was in that book. He had about 15 minutes before Stephen got sick of everyone’s arguing and came back. Peter did not want to become the next Wanda, and the sooner Bruce cooperated, the sooner Peter could start processing whatever was in the notebook.

Peter skipped to the office, hissing when Bruce’s hand slipped through his arm. He went in and noticed a black notebook with Daddy’s initials on the cover. “There she is,” Peter cooed. He tentatively poked the book, beaming when nothing happened. Peter turned to Bruce, who was looking increasingly pale. “Are you sure no one wants me to read this?”

“Put it down,” Bruce shouted, trying to grab the book from Peter’s arms.

Peter tutted and held the book higher. He ignored how Bruce could still reach it easily. “Now come on, my dear dead brother, that’s not nice,” he chided. “This is my diary, not yours.”

“Peter, put the book down,” Bruce cried out frustratedly. His tone make Peter pause. “Tony already told you what’s in there. You don’t need to torture yourself by reading about what you know happened in the mausoleum. Just put it down!”

Peter cocked an eyebrow. “Nice try. But you wouldn’t be looking like I murdered your puppy if it was just that. There’s something else in here. I want to see what daddy dearest had to say about our precious bonding trips.”

Bruce grit his teeth and turned away. Peter shrugged and opened the book.

oOo

The tape is six hours long. Stephen forwarded to two hours, and landed on a scene where a young Peter was banging on the entrance.

“Please!” Peter cried. “I’m not scared anymore, I promise! Please let me out!”

Natasha pressed her face into her hands, holding back tears. Steve rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. “Can’t we skip this?” He asked, diverting his eyes from Peter’s pleading gaze.

“It’s not my fault the timing’s off,” Stephen said through gritted teeth. “Bastard must’ve gotten it wrong in his excitement.”

Wanda clasped his shoulder comfortingly. “We know, Stephen.”

Stephen slowly started forwarding, in fear of missing something important.

Peter covered his ears and sank to the ground, curling up into fetal position. “Shut up,” he mumbled. “Shut up, shut up, shut up! SHUT THE HELL UP!”

His ears were bleeding. He didn’t know why. It was probably because of all the screaming. Dad probably left a long time ago. He stopped caring about Peter’s well-being a long time ago.

Peter felt tired. He didn’t understand what Dad wanted. Didn’t he understand that this was a lost cause? That there was nothing Peter could do to control the dead that surrounded him?

Peter suddenly froze. Stephen. That’s what Dad wanted. He didn’t believe Peter when he said Peter couldn’t conjure him.

The realization sent a fresh wave of tears down his face. Dad wouldn’t let him leave without Stephen.

Peter’s hands glowed blue.

Everyone straightened up when Peter’s hands started glowing. Bracing themselves, they watched as mangled corpses became visible, and started making their way towards Peter.

A hand made it’s way on Peter’s knee. Peter jumped. Everyone gasped when the form fleshed out. Then, the inhuman shrieking started. Tony had to fight to cover his ears when the dead started screaming. HELPUSPETERFINDTHEMPETERJOINUSPETERPETERPETERPETER

The screaming was so loud that even Stephen’s hackled raised, his brain going into the sole focus of getting his brother away from the danger.

But he couldn’t do anything but watch. And as much as Stephen wanted to jump in and get Peter out, he couldn’t. So Stephen resigned himself to watching his brother become more and more desperate.

Wanda yelped when the faces became clear, jumping into Tony, who’s face was frozen in a mask of horror. “Shit,” Stephen cursed, clenching his fists.

Natasha couldn’t tear her eyes away, and Steve was fighting the urge to cover her ears. “What are they doing?” Steve whispered when they started wrapping their hands around Peter’s neck.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Tony growled. “They’re killing him.”

The Starks watched with bated breath as Peter’s screaming slowly sounded strained, and how Peter’s eyes eventually closed as the dead’s hands closed around his neck.

Peter was clearly fighting, but eventually lost due to lack of oxygen. Eventually, he fell limply, the ghosts disappearing but clearly still there.

“Is he - “ Wanda sounded terrified. Stephen nodded, balling his fists.

“I used to be jealous of him,” Steve said to nobody. “I used to wonder why he got extra time with Dad when I wanted it so badly.”

No one answered. The Starks watched as Peter lay there for another hour, until he eventually gasped and shot up, rubbing his eyes.

“Oh shit,” Peter cursed. He flinched as the dead, not visible on the tape but clearly visible to him, started surrounding him again. “No, no, no!” Peter cried. “Get away! Let me out!”

The video cut out. There was silence for a few moments.

“Shit,” Tony cursed, saying the thoughts of all the Starks in that time.

oOo

Peter was frozen as he finished the notebook. Bruce gazed at him warily as he gently put the journal back on Howard’s desk. “Pete,” Bruce said gently. “Are you alright?”

Peter didn’t respond for a moment. “Fine,” he said, his voice cracking. “I’m just fine.”

“Oh, Peter,” Bruce said sadly.

“I mean I should’ve known,” Peter muttered, rubbing tears that had begun falling from his his eyes. “I thought Howie just kept me there til I was unconscious. I didn’t remember a lot of it. Should’ve known I was dying.”

Peter choked on a sob. Bruce ached to wrap his arms around his brother.

Just before Bruce could demand Peter make him corporal, the rest of their siblings burst into the room, balking at the sight of Peter tearing up, the notebook laying askance on the desk.

Tony sat next to Peter and drew him into his arms. “Oh, Pete,” he murmured.

“I mean I should’ve known,” Peter choked out through his tears. “I didn’t fully remember getting out of the mausoleum, I should’ve suspected I - “

“Breath,” Stephen said softly, appearing behind Peter and putting a hand on his shoulder. Wanda wrapped her arms around Peter’s other side.

Peter took a deep breath, his face still pressed into Tony’s shoulder. “I can’t,” Peter mumbled. “I don’t know how to react, I don’t know what to do, how could he - ?”

“I’m sorry,” Steve blurted out. Everyone turned to face him. “I used to be jealous of you getting more training time with Dad. I didn’t know that he - “ Steve stopped himself from finishing the sentence.

Peter shrugged. “Don’t worry, big guy. I knew you didn’t understand. That’s why I told you that being Number Four was the last thing you wanted.”

Peter pushed himself up and wiped the tears from his eyes. “You okay?” Tony asked softly.

“Yeah,” Peter said softly. “Yeah, I’ll be just fine.”

“Really?” Stephen asked.

“Yeah,” Peter smiled shakily. “And if I can’t be fine, Bruce will make sure I am.”

Unseen, Bruce nodded, smiling sadly.

“Now,” Peter said, getting up and twirling clumsily. “Who’s buying me dinner?”

The Starks laughed at their eccentric brother. They knew he wasn’t alone, and that he’d be just fine.

“Come on,” Natasha smiled, wrapping an arm around Peter’s shoulders. “I’ll buy you waffles.”

Peter beamed as Natasha pulled him out of the room, the rest of his siblings on his heels, Howard’s journal far from his mind.