Chapter 11
Harry hugged Peter as he entered his office.
"I'm glad you took the job, Pete. I feel like could use someone level headed around me."
"The board giving you trouble?" Peter asked, sitting down in one of the extra padded chairs.
"You have no idea." Harry groaned as he fell back into his desk chair. "They were expecting me to run this company like Dad, but I have no intention to. This is my company now, and I'm going to run how I see fit. Despite what they all think, Dad did at least pay attention to me long enough to have me take special lessons on business management."
Peter watched Harry, guilt stirring in his chest. He made an effort of shoving it down.
"But anyway, how about we go check out your lab? How's May doing?"
"Getting better every day. Her friend is sitting with her during the day when either Felicia or I can't be there." Peter replied, following Harry out his office and to the elevator.
"I still can't believe nerdy Peter Parker landed the hottie that is Felicia Hardy. What are you two now anyway?"
"First of all, you better not let MJ here you talking like that." Peter grinned. "And we're....complicated?"
"Friends with benefits is not complicated, Pete."
"Well, it's something." Peter laughed and shook his head.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Harry led Peter down a hall of glass walls. Behind them were people in lab coats moving around, all doing various things.
"This is you Pete." Harry grinned as he led Peter in to an empty lab at the end of the hall.
Peter looked around in awe. Everything was pristine and perfect.
"I had all the equipment in here replaced. No ones been in here to use any of it."
"Wow Harry. I'm flattered, but doesn't this show favoritism?"
"Maybe if you were any other scientist here. You're our head here Pete. The head of this department always get their own lab. No ones going to question it. I haven't advertised you to the others. I told them they were getting a new department head, but that was all. I'm going to avoid you during work hours as much as I can. I figure that way your coworkers can get to know you and realize how deserving of the position you are."
"Thanks Harry." Peter smiled.
"It's mutual Pete, trust me. Well, I gotta get back to the office and do boring stuff." Harry grinned with an eyeball. "I'll leave you get settled. Come see me before you leave today."
"Will do...Boss!" Peter gave Harry a wink and finger guns as the man left his lab with a chuckle.
Once Harry was gone, Peter began his inspection. He couldn't help but compare it to his somewhat muddled memories of Tony's lab. It wasn't quite as advanced, but he doubted anything could be. Tony made it his mission to be better in all things.
Peter gripped one of the counters. He didn't want think about Tony Stark, not today of all days. This was his official start to his life. He was excited to be here. It had nothing to do with Harry being his friend, that was just an added bonus. No, this was a golden opportunity for him. He would be able to take care of May and she could cut her hours at the hospital without worry.
Taking a breath, Peter continued his walk around the lab. He turned as he heard the lab door open. A petite, black haired woman stepped in.
"Wow," she starred. "You're way younger than I expected. I'm Lily Stafford." she smiled, stepping up to him and holding out her hand.
"Peter Parker." Peter smiled as he took her hand. "How'd you get the job of assessing me?"
She laughed out loud and shook her head.
"As the risk of sounding childish, because it was, I lost a rock, paper, scissors game."
"Thats not how adults figure things out? I've been doing it wrong then."
"I think you'll fit in just fine." she smiled. "Now I better get back to my space and let you get yourself together. I look forward to working with you, Peter."
"Same. Tell everyone to feel free to come in. I'm not going to be doing anything today."
"Will do!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, did you meet your team?"
"Yeah. Lily won the honor of meeting me first."
Harry laughed as he straightens up the paperwork on his desk.
"Don't let her fool you. She was the most interested in meeting you. She's the team extrovert."
"I can see that." Peter grinned, eyes widening slighted as he caught the SI logo before Harry shuffled the paper into his stack. "Was that an SI letter I saw?"
"Yeah." Harry grinned. "SI has been one of our biggest competitors for years. Unlike Dad, I'm not opposed to mending fences and broadening Oscorp's reach. Joint projects with SI will look good on us."
His feelings on SI aside, Peter couldn't help but be impressed with Harry's thought process. Peter briefly wondered if him getting a job at Oscorp had anything to do with the joint venture, but the way Harry talked, this had been in the works before he had been outed.
"You're doing great Harry. I know you try to avoid reviews of Oscorp, but they're getting increasingly positive. You should feel proud of yourself."
"Thanks Pete." Harry smiled. "This is why you're going to be my best man, no choice."
"People might think we're friends if I do that, and I can't have that." Peter grinned.
"I'll be sure to let MJ know of this betrayal."
"NO!" Peter whined. "She's almost as bad as May and Felicia!"
"Best man then!"
"Best man."
"As if I wouldn't get my way." Harry grinned, grabbing his briefcase and following Peter to the door.
As Harry locked his office door, Peter struggled with his curiosity over the SI collaborations. He knew he shouldn't care, but he wanted to know.
"Harry," Peter struggled. "Can I ask a question I probably shouldn't because it's not my place or business?"
Harry raised an eyebrow as they walked toward the elevator.
"Sure."
"What, er, do, you know what joint projects Oscorp and SI are doing? I mean, is it something already decided or, just an agreement for a future project?"
"Not thinking of working on something to impress Stark and leave me, are you Pete?"
"No way, Har. You're stuck with me for the long hall. Curiosity is just my flaw."
Harry chuckled and pressed the down button. He took a breath, then paused before responding.
"Truth is Pete, I really don't know. This only just became a possibility like 3 weeks ago. No project has been presented, its just that the doors are open between both companies."
Peter nodded, an internal fear lifted. It had always been unlikely, but Peter had feared the offer for joint projects had come from Tony learning Peter was going to be working there.
"Well, what ever it turns out to be, you're going to handle it great. I have faith in you."
Harry looked at Peter, his eyes so full of gratitude it hurt. I hurt to know that those kinds of praises weren't something Harry had grown up hearing.
"Thanks Pete."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey Red!" Wade greeted cheerfully. "I got your message from the lovely Lady Jones. I gotta admit though, if this is the shovel talk, I'm gonna need a moment."
"It's a talk, and also not one you're going to like."
Wade frowned as he took in Daredevil's tense state. Whatever the man had to say, it was probably going to end with Wade having to make a sucky decision.
"Well then, let's get this over with."
"Not here." Daredevil said, turning his head, listening to their surroundings. "We need to go somewhere private. We're to exposed on this roof for what I'm going to tell you."
Wade nodded and followed as Daredevil left the roof and started off through the city. They moved into a less populated part of the city, and ducked into an abandoned warehouse. Once inside, Daredevil paused, cocking his head, then turned to face Wade.
"I gotta admit Red, all this secrecy is killing me! What's going o-"
Daredevil slapped his hand over Wade's masked mouth and slammed him into a wall.
"Just know, I am about two seconds away from snapping necks, so shut up and listen."
Wade nodded as the hand was removed from his mouth, and Daredevil stepped back. The man studied Wade, causing the merc to squirm a little. While he couldn't say he had ever had any real problems with the vigilante, Wade also couldn't say he had ever been on the receiving end of his scrutiny.
"The Avengers want Spider-Man and it's your fault."
The statement was said so matter of factly that Wade wasn't sure he could argue. It wouldn't surprise him though. The gang had not welcomed him with open arms the day he had joined Spider-Man in the fight.
"Care to elaborate?"
"You, as I'm sure you know, are on a very serious watch list." The vigilante's brows drew down, narrowing the eyes of his mask..
"Yeah. My old buddy Nick really has a thing for me." Wade's grin faltered as the joke hung in the air.
"You're name being on that watch list just intruded into my life." The man growled. "Because of you, Spider-Man is on the run from both the Avengers and Fury."
There was silence before a furious yell.
"He's what?!" Wade fumed, throwing an empty crate against a wall where it shattered. "I'm who they want! Why are they after him?"
"Because he's to nice for his own good." Daredevil grumbled. "Fury has taken a step back to let the Avengers attempt to bring Spider-Man in for questioning. If they fail, Fury will go after him. I don't want Fury emerging from his little hidey hole. He probably wouldn't have even wanted to get involved if it wasn't for the fact that the stupid list you're on is his. That aside, Fury is my problem to worry about, the Avenger's are Peter's. I'm sure you know he's got history with Tony Stark that he's not happy with."
"I'm aware there's something between them but I don't know exactly what." Wade glared at the floor. "What do you want me to do?"
"I want you to stay away from him. I don't want the two of you seen together."
"What do they want with him anyway?"
"They want to know why Deadpool, a well known mercenary, isn't killing anymore. Apparently the wonderful Avengers were supposed to be your keepers and they slacked off. During their little down time, your habits have changed and for some reason, they consider your change for the better a red flag." Daredevil crossed his arms.
"That's the stupidest character motivation I've ever heard." Wade deadpanned. "I'll just turn myself in then."
Matt looked at the merc, surprised by this statement. Still, it didn't matter what Wade did.
"Look, I'm going to tell you this and I assume you understand it won't be leave this warehouse."
Wade nodded, not about to cross the man.
"I told Pete to avoid seeing you because he might get caught in a cross fire if the Avengers think they could just take you in."
"I just said I'd turn myself in!"
"They don't want you!" Matt shouted. Wade froze in shock and surprise at the vigilante's outburst. "They don't want to bring you in! I told Peter that to help ensure he did what I told him to. He'll stay away from you not just to protect himself, but because he also thinks he's protecting you. They could care less about bringing you in. They were watching you because of your history. You're history is also why they won't bring you in. They don't trust you to tell the truth as to why you've changed, why would you? That's why Fury wants Peter brought in. Your new 'hero trainee' status coincided with your interaction with Spider-Man, so that makes him more appealing. Fury thinks he has some big secret to keep you on a leash, and that's what they want. They want a way to keep one of their biggest monitored threats under control."
"Oh, I don't think The Pirate King could replicate Spidey's 'secret'." Wade grinned slyly.
"I'm not interested." Daredevil growled. "Just stay away from Peter. Keep doing what your doing. It probably won't make a difference but, if you keep up the good behavior with no appearance from Spider-Man, maybe Fury might call off his Spider-Man hunt."
"Fury doesn't generally go back on his orders."
"In this case, would be in their best interests if he did."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wade watched as Daredevil headed back into Hell's Kitchen. He wasn't sure Peter really understood the terrifying force that Daredevil was when it came to protecting him.
Wade's face fell as he pulled out his phone and pulled up Peter's number. He had gotten so close to having a possible relationship with Peter, and now it was slipping through his fingers. He wanted nothing more than to march right in to Stark's fancy office and threaten him to leave Spider-Man alone. The only thing stopping his was that he didn't think Peter would appreciate that approach.
Wade sighed and looked up at the sky. Why couldn't they just appreciate the fact he wasn't taking hit jobs anymore? Wasn't that what got him put on the list to begin with? Didn't he deserve some consideration?
"It's not fair."
"No, it's not."
Wade jumped with a surprised yell. He spun around to see the familiar cat burglar walking toward him with a frown.
"I followed the two of you here. I figured he'd pull the protective dad shtick on you."
"I guess you know everything?"
"Yeah. Pete filled me in. He's really stressed, for more reasons then you think. Devil's right though. You turning yourself in isn't gonna stop the Avengers from going after Peter. Spider-Man is the only vigilante you've ever involved yourself with to this extent. it's guaranteed Fury thinks he's a treasure trove of information. Also, you're losing it if don't think Stark is using this to his own advantage.
"That's what bothers me most. I feel like I'm feeding him to the sharks. This is my fault after all."
Felicia sighed and stepped up to him. She softly placed her hand on his cheek and turned his face towards hers.
"I can promise you Daddy Devil is keeping a very close eye on him, whether it shows or not. He's also got quite a few other people that will be watching him." she chuckled. "Until you can make if official, Spider-Man belongs to the vigilante community, and from what I understand, The Fab Four have investment in him as well."
"You mean I gotta compete with a guy who's literally on fire?!"
"Well, before you, he was the top of the list for Pete's first gay rodeo." she grinned and winked. "But that's not the point. The point is, unless the Avengers tread carefully and approach this with respect, they're going to find themselves in a turf war."
"I'm not sure how to feel about referring to Petey like property." Wade frowned.
"You telling me you don’t want to stake a claim on your spider booty?" Felicia smirked.
Wade felt himself get a little hot under the collar. Felicia smirked, clearly aware of where his thoughts were going.
"Still, just because you can't see each other physically, that doesn't stop you from keeping contact. You do have his number after all." she smiled encouragingly. "Wooing him through words can be sexy as well you know. Build up the excitement for when you can finally be reunited! There's also the option of sending nudes!" she winks saucily.
"You started out in cheesy high school romance territory, then you started drifting." Wade raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you ruin my fantasy time you ass."
"You're a weird individual, and that's coming from me. I know you and Petey hit the sheets, so you encouraging me to pursue him confuses me. Is this a joke?" Wade asked suspiciously.
"Oh no. I'm totally all for it. I just have needs too. It's not like I'll be popping in once you two are official. I'll miss it though. Our spider is something else in the sack." she grinned mischievously.
"I'm starting to think I'll never know!"
"Just try to relax. This can't last forever if you just do what your told."
"I guess I'll need to let Petey know I'm not ignoring him." Wade sighed in defeat.
"He's been trying to figure out how to tell you why he can't team up with you without sounding like he just doesn't want to see you. I'm sure he's a puddle of anxiety on his floor right now trying to figure it out." she sighed.
"I'll just tell him I'm doing some recon about the docks, so no meet ups can be seen with him or Red."
"Good boy." Felicia smiled. "Best not to say anything that lets him know D talked to you.....or," she grinned mischievously. "threatened is probably the better term."
"Let's just say I did indeed get the shovel talk, without getting the actual shovel talk. Matt's good. Well," Wade said, clapping his hands together. "I guess we better get this show on the road. The sooner we prove I'm changed and Spider-Man isn't my handler, although I'm not opposed to that, the sooner I can get back to that delicious spider booty! I'm gonna have to up my game. I've gotta be seen more as a solo act."
"That's the spirit! I'll even help! I'll take a few hours off from spider watch to let you stop one of my 'jobs'. Just don't expect to turn me in."
"Don't worry. I'll give you the forgiving Spidey treatment."
"It'll be nice working with you."
The two shook on it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessica frowned as she looked over her notes. She hadn't received anything new from Deadpool, but given the whole Avengers/Spider-Man fiasco going on, she wasn't likely to for a little while. However, it didn't mean she had been coming up empty handed on her own. There was definitely a coverup at the docks. Unfortunately, Daredevil was becoming less and less of a player. Signs were pointing towards Spider-Man. Whoever was sending odd vibes towards the docks were definitely targeting anyone that would lead Peter to keep checking the area.
This left her in an odd position. If Spider-Man was the desired target, surely he needed to stay away, but there was the point that something really was going on. If they kept Spider-Man from the area, would the mystery villain change their location? Right now they knew where he was somewhat going to be operating. Letting things play out and Peter keep going back would clearly keep whoever it was there long enough to find out what was going on.
Matt would never allow it though. Not right now. He wouldn't risk Peter being distracted and not giving his full attention to his surroundings. How long could they afford to keep him away though? Their was always the option of having him escorted every time he went, but that might lead to the same result not letting him go at all did.
Jessica scrubbed her face. By all accounts, there only seemed to be one thing to do. She would have to keep her mouth shut about the Spider-Man connection, but definitely let him and Matt know the docks aren't a dead lead.
There were so many ways this was going to blow up in her face. Still, given what was going on, Matt was keeping close tabs on Peter's movements, so there was that silver lining.
She was pushing her luck on how far she could stretch her tentative friendship with Matt though. Taking a breath, she gathered up her paperwork and shoved it into her desk. She could put off saying anything at all for the moment. Whoever was at the head of what was going on, was still in an early enough phase that she had time for some more research and hopefully for things on Peter's end to tie up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter stared at his phone screen. He knew he needed to tell Wade something, but what exactly? He didn't want to tell him about Fury and the Avengers. He wouldn't risk Wade turning himself in to protect him.
Peter let out a breath, smiling at himself. He didn't want Wade doing anything to protect him, because that's what he was doing for Wade.
"Alright Parker, you created your own web fluid, surely you can figure out a text."
No. No he couldn't.
Peter groaned and flopped back on his bed. Why was it so hard to just tell Wade he couldn't see him for a while? Just tell him he had some personal stuff to take care of. That wouldn't explain why Spider-Man was still out and about though.
"There has to be something-thats it!" Peter gasped, shooting up.
He was about to start his text when he received one from Wade. Curious, and a little nervous, he opened it.
/Hey Baby Boy! Met with Big Red tonight./
Peter's eyes widened.
/Gonna be doing a recon job, order of Jones./
"Thats....convenient." Peter's eyes narrowed as he read the message.
/I shall miss your gloriously delicious spider butt! 😭/
Peter couldn't decide if he wanted to be mad at Matt for interfering or not.
\I'll try to hold it together while you're busy.\
/Be strong Petey-Pie! Daddy will be back to you soon!/
\I'm not calling you that.\
/Baby, once I get you alone, you'll be calling me whatever I want you to. 😏/
Peter's face flamed.
"How can he just say things like that?"
/Now, get some sleep Peter Pumpkin. You need appropriate 8 hours!/
\Yeah. Good night.\
/Night sweetheart. 😘/
Peter dropped the phone next to him on the bed. If, and with Matt you could never really tell, if the job for Jess was true, it was perfect. Wade would be helping them, while making it easy on Peter to avoid him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Adrian Toomes was a lot of things, but a snitch didn't generally fall on to the list. He had spent the last few years shut up in prison, away from his family, and he would be lying it he said it was starting to get to him. He wanted freedom. He wanted his wife and daughter. He knew what he had done wasn't right, despite the intentions behind it, but he had gain very valuable information because of it. As far as he knew, no one other than him and Tony Stark knew the identity of the elusive Spider-Man. He was a 15 year old kid when he had gotten Adrian put behind bars, and yet Adrian couldn't hate him. Who could hate a nerdy kid just trying to do what he felt was right? The boy had been a classmate of his daughter, even going so far as to be her prom date! No, he couldn't hate the kid. So while he sat in a prison, slowly accepting more and more criminals that fell to Spider-Man, Adrian kept the boy's secret. He kept it guarded so tightly, he eventually quite thinking about it all together.
Then, suddenly, he was offered a deal.
"You tell me the identity of Spider-Man, and when I get out of here, you'll find yourself a free man. It's a guarantee."
With the promise of freedom and family, Adrain had only hesitated a moment before breaking.
"Peter Parker. His name is Peter Parker."