Chapter 28
Peter poked at the pale stain on the front of Wade's suit.
"Great." he muttered.
"I'm wearing it loud and proud!" Wade grinned, puffing out his chest to draw attention to it.
"Please don't."
"You flung me on that desk and had your wicked way with me Petey-Pie, no sense in being shy now."
Peter's face flared as Wade gave him a saucy wink.
"By the way, feel free to manhandle me any time Baby Boy."
"Down boy." Peter warned, making his way to the back entrance with Wade in tow.
"Round two comes after we catch Norman."
"Total cockblock." Wade pouted.
The two waited by the door in silence. Peter lost in his thoughts while Wade tried to think of something to keep the mood light before the others arrived.
"I have a twitter account devoted to thirst tweets about you!" he blurted.
"What?" Peter choked, looking at his boyfriend with wide, surprised eyes.
"I've had it for a few years now. It's actually pretty popular. Surprised you haven't found it yet." Wade shrugged.
Peter just blinked at him, his mind void of a response.
"I mean, I know I have a list a mile long of what I want to do to and have done by you, but I didn't realize just how much others did too. While I'm a huge fan of your form fitting suit, I'm not sure I like how many others are too. Men and women alike!"
"I....uh....I'm not sure what to say."
Wade pulled him chest to chest.
"As long as you know my thirst tweets are the only ones you're allowed to like, I think you're fine not saying anything."
"I rarely get on twitter."
"Even better." Wade grinned, pressing his lips to Peter's.
Before they could get far, Peter's phone buzzed.
"Guess we're on the clock now." Peter sighed, pulling out of Wade's grasp and moving to the door.
"Lame."
Peter smiled at Wade's pout before slipping his mask back on and opening the door.
As the Avengers filed in, Peter bit back a chuckle as Felicia threw him a wink and plastered herself to Bucky's side.
"Really? You couldn't wait?" Matt grumbled, moving to his side.
"In my defense, it wasn't planned."
"I'll take care of Wilson then."
Peter did let out a light snicker this time.
"Alright Spider-Man," Steve said, turning to him. "Lead the way.
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"Wow. You really think he's in on it?" Jessica asked.
"The bar drunks are more honest than you'd think they'd be." Luke replied, parking the van in an empty alley.
"Well, only one way to find out for sure. Alright Jess, let's put those sleuthing skills to work."
Danny grinned as she rolled her eyes.
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"Well, that tunnel leads to the stupid docks." Felicia scoffed. "I'm not taking it."
"I don't think anyone should." Peter replied.
"I think it would be a waste of time and resources. Cap," Peter turned to Steve. "You know your team better than me. You call the shots on who goes with who."
Steve nodded, looking back at his team and dividing them up.
"Tony-"
"I'm going with Spider-Man. Harley's coming with me."
Everyone turned to their group members, all trying to appear as though they weren't intently listening in on the upcoming conversation. It wasn't a surprise to anyone that Tony was insistent on going with Spider-Man, but taking Harley with him was a shocker.
Harley hated Spider-Man.
"Are you sure..." Steve said, his look uncertain as his eyes darted between Harley and Spider-Man.
"It's good. I made a promise." Harley spoke before Tony could.
Natasha raised her eyebrow as she looked at Harley, not quite sure what he was thinking.
"Alright then." Steve nodded. "Everyone pick a tunnel and let's go. Remember, keep your coms on and give an alert the moment you see or hear anything. We don't know how far each of these tunnels go, so the earlier we hear from you the faster we can get to you."
Everyone nodded in agreement and began branching off into the tunnels.
Felicia shot Peter a wink before pulling Bucky, who shot a respective glare at Peter, into one of the tunnels.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that." Tony said, watching Black Cat drag the Winter Soldier away.
"He's in denial that Felicia has won." Peter snickered.
"They're gonna make beautiful babies!" Wade cooed. "I can't wait to be Uncle Wade!"
"Simmer down big guy." Peter chuckled. "Let's get Norman taken care of first before we go naming their children."
"Fine." Wade pouted.
Tony stood ramrod straight as he watched Peter and Wade. He took in the way they subtly leaned in towards each other as they talked. The fond tones, the loose stances.
To test him further it seemed, Daredevil joined the little group. While the man hovered protectively near Peter, he seemed rather put out with Wade.
"So, we should probably get a move on. Can't keep Norman waiting you know." Tony said, clapping his hands together.
He had chosen to forgo wearing the suit to avoid the sound, knowing that the nanotech would activate on command. He had even surprised Harley with his own nano suit, though he had seemed a little funny about getting it.
The three other group members turned to look at him before nodding in response.
"Yeah. I want to wrap this whole thing up." Peter sighed. "I've got better things to do than chasing around a crazy Osborn."
"Lots of better things." Wade added, sliding his hand down Peter's back.
"Let's move." Matt grunted, pulling Peter towards the open tunnel.
Looking over his shoulder, Tony watched Harley roll his eyes and glare at the retreating figure of Spider-Man. Letting out a silent sigh, Tony said a small prayer that this whole thing ended quickly. He hoped getting this taken care of would give him the opportunity to try to get Peter to join the Avengers for real.
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Norman frowned as he sifted through the security cameras in his tunnels. Every one he looked at had members of the Avengers roaming around.
It made things a little tricky.
He had known immediately when Peter had found his little secret room off the Oscorp. His sensors had tripped and his cameras began recording as soon as he had entered the vents.
Of course he knew it would lead to an investigation, he just hadn't realized it would be so soon.
He had to hand it to Peter though. He had swallowed his pride and left Harry, May and that Watson girl in Stark's tower. While it showed just how big a person Peter was, it meant using any of the three as an incentive to follow orders wasn't an option.
Grunting, he ran his hand down his face as he finally found Peter, and his party was both a problem and a lucky break. If he played his cards right, he could clear his debt faster than anticipated and have Peter all to himself without anything hanging over him.
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Jessica grinned as she popped the lock on door. It had been hidden away in a dark corner of the building, behind a permanently parked truck.
"You'd think there'd be better security here." Luke scoffed. "I've got a better set up at the bar."
"Well, I would guess that with the door being hid and buried back here, they didn't think it would be an issue." Danny replied.
"So, I shouldn't be able to find any hidden entrances around your place?" Jessica grinned challengingly.
"You can try it Jones."
"Oh, I will."
"Come on you two. Somewhere in this building someone is gearing up to get thier ass beaten." Luke grumbled, brushing past the two as he entered the building.
"Shouldn't we be taking this a little slower?" Danny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I would put money on the attention being on who's in the tunnels over what's going on at a back entrance right now." Jessica shrugged.
"Still," she pulled Luke back. "We should be careful."
She pointed up to a dark corner where a red light glared at them from the camera that pointed away from them.
"Fine. We'll take the stealth approach. Thank God we didn't bring Castle."
"He's on standby."
Jessica and Luke's heads snapped to look at Danny's calm declaration.
"What?" Jessica asked.
"I called him. If things go south, it's not like he won't be useful."
"I'm just surprised you were the one to call." Luke shrugged.
"Why?"
"Well, considering it's Pete, I figured Matt would have done the honors."
"You know how well they cooperate together." Jessica snickered. "But, when it comes to Peter, Matt will put aside anything."
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Matt's love for Peter was the only thing keeping him together at this point.
He could hear every time Wade tried to subtly touch Peter. Every time Peter's heart sped up. Every time Tony took a strained breath at having Peter so close but unable to connect. Every time Harley let out a frustrated breath at seeing Peter and Wade close together.
He could smell Wade's scent on Peter.
He hadn't been joking when if asked if they couldn't have waited.
For God's sake! His son was defiled and he had to deal with it.
He had often danced around his stance on letting others know just how much Peter meant to him, and just how much like a son he actually saw him. Here though, surrounded by everyone with an agenda, Matt wanted nothing more than to let every one of them know just who they had to go through to get to him.
Peter was his son and no one was going to hurt him on his watch.
Looking over, he lifted his hand, tapping Peter's right ear through the mask. His finger grazed the com linked to the others outside and he nodded when Peter turned his head to look at him.
Neither spoke, both knowing what Matt had been after.
It didn't stop the others from giving them a strange look though.
"So, any idea where this thing is actually gonna end?" Harley asked, breaking the silence and drawing everyone's attention.
"No idea." Peter shrugged. "The walk from the docks to Oscorp was a good distance for Felicia and Jess. There's no telling how short or far any of these tunnels are."
"Great." Harley grumbled under his breath.
Tony inwardly groaned. This was currently a disaster. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it wasn't supposed to be this awkward and tense either.
"Don't worry Mini Tin Can!" Wade grinned. "You got Team Red leading the way!"
A unanimous grown was all he got in response.
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Felicia gasped as she tripped, knocking into Bucky and causing him to wrap his arms around her to keep her upright.
"My hero." she whispered in his ear as she righted herself, making sure to brush her chest against his flesh arm.
Bucky swallowed hard as she lingered a little longer than necessary. She smirked as she sauntered ahead of him, swaying her hips in an exaggerated fashion as the dim light glinted of the leather of her suit.
He wasn't sure he was going to make it through all of this.
"Keep up big guy." Felicia threw over her shoulder with a wink. "Don't want you falling behind."
Yes. He was going to kill Peter.
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"Well, this isn't ominous at all." Jessica hummed.
"Yeah. Perfectly normal. Everyone has a torcher lab hidden in their place of business." Luke huphed, crossing his arms.
"I beg your pardon." Danny narrowed his eyes. "I certainly don't."
"Yeah, yeah." Jessica smirked. "The Rand Corporation isn't sketchy enough for secret science torcher chambers."
"Excuse me for that."
"Anyone else curious why there are no cameras in here?" Luke frowned, looking around the large lab.
"I guess someone doesn't want any record of what's going on down here." Jessica frowned, moving along the wall.
"Anyone else feel uncomfortable?" Danny asked.
"Like, getting here was to easy?"
"Because it was meant to be."
The three spun to a now open door on the other side of the lab.
Norman Osborn stood in the doorway, a sinister smirk on his face.
"I admit, I didn't actually expect anyone to use that old entrance, but I'm so glad you did."
The three jumped as the way they had entered was blocked by a large, steel door.
"You see, I was very concerned to find out Peter had locked my son, his.......fiancé," Norman sneered. "And his wonderful aunt, up in Stark's tower. No way to get them there, and that prevented me having any leverage of my perfect boy."
"Oh, so I guess your plan is to use us?" Jessica scoffed. "I guess you think we're just gonna let you use us?"
"No, I'm not stupid Ms. Jones. I know you won't go that easily. So, I'll just have to resort to.......other measures."
"I think I've had enough of your mouth." Luke growled. "How about we make this more physical and less verbal."
Luke shouted as he rushed at Norman, only to slam his fist into a clear wall between them.
"Tsk tsk. It's a shame you've left me with only this choice." Norman shook his head. "Enjoy your nap, children."
"What?" Danny yelled as Norman turned and walked away.
"What's that noise?" Jessica asked, drawing the attention of Danny and Luke.
A hushed hissing sound filled the room.
"Do.....do you guys.....do you guys feel weird?" Danny asked, stumbling slightly.
"Well, this is just perfect." Jessica huphed, dropping to her knees. "Way to easy getting in here. I'm really......really disappointed in us."
"DD..." Luke grunted, holding his hand up to his ear. "Spidey....do you copy?"
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Peter slammed to a stop as Luke's labored voice crackled across the line. Matt tapped his ear piece with a frown.
"Luke?"
"No.....Norman......he....he's with....he's working with....."
"Get out the tunnels!" Jessica growled.
"Guys?" Peter pushed. "What's going on?"
"Gas.....gassed us." Danny huphed.
"Get....get out...get out the tunnels."
The line crackled, the sounds of three sets of gruff breathing before everything went silent.
"Danny! Jess! Luke!" Peter shouted into his comm.
Tony, Harley and Wade crowded up to Matt and Peter as the two desperately tried to communicate with their allies.
"What do we do?" Peter asked, turning to Matt with a strained voice. "They said to get out the tunnels."
"Then we get out." Matt said, grabbing Peter's arm and hauling him forward. "Stark, tell your people to get moving. We're all to far in to go back, so our best choice is to try to find the end."
"Ma....do you hear that?" Peter asked, his Spider-Sense flaring.
"Do you smell it?" Matt asked in return.
"Care to share with the class?" Harley huphed.
"Run!" Peter shouted, grabbing wildly until he latched on to someone and took off running.
The five ran through the now dark tunnel, the lights having been shut off after the hissing sound had started.
"Keep running Baby Boy."
Peter head shot to the right as Wade's voice came out of the dark, meaning Peter hadn't grabbed onto his boyfriend during his panic.
Ignoring it, he continued to drag his unwitting victim along. The further they ran, the lights began to flicker. Looking back, Peter made eye contact with Tony. Of all people he could have snatched along.
Peter's thoughts were interrupted though as his Spider-Sense blared again before his murky body felt floor dropped from below his feet, taking him and Tony with it before a trap door slammed shut behind them.
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"Peter!" Matt shouted, slamming his fists into the ground, desperate to get the trap door to open.
"Fuck!" Wade shouted, slamming his fist alongside Matt.
As the two desperately tried to get the hidden, Harley stood frozen behind them. He hadn't misheard the name shouted.
Peter.
No. There was no way his sweet Peter was the arrogant vigilante. Maybe they had just yelled his name because the wallcrawler was....dating Peter and they worried about what he would say about them losing Spider-Man.
There was no way Peter was Spider-Man.
"Wha-" Harley gasped as he was slammed against the wall.
"Yes, Peter." Wade growled.
Harley looked up at the furious face, unaware he had spoken out loud.
"You would do best to keep your fucking mouth shut about it too."
"Get your hands off me!" Harley growled, struggling to push Wade off with his slowly clearing senses.
"Wade!" Matt snapped, standing up and turning to face the two.
"We don't have time for your macho, overprotective boyfriend shtick. We need to get ahold of the others and try to find Peter and Tony. We also need to try to get a hold of Danny, Jess and Luke. I don't know what's going on their end, but they clearly didn't follow instructions."
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Frank grumbled as he watch Jessica, Luke and Danny break into the hidden back entrance. Stealth was never his strong suit really. He preferred the more direct approach. If it wasn't for the fact he actually gave a shit about what happened to Peter, he probably would have.
Letting out a grunt, he sat himself up for a, hopefully, not long wait.
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"Are you ok?" Bucky asked, moving to where Felicia sat on the ground, catching her breath.
"Y..yeah. What the hell was that?"
"Someone gassing the tunnels. I'm not sure if it didn't work, or if they just didn't bother to finish."
Bucky's comm suddenly burst to life as voices rang out, all trying to confirm everyone's safety.
"Felicia and I are good." Bucky answered, helping her to her feet.
"Tony and Spider-Man are gone."
There was complete silence for a breath before the line roared with demanding answers.
"You heard me." Harley snapped. "We were making out way out the tunnel when I trap door in the floor opened up and they fell in. The hole was blocked off immediately after they fell."
Felicia gasped, her eyes panicked as she rushed off to the side, grasping at her private earpiece.
"Peter? Peter! Please answer me!" she begged.
"I can't reach him, Cat." Matt's voice responded.
"I tried. Also, I'm sure you heard our backups become compromised."
"What were they thinking!" Felicia fumed.
"They were supposed to stay on the sidelines in case we needed them! Now Peter is missing!"
"Felicia, listen to me." Matt's calm voice filled her ear. "Keener is telling everyone to continue on like planned. Right now it's our best option."
"Matt," Felicia said, her voice small. "I can't lose him. I can't lose my spider.
"You're not going to."