Part 1
Muffled voices were the first sign he was returning to consciousness.
He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, or where he was.
His body felt heavy as the world around him came further into focus. The voices nearby growing louder until he could make out what they were saying.
"15! I still can't believe you, Tony!"
"Just how desperate were you?"
"Thank God Lila wasn't practicing her archery! You probably would have tried to recruit her too? She's not that much younger than him!"
"I think you all need to carry this on somewhere else."
Peter's breath hitched as Matt's voice spoke calmly.
There was a moment before the sound of arguing continued, but started moving further away.
"You too, Stark."
"Not until he wakes up."
"That's your team, and your responsibility. You need to go handle your shit."
There was a long sigh, followed by the shuffling away of feet.
Once they were gone, the squeak of a door filled the silence.
"Try to open your eyes, Pete. I know you're awake."
Peter slowly cracked his eyes open, closing them back quickly against the bright light.
"Lower the lights FRIDAY." Matt directed.
Opening his eyes again, he turned his head toward the one person in the room.
Matt's face was expressionless as he moved closer to the bed. Lifting his hand, he ran his fingers over a bandage across Peter's forehead.
"You had a pretty good gash across your forehead."
Peter frowned. He hadn't even realized he had gotten hurt.
"You....you don't look all that good either." Peter replied, studying Matt's bruised face.
"I'm not the one in a bed, Peter." Matt replied flatly, face expressionless.
Peter flinched at the tone.
It wasn't often Matt got so guarded with him, and Peter hated it when it did.
"How mad-"
"Furious. I don't know what you were thinking."
Peter looked away, guilt gnawing at him.
"I was worried about you."
"I can take care of myself, Peter. I can take care of myself, just like I've trusted you to do the same."
Before he could respond, the door to his room opened, revealing the tired faces of both May and Felicia.
He didn't miss the distinct absence of Wade.
"Hey Matt, we saw everyone had-Peter!" May cried, rushing towards the bed. "Oh, Peter!"
Tears slid down her cheeks as she cupped his face.
"I'm so glad you're ok. I was so worried when they brought you in!"
"I'm sorry, May."
"You're in big trouble once you get out of this bed young man." May said, a wet, strained laugh leaving her.
Peter gave a small smile, knowing he would deserve it for worrying her.
Sitting up, he pulled May into a hug, telling her he loved her as she buried her face in his shoulder. He held her for a while before she straightened up with a sniffle.
"There's someone else that has a bone to pick with you." May said, moving out of the way for Felicia to step forward.
"Hey Fel-" Peter stopped as Felicia's hand slapped him hard across the cheek.
Peter looked up, wide-eyed as Felicia glared back at him, red eyed and dried tears.
"How dare you! How dare you do that to us! What were you thinking going back there? You could have died, Peter!"
"Felicia, I-"
"No! Did you even think about what would happen if you had been killed? Did you even think about how we would feel? We love you, Peter!"
Peter looked down, shame now piling onto his guilt. No, the fact he might not have been able to get out had never crossed his mind. He hadn't given any thought to his own safety.
"No. I..I can't. I...I..I hate you!" Felicia yelled, turning and running out the room, leaving Peter's pleading calls behind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I just can't believe you, Stark." Sam said, shaking his head. "I know things were pretty heated between us, but to bring in a 15 year old kid? That's insane man.”
Tony sat in a chair in the briefing room, listening silently to everyone around him ripping into him. He deserved it, he knew he did, but it didn’t make it any easier to hear.
It was one thing to admit to himself and Peter that he had screwed up, but to hear his teammates, who hadn’t even been that at the time, do it was a whole new low.
He couldn’t say anything back. They hadn’t known who Spider-Man was under the suit.
Tony had basically tricked them into fighting a teenager.
“Did you know about this, Steve? Why are you being so quiet?” Natasha asked, no judgement in her voice, just genuine curiosity.
“You haven't said much either, Nat.” Clint huffed.
“I’m not in a position to judge. I’ve made plenty of bad calls and done plenty of bad things. Do I think what Tony did was stupid? Yes. It wasn’t Spider-Man’s fight. That said, it was a strategic move and Tony would have been held accountable if something had happened to him.”
“We could have killed him, you know.” Wanda said, her voice quiet and soft.
“And it would have been Tony’s fault and his burden to bear. He knew Peter was a kid, you did not. You treated him like any other super.”
“Steve?” Wanda asked.
Everyone aside from Tony turned to the super soldier.
Tony couldn’t bear to look over and see what Steve’s expression might be.
“I didn’t know. I knew he was young due to his voice, but no, I didn’t know he was that young. That said, I’m not sure age is the issue here.”
“What? Really Steve?” Sam shouted. “He was 15!”
“And already out fighting crime. Yeah, 15 is young and I don’t like it, but I'm not in a position to criticize anyone based on their age. I’m more concerned about how he got involved to begin with. I can’t believe you basically blackmailed him, Tony.”
Tony looked up at Steve’s face slowly, afraid of what he was about to see.
Steve's expression was closed off, preventing Tony to get a good read on how he felt past his words.
From his place off to the side, Thor watched his teammates argue, taking in everything said. He had returned to find his friends had returned from a large fight, some needing medical attention.
More importantly though, was the obvious divide between them.
"In Asgard," Thor started, voice even and calm. "Our boys are raised to be fighters, whether they do so or not. While I am not one to judge the age of fighting here, I do understand the unnoble act of tricking someone into battle."
There was a long pause before the god continued.
"I was not here to partake in your war, so I also have no real understanding of all the events. However, from what I can gather, the Man of Spiders continued to do battle even after departing from our friend, Stark. Perhaps this is something that should be taken into account as well."
"What, that because he kept going out fighting crime, we shouldn't blame Tony for anything?" Sam asked, eyes narrowed.
"No. I am simply saying his own abilities should be kept in mind when it comes to the guilt of having fought him. Where is your anger really coming from? His age? Stark's trickery? Your own guilt? You should know that before making any rash calls."
No one spoke for a moment, each gathering their thoughts on Thor's questions.
"Is that why he didn't want anything to do with you? The way you brought him with you?" Wanda asked.
"No, not that." Tony sighed, speaking for the first time since it had come out who Spider-Man was.
"Our trouble started after you all were long gone. I grossly underestimated him, and it....damn near backfired in my face in the worst possible way. I didn't really listen to him and entrusted one of his leads to people who, given the circumstances, really would have been better off leaving it to me. Instead, Peter answered the call and saved me in more ways than one."
"The Stark Industries plane crash on the beach." Vision nodded. "It was on the news. I'm assuming that was Spider-Man and Adrian Toomes?"
Everyone looked over at the android in surprise.
"It was on the news. I saw it while Wanda was out."
"Yeah, that was Peter. Given what Toomes planned to do, Peter saved a lot of people. Saved a lot of people and almost lost his life."
"Jesus." Sam frowned, letting out a breath.
"What else?" Clint glared. "What else did you do? There's more there than just you not listening to him."
Tony didn't respond, looking back down at the table.
"Does it matter?" he finally asked before looking up with a hard expression.
"I know I'm not really in the position, but what happened after that really is between me and Peter. Nothing that happened after Germany has anything to do with any of you."
"Are you serious?"
Everyone looked at Tony in surprise.
"I'm very serious." Tony growled. "I'm not going to air all of the dirty laundry between me and Peter because it's just that! Green Goblin has nothing to do with this."
"Of course it does!" Sam shouted. "Spider-Man came to us because of Norman!"
"But the trouble between me and Peter has nothing to do with Spider-Man!" Tony shouted back.
He knew that was a fine line to walk. Tony had used Norman's break in at Oscorp to get Peter back, but it wasn't a lie that he had done that before Norman returned to the costume. Peter had ultimately accepted the deal when Green Goblin emerged as a real threat to his friends and family.
"Spider-Man came because of the Green Goblin, not Norman! You want to yell at me, do it because I brought a 15 year old kid into something I shouldn't have, not because of anything after!"
There was silence in the room again as everyone tried to gather their thoughts.
It was true that they didn't really have a right to demand information from Tony about his issues with civilian Peter Parker, at least, not without him present.
Spider-Man had remained closed lipped about anything between himself and Tony, and he had had more than enough opportunities to use the information against Tony.
Had anyone on the team known what had happened, they would have been beating down his door to offer help. They would have gone to him and not the other way around.
"Tony, I think we should talk to Peter." Steve finally said. "Let him decide if he wants to talk about it. It is an invasion of his own privacy if we force it out of you. He has a right to tell his own story, or keep it to himself. We owe it to him, on your behalf, to give him that option."
"You can't be serious, Steve." Sam sighed.
"I am. We all have secrets, things we wouldn't want anyone else telling. We need to respect Peter's right to be the one to tell."
"I agree." Natasha nodded. "I have plenty of things I'd kill Clint for telling."
Clint gasped.
"I'd never-oh." Clint stopped. "Ok. I agree."
"I agree as well." Wanda said softly.
"I will side with the captain." Vision answered.
"Fine. As soon as Peter's out of bed, we all talk." Sam agreed. "Until then, I need some air."
Everyone but Steve and Natasha stood, leaving the room silently.
"You two staying to yell at me some more?" Tony asked, resigned to his fate.
"No." Natasha shrugged. "At least, I'm not. I just want to know one thing."
Tony looked at her.
"What makes him so special?"
Tony gave a soft smile at the question.
"He's better than I ever was, or will be. When I met him, he was so innocent. He was out fighting crime for no other reason than he had those powers and believed helping people was the right thing to do with them.
I didn't take Iron Man as a hero as seriously as I should have until we fought Loki. Until then, I was just eating up the attention mostly. Yeah, the expo was my first real taste of what using the armor really meant for my future, but I was never on Peter's level.
He reminds me of you so much, Steve."
Steve raised an eyebrow as Tony looked at him.
"An annoyingly strong moral compass, regardless of what anyone said. Always trying to do what he feels is the right thing.
God. He was 15 and out putting the needs of others before his own, simply because he could.
We all know what I was doing at 15."
"Is that all? That's he got a good heart?" Natasha pushed.
"No. Kid's genius level smart. To smart for his own good at times. Builds his own tech and everything.
You all have no idea just how great he is. Hell, I didn't even fully realize it until I lost him.
I spent time thinking things over after he returned the suit I made him, and realized real quick what I had given up. Peter was meant for great things, and had I gotten my head out of my ass, I could have provided him with endless opportunities to achieve them."
"You know that won't excuse anything you've done, whether we know what it is or not?" Natasha asked.
"Yeah." Tony sighed.
"We made it through the Accords, we'll make it through this." Steve finally said, placing his hand on Tony's arm.
"I'm not going to pretend this won't be hard, maybe even harder. The Accords affected us as a team, but this, this involves someone that had nothing to do with us. I can't promise anyone will ever fully forgive you, Tony."
"I kind of expect them not to."
"You really blew it on this one, Tony." Natasha said. "But, everyone agreed to let Peter make the call. I warn you though, if Peter decides to tell us his story, I can't promise you we'll forgive you."
"We?" Tony asked, looking at her.
"Yes. We. I can't speak for Steve, but I reserve the rest of my judgement for Peter's side. If he choses not to tell, then I'll make my final call."
With that, Natasha stood and left the room.
Tony stared down at the table, his thoughts racing.
"You know," he huffed out a laugh. "I've been here before."
"Where?" Steve frowned.
"Tearing the Avengers apart. This whole thing reminds me of Ultron."
Steve sighed as he ran his hand down his face.
"I can look back now and say that I know you created Ultron with.....good intentions," Steve paused. "But they say the road to hell is paved with them."
Tony didn't respond.
"That being said, I still hold firm to the notion that your involvement with Peter outside Germany isn't really our place to interfere. We would have helped him regardless of who he was. It's what we do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"He's awake."
Wade didn't look up as Bucky sat down beside him, dangling his legs off the compound roof.
"May and Murdock are with him. Felicia's pretty pissed. Ran off after slapping him."
Wade gave no indication he even heard the former soldier.
Bucky gave a heavy sigh.
"You can't avoid him forever. You haven't been to see him since he was brought in. I just left. Jones, Rand and Cage are in there now. I could tell he wanted to ask about you."
"He didn't seem so concerned when he elbowed me in the sternum and ran off."
"I won't defend him by saying it was the right thing to do, but I understand it. I would have done the same for Steve."
Finally looking up, Wade took in Bucky's far off expression.
"He's my best friend, more like my brother, and I would have risked it to go back for him. If I would have done that for Steve, do you really find it so wrong that Pete would do it for Murdock? The man is practically his father."
"Matt didn't want him to!" Wade shouted. "I was given specific instructions to get him out! I even told him that! I told him that and then I had to watch him ignore me and run back off into danger like an idiot! I had to watch part of the ceiling collapse behind him, blocking me from going after him!"
Wade stopped, trying to calm himself down.
"I had no idea if I would ever see him again. I spent so long chasing after him, only to finally get him and lose him again."
"But isn't that always the concern?"
Wade looked at Bucky, a confused look on his face.
"What?"
"Isn't that always the case? Kid's Spider-Man. Isn't the possibility of him not making it back an everyday issue?"
Wade snorted.
"Look, I already told you I don't agree with what he did, but as someone who was constantly bailing pre-serum Steve Rogers out of fights he couldn't win, I had to learn real quick to see things as much from his perspective as mine."
"I can throw that back at you just as easy. He didn't see things from anyone else's perspective!"
"Neither did Steve." Bucky shrugged. "At least, not in the heat of the moment. He always felt a guilt towards me afterwards. Never regretted his choices, the shit, but always felt bad he had put me in that position. Hated that I had to see him in that state and know he was going to do it again."
"You weren't dating Steve."
"Does it matter?"
Wade didn't have a response. He did know how close Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes were, everyone did.
But it wasn't the same! It wasn't!
"You should go see him. Even if it's to yell at him. He'll be glad to see you regardless."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Parker, you have to be one of the stupidest people I've ever met." Jessica sighed.
"None of us want to lose you, Peter." Danny frowned.
"I'd kick your ass myself if you weren't in that hospital bed." Luke grumbled.
"Ummm, I'd rather you didn't." Peter grimaced, looking up at the three.
"No promises after you're out the bed." Jessica grinned.
Peter gave a pleading look to Matt and May, who both ignored him.
Well, you made this bed Parker and now you're gonna die in it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Felicia wiped her face and sniffed. Her cheeks burned from the dried tears and constant rubbing.
She couldn't believe how absolutely stupid her spider had been.
Even Stark had been smart enough to run from the fire.
Peter had run to it.
She didn't care what his reasons were. None of them would be good enough.
She closed her eyes and took a breath as a cool breeze blew past her. She didn't bother to open them as someone sat down next to her. She didn't need to. She knew who it was.
"I'm positive you don't want to talk to me." Tony Stark said, a resigned tone to his words. "The rest of the team is of the same mindset right now."
"If you're looking for sympathy, get lost. I have my own issues that don't involve you. You're so far down my list right now you're practically non-existent."
"I can respect that." Tony replied.
"Why are to still here then?"
"Because I need to be."
Felicia turned to look at him, irritated by his words.
"What do you mean you 'need to be'? I don't want you here."
Tony turned to her with a guilty smile.
"That's why I need to be. We both know I have a role to play in all this. If things had been better between me and Peter, then maybe it would never have gotten to this point."
"You're a fucking idiot." Felicia growled. "Peter's in that bed because he ran back into a collapsing and burning room to 'rescue' someone who didn't need it. That has nothing to do with you. Quit making everything about you!"
Tony didn't reply, surprised by her outburst.
"Norman Osborn was a sick man who wanted Peter for himself. How could you possibly have prevented that? You think Peter still being tied up with you would have stopped that?"
"I could have helped him the first time he fought-"
"And what, killed Norman? Is that what you would have done? Because him being dead is the only thing that would have prevented this. He was let out because of Wilson Fisk, he didn't escape."
"Still-"
"Your guilt complex is infuriating. If you don't have anything worthwhile to say, then, again, get lost." Felicia glared.
"I have a lot of guilt over Peter, you know. A lot."
"I don't care."
"You're not gonna make this easy, are you?" Tony let out a breathy laugh.
"I don't understand what you want from me? I love Peter, but what happened between you and him has nothing to do with me. You hurt him, why are you trying to apologize to me?"
"Because he loves you too. I owe an apology to everyone who stepped up when I failed. I mean, yeah, I made a poor choice when he was 15, but I could have just accepted I did wrong and talked to him when he returned the suit. I didn't, and then I tried to push myself on him, all the while still never acknowledging my own faults."
Felicia looked over as Tony stared out into the distance. She could see the lines of stress and worry on his face.
"I think this is a conversation for you and Peter. Possibly May and Matt as well."
Tony took a deep breath before continuing.
"I'm not a fan of Daredevil, but he isn't one of me either."
"I can't imagine why." Felicia scoffed. "He picked up where you failed. Peter is a better hero because of Matt than because of you."
"Exactly why I'm not a fan. That could, and should, have been me. I brought Peter into this life. I know he had already been out there before I took him to Germany, but until then, he had been doing small time stuff. I should have known that would be a hard thing for a 15 year old kid to go back to after I involved him in Avengers business. He wanted so bad to prove himself, and he never should have felt that way."
"You think he tried to prove himself to you? You should have seen him with Matt!" Felicia said with a chuckle. "He bent over backwards to prove he was worthy of Matt's attention, not that Matt needed the effort. It didn't take me long to find out Matt had been keeping tabs on Spider-Man since he first showed up. Spider-Man is a street level vigilante and they keep track of their own."
"They're like their own super hero team." Tony nodded.
"The best."
Tony didn't argue.
"Have you........have you been to see him?"
"I'm not allowed in the room." Tony sighed. "I get it."
Felicia hesitated before speaking.
"You saved him though. He would have died if you hadn't went back."
"I didn't know I'd be bringing him out. I didn't go back for him. I had gone back to see about Norman, FRIDAY picked up on Peter's vitals."
"His vitals?"
"He had the suit I made him. FRIDAY connected to it."
"Well, it still doesn't change the results."
"I'm not willing to go toe to toe with May Parker just yet." Tony laughed softly.
"She is a force to be reckoned with."
"Yeah."
The two sat in silence as the wind blew softly through the courtyard.
"So, you and Barnes hu?" Tony asked, looking at her out the corner of his eye.
"Is Tony Stark looking for gossip?" Felicia snorted.
"I live with Steve Rogers. He keeps tabs."
"I can see that. Steve's a regular name around the Parker house since Bucky moved in. Apparently, Peter has been adopted into their little brotherhood."
"Trust Peter to worm his way into the heart of the most stoic person I've ever met." Tony smiled as he shook his head.
"You wouldn't think he was so stoic if you spent more time with him." Felicia replied pointedly.
"Maybe."
"You're still a terrible person, and I don't like you." Felicia said after a moment. "You hurt my baby spider."
"Your baby spider?"
"He was 15. He was a baby. I own him now. So you hurt him when he was my baby spider." Felicia said as if it was the most obvious thing.
"I thought...you know....he owned Peter?" Tony asked with a grimace.
"Wade? Oh no. Wade doesn't own Peter. I own Peter. Wade has simply 'borrowed' him with the intention to never give him back."
"I missed out on so much of Peter's life." Tony sighed.
"You missed out on the best parts." Felicia agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harley wandered around the compound without any real destination. The last few hours had been full of surprises, and his mind wouldn't slow down.
Peter Parker was Spider-Man.
Peter Parker........was Spider-Man.
The very person Harley had been trying to impress was the very person he had spent the past few months hating.
He had considered joining the discussion about Peter in the conference room, but he just couldn't bring himself to. He didn't want to know everything between Tony and Spider-Man anymore.
"How you holding up, kid?"
Harley turned to see Natasha walking towards him.
"I honestly don't know. I don't know what to think. God Nat, Peter is Spider-Man! Please tell me I wasn't the only one who didn't know!"
"You're not. Tony didn't tell anyone, not even those of us who fought alongside him."
"How do you feel about it?" Harley asked, looking off to the side.
"The team agreed to ask Peter about telling his side of the story. I agreed to hold off my full judgement for then." Natasha shrugged.
"I.....I don't think I have any judgement."
Natasha studied him closely for a moment.
"It's ok to still like Tony, you know."
Harley's head snapped up to look at her.
"He's been good to you. He loves you in his Tony Stark way. He wouldn't have made you that suit or put you on the team if he didn't."
"But Peter-"
"Is Tony's problem. Peter has nothing to do with your personal relationship to Tony, Harley. You also weren't with us in Germany. You don't have any connection to Spider-Man like we do. Our issues with Tony are just that, our issues. Don't let what you've learned affect that. I don't know much about Peter, but I get the feeling he wouldn't want you to close Tony out over things that didn't concern you."
Harley looked down at the floor. How could this not have anything to do with him? Tony had let him make a complete fool of himself. He stood aside and watched Harley try to get close to Peter while acting like a jerk to Spider-Man.
"Tony knew Peter was Spider-Man. He knew I liked Peter and didn't tell me."
"In all fairness, Harley, that wasn't Tony's secret to tell."
"Then why are you all made at him?" Harley shouted. "Why do you all get to be mad at him but not me?"
"Because we fought against and with him when he was only 15, Harley. That's a big deal for us. We could have seriously hurt him. Look what happened to Rhodey. Yes, we have a reason. Your reason isn't the same."
"He was 15 when you all fought in Germany?" Harley gasped.
"Yeah. Kind of a sore point for Clint especially."
"How could Tony take him to fight you?"
"Desperation can make a person do things they probably shouldn't." Natasha replied simply.
"How can I not think about that when I think about Tony?"
"Because you're not Peter. I think Tony has learned a lot from his time with Peter. Outside of Spider-Man, how has your time with Tony been?"
"Great!" Harley responded quickly. "We worked on my suit, had supper, talked......"
Harley trailed off as he thought about his time since he arrived. True, Spider-Man had been a thorn in his side, but once Tony actually focused on him, he couldn't deny just how attentive to him Tony was.
Any time he got hurt when they were out fighting the Goblin, Tony was always right next to him while Helen patched him up.
Tony cared, even when he was focusing on Spider-Man.
He could see it now when he didn't have his jealously fueled blinders on.
Even worse, he know understood just how wrong he was to blame Spider-Man for everything. Peter had every right apparently to avoid Tony.
Tony was clinging to Peter out of a deep rooted since of guilt, while Peter just didn't care and wanted to avoid it completely.
Talk about issues on both sides.
"So, are you going to go see him?" Natasha asked, watching him intently.
"I don't think he'd want to see me." Harley said, shaking his head slightly.
"I think you should."
"We'll see."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter sat up in bed, thinking over things. Matt and May had finally left him to go get food, leaving him alone to his thoughts.
He knew going back had been a stupid thing to do. He knew Matt was capable of handling himself, but an uncontrollable need to make sure had come over him, shutting down all rationality.
He knew he had hurt Wade when he ran off. He had cause Wade to fail in what Matt had instructed him to do, and it was growing more and more apparent how Wade felt about it. Each second that passed without him sat heavy in his chest.
Maybe this was the time he ran Wade off for real.
A knock on his door had him looking up in hope, only to be slightly disappointed in who entered.
"Not who you were expecting I see." Steve said with an understanding smile as he walked over to the bed and sat down in the chair next to it.
"Am I that easy to read?"
"I talked to Bucky. He filled me in."
"Of course he did." Peter snorted.
"Apparently you're my new little brother now." Steve grinned. "So I felt like I needed to come and meet you in an official sense outside the suits."
"I keep gaining family members that arn't blood related." Peter smiled. "I can't say I don't like it. I never really had a big family, so it's kind of nice."
"Yeah, it is. I didn't have a big one before the ice, and until the Avengers, I didn't have any after it."
"I can't imagine how that must have felt."
Steve gave a shrug, obviously trying to hide just how much that fact had really affected him.
"I prefer not to think about it as much as I can."
"I gotta say," Peter smirked. “I never thought I’d be speaking so casually with Captain America.”
“I never thought I’d get the chance to meet the man behind Spider-Man’s mask so, I guess this makes us even.” Steve chuckled.
“Please, meeting Peter Parker is not the same as meeting Captain America.”
“Good thing it’s just Peter Parker meeting Steve Rogers then, hu?”
“You’re way cooler than your PSAs make you.” Peter grinned.
“And there it is. I no longer accept you in the family.” Steve said in mock indignation.
“We’ll, it’s a good thing I still have Bucky then.” Peter wiped a fake tear from his cheek.
“You’re a little shit, Peter Parker. You know that?”
“Captain America just called me a little shit!” Peter gasped. “What would the people say?”
“Nothing if they got to meet you.”
“I’m adorable.”
“You’re something.”
The two stared at each other before bursting into laughter.
As they calmed down, Steve looked over Peter.
“Seriously though, how do you feel?”
“Much better. Super healing is awesome but, you know all about that.”
“If I’m being honest, I’d be devastated if I ever lost it. It’s probably my favorite thing.”
“I’m pretty partial to climbing walls and web slinging so I get having a favorite.” Peter nodded.
“So,” Steve started, getting back on topic. “You’re fine physically, what about mentally?”
“I’ve been through worse. This was just a repeat of the last time I fought Norman. Maybe a little creepier this time though, but I’m fine. Everyone I care about made it out alive.”
Steve stared at home a moment before speaking.
“I meant with the consequences of disobeying what you were told and running back into trouble.”
“Wow. Cut right to the bone, Captain.” Peter winced.
Steve shrugged but remained undeterred.
“I don’t know what to think really. I know it was stupid to go back, but I did it-“
“No, I get that Peter.”
Peter looked up as Steve gave him a soft smile.
“It’s not your reasons I’m after. I’d have done the same for someone I love. No, I’m asking about the personal connections. How are you handling accepting their feelings?”
“Some better than others.”
Steve nodded for him to continue.
“I’m ashamed of risking myself when I’m the only legal family May has left. She and Uncle Ben raised me after my parents died. When Uncle Ben died, she fought hard to keep me and raise me on her own. I owe her so much, and that’s how I repay her. Taking a risk for someone I knew deep down didn’t need me to do it.
I go out everyday with both of us knowing how dangerous it is, but this is probably one of the worse things I’ve ever done to her because I knew just how pointless and stupid it was.
She deserves for me to be better than that.”
“I got to talk to her for a bit. She’s a strong woman.”
“The strongest.”
“Anyone else?” Steve asked, wanting to push more but trying not to be to much.
“Obviously Matt. I think I insulted his pride. I know I insulted his trust. He made that pretty clear. Hell, Matt makes everything clear. You’re never confused about what he’s thinking.”
“He’s extremely protective of you.”
“May loves him. She always feels better when she knows he’s out when I am.”
“It’s never a bad idea to have backup you know.” Steve smiled.
“Vigilantes have a different backup system than hero teams like the Avengers, Cap.” Peter grinned.
“We’re pretty territorial so, just because someone knows you’re out doesn’t mean they can get to you quickly.”
“Being a vigilante seems like a lot.” Steve frowned.
“You get used to it.” Peter shrugged. “Besides, God help whoever hurts one of us. The old, 'you hurt one of us, you hurt all of us' deal and our methods are a little…….well, they’re different from yours.”
“Sometimes I hear about some pretty messed up people being literally dragged into stations because they can’t walk….”
“I plead the fifth, Captain.” Peter smirked.
“Noted. Probably for the best.”
"Yeah." Peter said, looking away.
"I really put my foot in it this time. Everyone is mad at me, and I can't even blame them or think they're over doing it. They have every right to be mad at me."
Steve remained quiet as Peter rubbed his hands up and down his face, taking in deep breaths.
"I wish I could offer you some encouragement Peter, but I can't. Not in this case anyway. I've been in your shoes though, so I know how it feels. I guess I can at least tell you that, it'll get better. They're not going to abandon you because of this."
"Clearly you either missed the part in Bucky's story where Felicia slapped me and Wade won't come see me, or he didn't tell you. Maybe you're just ignoring it."
"I'm sure they'll be in to see you soon, Peter. They love you." Steve smiled.
Peter looked at him, then turned away.
"I wish I was as certain as you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Matt turned towards May as she sat down at the table, the smell of two burgers reaching him.
"They looked so good, I got one for you too, Matty."
Matt smiled at the nickname. He never minded when May used it.
"Thanks, May."
The two sat quietly as they began eating. They were halfway through before May broke the comfortable silence.
"So, now what?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"What happens now? Norman is gone, so he's no longer a threat, so what happens now?"
"I'm guessing things will go back to normal. Peter never had any plans to stay with the Avengers. He'll come back to street level crime fighting."
"I'm worried." May said, placing her burger on the tray. "He could have died. I heard Tony say he blasted Norman off of him."
Matt swallowed his bite, trying to gather his words. He knew he had a penchant for being to blunt sometimes, so he wanted to make sure he got this right for May.
"What we do, it's dangerous. Every day is dangerous, and we go into them knowing that fact. Our job is to take out the bad guys, but also to do our best to make it back home. I'm furious at Peter for what he did. It was stupid and rash, but if I'm being honest, I probably would have done the same if I thought he was alone. I didn't worry about the little asshole because I knew Wade would get him out. Maybe if I hadn't known that....."
May watched Matt's face twitch with various emotions before he let out a heavy breath.
"He's not gonna stop going out, but he's damn sure gonna get his ass kicked before he does. I'm gonna put him through the ringer before I let him back out there. I don't care how much of an 'adult' he sees himself as, he's my kid and I'll make damn sure he knows not to test my instructions again."
May smiled as Matt continued to grumble about Peter's impending doom at his hands. It was so obvious just how much the two meant to each other.
Her smile fell just a quickly as she caught a glimpse of Felicia walking around the compound grounds.
"I'm not sure an ass kicking is going to be enough for everyone. I have no idea where Wade is, and Felicia is making sure to stay away from the medbay."
Matt stopped his grumbling.
"I can honestly say I've never experienced that sort of anger from her. I don't know why they didn't work out as a couple. They hop into bed together every chance they get, and are unnervingly close."
May giggled lightly.
"Oh Matty, they've only been platonic bed buddies since Peter and Wade started dating."
"You say that like it's the most normal thing."
"I've spent a lot of time with them in this house." she smiled softly. "I'm more concerned when they're not acting that way."
They sat quietly, finishing up their food.
"They'll both see him soon. Felicia will see him before we go back home, Wade may wait till after."
"You don't think he'll see Peter sooner?" May worried.
"Wade and Peter have....an unusual history to their relationship. Felicia and Peter and have been together long enough and seen each other put through enough that she'll come around first. Wade, Wade hasn't had his time with Peter that long, and it was his job to get Peter out. It was his job and Peter didn't let him do it. Wade couldn't even go after him."
"He left Wade behind." May said, suddenly feelings her years. "Oh, Peter."
"I can say for certain that Peter and Felicia will be fine, May." Matt said, placing his hand on hers. "I can't speak for his relationship with Wade though. Wade's a wild card with his own issues and insecurities. All we can do is wait."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"PETER BEJAMIN PARKER!!!!!!"
Peter jumped as his door flew open, bouncing off the wall from the force of the push. A furious red head and an equally furious, yet not so physically violent, brunette stormed into the room.
"You better already know what you did wrong you giant butthole, or you're gonna be in even more trouble than you already are!"
Peter watched with wide eyes as Mary Jane glared down at him.
"MJ, I-"
"Shut-up!"
Peter's mouth snapped shut.
"Well? Do you know what you did wrong?" she growled.
"You just told me to shut-up." Peter replied, bewildered.
"Are you back talking me? Is he back talking me?" she asked, turning to look at Harry.
"He most definitely is." Harry agreed, smiling smugly from behind Mary Jane's back.
If Peter's vision hadn't been mostly filled by the redhead, he would have glared back at his bastard, so called "best friend".
"Answer the question!"
"MJ, I-"
"Just shut-up! I can't even listen to you right now." she huffed, throwing her hands up and stepping away from the bed.
Harry moved into her place before Peter could even register the change.
"I asked if you were gonna be able to handle him, Pete. You told me you would."
"Harry, I......"
Peter trailed off as he looked up at the tired face of his best friend. What could he say? He had told Harry he could handle it, although, given the fact he wound up looking for help from the Avengers, he should have realized things were obviously going to be a little worse this round.
"I'm super pissed at you, Pete. Norman was a father in name only, but you, you're family. You matter. You shouldn't have made such a stupid decision."
Peter looked away, a feeling he knew he shouldn't be having starting to fester in him.
He was getting real tired of hearing over and over again how stupid he had been. He knew he had been stupid, did he really need everyone else coming in and telling him too?
Harry must have notice something on his face, because he let out a big sigh and bent down to pull Peter into a tight hug.
"I'm glad you're ok now." He said, relief filling his words.
Feeling the fight drain from him, Peter returned the hug.
Turning from where she has face the door to the room, MJ looked at the scene before her and deflated. She was still so angry at Peter, but watching Harry and Peter hold each other dimmed her fire.
For all the love she had for her friend, there was no way it could match what Peter and Harry had.
Pushing through her own feelings, she joined the two men, throwing her arms around them both.
"Make no mistake Parker," she said. "I'm so mad, but I'm so glad you're alive. Love you, Tiger."
"I love you both." Peter smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Mary Jane and Harry left, Peter was once again alone with his thoughts.
Bucky had only stayed long enough to make sure he was ok before leaving. Peter wondered what he was thinking. He obviously hadn't been mad enough to chew Peter out, but he had stayed to talk to him either.
Felicia had not been back after slapping him across the cheek, and Peter wasn't about to pretend he didn't know how she was feeling.
None of the Avengers, outside of Steve, had been to see him. Honestly, it kind of surprised him given the brief words he had heard them exchanging outside his room when he woke up.
As he kept running over people in his mind, he fought hard not to think about one person in particular he hadn't seen.
Wade.
Peter dropped his face into his hands.
Maybe Wade decided he wasn't even worth visiting long enough to yell at. Out of everyone, he had one of the best reasons to be mad. Peter had physically hurt him to be able to get away and run back for Matt.
Maybe he should just go ahead and accept the fact their short lived relationship was over.
Peter looked as the door knob gave a quiet click before the door slowly opened.
Peter's eyebrows rose as he look at the hesitant form of Tony Stark.
The two stared at each other before Tony fully entered and moved to the chair by his bed.
"How are you?" Tony asked.
"Probably be released tomorrow morning." Peter replied. "I feel like I could be let go now, but Dr. Cho is pretty insistent."
"Yeah. Been there." Tony smiled.
The two sat in strained silence before Peter broke it.
"Thanks. For, ya know, saving me back there."
"Of course, although, it's not as glamorous a story as it sounds. I wish I could say I knew you were there, from the start, but FRIDAY picked up on the Iron Spider suit when we got closer.”
Peter looked at Tony in surprise.
"It’s a fail safe for battle. Everyone has one in their comms. It allows me to be able to find them if something happens. Even the ones we gave your friends had one. I don’t want you to think there was another intention.”
“I guess I owe you anyway.” Peter gave a small smile.
“I’d have done it for anyone. It’s my job.” Tony shrugged.
Peter gave a vacant nod as he looked anywhere but at Tony.
“How….how are you and the team?”
Tony winced at the question.
“It’s….things are….tense right now.”
“I imagine so. I heard some of it when I woke up.”
“Yeah….outside the room of someone with enhanced hearing is probably not the best place for us to have started that conversation.” Tony frowned.
“It’s not like that was the worse thing I experienced. I’m now more than aware now of how bad I fucked up by going back.”
Tony stared at him, studying his face.
“I want to be mad at you too.” Tony sighed. “I want to be so mad at you for putting yourself at risk, but I also can’t be.”
Peter looked over as Tony took a breath and rubbed his hands across his pants in a very un-Tony like fashion.
“You went back for someone. Someone important to you. If I had known you were in there, I would have went back for that reason alone. If any of the team were in there, or I thought they were, I would have went back. That said, I can grudgingly agree with Murdock about you. I would have been furious if you came back for me.”
Tony gave a breathy chuckle and shook his head.
“You’re young, Pete. You’ve still got a life ahead of you. Me, Murdock, we’re the old guys. It’s our job to do the risky stuff. The stuff like running back into unstable places to find people.
It’s hard for us to be ok when the younger crowd does it.”
“What about Harley?”
“Oh, you can bet he’d be in trouble. I’d probably ground him from the suit for a bit. I don't care how old he is.”
Peter smirked.
“Guess I should be glad a suit doesn’t mean anything for me then.”
“It never did, Pete. It never did. Spider-Man exists regardless of what he’s operating in. You showed me that in spectacular fashion. I wish we had really been able to work together in there.”
“Yeah,” Peter grimaced. “Not much good when you can’t really move.”
“You’ve got one hell of a protective network though. I’m glad.”
“Yeah, they’re the best.”
There was another pause before Peter really looked at Tony.
“What about your team? You said things were tense. What exactly does that mean?”
Tony took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair.
“They’ve asked to hear your side of the story. They’re pretty pissed at me for taking you to Germany, but everything after that they want to hear from you.”
Peter frowned at thought.
“I don’t really want to talk about it, Tony. As mad as I was, and still am, it has nothing to do with them. That’s us. I know it’s probably not what they’d want to hear given everything they've done for me, but I’m really tired of having to deal with it. I really just want to move on. Not to mention you guys weren't even together at the time. Our personal history didn't affect our working together. Nothing between us ever hindered us finding Norman, so I don't feel like that's information they need. Not what happened while they were gone.”
Tony nodded, hesitant and unsure of exactly what Peter’s “move on” entailed.
“Look,” Tony started. “About the Avengers-“
“I won’t officially be on the team.” Peter said, looking straight at Tony.
“But, I will help out if I’m needed. The truth is, this is my city, and I can’t ignore things just to avoid working with you anymore. I’m willing to give at least that much. So, you don’t have to schedule another press conference to explain why Spider-Man doesn’t actually work with the Avengers. I’ll let you keep that one.”
“Honestly kid, I would have called one of you wanted me to.”
“Yeah, but I’m pretty fond of Bucky, and Steve’s grown on me.” Peter grinned.
"Steve grows on everyone." Tony huffed. "Of course, leave it to you to like the person who dropped an airport gangway on you."
"I'll admit our meet-cute wasn't typical, but it was magical none the less." Peter grinned. "Enemies to friends to-"
"If you say lovers-"
"Brothers." Peter smirked.
"Great. Now it's a trio." Tony sighed dramatically.
Peter laughed. It felt odd. With each new conversation Peter and Tony had, he kept getting the signs of the relationship the two could have had had things gone better.
When Peter put aside the anger and frustration, they were just to superheroes talking.
"I like this, ya know?"
Peter tilted his head to the side at Tony's words.
"I like the easy conversation with you. It's a lot better than the tense ones we’ve been having.”
Peter looked down. He definitely preferred not to have any type of awkward tension between him and anyone, but he didn’t know how he felt about Tony’s words.
He wasn’t quite sure he was ready, or even wanted, to have a casual relationship with Tony.
He could admit he had put a lot of things behind, but to begin an overly friendly relationship was territory Peter wasn’t sure he was ok with entering.
He could see the hopeful expression on Tony’s face, but he knew he couldn’t encourage it.
“Look, Tony, I know we’ve talked a lot with being together so much-“
“I get it, Pete. I do. I’d love to be able to pretend these past few years haven’t happened, but they have. I’m sorry Pete. I wish things were different, but I’d at least like it if we could see each other and speak without the uncomfortable atmosphere we had.”
Peter studied the man’s face before holding out his hand.
“Well Iron Man, I think Spider-Man can agree to those conditions.”
Tony took his hand with a smile.
“I think Iron Man gladly accepts.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Harley came to an abrupt stop, sliding back behind the wall he had just come around as he caught sight of Tony leaving Peter's room.
He hesitated with his own plans of going to see Peter. Maybe he didn't want any visitors after Tony.
"Just get in there kid."
Harley jumped, spinning around to find Matt Murdock and May Parker standing behind him.
"Get in there, apologize for being a little shit and then do whatever it is you planned to do after. Kids leaving first thing in the morning."
Matt didn't bother to follow up his words with anything other than annoyance towards him.
"Matt." May chuckled, placing a hand on his arm before turning to Harley. "The last time I saw you I was ripping into Stark. You're an interesting conversation piece."
Harley felt his cheeks heat a little.
"I'm sure you have some things to talk about with Peter. Go on in. We'll come back."
"Stark just left, kid. If you walk in there and Pete seems stressed, you get the hell out. I won't be as kind as some of the others."
"Matt!" May chided, pulling him away.
"I wouldn't have let Stark in there at all if I had been nearby. That kids lucky I'm willing to let him go in."
"Remember, we're trusting Peter here. Regardless of our own thoughts, we're trusting Peter."
"I'm on the fence about how good an idea that is right now." Matt deadpanned.
Harley heard the words before the two disappeared from sight.
For a blind man, Matthew Murdock was a rather terrifying person. He knew first hand May Parker could be.
Taking a breath, Harley turned and made his way to the door to Peter's room.
Behind that door was a laundry list of 'what the fuck's.
Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
Peter Parker is.....or was, given the fact no one had even seen him, dating Deadpool.
Harley had been attracted to Peter, and now he didn't know how to feel. Should he really continue to harbor feelings for someone who had lied and was also in a relationship?
Again, was there even still a relationship?
Steeling himself, Harley pushed open the door.
Peter looked at him from where he was sitting on the bed. He looked surprised to see Harley walk in.
Harley didn't blame him. He wasn't really sure himself why he was here. He had been lied to about who Peter was, but did he really have a right to complain? A secret identity is just that, a secret. It wasn't like anyone on the team, outside of Tony, and later Bucky, knew who he was.
Besides, he could admit to himself, he had been the one interested in getting close. Peter never denied being in a relationship with Deadpool.
He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel a shameful bit of hope that maybe he still had a chance.
What a mess.
"Um...hey..." Harley said, wiping his hand on his pants leg.
"Hey." Peter replied, studying his movements.
Harley made his way over to the chair next to the bed and sat down.
"So, you're Spider-Man."
"In the flesh." Peter shrugged.
"I won't lie and say I wasn't surprised, but it also makes complete sense."
"Well, that wasn't exactly my most graceful identity reveal. Matt can be a bit dramatic."
"He's dramatic? You're the one in the med bay for going back into a burning, caving in building for him."
Peter raised an eyebrow at Harley's flustered face.
"Look man, I'm done hearing people tell me off about what I did. If that's all you got-"
"I'm sorry."
"What?" Peter asked, surprised at the apology.
"I was kind of a dick to you as Spider-Man, and you really didn't deserve it. You just......there was a lot going on and I was having trouble with personal things."
Peter didn't know everything that had been going on, but Harley knew he wasn't completely stupid.
One of Harley's biggest issues with Spider-Man was his relationship with Tony.
Tony had been so focused on getting him back, he had pushed Harley to the side more often than not. Having learned a little of Tony's history with how he met Harley and they kept in touch, it wasn't like Peter had any hard feelings towards him.
Truth be told, Peter probably would have felt the same way.
Still, Harley would have to get better about separating personal issues and professional ones. If Peter could put his own issues with Tony aside for the greater good, then Harley could learn to do it too.
But hey, he was owning up to his mistakes now, so, it's a positive start.
"I get it. It's over now. Norman's gone. Things can go back to normal for the Avengers and Spider-Man." Peter said, brushing him off.
"You're not-"
"No. I told Tony I'd work with the team if they need additional man power, but that's it. I'm not going to put Spider-Man on the permanent roster. I have my own life outside the suit and I intend to continue just as it was."
Harley nodded, struggling to think of something else to say.
"What about you?"
Harley raised an eyebrow, unsure of what Peter was asking.
"What's your thoughts on the Avengers?"
Harley frowned, looking down.
That was a loaded question.
"I don't know. I'm worried about how this will end." he frowned. "I wasn't around when Tony first met you. Up until I got here, nothing about you has ever had any impact on me. I don't think I have a right to judge Tony. If I had been you, I would have gone with him too. What kid with superpowers wouldn't?"
Peter watched as Harley continued to gather his thoughts.
"Tony's done a lot for me, you know. While I didn't get to spend any superhero time with him before this, I do have a connection with him. That said, I think I feel about my history with him the same way you do about yours. It's ours. My opinions of Tony are based off what he and I share and my own personal thoughts. I can see things for yours and the others perspectives, but I can't ignore my own personal feelings either."
"If it makes you feel any better, the team isn't going to split up over this." Peter said.
"I didn't really think they would, but things are going to be tense. I don't know how well they'll be able to work together. Maybe it would be best if they did split for a time."
"I think it would be pretty stupid to disband the Avengers over this. They can be mad at Tony for whatever they want, but if they put this above the good of the people, they're not the heroes I thought they were. You shouldn't encourage that." Peter frowned.
"Then what should I encourage, Peter? Do you have any idea what I've over heard? This isn't the same as the Accords! This is about you being 15 years old and them fighting you like you were one of them!"
"I was a 15 year old who could stop a speeding car with my bare hands. I realize how they feel now that they know I was a kid when we fought, but it's the methods of getting me there they should focus on. I mean, Ultron, the Accords, me....Tony has a patter of bad choices. That's what they should focus on if they want to argue about something. Argue about that, something they can actually change." Peter sighed.
"What do you mean?" Harley asked, eyebrows furrowed.
"I think Steve needs to take full control for a while. Tony doesn't need to be a deciding factor in things. Have him step back and just follow orders as opposed to trying to put his own two sense in. Tony has a habit of trying to make things go his way. He needs to learn to see things from others prospective so that he doesn't make the mistakes, instead of having to fix them. Let them argue that out."
"You can make that suggestion, but Clint has kids and Sam has nephews. That Scott guy who they keep up with has a daughter. They're not moving past your age."
Peter ran a hand down his face.
"Look, I don't know what you expect from me. Tony did what he did. I dealt with my side of it, and I live with it. Let him handle his own shit."
"He saved you!"
"So what, it's my responsibility to bail him out of facing consequences for his own actions? Yes, he saved me, but that doesn't change what he did Harley, and you better learn that lesson quick. Being a hero doesn't excuse you when you do something wrong. If anything, it makes you more accountable for your faults. As a hero, there are expectations for your actions. You can rise and fall in a heart beat, and no one will see your flaws more than your own teammates. They have the right to feel pissed, but they need to use that anger constructively. Remember that, because the public won't give you that opportunity."
"Is that why you hide behind the mask, big shot. So you can get away with more?" Harley glared.
"I don't 'hide' behind the mask, Harley. I protect my friends and family from anyone who might seek revenge from me. I don't live in a fancy tower with all kinds of high tech security. I'm an average guy with an average lifestyle. A secret identity is what stands between me and more heartbreak."
As Harley went to open his mouth, the door to Peter's room flew open and bounced off the wall with a loud bang, but it wasn't MJ that stormed in.
Frank Castle loomed in the doorway, his slightly bulky frame blocking out a large portion of the light behind him.
Looking between Peter and Harley, his standard stoic face twitched slightly before narrowing his eyes.
"You." he said, pointing at Harley. "Get lost."
"But-" Harley tried to protest before getting cut off.
"If I have to repeat myself, kid, you're not gonna like what happens."
Swallowing hard, Harley skirted past him and out the door without looking back.
Once he was gone, Frank shut the door behind him and made his way over to the bed.
"That kid annoys me." Frank grumbled as he looked Peter over.
"You look like shit."
"Wow." Peter huffed.
"Don't give me lip you little asshole. I'm risking a lot coming in here to see you."
"Why are you here?" Peter asked, genuinely curious.
It wasn't like Frank Castle to put forth real effort to check on anyone.
"Figured I owed you one." Frank shrugged.
"Me? What do you owe me for? If anything, I owe you!"
A crooked grin slid across Frank's face.
"Oh, trust me, I owe you one. It's been a while since I've been that busy. Can't believe I almost missed out on all that fun taking down Fisk."
"Of course." Peter puffed out a laugh.
"Anyway, I'm going out of town. So thanks for the fun. I used nearly an entire duffle bag of shit in there."
"You're a man of simple pleasures, Frank. Point you in the direction of someone crooked, in need of a lesson, and just sit back."
"Guy had it coming. Plus, he messed with one of us."
Peter grinned as Frank shrugged.
"So, are we allowed to know where you're going?"
"Sure, if you want me to kill you." Frank smirked.
"I've already survived one near death experience. Not really interested in trying to go two for two."
There was an awkward pause before Frank let out a quiet sigh and placed his hand on Peter's shoulder.
"I'm glad you're ok, Parker, but don't do any of that stupid shit again."
"Well, Norman's dead so-ACK!"
Peter gasped as Frank shoved him off the bed.
"I'm a patient!" Peter grumbled from the floor.
"You're fine. See you, Parker." Frank said, as he waved over his shoulder and disappeared out the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Stop watching the clock, Peter." May sighed. "You're here until the morning. Then we can go home."
"What about our stuff?"
"Pepper took care of getting it back to the house. I really like her. I don't know how she works with Tony, honestly."
Peter chuckled as May turned back to her book.
Grabbing his phone, he pulled up the latest news, curious if anything had been reported on the arrest of Wilson Fisk, and if any word of Norman had leaked out.
"Nothing about Norman has been said."
Peter looked up as May closed her book and moved to the bed.
"Scoot over. I wanna lay down."
Peter chuckled as he slid over, giving May enough room to lay next to him.
"We haven't done this since I was five."
"And you were scared of the monster in your closet." May snickered. "Ben checked your closet every night for a year."
Peter smiled as May ran her fingers through his hair.
"Do you think-"
"I think he'd be very proud of you, Peter. Never question that. I'm sure Richard and Mary are too."
"I love you, May." Peter said, leaning into her warmth.
"I love you too, baby."
They were quiet as May continued to run her fingers through his hair.
"So..."
"Matt and the others are out rounding up what they can of any of Fisk's men that might have gotten away. I heard from him earlier that Tony and Harley did a number on the lab. Everything was destroyed."
"What about Norman's body? Tony killed him."
"He and Steve went back in after he brought you out. They retrieved Norman's body."
Peter frowned, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Where..."
"He's being kept in something...I don't remember what they called it. Anyway, he's on ice until Harry decides what he wants to do. Tony has offered whatever he can to keep things quiet about Norman's death. Even offered to help Harry with issuing a statement if he wants to announce Norman's death."
"How.....nice of him."
"You know how I feel about the man, but even I can't deny he's being very sincere in his offers to help Harry." May smiled ruefully.
"He and MJ came by earlier today. He was far easier to handle than she was."
May paused before a loud laugh bubbled out of her.
"Harry? Harry was the easy one to handle?"
"Yeah?" Peter said, raising an eyebrow.
"He must have reigned it in and let MJ have her moment then."
"What do you-"
"I've never heard the amount of profanity leave Harry's mouth as I did when we got you back here. He was ready to fight everyone, especially when we all had to wait outside your room for Doctor Cho to check you out."
"Maybe he was burnt out by the time he got to me." Peter said with a nervous laugh.
"Or he's lying in wait, ready to pounce as soon as you're out of here."
"Thanks May."
"You're welcome sweetie." she smiled far to widely.
"Well, how's......how's Felicia?"
May sighed, pulling away to look at him.
"I haven't spoken her since she stormed out, honey. I saw her walking around outside but haven't seen her since."
Peter nodded, looking down at his hands.
"I really messed up, May."
"Yeah, you did."
Peter's eyes widened as he snapped his head up to look at May.
"But you're not denying it either. We all love you Peter. We love you so much that it was hard to accept what you did. We all know you meant well, and you were worried, but that doesn't make it ok for us."
"I'm so sorry, May. I feel the worst about you. It's just been the two of us since Ben. You've done so much for me, and I almost left you alone. I was so worried that Matt might not have been able to get out, I just....I just didn't think...."
"I understand, Peter. I do. It's just who you are, but don't ever do it again. Matt might actually kill you. I on the other hand, will never let you leave the house again. In fact, now might be a good time to tell you that Spider-Man is grounded for a little while." May said firmly.
"I'm not a kid, May."
"No, but you live under my roof and I make the rules. Spider-Man is grounded until I've had some decent Peter Time."
Peter smiled.
"Actually, that sounds nice."
"I know it does. It means you'll be spending time with me and I make the best company. Just ask James."
Peter laughed, snuggling back into his aunt's side.
He wanted to ask about Wade.
Had she seen him?
Had he said anything to anyone?
He needed to ask, but he just couldn't make the words come out.
"James talked to him, sweetheart." May said as though she could read his mind.
"He wouldn't say what they talked about, but I think Wade just needs some time."
"Or maybe he's decided I'm not worth it."
"No! No. I don't think that's it at all. I don't want you think that either."
"Come one, May. I'm sure you heard from Matt what happened. He'd have every right to ditch me." Peter sighed glumly.
"I can't speak for him, but I don't think he's leaving you, Peter. He just needs some time. He'll come to you when he's ready."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then you have me, Matt, and the rest of your little misfit vigilante band." May chuckled.
Peter nodded, his eyelids getting heavy.
"Go to sleep, baby."
"You didn't check for monsters in the closet." Peter mumbled.
"I like to live on the edge. I'll fight them if any come out."
Peter puffed out a laugh before falling asleep.