AN: Fancy seeing you all again. Posting hiatus is officially over as of today! Check my profile for the news on Baba Yaga and Light the Night With Fire and Flame.
Most of the one-shots within this collection are loosely tied together (With the exception of the final two 'shots and the bonus drabbles) but some of them may also be read as stand alones. Each 'shot will list the prompt responsible and any warnings, so be on the lookout!
Many thanks to Aublanc, my beta for this story.
Prompt: Write a story rich in description.
Warnings: N/A
"Take a seat. An agent will be with you shortly."
Peter nodded jerkily and eased into a seat facing the door. He didn't know what kind of organization SHIELD was and he had no idea how much they knew about him, but he didn't plan on giving away anything if he could help it. If he'd learned anything in the past year of being a solo superhero, he'd learned to keep his head down.
He shifted uneasily, eyes darting to the mirror on the wall as the hair on the back of his neck prickled. He forced himself to relax and folded his arms behind his head, taking care not to tug on his mask too much. They could try and psych him out if they wanted. He wasn't gonna play along. It was too important to keep Aunt May and Gwen safe, especially after the promise he'd made Gwen's father.
Peter made himself comfortable as seconds lengthened into minutes, propping his feet on the table and leaning back to look at the ceiling while whistling a show tune. Apparently being a superhero didn't change the fact that the phrase be with you shortly was the equivalent of a cable company saying they'd be there in an hour. He'd nearly run out of peppy tunes to whistle by the time the door finally opened. When the too-calm balding guy that Peter had seen staking out the Captain America merch at every Convention he'd ever been to walked through the door, he almost fell out of his chair.
"You!"
The guy was wearing a suit and tie like always, but this time, instead of having his arms full of trading cards and action figures, he carried a slim, official looking folder. The guy paused and shut the door carefully, not taking his eyes off of Peter. And Peter was kicking himself because if he recognized that guy, the guy might be able to recognize him and this was a crap time to open his big mouth, but he should really think of something else to say before-. The other guy beat him to it with his stupid unflappable attitude.
"Well, I was me the last time I checked. But it does beg the question of how you know me and who you think I am."
"Know you? I don't know you. I don't even know your name. How could I possibly-" Peter cleared his throat nervously. "I mean… I could ask you the same question."
The agent smiled placidly and took a seat across from the costumed teenager.
"Right. Then allow me to introduce myself. I'm Special Agent Phil Coulson. I work for SHIELD, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. We've had our eyes on you for some time now, but as a result of certain…events we've been delayed in contacting you until now."
Peter clenched his fists, trying to remember how to breathe. Maybe he could make it past this guy and all the other guys and make it back to Aunt May and Gwen and hide them somewhere until everything blew over and it would all be okay and—
Agent Coulson opened the folder, taking out a few pictures and sliding them across the table.
"Interestingly enough, despite the incident with Dr. Connors three months ago, the only intel we've collected on Spider-Man consists of these stills, a noted fondness of sarcasm, and the knowledge that there is a connection between you and Oscorp. Honestly, our agents haven't been able to find much more than what's already open speculation in the media."
Peter glanced at the pictures, low-quality security stills that obscured his face and some of the action shots he'd sold to the Bugle himself. His heart was still thudding in his chest, but at least he could breathe again. Maybe he actually could get out of this with his identity still intact.
"I value my privacy, Agent. Is that a crime?"
The older man shrugged and laced his fingers together.
"No. But it does make for interesting conversation, wouldn't you agree? Ultimately, your identity is your business until your behavior begins to reflect poor choices. I'm here to inform you that if and when that moment comes, SHIELD will be ready to step in. The truth is that you've only had our passing interest since the Portal Incident two months ago. Since then, SHIELD has been more concerned with damage control and future preventative measures than a lone vigilante in spandex, and our agents have been somewhat…lax in their investigation. But the moment you present a threat to the American people our best agents will come crashing into your life so fast your head will spin."
Peter slid the pictures back across the table, reminding himself that there was absolutely no way the agent could know exactly how scared he was.
"So, what, you just brought me here to threaten me?"
"Consider it a friendly warning."
"Right. Then can I leave now? Places to go, people to save, all that jazz."
Agent Coulson smiled in a way that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Of course. We'll be in touch."
