Sam stood out in the cold, shivering, listening to the sounds of laughter emerging from his new friend's house. His arms were sore and tired from holding… the bait… and his crisp, ironed shirt rubbed uncomfortably against his skin.
"My first official Avenger mission," he muttered to himself.
The screen door creaked open and the (freaking) Black Widow stepped through.
"Do you have the bait?" She asked coldly. Or maybe cold was just how she always acted.
Sam extended the plate out. His arms squealed in protest.
"Right here."
'Ma'am,' he added silently. Saying it out loud would probably result in him getting punched.
She held out a red, white and blue paper plate and Sam passed her four pancakes from the big platter in his arms.
"I'm not sure how pancakes are going to convince New York's most badass vigilante to come to Captain America's Fourth of July party," Sam grumbled.
Unfortunately for Sam, Call me Steve and a miniature holographic version of Tony (freaking) Stark projecting from Steve's phone had just joined the two outside on the fire escape. The tiny, five inch tall Iron (freaking-no Sam would not get over this-) Man crossed his metal arms.
"Hang on." The holographic version was glaring up at Sam. "Did you just say Spider-Man is New York's most badass vigilante? Are you not even aware who's Tower you're living in, who pays for your fancy wingsuit, and who's saved the world a bazillion times?"
Sam did his best to keep his cool, but his cheeks may have reddened a little bit.
"Yes, but-"
The Black (freaking hot) Widow crossed her arms over her chest.
"Tony, get over it. Sam, don't encourage him. It won't be too long before everyone notices that the man hosting the fourth of July party isn't at the party." She beckoned to Sam. "Pass out the rest of the pancakes and let's get Peter back."
Each of the Avengers took a generous helping of the pancakes. They smelled so good. Sam's stomach grumbled embarrassingly loud. Dr. Banner sent him a pitying look. Clint snorted.
"Alright." Steve had a commanding voice on, one that made Sam want to salute. "Everyone to their positions."
"Hey man," Sam protested. "What about me?"
This actually made Steve falter. He considered it for a moment.
"You're backup. Is your comm on?"
"Yes."
"Good. You stay here and come in if you're needed."
Backup. Sam's first official Avengers mission, and he was backup. He did his best not to take it as an insult. Instead, he shifted the much smaller pile of pancakes to the other arm, and leaned against Steve's house.
"Affirmative."
"Then we're on our way."
Steve backed up, and leaped over the flimsy railing, executing a perfect dive to the ground below. Sam goggled. The pancakes in Steve's hands weren't even partially smashed.
Natasha followed next, using a series of complicated moves and jumps from bar to bar to make her way to the ground.
Clint huffed.
"Oh no she doesn't."
He actually tossed his pile of pancakes off the fire escape. Sam was sure that was the end of those poor, innocent circles of fried bread, but then Clint, in a lightning fast move, pulled out his bow and shot a grappling arrow. It was like the 'Luke saves Leia Tarzan style' scene in Star Wars. Clint swung across the street, intercepting the pancakes before they were even halfway to the ground, and neatly dropped down to the sidewalk below.
Bruce was left.
The older scientist offered Sam a sympathetic smile.
"Thanks, Sam. I guess that's my cue."
Dr. Banner carefully made his way down the fire escape stairs, pancakes safely in one hand, and the other hand desperately clinging to the rail. Sam watched him make his way out of the alley. Moments later, a motorcycle engine revved to life. Sam shifted the pancakes to his other arm.
His first official Avengers mission.
"Peter," SUSANNA alerted.
Peter finished laying the drunk man on his balcony on the third story of a large apartment complex. The guy was a decent person, just going through a tough time. Peter had found passed out in an alleyway a little ways from a bar. He'd had SUSANNA find the man's address.
He straightened up and slid into the shadows.
"What's up?"
"Stark just activated the tracker on your phone."
Peter stilled.
"Do you know why?"
"JARVIS won't tell me. I suspect that it has to do with your disappearance from the party."
There was a disapproving tone to her voice. Peter knew she wanted him to socialize, but he didn't agree with her this time. Within the ten minutes he'd been out, he'd already stopped three crimes.
"I'm not going back. You told me to give it a chance-"
"You were there five minutes!"
"-and I did." Spider-Man shrugged. "Parties just aren't my thing."
"Spider-Man…"
"Why are you getting on my case? I just caught three criminals!"
SUSANNA huffed.
"You need a vacation. Take a break. Just tonight. Please?"
"Please turn the tracker on my phone off," he insisted. "I'm more useful out here than I am at a party anyways."
SUSANNA grumbled, but complied.
She turned off the tracker on his phone.
But Peter had never told her not to text Stark Peter's current location.
Spider-Man couldn't help but groan when he saw the approaching Avenger, a short distance away. He almost turned around and ran off, but stopped himself in the last second. He'd have to talk to the man eventually.
He made his tone light.
"Hey! Funny seeing you here!"
He strolled towards Steve, forcing a light bounce in his steps.
"Hi Pe- er, Spider-Man." Was that guilt in Steve's tone? Spider-Man hoped not. He'd heard plenty enough guilt in all the Avengers voices for the past few months. "Why'd you leave the party? I hope we weren't being rude."
Steve's brow was crinkled and his mouth was bended in that concerned, honest frown. He was carrying a paper plate stacked high with pancakes. Why was Captain America carrying around a stack of pancakes?
Because they were Peter's favorite food. His stomach grumbled hungrily at the thought of eating them. He hadn't had dinner after all, thanks to patriotic Darcy. Steve's thoughtful olive branch, his offering of peace and friendship between the Avengers and Spider-Man, didn't make him feel better. It made him feel worse.
What would have happened to Michelle if Peter had stayed at the party?
The Avengers didn't get it. They left the small crimes to the vigilantes. They'd save the world a billion times, but wouldn't save one person from the world. They didn't see little children face abuse or older war veterans face neglect. They might be preventing crime from high above in their tower, but they didn't stand in the muck and filth of the streets along with the normal people.
Spider-Man shrugged.
"Parties just aren't my thing. And the fourth's a busy night for crime."
There were footsteps behind him. Spider-Man turned. Bruce was approaching.
With another stack of pancakes.
Inwardly, Peter groaned. Outwardly, Spider-Man feigned ignorance.
"Hey Bruce! What are you doing out in the streets of New York late at night?"
Bruce knew Peter too well. He wasn't going to play along with Peter's attempt at avoiding the topic at hand.
"Why'd you leave Steve's Fourth of July party?"
Peter put his best clueless look on his face.
"Wow! Today's the Fourth of July? I thought it was Boxing day! Funny, my artificial intelligence must be having other issues, besides listening when I tell her to turn the tracker on my phone off.
"Hey!" SUSANNA snapped. "I resent that, you antisocial attercop! And I did turn it off!"
Peter heard Tony snort. He glanced down at Bruce's hand. A five inch tall holographic Stark, complete with the Snark, floated over the screen of Bruce's phone.
"Bilbo Baggins. Nice," Tony complimented.
"Then how did they find me?" Peter asked SUSANNA. His temper was a thread of web, slowly being stretched farther and farther apart. Any more, and Peter was sure it would snap. He really wasn't in the mood.
"I texted Tony your location," SUSANNA drawled. "You never said I couldn't.
"Guys, he's using his diversion method, trying to distract us from our mission," Bruce warned. "Don't let him."
He took a step closer to Peter.
"C'mon, Peter. New York can live without you for one night. Join us? Please?"
Peter softened. Why did he have such a good puppy face? It made him look so heartfelt, so innocent.
"If you don't, the Hulk is going to take over and drag you there."
Or not.
"Besides," Steve added. "We brought pancakes."
Despite the fact that both Avengers had been carrying those around for who knows how long, they still looked delicious. They were soft and fluffy, just like Aunt May had made them. They practically begged to enter Peter's mouth, and slide happily down into his stomach. His tastebuds practically leaped out of his mouth in pure desire.
'Just one night off,' a traitorous thought whispered. 'Just one.'
Maybe one night off wouldn't be so bad.
Romanoff and Barton emerged from the shadows, each with a platter of pancakes in hand. Spider-Man's eyes widened.
"How many pancakes did you make?"
"Enough to feed a hungry, teenage spider-boy," Natasha responded.
'Just one night off,' the voice coaxed. 'You know you need it.'
For a moment, Peter considered it.
In the distance, there was a loud, shrill scream. It was abruptly cut off. Everyone whipped their heads around. Spider-Man tensed. He leaped up, onto the nearest building. His hands and feet easily navigated up the side of the apartment complex.
"Pet- Spider-Man! Wait!"
Spider-Man didn't look back at the sound of Steve's voice. He reached the roof of the building. Without even the slightest hesitation, he leaped off, and shot out a string of web.
The Avengers watched Spider-Man disappear around the corner, then turned to Steve for instruction. His face was grim.
"I get the feeling we're going to need back-up. Stark, pull up Falcon on comms."
A moment later, the voice of their newest addition came through.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Sam," Steve said. "Time for Plan B."
They could almost see Falcon's mood improve. If Steve had placed a bet, he would've bet Sam was beaming like a kid in a candy store.
"I'm on it."
Back at Steve's apartment, Sam's grin was ear to ear. He reached into his backpack, and pulled out his wing suit.
"My first real Avengers mission!"
He may have whooped as he flew off the fire escape, into the black Brooklyn sky.
Thwick. Spider-Man gracefully free-fell for a moment, before the web caught him. He jolted, and swung above the quiet street below his feet. Thwick. He landed on the top of another rooftop, this one overlooking a dead-end alleyway. Sharp eyes scanned for the smallest movement, and sensitive ears listened for even the most minute sound.
Shadows near a door shifted. Noisy, frantic breaths became audible. There.
Swift and silent, he slithered down the back of the fire escape, to the big dumpster below. He perched himself on top, concealed by the darkness.
"I told you I needed you home."
The sound of a slap. A muffled gasp. Spider-Man's lips thinned. His hands clenched into fists.
"Why'd you sneak out Michelle?" The man mocked. "Was I not clear enough?"
The shadows shifted again. A tall man swung a teenager around. She was sent flying onto her back, landing with a nasty thump on the hard ground. Tufts of curly brown hair went flying every which direction.
She had to be at least four years younger than Peter.
There were almost inaudible footsteps near the entrance to the alleyway. The Avengers arrived at the scene, their features concealed by shadow. Peter grit his teeth.
To think he'd considered going to a party, while crimes like this were going on.
The big man's black eyes glittered. He raised his foot up in the air and aimed it at her chest. The girl- Michelle -scrambled backwards on her hands and feet, eyes wide.
The next moment, the man was hanging upside down, ankle in Spider-Man's red hand.
"I think you've made yourself perfectly clear." Spider-Man's voice might have been deceptively light, but his movements were more forceful and lethal than usual. "You're a coward. Pick on someone your own size."
He dropped the man. The heavy figure awkwardly landed on his stomach with a painful fwhomp. Two swift globs of webs had the man's hands pinned to the ground.
"Mind your own business, you bi-"
Another thwip, and the jerk's mouth was satisfyingly webbed shut.
Spider-Man ignored the thrashing and muffled curses, and went to help up Michelle. She climbed to her feet before he could, leaning on the dumpster for support.
"You okay?"
She turned at him, eyebrows bent down in a heated glare.
"What were you thinking?" She hissed. "Now he's just going to beat me up more."
This wasn't the first time he'd encountered a situation like this. Kids and teens stuck in nasty situations they were unwilling to get out of, either in fear of the system or because of another family member that needed their protection. Spider-Man encountered it regularly and it infuriated him. He hated it when there was nothing he could do to guarantee that these kids wouldn't end up with more abuses because he'd stopped one.
Spider-Man remained apathetic to her venom. He reached into his pocket for a pen.
"Hand."
She eyed him distrustfully before offering him her palm. The wrist already had bad bruises. It looked like a bad sprain. He scribbled a number in blue ink.
"If you ever want to get out, call that. A Susanna will answer. She's got resources available for you, including ways to make you disappear for a little while if you need to and places to stay, and she can contact me."
They had set up the number months ago. SUSANNA would answer calls and get them out of the situation. A few times, Peter had had to make quick excuses to people in his normal life to go help these kids get out of immediate danger. About fifty percent called eventually. Spider-Man did his best not to think about what happened to the rest.
"Put some ice on that wrist," he commanded softly. "The webs will dissolve in a few hours."
Michelle opened her mouth like she was going to retort, before she shut it again. The tension went out of her shoulders. She went from bold and ready to fight, to a puppet only being held up by fragile string.
"I will," She muttered.
That was the best he could do… with her. Spider-Man stalked back over to the man. He knelt down so his mask was almost eye level with the man's face.
"Touch her again," he threatened in low tones, "and I'll hurt you. I will find out about it and I will be watching."
He didn't have patience for anyone, not even SUSANNA. SUSANNA wisely kept silent, leaving Peter to cool down. If Spider-Man had had any good mood left, it was gone now.
The Avengers waiting at the entrance of the alleyway did nothing to improve it. He didn't greet them as he stalked past.
When they started to follow him, he spun around.
"What?"
None of them knew what to say. Spider-Man could see it on their faces. They were at a loss for words, or, knew better than to attempt to speak. He was about to web himself away, when he realized there were five figures, not four present.
The dark-skinned man wearing something bulky on his back was not a person Spider-Man recognized. He frowned. Who was that guy?
He didn't have a chance to ask. Steve had come to a conclusion. The hero's expression, which was one of painful realization, changed.
"Forget Code Web," He told the Avengers. "Forget the backup plan. And forget the fourth of July."
"Hang on," Five inch holographic Tony interjected. "Did Captain America just tell us to forget the fourth of July?
"Shut up Tony," Romanoff demanded.
Steve had grown wise enough to ignore Tony's attempts at humor.
"Tonight, we're crime fighting."
He turned to Spider-Man.
"Where do you want us to go?"
Peter's mouth dropped open like a fish.
That was the last thing he had expected.
He felt a small smile grow beneath the mask. The tension that had gathered in his shoulders leaked out.
"I don't know. SUSANNA, where are we needed?"
"Good decision, Captain," SUSANNA congratulated. "Spider-Man, there's a group robbing electronic shops throughout Manhattan. The police are having a bit of trouble keeping them down. There's two different violent bar fights in two different parts of Queens, and there's a growing fire down in Bushwick. Sounds like the firemen aren't able to rescue a family cat- and it's not their priority."
"Who likes cats?" Tony groused.
Bruce timidly rose a hand. Barton, Romanoff, and Steve all simultaneously rolled their eyes.
"Don't interrupt, you loud-mouthed tin can," SUSANNA snapped. "And if anyone's feeling generous, it sounds like Daredevil could use some assistance in Hell."
There was silence for a moment. Bruce whistled.
"Sounds like you could use help more often, Spider-Man." He glanced down at his arms. "It seems like we aren't going to have time to eat these pancakes. What are we going to do with them?"
Peter felt something warm and cheery spring up within his chest. His small smile grew wider and wider.
If this was what having friends was like, Peter wanted more of those.
"Steve, you take the Manhattan group. Romanoff and Barton, I want you in Queens. And-" Spider-Man paused, turning to the new guy. "Who are you?"
The man stepped forward and put out a hand. "Hey man. I'm Sam, the most recent addition to the Avengers." Somewhat awkwardly, Spider-Man shook his hand. "Are those wings on your back?"
The man broke out in a big, white-toothed grin. "Maybe. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking you could go save a cat."
At the incredulous look on Sam's face, Peter chuckled.
"My first official Avengers mission," Sam muttered under his breath. "And I'm rescuing a cat."
"I'll take Hell," Spider-Man continued. "And Bruce will take the pancakes to the homeless shelter down on 7th. Everyone up for it?"
There was a certain excitement in the air as each of the Avengers gave their enthusiastic (less so in Sam's case) affirmative.
"Hey, what about me?" Tony questioned.
Steve's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Aren't you supposed to be schmoozing up to other CEO's in California right now?"
"Umm… yeah. But Pepper's taking care of it!"
"Pepper is a saint," Steve mumbled. "I don't know how she puts up with him." Then louder, "Just go help Pepper. We've got New York covered. Everyone?"
They were.
"Good. Get to it."
My tumblr is gammathetaalpha.
Also, go check out nikkiof_shadows on AO3. I beta for her! She recently wrote a story called Peter's Never-ending Stubbornness, which features Dad!Tony, Peter, Harley, Ned, MJ, a nasty villain, and Peter being deliciously stubborn. She also wrote Twist of Fate, also featuring Dad!Tony and Kid!Peter, which has over 2500 kudos, and close to 50,000 hits. She's incredible!