Not an action chapter, but be prepared for a couple of feels, both good and bad. Shoot me some feedback when you're done! - Darthkvzn
Tony stepped out of the armor as soon as he landed on the helipad, the suit walking eerily behind him.
-"F.R.I.D.A.Y., I want everything we have on those assholes on the conference room." -he said, clearly annoyed.
-"Done, sir. Miss Potts is on the line, by the way."
Tony blanched but winked at us with a smirk, limping away.
I shook my head, but made no comment. Steve walked over to me and inspected my wound. "Healing factor?" -he asked.
I nodded. "It'll probably scar, but it barely stings anymore. Two more days, tops, and it'll fade."
He raised an eyebrow. "Faster than mine, then. Go get it cleaned and bandaged, and then go see your girl."
Romanoff walked beside me, eyeing the gash in my suit. "You don't mind if I tell Tony to whip up a replacement suit, do you?"
I blinked. "You'd do that for me?" -I said meekly.
She shrugged. "Sure. Just don't be surprised if your new suit shoots miniature rockets or has a built-in cloaking system."
She walked off, leaving me baffled. I knew Tony Stark was a genius, and a very, very wealthy man, but to think that he'd devote so much of his precious time just to replace and upgrade a bunch of flashy spandex was...well, I was a little bit floored.
I walked dazedly towards the medical area, passing by Rhodey, who smirked and waved at me while talking on the phone. I saw the silver-haired young man sitting on a gurney with the Scarlet Witch, stiffly flexing some of his muscles. The sorceress gave me a warm smile, and the man gave me a nod, which I returned.
Shaking my head, I arrived to a room occupied by Dr. Cho and Mrs. Stacy, who were amiably chatting away. The doctor turned and widened her eyes as she saw my injury.
-"Oh my, Peter, what happened?" -asked Mrs. Stacy.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "A teleporting mess of cloth and a russian man with laser whips, actually."
Dr. Cho rolled her eyes. "I swear, you heroes are insane, but at least your wardrobe choices aren't too garish, I suppose. Now come, let's help that healing factor along."
Mrs. Stacy frowned. "Healing factor?"
The doctor's eyes brightened. "Oh yes! A healing factor is the term used to describe the accelerated or enhanced healing process of certain superhuman or peak human individuals. Basically, it speeds up the body's natural healing processes and lets the person heal that much quicker. Captain Rogers has a healing factor of 4.9, for example. He heals almost five times as fast as us regular humans."
I blinked. "Wasn't he a 4.0 before?" -I said, a little self-conscious of how much useless Captain America trivia my brain was filled with.
Dr. Cho nodded mischievously. "He was. But with modern technology we've been able to ascertain that his superhuman abilities have slowly grown after being thawed. No one really knows why, as Dr. Erskine's notes make no mention of that fact."
Mrs. Stacy suppressed a groan. "This is all very interesting, but I do believe we have another patient to get to." -she said, a bit impatiently.
The doctor blushed, but nodded. She pulled out an antiseptic spray, asked me to remove my suit, and sprayed away. I bit my tongue at the sudden pain, but I could still hear Helen Stacy's gasp. "Peter...you're covered in these." -she said.
I felt very self-conscious. No one had seen me like this aside from Gwen and Flash. Gwen had actually taken several online nursing courses, and Flash knew a bit of field medicine from his dad's days in the army. Since they lived on opposite sides of the city, I could count on crashing on the nearest one's house whenever I got seriously injured.
I'd accumulated quite a bit of scars during the year or so I'd been Spider-Man. The big slash courtesy of Lizard was the most prominent, not really ugly or jagged, but a bit darker than my regular skin tone. I also had about a dozen knife slashes, three stabbings, three bullet holes (one of them courtesy of New York's finest that night), and half a dozen burn marks all around, as well as a cool lightning pattern from Electro as the second most recent. Now I had a Whiplash whip slash (heh) added to the collection.
I sighed. Gwen used to tear up for every new one, but over the months we'd kinda gotten used to it. Now we were just numb. Flash's hero worship had gotten trampled over when I'd dropped by his house one day with a bullet through my lung, covered in blood. I felt sorry for it, but he'd matured quite a lot after that day.
-"It's...a bunch of long stories." -I simply said.
She pursed her lips, but understood. If I really told her how I'd gotten each, she'd probably break down.
-"Wow, someone's spandex wasn't lying. You're pretty cut, Parker." -said Tony, out of nowhere.
The man was leaning against the doorframe, holding a glass of whiskey. "Cradle's about five minutes out from done. Mind if I borrow Arachnophobia meanwhile?"
Dr. Cho seemed to consider saying no, but held her hands up in defeat. I smirked, getting up and adjusting the bandages around my torso.
Stark led me one level up, to his workshop. It looked like an engineer's paradise - that is, controlled chaos revolving around the creation of the most advanced tech in the world.
A little kid, probably around 11 or maybe 12, was busy scribbling some notes away on his notebook. He had some pretty wild light brown curls, curious eyes, and a stubborn tongue jutting out from concentration.
-"Hey Harley, we have a guest." -said Tony, gentler than usual.
The boy in question turned to me, and I saw a scar on his right cheek, about the same height as his nose. It was fairly evident, but he seemed not to know about it, sporting a huge grin. "Hello!" -he greeted cheerily. I returned a quick 'Yo!' to him.
Tony nodded toward the exit. "Go wait for Pepper to get here, alright? Bug your sister while you're at it." -he said.
The boy shrugged, gave me a salute, and left. "What just happened?" -I asked, looking at him strangely.
Stark sighed, sitting down. "Cap's got you in on the whole Academy thing, right? I figured you'd like to see what's in store. Harley Keener is about as brilliant as a 12 year-old gets, and that's saying a lot, considering I was 12 once. I found him almost a year ago in Tennessee."
I thought about that for a second. "You mean when you went AWOL for a couple of weeks?"
He shrugged. "A lot of things happened in those two weeks, but that's beside the point. That kid just looked at your web-shooters and replicated them in less than a day. I'm not old enough to think on an heir to the suit, but I'm thinking he's it. The others think so, too."
I blinked. "First off, wow. Second off, isn't it a little weird to think about a 12 year-old as the next Iron Man?"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you start at fifteen? He's not actually going to become Iron Man tomorrow, y'know. Who knows if it'll even happen. Maybe I'll find a way to transfer my consciousness to a suit and I'll be it forever."
-"Please, sir, think of the children!" -I mocked.
He smiled. "Not bad, your sass. For an 18 year-old, at least." -he said, then turned a little more serious. "Why'd you do it?"
I thought about it for a second. Why had I done it? I never went on TV, not even to defend myself from the critics, yet today I'd defended a man I wasn't sure about just minutes before.
-"I don't know. I guess I just got a little fed up that the media has been ganging up on you."
-"Still, they're right. I did wake Ultron up, and that makes me responsible for all the bad he brought along." -he said neutrally.
I pondered that for a second. "Why'd you do it?"
It was such a loaded question, I wasn't surprised he changed the subject. "You're pretty popular around here."
I raised an eyebrow. "No kidding?"
Stark shook his head. "Nope. You were on threat watch at first, actually. Back in the S.H.I.E.L.D. days. Fury asked us to keep an eye on you."
I scowled. "Yeah, we didn't exactly get along swimmingly."
The man smirked. "Webbingly, more like. Still, Cap thought he saw something in you. And I hate to say it, but Rogers' intuition is right about 80% of the time. So we went with it. Romanoff and Barton voted against considering you for the team, but the rest of us wanted to go for it."
-"Why didn't I get the invite before, then?"
He looked mildly ashamed, for a second. Not an emotion I thought the man could feel, I suppose. "Fury ordered us to steer clear from the whole Lizard thing. Said it was your opportunity to prove yourself. Even he realized it was wrong afterward, when we found out what Connors' plan actually was. He tried to get you on board then, but you clearly weren't having it. Then, of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, we got a second alien invasion, and Ultron happened, and your invitation got lost somewhere in the fallout."
I stayed silent for a few moments. "I can't say I'm happy about how things turn out, but I suppose I'm thankful for the opportunity. I don't know that I could make a difference as an Avenger, but teaching future ones...maybe that's what all this lead up to, y'know?"
He shrugged, then started to fiddle with a holographic design labeled 'cloak_dev'.
Tony cleared his throat. "Fear." -he said, referring to the unanswered question. "Worry...maybe the cool factor, too. I saw a world destroying itself, and wanted to save it without sacrificing anyone in the process."
-"A regular day on Earth, then." -I said, dryly.
He chuckled. "That's just depressing."
I hummed. "Was it the right play?"
He looked away. "Still haven't determined that. Timing was awful, tough."
-"Well, my uncle used to say if we had the capacity for good, then we had the moral obligation to do our best. I see what you mean, about the world - worse, I swing around and see the wrongness every day, up close and personal. And yeah, it's ugly. So, Ultron had the capacity for good that you have, right? Well, the thing about potential is that it can go either way. Win some, lose some...this was just a very bad loss."
He looked at me strangely. "You are way too insightful for your age. Also, for someone who hasn't had a drink."
-"Swinging is great at clearing the mind. You should try it, sometime."
He gave me a sly grin. "I just might. Make myself an Iron Spider suit, maybe."
I rolled my eyes. "Ok, sure, but I get half credit. And don't come to me when the fangirls start shipping us."
Tony chuckled. "I see you've met Tumblr."
I grimaced. "And Reddit."
He nodded. "Alright, famous people griping later, let's go wake up your girlfriend."
I honestly don't know what I expected. Maybe her having some amnesia, or a slap to the face as soon as she saw me at her bedside. Gwen woke up to a roomful of Avengers, her mother, and me.
-"I'm...alive?" -she said, dazed.
Helen Stacy gasped, tearing up. "Yes you are, sweetie...Peter saved your life." -she said, clutching Gwen's hand.
-"But...I did the math...I should be dead." -she said, her hand reaching up to her cheek, making sure she wasn't dreaming.
-"I think I've never been more relieved that you got your math wrong, Gwen." -said her mom, hugging her.
-"Wait…" -she said, focusing on me. My stomach dropped as her gaze turned confused, but was a little bit relieved by her next words. "Why are you only wearing half of your suit in front of my mother?"
I gave a tearful chuckle. "Cat's out of the bag. Apparently for a while."
Mrs. Stacy sighed. "Teenager hormones and secret identities don't mix well, I'd say."
Gwen and I blushed to our roots. She tried to sit up straight, but immediately noticed the problem. "I...can't move my legs."
Dr. Cho stepped in. "Hi, Gwen. I'm Doctor Helen Cho, the Avengers' chief physician. You suffered...some damage in the commotion, I'm afraid."
-"I was...too late. I couldn't stop you in time." -I said, guilt welling up in my throat.
Gwen processed this. She removed the bed sheet, slightly panicked. I guess she thought they'd amputated the limbs, but her color returned once she saw they were intact. "I can't walk anymore, can I?" -she asked, her voice steady but low.
Dr. Cho pursed her lips. "Maybe with some therapy and experimental technology you might regain some mobility, but I'm sorry to say you're correct. Your spine was shattered by the impact."
I wasn't sure if her silence was more heartbreaking than her screaming, but I imagine it would be close. She just looked lost, for a moment, then looked at me. "Come here, Parker."
I grimaced, but obeyed. I walked over to her, and no sooner was I in her reach, she grabbed me and pulled me in for a huge kiss. My world melted a little, and I was only barely aware of some whooping and hollering behind me.
-"Thank you for saving my life, Peter." -she whispered in my ear.
For once in my life, I was speechless. Not for the first time, I thought I didn't deserve this beautiful, loving woman at all.
She smiled at me, her eyes a little puffy but otherwise tearless. "You're my hero, Spider-Man."
I allowed myself a small laugh. "Pretty crappy hero, I'd say."
Gwen looked at me sternly. "Language, Peter!"
The Avengers laughed loudly at the jab. "Oh, she'll fit right in." -said Widow, receiving some nods.
My girlfriend raised an eyebrow. "Fit in? What do you mean? Peter, are they saying…?" -she trailed off.
Sometimes, when schoolwork was light and petty crimes weren't as rampant, I'd swing us up to the roof of a high rise and set up a bit of an urban picnic. We'd daydream about our future, how she'd be stuck at home, having scientific breakthroughs in between bouts of fretting, while I'd be off, gallivanting with the Avengers.
-"Yes, we're saying." -said Tony.
Rogers cleared his throat. "Seeing as how you're underaged, and in a situation where full membership cannot be issued to you, we figured we'd let you in on a little secret. There are a fair few more Avengers than you can probably name. Those you don't know, either work in the shadows, or are too far away to be considered on-duty."
One of Tony's little robots rolled in, holding a gleaming card, hot off the press. "It really goes without saying, but with all in favour, we've decided to name you an honorary Avenger, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails, until such a time as you can become a full team member. Congratulations, Peter Parker."
I gingerly held my Avengers Identi-Card in my hand. It showed an image of me with the mask, with only Spider-Man as my name, but upon sensing my fingerprint, switched to say 'Peter Benjamin Parker', showing a fairly handsome picture of me, face thankfully devoid of bruises.
For once, I was speechless. Good thing Thor was great at improvising.
-"This momentous occasion calls for great revelry and a mighty feast! To the Man of Spiders!" -he bellowed, raising Mjölnir, and causing a lighting bolt to fall on the Tower's lightning rods and leaving us a bit deaf from the sonic boom.
It was really going to get a bit of getting used to. But I couldn't deny it - having the Card in my hands felt the best. Things were finally coming up Parker.
I really hope I didn't just jinx myself.
Alright, so I had a whole three paragraphs explaining how Harley came to be on the Tower, but it just didn't fit with the story flow. So the short of it is that him and his sister became orphans due to AIM killing their mother. Pepper wants to adopt them, and Tony's pretty ok with it, but both of them being superheroes is a tad problematic. Plus, no one really likes Tony much these days. So he's got custody in the meantime.
Also, I didn't forget Thor is supposedly off-world. Since I'm not going with a Ragnarok type thing for the Asgard angle, I'll say he's got good reason to be back so soon. I really hope you'll enjoy that, because I think it's pretty cool.
Shoot me some feedback, aye? Until next time! - Darthkvzn
