Alright! So, I'm getting to a point in this story in which it'll catch up to a sort of parallel story in Heist Dos-Punto-Cero. Rest assured, there will be crossover, just as soon as I figure out the best way to do it without compromising either story's plotline. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I thought it turned out alright! - Darthkvzn

In less than 24 hours, my whole world had completely changed. I'd (sort of) become an Avenger, my girlfriend had a permanent disability, and everyone important to me now knew I was the infamous Web-Slinger.

-"You're trending, Peter." -said Gwen, absently looking at her phone.

Ah, well. Some things remained the same.

We were waiting on Dr. Cho to give us the all-clear, the others off to debrief on the previous battle, resting, or planning for my party, which I still thought was weird. Not the party, but the fact that the Avengers - my sorta teammates - were throwing it. According to Steve, Avenger parties were actually relatively common, which had Gwen and I extremely excited for it.

-"Yikes. Something good, I hope?"

Gwen hummed in agreement. "#SpideyRant, apparently. Currently waiting on the midday news to see what that is all about. I gotta say, Peter, I'm surprised to see you actually speaking to reporters this time."

I blushed. "Uhh, I just got a little fed up, is all."

-"You sure it wasn't because of the sexy reporter?" -she asked, raising an eyebrow.

My nose scrunched up. "Not really that into redheads, sorry."

Gwen tsk-ed. "And here I was thinking about dying my hair sometime soon."

I frowned. "What's wrong with naturally blonde? One IQ joke too many?"

My girlfriend rolled her eyes. She was used to those, letting her (multiple) results do the comeback for her. "No, just...I've been thinking a little."

-"What about?"

-"All the things I haven't done yet. Not, y'know, bucket list type stuff. Just the things I've put off so far. Dying my hair, going parachuting, skinny dipping…" -she trailed off.

-"I didn't know you were such a thrill-seeker." -I deadpanned.

She swatted my head. "So not...just curious. Besides, it's not like I'm going to do much in the next couple of months."

I glanced at her worriedly. "Don't talk that way, Gwen. You weren't valedictorian just for your pretty voice, y'know? You'll go pretty far in life, on your feet or some wheels."

She snorted. "That's the weirdest pep talk I've heard yet. But a good one, anyway. Thank you, Peter." -she said, giving me a kiss.

-"F.R.I.D.A.Y., is that hot? Is it illegal for me to say that's hot?"

-"I would say it's sweet, Sir. And it would be highly immoral of you to say so, but not illegal, unfortunately." -answered the AI.

Gwen and I broke the kiss, finding a smug inventor staring back at us. "Nice to officially meet you, Ms. Stacy. Peter's talked a lot about you. To other people, I'm sure."

I groaned, but Gwen chuckled, offering a hand. "It's very nice to meet you too, Mr. Stark. I can't thank you enough for your hospitality."

The man shrugged. "Not a hospital, but close enough. You should really be thanking Dr. Cho, I just paid for everything."

Gwen nodded confusedly. Stark looked at me. "Hate to break you two lovebirds up, but Cap's got an assignment for you, should you choose to accept it."

I raised an eyebrow. "You couldn't have asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. to deliver the message?"

-"I mean, I could've, but I wouldn't have caught the hot makeout action."

-"Rude, Sir."

-"I know, you told me. Anyway. Gwen, I thought you might want to meet someone." -he said, stepping aside to let a certain redhead through.

Virginia Potts was, to say the least, a controversial figure, which I supposed fit the fiancée of Tony Stark. Originally his PA, Ms. Potts had become Stark Industries CEO six months after the birth of Iron Man, holding that position until Félix Álvarez, SI's former Chief Operating Officer, had taken over during the Mandarin crisis, closely cooperating with Tony and Pepper to take the newly rebranded Resilient Inc. in the right direction.

Aside from the obvious controversy of marrying your former boss (and replacing him in the company), Pepper had gotten some flames when she'd revealed she was the woman inside the Rescue armor. Given that Rhodey was, of course, War Machine, many people thought it was very irresponsible of Tony to just give out armors to everyone close to him. He'd adamantly defended Pepper's decision to use the suit, citing that she'd always been in the plans, and that she was uniquely talented to bear the Rescue mantle.

Personally, I wholeheartedly agreed. Rescue had taken to the business with gusto, being spotted around the world, aiding in the aftermath of several natural disasters and coordinating the efforts of the Stark Relief Foundation on site.

Needless to say, Gwen was fangirling hard.

-"It's so nice to meet you, Gwen."

My girlfriend was two steps shy from hyperventilating. "Uhhh it's such an honor Ms. Potts!" -she nearly screamed.

I winced, remembering my similar reaction to meeting Captain America. Tony gave me a knowing smile. "Come on, let's not keep the old man waiting."

Thor and the Captain were standing in the conference room, quietly discussing something when we walked in. The Asgardian noticed us first, interrupting the conversation and walking over to me. The man was huge, almost a head taller than Steve, who was already a head taller than me and Tony.

-"Greetings, Peter. I am pleased to know I have gained a shield brother in my short absence." -he said, clasping my forearm in greeting.

I smiled. "It's awesome to meet you, Thor. Why'd you leave?" -I asked.

Thor smiled sadly. "Trouble brews across the Nine Realms and beyond. I am not certain if I should…" -he said, looking at the Captain for guidance.

Steve nodded. "Peter's honorary Avenger status gets him clearance. You can speak freely around him and Miss Stacy, so long as she signs an NDA when she leaves the Tower."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's very generous of you, thanks."

The super soldier shrugged. "It's only fair. Plus, some people can't hold their tongue very well around here."

Stark smirked. "Guilty as charged. What's the sitch, Goldilocks?"

Thor's chest puffed. "I am here on behalf of the All-Father to announce Asgard's desire to create an...embassy on Midgard, and officially establish a diplomatic relationship between the United Nations of Earth and the Courts of Yggdrasil."

-"Whoa, Space Vikings have ambassadors?" -asked Tony.

Thor gave him a smirk. "Aye. My father has been quite adamant about improving the relations between the Realms, of late. Midgard being the latest to receive this honor is merely due to the complicated nature of diplomacy between our realms."

-"You mean because you guys blew up a small town the first time you visited?" -I deadpanned.

The god boomed a laugh. "That might have had something to do with it, yes. It is Asgard's hope that any tension left over from its people's deeds may be swept away with this action."

Steve smiled good-naturedly. "I think it's a great idea, even if it's a little unexpected. Our people have much to learn from the other. Plus, we get some more Asgardian help, apparently."

-"Indeed, the All-Father has commanded that Lady Sif officially join the Avengers to show his continued support for our endeavors." -he said.

-"Oh, hey, didn't she visit New Mexico like a year ago?" -asked Tony.

The alien cocked his head. "I have no knowledge of this visit...but it makes sense. Lady Sif is the most capable warrior on Asgard. If I were not available to aid, Sif would have been sent in my stead."

I raised my eyebrows, impressed. For Thor, literal god of thunder, to say that, Sif must be quite the badass. The way he fondly talked about her also made me wonder if the two weren't an item, though I somewhat recalled him having a girlfriend - a human one.

-"Looking forward to meeting her. We're going to give Peter here a brief induction class; you interested?" -asked the Captain.

Thor smiled sadly. "My regrets, Captain, but I must attend a reunion with Director Fury. I believe he is expecting you later today as well."

Steve grimaced. "That he is. It can wait, though."

Thor shrugged, which let me tell you, looked quite impressive with those huge shoulder plates. "As you say, Steve. I relish the thought of battling by your side, Spider-Man. Until next time." -he said, and exited regally.

Cap smiled, then pulled up some holographic files. "Alright Peter. Since we want you to be an instructor, I figured I'd give you the basics, just so you don't freak out a little when you see your homework."

Oh, yay. Homework. "Right."

-"No need to look so glum. Just a few basic things you'll have to learn if you want to visit the Compound tomorrow." -said Stark.

I instantly perked up. "Got it."

Captain America pulled up the holographic images of every Avenger. "The Avengers work on a loose-squad based system. There's a leader, but all teammates are encouraged to act on their instincts - add their own flair to the situation. This way, a sense of direction is kept while fully accounting for a hero's abilities."

-"Rogers and I came up with a rough classification system, a sort of rock-paper-scissors to best match our fighters with the enemy. It isn't absolute, but it should help when you're tutoring." -said Stark, and displayed his own file.

-"There's six categories: blaster, tactician, infiltrator, scrapper, bruiser, and generalist. Except for generalist, we consider each of the above vulnerable to the next one. Blasters have the firepower to take down bruisers, and those have the durability to shrug off scrappers. You'll learn more about the advantages and disadvantages later, but like Steve said, it's just a rough approximation of results."

I nodded. "What would I be, for example?"

Steve and Tony said at once: "Infiltrator.", with Cap throwing in: "With a bit of scrapper on the side. You're good at getting in and out of tough situations, and an amazing close-combat fighter."

-"Kinda like Widow, but without all the spy stuff." -clarified Tony.

Right. Not too hard. It made sense, so I tried my hand. "You'd be a tactician...and you a blaster?" -I said at Steve and Tony respectively.

Steve smirked. "Not bad for a first guess. Tony's anything but a glass cannon, so he could also be considered a bruiser, and I'm flexible enough to fit any role I need to. Sort of."

-"Jack of all trades..." -I nodded.

-"And master of none. Point is, the system isn't foolproof. Anyone can be anything, even if they tend towards a certain path. Having this classification is just handy for balancing teams and situations." -he said.

I agreed. Homework was turning out to be quite enjoyable, after all.

That is, until I was given the full file on the Avengers Initiative. Origins, founders, first members (and that was a trip and a half), modern era, candidates, the screening process and the whole Battle of Manhattan. Power sets, potential candidates and future plans. Current members and team standing. What non-Avenger allies we could count on, and which enemies to keep a close look on. On the whole, maybe a thousand pages to read through. Luckily, Steve had given me a week to do so.

Tonight was party night, and I was ready to partay.

Avengers parties were wild. They apparently involved everyone imaginable, since I saw a few veterans mingling with some Pop star or another. And yes, there was alcohol involved, but no one really got drunk, just buzzed enough to loosen their tongue. Not bad, I'd say.

Gwen and I were sitting on the sidelines, more observing the party than participating in it. Ironically, I had to remain anonymous in my own party, at least until Spider-Man's scheduled appearance later tonight. I was pretty content with keeping my girlfriend company for a while.

-"Hey Peter, you hear about Flash?" -she asked me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Not really, haven't kept up with him since graduation. Busy, y'know?"

Flash could be considered my best friend, but that was saying a lot. We talked easily and the tension from years of enmity was gone, but he still had way too active a social life for me to participate in it. He was cool about it, even covering for me a bit whenever Spider-Man needed to make an unscheduled appearance.

-"He went straight off to boot camp. Said to tell you he was doing it for you." -she said, smiling sadly.

I was surprised - Flash's family had a long history with the military, but he usually hated the idea of joining. His father was very harsh about it, which was part of the insecurity that caused him to turn bully. That he had decided to go on my influence was more than a little heartwarming, but also extremely worrying.

Gwen noticed my pensive face, nodding. "Apparently, his family's talent for shooting is genetic, 'cause he got immediately shipped off."

I grimaced. Iron Man might've mostly eliminated extremists in the Middle East, but there was still a lot of cleanup to be done.

-"Did he say where?"

Gwen shook her head. "Something secret. He didn't say as much, but he looked kinda apprehensive about the whole thing."

A party filled moment passed. "That idiot better keep himself alive."

-"Says the idiot that nearly got himself killed impersonating a human resistance."

I chuckled. "True. Anymore gossip I missed?"

Gwen shrugged. "Not much. Lizzie got pregnant. Jack nearly killed himself when he found out. Oh, and Harry got sent to Ryker's."

I shot her a look at the casual way she talked about her would-be killer. She just rolled her eyes. "I'm not gonna tip-toe around it, Peter. I can't even walk to do that."

My expression soured. "Gwen, you shouldn't..."

She glared. "No. No way. You've already learned that lesson. Never make my decisions for me, alright? If I want to deal with my disability with some humor, I get to make fun of my disability. We clear?"

I nodded meekly. She gave me a sweet kiss. "Good. Love you Bug Boy."

"Love you, Smarty Pants."

Gwen wheeled away to join Dr. Foster and her intern, who'd arrived shortly after midday. My girlfriend was a big fan of her work, so I was kinda surprised she'd held off her desire to immediately pounce on the astrophysicist. Gwen might've been a biochemist, but that didn't stop her from reading all sorts of scientific materials.

-"So, what do you think?" -asked Tony, joining me in a neat suit and handing me a glass filled with amber liquid.

I took it. "Party? It's great. Also, should a national hero be encouraging underage drinking?"

Stark rolled his eyes. "Non-alcoholic cider, Parker. I don't exactly condone anyone's alcoholism but my own. And I meant your girl."

I blushed. "Right. Uhmm, well I'm super glad she's still alive."

-"But?"

I looked at her, laughing and talking happily. "She's acting...well, like me, kinda. Gwen is usually all serious and grim when facing adversity. I resort to jokes and quips, y'know?"

Stark narrowed his eyes at me for a moment. "We do that, don't we? I mean, we're still our own person, but I think relationships kind of involve that, right? Mixing it up."

I shot him a dubious look. "I guess?"

He smirked. "Yeah, like...I'm way more responsible since I got Pepper in my life. And she's a little more on the wild side since, too."

The understatement made me chuckle. If getting an arc reactor in your chest and a powered exoskeleton didn't qualify you as wild, I don't know what would.

-"If you can be described in any way as responsible, I'll eat an arrow." -said a sandy-haired man I identified as Hawkeye.

The archer offered me a strong, calloused hand. "Clint Barton."

I shook it. "Peter Parker. It's an honor."

Barton laughed. "I don't remember you thinking it was, before."

I blushed to my roots. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

He shrugged. "Wasn't the worst way I've met a teammate. Pietro punched the lights outta me, and you should've seen how I looked after meeting Nat."

I laughed easily. Clint had a nice sense of humor, plus a no-nonsense attitude about him. Hawkeye smirked at me. "Laura's gonna love meeting you. Make sure to make some time to visit!" -he said, walking over to the bar.

I looked quizzically at Tony. "Laura?"

Tony snapped his fingers. "Oh, that's right! You're still spoiler free. Laura is the matron of the Barton clan."

My eyes widened. "You mean Hawkeye has a wife? And it's not Black Widow?"

Stark laughed out loud. "Oh no, my man. Clintasha is old news. So is Brutasha, for that matter. Clint's been married long enough to have toddlers." -he said, shuddering.

-"I can't believe I signed an NDA...the gossip potential in this place is worth millions." -I joked.

-"You'd know, wouldn't you? Speaking of which, I believe it's time for the main guest to arrive."

I sighed, downing the virgin cider in one gulp. Here went nothing, I supposed. Careful not to let anyone spot me, I slipped to an empty room, changing to my brand new StarkTech suit.

I was honestly baffled that Tony had whipped it up in just a day, but then again, the Avengers had had me in their sights for a while. Following the contrasting theme the team was going for, my new suit's design was a little darker, the red not as shiny and the blue almost black. The mask remained mostly unchanged, and the web-shooters were now made with state of the art materials and several new firing options, including nets, taser webs, and web bombs. A utility belt with my spider logo had also been added, ready to be filled with spare biocable cartridges, field medicine, and more. The suit itself was a titanium nanoweave, and the reinforcing black web pattern was formed by carbon nanotubes.

"It's no adamantium shield or vibranium armor, but it'll do.", Tony had said when he presented it to me. I may or may not have given a shrill scream when I saw it.

The suit had a cool interior material I hadn't gotten the specs of, and it was much easier to put on and wear than simple spandex. Tony had assured me it was also completely electricity proof, since he'd heard of my fight with Max.

All in all, Spider-Man was back and better than ever. I didn't know why, but I had a feeling the upgrade was just in time.

Not gonna lie, that classification system is straight out of Marvel: Avengers Alliance, the Facebook game. I am thoroughly addicted to it, and several ideas have sprouted from it. Quick question. Who here remembers what's wrong with Odin, last we saw him? Who can see what the problem might be with Asgard wanting to establish diplomacy with Earth? Things should be quite interesting on that front!

Anyway, next chapter, Peter finally visits the Compound - and gets a glimpse at his future job, plus meets the rest of the Avengers. Until next time! Reviews are always welcome and appreciated! - Darthkvzn