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The Choices We All Make

Before Peter knew it, it was time. Time to rent a tux and get a corsage and maybe learn to dance and tie a tie and...he didn't really know what else. It was his first dance. Like, the first one he'd ever gone to with a girl. He and Ned had gone to homecoming as friends the year before. That had been great...no pressure, no girls. Lots of fun. May helped him tie his tie, the two of them watching a youtube video at least five times before he got it right. He probably could have called Mr. Stark, but that seemed like a bit too much like a question one would ask...well...one's uncle. One's father. Not one's superhero mentor who seemed to be stepping into a told that Peter didn't quite understand yet.

In the end, he texted Mr. Stark a picture that May had taken of him, but only after about twelve texts practically begging for one. "Come on, kid. It's your first big dance! I want to see your tux. You did get a tux, right?"

Then another. "If you didn't get a tux, you need to."

And another. "Do you need me to get you a tux?"

Sighing, he'd handed his phone to May. "Can you take a picture?" Somewhat confused about his put upon expression, she'd taken the picture in which he had his arms crossed, his eye roll exaggerated. When he sent it to Mr. Stark, the response was almost immediate. "Looking great, kid. Have a good time."

Then one last text. "Don't forget to get a picture with Liz."

Mr. Stark was acting like...like Peter was his…

His kid.

The man had told him that he was important. That he cared about him. And Peter believed him. But he knew that it would be dangerous to start thinking about being someone's kid. He had May. May was his aunt and basically his mom and he loved her and she loved him...she was all the family he had left. But now, Mr. Stark was acting like his family...which was great! Unless he changed his mind.

Unless he decided that Peter wasn't worth it. That he didn't actually want to be a...a mentor to Peter. At first, Peter had thought that the man really liked him. Then he'd disappeared for three months. And then he'd come back. For now, things were great. But Peter thought that he might want to wait until after the internship...until after he could really prove himself to Mr. Stark, before he started hoping for anything more.

It would be dangerous to get his hopes up.

Shaking off those thoughts, he focused instead on Liz...on dancing with her. On maybe on going to dinner with her afterward. Mr. Stark had a reservation for the two of them at a local restaurant and had already paid. A driver was going to pick them up from the dance and drive them to the restaurant and then take them home...Mr. Stark had assured Peter that it was really no trouble. Happy was busy with moving day, but he was going to send another driver, all the logistics were taken care of...all he wanted Peter to do was 'have fun, kid!'

Peter climbed into the front seat of his aunt's car, hands clasped too tightly on his lap, and May glanced over with a smile, pulling out into traffic. "Are you excited?" He gave a quick nod. "You have your wallet?" He nodded again. "Her corsage?"

"Yeah."

"The knowledge that I love you very much and that you're going to have fun?" He smiled a bit at that, relaxing just a fraction.

"Love you too, May."

For a while they drove in silence, Peter sending a few texts to Ned making plans for where to meet and what they were doing after. Ned wasn't going with anyone, but seemed cheerful anyway, and promised that he'd be fine, that he didn't need to tag along with Peter and Liz...that it would, in fact, be weird to have a third wheel on their first date.

Peter insisted that it was barely a date.

Ned disagreed.

"Okay. What are you going to do?" May asked, pulling up to the familiar house...the one he'd been to a party at right before nearly drowning...before his relationship with Mr. Stark had seemed to shift dramatically.

"Open doors for her. Be polite. Tell her she's pretty, but not so much that it's creepy."

"Don't be creepy." May agreed, nodding seriously.

"Okay...love you May. I'll see you tonight."

"Have fun, baby."

And then he was waking up to the door, palms sweating despite rubbing them on his pants, heart racing. He reached the door, took a few breaths, then rang the doorbell, reminding himself that this was fine. He'd met Liz's mom before and she was nice. Liz has said yes to going to this dance and they would have fun! It was no pressure!

When the man who must have been Liz's father opened the door, he thought he might throw up so violently did his spider senses go off, cold chills going up and down his back, throat closing up, stomach churning. He'd never seen this man before...never laid eyes on him. But something was wrong. Something terrible was wrong. Hands shaking, he stared up at the smiling man, wide-eyed.

"You must be Peter."

"Yeah."

"I'm Liz's dad. Put her there." The man held out a hand that Peter forced himself to take, feeling like he was somehow underwater. "Hell of a grip!" The man didn't seem to notice that Peter's throat had closed up...that he couldn't speak. Could barely move. "Come on in here! Come in!" He ushered, and Peter let himself be led.

In the kitchen, Liz's mom looked up and smiled. "Hello, Peter. You look very handsome." Peter knew that he should thank her. Should say...something. Anything. But even as she was making some kind of joke with her husband, he felt like he couldn't speak. Couldn't understand...because his senses were exploding and his hands were shaking.

"You alright Pete?"

That was what Mr. Stark had called him.

He knew that voice.

It was almost like there was an audible click in his brain. He knew that voice. Had heard it at the ferry. The Vulture...but how? He had to be wrong. He had to be. "Yeah." He told the man, voice strangled.

"You sure? You look pale. Do you want something to drink? Bourbon? Scotch? Something like that?"

The man that had tried to kill him a few weeks ago was offering him alcohol. "I'm not old enough to drink," Peter told him, unable to enjoy the absurdity of it all thanks to the fact that his nerves were on fire. He was in a building with the Vulture...with someone who would kill him if given the chance.

"That's the right answer." The man told him with a grin, pointing at him like...like a dad. Like any dad. He was Liz's dad. Suddenly, the man's eyes went wide, a soft smile turning his lips, and Peter turned to find Liz in a beautiful red dress. She was beautiful. Gorgeous. And Peter wanted to tell her how beautiful and gorgeous she was...wanted to get a moment alone with her and maybe even kiss her.

But her dad was the Vulture.

"Don't you look beautiful." Her father smiled, and Peter wished he was wrong...hoped he was wrong...knew he wasn't wrong.

"Please don't embarrass me, Dad." Liz murmured, blushing a little as she brushed some hair behind her ear.

"Doesn't she, Pete?"

"Yeah...you look really good."

"Once again, that's the right answer." He was making a good impression...a great impression apparently, despite the fact that he felt like he was barely able to breathe. Vaguely, he was aware of his own hands pushing the corsage into Liz's hands...of posing for pictures. Trying to smile. Trying not to stare at the man who looking increasingly concerned about him. Then they were walking out the door...he thought the man might have called him Pedro. He didn't care...because he'd found the Vulture and he had no idea what to do about it.

His suit was at home.

What could he do?

"What are you gonna do, Pete?" The man asked, and Peter jumped as if electrocuted.

"Huh?"

"After you graduate." He clarified, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. "What do you think you'll do?"

"Don't grill him, Dad." Liz scolded, staring down at her phone. Her dad went on, asking again what his plans were, saying something about the kids at his school or something...he needed to text Mr. Stark. He reached into his pocket, about to pull it out, when Liz's words broke through his fog.

"Peter has an internship with Tony Stark. I don't think he has to worry." Her dad's eyes flew to Peter's in the rearview mirror.

"Really...Stark." The man hummed, nodding, obviously impressed. "What do you do?"

"Oh...um...nothing much. Um...filing and stuff. I get coffee."

"And he got to hang out with Spiderman." Liz put in, and Peter felt his stomach clench at the name coming out of her mouth in this car...in the backseat of the Vulture's car.

"Really? Spiderman?" He lifted his eyebrows. "What's he like?"

"Yeah, he's nice!" Peter cursed himself when his voice cracked. "Solid dude." Liz 'awwed,' holding out her phone and showing Peter a picture of a puppy and a kitten cuddled up together on a chair. "So cute." He forced a smile, wishing he were anywhere else...wishing this wasn't happening. Wishing he was just a normal kid on his first kind-of date.

"I've seen you around somewhere...right?" Mr. Toomes asked, cocking his head as he stopped at a red light. "I mean...somewhere. We've...have we ever…because...the voice. I'm sure I've heard your voice before."

"He does academic decathlon with me. And he was at my party." Liz put in.

"It was a great party. Really...really fun." Liz grinned at him. She was so pretty...and she was smiling at him...why couldn't he just...pretend? Forget about the Vulture and Spiderman and superheroes for the night. Just be a normal kid.

"You were there for, like, two seconds." She reminded him, laughing a little. "Then you disappeared."

"I...I did not disappear." Peter tried to argue, but she shook her head, phone in her lap.

"You totally did. You're always disappearing."

"I am not…" His voice was weak, but she didn't seem to hear him...just kept talking about how he kept disappearing at inopportune moments and the man was staring at him with a growing realization in his eyes and Peter needed to text Mr. Stark. Because this man wouldn't hurt his daughter...wouldn't hurt him while he was in the car with her. Right?

"And I heard that you ditched detention...did you see what happened with the ferry that day?"

"Yeah...I mean...I was home but…"

"Spiderman and Iron Man were both there. Did they tell you about it?"

"I...no. They didn't really talk to me about it. They don't talk to me about stuff like that."

"Well, those people were very lucky that Spiderman was there that day. Good old Spiderman."

Peter slipped his hand in his pocket, squeezing his phone gently but not pulling it out. Mr. Toomes was staring at him almost constantly as he drove. He couldn't risk calling him right now.

"Here we are. End of the line." Peter didn't bother moving as Liz started to climb out of the car. "You head in there gumdrop. I'm going to give Peter the Dad talk."

Liz rolled her eyes with a laugh, reaching out and touching Peter's arm. "Don't let him intimidate you."

There were more pleasantries, but as soon as Liz was out of the car, Mr. Toomes turned in his seat, glancing back at Peter. "Does she know?"

"Know what?" The man chuckled a little.

"So she doesn't. Good. Close to the vest. I admire that. I've got a few secrets of my own. Of all the reasons I didn't want my daughter to date...Peter nothing is more important than family. My daughter...she really seems to like you. So I'm gonna give you one chance." Heart pounding in his chest, Peter watched the man turn even further in the seat, a gun in his hand. "You walk through those doors, you forget any of this happened, and don't you ever, ever interfere with my business again. Because if you do...I'll kill you and everybody you love. I'll kill you dead. That's what I'll do to protect my family. Do you understand?"

He did. As he nodded, and thanked the man through frozen lips for saving his life, and dropped his phone onto the floorboard of the back seat, he understood. He understood that as much as he wanted to be normal, as much as he wanted to just be any kid at his Homecoming dance with his friends and a beautiful girl...he couldn't. Because he'd made a choice.

Liz saw on his face that something was wrong even before he reached her. She watched him approach, obviously concerned, and he shook his head, pausing in front of her and filling his hands go steady at his side.

He'd made a choice.

"What did he say to you?"

He took a deep breath, giving her a sad smile and knowing that this was it…that he was throwing it away. "Gotta go."

"What…"

"I'm sorry...you don't deserve this."

And she didn't. She didn't deserve any of this. Neither did he. But his old suit was under his lockers and his phone was in the Vulture's car, and he had to figure out a way to contact Mr. Stark. But first, he had to find the Vulture.

Thank you for reading!