I rewrote this chapter so many times, it's ridiculous. Anyway, enjoy and stuff!
"We're totally the luckiest people on Earth." Fitz grinned.
"I never noticed how short he was before. Of course, I never really saw him next to any other heroes, either." Jemma nodded to her partner. They were now back to their lab on the jet, comparing notes.
"Also, can we just take a second to appreciate how young he is? How old do you think he must have been when he got his powers?"
"He might have been a freshman!" Simmons said, excitedly, "Also, I'd have never guessed that Spiderman would have such a normal name! I mean, Peter? Come on!"
"Yeah, everything about this was just so... bizarre." Fitz pondered, "You know, I'm still wondering about those scars. What could have done that?"
"I don't know. But those ones on the inside of his elbow looked like puncture marks. I've been thinking about it… well, I think I have an idea."
"And what's that?"
"You know how the Avengers pulled us aside before we met him, and told us not to freak him out any worse? Do you think… do you think he got his powers from a lab? One like the people who did that centipede super soldier stuff? It would explain the marks on his wrists."
Fitz looked at her in surprise. "You think he's some kind of human experiment? Who would do that?"
"I don't know, but it makes sense! Think about it, wasn't he acting weird?"
"He did seem kinda shaken up when I… when I went to take a blood sample." as realization dawned on him, Jemma could see the dots connecting in his head.
"Exactly." Simmons nodded, "Here's what I think happened. There was probably some illegal testing site that the Avengers went to to take down, and when they were there, they found him. So they brought him back to the tower to train him to use his powers and be an Avenger!"
Fitz shook his head, "I don't know, Jem. Isn't all that a little… I don't know, easy? If he lives with them, then where are his parents?"
"Hold on!" She scrolled through the data she had collected, "Here! I asked him who his legal guardians were and he said, 'Tony and Pepper, I think.'"
Leo rolled his eyes, "Wow, he sounds so sure about that."
"Oh, stop it. The point is, he considers Tony Stark to be his legal guardian. That would fit!"
"If all of that were true, it begs the question, who would do that? You saw the scars, and that was just one arm. What does the rest of him look like?"
"We could always schedule a follow up. After all, it wouldn't make sense to send in an incomplete report."
Fitz nodded, "That's a good point. And while we're there, we might be able to find out what happened. That is, if the Avengers don't bite our heads off for bothering him again."
Jemma bit her lip as something occurred to her, "Fitz… you know how scientists are supposed to stay detached and just collect data? Not really get involved?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it bad that… that I kinda feel bad for him? I mean, he seemed so nice, and if we're right about what happened-"
"No, Jemma." Fitz reached over the table and squeezed her hand reassuringly, "It just means that you're a good person. Besides, it's not like we're doing anything out of our job description."
She smiled sadly, "You're right, I just-"
Sky chose that particular moment to walk in. "Hey, guys, Ward was just about to- oh. Am I… interrupting something?"
Fitz and Simmons pulled their hands apart hastily, blushing brightly as they stammered in unison, "No! I- we-"
"Whatever, you're gonna wanna see this! I put together vodka, cupcakes, and fire! Ward is gonna go first, are you guys in?"
"I'm just saying, definitions are the same whether you copy them from me or the book. It's literally the exact same amount of effort." Peter rolled his eyes as he handed Harry his homework.
"No, this way I don't have to look for them, they're right there." Harry said while getting to work on copying Peter's work.
"You're right, it's so hard to find words in a dictionary layout. If only they were easier to find, like in alphabetical order or something."
"Make fun if you want, but the fact is, I didn't even have to carry my textbook home. So we can see who's the real genius, here."
Peter went to kick him under the cafeteria table, but stopped when he saw a certain someone coming over. Harry, however, did not.
"What, no response, Pete? Are you finally at a loss fo-" he turned and saw exactly what had Peter on edge.
As Flash reached their table, all thoughts of definitions were forgotten.
"Uh, hey guys." Flash said somewhat awkwardly.
"Hey, Flash."
"What do you want this time, Flash? I already stole Peter's homework, if that's what you're looking for." Harry leered at him, despite not being much bigger than Peter.
"No, I- Look. I came over here to… to apologize, alright?" Flash's eyes flitted across the room, as though worried somebody might over hear him.
Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You? Apologize? What gives?"
"Harry-"
"No, Peter, I wanna know why this guy, who's made sure you've seen the inside of every locker in this school, all of a sudden has a conscience." Harry crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat, looking up at the jock expectantly. "Well? Go on."
"You know what? Forget it, man! It's honestly not even worth my time." He turned and walked away, leaving Harry and Peter to whatever nerd thing they were doing.
"You think you might have been a little harsh, Harry? I mean, he was apologizing."
Harry shook his head, "No, he doesn't get off that easy. He thinks he can do whatever he wants, because the teachers never call him out, and nobody ever messes with him. But if he thinks he can just waltz over here and say 'sorry', and that just makes it all okay, then he's got another thing coming!"
"Whatever, man, are you gonna copy my work, or are you done?" Peter sighed, knowing there was no changing Harry's mind.
"Just give me a sec, I'm almost there." Harry returned to furiously cheating, while Peter just shook his head and brought out his phone. He could worry about Flash later.
This was it. All of the research, all of the work, all of the hours had been worth it for this. Otto raised the syringe carefully to his arm. This was what it had all been for.
Before he could have any more second thoughts, he plunged it into this vein, pressing down on the top, hissing in a short breath as he felt the cold liquid enter his bloodstream.
The atom had given him a glimpse of true power during the beautiful 'accident'. In fact, it was like seeing God. But wasn't it? The atom has been around since the very beginning of time, and will endure long after this civilization burns and is swept away by the centuries.
And it had chosen him.
He began to shake, the serum taking hold of his muscles and mind. He wanted to hide, and run, and puke, and scream, and sing all at once. It was spreading. God, it was still so cold. Why was it so cold?
Beads of sweat flecked his upper lip. Mother, is that you? Oh, I have so much to tell you, so much to share with you. You and the rest of humanity.
Was he falling? Or flying?
Everything was burning. And freezing. So, so cold. Where was he? Who was he?
What was he?
A new creation? Smart? Lost? Alone? Dying?
No. All of those?
Falling, flying, drowning, sinking, spinning, spinning, spinning, spinning, spinning...
Darkness pressed upon him, shattered glass filling his vision. Then there was nothing but white. Nothing but white, and the burning freezing pain. That was all he could see, all he could feel. It was all he was. Nothing but blind pain.
Mother, you'll see. You chose me. You made me.
I won't let you down.
Peter looked across the city. His city. His home. It's funny, no matter how many times he looked down on it, it always took his breath away.
On top of Stark tower was the perfect place to think. Nobody ever really went up there but him and Clint, and he hadn't seen the bird brain in a few days. So it was just him and his thoughts, a few stories up but a million miles away.
So much had happened lately, it was nice to have time to get his thoughts together. He ran through a mental checklist. SHIELD knew his identity. Check. Tony had said it was okay to go on patrol, so long as he told somebody before he went out. Check. Those SHEILD scientists had come… moving on.
As almost a reflex he rolled up his sleeve a bit and stared at the scars underneath. He had been doing it ever since the scientists' visit. He knew they wouldn't last forever, just as the claw marks across his chest had disappeared after a few months. Still, he had to be careful to not wear short sleeves or take off his shirt where the others might see. As far as they knew, he was all better. Nothing to worry about.
The only one who really knew the true extent of the damage in the first place was Bruce. He had been the one to change bandages, and stitch up the worst of the openings. But he knew he could trust him not to say anything.
It was only the beginning of February, anyway, so it wasn't like he would be dressing for warm weather.
So that left the whole 'SHIELD knows who you are' thing. Honestly, he was a lot less worried about his identity staying secret now that he didn't have any family to protect. The closest thing he had was the Avengers, and even that was different than what he had with Aunt May.
He liked Tony and Pepper. He was endlessly grateful for all that they had done for him. Still, he couldn't block out that little whisper, in the back of his mind… freak.
He shook his head. Enough thinking. It never did him any good, anyway.
He stood and plugged his earbuds in under his mask. He flicked through his music for a few minutes before settling on a song and stepping back, then leaping into the evening air.
Back to the street where we began.
He knew what he was. He knew that the others were a family to him, but doubted that they would ever feel the same way. He was just a pity case to them. Poor Peter Parker, no parents, always getting picked on by bullies and villains. Too easily attached to people to keep them safe.
It's just the end of the world.
Poor little Peter, an orphan, a charity case, a nerd, not a son, not even human.
He gritted his teeth, shooting off a web.
'Cause it's nine in the afternoon
Poor little freak.
Between owning a company, running experiments, inventing new tech, and being an Avenger, Tony really had better thing to do than go to meetings. Now, when those meetings were about the next baddie the Avengers were going to take down, he didn't mind so much.
But come on.
"So you're telling me you called us all in here to tell us that there's no problem?" Tony asked unhappily.
Natasha rolled her eyes, "No, I'm saying there's no trouble. Which is a problem."
"I'm sorry." Bruce chimed in, "But can you go over that again?"
She huffed, then explained, "Look, at any given time, we're tracking down leads to potential criminal activity, terrorist organizations, undercover plots and the like. The whole system is just a network of leads. The people we keep an eye on are like birds, leading us back to their nests. Well, in the past week or so, pretty much every lead has gone cold."
"So, you're saying that there's less criminal activity?" Steve's brows furrowed in confusion.
Natasha nodded, "Which would be great if it wasn't so sudden. But all of a sudden, all of the chatter has gone quiet, and anyone we were trailing has either left the city or disappeared completely. So why would all of our birds take cover?"
"Are we talking real birds or-?" Clint started only to be interrupted by Bruce.
"A storm." He answered thoughtfully. "So you think there's something coming, and only they know about it?"
"That would explain it."
"So if that's the case, what are they hiding from?" Steve wondered.
"That's what we need to find out." Natasha stated solemnly.
"Well, then." Tony rose from his seat, headed for his labs, "Let's get on it. Bruce, care to join me?"
"Alright." He turned to the others, "And what about you guys?"
Natasha smiled. It was cold, and in no way friendly. "These guys are hiding in their nests? Then we're gonna shake some branches."
"Peter! Peter, get up."
Peter jolted awake as he heard somebody yelling at him. "Wha-?"
Oh, shit. Not again.
He looked up at his U.S. Government teacher, Ms. Eagan. She had her hands on her hips, and a stern look of disapproval on her face. "Again, Mr. Parker?"
"I-I'm so sorry!" Peter stammered, "I didn't mean to-"
"Do I even need to clarify that you have detention?" She sighed.
"No, ma'am." he groaned in response.
"Alright then, Peter. Now, go on, or you're going to be late for your next class." with that, she left him in the empty classroom, where he frantically shoved all of his things into his bag.
Man, he was gonna be late for gym! Again. He had already missed, skipped, and been late for gym too many times this semester. Last time, he had run in fifteen minutes after the bell (Really, there was a robbery across the street! Cut him some slack!) so the coach kindly warned him that if he was late again, he was going to lose his 4.0 GPA.
It was fine. This was fine. Even though the gym was all the way across the school, Peter had good ole' enhanced speed on his side. He just had to book it…
"Parker!" the coach called out as he reached his name on the attendance sheet. "Peter Parker? Alright, then-"
He burst through the door, not a second to spare. "Here! I'm here, coach!"
The man rolled his eyes, "You need to get here sooner, hear me, Parker? Go get changed quickly. Kids these days, no work ethic… Laina!"
Relieved, Peter rushed to the locker room. Sure, coach Stanton was upset, but he wouldn't be getting points deducted today! He probably would have stopped to catch his breath and revel in that if not for the fact that he was already supposed to be dressed.
God, Peter hated gym. Before the spider bite, it was because he was weak, slow, and just unathletic in general. However, after the bite, it became a matter of pretending he was still weak and slow. It was almost worse than being those things for real.
He sighed as he pulled off his shirt. Yeah, it was Tuesday. Dodgeball. Great.
Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him. "Holy shit!"
He froze. Oh, God. He had thought the locker room was empty, so he hadn't even bothered to change in a stall. Which meant he was totally visible…
"Is that you, Parker?"
He looked up slowly to see, of course, three other boys staring at him next to a row of lockers. They must have been planning on skipping class by hiding behind them.
"Oh my God, that is Parker!" the tallest of the three said, dumbfounded.
"What happened to you, man?" said another. He was the shortest, but still taller than Peter. He vaguely remembered that they were on the football team.
"Uh, hey, guys." Peter said, trying to keep from looking too nervous. Still, his eyes flitted around the room, trying to find the quickest way out. Just his luck, they were right in his way. And he had thrown his shirt and bag onto the bench between them.
"Are you in a gang or something?" the third, a blond guy who was stacked asked.
"Yeah, is that from some initiation for a gang?" the first mimicked.
"Look, I'm already late, so I'm just gonna go-" he made to grab his bag, but was beaten to it by the tall one. He snatched it up, then tossed it to the blond.
"Come on, Parker, just tell us what happened!" the short one sneered.
Great. Just great. He was cornered, vulnerable, and unable to defend himself without letting them onto who he was. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?
"Guys, please, just drop it." Peter said quietly, actually starting to get scared.
"No, tell us what the deal is. Then we'll leave you alone! We're just curious, that's all." Blondy took a step forward, and Peter responded by taking a step back.
"J-just stop! Give me my clothes, guys, seriously-"
"Or what? What's the deal with you, Parker?" they moved closer, looming over Peter. He tried to back up further, but he found that he was cornered. Nowhere to go.
"Yeah, why can't you tell us? You got some nerve-"
"Guys, seriously, I need to get to class!" Peter pleaded.
"You know what? You're right." The short one said thoughtfully. He turned to his two friends, "What do you say we help Parker here get to class? I'm sure they'd like to see this too."
To Peter's horror, they smiled at that. "Man, you're so right! Come on, Parker, we wouldn't want you to be any later!"
"No, stop-!" He pressed himself into the corner as they pressed in, grabbing for his arms. They dragged him from the corner, pulling him toward the door leading out to the gym.
Oh, God. What was more important to hide, his scars or his powers? Oh, God, they were almost there…
He didn't even think as he pressed his toes into the tile, knowing they would stick. Needless to say, the three boys weren't prepared for that, and two of them ended up losing their grip on him. The third, the blond, looked at the others is confusion. "What's the matter with you two? He's not even heavy! Come on-"
Peter jerked out of his hands and staggered backwards. He had to get away from them, had to get covered. He might have to fight.
"Oh, so you think you're a tough guy, huh?" the tall one sneered. They moved in close again, and Peter would have had to fight his way out if not for-
"What the Hell do you guys think you're doing?"
The three whirled around to see none other than Flash behind them, his arms crossed and his eyes glinting angrily.
"Oh, Flash!" the short one smiled at his teammate, "Take a look at Parker! We were just gonna show the nerd who's boss."
Peter wished he had something, anything to cover himself with. Flash peered at him, and there was nothing for Peter to do but hug himself tightly, hoping maybe it would help cover some of the scars.
Just for a moment, a look of shock crossed Flash's face. Then, the anger returned. "Are you seriously gonna let everyone see him like that?"
The three blinked in surprise. "Why not? I thought you hated Parker?"
"Exactly." Flash crossed his arms. "Where the fuck do you think those scars are from?"
One by one, they realized what he was saying. The blond one scratched his head, "Geez, Flash, we didn't think-"
"Do you idiots want me kicked off the team? Because if the coach sees him like that, that's what'll happen!"
"If he had just told us-"
"Get out." Flash said coldly. "And if anybody starts talking about this, I'll know exactly who started it, you got that?"
"Uh, right-"
"Sorry, man, wasn't thinking-"
"Didn't mean anything-"
Like cockroaches in the light, they scurried out, leaving just Flash and Peter. Neither knew what to say, exactly. Peter just stood there, gazing at the floor, feeling as naked and vulnerable as he had in that bunker. Flash, in turn, simply stared at him, taking in each scar that was littered across Peter's upper body.
"I- uh, I'm late for class." Peter said hollowly. He may have had super powers, and been the strongest in the room. But he was so small compared Flash, and he couldn't stop shaking…
"Peter, I'm so sorry. You never deserved it, any of it. I- I just- man, you gotta believe me, I regret it all so much..." Flash admitted, his voice cracking with remorse.
"I know, Flash." Peter wasn't cornered anymore, he was free to leave. Yet, for some reason, he couldn't seem to move.
"Are you okay? Those guys are huge assholes."
"I- I'm fine. I just need my clothes-"
Flash looked around a bit, before his eyes landed on Peter's bag, half-under a bench. He picked it up, and brought it to the smaller boy. Peter took it gratefully, and finally got his shirt on.
"Um, I'm not… really who gave you those, right?" Flash looked scared of the answer.
Peter sighed, "No, you never really hurt me that bad, Flash. This is from- from something else."
Flash nodded, "I get it. You don't need to tell me. And, if it's any consolation, I'll make sure those guys don't go spreading rumors and stuff."
"Thanks, Flash. Really." Peter gave him a small smile. "And if it's any consolation… I think we're even."
Flash smiled back, relieved. "Come on, coach is gonna notice that we're not out there, soon."
"Alright."
They walked out to join their class, side by side.
Sometimes, beasts can need forgiveness. And a freak can need to forgive. The ability to do that just makes us all a little more human.
Norman Osborn leaned back in his chair and looked over the New York City skyline. It's funny, even after all these years, it still gave him a sense of accomplishment.
A voice came from the phone lying on his desk. "Sir, it was successful. For a moment, we thought he might not pull through, but it worked!"
Osborn smiled wickedly. "Good. And the serum?"
"It's being prepared as we speak. Sir, I think you're gonna like this!"
Norman gazed out over the city. His city. His playground.
"Oh, I'm sure you're right."
Welp, here you go. A new chapter filled with angst, laughs, and angst! Okay, I don't usually do this, but I wanna call out KitCat3412 and CRUDEN because I used some of the ideas you guys gave me. So thanks! And thanks as well to all of the other followers, favorites and reviewers. You guys are the source of pretty much all of my motivation to even write this at this point, so never doubt how much I appreciate you all!
So keep being awesome nerds, and I'll continue to lie awake at night questioning the meaning of human existence and my purpose in life…
Excelsior!