Hi! I've been writing fanfiction for ages now, and I'm re-uploading a story I've been editing for a long time now.

Before we get started:

1) This does have quite a bit of violence, though not until the third or fourth chapter

2) Later chapters will uncover my OC's past, and trust me, it's not pretty. It will deal with manipulation, torture, and brainwashing, as well as experimentation. There will be unhealthy coping mechanisms that are mentioned.

3) This starts in CA:CW, and if I keep writing, will go into Endgame. Looks like it's gonna be a long road :)

I'll put warnings in the beginning of each chapter. This first one introduces the main character, who's my OC, and just sets's up the story for the next few chapters. Let me know if you enjoy it!

The day had dawned brisk, even for late October. The day in and of itself was strange enough; cloudy instead of sunny, with humidity that stuck to every surface like cobwebs.

Ben stood on the edge of the balcony, running his hands through his curly hair as he scanned the city with a watchful eye. His hair had been redone to a silvery-blue just last week, and it was still a bit of a shock to him when he caught his reflection in the mirror.

He was startled out of his stupor when his phone buzzed in his pocket; he pulled it out, expecting a text from his father, but he was surprised to see the face of his best friend smiling back up at him. He rolled his eyes before pressing the 'answer' button and bringing the device to his ear.

"Hi Aki," he said, biting back the smile in his voice.

"Hey yourself," the boy answered. "Listen, can you meet me down by the cafe? I have tea." Ben smiled, eyes skimming the horizon.

"Anything for you, dumbass. I'll be down in five."

"Thanks."

With that, he hung up the phone, sliding it back in his pocket and stepping back into the warm, heated tower. He slid on a pair of well-worn converse and grabbed his wallet from the counter, strolling to the elevator.

"Good afternoon," Friday chimed from the speakers. "Where to today?"

"Hey Fri. Can you take me to Dad? I need to let him know where I'm going."

"Of course." The A.I seemed to speak with a hint of emotion; Ben knew that it was practically impossible, but considering that the man that designed it was Tony Stark, it didn't seem surprising.

He watched the numbers flash by above him before settling on a number that he recognized as the floor the workshop resided on - of course, he could hardly be surprised.

He entered the pin code in the door and pushed it open, gaining his father's attention. He flashed her a smile before turning back to his project.

"I think I've made a better design for the Spider-Kid's suit," he murmured while rummaging for a tool amidst the mess on his workbench. "I need to find a way to give it to him, though." Ben approached him, looking over his shoulder and glancing at the project.

His hands ached to help him, but he made a promise to Akira. He dragged his eyes away from the notes written on the paper, a mess of his all-caps scrawl.

"You need to introduce me to him," he grinned. "But I just wanted to let you know that I'm meeting Akira down at the cafe." Her dad looked up at her, raising his eyebrows suspiciously at him.

"You tell that boy to come up here more often. I haven't seen him in what, a week?" Ben rolled his eyes goodnaturedly.

"You know they come over for dinner every week, sometimes even more. They just missed last week."

"Did they?" He mused. "Well, anyways. Tell him to visit me. And you be careful, mister," he glanced at him surreptitiously. He nodded, sighing.

"Of course. I'll text you if anything goes down." His dad smiled at him, pressing a kiss to his head.

"Okay kiddo. Have fun!" He waved him ado, stepping back into the metallic elevator and riding it down to the ground floor and stepping out onto the street. He was greeted once more by the overcast sky, and the air held a slight feel of electricity, a sure sign of a coming storm.

His feet found the way to the cafe more by memory than by sight - he had been to the place many times before, so often that he could count the number of steps it took to get from the tower lobby to the shop itself.

He stepped inside, the atmosphere warm and inviting. He was grateful for its emptiness, but he still found himself twiddling a pencil that he had left behind his ear between his fingers. He ordered his usual, before finding his way to the corner table by the window; both he and Akira were rather suspicious about their surroundings, and this table gave them a clear view of everything happening inside and outside the shop.

The boy was already there, and they both shared a smile as Ben slid in the chair opposite of him.

"Tony told me to let you know that you need to come by more often." he laughed.

"He does know that I come by at least three times a week, right?" he joked. "Doesn't he know how busy I am?"

"Oh, you mean so busy eyeballing that boy you sit across from in history?" he grinned at the way the redness creeped over his cheeks like a rash. "I've seen the way you look at him. You're smitten."

"I am not!" he denied, his ears growing redder and redder by the moment. A waitress stopped by their table, setting down their drinks. Ben thanked her before turning back to the disaster in front of him.

"There's no use in denying it Aki," he cajoled. "But I'll drop the subject. What's up?"

It took the young Japanese boy a considerably long time to cool down, and by the time he did, rain had begun falling outside the window. Ben watched the outsiders flock to the shops, and soon the streets were empty aside from the cars that drove down the streets in a hurry.

"It's about Spider-Man." he began in a low voice. Ben's ears perked in interest, and he locked gazes with him. "I think he's up to something."

Ben snorted. "He's always up to something. He's a vigilante, Akira. That's what he does." He furrowed his eyes at him.

"True," he mused. "I don't know. He's being strange though, popping up all over the city. He's been all over the news." As if to prove his point, a news report popped up on the small television that hung over the barista's head.

"He's new." Ben went on. "Of course he's going to be everywhere."

"But he, like, looks like a kid! Haven't you seen the YouTube videos?"

He couldn't deny it. He was short. And that onesie? He dragged him to his dad's workshop to give him a makeover, so to speak.

"Alright, you win. You win. I'll have Dad do a search. We'll learn more about him, and you can chill out about him?" The boy nodded in agreement, taking a sip from his mocha. Ben didn't know why he liked the stuff, but it wasn't his place to ask. He himself took a drink from his cold brew, mind lost in thought as he stared out the window.

The next hour and a half wore on with the two weaving comfortably in and out of conversation, small bouts of laughter enveloping them every so often. They spoke about the most mundane things; school, the sky at night, why the picture on the wall was so incredibly creepy, and so on until silence fell upon them.

Once the sky began to darken around them to a dusky grey, they both paid their checks and left the small coffee shop.

"You wanna come to the tower? I'm sure Dad and Pepper will be ecstatic to see you."

"Don't need to ask me twice." Akira smiled. Ben chuckled, and the two fell in step beside each other as they crossed the short distance from the cafe to the tower.

Once inside, both teenagers held up their id's, Akira flashing a somewhat awkward smile at the lady at the front desk, whose hair was swept up in a loose bun. She waved them through, barely sparing a glance, and the two stepped into the elevator without incident.

Friday didn't need prompting; as soon as the doors closed, the floor numbers shot up until they reached the floor where the kitchen and common area resided. As soon as the doors opened, they both were overwhelmed by the scent of marinara sauce and garlic.

"Yes, Pepper's cooking!" Akira cheered, alerting everyone inside of their presence. One by one, the team greeted them, starting with Clint.

"If it isn't my favorite nephew!" he laughed, pulling Ben into a bear hug. He glanced at Akira, mischief in his eyes. "'Tasha, look, Ben brought that homeless boy in again!"

The assassin rolled her eyes. "Bird-man, don't insult my child." She pulled her son into a quick hug, and as soon as she released him, Akira sped into the kitchen and towards the scent of food. Both rolled their eyes at the boy before sharing a hug.

"Long time no see, Aunt Tasha." Ben teased. Natasha put her hands on her hips in a fake pout.

"Long time? I haven't seen you in, what, two weeks, and I swear, you've grown again!"

Both laughed at the statement. "Well, you know, I am only thirteen. I'm still growing!"

"Jesus." Nat muttered under her breath. It was true; Natasha was a measly 5' 3", with Akira an inch taller at 5' 4", and Ben towering over them both at 5' 6".

Ben was led into the kitchen by the redhead, where he greeted the rest of the Avengers. Not all of them were there, of course, just the few that happened to be in town at the time.

He waved hi to all of them; Bruce, who was sitting at a barstool, his dad leaned up against the counter nonchalantly, while Pepper stood by the stove, stirring a huge pot of spaghetti.

Everything seemed rather normal; it was a domestic scene, so much different than the faces of the superheroes he saw on the battlefield.

That was when he caught the one flaw in the normalcy; it wasn't bad, per se, but it made him blink a few times to make sure he was seeing who he thought he saw.

He pulled Akira by his shirt, leaning down to his level and whispering in his ear as he kept a steady eye on the brown-haired boy that sat next to Bruce, engrossed in conversation with the biochemist.

"Do I need to get my eyes checked or is that Peter Parker?"

What followed was a harsh cough from the shorter boy, who immediately went red as he choked on absolutely nothing as he caught the boy's eye. Natasha raised an eyebrow at her son, before shaking her head and grabbing a plate at Pepper's call that dinner was ready. Ben smirked, letting go of him as more Avengers filed into the kitchen to fill their plates, Peter Parker following them.

Ben certainly wasn't sure why he was there, but whatever the case was, it was flustering Akira more and more as the moments wore on; first when Peter gestured for him to get his food before him, then when Peter took a seat next to him, Akira became a flustered mess, staring pointedly at his dish as the boy engaged in conversation with Tony.

At one point, Akira caught his eye and he raised it, glancing between him and Peter suggestively when the boy kicked him in the shin. It was just hard enough to hurt, and he glared at him before muttering under his breath 'dumbass', much to Steve's disapproval.

"Language!" he reproved, giving his nephew a look. Ben grinned haphazardly at him, watching him from the corner of his eye. He shook his head at him, rolling his eyes and turning back to his meal.

With everyone engaged in conversation, Akira, Ben, and Peter were left to their own devices. He smirked at Akira, before turning to the brown-haired boy.

"Hey Pe-"

Then everyone's phones went off simultaneously. Ben jumped in his chair, as did the two boys opposite of him who looked shaken. He and Akira shared a glance, before his dad's grave tone interrupted their thought process

"It's Fury."