Hehehe this was very fun to write I hope you enjoy XD my sarcastic side kind of came out today so there's fun little moments peppered throughout.

Peter Parker

My palms were sweaty, and I constantly wiped them on my suit, staring down from the elevated platform. I checked my web fluid again, making sure I had a full capsule in each one.

This was it. My final test.

If I could complete this obstacle course, they'd let me out into the field. Into the city. To…to really save people.

All I had to do was get through this obstacle course.

Which was…really long. With a lot of checkpoints. And tests. And Avengers. And…yeah.

"How're you feeling?" Bucky asked quietly, bumping me with his elbow as I stood atop the platform two hundred feet in the air, looking out over the expanse of wilderness partially converted to my personal jungle gym. "Any soreness in your arm, or ribs?"

I'd been long-since cleared health-wise, but Bucky still asked at least three times a day. "No, I'm good," I assured, shaking out my hands to release some of the adrenaline. "Just nervous, you know?"

Bucky smiled. "I know. But you'll do fine. You've been preparing for this for a while now, kid; don't psych yourself out."

I nodded, breathing deeply in an effort to calm myself down. "So…first test is to swing to the next platform, right? Just using my webshooters?"

Bucky nodded. "We're going to make sure you can easily navigate structurally dense areas with just your webshooters; buildings will be a lot easier to move through than a dense forest like this, so if you can pass this, you're golden. Sam and Tony will be flying around you to catch you if you fall, so no worries."

"Psh. I'm not gonna fall," I said, hoping I didn't regret the confident statement. "I got this. I'm ready. Also, you sounded like Tony for a second. Lots of big words."

Bucky smirked, lightly whacking the back of my head. "Don't get cocky, trust your gut, and you'll be fine. Ready?"

I took another breath, steadying myself. This was everything I'd been preparing for. They wouldn't have set this course up for me if they didn't think I was ready to go out into the field, so…I must be ready.

"Ready." I tapped my mask. "Karen? You ready?"

"Ready, Peter," she said, sounding a little excited. "Best of luck."

"Thanks."

I shifted to the very front of the platform, letting my toes hang over the edge, and looked down. I wasn't scared of heights, but looking down two hundred feet and knowing I was going to yeet myself into the air was a little disconcerting.

"We don't have to do this today," Bucky said after a few seconds of hesitation.

"No, I'm okay," I countered immediately, steeling myself. "I'm good. I just need to…you know. Overpower my natural instinct to not throw myself off of tall things."

Bucky laughed. "Need a push?"

"Absolutely not," I yelled, throwing him an incredulous look, unfortunately hidden by the mask. I saw Tony fly into view several feet below the platform, looking up at us. I sent him a thumbs up, letting him know that everything was all good, because it was.

"Okay," I said, closing my eyes. "Okay. I got this. I got this. Just…step off. Just, you know…pretend like it's the gym." I paused, taking a deep breath, and opened my eyes. I'd overcome too damn much adversity to be stopped by a little fall.

"Okay." I said, nodding at Bucky. "I'm ready now."

He nodded, giving me an encouraging smile. I turned back to face the trees, squaring my shoulders and straightening my spine. Closing my eyes again, I inhaled slowly, letting my senses slowly acclimate to the chaos of the forest. I let myself absorb all the sounds of the birds and critters, the smells of the wet earth and the nearby river, and the feel of the wind ripping at my suit. The feel of the sun through my suit.

Opening my eyes, I didn't let myself think any further. I just stepped forward off the platform.

I'd never been a huge fan of roller coasters, but…well. This was pretty awesome.

I shot a web at the nearest tree trunk after a hundred feet of falling, letting myself adjust to the way the rushing air tore at me, feeling exhilarated as the ground rushed up to meet me. The familiar sensation of my stomach dropping was unpleasant, but quickly swallowed by the adrenaline coursing through me.

The web pulled taut, and I felt my body arc downward, loose branches snapping as my body plummeted past them. I felt the timing as best I could, waiting until the momentum from the first swing had expired before propelling myself forward with another web, swinging through the trees. I felt like Tarzan. It was…

God, this was so hella awesome.

I couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up inside me as I got the hang of it. I hadn't been allowed to swing so freely through the trees like this—everyone had always been a little nervous that I'd turn into a Peter pancake on a tree or the ground, but…this was incredible.

I saw Tony flying beside me out of the corner of my eye, Sam hovering above us as Redwing tracked my movements. It was nice to know they were there if I needed them, but I was feeling amazing. I didn't think I'd need rescuing anytime soon.

The end of the trail I was on came all too soon, and I was actually disappointed when I leapt onto the next tower, scaling the metal railing to the platform, where Steve was waiting. I immediately felt kind of like I'd been on a boat too long, and I hadn't gotten my land legs back, but I covered well enough.

"That was awesome," I yelled, ripping off my mask to expose my probably-flushed face, grinning like a maniac. "That was so much fun, oh my God…I felt like a bird. Or like a dragon flying. Holy shit."

Steve laughed, raising an eyebrow at my language choices. "Well…I'm glad you liked it, Peter. You did really well."

"You did, half-pint," Sam said, landing on his feet as his wings retracted behind him. "That was awesome to watch once you got the hang of it. Looks like one hell of a ride."

"It is," I agreed, pulling my mask back on. "Karen, did you have fun? I'm so psyched right now."

Karen laughed slightly, and though I knew it was an automated reaction, the little twinkle of her laugh sounded almost human. "I did, Peter. It was very exhilarating to ride with you."

I laughed, still enjoying the high from the adrenaline rush. "Okay, I'm totally ready now. What's my next test?"

"See the door behind me?" Steve asked, jerking a thumb to the door in the back, which opened to a ladder leading down from the platform. This platform was bigger than the other one, and the door was probably fifteen feet behind Steve.

"Yeah."

"You have to get to it."

I blinked, not quite understanding the challenge. "I just…have to go to the door?" I was almost insulted by the mundane nature of the task.

"Yep," Sam said, shrugging off the exoskeleton of his suit, hanging his wings on the railing on the side of the platform. "But you have to get past both of us to do it."

My eyes widened. "Oh." Yeah. That sounded more like a challenge.

"Um…okay," I said quietly, my previous adrenaline rush amping back up. I'd done well in one-to-one combat, and even against two un-powered Avengers, but…Sam was really capable, and Steve was enhanced. This wasn't going to be as easy as swinging had been.

"Okay, cool," I said, jumping up and down to get my blood flowing some more. "Cool, yeah. I totally got this. Karen, we've got this."

"We do indeed, Peter," she assured. "I'll be with you the whole time."

Karen said that a lot, and I really appreciated it, because it was usually exactly what I needed to hear. I smiled under my mask. "I know."

"I'm ready," I said to Steve and Sam, who fell into stance before me.

"Come at us, pipsqueak," Sam taunted with a grin.

So I did.

I'd been hoping to evade completely, and I almost did. I feinted left towards Steve, and he reacted exactly how I knew he would—he surged towards me, concentration wiping all emotion from his face, and went to put me in an armlock.

Unfortunately for him, my newfound agility and nimbleness (which didn't actually sound like a word, but whatever) allowed me to change course just before he reached me, and I pushed off my left foot with the force of a train, barreling towards Sam.

Sam, bless his unpowered heart, barely saw me coming. His eyes widened just in time for me to steamroll over him (as gently as I could), knocking him to the floor and darting for the door.

I could literally taste freedom when an unyielding hand grabbed my bicep, and I was sent lurching back to the front of the platform.

Damn. Steve's strength was no joke.

"Okay, come on," I complained, catching my breath from the brief spurt of exertion to see Steve helping Sam up. "That should count. I think I might have even touched the knob."

Steve laughed, not looking tired in the slightest. Well, he didn't just propel himself across half a mile of wilderness, either. "Way too early for you to win, kiddo. This is meant to teach you patience, and thinking outside the box. You can't beat both of us in hand-to-hand just yet, and you can't get past us, so…what should you do?"

I paused. "But…those are…my only options."

Sam laughed. "So you have to make another option. It's important to know that you can improvise under pressure in the field."

I blinked, knowing that lenses on my mask were probably at their widest. "Karen?" I asked quietly, hoping the AI would be a little smarter than me.

"May I suggest utilizing your webshooters?" She said, some information popping up on my screen about the different options for my webshooters. "You could try the net feature." A holographic image of the net and its function popped up on my screen, and I examined it quickly, aware that Sam and Steve were waiting.

"Awesome," I grinned, quickly pointing my webshooter at Sam. "Sorry not sorry."

Sam didn't even have time to move before he was encased in the net, wrapped securely and fastened to the side rail.

"Oh hell no," Sam yelled, tugging at the stuff as I sprinted towards Steve. "Son of a bitch—don't you dare tell me this stuff damages clothes, Peter! I swear—"

I laughed even as Steve intercepted me, Sam's profanities growing in severity as he continued to pull futilely at the net. Even Steve smirked at Sam's predicament, but he was still doing a good job of blocking my way. He even dodged another web net I shot at him, which stuck uselessly to the wall by the door.

"Gonna have to do better than that," Steve smirked, grabbing my arm and putting me in a light chokehold. I flipped him almost immediately, but he landed on his feet, and the high-paced fight continued. Even Sam had stopped struggling and was watching intently.

I had to admit I was impressed with my growth. I was a couple steps behind, and my fighting style was still kind of clumsy and primarily reactive, but I was keeping up with Steve really well for how recently I started training. I missed some cues and took hits I shouldn't have, but I also gave some back, and even started going on the offensive a little bit, once I got into a rhythm.

Unfortunately, the workout wasn't getting me any closer to the door, which was my objective.

Sam helpfully pointed that out after another couple minutes of the exchange, when I felt myself starting to tire. "You know, you're supposed to be trying to get to the door," Sam yelled with a raised eyebrow. "And getting me the hell out of this fly trap."

"It'll dissolve in an hour," I shouted with a grin, laughing lightly at the expletives that followed.

"Front and center, Peter," Steve admonished, punctuating the statement with a sigh when I barely dodged the fist he sent my way.

I stumbled back, regrouping and catching my breath, but he followed me. He sent a sweeping kick to my ankles, and I made the smart decision to jump out of the way, landing nimbly on the railing beside him. The platform was tall, but I engaged my sticky hands and feet, sticking to the rail so I wouldn't fall.

"Oh." I said out loud when the realization came to me, feeling like my IQ had just been slashed in half. Why hadn't I thought of this sooner? "Oh damn. Later."

I had just enough time to see Steve's reaction of horror before I jumped backwards, plummeting.

I heard his distant shout of dismay, but I'd already attached my web to the bottom of the platform and was scaling it like a rope in gym class. I quickly reached the bottom of the platform, crawling along the bottom, hanging upside down.

Was this what spiders felt like all the time? I didn't hate them so much anymore. They were really out there living their best lives. This was awesome.

I finally got to the edge of the platform, crawling up along the outside of the wall and opening the door from the outside, hanging from the top of the doorjamb. My feet hovered above the platform, and I threw up a peace sign as Sam and Steve's heads whipped towards me in surprise.

"Does this work?"

Steve blinked, looking at Sam for help, who shrugged helplessly. "I mean, we told him to think outside the box."

"Excellent work, Peter," Karen congratulated.

I grinned dropping to the platform to stand normally and putting my hands on my hips. "Go ahead. Tell me how awesome I am. I'm waiting."

Steve laughed under his breath. Sam, still well and truly stuck, said, "I'm not telling you a damn thing until you get me out of this."

"You've only got like…I don't know, forty minutes left? Maybe a little more? You'll be fine."

Sam grumbled something under his breath, but I could hear it over the sound of Tony's thrusters as he landed on the platform. That was probably for the best.

"Smart thinking, kid," Tony admitted, his voice tinny through the mask. "Ready for the next part?"

"I'm so ready," I confirmed, feeling pretty pleased with myself. I remembered Bucky's words about not getting cocky, but I figured a little bit of pride in my accomplishments couldn't be that bad.

Tony patted my head with a gauntleted hand, pointing into the forest. "Cool. You're gonna swing there. It's about three quarters of a mile due East, and all you have to do is reach the next platform in one piece."

I paused. "In one piece?"

"Yep. There are booby traps."

I blinked, unsure of how to take that. "Did New York City become an Indiana Jones movie set since the last time I was there?"

I could practically hear Tony smirk behind his mask. "No, but you may encounter obstacles you've never seen before. If you go after a mugger who turns out to be, say, part of a gang, or the mafia, or an underground operation, and you're too focused on your one target, you may not realize that other people are gunning for you from behind and the sides. So this is to make sure you can be aware of all of your surroundings."

I made my way to the edge of the platform, feeling a little less confident. "You know, I kind of feel like I'm being thrown into an experimental situation with absolutely no theoretical training."

Tony snorted. "Happy trails, half-pint." With that encouraging sentiment, he took off, hovering a little ways out, waiting for me to continue my course.

Steve patted my shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry. Just pay attention to your surroundings and keep an eye out in the back of your head. Sound okay?"

"Yep," I assured, jumping up onto the railing and looking out over the expanse of trees, wondering what kind of booby traps they'd set up. They were…undoubtedly creative, and I was a little antsy. "Ready as I'll ever be."

"Have fun," Sam grumbled, still stuck. "I'll just be here. Plotting my revenge."

I laughed, waving to him before leaping off the platform and swinging through the trees.

As I swung, I gave myself like ten seconds to enjoy the euphoric feeling of freedom, and then I started paying attention. Knowing them, they'd have snipers set up along the route as well as some manually triggered traps, so I needed to keep an eye out for both.

The snipers would probably at least include Clint, but I wouldn't be surprised if Natasha was waiting, too. I could only assume all of them would play at least some kind of role in the course, so I could eliminate Sam, Steve, Bucky, and Tony, who seemed to be my eternal lookout.

So…I could probably expect Clint and at least one other Avenger on this course. Cool. I could be observant. Totally.

In that moment, simultaneous with my naïve thought that I could, in fact, focus on my surroundings, there was this…really weird buzz in the base of my neck. Almost like my hair was standing on end, like I was being watched, or something. I realized this just as I snagged a trip wire. With my face.

"Ow!" I screamed on instinct, clutching my forehead as I swung to the nearest sturdy branch, wondering if I was going to have a perfectly straight line across my forehead when I took my mask off. It stung.

"You alright?" Tony asked from above me, his voice dampened by the leaves and branches between us.

"I'm good," I yelled, rubbing my forehead one more time. I also rubbed the base of my neck, which was still tingling slightly. What was that?

Shaking it off, standing, I held out my arm. I was getting ready to fire off a web and continue down the course.

The buzzing in my head became violent, bordering on painful, and in an instinctual move that could only be described as animalistic, I threw myself to the next tree.

The bark where I'd been standing was immediately splattered with neon pink paint.

Oh. So this was how it was going to be.

"Nice, kid!" Rhodey's dim voice reached me from what I assumed was several yards away, and I assumed he was the one who'd fired the shot. "But don't just stand there! I've still got a lot of ammo!"

Still reeling from the alien feeling in my neck, I took his advice and took off.

If Rhodey was the other sniper, chances were they had two different vantage points, both from areas high up where they could track me long-distance. Rhodey's shots had come from the left and slightly behind me, so I could only assume that Clint was somewhere on the right in a similar position.

"Are you alright, Peter?" Karen asked, her voice concerned.

"Y-yeah," I managed, a little winded. I dodged a paintball from the opposite direction, my neck flaring up again. Clint was making an appearance now, too. "Karen, is my neck okay?"

"Scanning," she said. At the last minute, I saw another trip wire in the distance, and I dropped a few feet, swinging underneath it and shooting another web when mine caught on the wire, giving me a little extra forward momentum. "Nothing that I can detect. Are you feeling alright? Would you like me to alert FRIDAY?"

"Uh, no, I'm fine," I said, landing on a tree branch and scaling it to hide among the denser branches, out of sight of Rhodey and Clint. I needed to catch my breath. "Just…had a really weird feeling, s'all."

"I'll keep an eye on it," she assured. "The platform is about a third of a mile away. Can you make it?"

That was good. That was closer than I thought I was. I was moving quickly. "Yeah. I can make it."

I felt my former confidence returning, now that I knew there was nothing physically wrong with me. I'd tell the others about it after the test was over. Knowing them, they'd make me stop halfway through, and then I'd have to go through all of this again…no way. I was finishing this today. I'd worked too hard.

"I can make it," I repeated, steeling myself.

Taking a deep breath, preparing to leave the covers of the branches, I closed my eyes.

I could do this.

Opening them again, I focused my mind like Sam and Dr. Sanders had taught me, and threw myself forward towards the platform.

Almost immediately, a barrage of neon green and pink paintballs soared past me and into the bark of the trees, barely missing my swinging form. I increased my pace, feeling the strain from the unfamiliar motion on my arms, but my newfound strength and endurance was a big help.

That alien feeling was back, so I decided to listen to it and swing to the left, just barely dodging more paintballs.

So…did I have…an alarm system, or something? Because while it was an awfully disconcerting feeling, and it made me feel kind of weird and creeped out…it was coming in handy today. I kind of hoped—once I made sure it wasn't, like, an alien parasite waiting to take over me—it stuck around.

The platform came into view sooner rather than later, after a few more trip wires and a couple motion-triggered barrages of blunt rubber arrows. By the time I swung up onto it to greet Bruce and Thor, my neck was tingling on the brink of pain, but it had saved me from a lot of embarrassment.

"Howdy," I greeted, trying to appear normal as I swung up onto the platform, a little out of breath. "I did it."

Bruce smiled in encouragement, nodding. "You did. Nice job, Peter."

"Aye, Peter," Thor agreed, clapping a heavy hand on my shoulder and momentarily lifting me in the air with a triumphant yell, which had to make me laugh. "You will make a noble warrior yet! Asgard would be delighted!"

I laughed again as he set me down, grinning. "Thanks, Thor."

He patted me on the head with a gentle hand, returning the smile as Tony touched down. "Way to go, Spider boy." He gave me a high five.

The affirmations were nice to receive, and I had to admit I was pretty happy about it. "Thanks! What's my next test?"

"Last one," Bruce said, turning and hefting up a metal suitcase, handing it to me. "You have to transport this to safety. Safety is the Compound."

I blinked, looking around at my surroundings. This platform was lower than the others, and I couldn't see over the tallest trees in most directions. "Which way is that?"

"That's what you have to figure out, mister," Tony said unapologetically. "There are a couple kickers, kiddo."

I resisted the urge to complain. I was already pretty tired, but I couldn't stop now, not when I was this close. "What kickers?"

"You will be pursued by a fearsome opponent," Thor said gravely. "Lady Natasha will be attempting to get the suitcase back from you for the duration of the trial."

"Oh, shit," I said on reflex, eyes widening.

I'd never heard a single time Natasha failed a mission.

Bruce chuckled, looking amused. "And you can't use your webshooters."

"What?" I asked incredulously, turning to him in surprise. "This isn't a test, you're trying to kill me!"

Tony laughed. "Nat'll go easy on you. Maybe. Look, as soon as you even touch the Compound lawn, you're done, and you're cleared for duty. Your time starts when you hit the forest floor. And no scaling trees to figure out where you are. Have fun!"

He blasted into the sky without another word, and I looked helplessly at Thor and Bruce.

Bruce shrugged, smiling slightly. "I'll give you a hint. Use the sun, figure out which direction the Compound is from that. It's not too cloudy. You remember how to do it?"

Looking up, squinting into the sun, I looked around, trying to orient myself. I was smart, sure, but for some reason, using the sun to tell direction and time had always kind of confused me. "I think so."

"Away with you, now, Peter," Thor prompted, gesturing towards the ladder as he smiled. "I sincerely hope you break both of your legs."

I…didn't know what to say to that.

"Oh my God," Bruce snorted, cackling as I blinked in surprise, glancing at Thor. I didn't think I'd ever seen Bruce laugh so hard. "He meant—he meant—oh my God. He meant 'break a leg.'"

I blinked again. "Oh. Um…thanks."

Bruce was still laughing, which made me laugh, honestly, because Bruce never smiled like that. I didn't think Thor really got the joke, but he was laughing, too. It was kind of what I needed to put my mind at ease for this next part. The last part.

I laughed again, making my way to the ladder. "Well…thanks. See you on the flip side!"

With that, I descended the ladder with the suitcase in hand and began, ready to begin the final phase. I was ready.

…

"I am not okay with this!" I shouted into the forest, fully aware that I was giving away my position to Russian superspy Natasha Romanov. "I'm not okay with it at all!"

I cursed as I tripped over a root, my agility apparently doing nothing to cancel out my clumsiness. The suitcase wasn't heavy, but it was getting annoying to carry, and I was getting really tired. Plus, the sun as high in the sky, now, and I thought I was going in the right direction, but I couldn't be sure.

And Nat was obviously watching me, and had obviously been doing so this entire time, but even with my new little warning bell, I could barely detect when she was planning an attack.

"You're doing a great job, Peter," Karen encouraged. "I'm not allowed to tell you what direction the Compound is in, but I can tell you that you're doing very well so far."

Well, I sure hoped that was covert AI speak for "on the right track," because I was two seconds away from throwing in the towel.

I was exhausted and sweaty even with the sweat-resistant material, and I'd been walking for an hour. Besides that, I'd barely evaded all of Natasha's sneak attacks, including but not limited to a diluted tear gas, more paintballs, some tripwires (one of which almost got me flattened by a falling tree branch that had not been expected by me or Natasha, and warranted a frantic time-out), and a multitude of powerful heart attacks that I wasn't sure I actually survived.

But I still had the damn suitcase, and I was still carrying on, so I had to be doing something right.

"Thanks, Karen," I said, heaving a deep breath. "Can you tell me how much farther?"

"Unfortunately, no. I can tell you that you should try moving in a stealthier manner. You're making quite the spectacle for Ms. Romanov."

In a childish response that even I would admit was a little over the top, I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled, "I hope you're having fun, Nat!"

"I am," a voice said behind me, prompting me to jump ten feet in the air and cling to the side of a tree in sheer terror.

"You're trying to kill me," I said, scuttling further up the tree to keep the suitcase out of her reach. "Seriously. Heart attack. Now I know why Tony gets so mad at me when I scare him."

Nat chuckled, looking entirely too pleased with the situation. "Peter, you realize this is supposed to simulate an actual exercise, don't you? One in which you're transporting something important away from the enemy and to a safe location, and in which you can't rely on your technology."

"Yeah, but when would I have to take stuff places?" I asked, actually curious to hear the answer. "I was just…you know, planning on saving people from stuff. If I wanted to transport stuff I would've gotten a job with FedEx."

Nat nodded, crossing her arms and leaning against the bottom of the tree, looking up at me. "Well, what if you discovered a smuggling ring of some kind? Human trafficking, drug smuggling, that kind of thing, and you found documents or information that could be used as evidence against them? Would you leave them, or would you get them to the police?"

I frowned, my shoulders slumping. "I'd take them to the police," I mumbled reluctantly.

She laughed lightly, eyes twinkling. "Then get down here, маленький паук. I'll give you a thirty second head start."

I sighed, resigning myself to my fate, and dropped to the ground. "Thanks for helping me."

"You're welcome," she said with a smiled. "Now get going. You're down to twenty-three seconds."

I snorted, turning around and breaking into a run, rejuvenated by the brief respite. "See you later!"

She waved, and I turned back around, continuing to run.

Okay. So, in terms of speed, I was definitely faster. However, Nat had always been a lot better at navigating tough terrain than me, so I needed to think of a way to throw her off. She'd no doubt track me by sound and by my footprints, so…how could I throw her off my trail?

I started running in a wide zig-zag pattern and doubling back some, looping around trees and deliberately disturbing branches or bushes I shouldn't have trampled, trying to confuse her a bit. I also made a lot of noise once I knew my thirty-second break was up.

Then, I picked a direction and started slinking quietly, ducking behind thick trunks and keeping an eye out for the flash of bright red, the only thing that would give her away on this landscape.

"You're doing much better, Peter," Karen congratulated. "Keep doing what you're doing."

I assumed that meant stay on course, so I did, moving a little faster. I covered ground faster than I thought I would, honestly, and soon, I could tell the trees were starting to thin. I was reaching the edge of the dense forest.

"Thank God," I breathed, stumbling towards the break in the trees, ready to be done so I could finally go out in the city.

I was almost to the edge of the clearing when my neck buzzed in frantic warning, and I narrowly escaped Natasha's roundhouse kick that might have decapitated me.

"Oh, for the love of all things sacred," I muttered, familiar adrenaline buzzing through me as I turned to face her, still creeping backwards towards the edge of the clearing.

"I'll take the suitcase now," she said with a smirk, waiting expectantly.

"Nope." I didn't have a plan, but at least I sounded confident. "I'm just gonna…you know…take this and run."

And I did. Unfortunately, thanks to my clumsy nature and Nat's graceful bounds, she caught up to me, and I had to stumble backwards when she slammed to a halt in front of me. "Suitcase."

"No."

She came at me again, leading with a kick to my head (which probably wouldn't have hurt, knowing her, but still looked incredibly lethal) which I ducked under, using the second of limbo to get in close and grab her other leg in an attempt to throw her off balance. Unfortunately, she just adjusted her position and rolled over my shoulders, twisting my arm that held the suitcase.

Luckily, I was a star pupil, and I paid attention in my hand-to-hand lessons. I rolled with her to avoid her locking my arm, using my strength to jump and propel myself off of a tree, wrenching my arm out of her grip and stumbling to a halt, this time closer to the clearing.

"Let bygones be bygones?" I suggested weakly, holding up my hands as she advanced on me again, looking disconcertingly confident.

"No can do, Peter," she said with a smile, lunging again.

I abandoned all hope and ran.

"Excellent choice, Peter," Karen commended over my racing heart.

I knew quite well that I wouldn't be able to beat her—I never had before. So my best bet was to take the opening while I was this close to the clearing and just take my chances with fate.

I stumbled a couple times over upturned roots, and thought of how much easier it would be to swing, but then I broke through the tree line and sprinted over the finally-flat ground towards the gathered group of Avengers.

I ran, and ran, and finally broke the threshold of what was actually considered the Compound's yard, earning a collective cheer from the rest of the Avengers waiting for me, Natasha hot on my heels.

"Oh my God, I'm saved," I heaved as my family cheered around me, clapping me on the back with grins and affirmations.

I heard Nat run up behind me, slowing to a stop and putting her hands on her knees, smiling despite herself. "You run fast, kiddo."

I breathed a laugh, dropping to the grass and laying spread-eagle, content to just breathe and appreciate my victory. "That's my…only saving grace…from you."

She laughed, sitting down beside me and ruffling my hair. "Proud of you, Peter. So proud."

Though my eyes were closed, I grinned, hearing her chuckle.

"I have to ask," I heard Clint say, opening my eyes to look at him as he nudged the fallen suitcase with his foot. His tone sounded a little weird, like he was exaggerating something. "What's in here?"

"I thought it was empty," I said, sitting up, my interest piqued. "It didn't feel heavy."

"Well," Bucky said, sitting down beside me and unbuckling the suitcase, revealing nothing but a manila envelope. With a smile, he handed it to me. "Not entirely empty."

Confused, I took the envelope, a wave of apprehensive déjà vu crashing over me as I tore it open, unfolding the letter inside.

I skimmed the first page, which was a bunch of legal jargon that I didn't really understand, and then flipped to the next page, where big, bolded words stared up at me, and for the second time in my life, I was left completely, utterly speechless by the sheer amount of luck that had wandered into my life.

The adoption was final. I was officially Bucky Barnes' adopted kid. Which basically meant I was the Avengers' adopted kid.

"Peter?" Bucky asked after a minute, nudging my shoulder. "You okay?"

I laughed under my breath, rubbing a fist under my nose and blinking quickly, swallowing. "Yeah. Yeah. Okay is…no, I'm great. I…" I breathed deeply, folding the papers and putting them carefully back into the envelope, holding it carefully.

I looked up at the heroes surrounding me and smiled, feeling so, so blessed. "Thanks."

"No getting rid of us now," Rhodey said with a grin. "Too bad. All purchases are final."

I laughed, wiping my sleeve across my eyes, and nodded. "Yeah. I think I'm okay with that."

We stayed like that, in the grass under the sun, for the next hour, talking and laughing and being. The euphoria soaring through my veins when I'd first swung through the trees earlier was nothing compared to this feeling, and…it was amazing.

They were just so amazing.

When it finally got a little too hot, we made our way towards the Compound, and Bucky slung an arm over my shoulder, Tony coming up beside him.

"Ready for the second part of your big day?" Bucky asked me, smiling as he nudged Tony.

Tony rolled his eyes, but smiled anyways, looking away. "Yeah, yeah. Excited to blow all my money, I know."

I grinned anyways, excited for the plan I'd begged Tony to help me create. "You have plenty. Besides, they need it more."

"I know, squirt. I'm messing with you." Tony smiled, and it looked a lot more genuine. Nothing like the flashy smile he reserved for the media. "Go shower, then we'll all get ready."

I nodded eagerly, all but running to my room to change.

I'd worked really hard to plan this with the other Avengers, and I couldn't wait to see it happen.

…

"Benny!" I shouted as soon as I caught sight of him, breaking out in a huge grin as I ran to him, almost knocking him over with the force of my hug. "You're here!"

Benny was obviously surprised by not only my presence, but my enthusiastic greeting, and hesitantly hugged me back. "Peter? Is that you, boy?"

I pulled back, still smiling, kind of resisting the urge to cry in relief. He was so sick the last time I was here, and—and I honestly wasn't sure he'd still be here when I came. "Yeah, it's me. It's so good to see you. You look great!"

Benny grinned wide, toothless smile still bright as always, and laughed quietly. "You're gonna make an old man blush. I don't look that good."

I laughed with him, looking around as the commotion attracted the attention of others in the camp. I recognized several of them, but a lot of them were new faces, as well.

"What're you doing back here?" Benny asked, smile dropping in concern. "I thought you'd finally gotten out of this dump. Don't tell me you're back."

I smiled, shaking my head. "No. I found an awesome family. I came to introduce them and bring you guys some stuff."

"Where should we drop the treasure?" Tony yelled from his Iron Man suit, touching down with a pile of wooden beams in his arms.

"Oh, uh…" I scanned the yard, looking around at the tents and the residents, finding an empty patch of grass a little ways off. "Over there is fine."

"What's goin' on here?" Benny asked, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you have Tony Stark takin' orders from you, boy?"

I laughed, glancing behind me as the rest of my family disembarked from the freshly-landed Quinjet, unloading some more materials. "Not just Tony. The Avengers. They're who took me in."

Benny's jaw couldn't had dropped any lower had it fallen off.

"Anyways," I said quickly in a gush of excitement, glancing around again. "I talked to Tony and he said since taking me in and hearing about…you know, everything that goes on here, he wanted to direct more SI Aid funding to the New York homeless population, and…" I shrugged, looking around. "You guys were always so good to me, so I asked if we could build something here, and he said yes."

Benny looked properly surprised, glancing around the little clearing in awe. "You want…to build somethin' here? What, like a office a' some kind?"

I smiled again, barely suppressing my excitement. "No. Like…a whole shelter, for everyone living here. And Tony even hired some people to help run it and an adjoining soup kitchen."

I'd drawn up the plans with Tony, whose engineering skills had really come in handy. He'd gotten a building permit from the city and checked with a couple geologists about the integrity of the soil, and they'd assured us that as long as we used a simple foundation and didn't use materials that were too heavy, the land would be fine to build on.

"The Avengers and you r'gonna build two whole buildings?" Benny asked dubiously, but the old man's eyes were lit up at the prospect. "That'll be a sight."

I laughed again, feeling ecstatic that this was finally, actually happening. "No, actually; we're gonna have some more help. They should be here any minute…"

As if on cue, several squad cars pulled up to the edge of the clearing and parked on a nearby street, twenty or so officers exiting the cars and coming over.

I squeezed Benny's shoulder and jogged towards them, meeting Officer Travis first. "I'm glad you could make it!"

Officer Travis, Officer Veromi at his side, smiled, shaking my hand. "Me too, Peter. You look a lot better. How're you feeling?"

"Good," I said honestly, shrugging with a little smile. "A whole lot better. Thanks so much for doing this."

"Anytime, kiddo," Officer Veromi assured me with a pat on the shoulder. "Let's get to work, boys and girls! These buildings aren't going to build themselves!"

The officers followed her towards the camp, the homeless population exiting their tents and staring in awe as the force made their way towards the Avengers, and I smiled when some of them stopped to interact with the residents, introducing themselves. Veromi even stopped to play a little soccer with some kids before proceeding.

"This was a great idea, and I'm glad you reached out to the NYPD," Officer Travis said, and I turned back to him. "What made you think of it?"

I shrugged a little self-consciously, glancing back. I had…some horrible memories here, for sure. After all, Jason had kidnapped me here, and betrayed me here. But I'd also been cared for and protected by several of the residents, even when no one else had my back. It was bittersweet place for me, and I wanted to do something to make it better.

"I stayed here a lot when I was…running, at first," I supplied, aware that, despite their help, Officers Travis and Veromi didn't know the whole story. "A lot of people here helped me out, and…I wanted to do what you said, you know? Focus my energy on helping the people I can right now."

Officer Travis' eyebrows went to his hairline, and he looked lost for words for a moment. Finally, he settled on a disbelieving little laugh, looking at his force as they shed some of their gear and started helping lay the foundation and nailing the wood planks together for the frame.

"You're going to be an amazing man someday," he said, patting me on the shoulder.

I blushed, unprepared for the sincere comment, but smiled, happy that he was nice enough to think so. "Thanks. I…that means a lot."

He put an arm around my shoulders, and we started towards the camp. "So…what should I do? Damage control, frame, foundation…?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "Just pick something and help out, I guess."

Benny snagged my arm as I passed, Officer Travis rolling up his sleeves and going to help out with the foundation.

Benny initiated the hug this time, and I hugged him back. I'd missed him. "You're a good boy, Peter," he said, his words thick and wavering. I pulled back to see tears in his eyes as he watched the force work, and his hands shook. "You're a good boy. Don't you forget it."

I could only smile. "Thanks, Benny."

I'd been utterly betrayed and terrified just a few dozen feet away from where I stood, and the memories here reminded me of times I never wanted to remember. Of months of anguish and solitude that had no place in a child's life.

But as I turned to look at the group of heroes behind me, enhanced and normal alike, I found myself making new memories, of helping people I knew and loved and cherished, and doing so with my family and some of the heroes who'd helped save me when I needed it.

When I thought about all this, the bad ones didn't seem to matter so much, anymore.

A/N: Eeeeee! I'm very happy. I very much like this chapter. Hope you did too.

Two left! Just two chapters left! I can't HANDLE IT! Next chapter will be their talk on Peter's weird little neck buzz (ohhhhh we all know what that is…!), his first patrol, AND a new character I'm sure you've ALLLLLL been waiting for. Guess who it is!

Anyways. So. For those of you beautiful humans following and favoriting, I am FOREVER indebted to you, as you give me so much encouragement and support.

And my reviewers? Honestly, words can't even express how much I value each and every one of you: DarylDixon'sLover, Zyenna, alltheSinnersandalltheSaints, BecomingFearless1F, SongNoFound, Melancholy's Sunshine, BabyPinkPuppy, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, xsheepix, parisindy, Country-chick-20, KillaD, meamaya101, TC Howl, abbymwilson1, Aron V Rig, Shrav Padte, jersey09, and theriku260!

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As usual, thank you all so much for your amazing support, and I hope you stick around for the conclusion and the sequels