AN: I NEVER INTENDED TO DO A SEQUEL TO THIS STORY, BUT HERE WE ARE!

So. The reason I'm writing this is because I have done some introspection recently and came to the startling realization that I have been incredibly unfair to Spiderman. Like, I've just never really liked his character, and I don't really have a reason? I mean, I was raised on DC, so that's a part of it, but I like other Marvel characters, so why not Spiderman?

Anyway, once I realized that Spiderman was actually a really cool character, the idea for this story hit me like a train. Which is honestly a terrible idea. I already have three incomplete stories that I'm writing right now, I shouldn't start another one. But here I am. A couple of people in reviews said they would like it if Alex and Spiderman met, so thanks to you guys for giving me this idea! :)

This is basically going to be Civil War without there being a civil war. Civil War just made me so sad. I want them to be friends! Also, I don't want to pick sides. I mean, I have a personal opinion, but I can see where both sides are coming from, and both have reasonable reasons for acting the way they do. So I'm just going to avoid the whole issue! Yay!

Wow. Longest author's note I have ever done. Sorry guys! I hope you like the story! (Also, most of my knowledge of marvel characters comes from the MCU, so my Spiderman is going to be based off of the Tom Holland one.)

I don't own Alex Rider or the Avengers. I cannot come up with a joke so…. Eh. Most you probably don't even read the author's notes.


Alex stared out the window and tried to resist the urge to tap his pencil on his desk. This was torture. And considering he had actually been tortured in the past, that was saying something.

A sudden screech made Alex flinch. He relaxed when he saw it was just a student standing up to turn in their test. Their chair had made the sound when the student pushed it back. The sound hadn't even been that loud, but to Alex it was like a gun going off in the quiet of the classroom.

Alex took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Tests were the worst. At least when the teacher was talking he had something to focus on. But with testing going on, Alex had to sit still in relative silence for hours. It was awful.

Alex glanced down at his own test. He had finished it more than forty minutes ago, but he hadn't turned it in yet. He considered going through it for mistakes, but he had already done that three times. He should just get up and turn it in, but he was reluctant to do that.

It's fine, Alex thought harshly. You knew the answer to every question on that test. Just turn it in, you know you'll get a one hundred.

But what if you don't? A quiet voice whispered in the back of his mind. What if you got a question wrong? What if you failed? You know the consequences for failing.

Alex grit his teeth hard, shoving the voice down violently. That wasn't true anymore. There wouldn't be any consequences if he failed. At least, none like… like…

A sharp snap jerked Alex out of his thoughts. He looked around frantically, trying to locate the source of the sound. It wasn't until he noticed his peers looking at him strangely that he realized the sound had come from himself. He had gripped his pencil so hard it snapped in half.

Alex dropped the remains of his pencil. He grabbed his test and stood up, walking to the front and turning it in before he could second guess himself.

Alex spent the rest of class studiously ignoring everyone else in the room. Or at least, ignoring them as well as he was able. The urge to keep track of exactly where everyone was was too strong for him to completely resist.

By the end class, Alex had a headache. Everytime time someone moved, coughed, tapped their foot, anything, Alex's mind went into overdrive. It was stupid. It was stupid. These were ordinary high school students. None of them were going to suddenly pull a gun or reveal themselves as some kind of foreign agent. Yet no matter how many times Alex told himself that, his brain didn't seem to get the memo.

Still. At least this was his last class of the day. He could go home and destress for a bit.

Alex was wondering which shooting range would be open today when his teacher called his name.

"Alex? Could I speak to you for a minute?"

Alex stiffened. What was going on? Had he done something wrong? Was he going to be punished? He approached Mr. Harrington's desk, looking composed on the outside, but panicking internally.

"Yes, sir?" He asked quietly, looking down and refusing to make eye contact.

"I just want to say that you are under no obligation to say yes. I know that you've had a hard time recently, and I don't want to cause you any stress."

Alex's eyes darted up, the only outward sign of his confusion. When Alex didn't say anything, Mr. Harrington continued.

"I would like it if you joined the academic decathlon team."

Alex blinked. He honestly wasn't expecting that.

"You're obviously a really bright kid, and I think you would be a great asset to the team. Plus, you've been going to school here for almost a month, and I haven't seen you speak to any of your peers, not even once. This could be an easy way for you to make some friends."

Alex's frozen expression broke at that. It didn't change by much, but there was a definite downturn to his mouth. He wasn't interested in making friends. He already had one, and that was enough for him.

Apparently Mr. Harrington could tell what Alex was thinking, and he sighed.

"Like I said, you don't have to say yes. Just thought I'd put it out there. But at least check it out. We have practice tomorrow after school in room B113. Come to practice. If you hate it, you never have to come back."

"... I'll think about it." Alex finally said. Mr. Harrington nodded.

"That's all I can ask for."

Alex took that as a dismissal and left the room. He considered dropping his textbooks off in his locker, but ditched that idea in favor of getting out of the school as quickly as possible. It's not like the weight of the books was difficult for him to carry or anything.

Exiting the school was like taking a breath of fresh air after being trapped in an underground cave for three days. Not that Alex would have any idea what that was like. Nope, he was just a normal, average civilian, doing normal, average civilian things. Yeah…

Alex shook his head, heading off into the city. New York wasn't London, but he had adapted to it pretty quickly. He had even developed a certain fondness for the city, one that offset his homesickness at least a little bit. Alex missed London desperately, but he would rather die than ever set foot there again.

A news broadcast on a nearby television display caught his attention. A grainy video of the 'Spiderman' was playing repeatedly while news anchors discussed the new hero that was making waves. Alex raised an eyebrow at the obviously homemade costume the hero was wearing. Whoever Spiderman was, he clearly didn't have the resources that the Avengers did.

Well, it was none of his business anyway. As long as Spiderman didn't attack him or any of the Avengers, he could do what he liked. The actions of a small time vigilante had nothing to do with him.

With that, Alex continued on his way home, unaware of how those thoughts would come back to haunt him.


Clint looked up when Jarvis announced Alex's arrival. He was the only one waiting for the teen today. The others were at a meeting with Secretary Ross. Technically, Clint was supposed to be there too, but the team had made it clear that someone had to be waiting for Alex. No matter what was happening, the Avengers always made sure that at least one of them was there waiting when Alex got home.

Alex insisted that it wasn't necessary, and maybe it wasn't. But Clint saw the way Alex's eye lit up a bit when he came home to see someone waiting, and that made him willing to do anything to keep from disappointing the kid. Alex had suffered so much because of his terrible guardians. This was the least they could do for him.

"Hey kid. How was school?"

"Torture." Alex's voice was completely deadpan, causing Clint to grimace.

"That bad?" He asked sympathetically. Alex only groaned in response, face planting onto the couch. Clint sighed, his heart aching for the kid.

Alex did not do well in school. That didn't mean he had poor grades. His grades were steller. Clint had never seen him bring home anything below a one hundred. But that was besides the point. They all knew that Alex was smart, that was never in question. Alex wasn't going to school to learn, he was going to try and reintegrate with society.

That… had not gone as well as the Avengers might have hoped. Alex hadn't connected with anyone at the school. He went through the motions, barely keeping himself together for a full school day before returning straight to the Tower to try and calm down before he was forced to do it all over again. Alex hadn't even been going to school for a full month, and already he was near his breaking point. If something didn't change soon, Alex probably wouldn't make it through the rest of the school year.

"Anything exciting happen?" Clint asked, trying to pull Alex out of his slump. He asked this every day, and Alex usually looked at him as if he were insane, but today he looked a bit thoughtful. He flipped over and sat up on the couch, crossing his legs in a pattern that cut off Clint's circulation just looking at it.

"Well… Mr. Harrington asked me to join the academic decathlon team. Does that count as exciting?"

Clint masked his surprise, pretending to consider Alex's question. Inside, his thoughts were racing. Could this be it? Could this be the thing that would finally break through Alex's defences? Or would it be the final straw that drove him away from school and any chance at a normal life for good?

"That depends…" Clint said after a moment of silence. "Are you going to take him up on his offer?"

Clint had expected Alex to immediately say no, so he was surprised when Alex shrugged.

"I mean… I don't really want to. But, he mentioned the fact that I never really talk to anyone and… well he kinda had a point. I'm supposed to be fitting in with my peers, but I'm not even trying."

Alex looked away from Clint obviously, ashamed. His voice was small when he continued.

"It's like I don't want to get better."

"Hey. None of that." Clint perched next to Alex on the couch, poking him in the forehead. Alex looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You are trying. I know how hard it is for you to go to school, and the fact that you do it anyway is a testament to how much you want to get better. If you want to give this whole ac dec thing a try, I say go for it. If not, that's fine too. Whatever you're comfortable with."

Alex blinked up at Clint. His eyes narrowed a bit as he scrutinized the man. Clint let it happen. He knew that Alex was studying him for sincerity. The kid still had a hard time believing he could make his own decisions about his life.

"There's a practice tomorrow." Alex broke eye contact, pulling out a knife and fiddling with it. "Mr. Harrington said if I didn't like it, I didn't have to come back."

"Sounds like Mr. Harrington is a pretty nice guy."

Alex shrugged one shoulder, not looking up. Clint decided to count that as a win and stood up.

"Want to head down to the range? We got some new exploding arrows that I know you would love."

Alex brightened at the change in subject. He nodded, unfolding his legs and standing up. Clint half expected the kid to topple over, but apparently Alex had extremely good circulation, which honestly wasn't that surprising. He was able to walk just fine as they left the living room.

"By the way, where is everyone else?" Alex asked as they headed down to the shooting range. Clint smirked.

"Oh they're stuck in a meeting with Ross. I used you as an excuse to get out of it. I've never liked the guy. He seems slimy"

"Ross?" Alex looked slightly concerned. "Isn't he working with the UN these days? What business does he have with the Avengers?"

Clint shrugged, unbothered. "Who knows? I doubt it's anything important."

Unfortunately, Clint would soon learn that those words could not be further from the truth.


AN: Fun fact! I was on my school's academic decathlon team my senior year of high school. We even went to state, but not nationals sadly.

Don't worry! Peter will be in the next chapter! I am looking forward to this! Oh, and if any of you have some kinda spidey villain you want in story, let me know. I have a plan, but I lack a main villain and my lack of marvel knowledge is really showing.

Bye for now!