A/N: So, I'm sorry for taking a literal year to update... But I'm here again! FYI, I know diddly squat about building computers so I'm completely making all of that up. Just pretend that I'm smart and know what I'm doing. Enjoy :)

P.S. It's late and I didn't proofread, I'm just uploading. I apologize in advance for any typos!

Previously: Peter met up with Sam in a small diner and they agreed to meet up weekly

Peter dropped down from the roof into his somewhat cozy, little home in the abandoned apartment building. He walked over to his makeshift bed and set down the small grocery bag he carried. Peter groaned in pain as he lowered himself onto his mattress.

A few days ago, Spiderman had stopped a robbery at a bakery. He didn't leave unscathed, leaving with quite a bit of bruises and what Peter suspected to be a broken rib. In return for stopping the intrusion, the owner of the shop gave him a small bag of extra croissants. Peter took it without even trying to put up a fight because food was so hard to come by for him. When he made it back to his place that evening, Peter opened up the bag to find four croissants, a note, and a twenty dollar bill.

Thank you Spidey! Stay safe out there!
—Paul Reginald, Blissfully Baked

Peter began to tear up at the sweet gesture. Paul didn't realize how much that little bag meant to him. The croissant money as Peter had deemed it, went to buying a new outfit from a thrift store. What was leftover from it Peter used for some bottles of water, small hygiene products, and a few snacks (for when he inevitably couldn't afford a full meal again).

He still wasn't fully healed from the robbery incident. Peter had to restrict his Spiderman activities and hadn't gone on patrol as much as he normally would. Well, normal for his current situation anyways.

It was about 2:00am, exactly a week from when he had first met with Sam. Peter still had the man's phone number written on a napkin stored in the sole of his shoe so he wouldn't lose it. He had long since memorized the man's number, but the napkin was a symbol to Peter of his newfound friendship.

Peter had just returned from dumpster diving for spare parts for the computer he was building. He was almost completely done, but he was missing the memory drive and some parts for the screen. Then he'd also need to eventually find or build some sort of charger for it.

Peter closed his eyes and caught some rest before his meeting with Sam.

Peter walked up to the bench and took a seat. His ribs were still causing him a bit of discomfort, but he had had worse and was able to cover his pain. Mostly.

He had only gained a few hours of sleep, which didn't help his healing process much. Peter had woken up early and cleaned himself up. He wanted to look somewhat normal when he met up with Sam again today. He had taken the outfit from the thrift store and put it on.

It wasn't that Peter didn't want to wear it. It was getting colder and colder out, so layering up his clothes was really tempting. Peter was saving the outfit specifically for this meeting. He'd only had it for a few days so it was as clean as when he had bought it. It was just a pair of jeans, a t-shirt with a science pun on it, and a lightweight, zip-up coat.

Sitting on the bench, Peter fidgeted with the zipper of his jacket.

He wasn't nervous.

Spiderman doesn't get nervous.

He was.. excited. Yes, that's it. Peter was excited to spend more time with someone he would think of as a friend and answering most (if not all) questions with lies of his past.

Peter let out a sigh.

Maybe this isn't the best idea, he thought.

He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes and went through all of the scenarios. Peter thought of all the good and bad that could come from meeting with Sam. He definitely didn't want to not show up when they had already agreed to meet with each other. Peter decided that he would talk with Sam today, but then he would let the kind man know that he couldn't meet anymore. He could come up with a reason later.

Simple.

Peter heard the familiar sound of feet hitting pavement and looked up to see Sam jogging towards him. Immediately a smile appeared on Peter's face.

"Hey kid," Sam greeted, taking a seat next to him. "How's your week been?"

"It's definitely been a lot slower than usual," Peter replied, proud of himself for not lying.

"I wish I could say the same. I've become the official chef of my dysfunctional family and it keeps me busier then I ever would have thought. Who would've known that five people could eat so much." Sam chuckled, shaking his head at the thought of the Avengers fighting over every meal.

"Speaking of eating," Sam continued. "How about we head to the diner? I skipped breakfast and the jog over here has me craving some pancakes."

Sam stood up and Peter followed in suit, hiding a wince at the pain in his ribs as best as he could.

"Sounds good to me," he agreed.

Sam took notice when Peter hid the pain he was in, but he opted to stay quiet about it for now. If he could get the kid to come to the tower with him, then he'd be able to have Friday scan him for any injuries.

The two started walking towards the small diner they had visited once before. Peter was eager to eat another full meal, but he didn't let the excitement show.

"Your parents are okay with you hanging out with me this morning?" Sam queried. He truly didn't want to anger the kids family. Though, Sam couldn't deny that there was something off about Peter and he wondered if maybe his family wasn't too kind to him.

Peter almost looked sad as he answered, as if he was lost in memory. He would have liked to think that his parents would have wanted him to be safe, so he responded in kind.

"They don't really mind who I spend my time with. Especially on weekends. I let my dad know where I would be and he's letting me stay out as long as I'm back by dinner," Peter responded.

"Well I'm glad you're allowing me to be a part of your weekend Peter."

A/N: This is a lot shorter than I wanted to upload it as, but it's late and I'm working a long shift tomorrow so I'm headed to bed. I know that not much happened in these past few chapters, but the next one will be more eventful (and longer) than this one! Depending on how work goes tomorrow, I might get it updated right away. But I'm on my feet all day and might crash when I get home.

But the good news is, I'm back! and I will get the next chapter up soon! Hope you all enjoyed it!