Thanks for clicking on my Avengers Fanfiction: Bleeding in Slow Motion! Let me tell you a little bit about the book.

Synopsis:

Revenge. Heartbreak. Chaos. HYDRA's back, and smarter than ever. Vulture hungers for revenge on Peter. To face the threat so quickly rising to dominance, the Avengers must reassemble. But it's not easy for everyone. Memories of blood spilled on Siberian soil burn within the Avengers' two opposing leaders, tearing them apart. HYDRA's plan is completely shrouded in darkness. Rated T.

Excerpts:

"Well, what do you propose?" I entwine my fingers with Pepper's.

Bruce averts his eyes.

"Bruce…?"

"I really don't think– ."

"Do you have an idea?"

"Yes, but– ."

"Stop with the hesitating or I'll trap you in one my suits for a day. Spit it out."

"What if you…you know…" he reaches for an object on the table and tosses it to me, "get 'em together again?"

I drop my gaze to the item in my hands and a rush of electricity causes my eyebrows to skyrocket.

The old flip phone.

Steve's voice rings in my head.

"So, no matter what, I promise you, if you need us. If you need me. I'll be there."

"I do remember…"

I jerk my head up.

"…calling you…stupid a lot."

I force down a laugh. "I remember that too. And it wasn't just stupid, but many other things." My cheeks lift slightly as a pleasant memory intrudes.

Bucky nudges my shoulder. "Come on, you're kind of missing the point of a double date. We're taking the girls dancing."

Arms spread wide, feet planted, Rhodey inhales. "So I take the tank, fly it right up to the General's palace, drop it at his feet, I'm like, 'Boom! You looking for this?' "

I stifle a giggle at the complete silence that follows. Scattered, unenthusiastic claps break the quiet. Tony shrugs. "Sorry, Rhodes. Who wants to hear a better story?"

Everyone cheers.

"I know just the man." Tony hollers into the next room. "Point Break, get your royal behind in here!"

Another growling voice bounces back. "Forget it, Stark, the fate of the universe is in my grasp!"

Tony rolls his eyes. "Fine. That man is playing Galaga. Leave him to his games."

Foreword:

I recently became a Marvel fan! I never really cared for the MCU that much until I saw Spiderman: Homecoming, and I was sooooooooo blown away! I've been reading Fanfiction, chatting about Marvel with my friends, watching the movies both by myself and with them... Ugh, it's getting real. :) Anyway, after seeing Avengers: Infinity War about a week ago, I got an urge to start a fanfiction. I'm super duper excited for this, as it's not only inspired by my love for Homecoming and Infinity War, but my mere love for Peter and Tony's relationship and them as separate characters! Yes!

ANYWAY, about the book. This is a first person, present tense fanfiction that will switch between the perspectives of Tony, Peter, and others. The lengths of my chapters will vary depending on what cliffhanger I want to end with, my style of writing, the context of the chapter, and stuff like that. The prologue isn't that long, but I'm hoping the first chapter will be pretty lengthly. Rated T for violence.

The things above were written when I first started this book. As I'm writing these words right now, I've seen every single MCU movie and have updated the "warnings" below.

I want to point out a few things before you dive in (edited as the book has been further in progress).

One: This book takes place one year after the events of Homecoming.

Two: Even though I may say this is an Avengers Fanfiction, IT ORIGINALLY BEGAN AS A SPIDERMAN FANFICTION. That's why you might see mentions of a "Spiderman Fanfiction" in some of my author's notes. That is also why the first chunk of this book revolves around Peter.

Four: I'm not shying away from doing terrible things to characters, even killing off some crucial ones. I'M GOING TO KILL CHARACTERS. PERIOD.

Five: I reference almost every single MCU movie in this fanfiction. The main ones being...*tries to remember*...probably Age Of Ultron, Winter Soldier, Civil War, and Spiderman: Homecoming.

Six: I try my very very best to line everything up with canon and, frankly, I think I do pretty well with it most of the time. That being said, there are events in the MCU that, for the story's sake, I change and provide an explanation for. FOR EXAMPLE: I make it so the events of Thor: Ragnarok never happen for the story's sake. Therefore: Asgard is still present and Bruce is still with the Avengers.

Seven: I DO NOT SHIP ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE NOT CANON. The relationships that I touch on, even slightly, are as follows: Pepperony (PepperxTony), Steggy (StevexPeggy), Brutasha (BrucexNatasha), Thane (ThorxJane. IDK if that's the actual shipping name, but I just made it up now), Claura (ClintxLaura), and ScarletVision (WandaxVision). Those are the only romantic relationships that I explore in this book. The friendships, or "broships" that I touch on are as follows: Steve and Tony, Clintasha, Peter and Tony, and Bucky and Steve. Those are all of the ones I can think of right now.

Eight (MOST IMPORTANT "WARNING"): Okay, so I'll start by saying that I have read fanfiction before that are obviously written by a beginner writer. There's nothing wrong with that, I just mean to say that they usually tend to be a bit less heavy and emotional. Some fanfiction on this site are one-shots, or just a couple chapters. This book is not like that. When I write a story, with my own characters or not, I strive to make it a novel, and I'm dead serious about it. This isn't just a short story, multi-chapter fanfiction. I love writing, storytelling, fiction, all of the above. This will be a full-length novel with plot, pacing, ebb and flow, structure, conflicts, etc. Same with my other novels. I strive to improve always and I want my novels to be as real as possible.

I don't write to make readers happy all the time. I write to take readers on a journey that they'll want come back to. Yes, that includes happy, touching moments of sincerity and peace, but that also includes events that destroy the characters. Emotionally, physically, all of the above. I challenge the values of these characters by ripping their stability out from under them to test the bounds of my storytelling abilities.

I deal with heavy, emotional things in this book: Grief, depression, major deaths, old emotional scars, growth and change as a result of loss and cost... But, I promise you, this will be worth your time if you so choose (hopefully). While I do write some pretty weighty stuff sometimes imo, I write to take people on a journey, whether they're my characters or not, and this book is no different. I am very passionate about this fanfiction and hope my writing will show that. With every obstacle comes struggle and triumph. No character will be left hanging in a dark spot through the course of this story.
So, I implore you...if you read a couple chapters and you like them...keep going! The book gets more emotional as it progresses, and, I will admit, I have left a fanfiction before because of the heavy emotional content (and also partly because it is not resolved, and that is unsatisfying), but with some of those such fanfiction, I have kept going and persevered to the end to find that the writer resolved every problem and left the reader with a satisfaction and bittersweetness that's so great that it feels like...a journey. THAT'S WHAT I WANT READERS TO FEEL WHEN THEY READ THIS AND COMPLETE THIS.
So please, if you consider leaving because of something I do or make a character go through, then it is your choice to pick which option to go through with, but just know that I will resolve every emotional problem that the characters face. :D

But at the same time as I say all of this, I understand that my writing isn't for everyone. There are going to be people who just don't connect with my writing and what I make the characters go through, and that's okay. Just because I'm saying all this, don't feel forced to continue if you genuinely don't like the story and/or my writing. That biiiiiiiggg "warning" number eight was geared toward people who, for example, loved the story, then got to a part that was a little emotional for them and made them feel things that they didn't come here expecting to feel, therefore making them consider leaving.

OKAY MOVING ON–

I love reviews also! And not because I'm bragging and I want y'all to tell me how great I am. Do you come across a chapter that you think could be improved upon? Some error you notice? Tell me! I strive to improve. :D But if you really like a chapter or something, again, let me know!

Anyway, I love writing this! Hopefully y'all will enjoy this as much as do.

Disclaimer:

I do not own the Spiderman franchise, the Marvel franchise, or any of the characters. That all belongs to Marvel Studios. Everything to Marvel Studios. Any added dialogue, plots, or characters are mine, but nothing else. I don't own it. Got it? Good. Let's begin.

Prologue - Unofficial Father

"Rhodey, ever since Vulture, I've only been trying to keep Peter safe. He's too reckless for his own good."

"But setting a tracker in his backpack isn't going to help at all, Tony. If he finds out that you're keeping a watch on him even outside of his Spidery-business, that's going to aggravate him even more."

I massage my temple with one hand, the other holding the phone to my ear. "If the ship incident taught me anything, it's that I can't trust Peter when he says he's going to stay away from Spiderman, even for a little while. If I know Peter, which I like to think that I do, then regardless of my efforts he's going to get himself hurt trying to help people."

"That Vulture's plans ended only a year ago, Tony. The kid's probably still keeping it low for now."

"That won't last forever. Peter was affected by what happened in those few months. He even turned down the offer of being an Avenger. But he's going to get tired of being the friendly neighborhood Spiderman, just like before. He's going to start asking me for missions, and when I say no, that's going to annoy him to the point of lying and trying things on his own. And his aunt will blame me if anything happens to the kid."

Rhodey's sigh crackles from the other end of the phone line. "Tony, you've got to stop acting like an overprotective father."

"I can't help it. Peter, he's…" a pang strikes my chest as I picture the teenager's smile, "he's the closest thing I have to a son. I can't let anything happen to him."

"He's sixteen, not six. He can take care of himself."

"But if he dies out there, then– ."

"Then that's on you, I get it. Tony, we've had this conversation before. It's real parental of you to try and look after him, but you can't baby him. You can't put him in a cage and expect him not to fight back. You need to let him be sometimes, even if that means he learns a few hard lessons in the process."

I lean back on the bench, another sigh pushing itself from my chest. My eyes wander through the park scene. A few kids scramble on the slide and several others on the swing set. The Queens high school and the long-since-sold Avengers Tower loom in the distance. Both buildings glitter in the sunlight. This city is at peace, but for how long? How long until another shady character like Vulture emerges to commit crimes?

Crime comes and goes. Burglars flood in, they get caught, they get sent to jail, done. Over. Nothing else to it. That's simple. The police can handle that.

Unless Peter doesn't stop those burglaries first.

He's going to get himself caught up in saving the small illegal squabbles, his second life whirling on the news in flashes of color and monotonous reporters' voices. He'll swoop in, save the day, and dive right back out. He'll only get cockier. That's what led him to believe he could face Vulture alone and win.

But Vulture… No. That had gotten way too bad way too fast.

Something severe to that scale could happen again. What if–

"Tony?"

"Uh– yep. Sorry."

"Were you listening to a word I just said?"

"Yes, you said my name. I heard you." I can almost sense my friend's irritation through the speaker.

"No. Before."

"I did. And as much as I don't want to admit it, you're right."

"Of course I am."

I can't help the smile that pulls at my lips. "Thanks for your wisdom, pal."

"Anytime."

"Sometimes, though, I wonder if you even have any to give."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Wish you were here, buddy. Send a postcard from over seas, will ya? Don't let that mission drag you down."

"You got it. See you, Tony."

Rhodey hangs up and I shut my old flip phone, stuffing it in my shirt pocket. After a few minutes, the children at the park depart, leaving me alone on the bench. Almost unconsciously, I rub my left shoulder, grimacing as a tiny flare of pain stings the muscles. I allow my mind to wander, drifting over the past few years worth of events as I pace around in the mulch.

I had been skeptical about recruiting Peter at first, but now I reckon it's one of the best things that's happened to me. Aside from being reckless and completely against most of my safety rules, the kid's got guts. I chuckle, counting on my fingers. "Strong, not just physically, nerdy deep down, dorky, awkward, smart, capable of responsibility…" I trail off. Goodness, I miss that kid.

Even though Peter had refused the possibility of being an Avenger, we've still kept up with each other. A whole thirty minutes separates the compound from his house. Tech-business has kept me from our usual visits, but finally I'd gotten the chance to drive down to Queens. Take a break from working. We'll get to talk again. Wonder what's going on with him. School, grades, friendships…

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not his father.

Shaking my head, I rise from the bench, running a hand through my hair.

All right. Where to now?

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Looks interesting? Keep going! This is just the beginning...

Read and review!

- Lavender