Chapter Thirty-Four: In Which Conversations Are Held and Ninja-Assassins Are Surprising

Back in the alley with their bags, Peter looked at his magical ally strangely. "So, we're back to 'Harry' now?"

"No," he said with an unsavory expression, his nose scrunched up. "I really like 'Hiro' better."

"So…"

A soft sigh as they casually exited the side street into the daylight. "It's a matter of your identity. The Hiro they know is a wizard-turned-former-cat with fanciful powers who's staying with Spider-man." They both allowed a tiny chuckle at the dryly given snark. "It's not a common name. Even with my hair and sunglasses, I am him and I look like the wizard they remember. 'Harry' is a common name and if they associate me with that and 'Hiro' with someone else, we're safe."

Peter nodded after the explanation. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For… all this." One hand raised vaguely and was followed by one black eyebrow from the other as it waved. They continued to walk, both knowing where they were headed by silent agreement and both looking simply as high schoolers off on an overnight trip. "You don't have to stick around."

"Bollocks to that!" came the loud response, startling the brunet and a few of the people around them, who shifted uncomfortably away. "Where exactly do you think I'd go?"

"Um…"

"Exactly." It was said decisively and with a sharp nod.

"Sorry?" This was nervous.

Looking back on it later, Peter would thank whatever higher power had thinned the crowds as they entered a different part of the city before the next words past the mage's lips. "Oh for Merlin's sake! That is not what I meant! You get this in your thick skull right now mate! You are not a bloody burden! I am here because I want to be, no other reason! If I wanted, I'd be halfway 'round the bloody world by now!

"So, no," Hiro ended, and his voice was only slightly calmer than before. "You are not allowed to be sorry."

The short silence rang through the air. "… how'd you get around the world?" the boy nit-picked out as a question.

"That's what you focus on?" The raven tried not to glance over, but his blurry vision still caught the wide doe eyes and he groaned internally. "Apparation."

"Apparition?"

"No, that's a ghost. App-ar-a-tion."

"… which is?"

"Wizard teleportation."

"Ah."

In his head, Hiro began to count. One… two… three… four… hm, this was taking longer than usual…

"How?!" Ah, there we are.

As his cane bumped hollowly on a previously unnoticed rubbish can, he sighed, "Every time. Magic, Peter. Magic."

"Yeah, okay," Peter ran a hand through his hair with a sheepish smile. One of his sneakers knocked a random pebble into a littered soda can, creating a clank that made Hiro jump slightly. Bellowed Christmas carols came from some random man across the street despite it being the middle of the summer. The enhanced teen winced a little on a particularly voice-cracking high note of whichever song the crazy was murdering and the two shared an exasperated, though amused, glance before ducking down a familiar side street. "But still, thanks."

"… you're welcome, Webhead." He let out a breath before reaching a hand up to rub the back of his neck. "Just… just don't ever talk about yourself like that, please." Green eyes flitted about waywardly, latching on as accurately as they could manage. Peter's own softened as he gazed at his friend and he placed an arm around his shoulders with a sad smile.

"Sure thing, Magic Man." Neither chose to comment, despite the fact that both knew how weak the tease was. Instead they enjoyed the comfort the other provided and Hiro leaned his head on the other one's shoulder, hoping he wasn't too forward. They shared a light blush that decorated their cheeks, though no one of the two noticed that fact. The duo moved in time farther and farther from the alley and the tower until they were practically on the other side of the city from it. On the outskirts, the afternoon light casting tawny hair in gold if the raven looked from the corner of his eye at Peter. They were somewhere, probably near Harlem, he really didn't know.

They navigated by landmarks and from street patterns they saw from above, not the names of the streets and the numbers on the buildings. They knew the city like only street kids could, but they knew it intimately. Ask him what was on the corner of 5th Avenue and E. 57th Street, he couldn't tell you. Ask him where Trump Tower was, he could guide you there step by step… or just say it was a block or so from Central Park. Hiro sighed – and damn was there a lot of that going on that day – at his inane train of thought and made the last turn towards an abandoned building with the brunet still pressed against his side.

"Your head better?" he asked out of the blue.

Peter blinked. "Hm? It's fine."

"We could've stayed longer," the raven frowned. "I Disillusioned our stuff."

"No, we couldn't 've."

"Yes, we could have."

"No, Hiro." The teen arachnid removed his arm from the mentioned boy's shoulders, running his hand back between his brown locks. "We couldn't have, we shouldn't have. I would've been fine. I am fine." The second youth silently crossed his arms, scrunched his nose, and peered at him from behind shaded lenses. "Really!"

"So the bandage is just for kicks?"

Peter's hand drifted up to the red-spotted white. "Umm…"

"You're allowed to accept help."

"I can't"

"Why?"

"You know why."

"Then tell me."

"C'mon…"

"Tell me."

"Fine!" the part-time spider snapped. "I stay away from them so they won't get hurt!" Hiro uncrossed his arms and his whole stance softened as he rested against the old wood wall with melancholy satisfaction. "Because everyone around me gets hurt! Everyone! And I don't want them to get hurt! And I'd try to get you away from… this… but you're too dang stubborn!" The wizard slumped an inch, studying the tense posture of his friend and how Peter's fingers threatened to rip right through the fabric strap he was strangling. Though that was the only sign that he was upset in any way. His face was carefully blank, the rest of his body hid his emotions well, but the walls seen in his eyes were pushed to the breaking point and beyond. He wasn't looking at the green-eyed adolescent.

Pale lips parted softly, uncertainly. "Do you want me to go?"

"Ye—no – uh, yeeeess—" the American slouched lower with a shaky breath. "No. Please." Unconsciously, both smoothly shifted over to seat themselves on the slightly sunken porch, out of view from the street and half-squashed by a tree branch from somewhere unknown. This time, Peter initiated the lean and practically fell onto the Brit. The side of his head that didn't have the red-spots rested heavily on the second's shoulder as Hiro tangled his fingers in his hair before burying his nose in it as well.

"Okay. I'm not going anywhere." He sighed, relaxing even more onto the half-blind teenager.

And that was when Hiro – formerly Harry – realized that he was hopelessly, hilariously, clichély in love with one Peter Benjamin Parker. Right then, homeless, sitting on the sagging porch of a dilapidated and deserted house somewhere close to Harlem, with the concussed boy leaning half his weight on him. Sure, he knew he had a crush. Fleeting moments of "that's adorable" – more like adorkable, he thought aimlessly – or "that's hot" and the accompanying blush with the latter when he realized he was thinking it. It was such a teenaged romance cliché when he started looking more and more often, when he flushed red like a schoolgirl, when he finally figured out that the warm feeling had evolved into something larger than just liking. But Hiro didn't mind, not really. If that sappiness resulted in this happy feeling and Peter pressed against his side, he'd stand up and sing the cheesiest love song he knew in Times Square at the top of his lungs.

Then the moment broke apart as the hairs on Peter's neck stood at attention. The boy sat up abruptly.

…BOOOOOMMM…

The rumbling explosion sent a small tremor through the ground not a second after and the noise launched the arachnoid into action as he swiftly stripped himself of that jacket he'd had since who knew how many years. At some point the duffel had been unzipped and the colorful hoodie of Spider-man almost thwacked the raven in the face as the other whipped it on.

"Hey!"

"Sorry!" By now the half-mask was up, the goggles and kneepads strapped on and the former pulled down.

"I'm coming too," Hiro started once he realized the hero was about to take off.

"No, you're going to stay safe."

"I can take care of myself."

"Bu—"

He leveled him with a firm – if a little unfocused – stare as he removed his sunglasses, revealing bright, viridescent irises. "Peter, I'm from another dimension, I know magic, and I fought the git who killed my parents when I was in my first year at Hogwarts when he possessed my Defense professor."

"You also ended up in the infirmary for pretty much the rest of the year after that."

"I shouldn't 've told you that… fine. But I will be close by."

"Deal." The conversation had taken less than a minute. Spider-man backed up a few steps with a hop in his gait, then darted forwards before jumping and shooting a webline. "Take care of the bags, I gotta swing!"

A turn of his head showed Hiro that, yes, he'd just been saddled with all their luggage. "Merlin dammit P—Spider! Depulso." The word banished the bags inside the house where it was certain no one would find them. Hiro yanked up his hood and Apparated away with a crack.

…

*POV CHANGE, AVENGERS TOWER, MEANWHILE…*

"Sir—"

"In a sec' Jarv'!" In the back area of the garage-like laboratory, sparks flew from a torch against the shining metal of an armored boot, flying around Tony's head and thankfully not setting his hair on fire. Not that he would have noticed if they did. Loose wires hung out one side, making the high-tech footwear seem a lot less fancy.

"Sir, I believe you'll want to see this."

"What did I say about the moment, J?"

"To enjoy it, sir. But—"

"Ah-bup-bup!" the genius straightened and turned, one finger up in the air. The other hand held a blowtorch that was still burning. "Mute." He whipped back around to finish with the side of the boot that didn't have wires still dangling as a one-armed robot toddled over with a fire extinguisher. Sparks began to fly once more. The arm with the red canister inched closer and closer until it was swatted away by one tanned hand. "DUM-E! Back! Shoo!" A short series of sparks and one close call with the blowtorch and DUM-E's fire extinguisher later, Tony popped up energetically from his hunched position as he threw both hands in the air. "Voila! Now—" The man's triumph was abruptly cut off as the robot – which was still hovering less than a foot away – sprayed white foam all over his head. "DUM-E!" The claw-arm raised happily, then lowered at the expression on its creator's face… then lowered even more to where Tony's pants leg was singed.

"DUM-E, no…"

Lower…

"No…"

Lower…

"I will donate you to the community college…"

And DUM-E promptly covered the bottom of his leg and his foot with a pile of extinguishing foam. Tony sighed in a long-suffering manner before simply ignoring the mess. "What was that earlier, J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"Mr. Barton brought two young men into the Tower." If an AI could sound miffed, this one definitely did.

"Did he now?" the billionaire perked up. "Why did birdbrain bring a couple 'a kids in here?"

"They were in the medical bay with Dr. Banner, sir."

"Hm." As he hesitated, a slow smile spread across his face, which never meant anything good. "Let's go talk to the good doctor then!"

"I cannot physically follow you."

"Expressions, J! Expressions! DUM-E, stay!"

"I will be there in spirit, sir."

Tony snorted as he shut down the lights to the lab and threw the corners into dark gloom. Without the lights… it looked dead without something happening. Was it bad that he spent so much time in there? Of course not! He trotted bouncily down the stairs to the elevator on the floor below. There wasn't an entrance to it on his lab's floor because it was apparently a "hazard." So, he'd blow a couple things up in there… didn't mean it was dangerous! The doors opened with a vaguely irritating ding! that made him wonder why he'd put it in in the first place and he stepped out onto the communal floor, where he hoped Bruce was at. "Honey, I'm ho-ome!"

"I'm not Pepper," Clint's voice replied amusedly from no less than a yard away, leaning against the wall with a PB&J and a paper bag.

"Ninja!" Tony yelled – he did not squeak! – at the sandwich-bearing agent's appearance.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "So, he emerges. Invent anything world-altering in there, Dr. Frankenstein?" He had on a I-know-something-you-don't smile – trademark pending, it was between Natasha and Clint – that did nothing to calm the brunet's nerves, especially with the way he kept positioning that bag halfway behind his legs. Grey-blue eyes flitted between the two parts of his body still coated in extinguisher foam and the smile widened with a bout of laughter that the other stoutly ignored.

"No," he drawled. "Just wondering why J.A.R.V.I.S. said there were a couple of kids in the tower. With Brucie. Why?"

"Oh, right." Clint's sharp grin softened a little in liking and he looked a little sheepish with his arm up at his neck. "Actually, I brought them."

This time Tony raised his brows, rolling a hand. "And? Who are they? Where did they go? Why were they in the medical bay with Brucie?"

"Peter got beat up and Harry beat somebody up."

Tony blinked. "That sounds interesting. Explain. With detail."

"The kids' names are Peter and Harry. They're teenagers. Peter's scrawny and has messy brown hair that looks like he cut it himself, but he's a little bit taller than Harry. Harry's pale-ish with black hair pulled into a bun, sunglasses, and a walking stick." He sounded like he was giving a mission report, if not for the faint tone of exasperation with the genius' attitude. "Peter tried to save a lady from being mugged – emphasis on tried – and then Harry had to save his ass. Peter got a head injury, I found them, brought them here."

"How starstruck were they?" the man smirked cockily.

"Peter more so than Harry," Clint snickered. "But on a one-to-ten scale I think I managed to hit six or seven with Harry and eleven with Peter once I introduced him to Jarv'."

"To J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"Yeah, he kept asking him all these questions. I didn't understand one bit."

"Hm… J, what'd Kid Number One ask you?"

"To calculate the indefinite integral of e to the power of x times the sine of x times dx if u equals the sine of x and dv equals e to the power of x time dx, sir."

"Damn," Tony whistled. "That's high-level stuff for a kid. How old were they?"

The other man shrugged. "I'd say around sixteen."

"And Kid Number Two?"

"Harry," the archer corrected automatically. "He mostly sat there and made sarcastic comments and worried about his friend in a kinda covered-up way."

"They're gone now?"

"Yeah, Peter forgot his bag and freaked, and Harry had left his too and seemed oddly unconcerned about that." Clint flashed a smile again. "They were weird."

Tony made a noise that was somewhere between a snort and a scoff. "So, just like everybody else in this tower."

"I feel like I should be offended… but I'm really not."

"What should we be offended about?" a new, more feminine voice entered the conversation.

"Lady ninja!" the metallic superhero squeaked – he would admit to it when dealing with Natasha, the femme fatale that made anyone and everyone jump about six feet sky-high. He whipped around to point a finger at the casually dressed redhead, who could still probably kill him ten different ways that didn't include using the knife she carried around. "Don't even pretend you weren't eavesdropping!"

"I prefer the term 'gathering intel,'" she corrected with a tiny smirk.

Clint licked leftover peanut butter off his thumb before asking, "So, what's up Nat?"

"Well, Kraven the Hunter's robbing a bank."

"And we weren't notified of this why?"

"Spider-man's on-scene and handling it, but Steve wants to head out anyway."

"Why?"

Natasha popped a piece of gum in her mouth before answering. "I don't know everything that goes on in Cap's head. Probably a just-in-case."

"Wow, super-spy doesn't know everything? Shocker." For that, Tony received a good-natured slap upside the head as the two agents sauntered towards the elevator.

"See you out there, Tin Can," the archer called as the doors slid shut. Which looked way too cool to include the blonde in Tony's opinion.

"I'll be waiting! J.A.R.V.I.S., suit me."

The nearest floor-to-ceiling window slid open as the tinny whirrs of mechanics echoed in the walls to release the Iron Man armor.

"Right away, sir."

*Lucky tackles muse*

I got her! I finally got her!

*muse elbows Lucky in the face and slips away*

Nooooooooo…

*muffled sobs*

- Brought to you by LuckyNumeralThirteen -

- And now back to your regularly scheduled programming -

I'm ba-ack! Sort of. I'm leaving again tomorrow. Off to Canada (and hello to the 624 July viewers up there)! Sorry. (Why did I call this "regularly scheduled" again?) It's been crazy! And going from Western Washington to Florida is like CLIMATE SHOCK when you step outside for the first time. Lots of swimming, lots of sunshine, and me getting hooked by an anime called The Morose Mononokean. Don't ask how that happened. Sorry to jet off again but thank you all for sticking with me! Also, sorry for the rather poor quality of this sort of filler-ish chappie.

Lucky (doesn't deserve all of you!)

(A quick note to a certain reviewer with a… rather explicit username: I'm not comfortable writing said username out and I hope you understand that I have nothing against you, it's just me. I don't mean any offense. I made it into an acronym at the bottom. Sorry for the inconvenience.)

To Matt (Guest): Those random characters were just there for that chapter, and the one you thought was Thaila was actually my OC cameo, Aziza. Though, she was originally from a Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles crossover fic and did get that shirt from our favorite Huntress. The guy she was sparring against was Walt from Kane Chronicles and all the other people were just randoms I came up with on the fly. This is not a crossover with KC or PJ so they won't appear again. Sorry for the confusion! And thanks for reading!

To .1: Not one from canon in particular. There's some fanart in my first beginning A/N at the top of Ch. 1, but if you want you can just picture him how you'd like. The only thing that matters is that he's in a homemade costume right now.

To readwritethrive: Aw, thank you! I absolutely love to write, I just lose inspiration once and a while. But I'm determined to see it through to the end!

To RavelynEver: Thanks! And don't worry, I'm still writing and will keep posting, it's just summers that are weird with the updates due to my family's crazy vacation plans.

To LockoLocka: Well, one thing's for sure, you succeeded in the "let's make this review too long for the email" thing! Great job on the math exam, I'm not a fan of math either. I'd rather be writing fanfiction than doing pre-calc (which is what I'm taking next year… joy…). With the "Clint noticing things" bit, it was partially a ploy to include my OC cameo and partially because I do want things to exist outside the Tower and the plot. Otherwise the world feels… incomplete to me. It might just be because I like worldbuilding too much, but whatever! Yeah, the unassuming BAMF is also called the "Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass" trope and I love it and it's so much fun to write and to read and there's a video on YouTube from Overly Sarcastic Productions that gave me that term from a video. I love that channel, but moving on! (Sorry for my ramble!) Civil War is… well, it doesn't really exist when I write fanfics because gods dangit I just want a happy Avengers family! And hey, you were right about the magic-bag-thing! So… ignoring me… thanks for the review, you are amazing as always, Locko! d(^v^)b

To SMWD: Once again, apologies for the whole username thing, it's just me being weird and uncomfortable, nothing to do with you. Anyways, I'm glad to hear you like the story! And thanks for pointing out my inconsistencies, getting honest feedback is great and I love knowing what I need to improve to make things better. With the voice thing, I was mostly relying on the fact that it's been a whole year and they have other things to worry about and focus on and it slipped their minds. I also made sure to change Hiro's appearance enough (w/ the name, the hair, the glasses, and the stick) that hopefully they wouldn't notice. Admittedly, I missed a few things, sorry. As for your second review, Hiro was mostly in awe of the Tower in all of its repaired glory (plus, last time he was in it, he was a cat and more worried about the alien war going on outside). Peter… well, it's mostly just the personality I write him with. He idolizes Bruce because of science, plus all of the Avengers have gotten even more famous over the year. Spidey also has a tendency to be more confident and forward than Parker when in the mask, which has something to do with anonymity and the freedom that provides. Plus, Peter is smart enough to know that any normal person would be absolutely starstruck upon meeting any Avengers, so if he didn't act that way, there'd be suspicion. And dang this thing is long, sorry for rambling and I hope that answered your questions! I'll also be sure to improve my accuracy in the future! Thanks again! =)