Chapter 6

I have to admit I don't have a lot of experience when it comes to parties. But then I don't have much experience being a genetically modified teenage vigilante either. So hopefully TV has taught me well. Let me know what you think!

Music blared. Lights strobed. Bodies bumped and pressed against each other. People got drunk.

Aside from the fact that they were in a penthouse big enough to fit a fair amount of the Midtown High student population, it was a party like any other.

Ava would have laughed. Only after their lives had gotten just about as . . . interesting as possible did they start doing more normal things than ever. Fury hadn't yet assigned them their usual workload. Although most people wouldn't call their current schedule light, Ava and the boys were used to more. Recently, they had felt free, sometimes even bored. They were able to hang out with friends more, spend hours honestly doing nothing at Peter's house, and do their homework days in advance. Even Sam was catching up on his past due homework. And now here they were at a party. Granted, they had been at parties before, especially Harry's, but they were often called away to stop some bad guy.

Naturally, it was entirely bittersweet.

Sighing, Ava scanned the crowd again. Peter had gone to get them some drinks and had yet to return. In all honesty, she wished she could snap Peter out of the funk he was in. It had been weeks at this point. And she and the others had made sure to let him know that they couldn't care less. Why was he acting like he was intruding on his own life?

It wasn't that Ava didn't understand. Sure, she doubted any of them could really understand Peter's situation entirely, but she wasn't as insensitive as some people believed. Ava had gone through her own trials and tribulations. She knew it took time.

But it had been weeks. Weeks. And Peter was just as shaken as when they had first found him in Octavius' lab. He pretended he wasn't, but Ava knew better. This façade he had on was no different than the mask he put on as Spider-Man.

Maybe she was being impatient. Ava knew that was one of her faults. But was it so awful to want her friend to feel better about himself? Peter was so kind and sweet, and he had become so confident before this happened. Ava wanted to see him at his best again. That's why she knew this party was a good idea. She had already seen some glimpses of his old dorky self today.

"Wow, you look . . ." Peter stared at her wide-eyed, apparently at a loss of words. It wasn't like she was wearing anything too extravagant. All she wore was a tight long-sleeved tee and a miniskirt over tights (it was Fall, Ava wasn't going to freeze over some casual party). The shirt and skirt were crimson. Maybe it was the make-up? Aunt May had helped her go a little wild with the eyeliner and eyeshadow.

"You're hesitating," Ava teased.

"Sorry. I was just thinking of all the synonyms of stunning. Gorgeous, maybe? How about the classic beautiful?"

She shoved him playfully towards the cab. "Not bad, Romeo."

"Hey, you literally asked for it."

"Here's the drink you asked for."

Ava pushed away the memory to find Peter offering her a Coke. His eyebrow was raised.

"What's with the happy smile?"

"Hm? Oh, just thinking about . . . things. Thanks for the drink." She accepted the can, giving the top a distrustful look. There was a small hole in the metal. "Hold on, I don't think we should drink these."

Peter noticed her suspicious glare. "Don't worry, that was me. Flash is shaking all the cans. I didn't want a soda bath so I poked a hole to release the carbon dioxide just in case. Mine fizzed a little. I think yours was fine though." He opened his and took a sip, sticking out his tongue. "Yup, this one tastes flat."

Ava felt a wave of heat on her face. The massive number of dancing bodies in the room was probably increasing the temperature. Harry would turn on the air conditioning if it continued like this. "Yet another practical use of science. Who knew chemistry could be used to be chivalrous?"

Peter smirked. "I always said chemistry is awesome."

A loud laugh nearby caused them to turn. Harry was coming towards them. A tall, slender girl held his hand, her dark skin contrasting nicely with her light pink jumpsuit. Ava recognized her as Tassiana.

"Of course you'd find a way to use science to woo a girl, Pete. Way to go, man."

Peter blushed as he obligingly fist-bumped Harry. "I wouldn't say I won her over as much as she shanghaied me into this." He tensed as Ava wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"That's Pete, always the modest one," she said with a wicked grin. She was quite enjoying this. The look on his face was priceless.

Harry laughed again. "You can say that again! And guess who asked this gorgeous goddess of a girl out after I heard you had the guts to ask Ava?" He shot a happy grin at Tassiana.

A small but genuine smile appeared on Peter's lips as he addressed Harry's date. "Wow, Tassiana, you must have really captured Harry's heart if he was that nervous."

She laughed. "Are you kidding? I'm just sitting by myself in the library when none other than Harry Osborn sits next to me shaking and asks me out."

"I wasn't shaking."

"You couldn't sit still! And you kept running your hand through your hair." She smiled at Harry. "I appreciate the honesty, though."

Ava's smile widened, relieved. Truthfully, she hadn't been entirely sure that Harry would be influenced by Peter getting a date. But she had had a feeling. Harry presented himself as a playboy, but when it came to his true feelings, he was a lot more introverted. There was a reason that he had only pouted silently when Peter had first joined Shield. It took them a while to talk things out.

Besides, Peter had really needed this night out. Not to mention that he would have probably ended up feeling bad if Harry really wouldn't have asked Tassiana out. Peter did not need the extra guilt. And what better way to make Peter forget about his biggest troubles than to remind him of his mundane troubles? Namely, he was busy trying not to embarrass himself on what everyone else saw as his first 'real' date.

In Ava's defense, it was good practice. She knew this would go a long way in helping him not freak out when he finally asked MJ out.

Hm, odd. That had felt like another positive outcome of her plan this morning, but now . . . It felt decidedly less positive.

"So," Harry yelled over the noise of the crowd. "Have you two kissed yet, or is Pete waiting until after he walks you home?"

Ava felt compelled to save Peter from responding this time. He looked like he couldn't speak anyway. "Look at his face. I think Peter would faint if I gave him so much as a peck on the cheek right now."

Harry grinned. "Fair point. I'll ask again tomorrow." He turned to Tassiana. "You want to dance again?"

"Could we make a request with the DJ first?"

"Baby, I would let you design the playlist for the rest of the night."

"Ooh, you don't want to give me that power. I'll turn this into an 80's party."

"That sounds like an awesome idea! We could make plans for date number two if you want?"

Ava watched Harry and Tassiana slip back into the crowd before she turned back to Peter. He actually looked a bit pale.

"Peter," she deadpanned, "you deal with supervillains and life-or-death situations almost on a daily basis. How can you still be this mortified by a date? This isn't even a real date!"

"You and I know that, but everyone else thinks we're really a thing! Why didn't I think of that before? Everyone's going to ask about us next week!"

"So what? We both have goody two shoes reputations. No one's going to suspect much. If they do ask, just tell them the truth. It's not a big deal."

Peter huffed. "No, it's just another thing to deal with on top of everything else."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "I'm trying to help you. I figured you needed a change of pace."

"I don't need a change of pace. I just want my old pace back."

"Things have hardly changed at all! We're all trying to show you how nothing's changed! The only difference is you spend half the day moping around!"

Peter frowned at her. "I'm just trying to deal with all the craziness in my life right now!"

Ava couldn't help it, she said what was on her mind. "How long is that going to take, then? That craziness has been a part of your life for more than a month, and it's hardly any weirder than any other aspect of your life!"

"Well maybe I've reached my limit!"

Ava paused, taking a breath. This was quickly getting out of hand. "You know," she said in a softer tone. "You once told me you had no limits. I believed you. I still do."

Peter shook his head. "That was about Spider-Man. I said Spider-Man has no limits."

She raised an eyebrow. "And that's different because . . .?"

Something flashed in Peter's eyes. "That's different because I'm not Spider-Man! I'm not him, and I'm not even Peter Parker!"

"Enough of that! You're no different than you were last month! You're the same stubborn dork you've always been!"

"That's exactly the point," Peter said so quietly. Ava had to strain to hear him over the crowd. "Who have I been all this time?"

Ava didn't know how to respond to that. She just watched him as he mumbled something about going to get a new soda. She didn't stop him as he walked away.

Sam was happy. He had quickly hit it off with a cute girl from his chemistry class, and now they were killing the competition in Mario Kart. He hadn't known she was a great gamer as well as an A student. As soon as they were done, he was going to ask for some tutoring sessions, and maybe some dinner plans.

Naturally, he was rather upset when Ava dragged him off halfway through Rainbow Road.

"What's wrong with you?! I just met the love of my life and I was in 1st place!"

Ava didn't even glance back at him. "We may have a problem."

Sam relaxed a little. "I didn't feel my communicator."

"It's not a Shield thing, it's Peter. We need to find him."

"You lost him?"

Ava finally looked at him. She didn't look angry. She looked worried. "We got into a fight an hour ago and I haven't seen him since. He won't answer his communicator or his phone."

"Wow, you got into a fight on your first date? I guess there's not going to be a second."

Now Ava looked angry. "Just help me look for him. Luke and Danny are already keeping an eye out."

"How do we know if he's even still in the building? Maybe he went to chill at a pizzeria nearby."

"We tracked his communicator. He's still here."

"You really are worried." That earned him another glare. "Don't worry, I'll help look. I don't think he's in any trouble though. I mean, he's Peter."

"That would be true any other time, but . . . I don't know. I have a really bad feeling he's going to try something crazy tonight."

Sam frowned. "What did you guys argue about?"

"He's having identity issues. I think he thinks he's like Octavius. Octavius is a psychopathic version of an introverted nerd. What do you think Peter will do to try to be different?"

"Oh, you think he's going to go wild." Sam grimaced. "Of course it took something like this to get Pete to unwind at a party. It's not the end of the world though."

"Peter's not in a good place right now. Will you take this seriously?"

"I am! I seriously think you're overreacting!"

Ava glared at him, opening her mouth to argue, then her gaze went past Sam's shoulder. Her face relaxed in surprise. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" With his arm still in Ava's vice grip, Sam craned his neck to look back, but she was already pulling him in that direction. She led him to the hallway where people came to chat. The music was just muffled enough to allow for conversation. There were a few rooms that Harry left unlocked for anyone who had drank a bit too much. She led him to the fourth door specifically. Sam wondered if she had spotted Peter. He wasn't exactly one to stand out in a crowd, but Ava did have sharp eyes.

Sam's eyes widened as the door opened.

Peter and Flash sat at a table in the middle of the room. The table was full of bottles. The room was full of people cheering and yelling.

"He chugged! I didn't know he could chug!"

"Whoo! Burn, Flash! Parker totally beat you!"

Flash slapped the table, glaring at Peter. "You cheated! You used some science mumbo jumbo to cheat! There's no way you could drink all that! You've never drank an ounce in your life!"

Peter grinned from the other side, swaying in his seat. "I've had science on my side for over a year, Flash. You're lucky I never showed you up before now."

Sam clenched his fists. Ava's fist clenched tighter around his arm. This was bad. Super metabolism or not, Peter had never tried more than a sip of alcohol. And now he had drunk more than Flash, who had held the school's unofficial record in binge-drinking.

Sam knew more than most of the team gave him credit for.

"PETER PARKER!"

Even Sam jumped at Ava's volume. She let him go, storming through the frozen crowd and grabbing Peter. Sam hurried to help. Peter was resisting hard, and Ava looked ready to drag him out by his ear. Neither of those scenarios could be seen by the public if they wanted to keep a low profile.

"You're coming with us right now, or I'm calling your aunt!" Ava threatened.

"Party pooper!" Peter warbled, sticking his hands to the chair. "You told me I could have fun tonight!"

"You call giving yourself a hangover fun?"

Flash barked out a laugh at the other end of the table. "Looks like mommy came to take baby Parker home!"

Peter turned on him, finally letting go of the chair. It was still a struggle to keep him from advancing. "I could beat you right here, right now!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Pete," Sam warned. "You don't want to hurt him."

Flash scoffed. "You actually believe the twerp?" Most of the crowd laughed with him. Peter strained harder.

"Peter Parker, don't you even dare to engage with that scum," Ava growled. "If you beat him, then I'll beat you, and it will be nothing in comparison to your Aunt May and her Fury."

Sam winced. That was a scary scenario. It took a moment, but Peter finally looked back at her. His eyes were wide with dawning terror.

"Don't," he said, slightly softer.

"Then start listening to your common sense again and come."

Peter stopped resisting and sagged in their arms. Sam ignored the jeers of the crowd as he helped Ava pull Pete out. Ava led the way to the elevator. She ordered Sam to keep him in place while she got their jackets.

"I'm sorry."

The whisper came just as the elevator let them out on the first floor. It was silent here. Sam looked down at Peter, saw the tear drop to the floor.

"It's all right, Pete. We don't expect you to be perfect all the time."

Peter shook his head. "But I'm s'posed to be the leader. Lead by example."

"You're still doing it. This is an excellent example of what not to do, right?"

"I bet—" Peter hiccupped. When he spoke again, his voice was bitter. "I bet Octavius got drunk whenever he couldn't cope."

Sam blinked. It was still hard to imagine that Doctor Octopus had once looked just like Peter, that he had ever been a teenager. But when Sam had looked at that picture of Octavius in his high school days, he hadn't seen Doc Ock. He had seen Peter. He didn't dare to actually say that to Pete, but that's the label that stuck in his head. Whatever kind of crazy Octavius was now, he hadn't been that way back then. He had just been a teenager. For all they knew, he really could have been a lot like Peter. It was all conjecture though. They didn't know what Octavius was like outside of villainy, and he sure wasn't anything like Peter now. They were two distinctly different people no matter what the DNA tests said.

Was Sam supposed to say all that? How would he even word it anyway?

"Pete, does it really matter? I mean, May once told me about this one time she—"

Peter threw up then, and by the time Sam found a bathroom to clean them up, Peter was asleep.

There were some secrets that even Shield would never know.

A viral drinking challenge between Midtown High's star football player and resident nerd was not one of them.

Sam and Ava were forced to write a report of the night's events. All of them were called up to the Helicarrier the next morning and Peter was yelled at by Nick Fury himself. To everyone's surprise, though, Fury didn't chew Peter out as much as he could have. He didn't suspend him from duty either. In fact, after having a private discussion with Peter, he agreed to put them all back on normal patrols. ("If I can't trust you to stay out of trouble yourselves, I'll just have to keep you busy.")

As the rest of the bemused and guilt-ridden team left, Ava stayed in Fury's office. He looked at her expectantly.

She cleared her throat. Even for her, it never got easier to be the first to speak around Fury. "You didn't ask for further details about my report. You didn't question what I saw."

"No, I did not," he stated matter-of-factly.

"So you already knew about the Octobot." Ava's eyes narrowed. "How long has Octavius been tracking Peter? How long have you known?"

Fury leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of him. "Since about a week after Octavius went to the Parker's house."

"Why didn't you do anything about it?"

"Octavius left that Octobot partially exposed. We can gain certain info about what he's up to. Not his exact location, but plenty. When we tried to hack further, it became invisible on our radar for a few days. I have no doubt it was still surveying Parker though. It's Octavius's form of a compromise. He's offering us info in return for keeping an eye on Parker."

Ava stared at him. "And you're okay with that?!"

"It's better than being in the dark. He's sacrificing his secrecy by doing this. We'll be the first to know if he makes a move."

Ava crossed her arms, considering Fury's words. "I suppose you want me to keep quiet then."

Fury inclined his head. "If you won't do it for Parker, I'll make it an order."

She huffed, but only halfheartedly. "Fine."

She wasn't sure if she was doing it for Peter or Shield, but she would keep quiet. She had already upset him enough in the past twenty-four hours.