Many years ago...
St. Petersburg State Budgetary Institution...
A place where children are left behind without any care or love in their life. Without parents to guide them and tell them everything that they do wrong. Children, who most of, will grow up without any parental figure in their life.
They'll never know what it would mean to be wanted.
To be loved...
To be cherished...
To be taken care of...
The Spider in all his fourteen years of life knew what it was like to live a life without love. He's lucky that he has the companionship of his two partners or else he'd be a whole lot more lonely in the academy. But if Madame knew that, she'd probably shoot him where he stood.
Emotions are a distraction
Attachments are weaknesses
Love will get you killed...
The Spider, AKA Peter Parker shook his head and mentally scolded himself for getting off topic, he was at the orphanage for a reason, he needed to focus on his mission so he could get it done as fast as he could.
He was there for only one reason...
To recruit a new widow...
A few weeks previous, Madame took him aside from his normal training schedule with Yelena and told him she had a special mission for him. She needed him to infiltrate an orphanage in Petersburg to find the perfect girl that would train to become a widow.
Now Peter had no idea who would be doing the training, but he knew that the girl that he chose would be sent away to a different facility to train after he gained her trust and basically "made friends" with her.
It was the only time that Madame actually encouraged him to make an attachment.
Even if it was gonna be fake...
Peter walked around the empty hallways of the building getting a layout of the whole place just incase since you could never be too careful.
He may be away from her, but he wasn't planning on ignoring all of Yelena's training.
He spent the next hour mentally mapping out the whole building. Making sure he knew of all the escapes incase he needed them, all the hidden closets and dark corners that he could use to hide in.
If he could use it to his advantage, he memorized it.
That was until he reached one of the rooms where all the children hung out in.
He decided that he needed to evaluate the girls sooner or later so he might as well get it done now.
He opened the door and walked into the room and came face to face with a room filled with about twenty children, all varying in ages. Peter could see some of them were no more than four or five years old, others were closer to six or seven, half of them were ten or eleven while only a few of them were in their teen years like him.
He didn't get any further in his analysis though before his eyes wandered over to a girl that looked to be around ten years old, standing up to a bigger, older boy who was glaring down at the girl. But that's not what caught his attention.
There was a little four year old boy on the ground next to the girls feet, clutching his arm with silent tears leaking out of his eyes.
"помни о своей бизнес-суке, это не имеет к тебе никакого отношения." (Mind your own business bitch, this has nothing to do with you.) The older boy scowled at the girl with his fists clenched at his sides, seeming like he was waiting for an excuse to use them.
Peter gazed at the little boy on the floor one more time before he decided he'd intervene. Not because he cared, or anything. But this girl looked to be a fighter so she was already on the top of his list for recruitment.
Maybe this assignment was gonna be easier than he thought.
He was walking up from behind the boy but he could still hear their conversation.
"Вы думаете, что можете гулять, куда хотите, и просто толкать людей? Что ж, новость, это не так, сволочь." (You think you can walk wherever you want and just push people around? Well news flash, it doesn't work like that you bastard.) The girl hissed at the boy making him laugh smugly.
"Ага, а кто меня остановит?" (Yeah, well who's going to stop me?) The boy taunted. That's when the girl and little boy saw that Peter was walking up behind the older kid.
"О, не волнуйтесь, каждый рано или поздно поймет, что к нему придет. Это мелочь, называемая кармой, иногда это немного сука." (Oh don't worry, everyone eventually gets what's coming to them. It's a little thing called karma, it's a bit of a bitch sometimes.) Peter said dryly while narrowing his eyes at the teenager. The boy swiftly turned around and came face to face with a boy that was a little younger than him and once their eyes met, raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the big burly teen.
"Как ты думаешь, кто ты невысокий?" (Who do you think you are shorty?) The teen growled at the spider, his glare hardening when he saw that the younger boy wasn't affected by it.
"Мне? Я никто, просто мальчик, которому не нравится, что другие придираются к людям не их размера." (Me? I'm no one, just a boy who doesn't like others picking on people not their size.) Peter said. He didn't care if that sentence was a little hypocritical of him at the moment, for he's taken down people a lot bigger than him before, and some people that were smaller than him.
Those moments, are not some of his proudest, and he'd rather just forget all about them and never have to be haunted by those deaths again.
But that's a thought that stays buried deep within his consciousness, only he ever able to access that part of his mind. Where the thought is safe from Madame ever finding out about it.
After all, emotions are both a distraction and a weakness in his line of work...
Best to ignore them all and avoid trouble that could come in the future from them.
"Что ж, этот мальчик, лучше займись своим делом, прежде чем он разозлит не того парня" (Well this boy, better mind his own business before he angers the wrong guy.) The teen said while harshly poking the spider's chest.
Strike one...
"Иди домой к маме и папе и болтай обо мне, о, подожди, у тебя нет ни одной причины, по которой ты застрял здесь с остальными из нас" (Go home to mommy and daddy and tattle on me, oh wait, you don't have one cause you're stuck in here with the rest of us.) The boy mocked him while laughing a little at the expression on Peter's face. He didn't recognize that the look was of anger though for bringing up his parents. Not much his dad because that bitch was dead to Peter, had been for years...but his mom.
No one mocked his mother...
Strike two...
"Ну, по крайней мере, я здесь, потому что мои родители мертвы. Ваш, вероятно, только что высадил вас здесь, потому что вы были слишком хлопотными, чтобы они могли с ними справиться." (Well at least I'm here because my parents are dead. Yours probably just dropped you off here because you were too much of a hassle for them to deal with.) Peter said with a smirk which caused the girl to softly snort and chuckle into her hand. The boy seethed, anger radiating off of him in waves before he quickly turned around and smacked the girl which in turn caused her to fall down and onto the floor.
Peter saw red...
Strike three...
He quickly shoved the boy onto the nearest wall and used his super strength to keep him pinned there while adding pressure to his limbs. He could see through his eyes that he was hurting him which only made his insides squirm with adrenaline and only a little bit of excitement.
He couldn't help it, he loves going in for the kill. Like a predator stalking his prey, the hunter and the hunted, the strong and the weak...
Nothing exhilarated the spider more than when he had his prey trapped in his web...
When he went for the kill...
"Что за отморозок без причины возлагает руки на девушку? Каким же монстром нужно быть, чтобы все было в порядке?" (What kind of scumbag lays his hands on a girl for no reason? What kind of monster do you have to be for that to be ok?) Peter's mind instantly flashed back to that fateful day in Florence Italy, the young girl on vacation, doing nothing wrong.
Her cold, lifeless eyes...
A monster like him...
The boy didn't have anything to say to that as he was still trying not to cry out due to the pain Peter was inflicting on him. Peter wanted to laugh, this kid had no idea what pain was, what real pain was. He'd never know the troubles of the real world and sure, he doesn't have parents anymore but at least when he's eighteen he'll have his freedom.
Something Peter will never get...
"Если я когда-нибудь снова увижу, как ты повредишь единственную прядь волос на ее или чьей-либо голове, я превращу твою жизнь в ад." (If I ever see you harm a single strand of hair on her or anyone else's head again, I'll make your life a living hell.) He whispered into the boy's ear, causing him to flinch and quickly nod his head in understanding. The boy looked up at Peter with fearful eyes before he scampered away like a wounded animal to lick his metaphoric wounds.
Peter made sure all the anger wasn't present in his eyes when he turned back around to the girl and boy, makings sure that they were both ok. He saw that the girl was comforting the small child with an old Russian lullaby that Peter vaguely remembers hearing. Like a once distant memory that was stuck at the back of his head and no matter how much he tried, he'd never be able to get it to come back.
The girl passed the sleeping child off to one of the older kids before she turned her eyes to the boy who helped and defended her. She looked into his eyes and she didn't see much, his gaze was pretty neutral but she thought she saw some worry in his eyes.
"Спасибо за помощь, не многие люди так поступят." (Thank you for helping out, not many people would do that.) she said.
Peter shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms across his chest, "Нет проблем, этот парень был засранцем, а я не особо люблю хулиганов." (No problem, the guy was being an asshole and I don't like bullies all that much.)
She offered him a small, but genuine smile in return, "Тем не менее, это очень много значит для меня." (Still, it means a lot to me.) she brushed a strand of her blond hair out of her face which gave Peter a clear look at her emerald colored eyes.
He nodded once at her before he outstretched his hand, silently telling himself that he had a part to play. He plastered on a small smile of his own before talking, "Меня зовут Петр, а что у вас?" (My name is Pyotr, what's yours?)
Her smile widened just a fraction, Peter saw how the corners of her lips twitched upright before she grabbed his hand with hers and gently shook it.
"Irina"
———————
Present Day...
Peter walked along the streets of New York City with a small smile plastered on his face.
It's been almost six months since he snapped and killed Thanos and his army, saving the universe in the process and all things considered he was doing pretty well.
He no longer had to go the therapy sessions so that was fan-fucking-tastic. After every single session, he felt like his legs were going to fall off and it didn't help how Rhodey would take that time to slightly tease the assassin.
Ohh, and Rhodey knew that he could get away with it at the time, but now that he's all healed up, he might have to get a little payback on the man.
Just to remind him who he was...
Anyways a lot of changes has happened since he has woken up. Everyone basically lives either in the tower or at the compound, depending on their mood. Usually on weekdays they all stay at the tower while on the weekends they go upstate to the compound.
Morgan, Tony and Pepper still live at their lake house on the weekends though, they don't want Morgan around the city more than they have to.
Due to all the bad things that happen here...
But Mary Jane's and Peter's cabin, or as everyone else likes to call it, the Romanov Residence, is now gonna be used as a little vacation place if they all need a weekend to just relax without anyone bothering them, they could go there.
The Spider trio was still as thick as thieves, their bond only growing stronger the more time they spend together. Ana and Gwen now work directly under Nick Fury in Shield. Those two, Maria Hill and Coulson and his team are the boss man's go to people when he needs something done.
He's tried countless times to get Peter to join but he refuses, just like he refuses to be an "official" member of the Avengers.
Now you'd think that he was already one, after all he's the man who killed Thanos but Peter was content with his life as a vigilante, swinging around New York and just looking out for the little guy with his Vigilante buddies.
The world didn't need more Avengers, it needed more people protecting the everyday citizens who sometimes face the biggest of challenges.
And he'd protect every last person in this city with his dying breath...
Sharon and Steve are staying in a place in Brooklyn where they are trying to start their family. Since Steve has officially hung up his shield, he can finally worry about just living the simple life.
Sam and Bucky are still the two most prominent members of the Avengers that are still going strong. They're kind of like the leaders of the team now that Steve and Tony are both retired. Along with Wanda, Rhodey, Bruce and with the help from Scott and Hope every now and then, they make up the Avengers.
Sometimes if they need help, they'll contact T'Challa or Shuri if they can't figure something out tech wise but other then that, the Avengers has lost three of its founding members.
Since Natasha has decided to take a page out of Steve's and Tony's book and just live the simple life for awhile. She's had way too many close calls within the past few months, from Thanos and his army coming back to her son almost dying.
It's not like she doesn't love the free time now, she spends most of it with Yelena watching over little Mayday while both her parents are out.
Thor and the Guardians, along with Danvers are all in space making sure that no one is causing trouble out there and if they are, they make sure to stop them.
His mother doesn't know this but he still meets with Strange once a month to make sure everything is going well with their universe. His mother may hate the guy's existence for knowing her son would almost die, but Peter had no ill intention towards the man.
He's actually quiet good company once you get past the whole Wizard thing...
He's also spent most of his free time trying to track down Karli and her group called the Flag Smashers. Recently they've been growing in popularity, which doesn't really help out Peter all that much.
They've been able to hide from all of Peter's sensors. He can't even get a little information on them because there's people everywhere that are hiding them.
He's one of the best damn trackers in the world, so him not being able to find eight fucking super soldiers is really starting to piss him off.
Goddamn Flag Fucking Smashers...
Anyway, back to the present.
Peter usually spends a few hours of his day walking around the streets of New York. He likes to see all the people on the streets, living, breathing and overall he just likes to take comfort to the fact that all he's done in his life hasn't been wasted, it's been leading up to this one moment, where he could finally use all his skills for good.
He likes to remind himself of that sometimes...
Peter was in Brooklyn, about an hour into his walk when he heard a commotion just up ahead of him. He quickly made his way over and what he saw made his blood boil.
He could see the back side of a man who was pushing someone else into an alleyway and from the looks of her hair, she was definitely a girl.
It's times like these were he fucking hates humanity. He saves the goddamn universe and there's shitbags like this asshole who still think it's ok to take advantage of people who can't defend themselves.
Utter scumbags...
He quietly slipped into the alleyway and he swore that the female with black hair looked familiar to him, like he's seen her before.
Which he probably has, he sees a lot of people while he's out on patrol, but for some reason his brain kept telling him that he didn't just see her on patrol.
For the life of him he couldn't figure it out.
"Leave me alone Ethan!! I said no, how many times to I have to say it to get it through your thick skull!!" The girl screamed at the man, pushing away from him and glaring.
"Come on babe, I said I'm sorry!"
"Holt shit, we broke up three years ago Ethan!! I'm in a steady relationship with my girlfriend now, so can you please stop and leave me alone!!"
"You mean Melanie?! What does that bitch have that I don't? Hmm?"
"Well for starters she has a way better personality and no anger problems like you!" Peter could see how that comment struck a cord in the man and he raised his fist to hit the woman but Peter wasn't gonna let that happen.
He got over to the pair just in time to catch the man's fist and keep it suspended in the air about two inches away from her face. The man scowled at Peter for stopping his fist but the woman was looking at him with awe and recognition.
Wait...recognition???
He mentally shook his head, he'd deal with that later, he had a scumbag to deal with.
"You know, it's not very nice to lay your hand on a woman." He said while using the strength in his metal hand to add pressure onto the guys fist, causing him to wince.
The man grunted in pain before he tried to stutter out a response while trying not to wither away with the amount of hate that was radiating off of Peter, "Umm, I-I, I was just t-trying...I mean, I k-know this looks b-bad..." He didn't even get to finish before Peter added more pressure onto his fist. When Peter heard a crunch and the guys painful whimper only then did he allow the smallest of victory smirks to show across his face.
He leaned over to the guy and whispered in his ear, "If you ever do something as stupid as this again, I will find out, and I'll teach you another lesson. Do I make myself clear...Ethan?"
"Y-yeah...yes sir, I u-understand." He stuttered before Peter through his ass away from the two of them. Peter watched in mild amusement as he ran out of the alleyway like a scared animal. Peter then turned around and made eye contact with the woman and he saw that she was beaming up at him with those sapphire blue eyes of hers.
Wait...he's seen that look before...
Suddenly it all came hurtling back to the forefront of Peter's memory.
Right after his first shift at Sister Margaret's, the walk home, the little girl he found scared, trapped in an alleyway by her own father.
The father that he killed for trying to rape his daughter...
The first time he killed for the good of the city...
The kill that inspired him to become Spider-Man...
"C-Calliope? Is that you?" He asked in shock. He never thought he'd ever see her again after that fateful night, but here he was, standing in another alleyway, saving her again by what looked like an abusive ex-boyfriend.
"Yeah, I-I can't believe it!!...Why is it that whenever I happen to be in trouble you always pop up, hmm?" She asked with a teasing smirk across her face which caused him to chuckle and smirk back.
"Oh you know, one of my many super powers."
"Along with killing? The news makes you look like you could never do something wrong. But I suppose you're just good at hiding it." She said casually while raising a single eyebrow at him.
All these years, he's known that there was one person in the world that knew who he was, after all he did use his webs to save her from her father that night and it wouldn't take a genius to figure out his identity considering less than a week later a new vigilante popped up in New York with literally the same webs.
Yeah, not a coincidence.
But he's never had a reason to track her down to make sure she doesn't say anything about it. He knows that's probably a really risky move but that night, his senses weren't telling him he was in trouble so he listened to them like he always does.
They've never failed him before...
"Yeah, well...I go around and track down the most revolting of men. Rapists, drug lords, illegal weapon dealers...you name it, I've taken them down before. I do the stuff that regular police officers can't handle." He said before he grew kind of sheepish, "You don't...like, hate me for what I did to...him...right?" He asked hesitantly. He didn't want to set her off if she was still sore about her father.
Calliope shrugged her shoulders in response though, "Nope, that asshole deserved whatever you did to him, I hope you made it painful." She said with a hate filled voice which caused Peter to internally smirk, this girl had fire.
He liked that...
"So, I hate to ask, but what did your mother say about that? I've always wondered what happened after that." He said while tilting his head towards the sidewalk again, silently asking her to walk with him. She nodded her head before she grabbed his outstretched arm and started to walk with him.
Once they got out of the alleyway and a little down the street she spoke up, "Well when I got home, I told my mom what you told me to say, how a cop found us instead of a weird teenager." She said with amusement lacing her tone, "She was shocked, angry and sad...actually more like heartbroken that the man she used to love would do such a thing." She sighed and Peter could see she was hiding something else but he'd let that slide for now. What was more important was how she kind of closed off into herself so he decided that he needed to get off this topic soon.
"Yeah, well don't worry, I had a pretty shitty dad too." He said which peaked her attention. After a second of contemplation, she asked a question.
"Do you mind...telling me about him?"
Peter snorted but it lacked any amusement, "Well my father was a brilliant scientist, but he also happened to be on the mad side of that spectrum. The reason I'm so good at...what I do is because he sold me and my mother for...science." He spat the last word. He decided if she was gonna open up about her father, he might as well do the same for her.
His family is always saying how he should get out more and make some more "normal" friends.
"Ohh I'm so sorry, that must have been...really hard growing up." She said with empathy which relieved Peter, he hated it when people looked at him with pity for what he had to go through.
Some of his family members still do it and it still to this day makes his blood boil.
"Yeah, you could say that. But...everything that happened to me...brought me here, to where I am today so I don't think I really have any room to complain." He shrugged.
"Doesn't mean you can't wish it wasn't different."
"Yeah I guess, but I don't tend to live by the what if's anymore, I've learned from my past mistakes, now I've got to move on from them."
"You know, for only being what, a couple years older than me? You have a lot of wisdom." She noted.
"Some people say with age comes wisdom, but it's not the age that gives it to you, it's all the experiences. Someone who is ten could go through just as many hardships as someone's who's seventy. It's all about what cards you were dealt, weather they be shitty or not." Calliope hummed in agreement and they walked in silence, content with just continuing walking until Peter came up with an idea.
"Hey, there's this nice little bar I know here in Brooklyn, my uncle and I go there sometimes. Would you like to grab a drink?" He asked.
"You do know that I'm gay so if this is your way of asking me out on a date I'll have to pass." She teased.
"No, I'm in my own relationship with the girl who's the mother of my daughter so I assure you it's not a date." He smirked.
"Hmm," she narrowed her eyes at him for a second before her face broke out into a wide smile, "Sure, why not? But you're buying." She pointed at his chest.
"Of course I am, I'd never let someone else buy my drink when I literally have a billionaire as a friend that I can mooch off of." He winked at her, causing her to laugh.
Maybe his family was onto something about making friends...
———————
"So, your older brother, who is now younger than you, actually did that to his teacher? I may have to meet this mischief maker myself."
It's been about two week since he started to meet up with Calliope three times every week. They both meet at the the bar that they had their first chat at and since then, they meet up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for lunch.
He actually quite enjoys his time with her.
"Oh no, I'm never introducing you to him, the two of you would be the death of me." Calliope rolled her eyes at Peter's amused smirk.
"Aww, come on Calli, I'm not that bad."
"Yes, you most certainly are, that bad." She said with a raised eyebrow at the man.
Peter huffed, "Man, you sound just like my sisters. Always nagging and poking fun at me. And I'm the oldest!! It's the youngest siblings who are supposed to be picked on by the oldest, not the other way around..." Peter trailed off when he saw that Calliope had a distant look in her eyes, like she was stuck in the past.
Peter knows that look far too well...
"Hey...are, you alright?" He asked hesitantly while placing his gloved metal hand on her shoulder.
She sighed sadly before looking him in the eyes, "Yeah, it's just...I lost my little sister many years ago, before I met you actually. That's one of the reasons my father changed so much, because he lost his baby girl and he didn't know how to deal with it." She admitted.
"I'm...sorry, I didn't know."
"It's fine, it was years ago so...I've tried to move on from it." She sighed before she continued on, "These past five years I've learned to live with the death of my family...my mom and my brother. But...when they came back, I realized my sister would never get that chance and I had to stop worrying about the what if's."
Peter was silent for a few minutes before he decided to talk again, but his voice was a little hesitant. He was about to tell her something he's never told anyone else before.
Not his siblings...
Not his mother...
Not even Yelena...
"Not...a lot of people know this about me, not even in my family, but when I was fourteen, I had a baby sister, she was about ten years old." Peter said.
Calliope looked at him with kind eyes, "What happened to her?"
Peter breathed our shakily, "She...we got separated over in Russia, she got taken away by some very bad people and I was never able to find her again. It's...like number two on my top five regrets list...She'll never be able to live her life, to grow up to...experience everything I have...It hurts..." He admitted. Calliope could hear the guilt laced in his voice and thought it was because he got to live while she didn't.
But that wasn't the full reason.
He was the one who basically led her to her death, he was the one who picked her for becoming a new widow, he was the reason that his baby sister lost her innocence.
And he doesn't even know if she's alive...
He hopes, god he hopes with every fiber of his being that she is dead, because if she isn't, being a widow, a mindless soldier for men with control complexes is worst.
No freedom...
No hope...
No love...
Someplace where he couldn't protect her from the cruel world, like he protected her in that orphanage.
He's got to stop thinking about this before he starts crying in the middle of the fucking bar...
Peter cleared his throat, "I understand what you're feeling Calliope, and I wouldn't wish this pain on any of my enemies."
"No, you'd just kill them." She said wryly with a small amused smile which caused him to snort. She saw that he was trying to steer the subject away from all this dead sibling talk and she had no problem with that.
"Only if they piss me off enough, or threaten my family...or if they're a rapist. Actually, most of my enemies I tend to kill don't I?" He smirked which caused her to chuckle a bit.
"Yeah, but you do it to protect this city, this place would be a lot worst if it wasn't for you." She said.
Peter smiled before he briefly shook his head, "Alright, enough of this sappy shit for the day, let's order something to eat. You hungry? Of course you're hungry...ma'am, ma'am?! Over here please we'd like to order now." He called out from their place at the end of the counter.
He smiled to himself when Calliope placed her hand in front of her mouth to try and push back her giggles...
An hour and a half later, Calliope and Peter were standing outside the Brooklyn bar, ready to go their separate ways until Monday afternoon.
"Alright, I'll see you next week alright? Stay safe out there." She said while gently hugging him, a hug that Peter gratefully returned.
"Yeah, I promise I'll be careful...You know, you're my only civilian friend that I have. Now that I think about it...it's kind of sad really." Peter huffed which caused her to chuckle and pull back with a smile.
"Yeah? Well maybe you should get out more."
"I'll take that under consideration." He smirked. With that said, the both of them turned in different directions and started to walk towards their own homes.
Peter walked around for another hour before he went back to the tower for the day. He needed to get some things done tonight with Matt but he had to figure something out first before he went out on patrol so he decided he'd get that done before he would have to eat dinner with the rest of his family.
Because bonding was important, or something like that...
Peter though gained quite the surprise when he walked into the common room of the tower. What he saw, made a lot of emotions flow through his body.
The most prominent emotion was defiantly a mix between anger and disgust...
Barnes was staring at his mother
And his mother was staring back...
Now that wouldn't be so weird, if it didn't look like they were having a secret conversation right smack dab in the middle of the common room where the rest of their family was sitting down.
Yelena was even openly smirking at his mom, finding this whole situation really amusing.
Peter on the other hand...
Peter cleared his throat and took a small ounce of pleasure when both of them snapped out of their daze and immediately looked in his direction. Everyone else also followed their line of sight and when Yelena saw him standing there, somewhat glaring at Barnes, she burst out laughing.
His daughter didn't seem to understand what was happening but she didn't care, her father was back so she instantly bolted off her aunt's lap and launched herself at her father's legs.
Peter tore his gaze away from the ex-hydra assassin for a second to give all his attention to his daughter, "Hey princess, how was your nap?" He asked with a gentle smile towards his daughter, all traces of anger for the soldier wiped completely off his face.
"Good! Missed you." She said as she snuggled up closer to her father. Peter's eyes softened more than they already had. His daughter was just too damn adorable at times. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her head before he picked her up and settled little May on his hip with her head stuffed in the crook of his neck.
"Missed you too Mayday." He said as he moved over to where his mother was seated next to Mary Jane. Before he sat down though, he did glare warningly at Barnes for good measure, smirking when the other assassin visibly gulped in nervousness which didn't go unnoticed by Sam which caused the bird themed hero to start laughing at the older man's expense.
When he got over to his mother and girlfriend, Mary Jane sent him an amused look while his mother tried not to make eye contact with him which caused him to narrow his eyes.
"If the two of you are done gazing into each other's soul, would Barnes care to join me in the kitchen. After all it's my turn to cook and I would just...really appreciate it if I had a helping hand." He suggested which caused the whole room to smirk at Bucky. Natasha even had a small amused smile across her face at her sons antics.
Bucky quickly nodded his head before he got up and started to walk toward the kitchen silently. Peter placed one more kiss on his daughter's head before he placed one on Mary Jane's and slid May over onto her lap.
Before she turned the corner to reach the kitchen though, he looked back at his mother and lightly glared while pointing his finger at her, "We will, be talking about...whatever that was when I get back from patrol, I promise you that mother." Without another word, he walked out of the room and left behind a cackling Sam and Yelena.
When she calmed down a bit, Yelena wiped her eyes and pointed her finger at Tony in victory, "Told you he'd find out, fork over your money Stark." She smirked.
Tony grumbled something about fucking assassins which only caused the room to laugh that much harder.
Meanwhile Natasha was sitting down on the couch with a slight blush coloring her cheeks which only intensified when Mary Jane elbowed her lightly in the side.
"You'll be lucky if you get anything back once Peter's done with him." She teased the older woman which only caused her to glare at the younger woman.
She didn't have the heart to try and argue her point though.
She knew Mary Jane was right, her son was fiercely protective of his family, which only multiplied times ten when someone was talking about his girlfriend, daughter or mother.
He'd kill for his family without ever questioning why he was doing it.
And she knew that if Barnes was ever stupid enough to hurt her in anyway, he would most likely not survive his next encounter with her son.
God she loves her family...
————————
Now, don't tell Clint this, but he found a new favorite archer.
Some might argue and say the best archer in the world...
When he first started his patrol again, towards the end of August beginning of September, he noticed that there was a new vigilante around the block. When he found out about it, he had Matt keep an "ear" out for him so he could make sure the person wasn't some up and coming villain in the making.
Said person was far from a villain...
He had promised Matt he'd work on his case and help him dig up dirt on this new asshole who was trying to take over Hell's Kitchen while Peter was in his whole coma, but Matt said the new vigilante was out that night.
Needless to say he had to ditch Matt for the night, but he did promise to come back out the next day to help him which, Matt reluctantly agreed with.
The guy did end up in jail though, so everything worked out fine at the end of the day...
Anyway, he caught his first glimpse of the vigilante when she got surrounded by a bunch of hotheaded fools who thought they were tough shit when in reality, they were like garbage under his feat.
Best way to describe them...
And yes...the new vigilante was definitely a she...
—————-Flashback—————-
Peter sat on top of a building, watching as the new vigilante took down these street criminals with ease.
The way she took them out, her flexibility, she was defiantly a woman because no man can bend his limbs that way.
Unless you have freaky spider powers, then you probably can...
Anyways, Peter sat and watched as she flipped over a man and kicked the other one in the groin without even looking behind her. But what surprised Peter the most was what she pulled off of her back.
She pulled a bow and arrow out and aimed it at the building adjacent to her.
Peter watched as she took the arrow, notched it and let it fly through the sky, hitting its mark towards the top of the building where she could easily escape to due to the metal wire attached to it.
She wouldn't be getting away that easy though...
By the time she made it up onto the roof and escaped before the police arrived, he was already up there waiting for her.
"I see you've been busy tonight." He said which caused the masked vigilante to jump in fright. She spun around and instantly aimed her bow at him but dropped it when she saw who was leaning against the side of the railing in front of her.
Peter was in his new suit, the suit that he'd been using the past five years while he went out on patrol during the night. But he had to modify it just a bit to accommodate his new appendage.
He had his black combat boots on with some stretchy black jeans, his utility belt around his waist and in the middle was his spider insignia, his dark red maroon leather jacket with a black fingerless glove on his left hand, his metal hand was on display with the insignia still on the shoulder, his whole right side exposed for everyone to know exactly who he was, plus the finishing touch, his black bandanna with a painted red spider logo that looked to be dripping blood from all the legs. Which was tied around his mouth, only showing off his eyes and hair.
"H-holy shit!! You're Spider-Man!!!"
Peter raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her, "Yes, I'm glad you realize that, now mind answering my question? What are you doing out here?" He asked crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well you see, these assholes thought they could get away with trying to steal from an orphanage, an orphanage!! So, I decided that I could track them myself and seek revenge for all those kids who lost something since the police weren't doing jack shit about it." She admitted.
"And...when did they steal from the orphanage?"
"Ohh a few weeks ago."
"...and now you're a vigilante?"
"Yup, pretty much."
"...You know, I'd say I was surprised, but I'm really not. The only way people become vigilantes is if they want revenge for something, or if they have a traumatic childhood and the only way they know how to deal with it, is to punch the living daylights out of assholes." Peter shrugged his shoulders causing her to laugh.
Peter waited until she composed herself before he asked his other question, "So, you sticking around town? What's even your name? You gonna become the vigilante version of Hawkeye?"
"Ohh honey, it's funny how you compare me to that armature. Hawkeye would be blessed to be in my presence, if anything that name should be mine to begin with. I am after all the greatest archer ever." Peter couldn't see her face due to the mask covering her face, but he could tell she was smirking.
"Ohh yeah, according to who?" He asked with amusement lacing his voice.
"Well, me obviously, but I've never missed a shot once so I'd say I'm pretty damn good." She said. Peter could tell that just form this first encounter, he'd love to see her and Clint in the same room.
God, they'd be unbearable but I'd be hilarious to watch Clint get knocked down a few pegs.
Peter smirked underneath his mask, "I can tell you and I are gonna get along just fine. Mind telling me your name mystery girl?" He raised an eyebrow.
She thought for a second before she shrugged her shoulders and reached up to take her mask off. She let her long black locks flow down to a little ways past her shoulders before she offered Peter a smile.
"Kathrine or Kate Bishop, greatest archer in the universe." She smirked with mischief dancing's across her gaze.
Peter thought for a second before he pulled down his bandanna too and smirked at her slight shocked look.
"Peter Parker, or better known to the world as Romanov, AKA Spider-Man, savior of the universe...it's nice to meet you...Hawkeye."
Kate smirked, "Wanna go punch some assholes Parker?"
————Flashback End————
From that one encounter, birthed a beautiful partnership between Spider-Man and better Hawkeye.
Like he said, don't tell Clint he said that or the man would never stop whining like the drama Queen that he is.
That means you too Wade...
Although, it might be funny for Wade to tell Clint while his family was in the room.
Peter absolutely loved to watch the man's kids enjoy their father's misery, the way Lila laughs at her father, the way Cooper tries to hide his amusement by placing his hands in front of his face and turns away and the way Nate starts laughing hysterically with tears running down his face because he finds it too damn funny.
Clint may be family, but everyone sure loves to bully the man...
And Peter isn't even sorry for it...
All of these events have led up to this one moment.
The moment where Kate and Peter were sitting atop of Trump Tower overlooking Central Park. He had finally convinced Kate to go up there with him because the view was to die for.
He's known her for a little over a month...
He's asked every single day since they met...
It was around noon when Peter and Kate finally relaxed after a morning full of crime fighting and beating the shit out of assholes.
They make a pretty awesome team if he does say so himself.
They were relaxing and eating their lunch when Peter got the notification, well actually he got two notifications.
One from IVAN...
One from his mother...
"Hey Kate, I gotta get going, my family is paging me back to home base. We'll finish this some other time." He said while he stood up and cracked his back.
"Sure Parker. You know if you ever need anything, all you gotta do is ask." Kate said, offering Peter a smile and reviving one from the man too.
Peter's glad that he's met Kate...
Too bad he decided to keep her a secret from his family too so he couldn't tell anyone about their team up...
Old habits die hard and all that jazz...
"If I'm in need of an archer, you're the person I'm calling Katie, don't you worry. Wanna lift down?" He asked.
Kate scoffed, "Fuck yeah, I don't have goddamn wings Pete, or webs, if I try to get down myself, I'll go splat."
"Fair point." Peter smirked before he picked her up bridal style causing her "eep" in surprise. She quickly placed her arms around his neck and glared up at him.
"Peter I sawer to fuck if you..." she didn't even get o finish before Peter jumped off the building and shot a web towards a lower building that Kate could get down from by herself.
It was slightly awkward with her quiver and bow hanging off her back and her arms wrapped around his neck, but he made it work.
It also didn't stop his wince when she screeched in his ear.
He couldn't tell if it was from fright, or from excitement...
Probably a bit of both...
When he made it down onto the building, and set Kate down on the roof, she turned around and punched his shoulder hard.
"Fuck you bitch, you almost gave me a heart attack!!" She glared at him which didn't really have an effect on him. He reached up and rubbed his shoulder before looking back at her with a slightly amused gaze.
"And what did you want me to do? I kinda had to carry you down."
"You could have given me a warning." She pouted and turned her head away from him.
Peter smiled softly at her attitude and softened his gaze for a second, "Alright, ok, I'm sorry Kate. I'll warn you next time I decide to pick you up and jump off a building."
Kate huffed, "You better." She said before turning to him and giving him a hug. Peter smiled and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. He doesn't think he's ever felt like this towards someone before.
He has Mary Jane, his special someone...
He has Ana and Gwen, his annoying little sisters...
He has Tasha, his amazing mother...
But he's never had a best friend before, someone who doesn't question every little decision he makes.
Someone who just nods and goes along with his plans.
In all the years he's been in New York, all of his family members have questioned his decisions at least once.
But Kate never had in the month that he's known her...
You don't come across that type of loyalty that often.
And Peter would be a fool to let it slip though his grasp...
He pulled back from the hug and smiled at the archer, "See you soon, stay out of trouble."
Kate scoffed, "I should be saying that to you."
Peter offered her one more smirk before he jumped off the building and started to swing towards Avengers tower.
When he made it to the tower, he climbed in through his window and changed into more comfortable clothes than his patrol outfit.
Once he changed into a simple pair of black jeans and a white shirt, he started to walk towards the common room where he could hear the TV going and the others heartbeats.
When he walked into the room, he saw they were all watching the TV with varying degrees of emotions. Ranging from suspense, to worry to even trepidation.
"What's happening?" He asked, sitting down next to Natasha.
"Don't know, the senator just announced he had a special announcement to make today. We think it has to do with the GRC and the recent attacks." She responded.
Ahh yes, the attacks.
He's not told anyone about it, but he knows who's behind them, Karli and her group of friends back from Madripoor who call themselves The Flag Smashers.
He hasn't been able to deal with her how he's wanted to either.
Apparently tracking down eight super soldiers is impossible. And every moment that he lets her run free, he risks peoples life.
He needs to find and stop her, fast...
He was about to ask another question but the senator came back on the screen and started to talk.
"Unrest, in the wake of recent events concerning these terrorists, has left us vulnerable...Everyday Americans feel it. While we love heroes who put their lives on the line to defend Earth like our beloved Spider-Man, we also need a hero to defend this country, we need a real person who embodies America's greatest values." The senator began. Peter started to feel a pit of dread form in his stomach, as most of the others in the room too were feeling.
This wasn't going well, Peter could feel it.
And his senses have never been wrong before...
"We need someone to inspire us again, someone who can be a symbol for all of us. Now we all know that no one can replace Steve Rogers, but this country needs a symbol again, to help push us through these dark times. So, on behalf of the Department of Defense and our Commander-in-Chief, it is with great honor that we announce here today that the United States of America has a new hero...Join me in welcoming your new Captain America." The senator smiled at at the camera and moved out of the way for a man to walk by him.
Dressed like Captain America...
With the shield strapped to his arm..
The shield that was supposed to be in the museum...
Those fucking bitches...
But he didn't have time to fully stew in his anger because his phone pinged again and this time, he opened the message to IVAN. He hoped that his AI had some good news for him, preferably some news that involved him getting his hands dirty with certain Flag Smashers.
Because if you think about it, the government technically made New Cap because of these fucking attacks.
Fucking Karli...
He looked down at the message and all he needed to see were those four words before he was silently slipping out of the room towards where he kept his gear. Taking advantage of his family's shock at watching the events on the TV play out.
"Found Karli, in Germany"
What Peter didn't see was that a certain Falcon and Soldier saw him leave the room. They looked at each other before they nodded and followed him out.
They weren't gonna let him leave this tower...
...at least not with some help