A/N: This chapter was a beast to write. I ended up including so much more content than I originally thought. But it felt necessary to explain just how the Avengers are spinning "The Infinity War" to the public. It also felt important to let Peter relive some of these moments and begin to process how he is feelings about it all. So... I know it was an incredibly long wait, but the reward is a VERY long chapter. I hope you enjoy! Fingers crossed that the next chapter comes together faster.
Side note... I fixed an error in chapter 1. I had a serious error with Ross. He couldn't have said the line about the world being on fire to Steve if he was dusted. Oops. So, I went back and fixed that. I'm surprised no one called me out on that one. LOL.
As the bus turned towards what used to be the Avengers Compound, Peter's stomach did a flip. How exactly had he let Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers talk him into this? This had to be the worst idea in history.
Peter sighed as he listened to the excited murmurs of his peers. Ned was sitting next him, looking out the window in awe. "Dude! Dude, dude, dude…" Ned practically squealed. "... I cannot believe we are actually here!" He studied his friend and lowered his voice a little. "I can't believe you were here. You fought in like the most epic battle in all of history right here! It's so cool!"
Peter glanced over his friend's shoulder to study the terrain outside the window. There was no doubting that it looked different. The landscape had clearly been repaired. There was no longer a massive hole in the dirt, and there was a new building erected above the spot where the massive compound once stood. Peter took a steadying breath, unsure of how he felt about this place looking so unrecognizable.
"Alright everyone, listen up!" Mr. Harrington's voice called from the front of the bus as it was being parked. Everyone continued talking, ignoring the teacher. The man cleared his throat and tried again. "Everyone! Everyone! Quiet down please… I know this is all very exciting." The teenagers still continued to chat amongst one another, pointing out the windows, taking out their phones, and posing for selfies.
Suddenly, Betty stood up and yelled at her friends. "Would everyone chill out! I have a news segment to prepare about this trip, and I cannot do it from this smelly bus. Shut up!" All voices came to a halt. She composed herself and smiled sweetly, delicately smoothing down her hair and adjusting her head band before turning back to her teacher. "Back to you, Mr. Harrington," she said, sitting back down in her seat. She sounded every bit like a reporter in the field directing the audience's attention back to an anchor.
"Uh… thank you, Betty," Mr. Harrington said awkwardly. "Right. Well, we've made it! In just a moment, we will be meeting our tour guide outside of the brand new Infinity War Museum."
"Infinity War?" Peter thought. Is that what it was being called now? He looked around at the other faces surrounding him and noticed that no one else seemed surprised. Sure, the Avengers gave the world a version of what happened with the infinity stones, but he totally missed that the public was calling the conflict by that name. He was too used to hearing people refer to the lost years as "the blip."
Mr. Harrington continued. "I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Please remember that these are hallowed grounds. The Black Widow gave her life on this battlefield, and other Avengers were seriously injured. You should all remember to be respectful as we walk these grounds."
Peter shook his head a little, knowing that wasn't entirely true. Natasha sacrificed her life at a whole other place and time. However, the Avengers couldn't tell the world that Natasha Romanoff died on a planet called Vormir back in 2014 without questions being asked. The time travel was a secret, and it had to stay that way. It only made sense to honor Natasha in this place. Whether she died here or not, she was part of that final battle in spirit.
At the mention of the fallen Avenger, the atmosphere on the bus became instantly more somber.
"Alright then," Mr. Harrington concluded. "Everyone file off and head towards the entrance."
As students began to move and exit the bus, Peter felt Ned's hand on his shoulder. "You okay, dude? I'm sure it's weird to start this trip off by thinking about what happened to Black Widow."
A wave of guilt went through Peter. He hated that there were so many things that he had to hide from his best friend. He told Ned everything else about what happened, but he couldn't reveal anything about the time heist. That was strictly forbidden. The Avengers would take that part of the story to their graves. That technology could NOT fall into the wrong hands. Dr. Strange made it very clear that the effects of that would end in complete catastrophe. Peter gave his friend a small smile, "Yeah, it's a little weird."
They slowly made their way out of the bus and towards the entrance. Peter could see Captain Rogers waiting for them. It seemed strange to think that one of the greatest heroes of this battle could stand in front of a group of people and not be recognized. To Peter's eyes, Steve still looked every bit like Captain America, even with the wrinkles and tired blue eyes. He still held the same air of strength and purpose.
He caught the older man's eyes as he approached with his class. Steve gave Peter a small smile before speaking to the eager group of teenagers in front of him. "Welcome," he greeted warmly. "I'm Steve. I'll be taking you around the battlefield and museum today."
Peter's eyes widened in surprise. He once again caught the captain's eyes and gave him a look that clearly said, "Did you seriously just give them your real name?"
Steve smirked, clearly enjoying that he could be himself and still have this group of visitors fooled.
Flash snickered. "Clearly, not all of the relics will be in the museum," he joked to Brad, the other boy barely hiding his laugh in response to the jab.
Unfortunately for Flash, Steve's enhanced hearing wasn't that affected by his age. He was old but he certainly wasn't deaf. "Don't worry, son." Steve said, giving the rude teenager a reproachful look. "We'll have plenty of interesting relics to see in the museum later in our tour."
The bully's eyes widened in surprise, clearly looking surprised and confused about how the elderly man in front of him caught his jest.
Peter couldn't help but to laugh quietly to himself. Captain America was not a man to let bullies get away with their cruelty.
"Do you know this guy?" Ned asked Peter quietly, keeping his eyes on the older tour guide.
"Um… yeah. You could say that," Peter whispered to Ned.
Before Ned could ask any further questions or give Peter a chance to explain, Steve spoke again. "I'm happy to see our younger generation take such an interest in the Infinity War. You have an opportunity to make sure that no one forgets what happened here. I'm going to walk you through the final battle today. We'll start by looking over the battlefield itself, and then we will finish our time in the museum. Tony Stark and the Avengers donated numerous items from each and every hero who fought in the battle. You will have an opportunity to see those items and learn more about each person who played a part that day." Steve paused, looking pleased to see the teenagers in front of him showing genuine interest. "Any questions before we get started?"
Flash's hand shot into the air. "How do you know so much about the battle? Do you know any of the Avengers?"
"If he only knew," Peter thought in amusement.
Steve gave the boy a confident smile. "I know the Avengers very well, young man. I've worked closely with the Stark family since I was only a little older than you. And when half of the universe disappeared, I remained. I continued to serve the Avengers, working at the Compound and helping the remaining members of the team cope with the loss."
Peter couldn't help but think that was a little too close to the truth. But the older man was smart. The best lies were the ones that stayed as close to the truth as possible.
"So you know Tony Stark?" Betty called out politely, holding out her phone in front of her to record the answers.
Steve smiled. "I know Tony a little too well, young lady. We've had our ups and downs, but he's like family, if I'm honest."
Peter smiled to himself, thinking about the battle in Germany back during the civil war. That was certainly a down time for the two friends. So much had happened since then. So much had changed. He supposed the Avengers were really like one large family, even if it was dysfunctional at times.
Flash's hand shot up again, and he called out before Steve could even acknowledge him. "So if you know Tony Stark so well, do you know any of his interns?"
Peter closed his eyes and shook his head in annoyance. Of course Flash would ask that question, and he couldn't help but to worry about how Steve would respond.
"I haven't spent too much time around the Stark Industries interns," Steve responded.
Peter let out a sigh of relief. That relief would be short lived.
"... but I have had the chance to get to know his personal intern." He smiled at Peter. "It's good to see you, Peter. I'm so glad you could be here with your classmates today."
Peter was going to die. He came back to life, and now he was surely going to die. He felt his face flush red as all eyes were now on him.
Steve's ancient blue eyes twinkled with mischief. "And you'll all get to see the special surprise Tony has for Peter inside the museum when we get there."
"What?!" Peter blurted out in surprise.
"Hold up! Parker's internship is real?!" Flash spluttered at about the same time.
"Dude… awesome!" Ned cried out in excitement, happy to have the truth revealed to other kids (about the internship at least).
Peter's classmates were all muttering and discussing this new development amongst themselves. Mr. Harrington was attempting to quiet them down again but wasn't having much success.
Peter used the slight chaos to his advantage, lifting his questioning eyes to the captain. The older man simply shrugged and gave Peter an innocent look. The young superhero growled in frustration, shaking his head and hiding his face in his hands. He had no idea what surprise was going to be inside, but he was sure it would be something embarrassing.
"Alright, kids!" Steve called out, using the commanding tone of Captain America to bring them all back to attention. "While I'm sure it's very exciting to confirm that your friend works closely with Iron Man, it's time to move forward with our tour."
There were a few more comments that erupted from the group, but that came to a halt as soon as Steve gave the group a reprimanding look. Age didn't take away the fact that Steve Rogers had a commanding presence. "If you all follow me, we'll take a look at the battlefield where the Infinity War was brought to an end."
The group started to follow a path that would take them around the museum and to the battlefield. Peter carefully made his way towards the front so that he was just a few steps behind Steve. "What was that?" he whispered to the old super soldier, knowing the man would hear him.
Steve turned his head slightly, speaking back to Peter only loud enough for Peter's enhanced hearing to pick up. "I'm just trying to look out for you, son. Trust me. There's nothing to worry about."
He frowned, "Easy for you to say, Grandcap. You're not going to be the next hot topic at Midtown."
The older man chuckled softly. "Day's still young, kid. We're just getting started."
"That's just great," Peter muttered, sighing in defeat and falling back into step with Ned.
His best friend was practically vibrating with excitement as they moved along. "Oh my god, Peter. I can't believe this! Did you see Flash's face! He was so shocked!" Ned laughed. "It was amazing, dude!" They walked a few more steps, getting closer to an overlook for the battlefield. His best friend looked up at Steve. "Our tour guide seems familiar. Have I met him before? Did he ever come with Happy to pick you up or something? Cause it's even like I've heard his voice before."
"Um… no, Ned. You haven't met him before," Peter said nervously. He couldn't tell if he was feeling nervous about Ned possibly learning that Steve the tour guide was Captain America or if he was nervous about approaching the field. He took a deep breath as he and his classmates moved to stand along a railing that kept them from going onto the open space.
Peter wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he was certain that this was not it. It all looked so different. Last time he saw it, this field was nothing but overturned earth - mud and blood. But now, it was simply a bumpy field with fresh green grass growing in. He blinked and frowned in confusion. It looked so peaceful, nothing like the intense battlefield that he remembered.
There was a plaque erected along the rail that displayed a picture of Natasha Romanoff and the Vision. It read, "This battlefield is dedicated to the fallen Avengers, whose sacrifice will never be forgotten. It is their fighting spirit that helped us win the final battle of the Infinity War. Without them, all would be lost."
Peter blinked back tears, confused by the conflicting emotions running through him. How could such a peaceful place have been the culmination of such a brutal war? He felt a presence suddenly appear nearby. He didn't need to look up to know that it was Steve.
"This field looks innocent enough right now, but the land in front of you once held thousands upon thousands of soldiers, alien and human alike." Steve paused and studied the students as they eyed the field in front of them. "Some of you look skeptical. It's hard to envision what took place here." He took a deep breath, sending a look in Peter's direction that seemed almost apologetic. "For this reason. Tony Stark developed an enhanced version of his Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing technology using a new kind of artificial intelligence that he refers to as EDITH." Drones began buzzing above their heads, and the students started whispering to each other in excitement. "Stark created holographic images to recreate some specific events of that day. The scene that you are about to witness is not for the faint of heart. If anyone feels overwhelmed at any time, you are welcome to follow your teacher back towards the museum." Steve looked at Mr. Harrington, who nodded in confirmation, showing that he was willing to escort any students that got overwhelmed.
"Seriously?" Peter whispered, mostly to himself.
"Awesome!" Ned whispered beside him.
Peter took a deep breath as he watched Steve pull out a Stark phone. He pressed on the screen, and the drones slowly began to transform the landscape before them. Peter could hear his classmates' sharp intakes of breath as the green field suddenly turned into overturned earth and debris from the compound. So far, no one was displayed. It was just the field. Now this was exactly what Peter remembered, and his heart beat faster at the sight of it.
"I can do this," Peter thought to himself. "This is no big deal. It's the same quiet field that it was a moment ago. This is just a hologram."
"What you see in front of you now, is how the field looked after Thanos blasted the compound. As you can see, the landscape was utterly destroyed. We were fortunate…" Steve faltered for a minute, seeming to catch himself as he was about to include himself in the story. "We were fortunate that none of the Avengers inside were lost in the explosion."
Peter's classmates gave mixed reactions of shock and awe, yet they were surprisingly quiet and somber. They were transported to that day through the holograms. It was so realistic. Peter felt like he could step forward and enter that place. He even felt a strange urge to go look for the survivors in the wreckage. He half expected his fears to surface at this point, but they didn't. He had never witnessed this part of the battle before. Instead, he simply felt apprehensive about what he knew would come.
"Before this explosion, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, War Machine, Ant Man, and a new alien member working with the team called Rocket used the carefully recovered Infinity Stones to return those who were lost to present day." Steve sighed, looking a little sad. "Before w- they had a chance to even celebrate or even realize that they were successful, Thanos caused the destruction that you see before you."
Steve pressed something on his phone and Thanos' giant alien space destroyer appeared in the sky, causing the students to gasp and shriek in terror. "Remember, this is all an illusion. Nothing you see here is real. It is merely a hologram created to reenact the events." The older man glanced at Peter, showing his concern.
Peter took a breath and nodded, wanting Steve to continue. He had an unexpected urge to see this part of the battle. It was like seeing it through the eyes of the Avengers who brought him back, and it sent a thrill of excitement through him that he wasn't expecting.
The older man seemed to read his mind. He gave Peter a barely detectable smirk before continuing. The scene shifted and Thanos could suddenly be seen sitting out in the field.
There were some sharp intakes of breath at the site of the large purple Titan sitting menacingly out in that field with his sharp, double-bladed weapon. Artist rendered images of the Mad Titan were released to the world after everything happened. People had an idea of what Thanos looked like. Yet it was something else entirely to see this as if he was right there in front of them.
The thrill of excitement that Peter felt suddenly shifted into an icy feeling that settled in his gut, and he forgot how to breathe for a moment. Ned shuffled closer to his best friend and whispered to him quietly, "It's not real, Peter. You got this." At the sound of his friend's voice, Peter found his breath again. He noticed that more figures appeared near the wreckage of the old compound.
"Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man were the first Avengers to emerge from the remains of the building." Steve explained. Peter couldn't help but wonder if it was strange for his older team member to talk about himself in the third person, as if he wasn't even talking about himself at all. He didn't have much time to ponder the thought because the scene shifted again as the three Avengers began to slowly approach the large purple alien.
"That's Thor?" Flash commented loudly, making some of them jump from his unexpected interruption. "Did Tony Stark mess with his appearance in these holograms or something? He is not at all what I expected."
Their old tour guide gave the young man a sad smile. "Those five years weren't kind to those who were left behind, son. No one was immune to the hardships that came from that initial loss, not even the God of Thunder." A twinkle of delight entered Steve's eyes when he added, "But make no mistake. He is still the God of Thunder."
With that said, a few quick images flashed to summarize how the three Avengers went after Thanos, each one struggling to take on the Mad Titan. The image in front of them now showed Thor fighting hard to hold off Thanos as the Titan attempted to kill Thor with his own battle ax.
"If you say so," Flash muttered to his classmates, making another dig at the Norse god.
Suddenly Mjolnir soared through the air, putting an end to Thanos' attack on Thor. To everyone's surprise, the hammer returned to Captain America.
A bunch of whoops and cheers of excitement came from the group of teenagers. Peter couldn't help but to smile in admiration at his older friend. He witnessed Steve use Mjolnir in the battle, but it was cool to see it happening for the first time. He heard the hologram of Thor say, "I knew it", and he gave the older man a look of interest. There was definitely more of a story behind that comment, and he made a mental note to ask Steve about it another time.
Steve paused the holograms. "As you can see, I -uh, I am showing you the first time Captain America proved himself worthy of wielding Thor's mighty hammer, known as Mjolnir." His wrinkled cheeks tinged pink in embarrassment as he nearly gave himself away once again.
Peter couldn't stop himself from rolling his eyes a little. The old Captain was clearly pleased by the looks of approval and excitement from his audience. He couldn't really blame the man for showing off a little with these images. Controlling Mjolnir was totally epic.
A few more images flashed before them once again. In a moment, the scene shifted. The excitement from Peter's classmates shifted into uncertainty as Thanos' army came to join him. Captain America was the only one left standing, with Thor and Iron Man down for the count.
Betty gasped as she looked at how outnumbered the hero was, stepping forward with his broken shield to meet the massive army head on. "Wait… I thought all of the Avengers fought the army of Thanos. Where are they?"
Steve's smile grew. "Well, young lady, keep watching." He smiled even wider as he pressed something else on the Stark phone. "This is my favorite part."
The holograms included audio, but as Captain America stepped forward, it was as if everything grew quiet. Suddenly, Cap moved a hand up to his ear as a voice crackled through his comms. "Cap… Do you read me?" … "Cap, it's Sam. Can you hear me?" … "On your left."
Suddenly bright circles, like yellow sparks, swirled behind the First Avenger. Stepping through the circle, was the Black Panther and other Wakandans. Followed quickly by other Avengers from the battle that was last fought in Wakanda. Before the students could really survey all the team members entering from that portal, countless other portals emerged. More and more Avengers, including Dr. Strange's fellow sorcerers, stepped onto the field.
Peter's jaw dropped. He was awestruck, having never before witnessed this part of the battle from this perspective. Suddenly, he caught sight of Dr. Strange emerging through the portal from Titan with the Guardians of the Galaxy. The strangest part was seeing himself swing onto the scene. He recalled lowering his mask after swinging through the portal, but Mr. Stark had fortunately left that part out, leaving his face covered and his secret intact. Peter remembered how amazed he had felt that very day. Amazed to jump through the portal and see everyone else coming through portals of their own. Amazed to see so many heroes standing together. Amazed to think that he had practically time-traveled into the future. There was so much happening, that he hadn't really processed the gravity of the situation.
Peter gulped down his nerves. He had been so naïve in that moment. He was so excited to be standing with these great heroes, that he didn't truly realize how serious it all was.
But he knew the weight of it all now. And he felt guilty that he had been so foolish.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when Flash practically squealed, "Oh my god, it's Spider-Man! Did you see him flip through that sparkly circle?! How cool was that?"
Peter didn't miss the look of shocked confusion on Steve's face. The older man was clearly surprised to discover that Peter Parker's most annoying bully was Spider-Man's biggest fan. When Steve turned to look at him, Peter simply shrugged in response and blushed a little.
Steve cleared his throat. "As you can see, Dr. Strange and his team of Sorcerers opened portals so that all of the returning Avengers could join their teammates and take on Thanos and his army.
Betty lifted her hand. "Can you tell us more about Dr. Strange, Mr. Steve?"
"You'll have a chance to learn more about the Sorcerer Supreme in the museum." He pressed another button. "For now, you'll want to see what happens next."
"I don't see Captain Marvel," MJ muttered nearby.
Without thinking, Peter answered. "She comes in a little later." He was too busy watching for the next events to notice the suspicious look that she sent his way, clearly wondering what else he knew about these events and why.
Things went quiet amongst the teenagers again as other Avengers finally came up out of the wreckage and a line of Avengers and sorcerers formed, ready to face Thanos. "AVENGERS!" Captain America called out to his fellow heroes, Mjolnir slamming into his hand. A look of determination was on the man's face as he growled out, "Assemble!"
Thor let out a battle cry as they all surged forward. Scenes of the battle flashed before their eyes, the teenagers letting out yelps of fear mixed with cheers and calls of admiration.
The red gauntlet holding the Infinity Stones could be seen on the battlefield, passed from one Avenger to the other in order to keep it out of the wrong hands.
Both Flash and Ned cheered in excitement when Spider-Man took hold of the gauntlet. There were cheers and excited chatter from Peter's other classmates, and he caught Steve's eye as the older man smirked at him with admiration.
A scene appeared, showing the Scarlet Witch taking on Thanos, and doing so with incredible force and power. Thanos next ordered his army to fire on the field, and the teenagers all gasped in horror as the Avengers seemed to struggle to handle this attack.
"Oh man! Even Spider-Man got taken down!" Flash cried, as they all watched the masked vigilante take cover and hold the gauntlet tight to his chest.
At this point, the holograms shifted to show Thanos now firing into the sky. Similar to the confusion that the Avenger's felt on that day, the teenagers all questioned what was happening.
"It's her! I'm sure it must be her!" Betty squeaked in excitement.
Sure enough, the group of teenagers watched in excitement as Carol Danvers burst into the battle, destroying Thanos' ship.
"Check it out!" Flash practically squealed. "She's going right for Spidey."
Peter let out a nervous breath. He remembered how much his body was hurting at that point. He recalled how winded he was. The excitement of fighting with the Avengers had worn off by then, and he was faced with a harsh reality that he might be mauled to death by space alien dog things. It was NOT cool. If Carol hadn't shown up, he would've been space-dog food.
At the time, he had never before met Carol Danvers. Yet it was clear that she was on his side and stood a much better chance of getting the gauntlet back to the time machine. Peter frowned. "Just how is Mr. Stark going to show this part?" he thought.
Peter watched as he offered the gauntlet to Carol and the aliens charged in their direction. Just as Spider-Man and Captain Marvel were about to be surrounded, the other female Avengers came to support. Best of all, Black Widow was there.
Tears welled in Peter's eyes at the sight, and he was certain that he saw Steve clench his jaw and fight the water that threatened to form in his own eyes. It was the first that Peter noticed her added into the fight. He supposed that it made sense. No one was supposed to know about the time travel. They believed that she was there, emerging from the wreckage to fight and give her life in this battle.
"She deserved to be there," He thought sadly. The hologram continued with the group meeting the alien attack head-on as Carol surged away from the heavy fighting.
The holograms shifted, focusing now on Carol Danvers. "Captain Marvel escaped that attack with the gauntlet."
"No… she tried to take it to that crappy old van, but Thanos stopped her. There was a fight. She nearly lost it. He almost snapped again, but Mr. Stark threw that purple grape off balance. Then she snapped," Peter thought quietly to himself. But that wasn't what they showed. Instead, the hero slipped on the gauntlet and raised her hand to the sky and snapped.
The holograms of Thanos and his army faded away. Peter noticed they didn't replicate the appearance of them getting dusted. He supposed that would be in rather poor taste when so many visitors didn't need to recall what that was like.
The images shifted again, showing the Avengers gathering around and taking a knee around a fallen Natasha Romanoff.
Then it all faded and soon it was just a calm field again. Peter watched as the drones slipped away through the sky.
There were whispers of quiet excitement and delight around him as his classmates talked to each other about what they had the chance to witness.
Peter wasn't really sure how he felt. He felt like the real thing had been far more intense and climactic at the end, which it had. It seemed unfair that so much of the truth had to be twisted for the good of the public. He frowned, wondering how much of the history taught in schools was watered down or altered to keep dangerous secrets out of the wrong hands.
Probably more than he wanted to think about. If he himself hadn't been a part of this battle. He would likely never know just how much more work the team put in before this battle. They traveled through time to bring them back. Hawkeye practically went to hell and back based on the description of Vormir!
A sudden anger flowed through Peter. Why did he have to keep such big secrets? He wanted to help people. He never imagined it would involve hiding so much of the truth.
Steve was giving him a worried look, so Peter took a deep breath and attempted to look calm.
The older man was clearly not convinced, but he moved on and addressed the group once more. "As you can see. It was an intense battle. And while it's not appropriate to show everything that happened that day…" He glanced over at the memorial to the Black Widow. "...you now have some idea of just how hard the Avengers fought to save this world… to save the entire universe. If they had any chance of winning, they had to put any differences aside. They had to work together as a team… trust one another." His eyes met Peter's and he gave a subtle smile, alluding to the way in which he and Tony were able to overcome the conflict from the Civil War.
Peter couldn't help but to smile slightly at the memory of that airport fight in Germany. It was hard to believe that the weathered man in front of him was the same guy who dropped a skybridge on him.
"If you follow me, we will continue our tour in the museum. Every Avenger played an important role in this fight. Inside, you will get to learn more about just how valuable everyone was that day." With that, he made his way forward in order to lead that back. Peter stayed on his heels, wanting to follow close behind. He noticed that both Ned and MJ shifted in an attempt to keep up as well.
"It's so weird," Peter commented to the man quietly, careful not to be heard by his friends. "One of the greatest heroes of this whole battle is right in front of them and they have no idea who you really are!"
Steve slowed his pace a little, allowing Peter to come up beside him. The old Captain smirked at him. "That's pretty funny, Queens. I was just thinking the same thing about you."
The compliment stopped Peter in tracks. Steve continued forward as Peter stood there, feeling shocked. How could Captain America possibly see him as one of the greatest heroes of the battle. Sure, he was there. But he was hardly one of the greatest.
"Dude! That was insane!"
Peter jumped slightly as Ned caught up to him. "Captain America was all like… 'Assemble!' and you guys were all like…" He pulled up his fists in front of his chest and mimicked a battle cry "...aaaahhhh. Boom. Smack. Pow! And you!" He slammed his mouth shut, seeming to notice just how closely MJ was lingering. He cleared his throat. "You… um… What did you think, Peter?"
Peter shook his head. "Yeah… unbelievable." He was still too busy contemplating Steve's words to say much more.
They continued to chat quietly with the rest of the class as they made their way inside.
Peter scratched at his neck as they stepped through the doors. He peered inside as he rubbed at the spot, wondering if there was something ahead that posed some sort of threat. All he could see were a few other guests who were already beginning to browse the exhibits ahead of them.
He shrugged off the feeling that something was wrong. It was probably just something from watching those crazy realistic holograms. He would definitely have to have a chat with his mentor about not giving him some prior warning about that.
Yeah… that wouldn't be the only thing Mr. Stark should've warned him about.
Peter stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of plaques and pictures that lined the walls inside the lobby. There were words that read, "This museum is dedicated to the loved ones who have stood by the Avengers through the years. Those that remained helped them to never to lose hope. Those that were lost reminded them why they should never stop fighting." Some things were vague to protect the identity of family and loved ones. There was a plaque that simply read, "Hawkeye kept fighting for his family." There were no names or details because the public didn't really know about his family. The term 'family' could simply be taken to mean his teammates.
But what stopped Peter was the one for Iron Man. Tony wasn't one to hide what he was most proud of. The world knew about Morgan Stark and Pepper Potts-Stark, so there was a family photo by the words, "Iron man continued to fight for those he cared about the most." Next to the picture with his wife and daughter was an image of Tony with Rhodey and Happy. But then there was another picture. It was taken in an attempt to prove that the internship with Stark Industries was real… a goofy image of Peter with his mentor. They were both smiling happily at the camera and enjoying the ridiculous moment. They held a certificate upside down while giving one another bunny ears.
Peter recognized the image from further away than most of his peers, thanks to his enhanced eyesight. He couldn't stop himself from walking towards the image as Captain America explained what lined the walls of the lobby.
"Every hero, whether an Avenger or a civilian fighting for a good cause, has people in their life who inspire them. This museum is dedicated to those people. As you can see, some of the Avengers provided details on who those people are to them. Some names and images are omitted to protect identities, if necessary." Steve smiled as he watched the teens spread out to take a closer look at the dedications all around the lobby. The older man carefully watched Peter, studying his reaction.
Peter was stunned. He knew what his mentor meant to him, and he had a pretty good idea of how the man saw him in return. But to include him in this dedication was… beyond words.
He was speechless.
Flash was less speechless as he noticed what Peter was looking at. "What the hell is Parker doing up here?!"
Peter's eyes flew open in shock as he noticed that all of his classmates were now rushing over to see what Flash was carrying on about.
"Is this a joke?!" the bully cried out.
Ned just gave an excited laugh. "I told you his internship was real, dumbass!"
"But… but…" Flash was struggling to spit out words as Steve made his way through the group and joined Peter, slinging an arm around his shoulders.
"Peter here was an important inclusion for Tony Stark. He felt his dedication could never be complete without including your classmate." Steve smiled at Peter. "Tony wanted to surprise you. What do you think?"
Peter swallowed nervously. His emotions made it difficult to find words. "I… uh... wow… it's…"
"You're someone he cares about the most, loser." MJ offered for him. "Just spit it out already. Go ahead and rub it in. We can take it." Her words were meant as nonchalant, but Peter detected that she seemed proud to see his image included.
Peter chuckled. "No… um… I mean, yes… that's true. We're totally close and all. I just… I would never rub it in or anything like that." His nerves were making him stutter. He looked at Steve and added quietly, "He really shouldn't have."
Steve just shrugged and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before stepping away. "Well, it was important to Tony that everyone that he cares about be included. He saw no need to hide the kid from Queens who, quite possibly, provides him with the most inspiration." He smiled at the group. "He wanted me to be sure to let you all know that. He would've told you himself, but he was sadly unable to join us today."
"Ah yes," Mr. Harrington spoke up. "We talked about this with current events earlier in the week." He turned to his class. "Who can tell us what important meeting is taking place today?"
Ned's hand shot into the air. As soon as the teacher pointed to him, he called out, "Tony Stark and possibly some other Avengers are seeking to get final approval on amendments with the Sokovia Accords so that none of the Avengers that were pardoned by the president can be charged as war criminals again."
The teacher nodded. "Very good, Ned." He shrugged to Steve. "I hope you don't mind the interruption. It's nice to know that they do pay attention to me sometimes."
Steve smiled politely. "I'm sure it is."
Peter's hand shot up to his neck. The tingling sensation was back again. He couldn't stop himself from turning around and looking for something… he just wasn't sure what he was looking for.
"You all good, kid?"
Peter heard Steve's voice, dripping with concern and knowing that reactions like this typically meant that Peter was sensing danger. And yet, Peter didn't turn back towards the super soldier. Instead, he scanned the room some more. He only saw other tourists.
The tingle in his neck suddenly traveled down, sending a chill down his spine. This time he turned to look towards the entrance. There was another group of people entering through the same doors they had just come through a short time ago.
Peter frowned, noticing that they were carrying large bags.
Before he could say anything about how off that was to Steve, the metal detectors came to life. Sirens blared and lights flashed.
Peter heard the startled gasps of his classmates. Instinctually, he started to move towards the intruders, but he was stopped by a strong hand clasping down on his shoulder. He didn't need to look to know it was Steve.
He watched as the group pulled weapons from the bags. There was a woman out in front. She had a dark, sharply edged bob with blunt bangs that complimented her sharp features. She was tall and had a commanding presence. "NO ONE MOVE!" She shouted.
"GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!" A man yelled.
Peter whipped his head around. It was one of the people who had already been inside. He wasn't alone as he moved to join his friends and arm himself. They had sent people ahead, likely scouting the area.
"PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN FLAT ON THE GROUND!"
"DO NOT MOVE!"
Steve's hand was pushing Peter towards the floor. "Keep it cool, Peter. Do as they say," he told him."
Reluctantly, Peter went to the ground. He and his friends complied with the orders, placing their palms flat against the marble flooring. Peter watched as the team of criminals scattered around, effectively locking down the building. They used something to seal the doors. No one would be going in or out anytime soon.
He couldn't help but to notice that their weapons and gear looked oddly advanced.
God, Peter hated these damn field trips.
"Are these people insane?!" He heard one of his friends whisper loudly. "This is an AVENGERS museum!"
"No way they'll get away with this!" Another commented.
"The Avengers will save us!" That last one sounded like Betty.
"The Avengers aren't here!" That was definitely Flash.
"Shut up!" MJ scolded. "You shitheads are gonna get us killed."
Peter and Steve shared a look. There were two Avengers present, but Peter's classmates didn't know that. And it wasn't like Steve or Peter could really do anything without exposing their identities. Which would create all sorts of problems for a variety of reasons.
Steve cleared his throat a little. "Just stay calm, kids." His voice wasn't very loud, and he had only meant for Peter's classmates to hear. However, the scary lady with the sharp, biting eyes stepped in their direction.
"Yes, children. Make no sudden moves. Don't do anything stupid, and some of you might just survive this." She chuckled cruelly when some of the teenagers whimpered in reaction to her words.
Steve lifted his head to glare at her. "What makes you think you'll gain anything from this?"
She smirked. "I intend to gain EVERYTHING from this, Gramps. Just wait and see."
"This building was designed and equipped by Tony Stark. He knows that there are intruders in this building. He knew it the moment you set off those metal detectors." Steve added.
She continued to smile at him, squatting down in front of him so that she could look him in the eyes. "Oh, I am well aware. I want him to know we are here." She pulled a gun out from inside of her black moto jacket. She pointed the gun towards MJ's head and Peter felt his blood run cold. "And unless he wants the blood of children staining his pristine floors, he and the rest of his team of mighty assholes are going to give me exactly what I want."
Peter let out a shuddering breath as the woman moved her weapon away from his friend's head and slowly stood back to her full height, once again shouting orders to her team.
Peter lowered his head to the floor in exasperation.
No doubt… these damn field trips were always trouble.
A/N: Thoughts? Predictions?
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