A/N: Aaaaaand I'm back. See, I told you I didn't abandon this story! Would I ever lie to you guys? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, because it's pure fluff and we have some mighty big plot twists and sadness ahead. I'm sorry. (No I'm not heheh).
Disclaimer: Do I look like Stan Lee or Kevin Feige? Nope!
Eleven
Peter groaned and ran his hands through his hair as he leaned against the back of his desk. He pushed his reading glasses up his nose- he thought they made him look a little like Bruce, if he was being honest- and tried his hardest to not just collapse from sheer exhaustion.
This case… he'd been working on it all week, and he'd gotten virtually nowhere. He'd missed three days of school to work on it, and when he'd told his teachers the reason he'd been absent, they simply blinked and took a step away from him (except for Mr. Harrington).
Speaking of school, everyone in that class had adjusted to him being a secret agent and Spiderman (which he hadn't had much time for since he was working on the latest Dateline Special), and they had done exactly what they said they'd do- they hadn't breathed a word of his secret to anyone.
But anyway. Back to the task at hand.
Crazy psychopathic murderers and plans of attack.
He looked once more at the long list of suspects and the other list of Agents that had been killed. It seemed the girl only killed Agents, and their families. There wasn't really a specific pattern that Peter could see, but the more he looked at the names, the clearer it became.
"Конечно!" he suddenly yelled in Russian (Natasha had taught him), slapping his hand against his forehead. "Of course! That's what I'm missing!"
He grabbed his pile of notes (he had at least ten pages so far) and the folder with the suspects and victims, and rushed out of his office and down the hall, frightening a few unsuspecting agents as he ran past.
In his haste to leave, he forgot he was still wearing his glasses, so when he entered the lounge area of the Avengers' Tower fifteen minutes later, no one recognized him at first.
"I got it!" He exclaimed, holding up the folder, causing Daisy (who was still recovering) and the rest of the Avengers (minus Bruce, who was in the lab) to jump in surprise. "I figured out how to catch her!"
"Um…" Sam began, "Bruce? What are you…?"
"Bruce?" Peter furrowed his eyebrow. "I'm Peter. Really, Sam? Why can't you- oh, I still have my glasses on!"
He smiled but left the glasses on (he could see better with them anyway, despite the fact that the spider bite made his eyesight better) and the Avengers all stared at him in shock.
"I didn't know you wore glasses," Tony said, blinking, trying to get used to the sight of Peter in glasses.
"They help me read better," Peter shrugged. "But anyway, I figured part of this thing out!"
"What thing?" Steve asked, curious.
"Just a case I'm working on," Peter pushed his glasses up his nose again. "I've been working on it nonstop practically all week."
The Avenger's shared a look, and Daisy smiled.
"So that's what you've been doing," Bucky mused.
"What does this case entail?" Thor asked, leaning back, and the rest of them nodded.
Peter and Daisy glanced at each other. Both of them knew how dangerous it could be to reveal any information on this case.
"That's classified," they said in perfect unison, facial expressions identical.
"...Okay," Clint broke the silence that followed. "That was creepy."
A murmur of agreement passed through the rest of them.
"Well, what can you tell us?" Tony asked. "I hope it's not overly dangerous or life threatening?" He stated the last part as a question.
Peter coughed to hide his small noise of worry.
"All I can tell you is that it involves a person we've been hunting for a while now, and I think I've finally figured out how to catch her."
Daisy stood and walked (limped) over to him.
He threw her a playful glare.
"You should be resting," he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the young woman.
The Inhuman shrugged.
"Doesn't hurt too bad," she argued. "Besides, I'm a fast healer."
She winced slightly as she shifted her weight to her uninjured leg, and Peter smirked.
"You sure about that?" he asked, and Daisy chuckled sheepishly. Peter's voice turned soft and serious when he spoke again. "I really think you should rest, Skye."
Peter was the only one allowed to call Daisy by her former name, and even then, he didn't use it very often. The Avengers did a double take at the use of the name, but Peter ignored them.
"Pete," Daisy shook her head with a small smile, her curls swaying, "I'm fine. I don't need to rest. And you worry too much."
"It's my job to worry," Peter replied evenly. "As your best friend, it is my job to take care of you. And Jemma and Fitz."
Daisy let out a small chuckle, and Peter grinned.
"C'mere," held his arms out, and Daisy accepted his hug with a smile on her face.
"Love you, Spiderboy," she mumbled into his shoulder.
"Love you too, Skye Blue," he replied, his hand rubbing her back.
He smirked.
"What are you do-"
Daisy cut him off with a loud shriek as he picked her up like she weighed nothing- because, to him, she did weigh nothing- and threw her over his shoulder.
"Peter Parker!" Daisy shrieked, her fists pounding against his back. "Put me down right now!"
Peter cackled and spun her around, his arms tight around her waist, her legs kicking and her eyes wide. Peter's glasses slipped down his nose a little, but he didn't care. The Avengers grinned at the happiness in both of the young people's eyes. They hadn't seen Peter look this happy in a while.
Daisy might have been a few years older than Peter, but he was about four and a half inches taller than her, and his muscular frame made her look miniscule in comparison. However, Daisy sure did have a strong grip, so when she dug her nails into his neck so he wouldn't drop her, he made a loud wincing sound.
"Ow," he grunted, finally setting her down. His hands rested on her hips, and she let out a breathy laugh and gave him a small shove backwards using her powers. He pulled her back with him, still grinning, and she huffed in fake annoyance.
"I would ask why you felt the need to do that," Daisy told him, "but you've done it enough times that I already know what the answer would be."
Peter smirked.
"Because I wanted to!"
Daisy rolled her eyes playfully, and gave him a stronger shove this time.
"Okay," she ordered. "No more fooling around, or Fury will be fury-ous."
Peter blinked at the pun.
"You just-" He sighed, and face-palmed. "Oh boy," he shook his head. "Okay, back to work it is. But first, I need caffeine. I haven't slept in two days."
"Excuse me?" Tony demanded, stepping forward, his eyebrow raised. "What did you just say, young man?"
Peter blinked again.
"Back to work it is?" he shrugged.
"After that," Tony said sternly.
"I need caffeine?"
After a look from Tony, Peter sighed.
"I haven't slept in two days?" Peter raised his own eyebrow, and Tony nodded. "Oh, that?" Peter chuckled. "That's nothing, Mr. Stark. I've gone a full week without closing my eyes before, two days is nothing. I'm fine."
Tony, his eyes wide, just shook his head.
"A decision has been made," he declared. "No, three decisions have been made. Decision one, you are going straight to bed," he took Peter by the shoulder and started walking him to his room. "Decision two, you are taking a break from this case and going to school in the morning." Peter tried to protest, but to no avail. "Decision three," Tony looked right into Peter's eyes, and Peter couldn't tell if the older man was joking or serious. "Decision three... I'm getting you a therapist."
