The second part of events. :)

"So, just to be clear," Sam said slowly, "We're showing up, unannounced, to visit a wizard we know little about, that just so happens to possess an object like the Mind Stone?"

The small group had all piled into the biggest car they'd had at the Compound, with Natasha taking the wheel and Clint in the passenger seat. A second car was being driven by Rhodey, and the two vehicles were slowly weaving their way through New York traffic. Despite needing to split into different vehicles, a group call was running so they could discuss the plan.

"I know, Sam. It's not ideal, but I had FRIDAY try to find the guy online so it could be avoided. If he has social media accounts, she couldn't find them. So, this is the next best thing," The philanthropist responded.

He had, however, learned about the man they would be visiting. Doctor Stephen Strange, a former world-renowned surgeon. At first, he'd thought they'd found the wrong guy, but the pictures of the surgeon and the man he'd met were strikingly similar. According to the news articles he could find, the man had been in a car accident that robbed him of functional hand coordination, as the nerves had been destroyed, and with it, so too had his career. Those had all happened at least three years ago, and Strange had been off the grid since. No new articles, no new sightings; it was as if the famous doctor had just simply vanished into thin air. The knowledge that the wizard they'd ran into was priorly in the medical field, however, did inspire confidence in Tony. It was weirdly coincidental that the stranger his ward had run into seemed to, at least on paper, be capable of resolving the entire issue with the implanted chips, but the billionaire wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If they could just talk to Strange, that would be enough.

He was, though, happy to share such good news with the others, who were equally as glad to hear that the search for someone to assist Peter would be shorter than anticipated. Tony was also sure that a few of them had even looked into the guy on their own merits, and went through Strange's well-documented medical history.

"This is the kind of conversation I would prefer to have in person, regardless," Steve chimed in. "I'd like to get to know whoever it is we'd be trusting to do this. On top of that, we could confirm Peter's statement that he has one of those stones."

"He's not wrong, the sorcerer must have a stone. His ability to sense magic is strong, from the times I've used it to check up on him. It was noticeable, even to me, just peering in," Wanda remarked.

Tony gave the sorceress a look at the tone in her voice. She had her hands folded in her lap, clasped tightly. A deep frown settled over her face, and her eyebrows were furrowed. Curious, the philanthropist asked, "Something on your mind, Wanda?"

"I'm not sure if it's my place to say," she began hesitantly, before sighing. "It's just that the last two times I peered into his mind, I found more than I was looking for."

"Was it something bad? Or even something we'd need to be concerned about and look out for?" Scott asked.

Wanda gave a noncommittal shrug. "I can't really say for certain, one way or the other. But it didn't seem bad. Actually, it was something I'd passively noticed when I first scanned him when we met; I just didn't pay attention to it since it was discreet. Now it's prominent and out."

"Would it happen to be tied with his weird behavior lately?" Tony asked. "The other day he was having conversations with himself, and brought it up twice. He was also acting a bit odd when he fell out of the vent, but I couldn't quite figure out what felt off about it."

A quiet look of clarity crossed her face, but she fell silent, seemingly more confused and conflicted. After a few moments, Wanda said, "Well-"

"Sorry to interrupt," Natasha broke in. "Is this the building?"

Tony blinked as he realized they'd parked. Squinting, he stared out the car, and gave a nod as he noticed the weird building's distinctive window. "Yeah, this is the place."

Hearing that, seat belt buckles began to be unclipped, until Steve's voice broke through the sea of metal clicking. "I think it would be best, at least initially, if Tony and I were the only ones at the door. We might not be here terribly long, and I wouldn't want to overwhelm the man by showing up on his doorstep with most of the Avengers."

"That is fair," Vision remarked, though his gaze rested on the building. The android's head tilted to the side just slightly, unconsciously mimicking a gesture he'd seen Wanda do numerous times. "There is another Infinity Stone in the building. Its aura is muted, but the Mind Stone can still sense it. I advise you two to be cautious; we are unaware of what that stone can do, and how its user wields it."

"Alright. Guess I'll keep the snark to a minimum," Tony joked lightly, before exiting the car. He met Steve outside, and, with a smile, gestured with both arms to the door. "After you, Capsicle."

Steve rolled his eyes good-naturedly, before knocking on the door. Silence followed the action for just long enough that it became awkward. Steve lifted a hand to repeat it, and as he went to rap his knuckles against the hardwood once more, the door opened.

A different person greeted them this time; a tall man of Asian descent, dressed in a fancy, reddish brown robe wrapped in tassels. He gave the two of them a glance, and as Steve went to greet the man, he instead raised a hand. "Hold on, just a moment," The man said, before closing the door.

The two heroes stared at the door, befuddled. They hadn't even managed to say 'hello' before the door was closed. They gave each other a look, and Steve muttered, "Is this who you guys saw?"

Tony shook his head. "Nope."

Stephen let out a sigh as he set the scroll he'd been reading down. The sorcerer was trying to read up on a dimensional phenomena he'd noticed in the mirror dimension, but his mind was elsewhere. Ever since he'd had the run-in with Stark and the teenager, he couldn't get the interaction out of his thoughts. His mind kept hitching on how familiar the young man was, yet continued to draw a blank on why it was. What annoyed the former doctor to no end was the nagging feeling that he was missing something important. Despite his attempts to distract from the persistent thought that something was amiss, it kept cropping up.

Wrinkling his nose, Stephen finally accepted he'd be getting nowhere with that research at the moment, and was in the process of rolling the scroll up when he heard Wong called out, "Strange, there's guests at the door for you. I'd suggest you greet them."

A small frown dressed Stephen's face as he heard Wong's call. He approached the door, expecting that some confused soul had mistaken the Sanctum for another address. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers at the door.

The Sorcerer Supreme was no stranger to his fair share of odd visitors. Ever since he took up his position at the New York Sanctum, he had no shortage of odd people at the building's entrance. The doctor was even half convinced that the building had an attracting charm, if it weren't for the fact that Stephen had checked and proven it false. It just seemed that the odd, large building full of magical artifacts had a natural gravitation to it.

Stephen replaced Wong by the door, and as he met the heroes face to face, he silently pondered the reason for their visit. Perhaps Stark was following up on the odd encounter from the other day, or perhaps they'd learned of his abilities as a Sorcerer Supreme and wanted to invite him to their group of superheroes. With a neutral face and a tone to match it, Strange mused, "You know, when I usually get a visitor, they only come around once. I see you brought a new friend, Stark." He folded his arms to hide his shaking hands. "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

The magician was expecting a snide remark from Tony, and perhaps some noble call to action from Steve. It was no secret that both heroes came off portrayed a certain way to the masses; Stark flippant, cocky, and callous, with Steve noble, straight-forward, and honest to a fault. That was not what Stephen got, though. They both seemed unsure and hesitant. Steve went first. "Hello, Doctor Strange. It's nice to meet you. Your accomplishments in the medical field are incredible."

Strange quirked an eyebrow. "I was not aware you read up on my medical history," he stared between the two. "But I'm afraid that if you've come to ask me to perform a surgery once more, I'll have to decline. I've retired from my career as a well-renowned surgeon."

"It wasn't just your medical accomplishments before your retirement that brought us here," Tony remarked. "Word gets around whenever there's a magical disturbance. Gotta admit, you're the first genuine wizard I've met. You'd think in this day and age the magically inclined would be easier to find!" The man shook his head jokingly.

The pieces started falling into place, and Strange frowned. "Pardon, but what precisely is it that you want my help with?"

"It's a long story," Steve said, and the soldier's seriousness sobered the moment. "Would you mind if my friends and I entered to share it?"

Stephen glanced over to the street, where two cars sat parked. They must've been what the heroes came in, as most of the cars that typically stayed on the street had been doing so for years, and belonged to employees of the nearby businesses. The sorcerer wasn't entirely enthused on who knows how many Avengers entering the sanctum, but had enough manners to know that discussing something on the street was poor etiquette. Besides, while the intrusion was unwelcome, perhaps this would be the perfect opportunity to satiate the irksome notion that he somehow knew the kid Stark had been with earlier that week.

"Very well," The Sorcerer Supreme relented, opening the door further. He cast a wary glance at the vehicles as the occupants started getting out, but returned his attention to the two guests in front of him. "I do believe I've my own inquiries to pose to you, as well."

Stephen stared at his lap, where his shaking hands rested, as he tried to wrap his head around the information he'd just been granted. "I am… sorry, but I must ask once more on the accuracy of the story you just told."

"If we hadn't had the proof of it, I'd be in the same boat," Sam muttered with a huff.

The Sorcerer Supreme gave Wilson a narrowed glance, before turning back to Rogers and Stark. "I cannot help but question the logic. What kind of imbecile would do something so dangerous, especially to an individual they wanted to be a weapon?"

Maximoff gave him an odd look, and Stephen noticed something dark in her gaze. "Would you have wanted HYDRA to have been smarter about it?"

"Yes," The former surgeon nodded, before raising a placating hand. "But only so something like this could've been avoided."

"I doubt they gave much thought behind the future consequences," Barnes snarled lowly, flesh hand clasped around his prosthetic arm.

Stephen released a weary sigh. "From what I knew of the organization, and what you've indulged to me, I concur. These placations hardly matter now though; the damage has been done, and no amount of loathing towards the fallen organization will reverse it," a quiet frown crossed his face, and he resisted the urge to rest his hand on the Eye of Agamotto. "However, to be forward with you, I don't know what all I can do."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Could you clarify?"

"Well, let's look at the facts," the doctor murmured, leaning forward so his elbows were pressed into his thighs. "The young man you rescued is likely not biologically human. If HYDRA didn't bother to do in-depth biological research, they could've already damaged parts of the brain unintentionally. Have you considered that anything done further may cause more damage than it would be meant to heal?"

When silence met his statement, Stephen shook his head softly. "Therein lies my point. You cannot simply treat this situation like Peter Parker is a normal human being. None of you are true mutants, if what information on you is released is to be believed. I will not agree to do any sort of magical extraction on your ward without a proper scan and insight into what changes the spider mutation made to his body."

"...Alright, I'm glad you care about his well-being enough to bring this up, and point out something we hadn't thought of," Tony remarked, though, frowning, he continued, "But thanks to his prior and still relatively fresh history with this sort of thing, how would you get him to agree?"

"As much as it pains me to say it, he won't have much of a choice otherwise," the Sorcerer Supreme replied with a wince. "Even though I lack the full details, the fact that the implanted chips are causing headaches is already proof that the chips should be removed.

"Brain implantation is not a new concept, medically; there was an invigorated drive to look into the research in the 1950s, and neurostimulators have been used for the last 20 years to ease symptoms of epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and dystonia. However, they were generally regulated to the exterior of the brain, or the cortex, thanks to medical and ethical concerns," Stephen paused at that, before he shook his head. "However, HYDRA's doctors were likely unconcerned about the ethics of directly inserting controlling chips within the brain tissue itself. They lost that long before they decided to perform such experiments on a defenseless child. The chips are not biomedical prosthesis to bridge gaps within the brain, but rather to act as a neurological overwrite. Even if they were not causing harm to one of the most sensitive organs in the body, they should be removed to avoid further exploitation of those functions."

"Then we're on the same page. Any other problems you wanna bring up, doctor?" Scott asked, tilting his head.

"I cannot guarantee the chips would be safely removed, but even if I could, I couldn't dare to guess what might come of the chips being miraculously pulled from the brain," Stephen replied. "From what I've been told, their functional purpose was to interpret the neurological signals and translate them in ways his body knew how to respond to, including his prosthetics. His body and mind developed around those being normalized functions within the body. There's the possibility, however slim, that his own movement, coordination, and other subconscious actions will fail to integrate to what we would consider normal processes our own bodies naturally function with."

"So there's a chance his body and mind became so used to the chips dictating all aspects of movement that, once removed, would inhibit his ability to move his own body?" Rhodey asked with a frown. "You're saying it could, essentially, paralyze him."

"Again, this is strictly my hypothesis. Nothing is set in stone until an in-depth examination of your ward's biology is concluded. I'm simply voicing medical and ethical concerns I have, so that you understand my hesitance in this situation," Stephen concluded.

"Does that mean you won't help?" Clint asked, a challenging note to his tone.

The doctor pursed his lips. "I would be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind. However, I would doubt anyone else could possess the skills and situational abilities to accomplish your request," Stephen paused at that, before sighing. "If I'm to do this for you, I have a few conditions."

"Anything money can buy you, it's yours," Tony offered immediately.

"As much as it is humorous to see the Tony Stark offering a former millionaire whatever he would desire, that wouldn't be in my interests," Stephen remarked, amused. The humor dropped, though, and he rubbed a shaking hand on his pants. "It is only three conditions, so I would hope it wouldn't be enough to dissuade your want of my services. However, I want to be honest with my intentions."

Romanoff was staring in his direction, and while the assassin was notoriously difficult to read, the former surgeon couldn't shake the feeling she was wary of his conditions. Still, Natasha said, "Then voice your conditions, good doctor."

"The first," Stephen began, raising a twitching pointer finger, "is that I be allowed to conduct whatever medical examinations and tests I deem necessary to not only eradicate risks for the surgery you're wanting me to perform, but to also provide a basis to gauge his physical and mental health as a result of his history. While the doctors at your Compound are competent, I would like my own records, too.

"The second," another finger was raised, though with notably more difficulty, "is that I will not be held responsible for any ill-effects that follow a successful removal of the offending chips, or any bitter feelings if they prove too dangerous to be taken out. What you're asking is impossible for a normal surgeon to accomplish, and perhaps even outside of my own skills. I would do my best to fulfill your wish to the best of my abilities, but I cannot and will not guarantee positive results.

"The last," a third finger joined the first two, before the strain was too much, and all three were once dropped, "is that I be allowed to investigate Peter Parker's history."

"Why the last one? Was what we shared not enough?" Natasha asked casually, though there was a cold edge to her words.

Stephen shook his head. "The reason behind this request is not to slander the accuracy of the information both the Avengers and HYDRA have documented," his fingers twitched in his lap, and the doctor released a breath. "There is something familiar about him, and I cannot place it. I want to know why such impressions are there."

The Avengers glanced at each other, and the Sorcerer Supreme began to wonder if they would decline his assistance, after they came all the way to the Sanctum to ask for it, before Rogers ended those thoughts with a solid, "That's acceptable. We'd be glad to let you operate on him with those conditions."

The surgeon gave a nod to that, though decided to voice another question that had been lurking at the edges of his thoughts since the superheroes had arrived. "Is it bold of me to presume that the other reason you sought my services was thanks to my possession of an Infinity Stone?"

"What gave that away?" Scott asked obliviously, before being elbowed in the ribs by Sam.

Stephen quirked an eyebrow. "I had guessed young Mr. Parker had sensed it when he arrived at the Sanctum's doorsteps the other day, and hadn't assumed he would keep such information hidden. You're already in possession of the Mind Stone, after all," he pointed a gesturing hand to Vision.

Vision gave a curt nod. "It's not often we come across others possessing one of the stones, though, admittedly, we know little of the importance of the Infinity Stones. It is undeniable, however, that they are unnaturally strong. Hearing that someone else on Earth possesses another stone of power would pique anyone's interest."

"The Time Stone will not leave my grasp," Stephen said, as a word of warning. "It is my duty as the Sorcerer Supreme to defend the Time Stone to the best of my ability. I'm willing to cooperate with you, but it will not leave my possession."

"So long as someone who won't abuse the power they come with isn't in possession of a stone, it's fine being left where it is," Steve replied, though there was an underlying challenge to the words, as if the former soldier was daring Stephen to prove this trust wrong.

"Then there will be no issues going forward with this exchange," Stephen concluded, giving no room to question his morality. "I look forward to this partnership, however temporary it may be."

The guests to the Sanctum were standing and preparing to leave, when an incessant buzzing pinged around the room from the phones the Avengers were carrying. Stark was the first to fish his out, and it was immediately apparent from his expression that something was wrong. While the others were looking at the alert, Tony directed a question at Stephen. "Say, you don't happen to have any plans for tonight, would you?"

Stephen raised an eyebrow. "How necessary is my presence for whatever it is you just got notified of?"

"Pepper and Peter were involved in an attempted kidnapping," Steve remarked, a hard look in his eyes as the man clenched his jaw. "The kid got knocked out during the commotion."

The Sorcerer Supreme quietly cursed under his breath. "The research I was conducting doesn't need my personal input. Give me a moment to let the Sanctum Keeper know, and I'll accompany you."

The superheroes gave him a nod, and as they began filing out of the Sanctum, Stephen swept into the library, where Wong was sitting. The man didn't even look up from his scroll before remarking, "Have a fun evening out with the superheroes. I can conduct the research myself."

Stephen nodded, then jerked his head to the side so his trusted cape would know to come with. The cloak circled around his shoulders and settled as the doctor left the building. He clambered into an open seat in one of the two vehicles they arrived in, and the heroes left to the scene of the accident.

Tony was a ball of nerves the entire ride over to northern Manhattan, checking his phone nearly as often as he was checking outside the windows. His foot was tapping rhythmically against the floor, and it took all his power to limit worried messages to Pepper to a bare minimum of five. She continued to assure him they were both fine, but it did little to ease his fears.

It wasn't the first time Pepper had been kidnapped, and he doubted it would be the last. But goddammit, why'd it have to happen while the kid had been there? He'd literally just gotten freed from captivity a month ago. What higher being had his kid pissed off to warrant such bad luck? He wasn't sure, though if he ever found out, the billionaire would be glad to beat it up.

As it was, the philanthropist's thoughts were racing a mile a minute, attempting to come up with any idea he could to prevent a similar situation from occurring ever again. He'd brought up making Pepper a suit several times before (she always had declined, stating that she didn't exactly have the time to be the SI CEO and whatever duties would come with having her own iron suit), but perhaps this time it'd be different. There was someone else to consider, after all.

Tony sighed, fixing his gaze outside once more. The kid would be a bit harder to come up with a suggestion for. He wasn't really sure how to navigate Peter, not without inadvertently crossing a line. Would the kid even want a suit, or would it remind him too much of his time with HYDRA? If given better equipment, would he appreciate it, or feel obligated to be a superhero since the rest of them were? And, while it had been quickly snuffed out when it had appeared, he couldn't deny the fear; would the assassin, given the opportunity and resources, habitually return to the programming broken into him?

As they finally arrived at the site of the accident, Tony tabled those thoughts for later, and slid out of his seatbelt. If it weren't for the skid marks and indentations in the nearby grass, he could almost believe nothing had happened. He paid little mind to the rest of the scene, however, once he found what he'd been looking for; Pepper, resting against a nearby tree, with Peter in her lap. He approached the two, cautiously at first, until he realized Peter was well and truly dead to the world. Picking up his speed, he said, "Pep!"

Pepper smiled at Tony, though it was a bit strained. She opened her free arm to her boyfriend so he could give her a hug. Despite the half-embrace, she could feel a slight tremor to the billionaire, and when they split apart, she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm alright, Tony."

"I should hope so, otherwise those sick bastards that targeted you would have hell to pay," Tony huffed, before taking a seat next to the two. He half-gestured to Peter as he gave the kid a scrutinizing glance. "So, do I have to play detective to figure out what happened?"

"I think all of us would like to know," Clint called over.

"Just saying you were involved in an attempted kidnapping does, unfortunately, not do a lot to ease our worries," Steve added.

Pepper gave a nod, but then spotted Stephen, who was staring, perplexed, at a piece of metal that had fallen off of the van. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Before I go into the details, who's this?"

Realizing he was being talked about, Stephen made his way over into the small circle that had formed. His searching gaze met with Pepper's as he addressed her. "Doctor Stephen Strange. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Potts, though I suppose this isn't the best circumstance to meet under."

"Oh, you must be the magician they were going to see today," Pepper concluded, before releasing a half-laugh. "I promise, this isn't a frequent occurrence. And if Tony has something to say about it, it wouldn't happen ever again."

"You're damn right," Tony concurred.

"...I'd definitely be impressed if it wouldn't," a hoarse voice croaked, and everyone's attention turned to Peter as he stirred. The mutant's nose was scrunched as he returned to consciousness, and a suddenly startled look crossed his face. He jolted upright, then winced, but swept the area with his gaze before asking, "Are they gone? Is it safe?"

Pepper nodded, then helped Tony lay him back into a resting position between the two. "Yes, sweetheart. They're gone, thanks to your help."

The kid visibly relaxed with the affirmation, his shoulders sagging with relief. "Thank god," he muttered. His eye twitched, and he hunched slightly, staring down at his body as if he were doing a mental check on any injuries. The mutant then lifted his head, and, spotting Stephen, asked, "Oh, you're here. Uh… hi."

Stephen blinked, giving the kid a scrutinizing glance. "Nice to meet you formally, Mr. Parker. I'm Doctor Stephen Strange."

Peter gave him a deadpan glance. "That can't legitimately be your name."

"I can assure you it is," The Sorcerer Supreme assured, a slightly amused smile tugging at his lips. It fell, though, when he asked, "Are there any injuries that should be taken care of, or should an assessment of that nature wait until we've returned to the Compound?"

The assassin tilted his head, before turning to give Tony a questioning look. With a huff, Tony ruffled the kid's hair, and as the kid's nose scrunched at the motion, he said, "Turns out the good wizard here used to be a world-class surgeon. He's agreed to help out with the chips, and also kind of signed up to be a more 'personalized doctor'."

Stephen looked like he wanted to object to it, before simply shaking his head, seemingly deciding it wasn't worth debating. Peter fixed the wizard with a searching gaze of his own, and Tony could practically see the cogs turning in the kid's head as he decided whether or not he was okay with that. He eventually gave a nod, and said, "I can't exactly object to anyone that'd want to help with that."

Steve smiled at the interaction, but it fell as he let out a sigh. "Would you be fine if we discussed what you and Pepper had just gone through, Peter, so we can know?"

The kid stilled at that, and his fists clenched against his pants, pulling the fabric into a white-knuckled grip. Tony was about to interrupt and say that they didn't have to do it now, but the kid cut him off with a shake of his head. "No, I… don't mind. It's something you guys should know."

Pepper cast him a sympathetic gaze, before launching into the story. "We were out shopping, when we were tranquilized. I don't know how long I was out, just that the next thing I knew, Peter woke me up and I was bound in the back of a van."

"It was about an hour," Peter said softly, gaze firmly fixed on his fists. "The tranquilizers they used were the basic kind and did little to knock me out fully. Wea- I- woke up and broke my restraints before making sure it was safe to wake Pepper up."

"Peter was incredibly brave through the entire thing," The businesswoman admitted, smiling gently at the mutant. "He took control of the situation, and got us out of the van by breaking down the back doors and leaping out with me. If not for him, the situation could've been much worse."

The kid's ears turned a deep red at the praise, and Peter sputtered, "I-It wasn't much, really. I wasn't about to let it happen again-" his eyes widened slightly, and he clammed up. He'd straightened once more, and his somewhat relaxed posture went rigid once more. He closed his eyes, before slowly releasing a strained breath. "...or, well… I wasn't going to let it happen this time. If I could help it."

The group frowned in quiet sympathy for the mix-up, knowing what he'd meant even if Peter had amended it. Pepper broke the silence by continuing, "The rest of it all happened fast," she murmured, staring at the road. "Once they noticed we'd gotten out, they turned around to try and get us again."

"Did I…" Peter hesitantly spoke up, his dark brown eyes showing his anxiety as he finished, "Did I kill them?"

The kid's voice had cracked at the end, and Pepper shook her head rapidly, wanting nothing more than to reassure him nothing bad was done. "No, Peter," her voice was gentle, and she gave him a hug that caught the mutant off-guard. "They're still alive."

Peter's hands slackened their iron grip to his pants, and he choked back a relieved sob at knowing he hadn't already ruined his chance at redemption. Shaky, jittering hands returned the gesture, and he inhaled deeply, likely doing his best to get his emotions in check. The hug broke off quickly, and despite looking far less worried than he had before, there was still something off in his eyes.

"You did charge the van, though," Pepper reminisced, a gentle, teasing chide in her words. "But you also stopped their tranquilizer darts from hitting me, so you're not in trouble."

"I'm sorry, he did what?" Tony asked incredulously. He wasn't sure whether to scold something that reckless, or be relieved that it had turned out okay.

Pepper seemed to read his thoughts, since she quickly added, "It worked out in the end, Tony. He hit the van and ended up flipping it. That's where the vehicle landed," her gaze became more stern, and she raised an eyebrow at Peter. "But he also got hit in the process, and was flung against this tree and knocked out. While it turned out okay, I don't want you sacrificing your own well-being for me in the future, okay?"

Peter's gaze once more returned to his lap, though there was something off in his posture. He was about to reply, when Wanda cut in, "Peter, I know it's habitual, but none of us want you hurting yourself for us."

The group glanced at the young woman, whose eyes were glowing a soft red that was accented by the twilight beginning to settle. The adults exchanged a look, and Tony returned his attention to his now still ward. The kid looked mildly startled, but also a bit miffed. He clenched his fists once more, and his nails bit into his palms as he muttered, "Fine."

Wanda's eyes widened slightly, though she pursed her lips and simply nodded. The billionaire wanted to ask what was going on, though he figured it wasn't his place. Instead, he got to his feet (with some difficulty, damn his old bones), and clapped his hands gently. "Well, I don't know about all of you, but I'd like to return to the Compound and take a nice long rest after this hell of a night, yeah?"

Taking the segway as it was, Steve nodded. "We can discuss this further later. It's late, and it's already been a busy day," he turned to Stephen, a slight frown on his face. "Will you be returning to the Sanctum, or were you wanting to come to the Compound?"

Stephen hummed in thought, his gaze resting momentarily on Peter, before returning to Steve. "If you have the room to spare, I would like to board at the Compound, at least until my medical services are no longer required."

"Of course," Steve agreed. "We can call ahead and have one of the guest rooms set up for you."

"Thank you," the doctor nodded, before joining the rest of the group in filing to the vehicles.

Peter was a bit slower, hesitantly climbing to his feet. He still felt disoriented, and a headache pounded persistently at the back of his thoughts. As Wanda approached him, he heard her quietly say, "Meet me in my room when we get back. We need to talk."

The mutant furrowed his brow, before sighing. Shaking his head, then wincing as the headache momentarily increased in strength, he put his hands in his pockets and entered the nearest vehicle. As he settled into the car, tense as the seatbelt secured him to the seat with enough pressure to remind him of the zip ties, he quietly thought, I wonder if this day could somehow get any worse?

We're clearly a bad luck magnet, so please don't jinx it, Weaver cautioned.

Too late, it's already been mentioned, Rose pointed out, letting out an amused huff. Boy, I can't wait to see what happens next!

As the cars drove away, Peter released a sigh, and concluded, Yeah… let's just hope it's somewhat pleasant.

Sorry for the big gap in updates, though. Got a lot of mental stuff to work through, and my hyperfixation is usually all over the place, so it gets difficult to sit down and write. But since I already had these two in backlog, I figured I'd upload them for my birthday! Enjoy!