Peter does something odd the next morning.
As he gets dressed for school, he puts the Spider-Man suit on underneath. Darwin lifts his head and makes a questioning sound. Peter glances at him, smiles, and then puts a finger to his lips.
"I'm heading to school now, Aunt May," he calls out, walking over to the door with Darwin at his heels.
"Okay, have a good day, honey!"
Peter doesn't head to school, however.
Instead, he ducks into an alley and starts taking his civilian clothes off, shoving them into his backpack and leaving him with only his Spider-Man suit. Peter then gives the backpack to Darwin, who takes it in his mouth hesitantly.
"Alright, bud, we're doing something a little different today," he whispers excitedly, "I'm gonna go interrogate Aaron Davis, so just stay here and I'll be back in a few hours."
'You're ditching school?' Darwin thinks disapprovingly.
Peter begins to turn away, but the Wolfhound abruptly turns and trots out of the alley.
"Hey! Darwin! Where are you going?"
Peter chases after him and he stops, glancing from the boy to their usual path to school. Peter frowns and says, "We're not going to school today, bud. Stay here."
'You shouldn't be ditching school,' Darwin thinks, 'You're a teenager, not an Avenger. Stop acting like you don't have any other responsibilities.'
He turns away and begins walking. Before he can take more than two steps, Peter jumps in front of him with a "Hey! Okay, you know what-"
Peter grabs the backpack out of his mouth and webs it to the side of the building. He turns back to the dog with a frown.
Darwin wants so badly to protest. 'Peter, you need to stop-'
"rrRRrrroooOOOO!"
Peter and Darwin both blink in surprise at the sound that comes out of the dog's mouth. "What was that?" Peter laughs, "You're so weird." He pats Darwin on the head, then pulls on his mask and swings up onto the rooftops.
Darwin sighs in defeat. 'I've gotta figure out a way to talk to this kid,' he thinks, 'He's going to get himself killed. He needs a mentor, someone to guide him… wait a minute, Stark would stop him! I should find him.' As soon as he has the thought, he shakes his head, 'No, that would be too suspicious. Besides, Peter says he's moving away. I wouldn't even know where to find him.'
All he can do is sit and wait. It's never frustrated him so much before- he feels so useless. As usual, he keeps a metaphorical eye on Peter through their bond. It boggles his mind how quickly the boy can go from one emotion to another. First nervousness, then determination, then indignance, then excitement. Hours pass and Darwin starts to get worried.
'How long does it take to interrogate a guy?'
Peter suddenly feels a jolt of fear and Darwin flinches in surprise. His bondmate feels like he usually does when he's going into an intense battle, but it's obvious this one is going south quickly. A blur of emotions sweep through a few moments later- relief, followed by anxiety and guilt.
'Maybe I should find a TV,' Darwin thinks, leaving the alley, 'Maybe something big is going down.' Honestly, he just can't stand sitting still for another moment.
To his surprise, he's proven correct once he finds a TV. It's in the outside area of a sports bar, and while most of the TVs are playing some sports games, the one playing the news has garnered most of the attention of the bar's s.
A ferry has been cut in half- no doubt thanks to those alien weapons- and Iron Man and Spider-Man are working to put the ship back together. However, it's obvious that Iron Man is doing most of the work, with Spider-Man hopping after him. Eventually, Spider-Man disappears, and while some people continue to watch, it's obvious that the cleanup is going to take a while. It's dusk when it's finally announced that there are no casualties and Iron Man flies off. Darwin takes it as his cue to leave and begins walking back to the alley where Peter left his backpack.
Said boy feels awful and the feeling only worsens as more time passes. Darwin figures that Stark is giving him a talking-to. He hopes it doesn't take long- it's late and May must be worried. By the time Peter does show up, it's getting dark and he doesn't swing into the alleyway, he walks. He's not wearing his suit, but Hello Kitty sweatpants and an oversized tourist T-shirt. He looks exhausted as he approaches Darwin and the dog stands up in alarm.
He watches as Peter kneels down in front of him before lunging forward and wrapping his arms around him, dissolving into tears. Darwin's heart clenches.
'Oh, my poor boy,' he thinks, 'I know. I know you're upset.'
"God, I messed up," Peter lets out a choked sob, his tears making the dog's fur wet, "I fucked up so bad."
Darwin licks him soothingly and, after a few minutes, the boy's sobs soften and he slowly pulls away, looking ten times more exhausted than before. He wipes his eyes tiredly and stands up. Without another word, he grabs his backpack and starts walking back to the apartment, Darwin at his heels.
Of course, May is already home at this time and she glares at Peter when he knocks on the door. She inhales deeply and storms inside, Peter and Darwin following behind her.
"I've been calling you all day," she stresses, "You didn't answer your phone. You can't do that. Then this ferry thing happens. I've called five police stations! Five! I called five of your friends, I called Ned's mother-"
"May, I'm okay. Honestly, just relax, I'm fine," Peter says exasperatedly.
May whirls around and fixes Peter with a hard look. "Cut the bullshit. I know you left detention. I know you left the hotel room in Washington. I know you sneak out of this house every night. That's not fine. Peter you have to tell me what's going on! Just lay it out. It's just me and you."
Darwin glances up at Peter. 'You should tell her,' he thinks. But then, to his surprise, Peter's eyes fill up with tears again.
"I lost the Stark Internship," he chokes out.
"What?
'What?' Darwin thinks, perplexed, 'There is no Stark Internship, that was just a coverup for- ohhhhh. Oh, Peter. No wonder he doesn't have his suit anymore- Stark must've taken it back.'
Peter sits down heavily and May hugs him. Darwin walks over to Peter and licks his face. His whiskers tickle the boy and he huffs, softly pushing the dog's snout away.
"Look," May says, smiling, "He's saying 'don't worry, it's alright'."
Peter sniffs. "Yeah." He stands up and walks away. "I'm gonna take a shower."
"Okay."
May and Darwin gaze after him for a few moments in silence. Then, May turns to look at him. She smiles sadly and gently pets his head. "Well, at least you were with him today," she says softly, her eyes downcast, "At least someone's keeping him safe." She murmurs the last part and Darwin nudges her hand with his nose, making her smile a bit.
Later that night, Peter curls up with Darwin on the bottom bunk. Unlike most nights, he doesn't tell the dog about his most recent Spider-Man adventure. Instead, he just holds him and buries his head in his fur, sniffling occasionally until he falls asleep.
The following week is very calm, considering what just happened.
Peter doesn't go out as Spider-Man, even though he still has his old suit hidden somewhere. Instead, he spends his free time catching up on homework, hanging out with Ned, and he even gives Darwin a bath. He has detention for the whole week, so Darwin has to wait a bit longer for him to get out of school.
Today, however, something exciting seems to have happened because Peter is feeling jittery and happy. He soon sees the boy dashing out of the school with a huge grin on his face.
"Oh my God, Darwin!" He gasps, "I have a date with Liz! I mean, I mean- I asked her to be my date for homecoming! Oh my God, what do I do, I can't believe I did that!"
Glad that his bondmate is back to stressing about normal teenage things, Darwin wags his tail and licks his hand. 'Well, c'mon, then, we've gotta get you ready,' he thinks. Turning, he begins leading the way to the subway station.
May likes to leave work early on Fridays, so she's at home by the time they get to the apartment.
"Aunt May, I need your help!" Peter exclaims.
May stares at him with a surprised expression. He tells her about his date and she squeals with delight, grabbing her purse and dragging the boy out the door. Darwin follows and they spend the next couple of hours shopping for dress shirts and pants. Peter is a vibrating mess of energy all throughout the night and the next day. He starts getting ready way too early, but it ends up actually helping since it takes him nearly an hour to learn how to tie a tie properly. It's amusing to watch both May and Peter struggle with the task until they turn to YouTube for help. Once he's fully dressed, May teaches him the basics of dancing until it's time to leave.
"Okay, you sure Liz is gonna be okay with Darwin coming?" May asks for the fifth time, adjusting the mini bowtie she attached to Darwin's collar.
"Yeah, yeah, she likes him, don't worry," Peter reassures her, "I'm pretty sure she knows he's, like, my support dog, so… And she said her dad was cool with having him in the car."
"Good." May straightens up and grins at Peter. "You ready to go?"
The drive feels very short and before they know it, Peter and Darwin are standing in front of Liz's door. Peter knocks and shifts nervously as footsteps approach from the other side. The door swings open, revealing Toomes, who grins at Peter.
"You must be Peter," he says, sounding friendly. He glances at the dog and asks, "And, uh, Darwin, right?"
Darwin wags his tail, but then notices how still Peter has become beside him. 'He's probably just nervous,' he thinks, but frowns slightly at the boy's shock.
"Yeah," Peter says.
"I'm Liz's dad," Toomes replies, holding his hand out. Peter grabs it and Toomes looks surprised. "Hell of a grip. Come on in here. Come on."
Peter follows Toomes inside and the door closes behind them. They walk towards the kitchen, but Peter is very slow and hesitant the whole time. He feels horrified. 'What could possibly be wrong?' Darwin wonders.
"Hi, Peter," Liz' mother greets them, "You look very handsome. Oh, and so do you!" She grins when she sees Darwin's bowtie, "I love the little bowtie you put on him."
"Thank you."
"I'm gonna go get Liz."
"Okay."
Peter is increasingly becoming more freaked out. In fact, he's actually sweating. He turns to Toomes, looking like he's expecting a fight.
Darwin isn't the only one that notices.
"You alright, Pete?" Toomes asks, "Because you look pale. You want something to drink? Like a bourbon or a scotch or something like that?"
"I'm not old enough to drink," Peter stammers.
"That's the right answer." Toomes eyes widen as he looks behind Peter. "Wow. Wow, wow, wow, do you look beautiful."
Peter turns to see Liz enters wearing a pretty red dress. However, he barely seems to be paying attention to her as she enters the conversation. He abruptly hands her the corsage when she asks, still staring at Toomes.
'Okay, something weird is going on here,' Darwin thinks, 'He's acting like Toomes is some sort of bad guy, like he's… oh.' It's ridiculous how easily all the pieces fall together. Toomes's previous encounter with Damage Control, his fancy new house, the alien weapons dealers that Peter was chasing. 'He must've gotten a good look at one of them. It must be Toomes! That's why he's so tense! He's been fighting Toomes and now he's in his house but the man has no idea it's him!'
Peter puts on a tense grin as Liz's mother takes pictures of them. He keeps his eyes on Toomes.
'Oh, geez, Pete, don't make it so obvious,' Darwin thinks, nosing the boy's hand. That seems to snap him out of whatever shock he's in and he blinks.
"Sir, you don't have to drive us," he says.
Toomes waves him off and grabs his jacket. "Nah, nah, it's no big deal. I'm going out of town, it's right on my way." He doesn't feel suspicious to Darwin. In fact, his emotions are quite open and friendly.
"He's always coming and going," Liz's mother says, only further confirming Darwin's suspicions of Toomes being the Vulture.
"Last time," Toomes reassures her. He kisses his wife goodbye and herds the two teenagers and one dog into the car. "By the way, Pete, what kind of dog is that?" He asks as Darwin squeezes himself beside Peter's feet.
Peter blinks in surprise. "Oh, uh, an Irish Wolfhound."
"Ah," Toomes muses, "I could've sworn I've seen a dog like him before. A big old grey dog like him, living in this old warehouse I had."
"You never told me you had a dog," Liz exclaims as they drive off.
"Eh, he wasn't really mine, he was just a stray I fed a couple of times."
Liz turns to Peter and asks, "Didn't you say Darwin used to be a stray?"
"Uh, yeah."
Toomes has a contemplative look on his face for a moment, then waves it off. "Well, anyway, it was a long time ago, who knows if that dog is even around anymore. So, what are you gonna do, Pete?"
"What?"
"When you graduate, what do you think you're gonna do?"
"Oh, um," Peter stammers, "I don't know."
Liz chastizes her father, who just claims he's trying to get to know Peter better, and then says, "Peter has an internship with Tony Stark. So, I think he doesn't have to worry."
"Really?" Toomes asks, surprised, "What do you do?"
Peter glances at him nervously, "Yeah, actually, I don't intern for him anymore."
Liz turns to Peter, frowning. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, it got, um… boring."
"It was boring? You got to hang out with Spider-Man."
Darwin hides his face behind Peter's knee, cringing as the conversation goes on. 'Peter, he's getting suspicious,' he thinks, 'What are you going to do?'
Toomes asks if he's ever met Peter before because his voice sounds familiar, then Liz brings up the party and how Peter disappears often, even in DC when Spider-Man saved them. Toomes stares at Peter through the rearview mirror, not even noticing the greenlight until the car behind them honks. Darwin grows nervous as the man begins to feel hostile.
Eventually, they reach the school and Toomes stops the car. "Here we are. End of the line," he says. As Liz gets out, he adds, "You head in there, gumdrop. I'm gonna give Peter the, uh, the 'dad talk'."
Liz rolls her eyes and tells Peter not to let himself get intimidated before kissing her father's cheek and leaving. Darwin takes her spot, glad to not be squished anymore, but he tenses up when Toomes turns to Peter with a gun in his hand.
"Does she know?" He asks seriously.
Peter tries to play dumb. "Know what?"
Toomes seems pleased. "So she doesn't. Good. Close to the vest. I admire that. I've got a few secrets of my own. Of all the reasons I didn't want my daughter to date…" He cracks a grin and shrugs. "Peter, nothing is more important than family. You saved my daughter's life. I could never forget something like that. So I'm gonna give you one chance. Are you ready? You walk through those doors, you forget any of this happened. And don't you ever, ever interfere with my business again. Because if you do, I'll kill you and everyone you love. I'll kill you dead. That's what I'll do to protect my family. Do you understand?" Peter nods, not meeting Toomes's eyes. The man doesn't like that. "Hey, I just saved your life. Now, what do you say?"
Peter looks up. His eyes meet Toomes's. "Thank you," he says.
"You're welcome. Now, you go in there and you show my daughter a good time, okay? Just not too good."
After Toomes drives off, Darwin isn't surprised that Peter doesn't end up going to the party. He does feel bad that Liz ends up without a date, however. He follows Peter as he rushes through the hallway and lifts a row of lockers with one hand, picking his old Spider-Man suit from underneath it. He quickly ducks into a bathroom to get changed, but when he re-emerges, he tells Darwin, "Go home."
Darwin gives him an incredulous look. 'Are you serious? No way!'
"Darwin, go home!" Peter orders, "Please, you need to go home." When Darwin doesn't move, Peter lets out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh, there's no time for this. At least just stay here."
He turns around and runs away. Even on four legs, Darwin has a hard time keeping up with him. Peter reaches the exit door first, but when he bursts out of it, someone hits him from behind. There's a bolt of electricity and Peter is thrown a few feet back, his web-shooters clattering beside him.
'Peter!'
The man is the same one that visited the school earlier, but he has his back to Darwin, who is by the door. "He gave you a choice," the man says, "You chose wrong. What's with the crappy costume?" Without waiting for an answer, he prepares his gauntlet for another shot.
Darwin's heart skips a beat. 'You leave my boy alone!'
He charges forward just as Peter makes a break for his web-shooters. The man punches a school bus with the gauntlet, causing it to hit Peter, but before he can do anything else Darwin leaps on him from behind.
"Aghh! What the hell?!" The man shouts as Darwin's weight brings him down. He sinks his teeth into the man's shoulder, causing him to yell. An elbow jams into the dog's face, causing him to stumble backwards, and the man rolls onto his back and kicks him off. "Fucking mutt!"
As soon as he gets up, Peter is on him. However, one hit from the weapon sends him flying inside of a bus. The man advances after him, but Darwin bites his left arm, holding him back. Unfortunately, the left arm isn't the one with the weapon, so Darwin only has a second to process the sight of the gauntlet flying towards him before he feels a burning jolt of electricity and his mind succumbs to darkness.