The spider and captain stayed like that for some amount of time neither could quite register. It could have been seconds, or minutes, or hours. Eventually, they separated, if only for the prospect of running out of air. They met each other's eyes, simply stared for a time as panicked thoughts raced through their heads.
What the hell was I thinking?! He's not even eighteen yet! Oh dear God, Stark's gonna kill me.
D-did she just kiss me?! Does she like me like I like her?! Oh shit, Tony's gonna kill me.
Gradually, the thoughts slowed back down, and the pair came back to reality. They watched each other for any sign of rejection or fear. All they found hope and longing.
"This...is insane." Carol mused numbly, coaxing an awkward smile from her partner, who shrugged his shoulders lightly.
"Yup. Hasn't stopped either of us before though, right?" He countered, earning a soft chuckle from the woman before him. "If it makes you feel any better, my 18th birthday is only two weeks away, so you're not a creep or anything!"
Smooth like gravel, Parker. He chided himself in his mind. To his surprise, however, his attempt at lightening the mood worked and Carol actually started to laugh a bit more freely.
"Well don't you know how to make a girl feel special." She teased, before taking a deep breath and seemingly composing herself. "Ok...so, is it fair to say we should define whatever this is?"
"I mean, yeah. Whatever makes you most comfortable." Peter agreed, making Carol smile once more. He was too accommodating for his own good.
"Ok. First off, are you really turning eighteen in two weeks?" She asked cautiously. Peter did some mental math, and nodded in confirmation.
"Technically, two weeks and three days."
I can work with that. Carol mused mentally, before shoving all the growing intimate thoughts aside for the time.
"Alright. Next...how do you feel about me? Please be completely honest with me, Peter."
The webslinger took several moments to think before he answered, his expression certain and determined.
"I...I don't think I've ever felt about someone like I feel about you. I thought it was just hormones, you know. You were a beautiful, powerful woman, and I was a kid. For months, I had this stupid crush on you...but then I got to know you."
Carol was fully aware of the blush that rose on her face when he said that, the dorkish grin on his face making her heart beat a little funny.
"You're cool, and funny, and smart, and absolutely gorgeous, and...and I think I love you."
Peter met Carol's eyes, and she couldn't help but smile at the genuine affection his expression held. On the outside, she was composed, but on the inside she was blushing and squealing like a schoolgirl.
She had never felt this way before, never truly felt carefree in the presence of another person. Carol knew a part of her felt the same way about Peter. That she cared for him more than just as a friend. He was adorable, and kind, and a kickass fighter, and smarter than anyone she knew, Stark included.
"Peter…" She interjected, making the boy freeze with a now nervous expression on his face. "I think I love you too."
The way Peter's face lit up as he processed Carol's words was a sight that made her knees weak. He suddenly lurched forward, and before Carol could process what was happening, she found herself hugging him. She hummed constantly in his arms, feeling the happiest she had felt in years. After about a minute of hugging, they separated. Carol smiled widely at her webslinger, and asked her final question.
"So, now that we're a thing...who gets to tell Stark?"
Line Break
Tony Stark didn't sleep anymore. He didn't really need to, given his current form, but it was still something that just didn't quite sit right with him. Still, it did offer quite the opportunity.
"Friday, any results on the latest test?" He asked his A.I. assistant as he performed another scan of his form, just in case the results were the same as they had been previously.
"I'm afraid that we still have no positive identification of how your form was created." The A.I. reported, resulting in a sigh from the genius. Ever since he had...appeared? Returned from the dead? He didn't even have a proper way to describe it.
One second, he was dying on a battlefield after snapping away Thanos and his army. The next, he was in Shuri's lab in Wakonda, a glowing force-ghost thing. Strangest yet was his connection to electronics, which he had no way to explain.
"Alright. Just...start initial tests on the next sample." He instructed, before a flash of blue from one of his nearby workstations caught his attention. Someone was pinging him over a secure comm. Hesitantly, he opened the transmission. "Hello? Stark speaking."
"Hello, sir." A feminine artificial voice answered, surprising Tony slightly. He quickly recognized the voice as Karen, Peter's A.I. that usually resided in his suit. After her user's injury, Tony had permitted Karen to connect to the Compound's systems until Peter was back in fighting shape. "I have something important to discuss with you regarding Peter and Miss Danvers."
Line Break
The next morning was a complete rush. After sneaking back into the med bay, Peter was awoken by Wade blasting an airhorn right in his ear and sent him flying out of his bed. When questioned why he did this, he insisted that he was merely checking if Peter was fully healed.
After this, Peter was escorted by Wade to the kitchen, where the merc insisted on making him celebratory pancakes. To his surprise, the man was actually a decent cook, and made over a dozen pancakes in case any of the other Avengers joined them. In the end, was Wanda the only other Avenger to partake in the pancakes, with Sam and Rhodey just grabbing coffee.
At one point or another, Carol joined them and started chatting with Peter. Based on the surprise looks this prompted from their teammates, the pair explained that they had "made up" after the previous day's incident. Despite Wade's inappropriate remarks on what that could mean, the news was actually taken pretty well. At least, until Tony appeared and asked if he could "have a word" with Carol. The pair exchanged a glance before Carol left with Tony. Since then, Peter hadn't seen her.
And then the moment of truth came. Around noon, Secretary Thaddeus Ross arrived with a squad of six soldiers to pick up Beck. Apparently, news had finally gotten out about his whole operation, and how he had framed Spider-Man for his crimes. Now he was going to be tried properly, at least according to Ross.
As they walked Beck out in cuffs, Peter swore the man looked up at him and smirked. The motion was quick enough that he couldn't guarantee it, however, and soon enough he was gone, as were the soldiers. Ross had spoken with Fury before leaving, and while Peter didn't catch the conversation itself, he could tell from the look on Fury's face when it ended that it must have been pretty serious.
And finally, that brought him back to the present. Now he was standing outside of the lab, tapping his foot nervously as he waited for Tony to open the door. The man had sent him a simple message that said, "We need to talk. Lab at 3:00". Unwilling to risk upsetting his mentor, he did as he was asked, and waited. After a few minutes, the door opened, and Peter stepped inside. Tony stood at a nearby workbench, and glanced at Peter as he entered, flashing the webslinger a small smile.
"Hey, Pete. Could you, uh, sit here for a second?" He asked casually. Peter nodded slowly, and sat at the seat across from Tony. After releasing a heavy sigh, Tony spoke again. "I'm sorry about the theatrics, I'm just...I'm trying to make sure I get an honest answer."
"It's...ok, Mr. Stark." Peter assured him, mustering up a small smile. "But...what honest answer are you looking for?"
"Oh, we both know kid." Tony retorted with a slight smirk. "Karen may or may not have tattle on you regarding your...well, your incident last night with Twinkle Fists."
Peter tensed slightly, but kept his cool as he crossed his arms and sent the holographic man a defiant look.
"How much do you know?"
"Well, I'd like to say enough, but that'd be a lie." Tony quipped, his smile thinning slightly. "Just tell me if what you said to her was true, Peter."
"It was." Peter replied swiftly. "Every word. I know it's really weird, but I...I love her. And she loves me. And we're both willing to make it work."
Tony stared at his surrogate son for several moments, before releasing a heavy sigh and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"I'm getting too old for this." He muttered to himself, before looking back to Peter with a more genuine smile. "Ok...ok. If this is as real as you say, then...pass along my blessing to Danvers."
"Y-you mean it?!" Peter exclaimed, shooting out of his seat while beaming at the older man. Tony chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm, and nodded in confirmation.
"I mean it. Just promise me no funny business until you're eighteen!"
"Funny business?" Peter asked with a smirk, making his mentor avert his gaze.
"You know what I mean. Devil's Tango, Horizontal Mombo...Jesus, fucking Peter! No fucking until you're eighteen!"
Peter wheezed audibly before sinking into uncontrollable laughter following Tony's flustered outburst. Tony himself just shook his head and muttered something about how teenagers were the worst before teleporting to the command center to be briefed by Fury regarding Ross's intel.
Line Break
Quinton Beck stared at the ceiling of his new, reinforced cell on The Raft, letting his internalized rage stew and fester. That fucking child managed to beat him again. Granted, he didn't do it personally, but it was still enough to make the illusionist seethe. He was going to get out of here, and when he did, he'd give Parker exactlywhat he deserved.
The question was, how would he escape?
A muffled thud from outside his cell caught Beck's attention, a series of following clicks ending in a clear beep, and the door sliding open. Momentarily shielding his eyes from the bright white light shining in, Beck then noticed that three people had entered the cell.
The two in the back were clad in what looked to be some kind of advanced combat armor, the dark yellow highlights and built-in respirator key features that clued him into the fact that whoever these people were, they had tech to rival Stark's.
The woman that stood before him wore a variation of this armor, though it was almost entirely yellow. Her helmet was also domed, reveling her face beneath it as she knelt down to Beck's level, a sinister smirk on her face.
"Greetings, Mr. Beck. It's a pleasure to meet you in person." She hummed, before turning her gaze to a screen on her left gauntlet, still addressing him. "Now, I'd like you to know that under normal circumstances, you and I would be having a long chat about why the world is appalling and people like Tony Stark are the bane of the true geniuses like you and I. Instead, given your current predicament, I'll have to settle for this; would you like to join Advanced Idea Mechanics?"
The man took a moment to weigh his options, his eyes flicking to the open door, the fallen guards on the other side, and the sickening sweet smile still present on the woman's face. Eventually, he sighed and offered her his hand, which she took without a second thought.
"Fine. If it get's me outta here, I'll join...whatever this is." He growled, earning a chuckle form the woman as they both rose to their feet. "Who the hell are you?"
"Well, I could go into the specfics and intracacies, but for now?" She stated, green eyes glinting with madness. "You can call me Scientist Supreme."