Hank Pym was an Avenger. He was a scientist who had seen a huge gamut of strange and incredible things, from magic to gods to alien forces from beyond the known universe. Of course, Hank would explain both the magic and the gods in quantities of science at some point, but it could be said that he was well adjusted to the abnormal.

Still, Hank was not ready for what he saw when he opened the door to his home, though. Hank was perhaps not the most observant person, but few could miss the message written in garbage on his doorstep, which clearly read 'Help'.

Hank paused, looking around and seeing no one. He leaned in closer, observing that most of the garbage used was small trash; cigarette butts, toothpicks, matchsticks and the like. Who would have bothered with such an intricate piece of doorstep art?

Hank started to lean up again but halted, noting the tiny man who ran over from the bush that resided to his left. The little person jumped and waved both arms high in the air, or at least as high as a person could when they were that small.

Hank carefully checked that there were no other small folk below him then went down to one knee, leaning in to speak in a whisper, since he knew his regular tone of voice would be like a fog horn to someone so small, "Um… hello?"

The tiny man grew closer to Hank's squinted eyes and he finally could perceive who he was looking at in more detail, "Parker? How the hell did you…"

Hank's expression grew angry, "You stole my tech! Why would you do something so reckless? I trusted you…!"

The miniature Parker hung his head and Hank paused, frowning. Hank let out a deep sigh, "Okay, let me guess… you took my tech but don't know how to enlarge again?"

Parker finally looked up at the towering Hank Pym, nodding, "Something like that."

Pym saw Parker's nod and nodded himself, "I can see you shake your head, but keep in mind that your voice is too small for me to hear you at the moment." Hank saw surprise on Parker's face and gave the tiny man a smirk, "You overlooked a lot of things, eh? Well…"

Hank lowered his hand to the ground flat, indicating that he wanted Parker to climb on, but Parker held up a hand in signal for Hank to wait. Parker trotted over to the bush, and after a few moments he succeeded in pulling the odd sight of the makeshift stretcher with John strapped to it from underneath the bush.

Hank lowered himself further to take in the strange sight, then he looked over to Parker, confused, "Who is that?" Parker emphatically gestured as he spoke, but Hank held up a hand, "Never mind." Hank extended the hand to the ground again, "Come on, I'll get you both back to normal again."

An few minutes later Parker sat on a stool in Hank's lab, watching Hank nervously as he measured out a dose of a liquid Parker had to assume contained his Pym particles, these designed as a growth agent. Hank glanced over at Parker as he did so, "You stole some of my very early work, and could have been killed by it; what if you had grabbed a sample that wasn't complete?"

Parker looked away from the anger in Hank's eyes, because he could see hurt and a sense of betrayal too. "I… we were desperate, and I was fairly sure I wasn't going to get Avenger help on this one."

Hank's tone was furious but controlled, almost as if he stood outside of himself even as he took the microscopic dose over to where John lay on a pedestal that was waist high. "You could have gotten our help if you would have just asked. After the nature of his injuries, getting John into a safer position would have been ease itself."

Parker shook his head, "You wouldn't believe how many snitches we've seen iced despite their fancy 'witness protection' bullshit."

Hank paused and took a deep breath, his anger still apparent, but perhaps lessened. "Well you had the entirety of the Avengers to back you, and you still chose to do something incredibly risky to both of you."

Hank glanced down a moment, and then looked at Parker, the thought on his mind obviously making him even angrier, "Plus you used my tech, making me look incompetent at best, and accomplice at worst."

Parker licked his lips, "Look, if we get caught I swear I'll admit that I stole it from you; I'm sure they aren't going to point fingers at you like that. We knew what the risks were; I just can't stand by while my cousin is put in danger like that."

Hank administered the drink carefully to John with his small syringe device, then stepped back as Parker's cousin resumed his normal size. John groaned as he grew, wobbling and lurching forward from the pedestal. Hank lunged forward and grabbed him, his eyes wide, "I didn't realize John was in such poor shape!"

Parker stood as well, but Hank waved him back, "I think you've done enough. Sit here while I take your cousin somewhere where he can lay down."

Hank began moving to the door and Parker barked at him angrily, "I'm not just going to sit here while you…"

Hank gave Parker a withering stare, "Wait here, because the only person I see who has put this man in danger has been you. Also, if you think that you're leaving this facility with John you are sorely mistaken. You messed up and now you're caught, Parker; just take responsibility for what you've done."

Parker gritted his teeth as he watched Hank turn with John and leave through the sliding door to the lab. After a moment's hesitation he moved over to the door and hit the button to open it, but received only a buzzing sound that indicated the door had been locked.

Parker cursed and kicked over a stool, then sat, considering what this meant for him and John.

Janet spelled out clearly what seeking Hank's aid had meant for Parker and John. Parker sat staring at the floor, furious that Hank had turned them in. Not that Parker hadn't known that coming to Hank would likely mean recapture for John; he had just hoped against reason that they could slip away once restored to their proper height.

Janet was all cold fury, asking the others to leave her and Parker alone to scold him personally, "I can't believe this, Parker! What has gotten into you? Why didn't you just come to us, to me?"

Parker clenched his fists, "He wouldn't have been hurt in the first place if you hadn't insisted on turning him in the first time!" Parker gave Janet an angry glare, "It's your fault that John was hurt like this!"

Janet sighed, sitting on a stool across from him. "I'm sorry your cousin was hurt in prison, Parker; I really am. But breaking him out like this only ensures that he can't get parole."

Parker looked down guiltily, feeling even worse as he thought on how his failed attempt spelled so much harm for John. It seemed everything he attempted to make things right only pushed them more into the wrong. "He's was going to get killed in there; probably still is…"

Janet shook her head at him, "It's a show of your arrogance that you think no one but you can protect your cousin, Parker. I promise you that we will locate John to a new prison and ensure that nothing like this ever happens again."

Parker looked up at her, "But…"

Janet held up a hand, cutting him off. "No buts. We'll tell you where John has been moved on condition that I'll decide later."

Parker gave her an incredulous look, "You're not going to tell me where he's going?"

Janet snapped at him angrily, "You'll be lucky if I can convince the authorities not to press charges on you for assisting a convict to escape."

Parker's mouth snapped shut, but his anger returned and he shouted at her, "You know what I was doing was right; I was only trying to save him!"

Janet frowned, giving him a disappointed look that stung Parker more than her anger. "Do you want to go to jail, Parker?"

Parker's face grew stony, "No."

Janet nodded at him, "Then I'll do what I can to ensure that you go home, but you have to work with me."

Parker only nodded, a frown marking his quiet assent.

"This is bullshit." Parker threw down the shovel he had been digging post holes with. "You're supposed to use a post hole digger for this; you know… it has two handles and two spades and looks kinda like a roundish pair of scissors."

Luke Cage leaned on the completed portion of the fence, "Yeah, well, those cost money, and all we have is shovels, so we just have to dig wider holes. Now pick it up and get back to work."

Parker wiped his brow, clearing the sweat that had accumulated there. "Fuck you. I've played along with this giant sack of shit from the start because

Janet said if I 'proved myself trustworthy' she'd tell me where John went. But it's been two weeks of this community service crap and she hasn't said shit!"

Luke gave him a level look, "The community service isn't for Jan. That would be for the judge that cut you a break and didn't put you in jail. If you wanna seem trustworthy, why don't you finish your days' work?"

Parker clenched his fists in frustration, "This is bullshit; why does a church need a fence anyways? What, is someone gonna steal the pews? And if going along with this bogus crap isn't enough to prove that I'm on the level I don't know what is. I want Briana to be able to visit him soon; she's been asking why she can't see him…"

Luke gave Parker a half-smile, "You could always tell her that's your fault. At least that's easier than telling her why you are in prison, which is a bullet I'm not even sure how you dodged with the stunt you pulled."

Parker's expression grew dark, "My fault? I wouldn't know; how did your family and friends feel when they learned you were in prison? How many people told you that you brought it on yourself, all those things that happened to you in there?"

Luke's expression hardened as he sensed where Parker was going with his line of reasoning, "We're talkin about two different things here, though. I was framed for somethin I didn't do, unless you're saying you didn't break your cousin out of prison?"

Parker waved the notion off dismissively, "You were framed and I was convicted for something that shouldn't be a crime. There is no fucking justice, just people pushing other people around."

Luke straightened, "I hope you don't actually believe that bullshit. Sounds like liberal propaganda; if you wanna shit on the law of the land so much, feel free to go live in the mountains and play your banjo to your heart's content, but here in a community, we all pitch in to try and be fair. The system's not perfect, but it's better than none."

Parker crossed his arms over his chest, "Janet worked to keep me outta jail because she knows that what I did probably saved John either way."

Luke raised an eyebrow at Parker, "How do you figure that?"

Parker gave Luke a smug look, "If John hadn't been pulled outta the cooler like that, then the right people likely wouldn't have noticed what was going on and relocated him. Something had to happen, and even if it wasn't what I intended exactly, at least I succeeded in getting him outta there."

Luke frowned, "That's some piss-poor reasoning; if you had just come to me, I could've had him relocated with a phone call."

Parker's brow furrowed, and he spat at the ground, "You know what? If we're gonna play the 'what if' game, let's just go the distance and say that if

Hank hadn't ratted me out, me and John could've walked and his troubles would've been over."

Luke pointed at Parker, "You're being a dumb-ass. Hank is an Avenger and he did the right thing; your cousin needed medical help, Parker! Would he have to die before you came down off your high horse?"

Parker was furious. The last thing he needed was more lecturing, and having Luke scold him when he should understand frustrated him. "I used to think we were alike, but apparently you've been a straight-laced prick with a stick up your ass the whole time and I just didn't realize it."

Luke frowned, and addressed Parker again when the other man grew quiet, just standing there glaring at Luke. "You going to just hurl names or do you have a point?"

Parker fumed, "You're just like the rest of your fucking Avengers; you think you know what's best for people and you judge them without knowing what the hell you're talking about."

Luke rolled his eyes at Parker, "Look, kid, I've been around the block and I…"

Parker interrupted him, "Like that! You think you know something about living on the streets but I've learned that you didn't actually commit any crimes to wind up in prison. You got there on accident and you use it to make people believe you know what's up. I bet you didn't even deal with much before folks scrambled to release your ass!"

Anger crossed over Luke's face and he moved closer to Parker, "I only see one fool here who doesn't know what he's talking about."

Parker stepped up to Luke, bowing his chest to the bigger man, "What, you gonna hit me because I have your number? I bet you don't have anything in common with those of us on the street past being a thug."

Luke spoke in a dangerous low voice, "No I ain't gonna hit you, son. You're acting like a little boy and I don't hit punk kids like that when they sass me…"

Parker's eyes widened and he snarled at Luke, jumping to the only logical conclusion to what Luke was saying. "Steve told you he spanked me so you're gonna join the homo squad and try your hand, huh?" Parker raised his fists and backed away from Luke, "I'm not getting treated like that again, so back the fuck off."

A look of dumbfounded surprise crossed Luke's face and Parker realized belatedly that the man had not known about the spanking Steve had given him, "What the fuck…?"

Parker backpedaled, "I… uh, Steve beat me up the other day pretty bad, and I just want you to know that I'm gonna fight back…"

Luke gave Parker a half smile and shook his head, "Nah, that's not what you said, and given that we're talkin about Steve here, I can't help but figure you were being literal. So Cap actually whooped your ass?"

Parker flushed red in embarrassment, "No way, you're readin things into it, I was just using a figure of speech!"

Luke pointed over his shoulder as he lifted an eyebrow at Parker, "You want me to ask him? Cause I know Cap isn't gonna lie to me."

Parker's anger flared back up enough to be even with his sudden shame, "Because you don't trust me anymore than Janet does, none of you do, and I'm wasting my time thinking she'll ever tell me where they took my cousin."

Luke held up a hand, "Now hold up, that's not what I…"

Parker made a grand sweeping gesture with his hand, "Well that's fine, cause I've had it with all of you fucking assholes! I'm out of here!"

Parker turned to leave and Luke's brow drew down in annoyance, "Parker, pick up the fucking shovel and finish. You were almost done!"

Parker only made a dismissive wave as he continued to walk away, not even looking back at Luke. So he was caught by surprise when a set of strong hands suddenly seized him from behind and turned him around to face Luke's stern face, "I see why he did it, now; you're acting like a kid throwing a tantrum!"

Parker snarled at Luke, the insult reminding him too much of his shaming encounter with Steve, and he brought a leg up hard to knee Luke in the groin.

Parker's leg slammed into an area that should have been soft but Parker found to his disdain that it was very much not so.

Luke's mouth quirked at the surprised look of pain on Parker's face when the youth realized that he had hurt his knee more than Luke's manhood, "You know I beat punks up for a living, right?" Luke pulled Parker past the fence to the stump of a felled tree, the wide flat surface accommodating both men as

Luke sat and pulled his protégé with him.

Parker knew what Luke was doing before he did it; he wasn't caught off-guard like he had been with Steve. But just as if with Steve, Parker's wild efforts to escape were like striving against a brick wall, and to make it worse Parker was fairly certain that Luke was even stronger than Steve was.

After some frantic kicking that only served to make Parker feel ridiculous, he shouted out at the top of his lungs as Luke settled both of them upon the stump, Parker neatly over his lap. "Let me go you fucking dick! If you wanna fight face me like a man!"

Luke shook his head as he smiled tightly, "Nah, you probably would just break your fist on me; it's safer for you if we settle up this way." Luke studied

Parker a moment, watching the younger man's ragged, angry breaths and flushed face before seeming to make his decision.

Luke reached down and tugged at Parker's already somewhat loose jeans until they revealed his underwear and then his bare buttocks beneath. This elicited a cry of rage from Parker, who kicked and bucked regardless of the fact that he knew he couldn't escape.

Luke brought a powerful hand up then down to smack Parker squarely as the other man watched him, taking care not to hit him too hard but certainly making sure he felt it. Parker hissed a string of expletives at Luke now, calling him every hateful and racist thing he could manage.

Luke almost giggled at his friend's fury, "You gonna pull that card now? You sure you really wanna make me angry?"

Parker gritted his teeth and seemed to take a moment to collect himself despite the pain and the awkward position, "Why you want to treat me like a child, man? I thought we were friends!"

Luke continued to pummel Parker's ass, noting how already it started to turn red under his efforts, which seemed to make Parker twist and gasp in discomfort, "You just tried to write me and everyone else off, remember? And if I'm gonna be your friend, would do for me to teach you to show some respect."

Parker growled at Luke as the barrage continued, wincing against the incredible sting of the swatting even as he struggled to maintain a steady voice against his raging emotions, "You're only doing this because you feel the only way you can make a fucking point is to push me around; which only proves me even more right!"

Luke kept slapping Parker evenly, letting himself establish a rhythm, yet noticing that Parker's frenzied movements only became more so despite the even pace. The accumulating sting of it was obviously getting to him. "You know, I was innocent when I went to prison…"

Parker sneered, "Tell me something I don't know."

Luke frowned, but only responded with more swatting until finally he resumed, "I was in there for a while, but what made it tough for me was that I was full of anger, and I got in fights, kind of like your cousin did."

Parker went quiet, only hissing softly occasionally to the hurtful swats, so Luke went on, "I lucked out in that I didn't get myself killed, but I got close a few times, and when I got on the bad side of some of the guards…"

Luke looked over to see that Parker was watching him, his jaw set against the pain but at least listening, "But that's a story for another time. To get to the point, I got powers and the first thing I started using them for was robbing banks. An innocent man was crippled for life because of me."

Luke took a deep breath and watched as Parker laid his own head down, folding his arms over his head to hide his face. "So I've made bad choices too. Most of us have, Parker, so you can't go thinking that just because you have guilt only you know how to approach it."

Parker lifted his arms to glare, "I don't…"

Luke cut him off with a commanding voice, "Shut the fuck up and just listen. Lean on your friends a little and cut the crap with assuming you know better; you're all of what, twenty? What makes you think you're such hot shit?"

Parker just stared angrily before looking away, not able to meet the conviction in Luke's face. Parker might be stubborn, but something about Luke's no-nonsense personality made him feel stupid for arguing, and he was finally tired of feeling like this.

Seeing that Parker wasn't going to respond Luke continued, "You came to me because you knew you had baggage you couldn't handle on your own. If you want Janet's trust I suggest you give her a little of your own and trust that she'll do right by your cousin."

Luke stopped smacking Parker's backside and leaned forward to look him in the eye, "And you've betrayed trust put in you, or have you forgotten about stealing from Hank? That man has gone through some tough shit because of his inventions getting out of control, and you stole some of his most powerful mojo?"

Parker looked down, feeling guilt now, "I… yeah, that was a douche-bag move. I wasn't gonna let it leak out, though, I was just borrowing it…"

Luke shook his head, "But it could have, and then you would have ruined that man. Have you even apologized yet?" Parker wouldn't meet Luke's gaze. "Why don't you start there for earning some real trust and stop bitching, cause bitching never got anyone anything good."

Parker nodded, feeling foolish to a very high degree to be put in much the same boat with Luke as he had with Steve. He continued to blush in quiet shame as he jaw worked, "Are you going to let me up yet?"

Luke gave him a stern look, "Say please."

Parker gritted his teeth at the request, but he felt like an ass for the things he had said to Luke now, and he figured the other man was taking some petty revenge for the insults. He couldn't blame Luke so he replied with a drawn out, "Please."

Luke smiled and lifted Parker to his feet in one strong motion, allowing the younger man to pull his pants up slowly. Parker leveled Luke with a withering glare but said nothing more, his mouth a tight line of embarrassed anger.

Luke pointed to the shovel on the ground, "Finish what you started."

Parker thought on the last words Luke had spoken to him before the long silence that had fallen over the two as Parker worked to complete his community service project. As he toiled Parker had thought on what Luke had said and taken a moment to think on what he himself had said.

Parker pulled his car into Hank's driveway, seeing that Hank's car was parked out front; evidence that he was probably home. Parker let out a sigh, bracing himself for what was to come. He walked up to the door and pushed the buzzer, wanting to turn around and leave.

The door opened and Hank peered out at him a moment before opening it wider and sweeping his arm into the house, "Hello, Parker. Please, come in."

Parker nodded, frowning at the fact that Hank still treated him with civility even after he had stolen from the man. He stepped into the house and they both sat in the living room, Parker easing onto the seat as Hank brought them both drinks.

Parker stared at his glass of lemonade as he mulled over what he had to say. "I've been a real prick, Hank, and I really came because I wanted to say I'm sorry for using you like I did."

Hank nodded, giving Parker a weak smile as he took a drink from his own glass then sat back onto the opposite couch. "Did you at least mean some of the things you said?"

Parker smiled at the Hank's open vulnerability concerning Parker's opinion of him, and he nodded, "I may not be that interested in super science, but I did mean the things I said about admiring your work in it. You're a genius Hank, and I certainly respect that."

Hank perked up, fairly glowing at Parker's praise. Parker glanced down then raised a tentative eyebrow at Hank, "So… why are you so cool about this? Is this lemonade poisoned or something?"

Hank laughed, "Well, I've had a lot of time to think about what happened, and I know that though you were off the mark, what you did was done with good intention. I heard you had presented yourself to the court and plead guilty, so why should I trample on your second chance?"

Parker stared at Hank for a long moment, "You know, you're alright, Hank."

Hank smiled back, "Tell that to Janet."

Parker did just that, in addition to saying what else he needed to sat to her. Parker ran his hands through his hair, "Janet, I'm also sorry for throwing what happened to John on you. I actually felt responsible for it myself, and I was just blaming you because I was running from my own guilt."

Janet raised an eyebrow at him. They both sat in the 'lounging room' as Tony called it back at the Avengers mansion. This was where Avengers came to relax when they were in uniform but the world wasn't being assaulted by aliens who also dressed up in ridiculous costumes or villains with powerful telekinesis who blew open bank vaults instead of just joining the NBA and becoming both rich and famous.

Janet finally replied, "That's very mature of you, Parker." She smiled, much of the tension leaving the room, "I will admit, I'm a little surprised. The most headstrong of us have the hardest time apologizing. Of course, for future reference, bringing up what a swell guy Hank is isn't leading with the best foot concerning me."

Parker smiled back, "Well what you just said applies to Hank too, and I know that he's not only apologized to you, but…" Parker could see he might be touching on something that was none of his business when Janet looked away, but he forged on; he had come this far, why stop now? "Hank has become humble for you."

Janet's face was impassive but her voice wavered in a way that suggested she hid the extent of her feeling, "Let's not talk about Hank."

Parker nodded, "You know, I feel like I've let you guys down… did you know Steve actually went to see my mom and told her that I was 'an upstanding young man'?"

Janet giggled, "Oh did he now? I hope I wasn't being too intrusive telling Steve about your mother…"

Parker waved her concern off, "You know, at the time I felt so embarrassed, and could only think 'what the hell, Steve is making a fucking mockery of me!'. But now..."

Janet watched him, cocking her head to the side, "Now?"

Parker smiled at her, "Now I realize he was praising me, yeah, but the only reason I had felt ashamed was because I hadn't reached the bar of the person he spoke about, the man I had decided to become but wasn't yet."

Janet leaned forward, twining her hands together in her lap, "And is that still the person you want to be?"

Parker's smile widened, "My daughter deserves for me to be the man Steve spoke of, and I've been telling myself that first I couldn't be that man, and second that I can't rely on others to help me change myself."

Janet leaned back again, "But…?"

Parker went on, "I may not be able to be a Steve; I'm starting to think he's a walking impossibility, but I can try to be the best damn Parker I can, and I know now that I need you guys. Steve draws strength from the rest of you; I just didn't see it at first."

Parker stood and Janet looked askance of him, "Where are you headed?"

Parker smiled, "I'm gonna go draw strength from a few beers and some pool with Clint…. Wanna come?"

Janet had declined his offer to share dirty jokes and beer belches at a local bar, but she had given Parker something before he left; a piece of paper with the address to the new prison John was being kept at. After a few games Parker told Clint about his cousin and Clint offered to go as well, "C'mon, as much as you talk about this guy, he's close to you. I want to meet him."

Parker smiled and nodded, "Alright, but be warned, he's kind of a douche-bag."

The next morning Parker and Clint drove up to see John at his new facility. John sat across from Parker as they were led to the familiar two-way windows to speak. "I was starting to think you were in lock-up somewhere else, cuz."

Parker nodded, "I got lucky. You look much healthier."

John nodded, smiling, "And the food here's better. If I had known this was all it took to transfer, I woulda suggested us trekking through the streets as dangerously small pricks before."

Parker laughed, "Yeah, but next time you carry me, asshole. By the way, this here is Clint; he's good people."

John nodded to Clint, who waved and greeted him warmly. "Let me warn you about Parker, new guy; when we were small the homo curled up on me one night, feeling all up on my junk."

Parker scowled at John, "It was cold you shit-head." Parker quirked a half-smile at Clint, "See, I told you."

Clint laughed, "You guys are a riot. I can see your cousin knows how to push your buttons… hey John, any more pearls of wisdom about Parker? I love watching him squirm like that."

Parker grumbled at Clint, "Well fuck you too, asshole…"

John grinned from ear to ear, leaning forward to speak, "Oh, have I got stories for you!"

Parker covered his face with his hands. He could tell now; you could change who you were, but you could never run from your past…