Disclaimer: I don't own anything, characters belong to Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios.

Here Something Really Could Happen

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Chapter 5

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"Climbing over the walls of this city

Crying for company with you here with me

My back is turned

Will I ever learn?

Here something really could happen."

Peter's POV

The next day, I brought Wanda to Midtown with me, unsure if it was the best idea. I had to ask Ned for help. Fortunately Wanda looked like a younger student like us, so she shouldn't attract any wary eyes. I wasn't too worried about growing suspicions because the authorities or whoever is looking for her wouldn't think to search inside a high school, right?

I spotted Ned by our lockers. He was ready to head to class, and we waved at each other. When he saw Wanda behind me, he was surprised, though I texted him last night about this, I gave him little context, so I guess it wasn't too shocking. Now he was the one who couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Wait, is- is that?"

"Yes, Ned. will explain later, but please, you gotta keep this a secret."

"Okay okay, I will," Ned said, looking back at me again. "She is so pretty."

I turned and saw her. He was right. As she wandered away from us and took in her surroundings, looking at the school year mural on the hallway, she was in awe, as if she had never been to a high school before, as if she was at a museum. The sunlight reflected beautifully over her hair. Then, I remembered last night when we said our goodnights, how close we were.

"Alright, back to the point. I need you to cover for me."

"You're missing class?"

"Only for today. Wanda is being followed. I'm just helping her out until everything cools down. That's why I need you to fix this phone so she can call Steve."

"Steve? As in the Captain America!?"

I shushed him again. "Yes! That Steve." I sighed in frustration. At this point, Ned just knew everything about my double life. But I knew I could trust him. He was my best friend and my guy in the chair after all. "You think you could it?"

"Yeah I think so." He eyed the phone, not questioning its kind.

"And remember, if anyone asks, she is my cousin."

Wanda was now with us again, walking shyly.

"This is Ned, my best friend." I introduced them.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Ned said as he laughed nervously and shook her hand.

She smiled widely at him. Ned kept holding her hand in for too long now.

"Alright, we gotta go." I coughed. "Ned, we'll be dropping by later for the thing."

I hoped Coach Wilson wouldn't see us sneaking out, or I would be in trouble again.

Wanda's POV

Visiting Peter's school was going to be the last place on my bucket list to check out in New York. He was kind enough to let me stay on his home, taking me with his friend and helping me. I never had a lot of friends who were around my age, or do something for me. I grew up surrounded by war and destruction.

I didn't know how could I thank Peter enough for this. It warmed up my heart to have a friend like him.

For once in a long time, I felt at peace with him, and one part of me really wanted to trust him.

"Your friend is cute." I teased, as we walked around side by side as turned into a street.

"Who, Ned? Yeah, I mean, he is. I think." Peter laughed. I would never get tired of how the blush would run into his cheeks.

I smiled slightly as I watched the disappointment on the boys' faces when I mentioned someone else was good looking. It reminded me of a time when I was twelve years old and had a crush on an older guy who brought us food at the orphanage. Pietro didn't like it at all, but I only did it to tease him. He was always so overprotective and jealous.

"Heh, well yeah, Ned and I have been best friends for a long time. I wouldn't know what I'd do without him," Peter said as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "Uh... are you hungry? I have an idea. There was this Dominican lady that I helped the other day, and she bought me a churro a couple of blocks away. We can go get one while we're out here if you'd like."

"I've never had one. But I'd love to." I replied.

"Really? You need to try them, they're like, the most delicious thing!" Peter exclaimed.

Despite my wariness of being in public, knowing that people were still after me, I felt safe next to Peter. Or maybe it was just a coincidence that we had run into each other. I had conflicting thoughts about whether I should hide away and leave the city to never return or keep moving and surviving. However, there was something about Peter that made me feel safe.

I loved the way he greeted everyone he knew as if they were his family, and how close he was to his aunt. He was always cheerful, with a glimmer in his eyes. While I didn't know much about Spider-Man, I remembered the night we first met when he tried to save me without knowing who I was. That was when I realized that Peter and Spider-Man weren't too different. He was selfless and kind, which was why he was helping me. How could I say no to that face?

After finishing our snack and exploring a new part of the city, we swung and climbed to the Brooklyn Bridge, which Peter claimed was one of his favorite spots. The day had been chilly, but it was nothing compared to the chill that ran through my body as Peter helped me climb up to the top of the bridge. I wasn't sure if I was afraid of heights or if it was just the proximity of his body to mine that made me feel uneasy.

"Amazing, isn't it? I never get tired of this." Peter said as we sat on the edge of the bridge, overlooking the beautiful city and river.

"It's stunning," I replied, crossing my arms to keep myself warm. The sky was in a beautiful set of hues of pinks and oranges, and the sun was almost dettim

"Best thing about being Spider-Man? I can climb up wherever I want and get any view of the city. For free!"

I chuckled. "So, did you make your own suit?"

Peter lifted his sleeve to reveal a gadget around his wrist. "The colors were my idea, but Mr. Stark helped with some tech upgrades. The webs are my own formula," he explained. "It can resist a lot of weight and can dissolve in two hours. You press it and thwip!" He shot a web into the air, demonstrating its capabilities.

"How'd you get your powers?" I wondered.

Peter's expression grew serious, and I knew I had touched on a sensitive topic. "It's not a memory I'm fond of," he admitted. "I accidentally got bitten by a radioactive spider, during a school trip to this lab, Horizon. Then the symptoms began. It's like when you hit puberty, you know? I know, it's not a great analogy. My body went through all these crazy changes."

I couldn't imagine what it would be like to suddenly gain superpowers, but Peter seemed to handle it well. He was stronger than most of the Avengers, remembering how he dodged this truck I had thrown at him with ease. I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and admiration for him.

I never imagined science could go so far as to modify someone's DNA with spider venom. Could I also have a strong capacity for mutation like Peter? Strucker was a horrible man who experimented with innocent people using the alien scepter, but it was my choice to be a volunteer. A choice that would forever haunt me. Pietro and I were the only survivors, and Strucker claimed it was no accident. Now I think I know why. If that spider had bitten someone else, would they have survived? Was it also destiny, as Strucker called it?

I didn't want to pry into Peter's life, but I could see the tragedy in his eyes. He had lost so much at such a young age. Then it was the first time I could feel him again. The feeling of loss. I knew it all too well. "My parents passed away when I was very young. May and Ben raised me instead. But Ben, he..." He trailed off, and I could tell it was hard for him to talk about it.

"I'm really sorry, Peter. You don't have to talk about it." I offered but he continued.

"It's just part of life. May is all I have, that's why I need to protect her now. No one can know about my identity," he explained.

He reminded me of myself, going through loss alone. But he was also fortunate enough to have been chosen by Stark to follow in his footsteps, almost like a father figure. "You and Stark. Are you related?" I asked curiously.

"Not at all," he laughed. "He kind of discovered who I was through a Youtube video and made me an offer to go to Germany. It was crazy."

Germany had seemed like another adventure to him, and he was lucky to be free right now. "You two seem close," I noted.

"Yeah, I think," he replied.

"Is he okay with... all of this?" I asked, referring to my situation.

"Well, I can make my own choices. He can't tell me what to do."

I didn't respond after that. Part of me wanted to believe him, but I knew Stark's determination. He had taken Peter in, after all. Not that I would ever come to have a very close relationship with Stark, especially when he only saw me as a threat and wanted me locked down. It was understandable. But then I remembered he was somehow responsible for my own parents' death, even if Steve helped me get over it and forgive. I didn't agree with his ideals when he created Ultron.

At least Peter was normal. He wasn't dangerous or wrongly influenced by it. He was just a kid, unlike me. Another part of me wanted to trust him. Tony Stark would lock me down in a heartbeat, but Peter wasn't Tony Stark. He expected to be like him, in some way. He was here, not expecting anything in return, just being kind.

"You don't trust him, do you?" Peter said, as if he could sense the conflict between us.

Of course, I didn't trust him. "He isn't bad, you know?" he said, trying to defend Stark.

"You don't know that," I replied, still unsure.

"I do. I know him," he said with assurance.

"He imprisoned me and his own colleagues. But maybe that might not mean anything to you. You're not a criminal," I pointed out.

He didn't say anything, but I could see he was thinking about it. We were practically on different sides, and yet Peter was helping me, and I still didn't know why. I came into his house uninvited and forced him to help me.

"I've killed people. I'm a monster," I said, my voice heavy with regret. If that's what I was seen as in the news, then so be it. If Peter wasn't going to face the truth, it was on him.

"I don't see you as that, Wanda." Peter replied softly, reaching out to touch my hand.

I put my hand away. Peter would never understand. He was a normal kid, with a normal life, friends, and people to take care of. He wasn't a freak like me. Tony Stark had messed him up with his tech, but at least he still had a chance at a normal life. I was danger to those around me. This was the choice I had to live with.

Were my powers a curse? Was I meant to be miserable forever?

"I am. You have no idea about the terrible things I've done. You should be scared of me."

"I'm not. You're not a monster to me, Wanda. I trust you."

How? How could he say these things? When we were only getting to know each other for only a day?

"Sometimes bad things happen, you know?" Peter said with a shrug. "But we can still live to make a change. Look, we may haven't started off in the best of terms. So how about we start over again? Hey, I'm Peter." He said as he offered his hand at me again.

I stared at him, feeling a flicker of hope ignite within me. Maybe, just maybe, I could have a friend in Peter. Someone who saw me as more than just a weapon, and realized maybe I could have more than an ally.

I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what she was about to say. I began to tell him about my life, and the things I had done. I expected him to recoil in horror, to turn away from me, but he didn't. Instead, he listened, his eyes full of compassion and understanding. And in that moment, I knew that I had found something she never thought was possible: a true friend.

As we walked away, I felt lighter than I had in years. I still had a long way to go, still had to make amends for my past sins. For a long time, I felt like there was hope for the future again.

Peter's POV

It was getting dark soon and I had spent the entire day with Wanda, showing her around some of the city's sights and making sure that no one followed us on the way back to the school. But on our way back, Wanda and I fell into a silence that I wanted to break. I really wanted to get to know her better, and I was glad that she had opened up to me earlier, but now she seemed to have retreated back into her shell again. Maybe the churro was too much for her?

I didn't know much about dates, but technically it wasn't one anyway. I had never gone out with any girl before, but Wanda was different - a little shy, but accepting. But it was more than that. Wanda was broken, and her situation was more complicated than I initially realized. I knew that the whole situation with the Accords had affected her deeply. But spending the day with her had given me a glimpse of the person she was beyond that. She was strong, determined, and kind. I wanted to help her in any way I could. For now, my last moments with her were coming to an end, and it was warming to know her and spend time together even for a little while. We made it back to school, and Ned was already waiting for us.

We had made a deal and now it was time to say goodbye.

Only I wish it didn't end so soon.

But then my own phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. I had an incoming call from Tony, and my heart sank. Every time he called, it was stressful. He rarely called me, except on special occasions, and I wondered what he wanted now.

I accepted the call while I walked a few steps away from Ned and Wanda. "Hey, Mr. Stark," I responded, trying to sound nonchalant. But my nerves were on edge.

"Hey, kid. Hope I'm not interrupting anything. Just calling to check on you," Tony said. His tone was casual, but I knew better than to let my guard down around him.

"Oh, well, I'm doing fine. Do you need anything, sir?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Nothing new. Actually, yes. What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tony's tone suddenly became serious, and I felt my stomach drop.

Shit. Had he known about this all the time? No, no. How the hell did he find out? I made Wanda a promise. Of course, he practically had satellites all over the planet, so even if my tracker on my suit was turned off, he could likely see everything I did. Did he know? How the hell did he find out!?

I braced myself for the lecture I knew was coming. "Mr. Stark, I- I can explain-"

"I'm messing with you. Give yourself a break, kid. Don't get stressed. I was just calling to say Happy is going to drop off some gadgets by your place - some old stuff you might find useful."

"Oh, um, that's very kind, Mr. Stark. Thank you?" I said, confused but relieved that he wasn't angry.

"Anyway, that was all. You better not be onto something. But you know I don't actually mean it. I'll always send Happy to check on you. Call him if you need anything. Ciao, kid." Tony hung up, leaving me feeling both grateful and uneasy.

But then I came back to reality again. As I hung up, I was startled by Wanda throwing my phone out of my hand. "What the hell?" I said, taken aback by her sudden outburst.

"You're unbelievable," she said, her voice angry and frustrated. "You said you wouldn't tell Stark anything. Why did you lie to me?"

"It's true!" I said, bewildered.

"Why did you lie to me?" She continued, looking very pissed. Had she thought I told him everything?

"No! I didn't! It's not like that! Wait, were you eavesdropping?" I asked, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Uh, guys?" Ned tried to intervene, but we both ignored him. I felt a pang of guilt and worry that Wanda thought I had betrayed her trust. I had promised her that I wouldn't tell anyone, and I meant it. But now she seemed to think that I had gone back on my word.

As our argument escalated, I was suddenly distracted by the sound of SWAT team members approaching. "Guys! Who the hell are them!?" Ned warned a spoke a little too loud, but neither Wanda nor I heard him. The next thing I knew, a group of SWAT officers had spotted us and were headed in our direction.

No, no. This wasn't good. I cursed under my breath. They had found us. "Run!" I yelled to Wanda and Ned, and the three of us scattered, looking for a place to hide.

And then hell rained.

[A/N]: Some grammar in the last chapters were revised and improved.

Hope you enjoy!