Spidey Joins the Avengers Chapter 27: Meets the Bartons, an avengers fanfic

"It's a farm," Peter said, staring ahead at the cute little homestead.

"Didn't I bring that up?" Tony replied, pulling his sunglasses off of his face. He squinted a little bit in the sunlight, then promptly put his sunglasses back on.

"It's really hot. Damn, I shouldn't have worn a suit."

"Uh yeah . . . Why did you wear a suit exactly? It's just the Bartons and—"

"Peter, shut up," Tony snapped, glaring at the younger boy.

Peter nodded obediently, his shoulders drooping a little bit. Tony was in a pretty bad mood. It wasn't like Peter was not used to Tony occasionally snapping or scowling at him . . . He didn't really enjoy it. It could be hard to tell with Tony. He was pretty unstable sometimes. He could yell or scream, especially when he started feeling guilty about something. Tony could be slightly irrational, and, just like Vision, sometimes had trouble channeling and flushing out negative emotions. It hurt Peter to see it. After all, this man was the closest thing he had to a father. Uncle Ben was nothing like Tony . . . Uncle Ben was kind, understand, and rarely raised his voice. He dedicated his life to Peter, while Tony did not. Peter wasn't complaining. He really wasn't. And Tony did have good moments, moments where he was comforting. It was just he could be awfully cold also. Tony's feelings would turn on and off like a light switch, and were mostly unpredictable.

Today was a bad day for Tony was being somewhat mean. Peter suspected it was because he was going to see the Bartons, and felt guilty about throwing Clint in jail. Clint deserved it though, right? That's what Tony told him. They walked to the front door, which Tony banged on enthusiastically. A muffled noise could be heard. The door then swung open, revealing a women, holding a toddler. Behind her, were two little kids, their heads poking out from behind her waist. The woman had long brown hair, warm brown eyes, and a large smile.

"Mr Stark? Oh wow! You didn't have to come here. I was just expecting you to call and—"

"Say no more," Tony stated, barging into the house. Laura and her kids backed up a little bit, so Tony could have some space.

Tony took off his sunglasses, and looked around. He gestured to the living room wall, which was gone except for a few vertical beams running from the floor to the ceiling.

"What's that?" Tony demanded.

"Oh, um, Clint was actually in the process of taking down that wall so that the living room and the kitchen would be more open."

"And he didn't finish?"

"No, he went out. He wouldn't tell me where, only that it was for the Avengers. He never came back."

"Ah."

Peter stood behind Tony, his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Oh, you must be Peter!" Laura exclaimed warmly, walking towards the younger man.

She took his hands gently in her's, and gave them a squeeze.

"You must be exhausted. Here, let me get you something to drink. How about some lemonade? Cooper and I made it this morning."

Cooper, the oldest of the Barton kids, beamed in excitement.

"I'd love that," Peter said. He smiled at Cooper, and followed Laura, who was gesturing them into the kitchen. The Barton kitchen was quaint and pretty, something that could have come out of the Southern Living magazine. There was a big table in the middle that Laura sat down at. Peter and Tony followed suit. Cooper ran over the refrigerator, pulling it open. Then, he grabbed a glass pitcher filled to the brim with lemonade.

"Be careful, Coop," Laura called gently as her son wobbled over to the table with the pitcher.

Cooper set it down, then dashed away to get some cups. Once he came back, Laura started pouring some for everyone.

"Thank you," Peter said gratefully.

Tony just took his cup, and took a swig.

"So, Laura, I heard that you called Peter."

"Yes, Mr. Stark. I didn't think you'd fly all the way here though!"

"Hmm, you know me. Go big or go home." He chuckled, and took another sip. "So, Laura, what can I do for you?"

Laura sighed, and picked up her toddler, Nathaniel Pietro, as he came waddling by.

"It's Clint, Mr. Stark. I know that things were really messy when you last saw him. I know he was fighting with Captain America, and that you had to, uh, stop that issue from growing bigger. The last I heard from him was that he was in Germany, where I assume that whole airport thing was."

"That'd be correct."

"After that, I didn't hear a single word . . . Not from him or anyone. I don't know if he's been arrested, or that he's still at large, or that he's dead. I was really hoping you could shed some light on the situation, Mr. Stark. After all, you signed the Accords and worked to bring the Winter Soldier and Captain America in."

Tony sighed, setting his cup down with a thud. He then ran his hand over his head, a frown plastered on his face. Peter could tell he was calculating what he should say. He stayed quiet though, silently praying Tony would be honest. He glanced over to Laura, and his heart sank. There were dark circles under her eyes, ones he had not noticed before. A couple wrinkles were also starting to form, probably from the immeasurable amount of stress this woman was under. In the depths of her warms eyes, Peter could see a great deal of sadness and fear, which she tried to cover for the sake of her kids. Peter's heart broke. And Tony was considering lying to this sweet woman who didn't mean any harm. She just wanted to make sure that the man she loved was safe. She didn't ask Tony to pardon him, or to let him out of jail. She didn't yell or scream. She didn't cry dramatically, or tell him what an asshole he was. Laura Barton was a true warrior, a true woman of character. Maybe she wasn't a super spy like Natasha, but she was good. She had a true heart and soul, something most people could not claim to have. Peter looked back over at Tony, who was now looking down at his lap. "Mr. Stark, are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine . . . Here's the thing, Laura . . ." Tony looked straight at the woman, who was now leaning forward in her seat, eager to hear what he was going to say. "I don't know anything about Clint. In fact, it's not in my jurisdiction. I don't know where he's located, or if he'd even alive. I do my job, okay? I completed my job, which was to stop Captain America. I don't know what happened afterwards."

He leaned back in his seat, satisfied with his statement. Laura trembled in her seat, and Peter could tell she was trying to hold back tears.

"So . . . You don't know where he is? At all? Nothing?"

"Nothing," Tony repeated, his voice shrill and clear.

"Oh," Laura replied, sinking back in her chair.

Peter looked back and forth, a bubble of anger growing bigger and bigger inside of him. How dare Tony? How dare he lie to this woman? She was tired and lonely. She just wanted her husband back.

"Mrs. Barton," Peter said quietly "Clint's alive. I know it."

"No you don't," Tony cut in, glaring at Peter "I have more jurisdiction than you and I don't know. Besides, you don't work for the Avengers. You work for me."

"He's alive," Peter repeated. He looked straight at Laura, who now was officially crying. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Peter," Tony warned.

"It's the truth!"

"How would you know? You weren't even there!"

Peter opened his mouth, then shut it.

"It's just a feeling," Peter finally said "Just a feeling."

"Feelings aren't proof," Tony told him, content that Peter had given up.

"I'm so sorry," Laura said, desperately trying to dry her tears "It's just a little upsetting, that's all."

"I understand," Tony said, grabbing the pitcher and pouring himself more lemonade.

Nathaniel Pietro started to cry, and Cooper and Leah, the little girl, started to look a little upset. They didn't know where their dad was, and for all they knew, they'd never get to see them again. Cooper coughed, and Leah buried her face in her hands. I understand. Peter jumped to his feet. He understood what it was like to be fatherless. He knew what it was like to live on a prayer, unsure of what the future held. He understood the loneliness and the terror. Those poor kids. Peter walked towards them, and for some reason, they ran up to him and wrapped their arms around his waist.

"Hey, hey. It's okay," Peter whispered "It's gonna be okay."

"Peter, could you take Leah and Cooper out for a second?" Tony asked.

Wait, is he going to tell her the truth?

"Sure . . . Come on, guys. Can you show me your rooms?"

The two kids nodded. They walked up the stairs to the second floor, which had a hallway with a few rooms jutting off of it. The first room they went into was Cooper's, a tint and quaint living space with a twin bed, a big window and a dresser. A lamp was on the dresser, and the floor was covered with a blue rug. The rug had a couple of action figures scattered across it. In the corner of the room was a guitar that was sitting on a guitar stand.

"Aw wow! Do you play the guitar?" Peter asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"No, it's Daddy's old guitar. He said he'd teach me when he came back, but he never did."

"Oh . . . Do you miss him?" Both Cooper and Leah nodded vigorously.

"Where do you think he is?"

"Dead," Leah said flatly.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because he would have come back by now."

Everything inside of Peter wanted to tell Leah and Cooper that their father was alive . . . He was just . . . contained.

"You have to have faith," Peter finally told them "That's he's alive and well."

"Mr. Stark said you didn't know what you were talking about." "

Ah, he did say that, did he? Well . . ." Peter sat down on the rug and gestured for them to sit next to him "I have a way of figuring things out. Wanna know how?"

"Yes," Cooper said eagerly, scooting closer to Peter.

"Can you keep a secret?"

Both of them nodded.

"I know because I was there."

"You were?" Leah gasped.

"Yeah. I was because I am—" He leaned over and whispered into Cooper and then Leah's ear.

"Really?" Cooper said, his eyes wide with awe. "You're Spider—"

"Shhh. You can't tell anyone, okay? It's our little secret."

Both of the kids nodded eagerly.

"Good."

"Peter?" Leah asked timidly.

"Yes?"

"Do you play the guitar?"

Peter laughed.

"A little bit. I picked it up to impress a girl."

"Did it work?"

"Well, in a way."

"Could you play something for us?"

Peter laughed again.

"I could try. What do you want me to play?"

"Can you sing Dad's lullaby song?"

"What's your Dad's lullaby song?" "I don't know what it's called," Leah said slowly "But it's about a Dragon who lived in a faraway land with her friend Jackie Paper."

"Oh, Puff the Magic Dragon?"

"Yes!" Both of the kids exclaimed. "I think I could play that one."

Peter got up, grabbed the guitar, and then sat next to the kids again. He started strumming on the guitar, trying to find the right chords. Finally, finding the right chord, Peter started playing.

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist
in a land called Honnah Lee
Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff
And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff, oh!

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist
in a land called Honnah Lee
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist
in a land called Honnah Lee

Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail
Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came
Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name, oh!

A dragon lives forever but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys
One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his life-long friend, Puff could not be brave
So Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave, oh!

Peter knew he was the worst singer in the entire world, but hearing Leah and Cooper sing along with him encouraged him to sing louder. They laughed and giggled when they sang about the adventures of Puff the magic dragon.

A small feeling of contentment washed over Peter. He felt terrible over Tony's lies, but he was thrilled he could make these two kids smile. He was glad he could make them feel important and loved, especially in such a terrible time for them.

The played upstairs for maybe thirty minutes after he sang the song. Peter loved every second of it. To be honest, he didn't have much experience with little kids. He never had any siblings or cousins, and his friends didn't have any either. However, the Barton kids made him realize how sincere and sweet children could be. They were not held in by "social norms;" they spoke their minds, and didn't take and bullshit.

Tony called Peter down, and after saying their goodbyes to Laura and the kids, they walked outside to leave. After jumping in their car, Tony pressed down on the gas, and speed off into the distance. They rode in silence for at least an hour, but finally Peter decided to talk.

"Why'd you lie, Tony?"

"Hmm?"

"You know what I said. Why'd you lie?"

Tony sighed, and kept his eyes on the road ahead.

"I did what I had to do."

"You could have told her!"

"Peter, that's confidential information."

The fact he's in prison?"

"YES!"

"You still could have told her that he was alive at least!"

"Peter—"

"This is screwed up!"

"I—"

"The government hasn't reached out to her? They haven't given her so much as an explanation? That's screwed up! It's messed up! It's not right!"

At this point, Peter was now florid with anger. He clinched his fists, and closed his eyes tightly. He tried to channel his anger somewhere. He didn't want to hurt Tony or scream.

Those kids though . . .

"You should be ashamed," he finally said, slowly and cautiously.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it."

They rode in silence again.

"I promised to take care of her," Tony finally said.

Peter didn't respond.

"I told her I'd pay for her to have whatever she needed. Food, help, anything."

"You didn't do that because you felt like being kind. You did that because you felt guilty."

He shifted in his seat so that his back would be towards Tony. A deep sigh escaped his lips. His eyes started to blink, a strange feeling of tiredness settling inside of him. Peter fought it for a little bit, but realizing their drive would be a couple more hours, he decided to sleep. As he left consciousness, he sighed again. He felt slightly more relaxed, and at peace.

Peace.

He doubted he'd have much of that in the future.

Hey Everyone! Thanks for reading this chapter! I promised there would be another one coming out soon! As you might guess, there was a little conflict and I'm actually going to be building on it in upcoming chapters. I want Peter to be more than Tony's puppy dog in this story . . . You catch my drift?

Thanks for reading!

Much Love,'

gotmoreissuesthanvogue