Chapter Text
The teen blinks slowly, wide eyed in disbelief.
“H…huh?”, Peter gurgles out through a mouthful of water, having been chugging a bottle to cool down from having to deal with a high school temporarily without air conditioning. He swallows quickly so he could ask questions, especially since his parents didn’t respond to his baffled reaction.
“Hello? This …this is some kind of prank isn’t it?”, he looks between the two, “Wait, no…uh? This has to be a trick? I thought I was stuck on that stupid training wheels’ program until I turned 18?”
Steve, the gentler of the two parents, clears his throat, “Well, we both decided that it would be in your best interest to have access to your suit’s full capabilities if we’re going to let you become a full-fledged Avenger. To be honest, as much as I hate to admit it…you’re growing up and you have so much potential. The beginners program isn’t going to cut it anymore.”
Tony looks up for the first time since the conversation started. “It was your dad’s idea, I’m completely against it. But hey-”, he pinches the bridge of his nose, still having a hard time letting Steve have his way. “-if he thinks it’s worth the trouble then I can only prepare for damage control.”
“Damage control?!” the boy exclaims, instantly offended.
“Peter…that’s not what he meant.”, Steve says in an attempt to diffuse the situation before it starts. The two always butt heads, end up arguing and go days on end giving each other the silent treatment. Tony goes back to reading a robotics report on his tablet, in a motion to dismiss his son’s outburst. The teen glares at his father at the opposite end of the table while picking up his backpack from the ground, slinging it over his shoulder and proceeding to march up the stairs to his room, slamming the door behind him.
Steve winces at the noise and sighs, walking around the table and placing his hands on his husband’s shoulders. “You didn’t have to say that. You know that Peter already thinks that we, mainly you, don’t take him seriously because he’s young.”
Tony scoffs, “A kid should get treated like a kid, and that childish display just now? Further proves my point. Getting temperamental because I said something that was true? Sure, he has potential but he operates like a rookie, has no sense of danger and leaves one hell of a mess for me to clean up. They should call him Spiderboy, not Spiderman.”
The blonde, squeezes the man’s shoulders tight, hard enough to feel him wince beneath his grip. “That’s enough. Give him one week to show you he’s capable of being on the team. Once he does, I expect you to shut up about it.” He releases his hold and leaves the dining room for the kitchen, taking Tony’s silence as agreement.
--
Peter sinks into the dark blue beam bag chair, cursing under his breath, clenching and unclenching his fists.
What does he know anyway? I’m always busting up bad guys and stuff. Being a superhero is a piece of cake…but I’ll never be as good as the Avengers if I’m not given the chance I mean, my freaking parents are Captain America and Iron Man for Christ’s sake! I’m basically born to be a superhero! …Or not.
He sighs once. Twice. Three times before suddenly jumping up, shrugging off his clothes and climbing into his suit. Once fully dressed, he grabs his backpack and takes off, climbing out from his bedroom. Shooting webs from each wrist, swinging first on the poles of the streetlights then to other buildings once he reaches them. He glances back at the obnoxious home that screams ‘Stark’, rolling his eyes. Its isolated from the other homes, lavish and modern. Not complaining, he’s grateful to have such a nice home and life for the most part but; it causes trouble for him at school. However, the bullying isn't the worst of his problems. It’s the intense looks he’s starting to get lately. Those alpha bully bastards haven’t been on his case lately and have substituted punches for staring which make him much more uncomfortable for some reason. Those stares make a storm of uneasiness brew in his belly which results in an overwhelming wave of nausea and fear. He didn’t think of telling his parents; he knew it would be a waste of time, plus you can’t do anything about staring in the first place. It’s probably nothing.
He’s lost in thought, swinging through the city mindlessly; its muscle memory by now. He propels himself into the air after achieving a decent speed, landing to perch on the corner of an apartment building. Reaching inside his backpack, he pulls out a half finished lab report.
“Damn.” He curses to no one in particular, maybe at the universe, or the city for having so much crime. The report was due yesterday but he didn’t have enough time because he got caught up stopping a bank robbery the night before. The frustrated teen takes out a pen to continue his work when he hears a loud crash come from the alleyway. Whipping his head around, the eyes of his upgraded suit narrow to focus in on a figure sporting red and black; rapidly smashing someone’s head against a dumpster.
“Stop!” he yells, springing into action by a web and kicking the man in the side, sending him flying a few feet, and lands on his feet before him, first crouched then coming to stand up straight.
“Uhgh…”, the other groans. The man is muscular and clad in leather, somewhat similar to the spider suit but not. A lot more dangerous looking or maybe it’s because the man is strapped with guns and a katana at his back. “Hey..”, the guy starts as he sits up with a bit of a jolt, “What a hell of kick! You’re that friendly neighborhood spider!”
Peter cocks his head to the side, “Uh, yeah? Listen, I’m not in the mood so give yourself up quietly.”
“Give myself up? Ooh, I hope you don’t mean…give up my goodies?!” the man exclaims in an innocent tone which makes peter cringe slightly.
“What a weird guy…”, Peter mumbles and immediately webs the guy back to the ground. His entire body entombed in a webbed cover. “It’ll dissolve in 2 hours but I’ll have the police come pick you up in 20.”
“Okie dokie!”, the man replies cheerily.
Peter inspects the man in the web with his suit’s system facial recognition database. No results.
No good huh? Oh well, he’ll be in the system after tonight. I have to get that other guy to the hospital. And I thought I could finally get some homework done.
Spiderman sighs for a fourth time that day.