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Being a Stark [Superfamily]

Chapter 24

“Aaaaaaand score!”

Multiple groans come up in the room.

“That’s not fair; you’re cheating!” Yaël shouts, pointing her empty laser gun towards Vision, who is just smirking at everybody. Peter stays on the side, still a bit breathless from all the running around.

“Everybody here is using their power to win. I cannot really help it that I am the best,” Vision states, still grinning widely and, in just a millisecond he aims again, shooting another accurate shot to Yaël’s chest. The girl grunts and groans in frustration.

“Next time you’re not allowed to play,” she shouts back to him. The four of them then throw their guns on the ground as an indication that the game is officially over. With a nod to the left, Wanda indicates that they should get back to the living room. Peter agrees, following her out of the hallway.

“Have you heard from Stark?” Wanda asks the moment Peter catches up with her.

“Yeah, he, uh… I don’t know, he doesn’t seem to be doing so well,” Peter admits, thinking back of the last phone-call he’d just gotten only a few hours earlier. The way Tony looked… it seemed like he was about to lose it again, and Peter didn’t like it a single bit.

“How could you tell?”

Peter shrugs. He can’t really explain; it’s been like this since the funeral. Tony and Steve just… don’t seem to speak to each other anymore. Whatever happened, it almost feels like they’re getting close to just end it between them. Peter really thinks that’s the worst thing that could happen, given how different Tony has been with Steve around…

The moment the four of them sit down on the couch, with the remote to the tv in Yaël’s hands, everybody seems to be taking a moment to breathe. In the past few days, not much has happened inside of the compound. Yesterday, they’ve been swimming and played a large game of hide and seek. The day before that, they had a Tolkien-marathon with literally no break at all. They’ve been keeping themselves busy with fun activities to forget for a while that Wanda’s practically under house-arrest.

“So, uh, these accords. I heard you signed them, Vision?” Peter asks. Vision doesn’t move, keeping his eyes on the screen.

“Yes, it was the logical thing to do,” he responds. Then he turns his head, and shares another deep look with Wanda, something they’ve been doing for a while now. It freaks Peter out a little bit; what is happening between these two?

“How’s your view on them?” Wanda asks curiously, though Peter can sense the tension in her voice.

“Uh,” Peter gets out. He did his research on the accords the moment Tony left, and he can understand why they would be necessary, given the accidents that have been happening in the past. But he knows Wanda doesn’t share that view. That’s why things have been so tense between her and Vision.

“These accords suck, is what they do,” Yaël mutters out bitterly.

“You don’t agree with them?” Vision asks, surprised. Yaël shrugs.

“I can understand why they’re here, but I think it would have been better if they hadn’t been made. There’s so much shit going on now, and we can’t even help out…”

“Wouldn’t you be a victim of them as well?” Wanda questions. Yaël shrugs.

“It’s not like I’m on the field, anyway… The only reason I wouldn’t sign is because Steve isn’t.”

As if, you wouldn’t sign because Tony did, Peter thinks bitterly to himself, but he doesn’t say it out loud. He doesn’t need another fight with her so soon after resolving the last one.

“You shouldn’t make a decision based on what others do,” Vision says, obviously not really approving of it.

“Look, it’s not like I’m part of the team anyway. I don’t have to sign anything. As far as these people are concerned, I don’t even exist.”

“And we’re both here illegally,” Wanda mutters out. Nobody responds to that, instead starting up the first Harry Potter movie.

But Peter can’t focus on the movie at all. All he can think about is Berlin, and what must be happening there. FRIDAY has been trying to keep him up to date, but nothing of what she tells him is giving him any confidence in what is happening.

The team is falling apart. Barnes has escaped, and Steve and Sam have disappeared along with him. Tony is there with Nat, trying to burn out their fires, while Rhodey is out in the sky in search of the three fugitives.

Damn… fugitives. How is it that they’ve come to this? Only two weeks ago, the three of them had been at the tower, Steve reading a book, Tony on his tablet, with Peter lying in between them, his head on Tony’s lap and his legs over Steve’s thighs. Working on his own stuff on his tablet, the three had spent their evening like this.

And here they are now; feeling like they’re just worlds apart.

Peter can’t stay here… not tonight at least. It feels like staying here is going to drive him nuts. So without warning, he stands up again.

“I’m, uh, I’m heading home,” he says.

“Oh, is there something wrong?” Yaël asks with a frown. Peter shakes his head.

“No, no I’m fine. It’s all just… Aunt May asked me to be home tonight,” he lies easily. It wouldn’t be fair to Wanda to say that it’s just driving him crazy to stay here when she can’t get out at all. They don’t need to know he’s going to spend his evening doing what he feels is the right thing to do; being Spider-Man.

For the past few days, he’s been on quite a roll. Now using the self-defense techniques Nat taught him, he finds that the hits he’s been getting are becoming less often. He moves more efficiently, ends up with less holes in his suit, and finds himself chasing crime after crime. Even now, he’s on a streak, stopping one crime after the other without taking a break. Yesterday he did ten in a row. Today, he’s already close to eight, and it’s not even ten in the evening. He’ll probably break his own record again.

“Hey Spider-Man,” suddenly comes out from a rooftop he only just passed. It’s only because of his enhanced hearing that he even heard it in the first place. Peter stops in his tracks, swinging himself back to the source of the voice.

“Hello?” he asks, seeing a dark figure standing there in the shadows. When he touches down on the roof, the figure takes a few steps forward, coming out of the dark. Peter’s heart skips a beat when he sees who it is, but he does his best to keep his happiness to himself.

“I’ve been searching for you, kind of been stalking you with my AI because you’re kind of hard to find.”

“Da- uh… Mr. Stark? I haven’t seen you in a while,” Peter says quickly, hating the fact that he’s back to ‘mr. Stark’ right now.

“Yeah, been busy,” Tony says, leaning against the wall. Peter frowns when he sees the massive black eye he’s sporting. Holy crap, he’s been busy, indeed!

“How did that happen?” Peter asks, pointing towards the bruise. Tony touches his eye for a second before pulling away.

“Ah, you know, brainwashed Russian assassins with metal arms,” he shrugs, like it’s not that big of a deal. There’s so much more Peter wants to ask; Is Steve okay? Are they okay? Why hasn’t Peter heard of him in such a long time? Why, why, why?

But he keeps it all in.

“You know, I find it funny that I found you in Queens; by the way, it’s where FRIDAY found you on the camera’s the most frequently.”

“Why is it funny?” Peter asks. Tony smirks at him.

“Because I have a son who lives here, with his Aunt,” Tony says, looking a bit sad despite his smile. “I hoped I could see him tonight before I had to leave again, but he wasn’t home.”

“That’s too bad,” Peter returns, then remembering that he’s supposed to be shocked about that bit of revelation. “Wait, uh, you have a son?!”

Oh, that doesn’t sound convincing at all. Peter’s a horrible actor.

“Yeah, about your age, same height? I don’t know if you ever saw him before,” Tony says. “But I’m not really here to talk about him. I’ve got a proposition for you.”

“You do, huh?” Peter asks, crossing his arms. Tony smirks a bit at him, but his eyes look hollow. “Tell me about it, then?”

“That suit; you made it yourself, right?”

Peter looks down at the suit, thinking back of how he’s been postponing on making a new one. It’s falling apart, being sewn together too often and now ripping almost constantly. Now it looks fine, but he knows he’s got a rip on the back that he hasn’t gotten around to fixing, yet.

“Uh, yeah, uh, I did,” Peter answers. “It needs some work, but it’s been with me since the beginning.”

“It’s a onesie,” Tony states, and Peter’s face flushes. He’s glad Tony can’t see it.

“It’s not!” he counters immediately. Tony just smirks and grabs Peter’s arm to take a good look at the web-shooters. Peter just hopes he doesn’t recognize the design from what Peter showed him at the interview. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“You designed all of this yourself, didn’t you?” Tony asks, walking towards the web against the wall and pulling on it. He smiles when he sees it won’t come off. “How did you do it? You messed around and accidentally got to it?”

“Uh, no, I designed it specifically?” Peter measures his answers carefully. Tony really doesn’t need to know that both Peter Parker and Spider-Man are kind of good at this stuff. He doesn’t need the connection.

“And what do you get out of this? Saving people?”

“Wha-? How couldn’t I, though?”

Tony stays quiet, raising an eyebrow towards him. Peter tries not to flinch when he once again looks at the bruise on his eye.

“I’ve got a power, something I didn’t ask for, but got anyway. And I can use this power for good, to help people.”

Tony leans against he wall as he listens. Peter keeps on talking.

“If I wouldn’t use my powers, and people would end up hurt… what would that make of me?”

Tony then nods. “So you’re looking out for the little guy?” he asks. Peter frowns.

“What little guy?” he asks, but then he understands. He means the victims, the people that get to be in these crime-scenes and can’t do anything to protect themselves. “I mean, yeah?”

“Do you have people who know who you really are?” he asks, pushing the right button that lets out a web, and seeing it fly towards the wall. He lets out a small laugh.

“I, uh, I do?” Peter calls out, uncertainly, thinking back of his friends currently stuck in the Compound.

“You got a passport?” Tony continues. Peter frowns, thinking back of the passport Tony had gotten him and Aunt May to prepare for their holiday in a few weeks.

“Y-yes?”

“Ever been to Germany?”

Oh crap, what is this about, now? Tony has been in Berlin for the past few days… if he needs help… does that mean he’s in trouble?

“No?” he asks more than he states.

“Oh, you’ll love it,” Tony quickly assures him, pulling away from the wall and picking out his cellphone.

“I can’t go to Germany!” Peter quickly counters, though he knows he wants to. Only, as Peter Parker, rather than Spider-Man. He loves being Spider-Man, but not around Tony, because that means he has to hold himself back.

“Why?” Tony asks.

“Because… I got… homework,” Peter lies. Tony rolls his eyes.

“It’s summer break,” the engineer states, and Peter realizes his mistake immediately.

“Okay, I don’t have homework, but… I can’t just… leave?”

Yes, he can. He just has to tell Aunt May that he is going to Berlin to see his dad, and that’s that. But it would be risky. She might ask Tony how Peter’s doing, they might realize that Peter isn’t there. He could get in trouble.

Or he could tell Aunt May that he’s staying over at the compound for a few nights to spend with his friends. That could be believable?

“Kid, I don’t really want to ask this, but I need your help, here.”

And that should be enough to convince Peter. Because Tony Stark asking for help? That is a wonder on its own.

“Okay, I’ll come,” he says.

And after that making his arrangements, Peter leaves the country in Tony’s private plane, passport at the ready and suit safely tucked away in his bag. After having checked in at the airport, having taken all his documents through the official channels, he quickly hurries back into his suit before entering the plane. It’s how he agreed to do it with Tony, since they’re both all about keeping his identity – okay, no, Peter wanted to uphold it. Of course, Tony wouldn’t have minded to know who he really is.

But as soon as he sits down on his seat in the plane, before Tony can even speak, his phone goes off. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Could it be possible that Tony has ever heard his ringtone before? Peter hopes not.

“Oh, uh, I’m sorry Mr. Stark. I’ll take that,” Peter excuses himself quickly, fishing his phone out of his bag and hurriedly. The man in front of him just looks at him in amusement. Seeing whose name is on the screen, he feels a sense of dread going through him. Adding another ‘sorry’ to his list of apologies, he presses on the ‘answer’ button, and holds the device to his ear. “Yeah?”

“Peter? Are you alright?” Yaël’s worried voice asks. Peter clears his throat, feeling suddenly extremely hot in here. Why is Tony looking at him with that smile on his face? Is he on to him?

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. What’s up?”

“Wanda’s gone,” Yaël says, and Peter’s mouth falls open.

“What do you mean, she’s gone?”

“I don’t know, I was in the shower, but when I came back there was a huge hole in the building. Vision’s really shaken, saying that Clint took her.”

“What the hell? How can anybody get the better of him? Isn’t he, like, the most powerful of us all?”

“Do you really think Vision would fight back against Wanda?” Yaël deadpans. She’s got a point, of course. “Anyway, where are you?”

“Uh, in an airplane, about to leave,” he offers as vaguely as he can. Tony just smirks across from him.

“Wait, are you going to Berlin?”

“Yes, why?”

“You’re going to help Stark, aren’t you?”

“He asked.”

“Are you even there as Peter?”

“… no,” Peter admits. Yaël sighs.

“Holy crap, Peter, you’re in deep shit here,” she offers. Peter rolls his eyes and sighs as well.

“I need to hang up now. I’ll keep you posted. You stay out of trouble?”

“Look who’s talking,” she answers. Then she hangs up without saying anything else. Peter wonders if she’s angry for him heading off without a warning, but there’s nothing more to do about that. Quickly, he turns the phone on silent and puts it aside, turning back towards Tony and trying to appear like he’s not too embarrassed about what just happened.

“So, what is this special mission you need me for?”

Tony gives him one last long look before leaning forward.

“Alright,” he says, and then he starts explaining.

Peter is surprised at his own acting.

Having arrived at the hotel Happy drove him to, Peter asks for just a minute before dropping down on the bed. He’s feeling a strong urge to pull the mask off and take a deep breath, but the chances of Happy walking inside are too big, so he doesn’t.

He’s going to have to join Tony’s team to face Steve. Steve, Captain America, the man Peter has almost come to see as a father-figure in the past few weeks. This is just all kinds of fucked up. Is it him, or is it getting harder to breathe?

He doesn’t want to fight Steve. It feels all kinds of wrong, thinking that Tony would be ready to just face him like that, as if the past few months they’ve been spending together don’t mean anything anymore. Hadn’t they been happy? Do these accords really matter enough that they would give this up?

Without thinking too much, Peter fishes out his phone again, pulling up a picture from a little while back. It’s one taken by Tony, who just had to capture the moment. Steve and Peter are outside with the other Avengers, who had decided to play a game of baseball. Peter, having admitted that he never played it before, got a small, quick lesson from Steve. The picture Tony took is from when Peter ran a homerun and was pulled up on Steve’s shoulder for his victory.

Thinking back of that day, Peter feels his chest tighten.

He almost drops the phone down when it suddenly starts vibrating in his hands. An unknown number shows up on the screen, indicating an incoming call. His senses are giving him mixed signals here. One part tells him not to pick up at all. He has no idea who it is, and he might cause trouble in one way or another.

On the other hand, he really feels like he needs to pick up. His thumb is hovering above the green button, hesitating on pressing down. He really wants to know who’s calling.

Deciding to just do it, Peter presses his thumb against the screen, sliding the green button to the left. Then he pulls the phone up to his ear.

“Hello?” he asks hesitantly.

“Peter? It’s me,” Steve Rogers says on the other side of the line. Once again, Peter almost drops the phone. He finally pulls the mask off and heads towards the bathroom. If Happy comes walking inside, he wouldn’t immediately catch him like this.

“Steve?! How- wha- where are you?!” Peter calls out, almost unable to contain his excitement. It’s the first time he’s speaking to the man since… well, a few days at least. He’d almost forgotten how it feels to talk to him. “Steve, what’s going on there?”

“I can’t really explain. I just… I wanted to talk for a bit… I don’t know how long it’ll be until we can speak again…”

Peter feels as if the ground is disappearing from under him. He doesn’t know how long it’ll be? What is he planning?

But Peter knows what’s going on. Steve is a fugitive. If they catch him, he’ll be locked up and they won’t speak. If he escapes, he’ll be a wanted man, and they won’t be able to speak, either. In any way, the chances of them being in contact in the future are close to zero…

“Steve, please! Dad, he’s… he’s not doing good,” Peter begs of him. He knows one way where this all can end at least slightly good. All it takes is one signature…

“I know, Peter,” Steve says, voice obviously pained. “It’s mostly my fault, too. I’m sorry.”

“Why would you say that?” Peter asks in confusion.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s nothing we can fix right now…” Steve answers. “Peter, I just want you to know- we haven’t known each other very long, but… you’re already like a son to me. So I need you to promise me to look after yourself when I’m gone, alright?”

“Steve, no,” Peter gets in between, but Steve doesn’t seem done with talking.

“And, please, can you look out for Tony? Make sure he’ll stay with his head above the water? Takes his meds and continues to see Dr. Wynedell every week?”

“Steve, stop talking like we’re never going to see each other again,” Peter adds. “Because we are, right? We’ll see each other again?”

Steve stays nothing; That should be indication enough.

“Kid?” Happy asks from inside the room. Peter startles. Not yet! Don’t force him to hang up, now!

“Uh, I’m in the bathroom!” Peter calls out to him.

“We need to leave!”

“I’m coming!” Then he pulls the phone back to his ear.

“I should hang up. I need to go.”

“Please, don’t-“

“Bye, son. Take care of yourself.”

And then there’s nothing but a dialing tone. A tear rolls down Peter’s cheek. Taking a deep breath, he puts the phone aside and pulls up his mask again. He almost expects Happy and him to leave the moment he walks out, but he doesn’t expect the confused look he’s getting from him.

“What the Hell are you wearing?” Happy asks. Peter looks down to his uniform.

“Uh, it’s my suit?” he asks in confusion, voice cracking from crying. Happy just frowns.

“Where’s the case?”

“Wha-what case?”

Happy rolls his eyes and walks back, reaching out to a door knob and heading into a room which Peter thought was just a closet. Gesturing him inside, Peter realizes it’s a whole other part of the room, almost three times the size of Peter’s own bedroom at the apartment.

“Wh- I thought this was a closet! This place is huge!”

“Get inside!”

Peter listens, following Happy through a small hallway that leads to an open space with large windows. In the middle there’s a table with a case resting on it. Peter wonders how he was supposed to find it on his own?

On top of it, there’s another note. Once again, written in a familiar handwriting, Peter feels himself smirk a little bit.

A minor upgrade – TS.

The moment he presses a small button, the case opens up, suddenly revealing a whole new suit in bright red and blue.

“Whoa, oh my God!” Peter exclaims, recognizing the suit immediately. Not because he’s seen it before, but mostly because of a feeling. Peter hasn’t seen him working on a suit other than the one he’s been making together with Peter. He’d just expected it would have been for this Daredevil-guy. To see it suddenly in front of him, the final result of all the work they’ve put into it… It takes Peter’s breath away.

“Put it on,” Happy tells him, annoyed that it’s taking so long.

“Th-th- this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!” Peter can’t contain his enthusiasm. He’s literally ecstatic all of the sudden, a bit euphoric at the idea that the suit is supposed to be his.

“Let’s go!” Happy presses on, and Peter nods nervously again. Before he can ask anything else, Happy walks away again, leaving Peter to change.

He hurries out of his old suit without a second thought. He picks up the new one, feeling the familiar fabric underneath his fingers. His heart is beating faster, almost as if he’s just run a marathon. It’s only a few seconds before he’s pulling on the clothes, feeling it hang around him like a tent – much like it did back when Tony had him try it out.

Already knowing how much of the suit works, he doesn’t need much time to figure out what exactly he needs to do.

He can do this. His dad needs him. And even, just shortly, he’ll get to see Steve again.

Just pretend it’s a training exercise, he tells himself. Nobody has to get hurt.

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