A/N- I have covid and honestly feel so much worse with each passing day lmao. Pain is real. Anyway, enjoy <3
*Location- Jackson Ave Street*
-Third Person P.O.V-
The sun was finally setting within the sky, the sun just peaking above the horizon, casting a golden glow on the lively city that never seemed to sleep. Amongst the busy travellers, was Peter Parker, also known (by a few) as Spider-Man.
He sat upon a roof building, his Spider-Man mask firmly placed over his head as he looked across all the moving people. Although from this height, they all seemed more like ants travelling in a colony to their homes.
In a way, Peter guessed it was just like that. Every day people worked to serve the higher ups, even without their knowing.
Peter shook his head of all his thoughts and spoke up. "K, you got anything for me?"
'There is a building fire five blocks away, I will show you how to get there,' Karen responded, before a map appeared in the corner of his mask and he was on his way.
-
The nightlife seemed to be just as busy as the day, which shocked Peter as it was only a Thursday night. After his night with Tony on Saturday, he had spent the rest of Sunday with them all before going to see Bucky and the other rouge avengers before forcing himself 'home.'
He had been right when he thought it wouldn't end well when he went back to May. She had been pissed at him and had shown that by the many bruises, cuts and fractured (he hoped it wasn't worse) ribs.
Thankfully, no one had questioned where it had come from, but he knew people were starting to grow suspicious of him. After all, there is no way Peter would be able to be getting bullied this much, and with him being Spider-Man, it should realistically be clearing up rather quickly. But seeing as May was always hitting him and never allowing him to have a moment of peace, and to add to that, Flash was always hitting him and he never got enough food nowadays to get his healing to kick in and actually fix everything.
Peter had gone to spend some more time with the rouge avengers, of course though, spending every evening with Bucky and feeling as though he was finally safe and happy. Twice, Bucky had suggested that the pair of them go to the warehouse to see the others. (Bucky later admitted that the others were complaining that they couldn't see Peter so Bucky was forced into bringing him there. Although, he would be lying if he said he minded, he could see how happy Peter was being around them and he knew Peter felt safe while being there.)
He hadn't spent anymore nights at the tower, although he had stuck to the routine of going to see Tony, Pepper, Rhodey and Happy every Monday, Wednesday and he plans to go there tomorrow as well. It had been a nice reprise from being around May and feeling like every breath may cause him to be hit.
In fact the feeling of being hurt, tormented and in pain was quickly becoming something that wasn't happening very often anymore. Peter was able to avoid it more and more each day, instead staying out with Bucky until May went off to work, or waiting for her to fall asleep.
Of course though, if he came back a little late and thought May was asleep and he was wrong he was screwed. He learnt that three days ago when May had roughed him up pretty bad, but not something that caused him to be out of commission because of it.
Another issue was that he could never know when May was working and when she wasn't. Her shifts at night continued to change as sometimes she might take on a shift, or other times drop them. Which means Peter is always risking it when he got 'home,' unsure if May would be there and if she would be angry.
Peter sighed and continued to watch as people continued to mill around through the darkness of the night, and Peter couldn't help but wonder just how many people were going through tough times like he was. You never truly know what someone is going through, someone could walk past you and could have had one of the worst loses of their lives, but you wouldn't know because everyone is wearing a mask.
Peter hates wearing the mask. The mask that shows everyone that he is okay, and that his life is perfect. Because it's not. It's far from perfect in fact. Everyone in his life was either dead, or despised him. But Peter kept going and it seemed to be paying off. After all, now he had Bucky, Tony (sure he might be Peters boss, but that didn't mean Tony still didn't help Peter in some way, making him feel as though his life wasn't a complete mess). He also had the rouges (again, it might not be all that much right now, but for Peter. It was enough. Because he didn't have much, but the small things he did now have, meant a Hell of a lot to him.)
Sighing, he glanced over at the rising moon and decided it was about time he went to see Bucky. Peter just wanted to go and see his pseudo brother and pretend his life wasn't a complete mess for a little while.
"K, what's the time?"
'It's currently 8:02pm Peter,' Karen responded.
Peter thanked her and decided it was a good time for him to go and see Bucky. He didn't want to be with Bucky the whole time, well, that's not true, but he doubted the man would appreciate having Peter there 24/7. Peter knows it's an escape for Bucky just as it is for Peter, and Bucky likes to be alone. That's why he'll forever be grateful for the day Bucky helped him and decided he could stay with Bucky when he needed or wanted.
The building came into view and an easy smile fell on Peters lips. It really felt as though when he was here, everything that was going wrong, everything that was hurting him in life didn't exist anymore and in return, all there was, was warmth.
Peter allowed the web to drop him down to the floor as he moved over to the door. He pushed it open, once more happy to see that the door wasn't locked and Bucky was inside. A smile made its way on his face and he pulled off the mask.
"Hey Buck," Peter called out as he entered the room, seeing the older man sat on the sofa with a book in hand. Bucky looked up when he heard Peter and smiled at he teen.
"Hey Pete. How's your day been?" Bucky responded, dropping the book down and moving over to allow Peter to sit down. However, before settling down he grabbed Buckys hoodie (the one Bucky had given him, and he decided to leave it here, not trusting that May won't do something to it) and pulled it over his head.
Once sat down, he responded with, "pretty good. I had a good patrol so that was good. How has your day been?"
"Good, I spent most of the day here honestly, decided I didn't want to be around them all that long today. I got through a lot of books which was nice," Bucky responded, shooting Peter a small smile, as though he could tell what Peter was going to say the moment he had begun to talk.
The look was as though saying 'don't bother feeling guilty, I like having you here and would have it no other way.'
Still, Peter was unable to hold back the question of, "are you sure you wa-,"
"Do not finish that sentence Peter. If I didn't want you here, you would know by now. I've told you once and I will tell you a million times more that I like having you here, and no matter what you might think, I really like having you here."
Peter smiled when he heard how serious Bucky was, he could hear just how serious he was and didn't even try to argue with it, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of it other than a bit more arguing about how much Peter really means to, well, anyone.
"Thank- thank you Bucky," Peter muttered out, unable to stop the stumble of his words as his mind was reeling with every thought that shot through his head. Without thinking much of it, he pulled the blanket that he always had and pulled it around his shoulder, enjoying the warmth and security it brought to him.
Bucky didn't respond, but Peter knew it was just because he wasn't very good when it came to emotions and anything to do with them. The pair sat in comfortable silence, Peter himself grabbing a science textbook from the table and diving into it, allowing for his mind to take a break and instead focus on all the science in front of him.
-
Peter wasn't sure how long it had been before Bucky spoke up, breaking the peaceful silence that had settled over the pair.
"I was thinking we could go to the warehouse for a little and see the others, we could grab some food on the way as well, don't even try and pretend you're not hungry. I've heard your stomach from here," Bucky commented.
Peter thought about it for a moment, he would really like to see the others and chill with them for a little while. And he was, in fact, starving and he really didn't want to miss out on some food. So after a second more of thought, Peter nodded his head in agreement.
"Yeah okay, I wouldn't mind that."
Peter (begrudgingly) slipped the blanket off him. He kept the hoodie on and reached for a pair of jeans he had left here before and slipped them on over his suit, deciding there was no point in changing out of it, and it was comfortable so it didn't bother him.
Checking his phone he saw it was already 9:48pm and knew he shouldn't stay out too much longer before May would chew his head off. He could feel the senses in the back of his mind ring slightly as he thought about going back 'home,' that night, but he brushed it off as just thinking of all the what ifs that could happen when he got there.
"You ready Pete?" Bucky asked as he himself pulled a jacket on.
Peter tapped his phone in his pocket and took a quick glance around the room, finding nothing that he needed there, he nodded his head and followed Bucky out the door.
"Should we get the others food as well?" Peter asked as the pair walked in the shadows of the night.
Bucky obviously still couldn't be seen in public, so it meant both of them had to be extra careful when going out and couldn't be seen by anyone. Well, Peter could, but he preferred to stick to the shadows with Bucky, not liking the spotlight of being out in the open while Bucky was walking in the shadows.
Turning, Peter watched Bucky deep in thought before he replied, "nah. But let's just keep it a secret just in case."
This response caused Peter to laugh quietly and shake his head. Being here, beside Bucky made him feel as though he might finally be able to have a childhood, or at least live the life of a teen. Not someone who is burdened with the deaths of many, and saw their childhood die in a plane accident or be shot in front of him. Here, he could be the Peter before, the Peter before his life fell into a pit of abuse and pain. Plus the spider bite now of course.
"What do you feel like having tonight?" Bucky asks as they continue down the dark roads.
Peter pondered over the question, on one hand, he wanted pizza, but on the other hand, he really wanted Delmar's. He hadn't been able to go the past two days as he had first woken up late, and yesterday May had been a bit angry when he woke up, meaning he didn't have the time after...that.
And Peter really did want to introduce his brother to the famous sandwich of Queens. He also knew Delmar's was open until 11pm, and there weren't too many places around.
"Can we go to Delmar's, it's my favourite sandwich shop and arguably the best in Queens, and I really want to show it to you."
Bucky perked up at this and turned to look at the smile that adorned the kids face, he could tell this place really was one of Peters favourite places, seeing as he looked more than excited to introduce Bucky to it.
"Okay, we'll go there then," Bucky agreed, making Peter jump up in joy and his smile widen tenfold. Dang, this kid really was a ball of light.
-
*Location- Delmar's sandwich shop*
"Oh, you weren't joking," Bucky mumbled, holding the sandwich tightly between his hands as though he was afraid someone might come along and steal it from him.
Mr Delmar was more than happy to see Peter, worried that May had finally done something to Peter that would mean the older man would never see him again. And seeing the happiness on Peters face, and the lack (or close to) of bruises on the teens face made Mr Delmar feel a Hell of a lot lighter than he had before.
He had happily given Peter two of his favourite sandwiches, free of charge of course. This time because, 'you haven't been around as often, so it's only fair.'
Peter would never admit it, but he was really happy being able to share his favourite sandwich shop with his brother. To others, it might not seem like a big deal, but for Peter, it felt as though he was sharing a huge part of his life. This was a part of his life that had been a constant for so long, and bringing Bucky into it, made it seem as though he wasn't close to ever losing any of this. (He knew though, even if he didn't want to admit it. There were many outcomes to all of this, and many of them didn't end with Peter being happy.)
"It's good, isn't it," Peter commented with a chuckle, knowing even after the hundredth time of having it, it always taste just as good. If not, arguably, even better.
"Good would be an understatement. Damn Peter, why did you keep me from this for so long," Bucky grumbled as he spared a quick glance at Peter, also sat on the sidewalk with the sandwich in hand and eating it.
The only reason they were in the open, and sat on the sidewalk, legs settled in the road was because of how dead it currently was. They had moved a little away from the shop to where there were no cars or people, meaning it was safe for them to be sat there and to not be spotted by someone and reported.
Peter decided to not respond and only shrug lightly to the accusation. He knew the real reason, but there was no way he was going to say that to him. Peter was finally beginning to except people in his life, and there was no way he was going to jeopardise that now.
The pair remained silent as they finished off their sandwiches, both to caught up in their heads about many different thoughts.
"Ready to go?" Bucky asked as they both finished their sandwiches.
Peter hummed and pulled himself to his feet, stretching out as he did so. It was a cold night, but thankfully having the suit on underneath his clothes and having the large hoodie on helped to keep him warm in the cold night air. Bucky didn't even seem bothered by the cold temperature, and a small part of his mind knew why it didn't bother him and he hated himself for thinking that but he knew it was probably true.
"Peter, come on," Bucky called out, already back in the shadows and moving along. Peter snapped from his thoughts and apologised before moving into the shadows and following Bucky.
-
*Location- Rouge warehouse*
By the time Peter and Bucky got to the warehouse it was close to 10:30pm, and Peter was growing tired. He had woken up early this morning after only being able to sleep a couple hours after patrolling so long and having to deal with May.
"Ah Peter," Steve called out when he saw the pair walk in.
"Hey guys," Peter greeted quietly.
Natasha moved forward and frowned a little, "isn't it a little late for you to be out Peter."
On one hand, Peter would have been a little hurt and upset by this, as it sounded as though she didn't want Peter here. But one glance at her, and Peter could see the softness of her eyes and how she seemed more than happy actually having him there, if not a little worried for the reason as to why he was.
Peter shrugged and supressed a yawn, "well you know. It doesn't matter too much, and it's nearly the weekend anyway."
Natasha didn't look too impressed, but didn't say anything, instead shaking her head and moving to sit on one of the sofa.
"Anyway, what were you all doing?" Bucky mumbled, his voice monotone as though he could actually careless about what they were all doing.
"We were about to watch some criminal minds, do you guys want to watch?" Scott responded from where he sat on the sofa.
Both Peter and Bucky looked at one and another before they both nodded. They settled on the sofa where they both sat last Friday and looked to the tv. The show began to play, and it wasn't even half way through the episode before Peter felt his eyes begin to drop and he leant a little into Bucky, not thinking twice before allowing darkness to consume him.
-
Waking up was normally something quiet nice. And for one, pleasant moment, it was.
Until he realised where he was and the fact he was probably fucked.
His eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright. In his shock, he had been able to startle everyone, even if some where asleep and the others were awake.
"Peter, what's wrong?" Bucky asked in concern.
"What's the time?" Peter demanded, not even taking a moment to think of how to ask nicely or answer Buckys question.
Bucky looked down at his watch then back to Peter. "it's just gone past one AM, why is something wrong."
Peter felt like he couldn't breath in that moment. He knew, deep down, he was so, so screwed. But he couldn't say that to them all. So, instead he jumped to his feet, blabbering something about nothing before bolting out of the room ignoring the shouts of concern from behind him.
"I'll be back tomorrow. Sorry and thank you," Peter called out before he was out of ear shot.
He shot a web as soon as the sky was in view and he knew he was sealing his fate. But if he was any later he may as well be signing his death warrant.
Even as his muscles protested at the strain, he kept moving at a quick pace, continuing to shoot web after web in order to get back to his 'home.' As soon as the apartment building came into view his senses began to warn him of the incoming danger, and it was obviously going to be bad, seeing as with every swing, it grew more and more, almost to the blinding sort of fear that is close to overcoming him by the time he reaches his window.
As quick as he can he climbs through the window, throwing his hoodie into the back of his wardrobe so May won't finding it, and quickly being joined by his suit.
Just as he was slipping a shirt over his head he saw the light of the hall turn on, and he only had a moment to take a breath before his door was being kicked down and an angry May was stood in his door frame.
"So you think you can just come into this house whenever you want," May growls, moving slowly towards Peter.
Peter gulped and wished he had just stayed with Bucky. God why didn't he stay there. "No- no, Ma'am, I'm- I'm sorry."
May scoffs and shakes her head, "not good enough Peter. I think its about time I truly teach you how to act. It's about time I finally show you the pain your uncle Ben went through because of you. And well, if you live through this," May cuts herself off with a humourless laugh, "well lets hope for your sake you don't live to see another day."
Peter, in his fear and panic, hadn't seen as May had grabbed a bat from God knows where. He only knew it was there when it his him in the side of the head and his head exploded in pain, as his vision darkened and fell to the floor seeing May stood over him with a look of malice that will forever be ingrained in his mind as she raised the bat, before his vision darkened completely and his body exploded in pain.
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A/N- Short one, sorry fam.
3.5k words
- Bear xx