The Day I Called You Mine{Spideyfist}

Chapter 100 "Nothing's New"

~~~~~~

The driver ducked his head down from seeing the Spider turn his back. Lenses stared at the driver for a long period until he was pulled away by the White Tiger. A relieved sigh left his mouth as he laid back against the seat, blowing out a puff of air with sweat dripping down his cheek. Getting used to the sound of silence and eyeing the two teens walk further away down the road.

The man jumped when a static voice came out of his walkie-talkie on the passenger seat, a rough male voice speaking out of it.

"Any updates?"

"He's not going back. The kid is being led away with the cat. Should I go to your position?"

"Keep an eye on them. We have enough men here."

The driver frantically grabbed hold of the walkie-talkie and moved it closer to his mouth, stammering as he spoke.

"Sir! Sh-shouldn't it be a safer option for me to assist you? A-after all! If I'm too close to our targets then they'll know my location!"

The man manly yelped when a bush rustled at his side, the leaves swaying to the right. He didn't know whether to reach for his pistol beside the seat or not from how nothing came out of the bushes and jumped again when the man's rough voice from the walkie-talkie questioned.

"Are you afraid...of children?"

"N-no, sir! But...isn't it strange how Sergeant Mace's first targets are this cat and spider? If they're the first then...wouldn't it mean that they're a threat?"

"..."

"S-sir?"

"Finish your job. Remember, DON'T kill them. Sergeant Mace wants to handle both of them himself"

The walkie-talkie clicked into silence. The driver just drops the walkie-talkie to the seat beside him as he looks forward but doesn't see the two teenagers on the road. The empty sight of the road brought him to sit upright, hands firmly gripping the wheel. The car shook.

The man jumped high when fingers pounded through the metal roof of the car. Green eyes looked into his skull when they pulled the roof, the screeching sound of the roof and heavy purr that grew into a snarl from the Tiger caused his eardrums to vibrate and raise goosebumps on his arms. But then he realized...if White Tiger was here then where the hell was Spider-Man?

The driver turned his keys, pushed the steering stick forward, and stepped down on the pedal at abrupt speed down the empty dark street. Steering the wheel left to right in the hope of dragging the Tiger off but failed for a few seconds until looking back again to see that the cat wasn't on the roof anymore.

He didn't take the time to question the cat's disappearance so he just continued to speed off but then suddenly flew forward, his chest aggressively pressed against the horn that popped his ears. He looked ahead with hazy eyes to see a red figure, silver lenses reflecting in the streetlights. Hands pressed into the front of the car with smoke fuming in between the spaces of their gloved fingers.

The driver could feel his blood going cold, whimpering and gasping to the point of his throat burning and drying out when the black spider symbol in the red figure's chest stared back at him. He remained pressing his foot down but the car wouldn't move, then he heard high hissing from outside of the car. The sight of the pistol under the passenger seat caught his eye, orders or not, there was no fucking way that he'll die by a teenager.

He reaches down for the pistol and grips it tightly close to his chest when the driver's door was yanked off of its screws. The man aims his gun, trembling when the front of the gun is in front of the spider's forehead. Spider froze from the act but grabbed the gun before the man's fingers pressed the trigger. The pistol crumbled in Spider-Man's fist with bullets landing on the man's lap. The man's mouth opened for words but only choked noises left his throat when the spider grabbed his shirt, pulled him out of the car, and tossed him on the concrete road.

The Tiger sat on the car with their legs crossed, looking down at the man and glancing over to Peter who remained silent.

"Spidey was in a bad mood tonight, why did you appear and make him even angrier? Hmm?"

They tilt their head to the side, the mockingly soft tone brought the man to sweat even more, his eyes more focused on the Spider that stood over him. The Spider's threatening and predatory glare left all color from his body, ultimately biting the back of his mouth where a pill was hidden.

The cracking of the pill was loud for Peter to hear he bent down to grab the man's shirt but the body was limp. The man's eyes open and red with tears dripping out his eye sockets. Peter dropped the body back down and rubbed his head, mumbling to himself into his arm while Tiger jumped off the car and crossed their arms, inspecting the car.

"The way that you stopped the vehicle was impressive Spider. I was wondering if you were planning on appearing at all to scare this person, well...your disappearance alone was enough to frighten this scaredy-cat. Truly, you have the power to give heart attacks"

They turned for a reaction but Peter was already walking ahead, leaving the god to chatter to themselves. The cat ran after him and walked alongside the spider, keeping watch of Peter's mask for any subtle movement under the mask.

"You choose the most appropriate option, Peter. Once we capture Gideon Mace then you won't have to worry over any other family deaths from other vigilantes"

The spider tensed up, his breath hitched from the sudden "reassurance". A long breath came out shaky before walking quicker, refusing to talk and listen to the cat. The god grinned from the silence and walked faster as well and stayed in the lead to follow the scent of blood from its owner. No other words were exchanged between either of them.

~~~~~~

The blonde stepped out of his room when a tap-like sound echoed from the first floor. His hair swayed forward when he peeked his head further out of the doorframe to peer into the empty staircase. The silence that followed was stiffening, it shifted the air's temperature for Danny's shoulders to tense. In hesitance, he walked into Luke's room and quietly closed the door behind him, whispering Luke's name numerous times. When his calling didn't work he hopped over to Luke's bed and shook him, continuing to call his name. After what felt like hours, Luke finally woke up and turned over to face an uneasy Danny, speaking hoarsely and rubbing his eye.

Luke: What's wrong man? Did Peter leave you again?

Danny was about to open his mouth but paused when his name was yelled out. The voice sounded like Sam. Then a recurring sound of taps from downstairs. Sharing no words between each other, Luke and Danny ran out of the room huffing and looking at each other for what to do then turning white when a door swung open revealing to be Aunt May with a dark robe on, her hair messy.

Aunt May: Did something happen boys?

The two teens exchanged looks. Unsure of what to say but quickly reacted to the sound of creaks forming from below the stairs. Both boys stood quiet before Luke stepped forward, wanting to check what was going on but Danny placed a hand in front of his chest, stopping him. Luke took hold of the blonde's arm and lowered to his level to whisper, his voice probably loud enough for Aunt May to hear from the quivering tone.

Luke: What the hell are you planning?

Danny: Just protect her in case...I get occupied

Luke: Let me deal with this, you watch over her-

Danny: No. I trust you to protect May until I bring Sam up here, you know that I can handle myself

Luke's jaw clenches from Danny's response, sounding firm and unwavering which just made Luke more hesitant in letting him go. Breathing heavily through his nose as he rubbed his forehead with his other hand and freed Danny's arm when creaks began to follow more closely.

Aunt May: Is-is something-?

Luke: Ms.Parker, let me escort you back inside. Danny will check downstairs for Sam

Luke reassured, his hand placed lightly on her shoulder while Aunt May looked over to the side to see Danny walk towards the direction of the stairs. May was being somewhat pushed back inside her room but quickly grabbed Luke's arm, her eyes wide and brows curved when she questioned.

Aunt May: Where's Peter and Ava?! Are they in their rooms?!

The question was bound to come up and yet Luke couldn't look her in the eye to lie believably. He opened his mouth to speak but paused, knowing that he would only sound high-pitched. So instead he slowly nodded while keeping his eyes downcast to not face the look Aunt May might be wearing. The nod alone wasn't enough of an answer for May since she gripped tightly on Luke's sleeve when he closed the door behind him. The teen looks down at her wide-eyed. Stayed silent when listening to Aunt May talk in a quivering voice, her voice deep and clogged with her eyes glistening.

Aunt May: Are they okay, Luke? If-...if Sam's yell was anything to come by then-...did-did something happen? If it's happening again I-...oh god

Luke was at a loss for words. He truly didn't know what to say to reassure her without lying to her. All he can do is avoid her questions and speak about something else but May begins to stubble back, her hand against her chest with heavy continuous breathing. It sparked an alert on Luke to carefully lead May to her bed and comfort her. The silence from downstairs was rubbing him the wrong way from the way that Sam screamed for Danny and was cut off by the sound of taps. Sweet Christmas...why is it that the night we needed Peter the most, he disappeared on us again?

Soldiers were creeping over the staircase but the front soldier stopped with one step ahead of the others, the rest had nearly toppled over each other from the sudden pause but instantly reacted by raising their weapons when a dark figure stood in front of them. The figure is none other than Danny.

The teen tilted his head to the side, his voice clear and firm.

Danny: How many are there of you?

He stared as the assassins looked at each other with a few shrugging their shoulders from the question. From the few seconds of silence, Danny opened his mouth again to talk in his usual calming tone.

Danny: I'm solely asking so I would know how many ambulances I should call later

The assassins could feel the oddly soft smile that the teen was currently wearing when he spoke which just made them pop a vessel from his joke.

"This little bitch...!"

One man called out while bullets flew towards Danny's direction who ducked under them and swung his arm up with his palm faced forward, the end of his hand meeting the first assassin's chin with some force held back to avoid snapping their neck. The move brought the man's head to fly back and stop bullets from firing. Noticing this, Danny kicks his foot against the man's bulletproof vest which causes the assassins behind him to fall down the staircase, bullets being accidentally shot toward the ceiling.

Danny hopped down to the bottom of the staircase, watching the assassins groan with some of them raising their rifles and the rest of them standing up with their hands reaching for their belts or thighs, taking out sharp blades.

The blonde slid a hand through his hair while huffing out a deep breath then froze when a light groan was heard from the kitchen. Instantly, he recognized the strained groan to belong to Sam. His chest throbbed from the sudden realization from minutes prior. The taps he and Luke heard were gunshots.

He blocked an attack from the first attacker and twisted his arm with one hand while grabbing the knife away in the other hand, then knocking the assassin out from the back of their neck, hearing them make an impact to the floor.

1

Another man crept up to him but he ducked from the swing of the blade and stuck his blade inside the leg of his attacker and smacked the back of their head before they could let out a cry of pain.

2

A rigged blade swung in his direction near his neck but he dodged to the side and peaked over to the fallen assassins who aimed both pistols at him, fingers over their trigger.

Danny grabbed the back of the assassin who attempted an attack and pulled him in front of his chest. The teen grabbed hold of their arm and moved the blade of the dagger pressed against the skin of their neck.

3

The teen hid back an amused grin when noticing the hesitation from the shooters and giving each other hidden looks as Danny slowly approached them, keeping a firm hold on the man's trembling arm. Then his triumphant sunken when the man's head flew back, one of the shooter's pistols showing faint smoke from the front. Red flew into Danny's eyes and all he could see was a blurry scarlet.

He could feel his heart vibrating rapidly against his chest when he saw blurry movement. All he could do was throw the limp body he used as a shield to one of the shooters to stop from firing as Danny dashed to the side with the dagger in his hand, eyes closed with blood as his eye mask.

Danny spun to avoid the swish of the bullet that was aimed in his direction and threw the dagger at the active shooter. A trembling sigh of relief left his chapped lips when he heard the shooter loudly gasp and groan heavily.

4

The teen shifted his head to the side when he heard frantic movements from the other shooter. Danny dashed and swayed in the man's direction as bullets flew past his arms. Then before the man could press the trigger, the barrel of the gun was grabbed by the blonde, then crushed with a faint yellow in his palms to his fingers, the bones inside visible from the glow.

5

Eyes still tightly closed, he grabbed the man's arm before reaching for his dagger and then twisting his arm until a sharp snap and wailing shriek echoed around the room. Danny forced his blood-soaked eyes to stare at the figure, his jaw clenched from the blurry sight of the man in front of him. Then his rough face varied into his usual friendly smile, his hand on the man's arm gripping tighter and tighter.

Danny: Looks like I'll have to call for five ambulances

The grown man gave a piercing glare that just made Danny stare back blankly at him, the smile dissolved into a flat line. The man stared, a slow creeping grin forming with words as rough as sandpaper.

"You should also call for four more..."

The words left Danny in a questionable daze, unsure of what the man meant. Before he could aggressively charge him with more questions, the man bit to the back of his teeth then a sole breath left his mouth, head falling back.

Trembling breaths left the teen's mouth when hesitatingly freeing the newly deceased man to the floor. Silence crawled around the room when Danny blinked back from his trance and hopped back up, running over to the kitchen and kneeling beside Sam's body. His head was pounding with questions pondering what move to take as his shaky hands were hovering over Sam.

It's probably not as bad as it looks, Danny thought.

From observing Peter's bullet being removed then Danny knows the steps to do the same for Sam.

It'll be fine. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. It'll be fine.

Danny's fingers grabbed the hem of Sam's shirt and moved it up. Dark small holes dug into Sam's chest and stomach with blood overflowing and staining the floor, spreading to Danny's knees. When touching his skin, Danny could feel some warmth left in his body and twitch from Danny's cold hand, the boy's chest was moving up and down which was barely noticeable. Sam is still alive...

In a flash, Danny stood up and swung open cabinets for any sight of tweezers. Danny kept cursing to himself when the sound of screeching tires rang in his ears. Time was running out. He doesn't have time to remove the bullets.

Yellow flickered in Danny's fingertips from his teammate's gory twitching body. Hot air hit again his skin, causing him to sweat when he grudgingly knelt with his knees on the soaked floor again. He took a few deep breaths to reassure his heart while his hands hovered an inch over his chest and stomach. The yellow light vented up his hand to halfway up his elbows the longer he felt the body's slowly beating heart. The calmness from the body swept Danny's arms which caused the glow to shine brighter and hotter while moving to other parts of the bullets placed.

This is extensive damage. Unlike Peter's. But at least Peter wasn't at a somewhat high risk of dying, unlike Sam. Everything he did to go outside to bring Peter, and yet he still dared go outside. All he does is chase around Peter in circles from the number of wounds growing rapidly the longer he stays outside. If he had to heal Peter one more damn time...

The blonde's arms were trembling and flickering on and off as a tingling, burning sensation crawled up his neck. The air continued to thicken and twist his throat whenever he inhaled, then the chill air hit against his back, the tickling feeling of something dripping down his skin. The glow in his hands fades away from the rapid beating in his chest. His eyes widened and shook when seeing how some bullet holes from Sam's body didn't close up. Through fuzzy eyes, he notices smoke particles in the air around him and the puff of a heavy breath behind him. He turns his head back to see a dark figure with a gas mask staring at him, a rifle in their arms as they huffed out an intense breath, sounding somewhat amphoric with white smoke exiting the two filters on both sides of the mask.

Danny bowed his head down when the figure moved around with their rifle, hiding behind the counter in case he shot at him. When realizing how quickly he was breathing, he covered his mouth and nose with both hands as firm as glue while his heart was beating in his throat. The other side wasn't going to give up after Danny took down 4 of their men. They're prepared and persistent. Almost as if they're fully certain about their actions toward the team...Attacking them late at night with silenced pistols and gas...and without Peter and Ava here-

(Did-...was this also planned?)

(Did they know that those two weren't going to be here?)

A heavy drop with air hissing dropped to the floor behind the counter Danny was taking cover from. Heavy smoke had spread even further and surrounded Danny's legs, silence crept in the room until the heavy pounding of combat boots was slowly getting closer to Danny. He eyes the open doorway that led to the stairs at his left and eyes back down to Sam. Danny held his breath in with his nose clenched to avoid inhaling the gas so he can grab Sam from under his arms and lift him in a bridal carry. Rough exhales from the gas mask rose goosebumps and chills down his back as he took huge steps on the stairs to the top floor.

Everywhere around him was going black and felt the floor shift under him when approaching Aunt May's room. His hand froze while gripping the doorknob when the staircase loudly creaked from a heavyweight following him. The air turned hot from the sudden cold creeping inside his blood when finally, he swung the door open and stepped inside while closing the door behind him.

Then finally, he could breathe again. Danny cringed at his wet and sweaty shirt sticking against his back as fresh air tickled him. The attacker outside can't be ignored but he can't ignore Sam's condition either. They can't come in here and harm Peter's aunt.

Danny: Luke. Did you call the police?

He hurriedly asked, turning his head back and widening his eyes when Aunt May turned white, trembling in Luke's muscled arms which looked to be a combination of shock and worry.

Luke: Danny. You've been shot...

The blonde froze, lips parted apart as if to speak but no words came out. His throat turned dry from rapidly inhaling the cold air around them, then finally he closed his lips together and swallowed. Turning his face to the door in hope to not face anymore of their expressions and to watch the doorknob in case it moves.

Danny: ...where? Where have I been shot?

There was a few seconds of silence before Luke loudly questioned, awestruck by the unshaken response.

Luke: How come you don't know where you've been shot? What were you doing?

Danny: Healing Sam. He lost a ton of blood and was on the verge of dying, did you expect me to not have done anything for him?

This unnecessary argument was causing Danny a headache. Gently, he placed Sam on the bed and moved his shirt up to expose the other's red stomach and chest. Scanning for any bullet wounds that weren't able to be healed in time. Aunt May gasped and covered her mouth from the sight to avoid any sound to be let out. Danny could hear her muffled whimpers which brought him chills, he avoided looking at her and brought back his focus onto Sam. Past the blood that stained his skin, Danny noticed that he only managed to heal about 2 bullet wounds out of...5. It's...progress, Danny reassures himself.

A sudden weight bumped against him and turned to see that it was Aunt May. She stepped infront of Danny to hold Sam's hand and tighten her grip, her shoulders shaking from holding in her cries. Danny awkwardly stepped back and turns over to Luke to give a response but the sound of a swinging door from outside brought them into dead silence. It sounded pretty far from the current room they were in and the opening of the door was quite loud as well...the attacker's boots continues to shake the floor as if...they were waiting for the group to expose themselves. This is definitely planned...Danny concluded. But how? How do they know who we are? How do they know that Peter isn't here?

After a few seconds of pondering, a connection just hit him like a truck. He snaps his head over to Luke but snaps back to the door when hearing a steady and loud crack of a bullet, following a heavy thump after. Before the teens could react, Aunt May was already heading towards the door with Peter's name escaping her mouth. A penetrating scream that continued calling for Peter and messy sobbing when she was pulled by Danny grabbing hold of her body. May was vigorously shaking under his hold and persistent in getting free and trying to reach for the door. Hasty heavy boots quaked the floor that would get louder and louder in their direction, Danny spun around with his back facing the door while continuing his hold on Aunt May when the door swung open.

In the corner of his eye, he peers at the figure in the doorframe, smoke leaving the mask when releasing a huff of air. The blonde winces from the rough air tinkling the open bullet wound at his back and from Aunt May's aggressive shaking. The intruder's sight brought May limp to her knees and fell to the floor. Danny followed her movement but remained his attention on the figure who had their rifle raised to the blonde. The bulletproof teen tightens his fist at the head of the rifle and crushes it, his other hand meeting the intruder's neck, dragging them outside and pressing against the wall. His hold slowly released when flickers of light struck against his raised arm, neck, and face which caught his attention. A few masked men had their rifles pointed at Luke.

Normally, attackers would quiver in fright when noticing how their weapons have no effect on Luke but these attackers...didn't give off any sign that they were frightened which drove Luke into a sense of unease. The nonchalant masked group charged towards Luke and each threw bombs at the floor that exposed dark grey smoke that blinded him. He freed his hand from the first attacker's neck as he looks around for any sound of movement aside from the attacker's body landing on the floor which was currently gasping under the mask.

The blonde huffs and turns back to the open doorway where Luke positioned himself and looks around the surrounding.

Danny: Luke! Hold your breath! You'll-!

Luke: I got it man *his swallowed from the suddenly raised tone, Danny pressed his eyebrows to close together from the hint of irritation in the other's voice*

Luke: Just...do your thing with Sam so we can leave

Danny complied with a subtle single nod and turns back to Aunt May who was in a surprisingly nonfighting mood. After loosening his grip on her, Danny finally understood why...her body had gone limp and her head fell back against the bed cushion. Her chest was rapidly going up and down as if her heart was going to jump out. Her body weight hitting the bed frame had shifted Sam's body, who groaned out and flinched his fingers. Blood slowly dripped out from the bullet holes when he cautiously shifts his body to the side, from the amount of pain he must be feeling it was surprising that he hasn't woken up yet.

His hair rose when hearing his friend's erupting coughs and gas hissing from outside. Cold air clogged the back of the blonde's throat with trembling arms that refused to glow. The sound of his prompt heart bounced around the room which was swiftly drying his throat. A light flickered when Danny took in a single deep trembling breath to soothe his chest. Heat transferred from his chest into his arms when listening to his heart quieting down. All he heard was a cold piercing silence despite the number of punches and stomps that would compare to an elephant happening outside the room. The thickness in the room coldly shifted when a hand slid across his mouth and pulled his head back.

Eruptly, Danny snaps open his eyes to see a gas mask staring down at him,  the fresh and chilling sensation of a blade pressed against his Adam's apple and a sudden slice. Pupils dilated as he sucked in a deep breath of air and swung his lit fist up to the attacker, causing them to fly back and hear a snap from the impact. He places his lit hand against his neck where blood kept flowing out. Sucking in shallow breaths and gasps for air when his back collapsed against the floor, staring up to the ceiling while thumps kept happening outside.

Vision went in and out of focus. Darkness creeps into him as he struggles to keep his eyes wide open, choking with heat from his hand moving up to his chin and collarbone. He wheezed out a bloody cough as heavy steps rushed into the room and caught sight of another person with a gas mask who held a pistol aimed at Danny's forehead.

~~~~~~

The rushing sound of the ocean waves and salty smell tickled the Tiger's nostrils with the scent of blood faintly lingering in the air. The Tiger slid their mask up and sneezed to the side from the smell of salt, shaking their head while wiping their nose with their gloved hand.

"The smell of the ocean is sickening..."

They fanned their hand in front of their face as if to brush the smell away then caught sight of a familiar warehouse. Dark figures were rushing in and out of the building which perked a small grin on the Tiger's face.

"Familiar sight, isn't it, Spider? You don't think that Mace will appear again, do you?"

When turning their head to see Peter, they saw how the bug remained silent. The Tiger crossed their arms from the lacking response the spider was giving, but...soon they shrugged. Peter literally had to choose between his team and Gideon Mace, it's no surprise that he's so moody.

"The only way to get our man is to sneak in the building and take him away, but...we might get a little messy if we're caught"

Spider-Man: You don't sound against the idea of being caught

The cat huffed out a small chuckle at the spider's words, they responded with a low tone to hide the brittleness in their voice that caused Peter's blood to fume.

"What about you? Mace is currently killing your team afterall, I'm sure you're aching to bash his head against a wall if he shows himself"

Spider-Man: They're...fine. They must be.

The spider was entertaining to toy with. He is the only other person who knows how Mace doesn't like to attack unprepared. Like a true soldier, he analyzes his strategies to carry out a successful plan. With many connections, he has eyes everywhere with trained ex-soldiers and easy access to weaponry. It's how Hector passed afterall, though...it'll be interesting to know how the group will handle the surprise. It'll also be so interesting to see how badly the spider will snap.

The red spider rushed past them. The cat hurried after.

Two large gunmen stood by the locked entrance of the warehouse with light peaking out of its doors, without acknowledgment of the crawler and tiger sneaking up from behind in the corner. Both men got choked from behind and knocked out with tight webs sticking them together against the side of the warehouse, the weapons crushed into pieces a few inches away from their feet.

The cat sucked in a huge deep breath and inhaled, a purr followed after with eyes glowing a bright green, a smile forming as they spoke.

"He's close...very close"

Both teens crawled up an open window and softly lands their feet on large 40ft shipping containers. They crawled on the containers to avoid being detected by any passerby. The spider tapped on the cat's shoulder and pointed to himself then up the ceiling. The god silently understood the hand signals and gave a quick nod.

Rapidly, he fluidly crawls up the wall up to the ceiling while keeping his body hidden in the dark and avoiding any parts that showed light. His movements are quiet yet swift when he notices a built gunman walking down a dark aisle of ship containers. With a single strand of webbing, Peter slowly and silently moved down with his body upside down. His dark figure creeping behind the gunman and before the man could process anything, Peter wrapped his arm around the man's throat and hand over the mouth. Then pulling himself up in a second with the body in his arms the moment another gunman turned the corner and faced the dark aisle. A few seconds after, Peter dropped back down again and pulls the man up with his arms to the ceiling as the tiger creeps over the containers to the bright light near the warehouse entrance.

"What the hell are they even planning? Do they plan on using our people as bait?"

Smoke left the man's mouth with a cigarette hanging in the corner of his lips through each word he spoke. Another man, whose scent was clear and intoxicating with a bandage wrapped around his eye, flickered a lighter to his own cigarette as he answered.

"This shit's crazy man. Thank god I wasn't chosen to go after the bug's house. Last I checked, half of the group was taken out"

"Those poor sons of bitches. Do you think they've been killed by those kids?"

The culprit placed his lighter inside the back pocket of his pants and leans his back against a container, huffing out heavy smoke.

"Doubt it. They're kids and they work with SHIELD, fucking doubt they have the guts to kill a guy"

"Kids these days are cruel. One shouldn't underestimate them"

"I agree but...at least we don't have to hide in the shadows after tonight. Makes our job end faster and easier to head back home"

He flickered the hanging ash from his cigarette to the floor as he exhaled smoke. The other man puffed out smoke as well and stayed silent for a few seconds. Two gunmen were patrolling inside the warehouse but the sounds of their steps and creaks just...stopped. The overall silence just brought him... off-guard.

In an instant, he noticed how his goosebumps rose on his arm meanwhile the one-eyed man kept on without noticing his friend trembling.

"I haven't heard from those assholes since last night...I just hope that neither of them snitched to the police"

"Police?"

The term brought him back to reality. A tinge of curiosity tugged in his chest. This bastard never brought up the secrecy of his eye and orders from Gideon Mace, but whatever it was, this seems like good drama to listen to.

  "What did you boys do? Knocked some trashcans?"

  He teased while folding his arms against his chest, huffing out air with an open grin. The other didn't laugh at the comment and instead flatly spat out:

"We did. One of them fucked with my eye and I had to teach that bitch a lesson"

The other man seemed to have eased his previous worries away because he somehow avoided the sight of bright green eyes staring at him from afar.

"Was it during that time our boss sent you to do some big boy work near Christmas?"

  The spider crawled on all fours over the head of the two men, looking down to check if he was noticed and looking around for the Tiger. After a short second of observing around, he felt his palms sweat when the Tiger slowly tiptoed on their feet and hands on the ship containers. Their back was arched down and glued their attention to the one-eyed man who casually dropped their cigarette to the floor, pressing his foot down on it as he answered the other man.

"Our job was to mess with the Tiger that bothered Mace. That guy was too afraid to face the cat head on so he sent us to bring it out"

"Oh~ I see now~ He sent you to your death man!"

The one-eyed man choked on the comment and stomped his foot in defense.

"He sent us because we have bigger balls than he does! Mace would rather crush the spider than handle an old ass man in a cat costume, it was fucking insulting how he didn't show up despite shooting everyone in that family"

"Did no one tell you that he might be dead? Everyone down here has been theorizing about that possibility when another one showed up in the same costume with the spider's freak band"

A thread was tugging inside of Peter. What was stopping him from jumping down and breaking their bones for speaking so ill of Hector and his team? Hector was almost like a mentor to the spider and the group are the ones who have to deal with a freak like him. They speak so easily about killing Ava's family without any itch of remorse in their voice just brings Peter back to the night of Uncle Ben's death. Ruthlessly chasing the culprit down into an abandoned warehouse in the city and breaking their bones from the sight of them. The rise of hot and painful adrenaline of the amount of pain his uncle must've been in and the emotional turmoil that his death had brought Aunt May just clouded his judgment during that moment. The sight of the culprit's fearful face made Peter's face turn red with his chest tightening of how wide his grin was back then, all he ever wanted was to bring the same fear and pain that he had given to Uncle Ben, a fate worse than death. But he knew those thoughts weren't normal. He couldn't bring Uncle Ben's name in vain if Peter were to commit a crime with his powers...it just made him a freak for having those thoughts.

He shouldn't allow Ava to have those thoughts and become dependent and manipulated by that rotten cat. I need to take that amulet away by force if this god does any serious trouble.

"Dead or not, his family was easy to attack. I thought he was smart enough to have a fighter in the family when we appeared but they just flocked around like flies and died on the spot. Mace must've seen that spider as a challenge if he were to send people like us to do that job"

Even at moments like these, Peter would get a hesitant sense of pride when being told that he was a big challenge to overcome if it grabbed the hero killer's attention but that feeling was washed over real quick when glancing over to the Tiger's side, his blood going cold when a bright green have emitted from the amulet that shined across the entire room. Not only did it grab the men's attention, but it must also gotten the attention of outside bystanders from the open cracks of the warehouse...so much for keeping this a stealthy mission then.

"Holy shit that's-!" The Tiger sprang in the direction of the one-eyed man with their claws out, pointed forward to the man.

Peter bounced off the wall and shot his webbing out to stick onto the Tiger's arm and pulled the webbing. The cat flew to its right with its arm hitting the floor while Peter landed and stood his ground in front of them. More webbing flew towards the cat till they were glued to the floor. He heard the clicking of the gun from his left and snaps over to see the one-eyed man's friend shakily raise his gun to Peter but it was clogged with webbing before a bullet could shoot out.

Both men were frightened by the black spider webs that were stitched onto the red costume, the teen's grey lenses staring into them which drained the color from the men's faces. The spider's chest beat rapidly from the pure terrified expressions of the two men along with clenching his fists together and opening them to stretch his fingers to avoid swinging fists. His attention shifted to the Tiger when a rough thunderous howl left the cat's mouth which stopped everyone's hearts from beating. The cat's body flopped around on the ground for free space to cut itself out of their sticky situation which just made the two men whimper. Both of them rushed to the warehouse door for any chance of escape but were stopped by webbing covering the door. Both struggled to rip the webbing off and the one-eyed man turned around to the teen who still had his arm raised with his web shooter pointed towards their direction.

"Are you stupid?! We're going to die here because of her!" The man snapped. Spider stayed silent to his cries but after a few seconds, he bit back.

Spider-Man: I'll give you two options.

He held up two fingers.

Spider-Man: The first option would be, dying by the tiger's hands in a more gruesome technique than how you killed her family while I stand by

Then a finger went down.

Spider-Man: The last option is to tell me everything you know about Gideon Mace, his plans, his operations, and his partners in crime, then finally you two can go to the police and confess to every crime that you were involved in...including the Tiger's family-

"Aren't you asking too much from us?! We'll get killed!"

"Let's listen to him Ald...If there's a slight chance that we'll survive with him protecting us then maybe he can-"

Another piercing scream that left the tiger's mouth cut off their words. Peter turns to see the webbing being torn off as his partner bounces back to their feet. Their body arched with their knees buckling down and nails as sharp as knives were exposed. A deep and crawling growl left them with their shoulders straightening. A foot positioned itself firmly on the ground and moved forward as if looking to pounce but was grabbed and thrown to the ground by Spider-Man. His arms wrapped around the tiger and placed the full weight of his body onto them to stay pinned down. Calling out to the two men as the cat struggled to get the bug off them and crawl over to the culprits.

Spider-Man: Go! Hide!

His stomach was being repeatedly hit by the cat's knees and elbows banging against the spider's shoulders and back, he kept his face down against their chest and clenched his eyes closed with his lips tightening to keep any sounds of pain leaving his lips.

The two men didn't keep lingering a second longer and did as they were told and ran. The tiger huffed from seeing the pair run off and attempted to crawl in their direction but the spider wouldn't budge. With a low growl, they grabbed Peter's mask which grabbed hold of a huge chunk of his hair. They harshly pulled his head back which brought water to form in his eyes from the burning and stinging pain of his hair probably getting ripped off. His chin was up with the tiger's heavy and hot breath hovering over his mask.

"Get out of my way Peter"

Peter's eyebrows rose when the deep alarming voice with small growls belonged to Ava's voice. The amulet glowed brighter than her eyes which had blinded Peter's lenses for a short second.

Spider-Man: A...Ava...? Are you there?

The amulet was in eye's view that just freely moved side to side across Ava's neck, the light reflecting on the stone. It would only take about 5 seconds, maybe less, for Peter to yank it off her neck just so she won't be misled by that god anymore.

"Leave now. This doesn't involve you"

The cold and low threat came out as a deep hiss that made Peter's hairs rise as he stared down at the amulet. A risky chance that would either turn him into Ava's cat toy or...personal cat toy. Whether he succeeds or not, the situation would end badly. But he's running out of time...

The amulet was in clear view. The spider gritted his teeth and swung his arm to grab the necklace which made Ava jump from the sudden action. He grabbed a firm hold of it before a white light flashes before his eyes along with a force that pushed Peter away from the tiger before he could pull the amulet. After getting back on his feet, he noticed how nothing was on his hand aside from a hot and throbbing burn that was rubbing against the glove, feeling as if the skin of his palm would peel off the longer the spandex rubs against it.

Spider-Man: Tiger! Can't you see that I'm trying to help you?

He dashed to the side when warned by his senses of the tiger's attempt to attack him with its claws out. The tiger's eyes were white with the amulet that Peter failed to grab being neon green. Cold air went through his burning palm from continuing to dodge side to side from the cat's aggressive attacks. He crouched down and slid his leg out across the tiger's legs which caused them to fall with their hip meeting the ground. Webbing flew towards their body but Tiger rolled to the side and avoided the webbing, a low growl and hiss left their mouth while being on all fours, one leg spread further apart than the other with their nails digging into the ground. The amulet continues to shine and sway in front of Peter's face.

Spider-Man: Tiger. Listen to me. You need help. I have to take the amulet away from you before you cause any serious damage to yourself

White Tiger: THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU!

A husk voice would form instead of the voice he recognized to be Ava's. He swallowed as the cat dashed in his direction.

Spider-Man: It does! And you know why? Because I'm your leader. Whether you're on the team or not, it's my responsibility to look after my teammates!

The dodging from each attack made his words come out cracked and rough. A thud was heard from the distance inside the warehouse which made both of them freeze. The Tiger was facing towards the direction of the noise and tilting its head towards Peter then back to the noise. His heart raced when he leaped forward while shooting out of his webshooters to stop the Tiger from heading to the men but the webbing was grabbed and pulled forward, yanking his body into the Tiger's direction then his face was met with a punch that made the side of his face meet against a shipment which made the sound of a crack.

"Such caring words. If you committed to what you just said then your 'teammates' wouldn't be dying by Mace's men but you're here with me...are you a good leader if you're allowing that to happen? Are you willing to lose the people you love for the people you want to help?"

His knees were on the floor with half of his body leaning against the shipment that had a dent formed from the pressure of the punch. Cold air tickled his face as he reached his hands to his mask and gave a late realization that one of his eye lenses was cracked along with what Ava have said to him. No, not Ava...Ava wouldn't say that...she wouldn't. That stupid god was taunting him by using her voice...who else would do a cruel trick on him by portraying Ava to question his choices.

A light ringing hummed inside his ears as his eyes drifted up the floor to the window of the warehouse where they first came in. The same entrance where he entered and found a possessed Hector with blood in his claws. A strong punch of deja vu had hit him. How did he manage to survive that night? How the hell was he able to survive the next weeks that followed after first meeting Mace?

Both of them did agree to help each other, without complaint. The mission just...lit an unnerving spark and burst inside of Peter. It was his first serious mission with a real threat...someone who he wouldn't feel bad punching at, especially if they were threatening the White Tiger's family. Everyday, after he was done punching some guys, he would meet up with Hector for any updates of the hero-killer. Those days were tiring. So...damn tiring. Most days were better than others but would be left with dead ends. The lack of leads just brought an eagerness in his chest from the tingling that would quicken and burn inside his arms and continue to wrap around his neck, the unease of the situation crept over him as he laid comfortably in his bed while facing the door. His droopy eyes widened from the tingles of keys from downstairs, Aunt May got home.

He closed his eyes to pretend to be asleep if Aunt May walked in to check on him but nothing. There wasn't a creak in the floorboards of the staircase or footsteps in the hallway. The sudden silence had risen a a tense feeling in his stomach and hopped out of bed and opens the door to peek out at the hallway. Aunt May must've passed out from overworking...it wouldn't be the first time but it's taking a toll in her body after Uncle Ben's death, her health just gotten worse after that night.

Peter runs down the staircase and calls out for Aunt May but then he huffed out a breath of relief when seeing Aunt May asleep on the couch with her formal clothing still on, her short hair ruffled with front bangs sticking to her forehead. It's odd to witness Aunt May being so worn out and tired since Uncle Ben was usually the one being tired from work. She out of all people shouldn't torture themselves like that.

Aunt May's head was slowly slipping down from the pillow so Peter quickly rearranged her head which seems to wake up her up but still drowsy. She let out a faint whisper, calling out "Ben? Is that...you?"

Peter froze and flinched to May's soft touch with her hand to his cheek, he tried to speak without his voice cracking from the sore squeezing in his throat but stayed silent from Aunt May's next words.

Aunt May: I don't know...if I can do this without you...

Her words were halfway disrupted with a sniffle, Peter's heart drops to the realization of Aunt May crying that he felt his chest rising and aching from trying to compose himself to hold back his own tears. Peter placed his hand over May's hand that remained on his cheek and clear his throat. The corner of his lips pulling up into a trembling and forced smile to hide the roughness in his voice.

Peter: It's me Aunt May...it's Peter...

A high yet faint level of happiness rose in her voice, repeating his name. "Oh Peter...did I wake you...?"

Peter: No...no you didn't...go back to sleep Aunt May to regain your strength...

He removed her hand from his face and placed them on her stomach, then continued to fix the pillow.

Aunt May: ...I'm sorry Peter

Peter paused again and moved away after fixing the pillow, his voice slowly getting a bit firm.

Peter: For what May?

Aunt May: For being so busy...I feel like I haven't seen your face for days now...

Her response made Peter silent from how true it is. While growing up, the house never went silent...with the expection of the situation of Skip but after that the house was always bursting with noise. MJ would visit to play, Uncle Ben would watch the TV or read the newspaper, and Aunt May would bake her usual pies and bicker with Ben at the dinner table. But after Uncle Ben died, it was as if all the noise and energy died with him that day.

Peter: Then stop working so hard, you're getting older now...you need to take it easy

Aunt May: I wish I can...but you're the only one I have left Peter...

"If I...if I didn't let Ben try to speak to that person then...he would still be here. You would still have your father...its all my fault..."

Peter: Aunt May...don't say that!

He grabs her hand from her stomach, his heart beating rapidly. Uncle Ben died because of him. He let that robber go. He was greedy for money and fame. He was too comfortable with his powers. Aunt May is blaming herself for something that was the cause of Peter's actions. Peter had opened his mouth again to desperately confess to him being the cause of Uncle Ben dying but he stopped...if he were to tell the truth, he would have to tell about his powers. If she hears about his powers, she'll flip...she'll get even more hurt than she currently is. Most likely she wouldn't want to take care of him...Peter wouldn't blame her for not wanting to care for someone who killed her husband but...she's all he has.

She'll leave him. She'll hate him. She'll blame him. She'll despise him...

"...I love you Peter...You're the reason why I'm still going...

No...I can't tell her. I can't, I can't, I can't...I can't lose her too...

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

I messed up.

I'm sorry Aunt May.

I don't want you leaving me.

I'm sorry for being selfish.

I'm sorry for ruining this family.

I can't hang the costume up yet.

"I love you too...Aunt May, good night..."

Most likely she was already asleep before he replied back if Aunt May's light snoring wasn't proof enough. He stood back up and caught notice of the open envelopes placed on the coffee table, picking it up, he managed to read some sentences on the letter. Each of the envelopes contained concerns of different bills surrounding the house and costs from handling Uncle Ben's funeral. He dropped the envelopes back on the table's surface and rubs his aching eyes from holding back the waterworks with May.

Aunt May is shouldering all the responsibility that Peter caused. Wonderful and caring people like her shouldn't stress about money, work, and health. Aunt May doesn't deserve this.

Peter does. He knows he does. He's so disgusted with himself. He's disgusted of how big of a liar he is. He doesn't deserve any of the love Aunt May have given him.

He should take responsibility.

He'll get 2 or 3 jobs if he has to.

He'll do what Ben have always been doing to keep this family afloat.

He'll keep using his powers for May and Ben.

And he'll do this alone. No one deserves to get hurt because of him.

Hector should be with his family, not fight alongside an irresponsible kid like him.

If hero-killer is a serious threat to Hector's family, then he'll go after Aunt May once he accomplishes that.

If so, then Peter should be the one to take the threat down himself.

That's what he did. Peter spent every day studying for school, looking for jobs, taking care of May on days she arrived home before 11pm, and get out of the house as Spider-Man when he's assured that May was dead asleep. Most nights, he would talk to Hector. Time when Hector wouldn't be able to meet up was mainly because of his family troubles, last he spoke to him, Hector said that he got in an argument with one of his daughters and was promised to not leave the house anymore without proper reason.

Peter understood Hector's situation...but...it was nice to talk to someone about this superhero gig...

"Hijo"

Hector tilts his head forward to get into Peter's frame of sight. When Peter came to, both he and Hector were sitting on a rooftop as pink and purple were in the sky. Both had their lunchboxes on their laps, Tiger's box was nearly empty while Peter's looks untouched.

The sandwich cut in half with the cut tomatoes, lettuce, and ham staring up at him. The last he ate that day was a protein bar in the morning and spent his entire lunch period in the library finishing his homework. Staring down at the lunchbox he somehow had time to do just didn't make his stomach do grumbling noises that someone who mistake for a wild animal.

"Won't your food get cold?"

Spider-Man: It's a sandwich, it can't get cold...and...I'm not that hungry

He assures as he closes the lunchbox and places it beside him. Hector kept his attention to the spider who stretches his arms out and leans back with his head facing up to the sky. His legs swayed up and down to somewhat wash the aching in his legs from running around and job searching the area and having to suffer through school from Flash tossing him in the locker and shoving his head in the toilet, being third wheeled by MJ and Harry, not seeing Aunt May all day, and having to see freaking dumb hotheaded Johnny Storm show off on TV...his stupid face and hair is enough to make someone blind.

"Hijo, how are you feeling?"

Spider-Man: I'm...fine...

"Are you?"

Spider-Man: Yeah...I like being out here...it's quiet

"I see that you gotten used to me not being around anymore"

Peter was quick to stand up straight and wave his hands around to dismiss the accusation while Hector laughed to the rushed response.

Spider-Man: T-that's not it! I just-

"I'm only joking hijo. Don't worry about it...Though it's good to see that you're doing fine"

Peter's arms froze and lowered them as he silently listened to the tiger, his chest getting heavy.

"It must mean that Mace didn't make a move on your tia, most likely he doesn't know your identity and can't track you"

It has been a good thing that nothing suspicious was around the house and Aunt May was out majority of the time so they would attack her at broad daylight. It was a worry that was slowly leaving his mind.

Spider-Man: What about...your family? Did anything happen at your area?

"My family is fine gracias a dios but...it seems that the only situation that's harming them is...me"

Spider-Man:...what do you mean?

Hector huffed out a small chuckle to Peter's curious and turns his head to the side to avoid contact with Peter's.

"Same issue as always. The amulet is a problem to them...I don't blame them but it's the reason why I haven't been out lately"

Peter pulls his leg up, resting his arm over his knee as he hesitately asked:

Spider-Man: How did you manage to get out today then? I doubt they allowed to let you out without a fight

Hector got quiet. Then he closed his smpty lunchbox and placed it beside him, his hands on his lap with his hand placed against the hard roof they were both on.

"I told my wife about you and Mace. We both agreed that after Mace gets arrested...I'll retire."

Spider-Man: Oh. I-I understand

His voice cracks brought a flush to his face under his mask. He's leaving. He's retiring. That's good. It's very good. Hector has been doing this far longer than Peter has been born so it makes sense that he'll retire because of his age and his family.

But if he leaves then...he'll be alone again.

Hector was the first to talk to him.

He understood the concept of power and responsibility too.

Hector is his friend.

He took the time to get along and listen to him.

The Fantastic Four didn't do that...and Peter doubts that he'll get a chance to speak with the Avengers.

"Hijo. Estas bien?"

It's better this way, isn't it? He goes to his life and I go to mine. I dealt with this alone before I met him...what will change? He goes back to his family and I...go back to punching low-tier criminals and clear the streets to make Uncle Ben proud.

Hector deserves a rest.

He of all people deserves it.

Yeah...this is fine.

I'm fine.

Spider-Man: I'm fine Tiger. Let's try harder to find hero-killer so you can retire...you deserve it

His tone was up-lifting, he even hopped up and stretched his arms out again with a small hop or two but his chest was still heavy, his throat was tightening up with his lip quivering under his mask that he forces a smile towards himself.

He paused when his shoulder was grabbed by Hector. When he looks up to him, the lowering sun's glow have lit Hector's face that made his smile vibrant. His brows were curved up with brown eyes looking as if they were in pain. Peter stared at the glowing face. It was his second time seeing his face.

"Tu es un niño bueno. Espero que algún día encuentres a alguien especial."

Whatever Hector have said, it made Peter's chest warm up a bit. It sounded like kinda advice so all Peter said was an awkward "thanks...let's look around for some crumbs about hero-killer"

"Si hombre-araña"

~~~~~~~~~~

Danny's vision fuzzed and was slowly fading away with his grip on his red neck loosing force as the light in his hands was fading away, the loose pressure bringing a quick flow of blood to spill out in between the gap of his fingers. The masked man in front of him clicked their pistol which brought Danny back awake and light his other hand to make a quick hit on the man but was beaten when Luke's hand grabbed the man's arm and twisted it tightly and quick, causing the pistol to fall and scream from the act of his arm breaking. Luke stepped fully into the room to grab the man's face and slams him against the wall behind, a crack in the wall forming from the contact and the body sliding down to the floor. Luke turns over at response to Danny's heavy and rapid panting and instantly knelt down at his level, his voice coming out wobbly.

Luke: What the hell happened, Danny? What should I-?

Luke's large hands were trembling and hovered over Danny's bloodied hand around his neck and helped apply pressure.

Danny: Nothing...Just...me being careless...

Luke knitted his brows in skepticism to Danny's mumbles as an answer and uses his other hand to softly push Danny back by the shoulders.

Luke: Lie down and keep applying pressure while I find a shirt to tie your neck!

Luke had run off to Aunt May's wardrobe to look for a dark piece of clothing as Danny slowly laid himself back, whimpering and gasping from the wound on his neck. His back was against the bed frame next to Aunt May who was still unconscious and Sam's hand hanging off the bed. Sam is still bleeding. If he spent all his energy healing himself then it won't be enough for Sam and who knows when help will come by.

Danny grunts as he turns his body around with hand applying pressure on his neck. He hovers his free quivering hand over Sam's chest with the palm of his hand slowly glowing yellow. It was as if he was lifting a weight that he can't lift up from how fast his hand was shaking and causing him to quickly sweat. He bit down on his lip from the heat forming in his hand heating up his wound from how tight he was gripping onto his neck. He scanned his eyes to May's body when he noticed a twitch and widened his eyes when foam was leaving May's mouth.

The twitching in her arms, her chest, her legs, and sudden foaming in the mouth...she's having a heart attack...she's having a...

Danny:...Luke...Luke-!

The pressure in his vocal cords brought a heavy and clogged cough with blood spitting out and wheezing for cold air. Luke rushed to his side with a dark shirt in hand and quickly wraps it around Danny's neck where the wound marked.

Luke: Don't force yourself!

Danny: May is-!

His words were cut off from another violent cough that spat out blood mixed with saliva onto his red hand. Luke repeated in hurry for Danny to calm down and then checked on May by flipping her body around to see more foam leaving her lips. Luke cursed when the sound of footsteps rushed up the staircase, veins popping out of his arm when he grumbled.

Luke: Don't they know when to quit?

Danny sucked in a breath and shakingly rubs his hand against the wrapped shirt around his neck and looks over to May. She's Peter only family member left and was so generous to let them live in the house and respect their personal circumstances...Danny have little energy to spare but...fuck it

Danny: Luke. Go...guard the door...while I heal both of them...

He whispered out as his bloodied hand hovered over May's chest and his other remaining over Sam's chest. Luke gaped to the command and grabs Danny's shoulder.

Luke: You insane?! You'll wear yourself out! Let me carry May and Sam and we'll fight our way out-!

Danny: No. Most likely the house is surrounded with guns and won't hesitate to shoot all of us...you can't protect all of us from bullets Luke...

Luke's arm trembled and slipped his hand off Danny's shoulder and sighed out a small huff, his words getting rough and wobbly again.

Luke: I...I can't allow you to die from this...you healed Peter and now you're giving your entire life source because of something that he possibly did...

Danny tilts his head down with his eyes closed, a small smile on his face with dried blood smeared across his eyes and wet blood on his lips that were dripping down his cheek.

Danny: ...Don't forget that I killed a dragon, fought Master Khan, and killed the H'ylthri...you can rest assure that I won't die from men with guns and knives...

Danny is selfless and reliable, everyone knows that. There was a reason why he fought for the fist and why Ava confided in him for the history of the amulet, and his siblings taking him to K'un L'un and why they want him back as a ruler...he's so reliavle at time to not admit defeat and care for others, but...even he has a limit. Luke clenches his fist and takes in a heavy breath of Danny's choice that results in nearly dying of blood loss for others...Luke groans and holds back his urge to punch Danny in the shoulder for how Peter's demeanor is rubbing onto Danny, he can't even tell him that it's a bad trait to have.

Although he wishes to scream at Danny, he didn't. He did as Danny said and stood up to guard the door, cracking the bones in his knuckles and paused to give a spoken response.

Luke: Just make sure to not stop me when I see Peter after this is over

Luke turned his head to the side to hear Danny's small chuckle more clearly.

Danny: I'll keep that in mind...after all, I have my own disciplinary actions for him

Luke: Not sure I like the sound of that coming from a guy like you, I'll watch what you do from the sidelines then

Although Danny couldn't watch Luke leave, Luke regardless waved his hand as he stepped out of the door frame. Danny clenches his brows together as the light in both hands shined brighter and heavy sweat dripping down his cheeks. The sound of men's grunts and heavy thumps landing on the floor and pistols going off rapidly outside the room.

Despite sounding so confident towards Luke to ease his worry, Danny is getting closer to wanting to collapse and wishing to wake up in a soft bed with Peter beside him, the house being clean and unbroken, Sam possibly making pancakes with May while Luke and Ava would either be barely waking up or helping set up the table.

The calm fantasy brought a warmness in his chest and a quiver in his lips from the harsh hit of reality that they most likely won't recieve again after this night.

~~~~~~~~

"Spider-Man!"

He was greeted by the misshapen sight of concrete with a shard sticking out of his open cracked eye frame. Peter grabbed the remaining shard and pulled it out to not give the shard the opportunity to stab into his eye if he were to make a move.

"Spider-Man!!"

Peter turns his head towards the noise and saw Ald running towards his direction as he kept holding his arm with a red stain tainted over his hand.

The spider could only mutter out a small "what...?" before Ald began to rapidly explain in a single sole breath when he stood behind Peter.

Ald: She's chasing me! She fucked up my friend! Shouldn't you do something?! You're a fucking hero aren't you?!

His eyes glued towards Ald and rolled his eyes to the direction he had ran from. Maybe he should just let Ava deal with this guy...

Ald stepped back from Peter suddenly getting up with his dull eyes staring at him.

Peter places his hands against Ald's chest and harshly pushes him back before a flash of white dashes between them. The white figure landing on the ground with their left leg bent forward and claws digging into the ground with a growl. The force from Peter's hand caused him to land his ass on the ground and crawled with his back against the shipment from the Tiger's sharp stare aiming towards him.

Tiger's attention shifted towards Peter and the growl was louder, the amulet radiating the warehouse. If anything would break Ava's control with the god, it would be removing her amulet. It's the fastest way to stop this and go back home for Aunt May and the group.

"Get away from him Spider-Man"

Peter's eye twitched from the hint of Ava's voice inside the god's voice but he closed his eyes, and lets out a deep breath before positioning himself in front of Ald. His gaze towards the Tiger deepens when hearing a scoff that followed with a curt mock in the question they asked next.

"Playing the fucking hero, Spider? Imagine my host waking up at this moment seeing you stand infront of the man who killed her family"

Peter stayed silent. He turns his head to the side to glance at Ald who remained trembling on the ground and faced back forward. Peter stared at the amulet tied around Ava's neck, he'll have to get up and personal to remove it.

"There's no need for you to drag this on, Spider. The longer you stay here with us, the less chance that your sweet old Aunt May will survive from Mace's attack."

Spider-Man's eyes rose from the mention of Aunt May's name. He could feel his legs getting shaky and his shoulders going down from the idea of it. It'll just be Aunt May in that house with trained men who could easily sneak inside the house and attack her in her sleep.

"It's just me and you here, Spider. You leave him in my hands and I'll send Mace a message on your behalf. We won't tell anyone of you leaving...that is if anyone would even care for a guy who killed a family. Think rationally about this Spider."

They're right. No one would care about the guy he's somehow protecting. Is he...really that worth it?

Ald flinched and was catching his breath when Peter turned back again, his exposed cold eye stared at the man.

Ald: No! NO! I-I-I admit that I did a bad thing- but- it wasn't my choice! It was Mace! Mace told me to do it! Can't you see that I'm a victim?!

Peter cringed when Ald crawled closer to him, continuing to attempting to justify himself, it's disgusting. Mace is the cause of this but this man was the one who shot Ava's family in anger. He shot at them until blood filled the room all for his measly eye.

He deserves his entire life stripped away from him, but the one to do shouldn't be him...and it can't be Ava whether she's possessed or not.

Hector wouldn't want that to happen to her.

The tiger tilts its head to the side from the spider turning forward again. He stood in his usual stance with his fists up and looking steady.

"Spider. How can you defend that person? He killed your own friend's family and is assisting Gideon Mace"

Spider-Man: I have my own plans with this man. At the moment, I just want to bring Ava back home...she needs us, not you

The Tiger went silent as their body tensed. The green amulet shining bright with their arms shaking and leaps towards Peter, their claws pointed towards the spider as he charged forward with his arm reaching out.

He grabbed the Tiger's arm and pulled them down against the ground. Hand placed against the Tiger's head to push their head down to the ground with arm pulled back as Peter had his body hovered over them to avoid them from struggling. Peter looks up to Ald who was stupidly watching but then he gasped and pushed himself up to run away from them.

Peter looks back down but exclaim when a handful of dirt was thrown towards his face, the dirt have flew into his broken lense and stabbed his exposed eye. The act made him remove his hands off the Tiger so he can wipe the dirt away from his mask and eye with rapid blinking but his eyesight remained clouded and hot.

The god took the opportunity to swing their elbow back to meet contact with Peter's face and attempt to crawl away until a fistful of hair was gripped and pulled their head back. Peter pulls them back and throws them back to the ground where Peter can properly stand over them. The god lets out a breathy laugh as they pushes themself up from their stomach with dirt sprinkled in the strands of their hair.

"You know how to play dirty despite not wanting to show it, Spider"

Spider-Man: ...bring Ava back
*he slowly winks his eye to see the tiger's figure more clearly but he could only see the figure blurred, the burning brought a unwanted reaction of a tear forming and going down his cheek from the deep dirt in his eye*

The god exhaled a deep purr that grew into a growl with eyes turning green, claws digging into the dirt floor with clawed lines forming underneath as the Tiger dragged their arm back. Peter exhaled a heavy breath with his eyes closed then opened them when the blurred white figure got close to him with an arm raised to his direction. He closed his burning eye and kept the other unharmed eye open to properly block the attack from the god by lifting up his arm for the impact to hit his forearm.

"You're a fool to think that my host will willingly go back with you!"

The attacks continues and Peter kept blocking them with his forearms and hands while taking a few steps back from the Tiger's persistence until both his forearms redirected one of Tiger's upcoming arm away, then elbowed the Tiger's face. Then with the other arm, he reaches for the neck to push them down and twist their arm back but the Tiger had beat him to it by kneeing the Spider in the stomach.

They grab hold of the Spider's scalp and turns him around for his face to meet contact with the metal shipment behind him and banging his head repeatedly with its nails digging into his skull.

From the corner of his eye, he raised his arm and shot his web at a shipment that was stacked onto another and clenches his hold tight when he pulled it. The shipment was heading towards them in fast speed that caught the Tiger offguard and move back to avoid getting hit, while Peter shot web up the ceiling and pulled himself up from getting hit.

Dust and dirt flew from the heavy contact of the shipment with its components out from one of its end. Peter was grasping the webbing tight while scanning around the ground level for the Tiger, he furrowed his brows when the dust was cleared out and the tiger's figure nowhere to be found.

He hopped down to the cargo under his feet and crouched down with his legs spread, squinting his blurry eyes for any sight of the Tiger's shadow but his attention was taken away from Ald's heavy panting and banging against the webbed down. Ald cursed in exaggeration when he struggled to peel off the webbing and glaring back to Spider-Man crouched on a shipment.

Ald: Are you going to help me escape or not?! Do you want me to die in here?! What kind of hero are you?!

His face went hot from the man's agressive yelling from the closed entranced. Leaving him behind for the Tiger to deal with was tempting...

"He's right Spider. What kind of hero are you?"

The whisper came from behind which rose goosebumps against his suit. His breathing becoming heavy as light steps approached him from behind.

"You speak big of 'Great Power Comes Great Responsibility' but when...have you ever showed those qualities? All you showed was your lack of control and selfishness...I could see it, your goblin friend and the torch saw it, Fury sees it, your team and boyfriend sees it, the mind controller saw it, and your mentor Hector saw right through you as well..."

The purred pronouncation of Hector's name in Ava's voice brought a cold wind in Peter's exposed mask that brought a shiver out of him. He jumped down when his senses went off from the Tiger's sudden closeness. His feet planted onto the fallen shipment as the Tiger stood on the edge with a quick sense of unease from its cold tone.

"Did you know that Hector wouldn't allow me to help him after he met you? No matter how much he struggled...he rejected me for a brat like you"

They landed on the shipment as Peter that brought a ringing in his ears.

Spider-Man: He almost killed me under your control!

"I was making him stronger. Everything I did was for him to be better but you only got in the way. We had everything handled...but you just had to involve yourself"

Spider-Man: I involved myself to help him as any friend would do. How messed up would've it been if I left him like that?

The Tiger grew a small quiet chuckle that ended with a loud purr as they slowly approach Peter, making him slowly step back as response.

"How interesting. You say that it's something obvious that a friend should do, correct? So why did you leave your own best friend to handle Tombstone himself?"

Spider-Man: I was-

"-Protecting your dear aunt and the young dragon I would assume. You left and look what happened. Your best friend was taken away. The popsicle was grounded. You summoned the FBI. You made everyone disappointed in you."

Peter's raised fists were trembling and lowered them down, he could feel the air getting humid that left a stinging in his eyes, causing it to water, not because he wanted to cry or anything. All he wanted was to protect himself and the people that he loves for once, is that such a bad thing?

"You can still make everything up. Leave that man here for us to deal with while...you go back to your house and protect your dear aunt from being shot in the heart like your dear old uncle..."

A choked grunt escaped their throat from a hot hand gripping their throat with the sudden and heavy impact landing them against the bumps of the metal container, the stitches on the back meeting a firey and burning contact against the bumps. The Tiger's sight was up at the ceiling and looks back down to see the spider's face, the aggressive furrow in his eyes with red veins popping in his eyes and hand pushing the Tiger's neck down with their body weighing down by the spider ontop of them.

"Did I strike a nerve, hijo? ...you know that this isn't what heroes should do, right?"

Spider-Man: How ironic for you to say that. Tracking down and attempting to kill a person isn't what heroes do either.

The Tiger turned their head to the side to see Peter in his exposed eye and grabbing onto the Spider's wrist that's holding them down.

"Oh Spider...stop contradicting yourself. You did the same thing when your Uncle died, didn't you?"

How can Peter forget that night? He chased the killer down and scared them to the point of them falling off a two story building. He couldn't go through with it but...Ava would. Even though she's not awake at the moment, she still asked the god to possess her and handle this themselves while also dragging him along with them...asking to be possessed to kill a person would still fall into the category of a intended murder.

Spider-Man: At least I didn't attempt to kill them at the end...I knew my situation at that time, and I still do

"Is that right? ...what about that man you killed under Kilgrave's control? It seems to me, that you would only care for the lives that surrounds your team and yourself...You knew your situation at that time and yet, you still gotten yourself in his control..."

Peter stared down at the god with his eyes dark and shoulders tense. The spider's heavy and rapid breathing vibrated in the tiger's ears with a mental image of how Peter's face must look like under the mask. No matter what choice Peter makes to either go back home or stay, he loses on both sides. Stay here, he loses his dear aunt and last remaining trust from his team, and if he leaves then he'll allow Ava to kill the man who killed her family. Mace is a military leader so he must've been quite strategic in dealing with the one who placed him behind bars, it's lucky on his part...

"I wonder of how Hector would think of you now. In a sense, he did baby you and showed you his good side than to his own wife and children...even so, he intended to leave you and ended up doing just that...And like always, he left because of y-"

Their head was pushed up and dropped back on the metal with a strain at the back of their neck. Peter pulled the amulet away with the glow fading away. He kept his fist clenched while biting his lip down from the burns the amulet was giving him. It was as if he could hear the god mocking him from the amulet, they really knew where to bite where it hurts.

I'm trying to do everything right.

I'm trying my fucking hardest in this job...

"...wearing a mask means that you have something to protect and lose depending on the choices you make, if that's the case then I'll make good choices so I can't lose anyone again"

Those are the words that I said to Hector a year ago. And he died believing that I would follow true on my word.

I'm doing everything I fucking can in this dang job...

But why does it feel as if nothing have changed from when Uncle Ben died? Or when I was treated like a rag doll by Skip?

No matter what I do, someone always have to get hurt in my life.

Nothing's new.

Nothing has changed.

And this god had to remind me of that...

"...Peter?"

Peter looks up to see Ava rub her head, moaning as she shook her head. He remained sitting on her as Ava tried to position herself up but the strength in her arms wobbled and fell back, she gasped heavily when her back met the cold metal.

She grabs a hold of tight fabric from her chest and lifts it slightly and lifts her mask up to her nose to grab air. Peter did throw her body to the shipment quite aggressively so hands his arm out to her. The light from the ceiling hitting Ava made her unable to make sense of what Peter was expressing from his open eye hole in his mask. She looks to the side where the lace of the necklace swayed in the wind in Peter's palm then moved his arm back to not make the amulet noticeable.

Spider-Man: Ava

He called for her attention which just gotten a silent nod as a response and his arm being grabbed, he pulled her up to her feet and slid his hand up to her shoulder. All he need to do is lead her away and go back home...hide the amulet somehow and this Mace issue will be resolved by him.

"HEY! DON'T IGNORE ME!"

The man's aggravating voice brought heat in his blood and tighten his clenched fist with the amulet forming a small crack from the tightness in his grip. Peter turns his head back to see Ald stupidly stand in front of the webbed entrance completely red in the face. Peter sucked in a deep breath with his chest rising and going down.

Spider-Man: The webbing will dissolve in 2 hours...you'll live

Her shot a glance back at the man with the last words, gripping his hold on Ava's hand and quickly starts walking towards the direction of the open window where he came in. Peter pulls her close and wraps his arm around her waist to getting ready to leap up the shipment. Going back home is his main priority before something happens with the god...clearly they had something to plan by pissing Peter off before yanking the amulet off, whatever it was, it most likely had something to do with Ava reacting to the Ald.

"You're fucking kidding...YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE GOING TO PROTECT ME! THAT YOU NEED ME TO GET MACE, RIGHT?! Now that you have your girlfriend, you think that you can leave me here with information of where Mace might be hiding?"

Shit...I did say that...but...May is-

Ava: Peter...Who's Mace?

Ava stood her ground, unmoving when Peter attempts to pull her away. She kept her eye contact on the fidgeting Spider, his eyebrow risen and then knitted with his eyes looking the other direction, turning his head to the direction away from Ava's gaze.

The god says that Ava chose to be possessed, and from what Peter heard about possession, is that those who were possessed wouldn't have any recollection of what the entity have done in their body...would this possession still follow suit? When Hector was possessed, he didn't remember much and spent most of his time trying to keep the god away. Ava's behavior is...a bit unpredictable like her father and difficult to read if she's lying or not...she didn't even react as bad as I thought when she saw me here so she must've known about this as the god said...

Spider-Man: ...I'll tell you later. We need to leave and go back home, I left the house unattended-

His arm slid down to her arm and pulled her again but she stood firm with her other hand holding the wrist from the hand he was grabbing her with. The hold was tight with her nails pressing against his skin but she kept her eyes on Peter's face. Peter stares at her from her small protest and looks away again, holding her hand tightly than he was grabbing her before.

Spider-Man: We're leaving

Ava: Who is Mace?

Spider-Man: I said that we'll talk about it at home, with everyone else about everything-

Ava: Tell me now-

Spider-Man: We're leaving!

A silent pause was quickly formed between the two that made the mood awkward. Ald held in a cough and looks away from meeting the Spider's sharp glare. Peter composes himself with a small sigh and finally looks up to Ava but this time, she had her head down.

Spider-Man: I'm sorry for snapping like that Ava...let's leave first and I'll explain everything at home-

Ava: Explain what? That you knew that man killed my family?

His heart rushed from her questions. She knows. The god told her. She deserves to know, obviously, but...not from them. I shouldn't have kept it...I should've told her the truth but...how could I with the state she was in?

Ava: ...why did you kept it from me?

Spider-Man: What did they tell you?

Both questions were spoken at the same time, Ava looks back up from the odd timing while Peter held his head down. The clenching on the green amulet in his hand continues to form cracks with a few tiny shards falling on the ground.

Peter repeated himself. Each word slowly leaving his mouth that came out as low for Ava to understand, his exposed eye glaring at her for a response.

Spider-Man: What did it tell you?

The god has a big mouth. There's no way that they would've kept hidden the reason why Peter was there and how he knew about Mace's existence. His connection to Mace would obviously have Hector involved in this...he can barely keep one secret hidden at a time.

Ava: What are you so nervous about, Peter?

Peter closed his mouth and jumped back from the question. Ava pulled her arm back in the process and rubs her wrist with her other hand, glancing down to the amulet held in the Spider's hand.

Spider-Man: I'm not. I just-wanna know what lies that god have told you!

He waved his hand to grab her hand again but she stepped back, Ava's shoulders up and tense. Peter could feel his mask sticking to his skin and a breeze brush against his back that gave him a small chill.

Spider-Man: Yo-you know how it is! It took advantage of Danny's abilities and drained both of your bodies! It made you act like an addict and panic without it near you! It made you...do things that you didn't want to do...

Peter made a step forward with his free hand up to reach for Ava but she did the opposite by stepping back.

Spider-Man: See Ava? It did...awful things to you and us...so forget about what the god said to you and let me help you and tell you everything. Now let's go back home and-

Ava: Help me? ...when...have you ever helped me or been honest to us?

Peter's arm froze in the middle of reaching for her hand. His finger twitched and closes into a fist and lowered it beside his side and gave a quick reply back, his voice stuttering and skimming back to Ald at the entrance who stood awkwardly and having his hands in the pockets of his pants.

Spider-Man: Ava-Ava let's leave first...It's clear that you mustn't have been feeling well because of this, let's go back and have Danny check over you plea-?

Ava: Why are you keeping things from me?

Peter opened his mouth and huffed out a small scoff.

Spider-Man: Ava, come on...how am I going to keep things from you if I'm already telling you that I'll tell you everything at home?

Ava: I know you, Peter. You just want time to construct your lie like you always do...

Lie? When have I ever lied to you?! I never lied about anything that would pose a danger to you! Everything I did and said was so you don't end up doing the same stupid shit that I did!

Spider-Man: Ava- just-...Do you really trust a god that's hundreds of years old, mentally and physically harmed you and Danny, and is the reason why your family dynamic got all fucked up?

Peter rubbed the top bridge of his nose over his mask with a deep and dark sigh. His shoulders dropped down as he opened his mouth to keep talking but a heavy force was pressed against his neck with his back pressed against the bumpy shipment container behind him.

Ava: You don't get to comment on my family dynamic...especially after-...after they-...

Peter moved his gripping hand back and in between the gap from his lower body against the shipping container. He watches Ava's voice tremble, her tone getting soft as her shoulders shook.

Spider-Man: Ava...do you remember what I told you the other day? Chasing down my uncle's killer didn't solve anything...it's not what he wanted for me and neither Aunt May...I'm sure your family wouldn't want you to go down that road...

Ava: You're wrong...you have your aunt still in your life but I...have nothing...Everyone in my life have died and left me...Only killing him and Mace will fix everything...

Peter locked eyes with Ava's. He could imagine her dark expression under her mask and how sore her eyes must be from keeping back her tears from how strained her voice was. She removed her arm from pressuring Peter's neck and swayed back, her head turning to Ald who were on the phone and froze when he met eye contact with Ava. Ald dropped his phone to the ground and raised his hands up in defense, his words stuttering and moving a few steps back against the webbed door.

"I-I-I not doing anything! Swear! I-I just- I was just-uh-"

Ava's nails have grew as she slowly approaches Ald with her steps in a slow manner. Ald's sudden begging from her approach brought Peter back to how similar she looked like Hector...the only difference being the amulet. This isn't what Hector would've want her to do. He would never wish for this to happen. He wouldn't want his youngest daughter to do this.

Peter reached his hand out and grabbed Ava's wrist to stop her from walking forward, giving Ald a few seconds to run away.

Spider-Man: This isn't right! You know that we can't act like this! If you think that you're alone then...don't. You have us...You have the boys every since you joined and I trusted you guys to move into my house...my Aunt May took care of you all and watched over you at the hospital more than your own sister...We were beside you all this time and yet you say that you have no one...Aren't we enough?

Aunt May dedicated herself to care for the team. Ava's situation was so triggering for her and yet she still showed up to watch over her at her hospital bed.

Sure the team didn't get along that much but it's obvious how they care for her.

Sam defends her at any situation, Danny wasted his energy and went to K'un L'un just to find the origins of her amulet, and Luke helped her with her withdrawals.

Even MJ and Jessica treated Ava like their friend...

Ava: Did...you actually think we were family? We're nothing more than coworkers...

Spider-Man: ...what?

Ava: We're all just teenagers placed in a group project...all we ever do is fight with each other and disagree on everything...

Coworkers? Nothing more than...coworkers?

Is that...how we really actually are?

Aren't we always talking...?

...and dont teams often argue?

Ava: I think...everything changed after we met you...

Oh. It was because of me...

All fights started by me...When I met them, they were all at sync together without needing me...

The entire time...I was worthless to them.

I'm worthless even living in the same house as them.

Spider-Man: You-...you won't come back home then? You won't come back even at moments we need you...?

Ava: It was never my home to start with, Peter

Peter freed her arm. He furrowed his brow together and clenched his eyes closed to avoid any feeling in his eyes as his head was tilted away and down. It was as if the god in the crushed up amulet inside his hand was laughing at him.

Ava would never go back home with him...because of him. He was the entire reason...

Spider-Man: You won't even come back home even if the same thing that killed your mom is going to happen to Aunt May aswell?

She went silent but refusing to turn back.

Spider-Man: Or do you not care for a couple of "coworkers" and a woman who took the time out her day to go to the hospital and tried to reasoned with your sister who doesn't even want you anymore?

Ava: Say that again. I fucking dare you Parker

Her voice was deep yet raspy, her claws are fully out and staring at Peter with a small head turn to look at him in the eye. Despite the intimidation, Peter didn't budge, he didn't filter his words as he continued to press her edges.

Spider-Man: Mace is going to kill my only purpose in life, the one who makes me feel the slightest bit appreciated in my life, someone who took the time to take you guys in after Norman blew your home up and cared for you soo much to the point of adopting you after your own blood sister can't even look at you in the eyes anymore-

Ava: I'm going to fix it!

She erupted. The surrounding echoed from her yell that made Ald jump and Peter remain frozen, just coldly staring at her as she sucked in a breath.

Ava: I'm doing this to fix what I've done! I'm doing what you were too scared to do when your tío died!

Spider-Man: Scared? Did you think I was scared to kill a guy like him? I can lift cars, I can knock a guy out with a flick of my finger, and I can survive a hole in my stomach and you think I'm scared to kill a middle aged man with a gun and knife? That entire act had nothing to do with the fact that I was scared to kill a person, I was scared to what Aunt May would think of me if she finds out that her nephew, the one who makes her still function, and the one who works hard to raise, would think of when finding out that he killed a guy who killed her husband. The only one who seems to be scared here is you

Ava: Me? All I want is to kill Mace for what he did-!

Spider-Man: If you aren't scared, then why aren't you coming with me?! I know that you care! You act so cold to what we do because we're idiots but it's so obvious that you care about them! You treat Sam like he's your kid brother, you help Luke with his math homework, you took him and Danny to your house and let them play with your nieces and nephew, you even cared enough to buy me cookies on the days that I was sick!

Ava went quiet, completely speechless of what to say next. It tells Peter that he completely bit on the bullet. Ava wouldn't willingly leave the team and Aunt May to die by Gideon Mace, the same guy who killed her mom and the rest of her family. If she cared even the slightest then she would stop this game of cat and mouse but...she's stubborn. She doesn't like to be proven wrong. Because of her stubbornness it's difficult to understand what her actual thought process is like and what answer she'll give out, sometimes she would just be so predictable and often not.

Spider-Man: Come back home Ava...please

There wasn't a dent in her mask, still looking as cold as she always does. They're running out of time...and it seems as if Ava doesn't really know it. It's obvious that he has a pleading look in his eyes just for her to follow him home and help the others, have Aunt May hug them both from how worried she was that they weren't home, and just return back how it was before. Unlike Hector, Ava has a chance to move on from the amulet and be a normal girl...she can have something that Hector never had the chance of grab ahold of.

Ava: I can't. It's not like me to leave work unfinished...so I'll like it for you to stay out of my business so you don't get hurt and worry your tía...Bye, Peter.

Peter can't help but huff out a chuckle. It was clear. Ava is scared. Her entire reason why she's doing this is so she can fix what she apparently caused...a thought like that, must be something that the god manipulated her to think. Peter open his fist and dropped the crushed pieces of the amulet to the ground with a faint glow. Peter dusted his hands together to rid of any remaining pieces stuck in his gloves and steps away.

There's no words to give out. No more pleading for her to come back and change her mind. He didn't stop walking and never looked back when Ald would call him out. Ald deserves everything that's coming to him, him and Gideon Mace.

He jumped on the shipping container and swung out of the warehouse from the open window he came in from. Whatever expression Ava was wearing under her mask, it brought a burning and throbbing pull in his chest.

He thought back to Hector again: "Wearing the mask means that you have something to protect...and something to lose."

Ava is closed off, always stubborn when being proven wrong and from recieving help. In a sense, Peter hoped that Ava was crying under her mask from leaving the team and Aunt May, atleast having a sense of guilt.

Somehow, her reasoning wasn't all that shocking...it never did felt like they were friends.

They don't really know anything about each other.

Their favorite foods, favorite color, the name of their family members, or what they wanted to be when they grow older.

They were already fine together before Peter joined SHIELD. And Peter was also fine before...

He was fine with Johnny...and the low levels of stress he had of Aunt May being hurt by him as Spider-Man...

Everything was fine...and I messed everything up...

~~~~~~~

Peter's calves were burning as he stopped infront of the door to his house. The yard and street was empty with the harsh whoosh from the air and the hostile beating in his chest and heavy gasps as the only sources of noise in the neighborhood. His feet were glued to the woodboards as he stared at the door handle, unsure of what he'll see inside the house.

Last time a break-in happened with Aunt May inside was the night of Uncle Ben's death. That night was filled with police sirens that lasted for hours that kept the entire neighborhood talking for the span of a week. The sight of Aunt May trembling and screaming on the couch as one of the officers tried to calm her down so she can talk...It was noisy that night and Aunt May was lonely, unlike tonight...at least she wasn't alone but...I should've been here...

What good of a nephew am I?

The sound of a passing car from a few feet away brought Peter back to his senses and open the door to the house and enter, softly closing the door behind him.

The inside of the house was empty too...everything looked untouched from a distance but when he stepped further into the living room, small bullet holes and residue from the counters started to show. He peeked inside the kitchen when noticing a phone from a distance and the gut in his stomach went up to his throat. A corner of the phone was drowning in the pool of blood on the floor that Peter was hesitant to approach. The phone vibrated in the blood with a ping following after the vibration. Peter stared down at the phone, his heart in his mouth as he steps around the puddle and grabs the phone, his hand trembling and struggling to presson the button on its side to turn it on.

The last lense in his mask glowed from the brightness from the phone screen of a lockscreen of a selfie of Sam with a little girl who was the clone replica of him except with pigtails with round bead hairties. Both of their exaggerated expressions of their tongues sticking out and the sunset background with blurred crowd of people surrounding each other that was enough to creak a small smile on Peter's face while remaining crouching down.

Then the smile dropped. His hand was gripping the phone but released his strength to avoid breaking the phone. The photo was possibly the first time Peter ever saw a genuine look of happiness in Sam's face even if he was just sticking his tongue out...for this picture to be his lockscreen must've meant that Sam cared so much for his sister...

Peter read files on each of the guys about relatives and how they recieved their abilities but didn't actually pay attention to the information since he forgot that Sam even had a sister...Admitting it just, brings a numbing in Peter's chest from how shitty that sounds...Sam cares for his sister and wouldn't have kept her quiet to everyone...Most likely he would talk about her to everyone else and yet, Peter paid no attention to what he had to say...

"Did...you actually think we were family? We're nothing more than coworkers..."

Ava is firm and punctual and tonight was no exception, those words just echoed in Peter's head from how right she is...

It was stupid of him to think they were family when he didn't even know that Sam had a sister who he cherished, what kind of friend forgets that?

The phone vibrated again in his grasp and when he stared back at the bright screen, a profile picture of a brown woman, her hair dark and tied up in a ponytail with her face squished against Sam's sister's cheek, the name "Mami" typed under it.

Peter's thumb hovered over the green phone button. He should answer it. She must've been calling for hours to know if Sam is okay but if she asks where Sam is then...what will Peter say? Admit that he allowed Mace to attack his team and came too late to do anything?

No mother, or parental guardian for that matter, would want to hear that their child was attacked and their leader didn't try to show up in help them...

The vibration ended which gave Peter a 10 second chance to see the photo more clearly before Sam's mom called again. Curiously, he swiped his finger up and saw notifications of messages and missed calls from Sam's mom, most of them in Spanish.

It's weird of how his mom must've allowed Sam to stay here with SHIELD when Aunt May would've flipped if Peter were to bring up moving to another state on his own at his current age...

...I shouldn't compare them. The situations are different. Sam's mom must know of his reasoning for being here while...I haven't told Aunt May anything.

As Peter places his hands on his knees to stand back up, a trail of blood caught his eye that led towards the staircase. He kept his eyes down to avoid stepping on the blood drops, his eyesight getting foggy from the rising beating in his chest that's eating his energy and focus away when the drops of blood enters Aunt May's room. The costume and mask started to tighten his chest and face with his hair sticking to his forehead, his breathing went heavy while each step he made towards the room let out a creak.

He walked over the fallen door with its hinges still hanging at the doorway. Peter stepped close to May's undone and bloodied bed and eyed a framed portrait on the nightstand of Aunt May, Uncle Ben, and himself when he was possibly in elementary from the huge smile and huge round glasses that he was wearing. It's odd to see an immature version of himself that's completely opposite from how he is now, that Peter didn't meet Skip yet, didn't cause his uncle's death, didn't get the repulsive spider bite that fucked up his life...and have fucked up his team and Aunt May...

Spider-Man was his escape as Peter Parker but it came into his personal life regardless by inflicting pain on May.

I can't save anyone.

I failed.

I'm a failure.

All I wanted to do as Spider-Man is protect Aunt May...and yet I can't even fulfill that mission.

How can I live with myself after hurting her?

I took Uncle Ben away from her

I involved myself with Skip

I make her worry of me sneaking out

I bring four teenagers here without asking Aunt May's permission of having them move in

I make her stress over me and the house bills

I make her get angry with me

What good am I if not a disappointment?

Would it have been better if I died instead of Ben?

Perhaps I would've died in the plane crash with my parents, or died from blood loss when Harry impaled me, or being choked by Tombstone, or burnt to a crisp by Johnny...

So many chances that I could've died and yet I'm still moving, my heart is still beating, and still hurting the only person who loves and raised me

His entire body vibrated, from the phone vibrating in his hand and his head giving off a warning of a threat behind him. His body tensed from his spider senses but he didn't move, his shoulders slumped down and turned around, the SHIELD agent, Sharon Carter stood in the doorway with her pistol raised up, then lowered it down when she recognized the spider's lense and webbed costume.

Sharon: Where the hell have you been? Fury have sent out every agent into the field to find your ass and take you back to the helicarrier

Fury.

Fury...

The one who gave false promises of protecting Aunt May, or protecting Ava's family, the one who hid in the shadows when Johnny was taken away...

Nick fucking Fury...

Spider-Man: Where is he?

Sharon stared, scanning him up and down and scoffed her response.

Sharon: Where is who?

Spider-Man: Fury. Where the hell is he?

Peter was now stomping downwards her, his voice croaking and deep, unwavering from the act of Sharon's pistol being pointed up to his head. Her face hard from the eerie and cold vibe Peter was giving. He eyed the pistol then looks back towards Sharon, her expression unmoving and firm. His forehead pressed against the end of the pistol and bowed his head slightly down to look at Sharon's eyes.

Spider-Man: Shoot. I'm all that's left for Fury to kill other than my own aunt and team

The vibration of the phone call broke the strong silence between the two and somewhat eased both of them a bit. Sharon put her gun away and grabs the phone from Peter's hand and steps back into the hallway, her back facing Peter and her hand on her hip as she places the phone against her ear.

Peter stood under the doorway and watched Sharon speak in perfect spanish to Sam's mom in the call. Fury...does he want to scold me for what I did? Tell me how I'm to blame for everything acting as if I don't know that?

Sharon: Si...lo siento señora...lo siento...

Peter blinks and raises his brow from the sound of a quiver in her voice from the last repeated words and drop of her arm with phone in hand. From the reaction, she must've told Sam's mom about everything that happened...saying sorry for something that Fury and Peter couldn't keep eye on.

Sharon: Fury gives his regards for not being here himself. He's been extremely busy lately...want to wonder the reason why?

Peter folds his arms and grips his bicep when Sharon turns her head back with a spark of venom in the word. Reason...Peter was the reason...He broke into the carrier and stole information and placed himself in the FBI's radar along with Johnny. Despite that, it was Fury's job to watch over Aunt May and Ava's family to protect them from any threats. That was their agreement.

Spider-Man: No matter what I did to hurt Fury's feelings, he brought Aunt May into it by getting her hurt...hell, not just her but also my team! We made a contract, an agreement! To not bring harm to my home and Aunt May and to help her if I were-! If she needed help after I...passed somehow

When he first joined SHIELD, he was allowed to add or remove modifications that the contract wasn't included before. He didn't know that know that one can do that after his last contract in the wrestling ring so he was a bit more careful about the SHIELD one. Him and Fury had gone over the contract for over 4 hours in a single room with any breaks, Peter just had to get clarifications over everything to make sure Fury would actually keep true to his word. After the topic of constant supervision in the house to protect Aunt May, Peter gave the modification for SHIELD to provide Aunt May in any financial problem if Peter were to die for anything related to him as Spider-Man.

She couldn't take it when dealing with the funeral expenses of Ben's death, it took alot of his will to pay for it. If Peter were to die then he wouldn't want May to go through that financial struggle again. When he made that statement clear to add in the contract, Fury looked almost surprised but noted it into the contract...it showed Peter that the others didn't add that requirement in the contract.

It felt greedy which knotted the tie in his chest even tighter when remembering it again. It just looks as if he's in it for the money...

Sharon: I understand your contract with Fury. The others recieved the same contract as well that their guardians had to sign. I believe it was stated in the contract that the party who willingly sparks a ruse and interferes with SHIELD's business in a unkept manner will be compensated within SHIELD's guidelines

Spider-Man: Sure I fucked up on my part and bit first...but what about Ava? We all recieved the same contact, correct? She never breached a single thing in it, she had cameras in her home meaning that she agreed to having SHIELD look over her family. In her case, didn't Fury breach her contract by allowing her family get killed without doing anything for the span of hours? Plus, that happened before my situation with Johnyn and the FBI occured so what was SHIELD doing during that period? Isn't that odd?

Sharon stayed quiet. She freed out a sigh that gave off annoyance, her words that followed after were strained.

Sharon: Don't you want to know how your team and aunt are feeling? I can take you to them.

The mention of his aunt and the others being alive, injured but still alive brought a burning in his eyes. Thank god. Thank fucking god...

He drops his body against the door frame, holding onto it before his legs could weak out and fall down. Luckily, Sharon spoke out again and approaches the staircase.

Sharon: I came here by car. The helicarrier is grounded to avoid instant confrontation from the FBI, Fury is still handling the issue

Peter slid his feet after her until they finally reached outside and to a black car with tinted windows. He couldn't even put on his seatbelt, he just said his back against the seat and removed his mask, his head flooping back. The heat in the car brought more sweat on his skin than it was before when he was fighting Ava and when he was running down the cold street.

As Sharon started the car, Peter looks back to MJ's house next door to him. She's most likely asleep right now, she wouldn't stay up this late. How would she react when she wakes up and knocks on his house door just to find the house damaged and empty?

She didn't come over after the problem with Johnny. Most likely had work and wanted to give me some space since she knows how much I care for him

After everything that she saw of me throughout our years together as friends, I'm still weirded out of why she still sticks around me when she's dealing so much in her life to care for someone like me

~~~~~~~

Peter avoided the eyes from each agent that walked or ran past him and Sharon, the yells and chatter among the agents rung through his eardrums, losing himself the ability to think and focus. He just wanted everything to be quiet.

Sharon: Fury is heavily occupied so you won't be able to speak to him at the moment

Spider-Man: I don't care...How is Sam? Is he alive?

Sharon: He's alive but unfortunately you can't visit him yet. Sam was rushed into surgery and will take a while for the procedure to finish

Surgery.

That must've been what Agent Carter was talking to Sam's mother about in the call. From everything that he was thinking, he couldn't pay attention to much of what Agent Carter was saying during that moment. His mom must've broken down when hearing what happened to him which would be why Agent Carter was saying sorry to her.

Both walked to the small familiar section of the helicarrier, located in the medical bay, a second home for Peter. Agent Carter pulls her sleeve up to see the time on her watch and then fixes her coat.

Sharon: Luke Cage's room is at the end of the aisle and Iron Fist is down two doors at the left. Both of them are most likely asleep at the moment so you can get the first room on the right to rest

Rest...an action that Peter haven't gave much thought of tonight.

Sharon: If you need anything then ask the nurses and agents in the main medical center, rest well Peter

He didn't watch her walk back to where they were, her shoes tapping against the floor was enough to decipher her distance from him. Peter is tired. Really tired after everything. He couldn't sleep well at Johnny's place, he got shot and was passing out throughout the entire day, slept for an hour or two before the god woke him up, ran around some more while thinking of Hector, went back home on foot so sleeping on a bed is what he's currently eager to do.

In the span of a minute or two, he was already in the empty room that Agent Carter told him to sleep in and tucked inside the blanket of the bed. The bed is a twin sized bed, like the one he has at home but it felt so empty. The pillows and rough blanket were cold, nothing like at home. A heat washed across his body when he stares at the door and visioned of Danny lying alone in his bed. It was as if a knife was gutting his stomach from how Danny would react to seeing him, Luke and Sam for sure would beat his ass, that fact Peter knows, but Danny on the other hand...he never displaced any form of anger towards him since Peter never messed up as badly as he did tonight. If Danny didn't hate him before for everything that he did throughout the course of their relationship then he would hate him now...possibly break up with him.

Peter pulls the covers over his head to cover his entire body then pulled his legs up and positioned his body as a ball to get warmer. If they were to break up then Peter should get used to sleeping alone again.

~~~~~~~~~

Years prior, Danny's dreams were mainly about walking in the snow. The heavy weight from each step he made in the snow and the wind would keep pushing him back. It was always the same dream.

White would be everywhere and his 6 year old self would use his entire child strength to walk forward with nothing waiting for him at the end. The scenary wouldn't change. The cold would go through the threads of his puffy winter jacket and gloves which would make his skin blue and the ice would crawl up his skin to his face. The shivering wouldn't stop, the wind kept getting harsher and harsher, the snow piled higher and higher, but he wouldn't stop, still hoping to find something at the other side.

The endings of each dream were often different.

One would be freezing to death. He would stop walking and just sit down with his knees up his chest, arms wrapped around them while staring forward to the endless abyss, then would finally feel a rush of warmness as he closed his eyes and layed his head down to his arms with a final breath of air with silence following after.

The other would be a pack of wolves chasing him. No matter how much he pushed himself, the wolves would always catch up to him. One would jump on him and pin him against the snow. Another would bite his neck and pull the muscles inside his flesh to the point he wouldn't have the vocal cords to scream as each wolf kept taking his body apart and dying the snow red.

The third would be finding a bridge and the rope snapping. He would fall for hours with his hand reaching out if in some miracle a person would grab him. He would be awake when his body would make contact to the landing but unable to move, all he could do was stare up to the blue sky until he would be buried alive by snow.

This current dream was different.

A person was in his dream. It was different so Danny approached the person.

They were kneeling down in the snow with their back hunched forward in dark clothing. In what felt like a long time, Danny smiled. He ran fowards them with open arms and wrapped them around the person. The heat and the heartbeat he could feel from their back brought a tear in his eyes, he wasn't alone in the dream anymore.

The person was sobbing, their heartbeat went pacing that brought comfort to Danny and matched his pace with theirs. Then a force pushed him back into the snow. He looks up to see the person being a woman, her hair was blonde like his with her face being dark, only able to see tears falling down her cheeks. She was hugging a figure of a body made of flesh and roots with empty eye sockets, their mouth open and in dark clothing, its colors fading away. The sky went dark and the scenary around him changed. The snow went again and his skin got warm.

A round of the same corpses were behind the girl, their eyes were empty, mouths open and standing, their fingers were long and heads were hunched down until they raised their head up to meet eyes with Danny. Danny looks around to see more and more and more of the same corpses surrounding him.

Unlike his other dreams, a sound finally came out of Danny's mouth, a long wail came out of his mouth with tears pouring out and crawling back towards the girl. Then he was pinned down again, the girl hovered over him, a knife raised up to the sky and her other hand pushing Danny down.

Unlike his other dreams, he fought back. He kicked, he bit, he screamed, but an extra weight pushed him down. Hands from the corpses pinned him down and covered his mouth to hold back his screams from each swing that the knife dung into his chest, his stomach, legs, and face.

The only words that came out from the woman through her sobs being: "IT WAS ALL YOU! EVERYTHING HAPPENED BECAUSE OF YOU! EVERYTHING WAS YOUR FAULT!"

The knife stayed inside his eye socket. His entire body was numb, slowly turning light from how much his blood kept flowing out. The only feeling he could feel were her tears then her soft hand digging into the side of his head, his hair between her fingers.

"I'm sorry Danny...my little brother. I'm so sorry..."

Throughout the years he knew Miranda, he feared of being a burden for her, he had the same face as her father who abandoned her. He couldn't tell if her words and acts of affection towards him were genuine especially after what he did to her lover, his close friend.

He took everything from her.

Dreams could be what people want or what they fear. In a sense, Danny would've wanted Miranda to kill him after what he did to her and the rest of K'un L'un, just to suffer a bloody and person death as punishment but...still somehow hear her remorse over his death after taking her anger out.

I'm sorry...

She wouldn't say those words to him.

A heat touched his forehead and a light blinded his eyes when he opened them. Danny stared up to the ceiling with a clogness in his ears. His lips were dry and feels as if his sweaty face sunk with his cheekbones completely exposed. The vision went blurry then foggy as he scanned across the ceiling.

His legs were glued down to the mattress and his arms were over his chest and stomach. His breathing was rough and cloggy with a stinging burn on his neck. It was as if the weight pushing on him in his dream kept pushing him down in real life. He could almost see Miranda's silhouette in the ceiling and the sound of her screaming and her words.

Everything happened because of you.

Everything was your fault.

The left side of the bed sunk down as if someone was sitting on it. He didn't want to turn around. He couldn't even if he wanted to. Whether Luke or Peter...he wouldn't want to speak to either of them.

"Oh nephew. Still shedding tears on nightmares at your grown age?"

A ball of weight fell down his chest. The voice. The muffled and deep voice. It was Yu-Ti.

His uncle was here.

Despite his words, Danny pushed himself up, groaning from the pulling he got in his neck from the speed he got himself up. He hid his face to wipe his tears and his sweat before he can give a response, he could feel Yu-Ti eyeing him for a reaction.

Danny: Uncle! Y-you are here-! I-I was just taking a small nap-! I wasn't-!

Danny lifted his cover up as if he was going to get out of bed to give him a proper greeting but Yu-Ti raised his hand out in front of him.

"Rest, Young Dragon. You need your energy"

Danny did as told and stayed in his bed silently. The possible stitching in his neck were getting loose from how quickly he was breathing that correlated with the beating in his heart. Yu-Ti never showed himself like this. He couldn't help but feel as if he did something bad enough for him to appear...would dating Peter count in that category since he lied about being with him?

"I have been watching over you for a while to make me assured that you can care for yourself. Truth be told, I am not comfortable having you live here for another year. My worries seemed to have been justified after what I witnessed tonight."

Danny: Uncle, I did what I can to protect my current caretaker and friends but failed to defend myself from the trespassers twice...I'm ready for your punishment Uncle

The bed went light again. Yu-Ti was walking around the room, his green robe dragging across the floor.

"If anything, Daniel, I'm impressed. You managed to heal two individuals at the same time and kept one at the verge of death from dying of blood loss. You have also been able to make someone unconscious in the span of seconds"

The last sentence brought a shiver up his arms. He saw all that? Was he watching me? For how long? He must know about me and Peter...

Danny: Th-thank you, Uncle. I took deep considerations to your teachings

His words stuttered as he kept his head down. Unsure of what Yu-Ti would say of his lying about Peter. Would he actually have time to watch everything he's done after leaving K'un L'un? Was this just another dream? Realistically, he wouldn't be able to walk in here and have a form of transportation to get here unless he used the Doctor's magic or...Master Khan's.

Danny: How...how did you get in here, Uncle? This place is heavily guarded with agents and they wouldn't have any contact to K'un L'un

He grabs the covers tightly. His arm shook from the amount of strength he held in that grip when he couldn't even move before.

"Did you not wish for me to be here to check on my own nephew?"

Danny: I-I just wanted to ask if you had any reason for being here, I apologize for sounding unpleasant...

The light taps of footsteps went around the bed. Yu-Ti's figure approaching closer and closer, each step he made formed a sweat in Danny's forehead. His head was slightly swinging around from how much he was trembling but it stopped when Yu-Ti's hand patted his oily head and pulled him against his green robe, Danny's sweat staining the silked robe.

"I am only a concerned uncle. Afterall, I did stop my duties for the pure purpose to seeing you, and yet you're offended of my presence"

This must be a dream. It has to be.

Yu-Ti never portrayed any form of affection such as this.

He's a very clean person and wouldn't allow anything and anyone to touch his robes...his out of character demeanor is just so...weird and unbelievable.

It must be a dream.

Danny: Uncle...are you actually here? Is it really you?

Danny kept looking down. It was as if his heart was stuck in his throat with each thumping ripping the stitches in his neck. He could swear that Yu-Ti was listening to the crazy speed of his heart from how silent Yu-Ti have gotten after his question.

His uncle is a strict person. Yu-Ti never gave any form of affection or attention to Danny that isn't related to Iron Fist or giving him private teachings of K'un L'un history and giving rough training.

In a sense, Danny did seek comfort from Yu-Ti after being told that he was his uncle. Yu-Ti never reciprocated the comfort back to him, from what Danny remembered, his words were: "Do you think I'm your mother? How do you expect to gain Shao Luo's abilities with you still acting like a child in need of a measly hug? Such affection can't be used in a world of violence and lies and pleasure, get your priority straight Daniel Rand"

Danny saw where the affection took him with Miranda and Conal, so he couldn't exactly call Yu-Ti a liar of that statement. Miranda was quick to leave him with her lover...

With that fact, Yu-Ti's appearance of how he's treating Danny is just...really weird.

Yu-Ti is clear-headed and a person with reason in his words and actions.

Danny does need some reasoning with his current life...

"...yes, Daniel, it is me. How many times should I repeat myself to make this assumption clear? I saw that you were in danger and in need of help-"

The words were rudely cut off when Danny wraps his arms around Yu-Ti's waist, he could feel his uncle's body tense from the act.

"Aiyahh...what a child you are. It seems that you haven't taken my advice in a serious manner"

Danny shivered when Yu-Ti's hand returned back to the top of his sweaty and tangled hair with a soft pat. He could smell the jasmine incense that Yu-Ti would often leave in his office lingering in his robe that brought a calming breeze to Danny.

"Is something the matter, Daniel? Why are you behaving this way?"

Danny: ...I'm sorry... I'm sorry for leaving the way that I did the other day. I just- I just have someone that I wanted to care for here but now...I-I think...I went over my head about everything...I don't know what to do, I don't know how to face them, I feel like I should be doing more to help them but I don't know how or what to do...

Danny bit his lip. It just felt soo easy to pour out that a stab of guilt went through his chest but how else was he supposed to word it? He had fun with Peter before, he always saw him as charismatic and well put together when fighting, those traits were why he started liking Peter in the first place but now...during the month that they got together it just been...so tiring.

Peter wasn't all that he expected him to be. He was a whole other person. They did have fun moments but it would end quickly with a dispute in the team or an outside source then be back at square one. As if nothing has changed.

He tries and tries and tries and tries and tries and tries and tries and tries and it gets fucking nowhere.

He cares for Peter. He understands that Peter has responsibilities and isn't invincible when fighting crime but...it just seems soo common. The amount of times that he gotten heart attacks and wanting to throw up from how intense Peter's injuries would be is just a daily occurrence now.

The idea of waking up in the morning and wonder "I wonder what Peter will almost died from this time?" just brings a turning in his stomach.

Throughout his relationship with him, he can't help but think that he's getting left behind again...

"Aiyah...same childish worries as your father. Aside from your exact generics you also recieved his brain, I just hope you don't end up in the same end as him"

Danny: ...u-uncle?

"Daniel. Do you see me as someone with ill-intent to your want of entertainment in this world?"

Danny: No! No, Uncle! You mean well since you taught me everything you know. Anything you say is within reason...

Yu-Ti turned around to face Danny again but kept his hands behind his back.

"Good...When I have met your father, we became brothers by the word of my father, he took a quick liking to him when he stumbled into our city. He had met a lovely maid within our palace, my first love, and gotten married and gave life to your sister, Miranda. Despite the fact of how much I loved your father's wife, I wouldn't amount to anything in her eyes and so I willingly gave up and watched from afar. I wasn't willing to become distracted from my pathway of gaining the title that I have now. I have set my stage and achieved so much for the city, your father on the other hand...got quite the opposite. He spoke highly of the outside world, filling his wife's head with fantasies and waited for nightfall to escape the city. Then attacked by the H'ylthris and my brother have lost his wife and his sanity in the process and returned to this world alone in grief. Then I was left with their daughter who they abandoned, I believe they thought that she would be best raised under my care. I thought that my brother haven't survived that attack but then you arrived at the bridge as your mother were eaten by wolves. It seems that in the end...that foolish father of yours haven't learned his lesson of how his fantasies results in tragedy"

This...is no longer feeling like a dream. That wouldn't have been true, right?

It's so unlikely of Yu-Ti to have liked someone.

Did Yu-Ti tell him this years ago and it's just being brought up now after thinking of his own relationship?

"Your father have done nothing but entertain the people around him with lies that resulted in their deaths. I hope that you don't keep acting this same way with your boytoy since it just seems to me that your boytoy is using you as entertainment instead"

Danny: Entertainment...? No...no Peter isn't like that

"Open your eyes, Daniel. Your father met your mother and made you shortly after he returned from K'un L'un, after abandoning his daughter and witnessing the death of his wife. He merely saw you two as replacements for his loss and when he couldn't handle it, he decided to go back home and brought you two along, resulting in death once again. If anything, your boytoy is just using you as a replacement from how much he keeps throwing you around like a doll"

Danny: He's not- he's...he's not like that...he isn't that mean of a person...

The words choked inside his throat. He was so good at holding it in, so good at keeping his emotions in check so why did the tears go down so easily when talking about someone that he obviously doesn't know as a person?

It was so cruel for Yu-Ti to say that but it seemed so in character for him to say...he doesn't say anything without reason and that fact of him just makes it harder to understand that it might be true

Perhaps that's why the tears went down so fast. It was because of the hint of truthness in Yu-Ti's words and what Danny have observed of Peter's behavior, especially during his time with Johnny.

Dreams could be what people want or what they fear...and can also be what they should be more self aware of in their daily life and the relationships around them.

This dream just made Danny more self aware and have the suspicion of why his actions weren't helping Peter, why Peter keeps doing what he's doing and yet hug him so tightly in bed. He kept pushing this idea so much and someone like Yu-Ti making this known and being cruel about it just made sense why he would appear in Danny's dream.

The door opened with a click and at the doorway, Danny locked eyes with Peter who was as messy and dirty as he was. His brown hair was sticking to his forehead and ruffled everywhere, his costume dirty and parts ripped as if a cat have scratched them.

A huff came out of the spider's chest and he leaped into Danny's arms, his body going through Yu-Ti's body like running through a hologram. Peter had his arms wrapped around Danny's neck, his hands inside Danny's greasy hair, his legs on the bed by sitting ontop of Danny's lap. Danny was struck and unsure what to do with his hands, all he could do was stare at Yu-Ti's figure at the same spot he stood without a tinge of worry or annoyance of Peter running through him.

Peter was speaking against his shoulder, his hold getting tighter.

Peter: I'm sorry I'm sorry...I'm so sorry Danny...I was late I'm so sorry...

Danny could feel the stare that Yu-Ti was giving to Peter. Then he turns his body around as he spoke:

"Regardless of who entertains who, it's important to know that you'll need to end the exchange soon since you return next year, and it won't be easy for me to be persuaded otherwise. If it brings you peace, have as much fun as you can with him since it's bound to end somepoint."

Danny blinked and then Yu-Ti was gone, as if he never appeared.

He could feel Peter's body shaking ontop of him and a damp wetness on his shoulder. Before he could say a word of the dampness in his shirt, Peter raised his head back up and cups Danny's face with his calloused hands.

Peter: You did so good Danny...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have left the house- sniff- I was so fucking scared when I got back home...A-All I saw was alot of blood and-and being empty, I-I didn't know where you guys were at and didn't know if you were- a-alive or not, I'm so-so sorry...I'm sorryy I'm sorryy-

Danny watched a flood of tears flee Peter's eyes. The blue in Peter's eyes were faded away in his tears that brought the color out in his cheeks. The rushed words that flowed out of Peter's mouth were becoming harder to understand as his tears increased to full on sobbing. It was difficult for Danny to catch up to what Peter was saying and only stared at him in a daze. Peter was trying to swallow some air in his throat as he spoke but only a hiccup would form and a strong sob that followed after to the point he couldn't speak any clear words, causing his chest to rise up and down in rapid speed.

Danny saw how Peter's body hunched forward and freeing Danny's cheeks from how he's unable to stop crying. Danny grabs Peter's hands and lowered them down then wraps his arms around Peter's back then pulled him close.

He pressed his hand on Peter's head to feel the strands of his brown hair in between his fingers as Peter laid his cheek against his shoulder. Their chests meeting with the soothing of each other's heartbeats that calmed Peter down slightly a bit.

Danny: Calm down first...I don't want you to pass out from crying too hard and speaking at the same time

The other's tone, the softness from his voice down to his hands that made Peter turn into a puddle from his caresses on his head and back just made the tears stream down even more.

Why the fuck was Danny still so caring towards him?

Peter: I'm sorry...I'm sorry Danny-

Danny: I know. I know you're sorry, Peter. Catch your breath and calm down first so you can explain yourself, okay?

The spider can feel his face and body go lava hot from Danny's words that tickled his ear. He moved his waist forward even more and wrapped his legs around the other's waist to get as close as he can to Danny which brought a small sigh from the blonde. Peter could slowly feel his breathing returning back to its slow pace with the burning in his throat fading away. He wraps his arms around Danny and kept his head dug down to his shoulder as Danny did the same.

The room didn't have a clock so both of them lost time of how long they were holding each other and listening to each other's hitched breathing and feeling each other's heartbeats. The feeling of Danny's breathing and his heartbeat had Peter wanting the need to close his eyes.

Before stepping into Danny's room, he hasn't been able to fall asleep. His thoughts were restless and didn't give Peter a moment of silence that would be enough to close his eyes no matter how emotionally and physically tired he was. He struggled for hours to knock himself out and find something to dream about so he can sleep but he couldn't. It came to a point that he saw it as a punishment. Why should he sleep peacefully in a bed when he left his team and Aunt May in their sleep and then get attacked right after?

Perhaps the time passing by quick were from Peter closing his eyes for a few seconds and sleeping on Danny's shoulder, he must've felt Peter's weight against his chest and stayed sitting up to not wake him since when he opened his eyes again they were in the same sitting position as before. This form of comfort Danny was giving him, despite everything, formed a hole in his chest...If he stayed in his arms any longer the hole would just keep growing, he wouldn't be able to stay away from Danny and expect too much of his behavior.

Peter places both hands on Danny's shoulders to push himself back while keeping his head down and avoiding looking at Danny's face. Danny held his hand planted on Peter's back and unwilling to remove it. Peter spoke in the most frank and assertive tone he can speak in but he could feel that the tone failed from how his voice quivered and sounding a bit off-key.

Peter: I-I'm fine now. You can- let go of me

Danny didn't say anything in response to his words but did as he was told. He stared at Peter lift his weight off his lower body and the coldness in the air hitting his lap. Peter was sitting on the left side of the bed. His back facing Danny and his front facing the door. Danny moved a strand of his slick hair behind his ear as he spoke, coming off as absent.

Danny: Where's Ava? When the house was attacked, she wasn't there. So it only makes sense that you two left together

Peter's legs were spread out. He crouched forward with his forearms meeting his knees and clenching his fingers together, shaking and keeping his head down while staring at the floor. The tone in Danny's voice was like a pinch in his arm but Peter smiled it off, after a hug to calm down his crying was enough and now he expects to be given special treatment with Danny's usual soft tone of voice that would compare to honey.

So embarrassing.

Peter: She's...gone. Made her choice and I couldn't do anything to make her change her mind...the god had more control over her prickly mind than I thought

Danny: ...not a surprise there

Peter: So...how did...SHIELD get to the house? Agent Carter didn't fill me in on everything that happened since-...

Danny: Since we were rushed to get treated. It makes sense you wouldn't know...I urged Luke to call for help before I found Sam in the kitchen. I expected him to call the police but...can't really trust them anymore after what happened with Ava, right? SHIELD seemed like the most reliable option in our situation at the time

No matter how much distrust Peter has on SHIELD, it's hard to argue with Danny on how they managed to help them tonight...The fact that they appeared only because Luke had to call them was hilarious and proves how distrusting they are of caring for teenagers in a house with an elderly woman. Though...he ain't really that better either, he left them and came back empty-handed.

Luke and Danny had to protect the house on their own against hero-killers without Peter there to...protect them...

Wait.

They attacked when I wasn't there.

The Tiger made this fact a big deal but looking back, how did they manage to find me in the first place?

They weren't able to when I was with Hector but now...they know.

They knew what weapons to use to attack the team if Danny and Luke came out fatigued...

Especially Luke. He can take anything and have high energy in fights so they must've used a gas to make him slow down and become easier to deal with.

Mace did say that he would accomplish his goal regardless if civilians are in the way but bringing a special gas and an army to a single house count as normal unlike how Ava's family was dealt with?

Danny: You look as if you know something...The entire situation was odd in our eyes too. A normal break-in would only have knives and guns involved but these attackers were well trained in combat and brought gas to weaken us...entirely different from Ava's situation.

Peter's leg was shaking. The heel of his foot tapping against the floor and stood up straight. The truth of his involvement with Gideon Mace and Hector was bound to come out sooner or later, his damn involvement just had to bite him in the ass a year later.

Peter: ...It was because of me. They went to the house to kill you guys and Aunt May and...expected to wait until I got home

Danny was silent. When Peter looks back to catch for a possible look of surprise and confusion in Danny's face. Danny was confused at first but the feeling changed to annoyance. He looks away from him with such a disdain tone in his voice.

Danny: What the hell are you talking about?

Peter bit his lip. The lack of caring in Danny's current mood just...wanted to make Peter wish Danny punched him instead of acting this way. It's what he deserves. He told himself this. He knows that he doesn't deserve to get special treatment from Danny unlike before how he followed and trusted his actions until tonight.

He fucked everything up tonight.

He deserved to get punched, yelled at, kicked, dragged across the room for what he did...because at least it would hurt less than how Danny is speaking to him in a tone that never been directed to him.

So stupid Parker...you've gotten soft...

Peter: I-I met White Tiger, Hector Ayala, days after I got my powers. Gideon was targeting his family and I stepped in to help him. He warned me that Gideon would place a target on my back but I-I didn't listen and kept being persistent-uh-I-I got scared of May getting hurt and because of me I just- I just messed everything up and now Hector is gone, his family is gone, Ava hates me, and now you guys and Aunt May were almost killed and now I just don't know-

He kept on with his rambling, unsure whether Danny could even process to what he was saying since he must hear the tears in his throat clogging up again. Danny had his mouth open to interrupt and pulled the covers off him in an attempt to get up but stopped when the high siren from the speakers echoed and shook the room they were in. Both of them had the quick response to clog their ears with their hands and stop what they were doing. The siren were like a stab in their ears and made them unable to focus until suddenly the entire Helicarrier shook to the side, Peter's body tilt to the side with his feet remained planting on the floor thanks to his stickiness. Danny fell off the bed however with a thump that grabbed Peter's attention right away. Despite how deafening the emergency alarms were, Peter dropped his hands from his ears and bent down to grab Danny and pressed him against his dirty spider chest and had the other hand to push the bed forward to stop it from sliding down.

The shaking and the alarm stopped. A ringing was still left in both their ears that had them deaf for a few seconds until Peter could speak. His hand on Danny still tight.

Peter: You okay?

He could feel a nod from Danny against his chest so he stood open and positioned the bed straighter as to how it was before. Peter helped Danny sit back up on the bed and saw a red stain on the bandage around his neck. Urgently, Peter bowed back down and had his hands light grabbing Danny's neck with his thumbs brushing on Danny's jawline.

Peter: What happened to your neck?! Holy shit...did you get your throat cut?!

Danny: ...I'm assuming Agent Carter didn't tell you about this either

Peter's hands were trembling and before he can say anything, the door behind him swung open.

Luke: Danny! Are you okay?!

Peter's hands froze and slowly moved away from Danny's neck. He couldn't find the strength to turn around and face Luke. Between Luke and Danny, Luke was the one he kinda wanted to avoid. He knew that only Luke and Ava would actually put him in his place. Without the two of them together, it would be a bad cop and good cop between them but without Ava here then...Luke wouldn't hesitate to beat his ass without Ava or Sam here.

Luke: Why are you here, Peter? Shouldn't you be out punching some guy in the balls instead of being here?

Unlike the other days, Danny isn't involving himself. He's keeping silent and avoiding to look at Peter when they exchanged a glance. Peter pushed himself up and stood up straight to look back at Luke. Luke was in his sleeping attire and completely red in the face until he grabbed the collar of Peter's suit in the span of a second, his spider-senses didn't even have the time to warn him of the attack.

Peter was pushed back with his back tossed against the bed, Danny sitting on the bed next to him. Peter was pushed down on the bed with Luke standing in between his legs for no sign of defense. Instinctively, Peter had his hands on Luke's wrist and grabbing tightly to remove the pressure of his ribs getting possibly crushed.

Danny: Luke, that's enough. Let go of him!

Luke: You left us! Sam got shot, Danny spent his entire energy into healing your aunt and Sam while a bullet was in his back and his throat was cut, while you snuck out without our knowledge! You just left us alone!

Luke's eyes were puffy with a glistening in his eyes. The croaking in his voice from each word that left his mouth, the tightness in his brows and look of hatred made the air further harder to breathe. He looked over to Danny who finally had a change of emotion on his face. A wash of worry was on his face of the idea of Luke being the one to choke Peter out and grabbed his arm to pull him away.

"Resume operations. That was a false alarm. I repeat. Resume operations."

The agent on the speaker have announced. The ceiling was becoming dark until the heavy pressure on his chest was removed. Peter coughed from the dryness in his throat and rubbed his hand on his chest, gasping heavily while Danny helped him sit up.

What the hell was that alarm?

Danny: Luke. You need to learn to hold back. If you had gone any further then his ribs would've been crushed.

Luke: That's nothing compared to what he did tonight!

Peter held back his heavy breathing to not attract attention from the duo's arguing. He looked over to Danny at his left and felt his stomach tingle and his face turning red again.

He hates feeling like this.

A female agent with short hair stepped in the open swung door and the pair stopped talking. Luke was standing against the wall near the door and glared at the agent under the doorway.

"Spider-Man. You're being called for a meeting, I was instructed to take you there"

She had an ipad in hand and an earpiece with a small microphone near her mouth. Both teens eyed at both the agent and Peter from how sudden the "meeting" was but they had an idea so they stayed quiet.

Peter hesitanting stood up and stumbled to the doorway. He glanced at Luke who was coldly glaring at him then looked away in what seemed to be in disgust. When Peter was fully out of the room and following behind the agent, Luke's voice echoed the hallway.

Luke: You would assume that he would at least say 'sorry' for what happened but no

Danny: He apologized in a heartfelt manner, Luke. He did to me.

Luke: You're the boyfriend. Of course he would act that way towards you, but what about me and Sam when he wakes up? Hell, how would he even apologize to his mom? I think she's coming back here from LA after hearing what happened to him-

The voices faded as Peter and the agent made a turn into another hallway of rooms. Sam's mom. How would he face her after what he did? Avoiding her or being on his knees apologizing seems like awful choices.

He rubs his chest again. The burning against his chest from being pinned down continued to spread across the other parts of his chest.

He couldn't do anything right tonight. Ava is gone. The team is against him now. He refused to see Aunt May in the face right now. Fury is most likely pissed at him.

They all knew each other for months, years in Johnny's sense, and yet...Peter lost them all in the span of 2 days.

He and the agent stepped into an elevator. He stood in the corner as the female agent pressed a button number on the keypad beside the closing door and both went up.

The elevator just brought him back when he planned on leavinf SHIELD after just joining when he was told he would join the team.

Fury refused to let him leave and he was forced on an awkward elevator ride with him.

From what he remembers, Fury told him that: "Each of those heroes are just like you at a crossroads. They could use guidance from a kid who's been at this for a while"

Guidance...fucking guidance.

For someone who can barely keep his life on track and needs guidance at every point in his life...was tasked to give over kids his age guidance of something that destroys the peace in his life.

If I just had continued to say no, then...tonight would be entirely different.

I wouldn't have other lives to carry onto my shoulders other than my own and Aunt May...

The elevator stopped and the door opened. He and the agent stepped out and kept walking for a few minutes until the agent finally stopped at a door.

It wasn't the door to Fury's office but...the meeting rooms here do have soundproofing walls. Most likely Fury wanted a room where he can scream at Peter in peace and not disturb the agents rushing around.

"I believe only one of them are waiting for you inside, the other will appear shortly."

Only one of them? What does that mean?

Peter: Is-is Fury not inside?

The agent had her attention down to her Ipad then paused, pulling her microphone close to her lips.

"Yes sir. I'm heading your way now"

The agent turns back to Peter and had her Ipad down under her arm.

"Fury is busy at the moment and won't be joining this meeting. After all, these people only asked to speak with you instead of Fury"

Peter: Only m-me? Who is-?

"Why won't you step inside to find out? I am needed somewhere else at the moment and can't stay long. Good luck."

The agent quickly rushed back to the direction of the elevator before Peter could say a small 'thank you'. There were fee agents passing by the hallway and few gave him glances and rush away from him when he looks over at their direction.

If not Fury then...who would speak to me? The FBI? Sue, Mr. Reed, and Ben? Is it possible for some agents to have connection to Gideon Mace? Perhaps he decided to get here to kill Peter and the others but...that wouldn't be smart if Nick Fury is somewhere around here...but it would make sense of an intruder breaking inside here from the intensity of the alarm a few minutes ago.

Calm down, Parker. Just open the door and step inside.

Let's hope its someone who doesn't plan on killing you.

He sucked in a breath of air and exhaled slowly. Waving his hands to wash the jitters in his hands away. He finally grabbed the door handle and opened the door.

There was a rectangle table with a projector on the wall, the same kind of meeting room where he and the group would have their meetings with Fury.

Peter looked around the room and gotten a high pulse in his heart when seeing a wave of short blond hair with a large figure of a ripped uniform.

On the table, the vibrate and recognizable colors of red and blue stripes and a white star printed in the middle of the round shield.

The figure was leaning back on the chair with their arms crossed against their star chest.

It was Captain America.

Fucking Captain America is here...and wanted to talk to Peter alone.

Peter jumped when Captain America turned to face him. They were staring at each other for a good while. Peter could feel the man's eyes scanning his body from head to toe with eyes of a dead man...it didn't feel welcoming at all. He even looked back to double check if the agent led him to the wrong room but the Avenger spoke, his voice dull and...dead.

"Spider-Man, right? You're in the right room, don't worry"

Peter slowly closes the door as he gave a small nod. He wrapped his arms around himself as he turns to face Captain America. He froze and looked down when the chair moved back from Captain America standing up.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I heard many things of you"

Peter looks back up to see that Captain America had his arm out in the position of a hand shake. Anxiously, Peter shook his hand regardless how sweaty his hand must feel in his gloves.

Peter: I-it's no problem, I-uh-I heard alot of you too...I've...seen what you've done and I'm...a fan

The Captain's hand gone firm, his hold squeezing Peter's hand a bit then withdrawn his hand away.

"You have a bit of an accent."

Peter: I-I'm from Queens, sir! I was...born and raised there with my aunt and uncle

Captain America went quiet again and stepped back to sit on the chair again.

"Sit. I'm sure you're tired from everything that happened lately"

Peter did as he was ordered and sat on the first chair in front of the Avenger. His legs were close together with the nails of his fingers scratching at his thigh through the threads of costume. The overheating in the room was bringing a rush of sweat on Peter's face and inside his suit.

"How long have you been in this business?"

Peter: For a year now, sir...I started when I was 15 and joined SHIELD a few months ago...

Captain gone silent again. Peter could hear the cracking in his knuckles from where he was sitting.

"I see. That makes sense..."

Peter looks up to see the Captain theough his strands of hair blocking a bit of his vision to ask what he meant by that but he kept quiet. Captain America knows best so if he said that then what he must be thinking of him makes sense.

Looking at him more clearly, Peter could see that the Captain's attire was a bit...rugged as well. Parts of his costume were ripped with scratched of blood being the only color on his suit. His knuckles were red and bruised as his face was dirty with ash smudged across his cheeks, overall, color from his face was drained away.

It looked as if he came here after a battle from somewhere.

The door swung open which earned a jump from Peter and looks over the direction of the entrance.

"You're late, Tony. The kid already got here before you did."

Tony.

"Did you not hear the alarm, Cap? The lab got out of control from one of their projects breaking out, if I didn't intervene then this whole place would've gotten affected and I went for a quick coffee break"

There was an upbeat and snarky tone in his voice as he steps forward to the table, he places a black mug of hot coffee in front of the Captain.

"This for you hotshot"

Peter widely stared at the pair and felt a drop of sweat slide down the side of his head when seeing Captain America give a small rewarding smile as Tony closes the door.

Tony Stark. Iron Man. Is in the room now. Iron Man and Captain America came together to talk to him.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. How did I mess up so badly in this? So bad to the point that two Avengers had to speak to me privately.

"This is the kid, right? The Spider-Boy"

He eyed Peter as he walks over to the seat next to Captain America with his own mug of coffee. The word 'boy' spoken with a sense of mockery in his voice.

"Ignore the Captain's moody behavior. He came back from his mission in Sokovia, so he might be in a pissy fit now-"

"Enough, Tony. We came to talk about the kid, not about me"

There was a dark tension between the pair. Captain America had his head tilted down with his arms remaining crossed against his chest as Tony glared at him. The deadly silence they gave each other formed a tension that Peter wish to escape himself from. Then the tension was broken when Tony gave the Captain a playful grin and patted the soldier's shoulder.

"The old man is right for that matter. Truth is, we actually don't know much about the club Fury have appointed you to take charge in so I had to rush around to get the files needed for this meeting"

Tony reached for an iPad in his coat and pressed a few taps on the screen then a blue hologram appeared over the iPad. Peter felt the pulse on his wrist racing from what the hologram is going to show. There were blue speech boxes that was printed backwards from his seating. He shuffled in his seat as Tony and Captain moved their chairs together to read the information on the hologram, Captain's expression were firm and had his eyes squinted to read the small words while Tony for some reason had his arm around the Captain's neck and his cheek pressed against the Captain's shoulder.

They had to rush for the files containing him and the team. Meaning that this meeting wasn't planned at all. Captain America even came straight after a mission. There's no doubt that Johnny and the FBI will be brought up in this meeting...

"Why are you doing this, Spider-Boy?"

Peter gave a puzzled look to Tony, who was now leaning against his chair as Captain America kept reading the files with the iPad close to him, sliding his fingers across the device of Spider-Man pictures and pictures of the team.

Peter: S-sorry?

"Why are you doing this? What makes you get up from your bed and put on that worn out costume everyday?"

Peter sat silent. He looks over to Captain America who had already turned off the iPad and pushed it away from him with a look of conflict on his face.

Why he was doing this?

Why?

It was all for Aunt May and Uncle Ben.

It was all to fill up Ben's shoes to protect her, they only have each other.

Uncle Ben would want him to do something with his powers.

If he can't do anything with the powers he was given, then what good is he?

Uncle Ben is gone. If Aunt May leaves him too then...what other motivation does he have to keep doing what he's doing?

"...no need to say anything, Spider-Boy. We already got your answer. Whether Rogers accept it or not, I want to give you a solution to your problem...if you're willing to take it into consideration"

Captain America glances at him and gave a small nod to what Tony's about to say next. Peter swallowed and quickly shook his head.

Peter: O-okay...please tell me what to do next...I don't know what to do now...

~~~~~~~~

Danny stared down at his tray of food. The steaming bowl of congee with toppings of small cut pieces of scallions and soy sauce looked surprisingly unappetizing at the moment from the dryness and turning in his stomach and throat. He could feel and hear his stomach growl, why wouldn't it after all the healing he had to do? Usually he would eat inside out a fridge of food and wouldn't be picky with his food but...he just couldn't stomach the congee. Both him and Luke gotten their food at the same time and yet Luke finished his food a while ago.

Luke: Danny, can you eat?

Danny: I can...luckily. I just...can't imagine myself eating it without feeling nauseous...

Luke: Then...we'll wait for it to cool down okay?

Luke stood up from a chair that the agents have brought him and grabs the tray from Danny's lap and places it on the nailed nightstand and sat back on the chair. Danny didn't protest from the action and stared down his lap. His nails were red and cut from how much he was playing with them lately after Peter was taken away by the agent.

He was gone for too much time now...

Luke: I haven't asked for how Mrs. Parker is handling now...did you?

Danny: No...I haven't brought her up to Peter either...Too much was in my mind at the moment...Sam and Mrs. Parker are hospitalized, Peter broke down in front of me, and now Ava is gone with the amulet...this wasn't how I imagined our winter break to go

Luke: Ava is gone? Did Peter tell you that?

Danny: He told me that Ava made her choice with the amulet and that he went back home alone

Luke: Shit...what did you say? You don't sound surprised about it

Danny: I can't force Ava to stop using her amulet. I thought that taking away the source of her abilites would help her but look how it turned out for her at the end. I believe only she can make a change of how to use it and want to set boundaries with the god...regardless of how she intends to use it, its her choice. I think Peter had the same idea when he tried to help her and...it was my fault for assuming he would do anything to change her mind. The only one who can change her is herself...its her life, her powers, and her responsibility after all...There are just some battles that one should fight alone

Luke: ...who would've thought that we would end up like this. I remember when it was just us at first...what the hell went wrong?

He dropped his head back with his eyes closed, the last question coming out in a sigh.

What the hell went wrong?

Since the day Fury asked them to join SHIELD, right?

But if so then...what about the times they met Ava and Sam?

The times Danny felt butterflies in his stomach for Peter? Or when he asked him out and Peter just unhappily accepted his proposal?

Or when the Helicarrier went down and they had to move into Peter's house?

Danny: Do...you regret ever joining SHIELD?

Luke: ...I don't know. All the shit we gone through is tiring...it stresses the hell out of me of how much drama a person can go into and how it impacts the entire team...but...SHIELD gave me a second chance I guess. If I didn't join then I wouldn't have met Ava, Sam, Jessica, MJ, and Harry...hell, even Peter. I never really liked myself growing up, always wanting to fit in and got caught up with a bad crowd...I lost everything the day I got sent to juvie. I wasn't sure that I would feel...involved with a crowd before until I met you and the others...sometimes, I feel like a kid again.

Luke: What about you? Do you regret joining?

Regret joining? He learned a few things here, he met the team, he met Peter, even if everything was just for Peter's enjoyment...he liked the moments he had with him.

They went ice skating together, they went to the winter dance together, they dealt with Janet and stole metal from a warehouse together, he...had fun with him.

SHIELD have done things. The collar Peter was wearing were made from SHIELD, they didn't step in to help Ava, Luke had to call them just to save them and...Agent Carter did break into his office once.

If he says that he regrets SHIELD then he would regret all the times he spent with Peter and the others...SHIELD is like a second chance, like what Luke said.

Danny: I...don't know either

The door to the room creaked open. When they turned their attention they saw Peter standing under the doorway with one of his fists clenched. They couldn't see his dark expression well but they saw the change of mood when he turns to see the food tray of congee on the nightstand.

Peter: Danny, you should eat so you can get proper rest. Is Luke not letting you eat?

Luke: The food is hot, man! I may not feel heat but I can feel the hotness from that oatmeal, wouldn't want Danny to burn his tongue

Luke had a spark of attitude in his voice, almost pouting after he finished his speech with his head now facing down to his chest, arms crossed. Danny could see Peter roll his eyes to his words and then his face changed to worry when he turned to face him.

Peter: Are you okay, Danny? Are you hungry?

Danny swallowed. Coming to terms of possibly being used by Peter just brought an weird punch in his stomach from the thought of how painful it is to hear of Peter speaking so softly to him with a voice full of worry...anymore of it would just make him think that Peter is sincere.

Danny: I'm fine, Peter. I'm waiting for it to cool down first

Peter gave a quick nod but the look of worry still remains then he looks away from Danny's eyes. He could see Peter's mouth quivering as if he has something to say.

Danny: Did something happen at the meeting you were in?

Luke perks his head up in curiosity, both of them were staring at Peter for a response but the attention made Peter sweat even more and stutter his words as he further clenched his closed fist.

Peter: Uh-I-uh...in the meeting we talked about- y'know...us and what I did with Johnny, just...the usual stern talking and uh...I-I thought that...it's better to return back to phase one, how everything was before...I joined SHIELD

Luke: Return back? Are you planning on stepping into a time machine to go back how it was before we met you?

Peter: No no- I meant...no. I don't regret meeting you guys or joining this place, SHIELD did...somewhat help me. I-I just...think that it's better if we stop living together and you guys move back in here

Luke: Why? Do you want us out of your hair after what happened tonight?

Danny stayed silent. He watches Luke get a bit confrontational and start to get up his seat but Peter kept his head down, avoiding to look at any of their faces by closing his eyes and tightening his lips.

Luke: What happens if the house gets broken into again? Will you defend Aunt May alone and risk your identity to her?

Peter: I managed fine before I met you guys. Aunt May was safe, no one bothered us but after you guys moved in...that barrier went down after tonight. I-I just can't risk anymore of it-

Danny clenched tightly to the blanket over his lower body. He thinks back to what happened in the last 10 hours. If what Peter saying is true, then Gideon Mace attacked the house, attempted to kill everyone in it, only attacked when Peter and Ava left, the attackers were knowledgeable and came prepared of who they were targeting.

Peter was very good at keeping everything under wraps but it seems that after meeting Director Fury, that barrier that Peter had set up for himself slowly gotten torn down. Fury knowing his identity before they officially met, infiltrating his school, being shoved into a team, and then being forced to reveal their identities...then finally, him allowing them to move into his house and meet Aunt May. After that move in, everything just...went downhill for Peter. It was harder to keep everything secret for Aunt May, it gotten harder to not get found out from his enemies in case of Gideon Mace...and now he's kicking them out.

It's hard to not blame Peter for doing this, he must've been holding back for so long and tonight was the last straw for him.

It's the easiest option for him as well.

Luke: Did something happen at the meeting you were in? Did they say something to you?

Peter: No. No they didn't. I just-

Luke: Then why are you doing this? We cared for the house while you were gone, we sometimes gave Aunt May company and formed excuses for you. Shouldn't you grab Aunt May's opinion about us moving out without you deciding on your own accord?

Peter: Everything I do is for this damn team. I allowed you guys to live with me because I felt bad that a monster that was created by my blood destroyed your rooms. I let you guys move in without Aunt May's word while knowing that she was barely able to afford taking care for the two of us and now I drag 4 more teenagers into the mix of all her problems. You guys moved in by my word, not Aunt May's, and I can make you move out without her word as well.

Luke: But why? Why now? This place has been up for a while and now you're planning to kick us out?

Peter: After tonight then yes, now! I was fine! We were perfectly fine before! I prayed and prayed and fucking prayed for a break-in to not happen again after what happened to Ben, I never wanted Aunt May to go through that same pain that she felt when Ben died in front of her and now...a break-in happened without me there, again. I know what Mace is capable of, and believe me, I was scared tonight. More scared than I ever been and I couldn't do anything...Please just listen to me and move out. I'll come up with a believable lie to Aunt May and MJ and I'll handle everything out from now on.

Luke looks away then stomped away with a faint "fuck this" and walked past Peter to walk out of the room. Both Peter and Danny listened to Luke's faint footsteps of walking down the hallway. Peter looks up to Danny and gave a small pained smile, his eyes red and puffy. It'll be a lie if Danny said that he didn't want to comfort Peter and try to come up with a better plan than moving out. Luke wasn't wrong, this could happen again.

Peter: I'm sorry...Danny. I really am...

Danny: I respect your decision, Peter. We know that we wouldn't live with you forever, this was bound to come at some point in...different circumstances.

Peter: When Sam wakes up, I'll tell him myself. He saw the place as his home and sees Aunt May as his actual tía...Can you give me a heads up when Sam wakes up? I-I don't think I'll come by often since I have to care for Aunt May and...I don't think either of you would want to see me

Danny: ...I will...give you a heads up, Peter. I'll also keep you updated on things that happens here

Peter: I'll do the same...regarding Aunt May's recovery

Both of them went still. It was a bit awkward. Most of their silence would be peaceful but this one...is just cold. Peter took a step back to walk out the room but stopped when Danny spoke out.

Danny: Don't misunderstand Luke...He's been through this before...and will come to term with your decision

Peter: Thanks and...I'm sorry, Danny

Danny: I'm sorry too, Peter...and thank you

~~~~~~~~

"Director Fury. The symbiote is becoming more havoc by the day. I think it's best to have one of the agents take control of it before it's found out"

Fury: Sharon, I will not involve the kids. They're not made to withstand the symbiote

Agent Carter: But sir, if this continues then the government will want to take it under their care

Both of them walked down towards the main control room. She was in the lab where the alarm took place. Apparently, the symbiote broke out of its glass and affected one of the scientists. They had to close everything down and Iron Man included himself to remove the symbiote from its host. Luckily it didn't cause much damage and didn't cause an outbreak in the Helicarrier.

She stopped after seeing how Fury had stopped as well. She stepped to the side to see what Fury was looking at for his reason of stopping and saw Peter, standing in the middle of the control room. Both of them looked at each other and that's when Sharon knew that she wasn't welcome to whatever conversation they were going to have.

Agent Carter: I'll excuse myself, Director Fury.

She slowly steps to one of the agents in the computer to check their progress while also eavesdropping to a few sentences the pair were sharing.

Peter: Where's Aunt May?

Fury: Same hospital that Ava was in. Thought it was better to have her be in a familiar setting

Peter: Is that supposed to be a joke?

Sharon slowly kept walking from how deafening the silence between them were, then Peter spoke again.

Peter: I told Danny and Luke about having them move out, I'll tell Sam when he wakes up. Just letting you know so you can start preparing rooms for them again

Move out? This was peeking Sharon's attention. Considering their personalities, it's possible to imagine how they must've reacted.

Fury: Are you sure you don't want to think further of this, Peter? What Stark and Rogers have said to you-

Peter: It's my choice. I've been thinking of this for a while...they didn't influence me in anyway

Stark and Rogers? That must've been why Tony Stark was on the premises but...Rogers was on a mission in Sokovia, the trouble that Spider-Man have caused was enough to have two of the Avengers speak to him alone. It's impressive.

Fury: ...I understand. I'll have an agent take you to your house so you can change

Sharon looks at the pair in the corner of her eye to see Peter already walking to the exit but stopped when Fury said: I'm sorry for everything Peter

The softness in Fury's voice was a voice that Sharon never imagined to hear from him. Peter didn't give a reply back and kept walking forward and finally stepped out of the control room.

Sharon approached Fury again with her hands on her back.

Agent Carter: Shall I task an agent to take him down, Director Fury?

Fury was quiet for a few seconds before answering, the tone in his voice sounding dry and hoarse.

Fury: Yes. Have the agent take him to his house and take him to the hospital where his aunt is in, and also assign a group to clean up the house and make it a believable break-in, we can't grab any suspicion from their neighbors

Agent Carter: Yes, Director Fury

~~~~~~~

Sun rays were hitting the blanket on the hospital bed until Peter closed the curtains together. The harsh closing of the curtains were slowly waking Aunt May up. There was a bluriness in her eyesight but could still distinguish Peter's figure in the room. He was now sitting on a chair at the corner with a bag on a coffeetable in front of him.

Aunt May was placing all her strength to light her arm up but only a twitch in her finger was all she could muster as her voice come out in a whisper of Peter's name. She could hear the shiffling of the chair Peter was on and felt him beside the bed, grabbing her hand.

Peter: Aunt May...how are you feeling?

Her vision was getting clearer to see the dirt on Peter's cheeks, messiness in his hair, and a bruise peeking out of the collar of his sweater. All color from Peter's face were drained away, looking like a doll with his small smile. He wasn't at the house when they were broken into. It was a relief yet a terror at the same time. She couldn't allow the same thing happen twice.

She couldn't afford to lose the only drive in her life.

Her little Peter.

There was a strain in her throat. Muscles were pulling and her eyes burned, her cheeks getting wet right after.

Aunt May: Peter...you're okay, thank goodness

The boy's hands went tense and color returned back to his face, his cheeks and eyes went red. Peter was quiet and then hunched forward, his body shaking and his arms trembling but still not wanting to free her hand.

Peter: I'm sorry Aunt May...I'm so sorry...I-I was so scared

His body fell onto the bed with tears soaking the bedsheet. Repeating I'm sorry over and over again until no words could be formed in his mouth that felt like an hour. Peter quieted down when the weight of the bed shifted and Aunt May's other hand had patted his head, he lifts his head up to look up to Aunt May as he sniffles, his nose runy.

More tears were alowly leaving his eyelids from Aunt May's soft smile, full of warmth and bliss. She had her light hands on Peter's dirty face with her fingers wiping off the wet stains on his cheeks but it didn't stop the tears from continuing to flow.

Aunt May: How are you feeling, Peter? Are you okay?

Aunt May could see the expression change, his silent tears now turned into a sob as he tilted his head down, her hands still on his face.

Peter: I don't know...I don't know what to do Aunt May...I don't know how to fix this...sniff- I-I don't know what to do now...I don't know...

Aunt May pulled him close. Her arms around Peter as he laid on her chest, his tears now staining her hospital outfit but she didn't push him away. It felt as if she was holding him back when he was a baby crying against her chest with Ben running around trying to distract Peter with a toy.

Aunt May: It'll be okay, we'll figure it out together...

~~~~~End of Part I~~~~~

Next Chapter: Author's Note