Chapter Text
2. Winter / Steve Rogers
It takes four whole months before Peter meets another Avenger.
He had a routine before he met Steve Rogers; every Tuesday and Thursday Happy would be waiting for him outside his school. He would climb aboard the car and spend the next forty minutes of the drive doing whatever homework he could finish. Then, from the moment he would arrive at the tower until the sun had set, and Mr Stark called him up to either the lab or the kitchen, he would train. The other days, the days in which Mr Stark would have to focus on other projects that were not Peter related, he would patrol until his muscles ached.
The gym in the Avengers tower was like anything anyone would expect for the Avengers. Sure, it had the usual gym equipment, upgraded with Super Soldier settings. But in the centre where there seemed to be a conventional fighting ring was what Mr Stark liked to call the SPAT.
"The system gives you a series of trials to complete in your first try," as the billionaire spoke a hologram flickered to life, "it analyses your strengths, weaknesses, tendencies, everything you would use in a fight. Then it gives you the perfect opponent."
"A perfect opponent made of hologram?"
To that Mr Stark had smiled and given him the green light to use SPAT. Fifteen minutes later Peter was lying on his back in the corner of the ring, having had his ass kicked by a bunch of solid holograms.
"Nanotech," the man told him while helping him to stand, "I am still trying to get it to be as strong as iron or, if I am lucky, vibranium for my armour. But for the time being it works perfectly fine for SPAT. Strong as human flesh and capable of doing serious damage."
Peter had looked at the humanoid form made by the program, it was standing to the side watching Peter. Or at least that's what Peter thought it was doing, it was not like the thing had any eyes, "When can I go again?"
"As soon as you are ready, kid," Mr Stark climbed out of the fighting ring, "I'll call you up if I need something from you."
Peter had waved him goodbye and had started to train.
But that had been months ago. Three months and two weeks to be exact, and while Peter knew he was getting better, the stupid thing would only become harder to fight as time progressed. He would beat SPAT to a pulp, knocking the hologram from its feet or kicking it so hard that an arm or a leg fell off, but the next time he would run the simulation he would be back at square one. He would fix his stances when the machine told him too, and would even go as far as doing things a hundred time in slow motion until he got the kick or the punch right, but by the time the fighting came, the program had changed to expect a perfect whatever.
He adjusted his hand wraps and practised his jabs one last time before running the simulation. Peter watched as the nanoparticles came together like dust attaching itself to a structure. The thing regarded him for a second before charging, it attacked with precision, aiming for Peter's throat and he deflected the punch. The fight lasted for a few seconds, and the SPAT only stopped attacking when Peter was laying on his back, pinned.
He tapped the floor thrice, and the thing moved.
"Again."
This fight lasted equally as short, the SPAT's knee came up and hit Peter in the stomach. When he double over the thing kicked him in the chest and sent him flying across the rink.
"Again."
The SPAT's elbow met the back of his head and Peter face planted into the ground.
"Again."
He had been winning the fight until the SPAT kicked him in the mouth. Peter licked the blood oozing from his lower lip.
"Again."
This time he was prepared. The SPAT lunged, and Peter somersaulted over his head. Gripping the thing's head, he pulled back with all his strength and the jump's momentum. The head disintegrated as he slammed it to the ground, and the holograph disappeared; nano molecules melting into the ground.
"Well done, Mr Parker," Peter rolled his shoulders and smiled at FRIDAY's complement, "that was way faster than the last try."
"Thanks, Fri," He stood up and stretched his hands towards the ceiling, trying to rid his back of his current pain.
"That was pretty impressive."
Peter turned around so fast he saw spots for a few seconds. The room was empty, Mr Stark hadn't walked in halfway through his training like he usually did, but leaning against the doorframe was Steve Rogers. Many thoughts ran across Peter's mind. He thought about playing it cool, telling Captain America that that had been nothing, or maybe even introducing himself like a normal person. Instead he, almost inaudibly, mumbled, "You have a beard now."
If not for his superhuman hearing then Capatian Rogers would have not heard. The older man chuckled, "Yeah, I do. Does wonders for the undercover work."
There was a second of silence in which Peter was frozen in place, recalling that awkward phase in which everything in his room had been Captain America themed. Captian Rogers took a step forward, and Peter couldn't help but notice he was favouring his left side, "So, you are the famous Spider-Man?"
"I, um, I don't-" you don't need to deny it, stupid, "Yes. Hi. I'm Peter, Peter Parker."
"Steve Rogers," he said regardless of it being clear that Peter already knew that. "I was heading to the kitchen, want to come?"
For a second he thought about his half-completed training session until he realised that he was far too intelligent to turn down an offer made to him by Captain America. He walked out of the rink, cleaning his face with a small towel and grabbing his water bottle on his way out. The awkwardness in the air was overwhelming, and it was only aggravated when Captain Rogers turned towards him and asked, "You are awfully young, aren't you?"
"I am not. Well, I am, actually. Uh, I just, uh," Peter bit his lip trying to get the right words.
"You feel older than you actually are?"
They got to the kitchen, Peter leaned on the breakfast bar, fiddling and shifting to try and appear comfortable, "Yeah, exactly, sir."
Captain Rogers turned towards him, frowning, "Sir?"
Peter hadn't even noticed Mr Stark until he spoke, "Yeah, he talks like that to everyone. I have been trying to get him to drop the 'Mr Stark' for months."
"Mr Stark?" Captain Rogers asked with his eyebrows raised in amusement.
Mr Stark shrugged, "You get used to it."
Peter watched Mr Stark and Captain Rogers interact with curiosity. It went on for so long that Peter almost thought that they had forgotten about him until Steve set a plate of food in front of him and smiled. Peter ate happily, watching the snow fall all across the city.
Later on, when Peter's nerves had calmed down enough to be able to have a normal conversation, they were all sitting in the living room, talking and working on one of Mr Stark's latest designs. Or rather he and Mr Stark were working on the design while Captain Rogers told them about his latest adventure. An incredible story about unsettling HYDRA agents, a cold trail on the Winter Soldier, and technology that seemed designed specially to take the Super Soldier down.
"And that's how I ended up with this," the Captain patted his leg.
Peter frowned, "What happened to your leg?"
"The technology I was telling you about must have been designed based on Bucky's blood, or maybe another Super Soldier from the HYDRA division," Captain Rogers hiked up the pant leg on his right leg to show a that the skin had this ugly grey tint and the veins were completely black, "Completely freezes the serum from working properly."
"Yeah, and Mr Stuborn here is trying to walk off a femur fracture."
"A fissure, Tony."
"A bone malfunction, whatever, the point is he will be staying here for a while. So, I'd get used to having him around."
"How long?" He asked, then realised that probably sounded rude, "Not that I don't like having you around. Actually, I do, I feel like you could really help me get better with fighting and being a person and-- Okay I need to shut up, I'm rambling."
Captain Rogers laughed, "Five months, at least."
"That seems like a really long time."
"Yeah," Mr Stark agreed, "But we need to get a cure for this new weapon of theirs, then wait until it gets healed completely, then make sure he is completely healed and his leg won't be failing him at the most inopportune moments."
"And answering your question, Peter, yes, of course, I will help you train."
"Oh, believe me," Mr Stark said as Peter reached over and tapped the hologram, making an adjustment to the phone's design, "he is only this nervous in the beginning. Later on, he will not be asking questions. Just making demands."
The Captain laughed, and Peter tried to hide his blush by ducking his head. The talk continued, and Peter resumed trying not to feel out of place in a living room where his two other companions were Iron Man and Captain America.