Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

.

.

.

Peter Benjamin Parker was an absolute idiot, if he truly did believe that he could keep such a big secret away, from his family.

Not when so many of them knew, how to draw the truth, from those who wanted to keep it hidden beneath the shadows. But, Peter really believed that he could pull it off, that he could keep the Avengers away, from his dark secrets.

Denying Natasha’s own advantages, as he drove himself insane with wanting to keep it locked up, where no one could ever find it.

But, he should’ve already have learned to never underestimate them.

They were part of his family after all.

As time went on, little by little, each team member, began to notice something about the enthusiastic teen.

Something off, bizarre, out of place. They hadn’t thought much, about Violet, at first. But, as more hints were, unintentionally, dropped on them, surely, they started to question their situation.

Before he knew it, he had lost all control of the situation, and things had progressively gotten worst.

…

He had never paid much attention, towards the ‘second class’, he simply didn’t care about it.

May and Ben never thought about it being as important, as people considered it to be, so naturally, Peter didn’t either.

He was, originally, thought to be a Beta.

He had never once showed any signs, of being an Omega or an Alpha, which led the Parkers to believe he was in the ‘average’ class. He didn’t mind, in fact, he didn’t really have an opinion about it.

He simply lived his life.

He heard the people around him, whenever Ben took him to his doctor’s appointment, because of his Asthma. He could hear the whispers, as teenagers would gossip about their classmates, but he was too young to understand.

He saw the people staring ‘oddly’ at others who didn’t even seem to notice, but didn’t think much of it. So, he shrugged it off, and kept on with his conversation, between him and uncle Ben. It was more interesting, anyways.

When he was put in elementary school, almost all of the students were practically engulfed with the topic of Alpha, Beta and Omega.

Luckily, no one really bothered to approach Peter, since he was deemed as a ‘nerd’ and ‘the weird kid’. It was alright, Peter didn’t want to be friends with jerks, anyways.  

Though, he’d be lying, if he said he wasn’t feeling lonely at times. Still, even with this new environment, his thoughts still hadn’t changed, and he continued on with his business.

…

“Hey squirt, how was patrolling?” Stark kept his eyes trained on the project sitting in front of him, while having been notified, by FRIDAY that the kid had came back.

“It was pretty calm, Mr. Stark. I saved this puppy! He was really adorable, and had these big green eyes.. Man, I wish I could’ve kept him..” He flashed the older man his own puppy-dog-eye look.

“In your dreams, Roo.” The other man scoffed, showing an amused grin, as Peter playfully stuck his tongue out. He turned his chair around, getting up to stretch his sore back, from the hours of hunching over his table.

“Where’s Violet?” He fidgeted around with his mask in hand, looking around at the equipment that were out.

Tony pulled out a water bottle, from seemingly nowhere, taking a large gulp.

“Pretty sure, she’s playing with Maximoff and Barnes, in the common room. Last time I heard, they were messing around with each other’s hair.” He shrugged, focusing back on his invention, as Peter smiled fondly at the idea.

It had been two weeks, since their stay, which meant two weeks of not patrolling, since Violet was too afraid, to be left alone with the Avengers.

But after spending time and warming up around them, she found herself easily opening up (maybe, even better than Peter had) which gave Peter the chance to go on his daily patrolling, without much worry.

Tonight had been his first night, coming back, as Spider-Man, and he was thrilled and filled with adrenaline.

So for another hour, he went to change in a different room, before returning back to the billionaire and tweaked around with whatever projects he had lying around. They stayed in a peaceful silence, as a few conversations were passed around, but only lasting for no more than two minutes.

Just as Peter finished writing down other ideas he had, yet to discuss with Tony about his suit, both men heard the lab doors opening, pulling them away from their intense focus.

Natasha had entered the room, her hair braided nicely, with about ten different, colourful hair clips on her. Besides her, a small figure rushed past, heading straight towards Peter and snuggling against his chest.

He, easily, picked her up, cradling her, as she spoke about her time, while he was out.

Apparently, Natasha, Bucky, Thor, Loki and Wanda had become victims of Violet’s enjoyment of playing with the others’ hair. MJ had graciously bought her a pack of one hundred different hair clips, once, on her 4^th birthday.

To say that she was excited was an understatement.

Which was why, for a certain period, Peter had decided to grow out his hair, enough to tie it into a short ponytail, just so that his daughter could play around and enjoy herself. Though, he ended up cutting his hair since it was uncomfortable having to stuff it all in his Spider-Man mask.

Natasha had come down to alert them that Steve and Sam were almost finished with dinner.

Just on time, Peter’s stomach growled, making the teen blush. He hadn’t eaten, since before he left for patrol, which was five hours ago. He had spent a lot of his stamina and energy swinging around New York City.

The mention of food must have awaken his hunger.

“Don’t you just look stunning, Romanoff.” Tony remarked, while walking towards the door, as the duo followed from behind.

Natasha crossed her slender arms, smirking back at the older man.

“Why, thank you. I bet you wish you had enough hair to look just, as gorgeous, as I am.” She retorted, making Peter snort.

He let Violet run in ahead of him, while she giggled crazily.

“Oh please, I look extremely handsome. Don’t I?” It was Stark’s turn to lift Violet off the ground, and into his arms, earning a high-pitch squeal, from the youngest.

With that, they both took the lead, running up first to the elevator, as Peter caught up to Natasha. It seemed that she was in her own world, before she saw Peter, now walking besides her.

“Sorry, about all the hair clips.” He scratched the back of his neck, worried that she was upset.

Though, the Russian spy simply smiled back at him. She quirked an eyebrow.

“What are you talking about? I don’t see a problem, with looking gorgeous.” He snorted a second time, while the smell of oil littering the yellow shirt, he had borrowed from Tony, infiltrated his nostrils.

If he wasn’t always stuck with the billionaire, he would’ve probably been disgusted by the overwhelming stench.

“That’s true.” He sighed with satisfaction, while stretching his arms upwards, suddenly feeling more relaxed.

The spy’s smile quickly faltered, as a few scars, tainting the teen’s skin, were revealed.

Scars that weren’t new, that had been there for a long time, but were still very much present to remind them. Her steps slowed, letting Peter walk ahead of her.

As she continued on staring, she noticed the red splotches and scratch marks on the teen’s back, indicating that those were definitely more recent. They probably would’ve been hidden, if Stark’s shirt hadn’t been a little too large for his size, making it droop a little lower, from the backside.

Part of his upper back was exposed to the ceiling lights and Natasha’s eyes.

“Peter.” She found herself calling out, before her mind could catch up.

He turned around, with his smile still intact, oblivious of what he had just, unintentionally, showed her. He tilted his head to the side, confused eyes staring back at her, as her lips slightly quivered.

“I..” Her nose scrunched up, as his innocent smile kept making her voice go silent.

“Is it because of him..?” The sweet and worried voice of a clueless four year old toddler had kept playing, in the back of her mind.

She had, accidentally, overheard Wanda and Violet. But, she was too distracted with calming Peter down from his mental breakdown, that she pushed it to the side.

“I love you, mommy..” She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on them, that night.

She was simply searching, for a glass of water, from her late night training, feeling parched. She physically froze in place, water completely forgotten about. She heard a quiet yawn, and her fists clenched, as she forced herself to turn back around. Though, her mind heavily protested against it.

The thought of Peter.. going through something she knew all too well, didn’t sit right with her.

She wouldn’t have been so suspicious and occupied, if it weren’t for the fact, she had heard the subtle whisper.

“Is it because of him..?”

Perhaps the idea, of Peter bearing a child of his own, bothered her. He was so young, after all, but the other thought, of having Peter go through the burden with such little support, made her heart clench, uncomfortably.

She had never managed to gather the courage, to question him about it.

Especially, since it seemed like Peter wasn’t comfortable.

She didn’t want to pry on his private life, but she was worried for him. However, the more time passed, the more she felt herself having the urge to talk about it. To at least assure him, that they were there for him.

Forever and always.

“Natasha?” His smile was replaced with a concerned gaze, he was now close to her.

She blinked twice, before pulling a quick and casual smile.

God, it hurt.

“Never mind, forget about it. Let’s go, before those hooligans decide to vacuum all the food.” She tightly held onto his wrist, trying to push down the feeling.

She internally wondered, if Peter noticed how her hand was faintly shaking. If he did, he didn’t question it.

Not now.

.

.

.

After dinner, everything was normal, nothing was out of place.

Strange was called to handle a being from another realm, so he had left shortly after having finished dining. Scott and Sam stayed behind, to wash the dishes and pack the leftovers, in the fridge for later tonight. Usually, one of the people with a high metabolism would demolish those plates, as a midnight snack.

Bruce, Bucky and Thor sat at the dining table, discussing about anything that came in mind, though it was mainly Thor recounting stories from Asgard.

Loki, Vision, Peter, Wanda and Violet were in the living room, attempting to make origamis on the glass coffee table. Vision seemed confused about the purpose, but stopped questioning, after Wanda simply shook her head with a smile.

Tony, Steve and Rhodey were captivated by an animal documentary. The billionaire enjoyed teasing the super soldier, as he seemed completely captivated by it. Rogers had always had a soft spot for animals.

While everyone enjoyed their time, a casual Friday family night, Natasha leaned against the doorway that lead to the hallway. Her soft curls fell on her forehead and cheeks, as her eyes were stuck to a certain teenager who had, accidentally, ripped his paper.

She crossed her arms, seeming deeply lost in her sea of thoughts, while hiding in the shadows. Clint approached her from behind, while leaning his back against the other side of the frame.

Even if she didn’t spare him a glance, she still knew that he was there, watching her to understand what was occupying her mind.

“Lovely evening.” He settled, earning a quiet hum, from the Russian spy.

His sleeveless hoodie hung loosely against his torso, showing off his biceps and muscles. A few fading scars, from past missions made their way across his arms. Natasha wore black yoga pants, a light grey tank top with thin straps. To compliment the look, she wrapped herself in an oversized black cardigan, as the night was a little chilly.

“At some point, he’s going to notice you staring at him.” It was obvious who her eyes were glued onto, but somehow, Peter still hadn’t caught on.

Perhaps, he was too occupied with starting over with his crane, while Violet giggled at him. The soft jazz music in the background became white noises to everyone, as her ears only picked up on laughter and the man besides her.

“There’s something wrong.” She decided to announce bluntly, still without looking.

Even if he was confused on her statement, he didn’t talk, as they simply sat in another moment of silence. He noticed, how Natasha had suddenly wrapped herself tighter with the cardigan, covering her body.

“I don’t know what to do.” It came out, as a whisper, drowning in the ocean of other voices.

Clint was grateful that Stark had created special hearing aids for him, ones that could pick up even the quietest of sounds, if he needed it.

It was a sentence he never thought he’d hear from her, but his expression still remained indifferent. The only indication was the slight head tilt to the left. Finally, she turned towards him, her face cold and neutral, but her eyes worried and perplexed.

“What do you think?” They kept eye contact now, as the archer had settled on stuffing his hands into the pockets that were in the middle of his hoodie.

He stayed silent for a minute, while thinking of an answer that could help, with the little context he was given.

“Have you tried talking to him about it?” His voice was groggy, but she still understood him.

It was already obvious, that she was talking about Peter. Her mind seemed to be processing his advice, while taking word for word.

“No, I can’t.” She sighed, now staring off at the window.

The sky was littered in millions of twinkling stars, while a crescent moon ruled over them. It was subtle, but having known her for so long, her expression had changed to a sad one.

“But.. Thanks.” She muttered under her breath, before pushing herself off the surface and walking towards the couch.

Casually claiming a seat besides Steve, while sparing a few glances at the origamis that slowly started to take over the table. Each piece of paper had their own intricate design and folds, which added to the different animals and flowers they were shaped into.

Clint watched her, his mind blank of thoughts, as he decided to join the three men who were still at the dining table. He participated in their conversation, while keeping his and Natasha’s to himself.

…

He had met a ten year old boy, on the playground, when he was nine, as he had recognized him.

A social boy who always had other kids surrounding him, from their elementary school. He overheard a group of girls talking about his family background, mentioning how wealthy they were, but had ignored it.

Everyone wanted to be his friend, he was kind, smart, funny, generous, the kind of boy you would see in the movies. Not to mention, it was deemed that he was an alpha. Especially, when he had such a confident and proud aura to him.

Whenever Peter was at his seat, casually reading, he couldn’t concentrate. Not when there was a a group of kids showering him with questions and affection, it didn’t help that they were in the same classroom.

For the first time, he was alone, at least that was the first time Peter had ever saw him alone. He couldn’t help, but notice the puffy redness that laced his blue-green eyes. He blinked a few times, still a little dumbfounded by the sight.

Had he been crying?

Was he lonely?

For the first time, he walked over to the boy and spoke to him, with a hint of shyness in his expression and voice. He had never spoken to him, since he was always busy with others. He wasn’t as interested in being his friend, but seeing him alone like this reminded him of..

Himself(?)

“H-Hi..!” The other boy yelped, in surprise, while holding onto the swing, tightly.

He looked at Peter with startled eyes, but they quickly softened, as they landed on a bright smile from the brunette. His lips faintly trembled, as they parted from each other.

“Hello..” He muttered back, as Peter took it, as his chance to sit on the swing beside him.

He pushed his glasses forward, preventing them from slipping off of his face. As he settled on the stool comfortably, he looked back at the boy who fidgeted with his hand.

“I’m Peter!” He pushed himself, feeling the breeze hit his face.

He was grateful the playground was next to his house. Since Ben was always busy at work and May took care of the house, she would let him go to the playground, so she could always keep an eye on him through the kitchen window.

He, also, had strict rules he had to follow, if he wanted to go out. Under the condition that he wouldn’t talk to strangers that seemed like shady adults, that he brought his inhaler and that he’d return, before the sun would set.

“Oh.. I’m-“ He never finished his introduction.

“I know, I-I mean- I know who you are.. Because.. like.. everyone likes you!” He pointed at him, as if accusing him.

The older boy flinched at the statement, while tilting his head.

“Really..?” He asked, feeling a little skeptical. He was met with another goofy grin, that was basically up till Peter’s ears.

“Mhm!” Peter eagerly nodded, building momentum to swing higher. They swung, in silence, for a little while, before it was broken.  

“Then.. does that include you?” The question hit him like a wall, as he abruptly dragged his foot on the sand, making a cloud of dust.

Slowly, his swing stopped moving and he looked over, at the hesitant, but curious eyes. The question was quiet, he almost hadn’t heard it, if it weren’t, so silent between them, in the first place. He stared at the clear blue sky, before looking back at those blue-green eyes, still smiling.

 “Hm.. Maybe, if you buy me vanilla ice cream!” Was what he ended up responding with.

The surprised face was what made him giggling out loud.

“O-Okay..” He froze, his giggling fit coming to a halt. Just as he was about to speak, an ice cream truck had drove by, with a few other kids, from the park, eagerly running up to it.

The swing besides him was now empty, as another boy ran up to the ice cream man.

He clumsily pulled a few dollar bills, from his pocket, not knowing that they were hundreds. The older man simply stared in shock, before grabbing the loose five dollar within the pack and handed the change. He walked back inside, preparing the ice cream cone.

“W-Wait..! I was joking!” Peter finally caught up, panting for air. Because of his Asthma, he couldn’t run around, as freely, like the other kids.

The other was stuffing the rest of his money back, as the man had came back, with a cone in hand.

“Here y’a go, young man.” He grabbed the vanilla ice cream, holding it in front of Peter.

He reluctantly took it, staring at the cool treat in his shaking hand.

“But..” He muttered.

“Do you like me, now?” It was an innocent question, one he didn’t expect. He stared back up, eyes away from his cone.

His mouth hung slightly open like a fish on land, before letting out a chuckle, from defeat.

“Yeah..”

Perhaps it was a rather stiff and unexpected meeting, but that hadn’t mattered to them.

They ended up getting along, having many things in common. Peter was an oblivious and naïve child, so oblivious that he hadn’t noticed, when the gossiping started involving him.

When eyes would look at him, when his eyes stared at him in a certain way that he didn’t know, how to describe, at the time.

…

Heavy footsteps echoed in the empty common room, as shouting and pleas were intertwined.

“Vio!! Please give me back my mask—!” Peter whisper-shouted, while running in circles around the sofa.

If it weren’t for his injured leg, Peter would’ve caught up to his daughter, by now.

He mentally cursed at himself, knowing, damn well, someone had probably woken up, but was too occupied with trying to catch his crazy ball of energy.

This was a very rare occasion, where Violet decided she’d disobey Peter, and cause such a mess.

It was supposed to be a simple plan, that had a high chance of succeeding. Peter had recently gotten into a serious accident, involving having to stop an illegal trade going on.

This resulted in a broken leg, one dislocated shoulder, six cracked fingers, a concussion, four cracked ribs with three of them broken, and many severe bruises surrounding his body.

If it weren’t for Deadpool, Punisher, Hawkeye and Daredevil, he would’ve probably have gotten out with worst.

Violet was a ball of sadness, which broke Peter’s heart. He was back in the medbay, while she alternated between staying with Pepper or Wanda.

However, that was about a week ago, as most injuries were now gone, thanks to his enhanced healing. But, he still had a more or less broken leg and two more crack ribs to go through. He could still walk without help, however a noticeable limp was always present.

Even with those facts, he was still put under bed rest, by everyone in the Tower.

And deciding to be a good example to his child, he obeyed to staying in bed. However, by the ninth day, he, slowly, started losing his patience and mind, not being able to move around agitated him.

So today, at around 1:00 AM, he had managed to sneak this far out, without getting caught. His suit was in his hand, as he limped towards his room. Just as he slipped on his spandex suit, he heard his bedroom door creaking behind him, making him turn around in a swift and panicked motion.

“Mama..?” A raspy voice called, a clear sign that she had just woken up.

“Vio..?” A surprised, but gentle voice answered back.  

They stayed frozen in place, while staring at each other, for a minute.

She was rubbing the tiredness, from her eyes, as he started biting the inside of his cheek, still frozen in place, as he was unsure of what to do. As another minute passed, a quiet gasped escaped from her lips and her eyes had widened, from realization.

Quickly, he tried shushing her, worried that they’d wake one of the Avenger’s up. He walked up to her, placing a gentle hold on her shoulder, as he tried pleading.

“Mama should be in the medbay.” He was dumbfounded, by the sudden change of a dead tone.

Was this really his sweet, loving Violet?

He shook out of his surprised state, offering a crooked smile.

“I know, I know.. But mama really needs this—“ He tried pleading.

“Mama needs rest, leg still broken..” She looked down at said leg, even if it was covered by the suit, she could see that it was still slightly thicker, than the other, from the cast.

“I’m fine, just please don’t tell the others—“ Before he could slip out another word of his pleading, the mask that sat in his hand was quickly ripped away from him.

His eyes widened, as she ran out of the room. He quickly followed her, though falling a little behind from his leg.

Just as he was a foot away from her, Violet made a swift turn, which made him slip and land onto the sofa, panting from the amount of running. When he had pulled himself back up with a quiet grunt, a small giggle came, from behind him.

“Loki! Stephen!” A small innocent voice called out, but the names that slipped out made him freeze in terror.

‘Sh*t..’

“I didn’t expect to see a little spider up and running. Especially, when, he’s supposed to be obediently lying in bed and resting.” Loki’s voice was powerful, as he could tell that he was angry, despite the ‘kind’ smile he offered.

His right hand rested on his hip, eyes dark which made Peter gulp with stress and fear. He guessed Strange was no different from the god, as his facial expression was yet to be determined.  

“So, care to explain?” His tone was about the same as Loki’s, while his hands were crossed in that ‘I’m disappointed in you’ manner. Peter didn’t dare to look at them in the eyes, as they spoke.

“Mr. Stephen! Here, here!” Violet offered his mask enthusiastically, to which Peter couldn’t help the look of betrayal that showed on his face.

Stephen accepted it in his scarred hands, staring at it before looking back at the toddler.

‘I was betrayed by my own daughter.’

“Thank you. Now, why don’t you go back to bed, while we handle this? It’s quite late.” His tone was soft, while Violet seemed intent on staying with Peter.

But after some convincing and reassurance, she reluctantly agreed, she felt tired, after all. Strange opened a portal to Wanda’s room, the woman turned to the other side, as she was still asleep, and Violet tiredly walked in.

As the portal closed, particles dissipating into thin air, Loki turned back to the other. Even with the lights still off, he could very much spot the unamused look on his face.

“Well then, Parker.”

‘Double sh*t..’

While Stephen was calling out to FRIDAY, Loki led Peter back into the medbay, and on his bed that he had gotten quite familiar with.

He sighed in defeat, suddenly feeling exhausted, from running and having a mental crisis, as all his rational thoughts had left the house of his brain. He started lazily pulling his suit off, covering himself with a new set of pyjamas that were neatly folded on his bed.

Magic.

Loki stood by the light switch, leaning against the cold wall, while admiring the flowers that decorated the plain room. Just as he glanced over to the brunette, his whole body became much more colder than usual, as he felt himself physically flinch.

His eyes caught onto a small glimpse of what seemed like dark bruises and cuts, on the back of his calves and thighs, as he pulled his grey sweatpants up. His eyes furrowed, as he pushed himself off the wall, now facing the boy who jumped, at the sudden proximity.

“What is that?” He looked down at the area, now hidden by the fabric.

He decided to cut the chit-chat and go straight to the point. Peter simply displayed a confused look, tilting his head, as he followed the god’s eyes.

“What is what?” He did a quick turn, trying to see if anything was behind him, suddenly noticing how his frown deepened.

Subconsciously , he bit the inner part of his cheek, slowly starting to have a vague idea of what he was talking about. Loki pointed at his skinny legs, as his eye twitched, at the visible flinch from the other.

“Those—“

“PETER!!” A frantic voice cut through the moment, as the door slammed open, threatening to break the walls that were connected.

Tony was sweating, eyes filled with anger and concern, as he stomped towards the pale teen with drops of sweat running down his red face. Strange was behind him, crossing his arms, as he dragged Loki away.

They crossed paths with a half-awake Steve, wearing a tank top and black shorts and a Bruce who looked like he hadn’t seen light in years, nicely wrapped in his robe.

For another week, Peter was stuck sulking in bed, while someone always kept watch on him.

Though that was after receiving a heavy lecture, from Steve, Pepper, Strange, Sam, while dealing with an angry Tony, Loki, Natasha, Bucky and basically everyone else. To top it off, having his own daughter sit on his bed” one late night;

“I’m sorry, mama.. But you weren’t listening and I didn’t want mama getting hurt..” She pouted at him.

‘Damnit.’

…

“Are you sure you’ll be fine enough, to come back to school, tomorrow..?” The worried voice on the other line made him chuckle, before, a short coughing fit replaced it.

He had a running fever, which made him stay at home. May had made it clear that there wouldn’t be any negotiation, other than staying home and resting. Ben had advised him to listen to his aunt, and Peter reluctantly complied.

But, they had always called on the three days of school, he ended up missing on. He would fill Peter up on the homework and events that happened and explain to him new notions they were taught during class.

Peter was lucky that he was born after the school year had started, so he had started a year later, which meant that they got to be in the same class. Sometimes, the brunette would forget that he was younger, but that never bothered neither of them.

“Yeah, yeah. Besides, I miss seeing you!” He blurted out, without much thought, still chuckling.

It was something friends said to each other, an innocent line that didn’t hold any deeper meaning behind it.

Not for Peter, anyways.

He, suddenly, heard a glass item, supposedly a cup being knocked over and shattering, on the other side of the phone. His laughing stopped, as he stared confusingly, at the screen. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, while his eyes widened with worry.

The line had suddenly turned silent.

“Hey— You alright?” His eyebrows furrowed with concern, when he found that the silence was a little too long for his comfort.

“Y-Yeah..! Don’t worry about it.. Um..- I’ll see you tomorrow..!” Before he could say anything or ask any more questions, the phone had hung up.

He stared at the screen that read ‘call ended’.

‘Weird..’  He shook the thought away, this was his friend, maybe he had somewhere to go, again.

His parents were the type to enrol their child into many different classes, such as, piano, violin, karate, swimming, and Peter had lost track of the other ones.

Though, he couldn’t help but notice the change of attitude.

Lately, he’d been quite jumpy and nervous around Peter.

It was unusual, as it reminded him of their first interaction, though he had gotten a lot more chattier and confident around Peter, as time went on. But, he didn’t question it, as it didn’t seem like he needed to worry about anything, so he didn’t think much of it.

He was only twelve after all.

…

It was in another one of his nightmares, that shook Peter wide awake, so much so, that he woke  Violet up, as well.

She scrunched her nose, as her eyes slowly opened, with a soft groan. When she reached out, for her mother’s hand, she was met with a warm mattress. The ghost heat that showed that Peter had very well slept besides her, which made her rub the sleepiness out of her eyes.

As the blurriness began slipping away, a hunched over figure sat on the ledge of their bed, with hands tightly wrapped around their burning throat.

She pulled herself up, the covers sliding off, as she crawled behind him with scared eyes.

The closer she got, the louder the wheezes became, the more she could see the intense shaking, and the sweat dripping down his back. Loud sobs followed, as the pair of hands switched onto his stomach, clutching, desperately, as if he were experiencing stomach cramps.

“Mama..?” She tried calling out, but they only fell on deaf ears.

When she tried to approach, her action was only met with a loud thump, as Peter pushed himself off of the bed, and into the closest corner of the room. He was, now, digging his nails into his skull, while pushing his head hard against his knees, to the point where he saw mustard-yellow splotches, in his darkened vision.

These were times, where May would barge into their room, as their walls were a little thin, so she could hear his muffled cries and screams.

Dark circles accompanied under her frantic eyes, while she clumsily made her way onto his bed, with a hushed and soothing tone. Somehow, she’d pull Peter away from his panic state, even if it took hours, until he eventually fell asleep from exhaustion, until the sun was near its peak of rising.

Violet had always admired May’s abilities to comfort others.

But now, she wasn’t here with them. It was just her and Peter, in the middle of the night.

Determined to help, she looked across the room, until her eyes landed on a phone sitting besides the bed. Too frantic to unplug the charger, she quickly opened the device, knowing how it worked.

Sometimes when they were at the doctor’s office, Peter would let her play with his phone, while they waited patiently, in the crowded and cramped waiting room for their turn.

But this time, it wasn’t to play any of the games she had downloaded. With shaking hands, she scrolled through his contact list, until a familiar name popped up.

May 🌸

She flinched, almost dropping the phone, as Peter let out a scream of cries and pleas. From his iron strong grip, his soft brown curls could be yanked off at any given moment. She pressed on the call button, while almost missing it, and pulled it up to her ear, where she herself started breathing loudly from fear.

The phone rang, for a long agonizing moment, until..

“You have reached——“

She quickly hung up, unfamiliar with the voice, as tears pricked, at her tired eyes.

She let go of the phone, letting it land on the mattress, as she pulled herself off the bed, and onto the carpeted ground. She took another small step forward, which made Peter violently flinched, trying to push himself, further into the wall.

He was stuck between the window covered by the curtains to his right, and the black nightstand on his left. Just then, she noticed the small lamp reflecting on a picture frame, that sat besides it.

A photo of Tony and Peter, both smiling wide and proud, while facing the camera with their shining eyes.

“Alright kiddo, just so you know.. If you ever need help, or need something, you can ask FRIDAY. Just call her name, and she’ll answer, no matter what, okay? She’d prefer it, if you said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’.” He had mentioned the last part, as a joke, showing a cocky and goofy grin.

But, now she didn’t have time to joke around.

Her own mother was treating her like a stranger. He was going to get himself hurt, with how harshly he was gripping himself.

She hesitantly looked at Peter again, biting her bottom lip, at his horrible form, before looking up at the tiled ceiling. She nervously intertwined her hands together, while taking a deep breath.

She wasn’t sure, if this would work, but she was running out of options, before gulping down a lump in her throat.

“F-F-FRI..DAY..?” Her voice broke out, as she waited for a response.

It took a second, a long second that unnecessarily felt like a dreadful year.

“What can I do for you, Miss Violet?”

“U-Um..” She was a little surprised, by the reply, before looking down at Peter again, who still didn’t spare her a glance. She stared back up, thinking of what to do now that she had gained the AI’s attention.

“P-Please.. mom.. is.. really not well and—“

“I apologize Miss Violet, but I’m afraid I do not know who ‘mom’ is.”

“Ma-.. P-Peter.. isn’t doing good.. p-please c-call um..” She weakly tried to remember a name, someone who was in the Tower.

So caught up, she didn’t notice how her breathing turned into quick, but quiet gasps for air.

“Mr.. B-Bucky..? .. Please.. a-and.. thank you..” Bucky had came in mind first.

Earlier today, he had let her play with his hair on the couch, with Peter peacefully sleeping on his lap, while quiet snores would occasionally escape his parted lips.

He would’ve, normally, jokingly pushed the teen off, but considering the recent sleepless nights Peter had been getting, he decided to let him get some decent sleep. The atmosphere was nice, so they watched Frozen and a few other Disney movies together.

“Very well, he will be here in a moment.” She sighed in relief, falling to her shaking knees, as she sat in front of the trembling teen.

“Mama.. I call.. for help..” She whispered, even if she didn’t receive a reply back.

The knot of anxiety, slowly, started to undo itself.

After a minute of breath stealing silence, there was a gentle knock, at the door.

Violet shot her head around, pushing herself off the ground and running towards the door. She was still too little to reach the doorknob, even if she stood on her toes.

“Peter?” A muffled voice called out, from the other side, before another knock occurred.

“Bucky!” Violet shouted, knocking on the door herself. The super soldier took it as a sign, as he gently pushed the door open, welcoming himself in, as he stumbled across Violet who played with her thumbs.

“Violet?” He asked, a little surprised, but he quickly surveyed the room.

Almost immediately, he noticed a small figure in the far corner, as he still hadn’t moved from his spot. He quickly ushered over, keeping a decent distance between each other, when the omega hissed back.

“Peter.. can you hear me?” He muttered, as if afraid that even his voice would scare Peter away.

Which in his defence, considering his state, it probably could.

“S-s-stay…. Aw-ay..” He managed to choke out, between gasps and sobs.

His teeth were sore, from clenching down on them, for so long, and his legs were cramping, from the way he sat on the floor.

“I know. And I promise, I won’t go near you, I’m keeping our distance safe. See? I can’t even reach you, not even, if I extended my arm.” Just for good measure, he stretched out his arm, as far as he could, and as promised, it still was a few inches away from reaching the teen.

“Bucky.. what do we do..? I don’t want ma— Peter.. like this..” Violet inched herself closer to the man, watching with sadness.

“Let me call the others, I’m pretty sure Peter wouldn’t want you, to see him like this.” He decided to be straightforward, pulling himself up, as he walked out the door to call for FRIDAY.

Violet quickly followed behind, wanting to protest, but she was still pulled away.

She was brought into Wanda’s room, with Vision and Steve by her side, trying their best to keep her mind and attention occupied. But her eyes were glued onto the door, waiting until someone came in to tell them that he was okay.

She sat on the bed, holding onto a stuffed animal she had packed in her bag, while Vision tried to gain her attention with other toys. The super soldier kept muttering words to comfort her, though they fell upon deaf ears.

Now that they were staying in the Avenger’s Tower, they were surrounded by heroes who seemed to know what to do.

But they would always lead her away from Peter, until the situation went back to normal, which frustrated her. She just wanted to be by his side, she needed to be there. She didn’t know how to help her mother, and she wanted to learn how.

.

.

.

In Peter’s room, the lights were dimmed, as Tony, Bucky, Wanda and Natasha were in his room.

Cries and screams of fear and pain bounced off the walls, and broke their hearts. Natasha had attempted to approach him, asking him if it were alright. When she didn’t receive an answer, she took a small step forward, deciding to test where the limits were.

Though, the approach caused alarms to activate in the omega’s brain, telling him that he was in danger.

For the first time since both spiders had met, Peter had growled and swore at Natasha, which made everyone freeze.

Never in Tony’s wildest dreams, would he have thought that his the kid could even bring himself to swear to any of them. Maybe as a joke to some like Barton or Wilson, but never with the amount of fear and hatred he saw in those brown, teary eyes.

When no one moved, Peter took it as his chance to bolt for the window, slamming his fist against the cool frame. It left a small crack, but not enough to break, as the glass was made from multiple thick layers. Tiny shards stung at his skin, as revenge.

But even with the shouts, he blindly kept punching, desperately wanting to get out. His fight or flight instincts had been triggered, and being surrounded in a closed room with four alphas was not ideal.

Far from it.

Just as his hands started to cut open, a pair of hands made their way under his armpits.

He was pulled away, from the almost shattered window, there was a hole big enough where Violet could probably crawl out of. He let out a hiss, while trying to wriggle his way out of the firm hold.

When he felt himself being placed on his bed, he quickly tried to scurry away, but a pair of hands on his shoulder seemed to think otherwise. His eyes were clamped shut, his throat was aching, from all the crying and yelling.

The pain of his spilt open knuckle slowly seeped in.

“FUCK OFF, FUCK OFF, FUCK OFF, GET AWAY!!!!” The hands didn’t budge, but their grip loosened, the sheets, below him slowly started to get tainted with a crimson red.

“Peter.” A voice of a man, the person holding him down.

“FUCK OFF!!” His mind was a hurricane, dizzying himself from his overwhelming thoughts.

“Pete.” Something about that voice..

“LEAVE!!—“

“Underoos.” No one, but one certain person called him, by that nickname.

He physically stopped moving, resting his sore hands onto the ones still holding him firmly by the shoulders. With a shaky breath, he opened his eyes and and looked up.

Familiar brown eyes stared back at him, filled with worry and sadness, there was no cruel intent like his had. The other three stood near the door, not wanting to trigger anything, while Tony was the only one letting out calming pheromones.

When the teen seemed to finally take the hint, Stark slowly tried to pull away. But the trembling hands latched onto his, clearly not wanting to be left alone.

He was a little surprised, but kept his hands still, slightly shaking. He bit the inside of his cheek, seeing the look of horror and trauma in those precious brown eyes.

It made him sick.

“T-Tony…” For the first time, since they had met, Peter had called him by his name.

The name that took many months of convincing, for the teen to call him by. But it hurt, that the first time it was being used, was in such context. He didn’t even feel a small tingle of satisfaction.

“Bambino.. Can I hug you?” He whispered out.

When he saw a small nod, he lunged forward, while still being as gentle as possible, enveloping the small shaking body in front of him.

He hated, how he could feel Peter flinch. He was mindful of keeping his hands on the teen’s back. After five minutes of pure silence, slowly, hesitant hands found their way around Stark’s shoulder.

Natasha had run off to find Bruce, to get his hand treated, since they needed to get the small bits of broken shards out, before his healing factor started to kick in.

He had forgotten, how good a hug could feel, as it had taken two years, after the incident, for Peter to finally bring himself to somewhat tolerate a hug, without panicking, no matter who it came from.

He was grateful that May was always careful, and asked if it was alright, making sure that her nephew was, as comfortable, as he could be. Even after learning to withstand them, he still preferred to avoid them, as the only people he got used to hugging were Violet and May.

But now, he found himself clinging onto his father figure, who he trusted very dearly. His face was buried in the crook of his neck, as both males stayed in comforting silence.

If he was able to think properly, he would’ve been shocked by the fact that THE Tony Stark was willingly hugging him.

He was more than grateful for this, he felt safe, for once, like nothing could harm or touch him. The pheromones and aura were a bonus, making his heart rate sane and his breathing evening out.

He focused his attention on the other man’s heartbeat, finding the sound calming. His eyes stung, from the lack of moisture, finally accepting to slowly close them again, as he heard pairs of footsteps becoming louder.

…

“Peter!!” A familiar voice yelled, through the busy hallways of his school, before someone had practically pounced on him.

He almost slammed his face against his locker from the sudden weight on his body, losing his balance. He was stuck in a tight hug, small kisses littering his face, as he kept giggling.

He squeezed his fists, trying to hide how uncomfortable he was.

This was normal.

They had been best friends for two years, ever since they had met at the playground.

They were thirteen and fourteen, they were considered as teenagers, the time where hormones started kicking in. Sexual needs started stirring, being a little physical was usual.

He didn’t mind physical affection, in fact, he enjoyed it. He just couldn’t help but notice how.. different it felt whenever it was, by him.

When he had tried to talk about it, he was simply met with ‘What?’, ‘I’m only showing you how much I care for you..’, ‘Do you not want to be friends..?’.

He ended up apologizing, while pushing through every hugs and kisses he received, the touches he got.

The hugs came in, when they were twelve, after Peter had came back from his fever. He enjoyed hugging him. At first, anyways. But, slowly, he felt uneasy.

It was bizarre.

Whenever, he received a hug from someone else, he didn’t mind it, in fact, most of the times he enjoyed it.

The kisses came later, when he had invited Peter over to his house. They had watched many movies, before one of them had a kissing scene. When he was asked, if he was okay with kissing, he wasn’t sure what to think of it.

But since it was him, he shrugged at the idea and allowed it. Peter never really kissed back himself, he wasn’t sure why, he just didn’t think about it. They were never on the lips, anyways, basically anywhere but the lips, since neither felt ready for it.

Or, at least, that’s what Peter thought.

When others started telling him, about how close they were, he didn’t think much of it. He merely shrugged it off.

Weren’t those things that friends did?

He simply pushed it to the side, at first, but deep done, all the little things he noticed started bothering him. The voice in the back of his mind began nagging at him.

He noticed the slight shade of pink on the other’s cheeks, whenever they hung out. It was especially prominent, when they’d hugged or kissed, but he didn’t question.

He also didn’t question how he saw a murderous(?) glare, from him, when another friend had hugged Peter. When they had made eye contact, it was, as if he was a light switch, forcing the glare to go away and smiling kindly at the brunette.

‘He’s probably not in the best mood..’, was the pathetic excuse he told himself.

He didn’t ask about when the touches started to last longer than usual, the hands that slowly lowered downwards, that made him flinch, while hugging him.

If he did, they’d get into an argument again, and he didn’t like fighting.

If he was honest with himself, he mainly tolerated it, since he was his only friend. Peter wasn’t used to it, and didn’t want to lose him.

Besides,

This was okay, this was normal.

…

“And here.. are your results.” She handed him the paper, as he uncomfortably sat at his desk.

It had been a week, since their return, from their field trip at Oscorp, since the dreadful spider bite. He felt much better compared, to the first few days, but he wasn’t in the mood to stack up on more missing homework.

Especially, since exams were coming their way, May and Ben were reluctant on sending him to school, but somehow, he had managed to convince them.

He sighed, slowly opening the folded paper with no excitement—

His eyes widened, as they gazed upon the classification he received. He quickly slammed the paper on his desk, not noticing the few pairs of eyes on him, including his.

He raised his hand, asking the teacher for the restroom.

When he got the approval, he rushed to the nearest stall, accidentally slamming the door, luckily no one else was there.. Taking deep breaths, as he took his time to calm down. He rinsed his face with cold water, shivering at the temperature.

He wasn’t sure, why he acted this way.

He particularly didn’t care about second classes.

He didn’t care what he got, that’s what he had told himself.

So, why was he stressing like this?

Maybe it was just really shocking, after all, he really did believe that he was a mere Beta. Perhaps, he just wasn’t used to it, as he didn’t know much about Omegas either. He tried to think optimistically, shaking off the persistent stress, as he walked back into his classroom.

Everything was not okay.

…

“You sure… you’re ready..?” Clint hesitantly asked, while sitting on Peter’s bed.

The other played with the hems of his hoodie, besides the older man. Three weeks had passed since his last mental breakdown, as he ended up passing out, from exhaustion that night.

Everything felt like a blur, like it all went down in a blink of an eye.

The next day, he woke up to a bandaged hand and an empty bed, with no child in sight. Worry soon followed, as he launched himself out of bed, almost throwing the blankets on the floor.

In the same moment, Tony had came in knocking on his door.

The look on his face made the teen remember, about the previous night, suddenly feeling nauseous. He slowly walked over to his bed, pointing to Peter to sit back down and had begged him to talk about what had happened.

When he saw Peter flinch, he sighed suddenly becoming quiet. He stared firmly, yet gently into his eyes, while clenching his fists.

“Pete.. I don’t want to force you to tell me anything, I want to respect your privacy. But when it’s gone this far, to the point where you’re putting yourself in danger.. I need you to tell us what is going on in that genius brain of yours.” He gently started.

“After you passed out.. that kid.. she ran out of Wanda’s room and kept calling you her mom.” His heart stopped for a moment, as his lungs didn’t work properly.

He clenched the area over his heart, it was too early to go back into his panicked state.

“W-What about it..” His eyebrows furrowed deeper, he could feel Tony’s frustration, without glancing up at the man.

He closed his eyes in fear, desperately, not wanting to see the hate in his eyes.

Not when he grew, to consider them as family.

“Are you serious? Peter. You’re only 17, you had her, when you were 13 for crying out loud! What were you thinking!??” He huffed out, as silence took over.

As much as his anger engulfed him, by the idea that the kid had gotten pregnant, when he barely even learnt about the reproductive system, he kept staring at Peter with a flash of hurt.

“You wouldn’t understand.” It ticked him off how he was so calm, about the whole situation.

Then again, he had been living with a child for 4 years now, soon to be 5. Tony crossed his arms over his chest, sometimes Peter wondered if the older man had gotten more grey hairs than before, every time they saw each other.  

“Then explain it to me. I’m a genius, ex-playboy, billionaire, Pete. I’m pretty confident, I would understand whatever you have to say.” He had to bite back the tone he used, trying his best to remain in control.

Though, it was slipping from his grasp. He hated how every time he raised his voice, Peter would shrink into himself, making him look so small and vulnerable.

“I-I…”

“Hey, did you hear? That’s the omega that seduced an alpha and tried to play the victim.” An unfamiliar female voice echoed, from behind him.

His brain seemed keen, on listening to every word it could pick up on, though Peter thought otherwise.

Every person, he walked by, didn’t try to hide the disgust they felt. Some even purposely acted, as though he was literal dog shit. He tightly gripped onto the straps of his bag, while keeping his head low.

He, suddenly, wished that his hood could block out all sounds, including his own thoughts.

“Tsk. This is why they shouldn’t let omegas in schools, what a whore.” He didn’t know, when the news had spread around.

It had been a mere month.

May had begged him to stay at home, knowing damn well that he was far from being alright. But being the good student he was, he didn’t want to fall any further behind. Perhaps it was the fear of disappointing Ben and burdening May.

When he thought about it, he ended up puking, the night before.

Finally, after 647 steps, he had made it all the way towards his banged up locker, trying to ignore the hostile notes that were securely taped on it.

It took him three tries of spinning the dial, before he managed to open the lock, as he felt a sudden pinch on the back of his neck.

At the same time, four razor blades had fallen out and landed right in front of his shaking legs.

Before he could have any more time to react, the same stinging came back and he was suddenly slammed against his locker.

He pinched his nose, as the aroma of coper started to take over, he could clearly hear snickers and laughs, from the group of people that were behind him. Blood slowly seeped through the open cracks between his fingers, dripping on the floor and onto the blades.

The sight horrified him, reminding him of the scars he had given himself on his arms and legs.

“Slut. That’ll teach you to be such a manwhore! I bet he was begging to suck the dude’s dick!” He could do nothing, but let the words sink in his loud mind.

And for months, he continued to ‘tolerate’ all the cruel and inhuman things that came towards him.

Perhaps, part of him did believe that he deserved it.

After all, when you kept hearing the same words over and over, for so long, by so many different people, eventually, you couldn’t help, but believe them yourself. Even if you knew it yourself, that none of it was true.

But, what if it was?

He was grateful that the principal was kind to him, and had even showed signs of sympathy. Everyday, she’d made sure to come over to Peter, during random times of the day to check up on him. And like the idiot he was, he kept quiet about all the things that kept happening, right under her nose.

It wasn’t until three months later, that he had experienced his first morning sickness at 5:00 am. May had came back from her shift, removing her coat and noticing the orange light of the bathroom. She walked towards the open door, horrified to see a sobbing Peter dry heaving over their toilet.

“What happened?” Her voice was laced with concern, but it was quiet.

Her cool hand rubbed soothing circles, on his arched back.

“I-I don’t know..” They pushed it off, as food poisoning, since they had previously went out to try a new restaurant that had opened nearby.

But, when more symptoms started to show and the puking wouldn’t stop, an idea had suddenly come to mind. She pulled Peter over to the sofa, after cleaning up his vomiting mess, taking a deep breath.

“Peter.. I- I might know what’s going on..” She couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eyes.

“Really..?”

“But don’t freak out.” Which was, when Peter started internally panicking.

“Peter. Did he use protection?”

“…”

This nightmare was never ending.

“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Parker! You’re four and a half months pregnant.”

Sometimes he wished that he could stop breathing and never wake up.

“Pete— Peter. Underoos, don’t panic, take a deep breath okay? Follow my lead bud, I’m right here.” The billionaire exaggerated his breathing, making sure that the teen heard them very clearly.

Silence.

“Underoos, you have to know that.. No matter what you tell us, we could never hate you. We care about your well-being and you, we want you to be happy and comfortable. We want to help you, but we need you to talk to us.”

“…”

“O-Okay…” His voice was smaller and quieter than he wanted it to be.

“C’mon Peter.. I- Wait—“ The words slipped out, before he could begin to process them.

“B-But.. Give me.. three weeks.. I need to.. to clear my head…” He looked away, already feeling the dread making its way into his mind and stomach.

Tony, simply, smiled, patting his shoulder, before pulling himself off the bed.

“Thank you. Take your time though, and if you ever need to talk.. Please do, don’t be scared, don’t hesitate. I’m here for you, we all are.” Before he knew it, he was pulled into another tight hug, this time letting out a small squeak of surprise.

So, for the next three weeks, up until now, he stayed up many nights in a row. His mind was always occupied, as he kept on thinking of how to explain, how to announce, how to tell them. While part of him dreaded it, always imagining the worst outcomes.

“I know you told Tony you’d tell us, in three weeks, but if you really don’t feel ready.. We can—“ Peter always found Clint’s father instinct fascinating and heart warming, it always made him wonder, if his father was like that.

He had the urge to ask him tips on taking care of a child, since the man already had three of his own.

“I-.. I’m scared… But-“ He swallowed a heavy lump in his throat, staring up at him with shaking eyes.

“I.. I want to do this. I need to, just so I can let myself be a little more free..” His mind couldn’t quite think of the proper way to explain the feeling he currently had.

“I see. Well, remember that, we’re all here with you, one step at a time.” He offered a goofy smile, though his words were serious and meaningful.

“I know..”

Would you be disgusted, if I told you the truth?

Would you throw me out, if I told you that I got torn away from my own body?

Will you turn around and walk away, leaving me to weep on the ground?

Would you still smile and talk to me, if I told you I murdered someone I dearly cared for?

“We’re all here for you, no matter what.”

His mind felt clearer, for the first time in three weeks.

‘Thank you . ‘

…

“Um.. What are you doing?” He couldn’t help but ask, as his back leaned against the empty classroom wall.

He didn’t mean to sound harsh, the pheromones that intoxicated him made him nauseous.

He wanted to get out.

He stared at the boy that cornered him, that wouldn’t let him out. He had pulled him off to the side, requesting to talk in private, after the bell had rung.

“Y-You.. You’re an omega..?” His eyes widened, and eyebrows furrowed.

His instincts kicked in, with the little energy he had left, he pushed him away, glaring with hurt and betrayal.

“You looked at my paper..? Without.. asking me..?!!?” He didn’t expect his tone to rise, he didn’t even know he could snap, in front of him.

But all of that crumbled, as a hand gripped tightly onto his wrist and he was slammed against an unoccupied desk.

He flinched at the eyes he saw. Blue-green eyes, that were dark, they weren’t kind or friendly.

He didn’t know them, he didn’t recognize them.

Those belonged to a complete stranger, someone he didn’t know, but someone he definitely feared.

‘Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stopstopstopstopstopstopstopstopstop…’

This wasn’t okay. This wasn’t him.

He ended up punching his face out of pure instinct, when he felt a hand make its way under his shirt. That was a mistake, he had found out, when his hands were pinned down with brute force.

They ended up bruising heavily.

…

“No more… P-Please… STOP..!” He lost track of time.

He had lost hope of being saved.

He had lost his best friend.

His pleas were left on deaf ears, as he kept sobbing. The pain on his lower back was unbearable, he couldn’t do anything. He knew May and Ben would be worried by now, he always came home, as soon as he could.

He couldn’t help but wonder, would they save him?

…

“Hey.. Peter.. Say my name.. Say it. That would make me so happy. Say that you love me.. We’re made for each other. We’re mates. C’mon.. Peter, Peter, Peter.. I love you..” He wanted the voice to shut up, he wanted to hit him, knock him out. He wanted to vomit, anything, anything to make this stop.

He simply stayed quiet, earning another harsh slap on his cheek. He was convinced that he had a hand print there, from how much he was slapped.

“SAY MY NAME..!” The voice was loud, and it made him flinch.

He shut his eyes closed, as he didn’t want to be here anymore. He could only let him do, as he pleased, for what felt like an eternity of hell.

.

.

.

He was left on the floor, when they were finally done.

He kept silently crying, while looking at the mess in front of him.

The wet, white slick—

He stayed sagged up like a broken rag doll, frozen in time, as he no longer felt like he was in his body. He lied down, on the ground, with his clothes wrinkled, as he heard the door opening.

He visibly flinched, begging for it to stop, as soon, as he heard footsteps. His eyes were clouded, not realizing that it was a teacher that had seen him. He was lucky, she was an omega too.

A kind woman who treated her students like her own children.

“Peter— Peter, please, it’s me—“ She tried, her gentle, but worried voice echoed in the empty classroom.

“Stop, please… no more.. NO MORE—!!” He hid his head behind his hands, trembling as calming pheromones reached him.

His eyes snapped open, while slowly looking up, to see the sad smile of the woman, who didn’t dare touch him.

“Peter…” Her voice was a whisper, as she, herself, was also on the verge of crying.

His cheeks flushed, as there was all the evidence she needed to know of what had previously happened in this room. He was embarrassed, scared, relieved(?). Without thinking, he leaped into her arms, finding comfort in her scent, as she gently wrapped him, around her oversized, leather jacket.

They stayed on the ground, for awhile, as Peter was sobbing on her shoulder, while shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind. She kept releasing calming pheromones, while holding the jacket, from the collar, so it wouldn’t fall.

A small tap on his shoulder pulled him away, from his crying, as blue orbs looked at him with sadness.

“Peter.. I’ll call someone to-“

“NO..!!” He ended up shouting, latching onto her shoulders in a desperate attempt.

He suddenly started hyperventilating, while shaking his head, as she tried to calm him down.

“Peter— Peter— It’s okay, I’ll call someone, they’re an omega too. He’s a man, but an omega just like you. I promise he won’t do anything, I won’t let him touch you, in any way that makes you uncomfortable, alright?” She took a deep breath, from a sob that was ripped from her throat.

“I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you. Peter.. I’m so sorry, I’m sorry I couldn’t have come in sooner to stop this..” A desperate hug, as her own tears slipped, from her light blue eyes, as she called for the man.

…

The atmosphere of the room was heavy, practically unbreakable.

The clock that mocked them on the wall indicated ’11;21 am’, with the sun deciding to take this chance to shine, as brightly as it could.

Everyone sat in a circle, as Violet had gone out with Happy to feed some ducks, in a nearby park. The teen in question was sitting on a sofa, snuggled between Stark and Natasha, as if they were guarding him, from all harm.

The words that kept dribbling out of his mouth, only made them angrier and sadder.

It hurt to find out that a teenager, went through an overwhelming amount of trauma. Yet, somehow he found himself to still being able, to look so happily at everyone. He tried being vague, not giving out too much details, but enough for them to be able to imagine the scenario, though no one wanted to.

Bucky had his human hand in Steve’s, enveloped in a bone crushing hold, perhaps the blond man would be getting some heavy bruising, later. However, Steve had to look down, trying to suppress the rising anger.

Every now and then, he’d stare at his shield that sat on the marble counter top. Wondering just how much damage he could do, before forcing himself out of it.

Vision had his arms wrapped around Wanda, trying to comfort her through the horror story. His breathing was a little more tense, as he deeply frowned. The woman herself, had glowing crimson eyes that carried heavy tears in them, as she had to refrain herself, from hugging the boy, wanting to respect his space and let him finish.

Rhodey and Pepper were thinking about ways to legally crush the man, who was behind this, it didn’t mean that they hadn’t gotten a few thoughts on killing.

Strange had tried to remain composed, though he didn’t break his eyes, from the shaking teen. Maybe, his hands were shaking more than usual, but he couldn’t quite tell.

Scott had felt guilty, even if he didn’t have anything to do with it. Then again, everyone felt guilty, for being unable to save Peter, from those events. Part of him was lost in his thoughts, while the other part listened, carefully, to everything Peter was telling them.

Loki’s eyes kept twitching, as those orbs were a little more pigmented and glowing, while Thor had a death grip on Mjollnir, he was practically ready to bash someone’s skull into pieces. (Most preferably him)  

Bruce kept on taking heavy breaths, while suppressing the other guy from coming out. He was, now, grateful to his therapist, for forcing him to come to their sessions and recommending him to try meditation. A slight tint of green crept its way around his neck, while he bit his cheek.

Clint was on the verge of snapping the arrow that sat in his trembling hand. The other arrows, besides him feared that they’d be next. He couldn’t help but think about his own children, and it only made him angrier.

Sam gripped onto his knees, not sure of how to react. His mind was processing everything he didn’t want to hear. It would be so easy to drop that man off a building—

Tony had a hand on Peter’s shoulder, while trying his best to stay composed, as well, and comfort the teen. He knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep, for many nights, not after this, certainly not. This was definitely the worst thing he’s ever had to hear, and he’s heard many disturbing things.

Natasha, on the other hand, was calm, but her eyes always managed to give herself away. Even then, she kept her eyes on his curls, while fiddling with a throwing knife in her hands.

Even if, the teen didn’t like how the setting was, how quiet everyone was, how he was the one sobbing, he couldn’t ignore how he felt the weight on his shoulder slowly decrease.

“I-I’m sorry.. I-I never wanted to bother any— o-of you.. B-But—“ Perhaps, that was the final straw for Wanda, as she lunged forwards, in three strides, and engulfed Peter in a lung crushing hug.

She let out quiet whispers and sobs, both crying, while the others showed sad smiles.

“Idiot spider.” Her Russian accent was more prominent, as she refused to let him go. Her aura showed just how protective she was, threatening to destroy anything and anyone who tried to hurt him.

She had the power, and wasn’t afraid on using it.

“We are your family, do not think that way towards us. We’re right here, with you. Idiot spider.” She didn’t let go, until eventually, Peter’s stomach growled and Steve offered to make lunch, for everyone.

Even after denouncing everything, the nightmares never went away.

At some point, they had increased, almost coming back, everyday, to haunt him, during the night, refraining him from getting any decent sleep. Then again, no one else was able to properly fall asleep anymore, at least not for the next upcoming weeks.

Tony, especially, as he’d spend hours trying to convince Peter to bring the man to court, but the teen always insisted that it was all in the past. When in reality, he was afraid of the idea of having any chances of meeting him.

Sometimes, each one of them found themselves walking towards the teen’s bedroom door.

Their minds never left them alone in peace, flashing them with thoughts that Peter wasn’t safe. Every night, someone would be standing, at the door.

Some of them knocked, apologizing for waking both the toddler and teen up, when the door opened. They’d simply talk, asking him, if he was alright, sometimes they’d stay in his bedroom, until morning.

Others, simply, stared blankly at the wooden frame, with their breath slowing down, while they forced themselves to head back to their rightful bed.

…

Everything was a mess.

She had brought him to the principal’s office, where they luckily had spare clean clothes that were meant, for students who violated the dress code. It was an oversized yellow sweatshirt with black, baggy pants, but that was more than welcoming for the brunette.

He went to change in the bathroom, as the principal was being filled in on the situation.

When she had called Ben and May to tell them what had happened, he felt his heart sting. He didn’t want them to find out, but it would’ve happened, anyways. He was angry, frustrated, crying, scared, when they had gotten there.

He wanted nothing more than to die hide.  

He remembered May crying, while hugging him tightly. That night, she and Ben had went to pick him up, five minutes after the call.

Ben was shaking in anger, his fists turning white, from how infuriated he was. Peter could’ve sworn that he saw a tear shed, from his eye, for the first time.

Of course, the police were involved for the following days, and he hated every second of it.

He was forced to recount the event over and over to many different people, who showed little to no emotion. He had to relive the moment, crying at every attempt he had to tell, while they kept writing notes down.

He hadn’t meant to snap at Ben, when the man was only worried about him.

The man had simply asked him, if he was okay, after their fifth interview with the officers. He hated himself, for shouting at the poor man, as he ended up hurting both Ben and May. The argument he had with Ben after, as they walked under the night sky was forgotten.

His uncle had suggested they’d take a walk, after Peter ate something, to help him calm down and ease the tension. It was a habit they would do, whenever they had free time, but that day wasn’t the right one. He kept yelling at Ben, every second he got, as he couldn’t stop the words that came out.

He was blinded by hatred, hatred that was directed  towards himself.

He couldn’t think properly, couldn’t process the situation until, he heard the sound of a gunshot.

His ears rang loudly, as time froze again, as blood painted the ground below them.

He saw a body fall in front of him.

A body..

Ben’s body.

He should’ve never had gone to the playground that day.

He should’ve never had befriended him.

He should’ve stopped those robbers.

He yelled at Ben.

He killed Ben.

All because of something he couldn’t stop.

Something that still haunted him.

…

He woke up, with a sharp inhale, as his eyes snapped wide open, with adrenaline and fear.

His body was shaking, as he looked around the room. His brain couldn’t process the worried eyes that stared at him, as the movie they were currently watching had paused. He didn’t feel the small tug at his shirt, from Violet who was sitting besides him on the sofa.

He stared at his sweating hands, as his vision was blurring from a fresh wave of tears. Someone had gotten up from their seat, though he couldn’t tell who, unable to concentrate.

“Peter…—“

I love you.

He pushed himself off of the sofa, stumbling to his feet, as he rushed to the bathroom.

He slammed the door open, feeling light headed, as if there was no more oxygen. A few gags slipped out, as he fell to his knees and emptied out the dinner he had ate, a few hours ago. It all went out, with hot tears mixing in, as his stomach started to cramp up.

He still didn’t feel any better, in fact he felt worst, than before.

He gasped for air, as he started to dry heave over the toilet, feeling nothing else coming out. He heavily sobbed, his tight grip threatening to crack the toilet seat, while he was hovering over it.

He flinched away, from the sudden hand that gently grazed his back, harshly slapping it away. He shot a hateful glare, at the owner of the hand, still wheezing, as he clamped down on his shirt, over his heart.

He froze, suddenly feeling guilty and embarrassed, as he realized he was glaring at Bucky, who frowned.

“It’s okay, I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

He stared back at the man, with his senses finally coming back to life.

He, then, noticed Wanda, Vision and Tony at the door, the people who he was watching a movie with. As he started to calm down, Tony took it, as his chance to push through to get inside the small bathroom, crouching next to Bucky.

Peter looked away, flinching at all the attention, as his cheeks were warm, from the tears that kept falling.

“Underoos..” The nickname seemed to have broken a barrier, as he started loudly sobbing.

He stared at both men, who shared the same worried expression. In a quick moment, Peter latched himself onto Tony and Bucky, while hiding his face, as the room started smelling.

Bucky’s metal hand was used for support, from the sudden weight of a sobbing spiderling, while his human arm gave awkward pets on the teen’s back, as his way for comfort. Tony was intertwining his fingers in the omega’s curls, looking hurt, but not saying a word.

He let out calming pheromones, hoping they’d help with the situation. Little by little, the shaking and crying slowed.

“Is it because of him..?” Echoed in the back of Wanda’s mind, as she stared at the scene in front of her.

It had been two months, since the toddler had asked her that bizarre question. She was confused, by the reference, but didn’t push any deeper. Thought, she always did wonder, about who Violet was talking about, when mentioning ‘him’.

But after finding out the truth, it simply made her upset, wanting to punch the man who was responsible.

She blinked, in surprise and confusion, while tilting her head at the sudden question. Violet simply stared at her with worry, as if Wanda already knew what she was talking about.

She knew the child wasn’t referring to anyone in the Tower, at least she didn’t hope so. Everyone cared deeply about the boy, as no one would ever want to make him cry, intentionally. She tried displaying her best smile, stroking the brown curls.

“No.. Not.. Um.. Him..” She hesitated, if Peter had never mentioned who this ‘him’ was, during their venting discussions, then it probably meant that he didn’t want to talk about it.

But if it was the reason for his crying, she felt the urge to question, but simply chose to stay quiet.

‘Not yet.’

Tony didn’t look into the kid, didn’t make a background check, when Peter had first suggested about bringing Violet over to the Tower. He didn’t want to violate the teen’s privacy, since he trusted him, after all.

If the billionaire could do that, then so could she.

She kept it to herself, not wanting the risk of everyone knowing, if it was something that wasn’t ready to be discussed about. But it never left her mind, sometimes, it occupied it, making her zone out.

The next day, though, Peter looked fine. He seemed okay, so she didn’t think it was important. In fact, everything was going smoothly, nothing wrong, until today while they were watching a movie.

It was a sudden request, by Violet, but everyone who was already in the living room (Tony, Peter, Wanda, Vision, Bucky and Scott, everyone else was either sleeping, or doing their own thing) had agreed.

They were into their third movie, when Peter started getting sleepy. He let out a small yawn, as his eyes looked droopy.

It took twenty more minutes, before Stark started hearing quiet snores, right besides him, making him look over. He smiled, as Violet was besides the teen, fascinated by the movie, clearly wide awake and far from being tired, while still holding his hand, as the teen looked at peace.

He huffed out in satisfaction, before looking back at the screen.

The fourth movie started playing, and that’s when the muttering begun.

It was barely audible, Tony couldn’t understand the words that came out, so he didn’t pay any attention to it. That was until, he felt the sofa move, Peter started moving around, as his face scrunched up in what seemed like discomfort.

He raised an eyebrow, as, slowly, everyone else started noticing, since he kept shuffling in his sleep. In a blink of an eye, a sharp gasp cut through the audio of the movie, now grabbing everyone’s full attention.

“Underoos.. Can you hear me..?” Peter nodded, shuffling his face closer to the man’s shirt.

He couldn’t trust his voice to not break. He felt drained and exhausted, forcing himself to stay awake, as he leaned onto both men. His body wasn’t reacting to the comforting touches, in fact, they welcomed it.

“Can you get up? We’re going to move to the living room, it’s more comfortable.” Tony’s voice didn’t hold any venom, it was always calm and gentle.

Peter thought about it, slowly pushing himself up to test it, but to his avail, his legs gave in and wouldn’t budge. He pathetically shook his head, while trying to keep his upper body up, blushing in absolute embarrassment.

“It’s alright, bud.” He heard a quiet chuckle escape, from someone, before he was quickly lifted off the air.

He let out a high pitch yelp, desperately clinging onto the broad chest of the person holding him. He felt the cool, smooth touch of metal, making him realize that Bucky was the one currently carrying him.

“Is this okay?” His tone was firm, but it didn’t scare Peter.

If he was being honest, he was quite surprised that he didn’t react to Bucky’s touch, maybe because of the metal arm. He shyly nodded, letting the man drag him to the sofa, bridal style. The older brunette gently placed the teen on the cushion, while sitting besides him, as the others followed behind.

He noticed that neither Scott or Violet were nowhere to be found, which made him worry.

“Peter.. Was that another nightmare about..” His heart stopped, as his stomach dropped, in a mere second.

He flinched, not daring enough to look at Tony in the eyes. Instead, he focused on his sweating hands. He could now feel the sets of eyes, practically burning through his skull and back. He wrapped his arms around his stomach, hoping it’d ease the cramping, as he curled in on himself.

“Bud.. Please, look at me.” The voice sounded desperate, making him feel even more guilty.

It took a few minutes of intense silence, until the boy finally pulled his head up. He had to bite back a flinch, as they met with another pair of brown orbs. He, nervously, bit his lip, while shifting uncomfortably on his spot.

These were times, where he wished he could bury himself in a hole. Tony never liked showing a hurt expression, definitely not in front of the kid. Knowing that he was currently doing it, meant that he was desperate to know the truth and the answer to his question, that he was on the edge of panicking, himself.

But, the single thought of remember those cruel events, made him want to vomit all over again. It sent shivers down his spine, suddenly getting itchy, while the room spun around. He was afraid, horrified, yet he felt relieved that his family was right there with him.

But that didn’t stop his doubts, from seeping out of him.

Does it make you sick, knowing the fact that I’m not so pure or innocent?

Do you secretly hate me?

“—..er”

Are you just letting me stay, because you feel bad for me?

Are you just looking down on me? Is that the only reason you’re all still here..?

“—..er… —ter..”

I saw the way you all looked, when I showed you my disgusting scars.

Do you think I’m fragile?

Maybe I am..

“—.. TER..…!”

Will you pity me? I don’t like being pitied on..

It’s been four long years, yet I feel like I’m already reaching my death bed soon.

“..Pe……………….—ter…..……”

Please don’t leave me alone.. I don’t want to be alone anymore..

I’m scared.

I’m afraid.

I don’t want to be rejected. I know you didn’t, but I can’t get out of this mindset.  

I want to be free.

“Wh-What..?” He shook his head, looking slightly dazed, at the concerned adults.

“Peter..” The quiet and hesitant voice, from Wanda had sparked a small memory, that he had purposefully forgotten about.

It was two months, after they had found out about his identity. It became a habit for Peter to do his homework, in the kitchen or living room, after all where else would you have two geniuses, two super soldiers that lived through the history books he had to learn about, and a highly intelligent AI.

He was all alone, no one to accompany him, as he absentmindedly bit the tip of his pencil. The sounds of heels clicking woke him, from his daze, as his form became tense. He forced his eyes on his book, trying to understand the words and sentences he was reading.

The smell of lavender shampoo was his sign that a certain Russian spy was nearby. If they continued like before, then she’d respect their silent, but mutual rule between each other.

But, the pair of eyes said otherwise, he scribbled down whatever his brain could make up, as an answer.

“Was she the reason?” A quiet voice asked.

He had accidentally snapped his pencil in half. The top half dropping on the floor. He clenched his jaw, with his eyes following the other bits, as he bent down, from his seat to pick up the broken piece.

“Was she the reason, for that night?” Her voice was louder, even if she knew he had heard him the first time.

Now, he couldn’t act, as though, he didn’t hear her. He gulped, slowly, pulling himself back up, as he dropped the broken bit in his old pencil case.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He pulled out another pencil, writing obvious answers to the easiest questions he could find on his paper.

“Peter. I’m a spy, we both know that. I just want to know.. that child..-“ He slammed his pencil against the marble counter, threatening to shatter it into millions of pieces.

She didn’t flinch, not even looking the slightest bit surprised, while he started packing his items into his backpack. He couldn’t think of any time he had encountered her, with Violet, by his side.

Perhaps, she had, simply, seen them out in public.

“Peter—“

“You already know everything, don’t you? What more do you want from me? She’s a kid, my kid, so what?” His tone was bittersweet, as he finally looked at her.

He felt guilt wash over him, with the pained look she held in her eyes, while he kept glaring with daggers in his own.

“I just want to help you.” He hated how gentle those words sounded.

“I’m fine. I don’t need help, please don’t bring this up again. And, don’t tell anyone.” He turned around, throwing his backpack on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry for crossing the line you created, but I really mean it, when I say I want to help. If you want to talk to me, I’m always here to—“

“Please. Please.. just… Stop talking.” He whispered, under his shaking breath, retreating towards the elevator doors.

He didn’t spare her another glance, and the next time they saw each other, they continued on, like nothing happened.

He couldn’t ignore the subtle looks she gave him, the day he brought Violet over. It was the first time Peter had ever seen her so sad, and it bothered him, even annoyed him a little. But, no one said a word, as it was their silent rule and agreement.

…

“N-Natasha..” He muttered, under his shuttering breath.

“What?” Tony flinched, at the sudden sharp stare he got from the teen. He raised an eyebrow, frowning even more.

“Please.. let me see Natasha..” He elaborated, gritting his teeth in frustration when Tony’s expression didn’t change.

“What? Why? Peter.. you need to tell me, what’s going on.” The billionaire protested, as he straightened his posture.

However, Peter didn’t back down, as he held his gaze, and bit the bottom of his lip.

“I know.. and I’m sorry. But.. I want to see Natasha.. Please..” His tone grew desperate, as he felt a lump in his throat building up.

The billionaire sighed, while looking back at him with pleading eyes. They were both desperate.

“You need to tell me what’s going on. Peter..—“

“I know.” He cut him off, when he found his voice.

Tony stayed quiet, while Bucky and Wanda watched in silence, a few feet away from the duo. Vision had gone ahead to check up on Violet and Scott, who were in another room, not too far.

“I know it’s bad of me to leave you all like this, when you’re simply trying to help me... But right now, I really need to see Natasha. I’ll make it up to you, I promise I’m not hiding anything that’s eating me up inside, anymore. Please.. trust me..?” He gripped onto the sofa, threatening to rip it to shreds. Tony still stayed quiet, as Peter couldn’t quite read what was going through his mind.

Trust. Trust me. I need you to trust me.

But you’ve kept so many secrets from us, when you were clearly in trouble, yet you won’t tell me.

I want to trust you, but why do you keep leaving me in the dark?

Will you really tell me?

I told myself I’d never invade your privacy again, so why are you making me regret keeping those words…?

“…”

“… Fine.. I’m trusting you.. But… Roo.. Don’t.. Don’t keep me waiting, again.. Don’t scare me.. please…” He looked at him, this time with a serious tone, clearly showing he was warning him.

He couldn’t help, but widen his eyes, as he could notice the hurt and worried look in his eyes. But, he quickly shook it off, immediately, nodding, as he quickly shot off the sofa.

Before, he made it into the elevator, he heard Bucky calling out to him, and he slowly turned around.

“Y-Yeah..?”

“I just wanted to say.. That we’re really proud of you.” They all smiled supportively and lovingly at him,  making his stomach feel lighter.

He offered his own smile, before running into the elevator.

As the doors opened, he ran down the hallway, knowing exactly where to go. Now that no one was here, he slowly felt himself crumble, as more tears welled up and his legs were beginning to go numb. His hands were sweating, as his shirt, suddenly, felt too tight, around his body and throat.

He knew Violet was with Scott, since the both of them weren’t there. He knew he could trust the man, after all, he had a kid himself. He turned a corner, as sudden memories started kicking in.

Four years ago, he was bitten, by a radioactive spider, from a school field trip.

Four years ago, his innocence was stolen, by a boy he dearly trusted.

Four years ago, he watched helplessly, as his uncle fell to the ground.

Four years ago, he sobbed besides May, at his funeral. The way May held his hand, it practically cut his blood circulation off.

Four years ago, the same boy had gotten away with his crime, simply, because he was an alpha and Peter was an omega. The judge showed little sympathy, for the brunette, controlled by the thought that an omega seduced an alpha.

“That is true.. Omegas do tend to release high doses of pheromones and they are both young..”

Four years ago, Peter stood on top of a building, while looking down and feeling his feet giving in, at the sight. It was a long drop, his heart raced, as his human instinct to get out of danger kicked in.

His Spidey senses yelled at him to move away, that he shouldn’t be here.

Four years ago, Peter’s mind was heavily clouded, with trauma and fear, hatred and depression. Each cut that lingered around his body wasn’t enough, to soothe the pain.

He climbed the fence that barricaded the edges with ease. He stared up at the night sky, feeling the breeze move his bangs away, from his lifeless eyes. He clung tightly, against the fence, as he looked back down again.

His body trembled, he was afraid, yet he wasn’t backing away. In fact, he moved closer to the end, looking back down at the side walk.

Four years ago, his eyes were fogged up with tears. He took a deep breath and counted in his mind.

1..

2..

3…

4….

5…..

Four years ago, he apologized to Ben and May, for the troubles he had caused, for being a burden. He guessed that May was probably asleep, it had been two weeks, since the funeral.

He’d hope that she’d be able to read the note he wrote to her.

He stared at the door, while trying to calm his breathing, as he clenched his fingers into a fist. He froze, counting to five, before gently knocking on the door.

“Come in.” A muffled voice came through, and with trembling hands, he clung to the doorknob.

Four years ago, he closed his eyes and jumped off a high building.

He, slowly, turned the doorknob, giving it a soft push. The door opened, revealing a dimly lit room.

In the centre, Natasha sat on her nicely done bed, while staring at Peter with sad eyes. Her eyes were the only thing giving her emotions away, as they stared at each other, in silence. With a shaky breath, he took a step into a room he never thought he’d be allowed to enter.

A room that belonged to someone who was just, as reserved as him.

Four years ago, he felt a strong force grip onto his wrist, making his eyes snap back open, and he looked up. A slim and shaking hand was tightly wrapped around his wrist that was littered in cuts and bandages.

“N-Natasha…” His voice was heavily shaking. For the first time, he didn’t mind breaking down, in front of someone.

She stayed quiet, taking in the crying and trembling boy, in front of her door. His right hand still clung desperately to her doorknob, on the verge of breaking it into many pieces..

Just five minutes ago, FRIDAY had woken her up to alert her about Peter’s upcoming presence.

Four years ago, he grunted in frustration and fear, while trying to wriggle out of the grip. There was no resistance, as his body leaned up against the cold cement walls of the building.

He glared up at the person, the woman who held onto him, with a shaking grip.

“L-Let me… g-go..!!” He shouted, with his breaking voice, as he panted loudly.

“Peter..” She finally spoke, offering a sad smile, knowing exactly why he came to her room, so suddenly, so late at night. She gently patted an empty spot on her bed, besides her. She never looked away, from him, as her eyes were glued onto him.

Four years ago, a woman with red hair clung to the fence, hanging onto a thirteen year old’s hand. Her body was running, from pure adrenaline, but she tried her best to remain calm, while keeping her eyes trained on the other.

“L-Let go..! Let me— go—!!”

“No.” Her voice was firm, shutting the boy up.

She sucked in a breath, as she could smell the stress emitting from him. Using as much body strength, she pulled him back up. Climbing back over the fence, while gripping tightly onto him, as they both plopped on the ground.

He pulled the door behind him, letting go once he heard a soft ‘click’ as he hesitantly walked up. Just as he reached the mattress, his legs finally gave in, causing him to fall. Natasha quickly reacted, holding onto his wrist to prevent his fall.

She pulled him up, as he awkwardly crawled onto the bed, sitting in front of her. She didn’t think that he’d suddenly open up, not after a silent rule was put between them.

When Tony had introduced him to the others, after the whole identity reveal, she had, immediately, recognized him.

As they shared eye contact, for a second, his eyes widened, clearly, he also recognized her. Quickly, he looked away, luckily no one else seemed to have noticed. She never would have thought she’d meet him again in this kind of condition, it had been a year after all.

When someone else was around, he acted, as though he didn’t know her. But, when they were alone, his eyes never left her alone.

Even if, they looked at each other, they never once mentioned about the incident, it just felt like a mutual agreement. He offered her an awkward smile, before turning away. As his back was now facing her, she noticed the pair of hands making signs.

‘Please, don’t tell.’

She gave a sad smile to herself, quickly clearing her throat, as she got up to head to her room.

“I didn’t expect you to come here.. but that’s besides the point. Where do you want to start?” She raised an eyebrow at him, noticing the small flinch.

He looked back at her, with big brown eyes that were red and puffy.

“I-.. It’s.. complicated..” He cracked his knuckle, biting his bottom lip. She kept her distance, offering a pillow to him, to which he gladly accepted, snuggling it. She leaned back, keeping note of every small gesture and reaction he made.

“Well, we have all night. Besides, I don’t really have anything planned, for tomorrow. Well, now I do.” She shrugged, smiling at him.

He coughed out a chuckle, the tension started rebuilding, as he tried to reconstruct his messy thoughts and words. But knowing that the Russian spy had kept his secret for so long, he still felt somewhat comfortable.

“I.. I had a nightmare..” He whispered.

“About?” Even if it was quiet, she still heard him.

“…”

“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to.” She quickly reassured, as the silence grew a little too long, for her liking. Peter sighed, as his bottom lip trembled.

“Something.. that.. was part of… well.. how we first met..” He looked down at his knees, while gripping onto the pillow. Her eyebrows furrowed, as she frowned.

“Peter. I need you to take a deep breath for me, and I need you to think properly. Whatever you say, it’ll stay between you and me, unless it’s life threatening. I don’t want you to say something you’ll regret later, but no matter what, I’m right here and I’m listening to you.” She placed her hand on her heart, trying to show off just how much she meant it, how sincere she was being.

He followed her breathing, giving a small nod, before piling all of his thoughts together. Thirty minutes of silence had passed, and finally, brown eyes looked back at a Russian spy with fear, but trust in them.

“… Before I met all of you.. I was so weak and could do nothing.. I keep having dreams about him, invading me as he likes.. I hate it. I remember.. that I didn’t know, at the time, since my body is enhanced, the side effects and symptoms came a lot later.” He breathed in, then out.

“I found myself stuck in the bathroom for a long time, and May decided that it’d be best to go to the hospital. That’s when I found out.. I was going to be a mom..”

Four years ago, Natasha Romanoff wrapped herself around a small trembling boy, who quietly sobbed in her arms.