Chapter Text
Peter smoothed the way too clingy Captain America costume and frowned at the hallway leading to the bedrooms in his and May's apartment.
"Guys! Come on, if we are trick or treating we have to go now!"
"Shut it Parker! My clips keep coming loose!" Harley shouted back followed by a crash that made Peter wince.
"What-"
"I'm fine, just tripped on my cape. Nothing is broken." Harley cut off Peter and opened the door to reveal his Thor costume complete with laughable bad fake beard and wig. He held up his replica hammer and posed.
"The God of Thunder has arrived!!"
"The God of Thunder looks like a drag king." Peter sniped with a barely contained snicker. Harley frowned and wrinkled his nose.
"Well I didn't know that Captain America looked like a cheap stripper about to rip his costume off. Could that be any tighter Parker? Geeze, I feel like you should be wearing those Star Spangled Man shorts so you don't get a ticket." Harley fired back with a dramatic covering of his eyes. Peter threw a pillow at the other boy and covered his lap with his replica shield, blushing the whole time.
"Boys, behave." May called from the kitchen before she came out dressed in a witches hat and long black sweater, her face decorated from Morgan's earlier attempt at face painting and carrying half empty bowl of candy and two large bags to replenish it. "I can't wait for the trick or treaters. I've already eaten enough candy to make me feel my jeans are going to be a lost cause and it's not even November yet."
Peter sighed and walked down the hall to knock on his bedroom door.
"Morgan sweetie? Do you need a hand?" He called through the door when he didn't get an answer.
"I'm fine! Just finishing Nebula's hair!" The little girl called back happily making Peter smile.
"Hair? Since when does Nebula have hair?" Harley asked in a bad stage whisper, dodging when May swiped at him with a throw blanket. May stuck her tongue at him and went back to filling the bowl and sneaking a few pieces of the candy for herself. Peter just covered his mouth to muffle his laughter at the indignant look on his face, the look mixed with the horrible fake hair being too much to handle.
Before Peter could tease Harley the door in front of him opened and he jumped backed to avoid being plowed into by an embarrassed looking Nebula. The woman/android/cyborg was in a skin tight leather catsuit with a silver belt and a rather believable red wig. She was followed by Morgan beaming happily in her realistic and, because Tony made, functional Iron Man costume before she snapped the mask close.
"This seems disrespectful and unnecessary. Do I really have to dress as Agent Romanov?" Nebula asked with a hint of blush on her cheeks as she ran a hand over her butt like she was tempted to cover it.
"Have to? No, you can wear whatever you want. However it does match our costumes and you look good." Peter reassured as he offered his shieldless hand to Morgan. Nebula looked away with a half smile and nodded.
"Very well. If I understand the mission is to secure candy?" Nebule said as she felt the empty holsters on the side of her suit. "Wouldn't the use of weapons be best?"
Peter sighed and shook his head as Harley chuckled and twirled his hammer dramatically.
"She had a point, people would sure cough up extra candy if she was aiming a gun at them."
Peter let a long suffered sigh and rubbed his eyes. It was only 4pm and he was ready for the night to be over already.
"Harley don't encourage her, Nebula the people are willingly giving away the candy we aren't robbing them, Morgan you look adorable. Now let's leave so we can meet up with MJ and Ned."
Peter herded the Harley and Nebula out of the apartment, Morgan happily following behind and latching on to Harley and Nebula's hand when Peter had to let go to kiss May goodbye and close the door behind them. He had to run to catch up with the more mischievous of his companions, and had to weave around a group of trick or treaters who popped out of the stairwell entrance and again around another group exited the elevator when it opened to avoid knocking a little kid down or worse.
In the lobby of his building it was worse, the four of them having to push into an eager group of trick or treaters that rushed to get into the elevator, even Harley having to hold on to Peter's hand to not get swept into the rushing crowd.
On the sidewalk groups of kids, teens and even adults in costumes passed them by as the little group made there way to the deli where Ned, dressed in a green t-shirt, green body paint and with green color shoe protectors over his sneaker waited with MJ, whose hair was pulled back into a ponytail to accent her nearly perfect Hawkeye costume.
"Hey guys! You got your bags?" Ned crowed as he held up his own large bag.
"You realize we at 16 right?" MJ rolled her eyes. "I don't know why I agreed to this. I could be watching bad horror movies."
"Because you secretly love seeing little kids happy and want candy too." Peter answered before he could think about what he was saying. Everyone stared at him and laughed when he blushed.
"Ok true. Wanna hit an apartment building before we hit the haunted house at the elementary school?" MJ asked with a smile that made Peter relax.
"What do you think Morgan? Small candy detour before we get our pants scared off?"
"Yes!" Morgan hopped in excitement and group started their mission. Peter made sure he was always holding Morgan's hand, weary of the crowds and the dwindling sunlight. None of the apartments they hit seemed put out by the group of teens escorting the little girl around and by the time they climbed down the last flight of stairs, since Peter made them take the elevator all the way to the top and walk down, all of their bags were decently filled and Nebula had only made one little boy cry when he pointed a fake gun at her.
The group was laughing and happy as they made way to the school, Peter noting the last rays of sunlight starting to disappear behind the buildings.
"Ok, after the haunted house we have enough time for one more apartment building before Mr. Stark is expecting us at the Tower." Peter announced as he checked the road before tugging on Morgan's hand to pull her across to the other side.
"Awwww! But I wanna hit more buildings!" Morgan whined, pouting with disappointment.
"Morgan you're still going to get lots of candy and I know your dad probably has a lot more for you. Come on aren't we having fun?"
"Yeah, but more trick or treating would be even better!" Morgan gave Peter her patented puppy eyes and lip quiver. Peter just sighed and kept walking to get into the line.
"Sorry Morgan. I promised your dad. Got to get to the Tower by 7:30."
Harley snorted.
"I still think we should just drop off Morgan and go find a party." The other teen declared while winking at another group of teens staring at his Thor costume.
"Is Tony not having a party? I thought that is what he called it." Nebula said with a friend, looking uncomfortable as a group of teenage boys pointed at her and whispered among themselves. Peter moved between her and them, planting Morgan in the middle.
"Dude, it's a party with the Avengers! I may never leave." Ned almost looked offended at the thought of ditching. MJ just shrugged and looked around at the crowd with a half smile. Peter just sighed and rubbed his temples.
The group paid their entrance fee and collect their goody bags and proceeded into the silly but oddly well made haunted house weaving through the school hallway and classrooms.
They made their way through, Ned freaking out at every predictable jumpscare and MJ pulling her phone out about two minutes in in order record him. Harley complained the whole time, declaring it a baby activity making everyone, even Nebula, laugh when he screamed when a volunteer touched his shoulder.
It was crowded enough that Peter felt jostled and overwhelmed by the sounds and sights. He gripped Morgan's hand harder at one point, the crowd feeling a bit overwhelming. When they made it the playground at the end, where some booths of carnival games and food had been set up, he sighed with relief. He tugged Morgan towards the exit, figuring they could regroup on the sidewalk and pick which building to trick or treat in next.
Morgan pulled back and Peter frown, talking before he looked down at her focus on the exit.
"Come on Morgan, I thought you wanted to trick or treat some more."
"Let go of me! I'll scream!" A very not Morgan voice called out making everyone turn to Peter and his group and Peter's stomach to sink. He turned to look at the little Iron Man he was holding, dread creeping up his spine as he took in the less authentic more mass produced costume. He pulled up the mask, the mask that if it was Morgan's would need to be retracted and not removed and stared in horror at the glaring little boy in front of him.
Five things happened at once.
Hartley curses loudly.
Nebula activated her arm blaster.
MJ turned to the crowd to calm down the nervous parents.
The boy kicked Peter in the shin.
And Peter yelled out louder than he ever had before making everyone flinch.
"Who the hell are you and where the fuck is Morgan!?!?!"