Chapter Text
In retrospect, it was a mistake. A big one.
Not the part when he heard the gunshots and thanks to his super hearing, he identified the source immediately. He realized the gunshots had come from the tiny convenience store that he had left just a few minutes before. It was late, and it had still been open. He had bought some food, his favorite, unhealthy snacks full of sugar. And a small pack of blueberries because… because when he had spotted it he just couldn’t not buy it.
Ant the man behind the counter had been such a nice old man. A tiny, friendly and chatty man with white hair and beard and a kind smile on his face. He had looked like a happy, old elf. Had asked plenty of questions. And he had been happy to answer them, to chat a little with the man. He had been glad to talk about the island and the beautiful weather but he had quickly dodged the questions about his family or his home. He doesn’t even like to think about that stuff, let alone talk. No. Just no.
But the man had been so kind. And he has always been polite, that’s how his aunt has raised him. So he had stayed a bit longer than necessary and then left, leaving the man alone in his store.
He was only two blocks away when he heard those gunshots. First one, then a few seconds later one more.
He immediately dropped the snacks and sprinted back. When he glanced over his shoulder, he saw that the pack of blueberries had pop open and the fruits were scattered all over the street. His heart dropped. He didn’t mind the other snacks, though.
While he was running as fast as he could, he suddenly remembered there could have been another way to get back to the store. An easier, faster one. But he wasn’t home anymore and here… he wasn’t who he used to be. Because he didn’t want to be that person. At least, not for a while.
And then another thought hit him. He should ask Karen to call 911. He already opened his mouth to instruct her but he realized Karen wasn’t there with him anymore. He left her behind, just like everyone and everything else. He chose this.
Fortunately, he didn’t have time to second-guess his choices now, because he was at the store. The area was surprisingly empty, just like when he had been here a few minutes earlier. But maybe it wasn’t that surprising at all; maybe it was just too late already, he didn’t know, he was new in this town. And his city is so much bigger, there are so much more people back home. Maybe here it was a perfectly normal night.
He took a look at the store, trying to assess the situation. Who could have been in there? Was there only one person? What exactly was going on in the store? Gosh, so many important questions! Questions that Karen could easily answer now. But no. Not going there again. He had been doing this before Karen, too and he could totally do this now. He had to.
He gritted his teeth and entered the store, feeling uncomfortable. He didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to be the hero, but what choice did he have? He couldn’t just run away from this.
And as soon as he walked into the store, he practically bumped into someone’s broad chest. His eyes shot up at a tall man with caramel skin, black hair and scary tattoos all along his bare arms. A gun in one of his hands and a duffel bag in the other. And a shocked look on his face.
Then the thug’s shock turned into anger and he raised the gun.
But despite the obvious size difference and the weapon, the brute never had a chance. Because he made a capital mistake. He underestimated him. He only saw a scrawny boy and probably thought he was just an unknowing customer who stumbled upon the robbery. Just another nuisance to deal with. And gosh, the man was wrong.
Because he might have looked thin and harmless but he was strong and fast and thanks to the plenty of training sessions with his friends, he was an experienced fighter. He just never thought he would have to use his skills here. But hearing those gunshots, he knew he didn’t have a choice.
He could never really go on vacation (not that he was on vacation now) and he could never really forget about his duties to help people no matter where he was. Because with his skills and powers, it’s his duty to help. Like he once told someone…
No time for memories now. Focus.
It took one hit to get rid of the gun and another one to knock out the thug. Easy.
Then he hurried to the counter to check up on the nice old man. He could see him sprawled out on the floor unconscious, blood slowly oozing from a dark spot on his shoulder. He leaned down and took a closer look. Thankfully, it was only a graze and the man’s eyes were already fluttering open.
He could hear sirens from afar. Maybe from three blocks away. Maybe this area wasn’t that empty after all and someone called 911. Or more likely, the old man had had enough time to push a panic button. Good. Help was coming.
He turned to the door. His work here was done. Bad guy knocked out and the old man wasn’t seriously injured.
He left.
So coming back to the store and stopping that bad guy wasn’t a mistake.
But he stayed close to the scene, pretending to just casually drink a coffee sitting on a bench on the other side of the street. Yeah, that was definitely a mistake.
But he wanted to know if the old man would be alright. He felt a bit guilty for leaving him; maybe he should have stayed by his side until help arrived. It would have taken only a minute or two. So he decided to stay close and wait while the paramedics were helping him. He hoped he would hear them talking about the condition of the man. But it was all so chaotic around the small store with plenty of vehicles parking all around and the noise was just too much, so in spite of his super hearing, he couldn’t really hear anything about the old man.
He couldn’t help smiling though, when two police officers led out the thug, now in handcuffs. He didn’t look very happy when he was guided to a police car and pushed into the backseat.
He heard the officers saying that they didn’t have footage of the events in the store, because the criminal had been smart enough to shoot down the only security camera inside and there were no other cameras in the area that they could have used.
He couldn’t believe his luck and he chuckled relieved. Geez, he’s so used to wearing a mask that he forgot to check if the place had a camera. He was obviously not thinking! Luckily, the thug was smarter than him and had taken care of it.
And then he had another reason to smile. The old man walked out of the store, too with two paramedics on each side. His shoulder was bandaged, but other than that he looked fine. Maybe a bit dazed but okay. An older and a younger woman hurried to him and he hugged them both tightly. They all cried and despite the distance, he could see tears shimmering in their eyes. They must have been the man’s wife and daughter. And they all looked so happy.
So first he thought staying close, making sure everything was alright was a good choice. Seeing the aftermath of the events at the store warmed his heart and it was such a good feeling with all the sadness going on in his life. He was just happy to sit there and cherish the moment.
But that moment didn’t last long.
He should have left when he had the chance.
Because now, a man is approaching him and he doesn’t know what to do. He immediately changes his mind, staying has been a mistake, he shouldn’t be here. He swallows hard and takes a look around, trying to find a way out. Would it be too weird if he just got up and left?
It wouldn’t be, if this was just an average man, a random person, but he can see a badge on the man’s belt. He’s with the police and he probably has some questions. Perhaps the man wants to know if he saw the robbery. He must be looking for witnesses. Shooting up and leaving now would definitely seem suspicious. That would mean he has something to hide. And truth is he has… okay, maybe not really, but there are things he doesn’t want to talk about. Scratch that, he doesn’t want to talk about anything at all.
And what if the bad guy told the police about him? Gave a description of him? Yeah, he might have stopped a robbery and defeated a criminal, so he basically did what the police should have done, but he knows from personal experience that the police don’t always appreciate that.
He quickly decides that in the future whenever he hears gunshots, he will run into the other way. That will make his life a whole lot easier. On the other hand, he knows he would never be able to do that. To run away when his help might be needed. He just couldn’t. He’s not like that.
What was he thinking when he didn’t pack the suit? When he left Karen home? How could he be this stupid? How could he think that just because he needed a break, trouble would avoid him? How could he believe that with his luck?
At least if he had brought the suit with him, he could have stopped that robbery more discreetly. Like he always does back home. He shouldn’t worry about his secret identity and he shouldn’t worry about talking to a police guy right now. He would be already on his way home or to the next possible crime scene and could forget about this robbery.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter now, it’s too late to leave, because the man is already here standing in front of him and giving him a small smile. He actually looks nice.
“Hey, I’m Commander McGarrett, I’m with Five-0 and I’d like to ask a couple of questions, if that’s okay,” he explains.
He looks up at the man confused. Five-0? Should that mean something to him? If the man has a badge, he’s with the police, so whatever Five-0 is it must be related to the police, too.
“What’s your name, kid?” the man asks.
He opens his mouth but not a word comes out. Because the man said kid. Like…
He shakes his head. This is stupid. A bunch of other people have called him kid. It’s not that special. He shouldn’t think of him every time he hears this word. Because he will go crazy.
“Peter,” he mutters lowering his head.
And he immediately kicks himself mentally for saying his real name. Protecting his identity, right. Why couldn’t he lie? Like he did when he checked in at the motel he’s staying and said a false name without hesitation. Why couldn’t he do that now?
Because the man here called him a kid and that caught him by surprise and brought back a bunch of memories and he couldn’t think straight and… well, he can’t take it back now, can he?
“Alright, Peter, do you mind if I sit down?” the man asks, pointing at the bench.
He scoots a bit further to give him room and the man – Commander McGarrett – takes a seat beside him.
“So Peter,” the man starts and he feels grateful that the Commander called him by his name and didn’t say kid again. “There was a robbery at that store, across the street,” he explains gesturing at the building on the other side of the street. “Actually, it was more like a robbery attempt and we already have the guy who wanted to rob the place. Someone stopped him and by the time we got here, that mysterious person had been gone. I’m wondering if you have seen anything.”
Peter quickly shakes his head. He’s staring down at his coffee in his hands. He’s practically hooked on this stuff now. He started to drink it to honor him. There was always a coffee mug in his hands; coffee belonged to him like his signature tinted glasses. He was drinking coffee all the time, instead of drinking water or eating food. As if coffee was the only thing he consumed. He once told Peter when he had been younger and more reckless he had tried out basically anything. Anything that he could drink, smoke, inhale or inject. But those years had been over. And the only unhealthy habit he could have never given up on was coffee.
So Peter started drinking coffee to make sure he would always remember him. Whenever he feels the bitter taste on his tongue, he thinks of him. Hears his voice. His laugh. But it’s stupid, really. Because he doesn’t need coffee for that. He’s always with him. He’s always on his mind.
“How long have you been sitting here, Peter?” the man beside him asks, interrupting his train of thoughts.
Oh, yeah. The man from this weirdly sounding Five-0. He’s still here. Waiting for answers. Doing his job.
Peter swallows hard and looks up at him. The man gives him another small smile as if encouraging him to speak. Right. Besides telling him his name, he hasn’t said anything yet. What have they been talking about? Oh yes, the robbery.
“I-I didn’t see anything,” he mumbles. “I’m sorry.”
Peter thinks if he was here now, he would totally roll his eyes. Peter’s apologizing again. What’s new?
Commander McGarrett gives him a quizzical look. As if he doesn’t believe him. Which wouldn’t be surprising. Peter has never been good at lying. He told him that too, many times. And whenever he said that, there was pride in his eyes. Like he meant it as a compliment and not mockery.
“I-I just saw all these people crowding there,” he starts explaining himself, trying to convince the man. “I didn’t know what was going on. With all those police cars and everything. I was just curious. So I sat down here to see… to see what was happening.”
Okay, now he’s ranting. Because that’s not suspicious at all. It would definitely earn another eye-roll from him.
“So you didn’t see the robbery?” the Commander clarifies, narrowing his eyes at him.
Peter vehemently shakes his head again.
“Alright,” the man says and it’s not clear if he believes Peter or just decided to let it go. “The guy who wanted to rob that place said a big man had come into the store and knocked him out. He was still unconscious when we arrived. Didn’t you see anyone suspicious around here?”
“No, I didn’t see anyone,” Peter claims. At least, it’s the truth now.
He quickly looks down again, staring at his feet to hide his grin. Of course the thug said it had been a big guy who had taken his gun and knocked him out. He couldn’t tell the police it had been just a scrawny kid. That would have been embarrassing.
Which is actually good for Peter. The police will search for that big man and not a skinny boy. And they had no footage, hopefully no witnesses, so… they don’t have much to work with. He has nothing to worry about. The bad guy has been caught, no money was taken, the nice old man is fine, so the police will let this go soon. They surely have more urgent matters.
“I don’t understand why that Good Samaritan disappeared, though,” the Commander muses and Peter isn’t sure if he’s talking to him or just thinking loud. “I mean why didn’t he stay to take credit? If he really stopped that douche – and we have no reason to think otherwise – why did he leave so abruptly?”
“Maybe he didn’t do it to take credit, maybe he just wanted to help,” Peter blurts out.
Then he immediately looks away to hide his frown, because damn, he has just made another mistake, he shouldn’t have said anything, he should have remained silent. Why can’t he learn that? It so often causes trouble when he opens his mouth, when he can’t stop talking. Okay, from now on he won’t say anything. If only the Commander left! As long as he’s here talking to him, Peter is in danger of saying something that he really shouldn’t, something that could expose him. And that would ruin his plan to take shelter from the world here. Because that’s what he wants. To have some time to finally breathe.
And to grieve.
He closes his eyes for a moment and he’s immediately back there. With him. Seeing him broken on the battlefield. Knowing but unable to accept that he’s gone.
“Well, I don’t want a vigilante on my island,” the man sitting beside him says, bringing Peter back to reality and he’s really grateful for that.
Because sitting here, staring at the flashing sirens is so much better than being back there again. He doesn’t wanna go back, but he knows he will never forget that day. That battle. And how that battle ended. The casualties. He knows he will relive that day plenty of times in his life.
“We had some issues with a few wannabe vigilantes before and… it didn’t end well,” the Commander says with a frown. “People should let the professionals handle these things.”
“But that someone did stop the robbery,” Peter points out and he decides it’s better to talk to the man than risking another memory ride. He just needs to be careful, think twice before he speaks, that’s all.
“Correct but tonight might have been an exception. I mean this is dangerous business, stopping criminals. It could have ended worse.”
“Maybe that man knew what he was doing.”
The Commander grins and there’s something weird in his eyes, something that Peter can’t explain. He quickly tears his gaze from him.
The man lets out a big breath and clasps his hands. “Anyway, like I said I don’t want vigilantes here. It’s not New York.”
Yeah, it’s not and that’s exactly the reason why Peter is here.
“I mean it’s great that we have the Avengers and they always save the world, defeat aliens and bring back people…” The Commander’s voice cracks and Peter understands that the man wasn’t one of those who were gone because of Thanos. No, he was one of those who stayed behind and watched the others disappear. Turn into dust. “I mean I’m grateful to them. I really am. But I like Hawaii the way it is. Far from trouble. With everyday robberies and not alien invasions,” he chuckles. “As long as we’re hunting down robbers, I can pretend all that stuff with aliens isn’t real. That life is still normal, you know.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Peter answers.
Again, that’s the reason why he has come here. Here, far from New York he can also pretend that life is normal. And that didn’t happen. That battle.
He shakes his head in an attempt to get rid of that memory. Wrong, he can’t get rid of that but he can try to avoid it, right?
So he changes the subject.
“Anyway, what are you going to do now about that?” he asks gesturing at the store.
The Commander gives him a smile. “I’m not supposed to share details about an ongoing investigation. Probably I have already said too much.”
“Oh, sure,” Peter replies embarrassed.
If Karen was here, he could ask her to hack into the police files.
But it’s no problem. Because he knows the police have nothing, right? He has nothing to worry about. The Commander here might not like the idea that a stranger stopped a criminal and then disappeared, but he can’t really do anything about it.
Then the man gets to his feet and dusts off his pants. Cargo pants, Peter notices. The Commander must be a practical man.
“Well, I don’t know about you, Peter but I’m starving. I was already on my way home after work when we got the call about the robbery and I was close, so I came here to see if I can help. But I don’t think I can do anything more here, so I’m getting some dinner,” he explains watching the police cars. He suddenly turns back to Peter. “Wanna join me?”
Peter nearly drops his coffee. “W-what?” he stammers. “Why?”
Okay, that came out wrong. He didn’t mean to sound rude or something but he really doesn’t understand. Why does the Commander want him to go with him?
But before he could rephrase his question and say something polite instead, the man smirks at him. “Because I like you, Peter. You seem like a good kid. And if you really don’t have anything better to do than staring at a horde of police vehicles while drinking coffee, then I think you should join me for a burger. I promise that’s gonna be more interesting than this,” he says tilting his head toward the store.
Thing is the man is right. He really has nothing to do tonight. His plan was to get some food and return to his motel. He thought he had two options: lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling all night or walking down to the beach. He liked the second one a bit better.
Talking to someone has never been an option. Avoiding people, that’s what he wants. That’s why he left New York and came here. He didn’t want to avoid only people he knew, no, he wanted to avoid them in general. Yet here he is, having the longest conversation in weeks with a stranger and he’s gotta admit, it’s actually not that bad. And that dinner sounds better than his motel room or the beach. Not to mention, he dropped his food earlier, so he doesn’t have anything to eat.
But he has to be careful. Because he knows himself and he knows he tends to say more than necessary, he tends to rant and he might let something important slip and get himself into trouble and…
“Fine,” he says before he could change his mind.