Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Blissful Ignorance 

That’s the first thing he feels. He tries to survey his surroundings but all he can see is green. Green is a peaceful color. He vaguely remembers doing a project on color theory back… home. Someone he isn’t allowed anymore. Somewhere– No. He’s not gonna think about it anymore. Maybe-

Pain. Searing, Hot, White Pain. It takes him by surprise. He jolts uncomfortably. He tries to calm down and suppress the feeling, but it’s constant. It keeps him from thinking straight. He misses the calm that the green… whatever produced. But it seems that it was just the calm before the storm. Instinct takes over, his legs begin moving, kicking , his arms move the heavy, sticky, thick… whatever he’s drenched in. 

He breaks the surface with a gasp. He’s swimming to the side and hopping out of the water- pond- pit- whatever it is. As he sits on the edge in a criss cross position and just breathes. It’s all he can do.   

Now that the pain subsides, he surveys the room. Just like Matt taught him. He closes his eyes and stretches out his senses and feels . He can feel the rumbling of cars way above. He hears rushing water and machines. He smells pollution and filth. It’s like everything in this universe is wrong. He hears yelling, screaming, crying-  

Wherever he is, it’s not where the most morally correct people come from. As he gazes into the water he tries to put the pieces together. What happened to him? 

“Okay Peter–” He grimaces at his own froggy voice. “What do you remember?” 

He was patrolling. Alone today since Wade and Matt were busy interrogating (Read: Torturing) people. He felt free swinging through the air, occasionally dropping down alleys to stop a mugging or save a victim’s life. It’s a shame that he has to do this but when has life ever been fair ? 

When the night quietens, he still feels adrenaline coursing through his veins. It’s not like he has anyone waiting on him, so he swings to one of the taller buildings in New York, passing over the alley that hides his civilian clothes and quickly webbing the backpack towards himself, never losing momentum and lands silently. Sometimes he gets like this, where he wants to just stay outside and admire the stars. Sometimes he slips on his clothes over the suit, just to keep that extra warmth, not tonight though. He moves quickly and efficiently, slipping on some baggy dark-blue jeans, a white undershirt, a light-gray hoodie, and then he slides on a black windbreaker. He plops down and slides on some dark-red converse and tucks his suit in his backpack that has a variety of other things that can be used if he has to flee. 

Sitting on the edge of the building, he looks up at the stars, his fluffy hair falling away from his face. He makes out some constellations before he hears a flutter of movement behind him. Whatever it is, it isn’t dangerous since his Spidey Sense didn’t go off. The man, around his mid-thirties if his heart is anything to go by, sits next to him. 

“Peter?” He jolts, he knows that voice. His head snaps to the figure. “Doctor Strange?” He smiles softly, but Peter can see the guilt in his eyes. “Hey, how’s everything going?” His cloak flutters around Peter in a friendly manner. “It’s been going okay” He looks back up at the stars “I’ve made new friends, they’ve been teaching me things– about my powers and just skills in  general–” He looks back at Strange, “How do you remember me?” Strange looks down at him with a smirk, “You didn’t think I’d leave a 16-year-old in a world where no one remembers him did you? I’ve been watching you grow for quite some time now, I just wanted you to know” His eyes widen, “Oh” He’s at a loss for words. “Well, thanks for-” He jumps before he even understands what’s going on, he takes a bullet to the side as he pushes Strange out the way. He watches as Strange releases a burst of magic behind him and the perpetrator is down. Strange gently lays Peter down on his back. “Come on kid, keep your eyes open for me” Peter looks up at him, the corners of his vision fading quickly to black. He hears Strange mutter out a curse, then he’s moving his hand in that familiar circular motion, orangey sparks popping out as a portal shining a suspicious green color opens. Peter feels himself being slid into the portal. “I’m sorry Peter, but you need to live” Strange’s voice is the last thing he hears as he’s dropped into a glowing, green pit with his backpack hanging on his shoulders.

Chapter Text

He comes back to himself slowly. The memory slowly fading to the back of his mind, he remembers Strange telling him that traveling through the multiverse was something that was not done often enough to be studied. Kinda sucks now though since Peter can’t go home now. 

Breathe in… and out. 

He’s fine, he’ll just have to do some hacking and make an identity for himself!

Again…

Right now though, Peter just wants to exist. He just needs a moment to make a mental list of everything that needs to be done to ensure that he’s not just some ghost child wandering around. 

Speaking of kids… his body feels lighter. He stands, his endoskeleton cracking satisfyingly. He stares down into the pit and notices that he’s staring at someone younger. Ugh.

He spent so long going through puberty to get rid of his baby face. Being in another universe sucks. 

He takes notice of the backpack hanging loosely off of his shoulders. His Spider-Man suit is in there, along with food, money, information, and some other daily essentials. He vaguely wondered if he should stay here and dry off. He’s been sitting for a while and the cave itself is pretty cool so he’s been drying off rather quickly. 

He walks laps, the green… whatever slowly dripped off of him until he was dry enough. He walked along the edge of the pit, on the walls, and on the ceiling. He just walked. He was bored out of his mind but he didn’t want to leave the cave. He was safe here. His Spidey Senses were nothing more than a light constant buzz, a given if all the violence he hears above him is anything to go by.

His hair is damp now, no longer dripping onto his windbreaker. If he listens closely he can hear the city, the violence has mellowed out so Peter assumes that it’s daytime. He makes his way to the wall where he heard (and smelled) the sewer. He punches, fists breaking through back-to-back walls. He stands on the side out of the sewage and listens. 

He heads for a sewer drain where he hears no electricity and no heartbeats. He walks underground for a while until he finds one. He slowly climbs up the ladder and comes face-to-face with a graffiti wall. 

“Welcome to Crime Alley” 

…oookayyy. So he’s in Crime Alley. It’s around midday and he picks up heartbeats coming from other alleys. His Spidey Senses picked up. Warning him that there’s danger everywhere. 

The only heartbeats he heard were the ones coming from the alleys so if he stayed far enough away from them to avoid getting jumped he should be fine. He may be in his 15-year-old self’s body. But he still had the experience of the 23-year-old person he is today. 

He walks slowly, he keeps a tight grip on his bag but walks with his shoulders back. People will only bother him if he seems like an easy target. He eyes every building, looking for one he could settle into easily enough without the risk of running into other people. 

He eyes a shop and feels the light buzz of his Spidey Senses decreasing slightly. Safe . That’s a start at least. 

As he walks closer he notices that the shop is a record shop and there seems to be an apartment above it. The door is boarded up tightly, but a quick survey has him finding a fire escape vaulted to the back of the building. He slowly climbs up, wary of the rusted parts and slides open the bedroom window. The room is obviously dark but Peter can hear the soft thrumming of electricity that lets him know that the electricity still works in the place. Weird, but I’m not complaining. The walls are empty, a light gray color giving the room a relaxing feeling. Peter walks around on silent feet, making his way to a door near the window. It’s a bathroom. The walls are white and there’s a standing shower on the far wall. The sink is right next to the door, he reaches his hand out and turns on the faucet. It runs clean thankfully. He walks further into the room and tries the shower. The water runs clean there too. He walks back to the door and flicks on the light switch. The light is dim, he doesn’t know if it’s about to go out or if it’s that way on purpose. He flicks off the light and goes to explore the rest of the apartment. 

It’s small, like his and May’s old apartment  he ignores the sudden ache in his chest as he takes to exploring. The kitchenette has a small stove in the corner and a sink on the opposite side of the area. There’s a lot of counter space but no distinct place to eat. He ventures to the small living room, a shelf sits bare near the front, something like a TV would be there. The couch is across from the shelf, it’s plush. Smells really clean.  

The apartment as a whole has definitely been abandoned for some time. He looks up, the ceilings are low, but the building seemed a lot taller on the outside. There’s the hatch. Peter smoothly climbs the wall and pops open the hatch and climbs inside the room.  

His eyes widen comically. There’s a huge computer sitting on a dark brown wooden desk in the middle of the room. There’s mostly blank walls everywhere but one of the walls is covered by a huge white board, the markers sitting on the floor near it. His hands twitch at all the opportunities possible now. But he reigns himself in, he sits down and begins his research. “...Gotham Superheroes, wow– okay that’s a lot” He stares at the screen for hours. Researching different topics and people. The Waynes, The Bats, both groups are prominent figures in Gotham. “Okay, enough about them, let’s see if I can get my documents straight before I go in the sight of cameras.” He pulls out his information from his backpack, any records or anything interesting that he’s done that isn’t news-worthy is put on his file. It’s embarrassingly easy to hack into the government records and just put the stuff in. He’s definitely too young-looking to pass as an adult so now he’s forging more records–god, this is so illegal! 

Now, Peter Parker legally exists and has an actual life. “I really shouldn’t have had to do this again…” He shakes his head, and makes his way downstairs. “I need to go to Goodwill or something…”

Chapter Text

When Peter clings out of the attic office the first thing he notes is that it’s dark now. Since now he legally existed, he felt comfortable walking around and being seen on camera. His current outfit is damp and clings against his skin, with the discomfort shoved to the back of his mind, Peter climbs out of the bedroom window and down the fire escape, his backpack resting on his shoulders, grounding him to reality.

Wandering around Gotham late at night felt strangely eerie. His Spidey Senses were buzzing, alerting him of all the dangerous people all around him, still the night is young, and if he has to spend another day in these clothes Peter feels like he’s going to combust. 

…A bit dramatic. Oh! There’s the Goodwill. 

The store doesn’t close for a couple of hours but the place is completely deserted. He has about 50 bucks to spend, so he makes sure to keep that in mind. He looks through the racks of clothes and finds a few pieces that will work. If his math is right, the clothes should cost around 20 dollars. He drapes his pieces across his arm and begins roaming around for anything else useful. An umbrella, another pair of converse, and two books grab his attention. His total should be around the 40s. He makes his way to the cashier and places the items down. 

They give Peter a small smile before ringing him up. “$49.75 is your total, cash or card?” “Cash” He hands over a 50 and collects his change and the two bags with his new things. He wants to explore some more, but not with these bags, he makes his way home quickly and drops the bags down on the floor near the window. He’s bored, and there’s a brand new city to check out. How exciting!

He’s managed to find a really tall building to observe the world on. He sits on the edge, swinging his legs back and forth as he watches the city below. He hears punching, guns, swords. “The vigilantes” His mind supplies him. He didn’t go too far away from Crime Alley, just to the edge of it. Just as he begins to relax, he hears voices. 

“-Wha- No! Just who do you take me for!” The voice is childish, false hostility heavy in their voice.

“A prickly little brat with anger issues, that’s who!” The other voice is much older.

They’re coming closer to him, they don’t realize he’s up here. Two biological males, one’s really young and the other is in their early twenties. They’re heartbeats are engraved into his brain, he feels like he’ll see them again. They’re definitely a part of The Bats, although Peter has no clue who they are. 

The banter has grown silent, they’ve taken his presence into account, he’s looking up at the stars. Ignoring their heavy gazes, their sped-up heart rates, their bated breath. 

They walked toward him, purposefully making their footsteps heavy enough to make sound. His Spidey Senses spike in warning, but otherwise, Peter is relaxed. He hears them sit on both of his sides, the younger one on his right and the older one on his left. 

“...Hello” The younger vigilante speaks, he has an old money accent. It sounds nice as it bounced around in Peter’s head. 

Peter looks down at him, he recognizes him as Robin, his hood is down and his domino mask displays no emotion. But he’s looking up at Peter with patience. 

“Hi” His voice is soft, he grimaces at the sound, it’s a little rough from lack of use. 

“Whatcha doin’ out here at this time of night kid?” He looks up at the absolute tank of a man on his left, “Red Hood” before moving his gaze back to the sky, a breeze of wind has him bringing his knees to his chest. 

“Stargazing” The stars twinkle brightly above them. It’s truly a beautiful sight to see considering the amount of pollution that drowns this place. 

“At two in the morning?” Robin speaks again, this time his tone has an attitude, it’s tinged with disbelief. 

“Yea, I lost track of time, that’s all” He doesn’t look at either of them. He can feel their eyes on him. Studying him. Their comms crackle to life, startling both of them. There’s no outward movement but he heard their hearts jump.

“Hood, Robin, Batman wants you guys in” A female voice comes through, he’s not supposed to hear it, but oh well. Neither person responds as they stare up at the sky with him. He feels kinda bad but the company’s nice and he can be a little selfish for once, right? 

“Hood? Robin? Can you hear me?” Her tone stays mostly the same, but there’s an underlying panic in her voice. 

“We’re a little busy right now, O” Red Hood says, he sounds eerily calm. “Or maybe that’s just my nerves”

“Alright, just… get to the cave ASAP” 

“Yeah, Yeah”

“Robin, we can’t stay here for long.” He stands and looks down at Peter. “You gon’ be alright kid?”

He looks up at him, “Yea, I’ll be good” He smiles for a second before turning his attention back to the stars. 

He watches silently as they grapple away. 

“Red Hood-”

“Yeah Yeah, we’re comin, B”

Peter crawls back into his little apartment and finally allows himself to relax a little. He goes to the bathroom to start the shower, the water is freezing and the temperature doesn’t seem to be changing so, he’ll have to work with it. 

There was body soap under the sink, but no shampoo or conditioner, he’ll have to actually wash his hair another time. At least it’ll be somewhat clean when he rinses it out. 

Woah. 

He’s staring at his reflection, his hair grew, which isn’t too unusual considering his DNA. But his eyes, they remind him of Ms. Maximoff’s. They’re little sparks of vibrant green in his eyes. They look pretty…unsettling.  

He stares at his hair, it’s to his shoulder now, guess he’s doing this again. He gathers his hair into a ponytail and takes a moment to concentrate on his right hand, he feels as his joints elongate and his fingernails become sharp. He stares in silent awe. He doesn’t do this often enough. He takes his now formed talons and swiftly slices the ponytail off of his head.

He dumps the damp strands into the trash and makes his way to the living room. The stove clock stares at him from the corner, blinking a 03:02 at him. He sighs, he’ll have to get food in the morning. 

He sits on the bed with his backpack beside him. He has another 50 bucks to spend on food. “If I stay up ‘till 6, I can go to the store early enough… I need non-perishable food items.” He crawls back to the attic office and finds a notepad and pen. “Okay, so bottled water, rice, dried fruits, and beans” He scribbles down the list before beginning to look up jobs. He can’t survive solely on backup money that he has saved. He pointedly ignored it when Matt or Wade would sneak money into his bag when they thought he was preoccupied.

Every. Single. Job. Is. Suspicious! This is ridiculous, he can feel his frustration slowly taking over, he wants to hit something, break something - “Okay, okay I need to calm down” He takes a deep breath and feels his rage simmer down. His eyes glowing a vibrant green, the color swirling around in his pupils before it fades. 

Just as he’s about to give up his aimless scrolling he struck gold. “Babysitter Needed” “Alright. I can work with this” His eyes scan the text. “We are not responsible for any harm that happens? What the fuck?!” What kind of child is supposed to babysit? Damian Wayne? Oh so he’s just a bratty rich kid?” He looks up Damian Wayne and his eyes widen comically at the results. There are videos from past babysitters and this child is a menace! 

“He really does not want to be watched over”  From the videos, the child doesn’t like hoverers. “Okay, I can understand that” Peter knew first hand how it feels when adults don’t give him any freedom because of his age. “Maybe it’s better that I’m younger then.” For the first time, Peter looks at the date. “Oh fuck, I’m 16!” …He failed to realize the year.

Chapter Text

That explains why he still has his Driver’s License… it looks different now. Guess this is what Gotham IDs look like. Peter decided to stay awake and go to the store early in the morning. 

The store is desolate. Only the very obviously tired employees were around. Peter made quick work to grab his four items, before impulsively walking over to the hair care section to grab some shampoo and conditioner. 

$43.21 dollars later, Peter is back in the apartment. Later today he has his interview, he has a license, but no car…

It’s 12:01 and the meeting is at 15:30. The bus ride will take about two hours. That settles it then. 

Peter gets off the bus and begins making his way to WE. He eyes a digital clock as he walks past a store. 15:15. “ Alright, better get there quickly” 

He enters the building and the first thing he notices is the security guard checking for IDs. Does he have one? Yes. Does he want to stand in that line? Absolutely not. 

It shouldn’t have been that easy to slip past the guard… oh well. He walks up to the secretary, she scowls at him even as he smiles at her.

She levels him with an unimpressed look “Whatcha need kid?”

“Um, I just wanted to apply for the babysitting position?” 

She stares at him with disbelief. She even stopped chewing her gum as she stared at him. 

“Um, ma’am? Are you okay?”

“ I am, don know about you though.”

He tilts his head in confusion. 

She sighs and rolls her eyes. “Whatever, you’re gonna go to the 25th floor and wait in the lobby.”

He smiles at her. “Okay, thanks ma’am!” 

He’s seen the videos of this crazy ass kid. But he really needs this job. So he’ll have to risk it. He steps into the elevator and presses the 25 button. 

As the elevator opens, Peter looks around at the luxurious space. There’s no one around though. No one except the person in the office, they’re around his age, maybe a little older. 

“Come in here!” 

Peter looks to the door and walks in slowly. Tim Drake greets him with a smile, obviously a little fake. 

“Hi, I’m Peter. Nice to meet you!” 

He sticks his hand out for Tim to shake— goddamn that’s a firm grip! He studies Peter for a second, still holding on tightly to his hand. He lets go quickly though. 

“Sit! I have a lot of questions for you. Hopefully you will be able to last a week.” 

He sounds exhausted. There’s a steaming cup of coffee sitting near his arm. He takes a huge swing of it and smiles again. The tiredness completely wiped from his face. If Peter didn’t know better he would have thought nothing of it. 

“So, what experience do you have in babysitting?” 

His voice takes on a professional tone and there’s a dangerous glint in his eyes. 

“Back home I babysat a lot of my neighbors’ kids. So I’m used to spending a lot of time with kids.” 

It’s not technically a lie. There’s just enough truth in it that even if Tim is some super detective, he can’t tell the difference. He watches as Tim nods slowly. 

“Have you seen the videos posted online about my brother?” 

There’s this look in his eyes. He’s nervous…? I mean the kid looked batshit insane. 

“Yea, I’ve seen them. They’re kinda interesting, different people using the same tactics knowing they won’t work.” 

He looks at Peter surprised for a second, before his face returns to an impassive look. 

“Hm.”

He levels Peter with a sharp gaze, any normal person would begin squirming under it. So Peter does just that, his eyes drift around the room and his fingers tap a silent beat on his thighs. He feels Tim’s gaze study him as he tries to ignore it. It’s not uncomfortable, it's just weird. 

Apparently he finds what he’s looking for because he gives a small nod and clears his throat. Peter snaps his head at the sound. 

“You’re gonna go to Wayne Manor for the second part of this interview.” 

“Second part?”

He hums a response, taking another sip of coffee. 

“Yup, Dami’s gonna interview you, his opinion doesn’t really matter though, it’s mainly for you to meet our butler. He’ll decide if he likes you or not.”

Peter nods, he’s confused as fuck- but there’s nothing he can do about it. 

“So, I go right now?”

Tim just nods before turning back to his computer. Peter knows a dismissal when he sees one, so he gets up and makes his way to the door. 

“I like you, don’t fuck it up”

“Alright... I’ll do my best”

“That has got to be the weirdest interview I’ve ever had, and it’s not even over yet!” 

“Hey, wait!” 

Peter stops in front of the elevator and turns to face the CEO. He tilts his head in confusion.

“Yea?”

“I’m headed back to the manor for the day, wanna ride with me?” 

Peter eyes him confusedly. He’s suspicious of you

“Are you sure?” 

“Yea, c’mon” He doesn’t trust you

Tim grabs at his arm and drags him into the elevator, Peter lets him. Tim continues to drag him as they exit the elevator and make their way to the staff parking lot. They walk up to his car. “Holy shit, that car’s gotta be worth more than my net worth!” Tim gestures for the passenger seat and Peter slides in gingerly. 

“So, where’re you from?” 

He keeps his eyes on the road as they begin their drive to Wayne Manor. But Peter can tell when his eyes slide over to him.

“New York” 

“Which part?”

“Holy shit he drives fast-” “Queens” 

“What made you move here?” 

“Wanted to start fresh”

“Why?” 

The car slows down at a red light. Tim stares at him from the corner of his eye. He makes it obvious this time. He wants Peter to feel the weight of his stare. 

“Just… a lot of shit went down.”

Peter’s voice comes out more tired, he’s exhausted really. He’s had time to process most of his trauma but– sometimes it’s just a lot to think about. The car’s speeding again as silence washes over them. 

“Do you often work from home?”

The question slips out without much thought. Though it seems like that was the right thing to do if the small, almost invisible smirk on Tim’s face is anything to go by. 

“When it gets like really late, I’m not usually home this early, though”

“Why’s today different?”

“I wanted to get to know the new babysitter better”

Something about his tone made Peter suspicious. It’s almost mocking, but without the usual derogatory snap. He doesn’t know, it just sounded suspicious okay? 

He feels Tim’s stare again as he looks out the window. Gothic structures transitioning into broad, green fields and colorful flowers. It’s a beautiful sight. “Man, rich people are so lucky” 

“Like the view?” 

Peter turns to look at him, his eyes are back on the road though. So Peter turns back to the window. 

“Yea, it’s pretty” 

Technically, Peter should only be able to see blurs of colors considering how fast Tim is driving. But you know, enhanced senses help in his everyday life too. Not just Spider-Man. 

Tim slows down as they pull up to the manor. “It’s fucking huge-” 

“Alright we’re here”

He parks the car and they walk together to the front door. An old butler opens the door right as they make it to the last step. 

“Master Timothy, and you must be Mr. Parker”

The English butler opens the door to let them inside. 

“Oh, just Peter’s fine, sir.” 

The butler just smiles softly, an amused spark gleaming in his eyes. 

“Shall I escort you to your interview?” 

Alfred begins walking, he paces quickly. It’s not a struggle to keep up though. As they walk through the manor, Peter picks up multiple heartbeats that begin slowly trailing after them as they make their way to– wherever they’re headed. 

“And this is the office, Master Damian is waiting for you in”

Alfred opens the door and a small child rests in a large chair, petting a small tuxedo cat that’s resting in his lap. 

“Um, hi! I’m Peter…”

Damian looks up at him. His eyes widen for a second before an impassive look takes over his features once more. 

“God, he’s gonna eat that kid alive”

Someone whispers from the hallway, they’re biologically female, probably around… 17-18 years old. Nevermind the people outside, Damian gestures to the seat in front of him and Peter moves to sit down. Though, there’s another cat sitting there already. 

“Hello little one…”

Peter sticks his hand under the cat’s nose before scooping her up, allowing her to rest on his lap. Damian’s heat speeds up a little. Speaking of his heart it sounds familiar. 

“What the fuck…” 

Another voice from outside, he recognizes it as Tim though. Damian clears his throat. 

“Why should I allow you to have this job?” 

“Holy shit, this kid is Robin”  “Oh, um I just think that I could be of great use to you”

“What about the videos online, you’re not scared of me?” 

He leans forward at that point. A devious smirk plastered in his face. A mischievous spark in his eyes. 

“Just because you treated all those other people the way that you did doesn't mean you’ll do the same for me”

Peter shrugs, that’s all he can do. 

“You get one chance. Fuck it up and I’ll kill you”

Peter just smiles and leans forward to whisper… 

“I’d like to see you try”

Chapter Text

Peter leans back in his chair just as Alfred comes in with tea and a plate of cookies. A low “No fair!” comes from the hallway but Peter pays no mind to it. Damian grabs a cookie, apparently they can tame even him.  

“Thank you Pennyworth”

He looks up at Peter.

“Are you not hungry?” 

Peter smiles softly and shakes his head. 

“When’s the last time you ate?”

The cookie’s gone and he’s leaning over the table again. Peter doesn’t understand why this particularly matters considering the child was just threatening his life but whatever…

He does have to think about it though…

“Um, a couple of days ago? Yea” 

“Eat one. I demand it.” 

“Why should I listen to you?” 

“I’m the one who hired you.”

“Yea, to take care of you. Technically, you should be listening to me. ”

“You were just hired, do you believe that I won’t fire you?” 

“Then do it.” 

He sputters. Peter just smiles at him. 

“I would like a display of your skills before I kick you out” 

It’s a weak argument, and Peter smiles knowingly. Even as Damian scowls at him. 

“I refuse to send you away with something in your stomach.”

Peter reaches out and takes a cookie, slowly eating it under Damian’s watchful gaze. 

“Happy?” 

“Affirmative” 

“Maybe he can hold his own…” “That sounded a lot like Red Hood… holy shit! It is him!” 

Damian’s staring at him again. Peter tilts his head in confusion but otherwise stays silent. There’s a knock on the door. 

“Enter”

Ah. All of the people from outside. They all smile at Peter as they sit down on a couch near the desk. 

“Y’all gon finish those cookies?” 

“Yes Todd, they’re for us, not you”

“Come on Dami” 

“No Brown” 

“Peter, these are unfortunately my siblings…”

“Holy shit, I didn’t think the day would come… anyways I’m Jason”

“I know, I’m so proud of you Dami! Anyways I’m Dick, nice to meet you, Peter.”

“Dick?”

“Short for Richard, I don’t know what’s wrong with him either” She stage-whispers, they both ignore the shout of protest. “I’m Steph, love that we finally have someone to tame the demon”

“Why are you calling him a demon?”

“Oh um, it’s just a nickname, don’t worry you’ll see it’s a healthy comparison soon.”

Peter just nods and looks out the window. The sun’s setting. 

“When do I show up?” 

“Your hours are from 7 in the morning to 9:30 in the evening” 

“Alright, and I start tomorrow?”

“That is correct, return home safely”

Peter takes that as a dismissal and exits the office. As he walks away voices erupt quietly from the office. 

“So, do you like him?” “Huh, Dick sounds surprised, guess he’s never given anyone else much of a chance.”

“He seems to be more tolerable than the others.”

“So you won’t try to kill him?”

“I never said that.”

“Figures.”

“Wish to speak your mind, Todd?”

“Nah, I don’t wanna be stabbed tonight.”

Peter allows the conversation to lull in the back of his mind as he retraces his steps to the front door. He quietly leaves and begins his walk home. “Thank God for my senses, I would be so lost without them” 

Peter allows his body to take over, trusting that he’ll get home safely. He thinks over today. He has all of their heartbeats memorized, if Damian is Robin and Jason is Red Hood, the rest of them have to be a part of The Bats as well right? 

When Peter comes back to himself, he’s sitting on that roof from yesterday. His feet swing under him as he stares up at the stars. Of course, his body would take him here. It’s peaceful. 

…It was peaceful before he noticed a girl getting cornered in an alleyway. He heard the sound of running and grappling hooks …and Tim and Steph’s heartbeats. He watched from the corner of his eye as he sat on the edge. Red Robin and Spoiler take out the thugs and listens as Spoiler comforts the girl. 

He exhales softly as he feels Red Robin’s gaze on him. He listens as Red Robin talks into his comm. 

“Hey Robin, didn’t you say to watch out for a kid that sits on a roof near the edge of Crime Alley?” 

At that statement, he feels Spoiler’s gaze on him too, he glances down at them before looking back up at the stars. 

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Did you realize that it’s your babysitter that we’re watching out for?”

“I found that out earlier.”

“Do you want us to go talk to him?”

“I suppose so, he does not seem to be suicidal but I am not sure.”

“Alright. C’mon Spoiler.”

Peter hears the grappling hooks cling to the side of the building, he listens to the exaggerated footsteps coming up behind him. 

“Hey kid, shouldn’t you be at home?” 

Spoiler initiates the conversation. “Red Robin seems like he’s used to slipping into the background”

“I like it up here.”

They sit on either side of him. Peter doesn’t look down at them, he keeps his gaze focused on the sky above him. Even if he can see the faint clouds of pollution, the stars shine expertly through it.

“Yea, it’s pretty peaceful up here.” “Huh, they sound different when they’re in their suits”

It’s only around midnight. Peter can protect himself, even if they don’t know that. But for their peace, he’ll go home. Fortunately for him, a gunshot rings through the air. Spoiler and Red Robin stand immediately. 

Spoiler leaps of the building, but Red Robin hovers for a second.

“You gonna be okay?”

Peter just nods, watching as they grapple away into the night.

Chapter Text

Peter sits on the edge for just a little longer before making his way down the building. In the distance, he can hear the fight going on between Red Robin, Spoiler, and whoever they’re fighting… but that’s none of his business. 

As he walks on the sidewalk he hears running and shouting. “Of course, they’re running towards me…” Peter just sighs and continues his walk home. At least hid Spidey Sense will keep him safe. Speaking of, the people are getting closer now, and an erratic heartbeat is running straight for him, they have a knife but he isn’t warned to try and get away. 

Spoiler and Red Robin are close behind from what he can hear. Maybe if he just stays on one side of the sidewalk he’ll be–

Someone grabs his arm and there’s a knife being pressed to his throat. His Spidey Sense isn’t going haywire, so obviously the person is just bluffing to get away from the approaching Spoiler and Red Robin. 

“Harley, let ‘em go” “She sounds scared ”

“You let’n me go?” “Her accent sounds nice” The sound bounces nicely around in Peter’s head. 

“Harley you know we can’t do that” “Poor Red, he sounds so stressed” 

“C’monnnn, I just escaped! Can’t a woman visit her girlfriend in peace?” 

“Ivy doesn’t stir up much trouble anymore.  You just finished robbing five different stores!” 

“Well, if you won’t let me leave, I’ll just take this cutie with me!” 

She quickly takes hold of his hand and sprints off. Of course, he matches her speed flawlessly. 

“Sorry ta drag ya inta this kid!” 

Peter just stays quiet, it’s been a while since he had this much adrenaline flowing through him. It’s nice. Harley’s nice too. He read about Harley Quinn. How she slowly descended into madness because of her ex. Now she’s often sent to Arkham Asylum for petty crimes. He can tell she’s fun to be around. She and Poison Ivy mash personalities well. 

Spoiler and Red Robin are far away now, but they’re calling backup. Robin and Red Hood are coming. He can tell Harley’s checking everywhere for cameras, before slipping into an alleyway. 

“You’re cool, I’ll come find you in a little, okay?” 

Peter just nods and watches as Harley runs into the night. Peter slides down the grimy, brick wall and listens. Robin and Red Hood are commanding the rooftops. He listens to their hearts spike with adrenaline as they hop from rooftop to rooftop. Their hearts also beat with anxiety…? 

“Oh shit, they’re looking for me” Peter decides to stick to the shadows and avoids the cameras as he makes his way to Crime Alley and climbs up to his usual roof. 

Robin and Red Hood have passed already but he knows that they will circle back over. 

He hears their hearts first. They slow a little as he feels their gazes. 

“He’s here, we found him” “I like his accent, old money is so interesting” 

“Do you want backup?” “I really need to figure out her name” 

“No thank you Oracle” “Welp, that was easy”

“Are you always on rooftops this late at night?” “Guess he’s feeling sassy tonight”

“No, I just come up here to keep you on your toes” 

He doesn’t look at them as they make their way over, Robin tuts in response before plopping down. 

“How old are you anyways kid?” “He’s nervous, I feel a little guilty for shaking them up” 

“Oh I’m–”

A vine comes up and snatches him from the edge. He hears Red Hood and Robin pull out their weapons as Peter’s lowered to the ground. 

“Hey, cutie!” 

Oh, I guess this is Poison Ivy. He recognized Harley’s heartbeat but not the tall woman’s next to her as he was placed on the ground. Harley wraps an arm around his shoulder and pulls him close as Red Hood and Robin jump down from the roof. 

“Let him go Quinn” “Somehow the accent makes him scarier…” 

“Nah, I like ‘em. You’ll see him soon enough.” 

She grabs his hand again and drags him away– “What is with the people in this universe and dragging people?”  He hears plants explode as Poison Ivy follows in suit, keeping the vigilantes away. 

“So kid, what’s your name?” 

“Peter” 

“Aw, a cute name for a cute face!” 

“What are you doing out here so late?” “So sounds so much more mature than Ms.Quinn”

“Oh, I just like to stargaze” 

“Hm.” 

So she’s an introvert, makes sense considering Harley’s personality. They fit together. “God, I missed running like this” There are so many heartbeats around, and all he can do is follow Harley’s lead as she drags both his and Ivy away from the vigilantes that have grown in numbers as time goes by. Spoiler and Red Robin have joined the chase from the ground, and Red Hood and Robin have taken to the roofs. 

“How can Peter keep up with them?” “Jason sounds pissed~” 

“Damn, Demon Brat, this babysitter might be able to keep up with you”

“TT, shut up” 

Comms are so fun to listen in on, especially when they start joking around. Harley’s laughs fill the air, you know what also fills the air? Fucking Batman’s shadow as he drops down in front of them, the other Bats surrounding him. No one is scared, but Hartley still pulls Peter close. 

“C’mon Batsy! Look at ‘em! I just wanna keep him happy!” 

“He’ll be happy at home Harley” 

“Well, what do you want kid?” 

All eyes turn to him, and he just shrugs. Peter tends to just go with the flow as long as he and the people around him are safe. 

“So you’d be perfectly fine hanging out with criminals?” 

Peter’s left speechless, he’s not sure what to say. For some reason, that frustrates him. He usually always has something to say. He’s fucking Spider-Man! Anger wells up inside him as he backs away from the people around him, whispers erupt and he slams his hands over his ears as he sinks to the ground. 

“Everyone’s worried, he can hear it in their heartbeats. But they stay away. “Okay Peter, let’s think this through–” Something angry, green in him detests the idea but he takes deep breaths, getting his emotions in order before fleeing. 

There are shouts behind him, but he’s faster than most. He does keep a pace similar to the one Harley had, he knows restraint is necessary when his emotions are bursting out. He keeps track of everything, where the cameras are, who’s following him, and where they are. Everything. 

“Are people experiencing pit rage like really violent?” 

“Yes, don’t be an imbecile” 

“So why didn’t he attack”

“I don’t know but we need to find him. Split up” 

Peter climbs into his apartment, luckily for him. There are no cameras in Crime Alley. He collapses on the bed. Hoping to get some sleep in before work tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Peter wakes up around two hours later and begins to go through the motions of his morning. He walks into the bathroom and turns on the shower, the cold water waking him up. “God, last night was horrible” He spits out his toothpaste and makes his way to the closet to grab an outfit for the day.  

He walks into the kitchen wearing a pair of baggy jeans, a graphic t-shirt, his windbreaker, and his black converse. He grabs a handful of dried fruits and his backpack before climbing out the window. The sun isn’t even up yet but he has to make the long trek to Wayne Manor. Luckily, he saw a bus stop that would take him halfway there. 

He gets on the bus and rides silently in his seat near the front. There’s no one else there and the bus driver goes straight towards Wayne Manor. Peter thanks her as he gets off and he walks about 45 minutes to get there. 

It’s 6:45 when he knocks on the door. Alfred’s heart spikes a little when he opens the door. But he smiles softly at Peter nonetheless. 

“Good Morning Mr. Parker”

“Morning Mr. Pennyworth” 

Alfred leads Peter to the kitchen and gestures to the bar as he fixes Peter a cup of coffee. 

“Thanks” 

“You’re quite welcome”

Peter watches in silence as Alfred works around the kitchen fixing breakfast with a practiced efficiency. All of the current inhabitants of the manor are sleeping. He feels kinda bad for giving them such a scare last night, but he couldn’t allow himself to hurt anyone. 

Alfred washes fresh fruits as he sets the dinner table with pancakes, eggs, and bacon. He sets the bowl of fruit on the table. As he’s washing the dishes, Peter listens to the heartbeats of everyone waking up at various rates. 

Damian wakes up and quickly begins moving to start his day. Tim on the other hand, wakes up but remains lying in the bed. The lull of a peaceful house almost puts Peter at ease. Almost. 

Damian is the first one down, Peter’s nursing his cup of coffee as Damian passes by to sit at the table. Peter ignores how his heart sped up. The entrances of the rest of the family go by similarly. They notice his presence immediately but ignore him other than the speeding up of their hearts. 

 Peter almost feels guilty for that. But, he’s hung out with enough criminals to dictate when they have malicious intent and when they don’t, even without his Spidey Sense. So as the family eats, and bicker softly. Peter goes over what he knows:

Bruce Wayne is The Batman

Dick Grayson is Nightwing

Jason Todd is Red Hood

Stephanie Brown is Spoiler

Damian Wayne is Robin

…okay. Then there’s the Chinese and Black kids. They’re probably vigilantes too. Peter swings his feet as he waits for Damian. Good thing he has perfect timing! 

“Parker! Get in here!” 

“It’s a little scary that they know my last name, I never told anyone”

Peter smiles and walks over to the entryway. His Spidey Sense spikes and his hand comes up to catch the apple that was hurdling towards his face. He ignores the looks of surprise and walks further into the room. 

“Yes?” 

“I wish for you to meet Cassandra and Duke”

Peter waves, Cassandra is assessing him, “God, she reminds me of Ms. Nat” and Duke just beams and waves back. The tension in the room thickens until Cassandra gives a small nod of…approval? Whatever. 

The family turns back to their half-finished plates and Peter remains dormant near the entryway. He looks around, observing the room and ignoring the very intentionally heavy gazes toward his figure from time to time. 

Damian finishes eating and places his plate in the sink before walking off. 

“Don’t lose him, at any costs” 

“Damn is Alfred scary!”

Peter quickly follows Damian as he slinks off to his room. From what he’s observed, Damian is a reserved kid. He sticks to his hobbies and usually adds a snarky comment here or there. But, he’s a good kid. 

Damian leaves the door wide open but Peter still knocks. 

“Enter”

Peter stands near the door and watches Damian put a leash on his dog. It’s a black Great Dane. He’s very cute. Damian passes him without a word, and Peter follows. They walked the Manor grounds for what seemed like hours. They don’t speak, and Peter looks around, admiring the scenery. He noticed Damian trying to lose him a couple of times but you know, enhanced senses. 

They finish their walk in the backyard. The wide space is perfect for Titus to run around. 

“Titus!” The dog stands alert. “Attack!” The dog comes racing toward Peter and Peter allows himself to be knocked over, Titus bites his arm leaving slobber on his windbreaker. At that, Peter gently nudges Titus off of him and ignores him chewing on his leg as he gets up and dusts himself off. He listens to the snickering coming from the window behind him. He also ignores the smug smirk on Damian’s face as Titus continues trying to kill him. 

“Down, boy”

The response is immediate, Titus peacefully retreats to his owner and earns a scratch behind the ears.  

“Of course, he waits for Mr. Wayne to leave. Fucking brat” 

He feels Damian eye him, mischief radiating off of him in waves. 

“So Parker” Damian stalks closer, staring up at him “I want–”

“DAMI” 

Dick runs outside and moves to pounce on Damian. Damian’s sped-up heartbeat, “Fear” his mind helpfully supplies has Peter sliding in front of Damian and catching Dick by the torso. He gently places him down on his feet and moves out of the way. 

Everyone’s hearts speed up. The people staring from the window, Dick, and Damian are so shocked Peter can smell it off of them. 

Jason, Stephanie, Tim, Duke, and Cassandra run out. Peter stares impassively, and Damian subtly slides behind him a little more. 

“How strong are you?” 

Tim comes up and grabs at his arm, he attempts to pull Peter but when he doesn’t budge he notices Damian standing behind him with Titus. He settles for feeling around Peter’s arm. Peter currently doesn’t have as much visible lean muscle at 16 as he does in his 23-year-old body. 

He feels Cassandra’s eyes on him again, but he focuses his attention on Tim’s face currently scrunched up in confusion. 

 “Dami?”

Dick’s voice comes out soft, and…hurt. Damian grabs at Peter’s windbreaker in response. He begins mumbling. 

“I just didn’t want to be touched today” 

No one heard what he said, it was obviously for Peter’s ears only. Tim once again tries moving Peter so the family can get a look at Damian. But Peter’s job is to keep Damian safe, and right now, his family is the problem. 

“Move, Parker” 

Jason steps up, he grabs Peter’s other arm to help Tim. But if there’s one thing Peter’s good at it’s protecting those who seek him out. Peter stares up at him blankly, even as his gaze turns into a glare. 

Titus begins growling, causing both brothers to jump. They both level Peter with a glare before releasing him. Peter listens as Damian relaxes slowly. He releases his death grip on Peter’s jacket and takes a quiet deep breath. 

Damian steps out from behind Peter and makes his way to where his family is huddled up. They begin whispering. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Yes, I–”

“You don’t have to justify having no-touch days, I should’ve asked”

“It is alright”

“Okay, now that that’s done, can we PLEASE talk about you’re babysitter?!”

“Duke’s right, he’s definitely a meta” 

“Hopefully meta means enhanced” Peter sits down on the ground and keeps Titus occupied. 

“You know Bruce’s rule”

“He’s not leaving”

“Dami–”

“No!”

“Well we need to know what else he can do” 

“Get your own babysitter, you’re not running experiments on him” 

“What if he hurts you?”

“He was just protecting me!”

“It could be a trap”

“It’s not” 

“How do you know?”

“I can just tell” 

Damian comes back to Peter and grabs Titus’s leash and walks away. Peter follows behind him. As they pass the family, Jason grabs Peter by the bicep and whispers in his ear. 

“Hurt him, and they’ll be finding pieces of your body for years” 

He pushes him away and without even stumbling Peter follows after Damian.

Chapter Text

Damian leads Titus and Peter back to his room. Peter hovers in the doorway as Damian enters and begins stripping Titus of his leash. 

“You may come in you know?” 

Damian doesn’t look up but Peter can feel his gaze nonetheless. He slowly enters the room, closes the door behind him, and takes note of the cat sitting near the headboard. 

“That’s Alfred”

“You named your cat after Alfred?”

“Yes”

“Hm”

As Damian settles into his bed with a sketchbook, Peter leans on the wall near the door. He listens to the commotion coming from downstairs. 

“--Come on Bruce! Check the cameras. You need to see this” 

“Yea, kid’s crazy strong” 

He decides that eavesdropping won’t do anything. So he brings his attention back to his present space. Damian’s staring out the window. His mind is miles away. 

“Whatcha thinkin about?” 

Peter doesn’t notice that his accent slips out a little. Damian does though, he stares impassively for a moment. 

“My mother” 

“Where is she” 

“My previous home” 

Damian looks back out the window. 

“They’re going to be suspicious of you now” 

“Your family?” 

“Yes” 

“For protecting you?” 

“Your display of strength” 

“Ah” 

Peter listens to the footsteps of Dick, Tim, and Jason as they make their way to Damian’s room. Damian must hear them too because he puts a finger to his mouth and goes back to drawing. 

They knock on the door and wait for Damian’s response. 

“Enter” 

The door opens and the three men stand near the entrance, they don’t see Peter standing in the shadows of the room. 

“Lunch is ready” 

Damian closes his sketchbook and places it on his nightstand. They lead the way and Damian follows, Peter follows after him. 

Everyone’s footsteps sound different, they would be silent if Peter was normal. But he’s not, his footsteps can’t be detected even by enhanced people. 

As they enter the kitchen, Alfred gestures to the bar and Peter takes a seat. Dick, Jason, and Tim’s hearts jump in surprise. Alfred sits a bowl of pasta in front of him and Peter listens to the conversation happening in the other room. Their voices are hushed but that does nothing for them. 

“I hear you have a Meta babysitter” 

“He’s not leaving” 

“We at least need to know what he can do” 

“I thought I told you to get your own Meta to experiment with” 

“Damian, you are aware of how dangerous Metas can be. You are also aware of my rule are you not?” 

“I don’t care about your rule. He’s staying.” 

Peter finishes his food and moves to wash his dishes, placing them in the drying rack. He sits back down and tunes back into the argument going on

“What’s so special about this babysitter brat?” 

It’s silent. That gives them all they need. 

“I guess he won’t be a problem” 

“But I’m not helping if you get hurt” 

Tim doesn’t mean that, they all know it. Even Peter knows it.

“Yea you will” 

“Shut up Steph” 

“Why don’t we get to know him better?” 

“You’re not going to interrogate him” 

“We have to make a compromise” 

Peter can feel Damian’s anger, it’s cold, harsh. He can feel how everyone at the table stiffens. It’s impressive. 

“Fine, but I decide when you have enough information” 

The tension bleeds out of the room and everyone relaxes. The bickering picks back up after a moment. Alfred returns to the kitchen. 

“Go ahead in there, if you get uncomfortable, they’ll know” 

Alfred is like a grandparent. He loves that about the man. Peter silently gets up and enters the room, he stands in the corner by the door. Cassandra and Damian notice him but no one does as they’re caught up in conversation. 

“Parker. Come sit” 

Damian’s voice causes everyone else to snap to attention as Peter makes his way to the empty seat at the edge of the table. 

“Hello Peter, I haven’t had the chance to meet you yet.” 

“Hello Mr. Wayne” 

“How can he pick you up like that? He’s so—“ 

“I know, I never would’ve guessed!” 

They whisper but Peter still hears it, he’s good at pretending though. 

“I hear you’re quite strong” 

“Oh, um yes sir” 

“Is there something you’d like to share?” 

“About what?” 

“…You’re abilities.” 

“Oh, I’m just strong” 

“Really?” 

“Mhm” 

“I beg to differ, we” he gestures to the people at the table “are close with The Bats, and you seem to be quite fast since you were running around with Harley Quinn, another Meta.” 

The mood of the room shifts into something heavier. More serious. 

“I mean I never tested anything out, but I might be faster than a regular person.” 

“Hm” 

“You said you’re from Queens right?” 

"I hate when Tim's tone does that" 

“Yea?” 

So, I was looking around…” 

“Oh god…”

“I didn’t see anyone like you on the cameras, in documents, nothing. So where are you really from?” 

“I’m from Queens, honest” 

His accent comes out again, guess he’s getting a little stressed. 

“Why stressed?” 

“Oh, I’m not stressed” 

He smiles at the girl across from him, she really reminds him of Black Widow. 

“Then what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing…?” 

“You have an accent, it wasn’t there before” 

He puts a hand near his mouth and his eyebrows furrow. 

“Oh. I’m so sorry.” 

Most people with heavy New York accents have harsh tones a lot of the time. At least from Peter’s experience. 

“It’s alright” 

The accent doesn’t go away though. Alfred comes in with cookies, and everyone brightens up. Alfred however, holds the plate in front of Peter first. Peter grabs one and watches as everyone basically fights for one. Peter sees why Alfred let him get one first. 

Peter doesn’t eat his, he just holds it as his mind exits his body. The scene reminded him of a time with the Avengers. Everyone loved Bucky’s baking. 

“Parker?” 

Peter looks at Damian. He tilts his head in question. 

“You alright buddy? We lost you for a second” 

He looks at Dick and smiles softly. 

“Oh I’m good, thanks” 

Peter takes a bite of his cookie as the conversation flows around him. 

“Let’s watch a movie!” 

Multiple groans erupt from the table as Dick laughs. He runs out dragging Tim and Jason with him. 

“Hey! Let go Dickface!” 

Cassandra, Stephanie, and Duke follow behind them, talking amongst themselves as they walk down the hallway. 

Peter waits patiently for Damian to get up, and when he does he follows behind him. They enter one of the living rooms in the house, Damian sits by Dick as Peter leans on the wall near the entrance. Bruce is coming, Peter can hear his heartbeat. 

“Why don’t you sit down?” 

Peter shrugs, and a flutter of movement catches his attention as Tim pats next to him, he’s sitting in an armchair but Peter’s not complaining. They’re about the same size, Peter’s slightly taller, but he knows he’s gonna grow a little more by the time this body turns eighteen. 

It’s surprisingly not a tight fit. He’s a little confused as to why Tim would want him so close, considering the whole family looked ready to jump him like two minutes ago. Either way, Dick turns on a movie and the whole family quietens to enjoy it. Peter tries not to think about his movie nights with the Avengers, but the Waynes are so similar to them that it’s kinda hard not to. 

Peter keeps his emotions to himself though, and enjoys the movie. 

The movie ends and suddenly there’s a very heated discussion about everything in the movie. 

“Okay so we have to confirm that none of The Bats act like that” 

“I thought it was great”

“No shit, your character was the only one that was a good interpretation” 

“What can I say? Nightwing is great” 

“You’re just two-dimensional” 

A squawk of indignance escapes as everyone, save Damian, bursts out laughing. “Did they just forget I was here?” 

Peter stays silent. Tim’s arm wraps around his waist and he turns to look at him. The look in his eyes is a subtle threat. Peter wouldn’t say anything but I guess the look was warranted. 

“I mean, Damian wasn’t that violent by the time Bruce got back and took him out on patrol” 

“It’s probably because his weapon is a sword”

“Maybe you should choose another weapon brat”

“I will not be dishonoring my family just to appease lowly citizens” 

“Aw c’mon you have options!” 

“Says the one who uses guns. Such a basic choice” 

“Okay! No need to come after me”

“You started it!” 

“Let’s just agree that Tim is the most basic. I mean who would willingly use a bostaff?”

“What?! I wasn’t even in the discussion!”

This has everyone looking over to where Tim and Peter are sitting. They all completely forgot that Peter was there. Mixed looks of shock painted their features. 

“You didn’t happen to tune us out did you?” 

Peter shakes his head. He makes sure his face is blank. He’s not planning to do anything with the information he just acquired. Cassandra seems to know that too. 

“Trust”

She says it with so much confidence everyone relaxes a little. Bruce eyes his watch and stands. 

“You all can watch another movie, then Peter should be off the clock” 

The rest of them nod as Bruce exits the room. Peter turns to the TV as Dick picks a new movie. 

“Oh god, they might actually jump me”

Chapter Text

The movie finishes around 8:45, which means that Peter has a little over a half hour before it’s time to leave. When Damian moves to stand, Tim retracts his arm from where it was around his waist and Peter follows Damian out of the room. 

They end up back in Damian’s room, Damian rests in his bed as Alfred the cat and Titus cuddle him. He’s typing on his phone, and the small smile on his lips makes Peter believe he’s texting someone. 

Peter takes this time to relax his nerves. He’s known that the Waynes were the Bats for a while but them knowing that he knows makes it a little nerve-wracking. Peter closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, he goes into a shallow meditation, allowing his senses to expand and warn him of any activity. 

Speaking of activity, Damian shuts his phone off a few minutes later and stares at Peter. He can feel his stare but keeps his eyes closed slowly coming back to his body. He can hear everyone discussing what they're going to do with him and the knowledge he has. But Peter tunes them out when Damian clears his throat. Peter opens his eyes and meets Damian’s. 

“Are enhanced strength and speed the only things you have?” 

Peter nods. 

“I think so, but like I said I’ve never tested anything out” 

“Hm.” 

Peter’s eyes follow Damian as he gets up from the bed and makes his way over to where Peter stands in the shadows near the door. He reaches out and takes his arm, he feels it in a similar way that Tim did. He retracts his hand after a moment and just stares at Peter like he’s trying to get a glimpse at his soul. Not that Peter would allow that, Damian doesn’t need to see that. The absolute mess that’s Peter Parker. 

Tim and Cassandra are coming up the stairs, as they enter the hallway Damian’s eyes slide to the door. He moves back to his bed and tends to his pets, who preen under his attention when a knock resounds in the room. 

“Enter” 

The door opens and Cassandra and Tim step into the room, closing the door behind them. They either don’t notice him or are just ignoring him for the moment. 

“Bruce wants to talk to you.”

Damian raises an eyebrow. 

“Come, little brother” 

Damian rolls his eyes but gets out of bed. When Cassandra and Tim turn around, their hearts jump at the sight of him leaning against the wall near the door.

  “I guess even Cassandra didn’t see me” 

Tim and Cassandra lead the way with Damian following behind. Peter just trails behind the group listening to the conversation going on two floors below. 

“What if he sells it?” 

“He really doesn’t seem like the type” 

“Duke’s got a point” 

“He’s a wildcard and a danger” 

“Technically we all are” 

Peter can feel Bruce’s glare as they enter the room. All attention turns to him, it’s brief and barely noticeable but you know, enhanced senses. Bruce’s glare is suddenly directed at him and Peter flinches, it’s small but the Bats Waynes all notice it. 

Everyone slinks off to the side when Bruce stands, Peter unconsciously tries to make himself smaller. He looks up at Bruce, he knows how much adults value eye contact, no matter how much he trembles. 

“You are a danger. We know nothing about you and all of your government files haven’t been present for even a week! You’re a meta and now that you know our identities that is too much of a risk.” 

Bruce lifts his arm and Peter flinches again, violently. But Bruce points to the door. 

“Get out of my house!” 

Peter turns, he doesn’t look at anyone as he makes his exit. Alfred’s at the door when he gets there, he passes him an envelope as Peter passes. Peter pulls an umbrella out of the backpack sitting on his shoulders as the rain starts. He can feel the gazes of the family on his back as he begins to make the long journey home. There’s no night bus, so he has to walk to Crime Alley. 

He allows his senses to stretch out and hears the sound of a car coming toward him. He sticks to the side of the road, grateful that it hasn’t been raining long enough for any puddles to form. He notices that the car slows down significantly as it gets closer. 

It pulls up right next to him and stops. Peter stops too, and watches as the window rolls down and Tim’s face greets him. 

“Need a ride?” 

Peter smiles softly.

“You don’t need to be nice to me anymore, thanks though” 

With that, Peter continues his walk. He listens as Tim gets out of the car and runs in the rain towards him, he stands under Peter’s umbrella and grabs his waist to get him to stop. “What is with this dude and my waist?” his face warms a little nonetheless

Tim smirks mischievously. 

“Well, now I’m not asking” 

Tim takes his arm and drags him to the car. “Ah, back to being dragged around” He opens the passenger door and pushes guides Peter to the seat before hopping into the driver seat and zooming off. 

They sit in a comfortable silence for a little as Peter idly stares out the window. 

“I’m sorry for Bruce.”

“It’s alright”

“No, it’s not. He’s just really paranoid because he likes knowing things and he knows absolutely nothing about you other than the fact that you are a meta that has fake government records. He had no right to just fire you like that. So I’m sorry.” 

Peter is taken aback by how sincere Tim’s words are. He just blinks. 

“Sorry, I’ve been going to therapy, we all have. Well, except for Bruce, you know with our job and everything, we see a lot of shit so…” 

“Yea, I mean it’s better to be open than to suffer in silence.” 

And wasn’t that a lesson Peter had to learn the hard way. 

“Yea, that’s a great way to put it” 

They enter Gotham and Peter just admires the city. 

“So, where am I dropping you off at?” 

“Um, at the edge of Crime Alley. I don’t want your car to get messed up” 

The rain seemed to get heavier as they traveled deeper into Gotham. Tim stops where he asked and Peter leaves quickly. 

“Thank you so much.”

Peter closes the door behind him and opens his umbrella making his way to his favorite roof, despite the rain. He knows Tim sees him, but he just watches him drive off. He eyes the sky, tilting his umbrella as rain drops gently onto his face, “Ah, little ocean kisses” 

As he relaxes his senses spread out. He listens to the heartbeats of the vigilantes roaming the city. One heartbeat is making its way towards him. “Okay, maybe he’s just patrolling the area, even though it’s usually Jason and Damian in Crime Alley… maybe if I just don’t think about him– and he’s behind me” 

Batman lands silently behind him. Obviously trying to test his senses. “Been there, done that” Peter doesn’t make any indication that he heard Batman, so he makes his way over to where Peter sits on the edge. Silently. “Why is he trying to give me a heart attack?” 

Batman plops down next to him, and Peter, like the very much normal civilian he is, jumps. To get him back, he jumps towards the edge. Batman catches him, obviously. But he sets Peter on the roof, away from the edge. 

“I… apologize for letting my anger get the better of me. I know that you’ve managed to worm your way into everyone’s hearts, but I cannot allow you to return. I apologize for how this may affect you, but I can’t allow it.” 

Peter nods his head and takes notice of the presence of someone under them. He listens closely. His far-away look is taken as him mulling things over. 

“Ye boss, The Bat was talkin' to him like he fired him.” 

“WHERE?! I NEED THIS CHILD HEHEHEHEHEHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA”

“The edge of Crime Alley” 

“I’M ON MY WAY” 

Peter suspects that it won’t be the worst thing to get kidnapped right after he got fired. 

Chapter Text

Peter nods his head but avoids eye contact. Batman apparently is used to that because he just grapples away. 

“How did such an angsty guy end up with so many loving kids?” 

Peter decides to stay on the rooftop, moving back to the edge. He makes sure not to look suspicious because he currently has a growing audience. All the men eyeing him from below are in their early to late twenties. It makes sense, they all seem to be pretty athletic. 

******************************************

“Batman, Joker’s just been spotted speeding towards Crime Alley” 

“Do you know where he might be headed?” 

“I’m coming” 

“No, Robin, you’re not”

“You can’t stop me”

“Fine” 

“I’m coming too!” 

“Me too” 

“Jay, Dick?” 

“Obviously” 

“Yea” 

Multiple dark figures swing and run through the city. Unfortunately, Peter’s spot is at the edge of Crime Alley, meaning when they get there, they see Joker’s henchmen sneaking up behind Peter. 

Peter’s admiring the stars when he hears a car stop below him and multiple men try to sneak up from behind. He also takes note of the Bats rapidly approaching. They can’t do much as Peter’s shoved off the roof and into the arms of Bane. “He’s a lot more intimidating up close, but the Spidey Sense isn’t tingling” 

He watches as the Bats take out the henchmen with ease before assessing the situation below. The Joker is monologuing.

“I’ve dreamed of this day! I’ll finally be able to come for you both in and out of the suit Batsy!” 

He stalks over to where Peter’s being held in Bane’s arms. He reaches up and pats almost gently on Peter’s cheek.  

“And it’s all thanks to you, dear boy” 

Bane then throws him into the car sitting there. 

“Well, we’ll be off Batsy!” 

The car zooms down the road. 

“Just had to fire the kid…” 

“Not now Jason” 

“Huh, I thought they’d knock me out by now” 

Peter watches through the window as the dark, gloomy Gotham goes by. Joker’s either been laughing manically or whispering psychotically. Both Peter hears perfectly clear, unfortunately. He can practically feel the annoyance flow off of Bane from where he’s sitting next to him. “Poor guy”  

“Well at least we know he’s not stronger than Bane, which means he’s no real threat” 

“Yea, he was just doing his job” 

“Such a good kid, why do all the Rogues want him?” 

“For once, I tolerated a babysitter” 

“I’m so proud of you for that” 

“Shut it, Brown” 

“Alright, I get it. I made a mistake.” 

“Glad you know” 

Batman just continues to swing in silence as his children continue to be petty. He deserves it. He taught them to be this way. 

Peter is tied up to a chair. The ropes push his arms tight to his sides and his legs tied to the chair. He watches as Bane leaves quickly, then observes the henchmen polishing weapons around the room. 

The Joker himself is pacing, glancing at him from time to time. He eventually makes his way over. 

“Hello child” 

He grins. “It’s giving cheshire cat” 

“I know you have some secrets for me” 

“I have secrets” 

Joker brightens up. 

“They’re not for you though, sorry” 

Joker growls.

“Listen, I have been trying to figure out the Bats identities for years. I’m not gonna let some kid ruin my chances. So sTART TALKING OR FACE MY WEAPONS” 

“Why are you so obsessed with a man that dresses up as a bat and his wrangle of children? Are you a pedophile Mr. Joker?” 

Joker sputters and walks away. He comes back grinning as he pushes a cart covered with sharp objects. However, he ignores it and goes straight for Peter with his fists. 

A punch to the nose.

To the gut

To the cheek. 

Peter just takes it. He doesn’t need too many people knowing he’s enhanced. Joker walks away and Peter just breathes for a second. 

A dagger is stabbed into his shoulder, it’s ripped out just as quickly. 

The dagger is dragged lightly across his neck. Just enough to bleed. 

Joker slices at his wrists. Careful to avoid the veins. He wants to keep Peter alive after all. 

Peter distantly hears the Bats outside the window behind him. The last thing he hears is the sound of glass breaking before he gets hit by something in the back of his head. 

Batman swings in through the window. His eyes widen slightly as Joker knocks Peter out with a crowbar. Red Hood goes straight for Joker. Nightwing, Spoiler, and Red Robin go for the henchmen. Batman goes to prevent Hood from killing Joker. Robin makes his way to his babysitter. 

He cuts the ropes. His vibrant eyes hidden behind the whites of his mask. He shakes Peter gently. 

“Get up Parker.” 

Peter jerks, he stares blankly at Damian for a second. His eyes sharpen for a second. Not even Damian notices it as he looks around the room. The henchmen are down and Nightwing is making his way over. 

“Hey, you alright?” 

Peter nods his head as he attempts to stand. Joker didn’t touch his legs yet so he should be fine. That doesn’t stop Nightwing from holding him up. 

“C’mon kid, let’s get you outta here” 

They make their way slowly to the door, and before he knows it, Peter’s being placed gently into a car. He falls asleep leaning against Nightwing as the car speeds off. 

“Poor kid” 

“At least he can walk a little” 

“He’s rehired right?” 

“He better be” 

“Sacrificed his life for us” 

“Yes, he’s rehired” 

Peter was recently fed and he’s currently sleeping. So his healing factor’s working tremendously well right now. None of the Bats notice as the blood dries up and no more spills. They’re too busy trying not to think about the fact that a kid, someone they haven’t been the nicest to at that. Almost died because of them. 

So they let him sleep. It’s the least they can do.

Chapter Text

When Peter wakes up, it’s to the sound of distant conversation. He’s in a very comfortable bed, and he feels stiff. Like he’s had a decent amount of sleep for once. 

“I do not wish to participate in this Gala” 

“C’mon Bruce, none of us are even skilled in that department” 

“Dami is” 

“I am not!” 

“Are you?” 

“No!” 

Peter chuckles softly and makes his way out of the room. As usual, his footsteps are silent. Even to their trained ears. 

As he walks down the stairs he listens for where everyone is. “Oh, they’re all in that room we watched the movies in” 

He walks in and Damian, attempting to avoid the gazes of his family, notices him immediately. 

“Parker, how are you feeling” 

He walks up, Peter ignores the sudden attention on him and smiles down at Damian. 

“I’m feelin’ better.” 

“Your accent is back” 

Peter shrugs.

“Usually happens when I’m hurt”

“Are you saying that you get hurt often?” 

He looks up to Duke.

“Oh totally dude, I’m so clumsy it’s a miracle I haven’t died yet” 

“Then why is your favorite pastime sitting on the edge of rooftops” 

He purposefully avoids Jason’s gaze. 

“Um, I don’t know”

The family just looks at him. 

“Anyways, Peter, we have decided that since you’re fine. You have to go to the gala with us” 

“Why?” 

“If we have to suffer so do you” 

“I hate galas” 

“You’ve been to one?” 

“Unfortunately, I was an intern for a large company back home, I was the boss’s favorite so he would drag me around to his galas” “Eh, close enough” 

 “Really?” 

“Mhm” 

“So, if you can do our makeup. Then we’ll let you skip it” 

“You can’t hire a makeup artist?” 

“I mean yea, – why didn't we think of that–?” 

She looks over to Duke.

“I don’t know” 

“But if you can do it, and you’re like already getting paid, it’s easier.” 

“I mean I guess so” 

“Wait so you know how?” 

“I do” 

“How?” 

“Something I picked up when I was younger” 

“From who?” 

“My mother?” 

“Where is your mom?” 

“Somewhere at the bottom of the ocean” 

“Oh-” 

“Wait– I’m sorry” 

“I didn’t really know her anyway” 

“Back to the makeup, Dami–”

“No”

“I know you know how I’ve seen your makeup collection”

“Why were you in my room?” 

He pulls a dagger from out of thin air. “Woah, that is really pretty”

“I–” 

Damian begins flipping the dagger lazily. 

“Okay, I was just trying to find you and I saw it in the corner of your room” 

“Well now I wanna see”

“You’ll be seeing the inside of your casket again if you take a single step, Todd” 

Peter just watches as the family tries to get Damian to show off his skills. He catches Damian’s eyes, “Oh shit” 

“So what are you guys wearing?” 

All eyes turn to him, he notices Damian relaxing. 

“Like I need to start planning so…” 

“Oh! C’mon. Me and Cass will show you our dresses and Duke’s suit” 

Stephanie reaches out and grabs Peter’s arm dragging him along. “Will I never not be dragged around?” Peter listens as the family starts up a conversation. 

“You alright Dami?” 

“Fine” 

“Liar” 

Peter can feel the heat of Damian’s glare from where he’s walking. 

“Sooo, Peter’s just gonna do all of our makeup?” 

“Except Dami’s because you know, he’s great at everything” 

“Exactly, I’m perfect” 

It takes everything in Peter not to laugh as they approach a door. 

“So my dress is black.” 

Stephanie pulls out a short black tube dress. It’s sparkly. 

“Then here’s Cass’s” 

She holds up a velvet, maroon floor-length dress, the back is open. 

“And here’s Duke’s” 

It’s a simple navy blue tuxedo. 

“Why are all the clothes in your closet?” 

“Um– I don’t know actually” 

“Liar~”

“Okay so, like do you guys have any makeup products or are we doing a run?”

“Yea, we don’t have anything-” 

“Do you have a car everyone can fit in?” 

All three of them shake their heads. 

“Okay, let me see what everyone else is wearing then we’re going to the mall.” 

Cass hooks their arms together and Peter’s being dragged around once again. They reenter the room to see a very overdramatic standoff. 

“I just think you should let me wear the dress” 

“And I’m telling you, that PR will be a nightmare, and Babs will come for you” 

“I think you should let him wear the dress, Father” 

“Damian, you are not helping” 

“Not helping you ” 

Dick and Tim snort at that. 

“I think this is very homophobic behavior, Bruce” 

Bruce side-eyed the group that just walked in. He takes a very deep breath and eyes Jason. 

“Wear the damn dress” 

He then goes and sits down in an armchair. 

“Now that that’s over, show me what you’re wearing?” 

Peter questions the siblings in front of him. Dick brightens up, quickly running over and ripping Peter from Cass’s grip as they run down the hall. Peter hears the distant footsteps of everyone else behind them. 

Dick opens his closet and pulls out a blue dress shirt. “That is very blue” It’s barely a shirt really. 

“You know you’re going to a gala right? Not a club?” 

Peter can’t even keep his thoughts to himself this time. The rest of the family lets out some sort of amused response. Dick actually has the audacity to look upset.

“You don’t think it’s nice?”

“Absolutely not, please keep your man titties to yourself” 

There’s a thud behind him, and Peter turns around to see a shaking Stephanie curled up on the floor. The rest of the family isn’t much better. Tim, Jason, and Cassandra are turning red because of how much they’re laughing. Bruce has his head turned away, but his shoulders are shaking violently. Damian is smirking. 

Dick slowly puts the dress shirt away. He pulls out a regular one and places it down on the bed. Peter nods his head in approval. Dick pulls out some black dress pants and some shiny dress shoes. 

“Classy, unlike whatever the fuck that was” 

Peter mutters under his breath, but somehow everyone in the room hears it and the laughing starts back up. 

Peter takes a moment to stare at Dick. Tilting his head. Sensing a change in his mood the room quietens quickly. Dick stands stiff as Peter analyzes him. Peter’s pupils dilate slightly as he imagines different looks on Dick’s face, when he comes up with the best one he relaxes and the tension flows out. 

Peter turns around and tilts his head. 

“Who’s next?” 

Everyone turns towards Jason and he walks forward to drag Peter to his rarely used room. He opens the closet door and pulls out a silk black mini-dress with spaghetti straps. Peter hears Bruce's “I’m so done” sigh behind him as he inspects the dress. 

“Are you sure you won’t flash somebody?” 

“Nope” 

“Awesome” 

A snort sounds from behind him. 

Peter focuses his attention on Jason’s face, visualizing to find the best makeup look for him. Once he visualizes it, he comes back to himself. Tim’s already dragging him away. 

He’s very basic, with a white dress shirt, black dress pants, shoes, and a suit jacket. 

“Ah yes, classic CEO look.” 

“Shut up”

“Nah” 

Peter stares at Tim’s face for a long time. Different ideas coming through at a quick rate. “He has a really pretty face” He snaps out of it quickly, a little too self-aware for his own good sometimes. 

“Is it time for the mall now?” 

Peter turns around to see Stephanie vibrating with excitement. He nods and she beams

“Alright all youngins with me! I’m driving– eh where are you going, Dick? I said youngins” 

Damian, Duke, Cassandra, Tim, Peter, and Stephanie exit the room, ignoring Dick’s insistent whining. 

“We’ll see you at the mall!”  

Tim ended up driving. Peter doesn’t know if it really made a difference between him and Stephanie. From what he’s heard, they both drive like they’ve got spare lives. Duke and Stephanie sing to their hearts' content. “They clearly don’t know what a beat is, but anyway” Damian pretends to be annoyed. But his heartbeat sings a different song. 

“YOU’RE GONNA HEAR ME- AHHHHHHHH” 

Tim hit a particularly sharp turn. Duke hit the door, Stephanie hit Duke, and Damian hit Peter. Due to his stickiness, Peter didn’t move. He hears Cassandra’s giggles and Tim’s laughter. But focusing on Damian, he notices that he has something shiny. His Spidey Senses spike. 

“We need to get to the mall unscathed. You can get him later” 

He whispers it, meets Damian’s eyes, and watches him slowly put the dagger away. He turns to Stephanie and Duke. Watching as they sit there laughing their asses off. 

Stephanie’s trying to catch her breath, and Duke’s trying not to burst out laughing again. The car starts ringing and everyone quietens as Tim picks up the phone. 

“Hello?” 

“Why did I hear screaming?” 

“Stop being such a dad, we’re fine” 

“Tim?” 

“I just hit a sharp curb. On accident” 

“On accident?” 

“Yep” 

“So it had nothing to do with the singing?” 

“Do you have microphones in here or something?” 

“It’s giving stalker” 

“Peter!-“ 

“What’s wrong with Peter?” 

“NOTHING! BYE BRUCE!” 

The phone hangs up. 

“He’s gonna get us at the mall” 

“Don’t say that!” 

“It’s true” 

“Just shut up Duke!” 

They arrive at the mall and very gracefully get out of the car. (Duke was pushed out by Stephanie and they almost started wrestling in the parking lot). 

Stephanie comes running up and jumps on Peter’s back, he doesn’t stumble at the added weight. 

“So captain, what’s first?” 

“We need to find your shades” 

“For what?” 

“We’ll see when we get there” 

They enter the mall and make a beeline for the Sephora. They ignore the looks and cameras as they joke and laugh. Even Damian has a small, rare smile on his face. They enter the store, all eyes on them. Stephanie drops off of his back and Peter guides them to the employee doing the color matching. 

“Hi, can I help you?” 

“Hello, can we find all their shades please?” 

“Of course, whoever’s up first come sit” 

Stephanie goes first, then Cassandra, after Duke, then Tim. 

“Alright, now Stephanie do you want your freckles covered?” 

She shakes her head. Peter looks around the store for a second. 

“Where’s everyone else?” 

“Who knows” 

Damian drags him away from the line. Leading them to the Huda Beauty section. 

“Everyone grab the concealer in your shade” 

Peter picks up his shade to show them which one is the concealer. 

“Damian none of them know makeup” 

“Well, clearly. Clueless fools” 

“Wha- Hey!” 

As they begin to bicker, Peter hears someone running towards him. They’re small, a child maybe. His hearing is proved correct when a small child runs into his leg. Speaking in rapid Spanish. Peter understands that this is a missing child who has taken the chance to run away from his kidnappers. 

He asks if he can pick him up. At his nod, he holds him against his chest. His head in his neck. He turns back to the group. 

“Peter, where’d you get a kid from?” 

“He’s running away from his kidnappers.” 

Tim comes forward to get a better look at the kid. 

“Does he have missing children memorized or something ?”

Peter hears the frustration of two men. But ignores it. 

“Damian, can you show me where the eyeshadow is?” 

He starts walking and everyone follows. Peter picks up a couple of sparkly ones. The eyeliner is next to that, he picks up some liquid eyeliners in different colors. 

As the group makes their way to the checkout line, the two men Peter heard earlier rush over. 

“Hey! Is that our kid?” 

The kid’s hands tighten their grip on Peter’s shirt. 

“No? This is my brother” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yea kid, don’t get involved in something you can’t get out of” 

“I think I know what my brother looks like” 

Peter turns around and places everything on the counter. His Spidey Sense spikes in a low warning. Jason comes out of nowhere, gripping the man’s hand. 

“Why are you messin' wit these kids?” 

“Oh- I-I” 

“You what?” 

He glares. The men tremble as they book it out of there. 

“Anyways, we got things for you guys too. Since you took so long” 

“It’s not our fault Tim drives like a speed demon!” 

They walk out of the store, Peter still carrying the child. He begins asking for his name and if he can point out where he lives. The child’s name is Daniel and he lives in Crime Alley. He can point out his house, and he’ll allow himself to get in the car as long as he stays near Peter. 

The car ride is pretty similar to the one earlier. Only no sharp turns. They make it to Crime Alley and the kid is returned to his mother’s arms. 

As he gets in the car, Peter feels everyone’s gazes. Bruce is also on the phone. 

“So when were you gonna tell us you knew Spanish?” 

“When you asked” 

“Oh-” 

“Yea, that makes sense” 

Peter just chuckles softly as the atmosphere relaxes. The ride back to the manor was uneventful. Totally. 

“Okay so, if Damian is a skilled assassin. Then why do you need me?” 

“Because Damian is a 10-year-old assassin. He’s a child” 

“I’m not a child!” 

“Just because you were forced to grow up way too early for your age doesn’t mean you’re not a child. You will still be taken seriously, I promise” 

Damian calms at that. His heart rate slows down and everything. 

“That. That is exactly why you’re here. Dick has been trying to get that through his head since he got here.” 

“Did he ever just straight up say it? You know like a normal person?” 

“Why didn’t you think of that Dickface” 

They’ve been riding while on the phone the whole time. 

“You’re all like paranoia personified. All this family needs is some transparency.” 

“We didn’t tell you to psychoanalyze us, Peter” 

“I didn’t ask to be psychoanalyzed either Tim” 

“Touché”  

“So what’s this gala for anyways” 

“Pride Month” 

“As it should be” 

“What is your sexual orientation, Parker?” 

“I’m pansexual” 

“You look like it” 

Peter snorts. 

“Thank you, Damian” 

They’re pulling up to the manor now. 

“I need everyone where their clothes are please.” 

He gets various affirmations. Everyone gets out of the car and makes their way inside. 

Alfred drags them all into the dining room, Peter moves to the kitchen but gets dragged by the arm by Damian and sits next to him. 

“I want to know how you decided that getting this job was a good idea” 

“I don’t think much” 

“Oh-” 

“I think it was a good decision though” 

“Even though you almost died?” 

“I’ve died before” 

“WHAT”

Peter flinches at the noise. 

“Fuck you mean you’ve died before?!” 

“Curse my nonexistent brain-to-mouth filter. Time to bullshit my way out of this.” 

“What?” 

“You just casually decide to drop this information on us?” 

“What information?” 

“It hasn’t even been a minute Peter” 

“I’ve learned to tune out my voice” 

“How convenient” 

“How so?”

 “Nothing” 

At Damian’s tone, everyone drops it. 

“MJ would be so proud of me”