Chapter Text
The concrete was damp, smelling of rust and eighty years of trapped river air. Peter shone his phone flashlight around, the beam cutting through the thick cobwebs clinging to the ceiling and walls. He had been running from Flash when he found it, the old elevator shaft cutting into the raw earth just outside Chinatown subway station had looked like a blessing sent from some deity bored of watching this eleven year old get beat up every other day. This defiantly wasn’t what he had expected though,
He was stood in a forgotten, mid-century bomb shelter, buried thirty feet under the station. the shelter had likely been forgotten during the cold war, scrubbed from all city records the expanse of mouldy walls and high ceilings didn’t exist to the world but to Peter Parker, it looked like an answer.
An answer for all the misplaced people of New York, the forgotten souls left to fend for themselves, it looked like an answer for the people with nowhere to go, the children without anywhere to run, anywhere to hide. Peter knew how that felt, he new how it felt to be trapped.
It had taken May and Ben a couple weeks to get back from their tour of the world after his parents died, he remembered being told he was going to stay with someone while the paperwork went through, that mister Wescott would help him with anything he needed, that it would be okay. What that monster did to the lifeless shell of a boy who just lost his world was unspeakable, unthinkable how someone he was meant to trust betrayed him so violently, so thoroughly, he never told anyone, never spoke about what happened in that dark house, but he vowed that he would help as many people as he could so they never felt as alone as he had in that haunted house,
And he did, he would help calm down the children in his apartment block during thunderstorms at only six years old, he helped the elderly neighbours with their shopping even when his frail body could barely hold his own weight as he shuffled up those winding stairs, he would help in the soup kitchen and at FEAST whenever he could, spending his free time making portable heating systems out of whatever he and Ben could find in the dumpsters just so they wouldn’t feel so alone, he enjoyed it really, knowing he could help others even when he couldn’t help himself, drinking tea with Mr. Chi who`s home had been destroyed when Loki attacked or tutoring the older kids who had been failed by the system.
So yes, this old mouldy bomb shelter with inches of spiderwebs and puddles of stagnant water looked like an answer, looked like something he could turn into a beacon of hope for those people.
His worn out sneakers scuffed through the layers of dust as he collected any cobwebs he could with a stick he had found just outside the elevator once he had deemed it safe enough. Even on his tip toes holding this meter long stick he couldn’t reach the two story high ceiling, the hanging cobwebs tauntingly close.
Finally giving up he looked around for some way to reach it. sighing Peter thought about how much easier it would be if he could just climb up the walls, alas he could only hope to find a ladder he could borrow.
Setting down his stick Peter headed back up into Chinatown, he would really have to get that elevator shaft working again if he didn’t want to keep having to climb up and down all the time, now that he thought about it he should probably do that first if he wanted to get a ladder down.
Changing direction he headed to the electronics shop hoping to find something worthwhile in the bins again, he still had that old tv him and Ben had found last year, they had managed to get it up and working without too much trouble, he knew May watched her period drama`s on it sometimes.
Jackpot! Grinning to himself he pulled out a bag of scrap wires and an old laptop he could scavenge parts from, his grin faded slightly at the sound of the back door opening “ shoot” he muttered as he ducked behind the bin, Mr. Omally the owner of the shop was a nice man and Peter liked him although he wasn’t sure the sentiment was shared after all the times he had found him and Ben rummaging around in his bins.
“ nah, Paddy said we`re getting them on Tuesday not Monday, said it`s been delayed after some issue with delivery” the sound of Omally`s voice called to someone still inside as he approached the bin, holding his breath Peter tried to make himself look as small as possible, “ I`m telling you there always breaking down its ridiculous” he said dumping a bag into the bit with a loud “BANG” before walking back inside the shop
Phew, that was close he really didn’t want him to call May again to say he was looking through bins, he didn’t even have Ben with him at the moment he would still be at work after all.
The next stop was the construction site on 31st street, they were always throwing stuff out when it wasn’t up to their standards, quietly he snuck in grabbing an armful of metal beams before legging it back to Chinatown getting quite a few odd looks as he went.
He had an hour to look at the elevator before May would expect him home, carefully he stripped it of whatever metal casing was left after years of misuse, the rust painting it in flecks of red and brown as he took it apart using his tool kit Ben had got him for his birthday last year. Coughing as he opened the control panel dust billowing out in a cloud of stale air and fried wires, yikes this would take awhile he thought looking at his watch who`s hand was dangerously close to his dinner time when May would want him back for, she insisted on family dinners whenever they could between her ever changing hospital shifts and Bens unpredictable patrol hours they were rarely all in the house at the same time, Peters adventures down to FEAST or the poorer districts didn’t help with that much although he had never been told to stop, they always said it was cute how he wanted to help people, personally he didn’t think there was anything cute about the young mothers forced onto the street after their parents reject them or the people under Manhattan bridge who slept on cardboard just so they don`t freeze, but what did he know, he was only eleven right?
The moment the door clicked shut, the distant, frantic wail of the kitchen smoke alarm told him exactly how Mays attempt at making dinner had gone, he was greeted by the sight of her frantically waving a dish cloth in the air to dispel the smoke steadily filling the room, the charred remains of a pie left behind, covering his face with his shirt he stepped forward opening the window to let the smoke out, before gently taking the cloth from Mays hand so he could pick up the tray with the pie and deposited it in the bin, he was used to Mays attempts at dinner, she defiantly wouldn’t be getting any awards for it anytime soon he thought grimly as he opened the fridge to look at options for a quick substitute.
“ Sorry Pete, I completely forgot about it” her defeated voice causing peter to look up from where he was now pulling things from the fridge “ I really did try”
“ I know May, don’t worry about it, no ones good at everything” he tried to sound comforting but it came out as more of a wheeze as his lungs fought with the smoke he had breathed in, stupid lungs, why did they have to give up on him whenever anything other than the freshest air you could find in a city entered them,
“ oh baby” she sighed sadly as he devolved into a coughing fit, “ here drink some water it`ll help” she said pushing a glass into his hands
“ thanks” he wheezed taking the cup as he looked back to the fridge for inspiration, “ don`t worry about dinner May I`ll handle it” he said smiling at her when his coughing finally ceased “ you just rest I know you had a long shift today” and he did, he knew May ran herself ragged at the hospital working long shifts to help people so he really didn’t mind when he had to step up to make dinner, as he said, no one is good at everything and May just happened to be good at saving lives not cooking and that was fine.
“ Thank you baby, your such a good kid” fixing his glasses she kissing him on the top of his head walking back to the lounge. Omelettes. Omelettes looked like the right decision he thought closing the fridge decisively.
The sound of the door opening announced the arrival of uncle Ben as he walked into the kitchen throwing his jacket onto a chair as he did, “ Mmm, smells interesting what`s for dinner?” he questioned peering around at the lingering smoke as he breathed in the charred scent of burnt pastry
“hey! Welcome home” Peter beamed bouncing on his toes, quickly looking through the doorway to check that May wasn’t listening he whispered conspiringly “ don’t worry I trashed the pie May made, we`re having omelettes” Bens relived breath making Peter smile as he mimed wiping sweat from his brow,
“ Ben! Honey, hi, I didn’t hear you come in how are you?” May asked as she walked up behind him giving him a hug
“ hey Maybelle, you know how it is, those kids I told you about are causing trouble again, I don’t know why we even bother really, what those kids need is some help not a night at the precinct.” He groaned lowering himself into a chair as Peter served dinner “ thanks Pete you’re a star”
“ oh well I`m just glad you`re back okay” Mays voice did that soft thing it did whenever Peter would get beat up too bad or him and Ben would talk about their risky escapes from Mr. Omally
Sitting up straight jutting his chest out importantly Peter declared that he was going to build a super-secret underground base, Mays fond smile telling him she thought this childish thought was cute, but he meant it, he did! He was going to do it.
Ben however leaned back in his chair studying him critically “ and how are you going to do that hmm? Dig it yourself”
“ nope” he stated popping the P “ I found some old bunker I`ll use, just gotta clean it out first”
Mays soft smile melted into one of worry and distress “ Peter! What were you doing in an underground bunker? Where did you even find one… you know what I don’t mind but there could be all sorts of diseases down there and who knows how secure that ceiling is it could collapse at any time, I don’t want you going down there again understood” her pitch rising as she continued , looking to Ben for confirmation
She was unimpressed with his eager face “ it could be good, you never know! Plus I can go down there to check it out later, where exactly is it Pete?” sighing May submitted to the two eager faces beaming at her from across the table “ fine, but if you get tetanus your uncle is taking you to get a shot not me”