Chapter Text
It’s the second time…
The second time in two weeks where, instead of going to the city, I went home to do my homework alone in an empty apartment. The second week where I slept in my bed in Queens instead of the one in the tower.
It was fine. Really, it is. Mr. Stark is a busy man that sometimes needs to be away from the tower. It’s the end of the school year so it’s not like I would have done anything other than homework anyway so really, it’s fine.
Mr. Stark is the owner of Stark industry, it’s normal for him to have meetings on Fridays. It’s fine really.
It’s fine…
All it means is that I can go out tonight before the sun has set.
“Hello Peter, out early ?”
“Yep. Anything interesting happening tonight? not that crime is cool or anything…. You know, I mean something that can be stopped by me before it all goes to shit- sorry, I know, no swearing.”
“I understood what you meant Peter, there’s a mugging two blokes down from your position, here’s the itinerary.”
I jump from the building, feeling the wind through the mask and waiting for the familiar sensation of flying before throwing a web toward the shop currently getting attacked. It’s chilly outside but nothing that would stop Spider-Man from stopping crime.
“Hey, didn’t your mama tell you that stealing was bad?” I shot the robber with a blue mask as I web the one behind the counter to the wall. He has a green mask.
“You know, normally you wear black when you want to be seen as professional." I laugh while dodging a pouch from the one who looks to be the leader. He wear a black mask so at least he knows what he’s doing… not that it really matters.
Double D’s training truly came in handy as I continued fighting the boss while webbing the blue robber to a wall, right next to his green friends.
“Wow! You guys truly need more training, don’t worry, I’m sure someone will volunteer during your time in jail.” I say as I finally web the last man to the ground. He’s unconscious but not dead so a win in my book.
“Peter, the police are on their way, two minutes before they arrive on scene."
“Thanks Karen”¸I said to the IA before turning back to the three men with colourful masks. “Better luck next time guys !”
I nod to both of the workers before leaving the corner store. I waved to some tourists that were looking inside from the street before throwing a web to the side of a building and going away.
“Peter, your web is running low. I recommend going to the tower for refills.”
I hesitate, knowing that Mr. Stark doesn't like it when I go to the tower when he’s not there, but I’m sure he would be angrier if he knew I was out without backup webs. I check how much left I have, seeing that I have enough for a trip to Manhattan, I take my decision.
“Alright, lead the way Karen.”
The tower is still illuminated by the time the sun disappears to give place to the moon. I stick to the window and climb by hand the rest of the way. My hearing caught it before my eyes ever could. Still, I didn’t stop until I saw it with my own eyes….
Mr. Stark was in his lab, working on one of his collector cars, the fancy one that even me and Dumb-E can’t approach in any circumstance.
Maybe his thing took less time than he thought?
I was going to ask Friday to open the window when I saw another head. I mop brown hair working under the car, sliding from where the engine must be to take one of Mr. Stark’s fancy tools, before disappearing back under it.
“Karen, who’s that?”
“I’m sorry Peter. You do not have the security level to know this information.”
Tony has a smile on his face and oil on his shirt as he works on the car. The other boy looks to be wearing some of Mr. Stark old MIT clothes as he slides away again and says something.
Even if I were to push my hearing to the max, the music is too loud for me to be able to hear what he said. Clearly, it must have been funny since both of them laugh at the top of their lungs.
“Karen, text Mr. Stark, ask him if I can come make some webs while he’s not at the tower.”
“done.”
I watch as Mr. Stark looks at his phone before closing it and throwing it away into his workshop.
If he planned on answering me, clearly it wasn’t now.
“Karen, did he read the message?” I ask, already going down the window by making my hand less sticky.
“No, Mr. Stark hasn’t read your message. On his calendar, he has a ‘do not disturbed’ block until tomorrow at noon.”
“And you really can’t tell me who this guy was?” I ask again.
“I’m sorry Peter. Do you want me to ask Mr. Stark?”
I shake my head, knowing fully well that Karen’s sensor will feel and understand the movement. As I jump from building to building the same way double D and DP do, I curse both Mr. Stark for lying and Karen.
Fuck Mr. Stark for lying. If he didn't want to see me, he could have just said so.
Fuck Karen for having me come to the tower and depleting all of the web I had left.
Fuck Mr. Stark for hidding who that other boy was.
Fuck Karen for not going over Mr. Stark restriction.
At least I know someone, two actually, that will be more than happy to find whatever Mr. Stark is hiding. Or in this case, who….
-:-
“Baby boy!” yells Wade at the other side of the line.
I finished eating the hot dog a nice street vendor gave to me for free after I stopped him from being robbed and put my lask back on. While the bottom of my face is known by all of New York (Jameson made sure of it as he called me a menace), it doesn't mean that I want everyone to have more pictures of my baby face.
“Hey DP! what’s up?”
“Remember what you asked me last weekend?”
Flashes of a boy with brown hair working on a car I can’t even touch comes back to my mind before I push them back in the tiny drawer I hid them in, inside of my mind.
“Yep! Why? Do you have more information for me?”
“Meet me on the roof of our favorite Thai place. Also… could you bring your laptop? I need some infos on some shit I’m working on.”
“Something in Queens?” I ask, going back over some of the new gangs that are slowly popping up out of nowhere in Queens.
“I don’t know, that’s why I need your help.”
“Alright, See ya in five.” I say, throwing myself from the building and catching myself quickly to not end-up as a pancake on the streets of my neighborhood.
I still didn't go back to the tower. Sometime I go on Sunday but Mr. Stark had Happy text me, saying something along the lines of ‘I have some shit to do with the accord so I won't be at the tower’.
Of course, I know it’s a lie since I went to the tower and saw him and the guy eating breakfast this morning.
I beat the timer I had started in my head (4:32, I still had 28 seconds to spare) but DP was already there, sitting against the wall, eating some pad thai like there was no tomorrow.
“Baby boy! I missed you. Come sit with me, I brought you some green curry.”
“You're spoiling me Wade. Soon, I’m gonna need a new suit from all the food you're giving me.”
“Don’t tell Daddy Devil and I’ll continue.”
“Stop calling him that and you have a deal.” I bargain before taking a bit from the still hot curry.
“You’ve been around Red for too long, all deal-thingny and no fun.”
“Now that you’ve mentioned it, what is it you wanted to know?”
“Well, Jessica came to me about some weapon and-”
“Wait.” I cut him, tending and hearing as a familiar sound slowly comes closer and closer. Energy going through multiple conductors, reactor burning energy, metal parts scratching against each other and an ego so big it can talk like a real human.
“Go. Now. Stark is coming”
As soon as I said it, Wade was gone, falling on the other side of the building from where Mr. Stark was approaching. By the time he was here, or more like his shinny armor was here since there’s no way Mr. Stark is actually inside of it, I was nearly done with my curry and any trace of DP being here was erased.
“Mr. Stark! What are you doing here? I thought you had accord stuff to do?”
“What am I doing? What am I doing here? Did you think I wouldn’t learn about your little meeting with a renown mercenary? Seriously Peter?”
“What? Karen told you?” I ask more for my AI than the armor in front of me.
“I’m sorry Peter, I was programmed to protect you and informed Mr. Stark of any immediate danger.”
“What? but….”
I stopped myself, remembering that I never met Double D and DP while having Karen active. Matt can hear the sensor grinching, so I always take her out while I meet with him.
“But? Is there something you want me to know Peter?”
“I don’t need a babysitter! I’m perfectly safe. I know what I’m doing!”
“Know what you’re doing! We’re talking about a mercenary. Deadpool! He’s a known killer and has warrants for his name in multiple countries!”
“I-”
“No. I was clearly right about you needing a babysitter. You don’t even see the problem!”
“Seriously, Mr. Stark, you’re not listening to me. I wasn’t in any danger. He had some question about-”
I stopped talking when I heard a voice from inside the helmet. A voice from an unknown male.
“Tony, what the hell are you doing? You said it wouldn’t take long.”
I rolled my eyes as Mr. Stark muted himself as he answered the guy on the other side of the call. I didn’t even wait for Mr. Stark to come back online. I followed Wade’s example and jumped off the side of the building.
“Peter, you what are you doing? Mr. Stark isn’t going to be happy that you left-”
“Karen, start protocol V161L4NT3”
“Protocol engaged…. good night Peter”
Finally, some peace and quiet. I can’t believe Karen was on Mr. Stark's side. No, actually, I can’t believe I thought Karen would be on my side against her own creator. How could I have been so stupid? Of course Karen was going to be on his side, the same way Friday will always be on Mr. Stark's side.
-:-
‘Hey Spidey, might wanna listen to this’ was the text I received from Matt in the middle of last period. attached with it was a link to a press conference that I had to wait to be home before opening.
There on the screen was Mr. Stark and the boy but not only them. They were surrendered by the Avengers, and not just Mr. Stark’s friends. Captain America, Black Widow, the Falcon, Miss Maximoff and Hawkeye were also next to Mr. Vision, sergeant Rhodes and Dr. Banner -since when is he back on earth?.
Once I started the video, Mr. Stark took a step toward the camera, a smirk on his face, and started talking.
It was a simple statement really, the rogue Avengers (I’m the one that called them that and Mr. Stark laughed at me back then) were pardoned and will be working on a new accord together with the accord committee. They are back to being heroes.
Like I said, simple enough….
No, what bugged me is the hand Mr. Stark kept on the boy's shoulder all throughout his little speech. If the rogue were surprised about his identity, they didn't showed it on camera as they stayed together, a show of unity if I have never seen one.
By the end of Mr. Stark speech, questions flooded in. The first one that was answered is the question I have been asking myself since last week. Wade took a job and couldn’t tell me who the boy was before he left. Now I’ll know.
“This is Harley Keener, my heir and the new member of the Avengers.” answered Mr. Stark before an Iron man suit appeared out of no-where. No…. it’s different but only slightly.
“I am Iron Lads.” Said Keener with the same tones Mr. Stark did back when he announced himself as a hero.
The crowd of journalists went wild with questions and whispers. One question at a time, I learned more about this Harley Keener.
He’s from Tennessee.
He’s eighteen.
He met Mr. Stark ten years ago.
He just graduated from MIT in mechanical engineering.
The journalist continued asking questions about him, his family, his future career as a hero, his love life and a lot of other things but I stopped listening about a third of the way. He sounds like an ass. All of his answers were a) an half answer that was said with a smirk and a look to Mr. Stark, or b) a bad flirt that made Mr. Stark look proud.
He sound like an ass…. but he also sound like Mr. Stark did back when he was young.
Is that why he’s up there and I’m here?
I was going to close it when I heard the last question… of course, it was from the Daily Buggle.
“Mr. Keener, there were rumors going around that Spider-Man would be the next Avengers, some though?”
It did even take one second that Keeners’s smirk came back and he answered with more cheek than all of his other answers.
“After what happened in Germany, it’s clear that Spider-Man is in way over his head. I understand that we needed some help but now that the Avengers are back, he should stop trying so hard to impress everyone and leave the real job to the real heroes.”
“Mr. Stark, any other comments? Spider-Man was on your team back in Germany, after all.”
“I believe Harley said everything. Iron-Lad is the future of the Avengers, this is why he’s here.”
The ‘and Spider-Man is not’ was left unsaid but everyone knew what it meant. So much so that, by the end of the day, #poorSpiderMan and #IronLadVsSpiderMan were trending on social media and both MJ and Ned were mad at Mr. Stark.
To be fair, MJ is always angry about something and Stark Industry is rarely far from her daily rant. Ned on the other hand… Once you lose Ned’s trust, and Mr. Stark truly did, you’ll never get it back.
But not even their support helped. Last week, I would have talked to Karen and talked it out with her but she’s one of them too. Maybe I should let Ned dissect her code like he’s been asking for a while? It’s not like I plan on ever waking her up again….
Sitting on the sofa, I put the press release on the TV screen and watch it again, and again, and again… I don’t know how long I sat there but it took May coming back from her shift for me to shake off whatever it was that got me trapped into watching that thing again. At one point, I must have done something because I don’t remember ever getting up to turn on the light.
May was going to say something but when she saw the screen with a close-up shot of Keener and she stopped.
“Oh Peter…. I’m so sorry….”
May’s hug is the best when I’m feeling low but, this time, not even she could erase the anger that replaced the sadness I was feeling the first time I watched the press release. Anger that was completely over-powered by May’s.
“Tony Stark is an asshole. He chose his camp, the wrong camp. You don’t need him if that’s how he treats you. Even better, you should show him that he made a bad decision by being so much better than that Keener guy.”