The New Avenger

Avengers (at last!)

Peter's POV:

The wheels of my board rolled over the tarmac. The breeze tickled my face. It was almost like flying over the city on a web. Well, not really. But that was the closest most people would ever get, unfortunately for them.  I was early, which for me is extremely rare. Obviously I couldn't make a habit of it. I'd give Aunt May a heart attack. The Avengers tower was kind of a main focal point in the city, looming over us, protecting innocents.  Somehow, I had become part of that group. 

  It's stupid, I know, but I like to take a round about way to the tower. It all started when Natasha told me I didn't have what it took to be a hero. That I wasn't strong enough, that I never would be. So I made myself better. Stronger. Faster. I saved more people in that week, trying to prove Natasha wrong, than I ever had before. In doing so I actually proved her right. Because I could have been more and I was choosing not to. Now, I'm a real hero. Even if I didn't save my Uncle, and I couldn't save Gwen and I couldn't make my parents stay, I can still be a hero. And Natasha helped me see that.

  I raced forward. Cars honked in indignation. Onward I sped. Even if i couldn't save them I could save others. In doing so I was saving myself. Making it so other people didn't have to go through what I did. Live the life I have. Suddenly I veered onto a side street. Just in case.

 When I was moving it didn't hurt as much. But when I stayed still to long, that's when I remembered. That's when it hurt. When I was younger I didn't know what it meant for everything to hurt. Then, when I became Spider-man, I thought it meant that every bone in your body ached. In a way it does. But there's another meaning, which I've since discovered. Its early in the morning and you can't get out of bed. You can't find a single reason to sit up and move.  Your bones ache but that's not the problem, only a side affect. Your head feels like its been hit with a baseball bat about a thousand times. Only you can't tell where the pain is coming from. Then someone told you to go write a collage entrance essay. Except somehow, inexplicably, worse.  Its the gut wrenching pain of not knowing if someone will care if your gone. It's 2:00am. Its the homework that glares at you menacingly from your desk. Its that feeling behind your ribs like your going to puke from the overwhelming pressure of everything. It's not wanting to do anything for fear of messing up- again. It's your headphones turned up so loud that you can hardly hear yourself think. But they're never loud enough. That's why I always have to keep moving. Stopping is not an option. 

The tower comes into view. Even if I'm a little early I'm ready to arrive, it pushes back the memories. Of who I was. 

"Good afternoon sir, do you have an appointment?" The desk lady asks. They all pretend they don't know me, Tony's orders. But I'd be willing to bet they all do.

"I do, with Mr. Stark." I respond politely. 

"Oh," The lady acts surprised, "May I have a name to give him?"

 "Ryder Bran." I smirk at my own cleverness.

"Well Mr. Bran I'll just call up to make sure Mr. Stark is expecting you." She picks up the phone. A moment later Tony picks up. When the lady tells him my name I can hear the laughter from the other end of my phone. She motions for me to go up. 

The elevator music is terrible. Its the opposite of regular elevator music. Instead of being slow, quiet and normal it was Loud. Drums and guitars and a whole lot of screaming. It always made me laugh to think of distinguished businessmen riding up uncomfortably. The door dinged opened.

"Well fancy seeing you here Ryder Bran."

"Hey Stark."

"Are all the clocks in the Avengers tower broken or are you early?"

"I know, crazy."

"I guess we can head to the conference room now, though I hate to break my late streak." He laughs and gestures for me to follow him. The "conference room" is really just the living room. The first time I came I asked if we were going to have the meeting in the conference room, I was told we were. Ever since Tony's called it that.

 At first it was awkward, me being here. The Avengers were already a well oiled team. I was a vigilante. But I'd saved Captain America's life. So that earned me some brownie points. 

The room is already full of Avengers so maybe we weren't so early after all. 

"So, Mr. Parker, anything to report this week?" Clint asks in mock seriousness.

"Not really." I laugh.

"Oh come on Peter, your life cant be that boring!" Tony prods.

"You'd be surprised." Natasha growls. Despite her outward disdain for me I think she might not hate me. 

"Well I got a new neighbor."

"But no-one new has moved into your neighborhood." Tony looks rather shocked.

"Of course your monitoring my neighborhood." I sigh.

"It's for your own safety." Steve soothes.

"So what do you mean a "new neighbor?"" Tony asks.

"Well its actually an old neighbor's kid."

"Which one." Tony growls.

"He's Sally Jackson's son."

"Anything off about him." I can feel Tony wanting to move on, past his mistake.

"He's kind of weird, but I think he's nice enough."

"Weird how?" Natasha asks, looking suspicious. She always does. I debate how much to tell them.

 "Well he'd been missing for like a year. So then he showed up out of the blue. Now, he's starting at my school on Monday. There's something else though, I don't know. He's different from the other kids at school. More mature. From what he told me about his time from when he was missing I guess that makes sense. But still..." I trail off.

"We can look into it if you want." Steve says.

"No, don't worry about it. I'm sure its nothing."

"If your sure." 

"Yeah, its good."

"Alright." We move onto other things but both Tony and Steve seem lost in thought. Soon its time for me to head home.