Captain America has always been viewed as a symbol of strength. He may not be as strong as Thor, and that was understandable, but he was the strongest human on the team that didn't rely on the help of a suit or giant green monster.
But then Bucky showed up again and proved to be -if only slightly- stronger than Steve. The public would always view Steve to be the strongest, but the man knew that he wasn't.
And then one day, while fighting to protect Bucky, there was someone else that was stronger than him. He managed to hold Steve in place with a few strands of web without even trying, then easily caught the freight container that was dropped on top of him. Now that Cap knew who Spider-Man really was, he felt guilty for that fight... but was then reminded that this fifteen-year-old boy was stronger than him.
For one so small, Peter was surprisingly strong. It should be obvious by now to never judge a book by its cover, especially when it came to Peter... but the team couldn't help it at times. They knew Peter in his civilian life, so it was hardly believable that the kid was able to stop a train with his bare hands.
Captain America had taken a liking to Peter though, the kid was great and honestly too good for the world. And Steve knew... Peter was getting bullied. He knew from personal experience the signs of bullying, he knew that the way Peter seemed to dread school -something the boy loved- or the way that his grades were starting to go down, the times he would hear the boy's aunt call Tony and ask about any injuries that he received while crime fighting like bruises or black eyes... It broke Steve's heart.
He knew that the boy wouldn't tell anyone or ask for help, he didn't want to be viewed as weak. But Steve knew that staying silent and trying to handle it himself wouldn't get him anywhere.
So he started to go on missions with Spider-Man more often, trying to get the kid to open up about it. But how could Steve help when he never used to ask for help as a kid as well? It was almost like dealing with a younger version of himself... He suddenly felt the need to apologize to Bucky next time they met.
"So, kid, how's school going?"
Peter looked over, mouth full of sandwich and eyebrow raised. He quickly swallowed as he smiled, "It's pretty good. My friend, Ned, keeps freaking out over the videos you did for the school board and asking to meet you."
"They're still showing those?" His eyes widened, a groan building within him as the cringe worthy videos flooded his mind.
"Oh yeah, they show them for everything; PE, detention, special events, and a lot more."
"I knew I would regret that..."
Steve cursed himself later that night for not realizing that Peter had very easily switched the subject off of him. But it only confirmed his suspicions. Now he just had to think of what to do... If he told Tony and the others about this, then there would be a very large scene that would probably make Peter and a few parents very upset. But the last time he didn't tell Tony something, they ended up with a war. What to do, what to do...
Monday afternoon, Steve was very concerned about his decision. He was gaining a lot of attention from the students of Midtown High and would no doubt be attracting the media soon; but he needed to do this. There was no backing out now.
"Hey, Penis!" Someone yelled, Cap's advanced hearing picking up the voices from around the corner. He sighed and got off his bike, following the insults and snickers. "Where's my homework?"
