Author's note: I don't own Marvel or any of their characters

Chapter 5: Return to the Rooftop

Peter Parker had done a lot of things he never expected in life. It got to the point he had to rely on Ned to determine whether half the things had experienced had happened. Unsurprisingly nearly all them had.

Ned was a confidante of sorts. Someone to vent to, and person to provide positive criticism. "Peter, you idiot!" Okay maybe not always positive. Supportive was exactly not the word to describe Ned when Peter told him about his experience with Captain America. More of a parent of a child who just got stung by a bee after trying to catch it with their bare hands.

"I was living in the moment!" He defended. "I wasn't thinking very much."

Ned shook his head staring out the bus window with a positively peeved expression across his face. "Dude, when do you ever think?" He ignored Peter's muffled cry of defense. "This is so not going to end well."

Peter removed his feet from the isle, giving up precious leg space to look at Ned who was leaning against the window. Now that nightfall had occured the bus had cooled from a boil to freezing. Friends huddled together, once tossed aside jackets now treated as a precious currency. Students hung under them acting as if they were a full sized comforter. The only ones not tormented by the cold were the few who brought real jackets and those lucky enough to be asleep.

"I mean it isn't all bad." He said with a grin. The smile was far from convincing. It hung on Peter's face like a lost tourist, the epitome of confused. It would have been barely convincing to a stranger, and in front of his best friend it worthless.

"In what way?" Ned countered.

"Captain freaking America knows my name!" The enthusiasm in this greatly contrasted his former smile. The fanboy inside of him shown through making his face glow in the darkness of the night sky. "Isn't that kinda awesome?"

Ned leaned his head across the window watching the shadows of trees pass by in the distance. The silence filled by small talk of those still awake, the chattering of teeth, and deep breathing of those asleep. "Yeah that is sorta cool." He held a hand up cutting Peter off. "That doesn't make you any less of any idiot."

Peter shifted his eyes away from his friend, now distraught. "And you still better introduce me at some point!" Ned continued enjoying Peter's growing smile. "Because let's be honest this is the coolest thing that had ever happened to either of us." He sat there for a moment before whispering more to himself than Peter, "Captain freaking America."

Peters' hand shot out, Ned instinctively met it to complete their handshake. "Just don't get arrested or anything."

Peter laughed and tried to stifle it causing him to laugh louder. He got a few angry looks from people with wary eyes. "Please I'm a perfect lawful member of society." A lopsided brow raise from Ned indicated he was not at a impressed.

"Yeah sure you are."

"Dude!"

The bus ride went by fairly fast for the two of them. Apart from the ocasional death glare or shush the time they spent talking was enjoyable. Much to Peter's relief, MJ brought a pair of headphones lowering his stress about talking about Spider-Man slightly. Just slightly.

Maybe things will be okay. He thought. How worse could things get?

In life it is best to avoid questions such as these as in some cases the universe takes a rhetorical question seriously. Unluckily for Peter this was one of those cases, as things would get much, much worse.

When Steve woke up he found a new world. A world driven by tech, something causing it to shrink down upon itself. The world was getting smaller. However, other things were different as well. New food, new cultures, new countries. When he woke up he found a world that idolized Captain America.

And that terrified him.

During the world Steve had known his alias had been a symbol, yet over the years that symbol festered and grew. The children here idolized the mask in a way that the other kids hadn't. Most people knew the Captain, but not Steve. When they saw the Captain their eyes glowed with admiration from growing up on bedtime stories and being further educated in history class.

He saw that in Spider-Man's eyes. Behind the layer of fear there was a younger boy meeting his hero. He saw it on the roof, he saw it at the banquet. Those were the eyes of someone Steve had sworn to protect. A fan, a civilian, a child. That's why Steve made no move to reveal Spider-Man's identity.

Peter. Spider-Man's name, something often overlooked. Steve understood that, it was always about the mask, and never the human being behind it. Steve was not going to let this human being down.

"Hey Steve." Came the raspy voice of Widow. He turned sharply ripped from his internal monologue. "You alright?" Her eyes were narrowed at him in a familiar calculating gaze that made his skin crawl.

"Yeah, I'm good." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just been a long day."

She nodded wordlessly watching him for a moment before speaking. "Mine's been one too." Just as soon as she came she was gone. Passing by him swiftly with a small unusual glance back before she rounded the corner.

"I swear to god Natasha." He grumbled heading towards Tony's lab. Upon entering the room he found it empty with papers, metal shaving, and half finished robots strew around. Only two thirds of these actually were on tables. The others had found their way to the floor where Steve accidently stubbed his toe. Not that it hurt, the super serum wasn't worthless after all.

He shook his head observing the empty room. "Today just keeps getting weirder.

Natasha passed by Steve quickly. She noted he look deep in thought, something confirmed with a final glance over her shoulder. However, right now was not time to analyse her teammate. She was heading down towards Clint's room.

"Hey Clint." She opened the door, having to push against it to move the garbage that accidently barricaded the door.

He raised a hand in greeting. "Hey Nat." The room was a reck. Arrows were tossed on tables like a child would toss away a toy they were bored with. Said child was currently swaddled under three different blankets facetiming with his daughter. He waved goodbye to her before shutting his phone down.

"Did you find anything out?" He questioned removing himself from his cave of blankets. "About Spider-Kid."

Natasha went over to a chair sitting down on it. "Not yet." She looked at the ground, mouth curling in thought. "He knows more now, something happened."

"What could possibly happen at a decathlon banquet?" He asked. "Maybe they overcooked the chicken."

Natasha sent him a warning look. "Clint, be serious for once."

He shrugged. "I just don't get what the big deal is, just let the Spider-kid be." She narrowed her eyebrows causing him to backtrack. "Or not, let's just head to the next event Capsicle attends." He smiled upon seeing Natasha relax.

She pointed at him. "You figure out where it is." She leaned back into the chair hearing it squeak as it went onto the back two legs. "I think Cap's getting suspicious."

Clint had returned to his pile of blankets that Natasha now noticed also had several hoodies. He grudgingly left it once again, although he grabbed a fuzzy one to take with him. "Fine, but next time you're doing it." He shivered for a moment. "Tony's a billionaire it's not like he can't raise the temperature a bit."

Natasha followed him out of the dirty room, quickly diverging from his path. She had more to figure out. Decathlon She thought. Why a decathlon?

Peter hadn't waited long before redawning his mask. The familiar cloth transforming him into Spider-Man. He had Chemistry homework at home, but stoichiometry could wait. At lot of things could wait when someone was waving a gun at you.

"Back off bug!" Flint Marko growled while his partner Alex Ohirin lay tied up on the ground.

"I will when you drop the gun and the bag." Over the criminal's shoulder a sack hung with money stuffed to the brim. Several $50 bills lay on top of the roof having fluttered out of the bag while the man ran. "But we both know you won't do that."

He shot his hand out and with an audible thwip the gun clattered to the ground, and was quickly kicked out of Flint's reach. He reached out his hand and did the same with his bag of money.

He attached it to the wall of the neighbouring window. He turned ready to stick Flint to the ground when his spider sense went off. The sound of repulsors filled his ears. He saw the glint of a red and yellow in the corner of his eyes. Iron Man landed upon the roof with a clank. "Hey Spidey."

He narrowed his eyes under the mask. "I'm kinda busy right now, come back later." He stuck Flint to the ground.

"I will kill you bug!" Flint growled causing Peter to tape up his mouth with a web.

"Do you need any help, Kid?" Iron man continued, he was leaning across the wall, making no move towards the younger hero. The event reminded him of his first night meeting Captain America. It caused a shiver to go down his spine.

"No I got it." He gestured at the man on the ground. "There's another one over the-" He stopped eyes landing on the spot Alex had been. It was now empty, the web holding his feet to the ground cut.

His spider sense went off again causing him to turn back towards Ironman who he expected to have moved. Except he hadn't. The man was still causally using the wall to support half of his weight. But if it's not him.

He turned quickly catching the sight of a gun that was no longer wielderless. It was gripped by Alex. The trigger half pulled. He yelled some things that would have made Aunt May very disappointed.

"Kid look out." Peter was pushed to the ground by Ironman. His yelled as the cold metal accidentally twisted his ankle in a way it was not meant to bend. At least he hoped it was unintentional and that the older hero hadn't purposely broke his ankle. That would have been a real jerk move.

A bang was heard above as the gun's trigger was pushed down. With an almost louder clank it hit the hard metal that shielded him. He pushed Ironman off of him, prepared to chase after the ever shrinking figure of Alex.

He got to his feet instantly returning to the cold concrete as his leg buckled. He was helped up by Mr. Stark who held his arm so he didn't put any pressure on his foot. "Kid you need help."

Spider-Man shook his head. "I'm good." He grimaced trying hard to back tears and not whimper.. "I heal pretty fast." He held up a hand giving the other man a thumbs up. He paused remembering that this man had sent a suit to tackle him before and albeit being kinda awesome was still pretty rude.

He pushed the arm off, but was aware that his spider sense hadn't acted up since Alex had left. "What do you want?" He questioned, pointing accusingly at the other man. Still trying his hardest to not acknowledge his pain in front of his idol.

"I just wanted to let you know that not all of the Avengers are out to get you." His face mask popped up allowing Spiderman to see his face. "Sorry about your foot."

Peter shrugged still warily watching the other hero. "It's okay, it doesn't hurt too much" He lied. His foot was throbbing beneath him causing him clench his jaw to stop himself from making a sound.

The rooftop was growing increasingly awkward as the two faced each other neither quite sure what to say to the other. Finally Peter spoke up rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh I'm going to go."

"Can you even move?" Ironman asked, a question that was quickly answered when Spiderman hobbled away. He didn't web sling as he felt that would make an already painful situation worse. Upon seeing Spider-man was okay Ironman had left the roof top to do whatever a billionaire did in his freetime.

It took him much longer than usual to get home. His foot was screaming at him the entire way. When he did his heart dropped at seeing his homework still unfinished across his table. His stoichiometry homework having waited for him this entire time. He mentally and physically groaned.

He hated homework so much.