Spider-man: Christmas with Two Hawks

Nope

"Where's Kate?" was the spider's first words when Clint entered the safe house.

Clint locked the door behind him and walked towards the freezer. "Back at her old folks' place. We got caught while breaking into her mom's computer."

"That sucks. I hope you guys got something before that. All I have is the name of the Scorpion dude. It's Mac Gargin by the way." Spider-man said as he snacked on some salted peanuts on the couch.  

"I have no idea who that is." 

"I don't see why you would. He's some thug I fought before the Blip. I barely remember him."

Clint pulled out multiple slushie packets from the freezer and placed them on the counter. "What about his fancy suit?"

Spidey shrugged, "No clue. Might be Stark tech. It feels like all of my villains are connected to Tony."

Clint sighed. The memory of his late friend caused another stab in his heart. He had been dealing with a lot of those recently. And despite how much Clint missed his friend and the respect he held towards him, he couldn't deny that Tony had a habit of creating his own worst enemies.

Not wanting to drag a dead man's name through the mud, Clint tried to think of some way to change the topic. As he used some tape to attach the cold sushi packets to his bruises he ended up picking the worst one.

"I heard that you and Tony were close. He saved the universe because of you."

Spider-man stiffened. Clint saw how the vigilante's uncovered mouth clenched, his arm shook and he seemingly tried to bury himself deep in the couch.

"Brooklyn told me that before he retired to the '50s... He shouldn't have done it for me. He should have helped because he could."

Those words caused Clint to freeze. Clint agreed with what the kid said but the way he said it... It wasn't hateful, spiteful, or seemingly at Tony. For some strange reason, Clint got the feeling that the words were targeted at the kid himself.

"Hey kid, how close were you with Tony."

"Not as close as I had thought."

Before Clint had the chance to question Spidey further, the inter comm buzzed. Spider-man stiffened further. Not taking his weary eyes off him, Clint walked over to the door to check who it was.

Kate's voice travelled from the speaker and into the apartment. "It's me. I come bearing gifts and holiday cheer."

"Welp, I gotta go now," Spider-man said rather hastily as he stood, "I haven't had much sleep in the past... however long we've been feeling with the Tracksuits. If you need me then I left my number on the coffee table, bye!"

Before Clint had the chance to do or say anything, Spider-man rushed to the open window and jumped through, right as Kate entered the apartment wearing a Santa hat with the recently named Pizza Dog and carrying everything one would need for a successful Christmas party.

"Hey, can I get a little help?" she asked as she struggled to balance the boxes as she kicked the door shut behind her.

"What is all of this stuff?" Clint asked as he took some of the boxes from her. He ignored Pizza Dog rushing past him and eating Spidey's leftovers.

The archers placed the boxes on the living room floor as Kate stated proudly, "This is me saving the holidays."

"Is that right?"

Clint wasn't sure how to feel about that. He had grown somewhat fond of his biggest fan, but she didn't have the best track record when it came to saving things.

Kate smiled as she took off her coat and Santa hat and explained further, "I'll get you home in time for the big day. Figured we could celebrate in the meantime."

She sat down on a chair and reached into one of the bags, "Tonight is movie night right," She pulled out a bunch of Christmas movie DVDs, "Check this out. I got movies. I was thinking the three of us could watch them together when Spider-man gets back from investigating his sources."

Clint paused. Spidey had left the moment Kate had shown up. Clint wasn't sure what was going on in the kid's head. He had changed a lot since the Airport in Berlin, and Clint didn't know how.

But he recognised one thing in Spidey's behaviour. Something a father of two teens should have no problem recognizing. And since he wasn't his dad, Clint had no obligation to tell Kate.

"You just missed him. He left to go to bed after he told me what he learned. The Scorpion guy is someone called Mac Gargin."

Kate's grin dropped. The excitement faded and left behind a poorly hidden disappointment. "Oh." was the only response she could muster. You did not need to be a spy to tell them she had been looking forward to hanging out with the Webhead.

Clint was a spy.

'Wait a minute... There's no way. Ugh! This is gonna get frustrating quickly.'

'That stupid.' Peter silently yelled at himself. He had changed into his civilian clothes and was now walking the streets. 'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!'

He shouldn't have run off like that. Especially the moment Kate showed up. That will just make things even more awkward the next time the three of them meet up.

'If there is a next time. I mean, do they even need me? Clint is an actual Avenger and Kate is no slouch. They should be able to handle the track suits. All I really did was drag Gargin into the conflict. And since he's gone...'

Peter had recently gained a habit of heading where he needed to be. He found the alley where Clint had just saved Kate. He found Kate attempting to 'rescue' Clint. Now he was walking to the place he promised himself he would never return to. Peter Pan's Donuts and Pastry Shop.

He stop the moment he realised where he was, freezing to look through the window. The store was brightly lit and filled with Christmas decorations. Peter could hear joyous Christmas coming from inside, the beats mixing with every other Christmas song coming from every other radio in the area.

And behind the counter was the girl Peter had once thought he would spend the rest of his life. She was serving some customers, blissfully unaware that a shadow was watching.

Because that's all Peter Parker was now. A shadow. A phantom of the boy who had once been loved. A twisted mirror of the little kid that had been saved during the Stark Expo. An orphan who had lost two sets of parents. The first time he was too young to even mourn. The second were all his fault and now the name Pater Parker held no meaning to anyone.

Peter Parker is the name and face that pays Spider-man's bills. Nothing more.

Spidey turned away from the window and walked away, fading into the darkness. The street may be lit up by colourful lights and the happiness of many, but shadows still wrapped themselves around the vigilante.

Spider-man made a decision. He was going to help the two archers take down the Tracksuit Mafia, or at the very least get them off Kate's back. After that, he would finish it like every other crime he stopped.

He would make sure everyone was okay and leave. Because being too friendly with Spider-man gets you killed.