Survivor

27. Braver

"You are Braver than you believe..."

The Avengers scanned the city, branching out in wider and wider berths. None of them thought to check the very heart of their search area. The warehouse.

Peter struggled to sit up, glaring menacingly as Shocker, Ricochet and Ox crowded around a makeshift table, planning disastrous things no doubt. They called themselves the Enforcers; though whose rules they enforced Peter hadn't deciphered yet.

They chattered on about the Big Man and how pleased he would be at their 'catch'. Really, Peter was flattered.

Spiderman would've escaped by now, had it not been for the dang shock-collar around his neck. It also prevented his suit from working, so he couldn't even send a message to Mr. Stark or plot with his suit lady, Karen.

Pacing in circles, the arachnid themed super hero scanned the cieling. How to get out, how to...

Suddenly, there was a massive burst or green energy at the front of the warehouse, nearly blowing Peter over. The wall was blown to bits, though Peter could barely see through the green fog filling the space. He coughed, trying to wave it away, hearing the enraged screams of the Enforcers.

Peter looked down as something hit his foot, and thanked the stars of luck when he saw it was his shock collar remote.

"Where's the spider?!" Shocker yelled. "I don't- AH!" Ox was cut off as he yelped, then silence. "Ox?" Schultz called into the fog, with no response. Peter took off his collar and spun in a slow cirlce.

It wasn't him that knocked Ox out of the game.

oOo

"He has to be around here somewhere!" Tony yelled in frustration, scanning the perimeter again. "We must've missed him!" He insisted, when Rhodey flew over and put a hand on his shoulder. "How could we have missed, Tony? All of us were searching every facility!"

"We...!" Tony was cut off by an explosion from behind them. Spinning, he saw a green cloud of smoke billow into the air. Blinking, the billionare realized they had missed something. "That's the warehouse Peter was last in!" Tony called through the comms, already en route. "How did we miss that? We didn't even check!" He scolded himself, beckoning the other Avengers in that same direction.

When the fog finally cleared, Peter gaped at what he saw. Shocker, Ricochet and Ox were tied together in chains, not webs, hanging from the cieling. What...?

"Peter!" Called none other than Iron Man from above him, and Peter spun to see his mentor. "Hey! I'm ok!" Peter insisted as Tony ran several vital checks. "Good work!" Cap announced when he ran up. "What, this? No it wasn't..." Peter tried, but when he turned again, the chains were no longer chains.

They looked like webs.

oOo

The Avengers dragged Peter's sorry butt all the way back to the compound, where they assembled on the roof to talk since Tony had carried him and it was the easiest place to land. Peter sat on an AC vent with Rhodey and Tony watching him like a hawk while the other came to join them.

Peter felt like a little kid being scolded.

The Avengers knew he was.

"So... I guess I missed my curfew?" Peter spoke first, breaking the silence and hopping off his perch on the AC unit. "You need to be more careful." Tony growled, and Peter clasped his hands behind his back cheekily. "My middle name is-!" He was cut off by Steve grabbed his collar and yanking him back. It took Peter another moment to realize he had just about walked off the roof. Can you say; Irony?

With a smirk, Peter turned to Cap. "You know I could've just walked down the wall, right? Sticky fingers and everything?"

"Not the point." Steve said in a measured tone, yanking Peter upright from his slack position. "What I just demonstrated there was an excellent example of your team having your back." Spidey resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This had turned into a learning experience, great.

Even with all of his willpower going towards not rolling his eyes, Wanda still caught on to Peter's disinterest. "What Cap's trying to say is; you shouldn't go in blind with no back up and not telling anyone where you're going or what's going on. You could've been seriously hurt." She explained, and Peter sighed, taking his mask off and trying to convey his apology through his eyes. "I am sorry it's just..."

"We know what it is." Sam scoffed, crossing his arms. "Pride. You think you can just take on the world. Well guess what, hot-shot, not even we can do that." Peter hung his head. They were right, of course they were right.

"We'll start by working on that first when you come to compound on Friday." Natasha decided, and Peter deduced she was going to be in charge of training. He couldn't decide if that made him excited, or terrified. Clint nodded in agreement, and their partnership was slightly less frightening. "For now, you can go back home and get a good night's sleep." The archer added. "And he does mean sleep. If we catch you going out without our permission again, I will personally lock you in the compound." Tony added, running a hand through Peter's curls affectionately, which he ducked away from.

"Roger that!" Announced the teenager and, smirking at Cap, he walked backwards off the roof. A moment later the team saw a web shoot out and latch onto a tree, broadcasting that their little spider was on his way home.

"What are we going to do with that kid?" Scott piped up from where he and Vision had been chilling uncermoniously in the background. "Apparently, we're training him." Nat deadpanned, and Tony laughed. Training him, sure.

They all knew at the end of the summer, they were going to come out for the better.

You know what this chapter is, right? It's the fourth to last! Meaning I have only three more chapter to fit in our big cliffhanger!

Hooo boy.

Thanks for reading!
~Meow