Finding Their Way Home

Chapter Twenty-One

It's been two weeks.

Two weeks since Wolf arrived at the tower and the Avengers were put under lock-down. Okay, that may be a tad bit of an exaggeration. The Avengers weren't put on lock-down. Just Peter. He couldn't go anywhere without having an escort and it was driving him insane.

He couldn't even go to school for fear of putting the school at risk.

At first house arrest was fun. Peter got to miss school and sleep in as late as he wanted, lounge around in his pajamas all day and stay up super late. However it quickly lost its appeal. You could only stand so many boring days at home before you wanted to tear your hair out.

Not to mention the insufferable hovering.

Peter couldn't have a single moment of peace! The only time he was ever alone was when he was in the bathroom or sleeping. That's it! Peter loved hanging out with the Avengers and the Starks but he could only take so much.

And he had had enough.

"Please Tony?" Peter asked, flashing him his best puppy dog eyes. "It's been two weeks already! I think it's safe for me to come out of hiding now."

"No." Tony said for the umpteenth time. "It's too dangerous."

"Please. I swear I'll be careful. Plus, one of you guys can come with me." Peter said. "As long as you promise to back up and let me work."

"The answer is no Peter." Tony said, stressing the no. "Spider-Man is officially grounded."

Peter felt fury race through him. "You can't do that!" he raged.

"Oh I definitely can." Tony said. "I say no Spider-Man so there's no Spider-Man."

"People need me!" Peter cried. "How am I supposed to help them if I'm holed up here?"

"You can help them by staying safe and out of Hydra's hands where they'll force you to do a lot of things that would hurt those very people." Tony said, feeling slightly bad at the pained grimace on his son's face. Tony didn't want to rub that in his face, but he needed Peter to understand that it wasn't safe for him to just go running around in the middle of the night while terrorists were trying to kidnap him. "And we need you too, kiddo." he added. "We need you here, okay?"

Peter scowled, wanting to push it more but knew it would only lead to a fight. "Fine." he bit out.

Tony looked relieved and it made Peter feel guilty for what he was about to do. Almost. "Thank you," he said. "I know this sucks but it will be over soon. I promise."

You can't promise that. Peter nodded. "I'm kind of tired." he said. "I think I'm going to sleep."

Tony's gaze softened and he nodded. "Sure thing, Pete. Sleep well kiddo."

Peter nodded, walking quickly to his bedroom. He shut the door and then smiled with satisfaction when he heard the lock click shut. "FRI? Will you tell anyone if I leave right now?" he asked.

"Is that such a good idea, Little Sir?" FRIDAY asked. Peter grit his teeth. "Boss said---"

"I don't care what Tony said." Peter snapped. "I can take care of myself. I won't even be out long. I just...I just need a break. I feel like I'm suffocating here."

"There are no protocols in place to prevent you from leaving the tower voluntarily." FRIDAY said, her voice coming out softer than before. "I will not inform them that you have left. Would you like me to say you are sleeping?"

Peter nodded. "Thanks FRI."

"It is my purpose to ensure you health and happiness." FRIDAY said and Peter felt a genuine smile begin to stretch across his face.