PTR Arachnid 24601

Ch 29 - The Lizard's return

3rd POV

Bucky wasn't sure why the news of Peter's date made him feel the way he was currently feeling.

He was happy for the kid, of course. And with all the exclamation points, Peter was evidently happy too. That's good. Soldier wants him to be happy. He deserves it the most.

But something didn't sit right.

[Soldier :)]

I'm happy for you, kid.

The text wasn't necessarily a lie. But it wasn't the whole truth, either.

It just wasn't how he truly felt. Bucky hated it.

As soon as he saw the message, even before he was happy for Peter, something buried down in the depths of his heart clenched. An unidentifiable emotion clawed at his lungs, making each breath feel like he wasn't getting quite enough air. His gut sank and he swallowed back a large lump of, well, a foreign feeling. Like the thought of Peter having a girlfriend or a date made his heart ache.

It wasn't an intense feeling. Subtle, yet persistent.

Bucky sighed and pushed it away.

He was happy for Peter.

I'm happy for you, kid.

And that's that.

"I'm home..." Peter called, a cringe marring his beautiful features.

Steve stood in the kitchen, arms crossed, jaw stiff, and brows set down. The Disappointed Face™. "Welcome home. Mind explaining why you were suspended?"

Tony, Bucky, and Natasha––the ones who stayed at the Tower during the week to keep Peter company––walked in, not wanting to miss the story.

Spider's cringe grew and he sighed, rubbing his temples. "Preferably not."

Steve's eyebrows raised and his eyes turned even more steely.

That was a look that automatically made Peter obey. He just couldn't help it. That's the way he was programmed.

"Okay, well, this kid Flash––the, uh, the mean guy I told you about––he knocked over this girl's can of paint which totally ruined her nice banner. Then he said something really rude instead of apologizing a-and that made me mad. So I– Well, I picked up the basketball he was using and told him to come– come get it from me i-if he w-wanted it back." Peter's eyes were now downcast as he remembered how much of an idiot he was. "He took the challenge of course since I'm not exactly known for being strong or fast. But he couldn't grab it because I-I used my powers so the ball stuck to my hand. I even taunted him by closing my eyes! I was being no better than him. It doesn't even end there 'cause I may have used my powers to shove him out of the way then do a slam dunk and... b-break the backboard shattering it into a million pieces on the spare gym's floor. So, uh, yeah. Wasn't really– wasn't really thinking." Spider sucked in a big breath when he was done his fast-paced explanation. He refused to look up and see their reactions. He knew he messed up. He doesn't need another lecture.

A wheezing, restrained sort of sound broke the uncomfortable silence. It was followed by another semi-discreet chuckle and a snort from somebody else.

Peter looked up to see Natasha smiling, a hand covering her upturned lips. Tony was turned away, doubled over and wheezing through the forearm over his mouth. Bucky was shaking his head, a near-silent chuckle escaping his lips every few seconds. And finally, Steve had a large hand over his face, no smile and rubbing his temples, but obviously not as angry as he could've been.