I See Them

Surprise

From here on out, I no longer have an updating schedule. I'll only be posting chapters when I deem them to be ready, and I'll be posting whatever story I happen to be working on. I can't promise fast updates because I have other priorities that only allow me to write at certain times.

Anyway, some background info for this fic:
- Same background info as my Saving and Raising a Spider series except Peter still lives with May and Stony is a thing (you don't have to read those stories to understand this fic)
- Peter has a literal sixth sense on top of his spider powers

Song for this chapter is My Own Hero by Andy Grammer

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"So... are you going to tell me why you're hiding out in the panic room?" Natasha asked curiously, watching the skinny teen from her position in the doorway, arms crossed against her chest. "You've been in here for quite a while, and I know what happens when you're left alone with your thoughts."

She didn't get a response.

The panic room was constructed of solid vibranium and could be completely sound and lightproof when closed. It was also Hulk-proof, so Bruce had somewhere to go in case he was going to Hulk-out. But the Avengers occasionally used the room to cool off after a rough day or particularly heated argument. The vibranium walls naturally absorbed their strength and various powers so nothing else suffered through the heroes' anger or sadness.

Their youngest teammate used it the most out of everyone.

Peter had a rough life. He experienced more loss in his sixteen years of life than most people would experience in a lifetime. And Peter had just turned sixteen just two months prior. Even before he started going out as Spider-Man, pain, both physical and psychological, neglect, and abuse were things the teen was very familiar with. And while Peter never openly talked about his parents and what it was like growing up with them, there were enough clues for the team to piece together how horrible it had been for Peter.

What made the whole situation worse was that Peter's life wasn't much better now that he lived with his aunt, poverty and emotional tension affecting their every move. New York was expensive, and it was evident that the Parkers were very poor, the teen's clothing weathered and worn; covered in holes, or poorly stitched up from previous tears. Even his shoes seemed to be more hole than shoe, the soles threatening to fall off with each step.

An extremely enhanced metabolism was one of Peter's many powers, which didn't help when your family barely survived living paycheck to paycheck. The kid could easily out-eat both super-soldiers at mealtimes but was as thin as a twig. Peter would always be very skinny, his powers and natural physique assured that. But it hurt the team to know the kid went hungry most days of his life because he and his aunt could barely afford food. The possibility that May withheld food from Peter was almost too awful to think about.

On top of all of that, Peter and his aunt did not have a good relationship. He only spoke about her when directly asked, and when he did, it was with short, vague responses that didn't leave much to go on. But after some digging on Tony's part, it became clear that May wanted nothing to do with Peter. It was Ben who had accepted Peter when the teen's parents had died in a plane crash, while May fought the custody process every step of the way. And judging by the sad, dejected look in Peter's beautiful doe eyes whenever May was brought up, she was negligent at best. So, the Avengers tried their best to help their little spider out whenever they could.

It didn't take long for the vigilante to grow on the heroes. Only after a month of knowing him, they were absolutely smitten and understood what Tony had meant when he said the kid was adorable. Peter was empathetic, selfless, a genius, and an extremely powerful mutant who risked his life daily to save people. Now, a year and a half later, after completing dozens of missions, field operations, training exercises, movie nights, and everyday activities accompanied by the vigilante, the Avengers considered Peter a teammate and a family member. They would die for him.