Chapter Text
Stark got to the kid a month into their training together. He was starstruck, and ran to gush to Matt before heading off to Germany.
“You did what? He did what? You’re going where?”
“I couldn’t exactly say no. And he gave me this suit!”
“Have you even read the Accords?”
“Uh… Accords?”
“Right. Come on. We’re going to see Foggy.”
“Oh, Pete.” Foggy said. “You know he can’t legally do that, right? You don’t have to go with him if you don’t want to.”
“But I do. Kind of. It’s Mr. Stark. He’s a hero.”
“Hmmm. Matty, get out the big binder. We’re doing this properly.”
“So the Accords mean we could both be arrested and sentenced to life in the raft without trial, just for being enhanced?” Peter was aghast. How could Mr. Stark support such a thing?
“Pretty much.” Matt said. “Or death, if they think you’re dangerous enough. I get why they’re doing this, the Avengers have caused a lot of destruction over the past few years. Government oversight isn’t the right answer though. It’s the same reason I go out at night – the law can’t catch everyone, and the Avengers don’t function if they don’t have freedom to go where they’re needed.”
“Also you don’t trust the Government.”
“Also that, thank you Foggy. Power corrupts.”
“But with great power comes great responsibility.”
Matt sighed. “Sometimes it would be nice if this country was run by an idealistic fifteen year old.”
Peter chose to ignore that. “So what should I do?”
“What you feel is right. Say no to Stark if you want to. Say yes to Stark if you want to, you don’t have to follow my lead on this. You’re allowed your own opinion, but you need to understand that going will put you on a lot of people’s radar. Possibly not in a good way.”
“What would you do?”
“I’m planning on staying right here. I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that I can’t solve all the world’s problems, and this will end up however it ends up. The Avengers bickering isn’t my problem. People here in Hell’s Kitchen need help, and getting involved would interfere with my ability to do that. Doesn’t mean I’m not going to do anything, though, right Fogs?”
“Didn’t go through law school for my partner to be unconstitutionally incarcerated. This is a battle I can help with,” Foggy said.
“So what are you going to do?” Matt asked Peter. “You can have some time to think about this. You don’t have to answer immediately.”
“Help,” Peter said, immediately. “I’m going to Germany. There might be something I can do there, talk to Mr. Stark, try and help them reach an agreement. He can’t be okay with this!”
“I hope you’re making the right decision. If you need any help, legal or otherwise, call. I’ll be there as quick as I can. Actually, do you have any money on you?”
“Yeah, why?” he carried some cash in his suit in case of emergencies. Also sometimes to buy hot dogs.
“Give me a dollar,” Matt held out a hand. Okay? He pulled one out of his suit and passed it over. “I’m your attorney now. Properly. For if anything happens.”
That was good. That was probably good. Please, please say it wouldn’t be necessary. Peter nodded, thanked them both, pulled his mask on and swung out the window.
“He’s a good kid. I really hope he’s going to be okay,” he heard Foggy say in the distance.
“Big leagues won’t know what hit ‘em.”
Peter didn’t get a chance to talk to Mr. Stark on the plane, or after they arrived in Germany. He didn’t actually get to talk to anyone at all until he was stood across from Captain America (Captain America!) and assorted other Avengers on an airport runway.
They were about to fight.
This was stupid. The whole thing felt more like something people used to pull on the school playground than actual superheroes.
He webbed up onto a plane wing so they might pay more attention to him and yelled:
“Stop! There is no need to fight! There’s more at stake her than your egos. You can talk through this!”
Mr. Stark gaped up at him. Actually, Peter couldn’t see his face behind the helmet, but he was pretty sure he was gaping.
“Look kid, there’s a lot going on here that you don’t understand.” Captain America.
“Hey, Mr. Captain America, sir, I’m on your side! I disagree with the Accords as much as you do! I’m here to try and get you and Mr. Stark to talk, try and come to a compromise!”
“How’s that working out for you? Does Tony even know this?” Cap said, ceasing outward hostilities but remaining wary.
“No, I did not.” Ohmygodohmygodohmygod he sounded angry. Please don't let him be too angry. Peter couldn’t have Iron Man as an enemy, he just couldn’t. The guy was an engineering genius. Peter had too many engineering geniuses as enemies already. Also he was awesome and totally Peter’s favourite Avenger, even if Matt didn’t like him at all.
“Uh… no. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him since he recruited me. But there must be some way of compromising! You’re friends, right?” listen to reason, people.
“He’s the one who isn’t compromising! He’s out to get my best friend, and he wants to destroy the Avengers!” This wasn’t good. Come on Cap, give some ground.
“His best friend is a murderer and needs to be brought to justice! Their history is getting in the way of his judgement!” Stark yelled.
Even less good.
“Captain, Mr. Stark wants to do more than that. Have you even read the Accords?” Peter asked.
“Uh… I’ve skimmed them.” Well, shit. He didn’t have Matt or Foggy with their meticulous notes on every subclause.
“They’re totally unconstitutional! Any unregistered enhanced person gets sent to the Raft without trial!”
“Seriously?”
“That’s why I’m here. I have a friend back home who’s going to try and fight them legally, I’m here to try and make you all see sense.”
“That’s incredibly brave, kid,” Captain America said. Peter could die happy now.
But he couldn’t let them know that.
“Not a-”
“Yeah, yeah. Maybe you should have stayed behind to do your homework! I gave you that suit, and this is how you repay me?” Stark. Shitshitshitshit. There was one thing that would be better than Captain Freaking America saying he was brave, and it wasn’t happening.
Stay on task, Parker.
“The Raft, Mr. Stark. And the death penalty for anyone who they think is dangerous enough. That could include any one of you.”
“The Accords were made for a reason.”
Not one that was good enough to excuse them, Peter thought: “And I don’t think you believe in them enough,” he said.
“That doesn’t excuse the fact that that man-” Stark pointed at a guy in black with long hair and a metal arm, “-is a murderer!”
We get to the root of the issue.
The wrong issue.
“He was mind controlled by Hydra! Just like Barton was mind controlled by Loki, and you don’t blame him for what he did!” Cap.
“But what about the conference? He wasn’t under Hydra then. Hydra doesn’t exist any more!”
“Helmut Zemo.”
“Whozawhatsit now?”
“Zemo. Sokovian baron. Framed Bucky to set us against each other. The psychiatrist.”
“Proof?” Stark.
“I don’t have any. Not yet. Come with me to Siberia, we can find him together.” The captain relaxed his shield, holding a hand out to Stark in some gesture of friendship.
“Seriously, Capsicle? You’re trying to get me to come with you to Siberia? Could you be any more obvious?”
“Come on guys! You’re a team, act like one!” Peter could see himself losing them. This wasn’t about the Accords, not really. This was personal, between Mr. Stark and the Captain. He was a fifteen year old kid from Queens. How did he think he could change this?
Stark lifted a hand, weapons starting to glow, pointing at the Captain.
“Kid,” he said up at Peter. “You’re making a mistake siding against me.”
“I really don’t think I am.”
“I’m not going to be the one to tell Aunt Hottie that you’re in prison.”
“Don’t call her that! You can’t anyway, you know I’m underage. I couldn’t sign even if I wanted to.”
“You really want the rest of the world knowing that?”
“Are you still threatening me, Mr. Stark? If you’re threatening me, don’t aim your weapon at the Captain.”
Captain America took that moment to throw his shield at Iron Man. The Scarlet Witch caught it in the air in a swirl of red magic.
“Listen to the boy. This is not the right fight,” she said. Thank you Ms. Scarlet Witch, ma’am.
“You gonna do this?” Stark hissed at Captain America.
“You recruited a kid, then threatened him. Yeah, I think we’re doing this.”
The two teams charged at each other. This was out of Peter’s hands. He’d tried. Maybe he’d made it worse. None of them seemed interested in the actual issue at hand. De-escalation was the name of the game.
The suit Mr. Stark had given him had internet connection and an AI. “Call Matt Murdock,” he told it, hunkering down behind a truck as the Avengers fought around him.
“Pete?” Matt’s voice came over the earbud. He’d picked up quickly. It was seriously early morning in New York.
“Matt, I fucked up.”
“Pete. Breathe. Tell me what’s going on.”
“They’re fighting. I tried to talk them out of it, get them all to see sense, but we’re at an airport and they’re all going at each other!”
“Right. Do you need me to come to you?”
“No, nothing you could do. They aren’t even really interested in the Accords. They’re just fighting.”
“Can you get away?”
“I don’t even have a passport. I want to help.”
“Lay low, I’ll come and get you.”
“Have you ever been out of New York?”
“I went to San Francisco once.”
“That doesn’t count. Stay there. I might need your lawyering skills.”
“I’m coming to you. I just need to talk to Foggy and ask him how to book a flight.”
“Seriously, Matt, sorry I called. Stand down.”
“Pete, I can hear the fighting in the distance. You’re out of your league. Be careful.”
“You know me.”
Matt yelled “Move!” right as the spidey sense hit. He rolled out of the way of the truck as it was grabbed and thrown across the runway by someone.
He webbed further out the way, landing on top of a walkway, face to face with Captain America. “Whose side are you on, kid?” he asked.
“No one’s currently! You’re all missing the point!”
“Which is?”
“The Accords need amending!”
“Are you talking to Captain America?” Matt asked in his ear.
“Yes. Now be quiet, I’m concentrating,” he whispered.
“Who are you talking to?”
“My lawyer.”
“Look, kid. I get that Stark coerced you into coming. You don’t need to fight. I’ll try and make sure nothing happens to you.”
“Thanks, Cap. I appreciate that. Also, I’m here now, I might as well help. What do you want me to do?”
“There’s a jet over there, we’re going to try and get to it and get out of here, head to Siberia and find Zemo. I need him to clear Bucky’s name.”
“Bucky… Barnes?” Matt asked. “If the brainwashing thing’s actually true, tell him we’ll defend him. Nice, high profile trial like that will give a pretty good platform. And he deserves all the help he can get.”
Peter hummed affirmation. “I know some people who are willing to defend him in court, if it comes to that.”
“You do?”
“Yep. Nelson and Murdock. If something happens to me look them up.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you!”
“I’m here, aren’t I? Something’s already happening to me.”
Peter ended up fighting back to back with a man with a bow. Hawkeye. He’d gone up against the Black Panther, War Machine, Iron Man himself, but now he was battered and running low on web fluid. Ant Man had gone big for a while, and things had been looking good, but he’d collapsed and reverted to normal size. Cap and Barnes seemed to have got away, leaving them to their fates. Peter didn’t blame them. This was big.
The government people came to take them to prison. He’d had Matt on the line all afternoon. Foggy had shown up at some point and they’d started discussing the potential for a Winter Soldier case. Peter tuned it out.
Hawkeye was good. He fought all the way, until the government people tranqued him. Peter didn’t. Matt told him not to, and said he’d take care of it. They put him in handcuffs he could have busted out of but didn’t, because he didn’t want them to put him in stronger ones.
They took his web shooters. Without the fluid they were useless, but he still felt naked without them. He was put in a cell next to Hawkeye and the Falcon, and a couple of others.
They hadn’t taken his mask. Why hadn’t they taken his mask?
“Plausible deniability,” Hawkeye said from the cell next door. He realised he’d voiced the thought out loud.
“What?”
“Why they didn’t take your mask. You’re underage, right? They don’t have the right to keep you here. If they don’t know who you are, they can’t know your age, so they can claim they don’t know they can’t keep you.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve been a spy for about as long as I’m assuming you’ve been alive. You pick things up.”
Mr. Stark came and visited them in the Raft. Hawkeye ‘Call me Clint’ spat on the floor of his cell as he walked past. He was there to see the Falcon. Sam Wilson. He didn’t even look at Peter.
“Cap said Siberia. Where in Siberia? He’s going to be in over his head. I believe you.”
“You have to go alone. As a friend,” the Falcon told him.
Finally.