Chapter Thirteen

"It's clear that this is a frame job by Spider-Man against an upstanding journalist and AMERICAN," J. Jonah Jameson said with a scoff. "For all we know under that mask is some illegal immigrant who can't speak a word of English!

"Either this is clearly an attempt to censor us after our stories questioning the public perception of Tony Stark, or it's flat out revenge for them! Either way we know that Spider-Man is a Stark apologist! And just like Stark you people are blind to the menace threatening our city!

"HE works with suspected killers like the Daredevil and suspected crime bosses like Luke Cage, and somehow even the Avengers are overlooking that to help him?! ARE THEY INSANE?! Of course they work with dangerous immigrants like Wanda Maximoff, but this is too far, and I won't stand for it. No, nu-uh, I will not stand by silently as Spider-Man ruins the life of a man I knew. A man I saw every day was a decent person. He wasn't even an intern and he would get me coffee without muttering like a little girl. He knew what hard work was and he did it! He wished he could be the next J. Jonah Jameson! And with my guidance he just might have if not for that hazard to human life, Spider-Man!"

"He's nothing if not loyal," Peter said watching the screen with his arms crossed in the Avengers HQ common room.

"And focused," said Sam. "It's been weeks but every show has at least five minutes about you."

"It's supposed to be funny, isn't it?" Bucky asked looking around the room. "Right?"

"Sorry he dragged you into it," said Peter to Wanda.

"He's' an idiot," she said shaking her head. "You left evidence they used in the arrest, but he ignores it because it doesn't fit his story. He uses me as a tool against you." She knew what it felt like to have the news demonize her for a mistake, she couldn't imagine how frustrating it would be to be treated with such vitriol for doing the right thing.

Peter could see the sympathy in her gaze and smiled. "Don't worry about it. I don't mind JJ crapping on me. I remember how people treated Tony."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked setting down his drink.

"They blamed him for Ultron. Half of you blamed him for the Accords as if he wrote them. People blamed him for wars other people fought with his weapons. They blamed him for not stopping other wars after he became Iron Man. He was a scapegoat for people's anger, but in the end the truth showed and now…" Peter sighed. "Now he's a martyr for stopping Thanos."

Peter grabbed his bag off the couch and shrugged. "I can deal with people thinking I'm awful because I know I'm not. Hopefully the people who care can see it too, but if not then I'm sure it will show in the end."

He waved to them and left pulling on his mask. It was Bruce who broke the brief silence asking, "What's with him?"

"He's been extra speechy, right?" Sam said arching his brow. "Maybe he's taking after Steve."

Bucky chuckled as Steve shook his head and Wanda said "He's been making practice speeches since he found out he's going to be valedictorian."

"He is?" Bruce perked up. "That's great!"

"Why didn't he say anything?" asked Sam. "We could do something."

Wanda hesitated before answering, "Well, he said it doesn't really matter. It's not as if you can all just show up for his graduation." Seeing them all share a glance Wanda frowned. "I was already planning on going. I think they'd at least notice Bruce."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They did notice Bruce, but he managed to convince people he was there to give a speech about the importance of science. The others were easier to hide in the crowd gathered to watch their children graduate. Most people hadn't seen Cap since he went with the stones so he was just an old man in a cap there to see his grand nephew. Bucky had a bit of effort in hiding his arm, but gloves and long sleeves did the trick while Sam and Wanda simply dressed down.

While Peter smiled at them all from his seat on stage, his brow rose in surprise when he saw Stephen Strange sat behind May, Steve, Pepper, Happy and Morgan. Their eyes met and Strange flashed him a smirk Peter returned before looking to Hulk as he finished his speech and looked over his shoulder to wink at Peter.

He almost missed his cue until Bruce elbowed him, earning a few chuckles as he got to his feet and made his way to the podium at the head of the stage. Standing in front of the microphone he took a breath and smiled. "Good morning, everyone. Faculty, family and friends. It's an honor to be here before you today. To many today must've seemed impossible after five years in a world which must have seemed half empty, but here we are. Proof that the impossible is a problem for us to solve. That hope isn't some light at the end of the tunnel, but the fuel we use to craft the world we want.

"Before he died my uncle always told me with great power comes great responsibility, and we've never had more power than we do now. As we graduate we find ourselves entering a new phase of our lives, entering a new world, making a new start, and it's our responsibility to make them count. To be better people. To make a better world. For five years we were knocked down, but this is our chance to get back on our feet and turn all of that pain into hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, which can only come if we work for a better today."

Peter took a breath as he looked at the podium and put on a smile as he took on his phone. "Now for the speech I actually wrote."

Thankfully his written speech was lighter, getting a few belly laughs from the students and chuckles from the others before thanking them and returning to his seat. Bruce squeezed his shoulder as he took his seat, beaming at Peter and giving him a nod.

Once he had his diploma in hand, Peter made his way toward May. "They would be so proud," she said squeezing him in her arms.

Peter noticed quite a few people gawking at them as he then hugged a teary eyed Pepper Potts who said, "Tony would have loved it."

"I'd hope so," he said setting his cap on Morgan's head before taking her from Pepper to hug her and return her. When Happy stuck his hand out to shake his hand, Peter shook his head instead and pulled him into a hug, the men patting each others backs as they separated.

Turning to Steve he said with a smirk. "I wasn't expecting to see you, Uncle Steve."

Steve smirked as he gave Peter a quick hug before stepping aside so Peter could shake Stephen's hand. Pepper kissed his cheek telling Peter, "We'll meet you at the penthouse."

He thanked her, watching her leave and taking most of the gawker's attention with her, leaving the others free to approach without too much attention. There was still some, Peter hearing more than a few curious whispers from his classmates when Wanda hugged him, but that quickly faded when they saw Bruce making his way over.

"That was a fine speech, son," he said reaching out to shake Peter's hand with an unsubtle wink.

Peter sighed, shaking the offered hand. "While you're all here. How about you guys join us for lunch at Pepper's?"

He was glad they all come, though Peter stayed behind with May to talk to some of the staff, take a few pictures and even, to Peter's surprise, sign a few yearbooks. It was mostly to eat up time and not leave with the others and draw even more suspicion than he already would.

When they arrived at the Stark Penthouse they were greeted by a shriek as Morgan ran up with Peter's cap barely hanging onto her head. He snatched her up, putting her on the shoulder opposite his gown as he made his way to the dining room where his entrance was met with applause and cheers.

There was an entire table full off food for them to eat. Apparently Pepper had invited them well before Peter, hoping to surprise him before she realized they would be at the graduation. It was still weird seeing May having a casual conversation with the Hulk or seeing her sharing beauty tips with Wanda, but she got along with everyone.

After finishing his plate, Peter excused himself, leaving his gown on the chair as he stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the city and took a deep breath. His scanned the city, hearing the distant wail of sirens, the honk of horns and yells which made him smile. When he first came back the world felt dead because of all he lost, but it never was. Even with half of them gone the rest had continued living, making the best lives they could. Now it was Peter's turn to make the best one he could.

His gaze shifted from the new Stark Tower to the old Avengers Tower which had finally finished construction. Once it had felt like the core of the city but now was a brilliant, neon lit OsCorp branded spike through the heart, reminding him that Tony was gone and nothing would be the same.

He heard the doors open, the click of heels leaving no doubt it was Pepper well before he turned to her. "I hope I'm not interrupting," she said with a smile.

"Just thinking," Peter said shaking his head, turning back with his elbows on the high railing.

"Hopefully not thinking about changing colleges," she said moving to stand beside him. "I just sent in all the information for the scholarship last week."

Chuckling, Peter shook his head. "No. No, I'm still Empire bound."

"Then what?" she asked leaning against the rail. If there weren't at least three people who could save her she might have felt nervous, but even without her suit waiting to fly to her she knew she'd never hit the ground even if the balcony collapsed.

Peter glanced toward the door before turning to Pepper. "Everything's changed… but it doesn't mean everything's bad. We're not broken. It can't ever be the best without them but maybe we really can make it better."

"I know you can," Pepper said an approving smile before holding out the glasses case she'd been holding, "and so did Tony."

Glancing at the case, Peter shook his head. "I told you I don't need a gift-"

"It's not from me," she said solemnly.

Peter eyed her before cautiously taking the case and opening it to find a pair of Stark Industries sunglasses. While the company logo was embroidered on the bottom of the case, on the top was a small paper with Tony's handwriting. 'For the next Tony Stark.'

"Are these-"

"They're yours," said Pepper. "And everything with them." Before he could wonder what she meant, Pepper told him, "Try them on."

Nodding, Peter carefully pulled them out of the case, which Pepper took from him, and slid them on. The moment they were behind his eyes and on the bridge of his nose the lenses flashed ans a voice reverberated in his ears. "Hello, Peter. I'm EDITH. Congratulations on graduating."

"Wha-uh, thanks-wait, how did you know?" When he turned to Pepper he saw the lens instantly display a small screen with her name and occupation listed below a picture of her with an option to view more. Similar windows appeared for the others when he looked to the apartment.

"Mr. Stark asked Miss Potts to give you access to my upon graduating so you wouldn't be overwhelmed."

"Overwhelmed?" Peter chuckled, glancing at Pepper who arched her brow watching him look out toward the city. "You're not my first AI, you know."

"Overwhelmed by having access to all of Mr. Stark's files and control of all Stark Industries systems."

Peter's smirk fell away as he blankly asked, "What?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It was late when Peter made his way into Stark Tower, waving to the receptionists. EDITH not only revealed their names but that the receptionist Judith spent her Fridays dancing at the Long Pole as Jasmine. He quickly looked away to hide the flush of his cheeks as the guard waved him through saying, "Nice shades."

"Graduation gift," Peter said with a laugh, spinning around so he walked backward toward the elevators briefly.

As it carried him down to the private lab, Peter swung his bag around, pulling out the notebook full of designs he wanted to program into the suit. He wouldn't make them all now, but wanted them in the pod's system at least.

When he entered the lab he heard an odd beep and looked around, but his spidey-sense had flared so he continued on his path to the pod. He cast a quick glance to the scarlet and gold Iron Spider Armor Mark II while tossing his bag beside the pod and laying his notebook on top of it.

"Nice work, Kid."

The words echoed in his mind and for a split second he was a kid in an Iron Man mask aiming his toy repulsor at one a Hammer Drone until Stark appeared and obliterated it for him. Peter spun around gasping at the sight of Tony Stark standing in the middle of the lab smirking at him.

"Mister Stark?" Peter quickly realized is was a projection and asked, "Are you an AI?"

"If you're hearing this that means you're alone and FRIDAY detected EDITH, which means you've graduated. So congrats on that. You're an adult now, and that means adult responsibilities. But you're also you, which means I can trust you to take on a few more responsibilities than paying a bill or staying out late… Whatever normal kids do. Because you're not normal, are you? Not that it's bad. It's great. You're great, Peter. It's why I'm not worried about Pepper or Morgan without me there. I know you'll watch out for them, just like I know Pep will be there if you need her. The point is, you're not just some normal kid, which is why I'm asking you to do what I couldn't.

"When you activated EDITH you also became the lead on a secret project I worked on a bit back when… I thought maybe I could fix things." Tony sighed and looked away, shaking his head to calm himself before looking back ahead. "It's a project I never told anyone about. Not even Pepper, though you can bring in whoever you trust. I'm not giving you this just to carry on my legacy, Pete. I want you to build you own. This is your project now. I want you to help others be better, like you did with me." After a moment Tony smirked saying, "God I hope I'm not alive if you somehow see that."

Peter smiled, reaching up to wipe a tear as it touched his cheek.

"Might as well get to the point. I want you to build this," Tony said holding up his projected hand a split second before a large island appeared above it and grew, passing through Peter. "A while back I managed to get the okay to build a man made island in the Atlantic. I want you to make it a home for the Avengers."

Peter's brow knit as he looked around the projected island map. "Avengers Island."

"It's named Project Hydrobase, but I'm sure you'll end up calling it Avengers Island or something," Tony said shaking his head while Peter smirked. "Whatever you call it doesn't matter as much as what it is. What it could be. It's not just a base for the Avengers, but one separate from the rest of the world. Neutral ground. This way at least if anyone ever tries to attack you it won't risk civilians and be used against you.

"But obviously that isn't enough. You won't all be there all the time, and even then… The Avengers already broke apart once. If it happens again I trust you more than I do the others. And I want to know you're safe. Which is why I gave you a head start on the new Iron Legion."

The wall beside the pod suddenly slid open and Peter stepped toward it, gasping when he saw it lead to a massive room full of display cases like the ones holding his Iron Spider Armor and Pepper's Armor. Most were empty, but there were about thirty cases housing armors of varying designs.

Peter stared at the room, taking a moment to absorb it all before exclaiming, "What the fu-"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

They hadn't defeated anyone or saved the world, but the day felt like a victory as the Avengers returned to their HQ. Steve entered his room and reached for the light switch when he froze, turning his gaze on the one-eyed black man sat at his desk.

"Fury?"

"We lost Nicholson," he said dejectedly.

"The Answer?" Steve asked sitting on the edge of his bed. "He's dead?"

"Snatched. Someone hit the truck carrying him. All our agents are dead and he's gone."

"Any idea who?"

Fury shook his head, leaning forward. "Th e bigger problem is the results came back on the rest I had run on him. Those scars across his body? They were grafts from an Inhuman and a Skrull. That's how he got his abilities. Someone gave them to him."

Frowning, Steve asked, "Who?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Aaron Nicholson slammed his hand against the mirrored cell wall, suspecting someone else was on the other side.

His suspicions would prove right as two men stood on a walkway looking down on the cells until Aaron gave up and retreated to his bed. Tapping a button to cut the feed to Aaron's cell, the lanky, olive skinned Miles Warren let out a sigh claiming Aaron, "Just a living failure."

"Which is no surprise," said the gray haired Spencer Smythe. "I needed the information on the Ultimo, if not the robot itself. Without it-"

"There's no need to worry, gentlemen."

Both men turned to see an average sized man with swept back chestnut hair and a clean shaven face standing beside them in an expensive suit with his hands tucked in his pockets and a smile touching his lips.

"The Answer project wasn't a complete failure. It's simply a precursor to better things," he said holding up a pair of folders.

"Two new projects?" asked Warren.

"We know it's possible to survive grafting Skrulls to humans, let's see if we can't obtain their shape shifting ability as well."

Warren took the offered folder and nodded, reading the project's name, "Chameleon."

"And while we work on that I'll find a way to get us a live Skrull. Perhaps they'll have an easier time integrating the Inhuman cells and accessing their abilities."

Taking a second folder, Warren knit his brow saying, "Super Skrull?"

His answer was a simple smile before Smythe became the focus of the attention. "I have people reaching out to the Mandarin. If he won't make a deal then I'm sure we can find a way to convince him. Either way, I promise you'll get whatever you need to finish your Hunter-Slayers."

Smythe stood up straight and bowed, grinning as he said, "I can't thank you enough for this, Mr. Osborn."

"Please," he said holding up a hand as his lips stretched into a grin. "Norman's fine."

AN:

I considered briefly making it a fake out where Norman went by the fake name Keeler and it turned out Harley Keeler was actually Harry Osborn, but Harley never made a huge impact on me and it seems a bit much for a reveal that isn't that great, just a fun tie in. Plus I don't want Harry to be yet another character motivated in some way by Tony Stark. There's plenty of those out there without having it be so direct with Harry when he comes along.

Actor-wise, not sure about anyone but for Norman I kinda picture Ewan McGregor, or maybe Matthew McConaughey. A bit of a smoother, wannabe Tony type.

Anyway that's the end of this story. Since this one story didn't get much of a reaction I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series much, but at least this is done. I also have the first chapter or two of a followup to this story, but I'm not sure how far I'll end up going with it. I say followup and not sequel only because it wouldn't continue the main story much and is more of a side story. It is still part of the If This Be My Home series though. I'll probably post that story soon, so either keep an eye out for it or check it out depending on when you read this.

I also have another MCU story I'm thinking about that I might throw up, but will be very different from this.