Peter Parker was not having a good day. First, M.J. had rejected him, over the phone, which already hurt enough. The two had agreed to continue to be friends when the news report came on. With Beck. With the doctored footage of what happened in London. With the reveal of his secret identity. And suddenly, dating as the least of his problems.

"Um...May?!" Peter shouted as he backed away from the still playing footage, turning around to his aunt staring at the screen with a horrified expression.

"Peter...how...I don't...what is going on?!" She sputtered, definitive panic shining in her eyes before shaking her head as if to clear it. "We need to leave. Now."

"Agreed." Peter muttered, starting for his bedroom, stopping half way and turning to face his aunt, a desperate expression on his face. "You know I didn't...didn't kill Beck, right?"

"Of course you didn't." May responded automatically, offering him the smallest smile as she answered. "You would never do that. I know that."

Peter felt a wave of relief with this admission, but he couldn't help but wish that it was shared by the rest of the world. "Call Happy, tell him that we need to leave, now."

May nodded, and the two rushed into their respective rooms, packing up what they could in such a short amount of time. Peter's head spun, and he took a few seconds to breathe and stabilize himself.

This can't be happening. This CANNOT be happening. He thought to himself, before glancing at the container that currently held his Iron-Spider armor. But it is. This is happening...fuck.

"Peter!" May shouted, breaking him from his stupor. "Happy said he'll be outside in two minutes! We need to go!"

"R-right. I'm right behind you." He responded, placing a hand on the container of the suit and allowing the nanobots to flow onto him, initially forming the suit before shifting into their "Covert Mode", which were a pair of red and black sunglasses. With that, the two Parkers made a beeline for the entrance of their apartment. They made it outside in under a minute, ignoring the stares and shouts of their neighbors and fellow tenants.

Thirty seconds after they got out, a black Audi rounded the nearby corner sharply, coming to a stop in front of the pair. The window rolled down to show the familiar face of Happy Hogan, who looked about as worried as May Parker.

"Get in, both of you." He said, resulting in May complying right away, getting into the front passenger seat. Peter opened the trunk and placed his hastily packed duffle bag inside, before walking around to Happy's side and leaning down next to talk to the bearded man.

"Get her to the Compound. I'll meet you there." He said, turning away to leave before Happy grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Woah, I'm not leaving without you in this car, kid!" He barked, only to fall silent as May placed a hand on his shoulder, sending him a knowing look, resulting in a defeated sigh leaving the chauffeur's mouth as he turned back to Peter. "Stay safe, Peter. See you soon."

"I'll meet you there by tonight, promise." The web-slinger guaranteed, before turning around, booking it down the street, ignoring the shouts and grumbles of passerbyers as he ran.

Ten minutes later, he arrived at his destination; Storage Unit 274. Another gift from the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D, the unit was more of a mini workshop to make quick repairs to his suit. It currently held his normal suit, as well as a few other gadgets he had been toying with before...well, before he had been designated a criminal.

The large metal door of the storage unit slides upwards, clicking all the way. Peter hastily stepped inside, and slid the door shut behind him. After a few seconds, the lights hummed to life and the makeshift workshop that Peter had been using was illuminated.

"Hello, Peter." Karen greeted from the workbench that his suit current lay on, disassembled but functional. "How are you today?"

"Honestly, I've had better days." The boy admitted, shucking off his backpack as he approached the bench. "Are all your systems online?"

"Yes, as well as the modifications you added since returning from Berlin." The bot confirmed, before concern slipped into her voice. "Sir, I'm detecting your heart rate is elevated. Are you alright?"

Peter allowed a noise between a laugh and a shuddering sigh to slip past his lips before shedding his clothes and grabbing his suit and mask.

"Not exactly."

Line Break

"Mom, have you seen my phone?!" Ned Leeds cried as he frantically tore apart his room, nearly tipping over his Lego Death Star for a third time before moving on to his drawers. "I need to call my friend, it's an emergency!"

"Did you check under your bed, sweetie?" Sheila Leeds asked in response, prompting the boy to drop to his knees and frantically do what she suggested. After a few seconds, a resolute, "YES!" rang out from the boys room, followed by him practically stumbling out while clutching the device in his hands.

"Huff...found...it…" He sputtered, catching his breath as he hurriedly paged through his contact list, finding the name he was looking for. "Thanks, Mom. I-I'm gonna be busy for a minute so…"

The mother rolled her eyes, but nodded in acceptance as she turned around and walked back into her office, leaving the boy to his devices. Ned finally found the number he was looking for, only missing it the first time due to panic, and tapped it hastily, awaiting the answer as the phone rang.

Brrring…

Brrring...

"Ned?"

"M.J!" The boy practically screeched, pacing his room to try and calm himself down. It wasn't working, shockingly. "D-did you hear about Peter?! A-a-abou-!"

"Ned, calm down! Jesus!" M.J. hissed, effectively stunning the boy into silence. "Yeah, I saw the clip. Fake as shit, but it looks bad for anyone who didn't know about Mysterio's plan."

"So basically everyone but us." Ned summarized, ceasing his pacing. "Well...what do we do?"

Ned was expecting a snarky comment, or M.J. telling him there was nothing they could do. Instead, he got a long, unnerving beat of silence, followed by the girl's answer, her voice softer than he had ever heard before.

"We pray that Peter's safe."

Line Break

On the other side of Queens, Spider-Man slipped out from Storage Unit 274, now clad in his Iron-Spider armor, and climbed the adjacent wall to get a better view of his surroundings.

"Ok, ok. Don't panic, you can do this." He muttered to himself as he climbed, pausing as he reached the roof. "Karen, I need you to plot me a course to the Compound, the fastest route possible."

"Understood, Peter." The A.I. acknowledged, searching all available routes as she spoke. "Sir, would you like me to contact anyone?"

Peter paused, and thought for a moment. Who could he call at his point?

"What are my options?" He finally asked, taking a running start and leapt over to the next building as a potential course to the Compound appeared in his mask.

"Your current contacts are Ned Leeds, Michelle Jones, Sam Wilson, Scott Lang, Colonel Rhodes, and Carol Danvers."

Peter nearly tripped as he heard the last name, sending him sprawling across the open air and landing sloppily on the next rooftop.

"W-what? When did-since when has Captain Marvel been in my contacts?" He asked, recalling the kree-hybrid with a mix of excitement and slight embarrassment. He remembered their first exchange, how...childish he had sounded.

"Hi. I'm...Peter parker." He had stuttered, gazing up at the gorgeous woman floating above him in amazement. To his surprise, a playful-if not flirty-smirk appeared on the woman's face as she responded.

"Hey, Peter Parker. Got something for me?"

In the aftermath of the battle, as well as...Tony's funeral...he had spoken a bit more with the former pilot. He learned about her history, how she had been a fighter pilot, how she lost her memory and was brainwashed by the Kree, and how she fought them alongside Nick Fury and the Skrulls. She left a few weeks later, and he hadn't heard from her since.

"Peter...Peter!" Karen suddenly cried, bringing the boy back to reality. "Authorities are closing in on your location. It appears we have been spotted."

Sure enough, the distinctive whirling of helicopter blades rang out from behind him, prompting Peter to turn around, his lenses growing wide as two police helicopters came into view. He got back onto his feet, and kept moving along the path that Karen had provided for him.

"Shit, shit! Karen!" He shouted as he ran, ignoring the booming voice ringing out from the helicopter's behind him. "Call someone! Anyone!"

"Acknowledged." The A.I. hummed, surprising the webslinger. Her tone was borderline playful as she continued. "Calling Carol Danvers."

"WHAT?!" Peter sqwalked, nearly tripping again, before writing himself and resuming his forward momentum. "NO! Nononononono! Call Rhodey, Karen! Call-"

"Um, hello?"

Peter's heart thundered in his chest, and not just from the extensive strain of the running he was doing, soon to switch to swinging as he came up on a taller building.

Ok, Parker. You can do this. Just talk. Like a human being.

"Heeeeeeeey, Captain! It's, uh, it's Spider-Parker. Er, I-I mean, Peter-Man!"

...God Dammit, Parker Luck strikes again.

"...Wait, Parker?" Carol finally asked, an inflection of recognition in her tone. "Peter Parker?"

"Yes, yes! That's me!" Peter confirmed as he leapt off the last even roof, extending his arm and shooting a web onto the building before swinging himself around the left side.

"No offense, kid, but...how'd you get this number?" The woman asked, her tone switching to confusion. "I've only given my communicator to Wilson and Fury."

"I swear to you, I have no idea." Peter promised as he shot another web, now distinctly aware of one of the helicopters gaining on him. "Listen, the reason I called you is that I...well, the short version is that the world now thinks I'm a criminal and I need a ride to the Compound."

An uncomfortable beat of silence passed, and for a moment, Peter thought that the captain had hung up on him. Then, her voice crackled back through his mask.

"So...you're a murderer now?" She asked sharply, startling Peter to the point that he accidently released his web, sending him a few hundred feet lower before he shot another web and stabilized himself.

"W-what, no! I didn't kill anyone!" He pleaded, his heart beating even faster, which he didn't even think was possible. "Please, j-just listen!"

To his shock, Peter didn't hear any protests, or denials. Instead, he heard the last thing he expected to; muffled laughter.

"Snrk, Parker, it's alright! I know you're innocent!" Carol revealed, her tone bordering on jovial. "Nick's explained the situation to me, he's currently having a heated conversation with a certain news broadcaster. I'm heading out now to pick you up, minding giving me a general location?"

Peter nearly cried with relief as he realized that things might not be as bad as they seem, that he just might be able to get some semblance of a normal life back. then, his spider-sense registered, ringing through his mind sharply. He turned his body just in time for a bullet to whiz past his head.

And collide with his wrist.

Suddenly, Peter was falling again, intense pain radiating from his left arm as he screamed in pain. Suddenly, his back collided with the cold concrete roof of a building, sending a second wave of pain through his body.

"Peter? Peter, are you ok?!" Karen inquired, her tone surprisingly panicked. The web-slinger found himself unable to answer, the wind knocked out of his lungs and stars swimming at the edge of his vision.

The helicopters circled the air above Peter, muffled messages blaring from loudspeakers on board. Peter waited for the choppers to land, for the police to come and arrest him, to drag him away and imprison him for a crime he didn't commit.

May...Happy...I'm sorry…

All of a sudden, the sky lit up, and a bright light rocked down, touching down on the rooftop a few feet away from him. Seconds later, a beautiful face entered his still swirling vision. The voice of an angel echoed in his ear.

"Parker? Parker, are you ok? Can you hear me?" The angel asked, her voice both comforting and alarming all at once.

"Heh...pretty angel…" He wheezed, his lungs aching from three simple words. The angel's face momentarily became relieved, before switching back to worry as she rose to her feet, turning around and shouting something untranscribable to someone he couldn't see. Suddenly, Peter's eyelids felt remarkably heavy.

I'm safe now. I...I can rest.

And with that though residing in his mind, he shut his eyes and let the world fade to black.