With your final exams only a few days away, you decided that studying in the lab around Bruce and Tony could only be a benefit, hoping to soak in some of their genius. You lined up your books around you, finding a quiet spot in the back corner of the room as to not get in their way.

Bruce paused and set down his current project, tapping Tony on the shoulder to turn and watch you as you worked. One hand was turning the pages of your book, but the other was performing a dance with your fingers, creating images and waves of color across the room. It was something that happened when you were focused on a task; energy that was building up inside had to escape. Your abilities of light manipulation were considered new amongst others on the team, but you were beginning to get a handle on what your limitations were.

"(Y/N), that's beautiful," Bruce whispered, startling you from your concentration and breaking the illusions stemming from your fingertips. "Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, it's okay," you yawned, turning your wrist over to check your watch, "it's time to turn in anyway." You began to gather your books and stood to leave, giving each man a quick kiss on the cheek. Being the youngest on the team, your relationship with these two grew rapidly into a parental role, guiding and protecting you as you developed into a team member in your own right.

"Goodnight, kiddo." Tony waved towards the door as you exited, looking again at your watch. If you were going to meet your boyfriend on time, you had to hurry, and you had nearly missed it in your absentmindedness.

Rushing to your room, you threw your study materials on your bed and grabbed a jacket, heading out now for the roof of the tower. You opened your door and looked up and down the hall, relieved to see no one from the team nearby; you turned back into your room for a moment and whispered into the darkness, "FRIDAY, you saw nothing."

"Yes, miss," she whispered in reply.

When you opened the door to the roof, the wind that rushed in nearly knocked you over, but you steadied yourself before stepping out. You stood in the exact spot he told you to, only a foot from the edge. Hesitantly looking over the side, you felt a little wave of vertigo but resisted stepping back, worried that you would make him miss his mark.

Seconds later you gasped at the sensation of suddenly flying when he grabbed you, looking down at the city passing below. You laughed at the irony of how free it felt to be held so tightly, soaring through the city from building to building towards your destination.

"Hey, sweets," he chuckled, "you were late."

"Was not!"

"I passed by twice!"

"Hey, I'm worth the wait, Parker."

"That you are, (Y/N)," he said with a deep sigh, "that you are."

~~~

Peter had brought you to the Shakespeare Garden at Central Park, knowing it was one of your favorite places in the city to find peace and quiet amongst the craziness on New York. He draped a blanket over one of the benches, with its knotty and winding wood curving against your skin as you lay back against his chest.

He raised his hand slightly and covered the trees next to you in webs, knowing that you would make them more beautiful than he ever could. "They're all yours, (Y/N)," he whispered, kissing your head and waiting with wide eyes for you to work your magic.

You studied the shapes and patterns in them for a moment, learning the contours and curves in the trees and how light would play off the tangled art that he had created for you. Raising your hand just slightly, you created a spectrum of colors that sparkled through the webs, giving them a three-dimensional glow that filled the night sky above you.

"We're so good, you know that?" Peter laughed quietly. "Just look at what we can do together."

You were mesmerized as you watched the colors dance and weave around the strings that hung above you like a canopy. Resting your head against him, you were soothed by the sound of his breathing and the warmth of his skin. It was a moment that you wanted to last forever, but that thought only made you worry.

"They won't approve, you know," you said in a quiet voice that felt as if it would fail you. "Especially Bruce and Tony."

"I'll just have to talk to them then. Man to man...to man."

You didn't mean to laugh so easily, but it just burst out of your chest before you could stop it. "Pete, you can't be serious! You will die. They will kill you dead."

"Wow, (Y/N), you know how to crush a guy's confidence," he put his hands to his chest, feigning pain, "it just gets me...right here."

"Aw, I'm sorry, baby," you said with a small pout, "I'm sorry that I won't let your arms and legs be torn from their sockets by the Hulk."

Peter shifted uncomfortably on the bench at the thought of his own dismemberment, which began to feel like a reality the more he considered it. "Um...well, yeah...you should be?" he stammered nervously.

"Oh, Spidey, are you scared? I didn't mean to scare you." You returned to your position against him and looked back with a reassuring smile, "I'll protect you."

"You think so, do you?" He rolled out from behind you and was now lying above you, his laugh fading away and pausing to look in your eyes with an expression growing more serious. "I'll protect you, (Y/N). Till my last breath. I promise."

Grabbing the front of his shirt, you pulled him down closer for a kiss, then moaning softly at the feeling of his breath against your neck. He reached back to pull the blanket over you both, with the glow of your lights above illuminating his silhouette beneath it.

~~~

When your alarm sounded the next morning, your first instinct was to pitch it out the window, but you realized that you were far too high above the sidewalk below to not kill someone with it. Your second option was to smash it to pieces, but that seemed just as harsh, so you gave up and pulled yourself out of bed and into the shower.

You brought it on yourself, not taking the time to look in even one mirror as you got dressed for training. It would have saved you from what was about to happen; just one stop in front of any mirror.

As soon as you entered the gym and put one foot on the mat, you were hit from behind and flipped onto your back, with Tony's forearm pushing firmly into your chest to hold you down. "What the hell are those, (Y/N)?"

You sucked in a sharp breath from the hit you took, trying to get your sense of what had just happened. "What are you talking about?" You reached up and pushed his arm away, quickly standing toe-to-toe with him and now quite angry.

Bruce entered the room and saw the tension; he ran down the steps and pushed his way between the two of you, but turned to face you right away. He slowly and cautiously reached up and pushed your collar to the side to reveal the marks left from the night before.

"Um, (Y/N), maybe this should be a private conversation," he said, taking your arm and bringing you into the lab. "Tony," he said pointedly, "wait here."

Once inside, Bruce released you and clasped his hands together, standing at the door with an uncertain look on his face. "Are you going to tell me who he is?"

"No."

"Will you tell me why?"

"For this exact reason, Bruce," you huffed, pointing out the window to Tony, "do you think that maybe he overreacted just a bit?"

"I'll talk to Tony," he offered, "but I need to know that you're being safe. There are people out there who would take advantage of a...beautiful young woman like yourself." He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "I mean...well, yeah...that, but also for your powers. We just want to protect you, (Y/N)."

"I know," you sighed, sad that you felt the need to keep this a secret, and that you couldn't bring Peter here to meet your family. "Okay, if you can talk to Tony and get him to behave, and if you can promise me that you won't turn green, then I'll arrange for him to meet you. But only if he's willing to do it. Will that keep you guys off my back?"

"I'll talk to him," he nodded with a faint smile.

As you left the lab and crossed the gym past Tony, you grabbed your phone to text Peter about what had just happened. You could feel Tony watching you, and when you glanced back over your shoulder, you felt satisfaction that his face looked remorseful.

Babe, you might get your Captain America shield signed after all.

Part 2

"You're bouncing, Pete."

"Am I?" he asked, practically hopping from one foot to the other with a palpable frenetic energy that couldn't be ignored. "I'm not nervous or anything."

"Yeah, you lie as bad as Cap."

Peter clapped his hands together a few times, still bouncing slightly and whispering to himself, "Oh, God. Captain America is gonna be there. Captain America is gonna be there."

"Yes, Steve will be there," you replied as calmly as you could, reaching out to take his hand. "Pete, breathe."

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, but his posture didn't change and he looked as tense as ever. "I'm breathing. Tony Stark is your dad...pretty much. Captain America is gonna be there. Black Widow is scary as hell. Hawkeye's gonna put an arrow through my eyeball. The Hulk is gonna rip my arms off," he mumbled before suddenly snapping to attention. "Okay! Ready to go?" he asked, aiming his wrist and wrapping his free arm around you.

"As long as we don't end up as a giant splat on the side of a building. Are you sure you want to do this? We can take the bus."

"Then I would miss you lighting the way, sweets," he smiled down at you, and his nerves seemed to melt away at your proximity. You raised a hand forward, mimicking his own, and a warm glow began to cover the buildings in front of you, lighting a path for him to follow to the tower.

"That's my girl."

~~~

"So you're the Spiderling? Crime-fighting Spider? You're Spider-boy?"

"Spider...man, Mr. Stark," Peter replied with a faltering voice. "Spiderman."

"Hmm," Tony murmured with a quick drink and a skeptical stare that did nothing but re-energize Peter's nerves. "Seems a little presumptuous, doesn't it?"

"Tony, we're here to meet him, not tear him down," you whispered harshly in his ear. "You promised to be nice."

Tony set his now-empty glass on the bar top with a resolved bang against the glass, turning back to Peter with a crooked but judging grin, "I promise a lot of things, sweetheart. But, you're right. Being nice from now on," he smiled widely now with a small clap of his hands. "So tell us, Spidey, why do you think you're even remotely worthy of dating (Y/N)."

Before you could interject, Bruce stepped forward and took your arm to keep you silent. "Mr. Parker, why don't you come with me for a bit."

"You're the Hulk."

"Yes, but I'm also known as Bruce, the guy who's going to save you from Tony."

"I'll take it," Peter agreed quickly and followed Bruce to a gathering on the far side of the room. Peter looked back at you, nodding at your encouraging wave for him to go with the man he feared would actually rip his arms off at some point during the evening.

"You're a jerk, Stark," you huffed, taking his refilled glass and throwing the drink back in one swallow with only a small grimace at the sting it left in your throat.

"Hey! Underage!" he barked, tearing the glass from your hand with a look of pure surprise at how easily you drank it. "You've done that before, haven't you?"

"Steve taught me how to take a shot, so what?"

"Rogers!" Tony called out angrily, slamming his glass down and scanning the room to find the Captain as you made your way to Peter, hoping that you found a way to keep him busy for a while and away from your boyfriend. You felt a little guilty outing Steve, but you would have to find a way to apologize later.

Pete jolted slightly at your touch when you linked your arm through his as he spoke to Natasha and Clint, though now he looked much more comfortable than he had only moments ago. You leaned in close to bring your lips to his ear and whisper, "are you still scared of them?"

"Nat's gonna test a new web slinger with me, and Clint says that he'll take me to target practice with him tomorrow to improve my aim! He said I can tighten my swing ratio and sharpen my turns with a few quick ideas! These guys aren't scary at all!"

"Glad to hear it," you replied with a hug of his arm as he continued to talk to the pair. You looked around the room to find that Tony had found Steve; they were in a fairly heated discussion from what you could tell, and you immediately felt remorseful about your revelation. "Hey, Pete, I'll be back," you mumbled and pulled away to join your teammates.

"She's a kid!"

"It was one time, Tony. She was safe here and it was a tiny amount that wouldn't have done anything. You were standing right there, remember?"

"That's not the point. You're Mr. Law Abiding Captain America Guy. You're the last person that I would expect that excuse from!"

"You were a kid once too, right? Don't stand here and tell me that you never did the exact same thing," Steve huffed, shaking his head and finishing the beer in his hand. "And she's barely a kid anymore, Tony. Those days are all but over. As soon as she joined the team, that was it as far as I'm concerned."

"Guys," you broke in, "can you maybe keep it down with the fighting until my guest is gone? I'm sorry that I brought it up, okay? I never should have said anything."

"Captain America, big fan," Peter suddenly joined you at your side with his hand extended and doing his best to help you distract the two men from their argument. "Spiderman...I mean, Peter Parker."

"Call me Steve."

"Yeah, I don't think I can do that," Peter said quietly with a shake of his head. "Mr. Stark, sir, I think now might be a good time for you to see something that (Y/N) and I would like to show you?"

"Irresponsible..." Tony grumbled under his breath, "I do stupid shit, but this is too much..."

"Can you stop now?" you asked, grabbing his arm. "We made something for you, but if you're gonna be a grouch, then forget it."

"No, I want it," he perked up, looking at you with a glimmer of excitement behind the annoyance he still held for Steve. "I'll be good."

You sat Tony on one of the couches next to Natasha and joined Peter at the center of the room. "And he calls me a child," you smirked. "FRIDAY, lights please." The room darkened to a near black other than the city lights reflecting from the windows. Peter raised both of his wrists and worked for a few minutes, his tongue poking from the corner of his mouth in concentration. He stopped for just a moment, leaning in close to you to whisper for advice on his creation.

"Can you see what they're doing?" Clint asked Bruce, both of them straining to see as their eyes adjusted to the change in light.

"I think I might know...maybe?"

Peter finished and took a stand behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder, watching eagerly as you took your turn to finish what he had made. Light began to dance from your fingers towards the ceiling, sending specific colors in each direction with precision and subtle nuances that brought his webs almost to life.

"Holy shit," Tony gasped, standing up to look closer, his mouth hanging open at the sight. "How long did you work on this?" Each member of the team stood with him, several of them pulling out their phones to capture the memory.

"A few days. Do you like it?"

All Tony could do was nod silently as he moved beneath it, an intricate puzzle of webs that created the likeness of each team member, with your colors highlighting their features. "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. And I've made some pretty amazing stuff."

"So can we keep him?" you asked coyly, feeling Pete's hands tighten around you with anticipation of Tony's response. The rest of the team had nodded and murmured their agreements as they continued to study the webs over their heads, while Tony stopped in front of you both with his hand extended.

"Welcome to the team, Itsy bitsy spider."

"Come on," Peter groaned when you couldn't contain your laugh, "it's...it's Spider...man..."