"Phantom, back up the Spider." Dad's voice calls over the comms, and I barely have to hear my name before darting off headfirst into the action. I'm glad he called when he did, because otherwise, I probably would be in major trouble if he knew I was going to interfere without permission or orders.

"On my way." I chime and run into the empty terminal building. "Got them, second floor of the terminal, heading east. Meet you inside, Spandex."

I phase through the window and slip around the empty terminal. Sam and Sergeant Barnes are running directly towards me, but Spidey distracts them when he enters. I push my body into run to join the fray.

When I come face to face with the infamous Bucky, I have to physically stop myself from babbling and asking a hundred questions about the stories Steve told. "Nice to meet you, Sergeant Barnes. Sorry it's not under better circumstances." I tell him as I dodge a couple punches, and inadvertently land a solid one when he pauses at the sound of being called 'Sergeant Barnes.'

Although, he quickly recovers with plenty of time to take a swing at me. I grab his fist in my own, and struggle to keep it in place. The moment I let go, the residual force knocks me back on to the floor, where I flip back onto my feet and continue.

It's a pretty decent fight against Bucky, who is a lot stronger than I would have though, and Spidey has a monopoly on Sam's attention. Still, I try to do my best to do what I've been asked, no matter how much I don't want to. Especially after seeing the look in Bucky's eyes. It's the same haunted look I see in the mirror and makes my stomach churn knowing what will happen to him if this goes Ross's way.

"I was just about to say the same to you, kid." He retorts and swings a punch that I barely manage to dodge. "You don't know the full story."

He lands a solid hit to my face, and I lurch back before returning the favor. "Then buy us some time to explain it." He lets out a huff as we continue to fight, both each other and the other opponents.

He quickly recovers though and knocks my feet from beneath me. His fist lands inches from my face as I immediately roll the second I hit the ground. "What is it with these kids and talking?" He shouts to Sam, who shrugs and knocks Spidey from the rafters.

Spiderman lands with a heavy thud, and we stand side by side as we try to corner the pair. Sam stumbles back as I land a solid kick to his chest. He opens his mouth to say something, but doesn't get the chance to speak as Spiderman jumps into the action and knocks Sam down to the next level with Barnes to soon follow after a solid punch from me.

I breathe heavily as Spiderman webs them to the ground. Now, I've got them in one place, which leaves me with the question of how to talk to them about what's going on. Spidey stays crouched on one of the display stands behind me as he calls down to them, "Guys, look we'd love to keep this up, but I've only got one job here today, and I've gotta impress Mr. Stark. So, I'm really sorry."

Spidey extends his hands to shoot another web, and I barely get a moment to blink before Sam's Redwing drone attaches to his outstretched hand and carries him through the window. "You couldn't have done that earlier?" Bucky complains, which makes a small laugh escape my lips.

The lower half of my mask clicks off, and I relish the feeling of the cool air on my face for a moment. I look down at Bucky and Sam as I try to convince myself I'm about to do the right thing. "This never happened." I whisper and use the shadows to cut away at most of the webbing. "And I'm really sorry about all of this."

"Phantom, mind lending me a hand out here?" Dad calls over the comms, and I slip my mask on before I rush to his location to find a pile of cars strewn about with my dad pinned beneath them. I lift them up one at a time with the massive shadow version of myself. "Thanks, kiddo."

"Dad, wait." I call before he can launch himself off again. "I don't think this is right. We should be helping, not arresting them right now."

"It's a lot more complicated than that." He sighs and releases his mask for a moment, and I do the same so we can clearly see each other. "This is serious. If they don't stop, we may not be able to be Avengers anymore."

"But if we don't help stop the doctor, they might be super soldiers out there and no Avengers to stop them." I retort and pray he can see the pain that's radiating through me. "Dad, what if we're wrong?"

"We can't be." His words hang in the air as hishelmet clamps back on, and he hovers in the air for a moment. "I don't know if you should be in the middle of this. Stay on the sidelines unless things go sideways."

"You're taking me out? Now?" I screech at him, but he doesn't listen as he flies off back into the fight, leaving me to simmer in my own frustration. He doesn't get it. I don't want to be in the middle of this, but I have to be. I feel responsible for making sure no one gets hurt and make sure Peter doesn't get himself in over his head.

I stand back and watch for along moment as it continues to unfold. My heart hammers against my sternum as I wait for even the smallest excuse to rejoin the fight. Luckily, I don't have to wait for long before something explodes and rocks the ground, and I rush towards where the rest of the team is gathering.

Dad drops Nat onto the ground, while Rhodey does the same with the panther dude. Spidey swings in, and I watch from a few meters away as the two teams start to run towards each other for what will likely be the final fight. My muscles strain as I try to reach them before it gets too far.

"They're not stopping." Peter's voice echoes over the comms, panic lacing his words.

Dad's voice chimes back, cold and detached. "Neither are we."

My heart stutters from the overwhelming fear as they get closer. I know I'll never make it in time to really stop them, but there's always one thing I can do. Pinpricks trace across my skin as my body transforms into shadows. It's more difficult when I'm in a high stress situation like this, but it's immensely useful in quick, controlled travel.

It's perfect for navigating a fight like this. Punches and blasts move right through me, and I can disrupt both sides with added concentration. "I told you, stay out of this." Dad calls as I redirect his blast away from Steve.

"Yeah, well, we both know I'm as stubborn as you." I reply with a shove to his hand before I race away to stop more of this stupid fight. My attention is drawn by a blur of red and blue, and I immediately head in the same direction.

Spiderman somersaults and lands in a crouch. "That thing does not obey the law of physics at all." He shouts to Captain America, who is sliding the shield back over his arm like always.

"Look, kid. There's a lot going on that you don't understand." Steve replies, and I just wish that they all knew how much both of them don't understand. If only they would stop bickering for a minute, maybe we could actually solve this mess.

"Mr. Stark said you'd say that." Peter replies and shoots his webs. I have to bite back a sigh and try to keep from hitting him upside the head right then and there. My Dad is many things—a billionaire, a father, a genius, and inventor—but he's not always right. Nor is he perfect—none of us are. I just wish Peter could understand that.

"He also said to aim for your legs." Peter adds as he webs up Cap's legs. Well, at least my dad was right about one thing.

"Did Stark tell you anything else?" I can feel Steve's eyes dart to my spot in the shadows for a split second, and I wonder if there's not more to that question than Peter knows.

"That you're wrong, but you think you're right and that makes you dangerous." I roll my eyes at the comment. It seems to be the logic of this whole mess—'if you don't agree with me, you're wrong and dangerous.'

Spiderman kicks off and swings around the structure, readying himself to kick Cap into next week. Except, he's beaten to the punch—or in this case, the kick. I watch patiently as he's knocked back by the momentum into one of the supports. "Guess he had a point." Steve concedes and tosses his shield into the support Spidey just knocked against, which sends it buckling and almost collapsing on top of Peter.

A part of me wants to intervene, but something else is curious to see how Peter will handle himself in this kind of situation. So, I stand still and watch.

"You got heart, kid. Where ya from?"

"Queens." Spiderman manages to huff as he's trying to keep from getting crushed.

Cap nods with a soft smile appearing. "Brooklyn." He states with a small nod in my direction as he turns and rejoins the rest of the fight.

The moment he's gone, I put myself back to normal and rush in front of a huffing Spiderman. He groans beneath the weight, and I feel a pang of guilt in my chest. He wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me. Of course, Dad would have found him without my help, but I still feel so guilty.

"You want some help with that?" I question, already mentally prepping myself for the exhaustion of turning to shadow again. He nods in a wordless confirmation. I crouch down next to him and slowly stand up with the shadow version of me growing tall enough to lift it off of Spiderman.

He quickly scrambles out from underneath it, and I take my opportunity to resume my normal size and somersault out before it collapses on the ground. My muscles ache as I lay back against the warm pavement, and for a split second, I almost forget we're not just Peter and Lia hanging out like always.

Almost being the key word.

It all comes rushing back when the tiny guy becomes super-sized. I leap up to my feet along with Spiderman, who promptly shouts in surprise, but I don't hear it over my own voice shouting, "Hey! I'm the one that goes super-sized." Then I notice he's got a hold of Rhodey, which makes me even more upset. "Oh, now you're in for it. Let go of my Uncle Rhodey!"

The tiny guy laughs for a second before swinging and tossing Rhodey aside, which immediately sparks Spiderman into action. He works to catch him while I try to figure out where to go to try to stop this.

That's when I spot Captain America and Bucky running around on the sidelines—directly towards the quinjet. Luckily, I seem to be the only one who notices, and I make full use of the fact.

"Okay, does anyone on our side hiding any shocking and fantastic abilities they'd like to disclose? I'm open to possibilities." Dad complains over comms.

"None that would be useful." I mumble to myself and work on navigating the chaos of tiny guy's distraction in the hopes of helping Steve and Bucky make it out of this. Of course, it means that if I'm caught, I go to jail with the rest of them, but something in me says it's the right thing to do.

Panther Guy seems to have noticed what the tiny dude is trying to draw attention from, because he's hot on my heels right up until tiny steps in between us and him. I ignore the searing pain in my muscles from the continued strain. All I can think about is that I have to do this.

Wanda doesn't seem to have gotten the telepathic memo though as she uses her powers to freeze me and simultaneously deflect Rhodey. "Wanda," I wheeze, completely out of breath from the strain of the continuous fight, "please, I wanna help them get out of here."

She pauses for a moment. Her lips twist and eyes narrow as she considers the statement—and very likely is searching my mind to see if I'm lying. It only takes a moment before her face relaxes every so slightly, and the energy holding me fades. "Then I hope you know what you're doing."

"I hope so too." I retort sadly. But I don't get a chance to say anything further as another crash echoes across the runway. Vision's energy beam tears into the tower, which promptly sends it toppling.

Wanda's eyes meet mine for a split second, and a silent understanding passes between us as we move in tandem with our abilities to prop it up. "Keep running, keep running, please, keep running." I whisper, and I swear I feel like I'm holding it up with my own arms.

A screeching, ringing, deafening noise fills my ears. It sends waves of pain through my skull as I clamp a hand over my ears and fall to my knees. Then, as suddenly as it came, it leaves—with a dull throbbing in its wake, but I manage open my eyes to see Rhodey flying off.

Great, now I'm really screwed.

There's not long to dwell on it though. Because like always in a fight—something else is happening that needs attention. In this case, it's taking down the not-so-tiny man, who's been keeping nearly all attention the past minute and a half.

"Hey, guys. You ever see that really old movie—Empire Strikes Back." Peter calls over the comms as he dodges the giant hand, and I'd roll my eyes if I didn't feel like they'd fall out of my head. Of course, even in the middle of a fight, Peter freaking Parker finds a way to be nerdy.

"Geez, Tony, how old is this kid?" Rhodey asks, and I wish I could reply with a simple answer of 'not old enough for this.'

Dad's quick to reply with a snarky comment in my place. "I don't know. I didn't carbon date him. He's a little on the young side."

"You know that part—" Spiderman—or Peter—continues, "—when they're on the snow planet—with the walking thingies?"

I push myself up onto my hands and watch as Spiderman swings around the giant with his webs. It all moves so fluidly. As the giant starts to lose his balance, Dad and Rhodey fly up to deliver a rocket-fueled uppercut that knocks him down—and into a plane's wing.

Well, I'd certainly hate to being the one paying for the damages of this fight.

"Yes! That was awesome!" Spiderman cheers as he swings around the giant's arm, cheering and happy at the victory. Except, he's too excited to notice the hand that knocks him through the air and into a stack of crates with what looks like a painful crash.

Something about the sight makes my chest hurt with a whole new pain. It overtakes the rest of the sore muscles and pounding echoes of pain radiating through me as I force myself to my feet and run towards him. Because all I can think about is Spiderman—about Peter.

I wonder if he's okay the entire time I stumble over to him, but my Dad beats me there. Spiderman's mask is halfway pulled up his face as he halfway fights my dad—not knowing who it is. My stomach drops. I'm reminded like a punch in the gut that's not just Spiderman and Iron Man; that's my best friend and dad over there.

It's a brutal reminder that this isn't just a normal fight. This is my family tearing themselves apart because each side believes they're the only ones right. Except now, I'm starting to realize something I should have before—I crossed a line and may never see them again.

Dad says something to Peter that seems to make him give up for now, and I take my window to interact with him—just in case I don't get to see him again. "You know, you really should be more careful with your mask, Spandex." I tell him as I crouch down to his level. "If you had pulled it up a little bit more, I would've known if your face is as cute as the rest of you."

"You—you saw me?" He questions through heavy breaths with a nervous stutter.

"Just a glimpse. If it's any consolation, it wasn't much—just enough to know you're kind of cute." I tease, but then there's the inevitable distraction that stops the conversation.

"Vision!" Rhodey calls for what's likely not the first time, and it takes me a second to realize what's going on and the inevitable outcome. Vision shoots a beam at Sam, who dodges it with ease.

Except, Uncle Rhodey didn't have the same luck.

All I can see from my vantage point is the Iron Patriot suit tumbling towards the ground. People are shouting over comms, but it's all muffled by the sound of my own heartbeat in my ears. Two words screech in my head as I move faster than ever before. Save him.

Save him. Save him. Save him.

It's a mantra that rings out as I make it to the edge of the field and try with all my remaining energy to do anything to slow his fall. But, like every time before, it's not enough. He hits the ground like a meteorite. The force of it creates a large crater in the ground and my chest.

"No." I whisper with tears and emotions building beyond my control. Dad and Sam are on the ground next to him, trying to make sure he's okay, but something in me says he's far from it. Especially when Dad blasts Sam, and I feel myself break.

And the world goes white.