This is my first time posting a story in Peter's 1st person point of view. Hope you enjoy ;) (important authors note at the end)

Peter Parker POV

Web-slinging through New York on most days would've been fun.

The sun would be shining, there'd be a cool breeze trifling through the city, and there'd be nothing up there to bother me aside from, perhaps, the occasional collision with a flock of pigeons. But, feathers and bird poop aside, it would still be great.

Know why?

Because it'd be warm.

Unlike now, as I sat shivering on a tall building ledge. In the middle of December. On Christmas Eve. While it was snowing.

I shivered violently again within the frigid spandex of my costume, pulling the blue gilet coat closer around my chest before quickly rewrapping the scarf around my neck, so it didn't fly up in my face with the next obscene gust of wind.

Beneath the thin fabric, my cold skin stung to the extent that no amount of rubbing was going to help. No matter, playing into my ignorance and naivety, I rubbed my hand over my arms anyway with the intent to spark fire. Curse the cold. Curse gilet coats that did nothing. Curse criminals who never took the holidays off. Curse the Earth for spinning on its axis and causing seasons. Who thought that was a good idea anyway?!

I shifted on the building ledge, cracking and shaking off the ice that was beginning to crust on my costume. Fortunately, I wasn't at the brunt of the attack of snow. I chose this building specifically because of its low hanging balconies and gargoyle shields, both proving to be decent refuge from the otherwise innocent-looking snowflakes. Unfortunately, it didn't keep all the snow away. Teeth chattering and limbs shivering, I blew into my cold fingers in an attempt to bring warmth and feeling back to them.

No such luck.

For the umpteenth time, I wished I was wearing a gigantic, feather-stuffed, fur-lined winter coat, or, even better, a snowsuit that could make me look like the Michelin Tire guy from the commercial. Unfortunately, however, those things weren't very aerodynamic when it came to swinging around on webs - too much air drag and all that fun sciencey stuff. Which was sad. For once I wished my powers weren't so keen to acrobatics. Frankly, the gilet and scarf were the only things I could wear that wouldn't give off as much air resistance, and while they were good and light-weight, they didn't do much to keep the cold away at this height.

Attempting to rub heat into my hands again, I tried to take my mind off my impending case of hypothermia and frostbite. Across the street, the Rockefeller Center ice rink was teeming with masses of people gathered on the ice, wrapped in their warm clothing, and enjoying an evening with friends, family, and hot cocoa.

Leaning against the frigid surface of the building, I watched the gliding crowds intermingle and twist, thinking of the times when Aunt May, Uncle Ben, and I had gone skating. It had become something of a tradition for us. Every year, the day before Christmas Eve, we'd spend the entire day at the ice-rink. Uncle Ben always challenged us to a race from one side of the rink to the other, which Aunt May always won. Then we'd try out different skating tricks, and drink hot chocolate until we were about to burst. One year, Uncle Ben had been trying to skate backward and accidentally spilled his hot chocolate on a total stranger. Oh, I'd never forget how the two had gotten tangled on the ice, tripping over each other, rolling around in spilled hot chocolate, both shooting out flustered apologies as they tried to help each other up. The memory made me smile, and despite being so high up, I tried to stifle a small laugh behind my hand. I missed those days. I had looked forward to them even more than Christmas.

Dang, how long has it been since I went ice-skating? Definitely not since Uncle Ben passed, but it seemed like ages. I bet Aunt May misses it too. Every year she'd sew up news sweaters and scarfs for us to wear. I'd definitely rather one of those than the gilet coat I had right now. Eyes fixated on the ice, I found a block of determination freezing in my chest. Why shouldn't we continue the tradition? MJ and Harry would love to join. If I could get a day off after Christmas, maybe I could rally them and Aunt May and we could all spend an evening with drinking hot chocolate and skating. Of course, I wasn't opposed to group activity either. The Ultimates, Web Warriors and New Warriors could also join in. It would totally be fun!

Admittedly, I'd usually be worried about hiding our superhero attributes in public, but a giant winter coat could conceal just about anything. Zabu would have to stay at the Triskelion though. Couldn't risk a sabre tooth tiger scaring the wits out of the citizens. We'd probably get the police and animal controls called on us. Squrriel Girl and her tail wouldn't be a problem, she usually slept around the winter months with squirrel friends- so I doubt she'd want to journey out of her warm bed to slide around on ice in freezing cold weather. I wasn't sure about Cloak either. Glowing eyes and a Grim Reaper cloak probably wouldn't sit well with most people. I wonder if he could change his clothes...huh...I'd have to ask him next time I see him.

I almost had to muffle another laugh. It was ironic that just a few years ago I had been patrolling this very spot, alone, wondering what kind of lame excuse I would come up with when I couldn't make it to the Osborn's Christmas party on time. And now here I was, already planning a trip to the Rockafeller Center for my three teams. That's a grand total of 15 people (including Sandman of course).

Sometimes it was astounding how at one point, it had only been me. A lone teenage boy swinging around in a bright onesie with nothing but hand-built webshooters and questionable wit to fight crime with. Then it had increased to 5 when I joined S.H.I.E.L.D and became an official member of a team. Then 10 when the New Warriors were formed, and now, here I stood at a whoppin 15 with the addition of the Web Warriors-plus Sandman, even though he's not technically a member of the team. He needed some time to himself after Amadeus and I found him held captive by Doctor Octopus.

Even so, I could still remember my days of crime-fighting alone, going on patrols by myself, and bandaging and cleaning my own wounds, worried that I wouldn't be able to hide my injuries from Aunt May. But now, just a few years later, and I'm worried about the cohesion and safety of my team. The thought sent a warm glow throughout my body, making my frozen fingers tingle almost pleasantly. The change between my old superhero life and my new one was...startling, but amazing at the same time. I'm enjoying the new one a lot more, to say the least. It was nice not having to lie or sneak my hero life around my family - well, most of them anyway. Harry and MJ still didn't know, and frankly, I didn't have the guts to tell them yet. If I were to tell them now, MJ would probably take one of the giants, plastic candy canes lining the rink and start beating me with it for not giving her the exclusive Spider-Man interview she's always wanted. She'd probably even switch off and give Harry a turn as soon as he got over his horrified shock.

Call Spider-Man a yellow-bellied, lily-livered chicken all you want, but I didn't want to face either of them with this part of my life until both were properly and safely secluded in a place where I'd be safe from their anger. Of course, sooner or later they'd have to find out, but for now, well...let's just let it be later.

My thoughts were interrupted by a sharp beep from my wrist communicator.

-Spider-Man, Conners called from below. Sighing, I lifted my wrist so I could see Connors more clearly through the screen. Where are you? the scientist asked. I just finished the design for the weapon against Hydra. I wanted to start building it right away.

Oh, right. THat was a thing. "Sorry Doc," I grimaced, "this weather is going to be the death of me. My skin already almost fused itself to a building wall this morning. I'm doing the best I can out here. Did you know some spider's hibernated through the winter? I'm thinking about taking a page from Squirrel Girl's book and hitting the hay all winter long."

Conners rolled his eyes, though I let myself believe it was through affection. -Alright, fine. Just get on over here. I need some of your muscle if I'm going to get started on this.

Some of MY muscle. Ha! The first time I've ever heard that one before. But even if it left me feeling puffed inside, I still felt a twinge of irritation.

"I'm supposed to be heading over to Aunt May's for Christmas Eve with Harry and MJ, can't Venom or Scarlet lift for you?"

-Of course not.

"Why not?"

-Because they don't appreciate the delicacies of science like you do.

I groaned, huffing against the building wall. Curse my love for science too! Albeit, Connors did have a point. Agent Venom and Scarlet Spider weren't the most delicate of people when it came to science. Miles was a little better, but he didn't like being cooped in a lab. Amadeus would be a good partner, but the Iron Spider suit was only so strong. Besides, if Cho got a look at the plans, there was no doubt he'd take over the whole operation. The kid was a genius, but Connors needed to keep the info about this weapon within a small circle, and he probably didn't want to fight for the keys over the whole operation with a teenager.

"Alright," I muttered, flicking irritably at the snow growing on the foot of my gargoyle shield, "I'll be there soon."

Connors' eyes softened. -Thank you. he said, voice light with gratitude. Then the screen went black.

I sighed again, rubbing my face and smearing frozen water over my eye-lenses. I loved my teams like a family, loved Connors like an Uncle, but that didn't mean I liked having no time to himself. Sometimes I felt more like the Ultimate Spider-Mom than the Ultimate Spider-Man. Perhaps I could take on the name "Daddy Longlegs" instead, and completely surrender my title of "Spider-Man" to Miles.

But I wasn't that desperate yet. Duty calls. Making sure the gilet was zipped as far as it could go, I pried my freezing skin from the building and crouched on the ledge. I waited a second for the chilly evening wind to slow, before jumping off and diving head first into icy winds and falling snow. I wasted no time in shooting a web, however. Web-swinging in the winter was a lot harder than in any other season. There were things like ice and sleet on buildings, making it difficult to latch onto anything. Besides, the snow did stuff to my spider-sense anyway. My danger sense wasn't as sharply attuned as it should be when snow falls, as the if flakes was a bunch of static to my brain. Rain was kind of like that too, but not nearly as bad. As it was, my spider-sense is definitely helpful when swinging around hundreds of feet in the air, and with it on the fritz, I need to be a lot more careful unless I wanted to paint the city red - in the most horrific way possible.

Through the snow, above the buildings, I noticed clouds thickening in the distance.

I really hope we aren't in for a storm.

LINE BREAK 

"Connors, these are brilliant!"

"Why thank you, Spider-Man." Connors nodded, face straight and professional. But past his facade, I could see pride and excitement in his eyes. The doctor was just as impressed with himself as I was.

I leaned over the table, bringing the blueprints closer to my face to silently read over the footnotes and detailing again. I wouldn't call myself top-notch level genius like Cho or Tony Stark, but I understood enough to see the ultimate design of the weapon - which was more than the average person could say. And from what I was seeing, this weapon was gonna be pret~ty impressive.

There was just one problem.

"So, uh, what kind of weapon is this?" I asked, trying to keep my skepticism low and easy.

Connor stopped his fidgeting with a contraption on the table, seamlessly catching onto my tone and quirked an eyebrow. "It's not lethal if that's what you're asking," he assured me, looking back down to tinker with his project. "I know how sensitive you are to those kinds of things, so it's not like I'd ask you to help me make one."

A breath of relief pressed past my lungs. "Phew, and makes me glad how considerate you are." Unlike most kids my age, I don't really enjoy a lot of violence - especially the lethal kind. Which was weird because I was literally out fighting criminals, gangs, thugs, or villains all the time. Maybe it was because I was nearly killed every week due to my heroic "hobbies", or perhaps it was because I was raised by the two gentlest, fair-hearted people on the planet. Whatever the reason, I wasn't too fond of weapons of any type; guns, knives, swords, or just about anything that was pointy or spewing lasers and bullets. If I needed a weapon, I preferred it was my own two fists and my web-shooters.

Buuuuut, there was the occasion when I DID enjoy using weapons. But those were things like the Webcannon 3000, and Arachnadisks, and Impact Force Bubbles, and Invisa Shields - utterly awesome, but designed to immobilize, not kill or do excessive harm. Those were Spidey's type of weapons.

I set the paper down gently, keeping it flat on the table. Looking up, I clapped my hands together, asking with a smile, "So, what do you need done first?"

"I need you to move those pneumatic motors over by the turbine by the - yeah, right there. Then I need a few hydraulic cylinders placed inside that engine on the table." Dr. Connors instructed, pointing to each device in turn.

I nodded, looking over the machines before shooting him a thumbs up, "Got it. I'm totally on top of this." I jumped across the room and landed in front of the motors. These weren't your typical types of motors. These were huge, monstrous machines, heavy weighted, thick, and enforced with steel and titanium. They were long, dark, and tall, looking like they belonged in a massive submarine owned by some evil, top-secret organization. But, overall, it was nothing a little spider strength couldn't handle.

Carefully, as if picking up a bomb, I curled my fingers around the bottom edge of the motor and began to lift, gradually putting more and more of my strength into it as the device got heavier. Once it was off the ground and I had a firm hold, I carefully walked across the floor and set it down by a bigger, heavier looking turbine. Without so much as a pause, I turned to go back to fetch the other ones.

We worked in silence. The only noises in the room were the small tinkering of Connors with his contraption, and the soft thud of motors hitting the ground. Once those were done, I turned to place the hydraulic cylinders into their designated engines.

"How long do you think this is going to take?" I piped up, rolling one of the hydraulic cylinders in my hand, effectively jolting Connors out of his scientific daze.

"What?" the older man mumbled, squinting at me. "Oh, you mean the weapon? Hopefully, with a bit of luck on our side, no more than a month. The procedure and design are extremely delicate, going any faster things would not turn out well."

I paused my work. "...How bad would it turn out?"

"Well," he thought, "think...BOOM."

"Boom?" I parroted.

"Boom," he confirmed.

I gulped, "Well then, no rushing. Got it." I slowly placed the cylinder into the turbine, holding my breath as it clicked in place. There was no resulting boom. Nerves tingling, I picked up the next one with delicate fingers.

I would really hate it if I had to rebuild the Triskelion...again...

LINE BREAK

It was later when I was walking through the halls of the Academy, waving to S.H.I.E.L.D agents as I passed, as I headed to the classrooms on the other side of the building. After an hour or two of helping Connors in the lab, I decided I might as well check up on the teams before I headed back to Queens. They weren't supposed to be doing any physical training today. Rather, the S.H.I.E.L.D technicians had put together some videos and clips of battles/scenarios that the students would watch and later identify steps or tools they would use to defeat a certain villain. The videos were fast and shaky, sometimes they jumped back as if they were taking a small rest, or jerked forward like they were landing a blow. They were designed to get the students' minds reacting faster so they would start to naturally come up with the solution on their own.

To be honest, I was supposed to be the one overseeing the exercise. But, between doing a Christmas Eve patrol and working in the labs with Connors, I had to take a rain-check, leaving White Tiger and Scarlet Spider in charge of the group activities. I shuddered to think of the poor soul who happened to get on their wrong side. Those two were as fierce as fierce got.

But, teenagers WERE still teenagers - I should know, I happened to be one. And sometimes, when something got boring, minds tended to drift. I expect that right about now, with Amadeus's expertise in all things machines, they were probably watching some action movie or superhero clips on youtube. That's what I would probably end up doing, anyway. Which was probably why Fury doesn't trust me in the computer labs alone anymore.

But, I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the classroom to find the teams actually sitting in their seats, holographic screens glowing, as the assigned fighting clips played in front of only sounds in the room came from the speakers in the desks' sides, playing the screams, shouts, and explosions that came with fighting. White Tiger and Scarlet Spider did a pretty good job, from what I could see. Everything was running as smooth as glass.

That s, until a loud shout came from the person closest to me.

"ARGH! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" Agent Venom fumed, fist clenching so hard he looked close to smashing the desk in with his hands. He jabbed a finger into the screen aggressively, and a moment later the device beeped, flashed red and said in a flat, robotic female voice, "You have been decapitated by Taskmaster. Try again."

"ARGH!"

Nearby him, Dagger was hunched over her desk, rubbing her temples in frustration. "Well how was I supposed to know that there was a fuse there," she growled under her breath.

Nova sputtered curses from across the room.

Okay, maybe not as smooth as glass.

I cleared my throat, the noise sounding out of place within the frustrated premise. "Hey peeps," I called, wincing with my choice of words. Who says peeps anymore? "What's up?" Heads instantly popped up and swiveled in my direction.

"Spidey!" Agent Venom cried, voice swiftly changing into one of greeting. "Does that mean we're done? Please say yes, I've had it with this exercise. Can't we just go to the training rooms and punch some L.M.D's instead?" his screen beeped within his rant, saying loudly You've been stabbed by Kraven the Hunter. Try again.

I was almost certain Venom's eye twitched beneath his mask. "Grrrah! No one tells Agent Venom what to do!"

I quickly caught Venom's fist before it connected to the screen. "Whoa, easy there. I'd hate to have to replace the desks...again."

Agent Venom chuckled sheepishly, rubbing his head with his hand. "Sorry..."

"No problem," I said, looking over at Kazar who was muttering something unintelligible under his breath. "Mind telling me what the problem is?"

As if recalling the source of his frustration, Agent Venom's glare returned to the screen, hands clenching in spite. "It's just this stupid assignment is impossible. No matter what I do, something goes wrong and the stupid computer makes me restart. It happens. Every. Single. Time."

"So...maybe you're doing something wrong?" I suggested with a small shrug. "I don't know, to be honest, I haven't even done the assignment yet."

"Yeah, well, it sucks," Nova commented as his computer beeped and told him he'd been disintegrated. His teeth grit together, jaw clenching. "I swear, if this thing talks one more time, I'm gonna..."

What a bunch of drama queens. If the videos were a little difficult, then the technicians did their jobs right. "Come on, it can't be that bad," I replied, rolling my eyes.

Nova quirked an eyebrow at me, lips pursing. "Fine, Mr. I-can-do-anything, why don't you come try." He turned the black screen in my direction and gestured cooly to it. I paused, struck with the challenge. Wow, Nova must be serious if he was taking it that far, challenges were usually reserved for on-hand training and videogames. I did a quick look around the room, noticing how the rest of the class was watching now, waiting intently for an answer.

My confidence in the clips dropped a notch. "I didn't say I could do anything," I remarked, going for casual and feigning indifference. "But fine." It's not like I could back down anyway. The respect I've been gradually collecting over the years was on the line. They were all used to me stepping up to the challenge, so how could I say no this time? I'd just have to hurdle through it and be done. If push came to shove, I could always blame it on the fact that I hadn't even seen the clips since I watched the technicians build them.

Nova smiled, already looking smug, and leaned back in his chair, arms folded, as I stepped in front of the screen. There were two buttons on the black surface, one with word 'Restart' on it, and another that said 'Help.' Where was the exit button? There was always supposed to be an exit button.

Doing another idle glance around the room, my team watched in amusement. All of them looked pretty eager to watch me fail. Dang, the videos must've really riled them all up. Which meant there was officially no going back. Not with my reputation at stake.

"Come on Webhead, you're not backing down are you." Buckethead antagonized, "It's just a few measly videos, remember? Nothing the Ultimate Spider-Man can't handle."

"Don't get your bucket in a twist," I snapped, "I'm going." I pushed the 'Restart' button. Almost instantly, both buttons disappeared and were replaced with an automated female voice 'Exercise will begin in 5 seconds...1...2...3...4...5' As soon as the last number disappeared, the screen instantly surged to life with a video of some street in New York. Small buildings and garbage cans were on fire, sending black smoke in the air as screaming people ran for safety. The cars on the road swerved to avoid hitting pedestrians and other drivers, the screeching of tires rising above the screaming, the wailing of sirens grew in the distance. The video enlarged to reveal Molten Man at the center of the chaos, angrily spewing fire at police officers hiding behind their half-melted cars.

After a few seconds, the video suddenly pitched forward, as if attacking. Molten Man grunted, turning to face the screen, yelling, "Do you really think you can stop me?" and shot fat globs of fire from his hands. I rolled my eyes. The technicians could've lightened up with the cheesy lines. Not all villains talked like that. The video dodged the fire attack and sprang forward. A second later Molten Man stumbled back with a grunt as if he'd been punched,

"You're going to pay for that!" he said with a lunge. Rather than getting creamed by the Human-Torch-Wannabe, the screen went black and a question popped up: What could you use out of your environment to defeat Molten Man?

I rubbed my chin with a hum. I actually remember this fight. Each video clip for the exercise was taken from cameras and sensory detectors hewn into the suits of the students to record their fights. Nova must'be gotten the battle I had with Molty a few months back. I didn't pick up much from the video alone - but I did remember that battle fairly well, mostly because of the second-degree burns Dr. Connors treated for me. From what I could recall, Molten Man had managed to rally a bunch of goons to rob a bank for him. Busting up the goons was easy enough, but in his attempt to get away, Molten had cornered himself on a street and went on a rampage trying to get out of it. The original fight had taken too long. Most of the citizens walked away unharmed - thank goodness - but there was heavy property damage. I finally had managed to put him out of commission by dousing him with a fire hydrant hidden behind a cop car when he had burned up most of his energy You could barely catch a glimpse of the hydrant in the video, but I knew for a fact it was there. I quickly typed my reply in the response box and entered it in.

We all sat silently while the machine processed the answer. It beeped green. 'Villain defeated. Move on to next clip." and a new button with 'Video 6' on it appeared on the screen.

WHOO!" I pumped my fist, doing a little victory dance, "AH yeah! Uh-huh! Spider-Man one, Molten Man zero!"

Scowling, Nova jerked the screen back around. "You got an easy one," he muttered, slouching in his seat as the next video played. I paused halfway through the Cupid Shuffle, noticing the way he picked solemnly at his desk, hardly even paying attention to the new video. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say Nova looked...disappointed. I stopped my celebrating, overcome with a sudden prick of guilt. I - I didn't do something wrong...right?

Turning back around, the other students had lost interest and were back to their exercises. I swallowed softly. Many of them had looks that reflected Nova's. Had I done something wrong? I hadn't said anything about Nova's helmet outloud again, did I?

Eyebrows pinching, I turned back to Nova, suddenly self-conscious. "Uh...whaaat did I do now?"

Nova rolled his eyes, irritation darkening around his iris's. Quietly, in almost a whisper, he muttered, "How'd you do it?"

"Pardon?"

"How. Did. You. Do. It." he repeated roughly. "The exercise. I've been working on that video for, like, nearly 10 minutes now and I always forgot something. And you just come in and finish it in one. How'd you do it?" I didn't need to turn around to know the other kids' interests were pigqued once again.

"Um...well," I rubbed my neck uncomfortably, trying to recall my memories of that day, "Molten Man was already pretty over-heated, and the fires he made were already sucking up all the oxygen, so just getting him mad enough to follow you around is enough to wipe him out, and then there was a fire hydrant behind one of the police cars. So, you know, just had to pop it open and," I made whoosh sounds, followed by steam, "And bada-bing-bada-boom, Molten Man is defeated."

They all continued to stare at me for a few long seconds before looking away wordlessly. Nova shook his head in disbelief and turned back to the exercise, looking worse than before.

Okay, what did I do this time? Nova was the one who asked.

Looking back and forth between the group, no one provided any answers to my questioning look, and, frankly, I was feeling a bit hesitant about asking.

"Uh...I'm going to go check on Dr. Connors," I told them, inching back to the doors. "Bye?"

No one offered any objections, so I left without another word.

LINE BREAK

I didn't end up going back to the labs. Instead, I went up to Nick Fury's office to get a bit of paperwork done.

And by "a bit" I meant a stack so high it went past my head. When hearing about S.H.I.E.L.D, people thought of agents, spies, cool theme songs, and explosions that could only be seen in a James Bond movie. What people seldom thought of was the financial problems. The staff needed to be paid, the water and electricity bill needed attention, food, fuel, and weapons needed to be bought, international threats and issue's needed to be sorted out (though Connors normally took care of those). Not to mention the Triskelion got attacked, beaten, and broke every other day by some villain out for revenge - money went into rebuilding this stuff! Lot's of it! No wonder Fury is always so grumpy. If I was stuck behind a desk sorting through water bills and international affairs, I'd be one step behind throwing someone off the Tricarrier myself.

And if head-inducing paperwork wasn't bad enough, then the worsening weather outside was like a stubbed toe. Thick clouds bunched so close they looked ready to fall under their own weight and crush the ocean. The Triskelion itself was being hugged in a thick layer of misty clouds. From inside it looked pretty, almost mystical, but from outside - ugh, it was so coooold.

It wasn't necessarily cold inside the office, but sooner or later I was going to have to journey outside the Academy. I promised Aunt May I'd be home in time for Christmas Eve dinner with MJ and Harry, and I've been so busy being Spider-Man that I didn't dare pass up the opportunity to spend time with the three closest people I had. However, if the weather continued like this then the only way I was making it back to Queens was as an authentic, frostbitten Spideysicle, complete with beanie and gilet!

Sighing, I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. Well...at least it wasn't snowing.

A fat snowflake spiraled suddenly through the air, tauntingly, before resting on the thick layer of snow already coating the ledge. Frick. Groaning in frustration, I spun back around in the leather swivel chair and plopped down on the desk, sending papers zig-zagging across the floor in all directions. Great, just great, now I had bills to pick up. Just wonderful...

Another groan pushed past my tongue. I did NOT have the willpower to rise out of the comfy swivel chair, nor any desire to pick the papers up at all. Heck, I was tempted to swipe all the folders and stacks off the desk just to watch the chaos that ensued...that wasn't weird, was it?

Yep, this has become my life. Finding delight in knocking papers over. Peter Parker everyone, bask in my amazingness.

I groaned once more and slouched in my seat childishly. As I stared at the scattered papers, a familiar nagging anxiety began to prob at my brain like a hot iron rod. There was so much to get done, so many things that needed to be attended to, and whenever I actually managed to get those things done, there was always something different taking its place. I could barely remember to take out the trash at home, much less balance taxes and dues of an entire organization.

"What were you thinking when you left me in charge, Fury?" I whispered harshly at the S.H.I.E.L.D logo stamped in the desk's center. I was lucky Connors was still here. I couldn't do this all on my own. I mean, a teenager running S.H.I.E.L.D? The thought was utterly ridiculous - even to me.

Yet, here we were. A teenager slumped in an office chair, surrounded by bills and papers that should only be touched by confident, adult hands. Hadn't Fury ever planned for something like this? Where was Coulson? What happened to the pirate Captain's First Mate? The righthand man? Number Dos in the leadering of S.H.I.E.L.D?

Ha, with my luck, Coulson was probably on some vacation in the Bahamas or something. Yep, I could see it now. Coulson lounging in a chair on a sandy white beach looking out into a sea-green ocean, a colorful drink in hand with one of those cute little umbrellas inside and a lemon and cherry on the rim. He laughs at a live-video of me, the exhausted, emotion-ridden kid with my head on fire, running around in circles screaming "Too much! It's too much!". Then Coulson would probably sip his drink and look over at the chair next to him where Aunt May is - whoa! Wait a minute...what's Aunt May doing here?

I shook the image away with a long shudder. Man, I swear my imagination is getting crazier...and disturbing...Coulson better stay away from Aunt May. Sure he got my A-okay for going out on dates, but didn't adults know how to take it slow? Baby steps guys, baby steps.

The papers stared at me from the floor. You know, Dr. Strange's eye of aggamotto would come in pretty hand right about now. All I had to do was ask the eye-thingy to do something and it usually complied. Eh, usually. I'm 87% sure there's a reason Dr. Strange speaks spellcaster when he uses magic. If only things were always as easy as saying something and watching it happen. And, to be honest, I was kind of missing those purple look-like-they-should-be-grape-scented webs. Dang it, why couldn't I have been bitten by a radioactive magician? Or, at least a radioactive sorcerer supreme. With just a 'Bippity-boppity-boo, put the animal-themed villains back in the zoo' then BAM! Problem solved.

Unfortunately, I was NOT bitten by a radioactive magic-wielder, and have remained the boring spider-enhanced muggle I was. Now I had to pick everything up by hand. UGGGGGGGGGGH! I glared at the offensive paper, this was its fault. But responsibility was responsibility. Slowly, I switched my position in the chair so I was laying across the seat horizontally with my head and arms sticking out one of the armrest holes while my feet dangled out the other end. Planting the tip of my toe into the ground, I pushed off, and the chair moved to my will. Together, we slowly wheeled across the glossy floor, barely coming to a stop less than an inch from a water bill.

Step 1: Approach target. Complete.

Step 2: Grab target. Eh...that was a little harder.

Stretching my arm out, I reached for the paper, barely catching the edge with the tip of my finger. Using my sticking abilities, I fused my skin to the edge and dragged it to the chair. Hahahaha - boo ya! Mission accomplished. With a victorious wiggle, I shoved the paper between my stomach and the chair and planted my feet.

Alright, 1 down, roughly 10 more to go.

I pushed off again, rolling up to a report from the Damage Crew. Within seconds, it found its place with the other one. The next paper was less than a foot from that one and was quickly claimed and put with the others.

The fourth time, I had to wheel further away to catching an electricity bill, then nearby was the food budget and the toilet repair bill. Hulk really needed to stop using our bathrooms, that, or we at least needed to invest in some sturdier 'Johns', the poor toilets couldn't take much more of this abuse! Heck, S.H.I.E.L.D Academy couldn't take more of this abuse! Do you know how many times we've had an emergency evacuation because we thought someone had bombed the Academy with poisonous radioactive gas?

Too many times!

Huh...come to think of it, was Hulk's gas radioactive...and actually green like in the cartoons. Oh...oh NO. Disturbing...oh gosh, VERY disturbing...GAH!

Stop thinking about it! I scolded myself.

That was a very good idea. Very good indeed...but...radioactive gas...gah! Gross! Stop thinking about it! Stop thinking about it! Stop thinking about it!

But...I can't...

With a gag and a shudder, I smacked my head, trying to pound the image away "Stop having such an overreactive imagination!" I yelled accusingly at my brain.

Nearby, someone coughed

I froze, feeling cold dread drop in my stomach. Suddenly desperate, I spun around on the swivel chair, or as fast I as could anyway. Rather than the smooth turn I was going for, my body flailed like a fish out of water and the chair choppily jerked around toward my unexpected guest. A figure appeared in my view. My mouth fell open as I gaped up at Dr. Connors, who was staring back in stunned silence.

A beat.

I scrambled to get up out of the chair. I managed to scrunch my legs and get them up in the seat but squirmed fruitlessly on the opposite side where my head and arms thrashed desperately for leverage. When I tried to pull them out, my arms squeezed up against my head, which squished my cheeks together making my face bloat. Unable to help the whine from pushing past my pursed lips, I kicked my feet vainfuly, searching for stability. Instead, I lost my balance and fell forward out of the armrest where I dropped in a pile of limbs and spandex on the floor, one foot still caught up in the crook of the chair.

I wish I could say that I managed to get up with whatever pride I had left, rather, I tripped over my own feet and stumbled shakily back on my legs where I awkwardly brushed myself off, straightened my mask, and regarded Connors with as much dignity as I could muster. "Uh...ma-may I help you?"

There was an eyebrow raised, and it wasn't mine. But Connors looked at me with what could only with described as resigned acceptance, bless his beautiful soul, and said, "Um, yeah, I was just coming up here to get a little paperwork done..." a long pause, "How about you?"

"Oh, you know," I made an erratic gesture, "just, uh...doin some paperwork too...cause that needs to get done...and all..." I clasped my arms together, twisting my fingers before they dropped and swayed awkwardly at my side. "Uh...yeeeaaaah..."

Another pause.

I coughed into my fist as Connor's stared at his shoes.

"Well," I said, snapping the tension with a sharp clap that left me wincing, "I'll just let you get to it then."

"Yeah-yeah, good idea. I'm gonna go, um, get a little work done."

I nodded, reaching for the chair, only to stumble as it rolled just out of reach. Catching my balance, I chuckled sheepishly and clutched the top of the chair and rolled it to a rest in front of Connors. "I'll just, uh, go then." I passed the chair off to him, who took it wordlessly and walked away trying with all my might not to bolt to the door. I still had a little bit left of - oh, what was that thing called? Oh yeah, dignity.

But, I can't say I didn't hotfoot it out of there as soon as the doors closed. Once out in the hall, I booked it across the floor, spinning around the corner, and put as much distance as I could between me and that room.

Screw dignity, I want to go home.

LINE BREAK

I can't go home.

Why may you ask? Did some nefarious supervillain attack the Academy, rendering it helpless and in need of some superhero saving? Was there an alien invasion from a swirling magical vortex hovering over the city, preventing me from skedaddling on home to my bed? Did Tippy Toes get stuck in the ventilation systems again?

Nope. None of the above.

It was because of one cruel, cold, and evil thing that I am convinced is bent on taking over the world, if not for the sun.

Snow.

Yep, snow. Those little flakes of frozen and crystallized water that were falling outside as if the heavens themselves were dooming the world to live in cold swafts of watery cotton.

Snow. Otherwise known as my new worst enemy.

Who cared about Goblin or Doctor Octopus and their threats and actions on my life? Snow was obviously the true villain. The real bane to my very existence. And, as of right now, my greatest enemy was tearing a storm over the Academy, New York, and half of Jersey. Drowning the cities in crystallized water.

I really should've paid more attention to the weather report Aunt May had on this morning. But could you blame me? I was eating wheat cakes! And when eating wheat cakes, nothing else mattered. But now, because of my weakness, I was now stuck inside the Academy with nothing but a cold stretch of ocean and a giant blizzard keeping me from going home.

Of course, I could always tempt fate and try my hand at flying across the water, through a blizzard in the Spider Jet, all the way to Queens. But, while I always wanted to be like Captain America, I didn't want to be THAT much like him. Becoming a spider-sicle at the bottom of the bay was not the most heroic way to go. I'd forever be known as that stupid, spandex covered teenager who died flying through a snowstorm, all because I wanted to go home to my dear, sweet auntie, rather than spend the night in a warm S.H.I.E.L.D base.

Yeeeaaah, no. I love Aunt May, and I may be reckless, but even that was pushing it.

Which left me here, shouting in a phone with one finger pushed into my ear, trying to explain to Aunt May why I wasn't going to make it back in time for dinner.

"Look, I'm sorry Aunt May, but...what was that?...a little louder, you're breaking up...I said YOUR BREAKING UP...yeah, crazy storm...uh-huh...well tell Harry and MJ -...TELL HARRY AND MJ I'M SORRY THAT I COULDN'T MAKE IT...oh, they couldn't make it either...I said, oh they couldn't make it either...I SAID, OH THEY - oh, you know what, just, nevermind...kay, I gotta go...I GOT TO GO...yep...love you too...okay...bye." the phone clicked off and I rubbed my face with a sigh, hands pulling on the fabric on my skin. Great, another chance to hang with MJ and Harry and I couldn't make it, again, because the universe happened to hate me and made my life it's out-house.

Outside, the snow was coming down in sheets. Yeah, rain wasn't the only thing that could do that. I glared at it through the glass, my breath creating clouds on the cold surface. Stupid snow. I'd punch it in the face if I could. Heck, I'd pull a card out of Flash's old days and stuff it in a locker, never to see the light of day again. But, alas, all I could do was stick out my tongue and hope a dog ends up peeing in it somewhere.

Now that I was officially stuck in a S.H.I.E.L.D base several miles from the nearest shore, it left me one question: What to do now?

I could always go and mess around in the labs, even though I was technically banned from going in there without supervision by Fury, ever since the last time I went in there alone (which I swear was totally not my fault). But it's not like Fury was here to bust my chops if I got caught.

Or I could go back to Fury's office and continue doing paperwork. However, I don't think I'm quite ready to go back and face judgment from Doctor Connors. Unless there was a chance the man had forgotten about the little, uh, dilemma he walked in. Which was doubtful with his memory.

OR I could brave it and head back to the dorm rooms, where the rest of the Academy students will be and pray that their not still mad about whatever it is I did to earn their wrath.

Hmmm...defy Fury's banishment to the labs, try to gather the missing remains of my dignity with Connors, or face potentially angry teenagers? Hmmm...choices, choices, choices...

Eh, I defy Fury on a regular basis, so there was nothing much to gain with that, and the incident with Dr. Connors was still too fresh of a wound, so those were crossed out too. Which left me one choice.

LINE BREAK

I walked into the Dorm rooms trying to act as casual as possible.

Most of the students were lounging around, but some - namely Powerman, Agent Venom and Squirrel Girl - were throwing around a football. Which was odd. Squirrel Girl was usually asleep about now. She got leave from her classes to hibernate with her squirrels cause she didn't want to mess with their natural instincts. But I'm pretty sure she just wanted to cash in on more sleep. Not that I could blame her. I tried to get Fury to let me take time out of my classes to appease Scarlet's natural instincts once. I got detention.

Others, Nova, Iron Fist, Dagger, and Miles, were sitting in a circle playing Uno. Ava was in her bunk reading a book, Triton was watching the card game in utterly perplexed interest, and Cloak was watching Powerman, Agent Venom, and Squirrel Girl catch the football and would occasionally teleport the ball somewhere unexpected to see if they could get it in time. On his bunk, Ka-Zar was sharpening his bamboo stick with a knife as Zabu napped at his feet. Due to the snow outside, Sandman had set up refuge inside the dorms and was casually sitting in his bunk, constructing a sandcastle out of his leg. Farther in the corner, Scarlet was leaning against the wall, watching everyone else like some grumpy sentinel, while casually popping his stingers in and out of his wrists.

As soon as I walked in, most eyes snapped my way. I froze, expecting lingering irritation. Rather, I was met with warm looks and inviting smiles, without a trace of cold hostility. In fact, it was Nova, of them all, who waved me over yelling, "Get over here Webs, I'll deal you in,"

I exhaled in relief. Questions about why they were mad to start with sat at the tip of my tongue, but I held them back. If everyone was happy then what was the point of reopening a sealed wound? It was water under the bridge now. So, biting back my question, I smiled and joined them in their Uno circle.

And everything was peaceful...for a little while.

The storm outside must've gotten worse. Halfway through our 7th round, the lights began to flicker. A dozen pair of eyes flitted over the ceiling as the fixtures quivered and blinked. I met their looks. The Triskelion wasn't supposed to get blackouts. I tapped my wrist communicator, calling Dr. Connors on his comm, hoping the older man had already forgotten what he walked in on earlier. Soon enough the screen lit up and Connors' face appeared within the box.

"Hey Connors, what's up with the lights?"

He grimaced. "Sorry, the snow is really building up out there. I didn't think it'd get high enough to affect our systems. I'm sending technicians out to see what they can do as we speak,"

"Oh, do they need any help?" the idea of agents getting hurt or falling off on a ledge just to fix a few flickering lights made my stomach twist. If it got worse and the power died, we always had the backup generators, and if push came to shove, Nova could probably keep the rooms lighted.

Connors shook his head. "No, they'll be fine. They're just going to see if there's anything they can do, and if the weather is too bad, then they'll head back in. This is a pretty big storm, isn't it?"

"Yeah, we haven't had one this big in a while." I agreed, worry still coiling in my gut. "Even so, we can handle a few small blackouts, but I'd rather we avoid agent casualties."

"Agreed."

"Keep me updated on the situation. If it gets too bad, then we'll figure something else out."

"Sounds like a plan."

He ended the call. I turned back to my teammates, shrugging, "Well, that's that I guess. Shall we continue?" It was my turn anyway. The tension in the air dissolved as I cackled and set down a +4 card to Nova and changed the color to red. There was a collective groan as everyone within our circle cursed me, throwing pillows or blankets in my direction, Nova being the worst as shoved a pillow in my face and attempted suffocation. He threatened to shove me out in the snow before begrudgingly picking up 4 extra cards.

As the game continued, with many threats on my life (in good fun), I vaguely noticed that Cloak had moved from the game of catch and now hovered near Dagger. Hmm, come to think of it, there was hardly I time I ever saw them apart - well, aside from that one time Cloak was under the control of Dormammu in the Dark Dimension, while Dagger was in the real world freaking out and attacking me with light daggers. That was a not a fun day.

Well, the magical upgrade was fun. Fighting interdimensional demons: Not fun.

Aside from their normal close behavior though, I noticed the nervous glances frequently shot between the two as the winds wailed outside. I didn't particularly want to call them out on it, that would just make them uncomfortable, but the looks they were giving each other didn't sit right with me. They looked almost...scared. And honestly, that was making me worry just a teeny, tiny bit.

Thankfully though, I didn't have to be the one to call it out. Triton, who must have also noticed their glances, leaned forward, eyebrows pinching, "Cloak. Dagger. Are you alright? You two are acting a bit anxious."

The two paused as if caught doing something they shouldn't have and grimaced awkwardly.

"We're fine." Dagger said, putting down a skip. I scowled. She skipped me. "Just fine."

"Yeah, what she said." Cloak agreed.

I frowned deeper, though this time it was mostly out of worry. I really didn't want to be pushy, but they DID seem scared. I recognized the way their eyes darted from place to place, looking for the boogeyman, or how their arms and legs seemed to never sit still as if they were getting ready to bolt.

"Are you sure?" I asked, "Triton's right, you guys seem kind of...jumpy." instantly, a guarded looked hardened over both their faces.

"We. Are. Fine." Dagger snapped. "Leave us alone!"

Her outburst halted the game. I put my hands up in surrender, surprised, with wide eyes. I didn't know what I said to make her mad. I had only repeated what Triton said. "Alright, alright, sorry I asked," I muttered apologetically. "Just...if you guys need anything, just say something and I'll see what I can do. That's all." Slowly, as if wanting to move past the awkward tension, Iron Fist reversed the cards direction and changed the color to yellow.

Their hard expressions faltered, and Cloak looked down with a glum sigh. "No, sorry." he apologized, "We - we shouldn't get angry with you."

Dagger jerked to look up at him like she didn't quite believe that herself. But seeing his regretful expression, her eyes softened. "Yeah. Sorry," she replied, shoulders slumping. The cards in her hand went limp in her fingers.

"No harm done," I assured. "But - uh, are you sure you don't want to talk about what's bothering you? It might help." I skipped Miles, who sputtered in opposition and threatened to eat my future children. A smile almost caught her face, but, as if someone else was at the controls, her face darkened again and she bit her lip anxiously instead.

"Well, we..." she glanced at Cloak, who shrugged unhelpfully. "Well, I-I don't...I don't want to talk about it." she decided and looked down, face red and abashed.

"Oh." I looked down at my cards. THere was nothing I could do to make her talk about it. But...well, what was I supposed to do? Shrug it off, say it was okay, and leave it at that? That didn't seem right. For whatever reason, they both look scared, maybe even a little humiliated. That wasn't something I could just ignore. But...I couldn't make them talk about it either. Pushing it would do nothing.

"Well...if you don't want to talk about it then don't." I murmured. "You don't have to, but...but you can always talk to us."

Dagger leaned back. Her face was still red, but she scoffed derisively. "Talk to you?" she muttered bitterly. "I don't even know you. You may have saved Cloak and me, and we're grateful for you giving a place to stay, but we don't even know what you look like under that mask. We don't even know your name. I'm sorry, but I find it hard to talk to someone whose hair color I don't even know."

I tried not to let it show how much that stung, but the words felt like cold cactus needles to my skin. Maybe I should've seen that coming. Half the kids at the Academy didn't even know my secret identity, at most they've seen the lower part of my mouth, but that was only because I was eating. A stone of guilt dropped in my stomach. White Tiger, Powerman, Iron Fist, and Nova had all trusted me with parts of their life, but they had all seen my face by then. They met Peter Parker, they knew both the civilian and hero aspects of my life. But Dagger was right. How could I ask her to trust me when she knew so little about me? If I was in her shoes, I'd feel the exact same way. I would never trust Aunt May's name to a total stranger. Even now, half of the Academy didn't even know I had an Aunt.

"I...I guess you have a point," I swallowed, looking down in resignation. "It's unfair to ask you to open up like that to a stranger. M'sorry."

Dagger's face remained stony for a few seconds longer before it broke and she sighed. "You - your not a stranger. I mean, we've all been living under the same roof for months now. That's got to mean something."

Above her, Cloak added, "Yeah, we consider you as a friend, but, well, we're just not ready to open up yet. I hope you understand."

"I get it, and I don't blame you guys either. It's really hard to talk about, you know..." I gestured erratically, "that. So, it's no big deal. I just want you guys to know, you don't need to be afraid of anything in here. The Triskelion can be attacked ten times over, but we'll all be here to defend it. You don't have to be scared."

Dagger looked down, face pulled tight as if she was trying to swallow a rock. "Thanks," she said, still offering a sincere smile. Around us, the game of Uno had been brought to a complete halt, and, while they didn't show it, it wasn't hard to tell that the rest of the students had been listening too. But I picked up my cards, shoving my hurt feelings to the side, and asked "So, uh, who's turn is it?"

And just like that, the air of tense nostalgia snapped. Nova put down a color-changing card and the game continued. Nearby, Powerman, Agent Venom, and Squirrel Girl went back to throwing their football, as if they heard nothing. The room was filled with easy-chatter and small laughs once more. Only, it seemed like more of a facade this time. Smiles seemed a little too tight, laughs strained, and eyes dark. As if everyone was suddenly overcome with their own grim nostalgia that refused to surface. That was how we handled things, I guess. Just kept smiling and pretended it never happened. Not that I'm innocent of that. If anything, I was the most guilty when charged with with-holding feelings. Maybe I had a bigger impact on the team then I thought.

But I didn't want to bring that up either. My stomach felt tight, but I ignored the uneasy aura in the room, even if I could feel it building up. THere were things even I didn't know how to talk about. We continued the game, with tight smiles and grim eyes. As I laid a skip on the deck, I felt this was something that wasn't going to pass up so easily. Sooner or later, it was going to boil over.

I was going to post this as one HUGE one-shot, but it was taking too long and was supposed to be posted for Christmas. Christmas is over and I didn't want to post it for New Years. So, I decided I was going to edit and updated in parts to ease myself out of stress. This one-shot/short story(ish) piece of work is dedicated to PinkBabyPuppy and her/his friend who requested it. I was supposed to have this done MONTHS ago, but it has been sitting in my folders. I am so sorry it took so long. I will be posting the rest of it throughout the week until New Years.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all who celebrate it. And I hope you had a good Monday to all who don't. Sorry, this is a bit of a late Christmas present. I'll have the rest posted soon. ;)

-Peace! Me out!