^Grant (For full disclosure, Grant and Peter are in their twenties.👌🏼👍🏼)

"No, no, no. Pete." I laugh, unable to help myself. "You've got to keep a firm grip or the handles will yank themselves out of your hands." My hands clasp onto his and squeeze while his brown eyes look up at me.

"G, why are you letting me do this? I live in New York; I don't need to know how to drive." He says and I scoff.

"First, driving a motorcycle isn't just driving. It's an experience." I emphasize and he rolls his eyes, small grin on his face. "And this is a useful skill. Now, shut up and try again." My feet step to the side after shutting his helmet and I wave a hand to give him the go ahead. We're in a parking lot beside a condemned building in the smoggy city of New York.

Figured it might be better to get him to practice in a place out of the way. Not too far from our apartment anyways and he needs to get out without the suit sometimes. "Woo! Yeah!" I cheer enthusiastically when he drives out and around a lamppost before coming back to me. He kicks out the stand clumsily before I tug him off and gently pop off his helmet to fluff his hair.

"Not the worst I've done, right?" He jokes and I wrap an arm around his shoulders, setting the helmet down and walking towards the abandoned building.

"Considering you almost crashed my baby at least five times, no. Now, I have an idea. A fun idea." Peter follows my eyes to the top of the building and a slow grin takes up half his face. "Race me to the top?" I question and shoot after him as he starts sprinting. We're both laughing like fools as I shift from creature to creature as I climb, all just trying to keep up with Peter. He beats me by seconds and I swing myself into his chest as a chimp, causing him to land on his back on the roof.

He shoves me off and I change back, the both of us still laughing. We sit ourselves on the edge with our sides pressed against one another and look out at the city laid out before us, looking almost like spiderwebs made from shining steel and the glinting glass looking like dewdrops caught on the strands. Then the sirens start. My shoulders instantly slump while Peter perks up. Brown eyes look to me and I force a smile onto my face.

"I've got to-"

"I know, I know. You've got to go be a hero." My hand reaches out and fluffs his soft, brown hair, lingering a little on his cheek before my throat clears and I pull away. "Make it home safe or else I'm going to grab Uncle T and come look for you." I threaten and he grins before hopping up and swinging down to the parking lot. After tucking his stuff in his bookbag, he's off and swinging towards the sirens in the distance. Sighing, I drop from the roof as a raven, shifting back once I'm beside my baby. After slipping my helmet on I start up my motorcycle and start driving. Not long before I'm back in Queens at Pete and I's little apartment.

Small kitchen to the left with a little bar overlooking a kitchen table with mismatched chairs, windows line the wall with a fire escape outside the window in the corner. Pete's favorite place to sneak in and out. Living room decorated with the nicest thing in the apartment; a leather sofa, supplied by Tony when we got the place. A little flatscreen is pressed against the windows on a cheap tv stand I made and the wall to the right houses two bedrooms and a shared bathroom between them.

Once in the kitchen I make a pot of ramen and pour it in a bowl before collapsing onto the couch and turning on the television. News comes on and I smirk at the sight of a red-blue blur swinging across the scene. Now, one might wonder just what the hell a shapeshifting guy is doing sitting in his apartment eating ramen noodles when his best bud is out saving the city. Or at least stopping some assholes. Not to mention the rest of my family hopped aboard that super train a long while ago.

Here's the thing; I'm not really about the superhero life.

I've seen what it does to Uncle Tony and I'd rather not bury myself in buckets of self-loathing just yet. It kills me to see him give his everything and just get bullshit in return. So, the whole saving people, fighting evil, taking responsibility for other people's bullshit thing? Not my scene. Victoria has said her piece on this and honestly, I think she was a little relieved. It makes her worry when Steve goes out, so I think she was relieved that she wouldn't have to worry about me. Not that she doesn't worry.

Steve on the other hand...I get the feeling he was a little disappointed and maybe even a bit jealous? Not sure where that comes from, but despite his thoughts on it, he lets me live how I want. Bucky handled it better. Think he's happy staying home with Liya these days, but he'd never turn down anything from Steve. Li-li, however, has no clue how I could stay away from the action. She still brings it up when we see each other and that's when I usually turn into some animal and hide. Tony's been the best though. He and Pete maintain the idea that I can do more with my life, but still get proud when I complete the stupid shit. Like when I bought my bike. I shake my head and slurp up some noodles. Speaking of...

I grab my phone from my jean pocket and hold it up, speed dialing Tony's facetime. Almost instantly his face appears with a big grin on it. "Hey Uncle T. How's it goin?"

"Glad to see one of the prodigies has time to call. Good! How are you and Peter? Still coming over for the weekend, yeah?" He asks and I smile.

"Definitely. Pete's out saving people's asses and I've just made a bowl of ramen."

"Well, damn. Here I am working on a multimillion-dollar suit and you've made ramen? Jesus, I've gone downhill." I see grease staining his hand and a black mark staining his cheek now.

"Shut up, old man. When was the last time you ate something, huh? Bet ten bucks it was over eight hours ago." Silence. I grin. "Got you."

"Alright, smartass. I'll bet you a million dollars I've made more money than you within the last minute. That paramedic job work out?" I roll my eyes and shrug.

"Not exactly. Apparently, it's frowned upon to joyride with the lights and sirens on." Tony guffaws and shakes his head.

"Fucking hell, Grant." The background blurs behind him as he rolls around in his chair and just looks at the phone instead of his current project. "You know, you keep getting these hero jobs yet you say you don't want to be a hero. Now, I'm not trying to be pushy, but why don't you try going out with Pete one of these days? I'd feel better with you two together anyways." I sigh and perk up at the sound of the window opening.

"Speak of the little shit." I turn the camera around and frame Peter climbing in the window. He freezes and sort of looks up, then relaxes when he sees it's just Tony.

"Mr. Stark! Hi!" He says enthusiastically, laying his backpack on the floor and conspicuously keeping his left side hidden. Quickly, I switch the camera back to me.

"Hey Spiderboy. How'd it go tonight?" Tony asks with genuine interest.

"Great, great. Churros, G." He tosses me a brown bag and I pass him the rest of my noodles when he turns to me. I wince when I see his split lip and swelling cheek. "I, uh, I stopped a robbery and beat up some guys that were going to trash a lady's churro cart. Gave me churros as payment." I raise the churro bag as proof.

"Well, we'll see you tomorrow Uncle T."

"Alright. See you then." The call ends and Peter breathes a sigh of relief.

"The hell they do, hit you with a bat?" I ask and put the brown bag on the coffee table as he sits.

"Uh, yeah. Basically." He responds while I grab the bag of peas we keep on hand for these occasions. Sighing, I sit on the coffee table in front of him and hand him the peas as he slurps a noodle.

"Should've been more careful, Pete. The swelling might be gone by the time we see Tony, but that lip won't be." I grit my teeth slightly when Peter flinches as his hand holds the cold to his face. "Uncle T said maybe I should come with you sometimes." His brown eyes light up and I realize I shouldn't have fucking said that.

"You know I'd love to have you come, G." He says softly and I shake my head.

"Don't get any ideas. I'd only come to protect your slow ass." My hand shoots out and lightly punches his stomach before hopping up to wet a tiny washcloth. As I thought, he's already rebroken the skin with a stupid smile. I sit back in front of him and take his chin between my fingers as I wipe away the blood. My eyes focus on his split lip instead of those warm eyes and dark cheeks.

"I'd still be alright with that." He mumbles and I smile softly.

"Maybe, Pete. One day at a time here. You need sleep. Good thing you're already in your pajamas." I tease and hop out of the way before he can hit me.

"This is a high-tech suit! Mr. Stark made this for me!" He rebuts and I laugh all the way back to the kitchen with the empty noodle bowl. My hand catches the bag of peas he chucks at me before I turn around with a smirk on my face. Peter's clearly trying to hide a smile as he turns and heads to his bedroom. "You should be in bed too. Hospital visit tomorrow, right?" He asks and I sober a bit, nodding. Peter's the only one who knows about my almost daily visits to different hospitals. "You'll wake me?" He asks and I instantly nod.

"You got it." He shoots me a grateful smile before ducking into his room and shutting the door. Slowly, I make my way through the apartment turning all the lights off as well as the television before I'm in my room. It's not too big but certainly big enough for me. The small space keeps me tidy anyways. My bed dominates most of the space and is pressed against the far wall. The rest of that wall is covered with pictures. Of the team, of Li and Bucky's cabin, vacation pictures, baby pictures, that sort of thing. I smile happily at it. It's something I never thought I'd have.

There's a bedside table to the left and a desk to the right, a window above it. Right now, the desk is covered in knuts, bolts, washers, and other small metallic things I've taken to tinkering with when I can. My dresser is against the wall with the door that leads to Pete and I's shared bathroom. Dirty hamper next to it. I toss all but my boxers into it before falling back onto my bed, black and yellow comforter a joke/gift from Tony. "Night Pete!" I only have to raise my voice a bit since I can hear the shower running.

"Night, G!" He returns and I smile before letting my eyes shut. As I fall asleep, I try to keep the image of Pete in the shower out of my mind.

*A/N*

Short first chapter, I know, but this is really just the introduction. Long wait for this story, but I was so busy with other things...anyway! It's here now and I hope you all enjoy it. If you haven't already read Queen and Fire and Ice, Sugar and Spice, I'd read those first! The story will make more sense.

And just a warning. This becomes one of the darkest books I've ever written. If you've read more of my stuff, you know how dark that is. If you haven't, just imagine the darkest scenario you can. I'll put trigger warnings on the beginning of the darker chapters, but this is the trigger warning for the whole book. You've been warned.