Lucinda was afraid that Peter had someone else.

"No. No. I'm just paranoid. He wouldn't do that to me," Luci said to herself as she sat on her bed. "He just really likes patrol... if he was cheating he would ask me to go on patrol so he could go. He wouldn't risk the city to cheat. He's not stupid... who am I kidding? He probably just wants to be on his own as Spiderman..."

Luci knew that he said it was fun being on his own for a change when she was unconscious.

🕷

Peter didn't think it would bother her this much. He was honestly afraid and was trying to keep her confined, protected, safe... alive.

Ever since the living nightmare, Peter had been so worried about Lucinda and didn't want her to go out as Frostbite. He was terrified something would go wrong... that he wouldn't be enough to save her...

The same scene played through his head and it made him panic.

🕷

Peter was swinging through New York to help Frost.

He saw the gun and swung in, swooping Luci up into his arms as the shots went off... but Lucinda was limp in his arms.

"Luci?!" He landed and looked at the gun shots through her heart, head, and shoulder.

"Lucinda! No! Please! Please don't leave me! I need you!" Peter ripped off his mask, sobbing as he held Luci's lifeless body in his arms.

🕷

Peter stopped swinging as he slammed into a wall, having spaced out.

He groaned and just climbed onto the roof. He was terrified of losing Lucinda. He couldn't help but feel like he wasn't enough to protect her.

Tony called and Peter answered immediately.

"Kid, why is Luci not on patrol but you are? Her tracker shows that she rarely leaves the house. Is she passing her duties onto you?" Tony was worried about his niece, though it was Steve who told Tont to call Peter.

"No, I offered," Peter said and Steve hummed.

"She has to have responsibility too, Queens. Don't be taking her patrols just cause you feel like it."

"I just really like patrols. It's fun."

"That's some bull shrimp right there, kid. You were complaining just last month that you wished you and Luci didn't have patrols so you could snuggle," Tony was suspicious. "I need you to come to the tower, right now."

"Mr. Stark, really it's-"

"Now, Queens." Steve's voice was stern.

💥

Tony looked at Steve who didn't look happy.

"What's up with you? You've been extra hard on the kid lately," Tony said and Steve huffed.

"Just this March, Peter was making my baby girl cry and breaking her heart. Now they're together and while I'm happy that Lucinda is happy, I still don't trust Peter."

Tony knew he was serious because he had never heard Steve refer to Peter by his name. He always called him Queens so hearing him call him Peter was a bit of an alarm.

"I want what's best for my daughter. She is the most precious thing in the universe to me next to Destiny and I don't want to see her get hurt. I haven't been there for her a lot lately like I want to be because of my missions so I'm making up for lost time but Peter seems to be taking all her time," Steve ranted and sat on the couch. "He's stealing my baby from me and I can't stop him... she's happy..."

"Steve, she's still your daughter and she'll always love you. Peter isn't gonna take her away from you. Trust me," Tony assured him but Steve put his head in his hands, neither of them knowing that Peter could hear them from the opposite room.

"But what if you're wrong? What if I lose my baby to a boy that yelled at her, broke her heart, used her, manipulated all of us, and is now hiding something from us! He's gonna hurt her again! I just know it! I really don't want her to be with Peter!"

"I won't hurt her again... I promise..." Peter said as he peered in and Steve snapped from the heat of the moment, shooting up onto his feet.

"You're right! You won't get to hurt her if you aren't with her!"

"Steve! Calm down!" Tony got between Peter and Steve.

Dez heard the yelling and came in. "What is going on?"

"Stay out of this, Destiny!" Steve kept his glare on Peter.

"No, Steve, you need to stop," Tony said and Steve saw that Peter was terrified as well as Destiny seeming to be a bit shaken.

Steve growled at himself, quickly exiting the room.

Tony hugged Peter as Destiny walked over to them. She hadn't seen Steve lose his cool like that ever but she knew that she should give him time to settle down.

"H-He really doesn't want me with Luci... maybe it's just best if Luci and I aren't together..." Peter was just afraid and Tony knew that, Destiny could tell as well.

"That wouldn't be best because Luci would be heartbroken and I know you would be too," Dez said softly and hugged Peter.

"But Mr. Rogers doesn't want me to be with her..."

"Steve will just have to get over himself. He just doesn't want anything bad to happen to his little girl."

"Dez is right. Steve has always been extremely protective of his precious ice crystal. It's not just you, kid. Steve wouldn't want Luci to be with anyone," Tony said and Peter nodded before Destiny got up.

"I'm gonna go check on Steve."

"Kid, you and I need to talk. Why are you taking Lucinda's patrols?" Tony looked at Peter. This was the real reason Tony told Peter to come to the tower so he had to ask. "Don't give me some crap answer either."

"I'm scared she'll get hurt. If she's on patrol and I'm not, I might not be fast enough to help her if she's in trouble... I can't let her get hurt..." Peter glanced at his feet and thought about seeing Luci dead in his arms. The image haunted him.

"Luci can handle herself. She may get hurt a little but that comes with being a hero and she understands that. She isn't going to die though. Trust me. I completely understand."

"But why can't I just prevent it from happening all together?"

"Because Steve did the same thing to Destiny after she got injured and he made sure she stayed in the tower pretty much twenty-four seven for almost three months. She got upset and exploded at him after a while. They had a huge fight, things were said and they almost didn't get back together," Tony remembered the fight clear as day.

"O-oh... then I have to let her do stuff... I don't want to have a fight," Peter said as looked up at Tony.

"Then go. You can make sure she is safe but don't hold her down."

Peter nodded and stood up, ready to go home. He wanted to hold his girlfriend, not knowing what awaited him there.