I stood on the balcony of the Tower, getting a breath of fresh air whilst the party continued to wind down in the living room, it having dissolved into what was left of the Avengers drinking and laughing with each other whilst sitting on Tony's plush furnishings.

"You okay?" I looked over my shoulder and smiled as Peter's hand landed on my lower back and he appeared next to me.

"Yeah, I just needed some air. I'm by far the dumbest person in that room, and by far the least intimidating." I smiled, making Peter laugh as he leant against the glass rail beside me.

"Neither of those things are true, babe. You're so smart, and you're definitely intimidating, especially when I've done something wrong." He teased. I smirked and shook my head as I looked back out over the lights of New York and Queens, there being something very peaceful about the normally buzzing but now asleep cities.

"You know what I still find crazy?" I asked quietly as I looked at Peter.

"What's that?" he replied.

"All of that time, this was part of your life, and I had no idea. I know that MJ and May knew, and this isn't me telling you off or anything for not telling me, but it's just insane that this was part of the life of a sixteen-year-old kid from Queens." I chuckled and shook my head. Peter sighed and nodded as he straightened up next to me and curled his arm further around my waist as he did.

"I mean, you know that I didn't tell you to keep you safe. But, yeah. For a young guy who officially has never left Queens or done anything with his life, I've done quite a lot." He nodded.

"You have. And I'm proud of you for that." I admitted. He looked down at me, a small smile on his face as he leant down and pecked my lips. I returned it, my gaze still on Peter as he pulled away but kept his gaze on me.

"Babe, can I ask you something?" he asked as his land slowly and subtly slipped into his trouser pocket. I gulped, my heart starting to speed up as I suspected what the question would be. And fuck, I was hoping that I was right. I nodded slowly, making him gulp harshly.

"Y/N...will you-." Peter's question was interrupted by a loud bang, making us both look back into the living room. My eyes widened as the room was filling with smoke and the doors appeared to have been blown off, gunfire already filling the space.

"Peter, what's going on? It's those guys again, isn't it?" I gulped as he shoved whatever it was back into his pocket and clicked on the watch that Tony had given him, making his suit start to form over his dinner suit.

"I don't know, but I need you to stay here." He nodded, his eyes still glued to the quickly unravelling scene as he started to move towards the glass doors. My eyes widened.

"Peter, no, don't leave me here." I choked. He looked at me, his expression softening as he rushed to me and gently took my face in his hands.

"You're safer out here than you are in there. Just stay low, and don't come in until I get you. I love you." He nodded, his lips quickly pressing to mine before he threw the door open and rushed in to help the others fight whoever had invaded Tony's home. I gulped and crouched down, my shaking hands pressed against the glass as I tried to stay out of sight. I couldn't help but suspect that the same guys attacking now were the same people who had taken me before, and I knew that they were the same people who had taken MJ and I six years ago. I had yet to figure out who their leader was, though, and that was the terrifying part. The fact that we still didn't know who was behind it all. I was pulled from my thoughts as I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist. The issue was that they didn't belong to Peter. My eyes widened as the thug started to haul me up, his bulky arms quickly trapping me against his body.

"GET OFF OF ME! LET ME GO!" I screamed as I started to kick and punch out at him, but to no avail.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch. We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we have to." He spat in my ear. I continued to scream, my eyes widening as a hand raised to be placed over my mouth, stopping my cries for help. The man hauled me up, though with me still kicking and punching as he started to carry me away. My eyes quickly scanned the inside of Tony's building as the Avengers continued to fight the thugs inside, my glassy eyes soon landing on Peter. He was stuck to the wall, his wrists extending and webbing the thugs to pieces of furniture and parts of the wall before he jumped down and started to fight them hand to hand. Completely unaware of what was happening to me. I couldn't blame him, though. He'll find me, I thought as the thug continued to haul me off of the balcony, and away from the safety of Peter.

Peter's P.O.V

Peter sat in Tony's living room with Tony, Happy and Bruce, all of them having one last drink and relaxing after the party that Tony had hosted.

"So, yeah. Morgan is doing well, as is Pepper." Tony nodded, making the men smile at him.

"What's going on with you and Y/N?" Happy asked, making everyone's attention turn to Peter. The boy nodded and tried to suppress his smile so that he didn't give away too much too soon.

"Yeah, things are going really well. Next month marks us being together for a year, and um..." he smiled and looked down, making the men look at each other.

"And what, Pete?" Tony chuckled. Peter looked back up.

"I'm going to propose to her." He admitted. The men's eyes widened.

"Look at you, Peter. You've come back from rock bottom, you're Spider-Man again, you're back at Stark Industries and now you're going to propose? You've pulled it back, kid." Happy smiled, making Peter chuckle and nod as he patted him on the back.

"Thanks. It means a lot. I don't know, it just feels like the right thing to do. I know that we're young, but I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Y/N. It's the noble thing to do, it's what my heart is telling me to do." He nodded.

"That it is, kid, that it is." Tony nodded as he leant back in his chair and took a sip of his whiskey. Peter chuckled and nodded, his eyes flicking up to see Y/N stood on the balcony.

"I'll be right back." He excused himself as he stood up, the men all giving him nods of acknowledgement as he headed out onto the balcony.

"You okay?" he asked, making Y/N look over her shoulder at him. She smiled as Peter's hand landed on her lower back and he stood next to her.

"Yeah, I just needed some air. I'm by far the dumbest person in that room, and by far the least intimidating." She smiled, making Peter laugh as he leant against the glass rail beside her.

"Neither of those things are true, babe. You're so smart, and you're definitely intimidating, especially when I've done something wrong." He teased. Y/N smirked and shook her head as she looked back out over the lights of New York and Queens.

"You know what I still find crazy?" She asked quietly as she looked at Peter.

"What's that?" he replied.

"All of that time, this was part of your life, and I had no idea. I know that MJ and May knew, and this isn't me telling you off or anything for not telling me, but it's just insane that this was part of the life of a sixteen-year-old kid from Queens." She chuckled and shook her head. Peter sighed and nodded as he straightened up next to her and curled his arm further around her waist as he did.

"I mean, you know that I didn't tell you to keep you safe. But, yeah. For a young guy who officially has never left Queens or done anything with his life, I've done quite a lot." He nodded.

"You have. And I'm proud of you for that." She admitted. He looked down at her, a small smile on his lips as he looked at the girl who had helped him turn his life around, at the girl who he was hopelessly in love with. He leant down and pecked her lips. She returned the kiss, her gaze still on Peter as he pulled away but kept his gaze on her too. Now was the perfect time to ask her, Peter decided, his heart starting to thump against his chest at the idea.

"Babe, can I ask you something?" he asked as his hand slowly and subtly slipped into his trouser pocket, his fingers wrapping around the ring box that he'd been keeping in his pocket. He may or may not have had an inkling that tonight would be the night. Turned out that he was right. Y/N gulped and nodded slowly, making him gulp harshly.

"Y/N...will you-." Peter's question was interrupted by a loud bang, making the pair look back into the living room. Peter's eyes widened as the room was filling with smoke and the doors appeared to have been blown off, gunfire already filling the space.

"Peter, what's going on? It's those guys again, isn't it?" Y/N gulped as he shoved the ring box back into his pocket and clicked on the watch that Tony had given him, making his suit start to form over his dinner suit.

"I don't know, but I need you to stay here." He nodded, his eyes still glued to the quickly unravelling scene as he started to move towards the glass doors. Y/N's eyes widened.

"Peter, no, don't leave me here." She choked. He looked at her, his expression softening and his heart breaking at how terrified and worried she looked. He rushed to her and gently took her face in his hands.

"You're safer out here than you are in there. Just stay low, and don't come in until I get you. I love you." He nodded, his lips quickly pressing to hers before he threw the door open and rushed in to help the others fight whoever had invaded Tony's home. He rushed in and his eyes widened further at the sight in front of him. The room was full to the roof with smoke, making it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of him. He rushed forward aimlessly, a groan leaving his lips as a hand grabbed him and pulled him down.

"The fuck are you doing, you almost got shot." Tony hissed as Peter scrambled to hide behind the overturned sofa that Tony was behind.

"Where are Happy and Bruce?" Peter asked.

"Behind the bar, they're safe, and Bruce can always code green if need be. Who the fuck are these guys?" he scoffed. Peter sighed and briefly popped his head out over the top of the sofa to look at the thugs who were still firing off the odd shot and trying to hit one of them.

"I have an idea. They're the same people who killed MJ, and they've taken Y/N since then. Only issue is that I still don't know who their boss is. Whoever it is, they do not like me and very much want me dead." He nodded.

"You don't say." Tony replied sarcastically. Peter sighed and looked at the man.

"You ready to fight these fuckers, then? Because my Tower is getting ruined." Tony nodded.

"Let's go." Peter replied. Tony nodded again, both of them looking at each other before standing up. Immediately, Peter extended his arm and fired a web at the first thug's gun, his hand tugging to pull the gun away from the man. He launched himself over the overturned sofa at the same time as pulling on the gun, landing the gun in his hand as he drove his foot into the thug's face and knocked him down. He raised the gun and started to fire at the other thugs, Tony appearing next to Peter in his suit as he started to fire his hand cannons at the thugs.

"Bruce! Now would be the perfect time for a code green!" Tony yelled.

"What?! Are you crazy, I'll destroy the room!" Bruce retorted.

"I'll rebuild, just fucking do it!" Tony yelled, Peter also starting to get desperate as he continued to launch himself at the thugs and take their guns before webbing them to the walls. Suddenly, he heard groaning, followed by a loud roar. Peter sighed in relief as his web attacked to the chest of a thug and he launched the man into the air, the man screaming as the Hulk immediately got hold of him and slammed him into the floor. Between them, they took out the remaining thugs, the smoke soon clearing to reveal unconscious bodies littering Tony's floor. Peter looked outside and his eyes widened. His heart plummeted to his feet, the now familiar numbness creeping over his body as his eyes desperately scanned the balcony for Y/N. But she was gone.

"No, no, no." Peter mumbled as he fired a web to launch himself across the room. He landed behind the overturned sofa and hurried out onto the balcony, his eyes desperately scanning the empty area. He looked over the edge of the rail, a slight hint of hope in his heart at the fact that he couldn't see a body on the street below. Suggesting that the thugs had taken Y/N, instead of killing her. He gulped, his eyes wavering as a tear left them. Of fucking course she'd been taken again at the exact moment that he was going to propose. Though it made sense. Whoever was after them really hated Peter and so it made perfect sense that they'd also fuck up what was supposed to be the biggest moment of his life so far. He just had to hope that he'd get another shot. He clenched his jaw, now kicking himself for making Y/N stay outside whilst he helped the others to fight the thugs as he headed back in. The others looked at him.

"Where's Y/N?" Tony asked. Peter's eyes wavered, another tear leaving his eye as he looked down.

"They took her." He mumbled quietly. Tony sighed, his eyes flicking to Happy and Bruce before looking back at Peter.

"Then we get her back. Who sent the thugs?" Tony asked. Peter sighed and shook his head as he sat down, squeezing his eyes shut as he held the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"I still don't fucking know. All I know is that they've been after me since I was sixteen. They're the reason that MJ died. Y/N was taken by them, now twice, three times if you include them trying to take her hostage at the newspaper. Only thing is that I don't know who their boss is. I've never found out who's behind all of it." He scoffed and shook his head. Tony nodded and crossed his arms over his chest as he studied the boy.

"Who were your enemies at the time that MJ was killed? Or a few years before that? Because I know that you fought Mysterio, but I also know that he died in that last fight." Tony stated, making Peter nod and let his eyes wander as he thought.

"Before Mysterio, I didn't really have any enemies. I mainly just fought thugs, and bank robbers-." His eyes widened as he realised. The cogs in his brain started to turn, his eyes starting to see pure red as he filled with anger. It had to be him. It fucking had to be. Tony looked at him.

"What is it, kid? I still recognise that look." He scoffed. Peter gulped, his heart starting to thump louder as he put the pieces together.

"I had one enemy before Mysterio. He was called The Vulture. Him and his team stole the alien tech from New York back in twenty-twelve and developed it into really powerful weapons. I stopped him, and he got sent to prison. I don't know, he must have escaped or something. That's the only thing that makes sense. Those thugs have been after me since they saw that I was back. It's the only thing that makes sense, I don't have any other enemies." He explained.

"I have to admit that it sounds like the most likely scenario." Tony agreed, making Peter clench his jaw and nod as pure anger filled him.

"So, the next step is to figure out where he's taken her. Did he have any old bases or anything that he used back in the day?" Tony questioned.

"Not that I know of. The only places that I fought him were in a warehouse that he then destroyed trying to kill me, and the beach that the plane crashed on. I don't know where else he would take her. I can't think." He scoffed and shook his head.

"I know where he might have taken her." Happy piped up as he raised his hand. Tony and Peter looked at him, Peter's eyes widening at the tiny glimmer of hope that was presenting itself in the form of Happy.

"Go on, Hap." Tony nodded. Happy looked at Peter.

"The warehouse that he destroyed to try and kill you was just one of many that he used. When we found him, courtesy of you, S.H.I.E.L.D was led to another warehouse that was full of alien tech and weapons. It was the only place where they ever found more stuff. That's your best shot." Happy nodded.

"Okay then, get FRIDAY to send Karen the location and I'll set off." Peter nodded as he stood up.

"Woah, let's just hold on for a second and think about this." Tony nodded, making Peter's eyes widen slightly as he looked at this mentor.

"With all due respect, Mr Stark, what is there to possibly think about? Y/N is once again in danger, because of me. That son of a bitch has her and is probably planning to do god knows what to her." He scoffed and shook his head.

"Kid, you remember how badly this guy fucked you up last time. He's probably going to try worse this time, and he'll be using Y/N as bait-."

"I don't care." Peter shook his head. Tony sighed and looked at him.

"At least let Bruce and I help-."

"Again, with all due respect, Mr Stark, I can't. This guy has been after me for the last year. He's been after me and he's been using my girlfriend to do that. He's another personal demon of mine. Normally, my personal demons are people that I couldn't save, voices that I couldn't stop from living in my head, but this...him, I can stop." He nodded, his voice going through his gritted teeth as he spoke. Tony sighed again and nodded as he gave him a small smile.

"Happy, give him the location." Tony demanded.

"On it." Happy nodded as he pulled his phone out.

"Thank you, Mr Stark, and thank you, Happy. I'm just going to get my other suit and then I'll go." He nodded as he started to head through the carnage of the room to the elevators.

"What-Peter, you have a suit on right now, a very expensive and nice suit." Tony scoffed, making the boy gulp and look at his metal hands and arms before shrugging and looking back at his mentor.

"I-I know, and I'm grateful for this suit, so grateful, but this is the space suit. I prefer my simple spandex suit for my every day stuff." He chuckled and shrugged.

"Kids these days are so ungrateful-okay, go. Go and get changed and then save your girlfriend." Tony nodded.

"That's the plan, Mr Stark, thank you." Peter returned the nod as he rushed towards the elevators so that he could get his other suit on and save Y/N. Once again, and hopefully for the last time.