MUSIC PLAYED IN the apartment. Clint Barton was in the bathroom freshening up while Kate and Y/N were in the living room. Pizza Dog was on the floor beside the couch the boy laid on.

Y/N wore a black t-shirt and shorts that Kate ended up giving him. He had only underwear underneath his Spider-Man suit, so he was thankful. His damaged and ripped suit was in a bundle on a seat nearby.

He let out a long exhale, recovering from the tiredness and discomfort from his ordeal with Rhino. It's been a little over an hour since then, and his healing factor was doing work. Still, Kate tried applying any form of first aid beforehand...which made the recovery more bearable.

"You feeling okay?" Kate asked as she stood over him.

He nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I've...I've gone through worse."

"I bet." She said with a breathy laugh. "You've...I know you've been through a lot."

Y/N looked at her as she continued. The girl crossed her arms.

"You're Spider-Man. I remember hearing about you and the airport battle in Germany back when I was twelve. When you took down Vulture and helped the Avengers defeat Thanos."

"Yup. Did those things." He simply replied.

"You're a superhero. An Avenger." She knelt beside him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

There was a beat as Y/N stared at Kate, thinking about how to answer that question. The teenager sighed and looked away.

"I've learned that letting people in on such a secret...can cause more harm than good. I've seen the consequences of that mistake...experienced it. I don't...I don't want that to happen again. Especially to someone...I care about."

He looked back at Kate as she attentively listened. Y/N continued.

"You said it well before. Spider-Man doesn't need the recognition or appreciation. He needs just to know people are safe. Give their families hope. Make sure those around him are okay...that the people around me are."

Kate looked down at her hands. "You thought I'd get hurt if I knew?"

"You can definitely handle yourself. You've proven that ever since I've known you and especially these last couple of days. But there's still that part of me that believes that the day something serious happens to you...it'll be because of me. It'll be my fault. Just because you know who I am."

"You shouldn't blame yourself if—"

"Spider-Man will always have enemies. I've made some already, just like this Ronin guy has in the past." He interjected. "It scared me at first, getting close to you, and I battled with myself on whether I should push you away or let you in."

Kate kept staring at Y/N. "And which part won the battle?"

Y/N had glanced away but ultimately looked back at the raven-haired girl.

"I let you in."

There was another beat as they stared at each other. Y/N finally broke the silence and spoke again.

"And maybe that wasn't the smart choice. But, I know myself, I don't really make smart—"

He was interrupted by Kate, who leaned over and kissed him on the lips. Although initially shocked, Y/N gladly reciprocated the action. After a few more seconds, they parted.

"Thanks for letting me do that." Kate said. "And for...well...letting me in."

Receiving her kiss was something he needed. A burden was off his shoulders and Y/N felt like he was able to let out the emotions that were bottled within him.

"I...couldn't push you away, Kate. You arrived during a difficult part of my life. Just having you there with me...made a difference. And, I never got to thank you for that. So...thank you."

Kate smiled, leaning over once more to kiss the teenager again. Y/N kissed back and their lip-lock was more passionate.

At that moment, Clint came into the room. He had an ice pack on the back of his neck and saw the young couple.

"Ugh. I wish I was blind instead of deaf." He jested. "Can you do that when I'm not here? You guys are like...twelve."

"And again...you're like...fifty." Y/N butted.

Clint saw his lips move but could only hear muffled voices. "I don't know what you just said."

Y/N finally responded using ASL. "I called you old again."

"Haha. Very original." He replied sarcastically, then gave a serious expression. "You all right, though?"

The boy nodded. Clint nodded back and turned back around, going into the kitchen.

The older man's phone vibrated and he placed it on the counter. It was a call from his wife, Laura. He answered it and put it on speaker.

"Hey, hey, babe."

Instead of Laura, it was actually his son, Nathaniel. "Hey, daddy."

Clint couldn't hear his soft voice and thought Laura was on the line.

"Hey, listen, I can't really talk right now, uh, because look...maybe—Do you have time to text? Can you text?"

Kate heard the conversation and went into the kitchen, calling out to him.

"What? He asked.

She picked up a notepad and wrote in it. She showed him the paper.

Little boy

"Nathaniel?" He quickly realized and chuckled. "Nathaniel, what are you...what are you doing, buddy? Is everything okay? Where's Mama?"

"She's still asleep. I'm so bored."

"Look, there's a...there might be a little delay, buddy. It's kind of a bad connection."

Everyone asleep. He's bored, Kate wrote.

"You're bored." He laughed. "You're the early bird. Hey, bud, I miss you. Why don't you go get some breakfast and read a book or something until Mama wakes up?"

"What's the point of even reading a book? Are you coming home tonight? It's Christmas movie marathon."

Home tonight for movies? Kate wrote.

"Uh...yeah, it's—Tonight is movie marathon night, that's right. Um...I really wish I could be there with you, buddy. Uh, you know how much I love that. I'm not gonna make it, but I think I'll be back in the next day or so. Yeah, we'll be in time for our ugly Christmas sweater party. You ready for that?"

He feigned a smile as he awaited a muffle or Kate's writing. There was no initial response from his son. Y/N had been overhearing the conversation from the couch.

"Nathaniel?" Clint asked. "Buddy?"

"It's okay if you can't come home for Christmas, Daddy." He finally replied. "We understand."

"Oh, boy, I'm...I tell you, I miss you so much."

Kate wrote, Says it's okay if you can't be home for Christmas.

Clint read the note and what it said hit him like a truck. He thought back at the many other times his work would keep him from spending holidays with his family.

"Um...I'm gonna be there, buddy. I—You know I'm gonna be there, like I said, right? I'm so happy to hear your voice. Daddy's gotta go, okay? I love you."

"Love you, Daddy."

"I love you more." His voice broke a bit. "Bye-bye."

Clint hung up the phone and put it away. He looked up at Kate. "Thank you."

She nodded. "Okay."

Y/N didn't say a word, feeling for the father and retired Avenger. He had a family that he needed to go back to but was here helping them. He also felt bad for all those old jokes now.

Clint turned around and faced the window over the sink. Kate fiddled with her hands and slowly walked back into the living room.

• • •

THE TRACKSUIT MAFIA was preparing to move to another base now that their location was compromised. As Tomas and another member walked out of the office, Maya entered and met with Kazi. The man had his face paint off this time.

"Can we talk?" He asked in ASL.

She signed back. "Fine, let's talk."

"This morning got out of hand. You know I'm willing to help you with this crusade to catch the Ronin. But we still need to keep a low profile. What if Uncle finds out?"

"He should be willing to help capture my father's killer."

"Yeah, but now we have Barton and Spider-Man involved. You know how much he despises the bug, the trouble he caused him."

"Then we'll take him down too."

"Systevich was supposed to do that but we had to fish him out of the river. It'll only be a matter of time before Uncle finds out we recruited one of his subordinates."

Kazi continued. "He has a lot on his plate right now. If this interferes with the Manfredi deal he's about to do, he won't be happy."

"If it was my father would you be questioning him like this?"

"Your father always put the crew first."

Maya held her hand out and stopped him. "Remind me. Who's in charge?"

Kazi sighed and pointed at her. "You are."

"Right. Not the face paint-wearing clown. Me." She signed back. "Look into Clint Barton. He might know more about Ronin."

Maya walked away, leaving Kazi alone in the office. The Clown simply stared ahead at the wall, anger lingering inside him.

• • •

THE TRIO WALKED down Central Park with Pizza Dog. They had just eaten a breakfast a few blocks away at a diner, where they discussed Clint's connection to the Ronin.

There was also some talk about branding for Hawkeye, where Kate compared Spider-Man and him. The older man would rather jump off a building than wear a colorful suit and goofy mask like Y/N.

"You pick up any tension between Maya and the clown dude, or was it just me?" Kate asked Clint, recalling their experience during their capture.

"His name's Kazi. Pretty crazy guy with an itchy trigger finger, but he doesn't scare me." Clint asked.

"These Tracksuits...I figure they're into some pretty bad stuff? How come I've never heard of them until now?" Y/N asked him.

"They started small, were always underground, then they grew about a year into the Blip. There's a guy at the top, he'll do anything to grow the operation."

"I thought Maya was the boss?" Kate asked.

"No, there's someone above Maya. Someone you don't want to mess with."

"Care to elaborate?" Y/N replied. "You know him by name?"

"You probably won't believe me." Clint said.

"Try me."

He chuckled. "The city's golden goose. Wilson Fisk."

Y/N shot the older man a look of surprise. "You're shitting me."

"Nope."

"The Kingpin?"

"You've acquainted with him?"

"Let's just say I'm at the very top of his least favorite people list." Y/N replied.

"That rich businessman?" Kate asked about him. "I thought he was just a normal dude."

"That's what he wants you to think. He took advantage of the power vacuum there was during the Blip. Made people think he was reformed and all for the people." Clint explained.

"But there's still the darker side he's hiding." Y/N added. "Him being so out there and favored is what makes it hard to get him. Besides, there isn't really much to do."

"But if we somehow connect him with the Tracksuits and their operations...that should be enough, right?"

"No, we are not even going to try to get on his radar. You do, you're as good as dead." Clint told her.

Y/N agreed. "He once had the FBI under his finger, even got them to kill each other out of fear. It's scary to think about...but he might have even more power now than he did then."

"Wow." Kate breathed out. "So he has bad blood with Ronin and Spider-Man."

"Ronin hit the supplier on the other side and then hit Tracksuit upper management." Clint replied.

"I—" Y/N realized he was in public and lowered his voice. "Spider-Man was there when his longtime confidant died. Then got him arrested on his wedding night."

"Sounds like a lot of drama." Kate said with a nod and looked at Pizza Dog. "Which is why you should ever get involved in organized crime."

As they continued walking, Y/N's spider-sense went off. Firetrucks and ambulances sped through the nearby street and the boy looked on.

"I'll catch up with you guys later." He informed them. "Call me if anything comes up."

Clint nodded. Kate went up to Y/N.

"You got your suit?" She asked.

The teenager went home earlier and retrieved a backup he made that he had in his closet.

"Yeah. Last one before I have to stitch up another." He replied.

Kate kissed him on the cheek and Y/N smiled. He was starting to get used to such affection again.

He bid farewell and jogged the other way. Clint chuckled and walked with Kate and Pizza Dog.

"Such a big deal for just helping an old lady's kitten out of a tree." He joked.

• • •

CLINT AND KATE snuck into her mom's penthouse. There, they were going to look through her Bishop Security database and search for information on the Tracksuits and Jack Duquesne.

Kate opened up a laptop in the dining room as Clint looked around. He was flabbergasted at how nice and how large the home was.

"Man...I'm in the wrong business." He muttered as he walked to the table and put down his coat. "How'd you say Armand was killed?"

"Stabbed with a sword." She answered with eyes glued to the computer.

"See if there's anything on Kazi. Crazy guy like him should have something on him."

Kate did as told and looked up at the man. A file on him popped up.

"What's this company, Sloan Limited? Kazi is an employee?"

"Wait, Sloan Limited, that sounds familiar." Barton remarked.

"You think there's someone there?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

Clint heard a noise in the other room. Kate was oblivious to it and continued her work on the computer. He walked away and slowly walked through the room, entering another.

Suddenly, a sword was brought to his neck and the archer stopped.

"Don't move." Jack threatened as he held the weapon. He backed away. "Stay where you are."

Kate peeked into the room and saw what was happening. She ran up to them.

"Jack, no!"

Eleanor came into the room as well. "What the hell is going on?" Her eyes widened upon seeing Barton. "And why is there an Avenger in my dining room?"

"Uh...hi." Clint greeted.

"Oh, my God." Jack lowered the sword. "You're...you're Archer."

"Hawkeye." Kate corrected.

"Clint." He corrected Kate.

"It's the branding issue, I'm telling you." Kate whispered.

"Yeah, sure."

Jack and Eleanor sat across from Clint and Kate at the dining room table. The girl had been explaining their current situation.

"Hawkeye and I are working on a case, and we needed to use the bathroom." She lied. "He did. So, we were by the house, we dropped in. No big deal."

"Working on a case together?" Eleanor asked.

"Yeah. He and Spider-Man, actually. It's a whole thing. Pretty cool. They're my partners."

Clint scoffed. "I'm not your partner."

"Well, we're friends-slash-partners."

"I wouldn't really describe us as friends."

Eleanor stared at them, now taking in the additional information that Spider-Man was involved too. Her cell phone chimed, snapping her out of her thoughts and picking it up.

"Someone used my laptop to sign in to my work account ten minutes ago." She said. "Any thoughts, Kate? Hawkeye? Spider-Man on my ceiling somewhere hiding?"

"Uh, no. He's out there right now, somewhere. In Clint's case, you'll never get anything outta him." Kate said with a laugh. "You see, CB-One has trouble opening up."

"Nobody calls me CB-One." He butted.

"I'm just trying to out for a second." She told him and then looked back at her mom. "Probably some early childhood thing. He thinks he doesn't tell me much, but he ends up telling me all of it."

He disagreed. "I tell her nothing."

"I think it's because I'm generally pretty chill. You know, not like, Oh, my God, Hawkeye!"

Clint disagreed again. "Definitely not chill."

There was awkward silence after the exchange. Finally, Jack spoke to Clint.

"By the way, thank you...for saving the world."

"Don't mention it."

"I'd thank the araña too if he were here." Jack glanced at Eleanor. "I actually kinda like him. Very colorful."

Clint feigned a smile and nodded. "I'll...make sure to tell him that."

"I would like my daughter to start telling me the truth." Eleanor blurted as she looked at Kate.

Kate inhaled. "I logged into your account because I needed information on an actual case with actual people who are in actual danger."

Eleanor looked at Clint. "So, Kate is helping you...and Spider-Man...with an Avengers-level threat?"

"Well, not exactly." He answered.

"But you are working together?"

Clint didn't know how to respond initially. He glanced at Kate for a moment before letting out a sigh.

"Yes. Sounds weird, because it is."

Kate smiled. Eleanor didn't know how to take the information and let out a chuckle.

"Okay...well, I guess I'm just gonna have to trust everyone at this table to do what's right." She said.

"Cool. It was great bumping into you guys." Kate started to get up. "We should get—"

"Please stay." Eleanor stopped her.

Kate noticed the look in her mom's eyes. She obeyed and slowly sat back down. Eleanor turned to Clint.

"Can I see you out?" She asked.

"I'll get my coat." Clint nodded and bid farewell to her fiancé. "Jack."

Clint and Eleanor got up from the table and walked out of the dining room. Discreetly, he was able to grab the Ronin sword by the wall and hide it under the coat in his arms.

Eleanor pressed the button and called up the elevator. She walked up to Clint.

"Let me clarify." She began.

He turned to her. "All right."

"She is not a superhero." Eleanor mentioned Kate.

"Oh, yeah. Come on. I already knew that." Clint replied. "She's pretty good at all this, but—"

"Natasha Romanoff was pretty damn good at it, wasn't she?" She replied abruptly.

Clint stood quiet, ignoring the sudden jab the woman gave him. She knew it'd affect him.

She continued. "Being good isn't always enough to keep you alive."

"I see."

The elevator opened and he was about to go in. Eleanor stopped him and spoke once more.

"Do you have kids?" She asked, then received a non-answer. "Yeah, I'm gonna assume that you do. It's been a rough week for my family. But I'm letting you know that I cannot lose Kate. I've lost people before. I know in your line of work, you have, too."

"I understand. Okay." He said with a nod and walked into the elevator.

"So, you'll forget this case?" Eleanor asked.

"I can't do that." He quickly replied. "But what I can do is ensure that your daughter stays safe. Okay?"

Clint faked a smile and let the doors close. Eleanor looked down for a moment, then walked away. Instead of going into the dining room where her family was, she walked into one of the living areas and took out her phone.

She dialed the number, one she never had saved on her phone but had always remembered. The call went through and someone answered.

"Can I speak with him, please? This is Eleanor Bishop." She said.

After a moment of waiting, the man she wanted to speak to was on the line.

"Eleanor." Fisk greeted in his gruff voice.

"Wilson."

"You decided to call me personally instead of the company line. This must be urgent."

"It is. We have someone snooping around the business and looking into what happened with Armand."

"And who's the curious cat that's poking around?"

"Clint Barton."

"Why is an Avenger taking interest in this case?"

"I don't know. But he's also getting help."

"From who?"

There was a beat. Eleanor knew the name she was about to say would be one Fisk didn't like.

"Spider-Man."

Fisk was silent for a moment. Ultimately, a guttural sound from the man's throat was heard through the line.

"Spider-Man?"

"I know that'd anger you."

"Anger me? I'm infuriated. I cannot have him busybodying around, especially now!"

"What do you want to do?" She asked.

Fisk took a moment to compose himself. "Your connection with De Fontaine, call her and get people to deal with Barton and Spider-Man."

"I already have somebody in mind that works for her that can deal with Barton, and for a good price. The spider though..."

"I know of her subordinates. And there's one I know will do his best to get the job done."

"Who do you want me to ask for?"

There was a beat before Kingpin responded.

"Aaron Davis."

• • •

SPIDER-MAN SWUNG TOWARD his open apartment window. He leaped through and landed on his feet, where he took off his mask and let out a breath.

Y/N threw his mask onto the bed and closed his window back up. He glanced at the desk beside it, where his sewing machine and stacks of books were. One thing caught his eye...as it always did.

The LEGO mini-figure of Darth Sidious.

He's had it there for quite a while, not wanting to put it away. It still had been standing there since Y/N first unpacked his things.

The feeling of woe came back to Y/N for the first time in a while. He deeply inhaled and looked down, going back to his bed and sitting on the edge.

Many little things reminded him of his former friends. The minifigure was a memory of Peter and Ned. Lessons of science he'd go over for his GED exam reminded him of Gwen. The usual coffee cups given across the city...MJ.

Y/N could feel tears starting to well up. He exhaled and stood up, about to change out of his costume.

His cell phone suddenly rang. He picked it up from his bed and looked at it, seeing that it was a call from Kate. The teenager quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey. Did I call at a bad time?"

"No. No, you didn't. I actually just came home."

"Cool. You got any plans for tonight?"

"Not really. Just...maybe look over my textbook. Watch TV..." He glanced at the plain wall that did not have a television. "...on my phone."

"That sounds like no fun. I want you to come over to the safe house."

"Why? Is something up?"

"Something doesn't have to be up for us to be over there. Clint's there, alone, and I want to liven up the night a little."

"Liven up?"

"You've seen how much of a Grinch he's been. And, uh...it sucks that he's not really enjoying the holidays. I'd like to make it up to him."

"That's...very nice of you, Kate."

"But I need the help of course. What's better than one jubilant kid spreading Christmas cheer. Two!"

Y/N chuckled. "I don't think Barton would agree."

"He'll accept it...eventually. So, what do you say?"

There was a brief pause. Y/N didn't plan on going out for the night, he expected to be alone...like always. Unbeknownst to him, Kate's plan was not only to cheer Clint up, but Y/N as well.

"Yeah...yeah, that sounds cool." Y/N finally replied. "Do I meet you there or...?"

"Meet me at Joe's Pizza. Then from there, we're gonna pick some stuff up."

"All right. I'll see you."

"Okay!" Kate replied cheerily. "Bye."

"Bye-bye."

Y/N hung up the call. He looked to his left at the mirror on the wall, staring at his reflection. He saw himself in his Spider-Man suit...the one piece of attire he's stuck with and was basically a part of him.

For this night, he wasn't going to take it.

The teenager went over to his closet, where he changed out of his suit and put on regular clothes.

• • •

THE DOORBELL BUZZED and Clint Barton got up from his seat. The man had frozen packs of slushy taped over his shoulders and arms. He held the button at the door and allowed the person outside the building to speak.

"It's me and Y/N. We come bearing pizza and holiday cheer. Let us in." Kate said through the speaker.

"Hmm." Clint chuckled and buzzed them in.

A couple of minutes later, they came in with Pizza Dog. Y/N carried a couple of bags and a case while Kate held two boxes of pizza.

"It's pizza time." Kate called out to Clint.

"No, it's just Pizza Time." Y/N corrected. "Sounds funnier that way."

"What's all this?" Clint asked from his seat.

"This is me saving the holidays." Kate replied as they put the stuff down.

"Is that right? Who's idea was this?"

"All hers." Y/N pointed. "Kate Claus."

"I'll get you home in time for the big day." Kate took off her coat. "Figured in the meantime, we could celebrate. It's movie marathon night, right? Check this out."

Kate gestured toward the bag near Y/N. He took DVDs out of it and showed them to the archer.

"We got movies. From holiday blockbusters to the ones nobody knows about." He said.

"That's very thoughtful of you guys. Thanks." Clint replied.

Kate smiled and Y/N put away the DVDs. Clint's grin disappeared and got more serious.

"But, can we put a pause on that and talk about Sword Boy for a minute?" He asked.

"Sword Boy?" Y/N asked.

"Her mom's fiancé, Jack. The guy who was about to cut my throat when we snuck into her penthouse."

"Oh. Wow." Y/N simply said.

"What's up with him?" Kate asked Clint.

"So, I did a little digging on Sloan Limited, turns out he's CEO of the company."

"Really?"

"It's just a shell company though, launders money for the Tracksuits. Weird thing is...it's connected to a larger conglomerate. Kingsley Corporation."

"Do they have ties with Fisk?" Y/N asked.

"Not sure. All I know is that Jack's associated with the Draculas and likely works with the big guy."

"Okay, well, we're just gonna have to come up with a plan to take down my mom's fiancé's organized crime ring..." Kate began and took out a sweater from a bag. "...while simultaneously having a heartwarming holiday celebration."

She threw the ugly sweater at Clint before getting up from the sofa and going toward the kitchen.

"Got any more of that slushy stuff?" She asked about the frozen packs he had on his shoulders.

"In the freezer."

Y/N watched as she left and let out a laugh. He glanced at Clint, who looked at the ugly Christmas sweater he was given. The teenager grabbed another one from the bag and showed it to him.

"You won't be alone, man."

Holiday music played and a movie was on in the background. Frozen strawberry daiquiri cocktails were on the table along with an open box of pizza.

Kate was up by a poster frame writing on it with a marker. Y/N and Clint sat down enjoying their snacks, giving Pizza Dog some as well. The three wore their respective ugly sweaters.

"Okay, cops. We need to get the cops off my back." She said and pointed at the word. "I've had the Captain calling me the last couple of days."

"George Stacy?" Y/N asked.

Kate turned to him. "You know him? You think you can tell him to cool off?"

"I...don't think he or the department's gonna listen to the request of Spider-Man. I wouldn't be surprised if they listen to J. Jonah's podcast."

"Well, then cops will still be a problem." She looked back at the board. "TSM, we need to get them to leave us alone."

"Easier said than done." Clint replied and threw a snack at Pizza Dog.

"And we need to figure out why and how Jack is connected to it all."

"Right."

"This is the part where one of you finishes my sentence with a plan." Kate told them.

"Planning's not really my thing." Clint butted.

Y/N titled his head toward the older archer. "Same."

"Are you sure that's dry erase?" Clint asked about the marker she was writing with.

Kate looked back at the glass frame and tried wiping away the writing. It didn't work. She let out an exhale and put the marker back.

Y/N cringed. "Ooh. That was a nice frame too."

They put up a tree in front of the frame to hide the writing. Later, they started to decorate it with lights and ornaments. Kate and Clint had been talking about arrows and their skills as archers while Y/N mostly overheard.

"You got any other cool tricks?" She asked him.

Clint held up a small silver disc that he was putting up as a decoration.

"Well, I can knock somebody unconscious with this, like, twenty feet away."

"No, you can't." She scoffed.

"I'd use a quarter or a nickel. A dime's too light."

"Prove it."

"What? Want me to knock you unconscious?"

"No. Just hit something."

Clint looked at Y/N as the boy went over to throw a piece of trash away in the bin across the room. He immediately flicked the small disc toward him, but Y/N sensed it and grabbed it in mid-air.

He held out the disc. "Um, I think you lost this."

Clint shrugged. "Just wanted to see how fast you could react."

"I could dodge bullets, I think I can handle a little Christmas ornament." Y/N replied with a chuckle and tossed it back to him.

"Mission failed." Kate told Clint. "Guess you'll have to live forever with me not believing that you could—"

Clint tossed the disc again without looking and hit the button on the television, turning it off. Kate looked on in awe.

"You gotta show me how you just did that."

Kate ended up learning the trick Clint did. Afterward, they sat on the sofa while a movie played. One conversation lead to another, one of Clint's partnership with Natasha and how he'd been dealing with her passing.

Ultimately, it came to the topic of the Blip, where Clint revealed his family was gone those five years. Kate deduced that the Ronin was actually Clint.

"Everybody dealt with the Blip their own way." He said. "I just went out and did what I was trained to do."

"Protect people." Kate replied.

"Hurting people." He butted. "Investigating first, but in the end, my job has always been to hurt people."

"You were a hero."

He looked up at her. "I was a weapon. I was aimed by the right people at the right targets."

"You made mistakes but those are behind you."

"No, they're tied to me. Tied to my family. That's why I'm here. And I can't go home until I fix it."

Clint sighed and looked down. The man continued.

"I told you before, Kate. I'm not a role model. I'm not a hero. I don't go out to protect and serve, I don't see myself as a symbol of...light. That's just not me."

He looked back at Kate and Y/N. "That's more...your thing."

Y/N took a breath in and looked at his hands. "Don't...don't put yourself down like that, Clint. A lot of people see you as that symbol. As that inspiration. Kate has...even me."

The boy continued. "The Avengers always were. From the Thunder God all the way to you. You're a hero people look up to."

As Y/N spoke, he thought of those who he looked up to. There were the Avengers...but then there was the one man who saw as his hero...

His father, Michael.

Y/N exhaled and stopped talking. He immediately felt like crying but didn't want to do so in front of them.

"Ex—Excuse me."

He walked out of the living room. Kate watched as the boy went into the hallway toward the guest room. Clint had taken in his words and looked back at the television.

"I really appreciate what you did tonight." He told Kate. "It means a lot."

Kate didn't respond, looking dejected after such a somber moment between her and the two heroes. She didn't expect that on a night of holiday celebration.

Clint continued. "You know, you should get some rest. You got a big day tomorrow."

"Yes, boss." Kate said quietly and nodded. "Good night."

"Good night."

Kate got up and went into the hallway. Clint shut off the television and lamp beside him. He took off his hearing aid and laid back on the seat, closing his eyes to sleep.

Kate entered the guest room. It was only lit by the single lamp on the nightstand. Y/N was sitting at the edge of the bed, wiping his eyes. The girl noticed and closed the door after walking in.

"Hey. Are you okay?" She asked softly.

"Yeah, yeah." He sniffled and feigned a smile. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She shook her head. "You say that every time I ask you, and I can tell you're not." Kate sat down beside him. "I'm not taking that as an answer this time."

Y/N nodded as he looked down, then glanced back at the raven-haired girl.

"Then no. No, I'm not."

"You can talk to me. You let me in, so that means I'm here. A friend to talk to, a shoulder to lean on, the whole shebang."

"Right." He said with a breathy chuckle.

"And if you don't want to, that's fine. Only if you're ready. I don't want to pry if you're not comfortable."

Y/N nodded again and stayed silent. He looked back down at his hands and fiddled with them. Kate took the non-answer as a sign that he didn't want to just yet.

"Okay." She pat his shoulder and got up. "Just know that I'm here."

Before she can leave, Y/N quickly grabbed her arm. Kate looked back at the boy.

"No. Stay, please." He told her.

She gave a soft smile and sat back down. Kate offered solace by grabbing onto his left hand and holding it.

"I've lost a lot, Kate, just because of what I do. Mentors...friends...my dad."

Kate immediately thought of her own dad. She gave a solemn look.

"What...what happened to him?" She asked.

"He died...one day when we were helping someone. That person that we were helping was the one that killed him. Even after, he told me that we did the right thing. That helping that person was my responsibility because I had the power to do so."

Kate took in his story. Y/N paused for a moment before continuing.

"He and my mom believed in the same thing. About how you should use your gifts for the betterment of others."

"Is she...?"

He shook his head. "No. She, um...she died during the invasion of New York over ten years ago."

Kate thought of that day almost immediately. "I lost my dad that day too. One moment he was there, then the next...he wasn't. I would've suffered the same fate if it wasn't for the Avengers. Well, Hawkeye."

Y/N looked at her. He didn't know her father was also gone and perished in the same event as his mother.

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely.

"Don't be. I'm sorry." She replied. "You've lost both and you still go out and do what you do. I wouldn't even be able to function if I was in your position."

Y/N nodded and looked back down. He still held her hand as they talked.

"Your friends...did they also...?"

"No. I...I didn't lose them like that." He replied.

Kate wasn't sure what he meant. Y/N noticed her questioning look.

"It's complicated. I don't know how to tell you."

"Try me."

Y/N let out a sigh, thinking back at the events from earlier in the year to now.

"Months ago, my identity was exposed by Mysterio after I defeated him in London. Everybody knew who I was now and life was getting hard for my family and friends."

"Exposed?" Kate asked. "I remember hearing about the whole thing in Europe, but nothing about your identity."

"That's where things get weird. Where magic is involved. I went to Doctor Strange for help and tried to get everybody to forget I was Spider-Man. Stuff went wrong, one thing lead to another, and my mistake was leading to what could've been a cataclysmic event for the entire world."

There was a pause. Kate kept listening.

"In order to fix it, I told Doctor Strange to cast a new spell. For the world to forget Y/N L/N. It was the only way to stop what was going to happen from happening." He continued. "And that's what he did. The people I once knew forgot about me. Any record of me...gone...as if I never existed. I became unknown. But I convinced myself that it was what needed to happen. To keep them safe. To keep the world safe."

Y/N took his gaze away from the wall ahead and looked directly at Kate as he continued.

"Y/N was gone, but Spider-Man still lived on. That's the one part of me nothing can take away, not even magic. That is me. I am Spider-Man."

Kate kept looking at Y/N, grasping his hand as she took in the young man's words. She felt for Y/N and everything he'd been through.

"You sacrificed your livelihood to save the world. You are a true hero, the best of them. People might not know or want to accept it, but I'm telling you. That's what I believe."

Y/N appreciated her statement. He softly smiled and hummed.

"You're the first person I've told about this. And I'm pretty surprised you believe me."

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"You know...the whole magic part of it and universe-breaking stuff."

Kate chuckled. "Please, once aliens started dropping from the sky, anything became believable."

Y/N laughed with the girl. He still held her hand and smiled once more.

"Thank you." He said with sincerity. "For being here."

"Thank you for not pushing me away...when that could've been the easier choice." She replied. "I'm always here."

Y/N looked into her eyes and they sat there for a moment in silence. Y/N was the first to act and leaned in to kiss her.

Kate let go of his hand and palmed the side of his face as their embrace deepened. Y/N moved his hand to the back of her neck.

Their embrace lead them onto the bed. After a few more moments of kissing, they parted and decided to lay together. Holding one another was all they needed, and Y/N didn't mind letting Kate be the big spoon.

And for the first time in a while...Y/N slept without a single tear being shed.