Chapter Text
Peter stared at his distorted reflection in the shining black shoe he was holding and sighed. He had been up past lights out last night making sure April’s shoes would be ready. Not that the little girl would even notice, but he wanted her to make a good first impression.
This could be her chance to get out of here.
Not that she was suffering, but he wanted more for her. Something that she wouldn’t get if she stayed here.
Something she wouldn’t get if she stayed with him.
At times like this, the day she was born feels like yesterday.
Uncle Ben had pulled him out of school early to go join him and his Aunt May in the hospital when she went into labour. They’d been waiting for it. The new arrival had been due the middle of March, but they’d refused to budge until the first of April.
His Aunt and Uncle had always said they were happy without children, but after his parents died in the plane crash and they had taken him in, they had warmed to the idea of growing their makeshift family. It had taken them a while, but when he was ten May finally fell pregnant.
They spent months preparing their small apartment. Their home may have been child-proof, but it certainly hadn’t been baby-proof.
Peter had tried to contain all his Lego’s and experiments to his bedroom. They removed anything that was unnecessary from the living area as they would need the space. It seems silly looking back but he’d been devastated when they had to get rid of the old, cracked leather futon from Ben’s college days, and of course, they decorated the small spare room as a nursery. They scoured various Jack and Jill markets across New York, grabbing bargains wherever they could.
Once they had everything, Ben and Peter got to paint the nursery a lovely yellow. None of them wanted to learn the sex of the baby beforehand, so they had chosen the cheery gender-neutral colour.
Ben and May had made it clear from the very beginning, that although on paper the new arrival would be his cousin, he would in fact, be their older brother. From the moment he had been shown May’s sonogram, squinting to try and see where his baby sibling’s limbs lay in the grey blob, he had promised to protect them with all he had.
He had renewed that vow the day his baby sister was born.
He’d been banished to the nurses’ station to wait while Ben stayed with May for the actual delivery. Hours after he’d been pulled out of school, just before midnight, he was invited back into the delivery suite, and he got his first sight of the baby in May’s arms.
“She’s beautiful, May. Got your eyes, but definitely Ben’s nose.” He grinned across the bed at his uncle.
“Thankfully, she’s gotten most of her features from my beautiful wife,” Ben murmured. His hand slowly running through May’s hair as she lay recovering in the bed.
“Have you guys decided on a name?” he questioned.
“Not yet, Pete.” His aunt smiled at him. “We wondered if you had any ideas?”
He paused, staring at them in awe. He couldn’t believe they trusted him enough to help name their daughter. He had taken a moment to think of a good name and smirked a little when the idea struck him. It was slightly unusual but would fit the family perfectly.
“What about... April?” he shot them a hesitant look. “I mean, I just thought it would go with May? And she kept you waiting till April, and it’s a relatively common name so—”
“It’s perfect, Peter.” His Uncle interrupted him, sharing a fond look with May. “What do you think, May?”
“I love it.” She leaned forward to get a better look at the little girl’s face from where she was all bundled up in blankets in Peter’s arms. “Our little April.”
Later on that night, once May had fallen asleep and Ben had nipped out to grab them some food, he had wandered over to the cot where April was sleeping and made a promise to himself to make sure she always got what she deserved.
For the first three years of her life, that’s exactly what he did.
They may not have had much materially between them, but none of them were ever left wanting. His favourite part of the day was making his sister laugh. He was her protector when she had bad dreams and she would run to his bed instead of her parents. He was her best friend, and she was his.
Their life was no fairy-tale, but he wouldn’t have changed it for anything.
Then when he was fourteen, his class went on a fieldtrip to Oscorp. He got bit by a spider and suddenly had freaky superpowers. He had tried to ignore them; pretend he couldn’t hear the neighbours talking two floors above him or that he hadn’t pulled a door of its hinges by underestimating his own strength. With all his senses dialled to eleven his temper grew shorter. Compared to other kids in his school, he was still a delight, but he would argue with May and Ben – something he’d never done before. Would sometimes come home from school and go straight to his room, locking the door so that April couldn’t come in and play.
He could tell Ben and May were trying to be understanding and give him space, but they only accepted it for so long. On a warm May evening, they decided that they’d go out for dinner as a treat. Assuming that some family time together would help get Peter through whatever emotions he was struggling with. It had always helped in the past.
It wasn’t that Peter didn’t want to spend time with them, in fact, he had loved the dinner in a quiet diner. He’d helped to feed April, cutting up her chicken strips in between taking bites of his own burger. It was the most relaxed he’d felt in a while, he was gaining control of his powers and had passed his Spanish quiz he’d been stressing about for days.
His Aunt and Uncle had been so happy to finally see Peter smiling again that they made the decision to walk the long way home, to extend their evening together. The sun was starting to set, but it was still a pleasant temperature.
It was a really good evening. Until it wasn’t.
The man had come out of nowhere.
They’d been minding their own business. One moment April was babbling away as she hung from May and Ben’s hands. The next, April was being pressed against Peter’s chest as May and Ben stood in front of them.
He’d stood frozen, his arms around his little sister, as the man with a gun had screamed at them to hand over their valuables.
He’d stood frozen, as May passed over her purse and Ben passed his wallet and even his watch that had been a gift from his father, Peter’s grandfather.
He’d stood frozen as a car backfired somewhere behind them spooking the mugger.
He’d stood frozen when the gun went off – twice – and then the man was running.
He’d stood frozen as his Aunt and Uncle fell to the floor and April started crying.
It wasn’t until a passer-by started screaming that Peter snapped back into action. Dropping to his knees he pressed April to his side, keeping her face pressed against his neck, and reached for his Aunt and Uncle. His shaking hands searching for a pulse that was no longer there; his enhanced senses could hear the absence where their heartbeats should’ve been.
They were gone. They had died protecting them.
They were gone, and he hadn’t gotten to say goodbye.
They were gone, and he had done nothing.
The rest of that evening was a blur.
He remembers scrubbing dried blood of his fingers while they waited at the police station. He remembers a woman in a beige suit collecting them from the station and driving them to the group home. He remembers crying silently, curled in the corner of a crowded room, while listening to April’s steady heartbeat in the next room over as she slept.
Life after that was different.
His entire purpose became looking after April. She was one of the youngest in the home and that made her an ideal candidate for the various potential foster parents who came around looking for children.
He had continued to hone his powers and had discovered a spidey-sense of sorts that allowed him to sense danger. He’d used it to help get a feel for the potential fosters. They had been in the group home for almost three months and already he had scared away a number of potential foster parents. They either gave him a bad feeling, or they stunk of weed. He wouldn’t let her be taken by someone just looking for a paycheck.
She needed a stable family. A supportive family who’d help her live up to her full potential.
Early on, Ms. Reid, the woman in charge of the home, had reminded Peter that April was his cousin – not his sister – so they wouldn’t be offered as siblings. They would either go to homes individually, or they’d stay together and age out of the system.
Peter had never been stupid. Hell, he had a full-ride scholarship to one of the best ranked STEM schools in the state. He knew was April’s best chance was.
From the time they’d spent in the system so far, he knew that April needed to get out if she was to make anything of her life.
So even though it felt like his heart was literally being torn in two, the night before a good, respectable couple were coming to take April for a day out, he was making sure her outfit was as clean as possible. As frivolous as it sounded, appearance had a big impact on first impressions.
This could be her chance.
It wasn’t her first day out, although it was the first one where he hadn’t been able to personally meet the couple beforehand. However, he’d listened in on phone conversations and once eavesdropped when they chatted downstairs with Ms. Reid.
Despite not having met them personally, he had a feeling this could be the one. He was torn between wanting April to have a steady home environment with a caring family and wanting to keep her with him.
But the group home wasn’t the safest environment. It wasn’t that Ms. Reid was neglectful, she was just overworked with not enough resources.
They struggled to provide enough food on the table, the rooms were always teetering on falling on the wrong side of just being warm enough and the other kids – the ones who had been in the system for a while – could be violent.
Peter had so far managed to protect April from seeing this side of their situation, but he wasn’t sure how long their luck would last. If she stayed in the system, she would grow up. The older kids only tended to protect the younger ones from the reality they were facing for so long. He didn’t want that to end for April.
Dragging his eyes from his reflection in the shoe, he smiled as April danced around the room in her dress.
“Look, Petey. I’m a princess!”
“Not without shoes you’re not. Come over here.”
“Okay,” she sighed, spinning in his direction before jumping up onto the bed, stretching her legs out towards him.
“Be careful with your dress,” he chastised gently as he slipped on her shoes. “You remember what we talked about?”
“Mmhmm,” she nodded. “Be on my best behaviour and be good.”
“Exactly.” He smiled. “I’m sure they’re going to love you. You’re going to have so much fun.”
“I know. We’re going to the museum and then maybe even the park.”
“Wow. Do you think you’ll see the dinosaurs?”
“I hope so.” She paused as the smile slipped from her face, her eyes turning slightly distant and watery. “Mummy loved the dinosaurs.”
Pulling her into a hug, he rested his chin on her head.
“She did. And she loved you, so did daddy. But I’m sure the nice couple you’re going with will like them just as much.” He placed a kiss on her forehead, before pulling back to see her face. “What do you say we head downstairs to wait for them?”
“Okay. You sure you can’t come with us? You love the museum.”
April was still so young. Despite having faced so much trauma in her short four years. She hadn’t yet grasped the idea that Peter couldn’t go with her. Nobody wanted teenagers. He’d tried to explain it before her first daytrip, but it hadn’t stuck.
They stepped into the living room, as he tried to think of a response that would hopefully keep her tears at bay.
“Sorry, April. It’s you they want to meet.” When she looked up at him like a kicked puppy, he smiled. “I’ll be fine. I’ve got homework to get done anyway. You’ll have so much fun you’ll forget I’m not there, I promise.”
They weren’t waiting long before an Audi pulled up out front. He only had time to give April a quick cuddle before Ms. Reid was pulling her outside.
Whoever was taking April for the day didn’t even need to step out of the car, the door was opened from the inside and Peter only got a glance at the car seat April was placed in before the door was once again shut, and the car drove off.
Peter took the opportunity to plough through his chores and homework while April was out. Unlike the other kids in the home who attended the local public school, he had been able to keep his full-ride scholarship to Midtown Tech. It meant that when school started back earlier that month, he was able to return to the school he had already known but it was an hours walk away from the group home which meant he had less time to get things done during the week. Despite the various demands on his time, he still allowed time to look after April and help some of the younger ones with their own homework.
Darren, the eldest in the home, had been in the system for years. He was just a couple of months away from aging out and didn’t let the others forget it. He’d very quickly targeted Peter as his newest victim, not even giving him the chance to introduce himself before he had been pushing him aside to go to his room.
Not that Peter was complaining. He would much rather he be targeted than one of the others who wouldn’t heal as quickly.
Early on, Peter had managed to work out a deal with the bully to avoid starting things in front of April. It did however mean that April’s days out with potential fosters were never fun for him.
It was open season for the older boy.
Nursing a pair of newly bruised ribs, he paced the living room waiting for his sisters return.
Ms. Reid had received a call not long before dinner letting them know they’d be taking April out for dinner on their way back. Peter was embarrassed to admit he was slightly relieved by the news. It was pizza night which unfortunately meant it was open season at the table. Tiny hands fighting for a slice - if they weren’t fast then they’d go hungry. Having April out of the house meant he knew she was getting fed and he didn’t have to take any more away from the others than he had to. His enhanced metabolism hadn’t been anywhere near satisfied since he entered the system, but he still had to take slightly more than his fair share just to keep himself reasonably healthy.
The sun was beginning to set when the Audi finally pulled up out front. He jumped back from the window when the doors started to open, he didn’t want to be caught staring.
Peter felt a lump form in his throat when he heard Ms. Reid and the unknown gentleman arranging a follow up meeting before April was even back inside.
This was what he wanted; it was what was best for his sister. Or he hoped it was. So, why did the thought make him want to cry? Maybe it was ‘cause he hadn’t spoken to her yet about how it went. For all he knew, they were arranging a follow up meeting with a family that April hated.
But what if it went well?
He might never see his little sister again. He assumed the mystery family lived in New York somewhere, but she’d probably be too busy to meet up with him. She’d have new friends and a new family. She might not even want to see him.
It’s his fault her parents are dead after all.
“Petey!” April screamed as she jumped into his arms, a massive grin splitting her face. He hadn’t even heard the door open.
“Hey, trouble.” He spun her around, grimacing at the pain in his chest – both the physical and emotional. “Did you have a good day?”
“It was amazing!” She jumped back out of his arms, hopping back and forth as she recounted him with tales of the day. “They have a daughter, who is so nice. She’s five, so we’re almost the same age! We got to go to the museum and see the dinosaurs twice. First when we arrived and then we got to go back before we left. After we went to the park and got ice-cream, and I got sprinkles. Then we went out for dinner, and I got a burger and then even more ice-cream. But strawberry ice-cream after dinner, whereas I had chocolate with the sprinkles.”
“Oh wow. That’s a lot of sugar.”
“Uh-uh, but Tony said it was okay cause it’s a treat. But not for every day.”
“Tony?”
She nodded her head, like it was obvious.
“Is Tony the man you met?”
“Yeah, he didn’t like it when I called him sir.”
“He sounds nice.”
“He really is. He said me and Morgan can have a sleepover soon as well.”
“And Morgan’s the daughter? Well, that sounds like it will be good. Did you get to meet Morgan’s mummy?”
April dropped her eyes looking sad.
“No. Tony said something blew up earlier and… and it meant that she had to go fix it.”
“Oh… sounds like she has a scary job.”
“Nuh-uh. Morgan said she has a boring job. That she spends all day in meetings, but that Tony’s job is much more fun, but he never does what her mummy tells him to.”
“Huh, maybe she has an important job then. C’mon, we need to go get you ready for bed. Why don’t you tell me about the dinosaurs you saw at the museum? I’d love to hear all about it.”