[Third person POV]
Everyone eventually rose from the medical beds, groaning and wincing as they rubbed at their bruised bodies and sore muscles. The room echoed with quiet grumbles
"Man, that couldn't have gone any worse," Harry muttered, dragging his feet as he walked past Peter leading the others.
"What a complete shitshow that was," Lizzy chimed in, trailing close behind him, her tone bitter and tired.
"It was utter bullshit, that's what it was," Gwen scoffed, her voice sharp and biting. Her mask had been retracted, but her hood remained up, partially shadowing her expression. "There's no logical explanation for how everything played out. None."
"I mean… look at the bright side," MJ said with a half-hearted smile, clearly forcing herself to sound upbeat. "Everything's back to normal now, right? That counts for something."
Peter walked beside Felicia, noting how unusually quiet she was. Her suit had been retracted, while she clutched one of her arms. Her head remained down as she walked just behind the group, silent, distant.
He glanced at her for a few moments, slowing his pace until he was right beside her. Without saying a word, he reached out and gently draped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her into his side.
Felicia looked up at him, her eyes tired and heavy. Peter offered her a small, reassuring smile. She returned a faint one, strained at the edges but genuine enough to make his own expression soften.
"Blaming yourself?" Peter asked softly, his tone light but understanding.
Felicia sighed, "Am I that obvious now?"
Peter opened his mouth to respond—probably with something kind—but she cut him off quickly.
"If you're about to tell me it's not my fault, save it. We both know that's not true," she said sharply, narrowing her eyes at him in warning.
Peter raised his hands slightly in mock surrender. "Alright, fine. I won't say it. But… let's be honest here, you've already taken your punishment for it. No need to keep carrying the guilt around like a badge of honor."
Felicia let out a short, bitter chuckle. "Yeah, I suppose you beating me into the snow counts as punishment. Real romantic, by the way."
Peter blinked. "Wait… you were aware?"
"Kind of," she said, rubbing her arm. "It felt like I was watching from a third-person view, like I was trapped inside myself. Couldn't move, couldn't speak. But I felt everything."
Peter winced. "God, I really am sorry," he murmured, kissing the side of her head gently.
That small gesture made Felicia smile softly, her eyes fluttering closed. "I don't know… if every time I screw up, I get beaten into a bloody pulp, I might need to reevaluate this whole relationship thing," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
But when she looked at Peter, he wasn't smiling. He looked like a kicked puppy—shoulders slumped, eyes full of guilt,
She could practically see the imaginary dog ears drooping and his tail tucked between his legs. His expression was a mix of shame and regret.
'Seriously, how cute,' Felicia thought, amused despite herself.
Letting out a small giggle, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his side. "Relax, tiger. I'm joking. If it's with you, I don't mind being in an abusive relationship~ You can beat me up anytime you want"
Peter groaned, burying his face in his hands as if trying to hide from the world. His entire body slumped dramatically.
The rest of the group, hearing the exchange, paused and glanced back at them. They stared for a moment at the strange scene—Felicia rubbing against Peter playfully while he silently cried into his palms, making loud pained noises.
A few side-eyes later, they resumed walking until they reached the meeting room.
Once inside, each member collapsed into their designated seats with tired groans, their nameplates gleaming under the overhead lights.
Peter slouched back into his chair, head resting against the top as he stared at the ceiling. "Physically, I might be fine," he said aloud, "but mentally? I'm going to need some sleep."
The others murmured their agreement, nodding or grunting without much energy.
Peter looked around the room, taking in their defeated expressions—the way shoulders drooped, eyes avoided each other, and no one wanted to be the first to speak.
"I know everyone's upset about how things went down with Kraven," he said after a long pause. "It's understandable. I'm upset too. That mission was a mess. But… all's well that ends well, right? There is some good that came out of this."
Harry rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "What? You're going to give us some pep talk about being more humble or learning from failure or something stupid like that?"
"No," Peter replied, unfazed. "I wasn't going to say that." He glanced at the others, then looked at the girl beside him. "There really is something good that came out of all this."
He nodded toward Aria, who stood at the edge of the table.
"Aria, if you would?"
Aria gave a short nod and activated the table's holographic projector. In an instant, a shimmering image flickered into view—crisp, clear, and unmistakable. A figure encased in ice. A frozen monument of history.
Captain America.
Gasps echoed across the room. The image of Steve Rogers in his original uniform, frozen mid-stance, appeared in front of them. It wasn't a statue—it was the real thing. The man they had read about in history books. The legend.
Everyone instinctively stood up, eyes wide in disbelief, the fatigue in their bones momentarily forgotten.
Peter remained seated, looking up at the hologram with a small, hopeful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Now tell me that wasn't worth something."
They turned their attention to Peter, who sat casually at the meeting table, one leg draped over the other as if he were lounging in a café instead of dropping a historical bombshell. He wore a faint, knowing smirk as he gestured toward the hologram.
"And before anyone asks—no, this isn't a fake or some digital trick. It's one thousand percent real," Peter said confidently, then launched into the story of how he stumbled upon the impossible.
"How? Wait—he's still there?!" Harry burst out, sounding like he was already halfway to bolting through the wall.
"He is," Aria confirmed, nodding. With a swipe of her hand, the hologram shifted to a map showing Captain America's frozen location and a blinking dot labeled "Fury" rapidly approaching. "Although, Nick Fury is expected to arrive in a few hours to retrieve him."
Without a moment of hesitation or a second thought, the entire team sprang into action. They opened portals on instinct, stepping through in a flurry of urgency. A blast of freezing wind howled into the base from the tundra beyond, snow swirling around their feet.
Peter sighed, but a small smile touched his lips as he bent down and scooped Aria into his arms. She let out a surprised gasp, then simply wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, a faint but genuine smile on her face.
"Awesome!!" Harry shouted as he stepped into the icy clearing.
"This is so cool!!" Lizzy exclaimed, eyes wide with awe as she stared at the real, honest-to-God Captain America frozen in a block of ice like some ancient relic.
Gwen pulled out her phone with practiced ease, tapping it into camera mode. "Dad's gonna freak when he sees this," she said, grinning. "He's a huge Captain America fan."
Felicia, rubbing her arms for warmth, circled the frozen figure slowly. Her breath fogged in the cold as she muttered, "At least getting my ass handed to me led to something worthwhile."
MJ crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at Peter. "Are you sure about just handing him over to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Peter let out a slow breath, his eyes focused on Steve Rogers' timeless figure. "Yeah… I am. As much as I'd love to keep this between us, he's too big of a deal. The world deserves to know. We can't keep him to ourselves."
Meanwhile, Lizzy crouched down beside Steve and struck a dramatic pose. "Quick, Harry! Take a picture! Make it cinematic!"
As the team basked in the surreal moment—joking, laughing, marveling like kids seeing a superhero for the first time—the weight of their recent battle with Kraven seemed to melt away.
Peter looked down at Aria in his arms and noticed her expression had changed. Her usually calm face was now scrunched up in irritation. A faint glow flickered from the gem embedded in her forehead.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his tone shifting to concern.
Aria sighed heavily. "You know, I'm really starting to hate being the group's walking warning system."
Peter blinked. "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"I mean," she said with a slight edge to her voice, "it feels like I'm always the one who has to kill the vibe and bring bad news. Every time we get a moment of peace, boom—I ruin it."
"I'm suddenly not liking where this is going," Harry said with a nervous laugh.
"Aria?" Gwen asked gently, already tensing.
Aria closed her eyes, as if trying to delay what she had to say. "It's Bruce… he's been abducted."
A chorus of shocked voices erupted in unison.
"WHAT?!"
"Abducted?! How?!" Peter demanded, stunned.
"By Betty, of all people," Aria answered, her brows furrowed in confusion and disbelief.
Peter threw his head back. "Oh, Jesus Christ, Aria!"
The rest of the group groaned simultaneously, heads thrown back in exasperation.
"You scared the life out of me!" Harry said, clutching his chest, feeling the beating of his heart.
"You're starting to sound way too much like Peter," Gwen muttered, shaking her head. "That's… not a compliment."
"Ew," Felicia said flatly, shivering from the cold. "I don't care what freaky roleplay stuff they're doing—Aria, do you have a setting somewhere that says 'Only share private information if we ask for it'?"
MJ then suddenly spoke up. "Guys… I don't think Aria's joking."
Everyone turned toward her, then slowly turned to Aria. The faint smile she had earlier was long gone. Her expression was flat, serious, her eyes locked on something only she could see.
"I think…" Aria began cautiously, "I think Betty's been compromised. From what I'm seeing, it looks like she's taking Bruce… to the military."
The group froze. A gust of wind howled around them, but no one moved.
"WHAT?!" they all shouted again, louder than before, their disbelief hanging thick in the snowy air.
They stared at Aria, stunned speechless.
Even the celebration, the awe, the frozen Captain America beneath them… faded from their minds.
Because now, they had another crisis—and it was already unfolding.
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