61: Chapter 61 Birthday

Tony lay flat on his back on the ground, letting out a long breath. "Alright, yeah. Nice job, everyone. Don't come to work tomorrow, take a day off." He turned to Peter, "Kid, ever tried shawarma? There's a place about two blocks from here. Want to go try some?"

Peter shrugged, "Perfect, I'm starving."

"It's not over yet," Thor said, looking toward the tower.

Peter nodded, "Loki."

Tony sighed, "Fine, but we're getting shawarma afterward."

They returned to the penthouse. Natasha and Clint had already met up there. Loki was crawling out of the crater Hulk had smashed him into, trying to escape.

He froze, slowly turning his head to see everyone looking down at him. Clint had an arrow nocked, Thor's hammer crackled with electricity, Tony and Peter raised their Repulsor Cannons, and Natasha held his scepter.

Loki slowly raised his hands, "If it's all the same to you... I'll have that drink now."

Peter raised an eyebrow, "Still pretty cocky."

"It runs in the family," Tony said, looking at Thor. Thor had a complicated expression, looking both offended and still guilty for knocking Peter out earlier.

"I have to post this," Peter said, pulling out his phone. He took a picture of Loki lying on his back and posted it with a caption:

The bad guy has been defeated, everyone stay safe. #Avengers

Replies instantly flooded in.

Is this the guy who did all this to New York?

Holy crap, you actually caught him?!

You saved the whole city! Thank you! #Avengers

The Avengers are awesome!

S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived quickly, putting Loki in chains and taking him away. Hulk calmed down and turned back into Bruce, and Tony found him some clothes.

The group walked two blocks and found the shawarma joint. The storefront was a total mess from the explosions, completely empty, but the owner was still there. Their appearance clearly startled him. Tony went up to order, and everyone pushed some tables together to sit down.

They sat around the table, none of them speaking. Peter was so tired he didn't even want to open his mouth, but this eerie silence was too suffocating to bear.

"So... are we a team now?" he spoke up. "I mean, I called us the Avengers, but... are we?"

Bruce chewed his food, "Probably."

"After today, S.H.I.E.L.D. won't be able to keep us as a secret black-ops squad anymore," Natasha said. "We are completely out in the open now."

Peter shrugged, "I've always operated in public."

"You used to be just an Agent," Natasha looked at everyone. "Now, an entire team is in the public eye."

"Wait, he's an Agent?" Clint was taken aback.

"Where did you think I went after the Stark Expo?"

"How should I know... Canada?"

"We have to truly become a team." The image of the other side of the portal was still reflected in Tony's eyes. "We need to be ready to handle it when something like this happens again."

"Do you really think there will be a next time?" Steve asked.

"It would be stupid to think there won't be."

"What's going to happen to Loki?" Peter asked Thor.

"He will face justice," Thor nodded. "Don't worry, he won't be getting out anytime soon."

"He'd better not. If he comes back to Earth to cause trouble again, I'll personally throw him into a volcano," Peter snorted.

"And here I thought I was the only one with a bad temper," Bruce chuckled.

Peter laughed too, "Alright, let's stop with the gloomy talk." He pulled out his phone, "Since the team is officially formed, we should take a group photo to commemorate it, right?"

"I happen to need a new cover photo," Tony shrugged.

"It's amazing how a camera and a phone can fit into such a small thing," Steve marveled.

Everyone gathered around, with Peter standing in the middle. He asked the shop owner to take the picture: he had one arm around Natasha and the other around Tony; Clint stood on the outside of Natasha, with Thor next to Clint; Bruce and Steve stood on Tony's side. Some people smiled, while Natasha kept her typical cold expression.

Peter posted the photo on various social media platforms, along with the same caption:

#Avengers, will not disband.

Peter nodded in satisfaction. Posting the exact same thing three times was simple, saved effort, and had a great effect. Just as he was about to stand up, Felicia landed at the shop entrance and rushed inside.

"Kitten!" Peter opened his arms to catch her as she threw herself at him. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Whoa, who is the beauty in the bodysuit?" Tony asked.

"Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Black Cat," Peter introduced, adding, "By the way, Tony, she's sixteen."

Tony blinked, "I didn't say anything."

"You just didn't say it out loud," Steve rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of sixteen—" Natasha fished a USB drive out of her pocket and tossed it to Peter. "Contact info for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Resource Allocation Group. If you need parts for a new suit, hit them up. Happy birthday, Spider-Man."

Peter froze, looking down at his Scanning Adapter, his pupils dilating. "Holy crap! Today is my birthday?!"

"You forgot, didn't you?" Felicia rolled her eyes.

"Ah... maybe?" he chuckled sheepishly.

"Happy birthday, kid. Sorry I didn't prepare anything," Tony patted his shoulder.

"In Asgard, when a youth turns sixteen, they must fight Beasts and be gifted a weapon of their own!" Thor laughed, then winked. "But fighting a war is a worthy enough rite of passage... Yes, next time I return to Midgard, I will bring you a weapon from the vault."

"You really don't have to—" Peter waved his hands hurriedly.

"Don't decline! A warrior like you certainly deserves the finest weapon!" Thor said, beaming.

Felicia leaned in close to his ear, "Who is that handsome guy?"

"Thor," Peter replied.

"Wow," she looked him up and down.

"Hey," Peter gave her a gentle sting with his bio-electricity. "Eyes back over here."

Felicia pouted, "Stingy."

Peter picked her up and swung away, after promising the others they'd stay in touch. Against the New York skyline, the sun was setting, and Felicia held him tightly.

"Is Liz safe?" he asked.

"Safe," she replied. They landed on the roof of a train bound for Queens, gliding slowly over the East River, and sat down side by side to catch their breath.

"You're hurt," she said, her fingertip tracing a tear in his suit.

"It's fine, the armor blocked most of it." He smiled, putting his arm around her and letting her lean against his shoulder.

"You were amazing today," she said. "Everyone is saying that you and the others saved everyone."

"The real hero is you, Kitten."

"Peter, be serious."

"I am serious." He turned to look at her. "I have superpowers, and I have something close to a nuclear weapon in my suit. You have nothing, yet the moment you heard your friend was in danger, you rushed into the battlefield. That's what a hero does."

"I wasn't trying to be a hero back then, I just wanted to save my friend," Felicia argued.

"But Liz wasn't among the people you saved." She fell silent. "Felicia, a hero doesn't have to save everyone. Saving just one person is enough, no matter who it is. What you did today... you're a hero, Kitten. You're my hero."

"If I didn't know you so well, I'd suspect you were only saying all this to take advantage of me," she laughed.

"Cough... maybe a little bit." The two of them laughed out loud together.