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Published:
2017-08-13
Completed:
2017-09-12
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Consequences

Summary:

Amid all Tony Stark's activity with Peter Parker in Civil War and Homecoming...he never registered Spider-Man or Peter under the Sokovia Accords. The consequences come down on Peter six months after Homecoming, and Aunt May learns of Peter's secret identity a much harder way. Now Complete! The Avengers re-assemble, and the alliance between the X-Men and Avengers is sealed thanks in no small part to Peter Parker!

Chapter 1: Chapter One

Summary:

Peter thinks of the Sokovia Accords as just an academic issue until he witnesses a fight between a group of mutants and bigots.

Notes:

Author's Note: Eight days ago, I saw Spider-Man: Homecoming...and this fic exploded to life, over 60,000 words. I had a lot of thoughts after Captain America: Civil War came out, and Homecoming only solidified them. Here follows the result. Since I'm not bound by the copyright boundaries drawn by Fox and Marvel, this fic adjusts the Sokovia Accords to include their comics roots of registering all superpowered individuals, including mutants.
Canon Note: This follows a very rough version of the X-Men movieverse, particularly the first two movies, except everybody lives (very unlike me for those of you who've read my other stories!) Mutants from both the comics and movieverse have bit roles in this fic. A little list of the ones who appear are at the end of each chapter. (Also, I have no idea what band instrument Peter used to play - I guess saxophone because he has kind of puffy cheeks, but not puffy enough for tuba.)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Consequences

Chapter One

Peter Parker knew almost nothing about the Sokovia Accords when he went to Germany. In hindsight, that was kind of weird, since the whole fight between the Avengers was about those laws, on top of the whole Winter Soldier thing. But Mr. Stark and Happy Hogan hadn't explained it to Peter, and neither had any of the other Avengers on Mr. Stark's side before they went to cut Captain America's team off at Leipzig-Halle Airport.

Mr. Stark warned Peter that Captain America was stubborn, but also persuasive. "He'll try and convince you he's right, kid. He thinks he's right, and that makes him dangerous. Be careful."

Peter paid rapt attention to anything Mr. Stark or the rest of his team did say as they headed to the airport, all suited up just like he and Ned used to imagine. "They're not looking to kill anybody – well, Steve and his team aren't," Black Widow corrected herself. "I can't vouch for Barnes."

"Nobody can vouch for Barnes, and that's kind of the point," said War Machine.

"Even so, it's best that we consider the possibility that they will be highly aggressive," said Vision. He turned to Peter and Black Panther. "Wanda Maximoff's power is extremely dangerous. She's capable of mental manipulation, and the target becomes lost in their own memories."

"Not just memories," said Mr. Stark. "She can make you see what you fear the most. Once she gets you, forget it. There's no way out." He pointed at Peter. "Give her and Barnes a wide berth, you understand? Your job is to web up Cap and get the shield from him fast if I call you."

"Yes, sir," Peter said, in as grown-up a voice as he could manage. To his relief, his voice didn't crack.

Nobody talked about anything else for the ride except for the plan of how they were going to apprehend Captain America, Winter Soldier, and the rest of their followers. Nobody thought to ask how old Peter was until Captain America's friend got huge.


Even after taking Peter home from Germany, Mr. Stark didn't explain the Sokovia Accords. Well, to be fair, he didn't have time, since War Machine was hurt and Captain America and the Winter Soldier had gotten away.

The most Peter ever heard about the Sokovia Accords was in school.

Man, MJ went on a rant during European History about how the Sokovia Accords were a violation of all kinds of civil rights and stuff. Peter'd been bored, but the debate that Mr. Carpenter started then been kind of cool. MJ was usually blasé about stuff, so it was kind of cool to see her get all riled up. It was even cooler to see her beat Flash Thompson's ass and blow holes in every argument he had to make about international security and anti-terrorism.

"You don't get to arrest and detain people for what they might do in any civilized society!" MJ proclaimed. "Whether it's mutants or inhumans or enhanced people like the Avengers, it's a civil rights violation! It's all fine and good for rich white guys like Tony Stark to support the Sokovia Accords; he can take off his Iron Man suit and waltz away to his mansion! But a person whose enhancements aren't technology, or that they were born with, they don't have a choice! The NRA says you can't lock somebody up for just having a gun, and everyone says that's right! Even if a mutant or an enhanced person's powers can be dangerous, you don't get to just detain them without a trial forever!"

Peter'd been having fun watching Flash sputter and stutter up until then, but he and Ned exchanged uncomfortable looks when MJ started ranting about Tony Stark.

It occurred to Peter that he might want to ask Mr. Stark if he should register himself. It sounded…kind of creepy. But class ended, somebody spilled Mountain Dew in the hallway and everyone was yelling about Hulk pee, and Peter realized he'd left his Spanish homework in his locker and had to shove through the chaos to get it without being late…and he never thought about it again.


Not until six months later, anyway. After capturing Vulture and passing Mr. Stark's character test about whether he was ready to be a full-time Avenger, Peter was getting into what he hoped was a good schedule of being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and a high school student.

Well, Aunt May almost caught him trying on the upgraded suit the night Mr. Stark got engaged – man, what a close call that'd been! He was lucky he heard her coming when he was wearing the suit; he'd hidden until she was making dinner, then wriggled out of it and stuffed it into its case and hiding place and claimed he'd been in the bathroom.

So he stayed on the academic decathlon team, but decided to dump band and robotics for good. Peter'd never been all that good. Keeping his saxophone and his uniform maintained was expensive, and since the spider bite, the noise and movement of practice and games were really uncomfortable. With just decathlon and homework, he thought he could make it work.

He dutifully informed Happy if he saw any really out of the ordinary weapons and powers when he was out patrolling. Mr. Stark got in touch a little more often, sometimes just a text or a quick call, but at least it let Peter know that people were actually listening to his reports.

When Peter spotted a guy at an art festival making really cool sculptures out of metal, glass, plastic, and stone apparently just with his brain, that was interesting. Peter wasn't even patrolling at the time; he and May were just out enjoying the first nice day of spring where they didn't have to wear coats and boots. "So fifteen, almost halfway through high school, and you're not embarrassed to be seen out with me yet?" May teased.

"Never," Peter vowed. "I'll even hold your hand! Hi, everybody, I'm out with my aunt and I don't care if it's uncool!"

It was May who called his attention to Madison Jeffries, a guy maybe five years older than Peter, obviously some artsie hipster type but who still made awesome X-Wing replicas. Peter was intrigued enough to text Ned. Come check out this artist at the Utopia Art Festival! "Can I take a picture? I want my friend to come see these!"

"Sure!" the guy said.

Ned showed up twenty minutes later while Peter, May, and a small crowd were watching Madison bend delicate lines of metal wire into futuristic shapes without even touching them. "That is so…cool!" Ned breathed. "How're you doing that?"

"That'd be telling!" Madison replied.

"It's because you're a mutie, ain't it?" said a less-impressed, more-nasty voice.

Peter's senses started to tingle, but he wasn't the only person in the group who turned to frown at the big, redneck-looking dude in a red hat. There were others, however, who gave that same frown to Madison, like the guy making cool sculptures was somehow doing something wrong. Madison answered, "No, chill, man, I use magnets."

"Glass doesn't work with magnets!" said a girl, though she sounded more playful than accusing.

"It does if it has metal in it," Madison replied.

The guy in the red hat suddenly had a couple of buddies. "So show us the magnets, if you wanna prove you're not a mutie."

Madison put his sculpture down. "Get lost, man, I'm not sharing my trade secrets!"

"Even if he was a mutant, it's not your business!" said a familiar voice.

"Oh, hey, MJ!" Ned called.

MJ didn't take her eyes off the red-hatted guy who'd turned around towards her, and the hair on the back of Peter's neck stood on end. "Peter…" May murmured.

"I'm just…gonna get MJ. C'mon, they'll back off her when they see she's got guys with her."

"Guys half their size, but whatever," Ned muttered, but he and Peter pushed through the crowd. May followed them.

MJ was trying her mad debate skills on three big dudes who probably didn't have three brain cells between them, and Peter pretended to laugh. "Hey, MJ, c'mon, Madison's trying to make a living. Argue European history in class!"

May added to the red hats, "And you three, if you don't like cool YouTube tricks, why don't you go away instead of picking fights!"

"Damn muties are illegal," retorted the first red hat guy, and Peter's vision started to tunnel as he took a step towards May. "They're fucking unnatural - "

"HEY, watch your language, there are children here!" several women shouted in chorus, and to Peter's intense relief, that got the guys' attention off May and MJ.

Several other adults, all bigger than May, started getting between the red hat dudes and Madison's booth, and Peter and May tugged Ned and MJ back. "Bullies shouldn't get away with it," MJ fumed.

"There are better ways than arguing with them in public," May whispered. "Especially when they're looking for a fight, and these guys are."

"She's right, you know," said a man wearing red sunglasses. He wasn't anywhere near as big as the three red hat dudes, and neither was the redhead lady with him, but something about them was tugged at Peter's senses too, if not the same way as the assholes.

Another woman, black with incredible white-dyed hair, sidled up to Madison. "You might want to pack up now."

"Aw, come on, Ro, I'm trying to make sales!"

"These thugs are going to come back with their friends and smash up all your beautiful work, first chance they get!" she insisted.

A few of the onlookers murmured in display and began hastily asking prices. "How much is that little X-Wing?" Ned asked. "The smallest one."

"Fifteen, but the next biggest here is twenty-five, and the awning rises. See?"

"Aww, man," Peter said, glad to get the bystanders back on the subject of Madison's art now that the debate with the red hat dudes was moving away. "That's awesome, but it's outside my budget…"

May had relaxed, and gave each of them a poke. "You could go halfsies on it if you can manage a custody arrangement." MJ actually giggled. She was more interested in the intricate, abstract sculptures, but those had price tags starting around the hundreds of dollars.

"Your work's really beautiful. I don't care if it's magnets or that you're a mutant," she told Madison. "You should be proud of it." But Madison winced, and she protested, "Aw, come on, even if you were, it's nothing to be ashamed of!"

The white-haired lady put a hand on MJ's shoulder. "Not ashamed, no, but men like the ones you just met will wait for the chance to get a suspected mutant alone and deal out a beating, and it's very wrong to push anyone to out themselves before they're ready."

For the first time that Peter had known MJ, she looked completely stricken. "Oh my god," she whispered, and her eyes actually welled up.

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it, kiddo," said Madison. "Your heart's in the right place. Here." He handed her the smallest of the delicate pieces that she admired. It was a geometric pattern that reminded Peter a little of a spider web – if way more intricate than he could ever generate even with pliable web and a LOT of time on his hands. "On the house."

"Oh, no, no, that's not right!" MJ protested, fumbling for her wallet. "I can't do that, how much is it?"

Madison paused a beat, and Peter and May grinned at each other. Good thing there isn't a price tag on it, since she won't let him discount it. "Twenty-five."

"Oh…no, sorry," MJ shook her head, put it back on the table, and backed away. "I can't, but thanks."

Peter and Ned looked at each other. Ned grinned and nodded. "Sold!" Peter announced.

"What?! No – Peter, Ned, no, you can't do that!" MJ protested, while it was May's turn to go all tear-eyed. Peter and Ned ignored her and fished out their spending money. "Come on, no!"

"We were just here checking out X-Wings, and you're defending civil rights," Peter retorted, side-stepping her when she tried to stop him from handing his money over. Madison winked as he took it.

"AND standing up to deplorable jerks who're big enough to step on all three of us!" added Ned. "It's really pretty, and it's, y'know, unique, original. We can get nerdy Star Wars stuff everywhere."

"Hey, the Star Wars stuff keeps me in business," said Madison, wrapping the ornament in tissue. "There's no shame in being nerds; it took me years to build a passable X-Wing!"

MJ let herself be persuaded, and Peter thought it had to be worth the murmurs of praise from the onlookers both to them and to May, and the way May kept having to move her glasses to wipe her eyes, and the complete, amazed delight on MJ's face as Madison handed her the little box. People even applauded.

And all without wearing my Spider-Man suit. This was a good day.

…until voices started rising again a few yards away. "Oh, great, the deplorables didn't leave," May growled. The white-haired lady pushed past them, and Peter's skin was tingling. Madison sighed heavily and started putting his stuff into boxes over the protests of some other festival-goers who didn't want him to be intimidated.

The shoving started, May snapped, "Get back!" at Peter, MJ, and Ned, then there was a flash of dazzling red light, and people started running and screaming.

"Muties! Muties!" one of the red hats – no, an entirely different group of red hats started shouting, and one of them grabbed a planter off a display table and hurled it at the guy who'd been wearing red sunglasses…but now had something entirely different on his face.

"Get down!" Madison grabbed MJ and May by the shoulders. MJ needed little urging to scramble under his table, but May grabbed Peter with one hand and Ned with the other.

Peter stood frozen. How could he get his suit on without –

Red light flashed again, people were running, and two of the deplorables went sliding across the sidewalk as if it was covered with ice. The redhead lady had her hand splayed out at them, and this time Peter saw the second guy do something with that…device on his face that knocked down the one who tried to jump him.

Even if he could get into the Spider-Man suit without May seeing and in time to help, these strangers had the situation well in hand. And Madison reached past him…a bike rack suddenly began twisting like it'd turned into an earthworm, MJ shrieked, and the thing slithered across the pavement and wrapped itself around the three red hats. "Holy shit!" Peter yelped.

The ones remaining – four guys, who didn't have red hats but were definitely the same anti-mutant ilk as the others – were all off their feet and scrambling backwards. "Get. Lost," the sunglasses guy ordered.

The thugs got lost. Sunglasses guy turned towards the booth, and everyone flinched, but he just said to Madison, "Sorry, man, but you've gotta get out of here."

"I know, I know," said Madison, and when Peter looked up he saw that Madison's artwork was…crawling into boxes on its own, or the boxes were scooping the stuff up.

"Wow!" breathed Ned.

MJ was actually near tears. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart, this wasn't your fault," he said, without pausing from his hasty packing. "This isn't the first time that's happened, and it won't be the last. You didn't 'out' me."

May tugged them all back out from under the table, and other festival-goers watched, murmuring in confusion (and filming on their phones) as Madison and the other three – they had to be mutants too – packed up his stuff and abandoned the booth in a hurry. Peter took a few halting steps after them, but was stopped by May's hand on his arm.

By the time the cops showed up to figure out how to deal with the three guys wrapped in a bike rack, the mutants were long gone. Peter thought about going to try to help get the deplorables loose, but there was no way he could keep people from seeing, and honestly…he thought they kind of deserved it. Jerks!

To Be Continued...

Notes:

Coming Soon: Tony Stark has some warnings for Peter about mutants, and Peter finds the Sokovia Accords becoming less of an academic exercise when he meets a young mutant...and when some government agents have questions for him.
This fic is fully drafted, and I hope to have updates every few days.
Please don't forget to review!