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MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
i. VALOR VS. SPIDER-MAN

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   NOW, THE LAST TIME the world ended, Riley Stark missed out on the aftermath, thanks to casual intergalactic kidnapping and unintentional time travel. She wasn't around to witness the shock freeze over the universe for five years, the dust that piled beneath fallen tears, or the despair that battled wrath as everyone was forced to accept the loss of the great Infinity War.

   The last time the world ended, she only saw it in a blink before the universe was restored to its former glory. She hadn't seen the ashes, the transition from outrage to exhaustion, the drought of hope. She hadn't yet known the grueling process of grief. She had felt the world end, just in her own way.

   This was kind of like that.

   Because even though the world hadn't ended again, it had for her. Again.

   "That's right, folks!" J. Jonah Jameson boomed. "Peter Parker, a 17-year-old high school delinquent, harboring a homicidal..."

   Riley's neck craned as she gawked at the jumbotron, eyes wide, jaw agape. Everything they did, every meticulously calculated thing they did to keep Peter safe, was suddenly meaningless. All of it was undone so easily. Another mere snap of someone's fingers.

   An arm yanked her back into reality. "Is it true? Spider-Man attacked you?" a random citizen demanded.

   "Of course, he did!" another shouted. "We all saw the footage! The drones were chasing her! Why would Stark tech be programmed to harm her unless it was stolen?"

   A crowd rushed Riley, separated from the others. They hollered in her face, question after question. They gave her no room to move, close enough to steal the air from her before she could inhale it herself. All she could do was turn her head, where she could hardly see Roman as he endured the same fate. Meanwhile, the people purposely kept their distance from Peter.

   "Does Tony Stark know!?"

   "You're Spider-Man's girlfriend!?"

   "But Peter Parker's a murderer!"

   "N-No!" Riley squeaked. "Spider-Man would never murder—"

   "He tried to kill you and Roman! Who's to say he won't kill us all next? And what about Tony? Pepper? Morgan?"

   "You think Spider-Man would kill a child?"

   "He already tried to murder his girlfriend! No one's safe!"

   "That's not true!" Riley argued. "Spider-Man's a hero!"

   "Why are you even here with him? Did you know he killed Mysterio?"

   "It's those spider powers," another sneered. "He must've somehow brainwashed Valor and Roman! What if he brainwashed the Starks!?"

   "What!? No! No, that's not— That's not true!" Riley yelped. "I can explain everything! I just— I can't breathe—!"

   "Don't touch her!" Peter yelled. He tried to squeeze through the crowd, but the people formed a protective wall around her. "Riley!"

   "Peter!" she called with an outstretched arm.

   "BACK OFF!" Roman shouted. His voice was enough to split the crowd as he pulled the much shorter girl to freedom. "Are you okay?"

   "Peter," Riley stammered. "Peter, we... Peter—"

   "Go," Peter said. "We have to go NOW."

   Roman grabbed each Avenger by their shoulder and teleported them out of the streets. Teleporting through the stars wasn't a feeling one could be accustomed to. It was like feeling your soul exit your body, much like the feeling of falling, only for it to return as your feet landed in an entirely different space.

   Riley was pretty sure her soul wouldn't be returning anytime soon as they materialized inside Peter's messy bedroom.

   "What the fucking shit is happening!?" Roman blurted, tugging his hair. "That fucking prick!"

   "Oh, God." Peter clumsily peeled off his suit until he was in nothing but a pair of boxers. "Oh, God. What do I do!? I don't know what to do!"

   "He twisted the whole story!" Roman flung himself onto the twin bed. "I don't get it! We played his game! We played the part perfectly! The world saw the drones! They saw the Elementals disappear! How is this happening!?"

   "Peter— Oh, fuck. I'm so sorry. I can figure this out," Riley grabbed Peter, "I-I can fix this, we just need to—"

   "I don't— How do you—?"

   "Um... We just—!"

   The bedroom door swung open, where a very bewildered Happy Hogan stood beside a puzzled May Parker.

   "Oh, I—" Happy pivoted, sheathing his eyes before the image of Riley holding her practically nude boyfriend while Roman laid in bed was burned into his brain. "We didn't see anything!"

   "This isn't what it looks like, Happy!" Peter cried as Riley yelled, "Happy, wait, no—!"

   "It's okay!" Happy dismissed. "I've seen your dad in worse positions—"

   "Gross!" Roman exclaimed. "I don't wanna picture Tony—"

   "Really, it's okay! We don't have to talk about this... group bonding exercise if you don't want to. Just practice safe sex—" May was about to shut the door when she realized who her guests were. She floated toward Riley. "Oh, Riley, honey, it's so good seeing you around here again! Sorry to steal you, I have so much to catch you up on!"

   Roman hopped out of bed. "Do you want a hug from me, too, Ms. Parker?"

   "Of course!" she beamed.

   "Roman!" Peter hissed, scrambling to find a shirt when he finally noticed how Happy was cowering outside his door. "Wait, have you been crying?"

   "We broke up," Happy sheepishly said, his swollen eyes blinking away his tears. His blotchy, red face held a grimace.

   Silence surged through the tiny apartment, only for chaos to resume a moment later.

   "Oh. Oh!" Peter spun around, slamming his window shut with a web as someone outside shouted his name. He yanked on a t-shirt, one with a bright yellow cab that read, I survived my trip to NYC! "I didn't know you guys broke up! I thought you were in love, May? Can we talk about this in the kitchen?"

   He ushered his aunt out of the room, leaving the others to follow.

   "Happy, are you okay?" Riley asked, her voice still trembling.

   "What'd you do to May?" Roman interrogated. "Because if we're picking sides—"

   "No, you know, I should probably leave, I think," Happy said.

   The doorbell buzzed. Peter swiftly guided May into the living room before she could answer it. Happy went to see who it was, but Roman beat him to it. He slammed the door shut in some guy's face as he asked something about Peter being a murderer.

   "At least bring over some cookies or something!" Roman griped.

   Riley was too busy sorting her thoughts and yanking down the blinds to pay much attention to May and Peter's chat about sex. Happy kept insisting that he should leave, but out of her peripheral, she saw him sit on the couch, instead claiming that maybe he should stay. Roman sat between them, trying to keep them distracted and off their wildly buzzing phones.

   "This is fine, this is fine," Riley muttered to herself. "You can fix this. You should call Tony— No, you can't call Tony. He's retired. Yeah, fair, but also, this sort of trumps retirement, so just call Tony. No, better idea, let's just take the blame for this. That's fine. You've done worse things. But, then that raises the question of why Peter had the drones. Honestly, who was expecting him to use the drones to kill people? Not that he did, but you know, speaking with regards to public opinion right now. You didn't know they'd get stolen! Yeah, maybe that was your and Tony's fault, but in hindsight..."

   "Is something wrong with Riley?" May wondered.

   "There's always something wrong with Riley!" Peter desperately yelled, jumping to cover the last few windows as his girlfriend began to pace. "I just think we should all have a nice, healthy talk about your relationship, okay!?"

   "Uh, guys?" Roman pointed at the TV behind Peter as the news played live footage of Peter and May's apartment building.

   May gasped. "Is that...?"

   "Is that here?" Happy asked.

   With a resigned sigh, Peter's head hung low as he trudged to a window and snapped back the blind. Everyone gathered around it, coming almost face-to-face with one of the many whirring helicopters outside. Cameras pointed up at the apartment. Reporters and rioting civilians bombarded the street below. Peter's name rippled over the shouts like tidal waves.

   Peter sharply inhaled. "I mean, maybe it's not such a big deal?"

   "Peter?" Riley finally beckoned. Her tone was heavy, barely restrained. "Come with me. Roman, please explain to May and Happy what's going on."

   Before anyone could protest, she grabbed Peter's hand and dragged him into his room. The door closed behind them.

   "I'm serious!" he went on. "This could be a good thing! Remember when your identity got exposed? Sure, the circumstances are different, but—"

   "Tell me the truth."

   Peter blinked. "W-What?"

   "Did you kill Beck?" Riley carefully asked.

   "What? No! No, you know I wouldn't—!"

   "I'm not mad if you did," she assured. "He tried to kill you, both of us. It was self-defense. I can help you—"

   "Riley, I swear to you, I swear on my life, I swear to Asteria and Thor and God and every other deity out there, I didn't kill Beck," Peter promised. "You believe me, right?"

   Riley just repeated, "If you killed Beck, I understand. Killing someone for the first time, it's not easy. We've all been there. But, right now, there's a lot of evidence stacked against you. If I'm going to fix this, I need to know everything that happened on the bridge."

   "I didn't kill Beck!" His panic returned. "He got shot by one of the drones that he ordered to kill me! He edited those clips! EDITH asked if I wanted to execute all cancellation protocols, and I said to execute them all! How was I supposed to know...? I didn't think he would... He was dying! He was dead! It wasn't me, I swear—!"

   "It's okay! It's okay! I'm sorry. I just wanted to be sure." She guided him to his bed, sitting him down. "Peter, I promise, I believe you. We can fix this."

   "How?" he miserably asked.

   "Well... The last time something like this happened, half of the Avengers had to flee the country for a few years—"

   "I can't flee the country!"

   "It's actually pretty easy if you—"

   "Riley!"

   "Okay, we can scratch that out!"

   "The whole world thinks I'm a murderer," Peter said. "They really think I would kill someone. They really think I'd kill you—"

   "Take a deep breath," she instructed. "I know it seems like the world's ending, but this is just the beginning. Examinations need to be done. Protocols need to be followed. It'll take time. We'll see how well my original mission reports hold up in court."

   "What's the worst-case scenario?"

   "Uh, you get arrested for murder, and Roman and I get arrested for "lying" on government documents?" Riley said. "There are countless witnesses who saw me flying away from the drones at the time Beck died, so I can't exactly take the fall for this, not that you'd let me anyway, but..."

   The idea came to her as she spoke.

   To Peter's surprise, Riley's lips flickered into a small smile.

   "If this case didn't have such a wide audience, this would've been swept under the rug and handled extremely differently. Right now, the public's opinion is what's going to keep this case hot," Riley explained. "If there's one thing Tony taught me, it's how to keep the press distracted while we figure the rest of this out. If Beck wants to keep playing this game, then so be it. Let me make some calls."

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BREAKING NEWS!
TONY STARK, RILEY STARK, AND SEVERAL AVENGERS ASSEMBLE TO RESPOND TO SPIDER-MAN'S MERCILESS MURDER OF MYSTERIO!

Last week, Quentin "Mysterio" Beck saved our universe from interdimensional beasts known as Elementals. Though he narrowly survived these onslaughts, he was ultimately struck down by Peter "Spider-Man" Parker, 17, who murdered him through, as it was recently confirmed by Joint Intelligence Headquarters, the use of stolen drones from Stark Industries.

Peter Parker, a rising senior at Midtown School of Science and Technology, had his entire life ahead of him, with excellent grades and an impressive list of extracurriculars, including a brief internship with Stark Industries, yet he threw that all away to "become the next Iron Man", as revealed in Mysterio's final message.

Governments around the globe are launching investigations against the web-headed war criminal while the public demands Parker's arrest. Click here to see it for yourself.

Click!

A clip of a citizen tossing green paint at Spider-Man in the streets plays on the screen. The citizen shouts, "MURDERER! MYSTERIO FOREVER!"

While Spider-Man is considered a street-level hero-turned-vigilante, his relationship with the Avengers, primarily Avengers leader, Riley "Valor" Stark, is no secret. These connections led him to join several fights alongside the Avengers, most notably in the war against Thanos.

We seek to understand why, after spending years building relationships with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, did he switch sides? Could this tragedy have been avoided? What are the Avengers planning to do next?

Click here to see a series of compiled clips of the Avengers responding to Mysterio's death.

Click!

The screen flickers as the video plays.

"Miss Stark! Miss Stark, is it true?" a reporter shouts. "Experts have reason to believe the deadly drones that killed Mysterio belonged to Stark Industries!"

Riley Stark, who has been stopped in the middle of the street, stares at him plainly. "What gave it away? The Stark Industries logo on the drones?"

The video cuts.

"Dr. Banner, what do you have to say about the recent murder of Quentin Beck?" a reporter asks. "Is there anything science can say about the possibility of the Elementals returning to our universe?"

Bruce Banner steps out of a bodega. "Who?"

"Quentin Beck! Mysterio!"

"Is that a new movie? Because I haven't seen anything in theaters for the last five years. They don't make Hulk-sized seats, unfortunately."

"It's all over the internet!"

"Oh, well, that explains it." Bruce holds up his giant green hand. "Phones are a gray area for me. The keys are way too small for my thumbs. They should really do something about that. We can bring back half the universe, but we can't make bigger phones? It's a shame, really."

Bruce walks away like nothing happened.

"But what about—! Dr. Banner, what about—!"

The video cuts.

"So, how well do you know Spider-Man?" a reporter asks, chasing Bucky Barnes on his morning jog.

"Spider-Who?"

"Spider-Man," the reporter repeats. "He killed Mysterio."

"He killed someone mysteriously? How does that work?"

"No, he— he killed Mysterio— Wait!"

The reporter stops to catch his breath, but Bucky continues jogging.

The video cuts.

"Can you confirm or deny whether Spider-Man has the ability to brainwash people?" a reporter asks.

Riley glances down. "Is my outfit really that bad that you think I had to be brainwashed to put this on?"

The video cuts.

"How did Peter Parker get his hands on such easily weaponized tech?" a reporter asks. "What do you think that says about Stark Industries' security?"

"We've met before, haven't we? Jefferson?" Tony Stark asks as he holds hands with his youngest daughter. He's about to drop her off at her ballet lesson. "How are the kids? Are they happy their old man gets paid to stalk people?"

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," the reporter says. "It's just, the people want to know the truth, and you haven't made a statement."

"Alright, here's my statement," Tony says. "Skinny jeans are out. Bring back the flares. Oh, and no more fanny packs. I'm sick of seeing them everywhere. What are we, kangaroos? It's ridiculous."

The video cuts.

"Why are you asking me about spiders?" Sam Wilson wonders as he sits on a docked boat. "That's not really in my job description."

"Peter Parker," the reporter clarifies. "He killed Mysterio."

"Who's Peter Parker?" Sam laughs. "You're telling me Spider-Man's real name is Peter Parker?"

"What? Yes! You didn't know?"

"I don't like bugs. They give me the jitters," Sam says, shrugging. "Picture this, you're in your bathroom. It's 3 AM. You see a spider. What are you gonna do? Are you dreaming? Is it gonna jump at you, or is it gonna let you do your business in peace?"

"W...What?"

"Exactly. You never know," Sam says. "Spider-Man, huh? I know I sound like a hypocrite saying this, but the animal-based names are getting old. At least Falcon made sense. I had wings. It was cool. What's so spider-y about Spider-Man? That he can jump real high? Maybe the real question we should be asking is: Where are his eight legs? He's a spider, isn't he? Where's he hiding the other six legs?"

The camera lowers. "Uh, I'm gonna... go... Mr. Captain America, sir..."

"No, wait, let's talk about this! Where do you think he's hiding his other legs—?"

The video cuts.

"No further questions," James Rhodes says.

"But I haven't even asked anything yet..." the reporter trails off.

The video cuts.

"How do you feel knowing your boyfriend tried to kill you?" a reporter asks. "Would you say this experience has severely affected your love life?"

Riley blinks. "Of all the things you could ask me about, you're concerned about my love life?"

"Is that confirmation that you and Peter Parker are still dating?"

"Your parents tend to change the subject when people ask about you, don't they?"

The video cuts.

"Can you believe Peter Parker is a murderer?" a reporter asks as he follows Roman down the street.

"The only thing that kid murders are churros," Roman says, his nose crinkling. "It's kind of disgusting. I don't know what Riley sees in him."

"Yes, exactly, Spider-Man's a disgusting murderer," the reporter says. "He killed Mysterio. He tried to kill you and Valor. He might as well have tried to kill everyone in Europe! Someone needs to do something about this, right? Can we count on you to throw Spider-Man behind bars?"

Roman whistles. "Such aggressive words for such a little person. I know Melissa taught you better than that 'cause she talks real pretty when she's with me."

The reporter stops walking. "How do you know my mom's name?"

The video cuts.

"Are you Team Valor or Team Spider-Man?" a reporter asks.

"Team Valor or Team— Huh?" Natasha Romanoff asks.

"Do you mean, like, where we'd sit if they got married?" Steve Rogers wonders. "Is Riley getting married? She's so young!"

"No, no," the reporter says. "Now that Mysterio's dead, some people are opting to take sides between those who are still alive since Spider-Man publicly attacked Valor."

"We'd have to sit on the bride's side," Natasha continues. "It's only right."

"Right, but there might be an imbalance, you know?" Steve says. "Too many heroes on one side..."

"It'd ruin the pictures."

"Exactly."

"Is that your final answer? Team Valor?" the reporter asks, confused. "Or Team Spider-Man? Hello?"

Natasha and Steve ignore the reporter, continuing to debate the details of a hypothetical wedding.

The video cuts.

Instead of answering the reporter's questions, Scott Lang takes the opportunity to show off some magic tricks in a Target parking lot.

The video cuts.

"Is there a reason the Avengers continue to deflect questions regarding the death of Mysterio?" a reporter asks. "It seems like anytime anyone asks an Avenger a question, whether it's about Peter Parker or Mysterio, it gets ignored. Can we take these non-answers are an answer within itself? Is this confirmation that the Avengers are protecting Spider-Man?"

"Alright, I'll tell you this," Tony says. "My colleagues are making a point. We see no reason to fear Mr. Parker. Frankly, no one should."

"But he stole your tech," the reporter argues. "Mysterio claimed to have been attacked. Are you suggesting he lied?"

"I once had a conversation like this with my kid when she was younger. I'll give you the summary. There's good and bad in this world, but they don't exist on opposing scales. It's not a spectrum. It's yin and yang. They coexist. There is good and bad in everything and everyone, even situations. It's all about the examination, the interpretation of these things," Tony explains. "Is there evidence Mr. Parker played a hand in Mysterio's death? Is there evidence my kid was attacked by drones? Is there evidence of Elementals ever existing? Is there evidence unseen by the public eye? I don't know."

"But what about—?"

"An Avenger's job is to protect the public. The press's job is to inform the public. Sometimes, it doesn't always work out that way. Nevertheless, both are different but important jobs. We all know how easy it is for the public to snap. That's what makes our jobs so important. Any job that affects the public on a wide scale holds the power to persuade public opinion. It's why we choose to wait to share until we have all the information. To contain the peace." Tony holds his fingers in a peace sign. "The people will believe whatever they're told because they don't know any better. During these strange times, I encourage the people to take our responses and form their own opinions while the professionals put out the fire. No further questions."

The video cuts to black. A caption appears:

THE AVENGERS REFRAIN FROM COMMENTING ON THE DEATH OF MYSTERIO TO PROTECT THE CASE FROM BIAS AND COMPROMISATION.

THESE UNALARMED RESPONSES SUGGEST THE AVENGERS ARE EITHER PROTECTING SPIDER-MAN OR ARE ACTIVELY GATHERING EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM. THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN ENCOURAGED TO BE PATIENT, TO FORM THEIR OWN OPINIONS, AND TO TRUST THE AVENGERS TO KEEP SOCIETY SAFE.

WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?

TEAM MYSTERIO OR TEAM SPIDER-MAN?

TEAM VALOR OR TEAM SPIDER-MAN?

THE CHOICE IS YOURS.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Welcome to NWH!! This was my little attempt at including the Avengers into the storyline since it never fully made sense as to why no one came to Peter's defense or tried to help Peter, etc. in the movie.

Riley's mission was to simply distract the press and confuse the public. The more confused/conflicted they are, the less heat there will be on Peter. The Avengers were able to accomplish this without fully confirming or denying anything, meaning the case hasn't been compromised or affected by bias.

So, in short, Riley's pulling every string she can to help Peter through this. <3

Don't expect Tony to be TOO involved in NWH, as it would drastically change the plot, and I don't have the brain power to even think about working through that lol. But he and the other Avengers will pop up every now and then as naturally as possible. I hope you guys are ready for this act. Shit's about to get wild. :)