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Peter woke first. The last thing he remembered was, actually he wasn't sure what the last thing he remembered was. He sat up with a groan and looked around. He wasn't alone in the damp, dark room, which was sort of nice. Tony was knocked out next to him. Wanda was propped up in the corner with a thick metal collar around her neck, and unconscious. Bucky was next to her, missing his metal arm and with his other arm strapped tightly to his side in some sort of modified straight-jacket, he seemed to be stirring, but was still pretty out of it. Clint was face first in the middle of the cell with his hands handcuffed together behind his back.
"Well shit," Peter mumbled to himself. Tony didn't stir at all, and Peter knew he'd be out for a while longer. He took count of himself, hands handcuffed behind his back, and a strange band on his ankle. He felt a little groggy, and a little like he had before the spider-bite. More somewhere between his full power and sickly Peter Parker. His vision wasn't quite as good, but it was nowhere near as bad as it had been before the bite.
Bucky blinked once in the corner and groaned. Peter shuffled himself about and managed to sit up just as Bucky swore slightly under his breath.
"They took your metal arm," Peter told him helpfully. Bucky rolled his eyes at him.
"Thanks kid, I noticed," he said. Peter shrugged and tested his bonds. The handcuffs didn't budge. Either they were thick, reinforced, vibranium, or he really was weaker than usual. It could have been both. He didn't like how his hands were though, they'd be much more useful to him in front of him.
"This isn't going to be fun," he mumbled to himself.
"What are you doing kid?" Bucky asked, watching him carefully. Peter smiled at him reassuringly.
"I'm really flexible," he said in way of explanation. He'd done it a few times before, just in case. Tony had instilled a good sense of paranoia in him, and Peter was suddenly very thankful for that. He knew he wasn't going to be as flexible as usual, so he was prepared for it to hurt. He turned away from Bucky, he could keep in the pained noises but he wasn't sure he could keep his expressions blank and he didn't want to worry him.
Peter crouched down to the floor and stretched his arms as far apart as he could. He awkwardly contorted his leg and tried to step back through. His first attempt left him harshly kicking the chain between the cuffs. His second attempt worked and he took another deep breath.
"Are you good?" Bucky asked. Peter nodded and pulled his second leg through. As he finally stood, he let out a sigh of relief.
"I hate doing that," he said quietly.
"How often have you been handcuffed?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. Peter shook his head.
"It was just training," he explained. Bucky hummed but nodded and stood up himself. Peter could see him trying to stretch out his arm, but it didn't budge.
"Where's the door in this place?" Peter asked after a moment. Bucky nodded upwards and Peter followed his gaze. In the ceiling was a large hatch. He stretched he legs out and tried to jump for it, his hands barely grazed it.
"We're stuck then," Bucky said. Peter sighed but nodded. He looked around the damp room again. There was a small wooden crate in the corner, and one gross bare mattress. He didn't want to open the crate until everyone else was conscious. Peter itched to be on the ceiling, or even the walls. He spent so much time crawling around that it felt weird when he was grounded.
Eventually Wanda started to stir. Bucky sat back beside her, and waited for her to wake properly. She came round with a groan.
"Where are we?" Wanda managed to ask. Peter shrugged and Bucky shook his head.
"A basement," Peter said, looking around again. "A very gross, slightly creepy, basement."
"Are you ok Pete?" she asked. He nodded.
"I'm good Wanda, how're you feeling?" he asked, settling down beside them both.
"Foggy," she said, "and weak."
"I think that's the collar," Bucky said, staring at it. Peter hummed, and Wanda raised her hands to it. Peter leant into her side, hoping the human connection could help in some way. Wanda rested back against him. Together the three of them waited for the Clint and Tony to come to.
Peter was half asleep when Clint came too. The muffled groan from him woke Peter back up and he looked to him. He laughed slightly at the sight, Clint wiggled around and struggled to sit up. Peter and Wanda got up to help him to his feet.
"What happened?" Clint asked. Peter shrugged, and glanced to Wanda and Bucky for answers.
"I think, no I can't remember," Wanda said. Bucky just shook his head. Tony stirred then, and pushed himself up with a groan.
"Where are we?" he asked. Bucky and Clint shrugged in sync and Peter snorted.
"In some dingy basement," Peter told him.
"Thanks underoos, I got that part," Tony said. Peter rolled his eyes.
"Do you remember what happened?" Clint asked. Tony took a moment to think through it before shaking his head.
"So we have no memories of how we got here, we don't know where here is, and almost all of us are restrained in some way," Tony said, looking around. "Also, why am I not restrained in anyway?" Peter laughed slightly.
"Sorry Mr Stark, but there's no tools or anything here so there's no need to restrain you," he pointed out.
"I have a question," Clint said, turning to Peter. "Why are your hands in front of you?"
"Oh I did that myself," he told him. He could feel the concern in the looks he got.
"Pete," Wanda said.
"I'm like really flexible, it's fine!" Peter said easily, his shoulders and wrists hurt slightly though, but he didn't think that was necessary to mention. They let it drop.
"So what do we do?" Clint asked, looking around. Everyone shrugged. Peter looked around at each of them. Wanda had wide eyes and her hands kept going to the metal collar around her neck. Bucky's face didn't reveal anything but he kept trying to pull his flesh arm out of the strange straightjacket contraption. Tony had his thinking face on, and he kept glancing to Peter. Clint's eyebrows were knitted together and he kept looking around the room.
"Think of it like this, a team bonding exercise in an escape room," Peter suggested. Clint rolled his eyes but Bucky nodded. Tony shrugged, and Wanda nodded.
"Where do we start?" she asked.
"The wooden crate," Bucky pointed out.
"Do you think it's safe to open?" Wanda asked, looking at it with her head tilted slightly. Tony moved towards it and lightly knocked on the wood. Nothing happened. He beckoned Peter.
"Can you hear anything kid?" he asked. Peter stuck his head up against the crate and tried to focus in on it. His hearing certainly wasn't a strong as usual, but he was pretty confident there wasn't anything mechanical in the box.
"No, I don't think so," he said. Tony and pulled it to the centre of the room. Clint looked around the room.
"We've been kidnapped and you're all happy to play pretend?" Clint asked. "Where's the door anyway?"
"It's not playing pretend," Tony said. "It's creative problem solving."
"Ceiling," Bucky said, answering his other question. Clint looked up and groaned.
"Fine, team bonding. Great," he said.
"Hey, it'll help keep this whole thing as a less traumatising event," Peter said. Tony looked at him.
"When did you study psychology?" he asked.
"Mr Stark, I've not actually studied psychology. I was interested in it for a bit though, considered becoming a therapist," he said. Tony hummed.
"Kid's probably right," Bucky said, nodding to him. "Think of it positively in the moment, maybe it'll help when we get out."
"Don't you mean if we get out?" Clint asked. Bucky shook his head. Wanda joined Peter by the box and helped him and Tony pry it open.
"We've got water, and food," Tony announced. Bucky hummed and Clint cheered slightly.
"And a wooden box," Wanda pointed out.
"We've also got a shitty mattress," Clint said, gesturing to it in the corner.
"How's a mattress going to help?" Tony asked. Peter hummed and moved over to it. He cautiously pressed on it with his foot.
"Springs, means we have metal," he said. Bucky shook his head.
"It'll be too thick to do anything with," he said. Peter shrugged. Clint's focus had returned to the trap door on the ceiling. Tony also looked to the ceiling.
"So we need to get out through there?" Clint asked.
"You see any other way out birdbrain?" Tony asked. Peter sighed.
"Guys, this is not the environment for a healthy workplace!" he said. Wanda and Bucky laughed slightly then and Peter grinned.
"How would you know? You don't have a job," Tony pointed out. Peter rolled his eyes and moved the empty wooden crate under the hatch. He could feel everyone watching him as he stood on it and jumped up to the hatch. He managed to push the door slightly before he fell back down.
"So we just push our way out?" Clint asked. Peter hummed.
"If we stack Peter on someone he can push the door open and we can figure it out from there," Tony said. Bucky shook his head.
"What if someone is up there waiting for us?" he asked. "It's not safe."
"Do you see any other way out?" Tony asked. Bucky scanned the room again but eventually hook his head.
"Fine, but he's on my shoulders," Bucky decided. Peter rolled his eyes. All the avengers had a habit of being protective of him.
"Surely they've thought about us doing this," Clint said. Peter shrugged.
"No offence to you Mr Stark but you aren't exactly the strongest without your suit and you haven't got anything you can use to build something in here. And Wanda is a normal woman without her magic," Peter pointed out. "Bucky's vibranium arm has been taken, and he's restrained pretty tightly, Clint could have found a way up there and probably got out. He's good at getting into small spaces, but his hands are cuffed behind his back." Tony went to argue, but instead sighed and shrugged. Clint had a sort of proud smile, and Bucky looked thoughtful. Wanda had her head tilted though.
"What about you?" she asked after a moment. Peter shrugged slightly.
"They er, diminished my powers somehow. And I'm restrained! I don't think they thought I'd be able to move my arms in front of me, it's not the easiest or most comfortable thing to do," he said as everyone stared at him. Tony grabbed his arm suddenly.
"Pete are you ok?" he asked. Bucky was watching him closely.
"I'm fine guys, promise," he said. They didn't need to worry about him when they were still trapped. They lot it drop and turned back to getting out through the hatch. Bucky moved over to the crate and carefully stood on top of it. Wanda dragged the mattress behind him, just in case.
"Ready kiddo?" Tony asked. Peter rolled his eyes slightly but nodded. With the help of Wanda and Tony Peter stood on Bucky's shoulders. He wasn't sticky, not right then, but he still had really good balance. He'd just have to rely on that.
Peter had to sort of hunch as he pushed at the hatch with all his might. He could feel everyone watching him carefully. He took a deep breath, and pushed again. It budged slightly.
"You got this Pete," Wanda said. He nodded, mostly to himself, and put all his weight into the next push. He heard something scrape across it, and the hatch became lighter. He shoved again.
"Come one bambino," Tony murmured. Peter took another deep breath and pushed at the trapdoor again. It moved more, and a slither of light came through for just a moment.
"You got this kid," Clint said. Peter nodded again and shoved at the door again. It opened a little further and more light came through. Bucky pushed him up a little further on the next attempt and something else came crashing down off the hatch.
"You got this," Bucky said. "We can do this Pete." Peter nodded again and shoved with all he had, Bucky pushed him up, and the dark basement was flooded with daylight. The trapdoor crashed with the floor and the stilled.
"Hear anything?" Clint asked. Peter tilted his head slightly and strained his ears. Bucky focused on his hearing too.
"I don't think so," Peter said after a moment. Bucky shook his head.
"Nothing," he confirmed. Instead of going through the trapdoor first, Peter jumped down, landing on the gross mattress Wanda had moved behind them.
"Why didn't you go through?" Tony asked.
"You can pull me up last, I was able to jump up to it. It may take a couple tries but I'm sure I can do it. You lot might as well get out first," Peter explained. Bucky and Clint nodded.
"Who goes up first?" Wanda asked. The looked around at each other and thought it through.
"You, then Tony," Clint said. "Me and Pete will send up Bucky, and then me." Tony thought it through and nodded. Wanda hummed.
"It's a decent plan," Bucky agreed. Tony and Peter helped Wanda up onto Bucky. She pulled herself up and looked down through the hatch.
"What's up there?" Clint asked. They watched as she turned around, taking her surroundings in.
"It's abandoned," she said. "We're in an abandoned house."
"What a weird place to stash a small group of superheroes," Tony said. Peter shrugged. It made sense. You wouldn't search the basement of an abandoned house for heroes, at least not as a first priority.
Tony, with the help of Peter, scrambled up Bucky and out of the hatch. He took a moment to steady himself, with Wanda's help, before he looked around slowly. Peter, Clint, and Bucky let him take his time. It was always goof to have your bearings. Eventually though both Tony and Wanda crouched by opening.
"How are we doing this?" Tony asked. Peter looked to Clint and Bucky. The three just stared at each other for a few moments.
"Clint and Peter will push me up, you two grab onto the jacket and just tug me up the rest of the way," Bucky said finally. They nodded and both rolled their shoulders.
Clint turned around and crouched down, awkwardly grabbing for Bucky's shin. Peter rolled his shoulders slightly and grabbed Bucky's other shin.
"On three," Clint said. Peter nodded.
"One, two, three," Tony counted them down. Together they hoisted Bucky up. Tony and Wanda grabbed awkwardly at the modified jacket and dragged him out as best they could. Bucky assisted, using his legs to shimmy himself up slightly. Clint turned to Peter then, and sighed.
"I'm gonna need a boost," he admitted. Peter nodded and crouched back down. "This might hurt you kid," Clint warned.
"Mr Barton with all due respect sir, I was once trapped under a collapsed building. I think I can handle a human's weight, even in a weakened state," Peter said plainly. Clint looked taken aback for a moment, but eventually nodded. He placed one foot in Peter's clasped hands, and the other on his shoulder. Peter took a deep breath as Tony counted them down again. On one he pushed Clint up. Clint jumped slightly and flopped face first onto the floor.
With the help of Tony and Wanda he wiggled his way into the room properly. The four of them looked down at Peter, now alone in the dingy basement. Peter glanced to the food and water.
"Should I send up the supplies?" he asked. The four looked at each other for a moment. They'd entirely forgotten about them in their focus to escape. There was no saying when they'd get out of the abandoned house, or find civilisation again.
"Yeah, just be careful. We don't want to loose anything," Tony called back down. Peter nodded. It was a bit of a process, but eventually all the food and water was up in the main house and not in the dingy basement. Peter couldn't see Clint through the trap door any more, but he could hear him walking around the house.
"Ready Peter?" Wanda asked. He nodded and stepped onto the box. He took a deep breath, lifted his arms out, and stretched his hands out. He took a second deep breath and jumped up. Both Tony and Wanda had their arms waiting to catch him. Together they managed to pull him up on the first try.
Peter scrambled up to his feet, and looked around. Clint was searching the littered floor for something useful, and Bucky was scanning the surroundings. Peter spotted a ratty old blanket in the corner, on a broken sofa. It'd make a decent carrier for the food and water if they couldn't find anything else.
"Now what?" Wanda asked. Peter shrugged.
"We find civilisation," Tony said.
"We get out of our restraints first," Clint said, still looking closely at the floor.
"What are you looking for?" Tony asked finally, turning to him. Clint hummed and kept looking, not answering. Bucky turned him too, as did Wanda. He must have felt all the eyes on him, because he straightened out and turned to them.
"Something to pick these damn locks with," he said finally. Peter started searching too. He had decent use of his hands, but he didn't want to be stuck in the cuffs forever. Plus, once he had his hands properly free he might just be able to get Bucky out of the strange straightjacket thing.
It was Wanda that found a bobby pin, she tried offering it to Clint but he shook his head.
"Please tell me someone else in this room knows how to pick locks," he said. Peter sighed but nodded.
"Yeah, I can," he admitted. Tony stared at him for a moment.
"Why can you pick locks kid?" he asked. Peter just shrugged and took the bobby pin. It took him a little while, but eventually he unlocked one of the cuffs on Clint's wrists. With his hands free finally he let out a sigh of relief and shook his arms out. He took the bobby pin from Peter and unlocked his other cuff before taking Peter's off.
"What do we about Bucky?" Wanda asked as Clint inspected the collar around her neck.
"I'll try get him out, break the fabric or something," Peter offered. Bucky nodded. It wasn't the nicest option, but it was all they had. Peter shook his arms out first, stretching out and enjoying the freedom. He approached Bucky and grabbed the fabric of the straightjacket. With all the strength he had he pulled. It didn't budge but he tried again. It took a little while but eventually a small hole appeared and eventually the front was torn open.
"Thank you," Bucky said, nodding to Peter as he practically shook the jacket off. Bucky stretched his arm out and smiled slightly.
"Ok so I can't see a way to get this fucker off," Clint announced. Peter sighed and lifted his leg up, balance on just the one, to look at the thing around his ankle. It looked sort of like a miniature version of the collar around Wanda's neck. He tried to move it and felt a needle in his skin. He wondered vaguely how he hadn't noticed it before.
"They've injected me with something," Peter told them. It wouldn't be smart to keep that from them, even if he wanted too. Tony was instantly by his side, looking at the device attached to him.
"Pete if you start feeling worse or anything, you tell us ok?" Tony said. Peter nodded. "I mean it Peter, if you start feeling any different you have to tell me."
"I got it Mr Stark," he promised, and Tony nodded.
Together they searched through the abandoned house. They didn't find anything else of use, at least not for right away, but they did find a hammer. It wasn't exactly the best weapon, but it was better than nothing. They gave it to Peter, he was one of the strongest. Though he was currently weakened. It was probably for the best he was the one that was armed. Even with his flesh arm Bucky could throw a mean punch.
Tony, with the help of Peter, packed all the resources into the blanket. Wanda found an old, small ball of string. Peter, using half remembered instructions from a tiktok he'd watched once, fashioned it into a sort of uncomfortable backpack. Before anyone else could offer to carry it, Peter shrugged it on.
Bucky lead the way out of the half rotten doors of the house and stepped out onto the porch. He looked around and signaled it was clear. They all followed him out silently. Between him and Peter, their hearing lead them towards a stream. By the time they got there the sun was setting. Tomorrow, they hoped, they'd find a way home. They settled in the woods with no other supplies than the food and water on Peter's back.
"Next time," Clint started, settling onto a thick tree branch, "we do a team bonding thing, let's go to an actual escape room. Not whatever the hell this is."
"Agreed," Peter said. "And, an actual escape room will actually help us work together as a team."
"You just like escape rooms," Wanda said. Peter shrugged slightly.
At sunrise they started on their search for civilisation again. Peter missed Aunt May, and he missed his powers. He wanted to be back in the city, that was where he belonged. They stopped several times to rest and eat. Eventually though Peter heard people, and it didn't take long for Bucky too as well.
Wanda was a little concerned they were walking right into their kidnappers, but they didn't have any other choice. The people they found were campers, but more importantly they had a car, and phones.
"Oh my god!" one of the campers shouted when he spotted Tony.
"They're alive," another one said, staring at the group as they walked into the clearing.
"Who's the kid?" a third asked, staring at Peter.
"My intern," Tony said bluntly. "Can we borrow a phone?" One of them offered up their phone and Tony called Happy, then Pepper. It didn't take long from them for the others to come collect them.
Peter never thought he'd be happy to see the quinjet, he didn't like flying, but this was a special case. Getting away from the middle of nowhere, and getting back home was much more important than his phobias in that moment.
"Next team bonding exercise does not involve kidnapping," Peter announced as he collapsed into a chair. There were a few tired laughs, but everyone nodded. Next time they'd go to an actual escape room.