Chapter Text
Peter pauses in the middle of the hallway and taps a calming rhythm against his thigh— sending out a silent wish to the universe that his final class of the day might be the answer to his problems.
According to the schedule in his hands, Peter at least knows he’s in the right place. 7th period Anatomy and Physiology with Ms. Young in Room 252.
His eyes furiously scan the room for any sign of the person he’s been hoping to see all day. A waft of coconut milk shampoo. The faint jingle of Venetian glass against her prominent collar bone. A thick anthology of Audre Lorde poems sitting on the teacher’s desk— usually confiscated to keep a certain student focused on the lesson.
As he enters the classroom, Peter experiences none of this. Just the typical hum of classroom chatter. At the front of the classroom, a tall young woman—Ms. Young he assumes — scrambles to boot up her computer before the 1:50 bell starts class.
A few students snap not-so discrete photos of him. And any other day Peter would have confronted them. But today, the disappointment feels much too heavy to care. In his gloom, Peter fails to anticipate the balled-up scrap of paper Ned flings at his head.
“Dude, I’ve been waving at you for like five minutes.” Peter instantly smiles as he walks toward his best friend’s table.
“So dramatic. I was standing in the doorway for ten seconds max.” Peter plops down beside Ned, giving Ned a closer look at his expression.
After years and years of friendship, Ned considers himself an expert on the many many emotions of Peter Parker. And right now, Peter’s pinched brow and pouty face— in combination with their school setting— indicate that Peter can only be thinking about one person: Michelle.
Over a month has passed since J. Jonah Jameson outed Peter’s identity to the world. Ned vividly remembers that day, specifically how small and frightened Michelle and Peter— Spider-Man— looked through the television screen.
Peter’s body had tensed up so rigidly, Ned feared Peter wasn’t breathing. An instant later, the eyes of the Spider-Man suit narrowed in focus as Peter scooped Michelle up— flinging them away from the crowd.
Within hours, the evening news had already debunked Jameson’s claims. Apparently, the NYPD— with much help from Pepper Potts and Stark Industries— had obtained all the cloud data of Mysterio’s test runs.
The police never even had time to draft an arrest warrant before Peter was publicly exonerated.
Pepper ensured that Peter’s face and name were left out of the data she shared, painting Beck as the one who framed poor, innocent Peter Parker— a kid who happened to be on the wrong field trip at the wrong time. At least that’s how most major media outlets interpreted the information.
May insisted she and Peter both stay upstate with Pepper, until the media circus surrounding them dissipated. For all the public knew, their beloved hero had voluntarily travelled back to Europe to help Interpol finish up their investigation into Quentin Beck.
During one of their first video chats, Peter complained extensively about being away from the city— panicked about the long-term repercussions leaving would have for Spider-Man.
For their friendship. For his budding relationship with Michelle.
Ned doesn’t know exactly what went down between his friends after they left his TV screen. But looking at Peter’s face now, unsure and desperate in way Ned has never seen him, Ned can only hope the damage isn't too great to be mended.