Chapter Text
My name is Jason Morgan, and I honestly have no idea how things got here. I never thought I’d do something intense, or insane. Growing up was a simple life, for me, parents, and my sister. Mom was a nurse, dad was a scientist. He wasn’t around much cause work was that important, but he did his best to provide. But honestly he didn’t get paid much for his work, so times were tough. However, it wasn’t as much of a challenge due to one thing.
Our neighbors, the Parkers, were great people. Always making sure we were set up, even when they had hard times. Their nephew Peter was my age, and even if he was a bit nerdy, I think we were honestly best friends by the time we got to high school. It helped that we were glued to the hip due to the Parkers coming around so often. I think I grew on him, and as time flew by, we shared interests, even if I never was as smart as Peter was.
Of course, things had to change. They always did. For me? It changed the day I went on a field trip with my best friend.
Jason couldn’t help but sigh, seeing that Peter had woken up late, again. Honestly his friend was brilliant when it came to a lot of things, but practical wise? He stumbled so badly it was a miracle that he didn’t trip over his own feet more often than not. Thankfully he was sitting in the front of the bus, as usual, so he could at least spare Peter a long run.
“Hey Sal, can you give it another minute? Peter was probably just getting that last report put away, you know how it is.” He said, grinning to the bus driver. Sal muttered something under his breath, but Jason could see the grin on his face to know that the man wasn’t really in that much of a bad mood. His idea was proven right when Peter stumbled out of his home, glasses crookedly placed on his face as he practically zoomed into the bus. Jason smirked, moving out of the way and allowing for Peter to fall into the seat next to him.
“Soooo, where did you end up leaving the report this time? Under the bed? In the binder with your D&D sheets?” Jason asked, glancing down at the book he had been reading and double checking the page he was on. “Or wait, did you decide to do a last minute revision? Cause more power to you in that case.” He continued, grinning as he started up his reading once more.
“I… yeah it was the bed again. I swear everything ends up under there. It’s frustrating!” Peter said, a short groan as he adjusted his glasses. Jason couldn’t help but chuckle, idly ruffling Peter’s hair, much to the annoyance of the smaller boy. “Come on Jason! I can barely keep this thing straight with May’s help!” Peter said, doing his best to keep the whining out of his voice.
“Hah! Yeah, sorry but not sorry there Pete. You’re brilliant, but at the same time you can get distracted by the smallest things. I’m pretty sure that’s what makes you so endearing. Glad you found the report at least.” Jason shot back, finally moving away to open up his book. “Soooo.... I know that the Oscorp field trip is coming up. You still bummed that we didn’t get to see the Baxter Building instead?” He asked, glancing at Peter out of the corner of his eye. The bus was moving by this point, having picked up the last person that was on their street. A very pretty redhead that Peter was doing his best not to look at.
“Well, it’s nothing against Harry or your dad, ya know? I just figured that Reed Richards would have something interesting to share. Besides, I know they’re supposed to be going out into space today. How cool is that? You think they’re gonna be okay?” Peter asked, looking over at Jason.
“I’m sure they're fine. They’re probably just trying to stay out of the spotlight after this. People go into space all the time, and nothing seems to be going wrong there, so who knows?” Jason asked, idly turning a page in his book. “Besides, I talked to dad about some of the stuff they’re gonna be showing off, probably the longest conversation we’ve had in… well I don’t wanna spoil anything cause that’d be rude. Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll go there someday.” Jason said, closing his book as he let out a short groan. “Can you look over my science homework? I’m pretty sure I messed up some of these.” He continued, closing his book and handing Peter a sheet of paper. Just a normal day for the duo.
Jason had managed to get through most of his morning classes with little issue. Mainly because he was at least managing to learn something. By the time lunch had hit, he had a more important thing to look forward to. Meeting up with another friend of his, given that Peter had stayed behind to catch up on some extra work before they left for their trip.
“Hey Jessica, how’s it going over here?” He asked, placing his tray down next to a pale, blonde haired girl. She let out a quiet huff, but the grin on her face betrayed she wasn't annoyed, taking a bite out of an apple she had.
“Oh you know, it’s going this and that way. What’s up? You’re usually stuck to Peter by the hip.” Jessica said, grinning still as she took another bite out of her apple.
“What? Can’t a guy come over and talk to the girl crushing on his best friend?” Jason asked, grinning as he took a sip of his drink, watching as Jessica Campbell did her best to not choke on some food, recovering well enough at the very least, leaving her coughing a bit.
“I honestly regret telling you about that.” Jessica muttered, her cheeks blazing as she refused to look over at Jason. Said boy just chuckled, still grinning as he pulled out a book from his bag.
“I mean, I did kinda figure it out on my own. Pete’s as dense as a sack of bricks when it comes to people sometimes, but me? I like to think I’m a bit more practical. Sorta. Besides, I kinda saw you looking over at us every once and a while in class. Peter’s head is usually stuck in books, or something else. What exactly did you see in him anyways?” Jason asked, glancing up at Jessica for a moment to get an answer.
“I...well honestly I don’t know. He’s not really like the other guys around here. Meatheads with no idea how to talk to people like Flash. Well that’s not to say you’re one either it’s just that-” She sighed, putting a hand to her head upon realizing she had trapped herself. She slowly lowered her head, trying to ignore the muffled laughter that was coming from the boy seated next to her. He only stopped once something occurred to him, causing Jason to look around.
“Say, where’s Peter? He should have been done with that work by now.” He said, eyes narrow before letting out a short sigh. “Speaking of Flash...you don’t think that…?” Jason trailed off, seeing Jessica sit up as well. She gave a shrug, but it was enough of an answer for him. Putting his book in his bag with a quiet sigh, Jason stood up, placing said bag in the seat he had been occupying. “Do me a favor? Watch this. And if I’m not back, just take it to class with you, please?” Jason asked, earning a thumbs up from Jessica. With that, he quickly ran out of the cafeteria, down the halls as quickly as he could manage. That’s when he heard a yelp coming from some of the lockers nearby.
“Come on Flash, I didn’t even do anything this time!” Peter called out, the sounds of struggling being heard as he pleaded. “Seriously, what did I do?” He continued, clearly doing his best to not whine or make things much worse for himself. Sadly it didn't seem to help matters at hand.
“You owe me Parker! I told you the other day to bring that money, and it seems you forgot. I’ll let you pick how this goes!” An annoyingly familiar voice growled out, much to Jason’s displeasure. Jason rolled his eyes, pushing past the crowd of people forming up. There it was. Peter was doing his best to fight off the grip of the much larger football player, who pinned the scrawnier teen to the lockers.
“Hey Eugene! Thought we agreed that you’d leave Peter alone the last time I kicked your ass!” Jason called out, positioning himself in front of some of the adjacent lockers. His call out was rewarded by Flash turning around, scowl already on his face.
“Oh we’re doing this? Last time I checked, you walked away with a broken nose and black eye. You wanna try this again?” Flash asked. Jason’s response was simple, raising his fists into the air.
“Sure do. Come on big guy. Pick on someone your own size.” He shot back, internally wincing. That was a lie. Jason may have been average, or just above, but Flash was literally all muscle and no brains. So that meant he had to even things out. “Why’re you after his lunch money anyways? Aren’t your folks rich? Don’t tell me they forgot to give you your allowance for the week.” He continued, ignoring the mummers and gasps leaving the crowd.
Something in Flash had clearly snapped. His face was already red, mainly from someone else finally calling him out, but the comment about his parents was the last straw. With a snarl, he dropped Peter unceremoniously, quickly turning around and charging right at Jason.
Jason was used to this sort of thing, seeing how Flash had always reacted to things when they didn’t go his way, and simply stepped out of the way of the football player’s path, letting him run face first into the lockers. That was all the excuse Jason needed. Seeing as how Flash managed to actually fall for such an obvious trick, it would only be fair to keep things going. Jason’s leg wound back, and with almost perfect aim he shot a kick up, right between Flash’s legs. It was a crude, but very efficient tactic, one that usually worked out well. The resounding groans and cheers echoing in the hallway drowned out any other noise for the moment.
In this case, Flash didn’t even have the soul to yell from the blow, only to fall flat on his knees, letting out a pained wheeze instead. Jason would have gone for more, but there were more important matters on hand. That and he wasn't the kind of guy to kick a person while he was down, even if they had deserved it. He turned over, looking at Peter, who was still on the floor.
“Come on Pete, get up. There we go, that’s it. Geez, did a number on ya there. You alright man? Anything hurt?” Jason asked, picking Peter up off the floor and dusting him off. Peter didn’t really look that messed up, but something about Flash ticked all the wrong meters in Jason’s head, so he had to respond properly.
“It’s fine. I’m okay, promise. You didn’t have to do that ya know?” Peter said, giving his friend a disappointed look that reminded Jason far too much of his mother or sister. “You know he’s just gonna get mad later on, he always does that.” Jason just waved it off.
“Hey, I was defending a friend. Besides, Flash was the one that instigated the fight. I just responded with the right amount of force. And if anything, he’ll get in more trouble with-” Jason paused upon seeing the look on Peter’s face. It wasn’t at him, but something that was behind Jason. “....There’s someone behind me isn’t there?” Jason couldn’t help but ask, seeing Peter nod. Slowly turning around, Jason came face to face with one of the various teachers of the school. “....Hi Mr. Jones! How can I help you on this fine day?” Jason asked, a grin on his face. He made a point and ignored Peter’s sigh.
“You know the drill as well as I do Mr. Morgan. Come on, let’s get you and Mr. Thompson to the Principal's office.” Mr. Jones said, pointing in a direction that Jason knew all too well. Oh boy, it was that time of the day again.
Jason found himself seated in a chair next to Flash, who wasn’t even looking in his direction. The sounds of arguing could be heard on the other side of the wall, coming from quite a few people. Finally it seemed that after an eternity (more like ten minutes but who was counting?), the door to the office swung open. Jason’s mother stepped out, looking a bit haggard, but pleased with herself.
“Well, the good news is that you’re not in trouble. Well that’s a lie, you’re in trouble with me. But your principal was… nice enough to see that you were just helping Peter out. You can still go on that trip that was scheduled today. Just stay close to Peter, alright? He’s going to be keeping an eye on you. If you run you’ll be fine.” Lily Morgan said, arms crossed and giving Jason that same look that Peter had. “If you see your father there, please say hi for me, okay Jason?” She continued.
“Yeah don’t worry Mom. I will. Now… wait oh crap what time is it?” Jason asked, glancing up at the clock. “Whelp, I got about ten minutes to catch up to Peter and pick up my things from a friend. Bye Mom, love ya.” Jason said, giving his mother a quick peck on the cheek and snagging the twenty dollar bill she had in hand for lunch money, seeing as Jason had missed that earlier. He was out the door and barreling down the hallways. He didn’t wanna miss this trip for anything.
Okay that was an honest to god lie. Jason was suddenly aware that maybe, just maybe it would have been fine for him to miss this trip in general. They had already started their little tour when the teacher thought it would be fun enough for the students to split off into groups of their own. That basically left Peter and Jason with their own little rag tag bunch, with a certain smaller boy taking the reins.
“Come on Jason, there’s still a lot more to see! I mean honestly all the possibilities here, we can’t miss anything!” Peter was desperately trying to drag along his friend, who couldn’t help but chuckle at the shorter kid’s expression as they walked through the Oscorp Exhibit. He was letting Peter lead him along, a camera wrapped around his neck.
“So remind me why I’m the one photographing everything here? Thought this was your thing?” Jason said, pausing when Peter did, and quickly picking up the camera to snap a picture of the bespectacled kid in front of some sort of experimental tech. Oscorp was really pulling out the punches here, so he couldn’t really complain about it.
“Well...uh. You see…” Peter let out a sheepish cough, rubbing his head as he tried to explain himself. Jason just snorted, ruffling Peter’s hair, which was easy considering he had a few inches on his friend.
“Don’t worry Pete, I’m joking. I know you’re just excited and wanna show Ben and May. Come on, there’s that….genetic thing they were talking about earlier. You’re better at this science stuff, so lead the way. I’ll lead us through the mechanical portion later.” Jason said, gesturing for Peter to lead on. The camera was already set, and Peter was rambling on about the idea that was being shown off.
“Honestly, the values this sort of thing could hold are probably exponential. I mean don’t get me wrong, the idea behind genetic modification was always something thought up in science fiction, but seeing it…” With Peter rambling off, Jason couldn’t help the grin on his face. This? This right here was Peter’s element. No shy, mumbling runt who could barely look at his (very obvious) crush from far away. But a brilliant, idealistic young man who knew what he was talking about. Of course, his good mood soured just a tad bit at the sight of a familiar figure walking up to the pair.
“Well I have to say, I couldn’t have explained that better myself. Good job there Peter. Nice to see that your aptitude for science is the same as ever!” Albert Morgan, Jason’s father (as much as that title meant at least), called out, grinning and nodding to Peter. “Oh, Jason it’s good to see you showed up. Tell me, how’s the exhibit look so far? Anything catch your eye?” He asked, looking at Jason curiously.
“Eh. The genetic stuff sounds decent enough, but that’s more Peter’s thing. Honestly I was expecting there to be more robotics stuff. I thought Oscorp was working on something there as well?” Jason asked, his bland tone barely hidden as he looked at his father with a raised eyebrow. Albert was the first one to break the stare as he coughed, shaking his head.
“The uh… prototypes had a bit of an issue. We’re supposed to be bringing them out next time.” His father admitted, looking rather sheepish with his explanation. Jason gave the smallest of unimpressed looks before shrugging. The small, awkward silence was taken over by the beeping of a pager strapped to his father’s side. Quickly looking it over, Albert cursed quietly. “Sorry guys, but I gotta get going. Work issues. You two have fun with the rest of this trip!” He said, quickly going off to who knows where. Peter and Jason stared for a moment, not looking at each other still. Of course things changed once Jason felt a stabbing sensation on his hand.
He couldn’t help but let out a quiet curse of his own as he tried to keep the camera Peter had brought along steady, glancing down to see… nothing. At all. Jason frowned, looking over his hand to see if anything stood out. Nothing seemed to be swelling, so that was a good sign at least. Looking back to try and figure out a way to get rid of the tension, Jason spotted a familiar head of red hair poking through the crowds.
“Hey Mary Jane! Come over here! Peter was just in the middle of explaining this thing. You’ve gotta hear this!” Jason called out, grinning as Peter began sputtering. He leaned in so that only his friend could hear. “Just talk like you were explaining it to me. Come on Pete, you got this.” Jason said, patting the smaller boy on the back. Peter looked at Jason with something akin to betrayal, but Mary Jane Watson had just walked up, and with a gesture Jason stepped out of the way to let Peter speak up. All the while, he barely gave the spider that was crawling away from the trio a second glance.