Work Text:
Ding!
“Hydrogen Peroxide!”
The crowd waited with bated breath after Betty spoke. They were on their last chance to win this round of decathlon, and it would decide if they placed at all in the competition.
“That is…”
An explosion of sound blocked out Peter’s understanding of the answer, and now really isn’t the time for a sensory overload, brain, thank you very much . Peter winced at the shouts all around him, and it sounded like mostly his team, so he just guessed that his team had gotten it correct and he weakly opened his eyes, smiling and cheering.
“Oh my Thor, Peter!! Are you okay?” Peter looked towards the voice that said that, squinting to make out Betty standing over him.
“Hmm? Yeah, yeah! I’m good,” Peter said, pushing back as much of his sensory issues as possible to stand up and celebrate with his team. He heard many gasps of shock as he stood up and then silence (or at least as silent as he ever heard). His next words were whispered. “What’s wrong, why is everyone staring at me like I shot someone?”
He snapped his head over to MJ when they snorted. “You might want to call your dad, loser. You aren’t getting out of this with your identity intact. Actually, better yet,” MJ reached over and snagged his phone. “Go take care of the guys that just shot you in the middle of a public decathlon meet.”
Everything clicked in that moment for Peter: the stabbing pain in his shoulder, already stitching together on the front and back side, the explosion of sound that definitely sounded familiar to what he heard on some of his worst patrols, and everyone staring at him in shock and worry. As he turned to the crowd to figure out who shot him in broad daylight, another ringing went out, and Peter’s ear went up in flames of pain.
Hissing in pain, he finally spotted them at the back of the room. Is that? Oh my god. He started swinging to the back of the room, knowing full well MJ was right. It strained his shoulder for sure, but he’d done worse things.
“I told you idiots last week, you can’t just shoot whoever whenever, what the fuck guys?” They all looked shocked at the reveal he made casually. “Like, come on, you promised you wouldn’t anymore. Bill, what happened to trying to do better for your kid? They wouldn’t want you just out shooting people. And Riley, aren’t you supposed to be at your new job? Yeah, uhuh, those looks of shame are telling me everything I need to know, hand ‘em over guys.”
“Sorry Spidey, we didn’t mean to disappoint you.” Peter sighed, knowing he’d give them one last chance, and they knew it too as they handed over their weapons. “Did you really mean it about the rehab program last week?”
“Yeah, of course! Listen IronDad’s gonna be here in, uhh,” Peter strained to listen for the blasters, finding them just taking off from the tower, “in like two minutes, and hopefully we’ll actually take you back with us and get you enrolled today! I can make sure to swing by your houses to make sure your families are all set while you’re in the program too!”
“Spidey, you’re way too good for your own good.” Riley was still taking weapons off their person, and really , Peter thought, if they don’t pursue a life of no weapons, perhaps letting them meet Natasha and join SHIELD wouldn’t be a half bad idea.
“Peter!” Tony Stark screamed as he burst through the door. “What in the hell happened? ‘I’m going to be completely safe’ you said, ‘Nothing bad will happen’ you said. Instead I get a call from your scary friend saying you got hurt and your identity’s been exposed? Kid, are you trying to put me in an early grave?”
“Oops? Hi Mr. Stark. I may have gotten shot again? But anyways, remember those people I brought up last week about entering into the rehab program? Ta-da! They decided to take me up on it.”
Tony glanced from his kid to the people standing next to him - is that person still unloading weapons? - to the crowd of parents and siblings sitting in the auditorium seats. He sighed, tapping the side of his glasses to wake up FRIDAY. “Fri, dear, do you mind sending over a drone with NDAs from the file Pep made for a situation like this?”
“Already on their way sir, should arrive in t-minus 3 minutes, bar any avian interruptions.” Tony nodded. “Dr. Cho would also like you to get her patient back to ASAP so she can fix any damage he has sustained.”
“Heard, Fri. MJ, you got this right? Pep should also be on her way to help.”
“I got it, Stank. Go take care of your son.” Peter spluttered at that. “Don’t you dare protest, loser. Now go.”
“And that’s why she’s going to be helping you run things kiddo. Or well, you’ll be helping her, really. Anyways, let’s go. Happy will be by in a bit to grab your new friends.”
Peter sighed, and gave small waves to everyone there. “Yes, Ned, you can come with.”
Ned rushed over, saying some pleasantries to Riley and Bill, before joining Tony in ushering Peter out the door.