Chapter Text
Peter got the text from Ms. Stark while he was getting ready for school.
He’d been gathering up his things and putting them in his bag, and he was trying to decide whether or not it was worth it to bring both of his textbooks even though he knew he didn’t need them, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared-
His phone went off, interrupting his thoughts. Without thinking, he reached into his pocket and fished out his phone, glancing down to see the notification.
Ms. Stark: Don’t go patrolling tonight, kid. It’s gonna be too dangerous for you.
His excitement at being texted by Ms. Stark herself --since the situation with The Vulture, she’d messaged him personally on occasion rather than having her driver do it, but it was still enough of a novelty that it had him excited each time--was overshadowed by his confusion. Sure, Ms. Stark had been against him getting involved with more serious things, but to tell him not to patrol at all…?
>: What do you mean, Ms Stark??
He didn’t have to wait for very long before he received a reply.
Ms. Stark: Just listen to me about this, kid, alright? I don’t want you getting hurt.
Ms. Stark: There’s something big happening, and it’s over your head.
Further messages received no responses. Peter sighed and slipped his phone into his pocket. He’d just ask again later--there had to be a good reason Ms. Stark wasn’t giving him answers. After all, she was a busy woman, and if something big was happening then it probably was on her radar, or perhaps on the radar of any one of the other dozens of heroes in the city.
Still, though, a part of him knew he wouldn’t be satisfied staying home tonight, knowing something was happening and that people might be in danger. He had these powers for a reason, didn’t he? He should be helping people.
… But he and Ms. Stark had reached an understanding after the situation with The Vulture. She told him she’d only ever ask him to stay out of a situation if she knew it would be too much. When Ms. Stark told him not to get involved now, she meant it, and he knew he should listen to her.
Peter sighed and glanced down at his phone again, wondering if it was worth it to try and send one more message, maybe even to message Happy or Miss Potts and see if they knew anything-
And it was then that Peter saw the time, and he realized he was running late for school.
Cursing under his breath, he rushed to finish packing his backpack, nearly stumbling over himself in his haste to get out the door in time. If he was lucky, and he ran most of the way, he should be able to make it in time. He’d make it even faster if he used his powers, but he knew that it wouldn’t be worth it most likely, and that probably counted as abusing them or something. So, he’d just have to walk.
Unfortunately, luck was not on Peter’s side that morning. Increased foot traffic meant it took a whole 20 minutes for Peter to get to Midtown High even though he practically sprinted the whole way there, meaning the morning announcements were finishing up just as he set foot in the building. He made a frustrated noise and stood there for a moment, panting as he tried to catch his breath. By the time he was finally able to breathe easily, the announcements were over. He sighed and closed his eyes.
This morning was shaping up to be perfect, absolutely perfect. Now, he’d have to talk to the front office and get a late slip, and he might even get detention. Again.
Squaring his shoulders and opening his eyes, Peter decided it’d be best to just get it over with, and he turned to walk into the front office.
However, when Peter opened the wooden door and stepped inside, he found something surprising: two blond teenagers accompanied by a pair of adults. This wouldn’t be too odd, generally speaking, but Peter realized he didn’t recognize any of these strangers, least of all the two students (at least, he assumed they were students--they looked to be around his age).
Now, Peter certainly didn’t know everyone at Midtown, but he at least had a general idea of who was a student and who wasn’t, and the two teenagers sitting in the uncomfortable office chairs--one looking bored, the other cautiously interested--with their backpacks in their laps were anything but familiar. They had to be new students, but it was the middle of the semester.
Bit of a rough time to transfer , Peter thought with a sympathetic frown.
It seemed none of the people in the office had noticed him yet--not the apparent new students, not the two adults, and not Mrs. Mullens, the harsh older woman who manned the front office almost singlehandedly. Peter wondered if he should do something to get their attention, but a small part of him felt he should wait a moment.
One of the adults, a black-haired man with a well-tailored suit and a smirk on his face, was talking to Mrs. Mullens in a low voice as he leaned against the counter. Peter almost did a double-take when he saw Mrs. Mullens was actually smiling at him, seemingly charmed by the handsome stranger. Nearby was a woman, a blonde wearing a sensible black skirt and button-up shirt, who had a carefully neutral expression on her face as she watched Mrs. Mullens and the man interact.
“I know it’s a little short notice,” the man was saying in a deep, smooth voice, “but thank you for being so accomodating.” He offered Mrs. Mullens a charming smile, and she smiled back, clearly flustered. She opened her mouth as though to say something else, but it was at that moment she noticed Peter standing in the entrance to the office, looking confused. Abruptly, her expression hardened and her smile fell.
“Late again, Mr. Parker?” she said, her tone nowhere near as sharp as it normally was. Still, Peter winced, and then he winced again when the four strangers turned to look at him. He let the door fall closed behind him and stepped inside fully. His backpack was hanging loosely off of one shoulder, and he smiled sheepishly at the group as he nodded.
“Ah, yeah, I am,” he said. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Mullens.” Mrs. Mullens clucked her tongue and nodded, turning her attention back towards the man as she began to write up a late slip for Peter.
“Well, you’re all set, Mr. Mustang,” she told him, her expression softening again. “Edward and Winry can start today, and arrangements will be made for their younger brother. I’ll have Calvin email you the details as soon as possible.” As she finished writing up the slip, Peter made his way over to her desk, and she handed the pink piece of paper over to him without so much as a glance.
“Thank you once again, Mrs. Mullens,” the man--Mr. Mustang, apparently--said with a suave grin and a nod. “You have been a wonderful help.” He straightened, then, and nodded to the two teenagers.
“You two be good now,” he said, and there was a strange undertone in his voice that caught Peter a little by surprise. It sounded like he was teasing them, and his tone was casual enough, but at the same time, something in his dark eyes reminded Peter distinctly of Ms. Stark and her own ruthless gaze.
“No promises,” one of the teenagers, the shorter one, said in a dry voice, clearly not pleased with the teasing. The other elbowed him sharply in response, narrowing her eyes at him before offering Mr. Mustang a sheepish smile.
“We’ll try our best!” she said. Mr. Mustang seemed more amused than anything by the exchange, but he didn’t say anything else, and without a word, he and the woman left.
Mrs. Mullens cleared her throat, and Peter realized he was still standing in the office when he really should have been on his way to class by now. When he looked her way, however, he saw that she wasn’t quite as angry as he expected her to be. That was a relief, at least, but he knew he should still get a move on.
“Sorry, Mrs. Mullens,” he said quickly, “I-I’ll get going now-”
“No need,” she said, sighing and waving a hand. “Since you’re here, you can show Edward and Winry here around the building. Be their guide for today. I’ve already given them their schedules, and they both have English with you first period.”
“Oh,” Peter said, looking over to the two new students, who had stood up by now and were looking back at him. The taller one, a pretty girl with pale blonde hair up in a ponytail and bright blue eyes, smiled at him and held a hand out.
“I’m Winry,” she said, “and this is my brother Ed.” The words sounded… strangely rehearsed, but Peter supposed she’d just had to introduce them a lot.
Peter shook Winry’s hand quickly, smiling back at her. “It’s nice to meet you--I’m Peter Parker.” He turned his head in Ed’s direction and made to offer his hand, but he paused when he saw the expression on Ed’s face.
Ed was significantly shorter than him and Winry both, and his darker blonde hair was pulled back into a long braid. His eyes were a pale, off-brown sort of color, and they were currently narrowed as he looked at Peter as though he were sizing him up.
Ah, shit, Peter thought helplessly. Before he could say anything else or ask Ed what was wrong, Ed spoke up.
“I don’t shake hands,” he said flatly. His gaze finally seemed to settle on Peter’s face, and Peter wondered quietly if he’d passed inspection or not.
“That’s fine!” Peter said, keeping his smile in place. “I mean, it’s just a dumb formal thing, isn’t it? Not a big deal.” Ed seemed a little surprised by Peter’s words, but he nodded and even seemed to smile ever so slightly. Peter cleared his throat. “Um, a-anyway, we should probably get going. Mr. Laurens really doesn’t like it when students are late.”
“Probably would’ve made it on time if Col-” Before Ed could finish his sentence, Winry elbowed him again and smiled brightly at Peter. Ed muttered darkly under his breath and shot Winry a dirty look, which she seemed to ignore easily enough.
“That’d be great, thank you!” she said. “As you can imagine, we don’t really know our way around yet.” She laughed a little, as though they were sharing an inside joke, and Peter laughed with her. Ed rolled his eyes, but if Peter had to guess he didn’t seem actually that upset.
Peter grinned brightly at them. Even if Ed seemed a little unfriendly at first, Winry was really nice, and, besides, he was sure Ed would come around.
“Alright! Just follow me!” he told them. And with that, he opened the door to the office again, gesturing for the new students to go ahead of him. As Ed and Winry walked by him, Peter got a strange feeling, a tingling under his skin that almost made him shudder. He couldn’t help it, but his eyes were drawn to Ed as he passed, and he noticed something that made him pause.
It was very subtle, and perhaps if Peter had been any ordinary person he wouldn’t have noticed, but Ed had a very slight limp as he walked, and it seemed his left leg was a little heavier than his right. Not that that bothered Peter or anything, of course, but it caught his attention nonetheless. That’s not what made him uneasy, though.
Peter suddenly had the sense that Ed might be… dangerous. He couldn’t quite put a finger on why, and part of him was sure he might just be reading too much into things, but… well, it might be a good idea to keep an eye on him at the very least.
Peter shook his head slightly to clear it and offered Mrs. Mullens one more smile, trying to be polite more than anything, before he let the door to the office swing closed once more and quickly walked to catch up with Ed and Winry.
“So,” he began, “Mr. Laurens is kind of an asshole, especially if you don’t listen to him, but I’m sure he’ll take mercy on you two if you don’t since you’re new.”
Ed snorted and smirked, a slightly devious glint in his eyes as he looked up at Peter. “I almost hope he doesn’t.”
“Ed,” Winry said sharply. Ed held up his hands defensively, but his smirk was still in place.
“I’m not gonna try to set him off, Win!” he said. “Just… y’know… things happen.”
Well. This was definitely shaping up to be an interesting morning, if nothing else. Silently, Peter hoped things would go well, and that no one would be getting detention. He definitely didn’t need that again.