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It's Friday afternoon, the official start to the weekend for students at Midtown High. The hallways are buzzing with the talk of whatever parties are happening and who's expected to be there. When Peter first started at the school he had expected everyone to be either a nerd or a geek given the test they have to pass just to get in. Instead he's been met with the likes of Flash Thompson and others, the most cliche of high school bullies. Even when on the same playing field he's somehow above Peter and everyone else like him.
"Penis Parker!" Flash shouts from the end of the hall. His voice is like a shrill in Peter's ears as he stops at his locker.
The nickname has been around since the pair met at the beginning of the 9th grade. For the last two years that nickname has followed him around like some kind of sick joke. One slip up from one teacher. An email lost in the shuffle of the chaos of the beginning of the year and suddenly Flash has a reason to bully Peter till the end of time. No one bothers to stop him either. Teachers will turn a blind eye to anything he does with how much money his parents are willing to donate to the school.
"Hello, Eugene." The nickname may bother Peter but the use of Flash's real name bothers him even more. Peter takes satisfaction in the grimace Flash pulls before replacing it with a smirk again. "What can I do for you today?"
Flash rolls his eyes and slings an arm around Peter's shoulders, dragging him in closer. "I made a promise to some people that Spider-Man would be at my party tomorrow. Seeing as you're the only person I know with a connection directly to him I need a favor." Flash is smiling and Peter hates it.
"There is no way I'm going to call Spider-Man just for you to show off that you know him, when you don't even know him at all. He's a busy guy and he doesn't have time to do a photoshoot at your house," Peter answers.
Since Peter got the internship with Tony Stark, and Ned let it slip that he's friends with the neighborhood web slinger, Flash has been attached to him. Always asking for an autograph or a chance to meet the guy behind the mask. The furthest he's gotten is a signed autograph that Peter scribbled over and shot a web at. He's sure it's still hanging in Flash's locker along with random newspaper clippings the Daily Planet has written about him. News clippings aren't enough for Flash though. No, he has to bug Peter to death about the face to face he's always dreamed of.
From behind Flash, not far down the hall, Peter can see MJ and Ned coming. They all had a plan to go to Stark Tower after school to study for their upcoming finals. The tower has better snacks than what any of them have at their house and it gives Ned a chance to catch a glimpse of whatever hero has decided to take Tony up on the offer of a free bed.
"What was that all about?" MJ asks as Peter is dragged away from Flash who is staring him down with daggers in his eye. Peter quickly matches pace and hikes his bag further up his shoulder.
Waiting at the edge of the school yard is Happy standing in front of a black sedan limousine. Parents and students are watching as they load in and the blacked out windows are shut and locked. Even after the last two years no one has adjusted to the sight of three teenagers loading into a fancy car with a person driver. Especially not the driver constantly photographed alongside Tony Stark.
For most of the drive Happy keeps quiet but MJ shares unsettling facts and Ned talks about the latest statistics of the Avengers and a new Lego set coming out soon. Peter just spends the time listening to Ned and ignoring MJ because the last thing he wants to think about while swinging hundreds of feet in the air is what happens to your body when you fall from such a height.
When inside Peter sees how quiet and undisturbed everything is. No one is home, or at least if they are they haven't spent much time in the living room. Not even the blanket Pepper uses to cover up with while she replies to emails and takes calls is moved. Her office door is shut though. From the other side he can hear her but doesn't pay it much mind. She's always in there talking business or doing something that flies over Peter's head.
Peter leads everyone to his room while Happy B lines it to the kitchen for a drink. With them here safely he doesn't have to worry about anything until either Tony needs him or MJ and Ned need to go home. Once they step through the threshold of Peter's room he can hear the automatic gasp of Ned and MJ. No one has adjusted to the size of his bedroom. A window of walls that open for easy access in and out, a closet that is preloaded with clothes that none of them could dream of affording, and a walk in bathroom large enough to fit a king size bed along with the whole bathroom itself.
"I'll never get used to this," MJ comments as she flops back first onto Peter's bed. She falls into the mattress.
"We'll get used to it because I'll probably spend most of the summer here now that Brooklyn is back. She spends more time talking to that boyfriend of hers at night then sleeping. I'm sure at one point she'll catch me coming in and I can't really explain the suit without telling everything," Peter explains. He pulls a few books out of his bag and splays them open on a part that isn't occupied by a body part or someone else's belongings.
"Boyfriend?" Ned perks up and stares down Peter the best he can. "Since when does she have a boyfriend?"
"I don't know. She just started talking to him a few weeks ago she said but he seems nice. Nice enough for her to be talking to him for eight hours straight. I've barely gotten a chance to sleep between patrolling and her talking," Peter answers.
"How about we just focus on studying and not Ned's weird crush on Brooklyn?" MJ asks, peeling open her own textbook. They all quiet down and bury their noses in their own study material.