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Peter Parker had been through some intense weeks. Between his duties as Spider-Man and the avalanche of exams at school, he barely had time to rest. What he didn’t know was that his already chaotic life was about to get even more complicated.
It all started one morning when he arrived late to class after stopping a group of criminals late into the night. He was exhausted and barely realized that, in his rush, he hadn’t put on his school uniform properly or even tried to fix his hair. What he hadn’t noticed was that the countless hours spent swinging between buildings and fighting bad guys had toned his body more than he realized, and in that very moment, it showed in ways he wasn’t aware of.
When he walked into the classroom, people looked at him differently. At first, he thought it was just because he was late, but then he noticed that the murmurs were prolonged, the giggles constant, and the stares more direct. Flash Thompson, who always made fun of him, looked at him with a mix of disbelief and, for the first time, without his usual arrogance. Something weird was happening.
The real tipping point came during lunch. Ned, his best friend, was staring at his phone with wide eyes.
—Peter… you have to see this —Ned said, showing him the screen.
It was a picture of Peter that one of the volleyball girls had taken while he entered the classroom. His uniform was slightly disheveled, his curls fell over his forehead, and he had a distracted look on his face. The angle, the light—everything made Peter look like the protagonist of a teen movie. The girl had captioned it: “Who knew Peter Parker was this 🔥?”
Within hours, the post had been shared hundreds of times on the school’s social media, and beyond.
—What?! —Peter exclaimed, staring at the screen—. This is ridiculous, Ned! I’m not…
—Yeah, yeah, I know, but apparently, everyone else thinks differently —Ned said, trying to hold back laughter.
From that moment on, things spiraled out of control. As he walked through the halls, girls who had never noticed him before were now looking, smiling, or even waving at him. The worst part came when MJ, his close friend—and, to be honest, his secret crush—saw him in the cafeteria and raised an eyebrow, giving him a sly smile.
—So, Parker… the world finally discovered your ‘true self,’ huh? —MJ teased, biting back a laugh.
—It’s nothing… it’s all a misunderstanding, really! —Peter stammered, his face turning beet red.
MJ gave him an amused look, taking a bite of her apple.
—Relax, Peter. The social media world is a whirlwind, and soon they’ll move on to the next big thing. Though —her tone turned playful— if you start wearing tighter shirts, I’ll know why.
Peter practically melted in his seat, wishing he could disappear. Unfortunately, his newfound fame as the school’s “hot guy” only kept growing. The cheerleaders chased him down the hallways for selfies, and even Flash, who usually tormented him, had stopped mocking him, which was even more confusing.
A week later, Peter had had enough. It was too much. The moment a girl threw a note at him in class asking him to be her date to the winter dance, he packed his things and stormed off to Stark Tower. He knew Tony Stark would be the only person who could understand his frustration. After all, if anyone knew what it was like to have a public image and deal with fans, it was Tony.
—Friday, tell Tony I’m here! —Peter said as he entered the tower’s elevator.
The AI greeted him in its usual calm tone, but Peter was too nervous to pay attention. When he arrived at the lab, Tony was bent over a workbench, tinkering with a new Iron Man suit.
—Hey, Peter, what brings you here? Physics problems? Need a new web formula? —Tony joked without looking up from his work.
—Tony, this is ridiculous! Everyone at school is obsessed with me all of a sudden! —Peter blurted out, dropping his backpack to the floor.
Tony raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. He took off his work gloves and turned to Peter.
—Obsessed with you? Well, that sounds like a good thing, doesn’t it? —he said with a smirk—. What happened? Did you save the homecoming dance and now you’re the school hero?
—No, no, no… It’s because of a photo! —Peter pulled out his phone and showed Tony the post that had caused all the chaos—. Everyone at school thinks I’m… I don’t know, some kind of social media model or something. It’s insane!
Tony looked at the photo and let out a small chuckle, but he couldn’t hold it back and soon burst out laughing.
—Oh, my God, Peter! —he said, barely able to speak through his laughter—. This is… this is fantastic!
—No, it’s not! —Peter sank into a chair—. I can’t walk down the halls without someone trying to take a selfie with me. I’m not that kind of person!
Tony, still laughing, leaned against the workbench.
—Come on, Peter, you’ve got to relax. Look, being a hero comes with its perks, and apparently, one of them is being the school’s new heartthrob. Happened to me when I was your age too… though, in my case, it was a bit more intentional.
—That doesn’t help, Tony! —Peter sighed, frustrated—. I don’t want to be known for my looks. I want people to take me seriously… as a person! As… Spider-Man!
Tony, still smiling, walked over and patted Peter on the shoulder.
—Listen, kid, what you’re going through is temporary. People always find something new to talk about. Today it’s you, tomorrow it’ll be someone else. The important thing is that you don’t let this distract you from who you really are. And trust me, it’s not the worst thing in the world for people to think you’re attractive. It can come in handy when you’re in a tough spot.
Peter groaned, not entirely convinced, but he appreciated Tony’s advice.
—Besides —Tony added—, you could use it to your advantage. I mean, if Flash Thompson starts bothering you again, just flash him one of those ‘hot looks’ everyone’s raving about.
Peter couldn’t help but laugh a little.
—I don’t think that would work.
—Trust me, it will. And if it doesn’t, you can always call a fellow Avenger to have your back.
In the end, while the situation still felt surreal to Peter, he felt a little lighter after talking to Tony. He knew this was just a phase, and though he didn’t understand why people saw him that way, he could at least face it with a bit of humor and the support of his friends… and, of course, Tony.
As he left Stark Tower, Peter checked his phone and saw yet another Instagram notification. He sighed and chuckled to himself.
—I’ll never understand this…