Chapter Text
The piercing screech of the final bell rang out, shattering the muggy Tuesday afternoon atmosphere at Midtown High. A collective wave of dramatic sighs mixed with the scraping of desks echoed throughout the classroom.
Mr. Harrison tapped his ruler lightly against his desk, trying to gain the attention of the students who were hastily packing their bags. "Quiet down, everyone! I have a very important announcement before you're dismissed."
Every movement in the room came to a sudden halt.
"This directly involves the entire Academic Decathlon team and a few top-performing students in the grade," Mr. Harrison continued, unable to hide a proud smile from spreading across his face. "Thanks to special support from the Stark Relief Foundation, our school has been granted exclusive access for a one-day field trip to Stark Industries Headquarters this Friday."
A brief silence fell over the classroom before the entire room exploded into wild cheers and gasps of astonishment.
"Stark Industries? Are you serious? That place is harder to get into than the Pentagon!"
"I heard even top MIT graduates aren't guaranteed a peek into their R&D labs!"
Flash smirked, crossing his arms with his usual arrogance. "It’s about time the biggest tech company in the world recognized the genius in our school. That VIP guest pass is definitely going to be mine."
Naturally, no one paid him any mind.
In the back row, Ned nudged Michelle Jones, who was calmly flipping through a book, her face completely unbothered.
"Did you hear that, MJ?" Ned whispered, his eyes darting around in a mix of excitement and panic. "A field trip to Stark Tower! This Friday!"
MJ didn't look up, merely running her finger down the crease of her book page. "I'm just wondering if we'll have to watch Flash make a fool of himself in front of top scientists."
"No, Flash isn't the problem!" Ned lowered his voice even further, leaning close to MJ's ear. "The problem is Peter! He’s been out sick all week because he got hurt fighting those human traffickers. He’s definitely recovering inside the Tower and has no idea our entire school is about to barge in!"
MJ finally paused her reading. Her deep, dark eyes flicked toward the empty seat next to Ned—where Peter Parker's desk had sat vacant for the past week.
"I texted him last night," MJ said calmly, though the slight pulse at her wrist betrayed her concern. "He said his injuries are healing and Mr. Stark put him on total lockdown. He’s completely out of the loop with school news."
Mr. Harrison passed out permission slips to each student. "Take these home and get them signed by your parents. The trip starts at 8:00 AM sharp on Friday. Keep in mind, Stark Industries has extremely strict security. Anyone not on the pre-registered guest list will not be allowed past the security gate."
Flash turned around to look at Ned with a taunting sneer. "Hey, Leeds, where’s your best pal Parker? Doesn't he always brag about having an 'internship' at Stark Industries? How come he's nowhere to be seen when a huge trip like this pops up? The moment he gets a chance to prove it, he conveniently falls 'sick' for a whole week. What a coincidence!"
Ned opened his mouth to snap back, but under the desk, MJ lightly kicked his chair leg. Ned froze, swallowed hard, and turned to look at MJ with a questioning glance.
"Don't argue with him, Ned," MJ whispered, a rare sly smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I just had a much better idea."
"What idea?"
"Peter doesn't know our school is coming for a visit, right?" MJ leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "And he's currently locked up in the Tower, dying of boredom while recovering. If we go on this trip without telling him a single word, and then suddenly show up or throw a surprise at him... don't you think the look on Parker's face would be hilarious?"
Ned stared blankly for two seconds, and then his eyes lit up like high beams.
"Oh my God, MJ! You're a genius! Exactly! If we warn him, he’ll try to hide or prepare something to save face! But if we keep it a secret and hide the news... we can prank him big time right in his own house!"
"Keep your mouth shut, Leeds," MJ warned with a subtle smile as she resumed flipping through her book. "If you leak even a single word to Parker over the phone, I'm throwing you to Flash."
"I swear! My lips are sealed!" Ned held up two fingers in a solemn vow.
At the same time, in central Manhattan, inside the high-end medical wing on the top floors of Stark Tower.
The air in the medical room was filled with the faint scent of disinfectant blended with the signature cedar aroma of the high-tech air filtration system. Peter Parker was lying sprawled out on a smart hospital bed, staring blankly at the polished ceiling.
He had been in this white room for precisely 6 days, 14 hours, and 22 minutes.
"FRIDAY..." Peter sighed for the fiftieth time today, his voice dripping with desperation. "Tell me the current status of my lab. How is my next-gen synthetic web-fluid project coming along?"
"Good afternoon, Peter," FRIDAY's warm AI voice resonated from the wall-mounted speakers. "Your research parameters remain securely saved. However, Boss has placed an access lock on your account until your vital signs return to 100%."
"I'm fine now!" Peter sat up abruptly, but a sharp spike of pain shot through his left ribs instantly, making him wince and suck in a sharp breath through his teeth.
He looked down at himself. His bare chest was tightly wrapped in medical bandages around his abdomen and flank. Four weeks ago, a clash with a gang using alien technology at the docks had left Peter with three broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a deep laceration stretching from his shoulder down to the middle of his chest.
Although his superhuman Spider-healing kept him alive, the rapid rate of cell regeneration caused thick, overlapping scars to form across the teenager's toned torso.
"Are you trying to kill yourself again, kid?"
The automatic sliding door clicked open. Tony Stark walked in carrying a mug of hot coffee. He wore a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his hair slightly disheveled, and his eyes carrying the distinct exhaustion of someone who hadn't slept in days.
"Mr. Stark!" Peter’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly pulled a thin blanket over his bandaged chest. "You're just in time. Please tell FRIDAY to let me out. I'm going crazy in this room! I feel like my bones have completely healed!"
Tony strolled over, placed his coffee on the table, and crossed his arms, eyeing his young protégé sternly. "Healed? Let me remind you, Parker. Dr. Cho had to use the Tissue Cradle to stitch your lung back together. And that was after you decided to dive headfirst into a exploding Chitauri energy drive!"
"I saved three civilians back there!" Peter argued, his voice softening slightly but retaining his stubborn edge. "I couldn't just stand by..."
"And you almost turned yourself into a pile of meat scrap!" Tony’s voice suddenly turned sharp, laced with the anger and fear he had been bottling up for a month. "You are fifteen, Peter. You are not an immortal god. Do you have any idea what it felt like when I landed my suit and found you buried in the rubble, without a pulse?"
Peter lowered his head, his hands gripping the edge of the bedsheets tightly. He hated making Tony worry, but he hated feeling trapped and useless even more.
Tony let out a long, heavy sigh, bringing a hand up to rub his temples. His harsh tone gradually softened, replaced by the exhaustion of a parent feeling helpless against a stubborn child.
"I promised your Aunt May that I’d keep you alive. So, until those wounds on your chest are fully healed and Dr. Cho signs your release form, you are strictly forbidden from taking a single step out of the recovery wing. No Spider-Man, no patrolling, no running around."
"But at least let me go to the lab!" Peter looked up, his round brown eyes full of desperation. "I won't patrol, I promise! I just want to work on a few blueprints. Staying in this hospital room forever is going to wither me away! You built me a private lab on Floor 81 anyway!"
Tony looked at the kid in front of him. Peter's persistence and fierce passion for science were things that always made him both proud and headached.
"Your private lab on Floor 81," Tony surrendered, but didn't forget to tack on a strict condition. "You are only allowed to stay in that room. No going down to the lower floors, no contact with anyone. And most importantly: YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM WEARING THE SPIDER-SUIT! If I catch you touching a single strand of web-line, I will lock your access credentials until you get into college. Got it?"
"I get it! I swear! Thank you, Mr. Stark!" Peter cheered, his face instantly lighting up. He made a move to jump out of bed, but a sudden throb from his injury made him freeze, rubbing his head with an apologetic grin.
Tony shook his head, picked up his coffee mug, and turned toward the door. "FRIDAY, keep a close eye on his heart rate. If his vitals exceed safe limits, lock down the lab immediately."
"Requirement logged, Boss," FRIDAY replied.
Later that evening, in the recovery suite (he was now allowed to move between his private resting room connected to the lab).
Peter picked up his phone and dialed Ned. He desperately wanted to catch up on school news and find out what he had missed over the past month.
"Hello, Peter?!" Ned’s voice answered on the other end, sounding slightly startled and forced.
"Why do you sound so tense, Ned?" Peter laughed, leaning back against the headboard. "It's me. I just managed to beg Mr. Stark into letting me go up to my private lab this Friday! Finally escaping this awful hospital room."
"Oh... really? That's awesome!" Ned replied, his breathing sounding a bit rushed. "So... this Friday, you're just going to stay locked in your lab? Nowhere else?"
"Yeah, Mr. Stark put me on strict ground rules. I'm only allowed on Floor 81; I can't step foot on the lower floors. By the way, anything new at school? Did Mr. Harrison scold me for missing so many classes?"
On the other end of the line, Ned was sitting in his bedroom, gripping his phone tightly while MJ sat opposite him, glaring with a threatening look, placing her index finger over her lips in a "Shh" gesture.
"Uh... no! Nothing at all!" Ned squeaked, trying his best to sound casual. "School is as boring as ever. Mr. Harrison just reminded you to catch up on notes. No special events or field trips whatsoever! So you just relax... um... heal up and focus on your research!"
Peter raised an eyebrow, picking up on something odd in his best friend's tone. "Are you sure? You sound really hesitant, Ned."
"I'm sure! I swear! When do I ever lie to you?!" Ned nearly shrieked under the pressure of MJ's death glare. "Anyway, I gotta go do my Chemistry homework! Have fun working in the lab on Friday! Bye!"
Click... tút... tút... tút...
Peter looked at his phone screen in confusion after the call abruptly ended. He scratched his messy hair, figuring Ned was probably just stressed out from schoolwork lately.
Meanwhile, at Ned's house, Ned let out a massive breath of relief, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Did you see my acting skills, MJ? I didn't breathe a single word about the Stark Industries field trip!"
MJ smiled in satisfaction, snapping her notebook shut. "Good job, Leeds. Now all we have to do is wait until Friday. Let's see what happens when the whole class rolls in, and if by some miracle we run into that idiot Spider-man, how priceless his face will be."
Around the same time, in the Event Management and Tour Office on the ground floor of Stark Tower.
Karen, a young tour guide, was reviewing the schedule for the visiting groups coming in this Friday. Two important internal notifications popped up on her computer screen:
Data 1: Top Students Tour Group - Midtown School of Science (25 people) — Level 2 Access Pass (Touring the exhibition hall, tech museum, and simulation labs on the lower floors).
Data 2: Internal Medical Notice — Senior Intern Peter Parker (Level 10 Access Pass) is currently in recovery following a severe injury. Currently resting in his private lab on Floor 81.
Karen looked at the two lines of data, her fingers tapping lightly on the keyboard. In her mind, a young intern granted his own private lab on Floor 81 was undoubtedly a special prodigy deeply doted on by Mr. Stark, but was currently recovering all alone on a high floor.
"A student intern recovering from an injury..." Karen thought to herself. "It would be wonderful if I could flexibly tweak the Midtown tour route to stop by and let them glimpse a real high-level personal research lab. It would showcase the top-tier treatment Stark Industries offers young talent, and at the same time, give that intern some company so he feels less lonely recovering all by himself."
Karen had no idea that the "recovering" Peter Parker was NOT lying quietly in a hospital bed, but had already dived headfirst into heaps of machinery. And she certainly couldn't have guessed that the Midtown student group she was about to guide happened to be his own classmates—the very people plotting to prank him!