- Come on Ned, it’ll be fun
- I told you already, i don’t care about it
- Maybe you’ll find some girl at the dance. Come on, dude. I don’t want to go alone!
The little argument didn’t last longer than 5 minutes, but the subject was so small they went with it with pure jokes until Peter got tired of insisting on that stupid dance and left Ned alone.
The rest of the day went pretty normal, way too normal, so normal that it became boring. Classes went on just like always. Nothing new happened… Even Thompson looked way too chill!
The way home could have been just as chill if it weren’t because someone decided to blow up a building. The school-bus stopped in its tracks, but that didn’t prevent it from crashing the car ahead of them nor getting crashed on the sides.
- What happened?!
- What was that?!
- Oh god, we’re going to die!
Chaos started to take over the passengers. People were running as fast as they could, getting away from the danger, but not the students in the bus, no. Not them. They were trapped inside the vehicle. The doors were jammed.
- We need to move. We need to get them all out of here
The young avenger said as low as he could in those circumstances
- Dude, the doors are locked. We can’t get out! - Came as a very stressed whisper out of Ned’s mouth
The hero looked at him in disbelief for a few seconds
- Dude… - and he showed him his hands. “What part of superstrength did you forget?” was an unspoken answer that the shorter boy got immediately
- Oh… yeah right
Peter rushed to the front and opened the doors for the civilians. He got Ned by the arm and made sure he was the first to leave the bus.
- get covered - he said to his friend while guiding the kids out when a second explosion went on followed closely by a third one - Quick!
This time the explosion’s fire was seen and Peter soon recognized the bluish purple flash of Chitauri technology.
They ran a block or two, enough for them to say they were “safe” for the moment. Among all the chaos and fear of the group of civilians hidden in a small commercial building, Peter started moving. He opened his bag while running to the back of the store while taking off his shirt. A hand held him by the arm tightly.
- Where are you going? - the shorter boy hung to his arm like dear life stopping the hero from putting his suit on - It’s too dangerous, Peter. We should wait for…
- Ned. Leave. Now - he ordered him without noticing how severe he sounded
The silence settled between both friends and it was so dense that the people´s scream felt like surrounding both. As if people were enclosing them tight and pushing them together in a little circle with no way of getting out.
After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, the screams went back to the background and Ned obeyed. “I’ll wait for you here, dude” he said “If things get worse we’ll meet at the park by the 45th, ok?
A very light “Yeah” was all he got as a response before seeing his friend leave.
Ned hated being right. The situation WAS dangerous, even for Spiderman, but he didn’t know that, only Peter did. He thought of that while hiding in an underground parking lot behind a support beam.
With a big portion of his suit torn apart and a few concussions Peter was running out of ideas: 5 armed guys. Uno with an electromagnetic shield generator. Another with something like an energy whiplash? (“these people have really weird interests!” he thought at that) and three with the most realistic version of a star wars blaster he’s ever seen “Ned would really love one of those”. All those idiots were now hiding behind the dome shaped shield firing their weapons at him. There was no way of getting close to them and now he didn’t have a way out either.
- Where are the Avengers when you need them?
The support beam covering him barely managed to resist the sudden blow of the whip giving Peter time to react. Some electric webs were shot at the criminals but there was no effect.
- What’s wrong, Spider? Tired so soon?
- Hey guys, haven’t you thought about dropping your weapons and just turning yourselves in peacefully? It would be easier for all of us - A blaster fired and soon all the others followed its lead. At this point the brown haired was dancing for them to stay alive. - Or maybe not - he said panting
------o------
Minutes went by, Peter wasn’t showing up and the situation had gotten worse. Waaay way worse. The structural damages and injured victims increased considerably.
Ned was at the park, just as he had told Peter in case stuff became more dangerous. According to the news lady in the foodtruck’s tv, the rumble inside the parking lot was over and the firefighters had arrived, but there were no signs of life down there. The building had collapsed on itself. It was as if no one would have even been there for when it went down, , as if everyone were… No
Peter wasn’t dead. He was just really late! That was all. It was just a matter of keep looking for him to go home so May could patch him up from his scratches just for her to scold him while Peter insisted on how they were not that bad, just like always!
Ned started walking rapidly leaving the greenery of the park behind him. Hastened to return to the epicenter of chaos. The relative peace of the place faded as he got closer. May had been calling him, but he didn’t want to pick up. He couldn’t. He didn’t know what to tell her nor how. He had no idea where Peter was.
He didn’t know how he ran so fast. Maybe the adrenaline made him move with more speed than necessary, maybe he was closer to the location than he thought, maybe he was thinking way too much about other things to not yield to his growing panic! but it wasn’t working.
Once in the place he saw how officers and firemen were talking to an injured man with some weird destroyed device on his body. He was in bad shape, but he was alive. “That’s good” he thought. He rushed to the debris, sneaking out from the special force’s officials trying to keep everyone away from the perimeter.
- Peter? Can you hear me? - he asked anxiously to the piles of concrete under his feet. He didn’t even feel okay standing on them, what if he was right below him?
Silence.
- Pete, please talk to me, dude - his hands started to firmly grab the debris and began to move them. He started to look for Peter scared to death to find something he didn’t want to find at all.
He removed and removed pieces of concrete as much as he could, but nothing was showing up. The cars roofs parked there at the moment of the collapse were too crushed for them to keep someone covered so that possibility was gone immediately.
- Come on dude… where are you?
Saying he was terrified was an understatement. He was getting consumed by his anxiety, his distress, fear and a terrible feeling of mourning that he was trying to bury under the same concrete he kept removing, that feeling that was eating his brain with the idea of preparing him for the loss… possible. Loss. of his best friend. But no, that was just a stupid idea. It was impossible also. He just had to keep working. Keep his mind focused on the task in hands, even if the debris he was dealing with was no bigger than his forearm. He couldn’t stop. Not now. He couldn’t give up. He couldn’t…
He couldn’t do anything
He knelt with his hands on his thighs, a lowered head and a broken soul
His phone rang in his pocket again. This time he answered. He didn’t even look at the number. He knew who it was…
- Where the fuck are you kids?! Are you okay?!
May was… well, just how you would expect to be in that situation, right?
- Ned? You there? I’m on my way, i’m two minutes away. Tell Peter that…
Oh no
- Is Peter with you?
Should he tell her?
- Hello?
- I
Oh god, what would he tell her?
- Ned. Is Peter. With you?
He covered his eyes to keep his tears from falling and took a deep breath.
- May I- I’m s…
Some bangs interrupted him. They were coming from below.
He lowered the phone without noticing and payed closer attention. Was it his mind? Was his anxiety playing tricks on him?
The banging started again and with it came the movement of some big concrete getting removed … from under them, just a few meters away from where Ned had knelt before.
- i- I cant talk now! We’ll wait for you here!
- Wha
He didn’t give her time to answer. He hung up immediately and ran to the place where he saw movement. He instantly heard the banging requesting help
- Easy dude, your guy in the chair is here
He removed as much as he could non-stopping once until he saw a piece of red fabric moving with some difficulty. “Peter!” he gasped.
Without thinking he cleared the way as much as he could and helped free his friend from under all that trash he was buried under.
May got to them just as Ned fish passing Peter’s arm on his shoulders to drag him out.
“Oh my god!” She cried as soon as she saw the picture of the kid carrying his nephew and how much of a bad shape he was.
- We need to get him to the car. Quick!
And so they did
—--
Peter woke up with a small but sharp pain in his arm. He noticed the IV getting lost under his skin and the blinding white paint of the room he found himself in.
- Hi sweety
He turned his head startled by the sound of that voice. He hadn’t noticed that May was sitting there next to his bed
“Hi May” he said with a cute but tired smile - What happened?
- We got you to the hospital. THAT happened
- Oh…I. How did I get to the hospital?
May’s gaze hardened a little. As if she were to scold him for something
- Ned got you out of the debris - She said dryly - Why the hell did you think that tearing the building down with you inside would be a good idea?! - She whispered that last part… a little (maybe not too much)
- It’s just that I…
- You could have died! Actually: you almost DID die
The room went silent for a moment. May was right. But it was the only way. He was not going to be able to stop those guys. The shield was good and their weapons were way too lethal to even allow him to try something directly against him, so maybe, if he collapsed the parking lot with the rest of the building on it, that would incapacitate them and force them to leave or…die.
Most of them dropped everything and ran away. The one with the shield decided to stay…”Hopefully he survived” Peter wished to himself.
And apparently his plan worked out perfectly! (maybe. he didn’t know exactly)
- Is Ned all right?
She smiled softly
- He is. He’s in the hallway, actually - She stood from the chair and walked towards the door. - I’ll tell him to come in
When the brunet entered the room Peter could help getting his eyes all over his friend’s body checking for any injury or scratch or anything indicating some damage, but he couldn’t find anything. He was fine.
They talked for a few minutes, Ned told him how heroically he ran to his rescue. He exaggerated some details and made up some others, but for Peter it was perfect. He loved when he’d do that. When he smiled for some funny scene he would made in the march of the story or when he would make some commentaries to annoy the brown haired kid.
He loved that Ned would take the time to distract him like that.
… He loved Ned.
- …ged to lift enough concrete to knock out the Hulk himself, but you would still be way too far do…
- I thought i wouldn’t see you again
That sure cut Ned out of his perfect story. He interrupted him with no warning. He had stopped listening to him a while ago by now - They had way too dangerous weapons. They didn’t have a plan, they just wanted to cause chaos. They were too aggressive, too unleashed for me to even try to do something and- his voice started to crack slowly - And i thought that if i didn’t do what i had to do then you wouldn’t be safe. You would be in danger and I wouldn’t be able to do ANYTHING - He was looking at his friend with bloodshot teary eyes at the edge of crying - Anything, Ned. Got it? - the just mentioned boy opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. How could he? Seeing Peter like this was breaking him too
- I thought if lost you… If i happened to lose you too I… - he swallowed hard trying to remove that stupid knot forming down his throat. - I wouldn’t know what to do
A big silence took over the room until Peter spoke again.
- I love you, Ned
For a few seconds they looked at each other, but for the taller kid it sure felt like hours. He started to regret confessing his feelings
- I shouldn’t have - he pinched the bridge of his nose with his good hand and clenched his eyes shut - I’m sorry. I knew this would happen. I- I didn’t mean to ruin our friendship, really, I- just…
- Peter
- It’s just that after what happened i couldn’t keep it in anymore
- Peter
- I’ll understand if you won’t see me the same way, I mean, we are friends. These things aren’t supposed to happen between friends. I-I’ll get it, I’ll get it if you don’t even want to look at me ever again. I’ll really get it. I just. It’s my fault, I…
- Peter!
He lowered his gaze ashamed while his hands were fidgeting with the sheets. When did he even start doing that? He didn’t recall graving them. He didn’t dare look at him or say anything again. He would just make it worse
- I’m in love with you too, dude
Did he..? No. He must have heard wrong. It couldn’t be
- Don’t apologise. It’s okay - Was he ACTUALLY holding his hand? - It really is okay
They looked at eachother. It was a little odd, but for Ned to see his friend’s befuddled face? Big shining eyes and mouth smally opened in shock? That was the cutest thing he had ever seen. And he loved it.
They got lost in the universe that opened for them reflected in eachothers eyes. Their hands entwined, and their breaths got mixed with eachother. Their faces got closer and, after taking a last look at each other, their lips met.
------o------
- You know… You could have told me THIS is why you wanted me to come to prom
- No, no I couldn’t! - Peter laughed softly - I didn’t even know you liked me back at the moment
Get Lucky by Daft Punk was about to end, but that didn’t matter. Ned was polishing the dance floor and Peter wasn’t about to stay behind.
Night was going great! And yeah, maybe at the beginning they were a little nervous about what others would say about them and how that would affect the other… but the fear went away as soon as Flash himself, along with MJ, planted a fist in Brad Davis’s face
Peter was lost in a dream. He had begged to anyone hearing for Ned to go to prom just to see him there, maybe sharing with someone else, but they would have been together at the end, in the same place! Maybe they could have danced to some silly song in a platonic-absolutely-non-romantic-and-just-as-friends way. That was all he was asking for. Just that. And he would have been happy to death. But someone somewhere in the branches of the universe decided to give him a gift. A gift he never thought would be possible.
- Like my moves, Peter? - said his boyfriend (oh my god he was his boyfriend now wasn’t he? How can a concept feel so light and heavy and sweet and warm at the same time?) while doing a very bad attempt of a moon-walk - I can teach it to you if you want!
He couldn’t help laughing
- Nah, i’m good
Suddenly the music stopped. Everyone looked at the DJ’s direction or to eachother confused. “Why did the music stop?”
- This classic of a slow dance is dedicated to a veery special couple tonight. - Said Flash through the gymnasium’s speakers - Thank me later, losers!
And that being said the big white lights went out and the pink disco colors covered everything “such a dreamy cliché” both loverboys thought
“I want to know what love is” by Foreigner started playing
- Do you think he said it for… us?
I gotta take a little time
A little time to think things over
I better read between the lines
In case I need it when I'm older
- For who else if not you? - MJ replied as she walked by their side with a glass of punch in hand - Enjoy the night lovebirds
And that was Ned’s cue to hold Peter by his waist
In my life there's been heartache and pain
I don't know if I can face it again
Can't stop now, I've traveled so far
To change this lonely life
Peter was blushing intensely but he was also tense. He didn’t want to screw this up
- Pete, let go - Gentilly he brought him closer to him causing his bodies to join as well as his breath - That’s better, see?
I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
- I love you, Peter.
They kissed
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me
- I love you, Ned.