The Incidents
After the Confrontation Flash backed off Peter, to the relief of the entire school and faculty. Everybody walked on eggshells around Parker for weeks, speaking quietly and avoiding sensitive subjects. But Parker was. Exactly the same as always, attentive, kind, and compassionate. It was like the Confrontation had never happened and so people started to forget it. They moved on and put it behind them. Except occasionally a classmate would ask how his aunt was or someone he tutored would bring cookies for him, and Peter would smile, brilliant and kind as if God himself had gifted him. But it was never truly forgotten, not the truth of Peters life or the harsh realities he'd faced. His classmates respected him even more, if possible, because of his outburst. Teachers gave him more leniency with less questions and the students showed some discretion when it came to their curiosity. All in all, Peter Parker was still an enigma but now that some puzzle pieces had been put into play people were less inclined to push for answers.
That was until the Incidents, at least.
See it all started in gym class, Peter was being, well Peter chatting away with Ned at a mile a minute when suddenly he stopped talking. It was during the rope climbing, which everyone hates, and Peter had suddenly looked up mid conversation. No one noticed but Ned and a few people in line around them until Peter pushed to the front. Just as he reached the mats at the bottom of the rope, Cindy, who was nearly at the top seemed to faint. Dropping at an alarming rate towards the ground. Until Peter caught her, in a move that looked choreographed Peter scooped Cindy up mid fall and held her until she got her bearings.
Everybody was in shock, but Peter simply carried Cindy to the bleachers as if she weighed nothing before setting her down gently with a bottle of water and returning to the line as if nothing had happened. While it was a shock, Peters peers had learned to expect anything from the young man and simply moved on. That was until the next Incident.
It was gym class again and they were running laps on the track outside. Which would have been fine except on the third lap, coincidentally at the time when most students were furthest from cover a thunderstorm rolled in out of nowhere. Rain pelted them as they sprinted for the school to get out of the heavy down pour, the students were dismayed but Peters reaction was the most surprising.
“I swear I am going to throttle Thor when I see him, he just can't help himself with this shit” Peters voice wasn't loud, but his frustration made the sound carry. His classmates assumed he was joking but upon further investigation they didn't care. Peter was standing next to Ned, in the same white gym clothes as everybody else, and just as wet. Which gave his peers a very clear view of what was going on beneath his shirt.
And oh god what was going on beneath his shirt was beyond every teen fantasy. Peter Parker was ripped, and not just a little ripped but full on stacked. He had bulging biceps, well defined pecks, a perfect V line and an eight pack. A fucking eight pack, where the hell did a seventeen-year-old get an eight pack from. All the girls and many of the guys were salivating at the sight. Who knew that Parker was hiding all of that underneath bulky sweat shirts and oversized science tees?
Now suffice to say a great deal of girls in the school had crushes on Peter before this, but now, after word spread that Peter Parker was built like a gymnast. Well most of the school were down with the idea of being with Parker. It became a bit of a game after that, Parker was still wearing clothes that were five sizes too big and well it was just a crime against nature to keep the glory of Peter Parkers chest covered. So, it sparked a game among his peers, who could get the most clothes off Parker. It was never malicious or mean just a bit of fun mostly between the girls of the school, thankfully Parker was completely oblivious to it. It started easily, complaints of cold in his ear shot and hoping he would lend them his top layers.
Of course, those involved quickly discovered that Peter kept an unholy amount of spare clothes in his bag and locker. But what was more interesting was that most of the sweatshirts or jumpers were quite unusual. Like the abundance of MIT sweats shirts and not new fan merch ones but old and worn with a year for graduating on them as if parker had gone to MIT twenty-five years ago. Well, it was assumed at least that he knew someone that did. Then there were the air force ones, that had the rank colonel stitched onto them or strange enough were emboldened with a platypus cartoon, those ones were a mystery.
Then there were the ones that were exactly like government issued but with the S.H.I.E.L.D logo on the back and had little cartoon arrows or spiders on them. But most unusual was that a couple shirts held static electricity, not uncomfortable but just enough to notice or that a few had an odd number of tears in the left sleeve. Hell, once he gave Junior in his class a bright green hulk shirt that was signed with a messy H, when asked Peter laughed it off as a joke between, he and Ned but that was what sparked the suspicion that these clothes could be matched with a corresponding Avenger. That rumour was brushed off with a laugh but still people wondered.
Everyone who borrowed clothes from Parker knew that he had one rule that was not to be broken. Those clothes were given back at the end of the day, no matter what, Parker never took up the offer for them to be washed first simply shrugging and stating that he could wash them at home. Some tried to get away with keeping them, but Peter seemed to have a perfect memory and always found everyone he'd lent clothes to before they left school. He would simply smile and politely ask for the sweatshirt or jumper back and no one in their right mind could ever say no to such a polite and mild-mannered kid.
And so it went, borrowing clothes from Parker was a new school craze, it started in an attempt to get Peter to strip but kept going because God damn everything, he lent people was so soft and comfortable that smelled nice and inexplicably made you feel safe. So that idea to get Peter to remove clothes was a bust.
Then one brilliant, amazing freshman, who was still praised to this day (despite what happened being a complete accident) spilled an entire coffee on Parker as she bumped into him in the hallway.
Now what made this so wonderful was that the coffee was an extra-large, extra hot incredibly sticky concoction, whipped cream, and all. And this freshman girl managed to spill the entire thing down Parker’s front. To which Peters first reaction to the hot sticky liquid, was to remove his shirt entirely, while blushing and apologising profusely.
That was how those lucky enough in the hallway got the perfect view of Peter Parker shirtless, and holy lord. If Parker in a wet shirt was something, then him without was even better. The kid was a Greek statue come to life, perfectly muscled, and toned, with pale skin and little freckles that everyone in the vicinity just wanted to lick.
Then like the gentleman that he is he blushed and apologised to the girl for bumping into her and even offered to buy her another coffee. Before Michelle ruined it and dragged him off to a bathroom to clean up and change, but what was seen could not be unseen. Peter Parker was beyond hot and now everybody knew it.
Peter started getting asked out more and more, by both males and females in his school. He always flushed a deep red before declining kindly saying that he wasn’t interested. Everyone wondered why he was never interested in dating someone, until a couple sophomore girls overheard Michele and Ned teasing him about a crush. This grabbed the attention of the entire school, who did the sweet, gorgeous genius have a crush on. Those around him watched him like a hawk trying to discern if Peter spent any amount of time staring at one person or another. Or if he behaved differently towards another student, but nothing was ever conclusive. That is until one brave senior took one for the team and just asked, during lunch in what would quickly be called the Revelation.
The senior’s name was Sarah and she had shown interest in Parker before, being shot down quickly but kindly by a Junior did not help her self-confidence so she decided to simply ask him. She walked straight up to the table Parker shared with his friends and sat down across from him before speaking.
“So, Peter I gotta ask you something” she stated into the quiet that had befallen the cafeteria. Peter simply nodded with a shrug.
“Sure Sarah, what’s up?” Everyone waited quietly hoping she wouldn't be clueless enough to ask him out again in front of everybody. Parker always let people down sweetly but that still isn't something you want to broadcast to the whole school during lunch.
“Well, you've been getting quite a few people asking you out lately, I know I was one of them” Sarah continued with a smile showing she didn't take the rejection personally. Peter blushed all the way to his ears and down his neck as he nodded along.
“And I was just wondering why you've never said yes to anyone is all?” She finished as she rested her chin in her hand looking at Peter expectantly.
To everyone's surprise Ned and Michelle started sniggering.
“Yeah loser, why don't you say yes to anyone huh?” Michelle asked clearly knowing the answer but deciding to torture her friend anyway. Peter groaned putting his face in his hands.
“You guys are the worst why am I friends with you again” he grumbled as Michelle burst out laughing and Ned patted him on the shoulder in slight sympathy.
“Come on man just tell her, it'll go easier if you do” Ned said with a shake of his head. Peter huffed but looked up at Sarah with a shy smile as he answered quietly.
“I uh... I already like someone else, so it didn't seem fair to say yes to someone I'm not interested in and string them along” his blush had gotten deeper and the whole cafeteria almost cooed at how sweet he was. Sarah nodded sagely before asking.
“Well, who is it?”
Peter shook his head slightly as he spoke next.
“You wouldn't know her she doesn't go to school in New York” he said before quietly adding.
“And she’s way out of my league”
The students were in shock, out of Peters league are you kidding this kid is the hottest, smartest sweetest guy in New York who the hell thought they were too good for him. A surge of protectiveness went through the student body then, everyone loved Parker he was just so lovable, and some skank thought they were too good for him. Well fuck that. Most were ready to hunt this girl down and give her a piece of their mind, before Michelle spoke again.
“Well, you know for her to think about you like that loser, you're going to have to actually tell her how you feel” she stated with a snort. Peter groaned again and collapsed onto the table dramatically.
“Mj I can’t talk to her about that are you kidding, she’s perfect” he mumble into his arms. Sarah smiled kindly before patting Peter on the head gently.
“She doesn't know what she’s missing” Sarah said as she stood. Peter looked up at the Senior still blushing before he mumbled “thanks Sarah” the girl nodded and walked back to her table as everyone else started talking again trying to make it seem like they weren't listening in on the conversation.
Declarations of love stopped after that, Peter had a crush on someone outside of school and everyone knew it. Still there was nothing from with a little daydreaming in class, it’s not like anybody needed to know.