The AcDec team had just won another tournament, and as a victory prize, they decided to go and hang out after school. Ned offered to host the gathering at his house, and after a few hours, Abe suggested they play a 'get to know you' game
The games rules were that they would have a stick, and whoever had the stick would share as much about their life as possible in under two minutes.
The team agreed, and started
The game was going by pretty well, and everyone seemed to be learning a lot of new things about eachother, and it was overall a great idea
Mj looks up, having just had the stick shoved into her hands, "well", she started, closing her notebook, "I live with my sister."
Peter's eyebrows rose in surprise, he hadn't known this fact,
"really? How come we've never seen her around?"
Mj looked back down, opening back up her notebook to continue her sketch, "she doesn't like talking to people"
Flash snorts, "i see where you got it from then"
The whole team glares, whereas MJ simply rolls her eyes,
"my dad was an idiot, and my mom died. My sister has a house, so i live in it"
Mj picked the small stick off of her lap, and handed it over to Flash
Flash grabbed the stick, and started rambling,
"Okay, so, my dad is Harrison Thompson, a fairly famous police officer, and he went to school with THE Tony Stark, so they have actually talked a couple of times", He huffs out his chest in pride, "and i have a sister too. Her name is Jesse, and shes pretty cool i guess."
Flash let out a breath of air as he passes on the stick to Ned
Ned gratefully accepted the stick, and at the curious looks from the rest of the team, he started speaking,
"well, uh, my life is pretty simple i guess", He laughed awkwardly, earning a few chuckles from those around him, "um, I live with my mom, dad, and sister. Oh, and Peter lived with us for like a year too"
This caused Peter to receive a few curious looks, but he shrugged them off, signaling that he would get to that during his turn
"My dad is a pastor, and my mom owns a small shop", Ned continued, raking his mind for anything else to say, "My sisters in college now, as of last year. uh, i think thats about it"
Ned shrugged, and passed on the stick to Peter
Peter, accepted the stick, though surprised, as he forgot that he was to be up next
Peter coughed awkwardly, "well i guess its my turn", he took a breath, collecting his thoughts, "my story is quite the long one."
The group just looked at him, no reaction so far, so Peter continued speaking,
"so uh, My dad and mom were a famous scientist"
"Who?" Abe asked, leaning forward slightly, interest growing along with the rest of the class
"oh", Peter spoke, "Mary and Richard Parker"
Gasp were heard from all around the room, along with several shouts of 'no way!' and 'wait, for real?'
Peter let out a quiet laugh, as he fidgeted with the bottom of his shirt awkwardly,
"uh yeah", he responded, "they were my parents. One day i remember them coming downstairs to tell me that they had to go on a business trip and that i'd be staying with my aunt and uncle while they were gone"
Peter took in a shuddering breath, as he recounted the day, already hating this 'game'
"they got on a plane a couple hours later, promising that they'd be back by Christmas. The thing is, they never kept that promise..."
a couple of the member's in the room scrunched their eyebrows in confusion, what did he mean by that?
"they uh", Peter continued, closing his eyes for a failed attempt to forget the horrors of the news he'd receive that day, "Aunt may and Uncle Ben called me downstairs, saying they had something important to talk to me about. They brought out a newspaper, and had me read the front page. I dont remember much of what happened afterwards, but i do remember the paper speaking of a plane crash, and that my parents were on the plane"
Peter's hands started shaking slightly, as he looked over the shocked/pitying stares from his teammates
Ned noticed though, and laid a hand on his shoulder, offering his younger friend a comforting smile, calming Peter's nerves slightly
Peter fidgeted in his seat a bit as he started up again, "My aunt and uncle were pretty distraught, and they didnt think they could take care of me in their current mental state, so I went and stayed at Ned's place until they felt up to raising a child."
Peter's eyes caught Ned's, in which were looking back at him fondly, a small smile playing against his lips
Peter smiled back, appreciating his older friend's efforts to ease his upcoming anxiety
"After a couple months of me staying at Ned's place, Mrs. Leeds had to work more, so she hired a babysitter for the two of us. His name was Skip Wescott"
Peter sucked in a breath, finding it suddenly harder to breath. He looked up to Ned with panicked eyes, and Ned quickly understood the point,
"you see", Ned started, taking over this Part for Peter, "Skip was at first someone who Peter and I really liked. He was honestly pretty coool. He played with us, put up with out star wars rambling, and so on. I thought everything was great, and i assumed that Peter thought the same. But one day... one day Peter came up to me, crying, and told me that Skip did some,.. things to him, and that it's been going on for months. After that, we told my mom, and Skip got arrested"
The whole team looked on at Peter in horror
Even Flash's eyes were wide, as he stared at the kid who he had bullied all his life
MJ's usual hard eyes were completely blanked as she looked at Peter, clearly not being able to process what Ned had just said
Peter squeezed his eyes shut as he took in a few breaths, gripping the stick as if it were a lifeline
Ned started rubbing circles around Peter's back, giving Peter a look of deep concern
Peter just shook his head, indicating that he could still go on
"after the... Skip incident", Peter started once again from where Ned had left off, "May and Ben decided that they were ready to take care of me, so they finished up the paperwork, and after a few meetings with the court, they officially became my legal guardians. Things went fine from then on, and life carried on like normal until my twelfth birthday"
Peter's eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere other than the team, forcing himself to get out the next few words,
"Ben and I had an argument, and I ran away, needing some air to cool off. After a couple of hours, i heard a gunshot, and decided to follow it. O-once i got there, I saw a robber trying to take something out of a gas station when my Uncle showed up - he was a cop. The robber then grabbed a gun from his backpack, and shot my uncle twice in the stomach, he- he bled out in my arms"
Peter whispered out the last part, tears starting to fill his eyes, as Ned pulled him into a bear hug
"its alright, Peter, its alright", Ned whispered, trying to soothe his friend, who was whimpering into his shoulder
The team all looked at Peter, everyone displaying different emotions, but sharing one key feeling; Guilt
The boy had gone through so much pain, yet he still walked around school every day with his head held high, showing nothing but kindness and compassion to anyone who had the chance to speak to him, even those who did him wrong
Flash loomed especially guilty as he stared at the crying boy. He had been bullying a boy who had been given the raw end of life. He had always envied the boy for getting higher grades, and always being happy, but now he realized that Peter had gone through so much more
Everyone shared one thought:
Peter was a survivor.
Mj cleared her throat, driving everyones attention, sans Peter and Ned's, to her before motioning to the door, signaling that the meeting is over, and they should probably get going
The rest of the team nodded in agreement, and stood up to leave, thanking Ned's mom on the way out
Ned continued to hold Peter as tears soaked through the fabric on his shoulder
"its okay, Peter, im here. It's over"
Peter just nodded into his friends shoulder, looking smaller than ever before
Ned got a sudden idea, he wasnt sure it would work, but it was worth a try
Ned ran a finger over the back of Peter's neck, feeling the younger boy stiffen, crying pausing as he shuddered under Ned's feathery touch
Ned's eyes lit up in childish glee as he mentally plotted out his plan
Ned wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulders, holding him in place, making peter think he was simply giving him a side-hug
Peter stopped crying, wiping furiously at his eyes, sniffling as he looked up at his older best friend, whom was giving back nothing but a smirk
Ned poked Peter in the stomach earning himself a surprised squeak, as the boy flinched back, curling into a ball
Ned's smirk only grew as he watched a horrified look dawn onto Peter's face
"oh my, Petey, is someone a bit... ticklish?" Ned asked in a teasing voice, face full of exaggerated, fake sympathy
a light pink tint settled over Peter's ears, as he stuttered out a response, "what? n-no i-m not tickAHHH"
Peter was cut off by Ned pouncing on him, sitting on his waste, effectively trapping the smaller teenager
Peter pushed at Ned's legs and squirmed around, trying to find some way of escape, but failing to find a way that wouldnt hurt Ned
Instead, Peter turned to his last option... begging
"wait Ned, you dont have to do this, im happy, see?" Peter offered one of his best fake smiles, desperately attempting to call off his upcoming fate
Ned just rolled his eyes, looking back down at his squirmy little friend, "you can never be too happy, Peter, you should know this"
Peter opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by his own squeak, as one of ned's fingers poked him in the side
Peter looked down to his stomach, and watched as Ned's fingers wiggled teasingly over it, not yet touching him
"nehed, dohohont", Peter giggled out, squirming side to side under his friend
"dude, are you seriously laughing right now? im not even touching you!" Ned laughed out, "Is it your spidey sense? can you feel it when i do this?"
Ned hovered his hands over Peter's sides now, causing Peter to try to turn onto his stomach (he failed)
"NehEd stoahap" Peter managed to squeak out, blush spreading across his face. This was EMBARRASSING
Ned shook his head in amusement as his friend giggled beneath him, "aw, does little Peter want me to stop teasing him?"
Peter's blush darkened as he continued to stare at Ned's wiggling fingers in anticipation
"alright, you asked", Ned shrugged, as he lowered his fingers to scribble against Peter's ticklish belly
Peter squealed as Ned's fingers made contact with his thin t-shirt, squirming side to side even harder, adorable childlike giggles betraying him
This was torture, Peter could feel each individual finder wiggling against his sensitive belly, leaving a torturous trail of the tickle sensation everywhere they went
"look at how adorable this is", Ned cooed, making Peter blush even harder, "Peter has a ticklish tum tum"
"nEaheheEHed", Peter managed to get out through his girly giggles, "dohont dohOhoho tHahAhat"
"dont do what, Petey?" Ned asked in mock confusion, "tickle you?"
Peter just shook his head, not being able to properly form words through his laughter
"Whats that?" Ned asked, smile growing wider, "does Peter not like the word tickle?"
"stahahahhaap", Peter demanded, nose scrunching up in a way that made Ned's heart practically melt at how adorable it was
"Hmm..." Ned pretended to think about it for a second, "nope!"
Ned kept running his fingers lightly over the boys stomach at a quick paste, a squirming teenager below him
"tickletickletickletickletickletickle", Ned teased in a baby voice, knowing how much Peter hates that word
Peter's face went bright red as he squirmed even faster, shaking his head side to side,
"Shuaahaht uhahappp" Peter squealed, hands giving up in batting away Ned's fingers, and instead covering his blushing face
Ned gasped in an overly dramatic way, "ooh, i know you did NOT just tell me to shut up, Peter Benjamin Parker"
Peter, still under the fingers of his friend, giggled out, "ihihihim sohohohoahary"
Ned shook his head in disappointment, "you know what they say, Pete, actions speak louder than words..."
Ned lifted up Peter's shirt slightly, showcasing Peter's pale belly, squirming under Ned's hold
"you know, Pete, you've got one cute tummy"
Peter's entire body froze, as he watched Ned's hands sloooooowly lower themselves onto his stomach
Peter sucked in a breath as he felt Ned's hand rest apon his belly
"hmmm", Ned started, rapping his fingers against Peter's stomach, as if he were tapping them against a desk in thought, "you know, Peter, i havent heard you laugh like this in a loooong time"
Peter bit his lip in anticipation, as the fingers still rapped againsed his sensitive skin, causing him to squirm, but not laugh
Ned then lifted his hand off of Peter's skin, and lowered down a single finger
Ned started swirling that one finger around Peter's stomach, watching in great joy the effect this had on his ticklish friend
Peter started squirming side to side again, stomach sucked in, as giggles spilled out of his mouth again
somehow, this was more embarrassing than when he used his whole hand. It felt like Ned was treating him like a baby
"awww, is wittle peter a bit ticklish?" Ned teased, finger wiggling its way across the slightly pink belly
"nonoOHOHOho" Peter let out, eyes squeezed shut, as he squirmed
"coochie coochie coo", Ned whispered out, embarrassing Peter further
"nohAho, dOHOnt sahay thaAt"
"tickle tickle tickle, little Peter, coochie coochie coo"
Peter's legs were kicking out as his head was shaking side to side, trying to distract himself from the feeling
Ned's hands suddenly shot up to his underarms, surprising Peter at the sudden change
Peter's head was thrown back in intense laughter, as he felt the ten digits scribble across the hollows, following Peter wherever he squirmed
"NEHEHEHED STOAHAHAHAPPP" Peter cackled out, kicking his feat, begging his friend to cease his torment
"no can do, little Petey"
Ned's hands moved to Peter's arms, and though not as ticklish as his underarms, they were still pretty ticklish
"noaha, not thererehehr"
"oh come on Peter, you're even ticklish on your arms?" Ned barked out a laugh, "How do your villians not destroy you? Imagine what would happen if they knew that all they needed to do to destroy spiderman is to tickle him"
Peter tried to tune out Ned's voice, but ultimately failed as Ned's teasing voice continued,
"Spiderman is just a giggly wiggly worm, now isnt he?"
Ned then got an idea. He swung his leg around, turning his body, so he was now facing Peter's feet instead
"how about we see if spidey has ticklish feet?"
Peter's eyes widen so fast its comedical
"No, noho Ned, Plehese done", Peter begs, gigles still in tact from the attack on his upper body
Ned pointedly ignored Peter and peeled off the kids socks, revealing two slightly pink feet
Ned started at Peter's Left foot, slooowly draggign a finger up and down
"nehehed, pleeahehese dohohohnt", Peter giggled, scrunching his toes
"tsk tsk, we cant have that, now can we?" Ned asked, pulling Peter's toes back, streaching the skin on his feat
Ned wiggled his fingers on Peter's arches very lightly, seeing as light touches seem to be most effective on Peter
"NONONO" Peter chanted, trying and failing to scrunch back up his toes
"yesyes" Ned shot back, gliding his fingers up and down the boy's wiggling foot, before flipping it over, running his fingers againsed the top of the foot
Peter s c r e a ch e d as Ned's fingers made contact with the top of his foot
Ned let out a loud laugh at Peter's screach, and let the foot go, knowing his best friend's limits, and seeing that they have been reached
Ned got off of Peter, watching as Peter quickly sat up, scrambled back, and curled himself into a tight ball, still giggling
Ned crawled over to Peter and ruffled his hair,
"Peter, i know you havent had the best life, but no matter what happens, you alwayse will be my best friend, and brother.", Ned spoke softly, Peter curling into Ned's side, "and if you ever need reminding, I wont be afraid to tickle some sense into you, so watch out, little bro"
Peter let out a groan at Ned's words, causing the older boy to chuckle, "now, you HAVE to see this new lego set my mom bought me! its of the..."
Peter may have lost his dignity that day,
but he gained a brother