Chapter 1
Peter was terrified. He had spent months in therapy, yes, but nothing could compare to how scared he felt.
“Dad this isn’t a good idea” he said, staring at the concrete building of chaos.
“Are you sure? You really wanted to go last week?” asked Tony.
Peter took a deep breath.
“No, I’ll be fine , just freaking out, you know.” he said.
“Alright, but call me if anything goes wrong.
Remember, if you have to show them your arm in some circumstance, just tell them what we practised, ok?” Tony said.
Peter nodded and got out of the car. He ducked back in for a quick hug before he shut the car door.
Not even 2 minutes inside the gates of Midtown High, he spotted a very familiar back local. His heart sunk.
Ned. He hadn’t forgotten about his friend during his uh, stay, with HYDRA, but he wasn’t exactly at the forefront of his mind.
Just his luck. Ned was slowly turning around, as he heard a name he hadn’t heard in years. But here he was in the flesh. Peter Goddam Parker.
They made eye contact. As far as Peter knew, this could go great and they would hug it out or Ned would hate him forever.
It was the first. Ned sprinted over to him and tackled him in a hug, which wa s great except it reminded him a little too much of when HYDRA had him strapped down to a table and-
“You owe me a fucking explanation Parker.”
Shit. MJ. HYDRA hadn’t managed to kill him but MJ wouldn’t even struggle.
“Uh, lets go inside. It’s a bit too personal for a schoolyard.” Peter said, looking up.
A year ago he would have cowered but HYDRA taught him that both behaviours got punished, might as well be confident.
Peter Parker has changed. He isn’t some nerdy wimp anymore. Peter Parker isn’t afraid of high school bullies anymore. Not when he knew he had been through shit that would make them piss their pants.
They were just sitting down at one of the empty lunch tables when Peters enhanced heating picked up on footsteps from behind him.
“Penis Parker! I heard you came back for a beating huh!”
Flash Thomson. A mere gnat compared to what he had been through. He couldn’t lie though, he was about to enjoy what happened.
See, he had arrived halfway through lunchtime. He had just wanted to be normal and his home room teacher (it was the same, he checked) was nosy as hell. So they waited until lunch. Meaning right now, Peter was seated.
One thing Flash didn’t know was that while Peter was being tortured by HYDRA, he had also shot up in height. Muscle too. Not that it mattered much when one of his arms was made of metal.
So when Flash decided to try to mess with him, he instantly knew what to do.
He leaned forwards and whispered loud enough for Ned and MJ to hear.
“Get your cameras out.”
Then he swung his legs around to face Flash, still sitting.
“What, is Puny Parker telling his friends to call an ambulance! You are gonna need it!”
Then Peter stood up. The gasps of shock around him were so worth it. Tiny little Peter at 5’8 had now grown to 6’3. He towered over Flash, and even under the sweater that hid his arm, it was clear he had muscles.
Flash took a step back, clearly intimidated.
“What happened Parker?” He asked, trying to regain some of the domination, “You finally grow up?”
People chuckled, but warily.
“Grow up?” Peter asked, a sarcastic smile on his face he usually reserved for Spider-Man. “Look who’s talking! Grow up! Buddy, I’m not the one who tormented a guy about being an orphan and was obsessed with his genitals for 5 years!”
The room laughed, glad Flash was finally getting showed his place.
Flash looked around furiously, grasping for some way to regain his control over them all.
“Where were you for the past year Parker? My bet is that he was homeless!” He said, jeering.
Unfortunately, that didn’t deter Peter. It was going to get out at some point.
He stared at Flash until he looked visibly uncomfortable, and then he shrugged off his jacket.
Gasps and gossip filled the room.
“Parker has a metal arm! Dude WHAT!”
“Look at those scars!”
“Is that a tattoo! It says PROPERTY OF HYDRA”
Flash was now sweating, and Peter could see the thought process going until he landed at a statement.
“Look at that, Parker is looking for attention! What’s new!”
Then Peter rose to his full height and started Flash down, not breaking eye contact like Natasha had taught him.
“Actually I was kidnapped, but good theory. By the way, no the metal isn’t fake, it is real, and attached to my body so please don’t touch it.”
Whispers erupted.
“How did that happen Parker? The paint job is terrible by the way, we know it’s your real arm.” Flash said, grasping at straws to try and regain back his usual throne as king.
Peter once again stared, until he pressed a button on the side and the arm fell off.
People screamed, and one girl even fainted. In the shirt Peter was wearing, it was abundantly clear that a) Peter didn’t have an arm, and b) he was ripped.
Eventually someone mustered up the courage to ask him.
“What happened?”
“Got kidnapped, the less I behaved the more they yelled until one night they came into my cell with a chainsaw.” Peter said, as if that wasn’t like secondary trauma.
“What the Shit, Parker?”