Peter is having an off-day. He had woken up on the wrong side of the bed, per se. This morning he had woken up late, burnt his breakfast, and missed his bus to school. All of which was followed by the realization that he forgot his suit at home. The cherry on top is the detention he was given for missing his homework in both his first classes. He’s walking through Midtown High with Ned, his brain bouncing back and forth between the thought of actually doing his homework tonight and trying to pay attention to what Ned is rambling on about.
“I think she’s got it hot for our spider friend.” Ned says, winking at Peter. To be honest, Peter has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about.
Peter hikes his backpack up on his shoulder, giving Ned a confused look.
“What’s that suppose to mean?”
Ned groans, “I think MJ likes you likes you Peter.”
Peter feels his face warm up just a little bit, but he brushes it off. He snaps back into the conversation. “I doubt it, and it’s not like I have time for a girlfriend right now anyway. Between school, decathlon meetings and the stark-“
“You always have so many excuses Peter. Spider-Man wouldn’t make stupid excuses.”
Peter scoffs, taking a step to his left to dodge an oncoming group of students. Ned follows close behind, the two of them making their way down the midtown high hallway.
“Spider-Man is too busy being an Avenger to have a girlfriend.” He gives Ned a pointed look to which Ned rolls his eyes.
“Spider-Man has hardly done anything for the past six months.” Ned mirrors Peters look.
“Hey! Not fair! I helped save the world. There haven’t been any big purple aliens to stop, therefore I’m allowed to lay low.”
Ned begrudgingly halts the conversation as they reach their chemistry class. He opens the door, motioning for Peter to go through.
“After you, Mr. Avenger.”
Peter gently whacks Ned on the shoulder with his book and Ned yelps. He coddles his shoulder and pouts dramatically as Peter leads them into the classroom. This is their third class of the day, after they finish this period they get to have a break for lunch, then off to history.
Peter and Ned take their regular seats, close to the front, and MJ joins them shortly.
“What’s up nerds.” She greets, dropping her books on her desk.
Peter smiles her way. He sets his backpack beside him on the ground and reaches in to grab his binder. He places it in front of him along with a pencil and pen. He‘s still thinking about what Ned said earlier about MJ. Maybe she does like him, but he doesn’t have time for a girlfriend, that much is true.
Peter is about to ask Ned whether or not he finished last nights homework when the hairs on his neck begin to stand up. Something isn’t right. He furrows his eyebrows, turning to look at the open door of the classroom. He listens closely, but all he hears is the regular sounds of the school. Students laughing, teachers instructing kids to go to class, feet scampering past the room he's in.
“Peter, are you okay?” Ned asks, concern evident in his eyes.
Peter turns back to look at Ned, his voice lowered. “Yeah, I just had a weird feeling, that’s all.”
Ned’s eyes grow a fraction wider, “was it your spidey senses?” He asks, his voice hushed.
Peter shrugs, “I guess so, but there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong so I don’t know why-“
Gunfire.
Peter is on his feet before anyone registers what is going on. There‘s screaming, he‘s sure of it. He looks around wildly, his classmates begin to stand as well.
“What’s going on?” Someone asks, their voice lost among the sudden commotion. The sound of gunshots comes again, not anywhere close to his classroom, but Peter can hear screaming. He runs to the door of the class, watching as crowds of students and teachers run away from the sound.
Peter kicks into action, locking the door. He turns around on the balls of his feet, taking in the scared faces of his classmates. MJ sits, frozen in her seat, her eyes wide.
“Ned, get the lights.“ Peter turns his attention to the rest of his class, noting who looks well enough to follow an order.
“Flash, I need you to call the police. Can you do that for me?” His bully looks stricken, but he nods nonetheless. Peter doesn’t care what the nature of their relationship is right now, this could be life or death.
Ned is up and across the room, the lights flick out and the group is swallowed by darkness. The blinds are still open, letting light in through the windows on the opposite side of the room from the door.
Peter raises his voice, taking on as much authority as he can, but he can feel panic bubbling in his chest. “Somebody close the blinds. By no means is anyone allowed to turn on any flashlights. If I tell you to be quiet, everybody needs to be quiet. Understand?” The rest of his class watches him with wide eyes.
He clears his throat, raising his voice just a small amount. “Do you guys understand?”
He‘s met with blank faces. Suddenly, MJ stands up, she climbs on top of her desk.
“Hey! Everybody listen to Peter! We are going to work together whether you like him or not! Capeesh?!”
Finally his classmates nod, comprehension appearing on their faces. The sounds of shots are muffled, Peter is sure they are coming from below them. He‘s suddenly thankful that their class is located on the upper floor of the school. It buys him a small amount of time.
Ned appears beside Peter, he is nearly a full shade lighter in the face.
“Ned? Listen to me buddy.”
Ned looks at Peter, his eyes are glassy.
“Peter, I’m scared.” He whispers, his lips trembling.
“I am too.” He responds solemnly, a pit of fear is eating him from the inside out. He doesn’t have his suit, how is he suppose to help?
MJ is by their side in a matter of seconds, she has two students closing the blinds. Flash is explaining the situation to the police over his phone. His face is already stained with tears.
While Peter has managed to give his classmates direction, he doesn’t feel the slightest bit in control. His hands are shaking. He itches for his suit, he needs something to calm him down. Something to bring him comfort. He can feel tears pricking in the backs of his eyes, his heart hammers in his chest. He feels like his throat is starting to close.
MJ is there, holding onto his shoulders.
“Peter, hey, it’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna be okay. You’re doing great. Just breathe Peter.”
“I-“ he swallows a large amount of air, “I think I’m having a panic attack.” He manages. He steps backward, grabbing the wall to steady himself. He lowers himself to the floor. MJ follows suit, kneeling in front of Peter.
“I know, I can tell. It’s gonna be okay.” Her words feign strength but her eyes show fear. “Peter, you should call your aunt.”
MJ looks behind her, most of the students are at the back of the class, crying silently or fumbling to call their parents.
“Where’s your phone Peter? The police are on their way. Please, let me call your aunt.”
Peter weakly shakes his head, “No, I can’t. I need to call Mr. Stark.”
MJ feels confusion bloom in her chest, but only for a moment as it is overwhelmed by fear the second she hears another gunshot coming from below them.
“What? Peter, no, where’s your phone?” Peter can feel the panic all the way to his fingertips as he reaches into his pocket. His hands are shaking violently, he can’t see properly, his vision is all blurry. Why is his vision blurry? He reaches up to his touch his cheeks, feeling tears tracking their way down to his chin. When did he start crying?
He tries to speak again, his voice is hoarse and shaky. “I can’t see the screen. Oh my god, MJ I need you to call Mr. Stark.”
MJ’s voice is desperate. “Peter, I don’t know how that’s gonna-“
“Please! Just help me call him.”
She wants to protest, but the gunfire is getting louder, the screaming less. She is terrified.
“Okay, okay fine. I will.” She grabs Peters phone from his hands, it’s already unlocked, his fingerprint did the trick. In his phone the last person Peter has called is his Aunt May. MJ fights the urge to click on his aunts name. Below her is Tony Stark. Last Peter had called him, it was 6 times in a row, and MJ once again feels a surge of confusion overwhelm her. Why was Peter constantly calling the man he interns for?
As she presses the call button, she reaches with her free hand to grab Peters. His eyes are closed, his eyelashes wet with tears. He‘s breathing heavily, but once her hand grasps his he feels his heartbeat slow, comfort.
The phone in MJ’s hand rings three times as she holds it to her ear.
“Go for Tony.”
“Mr. Stark?”
MJ can practically hear his face scrunch up in confusion and concern.
“Who is this?”
MJ takes a deep breath, willing her voice to stay as steady as possible.
“This is Michelle Jones. I’m with Peter Parker.”
Tony’s voice changes slightly, letting a small amount of emotion shine through. “Where’s Peter? Is everything okay?”
MJ is slightly taken aback, Peter reaches out and snatches the phone from her, pressing it to his ear.
His voice is weak. “Mr. Stark?”
Peter hears Tony say something quietly to somebody on the other side of the phone.
“Yeah kid, what’s going on?”
“Mr. Stark I don’t know what to do.” Peters voice breaks, more tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. He can tell Tony has gone tense.
“Pete, tell me what’s going on. I can’t help you if I don’t know.”
“There’s an active shooter.” He says. His heart clenches painfully as he says the words aloud, they somehow make the situation much more real.
“Are you at school? Have you phoned the police? Is anybody hurt? Is-“ Tony cuts himself off. Peter can tell he’s in a panic on the other side of the phone.
“Do you have your suit?” He asks.
“No. I forgot it at home.” Peter pauses, willing his voice to stop cracking. He squeezes his eyes shut. “What do I do Mr. Stark?”
Another sob fights its way up Peters throat, breaking through. He can’t manage to calm himself down.
“Okay Peter, listen to me. You’re Spider-Man. You’ve fought aliens in space, one guy is not going to take you down.”
Peter takes a deep breath, a pathetic whimper pressing at his lips.
“I need you to man up, alright? I’m gonna help you through this until the cops get there, but you can’t sit in the corner crying if you want your friends to live.”
Peter hears Tony tell someone to get him a car, he momentarily thinks about how it‘s probably Happy. He lets the thought help calm him down. He takes another deep breath and shakily stands up, risking a glance at his classmates cowering in the corner opposite him.
“Okay. What do I do?” Peter questions, waiting for direction from Tony.
Tony is quick to respond. “I need you to find a rope, or string, anything you can tie knots with. Can you do that?”
“Yes sir.” Peter launches into action. He crosses the room to his teachers desk and begins to search the drawers. In the bottom drawer he finds a roll of twine.
“Okay Mr. Stark, I’ve got it.”
“Good job kid. Now, look at the door. Is there a little metal arm type thing sticking out at the top?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a door closer. I need you to get up there and tie your string around the whole thing as tight as you possibly can. Understand?” Tony’s voice is rushed, Peter can hear voices somewhere behind him.
“Yes Mr. Stark.”
Peter places his phone on the teachers desk. He grabs the closest available chair and places it in front of the door. He stands up on it. Taking his twine, he begins to wrap it around the door closer as fast and as tightly as he can. Once he’s wrapped the roll of twine around it he ties the two ends in a tight knot. Then he steps back down onto the floor.
“What’s that going to do?” Somebody calls from the back of the class. Peter ignores them, taking his phone back from atop the desk.
“Okay Mr. Stark, I did it.”
“Good, you’re doing awesome, kid. That’s gonna stop the door from opening more than about a foot. I need you to stay as calm as possible, alright?” Peter can hear fear peeking through Tony’s voice and he thinks about how he can’t die, he’d let the Avengers down.
Tony continues, “If this jackass gets to your class you need to surprise him. Get everybody as close beside the door as possible, shooters expect everybody to hide directly across the room. They don’t expect kids to be waiting beside the door for them. You’re gonna have to disarm him, Pete.”
Peter feels a surge of panic coming up again, he can’t do that, not without his suit. “Mr. Stark I don’t think that’s possible I’m unarmed and he has a gun.”
Tony scoffs, throwing Peter off guard. “Kid, you’re Spider-Man. You don’t need your suit to fight crime. Your suit only adds to the act.”
Peter vaguely registers a memory presenting itself in his head.
If you’re nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it.
“Peter, buddy, listen to me. If he gets through that door, you need to disarm him. Take the gun from the top, don’t stand in front of it. Do you understand?”
“Yes Mr. Stark.” He says again. “Hold on.”
Peters legs move automatically, carrying him across the classroom to where MJ and Ned are sitting, huddled together.
Peter clears his throat, praying to god his voice makes him sound at least a little sure of himself.
“MJ, I need you to get everybody on the other side of the class. Against the wall, stay low but stay beside the door.”
She nods and stands up as he goes back to speak with Tony.
“I’m on my way Peter. The police will be there soon. You don’t have to talk to me but please Peter, don’t hang up.”
“I won’t Mr. Stark.”
Peter turns to see MJ corralling the students across the room, snapping her fingers to make them move faster. Ned is walking toward Peter, his eyes scared.
“What are you gonna do?” He asks once he’s reached where Peter is standing.
“Don’t worry about it Ned, we’re gonna be okay.”
He turns away, taking up his position beside the door. He glances through the small window as he passes, to his dismay he sees blood on the floor. Peter feels his stomach drop and he raises a hand to his mouth, thinking for a moment that he might just vomit. He presses his phone to his ear again and Tony is on the other line, reassuring.
“You’ve got this Peter. Everything is going to be okay.”
Peter is about to respond when there’s a loud bang from outside the the door. He ducks out of habit, his heart is pounding wildly once again.
“Mr. Stark?”
“What is it?”
“He’s here.”
There’s the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked, and another gunshot. A bullet comes flying through the door, centimetres from Peters head. His classmates cry out and Peter takes in a shaky breath. Why did he have to leave his suit at home on today of all days?
“Come on Spider-Man.” Tony says, “You can do this.”
The door handle starts to rattle, and Peter drops his phone onto the ground. He risks a glance beside him to Ned and MJ, the two of them have tear stains on their cheeks. Peter suddenly feels a surge of anger take over his body. Anger that anyone dare make his friends fear for their lives. There’s a loud bang and the door is pushed open, but not more than a foot, just as Tony said. Peter hears a growl of anger from the other side of the door.
Peter motions for everybody to stay quiet as there’s another thud against the door. He assumes that the gunman is trying to kick it open. Peter doesn’t dare move. He watches the door as it rattles a few more times, and then there is one more loud thud and the door swings open.
Peter doesn’t bother taking his time. His body goes on autopilot. He steps up behind the guy, who is significantly taller than Peter, but by no means any more muscular than him, and watches as he raises his gun. A shot is fired, but nobody is hit. The gunman whips his head to the side, spotting the kids in the corner and a shot rings out again. This time, Peter hears screaming. He reaches out, grabbing the barrel of the gun with his hand as he slams his knee into the mans thigh. The man groans, his grip on the gun loosens and Peter pulls it away. He tosses it as far across the class as he can and he raises his right leg. His foot meets the mans stomach and Peter uses all his strength to kick him back through the door way. The guy is sent flying backwards, he hits the wall opposite of the hallway with a thud. Peter steps out of the room.
“Nice try.” He says, his best attempt at being witty.
The guy looks up, he reaches into his jacket pocket and Peter realizes he’s got a second gun.
He pulls it out, pointing it at Peter. Peter ducks, rolling forward across the hall as the gun fires around him. Peter stands up just to the left of the guy, he slams his fist into the guys gut, causing him to groan. He swings again, Peters fist connecting with his jaw. The man raises the gun, he pulls the trigger but Peter dodges the bullet.
Peter hears sirens, the police, finally.
Peter is about to hit the guy again when another loud bang rings out. He feels a bullet rip through his shoulder and he lets out a cry of pain. His knees hit the ground. He feels another bullet hit him, this time he can’t tell exactly where. He cries out again, and suddenly he hears someone’s voice.
“You messed with the wrong kid, asshole.”
Peter looks around, it seems that there’s darkness edging into his vision. He briefly sees blood on his hands before he feels his upper body hit the floor. There’s a flash of light, and Peter hears somebody yelling his name. He tries to respond, but his head is too heavy. His eyes are having trouble staying open.
Peter feels somebody lift him and he watches as the ground below him starts to move, there’s metal clanging and he can’t seem to lift his head enough to see who’s carrying him. After a moment Peter realizes he can see the sky, he’s been brought outside. He hears sirens, and people yelling. As his consciousness slips away he registers the sound of a familiar female voice screaming his name.
+
When Peter comes to, he’s in a hospital bed. He’s got various machines hooked up to him and he hears the beep of a heart monitor. There’s murmuring around him, and he peels his eyes open. The first person he registers is Aunt May, who is bickering in a hush voice with Tony Stark. Beside his bed sits Ned, reading a book.
“Hey.” He offers, the three of them snap to his attention.
“Peter!” May cries, her eyes automatically filling with tears. “You’re awake!”
She rushes to the side of his bed, taking his hand.
Tony stays at the foot of the bed, “Thank god you’re alive kid.”
“What happened?”
Ned speaks up, “You saved us Peter.”
Peter smiles gently. “‘M glad I could help.”
“You didn’t help, you saved lives Peter. You were a real super hero. I’m proud of you buddy.” Tony says, his voice laced with genuine care.
He’s still pretty out of it, but he can’t help but feel proud of himself too.
“Is everybody okay?” He asks, not sure if he’s ready to hear the answer.
May speaks up, “How about we talk about that when you’re out of the hospital. All you need to know is that your friends are alive and safe.”
“I really stopped a school shooter?” He asks, his smile a little bit goofy.
“You sure did.” Tony says, he can tell him later that Iron-Man was the one to actually kill the bad guy. For now, Peter could hold the title. Besides, Peter had done most of the crime-stopping. He deserves a little pride every now and then.
Peter grins. He can’t wait to hear what his school has to say about him, or the news for that matter. He‘s a hero. Not Spider-Man, Peter.
He looks to his aunt and Ned. “Can you give me and Mr. Stark a moment?”
May nods wearily and she heads to the door, motioning for Ned to follow.
Peter looks at Tony, a feeling of gratitude growing in his heart.
“Thank you, Mr. Stark. I don’t think I could have done anything but cry if you didn’t believe in me.”
Tony steps forward, sitting gently on the edge of Peters hospital bed.
“I’ve always believed in you, but you need to start believing in yourself. Sometimes things can get scary, I’ve been there. You’re an avenger now Pete, you’ve gotta find that strength and confidence inside you or else you’ll get called out as the weakest. I know you’re still a kid, but I’ve also seen what type of damage you can do.”
Peter can feel tears pricking at his eyes.
“I just want you to know that I’m proud of you squirt. My father never really told me how proud of me he was so I hope you know that you’ve really impressed me.”
“Thank you Mr. Stark, for everything, really.”
Tony flashes him a crooked smile. “Okay, enough sappy talk.” Tony stands up, “It’s time for you to heal up, and when you’re ready, I’ve got living quarters for you upstate. Feel free to move in whenever you’re ready.”
It takes a moment for Peter to really register what Tony just said. “I... what?”
Tony winks. He turns away from Peter and slips out the door.
Peter smiles to himself, awesome.