Survivor

7. Success vs failure

"Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."

Peter swung straight back to Ned's apartment, opening the window in his room and falling through.

"Ned, Ned!" Peter hissed, crawling over to the bed and shaking his snoring friend. "Wha, huh?" Ned slowly sputtered to life, turning on his lamp. "Ma, I told you... Ah!" He screeched and Peter quickly pulled his mask off. "Sorry, sorry, but I need your help!"

"Peter, it's the middle of the night!" Ned explained in disbelief, sitting up in his Iron Man PJ's. "I don't really have the luxury of waiting until morning." Peter announced and Ned's eyes widened. "What happened?"

oOo

"What? You beat the Avengers?!" Ned paused Peter's story in disbelief. "Well, they were being mind controlled, but yeah." Peter said proudly, leaning against the bed. "But it was really hard because a few of them are immune to my danger sense and Black Widow shot me and..."

"Danger sense? You were shot?!" Ned blinked in disbelief, Peter nodded. "Yeah there's this alarm that goes off in my head when danger is approaching, I don't know what to call it. And Black Widow only shot me in the shoulder right before I webbed her up."

Ned paused, letting it all sink in. "So... like... spider sense?" He and Peter grinned. "I knew you would come up with a way better name!" Peter exclaimed, high-fiving his guy in the chair. "Spidey sense, that's perfect!" He rolled it off his tongue giddily.

"Now back to you being shot. What the hell Peter? You got hurt?!"

"Uh... yeah, and then Cap kind of crushed me with his shield but I heal fast so its all good."

"Spidey sense and a healing factor? Dude your powers are OP!" Ned chuckled before shaking his head. "So you beat them, that sounds like its a good thing."

"It was, but they went back for Mr. Stark and then I guess Loki took control of them again using Vision or something and..."

"Loki? Thor's brother Loki?!" Ned squealed and Peter quirked an eyebrow at him. "Yeah. Bad guy. Really dangerous bad guy."

"But he's awesome!"

"He nearly destroyed New York a few years ago, and now he's trying again!" Peter insisted but Ned's fanboy-look didn't dissipate. "Did you see his hair? Did he punch you? Please tell me he punched you." Peter sighed and hung his head.

"That's beside the point - but he does have great hair, although not as nice as Thor's. Anyways, we need to plan how to beat them!"

Ned dead panned. "All the Avengers?"

"Except Thor and Hulk, yeah."

"Being controlled by Loki?"

"Uh..."

"Yeah, dude, you're screwed. Let's evacuate."

"No!" Peter stood in frustration. "No, I can't just give up!"

"You barely made it out alive last time!" Ned insisted, also standing. "And they weren't even all super assembled yet!"

"I can do it Ned, I can...!"

"Peter, you'll get hurt!!!" Ned hissed worriedly, trying not to imagine the death of Spiderman as tomorrow's headlines and Peter being exposed as the man under the mask. Peter looked at him solidly with hid determined, milk chocolate eyes and a set expression.

"If I don't beat them, so many other people will get hurt." He breathed. Ned hung his head, still not understanding the whole heroism trait but not wanting Peter to go out there with no plan and surely die. Ned could help, Ned could give him a chance.

He just had to think...

"I got it!" Ned exclaimed suddenly. "Uh... that was fast." Peter chuckled as Ned started to spin in circles excitedly. "So there was a secret source who told me that last time they fought, Mr. Stark resisted Loki because of the arc reactor in his chest. Now we can't exactly do that so short notice, so we'll have to use the energy source instead."

"You mean the arc reactor energy? I don't know how to fly Mr. Stark's suits... but I might have something better." He announced excitedly, and took off one of his web shooters.

"So I have these webs called taser webs and I just tinkered them so they deliver high charged short bursts to try to stun the Avengers. But, what if we hooked up the arc reactor energy to these which might negate the mind control?" Ned jumped up and down clapping. "Yes, yes, that will work! Maybe, probably, hopefully."

"Can we do this?" Peter turned to him and Ned nodded holding out his fist. They bumped fists and did their weird bro-shake thing.

"We can do this."

Welp Ned saves the day, once again. What would Peter do without his guy in the chair?

So now he just has to find the Avengers, free them without getting killed and defeat Loki/send him home also without getting killed.

Easy, right?

heh heh yeah no.

~Meow