Hero's Responsibility

Ch5: Spider-man's (Temporary) Return

After playing games, eating dinner, and watching a marathon of the twilight zone, May sent the boys to sleep became it was still a school night. Ned was staying over, so when May sent them to Peter's room and she retired to her own room for the night, Ned and Peter both rushed into his bedroom as quickly but as quietly as they could manage.

"Peter what are we gonna do?" Ned asked in a half yell half whisper to demonstrate his panic but also so they wouldn't attract May's attention.

"I don't know," Peter sighed, frustrated as he had been thinking about the news report since it had appeared. there were even more weapons out there. "All I keep thinking about is if Toomes escaped. What if he did Ned. He knows my secret identity! He warned me that if I didn't stay out of his business he would come after those close to me. I put him in prison and destroyed his family. He'll defiantly come after May and you." Peter rambled on in worry.

"You were really thinking about this weren't you," Ned mumbled under his breath. "To be fair, he ruined his family by falling into the life of crime," Ned corrected.

"It doesn't matter Ned. He blames me." Peter sighed, resting his head on his fist. Peter was starting to feel the stress of being Spider-man effecting his age. He felt older with these problems. Peter raised his head in realization. So this is what Mr. Stark meant when he said, "You'll feel the effects of being a hero in a year tops." Then had added something about enjoying the hero honeymoon stage. Peter's thoughts drifted to thinking if that's how Tony Stark at the beginning of being Iron Man; the same energy and enthusiasm Peter did. If he did, was it gone now? These are questions that he had neglected to ask his mentor. Then again he was always busy and whenever he did stop by he filled the entirety of their time with rambles before actually getting to the point. Peter had never dared interrupt him since he enjoyed having Tony Stark around, even if he was mumbling on and on at times. 

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to check it out?" Ned broke him out of his thoughts.

Peter spun his computer chair toward Ned as he throws his hands up in frustration. "I want to, but if I go out there as Spider-Man the media will be on my tail trying to get a scope on Spider-Man's disappearance; May will definitely find out then."

Ned's face scrunched up in thought. "Doesn't your suite have like a stealth mode? If not, just sneak out at night so you won't be so noticed."

"The suit doesn't have a stealth mode and I can't sneak out at night. May is back by that time. She doesn't start her overtime shifts until Monday." Ned lowers his head as all his ideas come up useless. Peter matches his expression, settling into the silence as they both think to themselves for other solutions. 

Ned sucked in a breath of air as another idea come to him, "Then sneak early out of practice tomorrow."

Peter shook his head. "No. No. I can't. I'd promise that I wouldn't bail on the team. " Peter shook his head. "Not to mention how Michelle would react." He thought back the entirety of the day; how MJ had been checking his resolve. 

"Don't worry. I'll cover for you." Ned assured.

"How are you going to do that?" Peter questioned, his head shifting to the side.

Ned simply answered, "I'm the guy in the chair. Trust in me."

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Peter was glad to have Ned as his guy-in-the-chair. While Peter was uncertain of sneaking out during the decathlon meeting, mostly for the repercussions that this would cause not only with the team but also with May if he was caught, the prospects of Ned's plan working were looking more hopeful. Not only was Ned's plan pretty believable, and with good enough acting on both of their parts could they pull it off, but the only main obstacle was currently absent from the multipurpose room. Ned had taken notice of this right as they stepped into the room, stopping him dead in his tracks to point it out. This was strange on Michelle's part since Peter knew MJ was at school and she was always at the meetings before anybody else was. However, here they were, nearly all the teammates seated in different parts of the room with no MJ in sight.