The Field Trip... & Stuff

10. Flashback

Peter's head whipped up.

"What," he breathed out at the same time that Ned gasped.

"The masked hero has remained unknown for years, and only Avengers such as Tony Stark and others know his identity," Captain smiled, "and I, myself, confirm he is an adult ,"

The video showed clips of Spider Man's patrols.

"And though he is still new to the heroing stuff, the young man has already saved others from a super villain,"

"Ohmygod! I can't believe this is happening!" Ned whispered.

"His nemesis, who is now behind bars, was once known as the Vulture,"

"No, no." Peter groaned as he closed his eyes.

Ned looked over at him but didn't say anything.

"As we all know, the Vulture was put in jail by the friendly neighborhood Spider Man, who captured him the day of your homecoming."

Peter gripped his seat as his heart started to pound.

"Lucky for you kids, I have the footage" Cap continued, "let's take a look,"

Peter wanted to bolt. He wanted he run, to scream, to hide, to do anything besides continue watching. But he was glued to his seat, wondering if the video would reveal his identity.

The screen showed Toomes standing in Warehouse. He was leaning over a table, reading a text announcing that Peter had escaped his homecoming dance.

Then he heard his voice.

Hey! Surprised?

Oh, hey . Toomes seemed to pause, I didn't hear you come in.

The video skipped over most of the conversation, starting again only when Toomes said, I want you to understand. And... I needed a little time to get her airborne.

The vulture's wing suit then flew out from behind Peter's back, which he avoided.

Peter heard himself say What are you talking about? That thing hasn't even touched me yet! and violently flinched.

He looked over at his friends and classmates, whose eyes were trained on the screen.

He wondered what they were thinking, and he wondered what they would say.

The video continued to play, and Peter's breath hitched painfully when he heard the debris falling. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists at the sound.

The class was deadly silent as everyone held their breath, waiting for Spider Man to pop out.

Then they heard grunts. And cries. Filled with pain, anguish, and fear. Peter let out shaky breaths, still squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't run out. Not yet.

He heard himself mutter something along the lines of "ready?" and then he heard himself struggle and pant before crying out.

Hello! Hello! Please. Hey, hey, please. I'm down here. I'm down here. I'm stuck. I'm stuck. I can't move. I can't...

Peter was curled up in his seat, trying to hold in his whimpers. He couldn't breathe.

He couldn't breathe.

Captain said something about responsibility and suits and was probably quoting Mr. Stark, but he sounded far away and Peter focused on the hand rubbing his back instead of the words.

Come on.... Come on, Spider-Man. Come on, Spider-Man. Come on, Spider-Man. Come on, Spider-Man!

Peter slowly opened his eyes and looked at the screen. This was the part he removed his mask.

Though his vision was blurry, Peter could see the video perfectly, and almost sighed in relief when it didn't show his face. The clips were edited to show shots from the rubble and from behind him, but never directly from him. He was safe, his secret was safe.

With that in mind, Peter jumped up from his seat and bolted outside. He was still trembling and breathing hard and he had to leave now .

In his haste to get outside the "theater" as fast as possible, Peter didn't see someone was outside until he bumped into them.

"woah, easy there kiddo,"

Peter looked up and wiped his eyes, "M-Mr. Leiber sir, im so sorry, sir. Im- i was- just. Wasn't crying, i swear Im-"

"hey, hey it's okay," Stanley replied softly, putting a hand on his shoulder, "even heroes get overwhelmed sometimes. It doesn't make a person any weaker,"

Peter's heart pounded loudly, "oh im- im not, I'm not a- a superhero, sir, I'm not... Ms. Marvel is a- I don't..."

Stanley smiled gently, "Sure, you could say a hero is someone with amazing powers or abilities, but another definition of a hero is someone who is concerned about other people's well-being and will go out of his or her way to help them - even if there is no chance of a reward. That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero."

Peter looked up at the older man and noticed his breathing had significantly calmed down.

He nodded and took in a breath, "oh okay, sir, I'll just-" he pointed a thumb at the door, "I'll head back inside again,"

Mr. Leiber smiled again, "don't fret yourself, kid. Take your time before swinging back in," He winked before walking away.

Peter let out a breath and and sat down on the floor. He really wasn't sure if he wanted to see the rest of the video.

A pair of feet walked and stood in front of him.

"Hey, you're spider man right?"

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A/N: did I quote mister Stan Lee for this scene? yes.
the hero speech had always been one of my favorite Stanley quotes.

 

Rest in Power, Mr. Leiber
we love you 3000