Accidents Happen

Chapter Thirty-Three-Should've Stayed Home

One Month Later...

When Michelle woke up that Tuesday morning, Peter wasn't in the bed. She sat up slowly and glanced at the crib in the corner, noticing that Harlow wasn't in her crib either. Strangely enough, she had actually slept through the night; usually their daughter woke her up around four in the morning. It's now seven.

She ran a comb through her hair quickly and walked out to the living room, where Peter and May were sitting with Harlow. The teenage boy had his daughter in his lap, holding her up and gently tickling under her arms, eliciting giggles from the small child.

"Is that funny?" he cooed, laughing a little at his daughter. "Is that funny?"

"Hilarious," Michelle smirked from where she stood, beginning to walk over and taking a seat on the couch. She leaned close to her daughter, and Harlow latched onto her fingers. "Dad might be the funniest person alive."

Peter rolled his eyes and smiled at his girlfriend. "Why do I feel like you don't mean that in a nice way?"

"That's because I don't." She moved her hands underneath the small girl's armpits, pulling her onto her own lap. She smiled and pulled her daughter close. "One day, you and I are gonna laugh so hard at Dad."

"Don't forget me," May chirped from the other side of Peter. "I love laughing at him." Peter groaned and leaned back on the couch, allowing his girlfriend to notice that he was still wearing his pajamas.

"Why aren't you dressed?" she questioned him, handing Harlow off to her grand-something, who took her to the kitchen. "Isn't today the field trip to MoMA?" Peter had returned to school the previous week, just in time for the annual field trip.

He wrinkled his face. "I don't know. I don't think I should go."

"Why not?"

"Because," he started with a groan, flopping over on the cushions. "You just finished recovery, and we've all been so busy lately... I should skip and we should go to the park or something. Just you me and Harlow."

Michelle shook her head. "No. You should go."

"Mich..."

"No," she insisted. "You haven't gotten to hang out with Ned in weeks. Just go, have fun, and we can go to the park when you get home. It's open all day you know." Peter laughed, sitting up and pulling his girlfriend into a hug. "Nope, get off me." She pushed his arms off, squirming away.

"Aww, come on," he laughed, trying again. She rolled her eyes and accepted it, wrapping her arms around him as well. "I'll go, and as soon as I get home we're doing something fun."

Michelle laughed and wrapped her arms tighter around the teenage boy. "Alright, Spider-Boy."

"Spider-Man."

"Sure."

---

Two hours later, Peter was on the bus, along with the rest of his second period science class, on the way to MoMA. Ned was on the seat in front of him listening to music, and Peter was hunched over in his own seat, texting his girlfriend with his other arm propped up on the back of Ned's seat.

Suddenly, he felt his spidey-senses go off. Peter's head shot up, and he quickly stuffed his phone in the pocket of his backpack. He looked around for a moment, glancing out the windows before his eyes settles on the issue: a giant ring-shaped ship, hovering over the city. His widened and he quickly leaned forward, gently slapping Ned to get his attention.

"I need you to cause a distraction," he whispered, and his friend looked around as he pulled the earbuds from his ears. As he noticed the ship, Ned gasped.

"No way!" The boy stood up, beginning to make his way to the back of the bus. "It's an alien ship! We're all gonna die!"

As the entire school bus rushed to the back of the bus, crowding the windows to see, Peter quickly put on his web-shooters and used them to open a window. Making sure no one was looking, he quickly crawled out of the bus, holding on to the side of the moving yellow vehicle. He pulled on his mask and then took off swinging towards the city. He stopped for a moment in a back alley to change into his suit, then ditched his backpack and rushed towards the center of the city.

---

Back in the apartment, Michelle was working on an essay while Harlow played on a small play mat on the carpet, the news playing in the background. Suddenly, it happened, and she froze as she watched it all unfold.

"An extraterrestrial attack has been confirmed in New York City," the woman on screen reported. "The ship entered the atmosphere at approximately nine this morning, and shortly afterward began to wreak havoc on the city. The surrounding areas are being evacuated, and first responders are on the scene. Several heroes have been confirmed in the area, including the elusive Stephen Strange, our own Tony Stark, and the mysterious Spider-Man."

Michelle's heart stopped as she watched footage of her own boyfriend swinging through the city, headed straight for the attack. It was taken minutes earlier.

Peter was there.

---

Disguised as Spider-Man, Peter swung through the city, quickly chasing after the wizard who was also being chased by an alien. Suddenly, a billboard comes flying through the air at him, and unable to dodge he gets hit full on. "Not cool!" he shouts as he untangles himself from the mess, continuing after the wizard and his pursuer.

The alien finally used his abilities to bend the metal and snag on the wizard's cape, and Peter caught the man before he fell, attempting to swing them both to safety. Before he could, a large beam of blue light stopped him, beginning to pull both of them into the air.

"Uh, Mr Stark!" he called into his comm. "I'm being beamed up!" Peter frantically tried to keep them away from the beam, attempting to hold onto the wizard in one hand and a street lamp with the other. After a moment, the street lamp was uprooted and both of them were sent hurtling towards the ship.

"Unlock 17-A," Tony Stark instructed his AI as he flew after the boy and wizard. Soon enough, they were almost out of the atmosphere and the air was thinning. "Pete, you gotta let go. I'm gonna catch you."

"But you said save the wizard!" he argued, voice shrill. He pulls off his mask, inhaling the barely-oxygenated air. "I can't breathe."

"We're too high up," the billionaire told him as he continued to fly after them. "You're running out of air."

"That makes sense," the teenager sighed. Suddenly, he passed out from the lack of air, free-falling towards the ground. After a few seconds, a small pod hits him in the back and a metal version of the spider-suit formed around him. Another second later, and he took a deep breath as his lungs filled with air. Peter used a web to pull him back up to the ship. "Mr Stark, it smells like a new car in here!"

"Happy trails kid," Tony called as he flew above Peter. "FRIDAY, send him home."

Before Peter had time to think, a parachute shot out of his back, pulling him back towards the ground. "Oh come one!" He managed to latch back onto the ship and pull himself into a small compartment. He watched as the ship rapidly rose above the surface, becoming increasingly panicked by the second. "I should've stayed home."