Spider-man: Alone in New York

~ Chapter 34 ~

Hey there,

Obviously, you may notice that I enjoy writing in first person more than in third, so we're just going to have to deal with the rough ride of third person over here. 

Much love,

Breezebane

Ned couldn't remember the last time he felt as uncomfortable as now. The Avengers and Ned were seated in a meeting room, and everyone was currently facing him. After double-checking Peter's room and seeing it empty, they had started combing through camera footages but came up with nothing. Peter went into his room, but never came out. Regarding the 'villain' that had apparently taken Peter and Spider-man, as Tony had later found out, they didn't have footage that was clear enough that would help them figure out the identity of the person who took them. In fact, it was so smokey that the Avengers couldn't see anything in the video footage. 

"So you said he went for a sandwich?" Natasha asked, her eyes never leaving Ned's hunched over form on his seat. Ned could feel everyone's stares on him, especially Tony's, making him wish he could disappear. He tried to sit up straighter. He had to do this. Otherwise, Peter could get hurt if he didn't help them. 

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. "Yeah. He said he was hungry."

"And you talked to him on his phone?" Bruce asked, adding, "If he still has it, maybe we can track it." Ned's eyes widened when he realized his mistake. He had told Tony he had talked with Peter on the phone when the villain came and took him, but Peter's phone was at the bottom of some landfill. 

"I thought Peter's phone broke?" Tony asked, realizing that at the same time as Ned was. 

Ned gulped as he nodded. "It did, but then he got a new one." Everyone in the room could smell something was fishy here. Clint stood in the corner, the only one who wasn't sitting down, not knowing what to do. Should he tell the rest that Peter was Spider-man? This had gone too far. They had a right to know. He focused on the interrogation again, his mind whirring.

Natasha noted Ned's unease with the question as the rest of them had and said, "Look, Ned, we just want to help. We can't do that if we don't have the truth."

Ned shifted uncomfortably as he considered her words. It was true. Peter didn't want them to know his identity, but at this point, it was life or death. He couldn't live with the guilt if something happened to Peter because he wanted to protect his identity. "I talked to him through an earpiece. It has Bluetooth, and it doesn't need a Simcard to work or anything."

Thor shook his head in disbelief, his nose wrinkling in disgust. "You talked to him through a piece of an ear? Human customs are incredibly odd." 

Bruce mumbled under his breath in frustration, leaning over and whispering in Thor's ear an explanation of earpieces as the others continued to question Ned. 

"And where did he go to?" Steve asked. 

"The deli place."

Tony shook his head, knowing the sandwich cover-up was too far-fetched to be true. "Ned, we know he didn't go there for a sandwich. That doesn't make any sense." 

Ned bit his lip. "He, um, he actually went to help the people in the building that was on fire."

Tony exclaimed, "He did what?!" Was that kid insane? He can't climb into a building on fire! This kid was too kind for his own good. He could have died!

"Relax, Tony," Nat said, taking note of Ned flinching at Tony's exclamation.

Steve looked deep in thought. "Clint, remember when he asked about the news, and how he asked us why we weren't doing anything?"