just some plot bunny 1 yr ago. Unbeta-ed.


Peter was pretty sure that at least a thousand of the views were only from him and Ned alone.

But, dude, they weren't the only one amazed at the new superhero who appeared since last month and could be spotted all around Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn—everywhere in New York, actually. Peter supposed it was a perk of moving at fast speed; you could go everywhere in an instant and could cover more ground. The YouTube videos of the new superhero sightings were mostly just blurs and strong blasts of air zooming past people at first, until there came a handful taken by professional video cameras, while some who learned a few basic video editing were slow motioning their shaky recorded videos to capture the new superhero. They dubbed him (judging by the physique, it was obviously a man) The Red Lightning, Scarlet Zoom, The Ruby Comet, and The Crimson Streak. The last one was the most common name for the superhero, and it was also the term Peter and Ned used for him whenever they would discuss. The Crimson Streak was easily their favorite, and in a city with a bunch of famous superheroes, that was saying something (which Peter was also kind of guilty for when he thought of Stark and the Avengers).

Maybe that was the thing about the Crimson Streak. He wasn't as high profile like any of the Avengers. He was on the down low too, just like the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Nobody has ever gotten near the Crimson Streak to ask him of his right moniker, and the Crimson Streak himself never made any introductions either, simply doing his job of stopping criminals from one borough to another without expecting recognition. He was so cool.

Reddit users called him a speedster, and people at forums often wondered if there were other speedsters out there. Peter and Ned usually spend their lunch breaks making theories as to the origin of Crimson Streak—whether he was an alien like Thor; or a genetically modified individual injected with some serum or a super-secret formula; or somebody who got bitten by a cheetah (Peter reasoned that anything was possible these days; look at him); or probably one of the mutants he heard stories of. Peter was inclined to believe the last one.

There was another YouTube video of Crimson Streak, a CCTV footage taken from a mall nearby Peter's area. There was a mass shooting that happened the day before yesterday around the time of Peter's Physical Ed, and luckily nobody was shot with the help of Crimson Streak who caught every bullet fired before it could hit anybody. Peter was somewhat disappointed they didn't get to meet. It would have been nice to know a fellow around the neighborhood.

Ned downloaded a copy of the footage and did wonders with his newfound skills at video manipulation. Ned had slowed it down enough to watch it as if the Crimson Streak was running at normal speed. Peter was there beside him, watching in rapt attention and fascination as the rest of the video elements were moving at very low speed while Crimson Streak was moving at average speed. They could make out sparks of lightning that seemed to follow the speedster, and though his face was hidden by a cowl and was almost blurred, they could see a circle on his chest with a lightning bolt symbol.

He and Ned exchanged looks they usually shared during their Crimson Streak fanboying, muttering in sync:

"Wicked."


For once, Peter wasn't busy making a web fluid on the sidelines during his chemistry classes.

A little over a month ago, Midtown High got a new faculty member who replaced Peter's chemistry instructor. Mr. Barry Allen was on the younger side, definitely younger than his predecessor. Peter recalled Flash snickering from his seat when Mr. Allen introduced himself to the class, and Peter could tell that many were having qualms about having a young teacher who looked fresh out of college. But when Mr. Allen cheerfully commented that if Midtown High was Hogwarts, and that as a professor he could take a house points for that snicker, the class instantly warmed up to him with mild chuckles. Mr. Allen assured them that while chemistry was very much like Potions, he was no Professor Snape, earning him a round of laughs, even by Peter.

Mr. Allen was easily the favorite of most students. The females of Peter's peers were fond of pointing out that Mr. Allen was cute and an adorable nerd. They hide their giggles whenever Mr. Allen has his cheeks turned upwards in a grin or a kind smile. Mr. Allen's class was never boring, and he liked cracking jokes and pop culture references that Peter and Ned would get every single time. He wasn't one to dump a load of homework and more concerned at keeping their interest in the subject in and out of school. He would usually assign fun chemistry experiments they could do at home, which Peter and Ned (and sometimes with Aunt May) were more than glad to conduct.

Though what made Peter admire Mr. Allen the most was his intelligence. He was a brilliant chemistry instructor who was also knowledgeable in biology and physics. Mr. Allen mentioned working as a CSI in another city before teaching at Midtown High, and Peter thought that made Mr. Allen all the more interesting.

Peter was in the present time, putting his weight on one foot nervously. He has never seen Mr. Allen pissed, and he honestly believed that wasn't part of his teacher's dictionary, but Peter couldn't help but worry after Mr. Allen asked him to stay after class. He suspected it has something to do with not submitting three due assignments earlier. Ned was in the hallway outside, less anxious than Peter and was peeking through the glass window of the classroom across, making faces to a Chinese schoolmate.

"Mr. Parker. Can I call you Peter?" Mr. Allen asked, casually settling in front of the teacher's desk after arranging the stools. Peter thought he looked much taller this way as he nodded quietly. "Relax. I just want to ask why you didn't hand in your papers."

Peter couldn't exactly tell him that he was stopping burglaries for four nights in a row that he was too worn out to do his homework afterwards. Sometimes, Peter have to give it to them for being bold enough to instigate crimes in a city populated with vigilantes with superpowers. "Um, it's the internship, sir. It might have left me no time this week," Peter said weakly, scratching the back of his head.

Mr. Allen smiled kindly. "I see. Yes, of course, I've heard that you're interning. It tends to slip my mind. Sorry," he said sheepishly. "Which is why I want to give you an extension. Can you make it until Friday?"

"An extension, sir?" Peter repeated to clarify, surprised.

"Mmhmm. Look, you don't strike me as a negligent student, and I believe your excuse. Still, I want to advice a better time management next time. The skill can help you even in that internship of yours. Where is it again?"

"Stark's, sir."

For a moment, Peter was met with a blank, clueless stare. Mr. Allen couldn't possibly not have heard of Mr. Stark, could he? "Oh, right. Good luck then." Mr. Allen grinned, and after a beat, his look of cluelessness was gone.

"Thank you, sir. Expect my submissions this Friday," Peter said gratefully before leaving the room, his lips stretched into a smile.

It was nice to have an understanding teacher.


TBC (probably)