Previously:
"Course." Tony stood up from where he was sitting and grabbed a towel, wiping the grease mostly from his hands, though a little still stained his hands. "Let's get down to business."
"To defeat...the Huns." Peter finished. Tony laughed at his antics, and they spent the next two hours joking and laughing with each other. It was a comfortable environment all around, and Peter couldn't wait to spend time with Tony again.
Ned
"Hey Peter! How was your weekend?" Peter had been injured a couple of weeks ago, and Ned wanted to make sure he was doing alright. He usually spent the weekend at Ned's place ever since his Uncle Ben died, and Ned wondered how the authorities were never called on him, for he had been living alone for close to eight months now.
But then again, the past two weeks, Peter had been looking a lot better. A lot healthier too. Like he was actually getting fed. But it was the one big change that brought it all. Peter had not come to his house that weekend. Not for LEGOs, food, a place to change clothes. Not at all. But his clothes were clean. He had to wonder why.
Peter closed his locker and turned toward him. They did their secret handshake, and Peter answered his question. "It was good, why do you ask?"
"It's just, you didn't show up this weekend. And I was worried you got hurt or something."
"Nah, just working at my new job." Peter's voice raised pitch a little, a small sign he was lying.
"You got a job? Delmar's?"
"Um, no?"
"Where then? Oh, Oscorp maybe?"
"Not quite, but that is closer. A little. Um. Can you keep it quiet?" Ned nodded and Peter shuffled a little closer. "Stark Industries." Peter hesitated a little, like he couldn't decide if he wanted to tell Ned the next bit. "Tony Stark's personal intern. I work with him a lot. He's a great mentor."
Ned almost started jumping up and down. "Personal intern to Tony Stark?!" Peter winced, and Ned controlled his volume. "Dude, when Flash finds out, he's going to be so mad. Can you imagine? I feel a little bad for him though, he lost his parents. He's going to be so much worse when he gets back."
Peter laughed a little nervously, and Ned wondered what was up. Maybe he was reminded of losing his aunt and uncle, and the fact that Flash might actually get worse. "Hey, Ned, can we-"
Whatever he was going to say was drowned out by the bell, and the two of them headed off to their separate classes.
.
Later that day, in gym class, Peter was excused again, for unknown reasons. At least, unknown to the student body. Ned had a feeling Michelle (A.N.: MJ. They just don't know they can call her that yet.) knew why, but he wasn't going to ask her. During Decathlon practice later that day, Flash came in, looking a little worse for wear. He was wearing a sling on his arm, and his hair wasn't as immaculate as usual. But the really weird thing was he was strangely kind and even, perhaps, considerate of others. Ned wondered if he was trying to gain favor in order to get help and then be even more of a bully later.
Once Decathlon practice was over, Peter made his way back over to Ned, asking for his answer to his question earlier.
"What was your question again? The bell rang in the middle of it."
"Um, I was just wondering if I could come over tonight. Spend the night and all."
"Oh, yeah. Of course. My mom should be fine with that. Do you want to swing by your … place beforehand?"
"No, I have stuff at your house. I stay there often enough to consider it my own, anyway."
Ned laughed, and the pair of them walked over to Ned's house.
.
The two of them laughed and built LEGOs until six o'clock, when his mom pulled them out for dinner. After a delicious meal of take out pizza (She always got take out when Peter was over, unless it was for more than a couple of days) The two of them decided to break out the Mario Kart. They laughed more and played for another couple of hours with that, until around nine, when his mom came over and told them to get ready for bed. It was a school night, after all.
.
Ned woke up in the middle of the night to a weird sound. It sounded like the wind, but he was sure he had closed it earlier. He sat up to see Spiderman sitting on the ceiling, carefully lowering (raising?) the window shut. His mask was off, and he had curly auburn hair. He turned around, and his face was, "Peter?"
His best friend fell off the ceiling, and gave a hurt groan. "Dang it, Ned! You have to sleep so lightly."
"What? You, you're Spiderman?" He was trying to keep his voice down, but it was really coming out at a squeak.
"Yeah. Okay, can we keep it down a bit? I really don't want your mom coming in here. I've told enough people as it is."
"Wait, is this how you got the Stark Internship? Does he know who you are?" Ned was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking down to Peter where he rolled over to face the ceiling.
Peter sighed, like he knew Ned was bursting with questions, Well, of course he was. It wasn't every day that you discovered your best friend was the superhero the two of you obsessed over. "Yes to both?" He phrased it like a question, like he was unsure of the answer. But why else would Peter have the internship?
"Who else knows?"
"Tony, Steve, Pepper, and one other."
"Who's the last one?"
"Classified. I think you'll understand why. Can I go to sleep now? It's really late."
Ned supposed Peter had waited for him to fall asleep then snuck out. "Yeah, we have school tomorrow. Night, Peter."
"Night Ned."
Ned lay back down and flipped the covers back on him, shifting until he felt comfortable.
Peter
After patrolling for a bit, Peter decided it was time for him to retire for the night. It was close to 3 AM, and he wanted to make sure he was sufficiently rested for the quiz his English teacher was going to throw.
Carefully climbing up the side of the building, he eased open Ned's window. Slipping inside and resting on the ceiling, he took off his mask to breath. Silently shutting the window, (Thank goodness Ned liked not waking up his parents when he got cold) He turned back around to see Ned staring at him.
"Peter?"
He fell off the ceiling in his surprise, and gave a hurt groan. "Dang it, Ned! You have to sleep so lightly."
"What? You, you're Spiderman?" Ned's voice was a little loud for comfort, but his mom wasn't shifting in her sleep in the other room, so he figured he was good.
"Yeah. Okay, can we keep it down a bit? I really don't want your mom coming in here. I've told enough people as it is."
"Wait, is this how you got the Stark Internship? Does he know who you are?" Ned was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking down at Peter, who had rolled over to face the ceiling. Peter sighed. Ned was going to question him all might if he didn't stop him.
"Yes to both?" He wasn't really sure how to answer that.
"Who else knows?"
"Tony, Steve, Pepper, and one other."
"Who's the last one?"
"Classified. I think you'll understand why. Can I go to sleep now? It's really late." Yeah. Ned really wouldn't like it that Flash wasn't a big ol' bully, and he was actually quite kind. Or that he knew before Ned himself knew.
"Yeah, we have school tomorrow. Night, Peter."
"Night Ned."
He heard Ned shifting, and stood up stiffly. He was already sore. Heading to the bathroom to change, he made sure there were no visible bruises he would need to cover in the morning. Seeing none, he stuffed his suit in his backpack and stumbled to the air mattress Ned pretty much had permanently set up. Falling into it, he fell asleep immediately.