Thank you all so much for the generous support you have given this story so far. It's been quite the journey haha. We still got quite a bit to go, I'm not quite sure how many chapters this will be but it'll definitely be around 30ish chapters. So I like to think we're almost 2/3rds of the way through.

Anyways, enjoy!

When Monday came back around to signify the start of a new school week, Peter found himself actually dreading the thought of walking the halls of Midtown High. More than that, Peter was not looking forward to inevitably running into Ned. The mere thought of the other boy was still a sore subject, but the anger that Peter had held towards him had long since faded since he woke up in the infirmary at the Avenger's compound. The hurt, however, still remained and it made Peter wonder if the anger perhaps still lurked in the shadows of his mind, waiting for the opportunity to show itself when given the chance.

"Peter, you're shaking the entire train," Alex's voice brought him back to reality. The older boy was leaning against one of the silver standing poles with his arms crossed.

Peter, who realized he had a white knuckled grip on the pole, quickly let go and sighed in relief when he saw it hadn't been damaged.

"I wasn't talking about the pole," Alex's voice failed to hide his sheepish amusement.

Peter frowned in confusion, "What?"

"You're essentially vibrating with anxiety."

Of course you noticed, Peter thought. "Anyone ever tell you that you're insanely observant?"

"Some people say it's my super power," Alex shot him a goofy grin in an attempt to cheer him up.

Peter rolled his eyes good-naturedly at the jest, and he couldn't suppress the amused scoff that escaped him. He shouldn't have been surprised that Alex had noticed that he was on edge. The raven-haired boy had essentially been watching him like a hawk ever since the fire. Peter knew it was because Alex was scared, but didn't want to say anything. Every time Peter saw the subtle fear in his eyes, he felt guilty for making Alex worry so much. Peter wondered if it would've been better had Peter told him before Alex found him after the fire.

With the way that Alex was acting sometimes, Peter couldn't help but wonder if Alex called his buff about the gas stove explosion. Sometimes the older boy was hard to read, but Alex always had the ability to read people like a book, including Peter. Anyways, Peter didn't know why he was keeping the monster that attacked him close to his chest.

Green Goblin, Peter had dubbed him. Goblins are essentially tiny balls of rage, right? Not that this guy was small by any means, but he's green and looks like a goblin. So, Green Goblin it is.

Until someone called him out on it, Peter didn't have any plans to reveal what had happened. It wasn't that he had some sort of death wish, despite what others might think. It's just...He didn't want to raise any red flags until Peter had some answers of his own about who exactly this Green Goblin fellow was, and why he seemed to be after Peter's head.

Anyways, people are already worried about you as it is, Parker, Peter chided himself. No need to be selfish and give them a reason to be more worried about you than they already are.

"Worried about Ned?" Alex guessed gently, brining Peter out of his head once again.

Peter felt his hands clench by his side at the inquiry. "What gave it away?"

Alex studied him silently for a few seconds before saying, "I know you don't want to hear this, but you're going to have to confront him about it eventually."

"Are you suggesting I hate confrontation?"

Alex shook his head, "You know that I didn't mean it like that... It's just different when they're your friends."

Peter deflated as the words rang true. "I'm just not sure if I'm ready to face him yet. At least not today."

Alex bit his lip in thought before he asked, "Do you want me to walk you to your first class? It might deter him."

"You don't have to do that," Peter protested kindly. "You should meet up with your friends, I'll be okay."

Alex gave him a fond look, "Just take the offer as it stands, Pete. Don't be a tough guy, you don't have to do that, not around me."

Peter felt his heart warm at that and he nodded in agreement, his face showing his appreciation at the gesture.

When Peter walked up the front steps of Midtown High, Peter wanted more than anything to turn around and run away. He really missed the days where he was able to walk the halls of the school without feeling as if he had a pit of lead in his stomach. Nowadays, it seemed like his sixth sense was casting a spotlight on him so that the entire school could see every move he made. It didn't help that he was so tense from the events that had transpired last Friday. Part of him was afraid that people overheard what had happened and would just judge him for being a pathetically sad kid whose friends had stabbed him in the back.

To his dismay, that last part proved to be true. As he was walking to his locker with Alex by his side he kept hearing snippets of people's conversation that followed him through the halls.

"I heard he got to into a fight at the game last week..."

"Isn't he the quarterback's step-brother or something?"

"He got a couple of swings in too, such an asshole..."

"I saw him breakdown in the parking lot after, never seen someone cry so much, it was rather sad if you ask me..."

That last comment caused Peter's hand to clench and he felt the metal of his locker handle bend under his grip.

"Peter!" Alex's urgent voice whispered to him.

Peter flinched at the noise and immediately let go of the bent metal.

Alex's wide eyes looked at the metal, he took in Peter's tense shoulders and the crowd around him. He must've been able to connect the dots, because suddenly he scooted Peter over to open his locker and grab Peter's books for him before grabbing Peter by the elbow and moving him away from the crowd. Peter felt his cheeks flush in embarrassment as Alex more or less guided him towards his first class, but he couldn't find it in himself to care at that moment.

The hallway to Peter's first class was rather quiet in the back of the school, and with five minutes before the first bell, Peter took it as a breath of fresh air. When they pulled into a secluded corner, Alex handed Peter his books and Peter accepted them, his face hot.

"You okay?" Alex asked.

"Peachy," Peter returned as he stuffed to books in his bag.

"What were they saying?"

Peter shook his head in frustration, "Some dumb rumors about the game."

Alex's face hardened, "They don't know shit, dude, don't let that bother you."

"Doesn't change the fact that people staring is essentially like the sound of nails on a chalkboard," Peter grumbled.

Alex cringed in sympathy. "Senses, right... Not used to that."

Peter shook his head, "Don't worry about it, I'll be fine."

A few seconds later the first bell rang, signifying the start of the school day. Alex readjusted the strap of his backpack that was slung across his shoulder, "Will you be alright?"

Peter nodded, "I'll survive. I've been through worse right?"

Alex shot Peter an unamused expression and Peter smiled sheepishly.

"I'll be fine," Peter promised.

Alex still looked uncertain at that and said, "If you need me for anything just call, alright?"

"And have you skip class?" Peter raised an eyebrow at him.

Alex smirked, "Best part about being the teacher's pet, right?"

That got a genuine chuckle out of Peter, "Go before you're late."

Alex clapped him on the shoulder as a farewell and Peter watched as the raven-haired boy disappeared into the crowd that was quickly filling the halls. As soon as Alex's back disappeared behind the corner, Peter walked into to his first class of the day and made his way to the back of the classroom without a second thought. The first class went by relatively fast with the sixty minute block being filled with a lecture on Shakespeare's MacBeth that Peter couldn't care less about. However, he forced himself to pay attention to the lecture, as it kept his senses focused on one thing instead of every other small sound in the room.

However, when Peter got to his second class, he wished the floor would just swallow him whole. This was the first class he shared with Ned for the day and of course they sat next to one another. Instead of going to his usual spot, Peter sat down in the back of the room once more and pulled out his calculus book and a notebook. He could tell the exact moment that Ned walked into the room and Peter made it seem like he was busy looking over today's content in an attempt to avoid any conversation with him.

He should've known Ned wouldn't give up without trying, it was what Peter had always admired about him. It was what made him a good person to have in his corner whenever he was out being Spider-Man.

"Hey, Pete," Ned's quiet voice echoed beside him.

Peter had to bite his lip to stop himself from returning the instinctual greeting.

"How come you're sitting all the way back here? I thought your biggest pet peeve was sitting in the back of classrooms," Ned tried to joke.

Peter just continued writing down some notes on the content for today and didn't spare Ned a glance. Part of him knew he was being a jerk and he hated the guilty feeling that came along with it, he just wasn't sure if he was ready to face the conversation the two of them would inevitably have to have. Also, this was not the place that Peter wanted to have that type of conversation.

"Come on, Peter, I'm really trying here," Ned sounded pained.

"Trying to do what?" Peter finally asked.

"I just wanted to talk," Ned couldn't keep the pleading tone out of his voice.

"And can't you see that I don't want to talk?" Peter kept his voice neutral but he could see Ned flinching out of the corner of his peripheral vision.

"I'm really sorry," Ned apologized.

"Sorry doesn't take away the hurt, Ned," Peter replied. "But who am I to judge, huh? It's not like I just cried my eyes out after I lost one of my closest friends besides you. It's not like I lied to my best friend about something that was unfairly ripped away from him."

"Don't be unfair, dude," Ned's voice was getting harsh. "What can I do to make this right?"

"How about you take the hint and leave me alone?" Peter finally looked up at him.

Peter wanted to kick himself when he saw Ned's face crumble at that, and he knew he'd regret that later, but he just wasn't ready to talk to Ned about this. The tardy bell rang and Ned quickly walked to their usual row a few rows up and sat down, granting Peter's wish of being left alone to his own devices. Despite looking down at his notebook the entire block, he could feel Ned's gaze on him periodically throughout the class. As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Peter bolted out of the room despite Ned calling his name in another attempt to gain his attention.

When Peter sat down at the lunch table that afternoon, he dug through his backpack in an attempt to find the noise cancelling headphones that Tony had built him before the Snap. When he couldn't find them, Peter wanted to just let out a cry of frustration. Everywhere he went, he couldn't escape the stares of people watching his every movement, the whispers of the rumors from the game echoing around him. He knew that high school kids were cruel in the rumors they created, and it's not the first that Peter's been dragged into them, but it didn't mean he didn't despise it.

To his surprise, he wished that Alex had shared his lunch period, he was the main person that Peter found himself gravitating towards nowadays. When Peter first met Alex, he thought their polar opposite personalities would've kept them apart, but Alex had strived to prove him wrong and he had succeeded in his goal.

He called you his brother, Peter told himself. Isn't that what I've always wanted for as long as I could remember? So why am I so scared to accept it for what it is? He knew that answer before he finished that thought. Every person that Peter let into his life had either been forcibly ripped away from him, or they had eventually moved on once they tired of him. Peter was afraid of letting Alex get too close because Peter didn't think he could handle it if the older boy got ripped away from him too.

"Alone today?"

Peter glanced up from his packed lunch when he saw Harry come to sit across from him. "Hey, Harry," He greeted gloomily.

"You're quite the hotspot today, did you know that?" Harry wondered as he took a bite from his apple. "They're making up the stupidest stories."

"Trust me, I've noticed," Peter grumbled bitterly.

"Seems to me that someone is also in a cranky mood," Harry observed. He was quiet for a moment before he said, "Spill it, Pete, you're being doom and gloom."

"Just wish that people would mind their own business," Peter returned, but then his eyes widened. "I wasn't talking about you, I just mean every other person in this school. Well, I mean besides Alex too, but..."

Harry chuckled and raised up his free hand. "I got the gist, dude, it's chill."

"I'm sorry, it's just been a pretty bad morning." Peter apologized and his eyes scanned his surroundings. It took a just a second for Peter to find Ned sitting alone in the far corner of the cafeteria, playing with the food on his plate with a dejected look on his face. Part of him wanted to go over and pull Ned into a hug and forgive him, but his feet felt glued to where he sat.

I never wanted to hurt him, but isn't that what he did to me? Peter wondered sadly.

Harry turned around to follow his gaze and he let out a sigh before looking at Peter uncertainly. "Don't you think you're being too hard on him?"

Peter's eyes flickered over to meet Harry's gaze. "I don't know. What he did really sucked, but we've never... It doesn't feel right, but I can't find it in myself to do anything about it right now."

"He made a mistake, Peter," Harry protested. "He's your best friend..."

"So was MJ," Peter's eyes sank back to focus on his half eaten sandwich. "What they did..."

"What they did was wrong, and they could've handled it differently," Harry agreed. "But you have to look at it from his point of view too. MJ wasn't friends with just only you, she was his friend too."

"Don't you think I know that?" Peter shot him a pained look. "It's not about that. Okay, maybe it is a little bit about that, but he intentionally hurt me."

"It's a rough situation all around, Pete," Harry corrected him.

Peter's shoulders slumped, "I just need a few days. I think that'd be best for both of us anyway."

"Look, I'm not fond of being caught in the middle of this, he's become my friend too," Harry admitted. "But I get it. If you don't fix this I will slap you upside the head, though, don't think I wouldn't. You don't just toss aside that kind of friendship over one bump in the road."

No matter what type of relationship, there is always going to be bumps along the uneven path, Uncle Ben's words echoed in his mind. It's the way you handle the bumps that will either shatter what's been built or a create stronger new foundation from the imperfections.

Before Peter could respond, his phone buzzed and the notification from the lock screen showed that it was Tony.

T: You available to stop by the compound after school? Got a surprise for you.

A spark of curiosity ignited in Peter at those words.

P: What kind of a surprise?

T: A surprise that wouldn't be a surprise if I told you what said surprise is.

Peter rolled his eyes at the response.

P: I'll swing by.

T: Do I need to make you virtually promise it?

P: Don't be such a pessimist, I'll be there. Unless you want me to solemnly swear that I'm up to no good.

T: Did you just quote Harry Potter at me?

P: So I guess you finally got over yourself and watched the films?

T: Someone once told me that I was being culturally deprived of the cinematic masterpiece that was Harry Potter.

P: I'll be there, I promise.

"Who you talking to?" Harry wondered.

Peter's head shot up, he had almost forgotten where he was. "Oh, sorry, that was nothing."

Harry raised a disbelieving eyebrow at the reply. "If it was nothing, I'm guessing that's a cover for someone at Stark Industries contacting you."

Right... You know, Peter reminded himself. "Okay, fine, yeah it was Tony."

"You're on first name basis with a billionaire. Gotta say, that's pretty impressive," Harry admitted. "I'm jealous."

"Considering you believe me, I'm taking it as a win," Peter replied.

Harry looked genuinely shocked at that, "There are people that don't believe you?"

Peter shrugged, "There was a guy that was here before the Snap, he always hounded me about being an attention seeking loser who used the Stark Internship as a way to seem cool."

Harry's eyes darkened, "He's lucky I wasn't there to see it."

Peter couldn't fight the smile at that, "No, I'd pity him if he got on your bad side."

"So, are you going to tell me how you got such an amazing opportunity."

"It was a contest," Peter easily fell into his back up story. "I guess SI needed the publicity so they started this essay contest, of all things. I went ahead and tried it, I had nothing to lose and I figured it'd be a good opportunity. I guess I just happened to be that one in a million."

"And now your Tony Stark's personal intern?" Harry whistled. "Geez, dude, you're leaving little room for competition."

"It's nothing special," Peter brushed it off. "I work the lab with him sometimes, just doing some small little projects."

"Have you ever worked on his suits?"

Peter shook his head, "Oh god no, he doesn't let anyone else touch his suits."

"Have you ever tried?"

Peter frowned at that, "I don't have a death wish."

Harry immediately looked chastised, "That's a fair point. Leave it to Tony to rig his suits for security reasons."

"Anyways, he was just asking me to stop by after school," Peter told him. "We need to finish some project for one of his board meetings next week."

"Well, guess it goes to show you have the best job on the entire planet," Harry grinned.

They fell into easy conversation until the bell rang to finish lunch. As he was leaving the lunch room he saw Ned's gaze wander over to him, but the shorter boy immediately looked away with a sad expression and if Peter looked close enough he could've sworn he saw tears in Ned's eyes.

Way to be a total dick, Parker, Peter felt guilty. Why is it that I feel hurt, but I still feel guilty that the person who hurt me is hurting because of me?

The cool air of the September afternoon blew across his face as Peter swung past the skyscrapers, feeling at ease as the ground and buildings flew past him. The new suit that Tony had built him fit snugly around him, and it almost felt as if it had molded itself to his skin to the point where he and the suit were one entire being.

He had hoped that being in the sky would clear his mind of Ned's heartbroken expression that seemed to have embedded itself into Peter's brain. He felt awful to see the shorter boy so hurt at Peter's actions, but at the same time Peter knew it showed Ned how he had felt when he learned of him and MJ sneaking around behind Peter's back. He knew it was selfish, but Peter couldn't help the resentment that resided in a small part of his heart. However, he didn't know what was right, or who was in the wrong. Maybe they both were in the wrong, but thinking about it hurt Peter's brain too much.

He made it halfway through his journey before KAREN's voice announced, "Peter, you have an incoming call from Alex Andrews."

Peter didn't miss the small wave of giddiness he felt at hearing the name. "Answer it, KAREN... Hello?"

"Hey! Where are you? I couldn't find you after school and figured maybe you beat me home, but you're not here." Alex tried to hide the worry from his voice.

Peter winced at his slip up. "I'm so sorry... Tony texted me and asked me to stop by the compound after school. I told May, but I guess I'm just not used to... well..."

He heard Alex sigh in relief. "Thank god. Okay, no it's fine."

"I really am sorry," Peter felt guilty. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

"Worried? I'm not worried."

Peter scoffed in amusement at the obvious lie. "You were totally worried, don't deny it."

"Okay, maybe I was a little worried... Guess that answered the question as to why you weren't answering any of my texts," Alex jested half-heartedly.

"May's always on me about texting and swinging," Peter returned easily. "Especially after almost being pecked to death by a bird. I never heard the end of it from her."

"Will you be home tonight?" Alex wondered.

"Should be," Peter replied. "It's a school night after all."

"Well, just be safe alright?"

Peter smiled to himself at the evident caring tone in the older boy's voice. "I'll let you know when I get there if it makes you feel better."

"Am I that obvious?"

"Hey, you just found out that someone close to you is a masked vigilante," Peter pointed out. "I'd be more worried if you weren't obvious about it."

"You're such a doofus."

"Takes one to know one."

"Get off the phone now, you lunatic."

Peter chuckled, "Bye, Alex."

The rest of the journey to the compound passed by in a blur to Peter, going more on instinct than anything else. He was genuinely curious as to what Tony meant when he said he had a surprise for Peter. The billionaire rarely had surprises for him in the past, so the fact that Tony actually went out of his way to do something other than build him a suit meant more to him than he wanted to admit.

Don't get ahead of yourself, Peter warned himself.

Peter spotted Tony waiting for him by the entrance of the Avenger's Compound and his interested peaked further. The only way Tony would've know when to meet Peter is if FRIDAY was keeping a direct eye on anyone entering the compound's grounds.

"About time, did you stop for ice cream or something?" Tony asked as Peter landed a few feet in front of him.

"Tempting, but no," Peter replied as he followed Tony inside and took off his mask. "So what's this surprise you have waiting for me?"

"Straight to the point without a hello," Tony was amused. "I see where your priorities lay."

"What can I say? Surprises are exciting," Peter took off his backpack and placed it on the kitchen counter in passing. "I'm just gonna grab a few protein bars, I'm starving."

"Since when are you not hungry?" Tony leaned against the doorway, but he couldn't keep the fond expression that was subtly breaking through his poker face.

Peter didn't indulge an answer for that question and instead grabbed two of his protein bars before he followed Tony back out of the kitchen and across the ground floor.

"Why are we heading towards the gym?" Peter wondered.

"If you be patient, you'll find out," Tony told him.

Peter busied himself with the protein bars as he followed Tony towards the gym. He had been to the compound's gym several times and he couldn't fathom what surprise Tony could have waiting for him there. His questions were quickly answered when they entered the room directly across from the gym and Peter froze in the doorway at what he saw.

I'm in the Avenger's training room, Peter's brain short circuited as he saw several obstacles that lined the floor with makeshift balconies that were evidently used for landing platforms and archery hotspots.

What caught Peter's eyes, however, was the mannequin wall to the left of the doorway that held all of the Avenger's suits when they weren't in use. Each mannequin held a hologram name tag in the center of the hole in the wall in which the mannequins stood. There was an empty mannequin that lingered at the end of the hall and when Peter approached it, he saw the words "Spider-Man" floating in the center and he felt his heart skipped a beat.

He looked at Tony with a dumbstruck expression on his face. "What is this?"

Tony crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow. "Thought it would be pretty obvious for a smart kid like you."

Oh my god, Peter echoed in astonishment. "Wait, seriously? Please tell me you're serious... Are you serious?"

There was a fond spark in Tony's eyes, "Yeah, kid."

"This is happening?" Peter still couldn't believe it.

"I talked with Steve and Natasha and they helped put together a training regimen for you," Tony revealed. "It's way overdue, but you've more than proven yourself for this, kid. I'm sorry that I was the one that was holding you back."

"But, why now?"

"I know you've been through hell and back, and I know I haven't exactly been there when you needed me," Tony began.

"So you're doing it out of guilt? Not because you think I'm ready for it?" Peter was hurt at that.

"No, I'm not doing out of guilt," Tony shook his head. "And you've more than proved you're ready. Anyways, you mentioned before that you haven't had a chance to really test out those new webs of yours right? What better way to learn what you can do than to do some good old fashioned training?"

Peter felt a wave of genuine happiness wash over him and walked over to Tony and hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

Tony returned the embrace and tucked Peter's head under his chin, as if it was done by pure instinct. "No thanks needed here, Pete. You deserve it."

Peter pulled away and grinned, "So when do I start?"

Was it good? Was it bad? Feel free to let me know!