So...I forgot to post this on Friday. My bad. But better late then never.
This chapter is from Ned's prospective and I will be honest, I have not seen all the Spider-man movies and don't have as great a feel for the characters. Still, I think I'm close enough.
BTW, not all the chapters are in chronological order. So far they basically have been but the next few I think skip around. Just wanted to give a heads up on that.
Part 3- Ned
"Does anyone else think some of these people look familiar?" Flash asked the group.
Ned tried to act like he had no idea what the other teen was talking about. Stopping just short of purposeful 'nonchalant' whistling. He'd already done a considerable job of not fanboying over the known superheroes walking around him. If Flash started questioning him about it, he wasn't sure he would be able to withstand the interrogation.
He'd begged Peter not to invite them to the graduation ceremony, but he did. Sure, they were like family, but did his friend have no consideration for Ned's poor heart.
MJ and the others glanced around, but none seemed to catch onto what Flash was implying. "Parker's got a lot of old people friends, what of it?" Brad replied dismissively.
"It's just," Flash eyed the 6'3 blonde Asgardian god walking past them suspiciously. "I can't stop feeling like I've seen some of these people before. No one else finds this all weird?"
MJ shrugged, "Peter had that internship at Stark Enterprises he probably met a lot of them there."
Brad smirked when he saw the leggy blue alien woman, in the lavender romper with the past plunging v-neckline, in the crowd. "Yeah like Parker's smoking hot alien girlfriend."
All their eyes were drawn to the statuesque woman. She'd been glaring at anyone who glanced her way. MJ had been the one to state how hot it was, every guy at the table agreeing instantly. The glare turned into a bright smile as a little girl parted through the mingling adults and leapt into her arms. Nebula's arms received the spirited girl with ease. Ned couldn't hear them, but he saw their bodies move with unheard giggling. Their joy was soon broken by a swooping Peter. He came in and snagged the girl out of Nebula's arms, swinging her onto his back as he ran around with her. Nebula's squawk of indignation only made the other two laugh harder. She wasted only a few seconds pouting before she was after them like a terminator. A hot sexy terminator with swords.
"Yeah, that is weird actually. Parker has zero game," MJ said.
Ned snorted as MJ's words pulled him from his daydream of a leather jacket wearing Nebula telling a trembling Peter 'come with me if you want to live' in a bad Austrian accent.
He quickly coughed to cover his gaff.
Having actually met Nebula he knew no game was necessary. She wouldn't understand a pick-up line if it smacked her in the face.
Nope his friend hadn't needed "game" to get Nebula. He'd just needed to be himself. The scary woman just needed someone she could trust and that wasn't afraid of her. Peter was good enough to be the first and just crazy enough to be the second.
Not much later, Ned noticed Nebula walking towards them with Morgan in her arms, Peter no longer in sight.
"Ned," she addressed him. "Aunt May would like pictures of Peter and his friends. Come now." Morgan pocked her chin. Nebula huffed but then added a, "Please."
She eyed his classmates and jutted her chin towards MJ. "And that one. I have heard Peter mention her. She must also come."
Ned looked at his uncharacteristically silent friend, wondering where her acerbic comment was. MJ was watching Nebula with wide eyes and her mouth dropped open.
He elbowed her and she seemed to come out of her daze a little.
"MJ this is Nebula and Morgan. Nebula, Morgan this is MJ."
"Hi," Morgan called out sweetly and stared at Nebula expectantly.
"Hello."
"Ahh, hi."
"What about us? We're Parker's friends." Flash managed to tear his eyes away from Nebula's ass long enough to say.
Nebula turned on him. Her eyes raked over him calculatingly. "What is your designation?"
With a cocky smirk, "Flash."
Nebula nodded, "I have heard of you." Flash looked surprised and pleased. "I have been informed that you are what is known as a 'bully'." Nebula advanced towards Flash, the action made no less threatening by the little girl in her arms, who was watching everything with a grin. "And that you are Peter's high school nemesis."
Ned may have shared the information with her during a Back to the Future marathon night, where he was explaining the Biff/ McFly dynamics. Peter had to keep her from charging out the door and hunting down Flash once he'd explained it to her. Ned had encouraged her, on the other hand.
Flash attempted to stutter out a defense in the face of Nebula's cold stare.
"Peter has forbidden me from killing you. But there are many painful things I could do to you that would not kill you. In the future you would do well to remember that during your interactions with Peter."
Flash was completely paralyzed with fear. Even unable to breath.
Morgan pulled at Nebula's collar. Nebula's eyes flicked to her before returning to Flash's. "Please," she added in the same unforgiving tone.
When Flash nodded, she turned on her heel and spoke to himself and MJ, "If you two do not arrive for pictures in the next five minutes I will return, and you will not like what I do."
"That means Auntie Blue will use her swords. Sometimes it means guns, but Mommy wouldn't let her bring any."
Nebula's eyes shifted guiltily. Ned figured that meant she had at least two on her.
His classmates straightened and looked at her concernedly.
"I would not waste the bullets," Nebula scoffed before turning on her heel and stomping away.
Morgan called, "Four minutes, 24 seconds," over her shoulder.
Ned and MJ looked at each other before hurriedly following them.
Peter took one look at their petrified faces and turned on Nebula. "What did you say to them?"
She seemed to blush a deeper shade of blue and looked contrite. "I merely informed them that their presences had been requested for commemorative photographs."
"Then why do they look scared?" Nebula shrugged. Peter turned to Morgan who shrugged innocently as well. When he looked towards his friends with a raised eyebrow, they remained silent.
"So, pictures?" Ned questioned to break the stalemate, between the suspicious Peter and faux innocent Nebula. Peter huffed but pulled them towards his aunt.
When Ned looked back, he saw Morgan and Nebula smiling brightly at one another before she kissed the girl on the head and set her on the ground. Ned saw Peter's own turned head out of the corner of his eye and the peaceful smile he wore.
"Your girlfriend's super-hot, Parker."
Eyeing MJ untrustworthily, "Thanks, Michelle."
"So, is it like a serious thing or what?"
Ned snorted and placed an arm around both his friends.