Chapter two a bit more meat on it. My early chapters will likely find focus on one character and what their dealing with. Primary plans are to go back and forth between Peter and Tony but if the muse strikes, another will be added in.

"So? Anything crazy?"

"Ned."

"I mean…I didn't see any chatter so I'm thinking it was a quiet night?"

A little more forceful, "Ned."

"Yeah probably just an easy patrol, with the usual baddies right?" The larger teen simply continued his one-sided conversation until Peter stopped, blinking Ned Leeds paused as well and looked to him sheepishly.

Peter for his part, glanced around as if trying to say 'Look Ned. Look. Do you realize we're in a crowded hallway right now?' "Sorry..." Ned offered with a shrug and a smile, of course he was instantly forgiven by his best friend.

"It was a slow night." There, he didn't purposefully hold things back, sometimes he just felt that Ned didn't take this as seriously as he ought to. To be fair, Pete had also not taken things as seriously at one point. He'd Vlogged his trip to Germany, that was reckless in so many ways. After the Vulture…after getting the suit back, learning more about the Accords…Pete felt a bigger weight on his shoulders.

He was the friendly neighborhood Spiderman…who was aware of how wicked the world could be just outside his corner of it. Thankfully, Mr. Stark had that well in hand. Yes, Peter wanted to be an Avenger, he wanted to be in the big leagues, to meet them all (off the battlefield this time)…but he'd gotten a good dose of reality. Having a building collapsed on you, intentionally, by your classmate's dad had a sobering effect.

He was distracted from his inner thoughts as Ned nudged him, "So…wanna hang out tonight?"

Peter smiled and nodded, "Yeah." He was Spiderman often enough, but Ned kept him grounded. After the whole Vulture incident, and after passing Mr. Stark's Avengers test, Peter had looked to his best friend to help him stay on the straight and narrow. To balance the two sides of his persona and Ned did a good job of that. Happy had given him more freedom- not requiring a call after every patrol (then again Pete was pretty sure he had hated those 2am calls to begin with). After all, with Iron Man telling him what a good job he'd done; he'd earned a bit of freedom. Mr. Stark still had tons of protocols in place, all built into the suit, but Peter was trusted a bit more. In a way he'd proved himself. He was expected to call if anything crazy like the Vulture happened again, anything more than his typical neighborhood stuff and he'd also been warned that if he didn't call, and got in over his head, there would be hell to pay. Tony wouldn't make the mistake of taking away the suit again, but he had threatened far more worse things- like turning it pink. Or making the webs taste like cotton candy.

Pete was happy to report there had been no 'Happy call worthy' event in weeks. He was pretty sure Happy was, well, happy about that too.

"Sup losers." MJ commented, letting herself into the conversation, "You weren't planning on skipping today where you?" Ned looked worried. MJ could be rather intimidating.

"No, we'll hang out after practice." Pete answered easily, Ned nodding in agreement.

MJ finished off the motion with a nod, "Come on Pete." Was stated simply, she and Peter had next period together, so they could walk there, Ned was due to be on the other side of the building and the warning bell sounded. He excused himself and Pete smiled as he watched his friend rush off before walking in comfortable silence to class.

Class was normal, Peter half paid attention to the teacher- like any self-respecting teenager. He was a little less successful at ignoring Flash who made his comments and hit him with more than one crumpled piece of paper. Only a scathing look from MJ when one of the papers bounced off Pete and landed close enough to draw her attention, had Flash settling down.

Peter wasn't exactly thrilled she'd come to his rescue but at least he could go back to day dreaming for the rest of the lecture between working on the homework problems he was sure they'd be assigned. The less work he had to do after school hours the more time he had to patrol, or hang out with Ned, whatever the case may be.

It was math, calculus to be exact and Mr. Simmons always did the same thing with only slightly variances. He never assigned more than twenty problems, either all the even, or all the odd from the given section or chapter. Pete would do both and turn in which ever set ended up being assigned. It was how he handled most of his classes. Occasionally he and Ned would get side tracked and wind up having homework or a project but mostly he did as much as he could during the day.

The bell rang and signaled the start of the ever-anticipated lunch rush. Peter had mixed feelings about it. Lunch would be a chance to hang out with Ned- they didn't have as many classes together this semester, but it would also be a time to catch up on first period English work, how he loathed it. At the same time, it seemed Flash was a bit frustrated that MJ had literally stared him down in math and was hell bent on taking it out on Peter. He'd been shoved no less than four times by the other teen in the short walk from classroom to locker to lunch hall. Each time his spidey sense alerted him before contact was made and each time he had to ignore the helpful warning. Oh how he wanted to just duck or dodge, Flash would tumble with shock on his face. Peter could only imagine it in his head and instead stayed in the path of every shove.

"Come on Parker. Stop being so clumsy." Really? Was that the best Flash could do? Seriously? Peter inwardly counted to ten even though it was unnecessary…And for that matter who actually counted it? He was pretty sure people just thought about the phrase and tried to calm down. Another shove. "Out of the way Penis Parker." He did just that, hoping the storm that was Flash would simply blow on by.

A moment later he was joined by Ned, "You should just string him up, just once." That brought a smile back to Pete's features as he shook his head, a glance to Ned showed his friend was just joking, they knew how important it was for Peter to keep his alter ego a secret. "Come on." This time it was Ned who nudged him, "It's pizza day." And his best friend had never moved so quick.

Lunch was a loud and social affair. They might be teens in one of the most highly rated schools for science and technology, but they were still teens and there were still social circles and gossip to catch up on.

"So…I was thinking." Ned offered, "Maybe tonight we'd just chill out, see if my mom will order a pizza and maybe finish Portal 2?"

Peter blinked, "Ned…We're eating pizza now." He felt the need to point that out, with a gesture and everything.

"Yeah…I know, but like, different pizza later." The young hero decided that was good enough logic for him. As for the game Peter was dreading it. He'd beat the solo campaign but trying to beat the co-op was proving to be a nightmare. They were two smart guys, Ned was his guy in the chair even! How was this game so impossible?

The rest of the lunch hour was spent doing nothing of merit, nothing memorable. It was just like every other lunch. If only he'd known how random the universe would be, perhaps he would have treated this day differently, cherished it more? No that was silly, it was just school lunch.

At the bell they stood up carrying trays to the garbage to dump whatever wrappers and left-over bits remained before stacking them on the counter nearby. A quick stop to their lockers allowed them both to grab books for physics, a class both teens shared together and thankfully so. They had several projects throughout the semester and had been allowed to pair up each time so far. Physics class, taught by Miss Johnson, was hands down Pete's favorite classes, she was younger than most of the teachers and related to their generation better. She made learning as hands on as possible but today was a lecture day. She let them know up front. This usually happened every other week or so where there was just no way she could scrape out an activity to make the learning any less grueling. At least she was honest about it when class started.

About five minutes before the bell and his mind was numb. His thoughts had wandered more than once, and he knew he'd have to study at some point to soak in whatever it was Miss Johnson had tried to teach them. Roughly five minutes before the bell a simple knock came on the door before the principle let himself in. The sound of shifting chairs got his attention as everyone sat a little straighter, if only because their interest was piqued. The older man walked over, whispering something quick that only Miss Johnson and Peter Parker heard. He tensed before she motioned, "Mr. Parker, take your things." He'd been summoned by the principle, who had personally walked here to get him.

Ned was shooting him worried looks, looks that wondered if Peter knew what this was about. He gave a shrug as he stood, sliding his book off the desk and into his backpack. He honestly had no idea what this was about, and his thoughts instantly went to every what if he could think about. What if someone knew? What if someone found out? Had he been careless? Was he spotted without his mask? Had someone recognized his voice? Everything circled around Spiderman and had he not been so instantly panicked he might have thanked the stars Flash didn't share this class- he was sure the other would have some sarcastic taunt about the situation.

The moment they were out the door he hazarded a glance up, "Sir?" He wondered, falling in step as the man led the way.

"You're not in trouble son." Was offered, but the words felt heavy somehow. If they were meant to bring him comfort they didn't. His stomach felt heavy and light all at once. He tried to be rational. This couldn't be about Spiderman. He'd been careful, he was pretty sure if his identity had leaked Mr. Stark would have reached out, or Happy at the very least. That meant it was something school related, but what? He hadn't cheated. He hadn't been late- well no more than the average teen right? He hadn't skipped, hadn't responded to Flash's constant bullying. What could possibly warrant this?

The walk to the principal's office was daunting but short and later Peter would wish it had gone on longer, that life could be…that it could just be, the way it was, a little longer.

Instead he was guided in, frowning and freezing in the doorway. There was a woman he didn't know, seated in one of the two chairs in front of the desk, and a uniformed officer standing behind her. His backpack was slung over his shoulder and his hand tightened around the strap. He wanted to go no further, thoughts instantly going back to his alter ego with the cop's presence but a gentle nudge from the principal had him stepping inside. The door slowly closed as the man moved around the desk to take a seat, making a motion for Peter to take the empty chair but he couldn't move, rooted to his spot. "Peter." The unfamiliar woman stated, pushing the empty chair just an inch towards him, "Why don't you take a seat?"

The world went cold. If anyone ever asked, Peter wouldn't be able to explain, but he knew. Something about this…perhaps it was faint memories from when his parents had died. Perhaps it was from hearing Aunt May tell him what he already knew about Uncle Ben. It wasn't just the phrase, but something in the way it was said. "I'll stand." His voice sounded far more confident than he felt, in fact he was certain that he'd collapse if he tried to take a seat.

"Mr. Parker, please, sit." The principal suggested and Peter shook his head with a half step back.

"Come on kid." The officer stated, his Brooklyn accident thick as hands moved away from where they'd rested on his utility belt and he took a step towards the teen. Peter lurched backwards instinctively, perhaps a little too quickly but given the situation none of the adults were focused on that. No, the news they had to deliver distracted them from seeing anything abnormal in his movements.

"No. No. Where is May?" He questioned, gaze flickering between the three of him. If he was in some sort of trouble warranting the police, "Where is my Aunt?!" His voice climbed higher in his panic. Here he was, Spiderman- he'd actually stolen Captain America's shield and yet he was practically screeching questions.

The woman, whoever she was, had navigated tough situations before and didn't even flinch. "Your Aunt has been in an accident." And somehow, despite having been backing away from the trio, a moment later Peter's rear hit the seat. So much of it was drowned out. He had that buzzing in his ears, that ringing sound that happened sometimes. He'd like to blame it on his heightened senses being dialed up but he knew that had nothing to do about it. His mouth was dry, a bottle of water was offered out but even the act of drinking it seemed to be a challenge at the moment. Giving up after a sip he set it down on the corner of the desk, too scared he'd crush it in his grip. So many things were being said and yet, three little works summed it up, each one innocent on its own and yet together, something that tore him down in every way.

May was gone.

There were details, she'd been struck, hit her head, gone instantly. Someone commented that she hadn't suffered. The cop maybe? What did he know? She was dead. Dead meant suffering, he was pretty sure getting hit by a motorcycle would hurt. What did it matter? Was that meant to make him feel better somehow?

She was gone. She was gone and he didn't get to say good bye. Didn't get to text her and see if he could go over Neds tonight. He never would again. At some point his head was bowed, someone was rubbing his back. How'd he get in this position? His head was swimming, someone was telling him to take deep breaths. Those were the only blessed moments that were out of focus for him. Movies and books liked to romanticize times like this, make them all a blur for the purpose of glossing over the sad part- but that simply didn't happen. He sucked in air, returned oxygen to his system and every moment was in hyper focus.

She was from social services. He was the cop on duty who'd responded to the call. May was already gone. There was no plug that needed to be pulled, no identification to made. Someone would per state requirement but apparently that need not be him. He was questioned, confirmation that his parents were in fact dead, that his uncle was dead. Did he have any other living relatives? They'd realized none and he simply confirmed it.

His address was confirmed with a nod and the next steps were explained. She was going to take him home, he was going to pack some personal effects. She was going to take him somewhere. Somewhere until the funeral. There was no argument, he shuffled out after a few sympathetic words from the principal. The cop would walk them out but apparently, he'd go his separate way then getting back into his patrol car. Was he there out of respect, having been on the scene? Or just there to make sure Peter didn't cause a scene?

He was motioned to the front of a newer Ford Fusion, the color some sort of burnt red, not at all any sort of pleasing shade. He'd sit, buckle in when ordered, hugging his backpack to his chest. Funny, the city traffic seemed to part for them, it took jokingly little time to reach their apartment. He didn't mind, the would be soothing music she'd put on was grating his last nerves. She got out of the car first- she didn't have a name, she did but Peter didn't care to know it. She was leading the way but letting him guide them, his hand shaking as he produced the key needed to gain them entry.

"What?" He blinked at her.

"I asked if you had a suitcase." Her tone was polite, caring even, but there was something to it. This was her job. This is what she did for a living, that didn't make her evil, but it did make her unable to truly relate. This is what she dealt with daily so in a way, she'd grown numb to it. Peter assumed she'd have to, to keep doing this.

He nodded then, moving to the hall closet, it took a minute to free the piece of luggage from behind heavy winter coats but soon enough the suitcase was pulled free. It was the one Happy had bought him when Peter had admitted to not owning one. He and May never traveled.

"Pack your toiletries, clothing." She instructed but also guided. The bathroom was first, for the things he'd need, then they moved to his bedroom. She walked him through it. Socks, underwear, shirts, pants, pajamas. A few of each, little more would fit. Funny, she didn't tell him to pack his suit. His suit, eyes widened. She was here, with him, he hadn't been left alone or unattended and she certainly didn't appear to be going anywhere. It was a moment of panic. He wasn't thinking of being Spiderman, emotions were too raw, but the suit, the suit was a comfort, was a persona he could wear, confidence to be had. There was also fear. She was taking him away, what if he couldn't come back? What if someone else found it?

"I-I need a minute." He gave, voice sounding rough.

She nodded simply, "of course." But barely moved an inch, simply pausing in her listing of things for him to pack.

"Alone." He clarified with a glance to her. "I need a minute, alone." She seemed to consider for a moment before nodding and stepping out, his enhanced hearing waiting to hear her making it to the living room. In a flash he had the suit out from his ceiling and buried as best he could in his suitcase. After he took a moment to breath before carrying on, a few personal items were added, along with his laptop on top, then the suitcase was zipped shut as he headed out to meet her. Her expression was clouded. Clearly she'd meant to see what all went inside, from a logical standpoint Peter couldn't blame her. What weapons or drugs could distraught teens hide? What multi-million dollar suits with advanced AI and weapons tech?

She gave him an appraising look and he dutifully lowered his gaze. See? He wasn't a threat. Please, he wanted to go. There was no need to drag him away, he completely and entirely avoided May's room. He didn't want to be here. "Alright Peter." She stated, partly to herself, having decided to not go through his suitcase here and now. "We can go." The 'when you're ready' was left hanging in the air. He drew in a breath but didn't change his mind, nodding as he headed for the door.

Back in the car they went. She was telling him that he was going to stay in a temporary home, just for a few days or weeks until more permanent placement could be found. His phone buzzed in his pocket for the twenty eighth time- he'd been counting, what with being hyper aware and all. He finally pulled it out, only then did his vision blur as tears filled his eyes and he struggled to keep his breathing from reducing to choked sobs. Ned. All of Ned's worried messages. The woman glanced over but didn't comment, allowed him as much dignity as possible.

After several moments he was able to send the simple message that had cracked his foundation. "May is gone." He couldn't handle anything more and turned the phone face down after that. The buzzing continued, more than before but he couldn't. The rest of the car ride was spent glancing out the window to try and not let her see as he broke down, and to try and keep from crushing the cell phone he held.