A Bird Without Wings (Discontinued)

I've got a long, long way to go (Before I can say goodbye)

He hated school.

The teachers always introduced him weirdly.

'Class, this is Peter, he can't hear, and he'll be joining us! Isn't that fun? I hope you all will welcome him.'

Okay, so maybe it wasn't quite like that.

But still.

The classes were boring.

Not that the material was boring, but that he had already done it.

The students were horrible, always laughing, and poking fun at his hearing aids.

He had never had a single friend.

So he hated school.

Until his very first day at Midtown.

The principal was nice, or he seemed that way.

He didn't look at Peter weirdly, and he didn't talk about him like he had a disability.

The teachers were the same.

Gentle, but firm, giving no pity, and introducing him normally.

The students there were kinder, and suddenly he had his first friend.

"Hey."

The whisper came from the desk behind him.

"Hey. Psst. New kid. Peter."

When he turned around, a boy was grinning at him shyly. "Hey. I'm Ned. Wanna sit with me at lunch?"

And so their new friendship was born.

They both loved legos. They both loved superheroes. The introduced each other to different foods, and Ned educated him on the 'best music ever' in his friend's words.

Them the impossible happened.

They were told their school had won permission to take a tour of Osborn labs.

Their nerdy little hearts exploded with joy, and they took their permission slips back home.

Although very hesitant about letting him go, Tony did sign the paper.

When the day came, he could barely eat, taking a few bites of cereal before bounding off to his room to get ready.

"Dad! Where's my phone?"

Minutes after he yelled the question through his door, it opened, and his dad tossed the phone in the bed.

"Thanks! You're a lifesaver!"

Tony waved his hand in front of Peter's face to get his attention.

When he looked up, Tony lifted his hands to sign. 'Where's your aids?"

Peter hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the desk.

'Put them on, kiddo.'

With a slightly chagrined face, the fourteen year old did as he was told.

"Dad- do you think it'll be cool?" He scuffed his foot against the floor. "I mean Mr Osborn isn't really nice, and-"

Tony pulled him into a tight hug, holding him for several seconds before stepping back. "Course it'll be fun. Mine's better though. Don't you forget it."

The teen laughed softly, shaking his head. "You remind me at every opportunity. I'm not likely to forget it."

"Good." Tony squeezed his shoulder. "Got everything? Happy will drive you, then you're going to get on the bus with Ned. Be careful, keep your phone on, don't take out your hearing aids-"

"Dad," Peter broke in. "It's fine. I'm going to be fine, nothing is going to happen. Take a breath."

His dad shook his head wryly. "Okay big guy. I'll stop."

Peter smiled quickly, ducking in for one last hug. "Alright. I'm leaving, see you tonight."

"You bet. There's a new movie in theaters, maybe we'll go see it afterwards."

The teenager nodded happily, already leaving the room. "Sounds great Dad!"

The words trailed behind him, and then the penthouse was silent.

Sort of shorter chapter, sorry guys, but my power went out last night at like 4 in the afternoon, so I couldn't make it longer.

Sorry once again, and I hope you enjoyed it.