Heroes of New York

SIXTEEN - ERRAND

Chapter Sixteen

~Peter Parker~

Mondays were always terrible, especially when you had to get up two hours earlier than usual to get pictures of the football team for the yearbook, then meet with the decathlon team before classes started.

I managed to make it, however, and still got to class on time. Of course, Percy was once again there before me. I was beginning to think he might just live at the school sometimes.

I slid into my seat for English and flicked Percy in the back of the head as he dozed with his head down on his desk. He just groaned and shoved his face further into his arms.

"Wake up, man. Mrs. Gibson's gonna be back any second."

Percy lifted his head to squint at me before sighing and sitting upright.

"So what'd you do over the weekend? Anything fun?" I asked him, both out of genuine interest and the desperate need to make him slip about that Jason guy from the alley.

"Eh, not much. Met a friend on the way home from your place on Friday and he stayed over for a bit. Then I went to meet my aunt, which was cool, I haven't seen her since I was a little kid. And after that I did a self-defence class at the gym. Sunday I helped a buddy with a project of his, went shopping upon the insistence of my aunt and nearly got mugged, so, major bruise on my shoulder, by the way, don't touch that. Anyway, you?"

That's what he calls not much? The friend thing I obviously knew about, though I hadn't heard anything of an aunt before. The defence classes were to be expected, since Percy worked as a part-time instructor at some non-profit gym for homeless kids, women from shelters, abuse victims, that sort of thing. He did them every Wednesday and Saturday, and every other Sunday - I'd even attended one of the classes once after Percy saw my (pathetic) attempt to stand up to a school bully.

I wasn't sure who this 'buddy' of his was - maybe the dumpster kid? Shopping wasn't common, but it wasn't anything weird either, and Percy apparently got almost-mugged a lot. He once told me that it was something he didn't really mind, as long as they were going after him and not some poor kid that couldn't defend themselves. A few times he'd even dragged muggers to police stations to drop them off. I'm not sure I want to know what happened to the muggers the other times.

"Uhh... not really anything. Did some homework, edited some photos, stopped Aunt May from trying to make banana bread again. The usual, y'know?" I shrugged, then turned to face the front of the classroom as Mrs. Gibson began taking roll call.

☤ ☤ ☤ ☤

During my AP Chem class, I got a text from Mr. Stark (it was only a lecture, don't worry, I wasn't texting while mixing chemicals), telling me to come to the tower tonight because there was going to be a 'family meeting'. I wasn't sure what that meant but, hey, any excuse to hang out at the tower amongst all that glorious tech - and of course Mr. Stark's brilliant mind (no, I don't think of him as anything more than a mentor, leave me and my da- mentor alone!).

Anyway, it was kind of a weird text, since I hadn't seen any of the Avengers in person in a while - just comm calls with Mr. Stark or Happy, and on one weird occasion, Hawkeye. I hadn't even met most of them, just Mr. Stark and Hawkeye, and I hadn't even been allowed to read their redacted files, much less their actual ones, to glean their personalities. So yeah, a 'family meeting' was weird.

I shrugged, and tapped out a confirmation that I'd be there, and asked if I should get anything on the way. Sometimes I brought some of Aunt May's cookies (the only thing she could reliably make without burning), or I was asked to pick up sandwiches or coffee that I'd be paid for later (Mr. Stark always gave me too much back but I can never get the opportunity to return the excess).

Coffee, the reply says. Ground coffee beans, actual coffee from the shop, the works.

Triple Americano, right? I asked. I knew that was his usual order but it never hurts to check.

Yes. And a caramel frap for my friend.

Okay, then. I had no idea who the 'friend' was, but I assumed it was someone related to all of this 'family meeting' business so I wasn't going to question it. I'd find out when I delivered the drinks.

I put my phone away and listened to the rest of the lecture, having missed very little of it.

☤ ☤ ☤ ☤

I dodged Percy after school, saying I had to do some work-related stuff before actually getting to work (to which he just nodded and smiled weirdly, like he knew something I didn't - and I didn't particularly doubt that, Percy knew a lot that he shouldn't). Then I rushed off, resisting the urge to use my web-shooters to swing quickly through the city on my way to the supermarket and then Starbucks for various forms of coffee.

Once I had everything (plus a hot chocolate with extra whipped cream for me), I headed off toward Stark Tower, trying not to spill anything as I pushed through the bustling New York sidewalks.

I managed to only be yelled at twice and honked at once by the time I arrived and entered the elevator. Greeting JARVIS as the doors closed, I leaned back against the elevator walls as it rose.

"Hello, Mr. Parker. Sir would like you on the common floor, he says he wants you to meet a friend of his before everyone gathers for the meeting."

Well, alrighty then. Wonder who I was going to meet...

I apologise for there being two filler chapters in a row (though they're there to set things up), as well as any mistakes - I don't really know how the American schooling system works, so any discrepancies should be excused, as I am a foreigner.

Also, I suppose now is when I give you my list of excuses for my months of silence, so here goes:

- I have recently and unexpectedly become the DM of a D&D campaign, which I took the time to write entirely on my own (it took literal weeks to get the main plot down and some sidequests are still being written as we play [lmk if you have any suggestions])

- I've been working a lot more because of Covid (you'd think we'd work less, but since a lot of employees are on leave/quit, the workers still there have to work more, since business has definitely not slowed down in the slightest)

- uni prep is killing me (I'm moving for uni, have just recently picked and registered my courses and still have to prepare for the details)

- wrote eight chapters of another fanfic, and ten chapters of another other fanfic (trying not to work on them too much but its so tempting, not gonna publish til this ones done though)

- been writing my own bestiary for research purposes, got very absorbed bc hyperfocus

- discovered that I probably have some major mental health issues that are going unchecked so I have to get that diagnosed and dealt with

- went through a weird phase where I couldn't concentrate on anything for more than 10 minutes at a time which was annoying

- and finally, its bloody hot out and I don't want to do anything unless its swimming or lying on my tile floors

Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner, but no promises.