[They pushed open the door and stepped inside. It was the first time either of them had attended a party like this. Flash was at the DJ booth, blasting music.]
[Ned suddenly came up with an idea. "Okay! So here's the plan—Spider-Man swings in, you introduce him as your best friend, and then I'll give him either a fist bump or a half-hug!"]
[Michelle Jones, who had been standing off to the side, calmly remarked, "I can't believe you two actually showed up to this lame party."]
["But you're here too!" Ned shot back, giving her a pointed look.]
[Michelle Jones narrowed her eyes and took a bite of bread. "Am I really here, though?"]
[Just then, Liz appeared and spotted them. "Oh my gosh! Hi! And Ned, love the hat—very cool!"]
[The two greeted Liz, who smiled warmly. "I'm so glad you guys came! There's pizza and drinks—help yourselves!"]
["Great party!" Peter said, trying to sound enthusiastic.]
["Thank you!" Liz replied. But just as they were talking, the sound of something breaking came from across the room. Liz frowned, looking over in that direction.]
["Ugh, if anything's broken, my parents will kill me. I need to go check it out! Have fun!"]
[She gave them a quick wave before heading off. "Bye-bye!"]
[As soon as she left, Ned grabbed Peter by the shoulders, looking at him in exasperation. "Dude! What are you doing?! She's right here! Hurry up and change into your suit!"]
[But Peter resisted. "NONONO! I can't—I won't do it! Spider-Man isn't some party trick, okay? I just want to be me tonight!"]
[To be fair, Peter didn't want to cheapen the Spider-Man name. He didn't want tomorrow's news headlines reading, 'Spider-Man Attends High School Party.']
[Ned groaned in frustration. "Peter, nobody wants to see you being yourself!"]
[Before Peter could respond, Flash spotted him from across the room and immediately grabbed the microphone.]
["Well, well! If it isn't Parker! How's it going, buddy?" Flash's voice echoed through the party, drawing everyone's attention to Peter.]
["Where's your bestie Spider-Man? Let me guess—he's in Canada with your imaginary girlfriend?"]
[Laughter erupted throughout the room. Flash smirked. "That's not Spider-Man! That's just Ned wearing a red shirt!"]
[Flash's constant ridicule finally pushed Peter over the edge. A part of him burned with the urge to prove to everyone that he really did know Spider-Man. Determined, he decided to put on the suit.]
[Up on the rooftop, Peter took off his coat and shirt, going over his plan in his head.]
["Hi! How's everyone doing? I'm Spider-Man! Just stopping by to say hey to my buddy Peter."]
["Oh, hey, Ned! Where's Peter? He must be around here somewhere..."]
[He sighed as he rehearsed, rubbing his forehead. "God, this is so stupid. What am I even doing?"]
[Looking down at the party below, Peter saw Ned eagerly scanning the crowd, waiting for him to appear. But then—something in the distance caught Peter's eye.]
[A burst of energy. A flash of light. Something was wrong.]
[Peter immediately straightened up, his senses on high alert. "What the hell?" Without hesitation, he pulled on his mask and took off, swinging away from Liz's house.]
"Damn it! I knew something unexpected would happen!" Tony groaned, rubbing his temples. "Now Peter's name is ruined at school!"
Due to their differences in personality, Tony couldn't fully understand Peter's hesitation. After all, he would've shown up to the dance in full Iron Man armor.
"Why didn't he just make a quick appearance before leaving? He promised to bring Spider-Man and then completely bailed!" Rhodey frowned.
All Peter had to do was show up for a second—just enough to be seen—and then disappear. That way, he wouldn't be ridiculed.
Now that he had left, Flash would definitely use this to drag Peter's name through the mud, making him the laughingstock of their school. Worse, he might even spread it online, making it harder for Peter to recover socially.
"But on the other hand, it proves that he really doesn't care about his reputation," Banner pointed out. "Something caught his attention—probably a robbery or something worse."
"Judging by what we know about Spider-Man, he isn't interested in using his powers for personal gain. The whole idea makes him uncomfortable," Banner continued.
Tony and Rhodey exchanged glances. Banner had a point.
[Spider-Man swung swiftly through the streets, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. As he landed on a building's edge, he immediately launched another web, soaring forward.]
[But then—he miscalculated. There was nothing to latch onto. His web shot out into the sky, completely missing its mark.]
[For a second, Spider-Man was frozen in realization. Then, as he plummeted downward, he groaned in frustration. "Oh, come on—so weak!"]
[Meanwhile, across town, Vulture's associate, Brice, fired a modified weapon. The blast hit a car, reducing it to scrap metal instantly. "Wooo!"]
["Hahahaha! This is a repurposed Ultron arm—recovered straight from Sokovia! Take it, give it a try!"]
[He handed the weapon to a nearby buyer, an unimpressed man in a hoodie.]
[The buyer shook his head. "Dude, I said I wanted something low-key. Why do you always try to sell me these insane high-tech weapons?"]
[As the two argued, Spider-Man silently perched on a nearby tree, observing them.]
[Green tried to smooth things over. "Okay! Okay! I hear you. I got what you need, alright? Hold on—I got plenty of good stuff."]
[He turned back to the van, opening it up to reveal an arsenal of stolen alien tech and modified weapons.]
["Alright! I got black hole grenades, Chitauri railguns—take your pick!"]
[Just then, Herman Schultz approached, scowling. "What the hell are you doing? You're testing weapons outside?! Pack it up—now!"]
[Turning to the buyer, he added coldly, "Listen, times have changed. We're the only ones selling this kind of tech now. You want firepower? This is it."]
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