[Third Person Pov]
Spider-Man and the rest of his team were having a one-on-one conversation with the X-Men, away from the students who were still gathered in the distance, excitedly celebrating and comparing the pictures they had just taken with him. The energy from the crowd carried faintly into the quieter corner where the adults stood.
"I want to thank you for going out of your way to do this for them," Charles said, his voice warm as he glanced over at his students, a soft, proud smile resting on his face as he watched their excitement.
"Nonsense, I had a blast," Peter replied easily, turning slightly as he looked back over his shoulder at the kids, clearly pleased. "Honestly, this whole exchange has made me consider getting an official teaching certificate. I think I'd make a pretty great 'friendly neighborhood substitute teacher.'"
"I'm still in awe you managed to give a lesson about quipping and be completely serious about it," Scott said, rolling his eyes behind his quartz glasses as he folded his arms, though there was a hint of reluctant amusement in his tone.
"Itz vas very educational," Kurt added with a pleased nod, stepping forward a bit as he eagerly showed Peter the pages of notes he had taken during the lesson, his handwriting neat and organized.
Peter leaned in slightly, looking over the notes before letting out a small impressed sound. "Wow. Just know that if I had a good noodle star, I would have given you one," Peter said as he gave Kurt a light pat on the back, earning an even brighter expression from him.
"If you like," Jean began, her tone warm and inviting as she stepped forward slightly, "you can be a recurring lecturer at the school. The kids already love you, and I think they'd really benefit from—"
"Hm?" Peter interrupted softly as a notification suddenly appeared across his HUD, cutting through his focus. His head tilted slightly as he brought a hand up instinctively.
"What does he want?" Peter muttered under his breath as he glanced at the caller ID. The name displayed caused his posture to shift just slightly. It was none other than Papa Fury.
"Is something wrong?" Rogue asked, her brows furrowing as she noticed the subtle change in his demeanor.
Peter brought his hands together in a quick apologetic gesture, his tone still polite but more distracted now. "I'm really sorry, but I need to take this call. It could be important. Life and death, honestly."
He didn't wait much longer before stepping away, moving toward the corner of the room to give himself a bit of space. As he walked, he tapped the side of his mask, accepting the call. Despite the distance, the room had quieted just enough that those closest could still hear him speaking.
"Hello? Is something wrong? You rarely call."
There was a brief pause as he listened, his posture shifting as one hand moved to rest on his hip while the other remained near his mask.
"No, I'm not extremely busy, I'm just finishing something up on my end. Why? What's wrong?"
Another pause, longer this time. His head lowered slightly.
"What? Now? Seriously? You couldn't have told us this before so we could've prepared for it? Weren't there any signs before?"
He turned slightly, pacing once, tension starting to show in the way his shoulders tightened.
"This type of thing doesn't just happen suddenly…"
Silence followed on his end, and when he spoke again, his voice had softened.
"No, no… I'll be there, don't worry. I'm not going to miss it. Just… give me a little time to wrap things up here."
He exhaled slowly, the sound heavy, before lowering his hand from his mask. For a moment, he just stood there, still and quiet.
When he turned back and began walking toward the group again, the change was immediate and noticeable. The easygoing energy he carried earlier was gone, replaced with something much heavier. Even through the mask, the tension in his expression was clear in the way his brows had drawn together. He didn't speak right away, which in itself was enough to raise concern.
"Is everything alright?" Ororo asked gently, her voice calm but attentive as everyone's focus shifted fully onto him.
"Anything ve can do to help?" Kurt added, taking a small step forward, concern evident in his posture.
Peter stopped a few feet from them, hesitating. He ran a hand slowly over the top of his head, as if trying to steady himself or find the right words, but they didn't come easily.
"No, no… Um…" he started, his voice quieter now, lacking its usual lightness. "I don't even know how to say this."
He paused again, as if the words themselves didn't feel real yet.
"But that call…" he continued, his voice tightening slightly, "that call was to tell me my grandma just died."
Jean audibly gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as tears immediately welled in her eyes. The rest of the group fell silent, their expressions dropping as the weight of his words settled over them, the atmosphere shifting instantly into something heavy and somber.
"You stupid fucking dumbass, what the hell is the matter with you," Gwen said through gritted teeth as she kicked him on the backside.
"Eh?" The entire group froze for half a second, the sudden shift in tone catching everyone off guard.
"Oh for christ's sake!" Harry exclaimed as he immediately stepped in and started throwing punches at Peter. "Why do I always keep falling for your bullshit, you don't even have a grandma!"
"Don't. Joke. About. That!" MJ added, each word punctuated with a slap as she joined in without hesitation.
"Wait! Stop! Stop hitting me! I'm sorry!" Peter shouted as he was dragged down to the ground, curling slightly as his friends continued to kick and swat at him from all sides.
"Wait… he was lying?" Kitty asked, her brows furrowing as she looked down at the scene, her eyes narrowing toward Peter, who was now on the floor reaching a trembling hand up dramatically.
"Yes!" his group of friends shouted in unison, not even pausing as they continued to jump him and beat him up.
"Not cool, bro," Kurt said with a deep frown, clearly disappointed as his tail flicked slightly behind him.
"Ugh! You're such a jerk, I was already crying, who does that!" Jean said, tilting her head away as she wiped at her tears, her frustration clear.
"All the credibility you just gained seriously just went down the drain," Scott added with a low grumble, shaking his head.
Charles let out a long sigh, placing a hand over his forehead as he listened to the chaos unfold in front of him.
After a moment, the assault died down, and Peter slowly pushed himself up to his feet. He looked completely disheveled, swaying slightly as he held his arm. There were visible shoe marks across his suit and even on his mask, and his posture screamed regret.
"I would like to formally express my sincerest apologies for my actions…" Peter said weakly, trying to compose himself despite the state he was in.
…
A short while later, Peter and the group stepped back through a portal, returning to their hideout. The moment they were through, the portal snapped shut behind them. The group moved forward, but nearly all of them were still glaring at Peter or shaking their heads in disappointment.
Felicia, however, seemed to be the only one amused, letting out a quiet giggle. "I thought it was quite funny."
"No, it wasn't," Gwen replied immediately, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms. "You don't make jokes like that with people you barely know."
"What are you talking about? We're already practically best friends with all of them," Peter said, puffing out his chest proudly as if that somehow justified everything.
"Right, of course. We forgot," Harry shot back with a scoff. "You're the guy who could somehow find a way to befriend a wall."
"Anyways, what was so important that we needed to leave so quickly?" Lizzy asked, glancing around as the room settled, the earlier tension still lingering.
Peter's mood flipped almost instantly. A wide grin spread across his face, and the shift was so sudden that MJ could practically feel the excitement radiating off of him.
"Alright, get this. That call just now? That was Nick Fury," Peter began, gesturing vaguely back toward where the portal had been, his tone picking up energy.
Most of them raised a brow at that, not because Fury called him, but because Peter actually referred to him properly without using some ridiculous nickname.
"And he was calling to tell us that Captain America is about to wake up from his hibernation," Peter continued, barely able to contain himself.
"WHAT!?" they all shouted at once, the surprise instantly turning into excitement.
"Like now, now? Right now?!" Harry asked, a wide grin breaking across his face.
"Now, now!" Peter confirmed quickly, nodding his head over and over.
"Then what are we even doing still standing here?" Felicia said, her earlier amusement replaced with clear excitement.
"Let's go! Let's stop wasting time already!" Lizzy added, already moving forward as the others nodded in agreement.
Without missing a beat, Peter lifted his hand and opened another portal. The moment it formed, the group surged forward all at once, practically tripping over each other as they rushed through, shoving and squeezing past one another in their hurry to get to the other side.
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