A bit more of a minor character (ex: Mr. Harrington, Betty brant, Mr. Delmar, etc) remembers Peter Parker (but not that he’s Spider-Man, not yet at least, not for a while)
(This could be triggered by some trace of his existence slipping through the cracks)
So they are lead down this rabbit hole, getting more and more questions the deeper they dig.
(they could get more people involved (ex: other teachers, the rest of the acadec team, etc))
There’s this whole mystery, and everything leads back to one question
What happened to Peter Parker?
(Anyone who wants to use this concept feel free to, also lmk if you do! I use the tag “ #What happened to Peter Parker ? ” for this concept)
Edit: I forgot to mention my inspiration for this was this
Written version: https://www.creepypasta.com/the-girl-the-universe-forgot/
Prompt #26: “how about you trust me for once?”
Fandom: Spider-Man (MCU)
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Characters: Roger Harrington, Julius Dell, Brad Davis, Michelle Jones.
Words: 1280
Summary: Roger Harrington tries to keep his class under control after the battle at Tower Bridge.
Author’s Note: In which I get bored of main characters and try another POV on for size. (This may or may not get a part two before Fictober ends.)
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Roger has had enough.
Three days into the class trip to Europe with his science students, and while they were planning to enjoy a peaceful afternoon in London before flying home to dodge the possibility of more elemental monsters, he should have predicted something would go wrong. Nothing, nothing on this trip has gone as planned.
Tower Bridge is in flames, Ned, Betty, Michelle and Flash have all disappeared, and the rest of the students are panicked as heck.
They race away from the crossfire, and once Roger feels they’ve reached a safe enough distance, the group watches the action on the bridge unfold. He briefly considers corralling the kids into a nearby coffee shop or bookstore, but he decides to remain where they are—partly because he’s not interested in losing more kids in the swarms of people fleeing the scene, and partly because he’d rather be in view of the bridge in case he can spot the four missing students.
The scene unfolds before them like something out of a movie, a strange mishmash of tech and action that Roger could have only dreamed about when he was a kid. He imagines his students aren’t quite as surprised by the action as he would have been at their age—not when superheroes have been flying around New York since some of them were in PreK.
“Mr. Harrington!!” Brad rushes to him once the commotion on the bridge has seemed to die down, the drones that appeared midway through the event ascending into the sky. “Have you heard from MJ yet? And the others? She’s not answering my texts or calls, I’m freaking out, I—”
“Stay calm, Brad,” Roger tries to infuse his voice with confidence, something it was sorely lacking when they initially fled the scene, “I haven’t heard from anyone, but I will be calling until I do.” He addresses the entire mass of huddled students now, his nerves growing more unsteady as every one of their wide eyes lock on him. “You all should save the batteries on your devices, however. Do not try to contact your friends at this time. I repeat, remain calm, I have everything under control—”
He hears Julius mutter unintelligibly and whips his head around to glare at the chaperone. “Mr. Dell, I hope you have something inspiring to say to our group?”
Julius’ eyes are as wide as the kids for a moment, but he collects himself. “We’re gonna be fine, I just don’t know how yet.” Roger’s pleasantly surprised to find that the words noticeably relax more than a few of the students, and he smiles and nods at his teaching partner.
His phone buzzes in his pocket and he grabs it eagerly, seeing Brad’s face light up with anticipation in his periphery. But it’s merely a notification about cancelled flights.
He covers his face with his free hand, then pulls it away quickly as he remembers the students are still watching his every move. He clears his throat.
“Well, gang, it looks like we’re stuck in London for another day or two, the city has already put flights on lockdown for the time being.” He notes the students’ troubled expressions and puts up his hands placatingly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure the touring company has something up their sleeve, and maybe the hotel they put us up in will be as nice as the one we last stayed in.”
A few of the kids nod, but most look unconvinced. Roger settles the class by having them sit in a large circle on the pavement, then messages and calls each of the four missing students. After five minutes go by without an answer, he decides to take action and pulls Julius aside.
“I’m going to look for the missing kids.” He says, earning an incredulous look from his teaching partner.
“And how do you expect to find them, Roger?? It’s a mess out there!” He gestures to the aftermath of the melee—cars are still on fire, crowds are regathering near the battle site, and first responders’ sirens are blearing in the distance.
“I don’t know, but I have to try.” He pockets his phone. “You stay here with the other kids, and call me if something’s up—”
“You’re gonna leave me alone with the class? What if the drones come back? I vote we stick together, wait it out—”
“Julius, how about you trust me for once??”
The students look over at this, and Roger offers a small smile and a slight wave. It’s the second time today he’s all but lost it, and he briefly wonders if these outbursts are going to become a habit.
But Julius nods. “Alright, Roger, but you better keep us updated.”
“Roger that,” he replies with a weak salute before walking off.
As he makes his way through the commotion, keeping eyes peeled for four American high schoolers, he considers all of the stress this position at Midtown Tech has brought him. From the Washington Monument incident more than five years ago to this absolute mess of a summer trip, it’s almost like trouble is following his class. He wouldn’t be surprised—bad luck has followed him for most of his adult life. But it really feels like trouble is following three kids in particular: Flash, Michelle, and Ned. They were all on the trip to Washington, and now they are three of the four students who are missing.
His phone pings a notification and he jumps to see a new message—but it’s not from one of the lost kids, it’s from May Parker, Peter’s guardian.
Hi Roger, I have another update on Peter. He got to Berlin okay but I am anxious to have him home. I’d like for him to fly home with the rest of the class, whenever that may be. The family will make sure he gets to whatever hotel you’re staying at in the meantime. Thank you for staying flexible, I know we’re all worried sick about our kids and appreciate you and Mr. Dell.
Roger reads the text twice, confused by the quick turn-around in Peter and May’s ever-changing plans. He hasn’t thought too much about Peter’s second disappearance of the trip to stay with family in Berlin, mostly because he hasn’t had time to think about it. But as Brad pointed out just an hour or so ago, the kid’s tendency to vanish is, well, a bit ”shady.” Peter skips out on class, leaves in the middle of class trips like it’s his birthright, and ditches AcaDec practice more often than not.
Yes, there is definitely something off about Peter’s general behavior, has been for years, no doubt in his mind. But he’s always chalked it up to the kid losing his uncle Freshman year, and frankly, he has enough to worry about without trying to unravel the mystery of Peter Parker’s disappearing habits.
And yet—could Brad be right? Could there be something more to Peter’s actions that he should be worried about? He certainly doesn’t want to miss the signs of a student in distress if they need his help. Why would Peter run off so frequently if something wasn’t off?
His thoughts are interrupted by a student sighting—he’s made it to the bridge now, and Michelle Jones is walking slowly away from the battle site. She’s carrying, what appears to be, to his untrained eye, a mace—an actual, honest-to-goodness, seventeenth-century historical artifact.
“Michelle??”
The girl freezes, and looks briefly surprised before switching back into her typical apathetic demeanor.
“Oh.” She says, shifting the weapon awkwardly from one arm into the other. “Hi.”
