( CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE !  )

( INTERVENTIONS AND MATCH MAKINGS )

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Sophomore year was suppose to be fun.

When he started his freshman year, Aunt May had sat him down and gave him this big speech about the new experiences waiting on the horizon for him. To be honest, he had pretty interesting things he was excited for but all of them included his new ability to shoot webs out of his writs and such (Peter doubted it was what Aunt May was talking about.)

High school was not the fun environment full of promises and new friendships like Aunt May had described it to be though. He had Ned and Aamir, and he had a school full of bullies and some tolerable people on a good day. Things started to get interesting a few months into his freshman though when he was called up the Principal's room to tutor a transfer student.

With all the crazy stuff happening with his alter ego, Colin Archer had stepped into his life and made everything absolutely ten times more confusing while simultaneously becoming a very pivotal thing in his life, a sense of security, someone he can fall back on to, someone who made it all easier.

It was not easy though, nothing was. Colin had his own stuff going on, with his home life that he barely talked about, with his awful friends (minus Gwen, she was cool) with his endless pessimism and permanent scowl and that look he wore that indicated he could punch anyone at any given time.

Peter missed him, he missed him very much but the silent treatment had been getting a little too much in his opinion.

As he swung around the city, he desperately waited for something illegal to happen. Not that he wanted anyone to get hurt but punching a bad guy and handing him out to the police would be pretty swell at the moment, it had been his favorite free time activity and stress relief over the summer as he waited for his phone to ring.

A mission, anything from Tony Stark; a response, anything that indicated he existed in the eyes of people who mattered so much to him. Nobody called though, Happy barely replied, nothing from Mr. Stark.

Nothing from Colin either.

A whole summer went by and Sophomore year began, Peter couldn't dislike it more even if he tried.

That particular day he was feeling extra bitter as he returned home from pre-dinner patrol, he had accidentally hit his head against a traffic sign, he had forgotten to do his chem quiz and Colin had said nothing after the note he left by his window.

This was his life now.

"Hey, honey! You're early," Aunt May said as they ran to each other right outside of the front door, Peter frowned.

"Where are you going? It's almost dinner time."

Aunt May smiled politely, that was her business smile she offered to people when she was going to say something they wouldn't like. "Your friends asked me to leave for dinner, they prepared something for you."

Peter sighed, what was it again with Ned and Aamir. "If it's another attempt to make me marathon Lord of The Rings, I have better things to do-"

Aunt May chuckled. "It's nothing like that, I promise," she said with a reassuring smile and kissed the top of his head. "I'll back by nine, have fun!"

With that, she was gone, no further explanation was spared.

Peter was too tired to face whatever Ned and Aamir had prepared for him, so when he opened the door and kicked his shoes off, he was already feeling done with the night.

His eyes widened as he took in the scene in front of him, Aamir was standing on a chair and they were trying to hang something up.

"Is that a banner?"

Peter asked, making Ned jolt with fear as the banner fell onto him, enveloping him like a blanket.

"You're early!" Aamir exclaimed as they fumbled to take a hold of the banner and instead of hanging it.

INTERVENTION.

It was written with big bold letters, a lot of random shapes were drawn around it and Peter pinched his nose. These dorks.

"We know you will be mad that we're going to open this particular topic of conversation so we thought we would smooth it out with a How I Met Your Mother reference," Ned spoke methodically, clearly they had prepared a speech for this.

"Are you less mad?" Aamir asked with hopeful eyes.

"No, still mad, but this is one of the dorkiest things ever and the bar was high for you guys."

Ned and Aamir exchanged looks, smiling brightly. "He likes it," Ned stated and they high fived. This was going to be a long night.

In less than five minutes they were sitting around the couch with chips on their laps, drinking coke like there was no tomorrow. "I don't understand him. Like, I said I'm sorry, what more can I do? Does he want me to beg or something?"

"Dude, you kissed him and left without any explanation," Aamir said with a soft voice, he sounded like a mother trying to explain things to his kid.

Since Ned didn't know about Spider-Man stuff it was more confusing for him to understand the feud between Colin and Peter. However, Aamir knew everything and Peter wanted to slap his emphatic face for siding with Colin for this one.

"I know! But like, I think I wanted to kiss him for a long time, I just wasn't fully aware. I know I liked him but I thought it was like, a friend. You know?"

"You are so dumb, oh my god," Ned sighed and Peter threw a pillow, hitting him a little hard on the face. Oops, his powers were hard to control sometimes.

"I get it if he doesn't feel the same way. I just wanna be his friend again. I think I also want to hold his hand and stuff but I'm afraid he will punch me if I get too cuddly, he is not a big fan of physical touch," Peter sighed.

"Peter, sweetheart, I don't think him not liking you back is the problem here," Aamir started with his mom friend tone again, making Peter groan. "Did you actually say sorry for leaving?"

"But! It was the best opportunity, an internship in Stark Industries!" Peter exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.

"I get that," Aamir said. "But you should get his concerns too. You ignored him completely and like, also kissed him and left him right after."

"I still don't understand why he would be concerned..." Ned started once again and Peter felt a little guilty for leaving him out of Spider-related stuff but it was for his own safety, Aamir and he had decided.

The worst part was, he understood what Aamir was trying to say. But how was he supposed to do that while Colin didn't even look at him? Not even when he saw him walking in the hall. He could take seeing him angry or upset, could take his icy cold stare directed at him but he wasn't even acknowledging his existence.

"So what do I do?" Peter started. "Harry's advice was to get him a porsche or something. Obviously, I cannot do that when I barely gather around my lunch money." He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled a little, he was so god damn frustrated and confused all the time that his head hurt.

"You have to talk to him, straight up," Ned said smashing his right fist onto his left palm like a politician delivering an important line.

"Well, let me know how to do that and I'll be off my marry way."

.

Empathy was not something easy to describe, it has never been for Aamir Geller. He always tried to picture it in a simple way, it was as if people carried these heavy baggages wherever they went, and sometimes other people did not even notice. Some people were better at noticing when a person was under a burden too heavy for them to carry alone, empathy was a way to see them, to share their burden, the need to help them ease their pain.

Aamir was excellent at picking up on other people's emotions, not through observation but through intuition, whenever he was around people he picked up on their feelings the way you'd pick up on the smell of a freshly baked chocolate cake. It came naturally to him, some feelings were more defined and pressing, like the rotten scent of jealousy or the dull steady pain of missing someone. This ability was a gift and a curse, courtesy of his days spent in a lab all the way to Sokovia, a permanent mark in his body from the days he had been a lab rat.

Some days he wished he had cool abilities like Wanda Maximoff, somedays he felt useless. What good he could do with only sensing people's emotions where he was not gifted with being able to alter them?

Most days he felt lucky that he would never be an actual superhero though, he liked them but he did not want to become them either. He realized a few years after he was adopted by the Gellers and learned the feeling of the love shared within a family, and learned that everybody was gifted with the ability to alter someone's emotions. A hug, a kind gesture, a smile or a thoughtful gift- simple things were enough to change the way somebody was feeling at the moment and that was enough.

It was pasta night at their house, for example. Tonight, they had two kinds, chicken alfredo and pesto, and sometimes happiness was as simple as sitting at the dinner table with your loved ones as you stuffed yourself with carbohydrates and delicious sauces on top.

"Mom, when will Uncle Nick come over again? Its been a while," Aamir asked while munching on a mouthful of delicious pesto spaghetti, his dad's special.

Aura rolled her eyes at him. "Gross, don't speak with your mouth full," she said with her eyes narrowed, Aamir replied by sticking his tongue out. "You are a caveman."

"I'm sure Mr. Fury is very busy, at any given time, son," Jack Geller said with a half-grin. "Don't let him catch you call him Uncle Fury."

"He secretly loves it, I saw him trying to hide a smile once," Aamir stated, making his mom chuckle and nod in encouragement.

"I think he'll be around soon, another robbery was performed with using alien tech-"

"Honey," Jack cut off his wife with a soft voice. "Let's not get the kids into it."

Ugh, Aamir hated when his parents argued via intense eye contact, his father cocking his head to try e side with an apologetğc look, his mom with an eyebrow raised in challenge. Typical Tuesday in their house included topics related to superheros, ex-shield agents and secret missions and alien tech using thieves (they were a new addition.)

Arden Geller was determined to not leaving the kids in the dark while their dad thought they should be mostly left out of it. To be fair, he was not running around the streets with a cape and a mask on, it was nice to know what was going on, he appreciated being kept in the loop but he understood his father's concerns.

Soon, their parents were off to the kitchen to bake a pie (which was their way of having a private conversation since they almost never argued in front of the kids).

He was left with Aura in the living room, she was sitting with her legs crossed on the sofa and she dangled her favorite dark blue nail polish in front of her face. "Can you?" She asked with a soft tone, which was her way of saying please.

"Colin is still not talking to Peter," Aamir started as she painted his sister's fingers. Her hands were so tiny in his, even though they had similar heights. "They're such idiots. Did you talk to him? By the way, I really don't understand how you two became friends, like, I swear you used to hate him."

Aurabeginningd, making Aamir hit her knee gently for almost running his work on her nails. "Well, at the begining I wanted to punch him for even breathing near you, and now, I thoughto wrap him into a blanket and protect him," she said casually, making Aamir snort a little. "I though he was a wolf with sharp teeth but he is like a lost puppy."

"Weird enough, I get it," he said with a nod. "Did you talk to him though? I swear Peter is practically stalking him, it's heartbreaking to watch."

Aura hummed in agreement. "I kinda get why he is pissed but I also think they are being idiots. I think they need a little push.

"You have something in mind?" He said as he started painting her other hand and she grinned.

"You and Ned can pull something off, I bet."

Who could know that being a lab rat to an evil organization might lead him to become emphatic which would indirectly lead to his inability to stay out of people's business to the point where he would decide to meddle with Spider-Man's love life.

Life worked in mysterious ways.

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Ned was terrible at lying but he was also amazing at games that included role-playing and deceiving, so. For this day, he was playing to be the alter ego of his usual self, he was Ned, but with a mission.

He was undercover for his poor, pathetic, helpless friend Peter Parker because apparently, he could not manage to make up with his crush (even though he was denying it was a crush, Ned knew it was a crush and saw it from miles away.) This was for Peter, Peter who carried his bag for a month when he broke his leg in the third grade, Peter who shared his desserts with him, his best friend. (One of his best friends, there was Aamir too of course.)

"I'm such a bother Colin, thank you so much," Ned acted as he sat down with fake shaky knees.

"Don't be an idiot, of course," Colin said as he helped him sit down at the library. "I didn't know you had low blood sugar. How about M&M's?"

"Yes please," he said, oh god, he was a terrible person for lying. "Thank you!" He yelled behind Colin who was off to but M&Ms for him from the vending machine.

Part one of his mission was complete: distract Colin Archer, lower his defenses with a fake medical emergency.

PART two: get a hold of his phone.

With frantic moves, he found Peter's number and typed quick text.

To Parker:

meet me at the parking lot in five. emergency!!!!

Then he moved to Colin's contact names and changed his own name to Parker and sent the same message to Colin from his own phone.

This plan had many holes in Ned's opinion. For starters, they were practically not on speaking terms, why would Colin care? Aamir had claimed that he would be worried enough to run towards him in no time but Ned was not that sure as he set Colin's phone down and tried to act casual.

Soon, Colin was back with several dirrent stuff in his hands, he put them all on to the table. "I got snickers, these caramel candies and-"

"Thank you," Ned blurred out, oh god he was sweating too hard. "Somebody texted you," Ned added. Way to go next, not suspicious at all.

"First, you eat these and tell me if you are feeling okay, genius-" Colin started but Ned cut him off again.

"I'm good, amazing," he said and subsequently started munching on a snickers which made Colin roll his eyes and reach for his phone.

His gaze hardened the second he laid eyes on his phone and Ned could swear he hadn't seen this much emotion on the boy's face ever.

" I gotta go," Colin said, his voice was natural but his hands were shaky as he picked up his bag from the ground. "You good?"

Ned's burrows furrowed. Colin was really worried about Peter, which was very sweet and endearing but also strange since when Peter texted him emergency it usually meant he was out of ice cream or something along the lines. "Yeah, thank you."

Colin walked off just like that, practically running out of the library.

Peter was an idiot about his deal with Colin and had been extremely weird lately but Colin's behavior was just as alarming. He had a feeling in his gut that told him there were some missing pieces of this puzzle that Ned could not find.

Nonetheless, he hoped with his whole heart that those weirdos can sort it out, if not, he got lots of free snacks out of it. 

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

sorry for the wait, actually i'm on a roll with this story but life had been hectic.

i hope you're all staying at home, and staying safe!

let me know what you think, i'm just getting back into this universe forgive me if this sounds like garbage ahdkcjxjdk i promise i have the will to write and more colin and peter very soon xx