So I've been having a really hard time lately with personal issues (PM me if you want details) and I have no one else to thank for this one shot other then Clover-Rose. She really helped me out of a bind by giving me this unfinished one shot, and I'm so thankful. So go follow her and send her some well wishes (she has strep throat at the moment) and now, on with the story!

"Come on, guys, head outside! I want six laps around the track!"

'Ugh, no,' Peter groaned as he held his head in his hands, while his stomach continued cramping uncomfortably. Of all the days he had to have PE, why did it have to be today? And it wasn't like he didn't like it either, since he actually did and became progressively better at it after the spider bite. No, it was just that his stomach was churning, his vision was spinning, and his head felt heavy and hazy.

So, yeah, you could say; he felt great...not

"Hey, dude, you okay?" The 'Guy in the Chair' had then questioned from where he sat beside his best friend and snapped the secretive superhero out of his trance.

It didn't do much though, as the superhero had just shaken his head and blinked before Ned took the chance to speak again. "Because, you... don't look so good," He spoke, slowly.

Before Peter even had a chance to speak though, Flash did. "Oh, please," He scoffed, crossing his arms, while walking past the boys on the bleachers. "Parker couldn't look good, even if he wanted to."

"Neither could you," Michelle retorted as she began to head out the gymnastic doors for the run. But, once there, she stopped walking with the bratty boy and, instead, turned back to face the two smarter ones. "Hey, losers!" She called. "You guys coming or what?"

"Give us a minute," Ned had then said, but it seemed that simple statement was enough to satisfy the decathlon captain. And, luckily, it was as she walked out without a second of suspicion after that, making the fanboy turn back to the spider-related boy.

"Hey," the best friend had then asked as he glanced back at his own best friend. "Dude, you okay?" He questioned, shaking the superhero's shoulder, slightly but softly.

Sadly, though, the superhero didn't really respond... and, even if he did, well, it wasn't by much. Because, instead of answering verbally, he had just shrugged, closed his eyes and muttered something along the lines of "I feel sick..." while his vision continued to spin and his mind continued to spiral.

"Do you wanna sit this one out, dude?" Ned questioned, concerned. "We could skip the class if you wanted to," He offered. "I can fake an illness or, try and fake an injury—"

"Ned." Peter had then deadpanned, with his head still in his hands. "You're a terrible liar, man. Remember the library and the homecoming dance?"

"Yeah, but you actually look terrible. I'm being serious here, do you wanna sit this one out? We can skip class, head down to the robotics lab..."

"There's a class down there right now," Peter pointed out, a look of pain placing itself on his face, while he continued squeezing his eyes shut. And was it just him or did that sickening feeling in his stomach seem to get worse and worse with each minute that mocked him?

"So? Mr. Carson's a cool teacher. He likes us, he'll let us down there—"

"But I don't like lying..." Peter protested, as he let a small whimper escape his lips.

"And I don't like you looking like you're either, A, gonna be sick, or, B, gonna pass out. Plus, not only that, but it's not gonna help anyone if you faint flat out on the ground."

Peter frowned, as he lifted his head from his hands, but then wrapped them around his abdomen, his nails digging into his skin. "I'm not gonna faint—"

"Really?" Ned asked, rhetorically. "Because you look like you might."

Peter, instead of rolling his eyes, just ran a hand through his hair, hoping it wouldn't aggravate his headache, while also hoping it would make it kinda better. "I'm not," He said as soon as he stood up, but quickly decided against it when his body started swaying and the room started spinning. "I–I'm fine—" He let out a deep breath as he stepped off the bench. "Let's just—Let's just head outside..."

In reply, Ned sighed. He knew there was no chance of getting Peter to give up the class. If the superhero thought he could suffer through the pain and agony, then he would; it was plain and simple. "Alright," He agreed, as the two began to head out of the gymnasium and into the rain that came pouring down on to the ground. "But, I'm staying by your side the entire time."

It's around ten minutes later when he starts huffing and puffing after the third lap. And, usually, it'd be around the first, but, since the spider-bite, his senses have practically been dialled to eleven—and that includes his agility.

"Dude, you okay?" Ned asked again as the two began to slow down. They're walking now, and, somehow, it puts the teen at ease, taking a break from the run, if just slightly. "We can take a break if you want, go get some water—"

"Hmm? No, no, I'm fine..." Peter quickly replied. The last thing he needed, with the sick feeling climbing up his throat, was water to push it back down.

Ned only shook his head. "Really?" He asked, rhetorically. "Became I don't think you are—"

"Please," Flash had then scoffed as he walked past the two boys. "Parker's never been fine. Between skipping classes and decathlon practice, I'm actually surprised he hasn't been expelled yet."

"And I'm actually surprised you're still on said team," Michelle remarked, as she came to a stop and crossed her arms. "I was thinking about kicking you off."

At this, Flash smirked. "Really?" He asked, rhetorically. "You're gonna kick off the most valuable member of the team?"

Michelle immediately shot a confused look at the boy, though her tone came out as if it was sewn with sarcasm. "What? No, why would I kick off myself?"

"What? No, I—"

Smirking, Michelle started running again and made her way over to the coach. "Coach Wilson!" She called out, sarcasm and snark seeping through her voice. "Flash is being mean to me!"

"What?!" Flash then yelled as he, too, broke into a jog to catch up with the brunette. "What the hell, Michelle?!"

But, as the two contrasting classmates faded away across the field, so did Peter's ability to walk and, before he knew it, he collapsed right there on the spot. Luckily, he caught himself on his hands and knees, but also scraped them, as he fell against the rainy, wet cement.

"Peter!" Immediately, Ned came and kneeled beside him, but so did the nauseous feeling as it crawled up his stomach and hiked through his throat. "Dude, you okay? Answer me, man!"

But, he didn't. In fact, all the superhero really did to reply was sigh and close his eyes. "F-Fine..." He managed to mumble after a minute or two, as his cheeks puffed up in an effort to inhale and exhale. "Just got... tired..."

Ned just shook his head. "I don't think you are," He disagreed. "Dude, I think you're sick..." Glancing up, the 'Guy in the Chair' immediately spotted some of their classmates staring or surrounding them and yelled, "Can somebody get Coach Wilson?"

Now it was Peter's turn to shake his head, but he quickly stopped once that made his vision spin more and made his nausea come back full force. "N-N-No..." He choked out, an acidy feeling scrambling up his sore throat. "I-I—I'm alright, I-I'm fine. I-I can last the—the class," The superhero said as he curled his fingers into fists, before he stopped to cough.

"I don't think you can, man..." Ned trailed off, as he kept an arm around the superhero's shoulders, trying to keep him awake, while also trying to keep an eye on the teacher coming towards the two. "But just hold on, 'kay? Help's coming, so don't fall asleep on me—figuratively, or literally."

"Mhmm..." Nodding slightly, though, as Peter rested his head on the crook of Ned's neck, he couldn't help but squeeze his eyes shut more and more.

And then, he was cast in the dark.

•••••••••••••••

The first thing that returned was sound; voices, to be more specific.

Then his ability to touch, and then his ability to see... Ned, hovering over him, concernedly.

Which was... weird, to say the least.

"Ugh... Ned?" The superhero questioned as he slowly began to sit up, only to have his best friend push him back down again.

His stomach was still twisting and turning, as well as his blurry vision spinning, but now his head seemed to hurt even more than it did before—'though,' the superhero thought. 'That was probably from slamming it on the cement.' "W-What happened?" The teen asked, as the cool cloth that was on his forehead fell to the edge of the bed, only for Ned to set it back on him again.

"You collapsed in PE, man... Right in the middle of the track." the 'Guy in the Chair' had then added. Then, as he gestured around the room, the superhero also took a look at it—at the baby blue walls, and dull, white tiles—and scanned his surroundings. A clock also tick-tocked in the corner and despite how much the teen wanted to ignore it, he couldn't; it rang continuously in his ears, dragging him back to the darkness, until he finally caught on to something Ned said.

"Wait, what?" The teen repeated. "Repeat that, please."

Ned looked at the boy, concerned and a bit quizzical, but did so anyway. "I said that you're in the nurse's office. I had to carry you here, though, but Mr. Stark's coming to pick you up in a few minutes, since May wasn't answering her phone—"

In response, Peter nodded, slowly beginning to close his eyes. "Yeah," He muttered, feeling a familiar sensation of sleep overtake his senses. "Her—Her boss is strict on—on cell phone policies..."

Ned only shrugged. "Yeah, I figured," He agreed. "But Mr. Stark's supposed to pick you up, Peter, and you get to go to the Avengers compound! You have to invite me sometime!"

And that's when Peter caught on.

Because Mr. Stark was coming to pick him up? From school, while he was sick and literally just passed out in class? No, no, no—he absentmindedly shook his head, but just assumed Ned would guess he was trying to clear his vision or get rid of his headache—that could not happen. What if he got his suit taken away again? What if Mr. Stark saw him as weak and thought he wasn't ready to become an Avenger? Sure, he turned down the invitation, but that didn't necessarily mean that the offer wasn't still open...

"You need anything, man?" Ned then asked, snapping the superhero out of his trance. "Otherwise I'm just gonna grab your things out of the gym and then after Mr. Stark comes, I'll head back to class."

"N-N-No..." The teen stopped and paused, as he slowly turned on his side and pulled the soft cotton over his shoulders. "I-I think I'm g-g-good f-for now..." He whispered, his teeth chattering and shoulders shivering as he did so, even with the baggy school sweatshirt and blanket that currently covered his skinny figure.

"'Kay, cool." Nodding, Ned had then stood up and began to make his way to the doorframe. "Just gimmie a sec, but try and rest till then." Chuckling, he had then added, "We don't need you fainting again," before he left.

"Mhmm." Nodding in response, the superhero had then faked a sleepy sigh, though it came out much more real than he actually expected, and watched as his sidekick left the room.

And, it was lucky he did, because, if Ned left, then that meant there was no watching him... which, also, meant the superhero was totally free to leave. So, scrambling out of the sheets, the boy had taken his chance and ventured off, right into the rainy, city streets of New York, Queens.

•••••••••••••••••

Peter groaned as he declined another call from Ned, trying not to puke once again.

He knew Ned was just scared, but it was either go back to the apartment and scare the shit out of May, or let Tony Stark see how weak he was, so he decided to just try and feel better in the middle of Queens, praying no one he knew saw him.

He ended up gripping onto a fire hydrant, trying not to barf or pass out when he heard a female voice ask if he was okay.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay." He stuttered, letting a shiver go through his body before he glanced at the blonde teenage girl, who proceeded to introduce herself.

"Oh, I'm Gwen Stacy. I go to Winston's academy. Anyway, are you okay? Should I call-oh my god!" She screeched, before starting to shout. "Someone! Help me, please!"

Because Peter had thrown up on her before hitting his head on the fire hydrant on his way down.

••••••••••••••••••

Peter winced as he felt his head throbbing when he came back to consciousness.

He was on something soft, some sort of bed, and there was something freezing on his forehead, but it felt amazing.

He finally managed to crack his eyes open to see Mr. Stark with a quiet but angry look on his face as he spoke into the phone.

"Again, I am very sorry, Greg. If I had known, he never would have been at school, let alone in the streets with a 105 fever. Okay. Bye."

Peter swallowed as a shiver wracked his body as Tony stood awkwardly beside the bed Peter was laying in.

"What the hell was that, Peter? Going to school while sick, going into the city while it is raining, and scaring your aunt so much she filed a police report. If you hadn't passed out after throwing up on Greg's daughter, you would've died. Do you understand that?"

"Y-yeah, I do." He shivered again, before asking. "Where's May?"

"No, we're not done yet. I still don't know why you went into Queens while it was raining and you felt like shit. That's not okay, Pete."

Peter held in a cry, as he whispered to himself. "Cause Avengers can't be weak..."

"Peter, you have to understand something." Tony told him, sitting by his feet and setting his hand on his knee.

"Being strong isn't just determined by your muscles. It's doing something even if you aren't sure it will go well. If you are willing to save everyone before yourself." He smiled , before clarifying. "I'm not saying become like Rogers and don't practice self-care, but if you can put others before yourself sometimes, then you are so much stronger then Thor, or Hulk, or anyone else. Do you understand?"

Peter nodded, still clutching the sheets, and looked up to see Tony smiling, before he stood up and clapped his leg. "I'll get your aunt. That is, after I wash my hands. Because trust me, the last thing we need is both of us getting sick."