❝ the air is thick
with loss and indecision ❞

015. fresh start

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐅𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐄, a quiet haven hidden from the chaos that trailed their lives. Up here, they were just Ingrid and Peter — two kids trying to steal a moment of peace before being pulled back into the whirlwind of rumors, expectations, and secrets. Every day, when Peter’s classes ended, Ingrid was already there waiting for him, perched on the rooftop ledge, her face turned to the autumn sun like it might wash away all the worries she carried.

And every day, as they lingered there, they'd feel the weight of time slipping away, dreading the moment they would have to go back down. Back to a world that didn’t seem to understand them and sometimes felt like it was out to get them.

Ingrid tried not to think about what lay ahead. She avoided thinking about the crowd who’d be waiting to throw the latest rumor at them, their words like ammunition. She pushed away the nagging reminder that college was on the horizon, an inevitability she hadn’t quite wrapped her head around. Up here, none of it mattered. For a few precious hours, her anxieties faded as her back hit the rough concrete, and she let herself melt into the quiet.

The late afternoon sunlight painted her freckled face in warm tones, and her eyes were lost in the crinkled pages of the newspaper she clutched, her shoulders visibly relaxing in the cool breeze. Peter lay beside her, lost in his thoughts, until suddenly, as if some grand revelation struck him, he turned to her, his face lit with a rare, earnest seriousness.

“Can we just… stay up here all day?” he asked, his voice low, almost a plea. “It’s so crazy down there.”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, a giggle escaped her, surprising even herself — it was a sound that felt strange, foreign. Laughter had been rare lately. “Wait, listen to this!” she managed between fits of laughter that grew with each word she read.

Clearing her throat dramatically, Ingrid held up the paper. “‘Some suggest that Parker’s powers include the male spider’s ability to hypnotize females,’” she read, stifling more laughter but failing miserably. “‘Which he used to seduce Solar Flare into his cult of personality—’”

“Stop!” Peter’s protest was half-hearted, though a smile played at his lips, betraying his annoyance. He dropped his head onto his chemistry textbook, which served as his makeshift pillow. “Please, stop…”

Ingrid let out a deep, exaggerated sigh as she adopted an overly serious tone. “Of course, my seductive Spider-Lord.”

Peter couldn’t hold back a giggle this time, a sound so rare that Ingrid felt her chest tighten at the joy of it. “Please,” he said, struggling to keep a straight face, “never call me that again.”

“Oh, come on, why are you so ashamed of your hypnotizing seductiveness?” she teased, her laughter bubbling over as her words spilled out. She buried her face in his shoulder to muffle her laughter, feeling his arms instinctively tighten around her waist. The touch felt so natural, like the two of them belonged exactly there in that moment.

Her laughter faded, but the silence that followed only made her more aware of how close they were. Slowly, Ingrid lifted her head, her face inches from his, and their eyes locked — green meeting brown, like puzzle pieces falling into place. His hand on her waist tightened, almost unconsciously, and for a second, her heart seemed to forget how to beat.

Her hand rested on his shoulder, her gaze flicking down to his lips, and she could feel him leaning in, his breath brushing her skin. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she swore she could hear her heartbeat echoing in her ears.

Just as Peter started to lean in closer, his fingers tightening around her, an all-too-familiar voice broke through the silence, snapping them both back to reality.

“Finally!” came a loud, dramatic sigh from the stairwell.

They both sprang apart as Ned clambered up onto the rooftop, MJ following close behind, completely oblivious to the tension they’d just interrupted. “Some privacy!” Ned declared with an exaggerated wave of his arms.

Ingrid pulled away from Peter, sighing in exasperation as she settled down beside him, crossing her legs with a quiet thud against the concrete.

Ned, completely oblivious to the tension in the air, plopped his school bag beside him, unzipping it with a burst of energy. "It’s so crazy down there," he huffed, echoing Peter’s earlier complaint. They all settled into a small circle, and he continued without missing a beat. "So, I was thinking… When we get into MIT, we should totally live together." He pulled out his laptop and loaded up the MIT website, its vibrant logo reflecting in his excited eyes.

Peter’s grin was instant. He looked intrigued, not totally against the idea. "Yeah, for sure," he said.

MJ shrugged, a nonchalant nod in place of her usual deadpan. "Yeah. Sure," she agreed with a small smile.

Ingrid, however, stayed silent. She wasn’t sure she could imagine it — Boston, MIT, and this life they all envisioned. Ned didn’t seem to notice her hesitation; he was already deep into his pitch, displaying the MIT extracurriculars page. Ingrid and MJ exchanged a bemused look as a group of students on the screen tossed a frisbee in a sunlit field, their faces filled with carefree joy.

“This is gonna be us,” Ned announced, grinning as if the picture had already come true.

“Yes,” MJ deadpanned. “Minus the frisbee.”

“And the smiling,” Ingrid added, unable to hold back a wry smirk.

"Well, MIT’s obviously the dream," Peter began, his voice filled with that unshakable optimism Ingrid admired, even if she couldn’t quite share it. "But if we match up our backup schools, either way, we’ll all end up together in Boston." He glanced around the group, his smile infectious. "New school, new town. And we can still be heroes there." He reached for Ingrid’s arm, giving it an encouraging squeeze. “I mean, they’ve got crime in Boston, right?”

"Yes," MJ nodded, her tone matter-of-fact. "Yes, they do."

"Yeah, wicked crime," Ned agreed with a serious nod, eyes twinkling at the thought.

Peter nodded, his smile wide as he took in the mirrored excitement on his friends’ faces. But then his gaze fell on Ingrid. She was quiet, eyes downcast, and her expression gave away what she couldn’t say. She was trying to keep up, trying to match their enthusiasm, but he could see right through it.

“What’s up?” he asked softly, his voice filled with genuine concern.

Ingrid shifted, fingers tracing invisible patterns in the dust on the concrete, willing the weight in her chest to disappear. She could feel everyone watching her, but she couldn’t bring herself to meet their eyes. "I don’t know," she murmured, hoping they’d move on.

Peter nudged her gently, his brow furrowing in worry. "Come on, talk to me."

Ingrid exhaled, closing her eyes briefly, searching for the words that felt like they were stuck in her throat. "It’s just… if you don’t expect much, you don’t get let down, right?" She forced a chuckle, but it sounded hollow even to her ears. "I guess if you expect disappointment, then you can never really be disappointed."

Peter’s face softened. He gently took her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers as he leaned close, his voice firm yet gentle. "It'll be a fresh start. And... we'll all be together."

Ingrid wanted nothing more than to disappear into the shadows, to be anywhere but here, facing the questions and expectations that felt far too heavy. She tightened her grip on Peter’s hand like a lifeline, managing a shaky smile. "Yeah. You’re right," she replied, forcing herself to believe it. "Fresh start."

Peter held her gaze a moment longer, offering her a soft, reassuring smile. Then, slowly, he and Ingrid glanced over at Ned, who was practically vibrating with excitement. He placed his hand over theirs, his grin stretching ear to ear.

"Fresh start," he declared, his voice brimming with confidence.

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 !!!

so... this is a very short chapter. i'm honestly avoiding the main plot of no way home because it gives me major anxiety... but we're almost there ig!!! i'm so scared lol