As the first day of Theme Week, Peter was stunned the moment he stepped into the classroom. Although he knew Harry had planned something big, he hadn't expected it to be this abstract. He looked at Harry's outfit and let out a sigh of pure disbelief.
"So, you actually dressed up as a My Little Pony... Honestly, if you'd gone with a giant mascot suit, it might have been okay, but this custom one you made is just eerie..."
Peter looked at Harry sitting in the very last row of the classroom and thought that the guy's decision to always sit at the back was truly his wisest trait. The first day of Theme Week was My Little Pony themed. Some people, like Peter, wore anthropomorphized versions of the characters, while others simply tossed on a few themed accessories and called it a day. Most of the rest were running around the school in the September heat wearing stifling plush mascot costumes.
But none of them could compare to Harry Osborn. Harry's costume was made of a pajama-like material; the outfit only covered his torso and arms, which served as the pony's front legs, while the back half of the horse was a stuffed plush appendage trailing behind him. That wasn't even the worst part. The most egregious detail was that the front of the pony's head had been hollowed out, revealing Harry Osborn's actual face.
Harry was completely unbothered. "I think I've found the perfect balance between looking exactly like it and looking nothing like it. What do you think?"
Staring at Harry's face peering out from the pony's head, Peter remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "I think you're going to get... wait, which character is this supposed to be?"
"Twilight Sparkle."
The answer didn't come from Harry, but from Cindy, who was sitting nearby reading a book. Peter had every reason to suspect that Cindy was reading so intently just to scrub the image from her mind. Cindy was only wearing some My Little Pony merchandise; at least, Peter couldn't tell if she was supposed to be a specific character.
"Right, Twilight Sparkle. I think you're going to be attacked by every Twilight Sparkle fan in this school. If this gets posted online, you'll be attacked by the entire internet."
Harry looked incredulous, though Peter felt he was the one who should be feeling that way. The two spent their break in silence. When the teacher arrived for class, he caught sight of Harry and looked profoundly shaken. He adjusted his glasses and immediately began the lecture, the entire process handled with such fluid grace it was as if the old gentleman was pretending he hadn't noticed a thing.
Despite this, Harry clearly felt the weight of everyone's gaze on him. He said nothing, sat through the entire class, and only afterward did he ask Peter something he had been dying to bring up.
"Peter, why didn't you tell us you invited Nick Fury to the Web Base?"
Peter put on a look of surprise. "What? What were you guys even doing at the Web Base then? There weren't any support missions at the time."
"Uh, it was just... a coincidence."
Harry thought Peter had found out about him and Amadeus playing video games. Realizing Fury hadn't snitched, he hemmed and hawed to cover it up. "You have no idea, Amadeus and I were scared to death. Luckily, Nick Fury didn't care about us. He just told us to leave, saying he was waiting for you."
Peter simply nodded. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Gwen peeking in through the classroom door. When Peter walked out, Gwen asked curiously, "What is that horse-like creature?"
"That's Harry. A limited-edition Harry, I suppose. Anyway, you don't need to pay it much mind." Peter sighed before asking, "Did something happen?"
"No, nothing. I just came to... let you know that something came up for Homecoming, and I won't be able to make it. So..."
Gwen looked at Peter as she spoke, then asked, "Do you have a date for Homecoming yet?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Felicia invited me. She said she had to attend Homecoming at least once for her senior year, and she needed a partner..."
"Oh, okay. That's good then. I was worried you wouldn't have a date. I'm relieved now. Uh, I should probably go?"
Gwen waved as she spoke, preparing to turn and leave. Peter hesitated for a moment before calling out to her, but in the end, he only managed to say, "Stay safe."
If Felicia's invitation had truly been just a simple dance invite, Peter might have said more. But now, the dance itself was part of the plan. The CIA business involved Hydra, the Hand, and General Ross, making it an indispensable lead in the investigation of the Hand. Because of that, there was no escaping the dance.
Gwen turned back and smiled, waving to indicate she would be perfectly fine. Peter let out a long breath.
"It seems I really don't have the talent for a quiet life. Everything I encounter brings trouble. I don't exactly see that as a good thing... Whatever. I'll just bank on this week remaining quiet. Hopefully, the Hand is putting all their focus into convincing Matt."
Peter shook his head as he thought, returning to his seat. At that moment, Harry was chatting with others, his hands tucked inside the costume when not in use to avoid looking like a centaur rather than a "horse-like creature" cosplaying a pony. After Peter sat down, Cindy asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing. Gwen just told me she can't make it to Homecoming this year."
"...You have an appointment with Felicia. Is it official business?"
"Hard to say," Peter explained vaguely to Cindy, then suddenly asked, "Did Fury mention anything related to this to you?"
"Fury just said that on the night of Homecoming, I should be ready to provide support if needed, but he didn't specify what exactly I'd be doing."
Cindy for support? Support for what? Oh, wait... Peter seemed to realize something and added, "It's unlikely, but if you notice my location suddenly shifting—like what happened back in the Savage Land—notify the Avengers immediately... and Strange. Especially Strange."
Cindy nodded to show she understood. After a moment of silence, Peter looked out the window again. Right now, the last thing he needed was a surprise. He just wanted to get through this week peacefully.
And this time, to Peter Parker's surprise, not a single accident happened right up until the night of the Homecoming dance.