Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

During her nephew’s freshman year in high school, May Parker signed up as a host in a program for exchange students, mostly to get some extra money and partly to get her and Peter some company because according to her, Peter ‘has no friends and is driving her insane'. This was 3 years ago though, now Peter is a senior, and he does have friends thank you very much.

After the Europe trip, his life seemed pretty much in the place where he wanted it to be. He successfully befriended MJ and defeated Quentin Beck from fooling the entire world, even nipping his scheme to expose his identity in the bud. People now called Peter, Ned, and MJ the Unholy Trinity, which Ned took great pride in because that’s the closest they’ll ever get to being in Glee. Now Peter’s got his routine down to a T. He goes to school, extracurriculars, patrols, and then heads home for dinner. Some days, he’ll head out in the evening as well, but he wanted to spend as much time with May as he could before leaving for college.

Dinner was going well, May didn’t burn anything, and the roasted chicken paired with mashed potatoes. Suddenly, May’s phone rang.

“May Parker. Who’s speaking?”

“Mrs. Parker, this is the Ferlington Exchange Program. I’m Carla from the Housing Management Department. We’ve been trying to reach you through email for the last few days but received no response. I was wondering if you had gotten the opportunity to go through the information we sent over?”

“No, I don’t think I have. I’m so sorry, I’ve been so busy recently. What was the information about?” May said, dropping her knife and fork loudly with a clang.

“Well, as you have recently signed up for our program to become a host family, we have a candidate we would like your family to pair up with. I was wondering if you were interested.” Carla said.

“Yes! Yes! We would love to host.”

“Great! Now, Mrs. Parker, the student is a high school senior who is also interested in going to college in the States. I see here from your application, your child is also in his senior year, we thought that you could help her in her decision-making process. We have already sent over her overview attached to your email so I won’t be going over it over the phone. If you would like to host her, reply to our email or call back this phone number, if you feel she’s not a suitable fit, feel free to inform us and we’ll find an applicant more suited for you.”

“Of course, I’ll check it out right away. I’m sure she’ll be a great fit. Thank you for calling and I apologize once again.” May said wincingly.

“No problem Mrs. Parker, it’s our job to ensure clear communication between potential hosts and students. Have a good evening.”

Hanging up the phone, May looked up to be met with Peter’s wide-eyed stare. Just then did she realize Peter hadn’t been informed about the student exchange program.

–

Peter woke up to his phone blowing up with calls. Picking it up, he saw over 17 missed calls, 25 messages all from Ned, and 1 single text from MJ saying “You skipping?”. He panickedly glanced at the time, realizing he’d woken up a whole hour later than he should have and it was now 10 minutes into the first period. Jumping off the bed, he put on yesterday’s school clothes, no time to pick out an outfit now, and rushed out the door.

May was sitting at the breakfast table, seeing him almost trip himself in his haste to get out.

“Peter, sit down and have some breakfast, I want to talk to you about something.”

“No time, May, I gotta get to school”

“I thought you had a free period this morning.”

“No, that was last semester. I have a new schedule this week but I forgot to reset my alarms. Anyway, see you later!” he said, plucking a banana from the fruit bowl and giving May a kiss on the cheek.

–

Carefully lowering his window, Peter nearly collapsed into his bed. A criminal robbed some rich dude of his fancy sports car, zooming across the surprisingly vacant streets. He ended up swinging over all the way to Harlem to catch up with the guy. Seriously, who drives a sports car in New York? Eventually, he stopped the thief and swung back home. Now, he’s officially tired.

A knock sounded outside his door. May walked in on her nephew smushed into the mattress. She intended to talk to him about the exchange program since the last time she tried to bring it up, he zoomed out of the front door. But now, seeing him like this, she thought it could wait.

“Come on now Peter, you need to change out of your suit. Up you go, that’s it.”

Peter stepped out of his suit and handed it over to May. As soon as it touched her hands, he fell back down into his bed.

–

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, I signed up for an exchange student program. We’re gonna host foreign exchange students for a couple of months while they’re here.”

Okay now, pre-spider-bite Peter would be thrilled to have a friend in the house, but 18-year-old superpowered Peter? Not so much.

It’s not like he hates exchange students, but having a stranger living with him means one more person he’d have to keep a secret from. In his own home, might he add!

This is not going to end well.

Chapter Text

After the call, May sprinted into her room to retrieve her laptop and read her emails, dinner cold on the table. Skimming the finer details, May’d already approved of this girl. Good GPA, multiple previous extracurriculars, and a shining cover letter. May knows Peter is good at school, but maybe a new friend might encourage him to have a more active social life, holing up in his room with Ned assembling Legos isn’t enough socializing.

At this point, his protest would just go on deaf ears. May is the kind of woman that stands her ground, and she cares about people too. Sooner or later, that girl is going to be welcomed into their home with his aunt’s open arms. 

“Peter, she’s been a chair of Model UN. You always said you wanted to go right? Maybe you can go together to the one they’re hosting upstate this year.”

“Uhm, I’ll think about it. I still need to get my driver’s license first, ya know.” Peter said absentmindedly.

“Pete, you’ve been driving me around to F.E.A.S.T. the past month. Go take the test, what are you scared of? You’re a freaking superhero!”

“Yeah but remember the last time I was at the DMV? I totally trashed Tony’s Audi. And also I left in the middle of the test to catch a perp.”

“Yeah well, this time, our car is already trashed. And criminals, I can’t do anything about that.”

Then the inbox alert caught their attention.

“Oh, she’s contacted me! Peter, you distracted me with the driver’s license thing. You can do it, I believe in you not to crash into a lamp post, sweetheart.”

–

The airplane food was surprisingly good. You already downloaded the entire new season of ‘Never have I ever’. Chewing on your Phở, you watched Devi go through her high school experience in the most chaotic and might you say, stupid, way ever. Would American high schools be like the ones in TV shows? Your school in your hometown is quite tame, kids don’t really bully each other, at least not physically. Everybody knows everyone in the tiny school. It was great. But like Belle in ‘The Beauty and the Beast’, you wanted more. You want adventure, you want to party, to go to prom, and maybe even get a cute American boyfriend while you’re at it?

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are making a descent to New York City. Please return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts, keep your tray tables folded, your seats in the upright position and windows opened.”

Slurping up the last of the broth, you gave your food tray to the flight attendant and prepared for landing. Your guts felt like it was twisted in a thousand different directions. Jitter? Nerves? Excitement? All of the above? 

The plane took a sudden dive, and not the normal kind during landing. This feels like a death drop . 

A loud boom sounded from the window. Turning right, you see the engine on fire.

Uh oh.

Chapter Text

Okay, the plane’s crashing. THE PLANE IS ON FIRE AND YOU’RE GOING TO DIE! 

Air masks fell down from the aircraft ceiling. Shakingly putting it on, your mind began to spiral. 

You haven’t even set foot on American soil yet! Not even a stamp on your passport. You’ve never seen the Statue of Liberty. Oh, wait, no it’s over there right in your line of sight. Very tiny, but it’s there. Another loud bang. Oh my God, you haven’t even touched a drop of alcohol, you’ve never been to Disneyland, never met a celebrity on the streets and act like you’re unbothered, you haven’t even finished New Girl! You’ve been putting off going on that diet because of the trip, now you’re gonna die fat and alone. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, the engine of our aircraft is currently failing. We are going to have to make an emergency landing in the water. Please take out your life vests from under your seats and follow the instructions of the cabin crew.” 

“Ladies and gentlemen, please open the compartment on the right leg of your seats, please! Please unfold the lifevest and pull it over your head. There are two red tags to inflate the vest, a lightbulb and whistle to draw attention. Do not inflate the vest until you are outside of the aircraft!” the head flight attendant announced while helping a child nearby put on her lifevest.

You grabbed the vest and made haste to put it on, buckled the strap around your waist, and checked for your whistle, blow valve, lights, and pull tags. The plane was shaking so hard that you felt your stomach turn, and all the liquid inside your stomach swooshed around violently. Stop! There was no time to lose. You gathered your backpack and put your papers and phone inside the plastic ziplock bag you brought to keep things organized when traveling. Who would’ve thought you’d need it because your plane was gonna have an emergency water landing. Strapping it carefully to your body, you await the directions from the cabin crew to get off the plane.

The distinct smell of smoke started to fill the cabin. You looked around the see the left engine started to combust. A second later, it exploded, sending the entire aircraft leaning to the right. The lights started to flicker, emergency lights along the walkway lit up and everyone was in a panic. 

–

Peter slipped inside, refreshed after a day free of crime. Three years ago, he would have been bummed that there was no major action, but now, he’s just happy that he got a day off. Walking into the kitchen, a pink post-it note from May on the fridge caught his eye.

‘ I’m going to pick up our exchange student from the airport. I tried calling but you didn’t pick up so I thought you forgot to charge it again. I’ll be back in an hour, try not to trash the whole place when I’m gone’

Crap. He forgot about the exchange student. She was supposed to arrive that night. 

His phone rang. May’s ringtone filled the silence of the room. Picking it up, he pressed the phone into his ear while looking for something to cook for dinner. 

“Hey May, what’s up? Have you guys arrived home yet?” Peter took out a container of frozen lasagna. 

“Peter, I’m so out of it today. I went to LaGuardia but she’s landing in JFK. Could you just swing by JFK and wait for her first while I drive there? It’s gonna take a while.”

“Yeah, sure. You okay May? You do know LaGuardia is a domestic airport right?”

“I know that! Just, we always fly from that airport so I mixed up the routes a bit. Just go, she should be landing in 10 minutes”

“I know May, I won’t hold you to it. We make mistakes all the time. I’m heading over there now. Love you, May.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.”

He put the lasagna back into the fridge, grabbed his mask and put some normal clothes into a backpack. Thank God he hadn’t taken off the suit, putting it back on would be a nightmare. Jumping out the window to greet his new housemate, he thought.

Chapter Text

You faintly recall from some phone commercial, emergency calls work even without SIM cards. Bending down from your window, away from the sight of the burning engine, you loitered your bag for your phone and make the call.

911, what’s your emergency?

I’m on a burning airplane, headed for JFK airport in 15 minutes and our plane caught on fire! Please help!

It suddenly occurred to you that emergency rescue services have probably already been alerted of the situation , but it feels nice to have something to hold on to. Even if it’s a woman on the phone, miles away from you.

Okay, we have been made aware of the situation and the fire department is headed to the nearest location of the estimated crash site. Air traffic control will guide the pilots to land in the safest manner to minimize casualties. 

Crash site???

YOU MEAN I COULD DIE ON THIS PLANE?

Ma’am, please stay calm, I will be here to help you as best as I can. Now, look outside the window, can you tell me what can you see around you that might help us get a better understanding of the situation?

I mean, aside from the engine that’s on fire right now, I guess we’re still pretty high up in the air. The Statue of Liberty is still in my line of sight right now. But it’s getting a lot bigger so I don’t know how much time we’ve got before we crash.

Alright, that’s great. Keep paying attention to the details, I’ll inform rescue personnel right away. Stay on the line, I’ll be right here with you.

_

Attention all rescue units, the commercial flight headed for JFK airport has reported a combusted engine, with multiple passengers on board, approaching close proximity to the Statue of Liberty. All units be advised.

Peter’s police scanner built into his mask crackled to life about an airplane that caught fire mid-air. The uneasy feeling started to stir in his stomach, and, oh yeah, his Spidey-Senses too. Cross-checking the flight number you sent May and the radio, the horror grew tenfold in the span of a single second. Just the same old Parker luck, wormed its way into an innocent girl’s life, merely for associating with him.

Swinging as fast as his webs would take him, the scene gradually revealed itself to him. In the few minutes he took to travel, the pilots had managed to crash into the still water, extinguishing parts of the flames engulfing the right engine. 

Firefighters were preparing rescue boats to extract people out of the hubris. The sound of pounding on the deformed plane door rang in his ear. The crew. They probably are trying to open the door.

Peter gently landed on the left wing, careful not to throw off the balance, ripped the door off of its hinges. The emergency inflatable slide unfurled itself. Out of the corner of his visor, rescue boats approached the burning plane.

“Everyone please listen to these firefighters and exit the plane!”

_

“..... exit the pl …”

Your ears were ringing. The crash was too sudden, too violent. Your head bumped into something. Your legs were, well, stuck. Blinking away the black spots in your vision, you looked around. People were running towards the front, jumping out, but you were still here.

“Hhhh-help-ppp!”

Your voice was weak, the wind knocked out of you on impact. No one could hear you. You were going to die before even stepping foot on this godforsaken country’s soil. Damn you, America! Trying to lift what you think might be a jumpseat off your leg, you managed to wiggle your foot free. Kicking the fallen seat away from your body, you crawled towards the window, knocking on the glass, hopping to draw the rescuers’ attention. 

_

Peter stuck himself outside the door, helping everyone get off the plane and onto the boats. None of these people look like the picture he got from Aunt May, but that might be because of the disheveled state everyone is in. Once the last of the hurried passengers got off, the firefighters began to sweep the rest of the cabin. Approaching the end of the aircraft, a large obstacle shielded the path to the tail. 

“Anybody still in there?” The firefighters called out.

“I’m in here! Please!” You called out. But your voice was too faint. They didn’t hear you. You tried to stand up but your feet wouldn’t get you up. You were back to being stuck

The rescue team shone their flashlight though, surveying the cabin through the small opening not obstructed to make sure no one was left behind.

“Captain, if we try to pry this away from the door, it could sink the plane.”

“I don’t think anyone is in there, Cap.”

“Alright, one last sweep and we get off.” The fire captain announced.

_

Peter watched as the boats began to depart for shore, still no sign of the teenage girl he was supposed to pick up. The rescue team was exiting the plane. Where were you?

Panic rose in his chest, but his senses told him to look around once more. So he swung around to get a better view of the crash site.

There!

A faint light, shining from the window.

That must be you!

He was determined not to let the Parker luck win this time. 

Chapter Text

“Okay, Karen, scan the structural integrity of the hull. How are we looking?”

“The wings are starting to detach, water filling the cabin is pulling the entire aircraft downwards. My prediction shows you have around 2 minutes before the exit is completely submerged.”

“Okay, draw up potential rescue plans for me.” Peter said. 

Landing on a nearby plank for a better angle, he zeroed in on the flickering light. Karen gave him 300 constructions of potential extraction methods. Most of them would not leave him enough time for the rescue, and some might make it in time to save you.

Thnngg! Thnggggg! A news helicopter approached, covering the crash site. That’s it!

“Hey guys, hang on tight!’ Peter yelled to them before webbing the aircraft's tail to the landing skids. That should hold for a few minutes.

_

You managed to get one of the life vests on. The small light bulb on it seemed weaker than you imagined, but the vest should help you stay afloat while looking for a way out of here.

“Okay, deep breaths. Think. How do I get this thing off my leg?”

With your new, albeit faint, light source and sudden rush of adrenaline, you could see some luggage lying on top of your current obstacle. That’s not too bad. You pushed them off, now the issue remained was the jumpseat squishing your leg like a paperweight. Ripping a handle from one of the suitcases, you used that as a lever, pushing your entire body weight on it. 

Ah ha! It worked! Wiggling free, you swam away to the emergency exit. The water was filling up really fast, your feet didn’t even touch the floor anymore.

Suddenly, the cabin shook violently and propelled upwards. The water swished back and forth inside the cabin, taking you along with it. Grabbing hold of the overhead luggage compartment, you fought against the waves and got back to the exit. Now all that was left to do was open it. You tried to make out the letters on the door, but the murky water made it too hard. Oh, what the hell! You took a wild guess and pushed on the big red lever.

And you pushed. And pushed. And pushed even more. The pressure from the ocean water pushed against you, and you were just floating on water with nowhere to gain force. 

“HELP! HELP ME I CAN’T GET OUT OF HERE! OPEN THIS DOOR!”

_

“Peter, my infrared scan shows she is at this emergency exit.”

Karen highlighted your outline on his view. You were… shouting? He quickly stuck himself on the exterior, now less worried about sinking the entire plane.

“It’s okay, Miss. I’m Spider-Man, I’m here to help you. Stand back, okay?”

With all his might, Peter webbed the door, stood on the frame, and ripped it open. You came rushing out with the water from the cabin and crashed into his arms.

“Hey ya, you okay, Miss?”

“What?” your voiced slurred. This firefighter looks weird. Do Americans have their first responders wearing those strange face coverings? Your thoughts fizzled away as you slumped in his arms.

“Hey Spider-Man! Great rescue but can you cut off the plane from our ‘copter? We’re kinda trying to work here!”

Peter snapped out of his trance. Right, he gotta get you to shore.

“Thanks for the help guys,” he detached the webbing, letting the plane slowly sink once again. 

“Actually, mind if I hitch one more ride?”

_

Back on solid ground, he let one of the paramedics check you over and snuck away to update May. She wouldn’t be thrilled to know you almost died even before going through immigration, but it’s better to just rip the bandaid off quickly.

Wrapping up the phone call with promise of more updates via text later, he went to check on you again, who seemed to be coming back around. You had a thermal blanket on your body, a respirator mask on your face, he thought you couldn’t have looked any braver. 

“You alright, Miss?”

“Who are you?”

Right, not a local. Of course, she wouldn’t know who he is. 

“I’m New York’s one and only friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, at your service.” he ended his little intro with a bow. The paramedic snickered loudly next to you.

“And… what is a Spider-Man?” you asked.

“He’s a vigilante, honey. He helps people, like you.” the paramedic chimed in, taking pity on him.

“Oh, well, that’s nice of you. I probably would have died in there, so, uhm… Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me. It’s what anyone would have done. Do you have anyone to come pick you up?” he asked, knowing what the answer would be, or should be.

“My host mom should be coming to get me at the airport, but my phone died when it got wet on the plane. I guess I have an acquaintance that I could call? I memorized her number a while ago, if anyone would let me borrow their phone.”

“We’ll help you contact them, honey. Let’s talk to the NYPD officers. Spider-Man, I think everything is under control here, you can go.” said the paramedic as she waved over a police officer.

“Alrighty then, take care, Miss.”

“Bye….” your eyes followed him until he disappeared into the concrete jungle.