During the buildup to the Avengers’ fracture over the Sokovia Accords, Peter Parker’s life fractures in quieter ways too. He’s still juggling homework, Aunt May, and a half-dozen missed calls to Happy Hogan as he begs for another chance to prove himself to Tony Stark after being quietly recruited to Iron Man’s side. At Midtown School, Peter barely registers as anything more than the hyper, always-late kid to most people, including Ethan Carter—someone he’s talked to a handful of times in labs and hallways, just enough to feel familiar without ever crossing into friendship. Ethan, on the other hand, notices everything about Peter: the way he rambles when he’s nervous, the bruises that don’t make sense, the kindness he hides under self-deprecation. He keeps his crush carefully buried, assuming Peter is straight and unavailable, and because Ethan has his own secret life to protect anyway.