Ned Leeds was having the best/worst day ever.
He sat cross-legged on Peter's bedroom floor—surrounded by empty chip bags, comic books, and a laptop blasting the news on mute. Peter had just burst in from patrol, mask still half-on, eyes wide like he'd seen a ghost… or like Mr. Stark had just done something insane.
Which, apparently, he had.
"Dude," Peter hissed, yanking off the mask and flopping onto his bed. "Dude, dude, dude."
Ned paused the video he'd been rewatching for the tenth time—Tony Stark's press conference, the one where he basically said Cap was right and torched the Accords in front of the whole world.
"I know!" Ned whisper-yelled back, waving his arms like a windmill. "I've been spamming you for, like, an hour! Tony Stark just went full redemption arc! He said Steve Rogers was right! On live TV! In front of everybody! This is bigger than Endgame!"
Peter sat up—hair sticking up everywhere, face flushed. "I know! I talked to him! He called me!"
Ned froze—mouth open, chip halfway to his lips. "You… talked to Tony Stark? About this?"
Peter nodded—grinning like an idiot. "He invited me to a meeting. Upstate. Neutral ground. No sides. Steve's coming. Bucky might. Sam. Clint. Scott. Even Vision. And this guy—Alex Kane—he's hosting. The one with the drones and the leaks and the team that beat Ross's kill squad."
Ned's brain short-circuited. He dropped the chip, grabbed Peter's shoulders.
"Stop. Stop. You're telling me there's a secret superhero summit? With Captain America and Iron Man and the guy who's basically been ghosting the Accords into the ground? And you're invited?"
Peter laughed—kinda manic. "Yeah! Mr. Stark said 'choose people.' Like, actual people, Ned. Not teams. Not Accords. Just… talking. Rebuilding."
Ned stood—pacing in circles, hands in his hair. "This is it. This is the Avengers reforming! But better! No government! No cages! Just heroes being heroes again!"
He spun back to Peter—eyes huge. "Who's Alex Kane? Wait—don't tell me. The Queens guy? The one with the girlfriend trio? People online are calling them the Shadow Family or something. They fought off Ross's team like it was nothing!"
Peter nodded—still grinning. "That's them. Mr. Stark says they're good people. Strong. The kind we need."
Ned flopped back down—staring at the ceiling. "Dude. You're gonna meet Captain America. And Tony Stark. In the same room. Without punching."
Peter's grin faded a little—voice softer. "Yeah. And maybe… fix things. For real this time."
Ned rolled over—propped his chin on his hands, looking at Peter seriously.
"You okay with that? After everything? The airport? Choosing Mr. Stark's side?"
Peter's expression turned thoughtful—older than his years.
"I was a kid," he said quietly. "I thought rules were the answer. But watching Mr. Stark say Cap was right… watching those leaks take down Ross… I think maybe people are the answer. Not rules."
Ned's eyes got misty—dramatic as always. "That's deep, man. Like, Spider-Man level deep."
Peter laughed—shoved him lightly. "Shut up."
Ned shoved back—grinning. "No, seriously. You're gonna go to this meeting and be all mature and stuff. I'm proud of you, bro."
Peter's smile turned soft—real. "Thanks, Ned. Couldn't do any of this without you."
Ned waved it off—but his voice cracked a little. "Just… don't forget the little people when you're hanging with the big heroes, okay?"
Peter tackled him—wrestling like they were ten again.
"Never," he promised—laughing through the headlock.
Later—when the wrestling turned to quiet—Ned lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
"You nervous?" he asked.
Peter—mask off, just Peter—nodded. "Yeah. What if it doesn't work? What if they start fighting again?"
Ned rolled over—looked at him seriously.
"Then you web them to chairs until they talk it out," he said. "But I think… I think it'll be okay. Mr. Stark sounded different. Cap's always been about second chances. And this Kane guy… he's been helping from the shadows. Maybe he's the glue."
Peter smiled—small, hopeful.
"Maybe."
Ned grinned—punching his arm lightly.
"Then go be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. And tell Cap I said hi."
Peter laughed—real, bright.
"Will do, dude. Will do."
Outside, Queens kept moving—oblivious to the boy on the bed who was about to help rebuild the world.
Inside, two best friends lay side by side—dreaming of heroes who might finally come home.