Yang Luoluo pushed open the doors and walked in first, Loki right beside her. The students filed in behind them, and within moments a ripple of gasps and exclamations spread through the group.

The hall was spacious, almost cavernously so. Real war footage covered every wall from floor to ceiling. With actual Avengers standing right there in the room, the students didn't dare wander off, but their eyes were already doing the work, scanning the walls in search of their favorites.

Dozens of platforms ringed the hall's interior, each fenced off by sturdy railings. Sitting on a raised stand at the center of every platform was a device that looked, unmistakably, like a pair of VR goggles.

"It looks kind of like a VR experience center..."

A student murmured the guess from somewhere in the back.

Yang Luoluo turned around and shot the girl a thumbs-up. She smiled, teeth bright and even.

"Exactly — this is a VR experience center!"

She gestured toward the platforms, and the students looked over.

"See those platforms? Every single one has a sign in front of it with an Avenger's name on it. That means you can step up, put on the headset, and experience that Avenger's first-person perspective from the battle. Their actual point of view."

The students exploded into noise, everyone talking at once, everyone with an opinion about which platform they wanted.

Honestly, Yang Luoluo had a hard time not suspecting that Tony had been planning this memorial from the very beginning. How else would you explain the fact that, after the war, Tony had pulled first-person footage from nearly every person's suit?

"So. Who wants to go first?"

Yang Luoluo clapped her hands and the chatter died down. She swept a look across the group. Every face was lit up with barely contained eagerness, and not a single hand went up.

"I will!"

Flash Thompson's hand shot into the air. Strutting through the gap the other students opened up, Flash Thompson moved to the front and started scanning the platforms. "Can I do Spider-Man's perspective?"

As a diehard Spider-Man fan, this was the moment. Be brave. Be fearless. Be everything the idol was, not like certain people who huddled at the back of the crowd doing absolutely nothing.

Flash Thompson threw a pointed glare at Peter Parker.

Peter Parker:?

What was that for?! Spider-Man liked to keep a low profile. That was a choice.

Although... Spider-Man's first-person perspective. Would Flash Thompson actually make it through without passing out?

Peter Parker almost said something. Almost. Then Peter Parker thought about exactly what Flash Thompson's response would be, and quietly let it go.

Some people's fate was theirs to meet. Not every problem needed solving.

Yang Luoluo caught the silent back-and-forth between the two but said nothing about it, turning back to Flash Thompson with a smile.

"Absolutely. But before anyone starts, I have to give you all a warning: none of the equipment in this hall is suitable for anyone with a history of epilepsy, high blood pressure, heart disease, panic disorder, or any other condition that makes intense stimulation a risk."

An Avenger's first-person experience was not peaceful. It was not calm. It was violence and chaos, and the kind of visceral ugliness that people who had grown up in peacetime had never encountered up close. That had to be said up front, before anyone strapped on a headset.

Yang Luoluo produced a stack of papers and a pen from behind her back as if from thin air, pulled one sheet free, and held it out to Flash Thompson.

"If you're sure you're good to go, sign here." She glanced at the rest of the students. "Same goes for all of you — anyone who wants to try a first-person perspective needs to sign a waiver first."

Something shifted in Flash Thompson's expression. The reality of what this actually involved was apparently just landing. The bravado from thirty seconds ago evaporated completely.

A swallow. A visible one. Flash Thompson was clearly about to find a perfectly good excuse to back out, because when it came down to face versus life, life won every time.

But the stares from behind were like heat on the back of the neck. Classmates' voices kept filtering in, praising the bravery, the guts, and Flash Thompson simply could not get the words of retreat out.

Stiffly, Flash Thompson took the paper and pen. Hesitated. Then signed a full name at the bottom of the liability waiver in one go.

Fine. Roll the dice. Bicycle to motorbike. What if, just what if, it wasn't as bad as imagined?

"I'm calling it now: passes out."

Draco Malfoy stood at the back of the group, completely certain. Draco had seen Peter Parker swing around plenty of times on that battlefield. There was no universe in which Flash Thompson stayed conscious through that kind of motion.

Ron Weasley wasn't so sure. "My guess is... throws up first, then passes out."

Even Hermione Granger, a witch, had been utterly wrecked the first time Peter Parker went swinging on web-lines with Hermione along for the ride. Ron Weasley would stake anything on Flash Thompson having it worse.

While they debated, Flash Thompson had already slowly climbed onto the platform and, under the weight of everyone's stares, reached out with trembling hands for the VR goggles.

The second before putting them on, Loki's voice drifted over, rich with undisguised amusement.

"Best of luck, Midgardian."

Flash Thompson put on the headset.

And the world went dark.

[Enter Spider-Man's first-person perspective?]

[Yes]     [No]

The two options floated in the blackness. Flash Thompson stared at them. Wrestled with it. Then, with a shaking hand, pressed Yes.

The darkness snapped away.

Flash Thompson blinked, disoriented, and then something enormous and roaring tore past, and the realization hit: this was the battlefield.

Two figures stood close. Too close. One had an ashen complexion and a face so flat and featureless it looked scraped smooth, like something dredged from deep water. The other wore a helmet, a face carved with deep wrinkles, and a long bladed glaive held ready in hand. Flash Thompson's extremities went cold. Teeth rattled together.

Flash Thompson had done the research before this visit, gone through plenty of Endgame material online. The faces were recognizable. Ebony Maw. Corvus Glaive. Two of Thanos's most powerful lieutenants.

Even through the sheer terror, there was a sliver of something else: this was Spider-Man's idol-worthy moment. Facing these two. Alone. On an open battlefield. That was what it meant to be a hero.

The enemies' raspy voices scraped through the air. Flash Thompson's instincts fired, run, move, get out, and then the awful truth hit: this was a recording. There was nowhere to go. All Flash Thompson could do was watch in growing despair as the distance to the two enemies kept shrinking.

Thwip. Thwip.

White webbing fired from the wrists, shooting toward the enemy. Ebony Maw was bound for all of a few seconds before snapping the strands with a single casual wave of the hand, those near-indestructible threads shredding like cotton.

Then Ebony Maw raised a hand, and the rubble came.

The scenery lurched. It kept lurching, Spider-Man firing web-lines onto airborne allies and enemies alike, using them to swing and dodge through the barrage. Flash Thompson's vision swung wildly with every arc.

Whether Spider-Man was injured somewhere in all this was impossible to say. What was very easy to say: Flash Thompson was dizzy, mouth filling with saliva, absolutely certain the end was about thirty seconds away.

Then the swinging mercifully steadied. Flash Thompson dragged in a breath. Looked forward.

Corvus Glaive was right there, cruel smile in place, glaive already swinging down,

Flash Thompson's eyes went wide.

[Visitor heart rate fluctuation detected. Automatically exiting first-person perspective.]

"Ha, hah —"

The goggles came off in one violent pull. Flash Thompson stood there gasping, chest heaving, completely unaware of how pale the face had gone or how much cold sweat was currently visible to the entire room.

"Restrooms are out the door and to the right."

Yang Luoluo offered this helpfully.

No time for thanks. Flash Thompson yanked open the side railing, somehow having drifted right to the edge of the platform without noticing, and bolted in the direction Yang Luoluo pointed, one hand clamped over the mouth. The sounds of dry heaving trailed back through the hall.

"Told you." Ron Weasley shrugged, looking very pleased.

Yang Luoluo held up the remaining stack of waivers and smiled. A perfectly innocent smile. The students read it differently now.

She had expected the group to cool off after watching that. Instead, the students glanced at each other for about half a second, then charged forward in a single wave, everyone shoving and scrambling to sign, the hall erupting into something that sounded a lot like a street market.

Yang Luoluo handed out waivers with a slightly dazed expression. Beside her, Loki stood with his arms folded, musing aloud that young people these days truly did love chasing their own suffering, and went on musing for quite a while, right up until Yang Luoluo fixed him with the flattest stare she had, at which point he finally, graciously, moved to help.

Loki had the distinct feeling his standing in this operation was going in one direction.

Downward.

➤ Next: Spider-Man's Good Friend

Chapter 154 - Spider-Man's Good Friend

Flash Thompson returned from the restroom just in time to walk into the middle of all the chaos.

Everyone was either lining up for autographs or shrieking their heads off on the platform with VR headsets strapped on. The last traces of Flash Thompson's embarrassment dissolved on the spot, replaced by something that felt almost like pride.

So everyone lost it watching the first-person perspective. Nothing to be ashamed of. And Flash Thompson had gone up first, just as brave as the idol, Spider-Man.

Spotting Peter Parker and the rest of the group still rooted to the same spot, Flash Thompson squared both shoulders and strode over, mouth already open before reaching them.

"Ha! Soft-boiled Parker — you won't even try it? And you call yourself Spider-Man's friend? If I were you, I'd have gone home and cried into a pillow out of pure shame."

Peter Parker couldn't be bothered to respond. Peter quietly rolled both eyes and thought privately: Give me a break. If you were me, you'd have announced to the whole world you were Spider-Man by now. Every dog on the street would've gotten a personal notification.

The others had just as little interest in Flash Thompson. They started moving in the opposite direction, ready to put some distance between themselves and the nonstop buzzing.

Honestly, Flash Thompson was like a cockroach you couldn't kill. Argue back? Flash Thompson argued back louder. Threaten a punch? Flash Thompson bolted the second a fist came up, only to circle back and start the whole thing over again.

Ron Weasley practically wanted to grab Peter Parker by the shoulders, shake Peter, and demand to know exactly how Peter had managed to get on Flash Thompson's permanent bad side. Nothing seemed to stop Flash Thompson from zeroing in on Peter Parker, no matter what.

If Peter Parker could hear Ron Weasley's thoughts, Peter would have pulled the most miserable face imaginable and cried injustice.

It was one question. One question at the start of term that Peter had answered and Flash Thompson hadn't. And now this? If Peter had known answering it would mean getting stuck with Flash Thompson like a barnacle, Peter never would have opened that mouth.

Flash Thompson, seeing them try to leave, cut them off at once, darting around to block their path and planting both hands on both hips with a smug look.

"Ha! Feeling guilty, Parker? I'm warning you, you'd better clear up those ridiculous lies of yours before long. Otherwise I might just go ask the Healer myself. She and Spider-Man are teammates, so she definitely knows — hey. What's that look?"

Flash Thompson had been going for a while before noticing the expressions on the group's faces had gone strange. Nobody looked guilty. Nobody looked scared. Nobody was even looking at Flash Thompson, they were all staring past Flash Thompson with the most peculiar expressions imaginable.

Flash Thompson had no idea what was going on. Then a shadow fell from behind.

Flash Thompson went still for one beat, then slowly turned around.

Loki stood there with both arms crossed, something like amusement sitting in his eyes. That faintly chilled gaze swept across Peter Parker and the others before drifting down, at an unhurried pace, to land on Flash Thompson.

"You were just saying... you were going to ask the Healer what, exactly?"

The tone was lazy. The voice, underneath it, was something else entirely.

Flash Thompson went white, the color of someone who'd just felt a snake coil around both ankles, tongue already flicking. Standing completely still, Flash Thompson could feel the cold sweat tracking steadily down both sides of the spine.

"I — I..."

Standing directly in front of the God of Mischief, who had a terrifying reputation regardless of any recent redeeming tendencies, Flash Thompson's teeth were chattering, tongue feeling like it had tied itself into a knot. A single coherent sentence was entirely out of reach.

"Poor Flash."

Harry shook their head with an air of sympathy. Those green eyes, strikingly similar to Loki's own, were absolutely full of delight.

"Tsk." Draco Malfoy made no effort to hide the satisfaction of watching someone get exactly what was coming to them. A slow, amused smile spread across Draco Malfoy's face. "I never noticed Loki was quite this terrifying when left unsupervised. One look and one sentence and Flash Thompson is already like this."

Hermione Granger was the only one who actually understood. "That's because Yang Luoluo is usually right there keeping an eye on him," Hermione said quietly, with the tone of someone explaining something obvious. "Loki never gets the opportunity."

They'd all seen footage from the Battle of New York. Compared to the Loki in those clips, cold eyes, ruthless, methodical, the version who occasionally pulled pranks these days was almost unrecognizable in how tame he seemed.

The truth, as everyone could see plainly enough, was that Loki hadn't "turned over a new leaf" in any genuine sense. Circumstances had simply forced him to set aside the more dangerous ambitions and throw in with the Avengers.

That didn't mean he placed any earthling on equal footing with himself. Yang Luoluo was probably the one exception.

Which was also why the Avengers didn't push too hard against how the two of them were developing. At minimum, if something threatened Earth again, Loki would step in, if only for Yang Luoluo's sake. For the planet, that was a net positive by any measure. For the Avengers specifically, it came at the cost of tolerating pranks that appeared without warning and disappeared just as fast.

A small price, all things considered.

Thinking of Yang Luoluo, Ron Weasley glanced toward the autograph line, and found it gone. At some point the whole queue had broken up, and all the students had scattered happily toward the VR equipment.

Where had Yang Luoluo gone?

"Looking for me?"

A laughing voice came from directly behind Ron Weasley. Ron Weasley yelped loud enough to startle even Flash Thompson, who was still standing there in a daze.

Ron Weasley pressed a hand to their own chest and took a breath. "When — when did you get here?"

Yang Luoluo wore an expression of complete innocence, as though the deliberate scare had nothing to do with her.

"Just now. I saw everyone clustered over here and came to see what was going on." She paused. "So, what is going on?"

She stepped over to Loki's side. Loki, who had spotted her coming well before anyone else noticed, had already smoothed out every trace of the cold he'd been radiating and replaced it with his usual careless smile. The switch was fast enough to leave Flash Thompson staring.

If not for the quiet warning glance Loki slid across before Yang Luoluo reached them, Flash Thompson might genuinely have started wondering whether the last few minutes had been imagined.

Flash Thompson sniffled, and felt the instinctive urge to report Loki's behavior to the only actual Avenger present.

"Don't tell me you've been frightening people behind my back again."

Yang Luoluo looked at Loki with an alert eye. Honestly, who could blame her, with Flash Thompson standing there that pale and that shaky, anyone would draw the same conclusion.

"How could I, darling."

Loki drew Yang Luoluo in smoothly, one hand settling at her waist with easy possessiveness. Without bothering to look like he was doing anything at all, he let his gaze drift past to Flash Thompson.

"Right?" The voice came out completely flat, without a ripple of inflection.

Flash Thompson: ...

What was even the point of complaining? The hero was standing arm in arm with the villain. Who exactly was there left to tell?

"...Right."

Flash Thompson got the word out in a sullen mutter. From behind, a wave of badly stifled laughter leaked through from Peter Parker and the others, and Flash Thompson felt something close to detonation.

Fine. If Flash Thompson was suffering, there was absolutely no reason for soft-boiled Parker to walk away comfortable.

The moment Peter Parker clocked the look in Flash Thompson's eyes, that particular gleam, Peter knew something was coming. Flash Thompson was already scheming. Peter's anxiety spiked immediately.

Being targeted wasn't even the main issue. What Peter Parker genuinely didn't want was for word to get around that Peter was being bullied by Flash Thompson. Harry and the others already knew, impossible to hide anything from people in the same class. But Yang Luoluo and Loki were standing right there. If Flash Thompson pulled something in front of them, Peter couldn't be certain the Avengers wouldn't end up hearing about it through one channel or another.

Peter Parker wasn't particularly saintly about it, and being constantly picked on by Flash Thompson was genuinely unpleasant. But if the Avengers found out... Peter really wasn't sure the Thompson family line would survive the aftermath.

Peter was still working out how to redirect the conversation when Flash Thompson beat Peter to it.

"Healer! Parker was just saying how badly Parker wants to try Spider-Man's first-person perspective. Could you let Parker have a go too?"

Flash Thompson looked at Yang Luoluo with barely contained anticipation. Even Flash Thompson hadn't made it through that experience clean, there was no way that bookworm Parker was going to manage it. Parker would end up a complete wreck, probably worse than Flash Thompson had been.

The thought alone was almost enough to make Flash Thompson laugh out loud. Flash Thompson didn't notice at all that the people standing nearby were wearing very strange expressions.

Have Spider-Man experience Spider-Man's own first-person perspective? Yang Luoluo quietly swallowed the words "are you serious right now" and kept them to herself.

Still. This was actually a perfectly good opportunity to get some payback for Peter.

Mind made up, Yang Luoluo met Flash Thompson's eager gaze and spoke.

"I don't think that'll be necessary..."

Flash Thompson's expression shifted in an instant. Yang Luoluo curved the corner of her mouth, and for reasons Flash Thompson couldn't name, a cold premonition settled hard in the pit of Flash Thompson's stomach.

"Peter is Spider-Man's good friend, after all. The first-person perspective? Peter's already lived it. No need to try it twice."

Yang Luoluo wasn't lying. Peter Parker had genuinely experienced the Spider-Man first-person perspective, hadn't Peter?

The expression on Flash Thompson's face locked up completely.

➤ Next: The Avengers' Sudden Appearance