[After what feels like an eternity of international travel, the plane finally touches down in Italy. Peter and his classmates have successfully arrived in Venice, one of the most romantic cities in the world - though Peter is currently too distracted by his romantic anxieties to appreciate the historic significance of their destination.]
[The moment Peter spots Ned in the airport terminal, he immediately approaches him with the kind of nervous energy that comes from spending hours obsessing over a problem.]
["Dude, did you see what was happening with Brad and MJ during the entire flight? They were watching movies together, talking constantly, and laughing like they've been best friends for years! This is not going according to plan!"]
[Ned, still buzzing with his own newfound romantic success, waves dismissively at his best friend's concerns.]
["Hey, don't worry about it, bro! I'm sure it's completely innocent! Just two classmates being friendly!"]
[But before Peter can explain why he's not reassured by this assessment, Betty Brant appears at Ned's side with the kind of casual intimacy that suggests their relationship has progressed significantly during the overnight flight.]
["Hey there, baby! Could you help me grab my carry-on bag from the overhead compartment? I can't quite reach it!"]
[Ned immediately transforms into the most helpful boyfriend imaginable, his voice taking on a tone of devoted enthusiasm.]
["Yeah! Absolutely no problem, babe! I've got you covered!"]
[After Ned retrieves her bag with exaggerated gallantry, Betty rewards him with a quick kiss on the cheek, and Ned responds by playfully tapping her nose in a gesture that's both adorable and nauseating to observe.]
[Peter stands there watching this display of newfound romance with an expression of complete disbelief, as if he's witnessing something that defies the laws of physics. The contrast between his own romantic failures and Ned's apparent success is almost too much to process.]
[After Betty walks away to collect her other belongings, Peter turns to Ned with a mixture of confusion and betrayal.]
["What exactly is happening here? When did this become a thing?"]
[Ned's explanation carries the tone of someone who has just experienced a life-changing revelation.]
["Well, we started talking during the flight after the whole seat-switching situation, and it turns out we actually have way more in common than either of us expected! We talked for hours about books, journalism, travel, life goals - it was incredible! So now we're officially boyfriend and girlfriend!"]
[Peter's expression becomes increasingly difficult to read as he processes this information.]
["But what happened to our grand plan of being 'American bachelors hunting for European beauties'? That was supposed to be our whole strategy for this trip!"]
[Ned's response reveals how completely his priorities have shifted in the span of a single airplane ride.]
["Peter, my friend, I was just a naive, inexperienced boy when I came up with that ridiculous plan! But then I met an incredible woman - a smart, strong, independent, powerful woman who completely changed my perspective on life! Now I've grown into a mature man who understands what real connection looks like!"]
[At that exact moment, Betty's voice calls out from across the terminal.]
["Baby, could you come help me with something else?"]
[Without a moment's hesitation, Ned immediately abandons his conversation with Peter.]
["I'm coming, sweetheart! Whatever you need!"]
[Peter watches his best friend rush off to attend to his new girlfriend, leaving him standing alone in the middle of a foreign airport terminal.]
Back in their current timeline, the observers couldn't help but comment on this sudden romantic development.
"Can friendship really be abandoned that easily?" someone wondered aloud. "Poor Peter gets ditched the moment his best friend finds a girlfriend!"
"That little guy is actually pretty hilarious!" another voice added with amusement. "From zero to 'baby' in the span of one airplane ride!"
"Look at Peter's face - he's practically speechless! His grand romantic plan hasn't even had a chance to get started, and his wingman has already found himself a girlfriend!"
"He's definitely getting fed a steady diet of public displays of affection right in front of his face! That has to be torture when you're struggling with your own romantic situation!"
In the car heading to the S.W.O.R.D. facility, the current timeline's Peter Parker rolled his eyes dramatically at his best friend Ned, who was sitting beside him looking embarrassed.
Ned scratched his head sheepishly.
"Sorry, man! I honestly have no idea why future me would act like that... I mean, I can't imagine abandoning you for a girl like that!"
Harley observed the situation with his characteristic calm analysis.
"It looks like our Peter is definitely old enough to start thinking seriously about finding a girlfriend of his own!"
Natasha, who was driving and maintaining her professional focus on the road, didn't react much to the teenage romantic drama unfolding in her back seat. However, Aunt May couldn't suppress her laughter at the whole situation.
"Oh sweetie, young love is always so dramatic and intense!"
Upon hearing this, Peter immediately went into defensive mode.
"No! I'm not looking for a girlfriend! Don't make assumptions! That's not what this is about!"
His triple denial only made everyone in the car laugh harder as they continued their journey.
[Back in Venice, Peter finds himself dealing with an unexpected complication at airport security. As he wheels his suitcase through the checkpoint, a drug-detection dog becomes intensely interested in his luggage, sniffing persistently and refusing to move on.]
[A serious-looking Italian security officer immediately signals for Peter to stop.]
["Signore, please wait here for a moment! We need to inspect your luggage!"]
[Peter's voice takes on the panicked tone of someone who knows exactly what's in his suitcase but can't explain it without revealing his secret identity.]
["There's absolutely no contraband in there! I swear on my life! Just normal student stuff!"]
[The security officer opens Peter's suitcase with professional efficiency, and the first item visible is Peter's distinctive red and blue Spider-Man suit, folded neatly on top of his other belongings.]
[Attached to the suit is a small handwritten note that reads: "You almost forgot this! Love, May" with a small heart drawn next to her signature.]
[Peter looks around nervously, trying to gauge whether anyone else has noticed his superhero costume. The security officer examines the suit with a completely expressionless face, then reaches deeper into the suitcase and pulls out a single banana.]
["This fruit is not permitted! You cannot bring fresh produce across international borders!"]
[Peter stares at the officer in disbelief, realizing that his biggest concern was completely unfounded while his actual contraband was a piece of fruit he'd forgotten about.]
[Outside the terminal, Peter emerges running with his suitcase trailing behind him, shouting apologies to his group who have been waiting for him.]
["Sorry! Sorry! I'm here now! Mr. Harrington, I made it! Sorry for the delay!"]
[Mr. Harrington, who has been anxiously checking his watch and scanning the terminal exits, visibly relaxes the moment he spots Peter.]
["There you are! Oh thank goodness! I was starting to worry we'd lost a student before we even left the airport!"]
[After successfully navigating the airport adventure, the group boards a water taxi for the journey into Venice proper. The students can barely contain their excitement as they get their first real glimpse of the famous floating city.]
["Oh my God, look at those buildings! They're actually built right on the water!"]
["This is absolutely incredible! Look at how clear the canals are!"]
["I can't believe we're actually here! This is like something from a movie!"]
[Betty sits posed on the boat while Ned enthusiastically documents every moment with his camera.]
["Change your pose, babe! Try looking over your shoulder! Perfect!"]
[One of their classmates, a particularly outgoing student, stretches his head into frame to photobomb their romantic photo session, causing everyone to laugh.]
[Meanwhile, Peter finds himself caught in the familiar cycle of trying to steal glances at MJ without being obvious about it. Every time she turns in his direction, he quickly looks away and pretends to be fascinated by the Venetian architecture. However, MJ has clearly noticed this pattern and seems to find his obvious interest amusing rather than annoying.]
[Soon their water taxi arrives at their accommodation, and the reality of budget student travel immediately becomes apparent.]
[Mr. Harrington looks up at what appears to be a somewhat run-down building with construction scaffolding covering most of the exterior facade.]
["Well, it looks like they're in the middle of some renovation and modernization work! That's... that's actually a good sign! Shows they're investing in improvements!"]
[The students' initial excitement begins to deflate as they take in the less-than-impressive exterior.]
["Oh wow... this place looks pretty rough..."]
["Are we really going to be staying here for the entire trip?"]
[Mr. Harrington maintains his determinedly positive attitude as he leads the group toward the entrance.]
["Come on, everyone! I can see the front desk right through those doors! Let's get checked in!"]
[The moment Mr. Harrington steps through the entrance, he immediately steps into several inches of standing water that completely soaks through his shoes and socks. The hotel staff have thoughtfully placed wooden planks across the flooded lobby floor to create a makeshift walkway.]
[Flash Thompson, ever the complainer, voices what everyone is thinking.]
["We're not seriously expected to stay in a place that's actively flooding, are we?"]
[Mr. Dell, finally showing some leadership initiative, waves the students forward despite the obvious problems.]
["Come on in, everyone! Just watch your step!"]
[Flash wades into the lobby with obvious disgust.]
["Is this entire place underwater? What kind of hotel is this?"]
[Mr. Harrington, determined to maintain group morale despite the circumstances, puts a positive spin on their accommodations.]
["Think of it as authentic Venetian atmosphere! The gentle sound of lapping water is incredibly romantic and soothing!"]
[Mr. Dell takes charge of organizing the group's schedule, consulting his waterproof clipboard.]
["Alright, students! Get your luggage sorted in your rooms and meet at the Leonardo da Vinci Museum at exactly three o'clock! Let's move out!"]
[Mr. Harrington attempts to add some international flair to the instructions.]
["¡Vámonos!" he declares, though his pronunciation of the Spanish word for 'let's go' is clearly wrong.]
[MJ, with her characteristic precision and intellectual superiority, immediately corrects him.]
["That's Spanish, Mr. Harrington. In Italian, it should be 'andiamo!'"]
[Mr. Harrington quickly adopts the correction without missing a beat.]
["Andiamo! Of course! When in Rome, do as the Romans do! And when in Venice, how can you avoid getting your feet wet?"]
Tony Stark observed the students' accommodations while sipping an expensive glass of wine, his expression mixing amusement with mild horror.
"Wow, that hotel... I'm honestly struggling to find words to describe how terrible that place looks!"
Bruce Banner, ever the practical scientist, offered a more understanding perspective.
"You have to remember that school trips operate on extremely limited budgets. It's completely unrealistic to expect students to stay in luxury accommodations when they're paying for educational travel!"
James Rhodes glanced meaningfully at Tony and his expensive drink.
"Not everyone has Tony Stark's resources, you know. Schools have to save money wherever they can. That glass of wine you're drinking probably costs more than those kids' hotel rent for several days!"
Tony's response was characteristically shameless.
"Hey, what can I say? I am Tony Stark! I've earned the right to enjoy the finer things in life!"
Rhodes rolled his eyes at his friend's complete lack of humility.
"You do realize I wasn't giving you a compliment, right?"
Tony shrugged with his typical confidence.
"I'm choosing to interpret it as a compliment anyway!"
Despite being accustomed to Tony's personality, everyone in the room still found themselves rolling their eyes at his response.
[After the group successfully navigates checking into their less-than-ideal accommodations, they venture out to explore the famous Piazza San Marco. The square is bustling with tourists from around the world, street performers, vendors, and countless pigeons that have become completely fearless around humans due to years of being fed by visitors.]
[Flash Thompson, ever eager to document his international experience for social media, spots two women dressed in elaborate traditional Venetian costumes and approaches them for photos.]
["Hey there, Lightning Gang! Your boy Flash is here in the incredible Piazza San Marco! This is absolutely..."]
[Before Flash can finish his social media commentary, one of his male classmates rushes over and delivers what appears to be a playful but painful prank, causing Flash to double over in obvious discomfort while protecting his dignity.]
[Meanwhile, Ned and Betty have discovered a street artist offering to create portraits for tourists. They pose together while the artist works, though when the finished product is revealed, it's clearly more abstract than realistic - the kind of souvenir that's more about the experience than the artistic quality.]
[Peter continues to struggle with his role as the third wheel, watching his best friend's new romance while trying to figure out how to approach his own romantic interests in this new and exciting setting.]