Next chapter. Nothing much to say here, just more lighthearted stuff since people seem to not wanna read angsty stuff due to recent events. Hopefully it's good enough.

Also, to clarify something. Yes, the events of Far From Home will still happen, but the Europe trip counts as the point of no return. Once Peter and Gwen leave for Europe that's the final arc and the fic ends when that's dealt with. So anything before that is the slice of life segments.

Gwen was used to awkward situations. Having the former police chief as a dad led to a lot of overprotective worrying and warnings about boys growing up. She still remembered how he acted when Harry first came over. Peter was someone she knew since she was ten so her dad mostly ignored him, but Harry? Oh boy. Her bring home a teenage boy nearly made him go ballistic. It didn't help that he assumed Harry had a crush on her, which she didn't really get. They were friends.

Unlike her and Peter, who were very much more than that.

Being on the receiving end of the Parental Eyes of Scrutiny and Judgement™ was whole new feeling. Granted this dimension's May was more surprised and happy than angry and overprotective, but still.

"So..." May started. They were sitting around the couch with Chinese takeout in their hands. It was a consolation prize for them (somehow) burning pasta this morning, "You two are going out?"

"Mmm-hmm." Peter said, swallowing his bit of duck while staring at the table like it personally offended him.

"...For how long?"

Great, now came the moment of truth. They could cave and tell her exactly when or they could fib again and say it just started a week ago. That would've given them more leeway instead of the whole 'we totally hid the fact that we were porking behind your back'.

"Um..." Gwen said, very smart and eloquent cause that's how she always was.

"Er..." Peter added, the very picture of calm and grace.

"Well, that's a good sign," May snarked. Another thing she noticed - this May had a tongue on her. While the May back home had her moments of sharp one-liners this one seemed like she didn't let age or having a teenage nephew get to her, "So...I'm guessing this isn't your first kiss, right?"

"H-How do you know that?" Gwen asked.

"Cause most people don't start frenching till at least the third time." Gwen's face flushed red while Peter coughed and struggled to swallow his next mouthful of food. May handed him a glass of water and he drank it down greedily, "So why don't we skip the bit where you try to tell me it happened like a week ago and just say the truth. It'll be easier for all of us." She smiled.

There was more like the May she remembered. She used that smile like a knife, "We...got together before I came back," Peter said eventually. Gwen debated holding his hand for support before thinking better of it, "Gwen really helped me out and...one thing led to another."

"We didn't know how to tell you," Gwen said after, "I mean the first time we met it was during Tony Stark's funeral. How could we just bring it up? Didn't seem like the right place."

"Yeah..." Peter muttered, "I'm really sorry for not saying anything. We just couldn't find the right time."

"And the two months you stayed over here? Never crossed your mind to maybe mention you were dating my nephew?" She wasn't angry or even judgemental, but Gwen still bit her lower lip and squirmed in her seat.

"I just...didn't know how to tell you," Gwen said, "I mean we were getting along great and I...guess I was scared that you'd..." Freak out. Get mad. Kick her out. It felt so stupid to think about - May was as great as Peter said she was - but she couldn't help herself. She spent two years getting crapped on and the year after that in prison all because people were scared of her. As much as she hated to admit it, a part of her was still scared of May treating her the same way.

Seeing the look on her face, May's smile turned more sympathetic and she set her food down, "Hey, you two. Look at me." They did, "I'm not angry, alright? Sure I'm kinda annoyed that I had to walk in on you two frenching like when I saw Peter in his costume."

"Yeah, I heard about that." Gwen covered her mouth and laughed. According to him he panicked and literally yeeted himself out a window, "I just...I guess it's not just the timing. I...I was scared that you'd freak out."

"Why would I?" She seemed genuinely confused and offended at the idea, "I mean, would I have preferred you both told me? Absolutely. But I know everything you did for Peter. You let him live at your place, helped keep him going when he found out what happened to us..." She rubbed her wrists slightly, "He went on and on about how much being with you helped to keep him going. I figured he had a massive crush on you, at least."

"I wasn't that obvious!" Peter said, though it was more cheerful than before. A good sign.

"Eh...you kinda were." May waved a hand through the air, "You were acting like when you still had a crush on that Liz girl. I just didn't say anything cause I didn't wanna make things awkward for Gwen. Guess I shouldn't have bothered."

"What?! But we were hiding it so well!" He yelled.

"Nope." Peter's head sagged in defeat while Gwen laughed again. All the building fear and anxiety was slipping away, "Gwen did a better job but she had these googly eyes sometimes. I didn't know her well enough so I figured maybe she just really liked my cooking."

"That's totally what it was," Gwen said, fake sincere. May rolled her eyes, "So...we're really sorry for not telling you before."

"Don't sweat it. I can tell how happy he was when he talked about you and the way you hang around each other...yeesh, sometimes I wanted to tell you two to just get a room." She paused, "...But you two are using protection, right? Cause I'm not ready to be a grandma just yet." She grinned.

It was a joke, but the way they reacted - fidgeting hands, biting lips and small noises - made May's grin fall. Just cause she was cool with her nephew dating someone didn't mean she was fine with everything.

"...Seriously?"

"W-We do use protection!" Gwen shouted. That...probably wasn't the answer she was looking for. May crossed her arms and just looked at her with a raised brow, waiting for her to dig her own grave, "I-I mean! Uh, we were-"

"Please don't tell me you're pregnant," May said flatly.

"She's not! The spider-sense means I know when-" Peter abruptly shut up. Gwen covered her face with both hands and screamed into her palms. For obvious reasons they hadn't told anyone what exactly they got up to. Not even her dad and the Parkers back home knew. And now here they were practically giving May a blow-by-blow of that they got up to.

"Okay, I'm gonna need a sec to process this." May rubbed her temples and sighed, "I get it. You're a teenager and hormones are running high, but...I really don't wanna think of you two doing that under this roof."

"We're not doing it here," Gwen said. It was a feeble defense, but it was the best she could do, "We really were trying to hide the whole dating thing so it wouldn't have worked if we were...you know."

"Considering how obvious you two were being that's not much of an excuse" They both cringed. May sighed again, "Look...I'm not gonna say anything. If I couldn't stop Peter from putting on that suit and going off to fight purple raisin aliens in space I definitely can't stop him sleeping with his girlfriend. Just...keep it down and, I dunno, put up a sock on the doorknob or something. I really don't wanna walk in on you two going past first base."

"...Sure." Gwen's face was steaming now. At least she's giving you permission, the idealistic (or horny...) part of her mind said.

"Good."

May smiled again and suddenly walked off behind them. Peter looked back, confused, "May...where are you going?"

"Getting your baby pictures." Gwen snorted into a laugh while Peter groaned.

"I thought you were joking about that!" he shouted.

"Absolutely not. It's a rite of passage. When Ben's mom found out we were dating she made me see his baby pics album cover to cover to prove I'd still be there after all of it. If I could go through that then that proves I'm the one. Now it's Gwen's turn."

"No, May, come on! Please?!" It was Peter's turn to scream into his hands. Gwen patted his shoulder sympathetically while May placed the thick album at the table in front of them and sat next to her. If she was being honest she kinda did look forward to it. If nothing else cause she could hold it over him for the ext couple of decades.

And it was...nice, being able to spend time with them like this.

"This is Peter's first Halloween when we got him." Peter groaned again while May tapped the picture of a very tiny four year old Peter dressed in a black spider onesie. He was growling at the camera and had his arms raised menacingly. It was absolutely adorable, "I told him he was cute and you know what he said? 'No, I'm not cute. I'm amazing!'"

"Yeah, I could totally see that." Gwen smirked at him. Guess he had a thing for Spiders even before the bite, "Don't worry, Pete. I think you're amazing." She pinched his right cheek lightly.

"I'm gonna have my revenge. Second we get back I'm gonna ask your dad to show me your baby pics. Then we'll see who's laughing."

"Sure, ask the former police chief to see his daughter's underage pictures. I'm sure that'll go over real well."

"...I hate you."

"Love you too."

They went through the pictures with Peter groaning and moaning the entire time. Despite Mays promises of baby pictures the earliest ones were him at three years old. It was when Peter came to their family, May told him a few weeks ago. Just like the Peter back home his parents here died in an accident. Just like Noir, the Peter from Jess' dimension and even Peni. It was like a cruel joke no one laughed at.

May's smile turned slightly somber when she stopped at the next picture. Ben Parker from twelve (or was it seventeen?) years ago carrying a 5 year old Peter on his back. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a head of dark hair with no gray. The Ben back home was strong from his years as a handyman, but even he felt age coming to him. The Ben in the pictures was young and taken far too early.

"It's a nice picture." Gwen carefully picked it out of the page and showed it to Peter so he could get a better look. He smiled too and flipped it around to show her the writing on the back. 'Peter's 5th birthday' was written in big, black letters.

"Hey, you mind if I keep it with me?" Peter asked May.

"Go ahead." May nodded with a soft hum and closed the book, "So...any other secrets you guys are keeping from me?" May asked. She was glad there wasn't any awkward silence, "You came in with five other Spider people. Any stores with them?"

"About that." Should she tell her? The others said they didn't really care if May knew anything. As long as they weren't screaming it out in public streets they were cool with it, "Let's just say it's a good thing you're sitting down already cause me and Peter dating is probably one of the less weird things."

"Really doubt that but go on."

"Okay, um...right, let's start with Noir. Big guy with the trenchcoat?" May nodded, "Well we told you before that there are alternate versions of most people. Like apparently in this world I'm a French transfer student?" She hadn't actually met the illustrious Gwen Stacy of Earth-19999. She figured she must have been awesome considering she wasn't fridged of a bridge.

"She got snapped too. I share some classes with her," Peter added.

"Where's this going?" May asked.

"Well...Noir's Peter. The Peter Parker from his universe, at least." It still weirded her out thinking of someone with Peter's face running around as a vigilante with guns, but apparently he wasn't the only one. The Peter from Scarlet's universe was the same way from what she heard, "The reason we call him Noir is to help make it easier. Apparently Peter Parker is the default Spider-Man for most places."

"That's...something," she said, "So who are the other four? Are they female Peters?"

"No! ...Maybe?" Peter crossed his arms, "We're still not sure where Peni - the little Japanese girl - falls under since she's from the year 3145. She lives with her Uncle Ben and Aunt May too so I guess she counts?"

Gwen spoke next, "If we're talking about female Peters then Jess technically counts? Remember the one with the red costume and long brown hair?" Another nod from May, "She's...a clone." Jess didn't seem to care if people knew, but she got pissed if people started treating her like a female Peter. As far as she was concerned she and her Peter shared a genetic base and memories but they were totally different people. Which Gwen agreed with; Jess was her own person.

"A clone. Who's female. This feels like a weird 70's sci-fi movie," May said.

"Better than Mayday. She's Peter's daughter." May just looked at Gwen blankly. Yep, about what she expected, "In Mayday's dimension Peter's already like 40 and ended up marrying MJ. She got his powers too and followed in his footsteps." Along with giving Peter a massive crush on Mary Jane for those first few weeks. Gwen wasn't jealous. It never actually went anywhere and Gwen didn't like him that way back then.

"Her name's actually May since her dad named her after his Aunt May, but everyone just calls her Mayday. She's the one with the costume that looks the most like mine." Peter said.

"I'm sorry I'm still just trying to understand this whole 'met my hypothetical future granddaughter' thing you guys are treating really casually." She took a slow, deep breath, "Wait, you said MJ? In one world Peter ended up marrying that Michelle girl?"

"Not Michelle." Peter said. Apparently Peter still found the idea weird considering she didn't do friends until recently, "Mary Jane Watson, but friends call her MJ. Oh, and a different version of MJ's here too. The one with the long red hair? That's her."

"So there are actually Spider people that aren't just weird versions of you, your clones or your kids? Good to know."

"Yeah, I'm kinda proof of that." Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Sorry. Still trying to get the whole thing." May shook her head, "Hey, you have their numbers, right?

"Yeah. We keep contact-"

"Invite them over for dinner tomorrow," May said, cutting Peter off, "For some reason I really wanna talk to all of them."

"But-"

"Nope. Dinner tomorrow, that's final." May stood and walked out, leaving the two of them to just stare at each other in awkward silence. Apparently they were having a group dinner tomorrow.

"So what's the deal with your neighbor?"

Peter looked up from his notes to MJ's curious gaze. They were all in the decathlon room playing catch-up on the new curriculum. There wouldn't be any new competitions for a while but it was always good to study.

That and it kept them distracted, gave them something to do. Decathlon was familiar and even with about half of their members having graduated it was nice to have something they were all used to. Still, Peter had to admit he missed a few of the old people like Cindy and Abe. Abe especially since he was the one who gave flash crap every time he tried to start something.

"...Huh?" Peter mumbled back. He and Michelle were sitting at one of the corner tables while the others were scattered around the room. Mr. Harrington gave them free time, meaning they could do whatever what they wanted. Most of them were at different parts of the room studying save for Flash who was making a video, because of course he was. He was really banking on the whole 'I came back after five years while my parents didn't get blipped' that millions of other people also had to deal with.

"Your neighbor friend," MJ said again, giving him an unreadable look. Even after knowing her for years her poker face was second to none, "What's the deal with her?"

"What deal? There's no deal." Ha, nailed it, "She's my neighbor. When May and I moved to the new place she helped us. We started hanging out after that." It made sense. They weren't that far apart in age - just three years, as Gwen was quick to remind people who assumed - and they lived in the same building (room). It wasn't weird for them to be friends (boyfriend and girlfriend).

"Right, and your neighbor just happens to look like an older version of Betty?" She gestured to the blonde studying with Ned. She joined the decathlon team too to help them fill up their numbers. That and she figured it was good for college. Apparently some students found it really hard to apply for universities after coming back from being blipped.

"It's like she said, there are 8 billion people in the world again. Chances are you'll find your clone. Look up those news articles about people finding their identical twins." A few years ago there was a guy who had a passing resemblance to Tony in California. Mostly he used it to try and score dates and pretend he was Tony's cousin to get VIP treatment.

"And this hypothetical clone just so happens to be living in the same city and the same apartment block as you."

"Yeah...?"

"Huh. Interesting." She tapped her fingers on the desk and hummed, "What's her family like?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Just curious." It was never just that with her. Still, it would've been weirder if he didn't say anything.

"Family's fine. She's living with her dad. He works for the police." They figured it wouldn't hurt to not change much. It wasn't like anyone would look too close. Records were messed up after billions of people just came back from being dusted.

"Single dad working with the police, huh? Interesting." More tapping, "Remind me again, what's her name?"

"...Gwen Stacy?" He had a sinking feeling in his gut.

"Gwen Stacy. You mean your neighbor or our permanent exchange student?" Peter's hand froze and his pen fell off the desk, "Gwen Stacy, a Midtown student who's living alone with a single dad who's working for the police. Then there's your neighbor who just so happens to be living alone with a single dad who's also working for the police. Weird coincidence, huh?"

"That's..."

"And if that wasn't enough she also looks like an older version of Betty. I don't know about, but that seems really weird, doesn't it?" She leaned forward and smirked slightly.

"D-Dunno what you're talking about. We're just neighbors."

"Which one? Left or right? Or maybe across? Maybe I'll visit, ask her what college she recommends." Peter's mouth went dry. MJ's smirk widened and she looked him dead in the eye, "What are you hiding, Peter?"

The familiar words made him force a smile, "O-Oh, I get it. This is just a joke. You're gonna tell me you don't really care, right?"

"Nope, I really wanna know. Spill it."

...Crap.

"I gotta get going. Family dinner thing." He stuffed his notes into his backpack and fast walked out of there like his butt was on fire. Flash tried to shout one passing insult but Peter ignored him and pushed through the double doors. Not good, this was really not good. MJ wasn't a supervillain or anything - or at least he didn't think so... - but having someone prying into their affairs was a bad thing.

He'd have to talk to her alone next time, try to get her to stop asking questions.

Footsteps came up behind him and he heard Ned's voice, "Dude, wait up!" Ned ran until they were walking side by side, "Man, you just rushed outta there Did MJ do something?"

"She was asking some personal questions." He tightened his grip on his backpack, "You know, about my 'out of town friends'?" He didn't tell Ned a lot, which was for both their safety. He told him about being taken from another dimension and that the others were all Spider people but that was about it. He didn't know he was dating Gwen or that most of the other Spiders were either alternate versions or connected to Peter Parker.

"Oh yeah. Those guys. When are you gonna let me meet em?"

"Not the time, Ned." Peter sighed, "It's just...I mean they're still getting used to being here, you know? It wouldn't be good if they started getting visitors they didn't know." Noir and Jessica would be pissed.

"...Do any of them lay eggs?"

"What? No!"

"Spit venom? Summon an army of spiders?"

"No and no!" Of course he'd ask that, "Peni has a mental link to a spider, but that's it." Noir had a gun and Scarlet had a symbiote like Gwen, but that was about it. No laying eggs or any other gross stuff.

"Like a Familiar? What does that do?"

"It helps her control her mech suit." Ned stopped walking. Peter looked back and found his best friend looking at him with wide eyes, "Uh...dude? What's-"

Ned suddenly grabbed both his shoulders in a vice grip, "Dude, I have to meet these guys!"

"I said I can't-"

"Please! Just once and I promise I'll never bug you again! Promise!"

"Ugh..." Peter groaned. He should've kept his mouth shut; now there was no way he'd let it go, "...Fine, but just once. I gotta go over there anyway." He had to invite them all for May's sudden dinner party. May wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Thanks! Oh man, this is gonna be so cool!" Peter couldn't help but smile. At least Ned was having fun.

It didn't take them long to get to the apartment - or, as he and Mayday affectionately called it, the Web-site. Ned was practically bouncing on the elevator ride up and when they finally got to the door Peter had to stop him, "Dude, you need to chill, okay? They're all cool ut some of them aren't like me and Gwen. So don't go asking them if they lay eggs or anything."

"Yeah, yeah! Totally!"

Peter slid his keycard inside and opened the door only to almost immediately get bowled over by a flying sphere, "Sorry, sorry!" Peni screamed, chasing after the red and blue sphere the size of a basket ball. The circular machine zipped back into the apartment and continued its erratic flight all over the apartment till it suddenly zoomed up into the ceiling.

"Hey, watch it!" Jessica screamed. She was hanging upside down, long hair falling down in a straight line, and messing with a tablet. Even as a fellow Spider he found it sort of odd how they seemed to prefer being upside down a lot of the time.

"It's not my fault it went haywire! Tech here is like working with an abacus!" Peni shouted back.

The sphere wizzed by her again, this time heading straight for the dinner table where Noir and Mayday sat. The former was disassembling and checking his pistol's components while the latter was in the middle of a video chat with her mom and dad, "I'm trying to talk here!" Mayday groaned. She picked up her own tablet and, like it was the most normal thing in the world, jumped to the wall to continue her chat.

Noir wasn't as lucky.

The sphere crashed into the table head-on, spilling the disassembled gun to the floor. The older Spider's right brow twitched and he glared at the whizzing ball, "You don't get that thing under control I'm smashing it."

"It's not my fault!" Peni shouted again, "The tech they loaned me made it glitch!"

"Just get it down already!" Noir shouted back.

The sphere made one final lap and careened towards the bathroom door. Scarlet stepped out with the sphere inches from making contact, "Look o-" Peni's warning was cut off when, without missing a beat, the redhead's hands shifted into a blade and she cut the sphere in half.

There was a moment of silence in the apartment before Peni yelled in a panic and knelt down next to the bisected ball, "Why did you do that?!" she screamed, looking up at Scarlet. The spider on her shoulder moved its fangs to match its partner's mood.

"It was about to hit me in the face. What was I supposed to do, just let it?" Scarlet scoffed. She ignored the muttering teenage girl and turned her attention to the two of them still standing in the doorway, "Looks like we've got guests."

Jessica hopped down from the ceiling and landed in front of them gracefully. Ned couldn't take his eyes off her, "Odd for you to come here. Gwen's usually the one who checks in." Her eyes focused on Ned and she raised a brow, "Who's your friend?"

"Th-This is Ned. Ned Leeds."

"Y-Yeah, totally," Ned stood up straight, "R-Real cool to meet you!" An akward silence, "...You like legos?"

"You sure your name isn't Ganke?" She laughed at their confused expression, "Well, whatever. Peter told us you already knew who he was so I'm guessing you can keep a secret."

"Yep! Absolutely!" Peter decided not to comment on that.

"Cool. The name's Jessica Drew, but most people call me Jess. Girl on the wall's Mayday, brooding guy on the table is Noir, kid with the death ball is Peni and the redhead's Scarlet."

They all gave greetings of varying enthusiasm. Ned looked at each of the in wonder, focusing particularly on Jess, Scarlet and Peni. It wasn't surprising. He saw Jess hanging from the ceiling, Peni had a mech and Scarlet just turned her hand into a sword and cut something in half.

"So why the sudden visit?" Scarlet asked from the couch, "Gwen already checked in yesterday."

"It's not about that." Peter wrung his hands nervously. Ganke was already off with Peni in the corner helping her carry the sphere to the center table, "Aunt May wanted to invite you all over for dinner. She was really insistent."

"...Why?" Jessica crossed her arms, "I thought you didn't tell her about us besides that we were allies?"

"Yeah, about that..." He scratched the back of his head. It was embarassig, but better he tell them now than later, "She...kinda caught me and Gwen in the middle of something and made us spill what we were keeping on the down low."

Noir groaned, "So the reason we're doing this is cause you and your girlfriend couldn't keep it in your trousers?"

"Wait, you're dating Spider-Woman?" Ned looked at in awe, "Dude, why didn't you tell me you were dating a college superhero?! That's so awesome!"

"Well talk about it later." Peter shook his head.

"I don't mind," Peni said. She hadn't looked up from the bisected sphere at all and continued to tinker with it, "Food here's much better than back home. Food pills and supplements really ruined the fun of it."

"I'm in too. Just make sure to keep it in pants next time, eh, Tiger?" Scarlet smirked up at him. Peter ignored how familiar the nickname was and the short-lived crush that came with it, "Crimson'll eat anything so I'm not too picky."

"I guess I'm in too." Mayday hopped off the wall, "It'll be...interesting to see what this world's May Parker is like." She turned to Noir and Jess, "What about you two?"

"Might as well. I get the feeling I'm gonna regret it if I say no." Noir shrugged, "I'm in, but I can't stay too long. There's another case on the backlog I gotta get to."

"I'll...pass." Jessica looked away, "I'm not really good at the whole family dinner thing."

"May looked like she really wanted to talk to you," Peter said.

"Why? She doesn't know me." Her gaze was surprisingly harsh.

"Well..."

"One dinner won't hurt," Mayday said with a placating smile, "If you don't like it you can leave, but just give it a chance. Please?"

"...Fine." Jessica sighed.

That wasn't as bad as he thought. Now he just had to make sure they got through the night without killing each other.

Next up: awkward family dinners and May meeting her possible granddaughter, a female clone and two alternate versions of her nephew. People seem to really want May interacting with Noir, Jessica and Mayday. Peni and Scarlet are just kinda there, I guess.

Till next time.

Questions:

1. Do you guys mind if the other Spiders get POV segments? I have plans for a New York arc involving the Defenders but the catalyst as is written involves Noir and/or Scarlet MJ being the POV character rather than MCU or Gwen. They do get involved later but the inciting incident is with those two. I ask because the segment feels like something out of Looking Glass and readers might not like it due to the difference in tone.

2. I'm thinking of doing another 'girls/guys day out' chapter and find myself lacking on the male side. Apart from Peter, Ned and Noir who else do you guys wanna have for a guy hangout? Either a teenager or adult would work.

3. Given their personalities, do you guys think Gwen and Michelle would get along? Ignoring the whole Peter thing.

Review Answers:

Rivet94 - Friends call her MJ. Gwen calls her Michelle.

StormCity - Michelle seems to be prying into Peter's private stuff. Not good.

PaperTick242212 - Mysterio is definitely on the table. As for Michelle...writing by the seat of my pants here.

KingKiger - I doubt Peter will be tricked after what happened with evil Tony.

Jagsboy - Peter doesn't know about Michelle's crush on him, though. She keeps it under wraps.

Pyrojack25 - Talos!Fury could just insert them as part of the field trip staff or even transport them as part of his retinue of agents.

Tellemicus Sundance - Noir doesn't advertise himself like the other Spiders, so joining Fury wouldn't be odd. Remember Night Monkey?

Sword-of-Dusk - The other Spiders could also help facilitate that growth, particularly if they make of for his deficiencies. In the movie Peter never even found out about Mysterio's support staff whereas Jessica and Peni could feasibly track them down. Stuff like that.

Guest - Dude it's only been a couple of weeks, more or less. Calm down.