Dinner that night went a lot smoother than Peter would have ever anticipated. It was a rarity that all four of them were available to have family dinner, especially since May and George usually alternated night shifts at the hospital. The times that they have had family dinner in the past consisted of Peter just aimlessly eating while pretending to listen to the conversations around him. It had just been easier to listen than it was to talk, it was easier to seem engaged than it was to actually engage in something he didn't know how to be invested in.
This time, however, Peter had actually felt motivated to talk. Maybe it was the new vibe between him and Alex, or maybe the day just left him in a good mood, Peter couldn't figure it out. In all honesty, Peter didn't want to figure it out, it's better to be surprised. Usually, you're happier when your pessimistic thoughts are shoved to the back for a change.
The conversations bounced back and forth with Alex talking about Midtown's football coach and how he was pushing the team hard, but Alex was optimistic that the team will do well this upcoming season. Peter had told them about the upcoming decathlon practice and how he managed to be nominated team captain that year, despite him only being back a week before the start of the new academic year. May had seemed especially thrilled at this news and Peter couldn't help but share her infectious smile.
When the conversation finally thinned, Alex decided to pipe in, "Apparently there's this new kid at school, and Peter and him have a history."
Peter blushed at the statement, "Gee, thanks, Alex."
Alex just winked at him with an amused grin on his face.
May glanced over at Peter, "Really? Who is it? Is it a girl?"
Peter rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Not everything is about a girl, May."
May's eyes widened, "So it's a guy?"
Peter frowned, "What? Geez, May, no! Not like that! God... May, do you remember Harry Osborn?"
May's fork froze halfway to her mouth. Then she put the food back down, her expression showing her surprise. "You're joking."
Peter shook his head, "He's back in Queens."
"Wow! I never thought... I mean after Emily passed away I didn't think... Is his father back too?" May asked.
Peter's eyes grew sad at that, "His dad passed away before we uh..."
May's face crumpled at that, "Poor thing, I can't imagine..."
George cleared his throat awkwardly, "Who's Harry Osborn?"
"Harry used to live in Queens when I was a kid," Peter answered kindly. "He was my best friend. May always said we were two sides of the same coin."
May chuckled at that, "They were definitely a mischievous duo. There was one time I came home to the apartment covered in flour because a chemistry experiment went awry."
"That was an accident," Peter defended himself. "We just wanted to see how it would react... We didn't expect it to blow up in a giant powder cloud!" Alex started laughing at that.
Peter shot him a hurt look, "Hey! I thought you were on my side!"
Alex was still laughing, "I just... I can picture you standing with those puppy eyes, covered head to toe in flour... Oh my god, that's priceless!"
"It wasn't head to toe! I mean it was everywhere but I had clothes on!" Peter stuttered at that. "Wait no! I mean... It was flour ! You can't just expect it to go where you want it to!"
May and George had joined in on the laughter and Peter was left a stuttering mess, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. However, a small part of him felt accomplished at the fact that he made someone laugh. It had been so long since he had been able to see a small ounce of his old self.
About ten minutes later, George had retired to his room because he had to be up by four o'clock the next morning for his shift at the hospital. Alex had been excused to go work on an essay and so Peter was left to help May do the dishes. Peter had taken on the role of washing while May was tasked with drying.
"Does the decathlon have any trips planned yet?" May sparked a conversation.
Peter glanced over at his aunt before turning back to the dishes. "Not yet, I mean Mr. Harrington doesn't know if we're traveling anywhere extravagant this year just because the entire world is still kinda... you know, adjusting."
May hummed her disapproval, "People are letting this go on way longer than it needs to be."
Peter flinched at that. If only you knew how broken up I am inside. "Can't really blame them though. The universe screwed us all over."
May sighed, putting down her dish and coming to stand behind Peter, her chin resting on his shoulder and a comforting hand came to rest on his upper back. "That is something we can all agree with. I'm proud of you, Pete. I mean, I always have been proud, but you've been fighting so hard and... just thank you for being you. I know it hasn't been easy, but thank you for being my resilient boy."
Peter felt a wave of sadness wash over him. I'm not as strong as you give me credit for. I'm just really good at hiding it.
"So, Harry's back," May changed the subject.
"Indeed he is," Peter agreed, handing her another plate to dry.
"How did Ned react?" May asked knowingly.
Sometimes it still surprised Peter how much May knew him and his friends. He shouldn't be surprised, he knew that, but it still caught up to him sometimes. "Not the greatest. He got really paranoid about the entire thing."
"You can't blame him for that, Pete. He's used to being by your side."
"I know that," Peter reassured her. "Yes, Harry and I have history but we haven't seen each other since we were ten years old. Ned has been there for a hell of a lot, he doesn't need to worry about anything, I just wish I could prove it to him."
May chuckled sadly at that, "Most likely he's a little jealous. People do weird things when they think a person they care about is slipping through their fingers. Show him reassurance that isn't the case and things should go alright."
Peter smiled at that, "Thanks, May."
May nudged his shoulder with her's. "That's what I'm here for."
Peter handed her the last dish and turned off the sink. Grabbing a clean dish towel, Peter began to dry his hands. Unconsciously he checked his wrists and felt the faint pressure of the nanites still holding strong over his organic webs. Maybe he'd tell May one day, but since it wasn't life-threatening, there wasn't any need to tell her at that moment.
Instead, he asked, "Can I go patrolling?"
May raised an eyebrow at the question, "Since when do you ask permission?"
Peter glanced between the master bedroom door and the hallway he shared with Alex. May followed his uncertain gaze and an understanding expression came across her face.
May bit her lip, deep in thought for a moment before saying, "George and Alex are going downtown to visit Alex's grandparents Friday evening when George gets off of work. They won't be back until Sunday night."
Peter's heart soared in appreciation. "Thanks, May."
May rested a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Just be safe."
Peter smiled and nodded. "Always am."
With that said and done, Peter retreated to his bedroom where he fell asleep soon after.
The next two days went by rather uneventfully, and Peter didn't know if he should've counted that as a blessing or a curse. He had talked to Harry more often, both of them catching up on the time they had spent separated. Harry had told Peter about how he didn't fully remember leaving New York when he was ten years old. He knew that he lived somewhere else as he grew into his pre-teenager and teenager years, but he couldn't remember the feeling of leaving behind a place that he had called home for the first ten years of his life.
"It's almost like it wasn't home anymore after Mom passed away," Harry had told him sadly. "It's weird, you know? I didn't miss the city, but I missed the people I had grown close to."
When it was Peter's turn to share his sob story, he opened up gradually about Ben being shot in front of him, the agony of being so helpless to stop the light leaving the eyes of the man he essentially thought of as a father. He omitted a few key details, one of which was his alter ego. He might've been close to Harry at one time in the past, but that didn't mean he was ready to reveal his spider extracurriculars to just anyone. It was the same reason that Peter hadn't told George or Alex that he was Spider-Man. Would he tell all of them someday? Maybe, but Peter didn't really know when that would be. He didn't even know if he would ever be ready for that.
Overall, Peter was genuinely surprised at how easy it was to pick up where Harry and him had left off. The inside jokes were still there, and there were more that were easily formed between them in the first week that Harry had been back in Queens. If Peter were truly honest with himself, he couldn't remember the last time he had felt like his charismatic self with minimal effort. In a way, Peter saw it more as hope that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. This was his second chance, something that Thanos didn't affect.
Peter made sure to evenly divide his time between Harry and Ned, swearing to himself that he would never let Ned feel like he wasn't there to support and hang out with him. Ned was the closest thing he currently had to a brother, something that even Alex hadn't accomplished yet. Sure, Peter had known Ned since he was twelve, but the two of them had gone through thick and thin together, and Ned had always been there for him when he needed it the most. He had been there when Ben had died, and he had been there for him during his spider activities since he found out about his identity. More than that, Ned had saved Peter's ass more times than he would ever admit aloud.
However, Peter was starting to get disheartened at the distrust on Ned's face whenever he talked about Harry in his presence. It was like a storm cloud had taken over his expression, an expression that was usually full of a mixture between calm and giddy. Seeing Ned so put out at the mere mention of Harry's name made Peter feel both guilty and unnerved. Guilty because Ned should never have been made to feel like that, especially if Peter was the cause of his friend's foul mood. Also, unnerved because Ned wasn't one to distrust someone so easily without getting to know them. Unnerved because his sixth sense has still been lingering still, leaving Peter tense and a little nauseous. Still, he couldn't find out why his sixth sense had been going haywire, and he hadn't mentioned it to anyone, not the Avengers, and not even Tony. He had a feeling that Happy, Ned and May knew something was going on, Peter was usually an open book to the people who know him the best. If Tony had bothered to check on him like he used to, the billionaire would have undoubtedly called him out on it. It took Peter an hour to beg Happy to not say something to Tony, lying and saying it's because things are still so out of whack, but they were getting better. He wasn't sure if Happy bought it, but Tony hadn't said anything to him so Peter likes to think that he had kept his word. It was better than thinking that Tony had heard about it but shrugged it off.
In regards to Ned's strange behavior, Peter had wondered if jealousy might've played a role in how his friend has been acting. May's words from earlier that week at dinner had continuously been ringing in his head.
People do weird things when they think a person they care about is slipping through their fingers. Peter recalled, May's voice echoing in his head.
Logically, Peter knew that Ned had nothing to worry about, but Ned might not be on the same page about that. May was right, Ned was used to being by his side, knowing he never had to ask for Peter's attention. Things had gone a little south when Peter's silence had accumulated after Thanos. So, in an effort to reconcile for lost time, Peter had asked Ned if he could come over after school so they could finally get started on that Millenium Falcon lego set. Seeing Ned smile so wide at the question made it completely worth it. Peter would do anything to make his friend that happy all the time. It was a smile he hadn't seen from Ned since they've been back.
That revelation had been a slap to the face and Peter got angry at himself for being so self-absorbed in the aftermath of Thanos that he managed to become so oblivious that he failed to see how badly Ned was struggling to be happy.
Just another reason why you're so selfish, Peter chided himself. Why can't you just be happy like everyone expects you to be?
Peter shook off the pessimistic thought quickly. He had gotten better at not slipping into self-deprecation so easily anymore. He was happier... at least he was happier to an extent. He was happy in that moment because he had something to look forward to.
That Wednesday afternoon, Peter and Ned found themselves sitting on the floor of Ned's bedroom, a pile of loose legos sitting in a circle as Ned and Peter began to read the blueprints. They started by organizing the pieces to make the construction part easier.
They sat in concentrated silence for a minute before Peter decided to just rip the band-aid off. "Can I ask you something?"
Ned looked up, a curious expression on his face, "What's up?"
"What's the deal with you and Harry?" Peter asked, his voice soft and hesitant.
Peter almost slapped himself when he saw Ned visibly tense. "There's nothing."
"Ned," Peter shot him a knowing look. "You can't lie to me that easily. You can talk to me, dude, I won't judge."
Ned was silent for a moment before he sighed. "I just get a bad vibe about the entire thing. This guy you knew when you were younger disappears after his mother passes away and suddenly moves back to Queens? I mean I know you can feel the sketchiness about it too."
Peter's eyes widened at the implication. "What do you mean I can feel it too? Ned, that makes no sense."
Ned fiddled with a few lego pieces as he sorted through them. "I can see how you're always tense, man. I know you, you don't stand like a rigid pole all the time, at least you used to not stand like one. I know you try to hide it, but you keep looking around your surroundings like you're waiting for something to jump out at you."
Peter's guess that Ned knew about his sixth sense being wacky was confirmed. "Ned... What my Spider-Sense is picking up on isn't because of Harry. It's been going on since before Harry even came back to Queens. I don't know what's causing it, but my powers evolved when I came back from my time in space. Whatever is going on, my best guess is that with all the stress I've been going through, it's making me extra paranoid."
Ned's head snapped up, his face a mixture of concern and intrigue. "What do you mean your powers evolved? Why haven't you said anything?"
Peter sighed, "I didn't even know it happened at first, I promise I wasn't hiding it. Anyways, it wasn't like hurting me or anything so I just kept it quiet until I could figure it out. Not a lot's changed, anyway. My senses are a little more focused than they had been in the past. Also, uh... this is really gross but you remember when you first started asking about my spider-powers and all that?"
Ned hummed in acknowledgment.
"Well you asked whether or not I made organic webbing and I told you no, and back then it was true! I didn't have organic webbing, I made it all myself, but I came back from space and suddenly I'm shooting webs from a white-webby patch on my wrist."
Ned's eyes widened at the revelation. "Wait, you're serious?"
Peter nodded, he placed a hand over his wrist and felt the small release button, a tiny groove in the nanites on the inside of his wrist. As soon as he pressed the release button the nanites retracted into a silver bracelet. Peter slipped off the bracelet and held his wrist out to Ned so he could see the web-like structures etched into his skin.
"Oh my god!" Ned gasped in surprise and fascination. "Dude, what the hell? That's awesome!"
"I'm not sure 'awesome' is what I was labeling it as," Peter admitted. "I have to wear stupid devices because the patches are obviously not normal and someone could put two and two together if they really thought about it." Peter gently brought his wrist back towards him, slipping on the bracelet and activating the nanites once more.
"But think about it, Peter!" Ned urged. "You make your own webs! Human anatomy isn't supposed to be built for that, but your body found a way to accommodate such changes! That's a breakthrough scientific discovery!"
Peter shot him a look, "Something I'll never voice aloud."
Ned held his hands out in defense, "I solemnly swear I'll never tell, but come on, dude, just bask in the fact that you are essentially what they title 'Freak of Nature. But like a good kind of freak, the one that is so unique it makes others jealous."
Peter snorted in amusement at the title Freak of Nature. "Gee, thanks, Ned. You sure know how to make a guy feel complimented."
Ned rolled his eyes good-naturedly at that. "You know what I mean! Peter, this is amazing! Does anyone else know?"
"Just you and the Avengers. May doesn't know, but I'm not actively hiding it, it just hasn't really come up yet," Peter shrugged. "But we got way off topic, Ned, we were talking about Harry. Is that why you didn't like him? Because you thought my sixth sense was warning me about him?"
Ned's excitement drained from his face and Peter felt his heart break at that, wanting more than anything to bring that smile back to his friend's face. "I mean, I was kinda scared too, Peter. This guy who was your closest friend as a kid left and now he's suddenly back? Usually, that doesn't bother me, you know that, but this time it was different... It was the first time I saw you that happy since before you came back from space, alright?"
"Ned..." Peter shook his head. "Being here with my friend s, with you too, makes me happy. We all were in a bad spot when we got back, and maybe we still are, but I promise you I'm trying to get better. Harry being back here isn't the reason why I'm happier. Him being here simply reminded me that I have family and friends who have been there for me, and are still there for me when I need it the most and I won't let what happened take that away from me anymore. I might've been more quiet than I used to be, but now I know and I'm trying to find a way to make the pain bearable. You're my best friend as Peter Parker, but you're also my Guy in the Chair when I'm Spider-Man. Having the former is a blessing, one I don't take for granted, and the latter is a bonus, more than I could ever ask for. You have nothing to worry about, Ned. Maybe if you gave him a chance the three of us could become unstoppable. He's really not that bad of a guy."
Ned bit his lip, and if Peter looked closely he could've sworn he saw his friend's eyes water slightly. "Can we just not talk about this right now?"
Peter sighed in defeat but didn't want to push his friend further. "Yeah, Ned, we can just skip the sappy stuff for now. Let's go take a trip in our favorite rocket ship."
Ned let out a watery laugh at that, "You're such a goof, Pete."
Peter smiled at that, "Why thank you, kind sir!"
The next three hours passed in short conversations, mostly reminiscing about the Star Wars films as they put together the Millenium Falcon. There were some wisecrack jokes between the two of them that had left them curled over laughing until their sides hurt. In a way, Peter could feel his entire being taking another slow step towards finally being okay.
It wasn't until Ned placed the final piece did he say, "Okay."
Peter cocked his head in bemusement. "Okay, what?"
"I'll give Harry a chance," Ned elaborated.
Peter felt his face brighten at the possibility. "Really?"
Ned nodded, "I'm still uneasy, but you're right. Between the two of us, I'm still the forever favorite right?"
Peter rolled his eyes at that, "Yes, Ned, you're my lego buddy."
Ned groaned at that, "That makes us sound like toddlers!"
Peter laughed but said, "You're the only one I have a handshake with, Ned, I think that is enough to qualify you as my sidekick if you wanted to be one."
Ned scoffed in amusement, "You're lucky I tolerate you, Pete."
Peter grinned dopily, "But what would you do without me?"
Ned's face darkened at that, "I don't know."
Peter's smile dropped and he said, "Bring it in, Ned."
Ned scooted closer and Peter did their handshake for the first time since they reunited in the halls of Midtown after Thanos. It felt like a promise that he'd never leave Ned alone if he had anything to say about it.
The next afternoon, Peter found himself walking down the streets in the heart of Queens with Harry and Ned.
"Come on, Harry, where are we going?" Peter asked as they continued their trek.
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," Harry chided, but there was an edge of laughter in his voice.
Peter just huffed and looked over at Ned, the tone of his voice failing to hide his amusement., "Can you believe this guy? He's back in Queens for less than a week and he's already bossing us around.
Ned crossed his arms, still looking a little uncomfortable, "You're the one who lost the coin toss of choosing where to go, Peter. If we get lost I blame you."
Peter stuttered a defensive response but was cut off when he ran smack into Harry, who had stopped in front of a store.
"Harry, what the..." Peter trailed off as he saw where they were. " The Frozen Snowman?"
"Best ice cream in Queens," Harry stated proudly.
"Oh, man, Pete we haven't been here in years," Ned sounded excited at the premise of the sweet treats that were housed inside.
"Yeah," Peter was dumbfounded, taken aback by the happiness that he had felt at just seeing the ice cream parlor again.
Harry chuckled, "Quick gaping, Pete, if you just stand there we don't get to actually have the ice cream."
Ned gave Peter a playful shove on his shoulder, "For once, I agree with Harry! Let's go, Pete!"
Peter shook off the shock and smiled as Harry and Ned walked side by side into the parlor, Peter trailing shortly behind them.
Who knew it would take ice cream for Ned to actually address Harry directly, Peter mused as he waited to order his ice cream.
Once the three of them had their ice cream, they sat down at the table near the window and just started to devour the cold sweet treat that evaporated the fall heat that lingered outside. The first time that Peter had been to the Frozen Snowman, it was with his Uncle Ben. It was shortly after he had come to live with Ben and May and he had been struggling to cope with the loss of his parents. Ben had simply asked Peter if he wanted to join him on a walk downtown and Peter decided maybe it wasn't a bad idea after all. Ben had brought him to the family-owned business and it had been the best ice cream that Peter had ever had in his life. Something about the freshness and creaminess of the ice cream that just felt so satisfying. He hadn't been to the ice cream parlor since Ben had passed away, even though it had been a frequent place to go for him and Ned. Ned had never minded Peter's avoidance of the place, and Peter knew it was because Ned knew it made him feel sad. Now, sitting there with two of his friends, he realized how much he actually missed the place. Peter just couldn't figure out if it was because of the happy memories he shared there or if it was because it was one of the few things that still remained from his old life before the Snap.
Peter was jolted back to reality when he became aware of someone snapping their fingers in front of his face.
"Hey, Pete," It had been Ned, who was sitting across from him, Harry sitting to Ned's right.
Peter shook off his thoughts, "Sorry."
Ned looked worried, "Where did you wander off to?"
Peter shifted in his seat, looking down at his ice cream that he was mindlessly moving back and forth with his spoon. "Nothing," Peter replied, but it sounded unconvincing even to his ears.
Harry shot him an unimpressed look, "No lies, dude."
Peter sighed, "It's stupid, it's just... I haven't been here since..."
Ned's eyes widened. "Oh... Pete..." His face grew sad.
"Since what?" Harry looked between the two of them, genuinely confused.
"I haven't been here since my Uncle Ben passed away," Peter admitted.
Harry looked like he had just been slapped in the face. "What? Oh my god, Peter, I didn't even think about that..."
Peter shook his head, holding up a hand to halt Harry's apology, "No, it's fine, I just didn't realize how much I actually missed the place. Lots of good memories, you know?"
Ned smiled sadly, "You're such a sap, Pete."
Peter returned the smile at his friend's attempt to lighten the mood. "Wonder who I learned it from."
"Are you sure you're alright to be here?" Harry asked kindly.
Peter nodded, "Yeah, I'm not sad or anything. It's maybe a little bittersweet, but I can't let one thing ruin the good memories here, right?" He cleared his throat to get rid of the lump that had formed there and then took a bite of his chocolate ice cream. "Besides, you promised to tell me about LA."
"Wait, you lived in LA?" Ned was suddenly interested.
"I told you that," Peter pointed out.
"But like you rant a lot, dude, and sometimes things just go right over me," Ned protested.
"Okay, ouch," Peter muttered.
"Oh, come on, you even admit it yourself sometimes," Ned defended himself. "Besides, it's what makes you yourself and you own it, dude."
Peter just raised an eyebrow at that, "You're not digging yourself out of that hole anytime soon."
"What's there to dig out of?" Ned feigned innocence. "Now let the man speak."
Harry laughed at the exchange before saying, "There's not much to talk about. LA is just another city, I mean it's hotter than New York and maybe a little more stereotypical since a lot of actors live there, but it will never compare to Queens. Queens was my home and finally I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be."
Ned looked at Harry sadly, "I can't imagine how hard it was to just leave everything behind on your father's decision."
Harry shrugged, "Didn't have much of a choice. Besides, that time in my life was kinda weird. I don't remember the emotional impact of leaving Queens at the moment, I already felt like I had this hole in my heart and so I couldn't see how much leaving Queens was like losing a part of myself. I didn't realize it until I finally came back, if I'm being honest with myself."
"This is gonna sound rude and I apologize," Ned began. "Why did you come back? I'm honestly curious, I promise I'm not judging."
Harry waved off the apprehension, "Don't sweat it, I know it's really weird. Part of me didn't have anywhere else to go after I came back to my father being gone. I knew of one other family member and it was my mother's brother, my Uncle Johnny. He took me in when he realized what had happened and here I am now."
For the next hour, Peter, Ned, and Harry sat in the ice cream parlor, taking turns in telling random stories and answering any questions about their life. Peter and Ned had a good time telling Harry about some of their crazy adventures on their Decathlon field trips, especially about their time at the Washington Monument.
"Wait," Harry stuttered out, his eyes wide. "When you say the Washington Monument... Were you there when Spider-Man saved a group of people from a falling elevator?"
"I wasn't, I stayed outside, but Ned was," Peter pointed over at Ned, his automatic reaction.
Ned laughed and shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "We were the kids Spider-Man saved. We were falling and suddenly he was there, holding the entire thing up and helping us get to safety."
"Oh my god!" Harry sounded excited. "I haven't seen him since I've been back, but a lot of people talk about him, you know? No one knows who he is, which I mean good for him because that's gotta be stressful enough to do something like that anonymously, but like this guy can stick to walls and essentially fly through the city!"
Peter laughed at the enthusiasm, even though his stomach clenched in anxiety at the subject.
"Did you hear the story of him crashing Tony Stark's plane?" Ned asked curiously and Peter shot him a warning glare.
"Spider-Man crashed Iron Man's plane?" Harry asked dumbfoundedly. "How did Iron Man not fry his ass for that?"
He didn't do it on purpose," Peter interjected before he could stop himself. He immediately tried to backtrack. "There've been rumors at least, I don't know. Some people have said he was trying to stop this guy with mechanical wings strapped to his back. There was this giant ferry accident that was caused by this guy. Spider-Man was just a hero who just happened to be there."
Harry looked thoughtful at that comment, "I didn't think about it that way."
Peter was about to say something else to try and cover up his slip-up but was saved by his phone ringing.
Checking the caller ID he saw that May was calling him.
Peter frowned, May was supposed to be on shift until that evening. He answered the phone immediately.
"May, everything okay?" Peter asked worriedly, earning concerned looks from both of his friends across the table.
"What? Why wouldn't I be okay?" May was taken aback at the sudden answer.
Peter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You don't usually call in the middle of your shift unless it is urgent."
"Oh!" May sounded guilty. "I kinda... uh... forgot about that?"
A wave of coldness washed over Peter at the reminder of his time gap. "Oh, uh, no worries? What's up?"
"I was just checking in with you, Alex said you weren't home yet, and I got worried," May admitted.
"You could've texted me," Peter told her gently. "I know how busy you are, May, I don't want to cause you any stress."
"I know, sweetie," May sighed. "I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize, you never have to apologize for that, May," Peter told her sternly, but his voice was still soft. "I'm at the Frozen Snowman with Harry and Ned, I thought I told you that last night? I'm sorry if I forgot."
"The Frozen Snowman?" May sounded surprised at the mention of the name, but there was a layer of glee in her voice. "Oh, Pete, they have the best ice cream! Gosh, I can't even remember the last time I was there."
Peter chuckled, "Yeah, I know that feeling."
"Alright, well just text me when you get home, okay? Enjoy the rest of your time with you friends, I'll see you tonight."
"Sounds good, May," Peter smiled, "See you tonight." He hung up the phone and looked up to see curious expressions on his friends' faces.
"What was that about?" Ned asked first.
"May was just checking up on me," Peter just waved it off.
A look of understanding washed over Ned and Harry's faces. A few minutes later they were walking back towards the subway. About two blocks from the stations, Harry came to a slow stop.
"Well, this is me," Harry gestured at the four-story brick apartment building.
"Oh!" Peter's eyes widened.
"I thought you were a millionaire?" Ned sounded amazed and yelped when Peter elbowed him in the ribs.
Harry laughed at the comment, "The beliefs regarding my father's fortune are sadly highly misconstrued. Trust me, I'm just a normal guy. It was really nice meeting you, Ned, I'm glad you were able to come along today."
Ned held out his hand for Harry to shake, "It was nice getting to know you, too."
Peter smiled at the two of them and then he just waved to Harry, "See you tomorrow?"
"Thank god it's Friday," Harry agreed and turned to walk into his building while Peter and Ned walked to the subway station.
"Thank you for coming," Peter told his friend appreciatively.
"I honestly had my doubts," Ned confessed. "But after talking to him, he seems like a nice guy. I'm sorry for being an ass about him this past week."
"I'm sorry I made you feel like you had to be one," Peter returned.
Things still weren't perfect, but Ned's acceptance felt like another light that just ignited at the end of this wacky post-snap tunnel. For Peter, that was a victory that he was more than willing to take for what it was.
Was it good? Was it bad? Feel free to let me know!