Chapter 5: An Old Friend

Hey guys. Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Life has been busy lately and I've been having a bit of a struggle with motivation. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it and hopefully I can get back into swing with this. I don't have a lot of time, so I just want to say thank you to those of you who have reviewed and thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Spider Man or anything affiliated with the franchise.

Peter couldn't help but be in a rather good mood as he walked home from work. It had been a week since MJ had regained her memories. A wonderful week full of the two of them spending whatever free time they had to try to make up for lost time. MJ had originally been a little upset with him for letting her go on without knowing who he was, but her relief to have found her way back didn't allow this to stay for long. She was just happy that she knew who he was.

And though he had been hoping to make a sacrifice for her sake so that she could have a normal life without him, he couldn't deny that he was glad to have her back in his life. The time they had been apart had been very hard on him, and the time they had spent since their proper reunion had been like a breath of fresh air to him. It turned out to be just what he needed.

Sure, he knew that his job still wasn't the best, and that getting his GED wasn't exactly easy for him either, but as long as he had MJ, he knew that he would be alright. As cheesy as it sounded, she was everything to him, and he was glad to have her back in his life.

The only problem he found with this, however, was one thing. Despite originally having been convinced that telling Ned who he was would be a good idea, it had not taken him long to remember just why he had chosen to keep himself secret to his friends. They both deserved to be able to go to the college of their choice without his life interfering with theirs, but he knew that there wasn't anything he could do about MJ's situation. Not only was Doctor Strange completely unwilling to recast the spell that had made everyone forget who he was, but he knew with absolute certainty now from experience that even magic was not strong enough to overcome his girlfriend's will. Though he had to admit, he was quite happy that her love for him was strong enough to overcome a force that should not have existed but did.

Regardless, he knew that there was nothing he could do about MJ's situation, but Ned still was not aware of who he was. If he chose not to say anything, Ned could go on without knowing any different, going to the college of his dreams and having the life that he had always wanted. Of course, he knew that Ned would want to know who he was, and had even told him so before the spell had been cast that made everyone forget who he was. It was because of this and MJ's constant reminders that he needed to tell him sooner or later that he felt so conflicted about it.

Of course he wanted his friend back. His best friend, but it was no easy thing to just rip this particular band-aid off. With MJ, he had no choice, but he certainly had a choice whether or not to make Ned remember who he was. And as much as he wanted to, the part of him that wanted to do anything for his friends kept fighting with the part of him that just wanted everything to go back to the way it was before his identity had been revealed. Even if he knew that he would never be able to bring May back.

Deciding that it was doing him no good to keep fighting himself over this, he put the thought to the side for the moment and focused on his walk towards home. MJ had texted him and said that she would be over as soon as she could. And considering that school got out at four thirty and his work got out at five, he knew that he wouldn't have a lot of time to get himself ready before she arrived. He knew that she didn't care, but his job was a physical one, and he didn't want to force her to deal with his bad body odor if he could help it.

With a bit more urgency in his step, he quickly made his way back to his apartment and became relieved when he finally reached his building. So far, there had been no sign of MJ, hopefully meaning that he would have enough time to take a quick shower before she got there. Feeling a bit more rushed than usual, Peter quickly ran up the stairs to his floor and sprinted to his apartment, being relieved as he did not see any sign of her just yet.

Quickly opening his door while looking over his shoulder, he quickly walked in and made sure the door was locked behind him before beginning to take his clothes off. It wasn't until he had successfully managed to get his shirt off that he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

His eyes widening to the size of plates, he clung nervously onto the shirt that was still in his hand and slowly turned around to find the intruder to be none other than his girlfriend. "MJ?" he asked in complete surprise, not believing his eyes as he completely forgot that he was currently shirtless before her.

"Sup," she replied simply, though her voice was noticeably more strained than usual. He didn't know why this was, as he knew her to be the strong and sarcastic girl that he loved, but this was quite unlike her.

"How… How did you get in here?" Peter asked numbly, his face taking on an embarrassed look as he realized that he was shirtless before her and quickly covered his torso with his t-shirt.

"I figured out where your spare key is," MJ told him honestly, revealing the key in question in her hand as she tossed it to him, making him fumble as he struggled to keep his torso covered while catching the key in his other hand. "You should probably find a better place to put it than your door mat, by the way."

Laughing awkwardly, he put the key in his pocket and shrugged. "Yeah, you're probably right," he reluctantly agreed, noticing as he looked at her that she appeared to be focusing on him rather intently. Blushing a little as he wondered why this was, he decided not to voice the questions in his mind and instead decided to explain himself. "Uh… sorry about that. I was planning on taking a shower before you got here, so…"

"Oh, it's fine," she assured him a little too quickly, and he couldn't help but get the sense that she had enjoyed seeing him shirtless, however brief it had been. "Go ahead. I'll just be here."

Smiling nervously and not really knowing what to do, he muttered a quick "thanks" before quickly making his way to the bathroom. When the door was shut, MJ finally let go of the breath that she had been secretly holding and sighed in relief. She enjoyed seeing her boyfriend shirtless, but she was not a fan of the way it made her freeze up whenever she saw him like that. She was strong, confident, and intelligent. And whenever she unintentionally caught him with his shirt off, all her favorite traits about herself seemed to vanish into thin air.

As much as she didn't like that this happened, she fully understood why it did, and decided not to dwell on it too much. Though she was no fan of freezing up like that, she couldn't deny that she had rather liked seeing how muscular her boyfriend had become. Deciding not to think about this any longer, she began humming a tune to herself and patiently waited for Peter to finish his shower. By the time he came back out, she had managed to compose herself and gave him a smile as he walked out in new clothes.

"Feel better?" she asked, making him laugh as he nodded.

"Yeah, much better," he agreed as he quickly walked over to his room and threw his clothes in his laundry hamper before rushing back over to her. "Sorry."

"Don't be," MJ told him, a certain gleam in her eyes that Peter didn't catch onto as she shrugged. "It's kind of my fault. I did come in here without telling you."

"It's alright," he shrugged it off as he gave her a smile. "I'm just glad you're here."

"So… How was work, honey?" MJ asked jokingly, making him laugh as he settled in closer to her while she snuggled up to him.

"Not too bad," he told her as he held her close, being glad to have her there with him. "It's a lot better now that I can spend some time with you after."

Unable to hold back a small smile as she heard this, she did her best to hide it as she replied. "See what happens when you tell your girlfriend who you are after some magic guy wipes everyone's memory of you? You get to spend some time with her." The two shared a look, laughs escaping their lips as they found themselves amazed that their lives were so complex.

After a few moments of laughing together, MJ finally managed to settle herself and shook her head with a grin. "What even is your life? I mean, how many people can say that they've had some wizard guy make everyone forget you to save the world?"

Though she hadn't meant to, this once again reminded Peter of why he had wanted to let her and Ned move on without him, his eyes becoming downcast as he slowly nodded. "Yeah… Crazy…"

Noticing the sudden change in her boyfriend's demeanor, MJ looked up and saw that Peter had taken on a look of solemnity, making her eyes widen as she realized what her words must have sounded like. "Hey," she began, seeing that he wouldn't meet her eyes. Knowing that he wasn't going to move himself, she took his face in her hand and forced him to look at her. "I know what you're thinking. Don't go down that road again."

"But-"

"But nothing," she interrupted him before he could finish whatever it was that he was going to say, a serious look on her face as she kept his gaze on hers. "Your life might be weird, but you didn't choose it. What you did choose was to use the powers you got to help people, when a lot of people would have used them to rob banks or, or to make themselves out to be heroes, but you're a real hero." She looked up into his eyes. "I love that you chose to help others with your powers. And even if your life isn't normal, I wouldn't have it any other way. Okay?" He didn't respond, so she repeated more forcefully. "Okay?"

Looking into her eyes and seeing that she was absolutely serious, he let out a sigh of defeat and nodded. "Okay," he finally said after another moment of silence, making MJ smile a little.

"Good." She pulled him into a hug, making his eyes sink closed in comfort as he held her close. He knew that she would do this, but it certainly didn't hurt for him to be reminded that this was what she truly wanted. And it amazed him that she would take him and his crazy life any day over a life of normalness. Or rather, as normal as a day in their world could be, anyway.

Pulling away from her, he felt his heart in his throat as he whispered with gratitude shining in his eyes. "I love you."

With the same love shining in her own, MJ smiled back at him and replied. "I love you, too." Pulling each other into a soft kiss, the two reluctantly pulled apart after a few moments and just enjoyed each other's presence.

"So," MJ began as she settled herself comfortably on his shoulder. "Now that we've got you back on track, when are you planning on telling Ned?"

"I don't know," Peter admitted quietly as he felt her nuzzle into the hollow between his neck, his heart melting at her desire to be close to him. "I haven't really thought about it."

"Well, you're going to have to tell him sooner or later," she reminded him just as quietly, appearing to be quite comfortable where she was as she spoke. "I know this isn't easy for you, but he wanted to remember who you are, too. And I know that you miss him."

Peter couldn't help but smile a little at how well she knew him. "Yeah, I do," he sighed as he squeezed her tighter. "It's just hard. You guys shouldn't have to-" He cut himself off as he saw MJ pull herself back and raise a brow at him, clearly challenging him to rehash this debate once again. Laughing nervously, he reluctantly continued. "Well, you know what I mean."

Resettling herself back where she was before, she nodded against him and responded. "I know, but I also know what he wanted. He's your best friend, Peter. Even if you don't want us to be involved in the other side of your life, Ned wanted to be a part of that, too," she reminded him, making him sigh as he knew that she was right.

"When did you get so much smarter than me?"

"I always was," she teased at him, making him laugh as he nodded, knowing it to be the truth. "You're smart, too, sometimes you just need to be reminded about some things."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I have you to remind me," he chuckled, making her smile as she snuggled even closer to him. Thinking her previous question over in his mind, he finally decided on an answer. "This weekend. Maybe you can get Ned to meet us at the cafe?"

"Sounds like a plan," MJ tiredly replied, finding herself beginning to nod off as she enjoyed the warmth coming from him. Feeling himself getting tired as well, he sunk his face into her hair and let out a relaxed sigh. And as he fell asleep, he found himself once again excited that he would soon be properly reunited with his best friend. Things would never be as they once were, but he took comfort in knowing that if nothing else, at least he would have them. And he was grateful for it.

True to her word, MJ had arranged for Ned to meet them at the cafe where she worked on the following Saturday. Originally, she had been planning on not telling him that Peter would be coming with, but then had remembered that Ned had questions for Peter when he had found him for her and realized that there was no need. All it took was mentioning that she would be inviting the subject of her quarry that her friend had helped her with to get him excited to "meet" him. Even if he didn't know that he was already Peter's best friend. Not just yet, anyway.

She didn't know what exactly it was that he had found during his search on her behalf that made him so curious about Peter, but she was glad that she didn't have to make up a reason to put Ned at ease. It was much easier this way, even if she knew that she could figure out a reason if need be. Looking at the clock, she smiled as she saw her boyfriend walk in right on time. From what she had learned of the Parker family, they all had a bad habit of being late on things, but Peter had always made her his first priority when he could. Something that she appreciated more than he would ever truly know.

"Hey," he greeted her with a smile, leaning in for a quick kiss which stole MJ's breath away. She hadn't been expecting him to be so informal with her.

Blushing ever so slightly, she laughed nervously and replied. "Hey. Thanks for coming."

"Of course. Is Ned here yet?" he asked as he looked around, seeing a few people but being a bit saddened to not see his best friend of many years.

"No, he texted me and said he was running late," she told him as she reached down below the counter and set a drink before him, making him look at her curiously. Smirking as she saw this, she told him. "It's our new drink. My boss won't stop talking about it. It's basically a hot chocolate but with some mint in it."

"For Saint Paddy's day?" Peter asked curiously.

"No, it's for valentine's day," she sarcastically remarked, though the amusement in her eyes gave her away easily, making Peter laugh. "Speaking of which, we missed out on that this year. You're going to have to make it up to me sometime."

Raising a brow in confusion at her, he couldn't help but wonder aloud. "I thought you didn't like Valentine's day? You said it was all mushy and gross."

Laughing a little, MJ shrugged and responded. "It is, but I still want one of those giant teddy bears. I don't care about the rest, but I want that," she told him honestly, making him smile as he found this request to be adorable.

"I'll get right on that," he promised, making her smile as they looked at each other in silence. After a few moments of staying that way, Peter suddenly remembered the special hot chocolate before him and cleared his throat, pulling out his wallet. "How much do I owe you for that?"

Raising a brow at him in turn, she replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Uh… Nothing. It's on the house, Mr. I'm a big coffee guy," she teased as she slid it forward to him.

Smiling as he watched this, he grabbed the drink and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, making her blush at how publicly affectionate he was being today as she looked around at the others. "Thanks, honey," he teased, making her chuckle as he looked to see that their usual table had a homemade reservation sign on it. And from the looks of it, she had spent a good amount of time personalizing it.

Turning back to ask her about the special doodles she had added to it, he was prevented from doing so when the sound of the front door opening caught both of their attentions, making them both look to see as none other than their friend came walking in.

"Hey, MJ," Ned greeted her as he walked up to the counter. "Sorry I'm late. I was trying to finish my project but I kind of got coffee on it and…"

"I think I get the picture, Ned," she politely cut him off as she pulled out a drink from under the counter and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he told her gratefully as he took it and took a sip, letting out a relaxed sigh, not noticing the bit of whip cream that had left something of a mustache on his upper lip.

Doing his best not to laugh at his best friend, Peter cleared his throat loudly and awkwardly stuck out his hand, making Ned snap out of his enjoyment as he finally noticed who was next to him. Excitement filling his eyes, he quickly shook it with just as much excitement as was on his face. "H-hi, Mr. Parker! It's really nice to meet you!"

Laughing a little at this, Peter waited for him to finish with his shaking before replying. "Nice to meet you, too, Ned. MJ told me a lot about you."

"I wish I could say the same," Ned confessed with a small shrug as he tried not to let his excitement make him lose his cool. "But if I'm being honest, it doesn't really seem like anybody knows much about you. Is there a reason for that, or…"

Seeing the look on Peter's face as he struggled to come up with an answer for that, MJ quickly stepped in for him and said. "Patience, Ned. He'll answer your questions at the table," she told him with a serious look, making Ned make an 'o' with his mouth as he realized that this was something that was best done in privacy.

"Right, sorry," he apologized sheepishly, making Peter smile as he saw his best friend. It had been too long since he had been able to hang out with him, and though he still wished he could make this sacrifice for them, he was looking forward to having him back in his life.

"Why don't you guys take this over to the table and I'll bring over some donuts?" MJ suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Peter agreed, leaning over to give MJ another kiss, taking her by surprise but she certainly wasn't going to complain. Ned, however, seemed to be more than a little surprised. "Thanks, MJ."

Ned, who was standing still in shock from thinking that his friend who was proud and stubborn by nature would never want a boyfriend but clearly had one now, laughed in amazement and said in a joking tone. "Wow, no wonder you wanted me to meet you here. You finally got a boyfriend."

"That's not why and you know it," MJ shot back playfully, making him laugh as he nodded his agreement. "Just go sit down. We'll explain over there."

"Alright," Ned grinned, another teasing twinkle in his eyes as he looked between the two before making his way over to the table and sitting in his usual spot. Sharing another look with MJ, Peter watched her give a pointed look before going to grab some donuts for them, leaving him to take a deep breath before taking his own seat as well.

"Thanks for coming, Ned," Peter decided to begin with as he looked at his friend.

"Oh, it's no problem," Ned assured him, unable to hide the excitement that had once again taken over his face as he knew that he was about to get some answers to something that he had not been able to stop thinking about. "I'm always glad to see MJ happy, but I have some questions of my own that I was hoping you could answer? Like…" He looked around at the others before lowering his voice. "Are you really Spider-Man?"

MJ, having gotten the doughnuts and taking her seat, saved Peter from having to answer immediately as she shot Ned a look. "Hold on a second, Ned. First, we need to explain some things, and then after he'll answer your questions. Okay?" Well, technically this wasn't a lie, as if everything went according to plan, Peter wouldn't need to answer any questions. With any luck, Ned would regain his memory, and they could fill him in on the rest.

Ned, to his credit, made a motion like he was zipping his lips and remained silent as he waited for them to say what they needed to say. Sharing another look with MJ, Peter knew that it was time and forced himself to focus.

"Okay, I know this is going to sound weird," he began carefully, not even sure whether he was going about this the right way or not. "But… we're best friends. We have been since we were kids." There was complete silence from Ned for a few moments, and after seeing the look on his face and realizing that he was staying true to his word, Peter continued. "You can talk now."

"Thank you," Ned sighed in relief quickly before allowing his surprise to show in his voice. "What are you talking about?! I've never met you before in my life."

"It's true, Ned," MJ cut in, making Ned look over at her in surprise as she voiced her agreement. "You don't remember it, but you guys were friends a long time before we ever were."

Looking between the two and seeing that they were both serious, Ned couldn't help but voice his doubt. "Okay, if you guys are right and we've been friends for a long time, then why don't I remember anything?" he challenged.

Laughing nervously, Peter shared another look with MJ, but became encouraged by the look of reassurance that she gave him. Feeling better from this, he took a deep breath and turned back to his friend. "It's kind of a long story…" So with that, he began his tale of all that had happened. How the world had discovered that he was Spider-Man (which Ned had been unable to hold back a squeal of delight at his admission), how their lives had been affected by this, and how he had gone to Doctor Strange for help. Then he told him how everything went wrong, and how they had been given the duty to clean up Peter's mess.

By the time he had reached the end of the story, Ned's eyes couldn't possibly be any wider. So wide in fact, that Peter was beginning to worry that his friend's eyes would never be able to close again. There was nothing but pure silence emanating from his best friend, and he wasn't entirely sure what to do about it.

"Um… Hello?" Peter finally decided to break the silence as he waved a hand in front of Ned's face, finally snapping him out of his shock as he shook his head to clear his head.

"Okay, let's say I believe your story," Ned began as he looked at Peter with a new interest that hadn't been there before. "Our world is pretty weird, so I'm not saying it's not possible. Do you have any proof that we were best friends?"

Thinking on this for a moment, Peter's eyes brightened considerably as he remembered something. "Yeah! Our handshake! We've been doing it since middle school!"

"We had a handshake?" Ned couldn't help but ask in clear doubt. Not that he thought that it wouldn't be cool, as he had secretly always wanted to have a cool handshake with his best friend, but the closest friend he… at least had thought he had was MJ. And she would never do such a thing with him.

"Yeah! Here, watch," Peter commanded, remembering a lesson he had learned in school about muscle memory. Taking Ned's arm and extending his hand out toward him. To Ned's amazement as Peter began a move he didn't recognize, his hand and arm followed suit with that of Peter's as they did a series of moves that took Ned completely by surprise at how complex it was. Especially considering that he had no memory of doing so whatsoever. When it finally ended, Ned looked down at his hand and said with wide eyes and shock in his voice. "Whaaaaaat?"

Smiling as he saw the look of disbelief on Ned's face, Peter laughed and nodded. "See? We're best friends. The spell just made you forget who I am."

Looking between him and MJ, seeing the nod of agreement that she gave him, Ned's mind began to unravel at this revelation. "So, I'm best friends with Spider-Man?!" he asked excitedly, albeit way louder than he should have as both Peter and MJ shot him a look. Laughing nervously as he realized his mistake, he gave them an apologetic smile and corrected himself with a whisper. "So, I'm best friends with Spider-Man?"

Deciding to give his friend a little grace, knowing that he likely would do the same thing if their roles were reversed, Peter nodded and gave him a smile. "We are." A puzzled look overtook his face as he looked at his friend. "Do you not remember now?"

His eyes going up as if he was trying to look into his brain, Ned looked back down at them and shook his head. "No, I don't remember anything," he confessed, making the couple share a look of confusion.

"Why doesn't he remember?" Peter asked worriedly.

"I don't know," MJ replied with just as much worry, her eyes lighting up as she remembered something. "Wait! We just have to remind him of the stuff he's missing!"

His eyes lighting up as he realized that she was right, Peter looked back to Ned and tried to think of something that would help. "Okay, so you know now that you and I are best friends. Do you remember what we were talking about before our Summer trip?"

"No, I don't remember-" Ned began, his eyes widening and his hand going to his head as he doubled over. Though his friends were also worried, they became relieved as they saw this, knowing that it meant that it was working. When he finally came back up, he was looking at Peter in a weird way.

"We were talking about your plan to tell MJ how you feel!" Ned said in amazement, making Peter's smile grow and MJ gave him a sly look as she glanced at him.

"So that's what you guys were talking about," MJ said with a smug smirk, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for him to respond as he laughed nervously. Fortunately for him, he didn't need to, as Ned then asked in excitement.

"Was that a memory?!"

"Yes, it was!" Peter told him excitedly, being glad to have a chance to change the subject. "Okay. Okay. What else? What else…" he mused over it for a moment, another smile coming over his face as he remembered something as he snapped his finger. "The day you found out I'm Spider-Man! When you dropped your death star!" he lowered his voice to a whisper just to be on the safe side.

Once again, Ned doubled over as his eyes widened, the memory coming back to him as his two friends watched in relief. They were glad that he was finally regaining his memories, even if it took a little longer than they had expected.

Finally, once Ned's head cleared and he looked back up to him, there was plain recognition on his face, making Peter excited as he saw that he had regained his memory. "Peter?!" Ned gasped, making his best friend smile as the two embraced each other in a hug. After realizing that this probably didn't look very cool, however, the two quickly split apart and cleared their throats. "I mean, good to see you again, man."

"Yeah, yeah, good to see you again, too," Peter attempted to act just as aloof, making MJ roll her eyes playfully as she shook her head at them.

"I stand by what I said. You are both complete dorks." The two sighed and sunk back into their seats, making her chuckle as she took Peter's hand in hers. "Good thing you're a cute dork."

Peter grinned at this, and the two best friends reacquainted themselves with each other. And though Peter still wanted them to be able to have a normal life without him, he couldn't deny that he was rather happy to have the two closest people to him back in his life.

After a little while of them all catching up, a question popped into Ned's mind. "Peter, why didn't you tell us who you were sooner?"

Looking down in shame at himself, he looked back up to MJ who gave him a reassuring look and a gentle squeeze of his hand. Feeling better because of this, he looked back to Ned and told him with all honesty. "I was going to. The next day after Doctor Strange cast the spell, I went into the cafe to find you guys and tell you who I was, but then I saw how… happy you guys were," he confessed.

"What do you mean?" Ned asked, and though neither of them could tell, MJ felt a pang of guilt go through her as she remembered just why Peter had tried to let them go.

After a moment of silence, Peter continued. "When I talked to MJ, I noticed that she was… excited… and… hopeful about going to college. And I knew that… if I told you guys who I was… I would mess it all up for you." He took a deep breath and looked down, feeling regret wash over him for multiple reasons. "Being friends with Spider-Man isn't all it's cracked up to be. You guys know that, and I know that. Neither of you should have to worry about your futures just because you're friends with me, so when I saw what I needed to do, I let you guys go."

Heavy silence hung over them as he finished his confession, none of them knowing what to say. MJ had already been over this with him, but she had already made sure he knew what she wanted. It was Ned's turn now.

Once Ned finally took this all in, he looked up to his friend with a determined look on his face. "Look, man. I get why you didn't tell us who you are. And I really appreciate that you were trying to look out for us, but you're my best friend. College is cool, but I'd rather go to one here than leave you behind." He put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere."

"And neither am I," MJ agreed as she spoke up, squeezing Peter's hand in hers as she looked at him seriously. "Whatever happens, we'll deal with it. Together. Because we're a family."

"Wait. If we're a family, does that mean that you guys are like my parents and I'm your-" Ned began, but cut himself off as he saw MJ give him a raised brow. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Laughing a little as he saw this, Peter wiped a stray tear that had managed to escape from his eye and looked at them both gratefully. "Thank you guys. So much."

"Come on. Group hug," Ned grinned as he reached out his hands, Peter going in for the hug readily and MJ not so readily, but they all enjoyed it just the same. After they pulled apart, the three smiled at each other. "Well, now that we've cleared all that up and I remember, here's to whatever the future brings!" he toasted with his doughnut, making MJ and Peter smile as they clinked their doughnuts to his.

As the now fully reunited family began properly talking as they always had, the three did not notice as a certain black ooze watched them from outside the window, hissing quietly as people passed by without noticing it. "You will pay, Peter Parker," it hissed quietly before retreating down into a nearby sewer grate, beginning to think of it's next move.