A/N:Posted on Ao3 in 2018.
Story is inspired by what I see as the foundation superhero movies of my childhood; X-Men, F4, Spider-man, Daredevil (although this Murdock/Nelson are very much the Netflix incarnations). I found myself wondering what the characters from those movies "are up to" in the newer movie plotlines and thus this was born. It works on the original understanding that Loki invaded Earth in 2012 (although I realise this is now a point of contention) and considers that that these earlier movies ceased being produced in 2006ish. Therefore, the superheroes have "retired" in and around this time.
Also: I consider this Pre-Peter/Johnny and am sad I never got the whole way to fleshing that out. Can people please write more of this pairing, I have exhausted the entire fandom. Needy moment over.
The Retired Superheroes' Dinner Club
Peter couldn't be sure why exactly he could hear the academic secretary giggle through two doors and several thick walls. Perhaps it was the fact that his hearing, like all of his other senses, had been significantly enhanced following the bite of a genetically modified spider in his teenage years. However, Peter suspected it was in truth because the woman's laugh was so forced and shrill it had the unique ability to penetrate sound barriers and head straight to the ear of a poor defenceless man. He shivered at the thought, imagining with pity the unfortunate soul who had probably elicited the laugh as Claire metaphorically threw herself at him. Peter felt a special kind of sympathy for the men who came under her fire, having experienced a romantic assault by the secretary before that had ended only in (her) tears. The incident, which he swore was no fault of his own, resulted in a tense few weeks at work that left Peter eager for a new man to come and take her affections.
Peter returned his gaze to the page of text in front of him. A pen hung loosely in his left hand as it hovered over a paragraph that was already more red than black. He frowned at the next sentence to be edited and was halfway through scratching it out when he noted the laughter move. He cocked his head in alarm as his ears picked up the sound of two sets of footsteps, slowing approaching his office. He instantly labelled one pair of feet as belonging to Claire, but listened carefully to the other. He decided after approximately ten seconds that the stride belonged to a man but not one that Peter was very familiar with. As the people walked through the hallways coming closer and closer, the laughter grew louder. Peter knew instinctively that they were coming to see him. He was also fairly aware that no other human in the building would sense visitors from the front desk. He kept his eyes focused on the essay in front of him and continued scrawling notes in the margin until he heard a knock on the door and heavy, flirtatious breathing outside.
Peter glanced up at the door. Before replying to the knock, he leant to his right and picked up a pair of glasses, perching them carelessly on his nose. He listened briefly again to the murmured words of the secretary on the other side of the door, hearing her make a rude comment about the cleanliness of Peter's office. He frowned, looking around quickly and deciding that it wasn't that dirty, even if there were old lunch containers strewn underneath his desk.
"Yes?" asked Peter eventually, curious to see what had brought Claire to him. The young woman opened his door without warning and popped her head around it, nose wrinkling at him in distaste.
"Professor Parker," said Claire, bitterness obvious in her tone. "There's someone here to see you."
Peter raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, how kind of you to walk them right down to my office," he replied, filling his voice with mock enthusiasm. "I just thought you'd send them down on their own. Usually you don't even need to call to let me know they're here."
The secretary glared back at Peter, aware that his politely phrased words were intended as a criticism. Peter wasn't worried about offending the woman any further. As far as he was concerned, there was no way he could further ruin their working relationship when she already refused to complete basic admin support for him due to their 'traumatic romantic past'. It didn't really bother Peter for the most part as he liked to be on top of his own paper work. But at times it would have been nice to have a little warning before she sent crying students or screaming parents down to his office to see him.
"This guest couldn't make it down the hallway on his own so I offered my help," said Claire, looking as if she was ready to stick her tongue out at Peter any moment. She withdrew her head from the door and Peter heard her speak to whoever the visitor was out of his sight. "If you want to take my arm, sir, I can lead you in to the office. No, not quite. No, yes, just here that's it. In we go."
Peter frowned in confusion as he listened to her, setting his pen down on his desk. A moment later he found himself standing subconsciously, gaping at the man who had entered his office on Claire's arm.
"There's a chair right here," said Claire, smiling prettily as she lead the other man's hands to the armchair in front of Peter's desk. The man turned to smile back in the vague direction of the secretary.
"Thank you for your help," he said, sounding soft and pleasant. Claire blushed and stammered back a reply before she left the office with one final glare in Peter's direction. He didn't notice it or the sound of the door closing as he stood staring, mouth still hanging open.
"Attractive," commented the man, his tone shifting immediately to become snide.
Peter opened and shut his mouth several times, trying to clear the fog that had settled in his brain all of a sudden.
"What the hell are you doing in my office?" he asked at last, feeling like he should sit down but unable to ignore the itchy sensation in his body that made him want to stand.
"I came to see you, obviously," came the reply with a wry smile.
Peter found himself unable to respond, taking in the sight in front of him. He forced himself to sit back down as he stared at the man, taking in the familiar tinted glasses perched on his nose and the unfamiliar wrinkles that lined the forehead. Dark hair was tainted with grey that was also new to Peter, as was the obviously expensive suit that clothed the man.
"Matthew Murdock," said Peter, feeling the weight of the syllables on his tongue. "It's been a while."
"It has," agreed Matt. "Five, six years now?"
"About that, yeah, I'd say so," mumbled Peter, tapping his fingers on the wood of his desk. "What are you doing here, man? I didn't realise you had become one of my students?"
Matt snorted, leaning ever so slightly against the left arm of his chair. "I have as much interest in biochemistry as I ever did."
Peter found himself smiling, almost as if by reflex. "You were always pretty shit with any kind of science."
"There was a reason I chose to study the arts."
There was silence between them for several seconds but it wasn't uncomfortable or awkward which surprised Peter. He wracked his brain trying to recall the last time they'd seen each other, in costume or without, but he couldn't remember. The majority of that part of his life was a blur to Peter, one disaster blending into another across days and months and years. He was a little ashamed to realise that he hadn't thought about Murdock in some years, had simply forgotten to consider what had happened to the man. Daredevil had eventually disappeared from the tabloids in the way Spider-man had, fading into nothingness over time unnoticed. Looking at Murdock now, Peter had a general idea what had happened to him. Matt looked healthy and well-rested – he had no bruises or cuts or fresh scars on his face, just wrinkles for the years Peter had not known him. His suit fitted him well but it was obvious that he was heavier than he had once been, no longer lean muscle and bone but a healthy and comfortable-looking body. But it was in his smile and his posture that Peter saw the greatest difference: a relaxed and content aura radiating out of him.
"What can I do for you, Matt?" asked Peter again, this time much softer than before. "I'm not gonna lie, I feel a little comfortable that you're here. I feel like you're gonna drag me into some bad business that I want no part in but end up joining anyway."
Matt laughed, a light but hearty tinkling sound that made Peter grin. He had always known objectively that Matt was an attractive man, but he'd never really felt the pull to him others had waxed poetically about. With his matured appearance and his lighter demeanour, Peter was beginning to understand the previous infatuations now.
"I'm retired," pointed out Matt. "No dodgy dealings to drag you in to. Well, depending on your definition of dodgy. I came here to ask what you're plans are for the weekend."
Peter's eyebrows rose. "We haven't seen each other in six years and suddenly you want to know what I'm doing with my weekends?"
"Yes," replied Matt.
Peter stared back at him, feeling a little stumped. His plans for the weekend pretty much revolved around a strict schedule of marking assignments, bad takeout and counting down the hours until it was time for his first lecture Monday morning. He couldn't remember the last time he had actual plans for the weekend.
"I suppose I can clear some of my schedule," said Peter slowly. "If you have something in mind that's worth the trouble."
Matt's face broke out in a wide grin. "Oh, I do," he replied. "I'm getting married on Saturday."
Peter wandered into the room a few minutes before the ceremony was due to start, eyes scanning the room. He smiled at the simple but tasteful design of the hall, flowers weaved through every white chair that awaited a guest. To the right of the aisle, the seats were almost all taken by a rowdy bunch who all bared resemblance to Matt's groom. Peter chuckled at a little girl who sat amongst them, ripping the petals off a once beautiful rose and flinging them into the air. He continued moving, edging over to the left hand side of the hall where only a few mismatched people were seated. He didn't know any of them but didn't expect to. He was aware that his part in Matt's life had been small and secret and not often associated with the kind of mutual acquaintances one would invite to one's wedding. Peter nodded at one pretty red haired woman who smiled at him when she saw him looking and at last settled himself in the fifth row of six, taking the aisle seat. He lifted his phone and snapped a quick photo of his view of the make shift altar before turning it on silent and shoving it back in his pocket.
He sat watching his surroundings as he waited for the ceremony to begin, rubbing absently at the cuffs of his expensive shirt. He thought about the last time he had been in the suit he wore and winced, pushing the memory of Mary Jane from his mind. He told himself to concentrate on the happiness of the occasion rather than his own troubles and blew out a sigh.
"Of course, there's Peter Parker," came a familiar voice behind him. "Always far too serious."
Peter spun around in his chair to look at the woman who had spoken. She stood behind the last row of chairs, one hand holding that of her husband. She was dressed in a blue dress which swelled out around her stomach and on her face she wore a beautiful smile. Peter blinked in surprise, eyes darting from her to the man at her side, who was dressed handsomely in a suit that didn't quite fit him. The couple looked no older than Peter remembered them being the last time he saw them, despite the years it had been.
"Sue," croaked Peter, feeling his throat close up. "Reed. What are you doing here?"
"You hardly thought you were the only one invited to the party, did you?" asked Sue, teasing.
Peter laughed and stood up, moving to join them. He leant forward and placed a kiss on her cheek, enjoying the feeling when she did the same to him. He stepped back and caught Reed with a similar gesture, laughing again when the man reddened ever so slightly. Sue trapped one of his hands in her free one, making sure he couldn't move to far away.
"Look at you, Peter," she said. "You haven't changed at all. You look wonderful."
"Me?" questioned Peter in disbelief. "Look at you!" he gestured at her stomach with his free hand. "You look incredible, I can't believe it. Congratulations."
Both of the Richards' grinned in reaction, Reed putting his own kiss on his wife's cheek. "Thank you," said Sue. "We're very happy. We already have one at home who's not so pleased but hopefully he'll get over it."
Peter blinked again, feeling tears in the corners of his eyes. He was determined not to cry in front of his old friends, but struggled with the act, feeling emotional in his happiness for them. He nodded back at her and laughed again. "I'm sure he will," he said hoarsely.
"I think we'd best take our seats," said Reed, eyes flitting around the room. "I think they're due to start any minute."
Peter hummed in agreement, letting Sue lead him by the hand to where he had been sitting. He sat down again in the same seat, this time with Sue Storm on his left and her husband on the other side of her. It felt nice, thought Peter, to have them with him. He couldn't help but stare at the woman who still held his hand, feeling comforted by the warm smile she directed back at him.
"It's good to see you, Peter," said Sue, her voice a whisper as everyone stood in their places to greet the entry of the grooms.
Peter squeezed her hand in his, unsure of what to say that could communicate how much he agreed with the sentiment. Seeing the expression on her face, Peter knew she understood without him saying it.
It wasn't until much later, when food and much alcohol had already been consumed that Peter had the opportunity to approach the newly wedded couple. He hovered a few feet from their table as he waited for an older man to stop monopolising the pair, half listening to the lecture they were receiving about joint finances. Peter didn't mind the wait, feeling happy and loose with the buzz of drink in his veins and his more casual appearance with his suit jacket and tie disposed of carelessly on a table somewhere. He was smiling when he stepped up the couple after the man finally moved away, leaning into the combined hug they gave him.
"Thanks for coming, Peter Parker," said Foggy Nelson, ruffling Peter's hair. He sprang away and fell into the chair kicked over to him by Matt. "It was good of you to come."
"Well, I'd never been to a blind man's wedding before," replied Peter. "I wanted to be here just in case he like married the wrong person or a tree or something."
They both laughed when Matt stuck up two fingers and waved them in his direction.
"Nah, really thanks for having me," said Peter a moment later. "I'm surprised you did invite me, after all these years. We never exactly knew each other in the happiest of times."
"That's what getting married is all about though, isn't it?" asked Foggy. "That it's not always sunshine and rainbows and cute little cupcakes." He turned to look at Matt. "When we decided to get married, we wanted to acknowledge all of the parts of who we were, the parts we like and the ones we don't so much. And even in those bad parts we had good times and good friends. Hence why you're here."
"It was easy to invite you," said Matt to Peter. "Inviting Johnny Storm, however, really killed me."
Peter frowned at the former vigilante. "You invited Johnny?"
"Yes," sighed Matt. "Foggy told me I couldn't be cruel and invite two Fantastics and not them all. Technically, I only wanted to invite Sue but apparently you can't not invite someone's husband and their idiotic brothers."
"Good thing he didn't come then," joked Peter.
Foggy frowned back at him. "He was over with us ten minutes ago, Peter. He missed the ceremony but he's been at the reception for a while now."
Peter thought about that for some seconds, wondering why Sue never mentioned her brother's pending arrival to him. He watched as Matt cocked his head to the side in his customary I'm listening pose.
"He's over chatting up the bartender," said Matt, rolling his eyes. "Maybe you should go say hello."
Peter found himself scowling involuntarily. "It's Johhny Storm," he said. "Maybe I don't want to go and talk to him."
Both Matt and Foggy stared at Peter in disbelief. He scowled again, cursing them for bringing down his pleasant mood. "It's been years since I've seen him and besides, we never got on very well."
Foggy turned to look at his husband. "He's kidding, right?" said Foggy, as if Peter wasn't there.
"Just go and say hello, Peter," murmured Matt. "Like you said, it's been years. What harm can it do?"
Later, Peter would decide that there was much harm to be done from simply saying hello to Johnny Storm and he would berate himself for forgetting that. He blamed the vast amounts of alcohol he had already consumed for leading him over to the bar where the other man was in mid-seduction routine. Peter watched for a solid minute before intervening, taking in the clothes Johnny wore, the way his hair was styled and his confident posture. Peter wondered absently how much the suit Johnny wore cost as his clothes had always had the potential to inspire great jealousy in him.
"I wouldn't bother, sweetheart," said Peter to the young barmaid as he slid up to the bar. "This one tends to burn through pretty women fast."
The bartender rolled her eyes at Peter but moved away, causing Johnny Storm's gaze to divert to him. Peter was struck for the first time in several years by the intensity of the blue eyes staring at him. He noticed that like his sibling, Johnny looked as young as he ever had, his skin as wrinkle and blemish free as it had been when he was a teenager. Peter swallowed at the memory of a teenage Storm and other memories that rushed unbidden to the surface of his mind to follow that one.
"Petey Parker," said the man through gritted teeth. "The ultimate cock-block kid. It's been a while."
"Not long enough, some might say," retorted Peter. He received one arched eyebrow in reply.
"And yet, you approach me," pointed out Johnny.
"I think you'll find I only came here to get a drink."
"So why haven't you ordered?"
"Because you've been hogging the bartender."
"You mean the one you sent away from me? That bartender?"
"I'll get her back in a minute."
"I'm sure you will."
"Are you implying something?"
"Me? I can't believe you'd think-"
"Jesus," shouted a third voice, interrupting both Johnny and Peter. "Move out of my fucking way and get a fucking room you stupid bastards."
Both men jumped at the words, heads swivelling to gape at the dishevelled appearance of the man who had appeared from behind them. His arms were folded across his chest and his leather biker gear was far from acceptable wedding attire. The expression on his face was irritated but not angry like his words suggested. Peter opened his mouth to address the person but found he couldn't get it to work. Luckily, Johnny was able to ask his question for him.
"Logan?" asked Johnny incredulously. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
The unimpressed man waved a crumpled piece of paper at them. Peter's eyes could catch the name of the venue written on it in pen so he guessed it was a wedding invitation.
"Shove it," said Logan, moving forward with the obvious intention to walk through them if they would not move. Peter and Johnny leapt apart and turned in horror to watch Logan settle between them, somehow already managing to get a hold of a bottle of liquor in the seconds they had looked away. Logan pulled himself up on to an empty bar stool, ignoring them as he took a drink directly from the bottle.
"What was Murdock thinking, inviting you?"
"Probably about the same thing he was thinking when he asked you, Storm."
"How have you been?"
"I didn't come here to answer no questions about myself, Parker."
"So why did you come then?"
Logan turned towards Johnny suddenly, saluting him with the bottle. "To support the gays," he said, before downing a significant portion of his drink. "I love a good wedding."
Peter watched as his students filed out of the lecture hall, noise erupting from them as they came to life after two hours of intense theory. He smiled at the last few who shoved their materials into their bags and at one boy in particular, fast asleep in one of the upper tier seats. He was about to approach the student and wake him up when his attention was taken by a new entrant ambling down the steps of the hall to meet him at his podium. Peter's heart seemed to flutter weirdly when he recognised the jeans and leather jacket wearing man to be Johnny Storm. He smiled slightly without realising it until he noticed Johnny smiling back at him.
"Hello, Professor," he said, tone obviously mocking. "I had a question about your class."
"Oh?" asked Peter, waiting with narrowed eyes for a punch line.
"Yeah, are you always so boring when you teach? I mean I think I'd rather Reed over you, and let me tell you that says something."
Peter snorted, pulling himself up on the table beside the lecture podium. He crossed his legs underneath him and watched as Johnny moved a little closer, hands in his jacket pockets.
"Do you know not a single one of your students recognised me? Not a single one. Imagine. There was a time when I would be harassed by the likes of your students."
"What can I do for you, Mr Storm?" asked Peter, interrupting him with a chuckle. It had been three weeks since they'd seen each other, parting ways long after midnight and the celebrations of Matt's wedding had ended. Peter was loathe to admit it, but he'd enjoyed the time and the bickering they'd done together.
Johnny shook his head, ignoring the question. "Look over there," he said, nodding in the direction of Peter's sleeping student. "Does that happen often when you're teaching?" He waggled his eyebrows mockingly at Peter.
"Sometimes," he admitted.
"Does it bother you?" asked Johnny, sounding serious for a brief moment.
"That used to be me," said Peter, snorting. "My lecturers used to call me 'brilliant but lazy' and were highly offended by me falling asleep in class. I don't know that kid's story. For all we know he could be out fighting genetically enhanced bunny rabbits every night."
Johnny looked sceptical. "Or he could be up all night experimenting sexually with hot coeds he picked up at the college bar."
"Johnny that was far more information about your college experience than I ever needed to know."
"Oh come on, you already know all about my beautiful, sexually open past."
It was true, but Peter didn't necessarily like to be reminded of the gritty details of Johnny's romantic life.
"So you were going to tell me what you were doing here," said Peter, trying to steer the conversation back to safer territory.
"Was I?"
"Definitely."
"Alright," said Johnny, folding his arms across his chest. "I come here on the orders of my long suffering sister. That's what she calls herself, by the way, frankly I think she is blessed to have me."
"Back to the story, Johnny."
"Right, right. She wants to know if you're free Friday night."
Peter stared blankly at him. "What, has she decided to get married too?"
Johnny looked back in confusion. "Her and Reed have been married for years, what are you talking about? No, anyway she wants to have a dinner party. Ben's been bitching about missing the get-together for Murdock's wedding and so Sue thought she'd make up for it by having a dinner party. This Friday night in the Baxter building."
"Is she cooking?"
"God, no. I bargained her down to employing a caterer to prepare the food for the night."
Peter considered it for a minute, eyes drifting back to his sleeping student. He thought about all the times he was a stressed student flunking classes and unable to afford his next meal. That Peter would have rejected a dinner invitation from Johnny Storm in a heartbeat out of a stupid mixture of embarrassment and pride. But Peter wasn't that boy anymore, he was a man. A lonely one, at that, who had enjoyed the company of old acquaintances when he'd happened across them unexpectedly.
"In that case, I suppose I better say yes."
It had been years since Peter had stepped foot inside the Baxter building but he was pleased to note that few changes had been made to the interior so it was very much the building he remembered. Some of the new additions were more noticeable than others, such as the small human who collided with Peter's knees when he stepped out of the elevator.
Peter yelped in surprise, reaching instinctively for the child who had been knocked onto the floor with the impact. His hands were inches from the child's body prepared to lift it from the ground when an unexpected growl made him retract his hands quickly.
"Did you just bark at me?" asked Peter in confusion. He stared at the child and realised it was a boy with trademark Storm hair. The boy lifted himself off the ground, scowling at Peter and folding his arms. Peter blinked back.
"You knocked me over!" exclaimed the boy angrily.
"You ran into me!" insisted Peter, hearing the pitch of his voice rise.
"Yeah well you weren't meant to be standing there."
Peter turned to look at the pathway he had walked from the elevator and wondered if there was another way he could have walked. He decided there wasn't and shook himself. He opened his mouth to speak to the child again but was interrupted in doing so by thundering footsteps approaching them in the corridor.
"Franklin Richards, you get back here now," roared the loud voice of one Ben Grimm. Peter grinned as he watched the large man scoop up the boy. Franklin kicked out at Ben but did so in vain as he couldn't reach far enough to collide with Ben's body.
"You're supposed to be in bed," said Ben, lifting the child higher so their heads were level. Peter heard Franklin muttering back at his uncle but couldn't understand a word of what he said.
"Is he speaking another language?" asked Peter, feeling stunned.
Ben Grimm turned to look at him, an exasperated expression on his face. "Yeah, he does that a lot," he said. He held out a gigantic rocky hand to Peter and grinned suddenly. "Welcome back to the madness, mate. It's good to have you around again, Spidey-man."
Peter nodded in reaction and smiled a little shyly. He was about to return Ben's words when Franklin swung around in Ben's arms to look at him.
"Spider-man?" asked the little boy, expression suddenly filled with wonder. Peter swallowed a little nervously.
"Er, yes?"
Franklin's eyes grew wider before he turned back to look at Ben. "You didn't tell me Spider-man was coming tonight," he accused, jabbing an angry finger at Ben's chest.
"I didn't realise I needed to tell you these things," said Ben, looking unimpressed and unbothered by the child's anger.
Franklin shouted something else that Peter didn't understand. Ben put him down on the ground and the child ran from the hallway back in the direction he'd come, screaming loudly, "Uncle Johnny! Did you know Spider-man was coming here?!"
Peter looked back up at Ben and waited for an explanation. Ben shrugged. "Like I said, welcome back to the mad house."
As the first guest to arrive, Peter found himself helping Sue to finish setting up the dining room. She asked him politely about his job and as they worked and he in turn asked about how she was feeling a month further into her pregnancy. Ten minutes in, he was sent out to welcome Foggy and Matt into the building. He deposited them in the dining room with Sue and went to get himself a glass of water, bumping into Johnny on the way.
He smiled at the man's slightly flustered appearance. Johnny smiled back, shrugging at his quirked brow.
"Children are rough, man."
"Yeah, I had an…interesting introduction to your nephew."
Peter noticed Johnny still for a second before rolling his eyes. "Yeah, he's an interesting specimen alright. I suppose you couldn't expect much else with a combination of Sue and Reed's DNA. I just fear what the next one that pops out is gonna be like."
Peter let Johnny lead him back to the dining room where both couples in attendance were already seated opposite each other. Peter slid into a seat beside Foggy, after seeing Johnny slip in directly across from him on Matt's left. The table was crammed with serving dishes and a beautiful smell wafted up from the table to Peter's nose.
"Can we start eating yet?" asked Ben, entering the room and slamming down into an empty chair beside Sue which creaked dangerously.
Peter watched as a Reed's hand expanded slowly to reach for a breadstick. He winced and his arms snapped back like elastic when his fingers hit an invisible force field. His wife tutted at him.
"We're still waiting on our guests," she reminded him. Peter wondered if that was the same tone of voice she used when talking to Franklin. "I doubt they'll be too much longer."
Peter followed everyone else's eyes to the only two seats left at the table that were left empty. He heard Foggy's stomach rumble quietly beside him, but no one commented on Sue's waiting rule. None of them were stupid enough to, having had experience with defying one of her orders before.
The elevator bell rang out and Sue excused herself brightly to go and welcome the final guests. She returned, to Peter's surprise, with Logan, looking the same as he ever did, and a woman he didn't know. Her hair was coloured fashionably red with grey sections at the front, cut into a short but full bob. She struck Peter as being a little nervous, biting her lip and pulling her sleeves down over her hands. He smiled welcomingly at her and a brief glance to his side showed him that Foggy was doing similarly as Sue directed them to the empty seats. Johnny, on the other hand, had a dismissive expression on his face.
"You're late," he pointed out, words aimed for Logan. The woman jolted in surprise and looked at Johnny, before glancing at Logan and back again.
"What a shame," replied Logan, sounding unaffected. "Did I let your food go cold?"
"No, thanks for the concern. I didn't realise we were allowed to bring plus ones, Sue."
Johnny winced a second later when another force field slammed into the back of his head. "Unnecessary," he muttered as Matt, Foggy and Peter laughed.
"My house, my guests and my rules, Johnny," said Sue in warning. "You better watch your mouth."
Her brother held up his hands in mock defence, rolling his eyes. Sue narrowed her own at him but turned her smiling face to Logan's unknown guest.
"I'm sorry, dear," she said kindly. "I didn't get your name earlier."
"Oh," said the woman, smiling a little awkwardly. "It's Anna Marie. But I mostly get called Marie."
"Nice to meet you, Marie," said Sue warmly. "You're very welcome."
Peter nodded in agreement and heard several others around the table offer similar greetings to the woman. Anna looked around shyly and back at Logan who smiled at her for a second to Peter's surprise.
"It's just, no offense Marie, but we're a distinct group of people here tonight so I'm not sure we can really be ourselves with an outsider here."
"Johnny!" exclaimed Sue at the same time as Peter kicked his shin under the table. He glanced over to see Logan's reaction but noticed the man did not look hassled by Johnny's words but was watching Marie subtly. The woman let out a laugh, brushing hair out of her eyes with a hand. In that movement, Peter saw that she was wearing leather gloves.
"It's ok, really," said Marie quietly, directing her words at Sue. "I'm not offended, I understand what he means. I am a bit of an imposter."
"Only as much as I am," said Foggy, throwing a glare at Johnny. "You don't need to apologise for anything."
"If Logan brought you here then we can trust his judgement," added Matt.
Marie looked at Logan again, smiling as she seemed to do a lot. "Thank you. Do you mind if we start eating? I'm starving."
"Amen," said Ben, lunging forward to pick up a serving spoon.
A couple hours later they still sat around the table. Peter's stomach was so full it felt fit to burst. Beside him, Foggy had opened the button on his jeans and was leaning back in his seat, one of Matt's elbows resting on his shoulder. Sue had excused herself earlier and returned in sweatpants, citing pregnancy pains, while Peter suspected that Reed had expanded his stomach area to become more comfortable. Ben, Johnny and Logan appeared unaffected by the large meal but Marie's face was flushed pleasantly with wine and she held herself more comfortably twisted towards Logan. Peter thought about the odd collection of people they were, of the shared traumatic histories they shared between them.
"Do you ever wish that you didn't quit?" asked Peter suddenly. He stared at the table and absently scraped a nail against the label on the beer bottle he held. "That you were still out there, doing the job?"
He avoided looking around the table, a little afraid of the looks he might receive if he did.
"Yeah, I do," admitted Matt. Peter looked up suddenly, gaze flickering to Foggy to gage his reaction. The other man was looking into his glass with a small smile on his face, one hand laced with one of Matt's on the table. Peter didn't think he looked upset by the admission. If anything, he seemed wistful.
"I miss it sometimes," continued Matt, his eyes staring into empty space as they usually did. "It was a real thrill, wasn't it? I felt so alive. I was righteous and invincible, a dangerous combination. Not that I recognised that then. I loved being a hero."
"What changed that for you?" asked Sue, curiosity obvious in her tone. Peter watched the bitter smile as it spread across Matt's lips.
"I guess eventually I realised that I was doing more good than bad. For every person I saved there were ten more that I couldn't. I was inspiring such fear that the criminals turned to more extreme methods to evade me than they would have needed to, so innocent people died because of that, because of me. But even that wasn't enough to stop me doing it, really. One day I just woke up and I realised that I had no personal life. I ruined the most positive relationship I'd ever had, I trashed our business and my home and I'd all but bankrupted the two of us. And Foggy, he didn't want anything more to do with me."
Matt cocked his head in the direction of his husband and Peter saw their locked hands twitch slightly. "Rightly so," finished Matt, with a sad smile. "I woke up that day and when I went out that night I didn't get the same thrill I used to. That was it, like something in me was broken. I still want it sometimes, the same way I imagine a crack addict has that need in the back of his brain. But it's not worth paying the price of all of this. I never thought I could be someone who got married and yet here we are."
"I never thought you could do it either," teased Foggy, leaning sideways to capture Matt's lips in a brief kiss. "If past Nelson and Murdock could only see us now."
"Old Foggy would be disappointed that we're still poor," pointed out Matt, a lighter tone accompanying his words.
"You two can't honestly still be poor," exclaimed Johnny. "You're both lawyers! Get with the shark programme and earn some money!"
Foggy laughed heartily, shaking his head at the other man. "We always said when we were young and idealistic that we'd help the little man out and the little man never has much money to pay. But we're happy and we're making enough to be comfortable and to employ a few helping hands. I can do without the billions as long as we're together."
Peter smiled sweetly at the words, seeing a similar expression fill Sue's face. Across from him, Johnny was gagging dramatically and for the first time in Peter's memory Logan looked as if he agreed with Johnny on something. Foggy stuck a petulant tongue out at the younger Storm and pressed another kiss to Matt's cheek.
"I don't think I miss it at all," said Sue suddenly, answering Peter's original question after silence had fallen amongst the group. "I don't think I was ever made for that kind of work anyway."
"Sue," started Johnny, his voice dripping with sass. "Bad choice of words. We were literally made for superhero work when we went kaput in that 'accident'."
She scowled at her brother, the index finger on her right hand circling the rim of her Coke bottle. "I meant mentally and emotionally, not physically," she snapped back, flicking a finger on her left hand in his direction. He flinched in anticipation of a force field that never actually came, much to the amusement of the group. "We couldn't even get through our wedding day without alien interruption. Now we have Franklin and another one coming soon," her free hand moved to her swollen belly. "I can't help but think that we wouldn't have either of them if we were still superhero-ing. It's not a fair life to bring children into, is it? What happens when a mission comes up? Do we both leave with the very possible reality that we leave our children orphans? Or do we fight over who stays behind and do we hate each other every time for having to be the one to make the sacrifice not to fight?"
No one responded to her question, not even Johnny who appeared to have sobered with her words. Peter caught the subtle extension of one of Reed's arms as he swung it gently to rest around his wife's expanded waist.
"I couldn't go back to that life. I wouldn't give up my babies for anything," said Sue. "Even if I could save thousands of lives. That probably makes me a terrible person."
"But a good mother," said Marie meaningfully. There were hums around the table as the men agreed with her sentiment.
"I agree with Sue," mumbled Reed, his fingers now playing carefully with the ends of his wife's hair. "I feel the same way. No to superhero-ing. I don't miss it."
Logan snorted and rolled his eyes, lifting his beer bottle in Reed's direction in a mock salute before taking a swig of it. "No surprises there, bub."
"So what about you, Logan?" asked Johnny, his eyes keen. "Surely you miss ripping people open."
The mutant produced a single claw from his hand and waved it at Johnny, the rude gesture obvious despite the crude approximation of it. "Well I don't miss having to clean the blood off these boys," replied Logan. "But guttin' people with them sure was therapeutic."
Peter bit his lip to hide his smile, catching Foggy's eye and watching as the other man shook in silent laughter. Logan used his outstretched claw to knock the cap off a bottle of beer Marie held, but glared at Reed when he held out a second bottle of his own in request.
"I miss it," said Johnny, taking his turn to speak as they unofficially went around the circle. "Being a superhero was amazing and nothing about my life now measures up to the way it used to be. I miss it," he repeated.
"Johnny!" exclaimed Sue, sounding offended. "You're saying you don't like anything about your life now?"
"Ok, ok," he said, holding his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. "I like being an uncle. I am the coolest uncle ever. Offense intended, Ben. I like not being kidnapped and not having my bedroom blown up every three days. But apart from that, life is so boring now. I'm not like you, Sue, or Reed, or Ben, or Matt and Foggy. I haven't found myself in a relationship or in children and seen the other side of life. When I look in the mirror I still see myself, the same as I was back then. I still feel the way I was back then. I crave the love and the attention of the public. I want the stupid super villain banter. I want people to look at me and be both repulsed and turned on because they know what I can do. Nobody knows who I am anymore! We're officially like the opposite of famous! Once we were the hottest tabloid material in the city, and now no one even remembers we exist. How can you not miss that?"
Sue rolled her eyes while her husband shook his head. Peter caught his eye across the table and said, "Same Storm as ever, even after all these years."
Johnny lifted his eyebrows in challenge. "Oh? What else did you expect, Parker? What do you think anyway? You were the one who asked the question in the first place. What's your opinion? Do you miss Spider-man?"
Peter thought about the words for a minute, feeling them bounce around his head in a sort of panic. He heard Sue scold her brother quietly for what he said, telling Peter that he wasn't obligated to answer them. Peter didn't think that was true. He'd listened to everyone else give their thoughts and feeling on the matter he himself had introduced. Maybe it was only fair he did too, although he wasn't sure exactly what his own opinion was.
"I guess I miss it a little," he began, cringing internally at the nervous edge to his voice. "I didn't regret giving it up at the time. I guess I had one of those moments too, Matt," said Peter, nodding at the other man. "I just knew it wasn't right for me anymore too. I gave it up because I couldn't have a life either. I wrecked friendships and relationships. I disappointed the little bit of family I had left. I failed a degree and I couldn't hold down a job or pay my rent or afford to feed myself. And for a while all of that was ok. But eventually I got fed up of always struggling and being lonely."
He glanced up and around the circle, taking in the pitying expressions of Sue, Marie and Foggy, Johnny's blank stare and Logan and Reed's casual avoidance. "I guess I thought giving up Spider-man would fix all of my problems. It fixed some of them. I have a steady job and an apartment that I like. I don't have money problems anymore. But it didn't save my relationship. MJ and I ended up divorced anyway. About two years ago now," added Peter, hearing Sue's surprised gasp.
"I always thought it was Spider-man holding us back from being better but even when that was over we just couldn't manage it. Not in the long term, anyway. We're still friends, at least. She lives in London now and she's trying for a baby with her new partner. So here I am, not Spider-man, not struggling but still pretty lonely."
Silence greeted the end of his story and no one rushed to speak. Eventually, Peter felt the need to be the one to break it himself.
"So yeah, I guess I wonder about it sometimes. If I had kept on going as Spider-man then I probably would have died. But maybe it would have been better if I had died the hero then, instead of living a miserable average existence."
"Oh, Peter!" said Sue, her eyes tearing.
"Sorry to put a downer on the night," said Peter weakly, lifting his beer to take another sip.
It was Marie who spoke next, to everyone's surprise. "I was desperate to give it all up too," she started, her Southern accent accompanied by a sad smile. Peter flinched in shock when he realised what she was implying. "I was so terrified of who I was that I didn't really think about what I was doing. I did it for all the wrong reasons I suppose," continued Marie. She looked over at Logan again and laughed. "You were furious at me."
He hummed in agreement, glancing back at her. Peter felt something in his chest loosen as he watched the two of them interact, Logan appearing more warm and personable with Marie than Peter had ever seen him before.
"Retirement didn't work out quite the way I expected it to. I expected all my problems to dissolve and that I'd be able to live a normal life but it never does work that way, does it?" She paused, this time looking down at her gloved hands.
"I think I understand what you mean, Peter," said Marie. "When I ran away from that part of my life, I thought I would have everything and instead I had nothing. But I came back. Not the way it used to be, I'll never be that girl again. I'm not sure I'd want to be. But I came halfway and opened myself up to the parts of that life that were good and wonderful and I can't remember ever being happier. It's a careful balance, I suppose, between doing what's right for you and what's right for everyone else."
As a teacher of alleged adults, Peter could forgive a lot of the negative behaviours his students demonstrated on a daily basis. He found his tolerance pushed to its limit in one particular afternoon class, a pain throbbing in his head at his temples. He paused mid sentence for the third time in six minutes, the words he had been saying drifting out of his brain and leaving him stumped. His fingers twitched at his side in irritation as his eyes focused on the students in question, heads bent together over a phone and whispering frantically. Peter sighed, rolling his eyes and calling one of the girls by name.
"Got something interesting to share with the rest of us?" asked Peter, cringing that he had become that teacher. He frowned when the girl looked up at him, noticing that her face was ashen.
"Sorry, Professor," murmured Amara, her voice wavering. Peter's frown deepened at the sound, aware that the young woman was usually the bold type who had never shown fear of him. "It's just," she continued, pausing suddenly. She waved her phone in the air, a video flashing across the screen in the glimpse Peter caught. "Something's going on right now in Europe. It's all over Twitter."
Whispers broke out across the lecture hall and Peter watched as several other students pulled out their phones, obviously searching for what Amara spoke about. Peter felt a chill run through his body.
"Throw it up on the screen," he instructed, waving a hand in the vague direction of the projector and laptop set up for presenting his lecture. Amara nodded and Peter felt impatient in the three minutes it took for her to connect to his account via Bluetooth.
When the screen changed from a mathematical formula to a shaky hand-held camera style video, Peter felt his blood run cold. The hairs stood up on his arms and he listened to the gasps of the people gathered around him.
"Where is this?" asked Peter, eyes flitting to the LIVE icon in the corner of the feed.
"Berlin," answered a male student. Peter didn't turn around to see which one it was. He was focused on the video now, watching with an odd sense of detachment as people ran for their lives from a costumed man. He almost snorted at the ridiculousness of the costume until he saw the amateur camera person film the villain stab a man through the chest with his staff. He half expected his students to protest the showing of the video, to ask him to shut it off because of the violence, but no one did. Peter knew they were all as morbidly fascinated with the scene as he was, horrified but unable to look away.
His own phone buzzed in his pocket and Peter looked away from the screen to open the unread message awaiting him.
Flame Brain:
Turn on your TV
16:27
Peter wasn't sure just when he had acquired Johnny Storm's phone number but he couldn't summon the effort to care that the man had at some stage ninja'd his way into Peter's contacts. He tapped out a quick reply.
Me:
It's on
16:27
He slipped his phone into his pocket, watching the video grow shakier as the person filming ran from the scene. There was screaming in the background that Peter couldn't understand. German, thought Peter absently, still feeling quite detached. He took his glasses off and held them in one hand, realising a moment too late that he'd crushed them in his fist by accident.
Flame Brain:
I can't watch this
16:29
Flame Brain:
How fast do you think I can fly to Germany?
16:29
Flame Brain:
Sue says I'm not allowed to go
16:29
Flame Brain:
You with me? Johnny Airways has a 98% safety record
16:30
Flame Brain:
OMG CAP MURICA
16:42
"This emergency meeting of the retired superheroes club is officially in session," said Foggy Nelson, banging a pencil against the table as if it was a gavel.
"Can I open by saying WHAT THE FUCK is going on at the minute?" asked Johnny, running an anxious hand through his hair. "Seriously I want that WTF on the record in capital letters to emphasise the WTFness of this situation."
"I'd like to nominate Reed to provide exclusive information on this situation," said Sue, sounding nervous too. Her hands were perched on her belly, moving all over it as if to make sure her baby was still in there.
Reed cleared his throat. Everyone around the table's heads swivelled to stare at him, causing him to clear his throat again. "I managed to get in contact with Anthony Stark," said Reed quietly. "Very briefly, but for long enough for him to share a few important details."
Peter glanced around the bar, wondering not for the first time if Josie's was a good place to hold such a gathering. They were the only people in the establishment aside from old Josie herself but that didn't comfort him much.
"What did Stark say?" asked Logan gruffly. In his lap sat Marie, bare fingers intertwined in Logan's. She had sat with the man due to the supposed lack of seating, but Peter suspected they hadn't bothered looking very hard for another stool.
Reed chuckled, earning him alarmed looks from Johnny and Foggy. Peter noticed that Matt looked as serene as ever, but he wondered just how well the man was really managing the situation. He knew the lawyer well enough to know that beneath the calm exterior was often a raging storm.
"Well, it's a bit of a funny story," said Reed. He hesitated, but no one responded to him. "You see, they're saying that this man that took over Berlin is Loki. You know, Loki. The Norse god of mischief. Except he's not really a god, just an alien."
Peter felt his mouth drop open. He turned to look at Johnny, who sat beside him, and saw the same expression mirrored on the man's face.
"Sorry what?" asked Matt, disbelieving amusement colouring his tone. "I must have heard you wrong."
"You really didn't," replied Sue dryly.
There was silence amongst them for a solid moment before Marie took her turn to speak. "Can we trust Tony Stark to have the right story?"
"He's an idiot," commented Logan.
"But he is Iron Man," pointed out Johnny. A memory from their youth suddenly occurred to Peter, a young Johnny Storm bragging about having met the 'handsome' civilian Tony Stark. "He was there in Berlin. Surely if anyone knows it would be him."
"He wasn't the only one in those videos," said Foggy. "Anyone know who those others were?"
Peter chirped in with his own denials at the same time as everyone else did. "One of them was wearing the America uniform though."
"Probably a PR ploy by the American military," said Sue cynically. "Captain America's been dead for several decades.
"Shame," said Foggy. "What a man he was."
"So what happens next?" asked Peter, looking around the circle of former heroes seated uncomfortably. "Did Stark say if they've got the situation under control or not?"
Reed shook his head. Peter tensed a little at the unnatural flexibility of the movement. "He didn't have enough time to really comment on that, but I got the impression that Loki's still a threat."
Matt Murdock blew out a large sigh. "You know what that means right?"
Sue looked at him curiously. "No?" she asked, sounding confused.
"He's going to come for New York," guessed Peter, knowing with absolute certainty that he was right although he desperately wished he wasn't.
"All the trouble's been in Europe," argued Foggy, unwilling to hear Peter's suggestion.
"But New York is like a beacon," said Johnny, making eye contact with Peter. "Come on, we all know it's true. It's like a rule of the universe. If something crazy is gonna happen in the universe, it'll happen in New York. Just think about the amount of shit that went down in the city when we were on the job. The fact that all of us needed to operate in such a small radius is telling enough."
"So what do we do about it?" asked Logan, his arms tightening around Marie.
"Offer Loki a particularly attractive horse?" suggested Matt lightly, earning a smack across the head from his husband.
Peter laughed, feeling strangely lighter despite the circumstances. He looked to Reed, who held his wife's hand tightly, a worried expression on both of their faces. He saw Logan and Marie, who seemed incredibly at ease. He noted the resigned expression Foggy wore and the loving one Matt directed at him.
Peter met Johnny's eyes again and smiled at the look of determination he saw there.
"When it comes, we do what we always did best," said Peter simply, still smiling. "We fight."