I

by Lazydaily

I

7. Chapter 7

Happy makes an excuse about errands to run, but Tony follows Peter into the donut shop and slides into a booth in the back. "For moral support," he'd claimed on the walk over. Peter would kind of like to do this alone, but he knows having Tony there means he's far less likely to leave with nothing more than a to-go cup of coffee and another awkward memory. Sometimes his brain shuts off when MJ is near, which has nothing to do with the spell.

He knows he needs to do this, but it's been a day. There's definitely a part of him that thinks this can wait.

He strides up to the counter anyway, relieved to see Ned on his normal stool near the kitchen. Just like he hoped, MJ's on shift. Also like he hoped, it's such a beautiful day that the place is nearly empty at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

MJ's eyes narrow slightly as she takes him in, and Peter wishes for an easy resolution. Maybe because others remember him now all his friends' memories are back, and they can just hug it out and go back to their lives?

But then she says, "Nice suit, Peter Parker," and spins on her heels to deliver a menu to Tony.

Instead of lurking by the counter Peter sits right down next to Ned, who looks up from his phone. "Woah, dude, is this a Men in Black situation? Because my memory's already a bit spotty. I don't need you to take any more."

Peter's heart pounds at the mention of spotty memories. But he tilts his head in confusion until Ned jerks his thumb towards the sunglasses poking out of the pocket of his suit jacket. Tony had given them to him when they left the cemetery. Peter's not really a fan of glasses after everything with EDITH, but he figured they'd keep strangers from noticing his red, blotchy eyes. At least these were just black, unlike the orange-lensed monstrosities that Tony donned. But Peter had slipped them off right before he stepped inside, not wanting to feel ridiculous.

He's about to tell Ned that he's here to restore his memories when MJ reappears, an order pad clutched in her hand. "I was thinking Annie, actually."

She stands a bit closer than a waitress should, and Peter knows she's doing that to intimidate him.

He's not ashamed to admit it's working. "Excuse me?"

"You know. Dancing orphans. Relentless optimism," she says drolly, as if she disapproves of the very concept of optimism.

Which she pretends to.

But she didn't, when they were on that roof, and May was dead, and Peter needed someone to believe that night could have any outcome but failure.

She had been that person.

He can't fail her again.

"Umm, yeah," he stammers. "What does that have to do with me?"

"You're wearing a very expensive suit when usually you look homeless, and I'm 67% sure that guy you just came in with is Tony Stark."

He hears Tony's snort of laughter and whips his head around with an accusing look. Tony flashes him two thumbs up, not even trying to hide his shit-eating grin behind his open menu. He is still wearing the damned sunglasses. Even though they're inside.

"I'm not homeless," Peter squeaks, but now Ned's looking past him to Tony and MJ is staring at him like the cat that ate the canary. Like she absolutely knows too much. She just doesn't know what's actually important.

"You definitely had a street urchin vibe, though."

"Dudes, I know that Tony Stark is dead, but that really does look like Tony Stark."

And Peter can hear Tony chuckling without turning his head.

"That is Tony Stark," Peter says with an exasperated sigh. "Watch the news in a week or two. Or maybe tonight," he hisses. The laughter stops, but he can feel Tony's smirk.

Peter looks MJ square in the face. It's time to do this. "You're right. Just like you're right about me being Spider-Man. You're 67% sure of that too, aren't you?"

"Wait, you're Spider-Man?" Ned whisper yells, and Peter's anxiety spikes but there's no one to hear. He turns to MJ. "And you knew about this and didn't tell me? Spider-Man's biggest fan?"

"You're not Flash, loser," she snaps, but she's still looking at Peter. "How did you know that I know?"

"We've had this conversation before. And you told me you'd figure it out again. I'm not very subtle."

Tony is finding this whole exchange hilarious.

"And you're brilliant."

"Are you trying to flatter me?"

"I'm trying to tell you the truth."

"Well that's new, Mystery Boy."

"Yeah," Peter says, deserving the sting that he knows is going to be so much worse when MJ actually knows the extent of what he's been hiding. "Look, I know about the gaps in your memories. I'm what's missing. And I know why."

"So this is like Men In Black?"

MJ rolls her eyes, but Peter huffs a quiet laugh. "No, Ned. More like Harry Potter gone horribly wrong."

"How do you know my name?"

Peter runs a hand through his hair, but he'd slicked it down for the funeral. He's not expecting the resistance.

"I'm sorry that you've been living with this mystery for so long. You deserve to know. So I'm just going to-"

MJ's arms are crossed across her chest. Everything about her stance is closed off. Peter wishes the truth wouldn't hurt her more. He just wants her to be happy and safe.

But he also wants to be the one that makes her happy. Sam says that's fine. Normal.

May had always liked seeing them together.

Ned is practically vibrating with suspense. It's the eagerness in his eyes, the puppy-dog enthusiasm that's more familiar to Peter than anything else that unsticks the words caught in his chest like a web-block. MJ might be mad for a long time, and she deserves to be. But Ned will forgive him. He always has.

And Peter will be a better friend, going forward.

"You were both at the Statue of Liberty the night it got destroyed, right? That's where you got your scar." Peter's fingers itch to brush across the blemished skin beneath her hairline, but he doesn't let himself move towards her. He has no right. "Why were you there?"

"Spider-Man needed help," Ned says, leaning forward, just as MJ said, "It's a tourist attraction. We have every right to be there."

"Nope." Peter turns to her. He knows lying is a defense mechanism. God, does he know that now. "It was like 4 am. And you wouldn't have gone there in the daytime either. You were so mad when they announced they were adding a shield to the Statue of Liberty. You said it was the opposite of what Lady Liberty was supposed to stand for. You wrote letters. To the President and the National Park Service and a whole bunch of Senators. You were gonna stage a protest but then I got all famous and you thought that would muddy the issue."

"How do you know that?" MJ whispers. Her voice is a quiet, almost broken thing. There's only one time he's ever heard her sound like that.

It's the time he needs her to remember.

"Because I know you."

He wishes it was that easy. Couldn't she see the earnestness in his eyes? Couldn't she just trust him?

"I did need help, Ned's right. My aunt had died, and you came to find me. On the school roof. It was sort of our place. There were all these villains from different multiverses. May wanted me to cure them before they got sent back, so they wouldn't die where they came from. So we lured them to the Statue of Liberty so no civilians would get caught in the crossfire. And you both almost died, and I wasn't the one to save you, but you did get saved, obviously. By … another version of me, and also a magical cape, cause your Lola is right Ned, you are magic."

"Wicked," Ned whispers, eating this up. But MJ's face is blank, and it's been too long, and he doesn't know which will be worse. How she's looking at him now, or how she'll look at him once she remembers.

"We cured everyone, and we sent them back. But there was this spell that went wrong, and it was going to tear apart reality. There was only one way to stop it. Doctor Strange had to erase everyone's memory of me so that the universes would stabilize."

He can still feel the bleakness of that moment. It had lodged in his lungs, turning every part of him cold. There had also been something numbing, like anesthetic. It had allowed him to clean out his old apartment, find a new one, bury his aunt. But the last of it had worn off after he's walked out of the bakery. After he'd left Ned and MJ behind, everything had hurt.

"I told you both that you were going to forget me. And MJ, you said that you didn't want to do that. You said that we should workshop it, which was something you'd said the last time I tried to fix things on my own. But I told you that we couldn't. That there wasn't any time or any other way. I don't know if that was true. But May was gone and the sky was all purple and crumbling and I thought I deserved it, to be alone. You told me it didn't matter, because you were just going to figure out who I was again, because you'd done it before.

"And Ned." He shifts his gaze, and Ned's eyes are so wide. "You made me promise that I would come and find you, and tell you everything. I did come here, a few weeks later, but—I let you down, man."

He swallows. Everything inside him wants to flee. His palms are sweating and he feels a bit lightheaded. He might puke—or faint—or both.

But he can hear Tony's heartbeat in the corner booth, so familiar and steady. Ned and MJ are right here, all their memories at the tip of his tongue. And May would want him to keep his promises.

"I let you both down. And I'm so, so sorry. We were supposed to be a team and I abandoned you. I love you both so much. You have every right to be mad at me, but I need you to remember. I need you to remember what it was like standing it the wreckage, knowing that you were going to forget. Even if you hate me, it'll still be better than not knowing me."

"Please," he begs, when their stares are still blank. But then Ned is slipping off his stool, and all the air leaves Peter's lungs at the same time the warmth comes roaring back, as Ned wraps him in a bear hug and literally lifts him off his feet.

"Oh my God, Peter! Dude! Oh my God."

"Ned. Ned Ned Ned Ned Ned." Peter sobs, and then he laughs. Ned squeezes him tighter, and he squeezes right back.

"I could never hate you," Ned finally says, pulling back but staying close. "But that wasn't cool. You were supposed to tell us. It's been months."

"I know."

"Are you okay?"

And Peter melts at the question, even though he has to swallow a retort about what Captain America thinks of that particular phrasing. Ned's concern is as warm and nourishing as a homecooked meal. Unwarranted after what Peter had put him through. But freely given.

"I am now," he says honestly.

Then MJ steps forward, and Ned puts out a hand between them, protecting Peter from MJ's wrath. And Peter quails at the look on her face, as ferocious and deadly as a supervillain. "I am so mad at you," she declares, voice low and threatening. She lunges at him, and Peter braces for a well-deserved slap.

But her arms wrap around his shoulders as she steps against his chest. Her face falls into the crook of his neck, her warm tears burning his skin.

"MJ," he whispers, the closest he's ever come to a prayer.

"You can't do this to us again," she says into his skin. "You can't do this to me."

"Never again," he promises, and boy does he mean it.

Then Ned comes around and hugs him from behind. They all stay that way for some time, breathing relief. It is the antithesis to every moment Peter spent alone, and he thinks he could stay like this forever, just the three of them, together again.

But then he feels a prickling up and down his neck. Not screaming danger, imminent death, a crime he needs to stop. Just a bad idea on the edge of conception.

Tony's left some cash on the table and is about to sneak out.

Peter reluctantly disentangles from his friends. "I am so sorry. Can you give me like one minute?"

He side-steps away before they can answer, intercepting Tony at the doorway.

"Nice work there, Annie," Tony cracks.

Peter wants to scowl but he smiles instead. "That is not sticking, oh my gosh."

"I dunno. You're pretty sticky." Tony's smile is wide but there's a tension in his shoulders that Peter doesn't like. That sets off his tingle. "Have fun with your friends. Text Happy when you're ready to get picked up."

"You're going to the Sanctum, aren't you?" It isn't until the words are out of his mouth that Peter recognizes the tone as one of Pepper's favorites—fond exasperation.

"It's been a long time since I've been in the city. If I just happen to wander past Bleaker Street—"

"Please don't punch Doctor Strange in the face," Peter begs. "He won't even know why you're upset with him."

"Well, trauma's the trigger, isn't it?" Tony's not kidding anymore. He's bristling with full on Irondad intensity. "So I guess I'll just have to remind our dear friend Stephen about the time we both watched him die so I can ream him out for erasing my kid's life."

"He did seem pretty salty that Wong got his job when he was Blipped." Tony doesn't smile, and Peter braces a hand on his temple. "You don't have to do this."

"I really do." But then Tony exhales loudly, and it seems to bleed out a bit of his tension. "Look, I'll try not to punch him. But what he did to you is not okay. There needs to be repercussions. A firm talking-to at least. He's an adult and he let things spiral way out of hand. Was he honestly the best wizard in the world five years ago? He doesn't seem that good at magic, if one rambling teenager breaks his spell. Also, why is he taking magical advice from seventeen-year-olds? I have questions."

"Why do you take engineering advice from seventeen-year-olds?"

"Toché. But you're good at engineering. You apparently suck a magic."

"Hey!"

Tony sticks his tongue out at him like he's five. Which he apparently is, in that genius hero heart of his.

Or he's just used to arguing with five-year-olds.

Either way, Peter knows he's not going to convince him. It's honestly a little nice, Tony's overwhelming parental concern. But this is not like yelling at someone who cut Peter off in traffic. Doctor Strange is dangerous. "If he traps you in the Mirror Dimension just remember the answer is geometry."

"He trapped you in the Mirror Dimension?" And then, after a beat, "What the hell is a Mirror Dimension?"

Peter rolls his eyes. "He tried to trap me in the Mirror Dimension. But I trapped him, because math is cooler than magic."

"That's my boy." The speed with which Tony can go from protective to proud gives Peter whiplash.

Peter rolls his eyes again, feeling very longsuffering. But also somehow soft and fond. There's something buoying in this ridiculousness. But it is ridiculous. This might be how Pepper feels all the time. "Seriously. Fractals. But when you go missing I am telling Happy it's because you antagonized a wizard. And then I'm telling Pepper."

"You wound me."

"You know, you and Stephen are actually pretty similar."

"Don't call him Stephen. I don't like it."

"Brilliant, and you know it. Top of your field. Arrogant and a bit aloof."

Peter laughs at the absolutely scandalized look on Tony's face. "I'm not aloof—anymore. And I don't have a field to be top of. I created the field. It's just me."

"Whatever you say, Dad." He tries to channel Morgan, infusing the word with the exact same flavor of sass, so that Tony can take it as a joke and move on. Even though it isn't a joke, even as it is. It's a way to test the waters.

Maybe a way to derail Tony from this current crusade so he doesn't end up in a wizard's dungeon.

Peter would break him out, of course, but the timing is less than ideal.

Tony freezes. Peter wonders for one second if he's made a mistake. Then Tony grins, and his hearty laughter rings out across the empty shop. "I see how it is. I have two sassbucket children now. Fantastic. Pepper will be so pleased."

So yeah, Peter can call him that.

"You know, if you want to stay in the city tonight, Happy can let you into the penthouse." There's a bit of a leer in Tony's voice as he flicks his gaze over to MJ, who is blatantly watching this entire exchange.

Peter's cheeks flame. "Oh my gosh, stop."

"Oh, so you can give it out but not take it, Mr. Parker?"

"May would not want you to tease me about this." Her name hangs between them, another testing of the waters. There is an ache there, in her absence, but it doesn't strike Peter down. It feels good, actually, to think of her witnessing their banter.

"May would absolutely want me to tease you about this," Tony says after a few moments. Peter knows he's right, even if he needs to protest on principle.

"I like her, by the way. She's sharp. Reminds me a bit of Pepper. Which means she's really going to give you the run around, so strap in. And watch out for pepper spray."

"Pepper spray?" Peter's brows furrow as he tries to make sense of Tony's rambling even as he feels the warmth of his approval. "Oh my gosh, tell me that is not why you call her Pepper?"

Tony laughs again, and Peter realizes it is one of his favorite sounds. "Didn't I ever tell you that story? Another time, young padawan." He reaches out and lays his hand on Peter's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Don't worry about your old man. Both me and the wizard will live to fight another day. Just have some fun with your friends. And I'm serious. If you need some alone time with your lady love—or with Ned, I'm not judging—the penthouse is at your disposal."

"Thanks, Dad."

Tony shakes his head. "So much sass." And then he saunters out of the shop with a cheeky two fingered salute.

Peter returns to the counter, dropping his forehead down on his crossed arms. "Geez, sorry. He is so extra. I'm pretty sure he's going off to punch Doctor Strange, which will not end well."

But then MJ is standing by his side, rubbing at the knot in his neck. Her touch races through him like electricity. "Can he wait until my shift is over? I'd like to give that wizard a piece of my mind."

And Peter laughs, thinking of how she sassed Strange the last time, and how finally, finally, everything is (almost) all right in his world.

"Leeds, I need you to hold down the shop."

Ned looks up at MJ. "Is this like the time you made me a deputy server so you could take care of a 'family emergency?'"

"Sure. Exactly like that. Except this time I'm going to make out with Parker in the back room."

Peter's face flames like fire, but he bursts from his seat like a rocket.

"Gross. But I guess you both deserve it. And if you go back there I don't have to watch so—fine. I'll holler if I need you."

"Don't."

"You're a lifesaver, Ned," Peter says, wrapping his arm around him in a side-hug before following MJ where she beckons.

She leads him into a back room, where the shelves are covered with bags of flour and coffee beans. There's a long metal counter with two industrial sized mixers, but MJ backs him up against an empty wall. Her arms drape over his shoulders, one of her hands sifting through the curls at the nape of his neck in the way that drives him crazy. He rests one hand on her waist, and uses the other to push the hair away from her eye like he's been absolutely itching to do.

She is so goddamn beautiful.

"I haven't read your employment contract, but I don't think we're supposed to do this here." His voice sounds all high and it breaks in the middle, absolutely not the effect he's going for. But she is back in his orbit, so damn close and looking at him with such obvious recognition that he Does. Not. Care.

"So you're a rule follower now, Mister Vigilante?" She always manages sexy a lot better than he does.

"I like rules," he protests, but then she's kissing him like there's no tomorrow, and he learns that there's another way to pause his frantic mind.

Later, so much later, she rests her forehead against his. He opens his eyes and just looks at her, content in a way he never expected to feel again. "Hi."

He will never tell another soul, but he notices the slight flush in her cheeks when she says, "Hey."

"God I missed you."

"I wish I could say the same." Okay, so she's still a little mad. But she was just making out with him, and she's not stepping away, and Peter thinks he can work with this.

"I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to keep saying that." She huffs out a breath and pulls back a little, but not far enough to make his hands drop from her waist. "You're not really homeless, are you? Because if you are I'll feel really shitty about making that joke."

He shakes his head. "Not homeless. I have an apartment."

She bites her lip as she stares at him. He watches her crumble and it makes him ache. She has always been so much stronger than he is.

"After you came in here that first time I couldn't stop drawing you."

"Couldn't get my handsome face out of your mind?" he teases.

But she doesn't smile. "That wasn't it. You know how I like to—"

"Draw people in crisis," they say at the same time.

He doesn't like that she saw him that way. It was funny when he was skipping out of detention. He'd had a much looser definition of crisis, once. It isn't funny anymore. "Well, that pretty much summed me up."

Her hand wanders up his chest, nimble like a spider. "You did tell someone, right? Happy, or the wizard?"

He shakes his head, the denial on the tip of his tongue.

"But you made new friends at your new school."

He wishes he had something to say that would take the waiver from her voice. But there is only the hurtful truth. "There was no new school. I was studying for the GED."

"But there had to be someone." This time it is her voice that cracks.

"Nope." He looks away because there are tears in her eyes. He is not equipped to handle that.

"Peter, it's been seven months."

"Yeah, I know."

"You should have told us!" She pushes him, but with the wall at his back he has nowhere to go. She grabs at his jacket, pulling him towards her. Then she's wrapping her arms around him with the same frantic aggression.

It is easier to explain when he can't see her face. "May was gone, and I dunno. It felt like I deserved to be alone, after failing her. And you and Ned were safe. You seemed so happy the first time I came in here, talking about MIT. I couldn't ruin that again."

"You can't keep doing this! Not again. Not if we're ever going to work. I can't watch you destroy yourself because you don't think you're worthy of help. You have people who love you, Peter Parker, but you can't keep us on the outside. You can't make us forget. God, Peter. The thought of you all alone, after May, for so long. It makes me want to scream. It makes me feel sick. I want to hit something with a mace."

And all he wants to do is calm her down. "Hey, hey. Em, look at me. Look at me." He waits until she does. Then she smiles at him until she blushes and ducks away. Then he waits until she looks back. "It was a bad time, it was. A real bad time. But it's over now. I've got you and Ned back. And Mister Stark. You don't have to worry about me."

"I'm going to defer my admission."

"No, Em, don't."

She finally steps away from him, and he is so, so cold without her. He doesn't know, now that she's gone, how he possibly survived the past seven months. "Don't you dare, Peter Parker! Weren't you listening to me? I care about you, you idiot. Your mental health is the most important thing to me right now. And if I want to put off starting college for a year to help my boyfriend deal with months of psychological torture then that's my call. And if you can't handle that—"

It strikes him then, how much she really loves him. And even though she's freaking out he can't stop the dopey grin that spreads across his face.

"Woah, MJ, slow down. Point taken. You can put off MIT if you want. But I'd be sad if you're in New York while I'm in Boston."

She catches on so quick, all her anger turning into glorious hope. "You're going to MIT?"

"It isn't settled yet, but yeah. Tony's sure he can beg or bribe someone to get me in. I feel kind of weird about it, but once he sets his mind to something there's no stopping him. And I probably would have gotten in anyway if not for the whole Mysterio mess, so. I'm gonna let him do it. I want to be there with you guys."

"Just like we planned." It's a glorious, glorious thing.

"I know it's late, but maybe we can still all room together? I'm sure Tony will help with the rent if it's hard to find a place. He's really good at throwing money at problems. Which is kind of embarrassing. You're dating a rich kid now. Hope that's okay. I know that goes against your whole vibe."

He sees a shade of who she used to be in the way her body tenses. How she shrugs as if the answer isn't important, when she's already ready to run if she doesn't like what she hears. "Depends. Does the rich boy have something to say to me? He's kept me waiting a long time."

He grins, because he knows what she wants him to say. While this is hardly the setting he would have chosen, he'll say it to her again later in a hundred more romantic places. "I love you, MJ."

Her smile is brighter than an arc reactor. "I love you too, Peter Parker. Or is it Stark now?"

"I don't even know."

"I was joking."

"I'm not. You were kind of right about the Annie thing."

She laughs, and he's not sure she really believes him, but then she's whispering, "Better kiss me, Shirley Temple," and for a while it doesn't matter.

But it does matter. And he knows he needs to be honest with her now. No matter how much she loves him, there's only so much of his crap she'll put up with. And she doesn't deserve to have to deal with any of it.

"I think Tony saved my life." It's the first time he's said it out loud—not even to Sam—but he's thought it at least a dozen times in the past month. He doesn't really want MJ to know how low he'd gotten. Doesn't want her to have any more reason to worry or feel guilty. But he needs to let people in. That's what Sam has said, more then once, and that was the gist of MJ's rants. He can't push her away to keep her safe anymore. Not if he doesn't want to lose her forever. And he doesn't, he really doesn't. He doesn't think he's strong enough to do that again.

"He actually did save my life because I was kinda bleeding out and he fixed that. But that's not what I mean. The truth is I was dying inside when he found me and I'm not sure how long I would have been able to keep going like that, so. He's been so good to me this past month, and he wanted me to tell you guys, like, right away but I needed some time to process. He's just really important to me now. And I know you're, like, fundamentally against billionaires and robber barons and the military-industrial complex and you don't even really like superheroes but he's a part of my life now—like a really, really important part and—"

Then she is pressing her fingers to his lips, and he reaches up to wipe away the tears that have fallen down her cheeks. "If he saved your life then I owe him a second chance."

It is such a relief, both telling the truth and her acceptance. "I think you'll like him. I mean he is a lot—I don't think he knows how not to overdo it—but he's really looking out for me. And his daughter is so adorable. And Mrs. Stark. Geez, you're gonna love Pepper."

"Jones, you have customers," Ned shouts, and Peter startles out of the moment. He'd forgotten where they were, that MJ was supposed to be working.

"Three more minutes," she shouts, rolling her eyes. Then she turns back to Peter.

"I didn't remember you at all. When you came in here with your puppy dog eyes there was no spark of recognition. But I was just—sad, when you were gone. I've been sad most of my life, so that shouldn't have been strange. Except I had this persistent feeling that I should have been happy. That I had been happy, for awhile."

"Em, I'm so sorry."

"Don't!" She frowns at him. "My point is that you make me happy. And I knew that, even when I didn't know you. And I'm really glad to have you back. But if you tell anyone that-"

"I definitely won't," he promises, but her secret sappy side has warmed him all the way through, like the heater on his suits. "And I'm so glad to have you back."

"Jones, I am not equipped for this," Ned calls again.

"Ugg, coming," MJ huffs. Peter just drinks her in, this wonderous girl, who wants to spend her time with him. "I gotta—"

"Yeah."

She kisses him quickly on the mouth, straightens her apron, and then marches back to the shop.

There's a small line of customers who all want fancy drinks that Ned doesn't know how to make, so Peter goes back to their spot in the corner, where Ned looks relieved to be relieved of duty. He grins when Peter sits next to him, and for awhile they sit in silence, content to be back together again.

"So," Ned finally says, "are you sure we got all our memories back? Because I don't remember Tony Stark acting like your father. There was the fake internship. And the real internship. And all that stuff with Liz's dad. But that's all I remember."

"What stuff with Liz's dad?" MJ asks as she waits for some milk to steam.

"So I was trying to catch these underground alien tech weapons dealers, led by this guy in a flying bird suit."

"The Vulture," Ned adds, giving the name significant weight.

"So I show up at Liz's house to pick her up for Homecoming, and her dad is the Vulture, which I did not see coming. And he was all, 'Thanks for saving my daughter in DC but if you don't drop this right now I will kill you.' And of course I couldn't drop it because he was selling dangerous weapons to dangerous criminals. So then I had to leave Homecoming and he totally tried to kill me. Huh. I bet that's why I don't find your dad all that intimidating. He wasn't trying to kill me before we started dating. Even if he wasn't thrilled about the Spider-Man thing. Which hey—now we get a do-over!"

MJ didn't seem impressed by any of that. "And what does any of that have to do with Tony Stark?"

"Oh. So the Vulture was trying to steal a plane leaving Avengers Tower, so I had to crash it. And Tony was like, checking in on me because he'd just given me a new suit. There were some rough tough love moments but we worked it out. And then he gave me an actual internship, when originally it was just a cover."

"The fact that no one else realized something was going on with you for years astounds me."

"Uh, thanks, I guess?"

MJ just laughs and goes back to her customers.

"Seriously dude. Tony Stark was throwing off some crazy dad energy. What's that about?"

"He found me like a month ago, cause my AI reached out to his AI—"

"Good old Karen."

"Yeah. And then FRIDAY showed him all this footage of us and he remembered. I've been living with him ever since. He's kinda like adopted me."

"Like, adopted you as his cool superhero mentee? Or adopted you like get CPS off your back and leave you all of Stark Industries adopted?"

Peter shrugs. "I think I was already his cool superhero mentee. So more like the second one. Although I'm sure he's gonna leave SI to Morgan. Also, he's still legally dead and the government doesn't know I exist so the paperwork is sort of impossible. But it's like, an unofficial emotional adoption."

"Dude, are you not kidding? Because I was totally kidding. Iron Man is your dad now?"

There are plenty of technicalities that he could use to avoid that answer. But he thinks of the joke that was not a joke. The look on Tony's face when Peter had said it, and the way Peter's own heart had soared. How the next time he calls him Dad, it'll be all sincerity. "Yeah," he answers simply.

"Oh my gosh. I cannot believe I am best friends with the heir of Stark Industries. Is that why you're dressed like that? Are you posh now? Is this a new look?"

"No, Ned." He can't remember a time when money wasn't tight, but he'd never actually understood what it was like to need every cent in a paycheck until he'd had to make due with two meals a day when he needed about five. Tony's excessive wealth is something he's going to need to come to terms with. But he's certainly not going to start dressing like a Tom Ford model on the regular. "We were having a memorial for May. Me, Tony, and Happy. That's why I'm wearing this suit."

Ned's face falls. "Oh gosh, Peter. I am so sorry. I did not mean to be so insensitive."

"It's okay—"

"No, it's not okay. Of course you'd rather still be with May then with Mister Stark. I did not mean to make light of that situation. That's really—that's really rough."

"Thanks man."

"If there's anything you need, I am here for you. Seriously. Just tell me what I can do."

"Hug it out?" Because there's just something special about a Ned Leeds bear hug. He's known Ned for more years than he hasn't. Ned has seen him through loss and pain and radiation poisoning and puberty. When Ned didn't know him, it felt like his whole childhood had been chopped in half, because Ned was there, in almost every significant memory. Peter hates the thought that Ned felt the same, that his whole past became a chasm of emptiness. He'll find a way to make it up to him. He has to.

After the hug Ned drags his stool a little closer so their shoulder touch, as if he knows, instinctively, how much Peter needs the contact. "So I don't want to overstep here. But do you think maybe you should talk to someone? Like, a professional? I know it's all, like, super-secret spidey stuff, and you can talk to me if it helps. But you've been through some heavy shit all on your own, and I don't want it to be like manifesting in your head and you don't have anyone to help you."

And Peter laps up Ned's raw, unadulterated concern like a dying man lapping water in a desert. For the first time since the spell he truly understands how lucky he is. "Thanks, man. Yeah, Tony already thought of that. Actually…" He knows Ned is going to freak out, and he savors the moment. "Captain America is my therapist."

Ned leans back, pretending to fall out of his chair, and then overcompensates and almost does it. "How come you get to say all the coolest sentences in the English language? Iron Man is your father and Captain American is your therapist. What is your life? Is the Scarlett Witch your hairstylist? Does the Hulk make you breakfast?"

"Why would Wanda be my hairstylist?"

"I dunno. Seems like she has a good sense of style. And if people didn't like it, she could just make them think they liked it."

Peter laughs, but it's not really any more ridiculous than his actual life. "No, man. Wanda's off the grid or something. No one knows where she is. And why would Dr. Banner cook me breakfast?"

"Big hands. Seems like he could make a lot of food, which you need with your metabolism."

"No, Dr. Banner does not cook me breakfast. Just the Tony thing. And Sam."

"You call Captain America Sam?"

"Yep."

"Do you think you could introduce us?"

"Probably. But hey. Maybe one day you'll be making introductions for me. You should see if Doctor Strange needs an apprentice."

"Yeah. I'm a little turned off by magic after what it did to you, to be honest."

"No, Ned. Don't let me stand in your way. You opened portals with no training. That's so cool."

"It seems statistically unlikely that you could be worse at magic than Sorcerer Grumpy Cat," MJ says. The shop is empty again, and she stands close to Peter, her hand resting on his shoulder.

Peter feels like maybe he should argue on Stephen's behalf, but he lets it go. It had all been a bit of a mess.

"I'm going back to Midtown next week," he announces, which prompts Ned to start their special handshake. Even though it's been awhile, the movements are still muscle memory.

He twists around to look at MJ. "And I was hoping we could go to the prom together. I know this isn't like, an epic prom-posal but if you think about it, I did, like, conjure a boyfriend out of thin air for you and then tell you I loved you so-"

"I'm going with Ned," she says, dryly.

"You could third-wheel it," Ned suggests.

A laugh bubbles out of Peter. So much has changed in the past seven months, yet for a moment it's like nothing has. "I would love to third-wheel it." There is nothing more that he needs but that.

"The color scheme is plum," Ned tells him.

"Amethyst," MJ corrects.

"Sure, that sounds better, but when you go to the tux place you have to tell them plum or they'll be confused. Trust me. I've been through this already. Prom is stressful."

MJ will look stunning, and he and Ned will both look ridiculous, and Flash will have something rude to say. And there Peter will be, in the thick of it, with his dearest friends at his side. His heart swells at the thought of it, and he doesn't know how to contain all this happiness. To think, a month ago, he didn't believe he'd ever be happy again. Now his life stretches before him, as glittering at the New York skyline.

He has Tony to thank for that, he knows. The mechanic with the big heart and the thick walls and the determination to just blast all Peter's problems out of the way. Who built code stronger than magic, and witnessed Peter's loneliness and told it, "Hell no."

Who had trusted himself because of May, who has always known what Peter needed. May had built Peter a life raft long before he started to sink. No matter what came next, she would live on in Peter's legacy.

Peter knows he has himself to thank, too. For being honest with Sam and doing the work. For finally telling his friends the truth. For choosing to climb out of the pit, rung by rung, day by day.

MJ huffs beside him. "I can't believe I still have another hour on my shift."

But Peter looks around him and there is nothing more he needs. Nowhere else he'd rather be. He pulls his wallet from his pocket and extracts a crisp $20 bill. "I don't mind. How bout coffee and donuts on Daddy Warbucks?"

And as they laugh at his terrible joke, Peter soars.