Chapter Text
I slowly open my eyes finding myself once again in the tub, the bubbles long gone, along with the sweet sent of lavender, my hand pruny and my skin dry although it had been underwater for what seemed to be hours. A towel waits on a chair beside me and the before closed window is now open, I guess I was in here longer than I thought. I make my way out of the tub and dry myself off, the cold air is nothing to me as the water had grown cold hours ago. I walk to my room with my head down and water dripping from my soaked hair. May’s words scream through my head making my own thoughts sound like whispers.
As usual her words make me feel pathetic, wrong, worthless… the huge room Strange gave me screams otherwise, each fabric a meticulous and handmade work of art, the huge bed with 10 pillows, and the longest curtains I’ve ever seen, coving the giant windows, the huge desk covered in books he thought I’d like, and a mirror with a sticky note left by Wong saying ‘you are all you need to be’ the two have been kinder to me than I have ever been to myself. The carpet floor he magicked in after I complained about the floor being too cold. I’ve never had so much before I almost don’t know what to do with it.
He put so much thought into what I…. his son would like…. I turn to the mirror that sits across the bedroom, I look myself up and down taking in a deep breath, Peter Parker son of Mary and Richard Parker. Caught in a web of lies, do I tell him the truth that we knew each other, but we had to forget? To I keep up the lie until he catches me in it? Or do I leave… find someone new, someone who I wouldn’t care if I destroyed them.
I don’t want to hurt him, but I’d rather hurt him than end up alone again. I walk to the walk-in closet, jeez he’s gone all out huh, it’s filled to the brim with luxury brands I once didn’t even know existed.
“I’m just saying the boy is very quiet strange” Wong sighs sitting down Infront of me at the dining table.
“I know, I just, how do you start a conversation about that? HEY SON, I realize you are very quiet why? Oh! because you’re in a new place with a dad you never met before? how ODD” Wong does not appreciate my sarcasm.
“You know what I mean, maybe he doesn’t feel apart of the family, show him he is”
“How?”
“Make dinner together, I’ll go visit the temple and you say you want to surprise me with dinner.”
“that’s not a bad idea Wong” strange looks up from his hands where he’s held his head the entire conversation.
“I know, alright I’ll leave you too it, good luck father strange” he portals out of the kitchen.
I make my way upstairs towards Peters new room. I take a deep breath and knock gently on the door.
“Peter? Its uh, dad?” I say more as a question than a fact as I don’t really know what to call myself to him. He opens the door gently and has a soft smile on his face his hair wet from a shower or bath.
“hey”
“…..”
“……………”
“…… do you want to make dinner with me?” I ask gently as if he’s a stray cat preparing to run.
“Where’s Wong, since when do you made food?” he sasses
“ILL HAVE YOU KNOW- “shit he’s right, I don’t know how to cook. “I have a really good recipe for pasta”
“Kraft dinner?” this fucking kid.
We stand in the kitchen strange scrolling on his phone for his so-called famous pasta recipe. The fact that he called himself my dad almost making me forget about the fact that HE STEPHEN STRANGE, is going to COOK food. I mean c’mon that’s comedy gold.
I look at my... “dad” he’s deep in thought clearly trying to find out which one he can pass as a family recipe. I knew he would mourn me even without knowing me, but I didn’t think it would be to this extent that he would call himself dad so fast. It’s sweet in a way. When we knew each other the first time, we had a good relationship less father and son and more so uncle and nephew. No problem in an upgrade though.
I hadn’t met Wong when I knew Strange, just a few hellos but nothing like an introduction. I only knew his name because Strange talked about him so much. I wonder if he told him about me too.
“Alfredo, you like that?”
“Sounds good to me”
I burnt everything.
“Hey, it’s okay pops, we can try again”
“Wong is going to be home soon…... we need to order take out”
“What?”
“what’s a good pasta place? We must hide the evidence! I’m going to go call for food you clean up a little, so we have not burnt food or smell in here”
I run to the closet and call a local restaurant.
43 minutes later the pasta sits on the table, and the burnt smell is gone, candles are lit and the table is set perfectly and peter and strange sit and wait for Wong to arrive.
An orange portal opens in the kitchen and Wong shortly steps out to find the two boys at the table.
“Wow strange this looks good”
“Thank you Wong it was mostly peter”
“You flatter me father” I say in a posh accent only to be kicked by strange in the shins “ahem, please do sit” I say still in a posh accent.
Wong sits down at the table where we all begin to enjoy the first family dinner to signify the start of a new life, a happy life. Where I Peter Parker finally get what I deserve.