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In the five years of the Blip, a lot of things happened. Steve Rogers started a support group. Natasha Romanoff became the leader of the remaining Avengers and protector of Earth. People lost their lives, lost their families, lost everything. And then those people tried to learn how to move on.
And Tony Stark…
Tony Stark had a kid. He made a life. He secluded his life from the world. But let’s face it - what kind of world was even left?
Still, five years was a long time, and Tony Stark never could sit still without doing anything. So even while building time travel (he had totally started building time travel the moment he'd returned from defeating Thanks, let's face it), a suit for Pepper, and a future for his Morguna (complete with a self resizing suit he was sure his little girl would utilize - after all, she was his daughter), there was still too little to do. Something was missing.
Peter.
Tony Stark went through every single defense he’d built for his little family, rechecked the house’s security system, and realized that there was one gaping flaw. To be fair, he’d only discovered magic was an actual bloody thing with Strange’s gambit. But it was a thing! And since Strange was obviously not the only street magician on Earth, so he needed to get on finding a way to circumvent magic.
He reached out to Bruce first because, obviously, the big guy was honestly the best option he had. They went on a little trip ’round the world, infiltrated some wizard fortress he couldn’t remember the name of to save his life (‘Sorcerer!’ someone shouted. He ignored them), and finally figured out a defense system he was reasonably sure would work.
Pepper just shook her head at his shenanigans and allowed him to indulge his paranoia on her, on Morgan, on the house.
And then the five years were over, and he was dead.
But the magic defenses lasted. Pepper didn’t know it would come in handy until one day, she called Happy to ask how Peter’s trial had gone - she had wanted to help in person, but the SI lawyers had told her to stay away unless it seemed like there was no other choice. She’d at least called in the Murdock law firm Tony had said would help if anything went wrong. In any case, she’d called Happy, and then she had to comfort a crying man because May Parker was dead.
Pepper was, quite honestly, both horrified and sad, all at once. Happy had truly loved the woman, and while Pepper wasn’t able to do anything for the pair, she had cheered him on and hoped they’d be happy together.
It seemed that wasn’t ever happening now.
Then, later, when Happy had calmed down, and there had been a lull in the conversation, Pepper had dared to ask. It was hesitant because she had known how close the boy had been with his aunt, and Happy hadn’t said a word about him, so there had to be a story there. If he needed anything- “What about Peter?” She asked. “Is he okay?”
Happy stopped, his tone lilting in confusion. “... Peter?”
Pepper frowned. “Is something wrong?” She asked. “I know the whole identity thing had him down, and I’m sure May’s death must’ve hit harder because of it. Did he… react too badly?”
Happy did not reply for a few seconds, but it was long enough that Pepper started to feel uneasy.
“Pepper,” He said carefully. “Who’s Peter?”
Pepper’s eyes widened, and she dropped the phone. It clattered to the floor, much to Happy’s apparent surprise, because the call cut off. Pepper had no doubt he would be flying in the next day, but at this point, she would welcome it.
Because Happy was crying over May Parker, and he didn’t even remember her nephew.
Something was wrong, and she needed to find out what.
That night, she put Morgan to sleep, silenced her phone, and dove into Tony’s files.
They were chock full of notes and memories and Peter, so whatever was wrong with Happy was not wrong with her. She read them all again, a knot in her stomach at the very blatant love her husband had had for the kid. No doubt if he had survived, he would’ve pulled Peter in for Stark Industries. And Pepper wouldn’t even have minded because it was obvious that Peter Parker was a genius - enough to rival Tony Stark himself.
SI would have been lucky to get him.
SI would still be lucky to get him, she promised herself, but first, she had to find out what was wrong.
So, putting down Tony’s collection of Peter’s pictures, she pulled out her laptop and connected to the internet, starting with a simple google search. Peter-as-Spiderman had been all over the web the last time-
She stopped.
Who is Spiderman?
The Local Spidermenace strikes again!
Spidermurderer - Mysterio was right
Spiderman - hero or villain?
Spiderman; the hero without a name
She blinked, uncomprehending, and read them again. What? Had she- had she imagined Peter’s identity being exposed? Because Happy was one thing, but a world’s collective amnesia was quite another.
Was she…?
She swallowed and googled a different name: Peter Parker.
Nothing. Nothing relevant to her Peter Parker, at least. Not even records of him being an SI intern or part of the Academic Decathlon - Midtown was quite prominent and always had the best members’ names up in local newspapers. Tony had proudly printed them all out, and they were piled up in his Peter file, too.
But no. There was nothing.
Something was going on, and Pepper did not like it.
So she pulled out her phone and dialed Rhodey, the only other person she was sure Tony had gushed to about Peter, even before he gushed to Pepper. Rhodey had been his best friend. “Rhodey,” She greeted as soon as he picked up the call.
“Pepper! Been a hot minute since we talked. How’s lil’ Morgan?”
Pepper blinked, feeling a little pang of sadness that he hadn’t visited. “Um, she’s good,” She said. “You should come on over sometime. She’ll love you.”
He laughed.
“But that’s not why I’m calling,” She continued.
Rhodey sobered. “Yeah? Is something wrong?”
She swallowed. “Rhodey, do you remember Peter?”
There was audible confusion at his end. “Uh… should I?”
Her heart sank. “Yes,” She muttered. “I have to go.”
“Pepper, wait—"
She hung up, placed her head in her hands, and sighed. Rhodey was a no-go as well. Great. Suddenly, she winced, realizing that she really shouldn’t have hung upon him. Now there’d be two guests at her house tomorrow.
… At least Morgan would love it.
Shaking her head, she pulled out the list of numbers she really didn’t want to contact again - she was done with the superhero life her husband had been entrenched in, and it physically hurt to call in a favor, but she figured they owed her.
The phone rang.
“Ms. Potts,” Maria Hill droned, sounding annoyed. “Are you aware of what time it is?”
Pepper inhaled sharply. “I need you to check something from the Shield database,” She told her, adopting a no-nonsense tone she was fifty percent sure would work.
Luckily, Maria didn’t argue, only letting out a long-suffering sigh. “Fine,” She said. “I’m assuming this is important. What do you want to know?”
Spiderman or Peter Parker? “Does Shield know who Spiderman is?” Because they should, if only because they never ceased spying on Tony, and Peter had been very prominently in his presence.
The clacking that had started up on the other side stopped. “Ms. Potts,” Maria said, her voice careful. “Spiderman is the one hero we have never been able to positively ID. Do you know something?”
Goddammit. Even Shield’s systems were compromised, then.
But Spiderman was obviously still active. And Peter should have contacted her since something was so clearly wrong! And if not her, then at least Happy. Or Bruce. Or any of the Avengers.
… Unless Peter was keeping away for a reason. She could just imagine him being a self-sacrificing fool, exactly like Tony had been. But there was no way Pepper was letting him go that route. She’d already lost Tony - there was no way she was losing Peter, too.
Tomorrow, she decided. She would hunt Peter down and drag him back.
Pepper opened the door at five in the morning, a yawn in her throat and very prominent bags under her eyes.
“What the fuck is wrong?” Rhodey demanded.
“Did you even sleep?” Happy asked.
Pepper groaned. “Come in,” She muttered. “Morgan’s up.”
“Is that why you look like you’re dead?”
Pepper glared at him, though it probably didn’t look the least intimidating since she yawned again midway. “No,” She groused but didn’t follow up.
Morgan was sitting at the breakfast table, munching on cereal, when she noticed the two. Her spoon clattered into the bowl, and she beamed. “Uncle Rhodey!” She squealed. “Uncle Happy! I didn’t know you were coming.”
Happy grinned and pulled the little girl into a hug, followed by Rhodey, who did the same.
Pepper sighed and slumped down into a chair. “I’d offer you breakfast…” She mumbled, trailing off.
Rhodey rolled his eyes. “I’ll make some,” He said, waving away her worries. “But right now, I need to know what the he- er,” His eyes flickered to Morgan. “What you were talking about… on the phone.”
Pepper hid a smirk.
Happy sat down, prompting Rhodey to as well. “Same,” He said. “You asked about a Peter, and then you hung up. Who’s Peter?”
“And why’d you say we should know him?”
Pepper pursed her lips.
“Is Peter coming here too?” Morgan asked, eyes sparkling and having only caught Peter’s name from the rapid barrage of questions. “I miss Peter. Mommy, when will he come?”
Rhodey and Happy’s eyes widened.
Pepper hummed. “Not right now, baby,” She said. “But soon.” Even if he’s trying to keep away for some stupid reason.
“Well, that explains nothing,” Happy muttered.
Pepper stood up, stalked over to the next room, grabbed the file she’d narrowed down over the course of her sleepless night (precisely for the reasons who sat on her kitchen table), and came back in, metaphorically slamming the file down in front of Rhodey. “This will,” She said.
And then, because Rhodey opened it and Happy looked impatient enough that he was glancing over even though they sat like two seats from each (stupid decision, really), she cleared her throat. “His name is Peter Parker.”
Happy paled. “... Parker?” He whispered.
Pepper nodded once. “May’s nephew,” She explained.
Rhodey looked just as aghast. “Tony thought of him as his own kid?” He asked. “He didn’t tell me.”
Pepper huffed dryly. “He did,” She corrected. “That’s the problem.”
“Mommy?” Morgan whispered loudly. “Why don’t Uncles know Peter?”
Pepper winced. “I don’t know, Sweetie,” She said. “I’m trying to find out.”
“Did Peter forget us? Is that why he isn’t coming?”
Pepper refused to believe that, so she reached over and deposited a kiss on her daughter’s hair. “We’ll see Peter again,” She promised. “You’ll see your big brother.”
Morgan nodded, turning to look at her cereal.
Rhodey looked furious. “How the fuck did I forget an entire person?” He asked, very loudly, very furiously.
Pepper glared.
“Swear jar!” Morgan announced, pointing to the side. It was already half full with crumpled dollar bills and coins.
Rhodey raised an eyebrow.
Pepper smiled tiredly. “Tony’s last year,” She said.
“Ah.” Then he did as he was told by the six-year-old child. “Seriously, though,” He continued. “How?”
Pepper turned to Happy, who had snagged the file himself.
“I forgot May’s nephew,” He said hollowly. “I forgot an actual child who probably needed me.” He clutched at the corner of the table. “I did, didn’t I? I don’t think May would’ve ever ignored him. Or not told me about him.”
Pepper really didn’t want to do this… “How do you think you met May?”
This made him pale even more, if that was possible.
“Sh- shoot,” Rhodey said. “Who messed with our minds? This a Bucky situation?”
Pepper shrugged. “I haven’t figured that out yet. All I know is nothing happened to Morgan and me. Everyone else has had their memories of Peter removed.” She frowned. “But weirdly, not any Spiderman memories.”
Happy looked taken aback. “What does the spiderkid have to do with anything?”
“Seriously?” She remarked, unimpressed. “Peter is Spiderman. How did you not read that in the file?”
Happy began to blush. “Hey!” He protested. “I was a little busy trying to reconcile that May had an actual nephew.”
Pepper snorted. “Sure,” She mocked, then hid a smile because Tony had definitely rubbed off on her.
“So,” Rhodey said, bringing them back on track. “Something happened to everyone except you and Morgan. What, did Tony ward you guys against memory-wiping superpowers or something?”
Pepper’s eyes widened.
“Wait, seriously?”
“No, no,” Pepper assured him. “Though I don’t doubt he would have, had he known they existed. No, I just remembered! Tony did something during the Blip - magic protection, he said, though not in so few words-” Happy and Rhodey rolled their eyes in fond unison. “And if that’s what’s affecting everyone, then we actually have an answer!”
“Magic,” Rhodey repeated, shaking his head.
“Dr. Strange,” Happy said. “Has to be. I remember Spiderman’s last major fight against those villains at the Statue of Liberty, and Strange was there.”
“Great,” Pepper muttered. “You remember Spiderman but not Peter.”
Happy’s mouth tightened.
There was a strained silence, and then Morgan loudly slurped another spoon of cereal, breaking the tension.
Pepper relaxed. “Sorry,” She offered. “Kind of on edge.”
Happy shook his head. “It’s fine.”
“Sooo,” Rhodey drawled. “I’ll go get this wizard dude?”
“Sorcerer,” Happy corrected automatically.
“Since Happy knows him more,” Pepper suggested. “He can go get Dr. Strange.”
“I’m guessing you have a job for me, too,” Tony’s best friend said warily.
Pepper nodded. “You can watch Morgan while I go get Peter.”
He blinked. “I could go get Peter.”
“You don’t know him,” She said. “And he’d probably run. I can pretend that I’m there to offer an SI job until he relaxes.”
Rhodey groaned. “... Fine,” He grumbled. “I’ll play glorified babysitter.” He grinned at her daughter. “Hear that, kiddo?” He told a Morgan distracted by a colorful book beside her bowl. Peppers had allowed it there today precisely for that reason. “Uncle Rhodey’s having a sleepover.”
Morgan looked up from the book. “Will we have ice cream? And TV?”
Rhodey smirked at Pepper. “Sure.”
Morgan smiled. “Okay!” And then she turned back to the book.
Pepper chuckled.
It wasn’t hard tracking down Peter Parker.
She had thought it would’ve been, considering how all his records had been wiped.
But honestly, that kind of helped. Peter Parker was pinged much more easily because he didn’t exist.
One boy of his description had signed up for a crappy apartment on the poorer side of town a month or so ago, and that only cemented her decision to drag the kid back with her. She was sure Morgan would love to help decorate a room for him.
She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
“Coming!” Peter shouted, and seconds later, the door swung open. Peter took a second to recognize her, then gaped outright. “Pep-” He stopped. “Ms. Potts,” He said formally. “Can I- can I help you?”
“Peter,” She said, and her heart ached at the sad nostalgia in his eyes.
“Yes?”
Pepper blanked. “I’m here to offer you a job at Stark Industries!” She blurted out, unable to find the words to say Peter I remember, Come live with Morgan and me, Tony would want this-
He frowned. “I didn’t apply for a job…”
Pepper tried for a smile. “Well, we’re always looking for talented people, and—"
Peter stepped back, even more on guard. “But I haven’t done anything to be on any list like that.”
Great, Pepper, her inner mocking voice drawled, sounding suspiciously like her late husband. Make it even weirder.
Shut it, Tony, she told it and then sighed. “Look, Peter,” She said, still hesitating about telling him she remembered. What if he ran? Because he obviously recognized her, which meant he had an idea about the whole memory wipe thing and hadn’t come to any of them for help. Which meant he could run at any moment if he were keeping this secret on purpose. “You may not exist on the internet." Literally. “But Tony had a file on your accomplishments. He mentioned you worked with him on a lot of projects, and if you’re as smart as Tony said you were, then Stark Industries would be honored to have you.”
Peter swallowed, staring at her with hopeless eyes. “... I can’t,” He whispered.
“Why not?” Pepper asked, frustrated.
He looked away. “I just- I don’t have the time, Ms. Potts. I already work somewhere.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You’re giving up a Stark Industries job for a part-time position,” She repeated. “Seriously.”
She could see his mouth twitch. “I can’t afford a transition.”
“I’ll front the fees.”
He blinked rapidly. “That’s not—"
“Peter,” She interrupted and waited until he looked at her. “What’s the real reason?”
He looked at her desperately, and she could practically read the answers coming off him in waves. You’re a memory of Tony. I can’t do anything like this, not after May. No one remembers me, why should you? Granted, the last one was a misconception and her fault (she would fix it as soon as Peter agreed), but that wasn’t what he said. No, what Peter said was much, much worse, especially since Pepper knew exactly who he was. “Look, Ms. Potts,” He said, and she wished yet again for him to call her Pepper. “I… I’m bad luck. The people I care for end up hurt or- or dead, and I can’t-” His voice broke, but that was enough.
Peter was thinking of Tony and May, Pepper thought. Even if the two would roll their eyes and start scolding him for that, the boy honest-to-goodness believed their deaths had been his fault.
Wow.
If Pepper hadn’t decided to adopt him already, she was certainly doing so now. Screw the fact that he was nearly 18 and, therefore, almost legally an adult. He was her son now.
“That doesn’t matter,” She said softly. “I’m not afraid.”
His eyes told her he was.
“And you have no idea how many safeguards Tony left for me!” She added playfully. “I’d be surprised if anything could hurt me at this point!”
Peter couldn’t help a smile.
She was satisfied. “Please, Peter,” She said. “After Tony, we really need a good inventor.”
“Others must’ve applied,” He mumbled. “They’re probably older. With Ph.D.s.”
You can get any Ph.D. you want if you come with me. “No one with the creativity and innovation needed to bring SI to the next level.” And though this started as a ploy, Pepper was starting to agree with the arguments she was making. Peter was a genius, and if he worked for SI, she had no doubt it would be at the forefront of R&D again.
Peter bit his lip.
“Tony really, really wanted you working in SI,” She added, a final nail in the metaphorical coffin.
He crumpled. “Okay,” He said. “I’ll do it.”
“Great!” She clapped her hands. Now for phase two. “Let’s go to our facility right now.”
He opened his mouth in consternation. “Now?”
“Yes,” She said. “Shouldn’t waste time.”
“But I have a shift—"
“Do you really need that job anymore?” She asked him, eyebrows raised.
He flushed. “It’s rude.”
Okay yeah, here was the kid’s biggest difference from Tony. He was polite. She sighed. “Alright.” She said. "We can go in person to tell them you quit.”
Peter stared at her as if she’d grown a second head.
“What, you didn’t think I’d be leaving here without my precious new hire, did you?”
He kept staring.
She stared right back.
Years of Morgan paid off, and Peter broke away first, fidgeting, and in the end, their deal was struck. After Peter was done packing, they went over to his workplace (which, of all places, was the damn Daily Bugle - god, how did he get into these situations?), tendered his letter of resignation (Pepper internally laughing at the fact Peter was selling his own pictures), and then sat in her car and drove away.
Peter was coming home with her. Even if she had to employ subterfuge to actually get him inside (thank god she’d had an actual facility built the next town over from her home, even if it was currently vacant, but Peter didn’t need to know that), she’d do it, because once he was there, Morgan would glomp on, and she could finally explain that she remembered the little idiot and would be taking no arguments for his move into their house.
She smiled. It was going to work out.
Peter was gaping when Pepper detoured in the direction of her home. He didn’t look the least bit afraid, of course, but it was obvious he wasn’t expecting it. “Uh,” He said. “This isn’t…”
“Have to just check on my daughter,” She replied cheerfully. “I have a babysitter today, but Moms tend to get worried, you know?”
Peter clamped his mouth shut, but the wistfulness in his eyes was even more than it had been when he’d first seen her. She gripped the steering wheel and wondered how he had managed alone for so long.
“Ms. Potts,” He said. “I really don’t think this is appropriate.” It sounded like it hurt him to say that.
Pepper hummed, ignoring him as Tony probably would have. Then again, Tony wouldn’t have bothered with this whole thing and just kidnapped him outright, so that wasn’t really the point. “It’ll be fine,” She said obtusely. “I don’t stand on ceremony.”
He grimaced. Pepper pretended not to notice, and they drove the rest of the way in silence.
At the house, Pepper jumped out and tilted her head at him. “Coming?”
Peter shook his head stubbornly. “It’s not—"
“It’s fine,” She insisted. “I said it’s okay, didn’t I?”
“I could be an ax murderer, for all you know!”
“Would my husband befriend an ax murderer?”
“... Yes.”
She chuckled. “The fact that you can say that means you knew him.” She shook her head and pointed to the house. “Seriously, Peter. Come on. I promise I won’t kill you.”
He huffed. “I know that, Ms. Potts. It’s just that…” He trailed off, his eyes far away and his mouth curled down.
Pepper couldn’t leave it alone. “Afraid of little girls?”
The very unexpected question forced a laugh, which Peter brought under control a second later. For a moment, he kept staring at the house, then sighed, his lower lip trembling. “I really don’t think I should go in, Ms. Potts,” He said softly, brokenly. “I don’t want to.” He swallowed.
Pepper felt something lodge in her throat. Oh, Peter… “Please?” She said. “It’ll be just a little while. I don’t want to leave you out here alone.”
Peter’s hands curled around his seatbelt, and for a bit, Pepper was afraid he wouldn’t move. Then his shoulders slumped in defeat, and he unbuckled, stepping out of the car. “Okay,” He said, voice drained. “A few minutes.”
Pepper breathed a sigh of relief and began walking inside, Peter at her heels. She made a beeline for the lounge, where she could hear sounds from, and as soon as she entered, Rhodey scrambled up and put the TV on silent.
“Mommy!” Morgan shouted, running over to give her a hug.
“Hey, baby,” She said, hugging back. “I brought someone for you to meet.”
Peter, who was standing awkwardly next to the doorway, stepped back, eyes wide.
Morgan beamed and began to squeal. “Peter!” She said, louder than before. “You came! I missed you so much!” She leaped forward and held out her hands, and Peter automatically did the same, as if he was used to hugging Morgan.
“What?” He whispered.
Morgan pulled back, pouting. “You didn’t come in so long,” She told him. “I wanted to build something with you.”
Peter blinked, his eyes flickering to Pepper, who looked just the slightest bit apologetic for the deception. “... You- you remember?”
Morgan nodded enthusiastically. “Mommy said something bad happened, and Uncle Rhodey and Uncle Happy forgot you. But I never forgetted you, Peter! You shouldn’t forget me too!”
Peter let out a wet chuckle. “I could never,” He said, sniffing. “You’re the president of Mars. Who could forget you?”
Morgan made a face. “I’m not the president of Mars,” She said patronizingly. “Mars doesn’t have people.”
“Yeah?” He asked. “Then who else are you going to be?”
She beamed. “Spiderman!”
He laughed, and mixed with the tears, it sounded worse than sobbing.
Pepper shook her head and walked towards him, pulling the boy into a tight embrace. “God, Peter,” She muttered. “What happened?”
“I don’t-” His fingers snagged the edges of her clothes and didn’t let go. She didn’t care. “How do you remember? No one is supposed to remember.”
“I don’t know,” She said. “And I have no idea what’s going on. All I know is that a few months ago, everyone knew who you were, and now, no one does.”
He pulled back and flinched. “There’s a reason for that,” He replied. “It- it had to be done.”
She glared. “Peter, I have had enough no-explanations-given self-sacrificing bullshit from my husband. Do you really think I would leave you alone for this?”
His mouth fell open, but no words came out. His throat bobbed.
Rhodey groaned in the background, no doubt reliving Tony’s worst habits. “Trust me, kid,” He told him. “Pepper ain’t gonna let it go until you agree to her every demand.”
Peter snapped to look at him. “Mr. Rhodes?”
He made a face. “Call me Rhodey,” He offered.
“Pep!” Happy’s voice came, and they spun around to see a portal open in midair, throwing out the man in question and the magic man Pepper had last seen at Tony’s funeral. “Found the sorcerer!”
Peter drew in a ragged breath. “Stephen?” He asked, then hurriedly corrected himself. “Dr. Strange. What are you doing here?”
The sorcerer raised an eyebrow. “Apparently clarifying what happened to you.” He pursed his lips and landed on the ground. “Even if I, myself, am not sure what happened.”
Peter winced.
Happy blinked and moved closer. “You’re Peter Parker,” He said. “You were at May’s grave.”
Peter sunk in and shrugged.
“She was your aunt, and you lost her.” He shook his head. “God, kid, I’m so-”
He swallowed. “It was my fault, anyway,” He said. “This was all my fault. I don’t know why you remember, Pepper,” He continued, abandoning all pretenses. “But I really think I should go. I don’t know what will happen if I- if I tell you what happened. I already ruined the world once. I can’t let it happen again.”
Pepper inhaled sharply. Had she done all this, only to lose the boy at his junction? No. She wouldn’t let it-
“This is magic, and it has to do with me, doesn’t it?” Stephen said. “I don’t remember you, but I remember Spiderman and the battle at the Statue of Liberty. Hogan here tells me you’re Spiderman, so I’m assuming we were working together.”
Peter glared at the ground. “It was my fault,” He repeated. “If I hadn’t been so stupid in the first place, none of this would have happened! And if something goes wrong now…”
There was a minute of silence, and then Stephen sighed. “Magic is supposed to be my purview,” He said. “Why don’t you let me think about the consequences and focus on telling us what happened?”
Pepper nodded encouragingly.
Peter’s lips twisted further down.
“Come on, kid,” Rhodey cajoled. “You’re up against literal superheroes over here. Except Happy.”
“Hey!” The head of security protested as Morgan giggled.
Peter huffed, but his shoulders were relaxing, so Pepper silently thanked the man. “I’m a superhero,” He said, then shook his head. “After the- after Mysterio revealed my identity,” He began abruptly. “A lot of things happened. The colleges we applied to rejected my friends and me.”
Pepper gasped.
“Because you were Spiderman?” Happy demanded. “The hell?! Tony would’ve destroyed them for that!”
Morgan tugged at his clothes and pointed to the jar.
Peter shifted on his feet. “I didn’t- I didn’t mind so much about myself. But Ned and MJ deserved better.”
“You came to me,” Stephen said.
“I asked if you could do a spell to make everyone forget Spiderman was Peter Parker,” Peter confirmed. “But I messed up, and while you were casting the spell, I kept telling you to change it up and…” He shrugged helplessly. “I was an idiot. The spell almost exploded, so you shut it down and tried to contain it.”
Stephen’s eyes were far away as if trying to remember something that kept slipping. “There was a breach between dimensions,” He recalled. “Those villains came out.”
Peter nodded, seemed to think about something, and then pursed his lips. “I was even more stupid and wanted to help them. May died because of one of them, and then you had to send them home. But because I had stolen the spell box from you and the breach wasn’t dealt with…”
“Entities from every dimension who knew you were Peter Parker started to come to our universe,” Stephen said, pulling it all together. “Which meant I had to make it so Peter Parker would no longer be remembered.”
Peter nodded miserably.
Stephen growled. “Dammit. That doesn’t sound good.”
“No kidding,” Pepper said coldly. “But mark my words, Stephen Strange. You are going to figure out how to fix Peter’s life, or you’ll have to face my wrath. And trust me, I will not hold back.”
Stephen raised his eyebrows. “... I was going to try anyway.” He pointed out.
She glared.
“How do you remember, though? I’m pretty sure this was supposed to affect every person in the world.”
“Every source of information, too,” Pepper muttered. “But as for this place, Tony was researching magic defenses during the Blip. I’m assuming they worked.” She hummed. “Although they might have worn off after deflecting your memory-wiping spell, considering you were able to portal here.”
He nodded. “I’ll start working on a counterspell,” He assured her. “For whoever Peter wants to know his identity.” He nodded once more at them, then turned around and disappeared into another portal.
“Magic defenses,” Peter murmured. “Of course Mr. Stark was working on those.”
Pepper smiled. “Well, I’m sure you’d be able to rework whatever he did. He left notes for everything on his desk and computer, and I haven’t managed to clean them out yet.”
Peter hesitated. “I really don’t think-”
Pepper glared. “Peter Parker, you listen to me,” She said, her hands on her hips and her mouth in a straight line. “Now that you are aware we know about you, you can’t hide from us. So you might as well come live with us.”
“But-”
“You were like a son to Tony. Do you really think he’d want you to live alone in a dilapidated apartment?” She shook her head. “Besides, I love you too, and Morgan adores you. She misses her older brother, Peter. Do you really want to disappoint Morgan?”
Morgan turned on her big puppy-dog eyes on Pepper’s signal.
Peter broke.
“Hey,” Happy offered. “If you don’t want to, you could always come-” He faltered at Pepper’s narrowed eyes.
Rhodey began to snicker.
Peter smiled, and for the first time, Pepper was sure that it would last.