Chapter Text
Peter and Bucky were taking two intro classes. Both were semester courses. Both had about a hundred students. As the first one ended, Peter nudged Bucky, and the man sighed. Peter would do it himself, but he wasn’t famous. He had been infamous, but now he was no one.
Bucky cleared his throat and called, “Um, hey, Bucky Barnes, yes, that Bucky Barnes. World War II, also HYDRA, an Avenger, kinda, and friends with the Captains America — not Walker. My friend Peter and I might have to miss class.” Peter gave a half wave. “He builds Spider-Man’s suits and fixes my arm and if there’s an emergency we’re gonna miss class. We need a study group for backup notes, and Peter wanted to do an interactive spreadsheet of notes on a shared StarkDrive. Meet us outside if you’re interested. No superhero looky-loos. We will not be answering Avengers questions.”
Bucky and Peter went outside to exchange emails with people. Eighteen people wanted in on the study group. Peter explained about updating it in real-time in class so they could all ask questions of the professor and each other.
Once they left everyone, Bucky said, “I hate public speaking.”
Peter nodded and said, “Well, you’re going to have to do it again on Friday.”
Bucky did, and they got a study group for that class too. Bucky and Peter went to the professors’ office hours together to pre-apologize for potentially missing class. They both seemed pretty understanding.
People quickly dropped out of their study groups when they realized Peter and Bucky really weren’t going to talk about the Avengers. One group dwindled from eighteen to eight, the other from twenty to eleven. They took tons of notes in class. Then, they would meet in the library and pare it down into one cohesive, detailed, long entry per class meeting. Everyone was pretty friendly and very focused. They were people who signed up for study groups on the first day of class — aka nerds.
He and Bucky went to one of the university’s twelve cafeterias twice a week. Pepper had talked them into getting “meal plans.” It meant they had prepaid for two meals a week. Pepper had bought them Tupperware, saying, “You need this. It’s a buffet. You leave with a second meal.”
He always filled a couple of containers with vegetables from the salad bar for ingredients to cook with. He also liked bringing home a few servings of pasta dishes because they were great late at night after swinging.
On the other hand, Bucky bought a container called a pie keeper and stole a whole pie. When Peter raised an eyebrow, Bucky said, “I was tortured by nazis. I deserve this.”
Nodding, Peter said, “Sure. If it makes you happy, that’s great.”
Classmates occasionally invited them to parties, and Bucky always said, “I’ll go if you want to go. I’ll be your backup.”
But Peter didn’t want to go drink in a dorm. There would be personal questions, and it would be weird. And the questions about family would hurt. He always declined, citing needing to be on hand for Spider-Man. Bucky told him that if that was the reason, he was positive Daredevil, Jessica and Stephen would cover the city.
Peter laughed and said, “I just can’t face the ‘getting to know you’ questions, y’know?” Bucky nodded but reminded Peter he was supposed to be having a college experience. Peter shook his head and said, “I’m fine. I’m getting my education. I have friends. Think of how many people were at our cookie exchange. I’m not hurting for friends.”
They had a massive test in one of their classes. It counted for fifteen percent of their grades. Their group had made an enormous study guide.
Peter went to Bucky and said, “I have an idea but if you don’t like the idea, I’m not going to do it because it impacts you.”
“Shoot,” Bucky replied.
“A dinner party for our study group. Nothing big, not a party-party, just dinner to celebrate this killer test?”
Bucky nodded, “It’s only eight people.”
“Eight additional people in our home,” said Peter. “You should say no if you don’t feel comfortable.”
“They’re our friends… sort of. They’re nice. Just, lock the lab. They don’t need to see the fabricators.”
Peter had nodded and sent an invite through their group chat for a dinner party after the test.
The test went well. They left, and Bucky seemed downright giddy, smiling next to Peter. Peter held up a hand for a high-five, and Bucky laughed. High-fiving him, Bucky said, “I knew every answer. How ’bout you?”
“Our study guide was perfect,” agreed Peter. Their friends came, and they all agreed that their preparation had been fantastic. One person, laughing, emailed their professor, CCing everyone in the group, sharing their spreadsheet and study guide, explaining that if they all aced it, they weren’t cheating.
At home, he and Bucky cleaned and then started to make food. Bucky made salmon canapes and celery stuffed with crab. Peter was slightly confused. “Those seem wedding fancy.”
Bucky sighed, “They were the appetizers at the parties I went to when I was your age. The only gatherings I’ve been to in the future are Tony’s funeral and a party in Sam’s neighborhood where I brought an ice cream cake… that I dropped and still brought. Now we’re hosting.”
Peter made guacamole and May’s buffalo chicken dip. He put the put the rib roast into the oven. He had texted everyone to make sure they ate beef.
People turned up. They all had wine. Bucky looked at the wine and considered it. Nodding to himself, he said, “Yeah, okay, fun drinking game for tonight: you cannot get plastered at Peter’s apartment. He’s legally liable if you get sick, and I was recently pardoned for killing JFK. When you get plastered, you do that in the dorms.” He opened bottles. God knew he had done worse in his time than let college freshmen drink wine at a dinner party.
People laughed. One girl said, “How did you get this place? Is it rent controlled? It’s a whole floor. That’s crazy.”
“I own it,” said Peter, “I inherited it.”
“You own a floor?” asked another person.
Peter nodded, “Yeah, I got Bucky to move in with me because I was freaked out by being alone in this huge place.”
Bucky laughed, “Happy is right upstairs; he’s one of your best friends.”
“Yeah, but he’s upstairs,” said Peter.
Peter put potatoes in the oven and then gave them a tour, skipping over the lab. Morgan’s door was open, and one girl said, “Do you have a daughter? Is that how you live off campus?”
Peter laughed, “No. I have a sister, kinda. Her dad was my mentor. He was amazing. She was born during the Blip. He died right after the Blip. I came back and Morgan greeted me with ‘I’m your sister.’ She’s the best. I got permission to live off campus because I build Spider-Man’s suits, help Bucky with his arm and work an internship for Stark Industries. I don’t have a kid.”
They moved into the kitchen and ate appetizers as Bucky put asparagus in the oven. People praised the fancy ones. Peter agreed and gave Bucky all the credit. Food was ready, more wine was poured and they moved into the dining room.
Everyone was having fun, discussing the test in-depth, when the elevator dinged, and Pepper called, “Hey, I am so sorry to interrupt your evening, but-”
“It’s fine, Pep,” he interrupted. “But I have guests so don’t say anything you don’t want the general public to hear.”
Morgan rushed into the dining room ahead of Pepper, “Hi,” she said brightly.
“Hey, Morgan,” he grinned.
“Mommy has an emergency,” she said as she came to him.
Pepper came in in a skirt suit, and her eyes widened as she saw everyone. “Hi, everyone. You must be a study group. Oh God — it’s test day, sorry. Peter, Bucky, it’s the dinner party. Table looks great with the extra leaf. Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” said Peter with a laugh. “There’s an emergency?”
“A whole mess,” agreed Pepper. “I was going to ask you to take Morgan for a few hours. Happy is coming into the office.”
Peter smiled at Morgan. “You wanna hang out with Bucky and my school friends?” Morgan nodded. “You want some rib roast, baked potato and asparagus?”
“I don’t want asparagus,” Morgan said, nose scrunching.
“Morgan ate dinner,” said Pepper. “Feed her whatever she likes. Thank you. I owe you. I love you. I want to hear all about your test. You too, Bucky. Morgan, please be good for your brother.”
Pepper was gone, and Morgan said, “Uncle Happy said it’s a shit show and people are getting fired.”
Peter nodded, “That sounds rough. Y’want some beef and a potato?” She grinned.
Because of his outrageously good hearing, he heard Bucky speaking softly while he was in the kitchen with Morgan. “Yes, that was Pepper Potts. And, yes, Morgan Stark is in the kitchen. Please don’t make a big deal out of it. Peter has lost so many people. It’s just Peter now. So, please treat Morgan like your friend’s five-year-old sister who just crashed the party.”
Morgan picked out her cut of meat, and Peter got her one of the extra potatoes with a bit of butter. Softly, he said, “Maguna, my college friends don’t know I’m Spider-Man. That’s a family secret. Okay?” She nodded. “Thank you.”
“Do we have dessert too?” she asked, focusing on the essential questions.
“I baked a chocolate cake — Sam’s recipe.”
“I might not finish my meat,” she told him. “To save space.”
“That’s a good idea,” he assured her.
In the dining room, he saw that Bucky had pulled up an extra chair. Morgan, being outgoing, introduced herself and asked how the “big, big test” went. Everyone was smiling at her. One girl told her they had seen her room and said the pink was nice. Morgan grinned, “I like the bunk beds. They were Peter’s at Aunt May’s. But… Aunt May died. And Daddy was gonna buy Peter an apartment when he graduated college, so Mommy bought Peter his apartment. It’s nice.”
Peter nodded, “Yeah, it’s a nice apartment and I’m glad you like my bunk beds.” He stroked her hair, “Eat your beef, please.”
“The short answer question for number seventeen, was that a trick or was it as obvious as it seemed?” asked Bucky, steering the conversation away from every dead person Peter knew.
Morgan was enjoying herself thoroughly. Peter, as always, found her highly amusing. “So is everyone a Chemistry and Physics double major like Peter and Bucky? What classes are you taking?”
People talked about what other classes they were taking. When people were done, Morgan said, “Can we please have cake now?”
“Yes, can you help Bucky and me clear the table, please?”
“Yes,” she grinned, helping him collect plates and forks.
He glanced at the clock in the kitchen and said, “Karen, can you please text Pep and ask if Morgan can sleep over? I know it’s a school night, but it’s getting late.”
“A sleepover?” asked Morgan with excitement.
“A normal sleepover,” said Peter. “I’ll read you a chapter of your book after dessert and I’ll make waffles in the morning.”
“That would be awesome,” said Morgan. She carried the forks into the dining room as Bucky got the cake and Peter got plates and a knife.
As Bucky was serving at the table, Peter’s cell phone rang. Glancing at it, he said, “Maguna, it’s your mommy.” He picked up, saying, “Hey, Pep.”
“I am so sorry, Peter.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her.
“This whole thing is a total mess. I have no idea how late I am going to be. Someone has a design and-” she interrupted herself. “I might end up needing Rhodey to go stop someone from building an arc reactor.”
“Damn. That’s a lot.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you have weekend clothes here. I know it’s not a business suit but you could crash here and send an assistant to get you a suit.”
“Oh God that sounds good,” she agreed. “We’ll see if I get any sleep. Can I talk to Morgan, please?”
“Of course,” he held out the phone to Morgan.
Morgan took the phone and had a short chat, telling Pepper that Peter was gonna make waffles, and promising to be good, and not to fight about bedtime, and to remember that it was a school night. She hung up, saying, “I’m gonna sleep over, and Mommy says she’s gonna be here in the morning, but she’s not sure if she’s gonna be able to sleep here or just leave the office to come take me to school.”
“Poor Pepper. Let’s hope she gets to come sleep,” said Bucky, handing her a plate of cake.
Morgan nodded, and as she dug in, she asked, “So, do you guys have girlfriends or boyfriends? Peter just got dumped. He and MJ were together for three and a half years. She was the best.”
Peter nodded, trying not to laugh even as he blushed bright red, “Yeah, she was.”
People started talking about significant others. One girl said, “My high school girlfriend just broke up with me too. Different colleges kill high school relationships.”
After cake, Peter said, “Okay, Morgan, bedtime, babe.”
“Oh, I don’t have my bedtime book,” she said, looking panicked.
“I bet we can find it on my StarkTab, don’t worry,” he assured her. He gave the table a halfwave and nodded at Bucky.
He helped her pick out PJs and brushed her hair as she brushed her teeth. He listened to Bucky with his heightened senses as the man said, “Look, I know gossip is fun. But if I hear any comments around campus about Peter being friends with the Starks, or the kid with the dead family, or recently dumped, I will make your lives a misery. I got pardoned for killing a president. I was a fugitive for years. I don’t care about ruining my life. And I killed Howard and Maria Stark, but Pepper Potts was one of the people who worked to get me a pardon and has her daughter asleep down the hall. She will help me destroy your lives. Peter wanted to make some college friends. I was more than pleased to help him in that aim. I don’t have any flesh in this friendship game. I’m friends with adults. So be nice and keep your mouths shut.”
Peter read Morgan a chapter of her book and tucked her in, saying, “Now go to sleep, or I’ll drop you off at an orphanage.” She giggled, “Love you, sleep well.”
“Love you too, Peter,” she rolled over.
He returned to the dining room and said, “So that was the entertainment for the night. Didn’t expect Morgan to turn up.”
“She is always entertaining though,” said Bucky.
Nodding, Peter said, “You never know what’s gonna come out of her mouth. So, yes, cat’s out of the bag: my honorary little sister is Morgan Stark, and all of my actual family is dead. I will not be talking about Mr. Stark any more than Bucky and I talk about the Avengers. Are we still good?”
“Yeah,” said a guy. “She’s as funny as my little sister. Also, horribly embarrassing. I’m so sorry you got dumped.”
“Thanks. We’re still friends. We were friends for two years before we dated and she’s at college with our other best friend so we can’t not be friends.”
“Where do they go to school?”
“MIT,” said Peter. “I was going to go but… Spider-Man likes my suits and I like New York. Everyone in my family went to ESU. What’s it like in the dorms?”
People told stories from the social scene, and it did sound interesting. Bucky said, “You could join a club. I know Spidey doesn’t like going out when you aren’t around to monitor the suit. But you could do an afternoon club, or I would cover for you.”
Peter just laughed. Then he heard the elevator open, and Sam called, “Hey, are you guys home? I just flew in, and boy are my arms tired.”
“Sam, we have civilian company,” said Bucky.
“Is that shade on Ned or MJ?” Sam called back. Then he came in and said, “Oh,” stopping in his tracks, “not Peter’s high school friends. New people, hi, hello. I’m Sam Wilson.”
“Sam, you’re Captain America; they know,” said Peter.
Sam rubbed his hands over his face. “I’m exhausted. I just did a nine hour debrief. Am I crashing something?”
“A dinner party,” said Bucky. “You want a plate? We already pulled up an extra chair when Morgan crashed the party.”
Sam sighed, “I mean, manners say no but my stomach says yes.”
Bucky laughed and stood, “Let’s get you some dinner.”
After they had left for the kitchen, Peter said to everyone at the table, “I really thought we could pull off a normal dinner party. I should have locked the elevator if I really wanted to achieve it. But I am so used to my friends dropping in that I didn’t even think about it. I just aimed for one normal night.” He shrugged. “Do we need more wine?”
He went to the kitchen for two more bottles of wine. He grabbed them from the fridge, moving around Sam, who was heating things up. He squeezed Sam’s arm, “Glad you’re home. Okay mission?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Sam nodded. Smiling, he said, “Are you serving minors alcohol?”
“I’m a minor,” Peter reminded him as he opened the bottles. “Leave the shield at the door, Cap, and just enjoy the party.”
“I already told them they can’t get trashed at Peter’s place,” Bucky said. “So far four bottles of wine have been split between ten people. They’re fine, Dad.”
They went back to the dining room together, and Sam took a bite of meat and said, “Damn, Peter, I assume you cooked this meat; I cannot imagine Bucky pulled this off. It’s delicious.”
“Asshole,” said Bucky as Peter said, “Glad you like it.”
Sam said, “So are you guys in the class with the big test? Has that happened yet? I’ve been out of the country for a couple of weeks.”
“It was today. We’re celebrating because we crushed it. This is our study group,” said Peter.
“Oh cool,” Sam nodded, “So, Pete and Bucky are double majoring in Chem and Physics because Pete’s an overachiever and Bucky is just along for the ride. I assume this isn’t a class for people with that very specific major. So what are you guys studying?” Peter laughed. “What?”
“Morgan already asked that,” explained Bucky.
“She’s a good conversationalist,” said Sam with a shrug, “It’s a good question, and my brain is… fourteen hours ahead… I think? I can’t remember the time difference.” He drained his glass of water. Peter offered him the wine, but Sam said, “No way, I would be in so much trouble for drinking with minors.”
Peter laughed, and people told him about classes, and he listened and asked follow-up questions. Listening, he said, “Man, hard sciences. I’ve never really gotten ’em. I used the GI Bill to get a BA in Social Work. You take some sociology classes, and psychology, law and history. But the hard sciences I didn’t have to do.”
The conversation flowed easily, and people were having fun. Sam asked if Peter could look at his HUD in the morning because one of the readouts was distorted. And Peter agreed as people’s eyes went wide. At one, Sam headed to bed. Around one-thirty people headed out. Peter and Bucky started to clean up the kitchen. “That was fun,” said Bucky.
“The part where you threatened to destroy their lives if they talk out of class?” asked Peter with a laugh.
“Sorry, I needed to protect your reputation,” Bucky said ruefully. “Sorry it wasn’t as normal as you were aiming for.”
Peter shrugged. “I can’t be upset that I have nice friends who feel comfortable dropping by. We did a good job on the food.”
“Yeah, we did. We still have wine. I was not letting people get alcohol poisoning at your dinner party.”
“Do you think it went well? People would have been trashed at a dorm party. Do you think they had fun?” asked Peter.
Bucky nodded, “I’m sure they did.”
“You don’t think it was awkward or people were upset that there was wine left over?” asked Peter.
“You want my honest assessment?” Bucky replied. And Peter nodded. “I think that they are much younger than you because of your life experience and they felt sophisticated being at a real dinner party off campus. I think they have thought you were an enigma living off campus with a superhero and now they know an uncomfortable amount about you but still like you. I think they were all blown away when the most powerful woman in America dropped by. When they were recovering from that, Captain America turned up. And, yes, I’m Bucky Barnes. But let’s face it — most people view me as the mangy mutt Captains America hang around with. Captain America is breathing god. This will go down as a surreal, wonderful, amazing night for them. I’m sorry you didn’t pull off a normal dinner party or a regular college experience. But you aren’t normal or regular. So the real question is, did you have fun?” Peter nodded. “Good, then we’ll do it again with our other class and see which one of our friends turns up to that one.”
Peter laughed. The elevator opened, and Karen, who had been silent all night, said, “Pep is here.”
“Thanks, Karen.” He called softly, “Kitchen.”
Pepper came in and put her briefcase down. “I am so sorry. I know you guys were aiming for a night off.” She said it to both of them but aimed it at Peter.
“It’s okay,” he assured her.
“No, I should respect your boundaries,” she said.
“Pep, you had an emergency. I never mind watching Morgan. She had fun. She was good as gold,” Peter promised. “You want wine?”
“You have wine?” she asked.
“People brought it. I can’t get drunk with my metabolism, but I was still a little careful with her here. I’ve never tested it to see if there is an upper limit to my sober limit.”
“I have,” said Bucky. “I know I can’t get drunk.”
“I would love wine.” He poured her a glass, and she took a sip, “Oh wow, two buck chuck still tastes fine,” she exhaled. “I’m still sorry. I know you’re trying to keep you’re two lives separate.”
“Sam came. He would have brought the weird celebrity vibe. No one asked if I was Spider-Man. We said the first time we spoke that we weren’t going to talk about the Avengers. Everyone has accepted that I’m Q to their James Bond. Are you hungry?”
“I ate half a wrap while Rhodey beat up a wannabe supervillain who aimed to be the evil Iron Man. I started the evening thinking it was corporate espionage and realized it was so much worse. I’m too tired to eat. I’m going look in on Morgan and then head up to Happy’s because I have a decorated bedroom up there and a shower filled with eucalyptus products to wake me so I can get Morgan up.”
“I promised her waffles.”
She smiled, “I’ll get you up too.” She pointed to her wine glass and said, “I’m taking this with me.”
She wandered off as Bucky started the dishwasher, “We did a good job tonight. And the roast was amazing, especially for someone who could hardly cook five months ago.”
“Thank you,” Peter said with a smile.
***
In their next class, TAs gave back their graded tests, and the professor gave a speech about good note-taking and studying habits. He used the projector to show the whole class their spreadsheet and said, “The ten students who made this got perfect scores because of their very clear grasp of the material. The rest of your scores… we are at a point in the semester where it is time to buckle down, and these students have proven it’s possible to achieve perfection. I applaud them and recommend that the rest of you follow their example.”
***
On Friday, it was his afternoon with Morgan. He walked over to her school to pick her up. He was on the list of acceptable adults to take her. The people at the pick-up line knew him and smiled at him. But Morgan wasn’t smiling at him, and he said, “Morgan, what’s wrong?”
“My teacher said career day is in two weeks. And she said it has to be a new grownup from last year. Mommy isn’t allowed to do it. Uncle Happy has a business trip to LA and Uncle Rhodey is in Guatemala with Captain Marvel. Can you do it?”
“Yes, of course. What day?”
“Tuesday, at eleven.”
It would clash with class, but he nodded, “Sounds good. Don’t you worry about anything.”
***
During office hours, he went to his professor and said, “I had a mentor. He died a couple of years ago. His little girl’s school has a career day and said they have to bring a different adult than last year. Some places don’t think about the fact that not all kids have ready access to two adults. She asked me to do it. I said yes, and it turns out it’s at the same time as class.”
The professor nodded, “I’m a single dad. A lot of places forget about single parents. That spreadsheet is amazing. I’m sure your friends will catch you up on everything.”
***
Not really knowing what to do, Peter approached it like a poster session. But a fun one. He got supplies from a craft store and headed home.
Unfortunately, when he got there, he was immediately confronted with the presence of Steve Rogers. He, Bucky and Sam were talking in the living room. Peter greeted them politely and headed toward the study.
“Y’know, I think we have gotten off on the wrong foot. And I think we could be friends.”
Peter was exhausted and feeling raw. “It took me twenty-nine seconds to die during the Snap. Everyone else was gone in a moment. Me? It was agony. My power tried to save me. And I died crying, begging, in Mr. Stark’s arms. And minutes after I got un-snapped, Mr. Stark died in mine. Afterward, I asked F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s help putting five years together. And she showed me him stumbling out of that ship into your arms, telling you that he lost me and you replying, ‘We all lost, Tony.’ Tip for the future: when someone tells you they just watched their child die, don’t say ‘we all have dead family.’ Let it be about them. Five years later, when he had grieved, when he had moved on and was okay, you went there and dragged it all up. And he spent all night looking at pictures of me and figured out time travel. And now everyone — Happy, Pepper and Rhodey — they all tell me he never would have fixed the Snap if it weren’t for me. They tell me he wanted me to be okay and he loved me. But what I hear is that my memory killed him. No, Steve, we’re not going to be friends. You and I killed Mr. Stark. Now, if anyone needs me, I’ll be in the study making a presentation for Morgan’s bring-a-parent-to-school day because they said she couldn’t bring Pep two years in a row and Mr. Stark is dead.”