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“I’m sorry, your call could not be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try again.”
“Fucking useless,” Peter mutters to himself, shaking his head as he hangs up and then tries another number. There has to be a reason for Metzger– Bill– to be so pushy. Peter trusts him about as far as he can throw him and even if there’s something going on, he’s not sure if he’s going to trust a DODC agent warning him about a threat that they can’t control or see.
He might not remember it, but Peter hasn’t forgotten what it felt like when the DODC was looking at him.
Which is why he’s here, in the corner of his bodega, placing calls and trying to see if anyone’s been reported missing. If Metzger wants to find this person, whoever they are, it’s only a matter of time before he does. Or worse, Frank does.
Peter’s gonna try his damndest to get there first.
The bell over the door rings, Peter turning around only for everything to go still when he sees who it is.
Ned.
He walks in with purpose, moseying over to the front as he grabs some chips.
“Hey man, what time’s it start again?” Evan asks, takes Ned’s chips and starts checking him out.
“Technically nine but you’re welcome whenever, man,” Ned says, pulling out his phone and completing the transaction. “It’s gonna be great. We got some wine, a new mixer, and oh, Jessie’s bringing their blender and you know what that means.”
“Margaritas,” Evan says with a laugh, Ned completely in sync with him. Peter smiles– in disbelief, in awe– surprised, that Ned had already made it back to the city.
He’d kept tabs on them, as much as he would allow himself to the past few years. It didn’t get any easier, but it felt better– stronger in his conviction that he did the right thing. With every new internship they got or new post about whatever new friends they made, Peter convinced himself over and over again that he made the right choice.
It’s his fault now, not keeping up with what they did after graduation. He should’ve guessed but what were the chances of him ever seeing them again, much less here?
Peter must stare too long, Evan looking over awkwardly long enough for Ned to turn around.
“You can come too, if you want,” Ned says with a smile, the joy in it nearly taking his breath away. “You live in our building, right?”
“I– what?” Peter asks, feeling as if he’s been punched in the gut.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re that guy who clogged the washing machine,” he says casually, Peter staring at him in bewilderment.
“How did you– you know about that?”
“Oh yeah,” Ned says with a laugh, shaking his head as he finishes the transaction and grabs his stuff. “Landlord warned us about it, day we moved in.”
Peter’s mind races a mile a minute, wondering at the impossibility of Parker luck that Ned not only moved back into the city but moved here, moved to his building–
“We?” Peter asks, daring to hope.
“My roommate, MJ. She’s cool. Anyway, we’re having a bunch of people over and you’re totally welcome to come like, whenever,” Ned says with a grin, nodding towards Evan. “We’re in 812.”
“I’ll see you there, man,” Evan says, bell ringing again as someone else comes in.
Peter stares, a thousand different things running through his mind as Ned slips his phone in his pocket.
“No pressure,” Ned continues, Peter closing his mouth as he blinks, nods, then swallows.
“Yeah, um. Yeah, thanks. That’s– thanks. I’ll uh, I’ll stop by.”
Ned grins– a thousand different memories all rushing to the surface– then waves.
“Cool, see you later,” he casually replies then leaves, Peter unable to stop himself from watching as he walks away.
It’s not until Ned is out of sight that Peter feels as if he’s back in his body, fully present and with the urge now to do something that he promised he wouldn’t.
Don’t get involved. Leave them alone. They’re better off without you.
Peter’s phone buzzes, an unknown number flashing across his screen– diverting his focus once more to the task on hand.
For now.
This is a bad idea, Peter thinks to himself as he walks into the packed apartment, flowers in hand. It was a bad idea made worse because of the fucking flowers but May had always said you never walk into a new place without something to offer. He feels out of place– more so than usual– with the amount of people surrounding him, trying not to feel like he’s somewhere he doesn’t belong.
The apartment is crowded but it’s still so distinctly them– seeing some art on the walls that definitely looks like something MJ would make and a Lego figuring high up on a shelf. There’s string lights everywhere, just as much as there are people– Peter weaving in and out of the crowd as he looks for Ned, drink in hand that he’s not even sure what’s in it.
He shouldn’t be here, but now that he is, he can’t help but be curious– seeing something familiar in the corner of his eye as he’s drawn towards an open room.
It’s not until he’s stepped in that he freezes, seeing the pictures and notes all written out on the wall before him.
They’re all pictures of him– Spider-Man– pasted together and with sticky notes filled with scribbles. He leans in, looking at it and trying to read what is undeniably Ned’s scrawled handwriting when he feels someone come up behind him.
“Hey man, you made it!” Ned says with a smile, Peter straightening up.
“Um, yeah, yeah, sorry, I was just–”
“Cool, right?” Ned says, nodding as he walks over to step beside Peter. “It’s our Spider-Man wall.”
“You have… a wall?” Peter asks awkwardly, Ned nodding as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “We used to know him, back in high school.”
Peter doesn’t know how to respond to that, Ned taking his silence for disbelief as he continues.
“I know, I know, sounds crazy or whatever, but like, MJ and I like, totally knew him. He got the key to the city the other day, right and we started talking about how it was so–”
“Hey.”
Peter would recognize that voice anywhere, Ned pausing as Peter turns and sees her.
She looks good, better than any picture could capture– hands braced against the doorway as her focus shifts from Ned to Peter.
“Nice flowers.”
“Oh. They’re uh, a housewarming gift,” Peter says, avoiding her gaze as he awkwardly hands it to her.
She takes it, Peter glad now that he has something else in his hand to focus on as Ned says, “I was telling him about our Spider-Man wall.”
“I can see that,” MJ says, Peter seeing her half-smile out of the corner of his eye. “I’m uh, MJ.”
“Oh, I’m just a neighbor from across the hall,” he says, taking a sip from the cup.
“Friendly neighbor,” MJ replies, Peter nearly choking as he coughs. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, um, no problem,” he says, now wanting to be anywhere but here despite how much more curious he is. Why did they have a Spider-Man wall? Why were they back? Why were they in his building?
“Yo Ned, where’s the plates?” He hears a voice call out, Ned perking up.
“They’re over on the– I’m coming!” He yells back, looking to Peter. “Glad you could make it.”
“Yeah, um, thanks,” Peter says, eyes shifting up then away as MJ nods towards him.
“Thank you. For the flowers.”
“Yeah, yeah, um. Of course,” he says, finally looking up. She smiles pleasantly at him, painfully familiar yet not at all. She’s still wearing the necklace but he can tell– regardless of whatever’s on Ned’s wall, she doesn’t recognize him. She doesn’t know who he is.
It shouldn’t sting as much as it does.
“See you around,” she says, stepping out of the room and back into their party– Peter not too far behind her.
This was a mistake, Peter never more convinced of that as he steps back out into the living area– looking over to the kitchen as MJ puts the flowers into water and Ned talks with someone else.
They’re so close and yet Peter’s never felt further away from the version of himself that knew them– a thousand different questions running through his mind of what their lives have really been like, much less why they care about Spider-Man at all.
He’s thrown out of his thoughts when a guy walks up to MJ, smiling at her as she leans back against the counter.
It’s as if his heart is being squeezed out of his chest, watching as he pushes hair back from her face– watching as MJ softly smiles back at him.
This was a mistake, Peter thinks, looking away and downing the drink in his hand. He sets it down on the counter, making a beeline towards the door when his phone buzzes.
He takes it out of his pocket, seeing the police scanner readout: SCORPION SPOTTED IN MIDTOWN.
He slips his phone back in his pocket, side-steps people in the crowd without another look back.
Spider-Man has to do the hard thing. That’s the reason he did this in the first place.
Even if it breaks his heart.
Later, moments before he passes out– Peter wonders for the first time if he’s made a mistake.