Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a Spider can! Spins a web, any size, catches theives just like flies! Look out, here comes the Spiderman
It's a brand new day, a brand new year and a brand new Peter Parker.
Ever since last years stunt with Damage Control and Jean Grey and getting shot by Frank Castle, Peter's life had been so much more improved. No really. It was basically sunshine and rainbows, even with the occasional slightly bigger than mid sized potato situation thrown in here and there for Spiderman to fix. Life was good.
New York City loved Spiderman and Spiderman loved New York City. Peter didn't feel so hollow anymore knowing now that the people of his city appreciated him and everything he did. And getting free pizza every Friday night from the place around the corner from Ned and MJs place was just a perk that came with the job right?
Speaking of Ned and MJ, they were definitely waiting for him right now. Friday nights were movie night, and Peter was invited over to their apartment for their weekly catch up. Unfortunately for tonight, Peter, or technically Spiderman, was a little webbed up with a bank robbery.
"Can I ask you a question?" Spiderman said, as he crawled across the ceiling of the bank. He had been silent slipping through the door while watching the group of robbers setting up what seemed to be a DIY bomb on the door of the banks safe. "What is it with you banks robbers using those cheap Halloween masks as a disguise?"
One of the goons, a guy wearing a ghost face mask turned at the sound of the new voice and cursed loudly.
"Fricken Spider-Man's here!" He said, and then raised his gun and started firing.
Spiderman perfectly dodged his bullets and crawled further along the ceiling before jumping down and landing upright in front of the group of thieves. They had now all turned towards him, weapons raised, except one guy in a skeleton mask who was still trying to set up the bomb with shaky hands. He glanced over his shoulder briefly before turning back to his task. Spiderman didn't need any super enhancements to tell this guy had no clue what he was doing.
"Okay, what have we got?" Spiderman said as ghost face ran towards him only to be immediately webbed across the eyes of his mask. He stumbled and raised his hands to try and pull the sticky substance off but that only resulted in the young hero flicking his wrists again and sticking the guys own hands and gun to his mask as well.
"You're obviously ghost face, the guy back there is a skeleton. Kinda boring." Spiderman said to himself, cause clearly these guys were not the listening types. Another two guys shot at him, and he flipped, turning mid air to dodge and land in a crouch.
"You're suppose to be Freddy Kueger," he took out Freddy's legs with his webs, and then for good measure webbed his feet to the ground before punching his gun out of his hands.
The other guy was old school and had a crowbar he was swinging around blindly. That was immediately confiscated and stuck to the ceiling.
"Oh, a creepy clown!" Spiderman exclaimed as he side stepped the clowns punch who then ran into Ghost face who had finally gotten his mask of his head so he could see. Giving him no time to celebrate, Spiderman simply thwipped and coverd the guys eyes again with another web. He took a second to appreciate his handiwork before he gathered those two together and webbed them back to back. As if in a cartoon the two struggled against each other before tipping onto their sides onto the floor.
He turned to the last two goons, the skeleton guy trying to set up the bomb and the other holding a pocket knife. He would've said something snarky but he was distracted by the mask he was wearing. He pointed towards him, "Hey! We can't both be spiderman!"
Fake Spiderman did not find it funny, like real Spiderman would. Instead he charged forward swinging the tiny knife forward. Spiderman smacked his hand away and raised his elbow as he continued forward with momentum and smacked it down on the guys head, knocking him out and his mask off. "Yeaaah, you're no spiderman."
Beep, beep, beep…
His attention was drawn to the last guy who had unfortunately figured out his awful DIY bomb, but didn't seem to think his full process through when he realised his buddies were complete failures in their own tasks. The guy turned back to his bomb, fumbling to try and turn it off. Smacking it for good measure.
Spiderman sighed, watching as the count down started. "It took me two seconds to realise you guys were complete ameatures at this, but please tell me you at least considered the measurements you would use for a small scale explosion?"
The lack of answer and panicked mumbling was all he needed.
And so Spider-Man's night ended with him lugging a handful of ameature bank robbers out of a budiling seconds before it exploded. He stayed only to see if the firefighters needed any help before swinging away towards his favourite pizza place.
Which is where Peter Parker's night started with him climbing down the fire escape with a large cheese pizza in one hand. Swinging with it was the real struggle, but he had double checked it was in tack and hadn't gotten damaged from the swing over before he descended down the side of the budiling. He knocked lightly on MJ and Ned's window before sliding it up himself. Because he could do that now. Thats right, Peter Parker was now on window opening terms with his old school friends after they had forgotten him entirely for four years after a wizard had cast a spell on the entire world to forget the him.
Yeah, sounds crazy. He knows.
But now they're all together again, and yeah they don't remember him from before and it's not exactly the same, but it's still good. He's got them back, and he's gonna do everything he can to keep it that way.
"Sorry I'm late!" Peter called out as he stepped into the living area. "Something came up and-"
"You had to stop a bank robbery," Ned said, holding his phone up, "spidey tracker app, duh."
"It's all over the news," MJ quipped from the kitchen where she was pouring soda into three cups. As always she looked beautiful. Her and Peter were just friends now, which he thought would make hanging out with them a bit more painful, but for the most part it was basically back to normal. She smirked at Peter, "we saw a clip of a guy with a spiderman mask being handcuffed."
"It's also all over tik tok," Ned added.
Peter shrugged and placed the pizza box on the coffee table in front of the tv before taking his place on the bean bag that was unofficially his,"yeah, there were some characters tonight."
MJ brought over their drinks, balanced between her hands as Ned started searching through the tvs streaming services to find a film. MJ offered Peter a drink and got comfortable on the couch, "I mean it's almost like a metaphor, fighting a guy with your own face." She said,"like battling your inner demons, or something."
"I mean," Peter started, taking a slice of pizza, "I've fought along side guys who were technically me, but from different universes."
Ned paused his film searching to look over at Peter in awe,"thats so cool."
Peter hadn't really told them much about when they knew him, in fact only MJ really knew but she hadn't really asked him anything about it since she read that letter. Which had broken his heart when she hadn't remembered, but he was greatful she went out of her way to invite him into her and Ned's life. She had said that maybe Peter should tell Ned the truth about knowing them before and he had agreed, he was just waiting for a good time.
But honestly, when was a good time?
"How do we feel about a good old 80s movie? Oh, what about The Breakfast Club?"
"I think that movie is such a ridiculous concept," MJ deadpanned, "let's watch it."
"Are you just gonna end up complaining the whole time like with Grease?" Ned challenged.
"…I will keep it to a minimum."
_
"Peter," MJ said when they're nearly twenty minutes into the film, "before your DNA got mutated, would you say you ate less than you do now?"
Peter swallowed his mouthful of pizza, gaze focused on the screen as he answered, "uhh, I'm not sure actually, why?"
"Cause that's your fourth slice of pizza since we started the movie." MJ says.
Peter stopped eating, and looked down at the box to see that he had basically eaten majority of the slices. His face turned red as he realised, "Oh, woops, sorry."
He glanced over at MJ, who avoided his gaze to look back at the tv, "didn't mean to stare, I just kinda noticed over the last couple weeks that you've been more hungry on our movie nights." She paused, and fiddled with a lose thread on the arm of the couch. "Uh, actually, I think there's a few snacks in the top cupboard if you're still hungry."
"Yeah she bought them especially for you, won't let me touch them." Ned grumbled and then immediately raised him arm to deflect the pillow MJ threw at him.
"You did?" Peter said, his cheeks grew warm again.
"It's just something I noticed," MJ mumbled sinking low into the couch and covering her mouth. "Don't make a big deal out of it."
Peter didn't, instead he pretended to focus back on the movie while fighting the smile tugging at his lips.
_
After the movie, as that Simple Minds song is playing, Peter helps to clear up in the kitchen when there's a knock at the door. It's when Ned calls out that he's getting it, that Peter feels the hair on his arms stick up and his hearing zone in on the shuffling of two pairs of shoes outside the apartment door.
"Ned, wait," Peter called out. His friend paused, hand outstretched for the doorknob giving Peter a puzzled look. MJ who had been sitting at the kitchen counter sits up straight, watching Peter silently.
"Step away from the door." He said lowly.
Ned did as he was told and Peter made his way towards the door, picking up an umbrella from the coat stand next to it and raising it high. Ned and MJ stood down the hallway watching Peter with wide eyes. Peter gave them one nod and then used his spare hand to web and pull the door open fast.
He stared, confused for all of two seconds before he lowered the umbrella and relaxed his fighting stance. "What are you doing here?"
Jean Grey stared back at Peter, unimpressed written all over her face. "Hey, Peter. We need to talk."
She hadn't changed much since last year, her hair was longer, but styled more tidier. Peter wanted to stay she looked like she'd been doing better, but the bags under her eyes said otherwise.
Peter side glanced MJ and Ned who were staring at him puzzlingly. 'Who is it?' MJ mouthed.
"Yeah. Sure. We can talk," Peter said, and then he seemed to finally take note of another person standing to the side of Jean, "uh, who's this?"
The boy standing next to Jean looked barely that much older than her, with light brown messy hair and freckles. And oddly enough, a pair of ray bands with dark red lenses. He crossed his arms, but gave no introduction of himself to Peter.
Jean sighed, "Peter this is Scott, my friend." She then leaned forward into the doorway and turned to where MJ and Ned were still watching silently, "do you mind if we come in for a talk with Peter?"
They both seemed to malfunction for a second together and unfortunately it was Ned who got his mouth working first, "oh my god, you're that girl who got into peoples bodies or minds or something - and then froze-"
MJ slapped her hand over Neds mouth when she saw Peters face start to drop in panic, "c'mon in guys!" She said and pulled Ned away to the back of the apartment, "we'll just be in the bathroom… cleaning? Yeah? Yeah! We'll give you guys a chance to," she squinted between Jean and Peter, "…talk?"
Peter sighed as he watched them disappear into the bathroom and close the door. He turned back towards the two teenagers. "Come on in guys."