Chapter Text
It’s been four years since May died surrounded by fire and rubble. His whole world vanishing, turning to dust, just like him, though this time in a more metaphorical sense rather than literal.
It’s been two weeks since Peter got out of hospital, since he took a bullet for Jean Grey and tasted death yet again for the hundredth time in his relatively short life.
It's been one week since he made a promise to himself and to May on a sunny morning in the cemetery. The promise that he wouldn’t go it alone anymore.
This promise he intends to keep.
He ignores the guilt of breaking his last promise, banishing the feeling to the depths of his soul where he can’t feel it.
He’s just unsure on how. He can’t undo four years of Peter Parker’s almost non existence, the only thing he can do is move forward, relearn the man behind the spider. Unfortunately for him, years of only truly existing behind a mask have left his social skills rather rusty. And by rusty he means extremely lacking… and by extremely lacking he means completely absent. He’s clueless on how to even begin.
The soft chime of the door breaks him out of his thoughts as he walks into the store, eyes scanning the display for the perfect flowers. There, pink ones, not too pricey he’s on a budget after all but still pretty, May would love them. He smiles to himself and picks them up, the plastic crinkling as he turns toward the counter.
Then he spots him.
Ned, sitting just a few feet away.
Seeing him doesn’t hurt as much anymore. Doesn’t come with that gut punching sorrow or empty loss that weighs his limbs down- heavy and stiff. Looking at him now he feels wistful, he’s reminded of the memories that they used to share, moments that now only exist in his head. There’s still that ever present bitter sting of loss, but it’s easier to hold.
He’s about to go on his way when his eyes drift back to the flowers, a promise is a promise and maybe this is where he can start.
He summons his courage, not the courage of Spider-Man to jump in front of bullets or fight mad men in colourful, animal themed costumes but a quiet courage. A fragile courage. The courage he needs to bridge a gap formed of magic spells and time. He takes a breath walking over to where Ned is sitting and opens his mouth.
“Hi.”
“Uh, hey?” Ned responds, his voice lifting in confusion before his eyes widen. “Oh- oh uh, flower guy right? From- from the party?”
“I’m Peter.” Good god he hopes Ned’s forgot about his alter ego- Maynard?!? What was he thinking?
“Ok? Hello.”
He grabs his hand, muscle memory kicking in, his hand automatically moving as their hands come apart and meet again.
Fist bump.
Elbow bump.
His heart rises to his throat as hope and anticipation travel from the tips of his toes to the top of his head, humming like electricity.
First bump again- into guns.
The two of them freeze, staring at each other as time seems to slow down, ticking along through molasses.
One beat.
Then another.
“Peter”
Suddenly with a single word -just his name- time jumps back to its regular pace and Peter’s world feels right. For the first time in four years, Ned, his best-friend, was looking at him with recognition in his eyes.
“Peter, you absolute IDIOT- oh I could kill you! I mean- I won’t because I promised I wouldn’t turn evil and try to kill you but- OH MY GOD?!?” Ned rambled, jumping swiftly to his feet.
“Ned I-“ he started only to be cut off.
“Don’t even- god -Peter” Ned interrupted, his eyes shining and face scrunching.
And then, something amazing happened, Ned pulled him in for a hug. The first real hug he’d had since, he didn’t even know how long, not if he didn’t count the possessed hug he had shared with ‘MJ’.
The embrace was warm and real, better than memory and better than any fantasy his lonely mind could possibly conjure up. For far too long, he had felt like Atlas struggling to hold the weight of the sky on his lonesome, but in this moment he could feel the burden being gently lifted off of his weary shoulders.
With warm, comforting arms wrapped around him, he wasn’t Atlas, he wasn’t Spider-Man he was just Peter.
Peter Parker crying in the middle of a convenience store, clinging onto his best-friend.
“Ned, oh god Ned- you remember you actually remember!“ he choked out throat tightening as hot salty tears spilled from his tired eyes. Ned only held on tighter, like he was about to disappear before his very eyes and slip through his fingers again like a ghost.
“I do- I remember - fuck man I don’t know how I ever could have forgotten” ,he exclaimed voice thick with emotion, “Jesus, one moment I think some random guy is asking me on a date and then I’m hit with a tidal wave off absolutely INSANE memories-“
“Wait, date?” Peter said, stunned momentarily by the absurdity of Ned’s statement.
“Dude, you walked up to me all nervous holding flowers, four WHOLE years and you still suck at social interaction” Ned said in disbelief, eyes wide and hands shaking as he pulled back slightly ,not going far, comforting hands still placed on his shoulders.
“Oh god I didn’t even think about how that would look! I guess some things never change” Peter mumbled looking away and rubbing the back of his neck as he fought the urge to hide his face in his hands, chuckling lightly in embarrassment.
“Not to interrupt what is clearly a sweet moment but are you going to buy those?” the slightly perturbed woman behind the counter asked, making a valiant effort to keep a judgemental look off of her face.
“OH! Um yeah one second!” Peter squeaked his voice cracking both from the crying and minor mortification he was feeling from having a breakdown in a very public place.
Ned let go and gestured to the register quickly swiping at his eyes as teary giggles spilled out, Peter took a second to mourn the loss of contact before awkwardly shuffling towards the counter desperately avoiding eye contact with the employee. Here he was thinking he’d burned through any sense of embarrassment he had after falling from the roof of his apartment building in nothing but his underwear. Unfortunately, life continues to prove him wrong. Typical.
“Is that cash or card?”
__________________________________
The door chimed as the pair walked outside into the crowded sidewalk, still reeling from the events that had just taken place. One had his entire life rewritten, as he remembered his long lost friend, the gaps in his brain he didn’t even know he had- filling back up. Events slotting into place like missing pieces of a puzzle.
The other, having no gaps in his brain but in his heart; shaking as the fragments pieced themselves back together and settled back into place. They stood stock still just staring at the other again for a few seconds before the silence was broken by the loud honk of a car.
“HEY! I’M WALKIN’ ‘ERE!” Yelled, a particularly irate man, breaking the spell that had overcome them.
Ned was the first to shake himself out of his stupor, taking a deep breath before shaking his head.
“You sir, are coming with me! We have FOUR whole years to catch up on, this is unbelievable also Maynard?!? Was that really the best you could come up with?”, he exclaimed, raising a judgemental brow. Great. He did remember that.
“I panicked, okay!” Peter defended throwing his hands up in mock offence.
“Classic”, Ned stated, grabbing hold of his hand and unceremoniously dragging him in the direction of his and MJ’s apartment. The walk simultaneously felt like a hundred years and five seconds, time almost didn’t feel real as they weaved through the busy streets of New York hand in hand, both of them refusing to let go and be separated again for even a second, Ned launching questions at him like a spitfire.
“What even happened to you?!?”
“Where do you even live?”
“How the hell are you making money?”
“How are you even walking right now you got shot for Christ sake!”
“Why did you let me blab on and on about Spider-Man in front of my board?”
“OH GOD I THOUGHT FLASH WAS SPIDER-MAN?!? I AM NEVER LIVING THIS DOWN!”
“PETER STOP LAUGHING AT ME!”
Christ he had missed Ned.
Eventually the walk was over and they arrived at his apartment building.
Ned, still barrelling forward, began pulling him up the staircase, hands linked tight as a vice.
Clack clack clack clack
Peter began to feel a pit of nervousness developing in his gut increasing with each step as his nerves started to light up with electricity and a familiar panic set into his bones, buzzing beneath his skin.
Clack clack clack clack
Their footsteps echoed throughout the empty stairwell, his heart thudding in time matching the quick pace of their stride as Ned practically ran the rest of the way to the apartment door.
“MJ HOLY SHIT!” Ned cried as he slammed the door open, revealing an amused MJ lounging on the couch, sketch book in hand. She raised a brow sighing as she sat up.
“I was wondering how long it would take for you to tell him” MJ said giving Peter a knowing look, his breath caught in his throat just like it always did when she looked at him.
“You knew?!? Of course you knew you told me his name- duh!” Ned replied, slapping his forehead and pulling Peter inside and pushing him down on the couch.
“I can’t believe you remembered before me!” Ned cried as he took a spot right next to Peter, so close he was practically on top of him.
Silence followed his exclamation, a slight unease brewing in the air as MJ moved uncomfortably in her seat, head tilting down, brown eyes shifting to the side.
“Actually I didn’t remember at all”, she stated, words stilted and soft.
“What?” Ned whispered in a voice breathless from shock, leaning forward to look imploringly at MJ’s closed off figure.
“You remember?” she breathed, looking back up and meeting eyes with Ned.
“You don’t?”
The room descended into a tense silence, emphasised by the subtle ticking of the clock mounted on the wall and the general hustle and bustle of New York City. Peter spoke first, mouth moving faster then thoughts could form.
“She got targeted by a super villain who’s not really a villain I guess just a lost kid-“
Peter let out a short breath, head tilting towards the ceiling, curls falling into his eyes as he quickly ran his hands through his hair.
“It’s a long story.” he finished tiredly, voice losing steam.
The previous silence remained for a beat before Ned wrapped his arm around his shoulder giving a comforting squeeze. If nothing else, Peter was grateful for the contact, it was nice to have after years of going without. Peter leaned into the warmth it felt like a lifeboat after being stranded in a rough and unforgiving sea, Ned cleared his throat and spoke again, tone gentle and steady.
“Tell me everything and start from the very beginning. I want to know what’s been going on after years of being out of the loop!”
MJ sighed and pushed herself off of the couch.
“I’m going to get us some snacks, this might take a while.”