Work Text:
Peter Parker has finally gotten into a routine.
Well, as much of one that he can have given that no one remembers that he even exists.
After getting an apartment, he set out to find a job. Luckily, Delmar’s was hiring. It’s weird, working there. He reintroduced himself to Mr. Delmar, which wasn't as hard as he thought it would have been. It’s just so strange that he has all these memories with different people, but for them, he’s nothing more than a stranger. Murph the Cat didn't even seem to recognize him. He’s not gonna lie, that one kinda stung. Still, there is something comforting about working there. It’s as if he has some sense of familiarity, some sense of his former life. He works there five days a week, mostly in the morning. It pays enough to help him with rent and groceries, though it isn't as comfortable as he would like it to be.
After work, he tries to keep up with his studies. He knows that passing the GED exam should be easy for him, so he doesn't really need to be doing extra research or even do math problems for fun. Truthfully, he misses school. Sure, school was stressful at times. He handed things in late due to Spider-Man, and he dealt with bullies. But he loved l earning. Midtown really did challenge him, and it gave him motivation to work towards higher goals. Like M.I.T. He knows that that dream might just be out of reach, now.
If he’s not tied up with either of those, he patrols the city as Spider-Man. That was definitely an adjustment, one that he didn't see coming. First, he needed a new suit. He didn't have the perks of Stark tech anymore, as the suit didn't recognize him. It hurt him more than it should have. It’s just a suit, just an A.I., why am I getting so upset over it? He thought that night that he tried it on and nothing seemed to work. After shedding a few tears and frustratingly yanking the suit off, he immediately tried to find out the best way to get his hands on a sewing machine. I don’t even know how to sew. Luckily, an older lady down the hall let him borrow hers. Many YouTube videos later about how to sew, and he finally had a new suit.
May would have been great at sewing a new suit.
It was lonely at first. He didn't realize how much he would miss Karen. Or how much he missed his Guy in the Chair. There were so many nights of patrolling that Ned spent talking in his ear. Whether it was talking about a new LEGO set, quizzing him on vocab words for tomorrow’s quiz, or even just offering him words of encouragement, he always kept him company.
It was quiet now.
He kept up with the police scanner, stopping small crimes like he used to. Robberies, fights, and the like. He’d take that over what he had been up against the past few years any day. Back to just being a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man , he thought.
That was the goal all along, right? That was what he needed to focus on for the time being. Not any big bad’s, or mob bosses, or even space aliens. He needed to ground himself. He needed to start over. I guess this is the perfect way to do it, huh?
On lonely nights, he thinks about the Avengers. He thinks about Dr. Strange and what he must be up to now. He thinks about the Guardians and Thor, taking guesses on where they are in the Universe at the moment. He thinks about Sam and Bucky when he sees reports of them on the news. How cool it is that Sam is the new Captain America.
He thinks about Tony.
What would he think of all of this? Would he be proud? Disappointed? He tries not to think too hard, or it will pull him into another spiral.
He thinks about the other Peter Parker’s.
Not surprisingly, he misses them. They just got him. They knew what it was like to be Spider-Man in every sense of the word. They knew about the loss that came with it. And it felt good working with them. I wonder what they are up to now. I hope they’re safe.
On Sunday’s, he visits May.
He brings her new flowers every week, without fail.
He talks to her. Updates her on his life. Tells her about his week. Lets her know that FEAST is in good hands. He likes to think that she’s listening, somewhere, wherever she is. He knows that if there is a heaven, she’s there. He looks at the quote on her headstone.
When you help someone, you help everyone.
He thinks of her words that she left him with.
“You have a gift. You have power. And with great power, there must also come great responsibility.”
On days that he doesn't have work or has studied enough, he finds himself volunteering at FEAST. He sees May there, in the people and the volunteers. He sees the difference that she made in every single one of their lives. He can only hope that he is half the person that she was to the people there.
He hopes that he is making her proud.
And in between all of that, he watches MJ and Ned.
Well, watches them makes it sound weird. He looks out for them. Sometimes every day, or every other day, he makes sure to swing by the shop that MJ works at. He sees them through the window, laughing, studying, talking about M.I.T. Doing all the things that he should be doing with them. He sees MJ, still wearing her broken Black Dahlia necklace.
Sometimes, he thinks about just walking into the shop and telling them the truth.
Hey guys, you don’t remember me but I remember you. Ned, you used to be my best friend. MJ, you were my girlfriend. And I’m Spider-Man. But somehow I broke the multiverse trying to get us into college and different villains from different universes showed up and wanted to kill me. Also other Spider-Men showed up, too. We ended up curing them and sending them back to their universes but not before one of them killed my aunt. But it wasn't enough, and more villains were trying to come through. So this magic wizard had to do a spell that made everyone in the world forget my existence. And I told you I would come find you after and explain everything to you. Crazy, right?
Yeah, sounds about right.
Instead, he watches. Most of the time, just as Spider-Man. Sometimes, he goes into the shop as Peter, but he found that it just made him feel worse after leaving, not better. It was like longing for something that you knew you could never have.
He makes sure that they both get home safe at the end of the night, which is what he’s doing right now. MJ seems to be getting ready to close the store and leave for the night. Peter stays perched on a lamp post across the street, just close enough to see inside.
She notices him when she’s flipping the sign from open to close.
He doesn't have time to react. Swinging away quickly might seem suspicious, so he does just about the stupidest thing imaginable.
He waves.
She awkwardly waves back, then opens the door. He can hear her clear her throat.
“Uh, hey Spidey.”
Peter clears his throat as well, as if she would recognize his voice in the first place. “Uh, hi, ma’am. Anything I can help you with?”
Looking at him curiously, she shakes her head. “No, but we’re about to close, and it’s freezing outside. Do you want a hot chocolate or something before I throw it out for the night?”
He smiles. God, he missed her. What he would give to wrap her up in his arms and never let go. He knows he should say no.
But he doesn't.
“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Hopping down from the lamppost, he makes his way over to the shop. She holds the door open for him and gives him a smile as he walks in and takes a seat where he used to sit with Ned.
MJ scoffs. “Funny that you decided to sit there. That’s where my friend Ned always sits,” she says, as she heads behind the counter and starts to prepare Peter’s hot chocolate.
He feels the air knock out of his lungs. Thank god MJ can't see his face right now. He doesn't even want to know what it looks like. Instead, he just laughs it off. Walking back around the counter, she places the hot chocolate and a donut in front of him. She does that awkward, half smile thing that he loves.
“Enjoy, Spider-Man.”
Before he can stop himself, he speaks up. “Why did you invite me inside?”
Turning back around, she shrugs. “I don’t know. It was cold outside, and we had a lot left over from today. Didn't want it to go to waste. Also, consider it a thank you I guess.”
He blinks. “A thank you? For what?”
She walks closer, deciding to take a seat at the table beside him. “It was years ago, but you saved my friends at the Washington Monument. And then last year, you saved us in London again.”
She remembers London?
Of course she remembers London. But what does she remember from it? Just that Spider-Man helped? Or was the part about him being Spider-Man just erased from her memory?
She continues. “It’s funny, actually. Ned and I were just talking about it the other day. The London attack, specifically. It just feels fuzzy . Like something is missing, you know?”
This doesn't feel real. He could tell her. He could tell her right now. Explain everything, and it could go back to normal.
“I don't know, maybe I’m just overthinking it. What do you remember about that day?”
He knows what he has to do. Needs to do.
But then he hears a siren outside.
They both turn toward the window, then back to one another. She shrugs again. “Saved by the siren, I guess.” He nods, still too numb to speak, as he starts to get up from his chair.
“Uh, thanks for the hot chocolate. I really appreciate it.”
She follows him to the door. “Don’t mention it.” She pauses. “Maybe you could come around again and we could talk about London? But maybe when Ned is here. He would freak out.”
Peter laughs nervously. “Is he, uh, a big fan or something?”
MJ rolls her eyes. “Oh, the biggest.”
He grabs the door handle, but his eyes gravitate towards her necklace before he has a chance to open the door. Before he can stop himself, he speaks. “I like your necklace.” He points to it then looks up at her.
MJ reaches her hand up to grab it, looking down at the necklace then back up at him. “Oh, thanks. It’s actually broken–”
“I like it better broken.”
Her head snaps up, her bright eyes meeting with the eyes of the Spidey mask.
“You know, adds character and all,” he adds.
She nods. “Uh, yeah. Never thought about it like that.” He looks up at her again, noticing the slight blush on her cheeks.
But he hears the sirens again.
Peter starts to head out the door, turning around once more. “Uh, thank you, Miss, for the drink. I really appreciate it. Duty calls.”
Just as he’s about to shoot a web, he hears MJ speak up once more.
“MJ. You can call me MJ.”
My friends call me MJ.
Overwhelmed with emotions, he chokes back tears. “MJ. I’ll see you around?”
She nods once more. “Counting on it, Spidey.”
With that, he swings off to follow the sirens as she heads back inside the shop to finish closing.
For the first time in a long time he feels… hopeful. He knows that for now, he needs to stick to the routine. Work, study, Spider-Man, visit May, check on MJ and Ned. But what she said, about it feeling fuzzy. Maybe he will actually be able to tell them the truth. Maybe someday soon.
I’ll come find you and explain everything. I promise.
Afterall, he owes her a promise.