Chapter Text
Peter never would’ve thought hearing Ned, his best friend, saying his name would bring him to tears so quickly a few years ago, so used to his own name falling out of Ned’s mouth that it didn’t phase him.
He’s never been so happily proven wrong, shaky smile and misted eyes stuck on Ned’s stunned face as the latter takes him in, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Ned looks completely enthralled by him, almost as if memories are shifting back into place in real time, but is that even possible?
“Dude—oh my god, holy shit! How—you—“ Ned stammers, a hand going to his head, eyes wide and lost, yet his gaze stays on Peter’s own, like if he blinks the brunette will disappear. Just like a fading memory, falling out of his grasp and into the deepest crevices of his mind.
“Peter—please sit down, you look like you’re gonna fall over!” Ned demands, voice sharp and concerned, and Peter finds himself listening, clambering into the seat across from him with a loud thump.
He attempts to clear his eyes, watching as Ned fusses with his belongings in an attempt to clear the table to give Peter more room, eyes flicking up to his face every spare second.
“You—dude, what the hell?” is what he settles on, eyes glossy, “You—you’re my best friend.” he says softly, looking completely stricken, rubbing at his temples. Peter’s chest tightens at the words, nodding sharply.
“I am.”
“You’re my—my best friend, and I forgot you.” Ned warbles, brow furrowing, “I—I remember now, the spell, Doctor Strange…some of it—a lot of it is fuzzy but it’s like—actively clearing up? I’m so lost.” he rambles, free hand tapping its fingers against the table, an anxious habit the two of them shared.
“Peter…it’s been four years.” Ned says, sounding almost pained, like the words fought to escape his throat, scratchy and rough. Peter shrinks back in response, eyes darting to the side with a heavy swallow.
“I—I know…I’m sorry, I just—“ a sigh, heavy and exhausted, like the weight of the world was resting right on his lungs, stealing his air away, “it felt safer, this way, for both of you. But…I don’t want to live like this anymore, it’s not fair to either of you or to me.” he admits quietly, still unfortunately extremely aware of the fact that they’re in public, grateful that Ned has also kept his voice low, even in his shock.
Ned bites his lip, looking Peter over with a heavy concern in his gaze, irises dancing around the whites of his eyes, “Peter, dude, can I please hug you?” he asks, eyes glistening with unshed tears, and Peter finds himself nodding before he even realizes he moved his head.
Ned immediately stands up, chair scratching against the tile as he makes his quick way to the other side of the table, leaning down and immediately pulling the other man into his arms. Peter finds himself hugging back instantly, the familiarity of Ned’s figure slotting against his own making his throat tighten up, barely holding back a sob against his friend’s chest.
Ned lets out a shaky exhale, clearly laced with congestion in his throat as he laughs, hands running over the ridges of Peter’s spine, “Dude, are you somehow more jacked now?” he asks, poking at the muscles in his back, and Peter huffs out a shaky laugh of his own, head leaning against Ned’s chest comfortably.
“Yeah—a lot has happened, uh, mutation wise.” he admits quietly, truthfully still a little uncomfortable around the topic. He’s unable to stop the laugh that escapes his throat at Ned’s dramatic gasp in response, immediately feeling a bit lighter as Ned pulls back, hands on his shoulders.
“You gotta tell me everything, man.” he declares, tone serious and straightforward, and Peter smiles, nodding.
“Yeah—just, not in public, man.” he reminds him, and Ned blinks, seeming to remember they’re surrounded by people. Not many, but it’s too risky. Ned huffs air out of his nose, shaking his head.
“Right, my bad…” he trails off, brow furrowing, “you wanna come over?” he offers instead, eyes hopeful, and Peter can’t help the warble in his lip at the offer.
“Of course I do.”
—
The trek to Ned and MJ’s apartment was really nice, full of casual banter like they haven’t been apart the last four years, and warm cups of coffee in their hands as the two walked to the complex.
Ned seemed completely taken by Peter’s existence at his side, and admitted that even during their walk, more memories were slotting themselves back into place. It’s almost as if they were invited back into his mind, mingling back in like they’d never left.
It’s so easy, falling back into conversations with Ned, it’s comforting to his mind, like a weighted blanket on a bad sensory day, which had been a much more frequent part of his life over the last few weeks.
Peter takes a moment to himself though as Ned buzzes them into the building, following behind him in silence as Ned chatters over his shoulder, clearly not minding Peter taking a moment of silence.
Peter wordlessly follows more into the building and up the stairs, Ned falling into step next to him as they reach the short hall, eyes curiously looking him over, “You good, man?” he asks carefully, and Peter blinks, nodding in response.
“Yeah—yeah I’m good, don’t worry. Just…processing.” he settles on, subtly picking at the edge of his jacket with his fingers as Ned hums in response, clearly not fully believing him, but giving him a reprieve.
They reach the door relatively quickly, Ned fishing his key out and slotting it into the keyhole, unlocking the door and ushering Peter in.
“Sorry about the mess—“ Ned mutters as he closes the door behind them, gesturing vaguely to the kitchen counter, “been a little lazy the last few days, the two of us.”
“He means him, mainly, but I’ll admit my very small part in it.” MJ’s voice cuts through the room, settling against a clear part of the counter with an eyebrow raise.
She doesn’t even look surprised at Peter’s presence, nor the way Ned’s practically stuck to his side like glue, eyes just barely softening as she looks them over, “You remember?” she asks Ned, the man nodding enthusiastically in response.
“Yeah! It’s so weird, it’s still fading back in but I think I got the majority of it back now! So cool,” he practically gushes, mesmerized, then blinks, staring at MJ with a furrowed brow, “wait, why do you not sound surprised?”
Peter’s eyes widen in response, making direct eye contact with MJ, who clears her throat, shrugging, looking almost guilty, her gaze flicking to the side, focusing on their coffee machine.
“My memories started coming back after that weird…freezing our bodies thing that happened a few weeks back.” she admits carefully, slowly, like it’s a deep dark secret she hadn’t intended to share anytime soon, and Ned’s jaw drops. Peter feels like he’s been dipped in molasses.
“And you didn’t say anything?! MJ!”
“I didn’t know what to say, okay! He was in the hospital, you didn’t know who he was, and it was a lot to process!” she gestures at Peter, “Plus, Peter, you’ve been out of the hospital for a bit now and haven’t even stopped by! We don’t have your number man, how are we supposed to contact you?”
Peter’s jaw opens to respond instinctually, then snaps shut, mind halting. Shit, that’s a good point. They don’t even know where he lives.
“I….hadn’t thought of that, my—uh, my bad.” he admits softly, eyes darting to the side, and MJ sighs, soft and careful. Her sock-clad feet tap carefully against the tile as she strides over to him, and she flicks Peter on the forehead, eyebrow raised.
“Relax, I’m just glad you’re here now, at least.” she says, and Peter can tell it’s genuine, the slightest lilt to her voice that gives it away. He can’t help the small smile that twitches at his lips in response, nodding sharply.
Knowing that she remembers makes something unfurl in Peter’s chest, a tense knot loosening. Even if things aren’t the same, he’s glad that she finally recognizes him, at least. She seems comfortable around him again.
“Should I order pizza or something?” Ned pipes up from the side, and MJ sighs, giving him an unimpressed look.
“Maybe clear the counter first, so we have somewhere to put it.” she deadpans, and Ned clears his throat, nodding.
“Right.” he agrees, moving to clear up the counter without complaint. Peter steps forward instinctually to help, startling at the hand against his chest that stops him, MJ looking him over with an unreadable expression crossing her face.
“Dude, you’re the house guest, chill. This is our mess…well, mostly Neds, but you know.”
“You don’t have to keep saying it, MJ.”
“No, like it’s terrible, it’s so mortifying I can barely look.”
“MJ.”
A light puff of laughter escapes her mouth, short and amused, and she focuses her attention back on Peter again, eyes stern.
“Go sit down, Peter, you want a drink?” she asks, throwing a thumb behind her in the direction of the fridge. His first instinct is to say no, coffee cup still held tightly in his hand, but the hardness in her eyes, familiar and knowing pokes at his conscience, and he folds.
“Just some water or something…thanks.” he says softly, MJ nodding and walking to grab it without another word, waving him off to the couch. He listens with a shaky sigh, placing his coffee cup down on the small table in front of the furniture before sinking into it, grateful for the soft cushions pressing against his body.
He doesn’t have a couch this nice at his apartment, hell he barely has one, it’s so stiff and…lame. This is way more comfortable, plush padding cushioning his body in such a way where he truly doesn’t feel like moving.
He hears Ned and MJ talking amongst themselves in the kitchen, gentle clinks of glass and trash being shoved into a bag, definitely louder than the typical person may hear, but it’s manageable. It’s nice background noise, a familiar type that he hasn’t been accustomed to in years.
Peter notices when MJ’s voice grows quiet and footsteps start sounding closer to him, and he peels his eyes open—he hadn’t even realized he closed them—a cup of ice water held in her hands. She sits it down on a coaster on the table, giving him an expectant look.
“You look like a dehydrated raisin.” she says simply, Peter blinking in surprise. Ned snorts from the kitchen, trashbag rustling in his hands.
“Raisins are already dehydrated, but she’s right, man.”
“Wow.” Peter says, because he has no idea what else to say in response to that. Still, he obliges, grabbing the cup, the condensation sinking into his skin as he takes a long sip, the cool liquid gliding nicely down his throat.
“Thank you, MJ.” he says softly, placing the cup back down on the coaster as she nods in approval, moving to walk back towards the kitchen.
“I’m going to call for the pizza now, half pepperoni half veggie, extra pep?” she asks, the order a classic among the group when they were in high-school, and Ned and Peter both give out their own noises of approval.
That realization, while so small and unimportant, still strikes something deep in Peter’s chest that has him blinking suddenly, urging the swell of emotion to fade, lest he become a blubbering mess on their couch.
He pulls out his phone, desperate for something to do with his hands, double checking his crime tracker just to be sure he didn’t miss anything serious. Thankfully, it’s clear, aside from a low-level robbery that had occurred ten minutes ago.
Frank had gotten on him the other day about letting the lower level crimes be dealt with by the police force instead of sticking his head into every gun’s direct shot, DeWolff had said similar to him just this morning, right before he had run into Ned.
It was hard, ignoring the urge, the itch to get up off of his ass to go help, to make sure things had gone smoothly. But, he’s supposed to be trying to be better at least, to give himself a break.
He may be fully healed now, but Frank was still convinced he’d, as Frank himself had put it, ‘Break his fuckin’ ass’ if he overdid it.
Plus, he’s with his two favorite people right now after so long, so it’s definitely helping dampen the guilt, at least.
He hears the sink kick on, water splashing against the metal as someone, presumedly Ned, washes their hands. He turns his head to confirm, and it is in fact Ned, humming to himself as MJ is leaning on the corner of the now cleared off counter, phone to her ear.
From what Peter can hear, she’s waiting for someone to pick up, foot just barely tapping on the floor. The dial tone is just a bit too irritating to focus his hearing on, so he attempts to tune it out instead.
He slides out of his crime tracker, moving to one of his many puzzle games he has installed, immediately honing in on the off-brand Tetris he has.
It’s mind numbing, finger sliding pieces across the screen, fitting them against one another easily. He’s played this probably thousands of times over the last few years, sitting out on rooftops late at night or curled up on his mattress in his quiet apartment, when his thoughts got too loud and he needed something else to focus on.
He remembers Ned introducing him to this knockoff during senior year, the two of them had gotten quite competitive with it. MJ never really cared about the game, but even she couldn’t deny that she would watch them battle with at least mild interest.
The game has been an almost comedic comfort to him over the years, and he’s not surprised when he senses Ned behind him, right before he leans over the couch, eyes apt at attention on Peter’s screen.
“Shit dude, you still play that?” he asks, watching as Peter completes the level. Peter chuckles in amusement, waving his phone in Ned’s face.
“Never stopped.” he smirks, showing his exceedingly high score he’s cultivated over the years to Ned, who huffs, pulling his own phone out instead of responding. To Peter’s horror, he watches as Ned swipes through his apps, pressing the same game.
“Oh, you think you’re the only one, huh. Well I’m sorry my dearest spider-friend, you are wrong.” he declares dramatically, pressing his screen to show his own score, a whopping seven points above Peter’s own.
“Are you serious?” he gapes, head whipping back and forth between their two phone screens, pointedly ignoring Ned’s shit-eating grin that’s steadily getting wider with every head turn, “that’s—that’s just—“
“There’s no way you guys are still on this shit, there’s no way.” MJ groans as she flops down on the couch next to Peter, eyes skirting over their phones with an unimpressed look.
“MJ, this is serious, we were separated for four years, yet I still beat him! I didn’t even remember that I needed to beat him, but hah—look!” he shoves his phone screen in her face, MJ blinking in brief surprise.
“Wow, a whopping seven points. Incredible. Rivalry transcends all, even memory-erasing spells.” she deadpans, lip twitching up in barely concealed amusement. Peter can’t help his own mouth turning upwards, and he huffs out a breath.
“Well, I’ll make it my life goal to beat your seven points, Ned. Shouldn’t be too hard.” Peter mumbles, truly not fully confident. Ned was keeping him on his toes with this before, it may be harder than he hoped.
Ned clearly doesn’t believe him, raising his eyebrow, “Yeah, sure man, I’ll believe that when I see it.” he teases, poking at Peter’s arm.
The air is light, and there’s a warmth in Peter’s chest he hasn’t felt in a long time, curled up nicely against his sternum. God, he missed them both so much.
“So, pizza will be like…half an hour, roughly? They’re delivering it also, so let’s say fourty-five?” MJ estimates with a shrug, the other two making small noises of affirmation in response.
“…wanna build another Lego set?” Ned offers up slowly, eyes practically sparkling, and Peter can’t find it in him to say no.
Not like he was going to, anyway.
—
“Okay—so you live in a shit apartment, with only your new A.I to keep you company, while doing Spider-Man shit essentially daily up until very recently?” Ned asks, taking a bite of his pizza and leaning his face on his free hand. Peter nods in approval, nursing his own veggie slice with a pleased hum.
“Is it far from here?” MJ asks, already done with her first slice of pepperoni, reaching for her second. Peter shakes his head in response, clearing his throat.
“No—no it’s not too far. Maybe like…fifteen minutes?” he questions aloud, attempting to calculate it in his head, though he has to admit his mind is feeling a little cloudy.
He didn’t sleep much last night.
“Oh, that’s not bad! Shit, man you were so close and we had no idea.” Ned groans, shaking his head. Peter hums, tapping his fingers against the glass of his refilled water, eyebrow furrowed.
“So, how did you know that we were moving in here anyway? Do you follow us on social media or something?” MJ asks, a knowing glint in her eyes that makes Peter cough, face feeling the slightest bit hot, to his immediate embarrassment.
“Well—I mean, kinda? I saw you guys sometimes and I would get curious—“
“Oh my god, were you stalking us, Peter?” MJ asks, a dramatic tinge to her voice, yet clearly still an honest question, prodding for answers with her gaze burning into his skull. Peter bristles at the accusation, shaking his head fervently.
“W—what? No, of course not—“
“Aww, he totally was!” Ned gushes, a big smile on his face like it was totally normal. Peter groans in response, waving his hands in the air dramatically.
“I wasn’t!”
“You totally were.” MJ shakes her head with a laugh, especially when Peter just groans again, leaning his face against his hand in response.
“Okay, it might’ve been a little stalker-like. Only a little.”
“Uh-huh.”
The group laughs lightly, and Peter can’t help but accept the brief embarrassment if it makes his friends happy.
“Wait, dude, earlier you said something about your mutation?” Ned prods, raising both of his eyebrows over a bite of his pizza. Peter huffs, gesturing to the pizza in front of them.
“You really wanna talk about it while we’re eating?”
“What, is it gross?” MJ asks, an amused lilt to her mouth. Peter scoffs in response, shaking his head.
“Well—well no, not…all of it, at least?” he questions, tapping his fingers against the table, “a bit of it actually is gross, unfortunately.” Ned seems somehow more excited at this information, eyes widening.
“Dude, we’ll be fine, gross spider shit awaits, go on.” he waves his hand in the air, smiling as Peter chuckles softly. MJ seems to agree, nodding her own approval over a silent bite.
“I—okay, it just….hm,” Peter thinks to himself, how does he even begin to explain this? “a few weeks back, the arachnid side of my DNA increased, and from my understanding it’s permanent.” he explains carefully, putting his unfinished slice of pizza down on his plate.
Ned and MJ are listening aptly, both of their eyes on his own, scientific curiosity flaring in their gazes, “I started having pain, the night before, really bad pain. I passed out and next thing I knew I was in some sort of—a freaking cocoon made out of webs.” he shivers at the memory, he can practically still feel the organic webbing on his skin.
Ned’s lips part, eyes wide, “Shit, dude. Like a butterfly, you evolved.” he states dramatically, MJ snorting into her cup in response. Peter can’t deny the comparison, nodding.
“Yeah—I uh, fell. I was basically naked, with no idea how it happened.”
“Shit, that sounds scary, man.” Ned says softly, and Peter nods in agreement, picking at the end of his jacket.
“It was, but more than anything it was just…confusing. It was similar to when I was bitten, but I was more so sick and nauseous when that happened, not waking up hanging from a freakin’ rooftop.” he explains, fidgeting with his hands, eyes stuck staring at a groove in the wood.
“So what, did you like…double mutate?” MJ asks, eyes tinged with concern, and Peter shrugs, leaning back.
“That I’m not positive on, I think so? I’m not sure if it qualifies as that, but regardless my arachnid DNA is more potent than it used to be…and it flares up, sometimes.”
“Flares up? What do you mean?” Ned asks, leaning onto his fist, and Peter exhales sharply, leaning back into the couch.
“Its essentially hormone spikes, my body reacting to stress or just deciding to screw me over at random…do you guys remember when I had told you about my sensory issues in high-school?”
“Yeah, yeah I do remember. You’d get headaches and issues with some tactile stuff sometimes, right?” MJ asks, and Peter nods, sighing.
“Yeah, that is way worse now. All of my senses are dialed up more than they already were, I get these painful headaches sometimes, it’s kinda hell. My A.I told me that it’s a sensory overload when my hormones spike, kinda like my body is reacting to danger.”
“What, like a more severe version of your spider-sense?” Ned asks, and Peter shrugs.
“I guess? It’s only been a few weeks, I haven’t had too much time to study it yet, especially with being stuck in the hospital,” he huffs out a humorous laugh,”but it’s gotten scary a few times…I’ve lost control before.” he says softly, brow furrowing. Ned’s own brow furrows as he takes another bite of his pizza, clearly confused.
“What do you mean?”
“Yeah, that sounds a little ominous, Peter.” MJ agrees, hands folded carefully in her lap. Peter sighs, leaning his head back on the cushions to look up at the ceiling.
“The spider-side of my brain…it can kinda, like, influence me now I guess? From what I’ve gathered, it makes me look a little scary, and it’s powerful. It kinda…freaks me out, it feels like if I’m not careful I can lose full control of it, I have.” he shudders at the reminder of his fight with Scorpion…well, Jean Scorpion.
He would’ve never done that if he was in his right mind, but to be fair to himself, that was when this first started happening. Plus, the officer ended up being okay, so that settles his mind at least.
“Shit, dude. That sounds terrifying…and kinda awesome, but that’s from an outsider's perspective.” Ned comments, eyes full of care yet also scientific curiosity. MJ looks a bit unsettled, but in a concerned way.
“Yeah, I don’t know, it’s been weird as hell. Plus, now I got…well, this.” he holds his wrist up, MJ and Ned both leaning forward in confusion.
“Uh—got what, exactly?” MJ questions, and Peter lightly presses down on his palm, right at the pressure point, flicking his wrist just enough, his organic webbing shooting out of his wrist and sticking to the ceiling.
Peter doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to erase the gaping looks of his friends from his mind, jaws hanging open and eyes widened like dinner plates.
“What—dude what the fuck?” Ned gasps, leaning forward to gently grab Peter’s hand, fingers pressing gently around his wrist, able to see the tiny slit, “That is so cool! And, uh, kinda gross, but cool!”
“Peter, you have your own webs, now?” MJ questions, sounding like she was simultaneously disgusted by the demonstration and curious for more.
“Yeah—believe me, I was freaking out when I found out. My web-shooters aren’t compatible anymore now that I got them, so I’ve had to learn how to use them instead. They're stronger than my web shooters, too.” he explains gently, pulling his hand back from Ned gently to roll his wrists.
“So…did this just happen for no reason? Did something trigger it?” MJ asks, and that makes Peter stop, mind halting. Shit, right. The part he really didn't want to talk about.
“Oh, he’s got that look on his face.” Ned pipes up, MJ agreeing with a nod, eyes calculating.
“Yeah, yeah I’m seeing it.” she agrees, brows furrowed and leaning her body forward as Peter blinks, shrinking into himself at the stares.
“Wh—what does that even mean? What look?” he asks, and Ned huffs out a laugh, shaking his head, like he couldn’t believe Peter was questioning it.
“You do this sad thing with your eyebrows, super subtle, like a puppy that got caught after ripping open its bag of food.” Ned describes with a flare of his wrist, clearly amused.
MJ laughs softly, nodding in agreement, “It’s true, it’s a little sad and puppy-like. Means something’s bothering you, something you aren’t saying.”
Peter just stares in disbelief, mouth just barely hanging open. God, their memories slotted back into place so perfectly that they remembered a tell of his? One he didn’t even know he had?
He doesn’t know why, but the thought instantly floods his eyes with tears, face contorting.
Ned’s face drops instantly, panic settling into his features instead of the amusement that was just residing there, “Woah, Peter—Peter it’s okay—shit.” he curses, shuffling over to his side, hands hovering as Peter buries his face in his hands, mortified.
MJ clicks her tongue in concern, shifting closer to him on the couch, hand settling on his knee, “Peter?” is all she says, worry tinged into her tone in such a way that just makes Peter feel worse. He never thought he’d have this again, to be close to these two in such a way, he didn’t think he even deserved it.
Yet here they are, memories back in place and right by his side again, like it hadn’t been four years, and he can’t find it in him to lie.
“I—I just—sorry,” he groans, scrubbing at his face in an attempt to clear the evidence of his emotional state, “yeah, it was triggered by something…trauma and a bad mental state, I guess? It happened uh…the night I came to your housewarming party,” he explains, pointedly avoiding looking at their faces, “me and E.V came to the conclusion recently that prolonged stress and my admittedly much shittier mental state over the years contributed to it slowly, and that what had finally tipped it seemed to be an intensely high emotional response. I don’t really want to get into the specifics of that part right now, but uh…yeah.”
The other two were completely silent, and he fists his hands into his pants, brow furrowed. He closes his eyes, willing the rather persistent burning away from his eyes before he embarrasses himself any further.
Ned is the one who shifts first, leaning his head against Peter’s knee from his spot on the floor, a gentle thump echoing in Peter’s ears at the movement.
“Shit, Peter, I’m sorry,” is what he chokes out, ever the empathetic one, sounding somehow worse than Peter did, “I can’t imagine what that was like, I wish you just…came to us sooner, man, we could’ve helped you.” he sighs, heavy and sounding much older than he is.
“I understand why you didn’t, I can’t imagine how bad that guilt must’ve been, after everything that happened,” MJ pipes up quietly, slotting herself against his side, “but you deserved better than that, and we deserved to have you back in our lives. It was just…a shitty situation, a really shitty situation.” she mumbles between the three of them, making it feel like they’re almost surrounded by their own bubble, and it feels safe.
“It was so bad that your body spiked your spider DNA in some sort of weird trauma response. That just…worries me man. Is it any better now?” Ned asks, turning his head to look up at Peter’s face, eyes glossy. Peter shrugs, sniffing as he taps his fingers on his knees.
“Which thing? The mental state or the spider-shit?” he asks, the lightest joking tone coating his voice. Ned seems to pick up on it, snorting.
“Both, I guess?” he settles on, and Peter hums with a small nod, eyes flicking across the coffee table in thought.
“Well…mentally, it’s better sometimes, kinda just a day by day thing? Spider wise…I’m working on it, I’m trying to learn to accept that part of me and learn how to navigate it now, I wasn't really doing that before.”
“Oh, the inhibitor!” MJ pipes up from his side, looking him over with the new context, “that makes so much more sense, shit Peter.” she sighs, shaking her head. Ned looks completely lost, turning back to Peter in confusion.
“Inhibitor?” he asks, and Peter nods slowly, shifting in his seat at the reminder.
“Yeah—I was really struggling with the whole…mutation thing, and I went to Dr. Banner to figure out if I could make an inhibitor like the one he made for The Hulk…but to just keep the good parts of the DNA.”
“What, like, suppressing the new parts of the spider DNA in order to like…balance it back out to how it was?” Ned asks, and Peter snaps his fingers, pointing at him.
“Exactly, and MJ was actually the one to help me get it fully working. It wasn't really cooperating before, the hormone spikes would overpower it due to there being interference, from the eyes in my mask, of all things,” he shakes his head in amusement, “but…I came around to it, accepting it. Jean was actually a big part of that, oddly enough.” he shakes his head, the reminder of the girl stinging something in his chest.
He hoped she was alright, after everything.
“Jean? The girl that was doing everything a few weeks ago, right? You guys are friends now, or something?” MJ asks, not accusatory, just curious, and Peter nods.
“Yeah—I’m sure you guys saw the true story in the news, so I don’t need to explain that, but she was actually a big reason I survived that gunshot, she was breathing for me, from what Frank told me.”
“Shit,” MJ exhales, shaking her head, “I wish we could’ve visited you. Thank you, Jean.” she huffs, looking at Peter’s eyes directly as she says it.
Peter can’t disagree, grateful to the telepath for her help, even after everything that had happened that led to their paths crossing in the first place.
“Jeez, man, I heard you were in critical condition, but a telepathic girl had to breathe for you? Shit,” Ned comments from the floor, eyes wide, "would've loved to bring you some flowers or something. They would’ve been blue and red also, to be on theme, of course.” he chuckles, and MJ leans forward on her knees, nodding.
“Don’t forget the really shitty Spider-Man popsicles, would’ve had to get three of those.”
“Oohhh, yeah, right, those. Peter, have you tried those yet? They actually aren’t too bad.” Ned asks, and Peter nods solemnly in response.
“They weren’t that good, honestly.”
“See? That’s what I said!” MJ exclaims, and Ned gapes, shaking his head.
“They’re decent! They carried me through mid-terms in junior year, I’m attached.”
“That’s not a good thing, Ned.” MJ laughs, leaning back against the couch cushions. Peter can’t help but laugh too, shaking his head.
“Yeah, that’s a little ridiculous, Ned. And I’m literally Spider-Man.”
“Whatever, man, you guys just don’t get it.” Ned scoffs, moving to pick up the remainder of his abandoned slice of pizza, taking a bite. Peter settles at the lighter air around them, grabbing his water from the table and replenishing the bit of fluids he’s lost from this talk session.
“So, Peter went through spider-puberty from how depressed he was? That’s the consensus?” MJ asks, and Peter coughs sharply in response, water almost going down the wrong pipe. Seems this has ventured into making fun of him territory, which…he’s really not surprised. Wouldn’t be the first time they’ve ventured into sillier topics after something serious.
Ned laughs over a mouthful of pizza, nodding vigorously in approval, swallowing his food so he can properly respond, “Yes, that’s exactly it. That is so good, Peter, this is just great, and we get to witness it.” he smiles widely, and Peter groans, dropping his face rather dramatically into his hands.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have told you guys.” he muffles into his hands, and MJ chuckles next to him, shoving lightly at his shoulder.
“Well, too bad man, you’re stuck with us again.” she comments from his side, voice light and teasing, and Peter huffs, pulling his face out of his hands to give her an unimpressed look. She shrugs it off, taking a sip of her soda, upturned lips peeking over her cup.
“Yeah, and we’re going to bombard you at your apartment constantly, or force you to move in here once we can convince you that it wouldn’t be a problem, all the good things. Personally, I want to make up for the last four years.” Ned pipes up from his spot, and MJ nods in agreement.
Peter can’t help the warmth that settles in his chest at the idea of it all, and he smiles, moving to grab his own pizza and biting into the cold slice. He settles into the conversation as it drifts into potential movies to watch as he gets strong-armed into sleeping over, which he doesn’t argue against. He doesn’t think he’d be able to comfortably go back to his own cold, lonely apartment tonight after all of this.
How did he live without them for so long?