Chapter Text
“Dude, how did you manage to fumble that many times?” Ned asked. “I mean, it’s not hard. ‘Hey we used to be friends, but things happened, can we talk?’ You literally came to our party and then gave a fake name.”
“It’s not that simple!” Peter protested with a laugh.
“No, it is that simple.” Ned had sat down across from him half an hour ago, whisper-shouting at him after that handshake. Ned was so pissed at him, but Peter was so happy he could cry. For the first time in years, he was just Peter Parker, a nerd who liked tech. Any talk of Spider-Man was when he told Ned a funny story about when he fumbled a swing or a dumb criminal.
“Woah, your eyes.” Ned leaned forward over the table. Peter blinked for a moment. His eyes? Was he being spidery again? His senses did feel stronger, but it didn’t feel overwhelming.
“Are they all black? Like, sclera and everything?”
“Yeah, looks cool as shit,” Ned said. “Is this a new spider thing?”
“Yeah, I’ve been getting more spider features lately.” Peter didn’t really want to talk about the loss of control, but Ned should know that Peter could randomly jump him. “I lost control a few times. I got pretty violent with Scorpion. I almost killed a cop.”
“Hold on, are you feeling murdery right now?” Ned didn’t exactly sound afraid.
“Not really. I mean, it also happens when I’m feeling a lot of negative emotions, but I’m not feeling any of those right now.”
“Have you considered that maybe it’s just strong emotions in general?” He suggested.
“I am pretty happy right now,” Peter admitted.
“Dude, have you seriously not been happy enough for this to happen? Like ever?” He sounded concerned now. “That’s fucked up, like, really fucked up.”
“In my defense, my only friends completely forgot me, and right now only one of you remembers.”
“But MJ brought you to our apartment.” Ned frowned.
“She didn’t remember.” Peter sighed. “I wrote her a note, a script for how I would explain everything to her. I had it with me when she had to stay with Frank, and I left it out on accident. She found it, read it, but she didn’t remember. I told her I loved her, but…”
He remembered what she’d said after that.
“I don’t love you. I don’t even know you.”
Getting shot had hurt less.
“Wait, Frank, as in The Punisher?” Ned startled.
“Oh, yeah. I saved his life once, he owed me a favor. That’s not what we’re talking about,” Peter shook his head. “Jean got in MJ’s head. Made me think it was her, and then kissed me. I thought maybe she remembered, and for a moment everything felt perfect. Then Jean made her jump off a building.”
“You should kiss her, for real this time,” Ned said after a moment. “It could make her remember.”
“She has a boyfriend, Ned.” Peter felt pathetically jealous as the words left his mouth. “I’m not going to ask her to jeopardize that for a guy she barely even knows.”
“Her boyfriend’s kind of a dick though,” he shrugged. “Just saying. You’d be way better for her, and I’m not just saying that because I now remember you hold the title of my best friend.”
“So what? I’m not throwing a wrench in her life because I’m stupidly in love.” It hurt to say, but Peter wanted MJ to be happy, regardless of whether it was with him or not.
“Alright, I get it, you’re a good person. Be selfish for once in your life!”
“Okay, okay,” Peter conceded. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good, now back to the spider thing,” Ned grinned. “So, do you make webs now?”
“Oh, yeah.” Peter held out his wrist and let Ned examine the almost invisible hole in his skin.
“Sweet, like Peter 2?” He said excitedly. “Was he lying when he said they didn’t come out of anywhere else?”
“What?” He pulled his wrist back. “No, dude!”
“Hey, I had to ask.”