Are You Hiding Something, Peter Parker?

10

Peter doesn't come back for a week. In that week, MJ has come to realise that Ned was also experiencing this weird painful feeling because of Peter Parker and also desperately wants to get to the better life.

So naturally, like any other gifted children with a love of investigation, they go a-searching.

Things start popping up.

Broken memories, wiped records, illegible papers and CCTV footage, all conveniently stopping at one detail: Peter Parker.

The guy was a living ghost.

MJ was confused. But also realising a lot of it just... made sense. How she woke up one day and Ned was miraculously her best friend, or how she'd somehow ended up at the base of the Statue of Liberty surrounded by ruin with a cut over her right eye.

Which led to another glaringly obvious fact: Peter Parker was Spider-Man.

In the end, MJ feels like she's living a lie. The current world is empty and Peter is the only one who can fix it. She can tell just by looking at Ned he feels the same.

By the time Peter shows up again the next week, Ned and MJ have the answer on the tip of their tongues. They need to see him one more time. Look at their hope in his eyes and believe.

The doorbell tinkles and Peter walks in. Dishevelled, smiling and so very...

Peter.

"Oh my God, Peter." MJ gasps, feet rooted to the spot. Because everything was coming back to her, memories exploding behind her eyelids. She had expected it, she welcomed it, but it was just so much.

Peter was still standing there, looking so plain and ordinary and small, smile growing more nervous with every second she stood there standing. MJ could vaguely sense Ned's presence on her left. She didn't really care right now.

MJ? Are you-" Peter was cut off by MJ launching herself into his arms. She frowned when he didn't reciprocate her hug.

"I know, idiot," She whispered in his ear. "I remember, I know, and I'm so, so sorry for taking this long."

And finally, strong arms reach around her back and squeeze her. MJ can feel Peters tears on her neck and she pulls her face from his shoulder to kiss him. It's messy, and mixed with tears, but it's them, and it's okay.

Then Peter pulls away, keeping one arm around her waist but stepping to the side to catch Ned in a hug too, who seemed to have unstuck his feet from the floor.

And then they were all hugging and crying and kissing (well, Peter and MJ were kissing. Ned was just crying and hugging) and they were lying in a tangled heap on the floor of MJ's work.

It's a miracle her boss hadn't yelled at them yet.

"I missed you guys." Peter says, and they squeezed him a little bit harder. "I missed you so, so much."

And he's holding her hand, and Ned is smiling, and MJ knows it's all going to be ok.