IRONDAD & SPIDERSON ONE SHOTS VOL. 2

Chapter 217: One, Four, Three

(Somewhat inspired by Stray Kids song Case 143 (just the title), one of my favorite K-pop boy groups. So if there are any stays (their fandom name) who read my book, welcome. If not then... I don't know lol.)

Anyway, on with the story.
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Tony and Peter were in the same boat when it came to expressing their feelings. At least that was how it was with each other, they had a mentor intern relationship. After years of working together both as their normal selves and their alter egos, they formed a father son bond. To the extent that Tony picks Peter up from school and helps him pack his lunch.

That only happens when May has late shifts, and he stays with Tony. It was late at night, two in the morning in fact, and Tony was woken up by F.R.I.D.A.Y alerting him that Peter was injured. He groggily rushed out to find him, once he got to his room he saw Peter on his bed, with gauze, a blood soaked towel and immediately sprang into action.

He ran to the bathroom where he grabbed a med kit, and started patching Peter up. "Kid, by the end of this year my hair is gonna be white. Then I'll probably die of a heart attack."

Peter mumbled, "S.. or..y M. Stark." Tony continued disinfecting the teen's wound, bandaging it, and making sure he wouldn't bleed out while sleeping.

Once he was done, Tony cleaned up and helped Peter to bed. He tucked Peter in his bed, and the boy sleepily whispered. "One.. four.. three."

Tony was confused, "What does that mean Peter?"

"You're a genius... figure it out." He replied, before drifting off.

Tony told F.R.I.D.A.Y to keep an eye on him while he left to figure out what the kid meant. It took him an hour, it made him smile. That was Peter's way of saying he loved him, and the next day, as the two were working in the lab Tony said, "One, four, three underoos." Peter was surprised, but then quickly realized that Tony knew what he meant.
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After his parents died, and Peter moved in with May and Ben, the first few years after that were rough. Peter closed himself off, May and Ben did everything, and with time, he opened up and became the happy and intelligent young man he was today. So he made a code with them, instead of saying: "I love you." He switched it to: "One, four, three." Since that's how many letters each word has.

When Ben died, both May and Peter were heartbreaking, but they leaned on each other, and eventually got through the rough time. Currently having to help villains from other universes, Peter had just merely stopped a bomb from getting to May. He landed on the ground roughly, coughing, and struggling to breathe.

He got up, making his way towards his aunt, checking to see if she was okay. He started having doubts about helping them, but May disagreed, she told him he did the right thing. Helping people is what they do, and she didn't regret any of it, not one bit. She said: "You have a gift. You have power, and with great power, there must also come great responsibility."

What he didn't know was those words would stick with him for the rest of his life. May died that night, and the last words he whispered was their mantra: "One, four, three." Before fleeing to his school's rooftop, guilty, angry, and sad that the last of his family was gone.
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The trio spent the last few months balancing school, and the whole of the world knowing Peter was Spider-Man, the two knew how guilty Peter felt with them being dragged into this mess. Now they and the other Peter's were fighting the other multiverse villains. The two teens watched as their Peter lost himself to rage, he wanted to kill Norman.

But Peter 2 stopped him, the teen was broken, but there was no time to wallow just yet. The younger hero rushed up to Dr. Strange and asked him what else they could do, but Strange said there wasn't anything they could do. So Peter came up with a new solution, to make the entire world forget Peter Parker, in his mind it was the only option, this wasn't about him, it was about the people he loved being affected by association. "But it would work, right?" Peter asked.

Stephen nodded his head, "Yeah, it would work. But you gotta understand that would mean that everyone who knows and loves you, we..."

Strange's voice catches, "We'd have no memory of you. It would be as though you never existed."

Peter knew it had to be done, "I know. Do it."

Dr. Strange reluctantly nods. "You better go and say your goodbyes. You don't have long." And so he did, he left to tell the other Peter's goodbye, and got to his friend and girlfriend. He hated his next sentence, but it was to keep them safe.

Peter looked at the two, "You're gonna forget who I am."

Ned hesitated for a second, "What?"

MJ scrunched her eyebrows, what did he mean? "Forget who you are.. what are you talking about?"

"It's okay. I'm gonna come and find you, and I'll explain everything." MJ and Ned's faces fell as they realized what he meant.

But Peter continued, "I'll make you remember me, and it will be like none of this ever happened. Okay?"

MJ began to panic, "Okay, but what if that doesn't work? What if... What if that doesn't work? What if we can't remember you? I don't want to do that. I don't.. I don't want to do that."

Peter took ahold of her hands, "I know. I know."

MJ began to cry, "But, what.. Is there not something we can do? We can't come up with, like, a plan or something, you know? There's always something we can do?"

Peter shook his head, "There's nothing we can do. But it'll be okay."

MJ tried to catch her breath, as Ned's eyes brim with tears. "You promise?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I promise." Peter and Ned bittersweetly, did their special handshake. Then Peter pulled Ned into a hug.

Peter said, "I'll come find you, okay?"

"I know you will." Ned knew he was right.

They released from the hug, and Peter turned to MJ. She wiped a tear from her cheek, "You better. If you don't, I'm just gonna figure it out. I've done it before, I can do it again."

"I promise I'll fix this."

MJ believed him, "I really hate magic."

Peter laughed, with a small grin on his face, "Yeah, me too." He admitted.

She takes him in, she cupped his face, "One, three, four." She remembered Peter's saying, she also wholeheartedly meant it.

Peter was ready to say it back, "One.."

MJ cut him off though, "Just wait. Wait and tell me when you see me again."

"Okay." The sky rumbled again, as the new spell took effect. Peter looked toward MJ. They don't have much time left... he pulled MJ into a kiss. As magic was swirling above them, the two locked in an embrace. Both of them were reluctant to let go... but Peter made the first move, he stepped back, and jumped up on a ledge.

But before he webbed off, he glanced up at the Statue of Liberty. Where Dr. Strange was, his new spell nearly complete, and nodded his own goodbye. Peter looked back at MJ. The spell was about to hit her, but she managed to mouth one last "I love you." Peter left just before the light of the completed spell washed over them. Peter vowed to wait and say those eight words if he ever did tell MJ the truth.
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The End of Chapter 217