Spider-Son One-Shots

The old normal

       "Hey Mr. Stark. I um... I saw this guy today, in a fancy looking suit and sunglasses and I thought it was you for a second. I know it's stupid but... I don't know, he looked just like you..." Peter took a deep breath to calm his shaky voice before continuing, "I just wanted to say... I really miss you."
       Peter quickly stopped the voicemail and threw his phone across the room, Tony shouldn't be dead. Tony Stark can't die... he can't.
       Peter put his hand to his face and he took shaky breaths and felt hot tears fall down his face.
     When he finally got the tears to stop he just felt shame seep through his body, Tony had been dead five years, so why did it still hurt so much?
     Everything was fine, amazing actually to everyone else. So what if Natasha and Tony were dead, and Steve retired? No big deal, there's a new team of Avengers, and no current villains trying to destroy the world.
     But to Peter, his aunt and last living family member is dead, Tony Stark, his mentor, is dead. Ned and MJ and Happy forgot about him. All the Avengers forgot about him. The only time anyone remembers he exists is when he's Spider-Man, which is kind of depressing for an eighteen year old.
      Peter walked across his apartment that he's renting and picked his phone back up, it wasn't cracked despite his super strength.
      What was Peter supposed to do? Sit around and do his Spider-Man duties but never have a life outside of that? Try to get Doctor Strange to make everyone remember him again but risk making things worse? Talk to MJ and Ned and Happy and try to convince them that they knew Peter? Or start a new life, go to college, meet new people, and restart, leaving his past behind.
      Although it would suck having to meet the Avengers again, and having to make them trust him again, and it would suck to act like he never knew them, restarting seems like the most realistic choice.
      A depressing choice, an insane choice, the worst choice, but nevertheless, the most realistic one. The one that will end in the least death and sadness.
     Peter decided he would talk to MJ and Ned one more time, before getting them out of his life forever. At least that would give him some closure.
      He stood up and left his apartment, taking the stairs two at a time. He left the apartment building and started walking down the sidewalk, soft flurries of snow falling. He waited at a crosswalk for a short moment before arriving at MJs apartment. He could never forget where it was.
       He entered the building and rode the elevator to MJs floor, once he got there he walked much slower towards her apartment, nervous and dreading the last time they would talk.
      What was the point anyway? MJ didn't remember him...
      Knock knock knock
      Peter knocked and then stood awkwardly before he heard footsteps coming to the door. The door opened, MJ standing in the doorway, a smile on her face with Ned behind her. She looked just as beautiful as she used to.
     "Hello...?" MJ asked, slightly confused.
     "Oh um... hi," Peter snapped out of his daze. "I just... wanted to talk."
      "Who are you...? I'm not very good with names..." MJ smiled apologetically but she still seemed confused.
      "I... we've never met. We went to the same high school... I just didn't socialize much." Peter lied.
       "Oh, what's your name?" MJ asked.
       "Uh... Peter Parker."
       "Peter Parker?" A flash of recognition showed on MJs face but it quickly left. "Did you have any friends in high school?"
         Peter shook his head, it was better to lie.
        "Wasn't it lonely?"
        Peter's silent for a moment and he looks at the ground, "Yeahs it is- it was... lonely."
      MJ expression softened, "wanna come in? This is Ned by the way, and I'm MJ."
     "If you wouldn't mind me coming in..."
     "Of course not, come in."
      Peter stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He smiled at Ned and Ned smiled back despite Peter being a stranger to him.
      MJ led Peter and Ned to her bedroom where a few comics were laying around. Her bedroom was just as Peter remembered it. MJ sat on the bed and Ned suck into a chair nearby, leaving Peter to stand.
       "I just wanted to talk to you because..." Peter tried to think of a lie, "I heard we're going to the same college."
        Peter instantly regretted the lie but he couldn't think of anything else.
        "Really? That's great. MIT right?"
MJ asked.
        "Um... yeah. I remember seeing you in high school and you seemed really cool so when someone said we were going to the same college... well I wanted to meet you. Maybe start college with some friends..."
      
       For the rest of the night they talked, about college, about their jobs and about life in general. Every now and then when Peter talked, he could swear MJ recognized him for a moment, but then she was back to normal.
      The new normal was shitty, but in this moment, with Peter laughing to Ned's stupid jokes and MJ's beautiful smile, the new normal felt good, it felt like the old normal.

      And god, was the old normal fucking amazing.