Settling Down
The cars traversed through Manhattan rather easily. Once in the parking area of the Hardy-Parker Tower, they all head to the designated area for the company executives. Well, there was also a particular parking spot for special visitors.
This time, it was for a van driven by Happy with May, Lydia, Hector, Scott, and Hope all inside. In the vehicle was all the belongings of the parents that the kids kept in storage in the barn of the Stark estate. They were all extremely touched that their kids kept their belongings.
The parents would be staying with their kids first. At least the penthouses they lived in were big enough to accommodate them without displacing anyone. Meaning they would have a new place to stay in, if they didn’t choose to move out (as if they would want to move out so soon).
May and Lydia were thankful that they were staying with Peter and Felicia first. That would give them to opportunity to have a proper catch-up session with them. And to spend time with the twins. Wally and Katie had grown attached to them and vice versa.
Scott already got to spend time with Scottie, but he really wanted to make up for lost time. Hope especially, since she could not believe that Cassie and Harley were in their mid-20s all of a sudden. Heck, she couldn’t believe that her boyfriend was officially a grandfather. All of those were more shocking than hearing of the Harvard Doctorate and the executive position that Cassie had.
Hector was in awe of what transpired. His daughter got an Ivy League education and held an executive position in the biggest company in the world. All while carrying the mantle of the White Tiger. He knew she would do great, but didn’t anticipate just how great she would be.
When the toddlers showed themselves, they were still somewhat processing that the teens they once knew were already parents. Scott included, because everything happened so fast for him. Now though, they all have a chance to really spend time together as families.
They all decide to go up together. Aside from Scott, none of them were able to see the new homes of their kids just yet. Happy would just wait first and bring up the belongings himself.
As they were riding up the elevator, Ollie was on Hector’s shoulders, enjoying the extra height she was experiencing. Scottie was piggybacking on Scott, who was excited as ever to be spending time with Cassie’s family, while Hope smiled softly at the sight. Lydia held on to Wally, since something about him having her husband’s name settled her. May had Katie in her arms, as the little girl also enjoyed being held by her ‘grandma’.
They arrive to the floor of Ava and Sam’s ‘penthouse’ first.
“We’ll see you all tomorrow for lunch?” Peter asked, while keeping the doors open.
“Oh yeah, you will,” Ava smiled sweetly at them. “We just need some proper family time tonight,” she turned to her dad and daughter.
“We all will,” Felicia and Cassie said amusedly. Their husbands playfully snorted at that, but it was always nice to see just how deep of a bond the two women have developed over the years.
Then they arrived at the floor where Cassie and Harley stayed. Hope mouthed a ‘Wow’ upon seeing the atrium and the flower arrangement present: red roses, lavenders, and baby’s breath were the most prominent flowers and the scents there emanated as well. It was a sign of the life those two have been living for the last few years. Scott chuckled as they stepped out. He was kinda guilty of rubbernecking too the first time around.
“Hey Slick, don’t go too hard with the drinks tonight,” Peter teased. That was always a funny sight for him and Felicia. Their incredible metabolisms meant that their bodies processed alcohol more efficiently and thus they couldn’t get drunk so easily, unlike the rest of the team. In fact, they were usually the only ones who had any recollection of the events that unfolded after a night of binge drinking.
However, the boys always kept quiet about Sam’s bachelor party.
“Aw come on, Champ!” Harley playfully nudged him on the shoulder. “Next time, bring along some of that millennium aged wine that Thor always drinks!” He chuckled out.
Peter snorted while shaking his head. That first visit to Thor’s house was… Something, to say the least. The one time he and Felicia got tipsy happened then. And well, making love in an inebriated haze of alcohol was definitely a memorable experience for them.
And it was the only time they had a pregnancy scare, but they kept that to themselves.
The duo did a bro hug followed by the special handshake, a classic sight at this point. Felicia and Cassie do their La Bise, something they got comfortable doing over the years.
“See you, sis,” Cassie said sweetly.
“Same to you, sistah,” Felicia smiled.
Finally, they get to the top floor penthouse. The atrium featured a bonsai tree encased in a special glass container, creating a mini terrarium. It was Peter who suggested getting that since it was easier to care for compared to new flowers every week. The hall also displayed a few paintings that Felicia bought (all original, but not from Silvija). Overall, Lydia was already impressed; the place seemed more luxurious than the old penthouse they were in.
May was completely slack jawed. She always prayed for Peter’s success, but this was beyond even her wildest dreams. Also, she hoped that the accomplishments and wealth wouldn’t change who he was fundamentally, and thankfully, it didn’t; he was still the same grounded, dorky, endearing boy who just wanted to do his best and help people.
Felicia then showed the Doctorates that she and her husband had. Her two from Harvard: One was on Business Administration and the other was on Organizational Behavior. Next to them were the four Doctorates Peter got from MIT: One on Biochemistry, another on Biophysics, then Material Science & Engineering, and lastly Theoretical Astrophysics.
Of course, May and Lydia were a little stunned to see the Diplomas. They were amazed to see that they studied in two of the best schools in the world. Then add the fact that they got Doctorates. And yes, plural. They each had multiple Doctorate Degrees to their names!
“That’s amazing, sweeties,” May said in awe. She knew they were intelligent and capable, but it was another experience in and of itself to see a manifestation of that. Well, Peter’s inventions would have been enough, but for a top university to recognize that as well was something else.
“Yes… Yes, it is,” Lydia nodded. She was so proud of those two. And she was especially happy to learn that it was Felicia who preemptively suggested to them that they get Doctorates.
Eventually, Happy did arrive on their floor, with all the belongings of the two older women. Everyone thanked him profusely for his time and effort, but he waved that off. He said he would do it again in a heartbeat.
With their stuff now in the penthouse, Peter and Felicia showed them the guest bedrooms they would use first. King sized beds, en suites, built-in closets, and the two rooms were connected to the terrace. It was cozy and luxurious. Lydia felt at home, while May was still a little stunned at the wealth.
They all gathered in the great room first, since the kids wanted to spend time with the grandmas. And besides, it was time for afternoon coffee or tea. Mostly coffee, since Peter, Felicia, and Lydia all loved their coffee, especially when paired with pastries. May though, opted for a Chamomile tea.
“So, I’d love to hear about everything that happened over the years,” May teasingly said after sipping some of her tea.
“Well… Where should we start?” Peter asked.
“How about… You two start from the beginning?” Lydia suggested. “I think May and I would love to hear the stories you two have,” she gave them the couple a soft smile.
So they did that. Peter and Felicia did ask Karen to project some pictures and videos that were taken over the years. They ranged from trips abroad and some big events like birthdays, to more subtle moments in time, like them cuddling on the couch on a Saturday night. Regardless, the pictures looked so nice.
They of coursed detailed their missions and accomplishments as superheroes here and there. They deserved to know. Except Madripoor, because they weren’t sure if their hearts could still take that story.
May loved seeing the trips they took abroad. It was a nice contrast to the urban jungle they were living in. The nature scenes were spectacular, and no special filters, photoshop, or post-production manipulations were used.
Lydia loved seeing the casual meals they shared with friends. It was nice to know that they had each other and a consistent support group. Everyone needed that.
They both found the house in Boston to be quite charming. Definitely smaller than the Antebellum lake house in the Stark estate, but they didn’t need a mansion then. Just enough room to sleep, cook, study, and chill in private.
And well, they did have to explain the popularity they all had by then. Felicia got coverage since she was the CEO of a conglomerate and the world’s youngest billionaire. Peter and Harley, because Tony left a part of his fortune to them. And well, the world assumed they were the man’s protégés and rightfully so.
Which was why they all decided to stay in that house in Boston when they moved there for a few years.
“And we promise, the only drug involved was alcohol,” Peter assured. “At a moderate amount, since we also promised Pepper that much,” he added quickly.
“Well, and lots of love,” Felicia winked, which caused Peter’s cheeks to turn as red as tomatoes.
Lydia and May chuckled at that antic. It was always cute to see Peter flustered. And well, they knew of their private escapades, but the couple always practiced safely, so there were no complaints on their end.
“I guess we have to thank Pepper for a few more things,” May said amusedly.
“Definitely,” Lydia agreed. The two of them were forever grateful to the woman who loved their kids as if her own. As well as for the guidance she gave through the years.
When Karen played the videos of the proposals, both women teared up a bit. How they wished they got to advise them in that regard. And to hear it firsthand just as it happened.
Then videos and pictures of the weddings were shown, and they both started sobbing. The weddings seemed like fairytales come to life. Lydia loved how Felicia looked on that day. Her daughter was as beautiful as ever, and looked like a Greek goddess. The radiance and beauty of Felicia was unmatched (she might have been biased, but Peter and May agreed with her wholeheartedly). May teared up as she saw how dashing Peter was in the tuxedo, and smiled fondly when she saw him tear up at the sight of his now wife; he would always wear his heart on his sleeve and was not afraid to show that. It was a genuineness and sincerity of the boy that people just loved.
And the reception looked fun. It was a bunch of friends all hanging out. How they wished the Parker and Hardy families could have attended. Well, Peter and Felicia did say that Harley, Cassie, Ava, and Sam ended up being like their family too. But the two still wished their moms were there.
When the pregnancy photos were shown, Felicia quietly snorted at how big her stomach was. She was carrying twins after all. No regrets though. They loved their children with all their hearts.
The photo of Felicia cradling the twins for the first time though was Peter’s personal favorite. Felicia looked exhausted, but was as radiant as ever. And the smile and love on her face was just unreal. May and Lydia both nodded in agreement. They both somewhat understood why he loved that photo so much; it was the photo that confirmed that he was a father to two lovely children, who were being held by his beautiful and loving wife.
While they were sad that they were not present for some major milestones in their lives, May and Lydia steadied themselves. Seeing all of that settled them. At least they did their best and lived out the best lives possible.
“Were you two happy then?” May smiled at them.
“We were definitely happy then. I mean… A lot of our dreams came true the last few years,” Felicia said sincerely.
“But now… Now it’s even better. We’re happier now because we have the two of you back,” Peter added with a soft smile.
That caused a very tearful and emotional group hug then and there.
“That’s so amazing,” Hope sniffled. She had just finished listening to Cassie and Harley’s version of the past few years.
“I haven’t gotten tired of that,” Scott wiped a tear from his eye.
“Easy there, Scott. That ain’t gonna be a bedtime story,” Harley teased, which caused everyone to laugh at that.
“Yeah, it won’t,” Cassie agreed. “But yeah, the last few years have been something.”
“To say the least,” Hope drawled. “You two did really good though,” she added proudly while giving them a soft smile.
“They all did great, really,” Scott pointed out.
“I like to think we did,” Harley shrugged, then also flashed a smile himself as he wrapped an arm around his wife.
“Yeah,” Cassie agreed as she cuddled into him. “We did our best.”
“I don’t think I could have asked you to do any better than what you did, hija,” Hector said sincerely as he wiped a few tears from his eyes. He wanted to be part of his daughter’s life and milestones over the last few years so bad… But he contented himself with knowing that she did her best.
“Thank you, papa,” Ava gave a watery smile.
“And your husband… I think I would have butted heads a few times with him, but at least I know he cares for you deeply. Sometimes, that’s all I could, and should, ask for.”
Sam breathed out in relief at that. “Th-Thanks, Sir.”
“Of course, Sam,” Hector nodded as he patted the young man’s shoulder.
The Parkers still had some Bolognese sauce which was in the freezer. At least they cooked it a few days before the time heist, and it could last for months at a time if frozen. Felicia would just have to make some pasta first.
“So where did you pick that up?” Lydia asked wryly as Felicia was cracking some eggs.
“Oh you know, we had to do something during one of the spring breaks,” Felicia replied, looking quite smug. She couldn’t believe it as well, but her pasta tasted even better after incorporating homemade noodles. It was appreciated by everyone on the team, and the twins absolutely loved her cooking.
“That we did,” Peter came from behind to embrace his wife, who gave him a quick peck on the cheek. The couple always enjoyed quiet and domestic moments like what they were relishing. Never got old for them.
May looked at them dotingly. She always loved how affectionate Peter was to his loved ones. And she was looking forward to the supposed improved version of Felicia’s pasta.
Wally and Katie looked excited as ever for their mom’s cooking. When dinner was served, the kids immediately hummed in satisfaction. Same with Peter, causing Felicia smirk. ‘Never change, Lover. Never change,’ she mused to herself.
Their moms also agreed that her pasta tasted even better than they remember, which they didn’t think was possible.
After dinner, they all go back to the great room once again to watch a movie. Lydia and May asked to watch any of the newer movies that they missed, interested to see the quality of films that were released while they were gone. Peter and Felicia obliged, and even the twins didn’t complain; they just wanted to see their grandmas happy.
The couple sat next to each other, of course. Peter had Katie on his lap, while Felicia had Wally on hers. May sat next to Peter first, while Lydia was next to Felicia. Everyone smiled at one another just before the movie started rolling.
And it was an eye-opening evening for Lydia. She could count with one hand the nights she would spend ‘quality time’ with Felicia. Well, it was mostly due to her managing the company but well… The sight of her daughter being such a great mom made her feel inadequate. For a split second, Lydia wondered if she could have done better with Felicia.
‘I guess…’ Lydia admitted to herself. Seeing Peter as both husband and father though, she could tell that they were a great team in the household. Maybe that’s why Felicia was still a capable mother to the twins. Not that she would ever blame Walter’s mistake for her own shortcomings. Still, it was a nice thought in her mind: her daughter finding the right partner as both spouse and parent of her children.
As the movie started, they all felt that everything was set right.
Scott and Hope shared a beer on the balcony by their room. Little Scottie had retired for the night, while Cassie and Harley had an early morning the following day for work. They did miss a little over a week due to the time heist preparations as well as the aftermath of the Battle of Earth.
Well, Scott was convinced that those two needed some ‘private time’. Which Hope agreed with. At least he knew that he could no longer have any real say on that matter.
And he was thankful that they all designed the rooms to have a ‘soundproof’ option. All they had to do was request Karen to help with that. Which they did that night.
Hector on his end was still sharing a beer with Sam. Ava and Ollie had retired for the night on their ends. The men though had to somehow get to know and ‘catch-up’ with one another for all the years they missed.
Sam though understood why Ava’s father was like that. At some point in his friendship with Peter and Harley, Sam realized that he was the only one of the boys who didn’t have the blessing of their respective partner’s parents. Which was never his fault, really. He met Ava just as the Decimation occurred, and the girl had just become an orphan because of that event.
And Peter and Harley got to meet at least one of the parents before the Snap happened. Lydia spent time with Peter, and gave him her blessing with Felicia. Then Harley got to spend a good amount of time with Scott, and the latter almost loved him like his own son. Then at some point, Peter met Walter Hardy, who expressly assured him that there was no other man for his daughter.
All of those stories were relayed to Sam at some point. And the guy always felt happy for his closest friends upon hearing that. With a hint of jealousy though, because he wanted that as well. That approval of those who cared about his beloved for so long. ‘At least they got to hear the parents of their wives give blessings…’ he would often say to himself.
Now though, he has a chance to have that.
“Your favorite memory of my hija?” Hector asked amicably. Sam was no Peter or Harley, but at least he was genuine in his love for Ava.
“Hmmm… There are two,” Sam nodded as he feigned a thinking pose, and Hector looked intrigued. “The first is when I proposed to her when we were in Rio De Janeiro. I told Pete and Harls that there was a plan, but it had to be a secret, and no videotaping of the event, because Ava would kill me if I caught her crying on camera.”
“And you actually got her to cry?” Hector asked amusedly.
“I did,” Sam answered with a sh*t-eating grin on his face. He was somewhat surprised to see that Hector also had a grin himself. “Well, the room’s bed had rose petals shaped in a heart, I handed a bouquet, and told her what she meant to me from the bottom of my heart. Then I got on my knee, showed the ring, and asked her to marry me. Ava just wanted someone sincere to be with her.”
“Good man,” Hector said appreciatively. At least Sam recognized that, and had actually been that kind of partner to his daughter. He trusted his daughter’s tastes, but it was reassuring to have that kind of confirmation. “And the second memory?”
Sam smiled softly as his eyes welled up with tears. “When Ollie was born, and Ava held our baby for the first time in her arms. I didn’t think I’d be so happy to see that. Pete and Harls hyped up how amazing that is, and I didn’t really listen to them on that, but then… Then it happened to me too. It really was something like a miracle.”
Hector was smiling quite widely there. He could still remember the day Maria held little Ava for the first time too. And he always believed that event would, without a doubt, be an emotional moment for new parents. In fact, that was somewhat confirmed on his end when he saw the photo album’s segment where the ladies gave birth to their children.
“One of the greatest miracles I was fortunate enough to witness a version of,” Hector told him.
“Yeah… Yeah it is,” Sam smiled at that.
Hector then patted the young man’s shoulder. “You’re a good man, Samuel,” he sincerely told him.
And with that, Sam felt a weight be lifted off his shoulders, as he gave another content smile.
The following day, everyone gathered in the Parker Penthouse for the group lunch they all promised each other. It was the practice they all had, even on a work day: They would still go upstairs to have their meals. Lunch, afternoon snacks, and especially dinner. As much as possible, they would ‘go home’ for their meals. And the kids stayed with the moms first, since no one wanted them to be in a lab. Plus, they didn’t just trust anyone to babysit.
Well, Sam Alexander was still trying to finish his degree in Empire State University, so he couldn’t babysit. But he was still questionable as a person to watch over a bunch of superbabies. Peter and Harley just never seemed to let go of that Hangover spinoff he caused.
“Sweeties, I’d love to look after them during the day,” May offered in her classic good-natured way and trademark smile. She knew how hectic the day jobs of the ladies were, so she didn’t want them to be as burdened as they were in looking after the kids and the companies at the same time. Also, she really wanted to spend more time with all the toddlers.
“I’m volunteering too,” Hector raised his hand. He still wanted to try and make up for lost time.
“Same here,” Scott and Hope said at the same time.
“Aw what the heck… I’m in too,” Lydia chuckled while adorning a bright smile on her face.
“Aren’t you two going back to work?” Harley asked Scott and Hope.
“And don’t you want to still be part of the force, papa?” Ava asked her dad.
“Not that I don’t mind, but… Wow, you sure mom?” Felicia’s eyes widened.
“Okay, one, finding work is going to be kinda tricky with everyone reappearing all of a sudden, so I’m in no rush,” Scott shrugged. “Unless… Parker Industries is interested in someone with a Master’s in Electrical Engineering,” he turned to the genius duo. “Look, I know that it’s no Doctorate, and it’s not even from MIT, but still, it has to be something.”
“You sure about that Scott? I mean, that is Harley’s field, so you’ll be working under him,” Peter raised an eyebrow. While everyone respected Scott for wanting to actually start working again, it was a little awkward that he would be a subordinate to his son-in-law.
“I don’t mind,” Scott shrugged.
“Well then, send in your application, and HR will get back to ya ASAP!” Harley said excitedly. They wanted the formalities to at least be followed. At least that way, ‘bias’ and ‘perceived bias’ would be minimized. Scott and Hope beamed at the support. At least they were going to get a shot in working in a multinational company.
“Hija, I was mostly working to help keep the area safe and earn a living. These days, it’s as safe as it’s going to get, and money is no longer an issue. Plus, I missed time with family,” he gave a soft smile to Ollie.
“Can’t complain about that then,” Ava smiled sweetly.
“And princess, I have time now. Time for family,” Lydia said gently as she squeezed her daughter’s hand. “And I learned that I should not take those early years for granted,” she gave a watery smile. Lydia was so apologetic to Felicia for her shortcomings as a mother, especially after seeing how much better her daughter was at it even while managing the businesses.
“I never took it against you,” Felicia whispered to her mom in a reassuring tone. “And I still loved you no matter what,” she continued sincerely. While she was closer to her dad overall, Felicia still kept Lydia in a part of her heart, knowing that her mom loved her in a different way. At least now Lydia was willing to help around the house.
Then they heard someone clear their throat. Turning to the source of the sound, it came from May.
“What? No one’s questioning my decision to babysit?” She asked amusedly, causing everyone in the room to burst out laughing.
“May,” Peter said through his chuckles. “I think we all expected that from you. It’s pretty much part of who you are!” He said sweetly with a smile. “Fel and I aren’t surprised to hear that from you!”
“Yeah, we aren’t!” Felicia giggled out.
“Oh what the heck,” May playfully shook her head. “At least you were sure you’d get one babysitter because of me.”
“That we were,” Felicia’s giggles continued.
The next few days passed by quickly. Scott and Hope applied for a couple of positions in Parker Industries and had their interviews. May, Lydia, and Hector were all enjoying their ‘retirement’ by looking after their grandkids. They all spent their days together with Wally, Katie, Scottie, and Ollie by helping them learn or playing with them. And they alternated the floors they would be in, at the request of the toddlers, which was a nice change of pace. At the moment, they had no plans of moving out of the tower just yet.
Early one Saturday morning, the young adults all got up early, and so did their kids. They were all having breakfast together. May, Lydia, and Hector all wondered what the occasion was.
“Oh you’ll see,” Peter replied cheekily. “How about you come and join us?”
“Yeah, that’ll be great,” Felicia beamed at that.
The three older adults smiled softly, secretly overjoyed at the life they were living now.
Apparently, the young adults were taking the kids to Central Park. All the toddlers developed a liking to any and all parks in the city. Mostly for the ducks that they fed with oats, which was much healthier for the avians.
And the toddlers always loved strolling around with their parents and friends.
May, Lydia, and Hector though quickly spotted that the little ones were pairing up with one another. Wally and Ollie were holding hands while holding the Tupperware that contained their share of oats. Same thing with Scottie and Katie as well. The older Parker found it incredibly endearing and the sights melted her heart. However, she just had to make sure of one thing.
“Peter, uhm,” she whispered to her nephew, who quickly leaned into her. “The kids…” May pointed to the pairs.
“Oh, right,” Peter chuckled. “You know, Pepper also made us promise that we’d never ‘force’ any outcome or relationships. So what you’re seeing is all them,” he smiled softly at the sight of the twins with their besties.
“Trust us, Pepper was almost as strict with that as the ‘no superbabies yet’ rule when we first moved into the lake house,” Felicia stage whispered. Everyone chuckled at that.
“Well, I can’t really ask for more,” May giggled out.
Everyone’s phones were out, either taking videos or pictures of the sight. For the older adults, it’s full of pictures of the toddlers, their kids, and several group photos. It’s been weird enough that they somehow missed a few years by blinking, so now they wanted to capture every moment. The young adults’ phones had countless pictures of their babies, almost as many couple selfies, an untold number of group/team pictures, and various family photos, especially recently.
“Never gets old,” Peter whispered as one hand recording Wally and Katie throwing some oats around, as his other hand wrapped around his wife’s waist.
“Nope,” Felicia agreed as she gave a sweet smile, doing her own recording as well.
“Can’t let moments like these go to waste, yeah?” Harley jovially asked.
“I’d treasure these forever,” Cassie answered dotingly.
“Same here,” Ava chimed in.
“Count me in,” Sam said sincerely.
They return to the tower just before lunch time. Since some of the Avengers and the Starks were visiting, they all decided that it would be best that they just order take-out. Lots of take-out, since Peter, Felicia, Steve, Thor, and Loki were all going to be present. Which meant extra pizzas, or extra orders of baby back ribs. Or both, if they were feeling up to it.
Luckily, the food arrived just before the guests did.
The Starks were the first to show. Tony was still being wheeled around by Pepper, but at least Morgan could help carry a few things here and there. And of course, he was impressed by the tower. Well, Tony just wasn’t prepared to say that it was even nicer than the old Stark Tower, but Pepper admitted that a long time ago.
“Okay wow, this penthouse is pretty sweet,” Tony nodded approvingly. And he never said it out loud, but he always liked Felicia’s taste (in food, clothes, and furniture).
“Glad you like the place, Tony,” Peter said proudly.
“And you all have bonsais in your atriums?” Tony asked.
“Not us,” Harley chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Cassie’s shoulder. “I order a bunch of flowers every week, which are all displayed there.”
“And it smells amazing when the elevator doors open,” Scott drawled as Hope nodded in agreement.
“… We’re seeing that place after lunch. Please,” Tony turned to Pepper, who nodded while looking amused that her husband requested something like that.
Just then, the next batch of guests arrived in Thor and Loki. The god of mischief was also quite impressed with the interior design of the home. Particularly of the bonsai tree that greeted them when the elevator doors opened.
“Good morrow, fellow Avengers!” Thor declared as he entered the room.
“Good day as well,” Loki followed. “And I must say, this home is truly tastefully done,” he nodded in approval.
“Well thank you very much, Loki,” Felicia said smugly. Peter gave her complete and free reign with regard to the interior design of their home. She always did have better taste than him in those kinds of things.
With that, Peter had just opened the French doors leading to the terrace, to give a bit of an indoor-outdoor feel. They normally didn’t need to do that on most days. However, they were having a lot of guests over, so it just made sense.
Finally, Steve and Sharon arrived, along with Jamie, Bucky, Sam, Natasha, and Kate. When they entered the room, Bucky and Sam let out low whistles at the sight of the home.
“Man, you kids really made it big time,” Sam said, quite apparent in admiration.
“You can say that again,” Bucky mumbled in agreement.
Kate on her end was still impressed by the place. She was regularly in Felicia’s old penthouse before the Decimation happened and had an idea as to the finer things in life that Felicia’s family indulged in. It was different from Tony’s style, which was loud and ostentatious at times. The Hardys though were a little more muted and lowkey, except when it came to jewelry. Still, the home was a step up, even by the standards that Felicia lived in before.
“Reminds me of your old place, Licia,” Kate said fondly.
“Kinda does, right?” Felicia gave her a soft smile.
“We all know that Fel’s old place was awesome, so she decided to take to the next level,” Peter articulated. He was so fond of the old penthouse as well, since he spent a lot of nights there, and they all lived in that place for a while. Then he and Felicia would have private dates on their free days there when the rest moved to the lake house full time.
Let’s just say that those dates weren’t necessarily quiet. They did have an entire floor to themselves and didn’t have to worry about waking anybody up. So their multiple rounds would echo around the place in case they forgot to close the door to the master suite properly. And they also kind of did that when they just moved into the newly renovated tower at the time.
Which they kept to themselves. No one else needed to know that. No one.
“I can just imagine how quiet it must have been here when you all moved in for the first time,” Kate quietly teased them with a smirk on their face. That caused Peter and Felicia to turn to a funny shade of pink. Of course she was aware just how loud those two could be at the heat of the moment. “Some things never change, huh?” Kate asked smugly.
“Nope,” Peter snorted, then pressed a kiss on the crown of her head. Felicia then approached her to kiss her cheek.
Tony, Steve, and Bucky all gave the trio watery smiles. They still remember the times wherein the three of them would all go out, eat, or simply hang out together. Well, Tony heard of their ‘first time’ together as well, straight from their mouths too.
It was still sad to know that Peter and Felicia broke up with Kate, even if it was done gently. And it was no one’s fault. None of them did anything to merit one breaking up with the other; they were always so good for one another. It was just that circumstance played a big role in that decision: Kate was dusted, while Peter and Felicia weren’t, so the latter two continued aging. When the Snap was reversed, Kate didn’t age a day, while Peter and Felicia were in their mid-20s. And that’s not even accounting for the fact that Peter and Felicia moved on in a healthy way, continued living their lives, got married, and had kids.
At least Kate’s been looking better over the last few days. With coming back, Clint’s death, and Peter moving on, some might even be surprised to have seen her present for the lunch. Well, she also got integrated quite well with the New Young Avengers recently, who were all excited to have her as a teammate.
They all settled into lunch nicely. And it featured pizzas, ribs, and sesame chicken. It was kind of a welcome back home meal on their end.
“How’s everything these days?” Peter asked those who reappeared.
“It’s taking a while, but we’re getting back on our feet,” Hope said amicably.
“New Asgard is well. And I must thank all of you who have been there for my brother through the years,” Loki declared appreciatively.
“That is great to hear though,” Cassie nodded.
“And I heard there were a few super soldiers running around these days?” Bucky asked.
“Yeah… About those guys…” Felicia trailed. Then the rest of the young adults mentioned of the encounter they had with Silver Sable when they were on a mission in China. And no, they still didn’t dare mention Sam’s bachelor party. However, they did mention, rather smugly, of the possibility that the serum came from a set that survived the Madripoor adventure. “So, gonna do something about it?”
“I think we should, yeah,” Sam Wilson agreed as he looked to Bucky and Natasha.
“Need us to join in?” Harley asked.
“Nah. Take care of the kids first,” Natasha waved that off while Sam and Bucky were shaking their heads. They had done enough. More than necessary, even if multiple lifetimes were accounted for. And she was especially thankful for receiving a replacement album containing the pictures of her Avengers family (thank goodness for cloud storage).
“Keep saving the world in other ways,” Tony pointed out. He was so proud of their inventions and initiatives. Especially of the Hardy-Parker Foundation, which was going to be final piece of the puzzle to help eradicate crime.
“Not contesting that,” Peter snorted. At least that would give him and Felicia plenty of time to be with the kids. Now especially, since they had to help the kiddos learn how to regulate their powers in public.
And that surprised Kate a bit. Peter was no longer that same impulsive kid who was always excited to get into his Spider-Man suit to patrol or go on missions. Now, he was a little more reserved, and his priorities changed. Well, raising a family will definitely make one reconsider what’s important and worth fighting for.
“Same here,” Felicia giggled out, then turned to the kids, who were all playing with Morgan.
Following his wife’s gaze, Peter turned to the twins, and a smile formed on his face. It’s been a strange journey through life so far, but least the people he spent it with was more than worthwhile. Sure, there were shortcomings and frustrations, but they learned to live with and accept those. Maybe it’s what made the good times even better.
He turns back to the people they were having lunch with. A content smile adorns his face. At least they helped give the world… The universe, a second chance.
The End.