Chapter 2
Later that night, Peter found himself sat comfortably on top of a Manhattan rooftop, joint in his hand, and a hot pizza next to him. He’d acquired the items firstly by preventing a mugging. The mugger in question just so happened to have weed so Peter thought it was only fair to put it to better use. After all, the mugger did not deserve the weed, and Peter had saved at least three lives tonight, so what was the harm in him obtaining something that would allow him to chill out for a while before going back to the tower. The pizza came when he’d stopped a pizza shop customer from running off without paying. He’d felt kind of bad about that, because maybe the guy was starving and couldn’t afford food, until he got a nasty punch right in the stomach. Turns out it was just another kid who thought it was cool to steal from hard-working people. Apparently, the manager appreciated him stepping in because he was rewarded with a massive pizza and as many toppings as he wanted completely free of charge.
And the pizza tasted good. Not just good… incredible. Out of this universe. Another perk of weed, I guess, Peter pondered. His head was fuzzy, and he wasn’t too sure how long he’d sat on the rooftop for. He figured it was definitely time to head back to the tower before Tony started wondering where he was again.
That night, as he crawled into bed, he felt weightless for the first time in months, maybe even years. He passed out almost instantly and woke up eight hours later. No nightmares, no insomnia. Just deep, restful sleep.
Peter sat up and rubbed his eyes, shock setting in when he realized that he’d slept through the night. He still felt tired, the same tired that he had felt for a long time. But he also felt happy. Or at least happier. He got dressed and went in search of his guardian. Walking into the kitchen, he found himself presented with a huge array of breakfast food. It had clearly been delivered from the upmarket café down the street, which was a blessing because Tony wasn’t the best at cooking. He poured himself a glass of fresh orange juice and sat down opposite his guardian, tucking into his breakfast. Tony placed the StarkPad that he’d been working on face down on the table to ensure that he wouldn’t get distracted. Mealtimes were always a good opportunity to talk when life got hectic, so he always tried to be present. They exchanged small talk for a while, just enjoying each other’s company.
Soon after Peter finished eating, he excused himself to finish off the homework that was due the following day. He sat at his desk, study playlist softly playing in the background and got started with his essay. It was kind of mind numbing but Peter had always found some enjoyment in his school work. It was far too easy most of the time but there was something satisfying about studying and learning that was unlike anything else. He used to be embarrassed but after growing closer to Tony and seeing the same passion for knowledge in his role model that he’d been pushing down for so long he’d embraced his nerdy side completely. It was also sometimes a nice change to write an essay instead of studying the math and science related stuff that Tony had been teaching him when he’d realized that Peter could do AP Chemistry in his sleep. Truthfully, as much as Peter adored science, he was also in love with the power of words and poetry.
Before he knew it, Peter had finished his schoolwork and decided to meet up with Ned for coffee. Recently, Peter’s weekends had been taken up by visits to the compound where he trained with some of the Avengers and he’d had little time to spend with his best friend. But Tony had been quick to realise how hard he had been working and forced him to take a break from superhero extra curriculars this weekend, reminding him that he was still a kid – something that used to make Peter frustrated but was now grateful for. He’d been through way too much in the past couple of years and he finally realized that it was good to have someone looking out for his wellbeing.
Peter ordered an americano while Ned chose a latte. He sometimes liked to go for the fancier drinks that were more sugar than anything else but, when it really came down to it, Peter didn’t think there was anything better than a good, strong coffee. They sat down in the emptiest corner of the coffee shop; something that Peter did automatically now after the few times he’d been out in public with Tony. No one had quite managed to connect the two at this point because of their meticulously planned outings but he knew it was only a matter of time before people started asking questions about him.
“So, I saw you went to MJ’s after patrol the other day.” Ned said. They’d been chatting aimlessly about school beforehand, but Peter knew the topic was bound to come up. They never spoke about it but Ned’s slight anxiety about Peter’s safety when he was out as Spiderman meant that he often hacked into the suit to check that Peter got home safe and well after patrol.
“Yeah. It wasn’t planned or anything and I basically just crashed there because I didn’t wanna swing back to the tower. No big deal, really. Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, dude.” Peter replied, hoping that Ned wasn’t upset that he’d not shared this information straight away.
“Peter, that’s totally a big deal. I can’t believe it’s taken you two this long, honestly. The chemistry between you guys has been right there for months. Do you know how many times I’ve literally wanted to scream in your face to just ask her out? And don’t worry man, I don’t expect you to tell me every little detail about your life.” Ned smiled. Peter was relieved.
Peter spent the next 20 minutes telling Ned all about how he’d finally told MJ how he feels, grinning the entire time because he had forgotten how great it was to confide in his best friend. Ned had matured a lot since Aunt May had passed away and had become an amazing confidant. Still, he left out the part about the weed, knowing that Ned would most definitely not approve.
“Hey,” Ned said after a slight lull in the conversation. “I forgot to tell you, I was texting Flash about the biology homework this morning and he mentioned that he’s having a party next weekend. Please can we go? I know the last party we went to sucked but, now that Flash isn’t a dick, I think it will be fun.”
“I’ll have to check with Tony, but I’m sure he’ll be cool about it.” Peter replied. Now that Flash had finally grown up and realized that he actually had a lot in common with Ned and Peter they’d actually become good friends. After the initial apology/groveling period, of course. The more they learned about Flash’s personal life, it was easy to understand why he’d been such a bully. Of course, his bad relationship with his parents was no excuse for his cruelty, but it certainly made it easier for the boys to forgive him.