An Invitation
The envelope sat in the freshly cleared space on Peter’s kitchen table. The heavy parchment, yes real parchment, envelope held a letter heavy with real gold leaf stood out like an accusation against the cheap IKEA surface..
The letter was ringed by bits of Lego from Ned’s destressing projects, bordered on one side by a philosophy book that Peter needed to return and mechanical parts and board game pieces on the other. It was an actual wonder they still called it a kitchen table, as nobody ate actual meals there.
“Focus Parker,”
Peter poked it with a finger and the letter came sliding out, catching slightly on the real wax seal. In concept it was pretty simple, it was a wedding invitation, hand delivered, Ned had told him with a mix of horror and wonder
Apparently the Asgardian messenger wasn’t thrilled with the idea of leaving something so important with Starkson’s roommate. Only Peter’s slightly early return from class,had convinced the Asgardian that Ned needed his head, and yes Peter was really Spiderman Starkson. Asgardians, he loved them but sometimes he understood Tony and Rhodey’s exasperation with Thor.
There was no putting it off, he read the cause of his doom for what felt like the millionth time.
TO: Peter Parker, Spiderman Starksson
Together with Her Kingdom and Subjects
Brunhilde, Valkyrie Queen of New Asgard on Midgard
AND
Jane ‘Thor of Midgard’ Foster
Request the pleasure of your company at the celebration of their Union and Mutual Coronation.
Friday, the Fifth of October
Twenty Thousand and Twenty-Nine
At Two O’ Clock in the Afternoon.
Royal Palace
New Asgard
Tonsburg Norway
Reception to Follow
Accommodations to be Provided for All in Attendance
The couple in lieu of gifts requests guests donate to the Natasha Romanoff Relief Foundation
It was beautiful and simple, Peter was going to a Royal Coronation and wedding. Peter wanted to go, hell at twenty two most of his classmates and peers were worried about internships, not weddings between Norse space Deities.
Ned had freaked out and ran into his room to call Betty before Peter finished reading the invite.
In the mutual excitement he had almost missed the R.S.V.P. form, Pepper would have skinned him alive. He started browsing the options on the form when a line at the bottom caught the entire focus of his attention.
For Security Reasons, Please Include the Name of Your Guest With Your Response.
Peter swallowed and sweat broke out on his forehead, he needed to pick a Plus One, Emphasis on the ONE!
Ned of course has chosen just the right moment to come back out and see Peter slumped back in the chair, staring at the line. Ned like a good loyal friend had leaned over, read the form, swallowed and gave a sadistic chortle.
“Dude, MJ and Harley are going to collectively kill you,” Ned gave him a sympathetic squeeze on the shoulder and grabbed some of the cookies his Mom had sent the boys from the kitchen.
He put a smaller plate of cookies on the table along with a beer and left Peter to his fate, like a good friend does. “Looks like you have to make a choice bro.”
Peter slumped forward, face in his hands, with a strangled “Oh, My God”
______________________
The Arrangement, as it was unofficially known, had started in the Summer between the disaster that was graduation and freshman year of college.
Things had happened during the high school year which led to Peter breaking up and getting back together with Michelle multiple times.
In some of those rebound times he hung out with, and later unknowingly-so he thought, flirted with Harley. During an attack at the Valentine’s day dance Harley and Peter had kissed.
After some mortifying moments of gay panic and trying to date both Michelle and Harley in secret Graduation Day had happened.
After some embarrassment, and NEVER, to be repeated if Peter had his way, mutual attempted self-sacrifices and life-saving the trio had come up with the Arrangement.
It was a compromise, MJ was going to college on the west coast, Harley on the east. Peter would date both on a coastal basis. .
When he was in California he was with Michelle, in New York and Boston he was with Harley.
In all honesty it was amazing Pepper had agreed that Peter’s Stark Internship allotment would cover cross-country flights every few weeks.
College Graduation happened, MJ went to work for Pepper as her assistant, Harley and Peter were working on their first and maybe for Peter first of many, Masters and Doctorates and they settled on a routine on the same coast.
Harley and MJ split weekends seeing Peter and Peter lived with Ned to avoid showing anything that resembled favoritism.
It was a good system, it worked, until now…
He was going to be a dead man, there was no way around it. Hell there was really no one he could talk to about this.
Rhodey did his best to keep mentoring Peter after Tony, but he had never really been on board for the double dating thing, as he called it.
Sam could recommend a therapist for relationship stuff, but that would take far too long.
May and Pepper, were just as confused by this. They both liked Harley and MJ respectively but didn't really understand everything involved.
He needed an outside perspective. Someone who he knew he could rely on, but didn't really have the emotional entanglement that everyone else he knew did.
He grabbed for his phone, half charged as usual and opened up his list of secret contacts. He scrolled quickly past his normal Avengers contacts to a much smaller list. One contact, he had it tagged for emergencies only...if this didn't qualify he didn't know what did.
Peter Parker placed a phone call.