Still Peter Parker (One Shots)

Aftershocks

Peter staggered backwards hearing what Aunt May had told him. He let out a breath, "W-what, no. It can't be-" He had already lost five years to The Blip, and now he lost eight more years. He embraced May and hugged her to his chest, sobs wracking his chest. In total, he had lost thirteen years to disappearances caused by omniscient powers.

Aunt May nodded and ran her hands through his hair comfortingly. "Today was the eight year anniversary-" she let out a loud sob, "-I was here trying to get them to look into the case again. And here you are, my boy." She let go of him suddenly and grabbed her phone, "Oh they're going to be thrilled!"

Peter rubbed his arms as he continued to register all that was happening. "Who?" The officers pulled May and himself away into a private room to continue their reunion, along with the promise of getting answers from him before he leaves the station.

"Morgan, MJ, and Ned of course!" May responded. She quickly dialled a number once they were alone in the room and soon a blue-tinted hologram popped up.

"May? What are you calling so late for-" a female voice chirped, rock music playing in the background along with various machinery whirling. Her head hung down as she fiddled with a screwdriver on something off-screen. She continued to talk without lifting her head, "Is it about Peter? Did they refuse to open his case? I'll be right there, just tuning up Dad's old suit..."

Before May could answer, Peter whispered, "Morgan?" He let out a quivering sigh at hearing her maturing voice. If what May had told him was correct, she was fifteen now, only one year his junior.

A gasp sounded as her head snapped upward to look into the hologram. She sprang backwards, tipping her stool and falling onto the ground, a clatter of things falling rang throughout the room. A few seconds later, the top half of her head peeped over the desk she had been working on, "Holy shit, Peter?"

Peter has more tears in his eyes, "Morgan, you're so old now-" she no longer was missing her front teeth, no longer wearing sparkly cat ears and a fake tool-belt. Now she was older, matured, and was looking more like her father and mother with each second Peter studied her. She now had a bomber jacket littered with various Avengers patches, a real tool belt on her hips filled with various gadgets, and her hair was dyed a neon blue.

Morgan yelled to someone off-camera, and soon others filtered into the workshop. Wanda and Shuri popped from around the corner, both to be looking in their early twenties. Shuri was the one who yelled first and started to ramble onto Peter about how much she had missed her partner in crime, as well as how many different memes he missed. That he even missed the Jonas Brothers and One Direction getting back together! Before Peter could comment on how there were more pressing matters at hand, the hologram died out and 'call ended' was displayed on the screen.

May looked confused but took the opportunity to call Ned instead. When Ned answered he started to hyperventilate at the look of his (ex)missing friend. "PETER?" Ned screamed so loud that Pete was scared his ears would start to bleed due to his amplified hearing.

"Ned! I'm here! You look so old?" Ned was sitting there, his features had finally filled into his face, losing the rounded look, and he was wearing a collared shirt and tie. Books littered around the room along with various electronic parts.

Ned laughed, "Wow, this is all so insane- and hey I'm only in my twenties. I still haven't graduated from university!" He took a shuddering breath, "MIT is so hard, I'm trying so hard to get my degree but they're working me like a dog!"

Peter found himself in tears for the third time that night. Ned had made it into his dream school, and he wasn't there to see it. Peter wasn't there for the nerve-wracking letter opening, to help his friend move into the dorm, for anything...

Ned and he had a promise, a deal, to have a sleepover the night before they opened all of their letters. To rewatch all of the Star Wars and eat packs of Oreos as a de-stressing before taking turns opening their letters together. And now... now that wasn't an option.

Without another word, Ned announced, "I'm booking a ticket to come over! I'll see you in a couple of hours- and if I hear you've disappeared again, I don't care about your superpowered ass, I will beat you up!" With that, the call ended.

May then rang MJ, who answered after a few beats. She was looking as cool as ever, her hair in a quick bun and an off-the-shoulder shirt displaying the saying 'Social Constructs are Inconsequential.' A shimmering Harvard banner hung behind her, next to a bunch of posters and photos, a few photos of which were of him, Mj and Ned goofing around in Debate. But there was also a black and white page that fluttered due to the airflow in the room. His missing person's poster.

She spat out the iced coffee she was sipping on, her hologram flickered for a second before coming back into focus. "You son of a-" the hologram flickered again, "Welcome back, I was literally just in the middle of putting together a case to get your file reopened. Seems then I can stop putting it together considering you're right here." Her eyes shone as she stared at Peter, "And not a day older, seems The Blip came for you twice." She cracked a smile and just then a voice came through, "MJ, who you on the phone with?"

A head popped around the corner of a person unknown to Peter. MJ mouthed 'roommate' and the girl's eyes widened. "It's the guy from the missing person poster you have! Yo, dude, you were just on Buzzfeed Unsolved a couple of days ago!" The girl looked back at MJ, "I thought you were just a fan of the mystery case, didn't know you knew him though..."

MJ rolled her eyes and pushed her roommate out of view. "I'm booking a ticket, seems Ned is too, he just texted- don't disappear again, Peter." MJ quickly ended the call but not before rolling her eyes goodnaturedly at her roommate who rambled on about his case.

May's phone died after the call ended, she mumbled something about 'holo phones having a terrible battery life.' Peter slumped into one of the two chairs that were laid out in the room.

Soon the Police came in and started to question him, about how Spider-Man had disappeared for eight years and came back without a scratch or sign of ageing. Apparently, while he was missing his identity had been revealed.

He answered their intense questions as truthfully as he could, which was easy because again, somehow his secret-identity had been discovered, so he now had basically nothing to hide.

Before he knew it, his friends were streaming into the room hugging him until he couldn't breathe. The Avengers had arrived first, Morgan leading the way. They smothered him until Ned and MJ both showed up with tears in their eyes as they embraced their third musketeer.

Peter had tears running down his face the entire time. Everyone he knew was so old, so mature. It was insane to think in another world he'd have grown up with them, but he didn't. Instead, he had to sit and deal with the aftershocks of a higher power deciding to steal the years from him.

Years he would never get back.

Instead of dwelling, Peter used the time with his loved ones to listen to their tales and own lives. One thing Peter knew for sure, it was that he was going to find out what happened to him if it was the last thing he does.

Oh, and also watch his Buzzfeed Unsolved episode. He couldn't believe the show was still running, but he was in no way complaining.

Peter grinned up at his family and friend and embraced them all in a giant group hug. But, before he did all of that he was going to sit here and remind them he loved each and every one of them. Because he knew that no matter what happened that he would be fine. He knew that his friends and family would always be there for him, even after almost a decade.

With that thought, he laughed quietly to himself and tuned back into Morgan telling him about her first year of high school and how Harvey gave her his potato gun to shoot anyone who made fun of her. He was going to be just fine, they all were.

-=-

Your girl now has two jobs this summer starting Monday. Office job and I'm literally sixteen and everyone is literally forty so we'll see how it goes! Wish me luck!!

-SecretsInMyHead