Chapter Text
★
Peter was scribbling something away in a notebook. Just thoughts on their recent project he had running around his mind really, but one thing Reed Richards insisted on was that every small idea had to be written down. So Peter had a notebook again now.
He almost didn’t notice that someone was approaching him. Almost.
The Fantastic Four had a special feeling to them. It was like Peter could sense their atoms vibrating, like they were constantly sort of softly buzzing and radiating warmth. Though no one radiated warmth like Johnny Storm.
“What’s up Doc?”, that Johnny Storm now said, leaning onto the counter Peter was sitting on.
He was at a cafe, waiting for Harry and MJ for their biweekly catch-up-on-things-meeting. They all had hectic lives and would barely see each other without this popping up on their calenders twice a month. But for once in his life he was actually too early. Admittetly, it was because they pushed the time back an hour now and he forgot to write it down. So he was half an hour early now.
“What’s up ‘Wish you were here’?” That was their thing as Johnny Storm and Peter Parker now. One media reference about some scientist, one about someone on fire, though Peter was slowly running out of ideas.
“Someone like you shouldn’t be sitting alone in a café, you know“, Johnny said, sliding onto the barstool next to him and ordering a coffee like second nature.
“I‘m waiting for friends“, the brunette explained, closing his notebook because how could he pay attention to anything but Johnny when he was there. He sighed internally at that.
Johnny arched a brow, an unbelieving look on his face, “And you’re early?“
“Wrote down the wrong time.“
“Ah, now that’s the Peter I know, I was getting worried, jeez“, he pressed a hand to his heart, the dramatic prat.
Peter just rolled his eyes, “And why are you here? Sue kicked you out to get some fresh air?“
Johnny frowned, confused. “How'd you know?“
Peter burst out laughing, “No way she did that.”
“It’s actually not a rare occurance”, Johnny admitted unfazed, watching Peter with burning blue eyes. “Apparently bothering you and Stretch isn’t enough ‘leaving my room’“, he shrugged.
“Well, a fire needs air”, Peter said, taking a sip of his drink.
“And fuel”, Johnny added as the barista set down his coffee that looked like more milk than anything else.
A moment passed.
Then, Johnny noted, “I haven’t seen you around this week”, he nudged him with his arm softly, Peter’s stomach doing weird things at that.
“Oh, yeah I was helping my aunt with some things and there was a miscommunication with college I had to take care of.” And I was being chased through half New York by my best friend‘s gone insane father on a glider, but he couldn’t say that. That’s why he hoped MJ would come early, he really couldn’t handle Harry complaining about Spider-Man right now, when a cut on his right thigh from yesterday still burnt a little. “What, missed me?“, he added, smirking into his drink.
Johnny sulked for a moment, “Sue did. Talked about you like her firstborn that just left the house. Ben and I had to endure the science-rants. Wonder I didn’t run away, really.”
Peter smiled to himself. “I‘ll be there tomorrow though, so your suffering will be ending soon.”
A relieved sigh came from the blond. “You’re sent from heaven. Be careful or Sue adopts you!“
“I mean, not that I‘d mind…“ He got an elbow in the ribs for that.
They talked in their usual bantering way until Mary Jane and Harry showed up. Peter watched Johnny leave.
When he averted his attention back to his friends MJ was looking at him with a grin. “What?”, he asked.
“Oh, nothing. What are we eating?”
Harry set down the menu. “You guys won’t believe what my father told me yesterday.”
★
It was about a year ago now. The whole thing with Doc Ock, Peter almost dying (again), Reed Richards finding out Peter Parker is Spider-Man…
Peter remembers it fairly well.
He'd been too late. Some stupid muggers had decided to get into a car and drive through parking lots and tunnels. Honestly, Peter didn’t even know New York had that much going on underground (besides the subway of course). Anyway, he was late at the one thing he didn’t want to be late to.
He was so grateful for this job, working in a lab with THE Otto Octavius. And that at 20, only halfway through his physics degree. Today Doctor Reed Richards was going to come over and look at their most recent project, controlling mechanic movement though the mind. It was a big thing, they all knew that.
And Peter was late.
He landed hard on the rooftop and striped on his jeans, shoes, and pullover, all while still panting and taking off mask and gloves. In the room leading to the lab he grabbed a labcoat, still putting it on, and already feeling his pullover sleeves going up underneath it, while trying to save his hair and saying “I‘m so sorry” to an Otto Octavius and Reed Richards, who were talking over a mechanic arm.
Otto gave him a warm smile, “It’s okay Peter. Reed, this is my genius but always late assistant Peter.” Peter doesn’t know how that man keeps up with him.
While Otto went to set something on said arm Dr Richards held his hand out to Peter, who shook it firmly, “Peter Parker, honor to meet you Doctor Richards, I loved your work on quantum tunneling.”
Dr Richards smiled and looked like he was about to say something when he looked down at their hands and stopped, eyes knitting together for a split moment and then widening slightly, looking up at Peter. It was Peter’s turn now to look at their hands in confusion. When he saw that his labcoat had run up, revealing part of his Spider-Man suit and his web shooters, he quickly pulled his hand away.
Looking panicked at Dr Richards didn’t change anything. The man knew. However, they were interrupted by Octavius.
Peter felt Dr Richards eyes on him the entire time.
An hour that felt way longer but also way shorter at the same time later, Octavius remembered a lecture he had to prepare for, excusing himself and telling Peter to show Reed the rest of the lab, if he wanted to see it. They said their goodbyes, not going anywhere once Otto left the room.
“So”, Reed Richards spoke up, “I should have figured one of us would run into you eventually.”
“It’s a small world, huh?” Peter looked up at Reed and smiled awkwardly. Reed, he was allowed to call him that. He knew him, Mister Fantastic, the Fantasic Four and him had teamed up before. They were no strangers, quite the opposite actually. He was good friends with Johnny and even stayed over after fights every now and then.
“You know we wouldn’t tell anyone, right?”
Peter sighed. He did. “I know. But I still don’t want to tell the others. I'm doing this to protect the people I love and care about, because this gets dirty sometimes and I don’t want them getting involved.”
He really hoped Reed understood that.
Reed just nodded. “If you ever need anything, you can tell me.”
“Thanks.”
Little did he know that Doctor Otto Octavius would become a victim to his own creation, and that not even a year later he would be offered a job at the lab of Reed Richards. And little did he know what would come with it.