Yes, I should be writing other stories. But my muse is a flighty thing, and this is what it landed on. Keep in mind this takes place maybe a month after Homecoming ends. I have no idea what time of year that movie takes place in, but we're gonna pretend it was late spring because now it's the beginning of summer.

"Hell yeah, dude. We're done!" Ned pumped his fists above his head in triumph, skipping for a step along the sidewalk.

Peter smiled and gave a cheer, following his friend as they walked down the street and away from Midtown High.

They had just come out of their last exam of the school year. It might not have been his best work, but Peter felt the weight off of his shoulders all the same. They wouldn't have to be back in that building until the fall. He felt giddy with the freedom that came along with summer break.

Ned continued, "No more studying, no more homework for three months!"

"As long as we both passed, anyway," Peter added.

Ned rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. We didn't fail. And whatever grade we get, it's not like we can do anything about it now. Hakuna matata, man."

Peter laughed. "Hakuna matata! Dude, we gotta watch that movie. I haven't seen that in so long."

"You know they're coming out with a live action one?"

"Yeah… but my question is, if it's all CGI, isn't that just another animated movie? Where do we draw the line there?"

Ned chuckled. "They're not drawing any lines anymore - get it?"

Peter elbowed him. "That is the lamest thing I've heard all week. And we sat through Principle Morita's commencement speech."

"Wow, yeah was that a hot mess or what. I swear there's a challenge out there for the lamest metaphors."

"Yeah - I mean, burritos? What?"

The two broke down laughing.

The sun baked down on them, reflecting off the pavement as they continued down the street, chatting easily. They were headed to the Coffee Bean to meet MJ, who had finished with her exams the day before (and hadn't failed to gloat about it). Peter hoped they had strong AC.

"By the way," Ned asked, "How's May doing about the whole -" his voice lowered conspiratorially "- Spider-Man thing? Has she changed her tune at all?"

Peter shrugged. "Well, we haven't really talked about it. But she hasn't told me I can start going out again. I think she's trying to figure it all out still."

Ned hitched his backpack higher up on his shoulders. "Only makes sense really. I mean, she took it better than my mom probably would've." He chuckled. "I'd be grounded for life, man."

"Yeah, I don't blame her or anything. I still wish she hadn't found out, but there's no taking it back now."

"I mean, it might be a good thing in the end," Ned suggested slowly.

Peter looked sharply over at his friend, incredulous. "What are you talking about? She's gonna be breathing down my neck forever now."

"Well, you never know. But now you don't have to come up with any more dumb excuses. And with all of the backpacks you've been losing?" he added wryly. "She was bound to figure it out eventually."

"I guess it's nice not to have to lie to her," Peter conceded. "But still, she can't stop me forever. I mean, it's summer now!"

"She'll come around," Ned said. "I mean, if anyone would come around to it, it would be her."

"You haven't seen her stressed out, you don't know."

"You gotta admit, though. She's the chillest parental figure ever. Just talk it out. It'll be fine."

"I don't know…" May hadn't brought up the topic since the night she had found out. She had blown up at him just the once, telling him that he wasn't allowed to go out as Spider-Man until further notice. She hadn't grounded him, technically - but that wasn't far from it. He had been tempted a few times, but in the end he had respected her wishes. He didn't want to be on her bad side about all of this - and it helped that finals season kept him busy with studying.

"Whatever, man," Ned replied as he pushed open the door to the Coffee Bean.

A cool wave of air conditioning washed over them, and they sighed in relief.

"There's MJ," Peter said, pointing to a booth in the back corner.

They walked over and plopped down on the seats.

"Hey, losers," Michelle said, looking up from her coffee - what looked like some kind of latte. "How was the exam? History, right?"

Peter shrugged. "Yeah. Not bad, really. I mean I totally forgot all about the Mexican American War, and there was a whole short answer about that - Ned, you saw that, right?"

"God, don't remind me," Ned groaned.

Michelle raised an eyebrow. "Yikes."

"Hey, it's over and done with, and that's all that matters." He pushed himself out of his seat suddenly. "Now I'm gonna go get a smoothie. You want one, Pete?"

"Yeah, get me the strawberry banana one."

Ned flashed a thumbs up behind him as he walked towards the register.

Michelle sipped her coffee and looked up at him. "Did you see that video I sent last night?"

"Oh, yeah! The - the one with the goat, right?" Peter laughed. "That was great. Inspirational, really. I was just about to give up and put my textbook under my pillow."

She gave a wry smile. "Glad I could help. Although apparently not enough to save the Mexican American War."

Peter shook his head, amused. "Don't worry, it was doomed from the start. I don't think my textbook even knows about that one."

Michelle chuckled, and locked eyes with him for a moment before she quickly looked over at Ned in line at the register.

"Hey," Peter added. "I wanted to ask you which books I should read this summer. I - I mean, I feel like I haven't read a book for fun in so long. But I should have the time now, so -" he cut off, shrugging.

"Yeah, sure," she replied, tilting her head. He couldn't help but notice how nice her hair looked when it fell over her eyes like that. "I'll make you a list."

He smiled. "Awesome."

There was a commotion suddenly at the front of the cafe, and Peter cursed when he saw Flash burst in with a few of his friends.

Michelle rolled her eyes "Here we go," she muttered.

"Hey look guys, it's Nerd Leeds!" They heard Flash call out. "Where's your boyfriend, Nerd?" His friends laughed.

Ned was standing by the wall, waiting for the smoothies to finish. "Give it a rest, Flash," he replied.

Peter started to push himself to his feet, ignoring MJ when she hissed at him to just stay put. "Nerd Leeds?" he said, walking towards the front. "Come on, Flash. That's uninspired, even for you."

"Hey, there he is!" Flash grinned. "Penis Parker. And with your little girlfriend!"

"I thought he was dating me?" Ned quipped.

Flash shrugged. "What's the difference?"

The smoothies were on the counter, and Peter grabbed them. "Come on, Ned. Let's just sit down."

"Guess who's spending all summer in the Bahamas?" Flash added loudly, tapping his chest. "Have fun scrubbing toilets, or whatever it is you'll be doing. That seems like the right job for a couple of shitstains, anyway."

"Excuse me, sir," the cashier said tiredly. "Please quiet down or you'll have to leave."

Peter stifled a laugh and Ned made a face at Flash as they walked back to their booth. Flash shot them the middle finger, but then ignored them to order what he wanted.

Ned and Peter slid back into the booth and started on their smoothies. Peter smiled as he tasted it. Strawberry banana was the best.

"I'll get you for this later," he told Ned. "What is it, $4.50?"

Ned shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about it."

He smiled. "Thanks. I'll get the next one, then."

"Dude, really, don't bother. We're about to be rolling in dough. Flash might be going to the beach, but we're about to make some cold hard cash!"

"Where are you guys working again?" Michelle had been watching Flash and his friends, but turned back to ask.

Ned grinned. "The movie theater! It's gonna be sweet. We get to see all the movies for free!"

Peter shrugged. "Yeah, seems like it'll be a pretty good spot, really… as summer jobs go, anyway." He laughed at MJ's incredulous expression.

"What are you doing, then?" Ned asked. "Changing the world, right? Is professional protester a job?"

She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I told you, I'm working for a newspaper."

"Oh yeah!" Peter exclaimed. "What is it called again?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "It's called Young New York. I'm gonna be one of the columnists."

"Right, right." Ned replied. "That sounds dope, honestly. Very professional. Do we get free copies of the paper?"

"I don't know. I think it's mostly online, so probably."

"Sweet," Peter said.

There was moment of quiet while the three of them sipped their drinks.

"Hey, you know what?" Ned said brightly, looking up.

"What?"

He smiled. "We should totally have a summer bucket list. You know - like they do in the movies. That way we'll always have something to do this summer."

Peter shrugged, glancing at Michelle. "Come on, Ned. That's kinda lame, isn't it?"

"No, it'll be fun!"

"I'm in," Michelle said suddenly.

Peter couldn't help but be a little surprised. She wasn't usually one to agree to stuff like this. He shot her a look that said just that.

"Hey, you guys are gonna be working together all the time. I have to make sure there's some reason we still hang out," she replied in that frank way that she always did.

"Come on," he said. "We would still hang out. I mean, you only live a few blocks from me!"

She shrugged. "Sounds fun, too."

He raised his hands in resignation. "Okay, then. We'll do it."

Ned rubbed his hands together in excitement. "Alright! This is gonna be great. Get brainstorming, people. What do you think - a hundred things? Fifty?"

Peter's response was cut off as the sound of sirens filled the air, then the flashing lights of a few police cars and a fire truck crossed in the street outside.

Something big was happening. You didn't see that many of them together otherwise.

He glanced over at Ned sharply, and saw the same understanding in his eyes.

Peter thought about May only for a moment. Sure, he had promised not to go out again until they talked. But it had been a little while - she had probably cooled down. Plus it was summer now, so she couldn't complain out it cutting into his school work. And whatever this was, he was sure he could help.

He cleared his throat and looked at Michelle, who had turned to see the sirens pass by the windows.

Ned elbowed him. "Peter, you forgot about that thing!" Michelle turned back around and they saw her confused expression. "The uh… the dentist, aren't you supposed to be at the dentist?"

Peter acted out shock, and pushed himself to his feet suddenly. "Oh, god. You're - you're right! Sorry, guys, I really gotta go."

He rushed past Michelle's incredulous face and out the door.

Luckily there was an alleyway a few blocks down. He and Ned came to the Coffee Bean pretty often, and he had usually started his patrols right after they finished there, so he knew the area well. He ran towards the alley, calling out his apologies to people he bumped into on the sidewalk.

Once he made it he quickly webbed his backpack behind a dumpster and pulled on his suit. He might not have put it on in a while, but he always kept it with him.

Peter smiled as he pulled the mask on over his head and heard Karen's familiar voice: "Hi Peter. It's good to have you back."

He shot off two webs and used them to pull himself into the air before swinging off as fast as he could after the sirens. "Good to be back, Karen!" he replied enthusiastically. "What's going on over there?"

"Police scanners suggest there's a fire four blocks to the west. An apartment building."

His eyes widened. "Whoa, okay. Let's go, then!" he swung as fast as he could. It was liberating to feel the familiar thwip of his web shooters and the air rushing past his face, and he couldn't help but feel his spirits rise. He had missed this.

However, it wasn't long before he saw the smoke rising between buildings. As he got closer he felt the heat of the flames.

He perched on a building across the street and quickly observed the area. It didn't look good. Smoke was running out of the windows, and he heard some glass explode from the heat. Two fire trucks were on the scene, and police cars were blocking off the roads. He watched as one fireman emerged from the doors, supporting a woman with his arm.

"Talk to me Karen," he said. "Where are there people still inside?"

Karen scanned the area and responded, "The building has been mostly evacuated, but there are still several people on the fifth and sixth floors."

"Got it," he scanned the building. Smoke was pouring out of the windows, and he saw flames leaping inside. "Where can I get inside…" he muttered to himself. "There!"

The fire hadn't quite reached the upper levels of the building yet, and several of the windows on the eighth floor looked clear of flames and smoke.

"Alright, here we go!" Peter webbed the burning building and swung feet first. His heels slammed into the window and glass shattered around him. He landed in someone's apartment. Cartoons were still playing on the television. He didn't pause, though, and rushed out the door for the stairs.

As soon as he left the apartment he was in and entered the halls he felt the heat slam into him, and smoke curled in his throat. He coughed, but ignored his discomfort to leap for the stairway, webbing the nearest railing and lowering himself two floors.

The heat only increased as he went down two floors. The walls were burning here, flames consuming the wood. Sweat poured down his face, and it felt like a pressure against his chest.

"Where to, Karen?" he asked, flipping to land on the floor. He was shocked to see the buildup of smoke, and was thankful that his mask seemed to filter out some of it.

"Two doors down on the right," she replied, pulling up a path on his heads up display. "There are two heat signatures that indicate humans are inside."

Peter was vaguely impressed that she could determine between the heat of a human and the impressive heat of the fire, but he didn't have time to consider it.

He rushed down the hall, leaping past patches of flame. He reached the door Karen had pointed out, and understood the problem. Fire had completely covered the walls and floor here. He could hear the creaking of the wood and the shifting supports. Even the door itself was burning.

Peter coughed against the smoke. "What do I do?" he hissed to himself. Karen didn't seem to have any solutions to offer.

So he let his instincts take over. He webbed what looked like a stable part of the ceiling, swung over the burning floors, and slammed his shoulder into the door.

It burst open, and he ignored the sting of a burn as he rushed into the apartment. "Hello!" he called out, straining his ears to hear a response over the sounds of the building burning around him. "Where are you?! Hello!"

He picked up a weak voice coming from his right, and opened the door to see a woman curled up the tub, holding a little boy to her chest. The woman's eyes widened as she saw him, and she reached out a shaking hand. Obviously they had been affected by the smoke coursing through the air.

Peter knelt down next to the tub. "I'm here to help. Can you stand?"

"My son…" the woman moaned. "Help my son."

He looked at the child and realized in a second that he wasn't conscious. He needed to get them out of there, fast.

"I've got you," he said, trying to calm her. "I'm getting you out of here."

He lifted her by her armpits, trying to stabilize her on her feet. She kept her kid clutched to her chest. It was obvious after a moment, however, that she wasn't going to be able to stand on her own.

"Ah…" he stuttered, mind spinning to try and figure out what to do. The heat was only increasing behind him. "Okay, okay! I'm going to web your kid to you, so that you don't drop him!"

Peter waited for some kind of response, but he only got a vague nod, and the woman tightening her arms around the boy. He'd take that as an okay, in the situation. He webbed a sort of carrier for the kid, wrapping around the woman's chest and neck as fast as he could.

When the boy was secure, he pulled the woman's arm over his shoulder and stepped out of the bathroom.

The fire had only gotten worse. It licked up the walls. Smoke filled the air, and the wood was groaning louder than ever.

"Peter, you need to get out of the building," Karen said. "The smoke is too thick."

"I know, I know!" Peter bit out. He spotted a window to his right and headed towards it as fast as he could given the woman he was supporting.

But then he felt a painful buzz in the back of his head, and paused just in time. A loud groan sounded above him as the ceiling burst and a beam slammed to the floor. The window shattered beyond.

"Gah!" Peter gasped, and then started coughing loudly. The falling beam had stirred up a cloud of smoke and dust that even his mask couldn't stop.

He noticed that the woman had become a dead weight by his side. Desperately, he pulled her into his arms, and leapt through the debris for the window.

They burst into the air, leaving the flames behind, and Peter shot out a web to catch their fall. He managed to land in front of the ambulance, and passed off the woman and her child to the paramedics. A few of the first responders looked at him with wide eyes, but most of them seemed too busy with their jobs to be bothered with his presence.

He raised his hand to web up the building again. There were still people in there - he had cleared the sixth floor, but the fifth -

Karen spoke up, "Responders have cleared the fifth floor. The building has been completely evacuated."

Peter sighed in relief before coughing loudly again. His throat was still burning from the smoke. "Thank god," he rasped. "Let's get out of here, huh?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the woman and her son sitting on the back of the ambulance, oxygen masks over their faces. He hoped that they would be alright. A paramedic began to approach him, probably hearing his awful coughs, but he didn't want the guy to bother with him. He pulled himself into the air by a web strand.

Peter swung a few blocks before pausing on a rooftop to catch his breath. He pulled up his mask, pulling in deep breaths of clean air. Smoke still rose behind him.

"Wow," he managed after clearing his throat again. "That was a little too hot for me. I mean, I was sweating just walking around earlier. Fire is hot!" He knew he sounded a little hysterical, but that had been wild!

"That's true Peter," Karen intoned. "Good work."

He laughed in relief, and laid back on the roof, looking up at the sky. "Thanks, Karen."

He watched the clouds float past above him, content to enjoy the smoke free air for a moment. The heat of the sun didn't even bother him after the furnace heat of the fire.

Then he heard a buzz in his ear. "Incoming call from Tony Stark," Karen reported.

"Oh, jeez!" he scrambled to a sitting position and pulled his mask back over his face. "Uh, answer call!"

He saw Tony's face appear on his display. "Peter! You got a sec?"

"M-Mr. Stark! What - I - what's up?" he stammered, cursing himself for his awkward reply.

Tony didn't seem to care. "Happy told me your last exam was today. How'd it go?"

"Uh, it went pretty good, I think," he managed. Then his voice gave out and he started coughing again, his lungs still working to expel the smoke he'd inhaled.

Tony frowned. "Whoa, you okay? What was that?"

He coughed one last time. "I just - you know, city smog and all."

The older man looked dubious. "Sure," he replied slowly. "Well, if you're done hacking up your lungs, I wanted to ask you what you're doing tonight."

Peter's brain rebooted for a moment as he processed the question. Maybe he had been more affected by the smoke than he thought. "What I'm… doing tonight?"

"Yeah. School's over, right? No more twenty-four/seven study hours?"

"Right," he replied slowly.

"Plus, I'm in town. So let's get dinner. Six thirty work for you?"

"I - uh," he stuttered. "Yeah - yeah, that works."

Tony nodded. "Great, I'll pick you up then. End call."

His face disappeared, and Peter was left in confusion. He and Tony had been talking more since he had turned down the position of an Avenger a month ago. He'd usually call randomly once a week and ask Peter a few quick questions about school or Spider-Man. He had even been back to the compound once to get an update for his suit. But this was new. Peter wondered what it meant. What were they even going to talk about? Nerves wound up in his chest.

For now, though, he needed a shower. He swung back to grab his things, changing in an alley a little further away just in case Ned and MJ hadn't left the Coffee Bean yet.

He smelled himself, cursing when he realized the scent of smoke clung to him even after his suit was off. "Well, at least I won't have to worry about personal space on the train."

The trip back to his apartment was uneventful. Peter texted Ned to tell him what had happened, then let his mind wander as he was lulled by the noise of the Subway. It felt like no time at all before he was walking up the stairs to his door.

He fumbled to grab his keys before pushing his way inside.

Immediately he had a bad feeling. Not a spidey sense feeling, just a regular bad feeling.

It was confirmed when May rushed at him, her face pale and firm. "Are you okay?" she asked, fluttering around him as he shut the door.

Peter noted the news going on the TV. So she knew about the fire already.

"I'm fine, May. I promise. All good," he replied quickly.

May's face transformed from worried to angry, and Peter braced himself for impact. "What were you thinking? I told you - Peter, I told you to wait! You promised you wouldn't do any of that for now! And a fire! You could've been killed!"

He managed to look apologetic. "I'm sorry, I really am. I was waiting - I haven't done anything until today!"

"And then today you decide to literally leap into the flames? Do you - do you even understand the risk you took?"

Peter pulled off his backpack and tossed it by the door. "Yeah, I do! And I'm fine!"

May just looked at him desperately. "I just - I - oh, Peter!" She pulled him tight to her chest in a hug. "You just scared me. I saw you on the news, and -" she took a deep breath and pulled back.

"May, can we just talk about this?" Peter asked, resigned.

She considered him for another moment before nodding slowly. "You're right. We do need to talk about it." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Okay, go take a seat. Do you want some tea? Because I want some tea."

Peter only grabbed a glass of cool water, which felt like heaven running down his throat, and settled himself on the couch. He listened to the noise of May setting up the kettle and turning on the stove. He knew that she used tea as a comforting thing. It certainly wouldn't be refreshing, with how hot it was even inside their apartment. But he understood she needed a moment to center herself, so he sipped his water and waited for her.

When she joined him on the couch, holding a mug of tea in her hands, she was much more calm. But he could still see the tension in her eyes. She was the one who spoke first. "I'm sorry I put this conversation off. It's just hard to wrap my head around. But seeing you today on the news - I know it's real. I know you're Spider-Man."

Peter nodded. "So… what are you gonna do about it? You can't - I mean -" he cut himself off. He didn't want to sound too bold, but there was no way she could keep him from being Spider-Man.

May sat forward a little. "Peter, for now, I just want to understand. How… that whole time, you were lying to me. Whenever you said you had to stay late for band, or study for decathalon with Ned - you were really going out as Spider-Man."

"Well, not everything was a lie," he reasoned.

"Peter," she said sharply. "Why would you keep this from me? I thought we told each other everything. And then I figure out this…"

He looked down at his lap, ashamed. "I just… I was just trying to keep you safe."

May frowned. "Keep me safe? What, did you think I couldn't handle it?"

"No, May, I -"

"Because I've dealt with a lot in my life," she said, her voice low but strong. "You and I both have. And I've always been there for you. Why wouldn't you think I'd be there for you with this?"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I should have told you. But honestly, I was just trying to protect you," Peter replied earnestly.

May placed her tea on the coffee table and put a hand on his arm. "I know, and I believe you when you say that. But I think you were also trying to protect yourself. Maybe because you didn't know what I would think of you, or thought that I would try to stop you. That I would hate you because of this." Peter shrunk down further in his seat. "You lied to me about something that's obviously important to you - just so you wouldn't have to choose between being Spider-Man and being my nephew."

His voice was small as he replied, "I guess I did."

She looked over at him softly. "Peter, I will always love you. You're all I have left in this world. Yeah, this is a lot to handle. But it's also - it's also a little amazing. And I'm proud of you. You're using your powers to do good, and that's more than any other teenager I know would do."

Peter gave a small smile at the praise, his heart lifting. But his spirits crashed down again as he realized something.

May noticed, and said, "What is it?"

"There's… something else," he said. "Something else I haven't told you."

"There's more? What, are you married?"

He frowned. "No, don't joke - I -"

May could sense his distress. "What is it, Peter? Just tell me. No more lies. Whatever it is, I can take it."

Peter hesitated for another minute before he locked eyes with her and blurted, "I'm the reason Uncle Ben is dead!"

Shock flitted across her face. "What? What are you talking about?"

He stood and started pacing back and forth in front of the TV. "It's my fault Ben is dead. When I first got my powers, I was just messing around with them, showing off. Then there was a moment when I could've stopped someone, and I didn't, so he got away. And that guy was Uncle Ben's killer! If I had just stopped him when I had the chance, he never would've died!"

May's face was pale, but she stood and put a hand on Peter's shoulder.

Peter had tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry!"

She pulled him in for a hug, and when she stepped back looked at him resolutely. He could see the pain in her eyes, but there was also something else. "Peter," she said firmly, "You're wrong."

He only looked up at her, confused. "But I -"

May kept going, "You know, the day he died, we had a big fight." She shook her head. "I don't even remember what it was about. Something that didn't matter at all, I'm sure. I was being stubborn and wouldn't talk it through with him. So - so, he left to go for a walk and cool down. So it's my fault he was out of the apartment in the first place."

Peter took in the information, trying to wrap his head around it. "No, May -"

She put a hand on cheek and wiped away a tear. "Sometimes things happen, and there's no reason for them. Ben should still be alive, but he isn't. And that's not because I argued with him, and it's not because of what you did - or didn't do - either. There will never be a good explanation for what happened, and we have to live with that."

He nodded as he understood what she was saying. He would never forgive himself for Ben, but somehow it was a relief to know that May felt just as guilty as he did. "I'm sorry, May."

She hugged him again. "I know, honey." When she pulled back again, she went back to sit down on the couch, picking up her mug of tea and taking a sip.

Peter sat down too, a little hesitant. "So… what happens now?" He asked.

May took a breath. "Well, I'll be honest. I don't like this. I don't like that it could hurt you. But I know I can't stop you. I know this is a part of who you are. So… so there's going to have to be some rules here."

He nodded quickly, his heart soaring. At this point, he would take whatever - as long as May was on his side. "What? What rules?"

"Well, I want you back every night at 11:30, for one."

"Okay," Peter replied. Sure, it might be annoying, but May wasn't going to try and stop him! It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"And I know it's summer now, but this can't interfere with you going to work, or with school when it starts again in the fall."

He smiled. "Yeah, no problem!"

She just looked at him. "And no more lies, Peter. From now on, I want to hear the truth from you, understand?"

"Thank you, May!" he said excitedly. This was honestly better than he could've hoped! He just had a curfew - that wasn't a big deal. "And I am sorry," he added. "I never liked lying to you. I won't do it again."

"You better not," she replied, eyebrow raised. But then she smiled, and took a sip of her tea. "Well, now that we've got that settled - how was your final exam?"

"Yeah, it was good," he said, still smiling widely. "I think it went good."

"Nice! You know what that means - you're a junior now! You're gonna have to start applying to colleges soon, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," Peter replied. It wasn't something he really liked to think about. "But that's still a long time from now."

May shrugged. "It'll be here sooner than you know." Then she stood. "So, what do you want for dinner? We could do Chinese - to celebrate the first day of summer? You could invite Ned over."

Peter's eyes widened. "Oh, my god. I totally forgot."

"What? Got a hot date?"

"Huh? - no, I - Tony Stark is taking me to dinner!"

She raised her eyebrows. "So it is a date, then?"

He groaned. "Come on, May. This is serious. Seriously weird, anyway."

"I'm just teasing," May laughed, but added, "It's not weird, Peter. You're friends, aren't you? Aren't superheroes friends with each other?"

Peter considered that. He wouldn't call them friends. How much time had they even spent together? But they weren't strangers, either. "Well, I mean -"

"Or is he like your boss? He's in charge of your internship, right? Well, 'internship,'" she added air quotes. "Bosses do that - take their employees out to dinner."

Peter shrugged. "No, it's not quite like that either. But I guess that makes sense."

"By the way, I'll need that man's number. I think he's got some explaining to do."

He almost laughed, thinking about the lecture Tony was sure to receive.

May's voice came from the kitchen. "Is he picking you up?"

He nodded, even though she couldn't see. "Yeah. At 6:30."

"Well for goodness sake go get in the shower, then! You still smell like you've been toasted."

Peter scrambled to his feet. "Oh, right!" He raced off to the bathroom. "Love you, May!"

"Love you, too. Pete. Now get clean - you've got an hour!"

Peter smiled. God, he was lucky to have May. Now - where was his shampoo?

Comic book readers will recognize Peter's chat with May as being similar to The Conversation. If you haven't read that issue, you should. ASM (1999) 38!

This is the start of what will hopefully be a long and delightful road, filled with Tony Stark being a dad, Mac Gargan's return, and some fun cameo appearances! Please let me know what you think, or if you have any ideas. I love hearing from you guys!