MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
INTERMISSION
( AS IT WAS )

Nothin' to say
When everything gets in the way
Seems you cannot be replaced
And I'm the one who will stay, oh
In this world, it's just us
You know it's not the same as it was

Or, alternatively, in which—

DING-DING-DING!

Peter entered the quaint donut shop, his coat lined with snow. He fidgeted restlessly with a piece of paper between his fingers. The door closed behind him, sealing the warm air inside again, and he stopped in his tracks as he spotted Valor chatting up the uniformed worker, MJ.

"And then I said," Riley said, her nose red from the crisp winter air, "speak on Captain Marvel again, and I'll fuck your mother and give her a child she actually loves."

MJ tipped her head back with laughter. "Now imagine if I said something like that about my coworkers. Or my boss."

"Maybe if he was hot, I'd get it." Riley licked her coffee-stained lips. She didn't even notice the boy watching her. Or maybe she did, and she was pretending otherwise. Peter just couldn't help himself.

"You're gross."

"Says the one dating an alien."

"Oh, you're just bitter because you're madly in love with Spider-Man."

"Why does everyone keep saying that to me? I don't even know who he is!" Riley burst. "He could be, like, 40, and we'd never know."

"Aren't you a spy with access to a lot of confidential shit?"

Riley shrugged. "I guess. But I know how this secret identity stuff goes. I don't wanna force it out of him. I wanna know that he trusts me. That way, the day he tells me, I'll get to feel that empowering sense of accomplishment, you know?"

"Oh, believe me, I know all about your Tinker Bell complex."

"Mhm, shut up."

The door opened again with a ding-ding! The girls turned. Riley's face lit up as her eyes landed on Peter.

No, they landed behind him.

"Hey!" Ned greeted.

"There you are!" Riley beamed.

MJ waved at him. "One sec." She approached Peter at the front counter. "Can I help you?"

It'd been a month since Peter's life changed. Throughout those weeks, he'd been working up the courage to confront his old friends and tell them everything. He knew, without a doubt, he'd find them together at the donut shop where MJ worked, but every time he thought about it, he got cold feet. This was the closest he'd gotten, and he still wasn't sure if he could do it. It was a difficult decision. Everyone he'd known in his old life was put in danger time and time again just for being associated with him.

"Hi. Um, my name is Peter Parker, and..." Peter faltered. Now, Riley was watching him, chin resting in her palm. It made him nervous. "...would like a coffee, please."

"Okay," MJ laughed pleasantly, "no problem, Peter Parker."

MJ seemed so much happier since Peter last saw her. So did Ned. He had strolled into the shop with a big grin on his face, and it didn't falter once as Riley greeted him with jokes she used to tell Peter. Something so simple to others had become sacred to Peter.

Peter glanced down at his script again.

Hi, my name is Peter Parker. You don't know me, but—

MJ packed a donut and slid it to Ned. "Donut for my fellow Engineer."

"Oh!" Ned said. "Wait, what?"

"MIT, they're the Engineers. The mascot."

"Oh, right, right, right. I should probably know that. Look at you with the school spirit!"

"Tell anybody, and I will deny it."

"Columbia's better," Riley coughed. "Hey, what if I stalk you both all the way to Boston? It's never too early to get my Ph.D.! Dr. Stark has a ring to it!"

Peter stifled a laugh. A bittersweet cloud inflated his chest. He really missed listening to them bicker like this. He didn't even realize he was staring until MJ called his name for his coffee.

"Right. Thank you." Peter dug into his wallet. "Um... Are you excited for MIT?"

MJ blinked at him. "Oh! Uh, yeah. Actually, I am excited," she said, "which is weird 'cause I don't really get excited about things. I kind of expect disappointment."

"'Cause then you'll never actually be disappointed," Peter replied. "Right?"

Something in MJ wavered. She brushed it off. "Right. Yeah. It's just... I don't know... It just kinda feels different this time for some reason."

Peter glimpsed up and down, between his former friend and his script. Finally, he said, "Right, what I was about to—"

MJ tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing the bandaid on her temple, and Peter suddenly remembered what happened at the Statue of Liberty again. He remembered hearing their screams in his comm as she, Ned, and Riley plunged through the wreckage, being completely unable to save any of them.

If it weren't for Roman, they would've—

The register whirred.

"You okay?" Peter pointed to his temple.

"Oh, it doesn't really hurt anymore." They lingered for a minute. Awkwardly, MJ added, "Is there... anything else?"

This was Peter's chance. He could tell them everything. He could get them back. All of them. He wouldn't have to be alone anymore. He wouldn't have to suffocate in his dingy apartment where no one stopped by to visit any longer.

But that meant putting their lives at risk all over again.

Peter shoved his script into his pocket and forced a smile.

"No. Thank you."

"No problem."

"See you around."

Peter took his coffee and left. He didn't look back.

They were safer this way. They were happier not knowing him. He'd seen the proof with his own eyes. They were smiling, looking forward to their futures, the very futures he once jeopardized just by calling them his friends. This was for their comfort, not his. Peter Parker was better off alone.

"Peter!" Riley called.

The door swung as she jogged toward him.

Peter whirled around, his heart rising into his throat. God, he missed hearing his name on her tongue. She'd called for him with such urgency. What if she remembered him? Was that all it took? A glance across a quiet room?

"Peter Parker! Hey!" Riley slipped on the icy pavement. Peter caught her arms and steadied her. "Woah, thank you! Nice reflexes!"

Peter held his breath. "Just got lucky."

"Not lucky enough." Riley presented a small object. "You left your wallet in there. Don't worry, I didn't take anything, but I did see your ID photo. I'm kinda mad that I did. Fluorescent lighting doesn't usually flatter anyone, but that's a good pic, Mr. Parker."

Was this actually happening?

Wait, was she... flirting with him?

He was grateful it was such a cold day because he was blushing profusely.

Riley didn't seem to react to the fact that he hadn't taken the wallet yet. They both held it, neither one letting go. Peter wondered if she was grappling for a few more seconds to talk to him the way he was. Probably not.

"Th-Thanks," Peter stammered. "I find it hard to believe your ID's that bad."

Was he flirting now?

(Yes).

"You'd be surprised. I won't get into it, but I'm sorta full of radiation that makes me glow constantly. It kinda conflicts with certain cameras," Riley said. "Anyway, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah. Sure. Go for it."

Can you sound any more desperate? Peter scolded himself.

Riley seemed like she wanted to say something else as she slowly asked, "Do you believe in astrology?"

"What?"

"I noticed you're a Leo. On your ID."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Interesting response for a Leo." Riley smiled, and Peter could've melted right there. "I saw it, and I remembered how my best friend, Roman, is constantly arguing with my dad about how astrology is real. But Tony always says—"

"It technically can't be backed by science," Peter finished. "It probably could be. But then a bunch of men would have to accept that something teenage girls enjoy is valid, so they refuse."

Riley's eyebrows raised. "Let me guess, you're a fan of my dad's?"

"I think I have to be. He saved the world a few times." Peter glanced down, noticing her damaged sunflower necklace. "That's a pretty necklace."

"Hm? Oh, thank you! I can't remember where it came from, but I'm sorta emotionally attached to it," Riley joked. "Uh, well, I—"

"Yes."

"What?"

"To answer your question," Peter said. "I think sometimes you have to believe in the things you can't know for certain. That's what makes them so special."

"Wisely spoken, Peter Parker. I'll remember that."

Peter smiled at her. A true, genuine smile. How strange, to smile after the last month was the darkest of his life.

It almost seemed like Riley had time-traveled, but Peter couldn't tell which way. Backward, to a time when he was still there, lingering in her subconscious, secretly bringing her joy? Or forward, to a time without him? Which was better? She seemed happy. That was what mattered most.

"Well, I don't wanna take up any more of your time..."

"No! No, don't be silly!" Riley reassured. "I, um, actually wanted to ask you something else. I kinda chickened out at the last second. Guess I got nervous."

Peter could've laughed.

"Um, it's just... I've seen you before."

"Y-You have?" Peter asked.

"At the cemetery. At May Parker's grave. That's why I was staring at you earlier. I thought I recognized you."

Oh.

"And then I saw your ID, and I realized, um... Were you and May family?"

"No," Peter said. "I knew her through Spider-Man. F.E.A.S.T. stuff."

"Oh! Right. Yeah, me too." Riley noticed how his mood fell. She finally let go of the wallet. "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know why I sprang that on you—"

"No, no, no, hey, it's okay," Peter promised. "Death's just a weird thing, you know? You know they aren't coming back, but you keep visiting them to keep the illusion alive."

"Maybe, in a way, no one ever really dies. They just... go somewhere else." Riley cleared her throat. "Or something like that."

Peter offered a half-smile. "Something like that."

He was about to continue when he noticed Roman walking toward them, carrying a bouquet of dried flowers. Peter took a sharp breath.

"I have to go, but it was nice meeting you. See ya."

He didn't wait for Riley to reply. He turned on his heel and hurried across the street. Thanks to his super-hearing, he managed to hear a snippet of their conversation:

"Hey," Roman greeted. "Who was that?"

"Oh, no one." Riley poked his ribs. "Look at you, lover boy! Bringing your weirdo girlfriend a bouquet of dead flowers, are we?"

"They're dried chrysanthemums," Roman scoffed. "In some cultures, the chrysanthemum's the flower of funerals. They're MJ's favorite."

"And you remembered? Oh, brother, he's sick!"

"I'm not sick—"

"Sick with the love bug! Ow!"

Peter ducked into an alley, cutting into another block before he allowed himself to catch his breath. If there was one person he'd been avoiding most fervently, in both his regular life and his neighborhood hero life, it was Roman. All it took was one second for Roman to read his soul, and everything Peter was hiding would come to light.

Everything Peter gave up would be for nothing.

This was his second chance. He had to use it wisely. Even if it meant never getting to know Riley Stark or his best friends again. Even if it meant being alone forever.

This was for the best.

○ ○ ○

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I once read this incredible piece of writing advice from Alfred Hitchcock that went along the lines of: When you're writing a story, place a bomb under the table. You, as the author, know it's there. The readers know it's there, too. But the characters don't. Now, all that's left to do, as the reader, is wait until the bomb finally explodes.

My lovely readers, Roman is the bomb for the rest of this arc.

When I tell you I've been planning this since I saw NWH lmao...

Anyway, yes, we're entering AU territory. That means updates will come slowly again.

Let the revival of the Peter x Riley slow-burn commence!