[Third Person's PoV]
Late into the middle of the night, well past midnight, three separate aspects of Peter stood side by side, facing the Ancient One. Beside him, three distinct aspects of each of his companions hovered with an air of anticipation. With a graceful snap of her fingers, the Ancient One summoned each fragmented part, sending them flying toward each other with a force that compelled them to merge into a single form.
They collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads in agony as an overwhelming surge of memories crashed over them like a tidal wave. Struggling to process this flood of images and experiences, each of them felt the weight of lives lived all at once.
"Ah," the Ancient One said casually, almost amused. "I forgot to mention: merging so many memories together would likely cause… discomfort."
"I hate you!" Peter gritted his teeth through the pain. "You could have warned us!"
The Ancient One's lips curved in a slight smile. "It's simply the price one must pay for taking shortcuts."
Peter grumbled in frustration, slowly regaining his composure. Closing his eyes, he tapped into his heightened mental abilities to begin sorting and compartmentalizing his memories, swiftly organizing the chaos. Around him, his friends took longer to recover, each groaning softly as they worked through the mental haze, though the throbbing headache lingered in them all.
Harry scowled, throwing a withering glare at the Ancient One. "You're downright evil, you know that?"
She chuckled, thoroughly unbothered. "I will now be overseeing the Sanctum Sanctorum here in New York. When you're ready to continue your training, come to this building, and we'll begin our lessons." She offered them a sly smile.
"You're just having a kick out of this, aren't you?" Felicia asked, narrowing her eyes.
The Ancient One's smile turned smug. "Who says I can't have a little fun while teaching? You already have the study books, so attendance isn't mandatory. That said, I'd advise you all to come frequently." Her gaze shifted to each of them. "That will be all for today's lesson. You're dismissed."
Peter and the others put their fists to their palms and bowed deeply. "Hai, Sensei!"
The Ancient One rolled her eyes, but a trace of amusement softened her expression as she conjured a portal and stepped through it. Alone at last, the group collectively sighed in relief.
As they began to walk away, Peter turned to Felix, placing a hand on his shoulder with a playful grin. "Son… Your mother and I have something to tell you."
"You and Mother are dating now, aren't you?" Felix responded with a perfectly straight face.
Peter blinked. "What—come on! I was about to make a joke about us 'getting a divorce' and just downgrading to boyfriend and girlfriend. Why'd you have to ruin it?"
The others chuckled, especially Felicia, who shook her head with a smirk. "That actually would've been a pretty good joke."
Felix rolled his eyes. "I'm from the future, remember? You even once joked that the only reason you agreed to go out with her was that she 'assaulted' you into it, so you had no choice."
"Peter!" Felicia exclaimed, glaring at him.
Peter just laughed, unrepentant. "That does sound like something I'd say." Then he turned a mock-serious glare on Felix. "Remind me never to tell you anything in secret when you're born…"
As they crossed the street, Peter's watch beeped. He glanced at it in confusion before activating it. A hologram of Aria, his AI assistant, flickered to life.
"Father, we have a situation."
Peter sighed. "Why can't you ever call me just to say you love me?"
Aria giggled. "Love you, Daddy!"
"Yeah, yeah. Now what's up?"
"It's Kraven the Hunter. It seems J. Jonah Jameson has hired him, and he's arriving tomorrow to hunt you down."
"What?!" MJ gasped, grabbing Peter's wrist. "There's no way Jameson would… Actually, who am I kidding. Of course, he would," she grumbled.
"ETA?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Tomorrow afternoon," Aria informed him.
Peter nodded. "Good work, thanks for the heads-up."
Aria gave him a sharp salute before fading from view.
MJ shook her head in exasperation. "I'm giving Jameson a piece of my mind next time I see him."
"I'd rather you didn't," Gwen interjected, shaking her head. "He might start suspecting you have connections to the Spider-family."
MJ groaned, frustration clear in her voice. "That means I'd have to meet him in my other persona."
"I wouldn't recommend that, either," Gwen said with a wry smile. "He'd probably twist it into some tale about you attacking him unprovoked."
MJ let out a loud, exasperated groan, rubbing her forehead in frustration.
Just as the group was about to continue on, Felix cleared his throat, glancing uncomfortably at Felicia. "Actually… I've been meaning to ask something that's been bothering me."
The group quieted, all eyes on Felix. He looked at Felicia, his gaze steady. "What did you mean when you said you were almost… Raped?"
Felicia's face fell slightly. "Ugh… You remembered that? I knew I should've covered your ears."
"I didn't want to bring it up in front of the Ancient One. But… it's been bothering me ever since I heard it," Felix muttered, his tone serious. He turned to Peter. "Is that what you were talking about back at the gym?"
Peter placed a reassuring arm around Felix, ruffling his hair gently. "Yeah, but don't worry about it. It's already been dealt with."
Felix gave him a hard look. "Please tell me you at least broke an arm. Or a leg. Preferably both?"
Peter raised two fingers in a peace sign. "Left him paralyzed."
Felix grinned, raising a fist. "Nice."
Peter smirked and fist-bumped him back.
Felicia chuckled softly, shaking her head. "For some reason, that was… strangely endearing."
…
The Next Morning…
Peter woke up in his bed with MJ by his side. He gave her a quick kiss on the side of her head, which caused her to wake up a bit groggily.
They both got up, took a shower together, got dressed, and headed downstairs to join Aunt May and Uncle Ben for breakfast.
"Luckily, I leave spare clothes here with you~" MJ teased.
Peter rolled his eyes. "You've been doing that since you were little."
MJ raised her hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm just being efficient; it's like living in two houses at once."
Aunt May popped her head out from the kitchen upon hearing their conversation. "I'm glad to hear you see this place as your own home, MJ dear. You should know by now that you're already a part of this family."
"Thanks, Aunt May," MJ said, blowing a two-finger kiss toward her.
Aunt May chuckled. "Will you be joining us for breakfast? I'm making eggs with bacon and toast~" she said enticingly.
"Ahh~ that sounds lovely. Sure, why not."
"Careful, Aunt May, someone here likes their toast dry," Peter scoffed, glancing at MJ as he sat down.
MJ glared at Peter. "I swear to God, I'll hit you if you make another comment on that."
Aunt May looked at Peter, puzzled. "What's wrong with dry toast?"
"THANK YOU!" MJ exclaimed, gesturing toward Aunt May while giving Peter a triumphant look.
Peter looked at Aunt May in mock horror. "Now I'm worried if I should trust you with breakfast. I'll tell you what's wrong with dry toast—it's in the name. It's dry!"
"Just drop the toast thing already!" MJ retorted.
"I'm sorry, but I'm very passionate about toast! I won't stand for heresy being made toward a breakfast staple!"
Just then, Uncle Ben walked in with an amused expression. "What's this commotion I hear about toast?"
"I'll tell you what it is, Uncle Ben. We're living with a bunch of heretics who think dry toast is acceptable!"
"Ah, I see," Uncle Ben said with a knowing nod. "But it all depends on the level of toastiness, doesn't it? If it's too toasty and crunchy, you'll need something to soften it up; otherwise, you're left with a mouthful of flakes. But lightly toasted? That's still soft, warm, and tender with a golden brown. Doesn't really need anything, except maybe something to wash it down."
Peter and MJ stared at Uncle Ben, surprised. Peter then turned to MJ and said, "I guess it's true what they say—wisdom really does come with age."
They all laughed, and with that, Peter and MJ agreed to call a truce in the Great Toast Debate. Aunt May set down plates loaded with food, and they all dug in, the kitchen filled with laughter and the smell of a good home-cooked breakfast, feeling like a perfect, cozy morning with family.
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