Chapter Text
mj: PETER!!!!!
mj: IS THIS YOU? [attachment]
With great effort, Peter rolls over in bed to glance at the phone on his nightstand. He sighs. He doesn’t have to open the messages to know what the image is.
peter: no
mj: 🙄🙄
mj: peter.
peter: don’t tell aunt may
mj: too late :)
Peter groans.
peter: i hate you
mj: no you dont
mj: soo… johnny storm?
peter: no.
mj: really? he’s cute
mj: can i take him off your hands then?? ;)
peter: no
mj: ☹️☹️🤨
He sits up and calls Aunt May. It only rings once before she picks up.
”Peter?” May answers, voice warm.
“Hey, May,” he says, staring up at the ceiling. His throat feels dry. “Um. Did MJ message you anything?“
”Yes,” she says, cheerfully. “MJ sent me a very interesting article.”
“About…?”
“Oh, it was all about that handsome boy Johnny Storm!” Then her tone turns teasing, “and his new partner who looks an awful lot like my nephew.”
Peter squeezes his eyes shut. “Okay, before you say anything—“
”Oh, Peter! When were you going to tell your dear old aunt that you were seeing someone?”
“I’m not, May.”
“I know my eyesight’s not what it used to be, but those photos look pretty damning,” she chuckles.
“We’re just friends! Otherwise I would’ve told you, I promise.”
“You moved in with him,” she says, unconvinced.
“That’s… unrelated.”
”I do wish you would’ve told me that you moved out,” she says, gently. She sounds a little hurt now, it makes Peter’s heart ache.
”I was going to tell you, I’m sorry.”
”Instead I had to learn about this from MJ.”
“Listen, can we talk about this in person?”
She goes quiet for a moment. “Come over for dinner tonight. At six. I’ll make your favorite.”
Peter nods to himself, “Okay.”
“Good,” she says. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
”And bring Johnny,” she says quickly before hanging up, leaving no room for argument.
He groans and flops back on the bed. He opens his messages with MJ again.
peter: you’re dead to me
mj: wowww </3
mj: im guessing you spoke to may
peter: yes
peter: she thinks me and johnny are dating
mj: wow
mj: i wonder why
peter: she wants him to come to dinner
mj: LOL
Peter drops the phone. He lies there for a full minute, letting the dread wash over him.
Then he hears a knock at the door.
“Pete?” Johnny’s voice calls. “You alive?”
Peter buries his head into his pillow and groans, letting out a muffled “No.”
He chuckles and opens the door without waiting for permission. He leans against the door frame.
“You slept in later than normal. You’re usually up early.”
Peter hums, not answering.
“Angry about the paparazzi thing?” He smirks.
Peter lifts his head. “No,” he pauses, thinking. “Well, yes, but..”
Johnny tilts his head, raises an eyebrow.
He drops his head back into the pillow. “Auntmaywantsyoutocometodinner.”
“What?”
He rolls over to face him. “Aunt May wants you to come to dinner.”
Johnny’s face lights up. “Oh hell yeah!” he says, with a shit-eating grin.
“No,” Peter points a finger at him, accusingly. “That is the wrong reaction.”
Johnny ignores him. “Aww Petey, you want me to come meet the family?”
“NO.”
“But you were telling your aunt about me?” He says, still grinning profusely.
“No. MJ and countless gossip sites told my aunt about you, not me.” He groans and puts his hands over his face. “And now she thinks we’re dating.”
Johnny honest-to-god giggles at that. Peter glares at him.
“Should I bring her flowers?”
“Don’t. Just be normal.”
“But then how will she know I’m a good boyfriend? I want to make a good first impression.”
“You aren’t my boyfriend.” Peter says, exasperated.
Johnny sighs dramatically. “Whatever. Semantics.”
Peter snorts. “That’s a big word for you.”
“Learned it from my genius boyfriend,” he winks, before getting a bit more earnest. “What time is dinner?”
“You don’t have to come, you know.”
“Pete.”
“Six o’clock.”
“Cool. I’ll drive.”
“You better. I still don’t have my license."
They’re halfway out the door when they run into Sue and Ben in the common area.
Sue glances at Johnny’s outfit, then at the bouquet of flowers in his hand. Peter told him not to bring those. “You look nice. Where are you two headed?”
“Dinner,” Johnny says simply.
“Alone?” Ben asks, suspicious.
Peter goes to answer, but Johnny beats him to it.
“With Peter’s aunt,” he says, with a bright smile.
Ben snorts. “Taking him to meet the family already, webs?”
Johnny slings an arm around Peter’s shoulders. “What? You jealous, big guy?”
Peter shrugs Johnny off immediately. “We aren’t dating.”
Sue smiles. “Of course not. Have a nice time, you guys.”
Aunt May’s house smells warm and familiar the moment they step inside. He takes in the familiar scent of the french vanilla candles that she’s been using for a majority of his life. Ben’s favorite.
“Peter!” May says, already crossing the room and pulling him into a hug. He has no idea how such a fragile looking old lady can hug so tightly.
“Listen May, I’m really sorry–”
“We’ll talk later,” she says quietly, squeezing him before pulling back. Her eyes flick past him. “And you must be Johnny.”
Johnny straightens like he’s just been called on in class. “Yes, ma’am. Johnny Storm. It’s nice to meet you.” He hands her the flowers.
She takes them, smiling. “Thank you, dear! No need for that ‘ma’am’ business, call me May.” She says, then pulls him into a hug.
“Okay,” Johnny relaxes into the hug. “May.”
“You can come in,” she lets go and turns towards the kitchen. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
Johnny follows without hesitation. Peter lingers for a second, then shuts the door behind them
Johnny helps May with dinner, because of course he does. He helps her chop vegetables with focus and care. He listens when May talks, he doesn’t make any stupid jokes, he doesn’t put on some performance, he’s just there.
“So how did you two meet?” May asks casually.
Peter stiffens.
“Work.” Johnny answers easily.
May hums. “That’s vague. So you were taking photos of him for the Bugle, Peter?”
“Uh. Yeah.” Peter lies, knowing full well the first time they met was when he tried to get a spot on the Fantastic Four by breaking into the Baxter Building and fighting them. “But I also did that internship with Reed, remember? That’s when we really became friends.” Another lie, but it’s a more likely explanation for why he’s friends with a famous superhero than him taking his photo once.
“Oh yes, how could I forget?” May smiles. “And how did you two…?”
“May,” Peter says. “We aren’t dating.”
She ignores him and Johnny chuckles.
The table is small, so Peter and Johnny sit close. Johnny’s knee brushes his under the table every so often.
“The food is delicious, May.”
“Thank you, Johnny,” she smiles. “All thanks to your help.”
“This was all you, all I did was cut vegetables,” he says politely.
“So,” May says, looking at Peter. “You moved out.”
Peter goes still and Johnny glances over at him. “Yeah. Just… temporarily.”
“Why?” May asks gently.
He opens his mouth to speak but nothing comes out. Under the table, Johnny’s hand finds his. It’s a light touch, silently asking for permission. Peter inhales sharply. Then, before he can think about it, laces their fingers together. The touch is grounding. If May notices, she doesn’t comment.
“Things were just getting kind of expensive,” he says finally. “My lease…was ending. And the Baxter Building has a lot of guest rooms. So, they offered.”
“That’s very nice of them,” May says. “But you could’ve come to me.”
Johnny squeezes his hand softly. Peter would’ve thought that Johnny being here for this conversation would be awkward, but it wasn’t really. He was glad he was here.
“I know,” Peter nods. “But it wasn’t that big of a deal. I didn’t want to bug you. And Johnny had already offered.”
She clearly doesn’t believe Peter’s comment about it not being a big deal, but she doesn’t say anything about it. Instead she smiles kindly. “Well, I’m glad he was there for you.”
“Me too,” Peter says, throat tight.
She changes the subject, asking Johnny about the other members of the Fantastic Four. Their hands separate under the table as if it never happened and Peter finds himself missing the contact immediately.
After dinner, while Johnny is washing the dishes and strictly not allowing May to do any of the work, she pulls Peter aside.
“I like him.”
“Most people like him, he’s the Human Torch,” he tried to joke.
“Pete. He makes you happy, I can tell.”
“Well, yeah. He’s my friend.”
May gives a knowing look. One of those wise, old-person looks where it seems like they’re staring straight into the depths of your soul.
“It’s complicated,” Peter says, voice barely above a whisper.
May grasps both his hands in hers, “most important things are.”
Johnny and Peter get into the car without talking.
As he pulls out of the driveway, Johnny breaks the silence. “So, how do think that went?”
Peter huffs out a laugh. “She didn’t give you the ‘you hurt him, I hurt you speech’, so I think it went well.”
“Oh yes, she did,” Johnny chuckles.
“What?! When?” Peter yelps.
“While you were in the bathroom.”
“Did you tell her we weren’t dating?”
“Why would I tell her that?” Johnny jokes.
“Because we’re not,” Peter protests lightheartedly and shakes his head. He changes the subject. “You were… polite today.”
“Am I not always polite?” He says, acting wounded, holding one hand over his heart.
“You know what I mean.”
Johnny shrugs, letting his hand drop to rest on the center console. “She’s important to you.”
They ride in companionable silence. Johnny humming along to the radio every once in a while. Peter glances at Johnny’s hand on the console as he thinks about what Aunt May said.
Then, he makes a decision. He slowly lifts his hand and places it next to Johnny’s, pinkies touching.
Johnny looks at him quickly, but Peter has already turned his head away, looking out the window.
Very gently, Johnny laces their fingers together.
A few blocks later, Peter speaks again. “You know,” Johnny looks at him quickly, almost forgetting about the road. “Aunt May said that it looks like you make me happy.”
“Do I?” Johnny whispers.
“Yes.”