Chapter Text
“Peter Parker!”
His name echoed across the lawn of students in cap and gown and parents and friends and family fanning themselves with their programs on the hot late spring day. The sun poured down, unrelenting, but even with all the sweat and parched lips, excitement hummed through the air.
Peter Parker stood up from his flimsy folding chair and began the procession towards the stage, his heart about to beat out of his chest. A wave of sound rolled over him, polite applause and whoops from classmates and a helicopter far overhead buzzing and then a chorus of familiar voices, louder than everything else combined. He jerked his head in the direction of the clamorous sound. His jaw dropped as he saw the group that had come for him.
First, of course, was Aunt May, flanked on either side by MJ and Harry, his best (normal-ish) friends. With them were Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, Glory Grant, and Betty Brant. They were all cheering, Flash giving a piercing whistle when he noticed Peter’s attention. His heart swelled at seeing them, but it was the group behind them who caught his eye.
Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, Alicia Masters, and Ben Grimm were all there, cheering him on. A stab of anxiety went through him, as he frantically wondered how he could possibly explain to his classmates, family, and friends why the Fantastic Four were at his graduation ceremony, but then he noticed that no one else seemed to be fazed by their presence. He couldn’t think about it any further because now he was on the stage and they were handing him his diploma and just as quickly he was back in his seat. He kept sneaking glances back at the Four for the rest of the ceremony, but Johnny just kept flashing infuriating grins at him.
The last person got their diploma, caps were tossed exuberantly into the air and then Peter was being swarmed by his friends. He made sure to hug Aunt May first, who was crying, and he might have cried a little too, because he’d been waiting for this day for so long, and so many people weren’t there who should have been, but it was okay for once. He knew they were proud of him anyways, and he could tell May was thinking the same thing from the watery smile she gave him.
Then MJ was tackling him and Flash gave his best at bruising his back with the hard pats he received. Betty and Glory each gave him quick hugs before apologizing for having to get back to work. He assured them he understood Jonah’s wrath better than anyone and they were off.
It took another fifteen minutes before he convinced the rest of them that he’d meet them later for a party at MJ’s favorite club. He kissed Aunt May’s cheek and got Harry’s promise to get her home safe, then he darted across the lawn, towards the only shaded area at the edge of the field where five familiar figures were waiting, sitting in the grass and chatting. They looked entirely too casual for his spiking anxiety.
Johnny spotted him first, popping to his feet and striding forward, a huge smile on his stupidly handsome face. “Pete! Congrats, man, you did it! How are we—”
Peter grabbed his arm, squeezing so hard Johnny didn’t have a prayer of escaping. The Human Torch frowned, tugging at his steel-vise grip with an exasperated look.
“What are all of you doing here?!” he demanded, directing the question at Sue, because she usually talked them out of bad ideas like this. “My aunt was here! How I am supposed to explain why the Fantastic Four were at my graduation!?”
“Tol’ you we shoulda warned him,” Ben rumbled, Alicia leaning against his side.
Sue smiled. “Of course we thought of that. That’s why Doctor Strange gave us these.” She showed off a bracelet that he now realized each of them were wearing, except Alicia. “They make it so that anyone who doesn’t know us sees someone else. I’m pretty sure I look like a dark haired sixty-year old woman to your classmates.”
“It’s fascinating, really,” Reed said, squinting at his bracelet. “I’m going to run a few tests on these before we return them to Stephen—”
“Hey, as much as I love being manhandled, you wanna let go now?” Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow.
Peter dropped his arm and rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, uh. Sorry. To all of you, I mean. For freaking out.”
“Aw, you wouldn’t be Webs if you didn’t freak out at least once a day,” Ben said. Peter wondered if people saw him as a human Ben Grimm or a huge sumo wrestler dude under the bracelet’s magic. “Congratulations, kid.”
“Oh, uh, thanks.”
Alicia and Sue both got up and pecked his cheeks, making him blush, which then made Johnny snicker. Reed got up too, and shook his hand, which was mind blowing. When he was thirteen, he remembered devouring Reed’s first paper regarding interstellar travel, and now he was shaking the man’s hand at his college graduation. He had the rare feeling that his younger self would be proud of him.
“We’re so proud of you, Peter,” Sue said.
Reed nodded, looping an arm around her. “Immensely. I expect you to start helping out in my lab soon, now that you’re a graduate.”
He spluttered. “Reed, I couldn’t. I mean, you don’t need to take me in, you guys have already been way too nice to me—”
“Shut up,” Alicia advised kindly.
“Seriously, I’m flattered, but I don’t need any favors--"
“Shut up,” Johnny said fondly, putting an arm around Peter’s shoulders and squeezing. “Reed’s been trying to get you to work with him for years, Pete. Years. He’s being entirely selfish, I assure you.”
“It’s true,” Reed agreed. “I’ve always been astounded by your intelligence, Peter. I respected your desire to get formal education, but I’ve always made myself clear that I wanted you to be my partner. Well, I thought I had made myself clear, anyways.”
Sue patted his arm. “You did, dear. Peter just lives in a state of denial about how remarkable he is.”
“I’m not really—”
“Shut up,” Ben chimed in, hauling himself to his feet. “Geez, Webs, even Matchstick is admitting it. Your brain is nearly as good as Stretch here.”
“And of course, the choice is yours, ultimately, Peter,” Reed said. “But know that I sincerely wish to work with you. I wanted to make sure that you got your first offer from me.”
The young man laughed nervously. “First? I don’t know about that—”
“How can you be so stupid when you’re so smart?” Johnny groaned. “Pete, you’re going to be getting job offers left and right. I have a bet going on with Ben right now how long it’ll take Stark to offer you something.”
Peter just stared at them all. There was no way they were serious. Sure, he knew he was really smart. He’d always done well in school and he’d even developed his own web fluid at fifteen. And of course he’d worked with Reed in his lab before, which was always amazing and exciting, but that was for superhero stuff, fun stuff, while they were waiting for dinner or Reed needed another brain to pick. But offering a job? A partnership? It was too good to be true.
“Okay, we broke him,” Johnny declared. His hand slid down Peter’s arm until their fingers were linked. “He’s mine now. I’ll drag him by the house tomorrow, and he’ll probably be able to answer you by then, Reed.”
The scientist smiled. “Of course. And again, congratulations, Peter.”
“See ya soon, Webs.”
“Bye, Peter.”
The four of them wandered off in pairs, Ben and Alicia, Sue and Reed. That left Peter with Johnny Storm on the rapidly emptying lawn of fold-up chairs. Just about every graduate and their guests were gone by now, seeking a respite from the heat. However, Peter felt perfect right next to Johnny, who was probably absorbing the excess heat around him. This was one of those days when Peter would kill to have Johnny’s powers. Super-strength and spidey-sense didn’t help at all with the weather.
“So what are your celebratory plans today, Mr. Parker?” Johnny asked, a crooked grin tugging at his lips, blonde hair turning golden in the bright sunlight.
“I think MJ is determined to get me drunk tonight. She’s taking me and Harry clubbing.” He couldn’t help but smile. MJ didn’t know about his advanced metabolism, so she was always getting exasperated that Peter never seemed to get drunk when they went out. It had become a crusade for her to try and get him truly wasted. He found it too amusing to try to avoid it.
“So you’re free until then?”
Peter smiled. “I guess I am? Did you have something in mind, Mr. Storm?”
“Yeah, I had a few ideas. You didn’t happen to bring your other outfit, did you?”
“Not even I’m neurotic enough to bring my other suit to my own graduation.”
Johnny’s grin turned absolutely devious, but Peter’s traitorous spidey-sense wasn’t going off. “I was really hoping you’d say that.”
“Johnny? I don’t know what you’re thinking, but—! Johnny!”
Next thing Peter knew he was being held in Johnny’s arms, flames flickering around them as they shot high into the air. Flying with Johnny was nothing like swinging on a webline. He had no control over their direction and instead of a smooth rhythm of rising and falling, Johnny could go in any direction he wanted, left, right, up, down, soaring, falling, with no warning at all.
It was amazing.
“Johnny, people can see us!” Peter hissed, despite his giddiness at getting to experience flight. He doubted even Dr. Strange’s bracelet could make Johnny look like a normal person when he was on fire and flying.
“They see me flying around all the time,” he said dismissively.
“Not while carrying me, they don’t!”
“No one knows who you are. I think you’re forgetting which one of us is famous.”
“I am wearing an ESU graduation robe! I think someone could figure it out!”
“Would you calm down for once?! We’re almost there, anyways.”
Peter frowned, caught off guard. He’d assumed they were just going for a joyride, but now he noticed that Johnny wasn’t actually moving randomly, but in a set direction, weaving among the skyscrapers.
“Almost where?” he asked, much quieter.
Johnny flashed a grin and sped up, causing Peter’s grip to tighten. “You’ll see in a second.”
Then they were over the water, steam rising in Johnny’s wake as he sped across the river. It become glaringly obvious where they were going now and Peter felt dumb for even wondering. The Statue of Liberty rose from the water, a tall column that was as familiar to Peter as his own bedroom, after all the countless hours he and Johnny had spent atop the crown.
Johnny let him drop from his arms before banishing his flames and set down. The wind off the river staved off the heat of the sun shining overhead, turning Johnny’s hair even more golden. Everything felt slightly surreal: Johnny was wearing a designer suit, Peter was still in his graduation robes, and they were standing on top of the Statue of Liberty as themselves, not their superhero personas.
“It wouldn’t be a proper celebration unless we did it up here,” Johnny said with a grin.
Peter’s annoyance had faded sometime when they’d flown over the river. “Feels like forever since we first came up, here, huh?”
“God, we were so young.”
“You used way too much gel in your hair back then.” Peter grinned, tugging off his graduation robe.
“I was on the cover of People. Jameson wasn’t even putting you on the cover of the Daily Bugle back then!”
“And terrible cologne.”
“You smelled like your web fluid stuff!”
Peter took another step forward, meeting Johnny’s smirk head on. “You smelled me?”
“You said you smelled me first!”
“Yeah, but I have an enhanced sense of smell. What’s your excuse?”
Johnny snorted softly. At some point, they’d gotten so close to each other that their breath was mingling between them. Peter could see every variation of blue and green in Johnny’s eyes, mesmerizing and beautiful.
“You know, Peter, I told myself that I wouldn’t let us get sucked into our stupid banter when I do this, but somehow, this feels right anyways.”
“Do wha—?!”
Johnny’s lips were on his, hand cupping the back of his neck. Peter was shocked, but it only took him a second to respond. He’d have to be dead not to kiss Johnny Storm back. Kissing Johnny was just as wonderful as he remembered from their disastrous first kiss. They moved together the way they did on the battlefield, together, seamless, and teasing.
When Johnny pulled back, Peter had to suppress the urge to lunge forward and kiss him again. He opened his eyes to see Johnny staring at him with a tenderness that took his breath away. It had… been a while since someone had looked at him like that.
“Remember that conversation we had a few months ago, about trying to have a real relationship?” Johnny whispered. “Do you still want to try?”
“I am going to be the best boyfriend you have ever had, Johnny Storm,” Peter swore. Johnny grinned, mouth opening to say something, but Peter had been waiting days, weeks, months, years to be able to kiss those supermodel lips, and he wasn’t going to wait any longer.
Judging from the way Johnny clung to him, hand fisting in his hair, he had no complaints with that.
They stayed up on the top of the Statue so long that Peter was late getting to his own graduation party, but it was hard to feel bad about that when he was holding hands with Johnny Storm.