Summary:

Paradox's background comes to light.

Notes:

This took me forever to think of and execute because I simply didn't know where to go. But I'm super psyched with what I got and where this is going :)

There have been complaints about profanity and although they are valid, you have to admit that these kids are teenagers dealing with a lot on their plates... either way, I'll limit some cursing. And apologies for any errors.

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Peter came home to hear sobbing. He didn't know how his powers fine-tuned sounds from his apartment from all the way in the elevator that was on the ground floor. He was alone and as soon as the doors shut, he heard the crying. It was May.

He couldn't stand to ever see his aunt cry. She hadn't cried this hard since Uncle Ben died. That was the worse of it. He did cry too, but not nearly as hard as May did. And she sounded just like she did then. May's breaths were scattered and she hiccuped and wheezed.

Peter bit his lip, listening to her. She was speaking to someone. "I-I don't know what to do," she sobbed. "He's in so much pain... so much pain." Although Peter couldn't see what she was doing, May balled up the front of her blouse in her hands, wrinkling the material while she held a shaking wine bottle. May ducked her head, nearly spilling the wine as tears rolled over her cheeks and onto the ground. "And he-he's in constant danger. I don't know if he'll end up... dead in a-a dumpster." She kept slurring, her words getting slower, "And...and... I'm drinking again even though-" a sigh "-I know I shouldn't. It's just... Tony, he called me from the hospital. His friend, uhm... she jumped or fell off of a building, I don't know. And I just keep thinking... when am I going to get the same call from the hospital telling me my boy is dead?"

He wanted to throw up. Peter literally had to cover his mouth with the back of his hand. He stepped back to the wall of the elevator and tilted his head up high. Peter's eyes began to tear up then he couldn't hold anything back anymore.

He was overwhelmed with... everything. Flashes of faces went through his mind: Liz's silent scream as she fell off the building; the mischievous smirk of Paradox; the dead man, Charlie Callahan, that he could have saved; his aunt yelling at him in slow-motion; Michelle's glowing sleeping, face when he spent the night with her; Paradox kissing Liz. Everything blurred together. Peter caved.

He shook and shuddered when he cried, but damn, was he mad. Peter balled up his fist and let out a shout as he punched the wall beside him, creating a dent three times the size of his hand. He didn't care.

The elevator opened to his floor, letting him out of the cage. Peter stumbled out, furiously wiping his eyes. He struggled with the door, realizing that it was locked. He couldn't remember the last time his apartment was locked. Peter fumbled with the keys until his shaking hands could finally fit the key in the lock. Twist and push.

Once he was inside, he saw May on the couch, hunched over with her hands pressed against her forehead. A wine bottle was in front of her on the coffee table. When she heard him come in, May's mouth fell and her lip quivered. Her phone slipped from her ear and shoulder and thumped on the ground.

"May, I'm so sorry," His voice was cracking, but he didn't care. Peter rushed toward her and wrapped her in a fierce hug. He could smell its strong and burning aroma from her mouth but it didn't bother him.

She didn't need to ask any questions, she just held her nephew as if he was going to disappear into her arms.

On the other line, Tony released a heavy sigh and ended the call.

Peter smushed his face in the crook of her aunt's neck. He engulfed her in a fierce hug, squeezing her just as tight as he did when Ben died.

May's body still shook and she gently went through his hair with her fingers, smoothening it down as a way to comfort them both.

He snickered, unable to control a shaky smile. "May..." he said as he pulled away from her, still in his arms, "I-I like a girl."

"What?" She breathed. Her eyes were dried up red, her tears still rolled over her cheeks as she stared at him incredulously. "Y-You...?" Suddenly, she too couldn't help but chuckle. "You do? It's Michelle right?"

"It's MJ. I like her a lot." It felt... so good to admit this. Even if this was such awful timing, but with the way things are right now? He couldn't even fathom what the hell Paradox was planning but he knew one thing for sure. "I want to protect her. I want to protect you and Ned and everyone. I have to be Spider-Man, Aunt May. It's up to me to stop Paradox-"

May did a double take. She blinked rapidly and raised an eyebrow at him. "Paradox? Why do you have to stop that guy? Didn't he save all of those people in those apartment buildings?"

Peter sat her down and explained everything. From the very beginning. He left no detail unturned- even if it wasn't about Paradox. He talked about MJ, what happened with Liz and the theory the gang came up with about Paradox's true intentions. May had been patient with everything. She listened and nodded her head, even frowned at the mention of Paradox's antics. By the end of it all, she was screaming bloody murder for Paradox.

Peter wasn't sure what he should do. He doesn't exactly have a hotline to contact Paradox with. And even if he did, he would need proof to paint him as a villain rather than a hero. What was Paradox's end game? How would Peter even take down a guy with shadow abilities? What would happen to Peter if he stopped Paradox? Would the people cheer for him again, or would they hate him even more than they do now?

What is right and what is wrong?

Investigative mode.

That night, he went out as Spider-Man to patrol his city and find whatever dirt he could possibly get on Paradox. Over the line, he had Ned behind the computer. "Okay so this happened after you and MJ left the hospital room," Ned said right away, "Liz called me back and told me that Paradox visited her dad in prison. So I was thinking if I could somehow get the records of visitors from the prison and match it to her dad, then we can get his full name!"

"Wow." Peter's body propelled forward, wind howling against him. He swung low to the ground, scaring the crap out of an old man (he yelled his apology as he whipped by). He strung out another web further down the street and swung away. "That's genius! But how are you supposed to-?"

"Hey," Ned scoffed, "I hacked into your suit- Tony Stark's tech. I think I can get into a prison."

"Alright, tell me when you get something! Also, he beefed up the tech, so if you have to do it another time it's gonna be harder and I'm pretty sure he will either kill you or hire you." Peter released himself from the web and flipped into a landing with one hand firmly pressed to the ground. He stood tall and narrowed his eyes. "Karen, let's do investigative mode."

He stood on top of the very building that Liz was forced to fall from. Peter had to start somewhere, how about the most recent place?

His eyes shined as the monitor studied everything in sight. Little menus of information popped up to clarify. Peter strolled toward the edge of the building, right where Liz stood. He peered over the edge, half-expecting to see a splatter. He swallowed hard. Nothing there. He was about to turn away when his fingers felt sticky.

Black goop forced two of his fingers to stick together. He lifted the fingers and asked Karen to study it. Karen replied, "Analyzing..." it took a few seconds before she concluded, "inconclusive."

"Okay that's definitely not possible," grumbled Peter. "It's in my hands." He sighed, growing frustrated. He pulled his two fingers apart, expecting to see it stretch and stick back together. Instead, the black goop separated and formed into a gaseous black form before it vaporized into the air. "Holy crap!" Peter yelled excitedly. "It's-oh my god- it's the shadows solidified! Karen don't you see how cool this is?!"

"It is very cool, Peter," she agreed.

"This is perfect!" Peter was getting ahead of himself. He jumped down from the edge, slinging a shot from the very ledge that he stood on. He lowered himself down to the ground to investigate. He put Ned on the line again, explaining what he found. "I have this crazy idea. If I find enough of this gooey stuff, then maybe... maybe I can do what Paradox does. He uses shadows like pathways like-"

"Portals!" Ned exclaimed, "God, I love that game! So, like, Paradox makes portals through the shadows, yeah, but how can you even know you could do the same thing? What if it's like the looney toons and you can't go through the black hole and you just slam into the wall or something?"

The image appeared to Peter, his appearance simplified and cartoonish as he swung smack dab into a brick wall to lose all of his teeth. He didn't want that to happen to him, but he had to give this theory-any theory-a try.

He glanced around the hotel building. Peter hadn't seen a single soul enter or leave the hotel ever since Liz's fall. Seeing nothing in front of the building, he walked around the side where the hotel was practically hugging the next building. That's when he saw black.

It was almost like someone took black paint and threw it at the walls, the ground- everything. It was thick and gooey, dripping slowly down the length of the wall like molasses. It was more than enough. Peter figured Paradox must have been here when he first came to the hotel to antagonize Liz or maybe this was where he took his leave. Either way, this was the Paradox's doing.

"Found it," he said, unsure how to proceed next. "I'm going to stick my hand in it first."

Ned, clearly intrigued, responded with, "Tell me if it's gross."

"It looks gross. Turn on the camera."

"That's sick!" gasped Ned. "Awesome."

Not for me, Peter thought bitterly as he took a step toward the mess. He lifted his hand and dipped his fingertips in. Surprisingly, he felt nothing. There wasn't a solid blocking him from going any further. He was a looney toon. He swallowed, trying to shake off his nerves as he stepped inside.

It was a whole world of nothing, the most depressing thing that he had ever seen. There was black everywhere. The sky- if there was one- black. The solid ground that he stood on was as dark as the sky. Nothing in sight for miles and miles. Peter glanced over his shoulder, relieved to see that a little portal back to the alleyway of the hotel was still there.

Ned's excitement was gone. He spoke in a frightened whisper, "Some people say that when we die, there's nothing. If that is what it looks like when we die... I don't want to go there."

"No." Peter shook his head, refusing to believe that. "We'd never end up in a place like this. This is Paradox's hell, not ours."

It took Ned a few moments to respond. Peter wished he could be sitting beside Ned in his chair, giving him a reassuring hug. He wanted to protect him and everyone from this. "If there's nothing there," said Ned, "what should you do now?"

"I'm not too sure." Peter spun around in the circle, squinting his eyes, trying to see far into the darkness. Once he spun around for a second time, he saw a small trace of white. He broke into a run toward the object, being very careful to occasionally glance over his shoulder to his only exit. He slowed down into a walk, letting a few heavy breaths escape. "Whoa," he blinked, not sure what he was seeing, "that's-"

"Liz?" Ned sounded just confused as Peter felt. "But she's in the hospital!"

That wasn't Liz. In fact, she looked so much liked her that she could have passed for her sibling. A woman sat on the ground, her legs pulled up to her chin as she rested her chin on her kneecaps. She lifted her head once she saw Peter approach. She looked like Liz, that is true, but she also looked slightly older. She was longer and slenderer than the Liz he already knew. Her skin clung to her bones and Peter feared if he would touch her, she would just collapse into a heap of bone and skin. Her dark hair still fell in lazy waves but it seemed to be permanently blown out as if she was attacked by a blow drier. Bags hung underneath her eyes, cheeks sullen in and her lips dry and chapped. She wasn't Liz.

Ned was howling, just rambling in and out of his ears so that he couldn't concentrate. He muted his friend.

She stared at him, her yellowish eyes scrutinizing him. "Who are you?" her voice was soft but Peter could tell it was full of venom. It was like she hadn't spoken in years with how much it had cracked.

"I'm- I'm Peter." He lowered himself to one knee and dragged his arm over it. The truth never came so smoothly. He simply saw no point in lying or saying he was Spider-Man. She obviously didn't know who Spider-Man was. "Are you trapped here?"

She huffed, a soft smile pulled at her lips, making her entire face crack with age. "What made you think that?" she asked sarcastically. "I've only been here for years... rotting and forgotten."

"What's your name? I can help you out."

She blinked, sending her eyes downcast and away from him. Peter watched her jaw clench, noticing the veins pounding in her neck. His stomach dropped. He hoped to never see his friend look like this. "Anya."

"Okay, Anya." He offered his hand to her and she eyed it warily like this was all a trap. She glanced around him and she suddenly stiffened. "What's wrong?"

"He's coming," she whispered, whitening. She forced herself from the ground and Peter mimicked her. Anya shoved him, making her stumbling backward but he remained balance. "Go!" she yelled. "Go before he catches you and you can't leave! Go, Peter!"

Peter wanted to root himself there and become a tree, another living thing there to protect Anya from Paradox but he was in way over his head. This was Paradox's world. If Peter couldn't defeat him in his own, how could he possibly stand a chance against the villain in his hell? He clenched his fists, his chest burning with unimaginable fury. "I'll come back for you," he declared, "I promise."

Her eyes clouded and he could see a tear run down her cheek. Anya shook her head. "No, no you won't."

Peter didn't know what to do with that. A knot tied itself in his throat and he couldn't speak. He instead trusted his legs. He turned and ran for the portal back, his legs pounding hard as he raced for escape. As he stepped through, he glanced over his shoulder to find Anya and she was nowhere to be seen. Maybe swallowed by the darkness.

Just as he stepped into the alleyway, the black goo swallowed itself whole and disappeared as if he had been kicked out. Peter doubled over, planting his hands on his knees as he panted. His mind was fuzzy as he kept thinking about Liz somehow ending up like Anya, then he remembered his other friend. Peter unmated Ned. "Ned-"

"Dude, dude, we have a problem."

"I know," he puffed, "we have to- we have to figure out a way to save Anya-"

"No! You weren't listening!" Ned sounded hysterical, his words nearly slurred together, barely comprehensible. "MJ came and I told her what I was doing and I didn't think she would! I swear! She just left! I tried to stop her!"

Peter couldn't keep up with what he was saying. "What are you talking about? Where is MJ?"

"I-I figured out who the Paradox is." Ned swallowed, "His name is Nico Hastings. He lives in College Point and his mom is the only other person alive in his family. She's there. His mom. And MJ is going to meet her."

Peter felt sick to his stomach. He stumbled forward, emerging from the alleyway in a ditz. He pictured Michelle rotting in the other world like Anya had if she was captured by Paradox. If Paradox was there... "I have to stop her."

"She already left! She's on her way right now and I couldn't stop her. I'm so sorry, Peter. I-I messed up. I couldn't do one thing!" Ned flushed, his voice broken.

"You did what you can, I know it," Peter assured him, "You did your part, man. You've done so much... I don't thank you enough. So thank you for everything but it's my turn to do my part."

Ned was eerily quiet. "Why does this sound like a goodbye?"

"It's not." Peter walked down the sidewalk, earning repulsed glares from pedestrians as he made his way. The look of disgust on their faces wounded him more than he could ever think possible. He thought back to Robbie, the hot dog guy, and wondered if Robbie hated him. Or the people he had helped or saved. Did they hate him? Maybe everyone was better off with Spider-Man. But right now... Michelle would need Peter Parker. "Give me the address."

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Michelle counted the numbers on the houses out loud. She glanced at the house on either side of her as she walked down the sidewalk with her hands stuffed inside of her jacket, her earbuds playing sweet tunes of yesterday in her ears. She walked in pace with the music, taking her time with this. Her nervousness made her more cautious. She always would take things slow and think things out critically but this is insane. Either way, it had to be done. She had to understand the bastard.

She wondered what his mother would be like. She couldn't help but picture her as a comatose patient with a nice nurse helping her inside her home like in the movies. Or his mother could have been the typical lady next door with smiles and cookies. Or his mother could have been reserved and silent, living in the shame of her crappy son.

Either way, Michelle was intrigued by the guise of the Paradox's mother. Just as when she was trying to decide which version she liked more, she stood in front of their house. It was a creamed color house that looked rather small on the outside. Patches of dried of grass spotted the front yard. The front porch's steps creaked as Michelle stood on them. Worn down and tired, Michelle thought.

She formed a fist and rapped the door. Michelle pulled out her earbuds and stuffed them in the pocket as she waited.

"Didn't you see the sign?!" a woman hollered from inside. "No soliciting! And it's late!"

To her left, just as promised, there was a no soliciting sign hammered on the wall. "I'm not soliciting," called out Michelle. "I'm looking for Mrs. Hastings?"

There was rumbling and shuffling from inside and an older woman yanked the door open. A screen door shielded blocked the older woman and Michelle and Michelle was slightly relieved by that. The old woman was no pretty sight. She would be the neighbor you'd stay far away from because you'd hear scary stories- theories about how she was a witch. She certainly looked like one with her wrinkled face and hardened stare. "I'm her," she growled, her voice raspy.

"Oh, well, I'm Jordan and I was wondering if I could speak to you about your son? Nico?" Michelle had practiced this line a hundred times before she came to the house. She wasn't going to say her real name just in case things went sideways.

Mrs. Hastings somehow seemed more hostile with the mention of her son. She scowled down at Michelle, oddly tall for such an old woman and Michelle was heads taller than a lot of the boys at school. "Another ethnic girl coming to my door about my son." She scoffed, "Figures."

At first, Michelle was caught off guard. She wasn't sure if she heard Mrs. Hastings right. But the word stuck out as if it was bare naked in the dead of winter. Ethnic. So she's that lady, Michelle thought bitterly. This was going to be so nice.

Mrs. Hastings shoved the screen door open, allowing for Michelle to come inside. The house was cluttered with old newspapers, trinkets, and any other random crap that Mrs. Hastings saw fit to keep. A hoarder. Michelle already wanted to leave.

She struggled to find a spot to sit. She had to push a stack of books off of the edge seat of the couch so she could fit. As she settled, Mrs. Hastings asked if she would like lemon tea and Michelle's mouth began to water. She wondered if the tea could be poisoned but frankly, she didn't care. At least it sounded good.

Mrs. Hastings returned from the kitchen with a glass of the tea and handed to Michelle. She sat down in a rocking chair, gripping the armrests as if she sat on top of a throne. "So what about my son?"

"Well, do you um..." She struggled to find the words. Where could she possibly start? Your son tried to kill my friend! Michelle wanted to scream but she bit back the words. "Do you know about his... abilities?"

Mrs. Hastings narrowed her eyes. "His abilities? That's a rather nice way to say abominations." That took a turn. Michelle lifted her brow, and Mrs. Hastings explained. "That boy was made in God's image," she spat, "and he has the audacity to declare himself God? That little shit is nothing, I tell you, nothing."

Intrigued by her answer, Michelle carried on. "So you know how he got his powers?"

"I don't know how," she shrugged, "I just woke up to find him frozen as a statue and I damn near called the cops before he broke free of that and said he felt reborn." With a roll of her eyes, she added, "So pretentious."

Michelle was more confused. A god complex? Was he really that full of himself? And what about Liz? What's his big obsession with her friend? Which reminded Michelle... "Uh, you mentioned that another girl came by here for him?"

Mrs. Hastings burned red with hate, "Oh that minx. Yeah, she came by years ago when they were just kids. I told him! I did tell him what she would do to him and he didn't listen to me!" She shifted uncomfortably in her throne, peering down at Michelle. "You kind of look like her. Not really, but the same burnt skin."

Michelle never fought so hard to roll her own eyes or throw back a snarky comment. She would always get in trouble by her big fat mouth but other the years she had learned when to bite back, especially when there would be severe consequences. Swallowing back her pride, she slowly said, "What did she do to him?"

"Seduced him, controlled him, made him hers. My boy was all in love with the damned girl." Her voice went higher to mimic her son. "'Anya is the love of my life! She gets me! She understands me!'" Mrs. Hastings leaned forward, lowering her voice even though no one else was in the house. "If you ask me, the girl didn't know who the hell he was. She lived near here and they went to school together, but I doubt she even batted an eye at him."

"Then how come she came here?"

"To ask me to stop Nico from harassing her!" she said it as though it was obvious. "Once she figured out who he was and why he was following her everywhere, she begged me to get him to stop. And I told him, but not because she asked me to. I didn't want him involved with her anyway. No, it would have been better if he just sat by himself in the back with his little explosives."

Michelle's eyes widened. His what?! she screamed in her mind. Michelle pushed herself up on her feet, suddenly not trusting the house she was in. She was paranoid that there would be something that could trigger an explosive and there goes Michelle Jones.

Mrs. Hastings jabbed her thumb behind her. "Nico is a smart one. Learned how to make little explosions by himself using nothing but scrap. He would have been good in the military but he just doesn't listen." Her eyes darkened as she took in Michelle standing in front of her as if realizing that there is a stranger in her house. "Why do you want to know about my son?"

"I... he's Paradox." Michelle took a shaky breath, unsure of what Mrs. Hastings might do.

She snorted. "Paradox. He's so dramatic." Mrs. Hastings rose from her chair and nodded at the door. "Off with you, I have cleaning to do."

Michelle knew that she would never finish cleaning, but she was glad to have an excuse to leave. As she approached the door, she stopped and spun around to face the old woman. "How come you told me everything if you didn't know who I am?"

A smile crept across her lips. Eerie and cynical as she said, "I figured if one ethnic girl showed up at my doorstep to ruin my son's life then another one can do it again."

Michelle hurried out of the house, afraid she might turn around and whack the old woman in the face. As she rushed down the steps, she collided with another person, letting out a yelp. She slapped his arm. "Peter! What the hell are you doing here?"

He didn't look so good. His hair was a ruffled mess as if he had been rubbing it in a pillow in a frenzy. His jacket hung loosely on him and the zipper was pulled up halfway, shoving one side of his jacket to be higher than the other. Peter's shoes were mismatched and his eyes big with worry. He gripped her shoulders then glanced up at Mrs. Hastings scowling face before he tugged her out of the way. They walked together on the sidewalk, him, pressed so close to her side. "Why did you come here alone?" he asked once they were away from the house. "You couldn't have waited? This is so stupid of you!"

"No, because we have to stop him now." Michelle narrowed her eyes at him. "And it wasn't stupid at all, I actually learned-"

"But you could have been hurt! What if he was there? He would have taken you and put you in there." His eyes were frantic, darting around their whereabouts as if he was expecting something- an attack. Michelle pursed her lips at him. He looked just as broken as he did when he snuck into her room and cried into her arms. She hated seeing him this way when she had grown to like his stupid smile and his laughs. Paradox took that away.

She slid her hand into his, making him fidget slightly in surprise. "C'mon," she said, tugging him along, "we're going to get something to eat."

Abashed, he blinked at her. "Food? Now? MJ-"

"It is always a good time for food and you know I'm right." She settled it the discussion with his hand was trapped in hers. They wandered around a bit before they settled on a quaint Mexican restaurant. They were seated and Michelle's legs bounced. She placed her hands on top of them to force them to stop but to no avail.

She glanced around the restaurant. It was slightly dark inside with the paint job but they made up for it by stringing holiday lights inside. The Christmas lights twinkled in an assortment of colors of the rainbow, like colored stars in the night sky. Christmas was coming soon, she realized, how wild is that? She would have to go out and get her little brother, mother, and father Christmas presents and prepare for the decathlon in China. Oh, and their break from school for Thanksgiving had officially started. She didn't care much about the holiday but it was nice to not go to school.

She glanced over to Peter and he wasn't as enthusiastic as she was. Peter drummed his fingers on the table as he stared at the menu on the table, his eyes glossed over the words with a fist mushed against his cheek.

Michelle bit down on her lip. After a few moments, she mustered the courage to speak. "You know... this is technically our first date."

"So we are dating now?" quipped Peter, still solemn.

She tried so hard to not say something she'd regret, but he was really starting to pick her nerves. Michelle had discovered crucial information about the asshole that tried to hurt Liz! This should be exciting yet Peter was acting like it was the worst thing in the world.

"Yes," she pressed, "I'd like to date you because I like you, Peter."

He met her gaze for the first time since they had arrived. His entire body tensed up and his mouth parted to speak. "Sorry... I like you too. I just wish you hadn't done that. Paradox is dangerous. If he had been there-"

"Don't you think I know that?" Michelle exasperated. "I took a risk because it was worth it. For Liz, it was worth it. For everyone else that the asshole hurt- it would still be worth it."

The waiter came by then to take their orders, interrupting their conversation for only a few moments but it felt like hours. Finally, after she had left, Michelle decided to share what she found. "His mother hates his guts," she said, "he grew up making little bombs in the backyard like a freak. When he got his powers, she basically said that he thought himself like a god as if he couldn't get any worse. And another thing that I thought was weird is that he had this obsession with some girl, Anya, for years."

Light came back to Peter's eyes. He sat up straight with interest written all over his face. "You sure she said Anya?"

"Uh..." She lifted a skeptical brow at him, noting his sudden intrigue. "Yeah, why?"

"Earlier, I was doing some recon-"

"You're not a spy, Peter."

"-and at the hotel building for the wedding, there was this side alley. It was just covered with black goop and slime which are the physical manifestations of his power- shadows. Which is cool all in itself but you can walk through it like he does if there is enough. I did that and I found her."

Michelle wasn't quite following. "You what?"

"I went inside this, like, another world. It was completely black and barren and I found Anya. And Anya looks almost exactly like Liz but older and perpetually dying." He frowned at his own words.

Everything was clear at that moment for Michelle. She understood who Paradox was more than she ever did. Her mouth fell open but it quickly turned into a smirk. "I see... this... this is good."

Peter, on the other hand, looked horrified. "How? She is dying in there!"

Blushing she quickly added, "I mean it's awful for her, but don't you see? Liz is his new Anya to torment and obsess over."

"How is that a good thing?"

"I have a plan... or what is beginning to look like a plan. It's genius, it's brilliant-"

"Here you go, lovebirds!" The waitress lowered their two plates on the table, earning a growl from Michelle's stomach.

All good plans are found when eaten at a Mexican restaurant- it's just the truth. Michelle grinned at her and thanked her for the meals and prepared to eat. "Peter, this may be the greatest first date ever because we're going to stop Paradox."

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Notes:

Fun fact #1: Since it's been so long since I've updated, I literally wrote Paradox as Phantom throughout the entire chapter and I'm so embarrassed.

Fun fact #2: After this story is finished, there will be a sequel/spin-off of sorts. I'd like to take my sweet time writing it first before I publish it so I wouldn't leave on long hiatuses again. The only kicker to it: it's not a Peter/Michelle romance. Instead, it will be my take on Peter/Stark!OC that takes place either late high school or early college. More to come with that later. :)

~~Also I noticed that I never came up with a face claim for Paradox AKA Nico Hastings! If you'd like to reccomend someone to me that would be fantastic! Shoot me a message. A description of him is back in Chapter 9 when he first appeared to save the day.