☼  ☼  ☼

Andi could hear the train zooming by outside. She could hear the loud voice of May Parker, as well as the room full of reporters and supporters she spoke to. Cameras clicked, lights flashed, and Andi found herself even more grateful that she wouldn't be taking the stage with Peter tonight. She couldn't help but feel for her friend, however. Peter was awkward sometimes, often socially, and she knew that didn't change when he put the mask on. Andi just hoped Peter didn't become too uncomfortable. Regardless, she'd be there if he did.

Once Andi reached the entrance door Peter told her to come to, she pushed it open and walked in. Boxes upon boxes of canned food sat scattered throughout the room, and Andi smiled softly at the sight. It was a delight to see so many willing to help someone who didn't have the means to help themselves. It made Andi stop and think for a moment about just how fortunate she was compared to most who'd been affected by the Blip.

The curtain opening caught Andi's attention, and she turned to see Peter hurrying into the room, while May closed the curtain behind them. Andi stood quietly with her hands in the pockets of her jeans, watching as the two of them exchanged very excited words.

"That was amazing!" Peter exclaimed, his mask dematerializing from his face.

"That was great!"

"I was so nervous!"

Andi couldn't help but chuckle as she walked over to greet the two of them. "You didn't make a fool of yourself out there, did you?"

Peter looked over at the sound of Andi's voice, and his eyes brightened once he saw her. "Hey, you came!"

"I did," Andi confirmed. She smiled at Peter and looked at May, who was absolutely thrilled to see her. It'd been months since the two saw each other last. May asked about Andi constantly, and she only knew this because of Peter telling her every other day. Andi was just happy to know she cared. She'd always had a soft spot for May.

"Andi!" May exclaimed excitedly as she hurried over to hug the young girl. She'd missed the girl that made her nephew's smile so bright. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too, May," Andi said with a smile. "I figured I'd just pop bye to say hello, so hello."

"You're not leaving already are you?" Peter scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I was actually hoping you'd come by and hang out for a bit after this is all over. If that's okay with May, obviously."

"You know I don't mind, but you have to finish packing tonight, Peter," May told him. She looked at Andi and smiled. "I'm so happy you guys get to go on this trip. You definitely deserve it, especially you two. I know it's not an easy job looking after an entire city at 16 and 17, but you two are doing such a great job."

And this was what Andi loved about May. She was sweet like Peter and absolutely supportive. She could remember just how uneasy May was after finding out her and Peter were Spider-Man and Recluse, but over time she respected that they did what they did to protect their home and the people they shared it with.

"Wanna talk about a great job?" Peter gestured over to Andi. "You should've seen her take on these dudes over the weekend, it was awesome."

"Well, I wasn't the one who got rid of the Manfredis tonight," Andi reminded Peter with smirk on her face. "Would've been over a lot quicker if I'd been there to help you out, but overall that's a pretty impressive feat. Job well done, Peter."

"He can fight crime, but he can't remember his passport," May teased Peter.

"I have my passport, May!"

"What about your mini toothpaste?"

"Yeah, I have that too."

Andi laughed at the exchange between the two, but a door creaking open behind her caught her attention. Peter's mask appeared on his face again for the sake of concealing his identity from the suspected stranger, but when he discovered the stranger was only Happy, he removed it again. Andi, however, now wished she had her own mask to hide behind. She didn't expect to see Happy, and considering she'd spent the last week ignoring his phone calls, she didn't want to see him.

"Sorry I'm late!"

"Happy, hey!"

Happy entered the room carrying a large cardboard check. He noticed May and Peter with Andi and narrowed his eyes at the girl. An innocent smile pulled at the corner of Andi's mouth and she waved awkwardly. He hadn't been expecting to see her either.

"What's this one doing here?" Happy asked, referring to Andi.

"I came here to support Peter and May and the homeless people, Happy," Andi answered matter-of-factly. "What are you doing here?"

"The same thing, and that's why I'm late." Happy straightened out the cardboard check in his grasp and held it out to the three of them. "The check here got misplaced at the office, which doesn't make any sense because it's enormous! Well, not the amount, the size—I mean, the amount's pretty generous too."

May took the check from Happy and looked it over, shocked to find it was written for $500,000. "Wow, thank you!"

"Yeah, Pepper said she's sorry she couldn't be here," Happy told her, glancing over at Andi, who wasn't the least bit surprised that the check had come from her aunt.

"Well, she's a busy woman," May defended her.

Andi laughed under her breath. Pepper was a busy woman, that much Andi could admit, but at the moment she was home with Morgan watching a movie on the couch and likely stuffing her face with kettle corn. That was the usual result of a long work day or week at Stark Industries. Andi couldn't blame her for it either.

"You've been a pretty busy woman yourself," Happy said to May, his eyes bright. "You look lovely, by the way."

"Thanks, you too," May complimented him back.

"Is that a new dress?"

"Yes, yes it is."

Andi's face contorted slightly at the vibe she was starting to pick up between the two of them. May's smile and Happy's smirk were dead give aways that their exchanges were more than friendly. It was weird for her to watch, and it was much the same for Peter. Had Andi not been so distracted by the two adults, she likely would've laughed at the expression on his face.

"Is that a new beard?" May asked Happy.

"Yeah." Happy stroked his beard and glanced between the three of them with a proud smile on his face. "It's my Blip beard, y'know, 'cause I grew it during the Blip."

"I see that, yeah."

"You'd think there'd be more to it after five years," Andi remarked, earning an eye roll from Happy. "Cons of getting old, I guess."

"I already have a bone to pick with you, Andrews, don't test me right now," Happy said back to her.

Andi simply pursed her lips and remained quiet, while Peter looked at her curiously. He wondered what was going on, but he figured he'd find out sooner or later.

"I think I'm gonna go change the Sterno under the vegan lasagne," May said to the group. She started backing away from them, the check from Pepper in hand. "Spider-Man, go shake hands!"

"Will do."

May left the room, leaving Happy alone with Peter and Andi. Peter turned to look at Happy, while Andi let out an awkward breath.

"Uh, what just happened?" Peter asked, referencing to the exchanges he'd just witnessed.

Happy ignored the question completely. He had things he needed to run by Peter, and now Andi as well. He didn't have the time to waste. "Heads up, kid, Nick Fury is gonna be calling you soon," he said to Peter before turning to Andi. "And he's been calling you for days, but you've been ghosting him. Then you ghosted me when I tried to call you for ghosting him. Why are you ghosting Nick Fury, Andi?"

"Because I don't want to talk to Nick Fury, Happy!" Andi answered.

"Wait," Peter shook his head. "Why is Nick Fury calling us?"

"Probably because he has hero stuff for you to do." Happy shrugged his shoulders and glanced between the two teenagers. "You're both superheroes, right? He calls superheroes."

"I'm sure if it was really important he'd call someone else, not us," Peter spoke nervously.

Andi's phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out to reveal yet another unknown caller. It was Fury for what felt like the hundredth time that day. She ignored it as she usually did and put her phone back into her pocket. Peter's phone started vibrating not too much longer after that.

"Apparently not," Happy remarked as Peter walked over to grab his phone. "You should probably answer the phone. Set a good example for your partner over here."

"Why do you want me to answer it?"

"Because if you don't talk to him, I have to talk to him, and I don't wanna talk to him."

"Why?"

"Because I'm scared," Happy muttered quickly. "Just answer the phone."

Peter ignored the phone call and tossed his phone back into his bag, eliciting a laugh from Andi. Happy groaned and ran a hand over his face, not at all thrilled with the two teenagers. Alone the two of them were massive pains in his ass, but when they were together they were often worse. It was exhausting.

"Why do you people think you can just send Nick Fury to voicemail?" Happy exclaimed.

"I've been doing it for a week and haven't lost any sleep," Andi replied, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Look, I gotta go back out there, so..." Peter started backing towards the curtain to the stage. "I promise I'll call him, okay? Unless Andi does..."

Peter disappeared and Andi looked back at Happy. "I'm not calling him," she told him plainly.

"What the hell's goin' on with you, kid?" Happy asked her. He had a serious look on his face, and Andi hated it. She knew he was just worried about her, though. Everyone seemed to be nowadays and she couldn't stand it. "You were gone for five years and came back with an even bigger attitude than you used to have. Are you okay?"

"I guess dying and coming back to life has that effect on a person." He'd asked a pretty relative question Andi knew she could find her way around answering. Andi cared about Happy in her own way—he'd been a part of her life for years—but he didn't need to know the details of what was going on inside her mind.

Happy didn't get the chance to respond to Andi. His phone rang in his pocket, the expression on his face revealing it was the one person he didn't want to talk to. Andi took advantage of the distraction and ran over to the curtains Peter had just gone through. She stepped backstage, lingering just enough to remain concealed behind the curtains. She could see Peter through the curtains and the bright flashes of the cameras in front of him. Reporters bombarded him with questions, making him more and more uncomfortable by the second.

"What are you gonna do if the aliens come back?" One reported asked Peter, but he didn't have the chance to answer.

"For years you and Recluse have worked closely with Tony Stark, " another reporter started. Andi's stomach turned slightly at the sound of her name. "Which one of you will be taking over for him? Those are some pretty big shoes to fill."

Peter was getting overwhelmed and Andi could see it. She listened as he dismissed himself and swung away, leaving her to follow after him. She knew he wouldn't have gone far with her still inside, so she pulled up her hood and ran out the side door of the building. She started climbing up the side of the building and onto the roof, where Peter was crouched by a cupola.

"If it's any consolation at all, I think you did great up there."

Andi's voice caught Peter's attention, and he looked over at her. His breathing seemed to calm in an instance, and he felt so much lighter than he had just ten seconds before. He was hoping she'd find her way to him. He just wasn't aware it'd happen so fast.

"I wasn't lying when I said it could be overwhelming sometimes." Peter gave a soft chuckle and pulled his mask off. "It's just—whenever they mention the aliens or Mr. Stark or when they ask me which one of us'll be taking over for him I never know how to answer it."

Andi walked over to Peter and sat down beside him. "And that's okay because it's not your job to answer it, Peter. Your job is to enjoy the next two weeks of your life and decompress from the world of whatever it is we do around here. As we now know, there are at least three spider-people in New York. I'm sure the city will be just fine with one while we're gone."

"Um, I thought you thought Gwen was this new spider-person?" Peter raised a brow at Andi. "Last time I checked she's going on the trip, which would leave New York with zero spider-people."

"That's not what I'm hoping for, but it's exactly what I'm hoping for," Andi told him. "If this new spider-person is just MIA for the next two weeks, there's our answer!"

"Unless we all just decided to take a vacation at the same time?"

"And you're still grasping at straws." Andi scoffed and shook her head. "I can't wait to go on this trip just so I can prove you wrong."

"Oh, yeah?" Peter laughed quietly. "Is that what you're turning our trip into? A competition over who can figure out the identity of New York's newest spider-person?"

Andi nudged his shoulder gently. "Unless you have a better plan, Parker," she mused, her brown eyes bright as she looked at him under the dim moonlight.

"Y'know, I think I just might," Peter replied, the softest smile on his face. He definitely had a plan, but it had nothing to do with trying to figure out Gwen. Instead, it had everything to do with Andi, and he couldn't wait to show her.