You and MJ were walking to your respective apartments after school, quiet and contemplative. The skies were grey above you, threatening rain. It seemed like it was always grey and rainy now, in the aftermath.

After Thanos won, erasing half the people on the planet, an event people called The Snap, everyone around you seemed dimmer. People didn't laugh or joke around as much as they used to. School was a solemn affair, kids just sitting in class as the teachers tried to teach, trying to pretend that they weren't dying a little inside when they looked at desks that used to hold students who, one day, just didn't show up. Some kids still acted out, but it was more out of pain than anything else. More often than not, those who started the fights were the ones who lost the most.

MJ and you became even closer after The Snap. You'd both been talking with Ned on your way home from school, wondering about Peter, wondering if he was okay, when Ned suddenly held his hand up in front of the both of you, and you watched, stunned, as his hand, and then the rest of him, slowly disappeared into dust. You and MJ had been dumbfounded, eyes widening as you heard the screams of your classmates as they all watched some of their friends fade before their eyes.

You and MJ had looked at each other, simultaneously pulling out your phones to contact your family. After you'd reassured your mom that yes, you were fine, and verified that the rest of your family was okay, you scrolled through your contacts to find Peter's. MJ saw what you were doing and stared at you with a questioning look. "Hun, we saw Peter go into space. I don't think he's going to have reception..." MJ trailed off as she saw the tears filling your eyes.

"I have to try," you told her as the phone rung. "I don't know what I'll do..." you break off as you hear Peter's voicemail in your ear, tears now rolling down your cheeks unbidden.

"Hi! This is Peter Parker's voicemail, I'm probably at school or at Stark Tower for my internship, leave your number and I'll call as soon as I can!" You pressed redial, only to get the same message. You kept trying, as the world around you blurred as tears continued to fill your eyes and stream down your cheeks. MJ pried the phone out of your hands as you tried to redial for what must've been the 7th or 8th time.

"He isn't going to answer," MJ whispered, covering your shaking hands with her own unsteady ones. "We just have to hope that he comes back." You try to smile, although you're pretty sure it looks more like a grimace, at MJ's words. Somehow, you know that he isn't coming back.

A little more than three weeks later, your worst fears are confirmed. You're sitting on the sofa in May's living room, aimlessly staring at the tv while schoolwork lays on the table in front of you. The teachers tried to justify giving homework by saying how we needed to continue moving forward as a population, ignoring the fact that fewer and fewer students came to school each day. May is at work, sadly, the rent still needs to be paid, despite the earth-shaking events that happened less than a month ago.

A knock on the door startles you out of your stupor, and you get up, stumbling to the door on your half-asleep legs. You open the door, only to stare in shock at the person on the other side.

Tony Stark stood there, looking for all the world he'd rather be anywhere but at May's doorstep. You stare at him, almost sure that you're dreaming. Sure, you'd met Mr. Stark a couple of times, when you'd been helping Peter with various Spiderman-related things, but seeing him at the door when last you'd checked, he was rocketing off into space, was a bit jarring.

"Can I come in?" Mr. Stark asks, and his voice is notably different from the last couple of times you'd spoken with him. There's still an arrogant undertone to his words, but it seems dull, almost forced. You nod slowly, stepping to the side to let him in, closing the door behind him.

"Um, May is at work right now," you say, watching as Mr. Stark slowly sinks into the couch, grimacing. "Can I get you anything Mr. Stark, are you okay?" you ask, taking in the fact that, despite being gone only three weeks, Tony Stark looks like he's aged three decades. He sighs and looks over at you.

"Take a seat kid," Mr. Stark says, and once you're seated, he opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, before sighing again. "How are you doing, after everything that's happened?" he asks you, and you stare at him for a moment, before looking out the window and letting out a sigh of your own.

"I guess I'm doing okay Mr. Stark," you say, snapping the hair band that's tied around your wrist, the noise of the rubber band hitting your skin making a sharp smacking noise every time it makes contact. You open your mouth, turning to ask Mr. Stark about him, about Peter, when you make eye contact, and Mr. Stark slowly shakes his head.

Your mouth stays open, and it's only when you feel lightheaded do you realize that you aren't breathing. You take in a deep, shuddering breath, tears spilling out of your eyes and rolling down your cheeks. "What?" you whisper, afraid to say anything any louder, as though the volume of your voice is the one thing preventing Peter from appearing in the doorway.

"I'm so sorry kiddo, but he isn't coming back," Mr. Stark says, and that's when you break. You hear a scream, and it's only when Mr. Stark jumps up and grabs you into his arms that you realize you're the one screaming. You clutch at his lapels, burying your face into the shoulder of his suit, your heartbroken screams muffled against the fabric.

That's how May finds you both, standing in her living room, grieving for the boy who wouldn't be coming home.

You blink away the tears that always come whenever you think about the day that Mr. Stark shattered your world. It's been almost a year, yet it doesn't hurt any less.

MJ's hand on your arm provides some semblance of comfort, the only one of your friends to survive The Snap with you. You glance over at her, only for her nails to bite into your skin as she grips your arm with a strength you didn't know she possessed. You stare at her, before turning your head to follow her line of sight, only to see a tornado of dust forming on the street.

You stare at it, confused, but slowly your eyes widen as the dust takes on a human-like shape, before solidifying into an actual person. You blink and rub at your eyes, trying to convince yourself that you didn't just see that. But, when you open your eyes again, not only is the person still there, but there are more tornadoes forming, that are slowly beginning to look like people.

You and MJ stare at each other in shock, before jumping, startled, as a dust tornado starts to form right in front of you. You both stare, unable to look away, as the shape starts to become something familiar. Long, floppy black hair, tanned skin, a well-worn red hoodie over a Star Wars graphic tee-shirt that is all too familiar.

Your mouth drops open in shock as Ned Leeds, one of your best friends, suddenly stands before you. MJ moves first, tackling Ned in a hug, before stepping back and socking him in the arm, loudly proclaiming "Ned Leeds, you absolute bastard!" before hugging him again tightly.

It's only once MJ steps away a second time, that you fall into Ned's waiting arms. He feels warm to the touch, solid, like he didn't just appear out of a cloud of dust and ash. You blink away tears as Ned hugs you back just as desperately.

Suddenly, you jerk out of his arms, looking from Ned to MJ in rapid succession. If Ned is back, and others are coming back too, then maybe, just maybe...

You gasp out an apology to your two friends, before sprinting for the subway train that will take you closest to the Avengers compound. You needed to talk to Mr. Stark, and you needed to talk to him NOW.

You stumble off the subway, making your way towards the path that will get you to the Avengers compound the quickest. The entire ride over you kept trying not to get your hopes up, but you couldn't help it. If everyone else was back, that meant that Peter would be back too right?

You remember Mr. Stark saying that Dr. Strange had been one of the ones who'd disappeared on the planet Titan and that he could make portals to jump different places in seconds. That meant that if they'd come back, they'd already be on earth right? You were praying that you were right.

As you approach the main gate, it swings open, and you sigh in relief. That meant that Mr. Stark was expecting you. You started to run, approaching the main building quickly. You sprinted up the stairs and down a long hallway until you came to the main lounge, where you and Peter had worked on homework in the past when Mr. Stark was busy tinkering with Peter's suit.

You walked through the doorway, before coming to a halt as you stared at a person facing away from you, talking with Mr. Stark. That someone who just so happened to have the same curly brown hair as Peter, who was wearing a Spiderman suit just like Peter's, which meant that it had to be...

The person turned as you entered the room, and beautiful chocolate brown eyes meet yours. You're frozen in place, but thankfully, Peter isn't. He bolts across the room, hurdling the couch, before coming to a stop right in front of you.

Eyes filled with unshed tears, you reach a hand out slowly, carefully, before gently laying it against his cheek. At the feel of Peter's warm skin beneath yours, a sob wretches it's way from your chest, and suddenly you're being pulled into Peter's arms.

You sob into his chest, clutching at his back, trying to convince yourself that he's really here. One of his arms is banded around your waist, fingers gripping your waist so tightly, you think it might bruise. His other hand is tangled in your hair, holding you to him with a desperation that you match easily.

You feel hot tears drop onto your shoulder as Peter's shaky breaths brush past your ear. You must've stood there in his arms for at least 5 minutes, although it felt like hours.

Finally, Peter pulls back and takes your face into his hands, his thumbs brushing your tears away. You grip his wrists, afraid he'll try to remove his hands sooner than you want him to. You stare into Peter's eyes, seeing your own relief reflected back at you.

Peter leans down, without saying a word, and places his lips against yours. You sigh, eyes fluttering closed as you kiss him back. At first, the kiss is sweet, chaste, and loving. It's a kiss that says "I love you," and "I missed you," and "I'm so glad you're alive," all without exchanging any words. You relish in the feeling of Peter's lips against yours, a feeling you'd never imagined you'd get to feel again.

Abruptly, Peter tilts his head slightly and deepens the kiss without any warning. Suddenly, the kiss is no longer chaste and sweet, but passionate and desperate, as Peter pours all of his feelings for you into the kiss. He bites your lower lip, and when you gasp, he slips his tongue into your mouth.

You're blushing furiously, but you could care less at this point. You and Peter had never really gone past pecks on the lips since you'd started dating, especially since he'd disappeared on an alien planet only two weeks into your relationship. You'd been friends for years, and having just acknowledged your feelings for each other when he'd vanished, you'd nearly lost it.

Peter had never wanted to push you into something you didn't want to do, but it seems like being turned to dust and then resurrected a year later caused inhibitions to be pushed to the back burner.

Not that you cared.

You slid your tongue against his, your hands moving from his wrists to wrap around his neck, needing more contact, still trying to reaffirm that he's really here.

Finally, you have to break apart due to lack of oxygen. Peter just pulls you into another hug, burying his face in your neck. You aren't sure where you're going to go from here, considering Peter's lost a year of his life, and likely has PTSD, and you'd put your life practically on hold after everyone vanished, but you aren't worried.

Cause when you'd walked into that room, it was like the sun came out.