Inheritance of ash

Unwanted answers

That afternoon, the scent of warm cinnamon and ripe banana hit Peter the moment he stepped through the door of his aunt's house. He inhaled deeply and smiled.

"Hey, May," he called out as he closed the door behind him.

"In the kitchen!" she called back.

He walked in to find her pulling a loaf of banana bread from the oven. Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun, and there was a dusting of flour on her cheek. She grinned when she saw him.

"You came on banana bread day," she said, setting the pan on a rack to cool.

Peter leaned against the counter and grinned back. "It's like I have a sixth sense for baked goods."

"I've raised you well."

She started slicing the loaf as he peeked at it. "MJ and Ned are already here, by the way. In your room."

"Oh." Peter blinked. "They didn't even text me."

"They said you invited them."

"Right. I... did." He scratched the back of his neck. "It's been a day."

May handed him a small plate with three thick, steaming slices. "Take this and go. I'm not dealing with teenage chaos and crumbs in my kitchen."

He kissed her cheek. "You're the best."

"Tell me something I don't know."

Peter carried the plate down the hallway and opened the door to his room with his foot.

Inside were MJ and Ned, exactly as May described—MJ lounged on his desk chair with her legs propped up on the edge of his bed, flipping through a book she had zero intention of reading. Ned was sprawled on the bed, already halfway through a bag of chips.

They both looked up at him the second he walked in.

And smiled.

The same smile.

That smile.

Peter narrowed his eyes. "What."

"Nothing," MJ said innocently.

"Absolutely nothing," Ned echoed, patting the bed beside him. "Sit. We're just normal friends hanging out on a normal afternoon."

Peter squinted at them as he set the banana bread down on his nightstand.

MJ looked at the slices. "Bribery?"

"No, May made it."

"Suspiciously convenient."

Peter sighed and flopped down beside Ned. "Okay, what?"

MJ arched a brow. "You're planning something."

"We know it's for her," Ned added, and elbowed him lightly. "Just admit it."

Peter tried—really tried—to play it cool. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Both MJ and Ned just stared at him.

He held out for all of three seconds.

Then collapsed backward on the bed, groaning. "Okay, fine! I might be planning something."

MJ smirked. "You're the worst liar."

"It's not even a bad thing!" Peter sat up, arms flailing. "It's just—I wanted to do something for her birthday. Even if she doesn't know when it is. I figured we could just make one up and give her something nice. Like a 'this is your new start' day, or whatever."