Ash hadn't seen Peter in six days.
That was long enough for Peter to leave twelve texts, three voicemails, and even bike out to May's house twice. The second time, he'd left a bag of gummy worms and a hand-drawn comic strip taped to the front door that simply read:
> "Science Bros don't ghost each other. Come back."
It had made Ash smile.
But it also made things harder.
Because the more Ash remembered, the more he knew Peter couldn't be dragged into it. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
But avoiding him forever wasn't an option either.
So Ash did the one thing he was sure would work.
He waited for Peter to go to the roof.
---
Peter always went there after school.
It was his thinking spot. His web-fluid tweaking zone. His secret "launch platform" for the few rooftop swings he'd been brave enough to test with prototype web shooters.
Ash waited until the sun dipped low, shadows stretching across the Queens skyline like lazy fingers. He stood by the rusted chimney stack as Peter hoisted himself up from the fire escape.
When Peter saw him, he didn't say anything.
He just stood there, gripping the railing, blinking like Ash might vanish again if he spoke.
Ash exhaled first.
"Hey."
Peter crossed his arms. "You look like crap."
Ash chuckled. "Thanks. Missed you too."
Peter didn't move. "Where've you been?"
"Off the grid."
"You vanished. No text. No call. Aunt May thought you got snatched. I thought you got snatched."
Ash looked away.
"Not snatched. Just… hunted."
Peter narrowed his eyes. "By who?"
Ash hesitated.
Then he sat on the edge of the roof and tapped the ledge beside him. "It's a long story."
Peter didn't budge at first.
But after a few moments, he sat down, slowly.
Ash started talking.
---
He didn't tell Peter everything.
Not the full Starborn truth. Not yet.
But he told him about SHIELD watching him. About the drones. About someone—some group—trying to use him. About strange static in his head that wasn't just thoughts, but memories. Fragmented data that had begun to rebuild who he was.
Peter listened in silence.
Only asking one question:
"Are you… you?"
Ash looked down at his hands, still faintly pulsing when he focused too hard. He clenched them.
"I think so. But I'm also someone I don't fully understand."
Peter leaned back against the bricks.
"That makes two of us."
Ash looked up.
Peter didn't meet his gaze, just stared up at the sky as the first stars began to prick the purple.
"I've been… changing too," Peter said. "Not just science fair kind of change. Like... 'wake up on the ceiling' kind of change."
Ash blinked. "Wait—what?"
Peter gave him a nervous smile.
"You're not the only one with weird going on, man. I think I got bit by something—like, radioactive something—and now… I feel like I've got springs in my veins. Like I'm me but… stronger. Faster. I can sense stuff. Climb stuff."
Ash's jaw dropped slightly. "Peter, that's—"
"Insane?" Peter laughed nervously. "Yeah. But it's real."
They stared at each other in the silence that followed. Two boys, sitting on a rooftop in Queens, both holding cosmic and chemical truths far beyond their age.
"You think it's connected?" Peter asked.
Ash shrugged. "Maybe not directly. But if the universe is opening weird doors…" He smiled faintly. "Looks like we both walked through one."
Peter finally smiled too. "Science Bros upgraded."
Ash grinned. "More like Cosmic Bros now."
Peter nodded, then turned serious. "So… what do we do? If SHIELD's watching you and I'm climbing walls like a maniac… are we supposed to be heroes now?"
Ash looked at the sky, eyes distant.
"I think it's not about supposed to," he said. "It's about choosing to. We weren't given this stuff with an instruction manual. But we can decide what we do with it."
Peter sighed. "Big responsibility kinda thing, huh?"
Ash smiled. "Something like that."
---
As the wind rolled over the rooftop, Ash pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Peter—a small disc, no bigger than a quarter.
"What's this?" Peter asked.
"Tracker. Corp-designed. If anything ever happens—if I disappear again—press the center and it'll bring Falcon to you. He can lead you to me."
Peter held the disc like it was fragile.
"You really think something will happen again?"
Ash nodded. "Yeah. I do."
Peter frowned. "Then maybe next time… let me come with you."
Ash hesitated.
Then nodded. "Okay."
---
They sat together as the night deepened.
Two kids on a rooftop, bound by secrets, staring into a future full of stars, tech, and danger.
And for the first time in a long while… Ash didn't feel alone.