[ peter isn't sure what he expects, when this truth spills over, this messy sort of honesty. maybe he expects stephen strange to be disappointed by future peter parker, or to admonish him for the poor decision of meddling with a spell he knew so little about, even if its something that's yet to come. there is no part in peter though, that's ever blamed stephen for any of it — he asked, and he pushed, and the sorcerer helped and then peter decided to go with his own decisions and stephen had tried, several times, to tell him the right thing by the multiverse standards and it was peter parker, the unmasked spider-man, that chose differently.

peter, stephen says, and his name sounds heavy in the air and his shoulders tense.

but what stephen says instead surprises him, a little. maybe it was also because he hadn't really told anyone else about the burden of un-remembrance, tip-toed away from emotions to something that could resemble pragmatism (if you squint). It made sense to tell stephen. it was almost a relief to tell him, now that the words had finally left him.

but still, he seems mildly flustered. ] Hey, that's — um - [ he shrugs. no biggie, haha, right. ] — that's okay. I mean. It was the right thing to do.

[ but, before long, one more thing seems to force itself to the surface, eyes on the upside-down skylight, until he can't hold the words in any longer. ] I — I wanted to say this afterwards, though, and I don't know if I'll have the same chance in the future, so — so I'm sorry. And thank you.