Humble Pie

Sorry I decided to continue the Thanksgiving meal it's to fun to leave yet.

The tension from Norman's departure lingered, stretching through the dining room like the last notes of an unsettling song. Harry returned a minute later, rubbing the back of his neck, looking like he'd just stepped out of a horror movie.

"Well, that was weird," he muttered, glancing around at the table. "Anyone else feel like we just watched my dad put together some terrifying mental puzzle?"

Wanda swirled her wine in her glass, completely unfazed. "He's watching. He's analyzing. And he's playing mind games."

Talia smirked, setting her fork down with a soft clink. "Sounds like a Tuesday."

Natasha leaned back in her chair, her sharp gaze flicking between Gwen and Wanda. "We knew this was coming. We just didn't expect him to catch on so fast."

Gwen let out a slow exhale, still gripping her fork tightly. She wanted to be nonchalant, pretend Norman wasn't worming his way under her skin, but her gut told her he wasn't just suspicious—he was certain.

Peter, who had been quiet (probably still licking his wounds from his earlier humiliation), suddenly perked up. "Sooo, does this mean I still have a shot with one of you?"

MJ groaned so loudly it could have been mistaken for a death rattle. "Parker, I swear to God, if you don't shut up, I will put you in the oven."

Peter blinked. "Wait—like metaphorically, right?"

Talia, ever the troublemaker, patted his hand. "Oh, sweet summer child."

Peter glanced at her, hopeful. "Wait… was that a yes? Because I can—"

Wanda cut him off with a look. "Peter."

"Yeah?"

"Breathe before you pass out."

Peter's mouth opened, then closed. He immediately grabbed his water glass and chugged it in one gulp.

Harry, still standing, shook his head. "I don't even know why I bother bringing everyone together."

"Because deep down, you love the chaos," Talia said, winking at him.

Harry scoffed. "I am not my father."

Gwen, finally feeling like she could speak, leaned back and muttered, "No, but you still inherited his flair for theatrics."

Harry threw his hands up. "Great, so now I'm dramatic too?"

MJ deadpanned, "Harry, you literally threw a Gatsby-level Thanksgiving dinner to impress a girl who, I hate to break it to you, is barely paying attention because she's too busy lamenting about a ruined dress."

The whole table turned toward MJ.

Who was busy looking at her reflection in the wine glass in her hand. Seeing this everyone except Norman had one word in there mind what a bitch.

The conversation might have returned to normal, but Gwen could still feel the weight of Norman's earlier words. Wanda sensed it too, because her hand subtly brushed against Gwen's under the table, grounding her.

Meanwhile, Fracture was still laughing in Gwen's head. **"This is the best dinner I've ever attended, and I don't even eat."**

Wanda smirked slightly, then turned her attention to Harry. "So, are we actually going to eat dessert, or was this just a social experiment to see how long we could keep Peter from embarrassing himself?"

Harry sighed. "We have pie in the kitchen. But if you think I'm going in there alone, you're dead wrong."

"I'll go," Natasha said, standing up.

Wanda followed. "Me too."

MJ stood as well. "I wanna make sure Harry doesn't burn the place down."

Talia grinned. "I just want to watch."

Peter stayed seated, defeated. "I'll just… be here. Existing."

As the others disappeared into the kitchen, Gwen finally let herself breathe.

She had no idea how much time she had left before Norman made his next move.

But she knew one thing—she wasn't going to wait for him to strike first.

MJ peered into the oven, dramatically placing a hand on her chest. "Oh my God. Harry, you actually managed not to ruin the pies. I'm shocked."

Harry scowled. "You have zero faith in me."

MJ smirked. "That is correct."

Talia, leaning against the counter, watched Natasha grab a knife to cut the pie. "You know, I thought this dinner would be way more awkward."

Natasha smirked. "It is awkward. Just in a fun way."

MJ shrugged. "Yeah, but the best part was watching Peter mentally implode."

Harry groaned. "We need a ban on bullying Peter."

Natasha sliced into the pie. "No."

Wanda nodded. "Absolutely not."

Talia, sipping her wine, shrugged. "I mean, sure. We can stop. But should we?"

MJ high-fived her.

Harry muttered under his breath, but when he turned to grab the whipped cream from the fridge, Peter had already made his way in, looking hopeful.

"Do I at least get pie?"

Natasha handed him a plate. "Yes."

Peter brightened. "See? Someone appreciates me."

Natasha then very deliberately grabbed the can of whipped cream and sprayed it directly into his face.

Peter froze, blinking through the mess.

Talia snorted. "Well, now I appreciate her more."

MJ howled with laughter.

Harry sighed. "You all need help."

Wanda smirked, watching as Peter slowly wiped the cream from his glasses.

"Statistically speaking," she murmured, "this was inevitable."

Peter groaned. "I hate all of you."

Talia patted his head. "No, you don't."

MJ handed him a napkin, still giggling. "Honestly, Parker, you should be thanking us. This is character development."

Peter sighed, accepting his fate as the group grabbed their pie and returned to the dining room

Harry sat down, rubbing his temples. "Okay. One normal conversation. Just one. That's all I ask."

MJ grinned. "Then you invited the wrong people."

Gwen, still distracted, barely touched her pie.

Wanda noticed. She reached under the table, brushing their fingers together. Just a light touch, but Gwen felt it. Grounding her.

She exhaled, shaking off the last remnants of Norman's presence.

Natasha, watching them, smirked. "Better?"

Gwen nodded. "Yeah."

Talia leaned back in her chair. "So. Anyone wanna start placing bets on when Norman actually snaps?"

Harry groaned. "Why are you like this? You act as if my dad is a supervillain?"

MJ, counting on her fingers, ignoring Harry. "Two days. Maybe three."

Wanda, sipping her wine, smirked. "Tonight."

Gwen didn't argue.

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