Chapter Text
Chapter One
All Peter could hear was the sound of the Air Conditioning humming through the walls of his suite at the Avengers Headquarters. It was summer, and the heat in the city of New York had been unbeatable, let alone for a sweaty teenager like Peter. A glass of water sat untouched on his bedside table, the ice having melted into it long ago. When the AC’s routine schedule ended, silence rang in Peter’s ears. His eyes remained trained on the wall.
Suddenly, there was a knock at Peter’s door. He jumped from where he was sitting on the edge of his bed and looked towards the sudden noise.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Pete,” Tony Stark said through the door. “Can I come in?”
“No-“
The door swung open and in stepped the playboy genius himself, wearing a tuxedo and checking his watch. “Come on, Pete, we’ve got-“
He stopped when he saw Peter sitting with his Oxford on and his tie hanging around his neck. He was sitting with his elbows resting on his knees, staring off into nothing. Tony sighed, adjusted his cuff links, and sat beside the boy on his bed.
“Come on, kid, I know it’s hot and you don’t want to do this-“
“You’re right,” Peter snapped, taking Tony by surprise. “I don’t want to do this.”
Tiny frowned. “Don’t interrupt me. This is your last chance to see her, Pete. Don’t blow it.” He stands and glances at his watch one last time.
“I know this is hard, kid. I know how much she meant to you. So get off your ass and meet Happy in the car in five.” With that, he stalked out of the while wiping his glasses lenses with the end of his jacket. The door slammed shut behind him and Peter hung his head. He sniffed and slowly stood up, supporting himself on the edge of his desk. He looked into the mirror and studied the dark rings under his eyes, his disheveled hair, and his pale cheeks. There was no life left anywhere in Peter Parker. He was empty and alone, even if his friends were around. He didn’t want to see them. It made him feel guilty.
Peter had just gotten home from school and read the note that was left on the countertop, telling him that there was leftover takeout in the fridge for dinner. He smiled and threw his bag on the floor by the door, opening the refrigerator and pulling out the slim styrofoam box. He went to his room and sat at his desk, propping his feet up against it, knowing that Aunt May would yell at him for doing that. He smiled to himself, and felt his phone buzz in his back pocket. Ned was FaceTiming him, so he picked up.
“Heyyyy, Ned, what’s up?”
“Peter, have you seen it?” Ned asked quickly.
Peter blinked and his smile faltered. “Seen what?”
“The news, Peter, the news.”
“Oh, no, what’s happened?”
“Just… go look.”
Peter frowned and dropped his feet to the floor, pushing himself up and out into the living area of the apartment. He flopped back into the couch in front of the TV and flicked through the channels until he got to the news station.
“Peter, I’m so sorry…” Ned mumbled.
“Breaking News: This just in, a major car incident occurred on the corner of 147th Avenue. Three cars collided, two of which were crushed in multiple areas and the third flipped a total of five times. The family in one car and the single male in the other were injured, but it is confirmed that the female in the third car, May Reilly Parker, is deceased.”
Deceased.
Deceased.
“Peter?”
“Ned, I’ve gotta go.”
“Peter, wait-“
“I’ve gotta go, Ned,” Peter yelled, hanging up on the call. His home screen showed multiple calls and messages from MJ,Y/N, Harrison, and multiple people at school. From members of the team.
Peter threw his phone across the room against the wall, burying his face in his hands and scratching at his eyelids. A sob ripped its way from his throat, coming out as a strangled cry as he fell to the kitchen floor against the cabinet. He curled up around himself, his face contorted into one of agony as tears were jerked from his eyes, screams piercing the silence, and muffled sobs eventually taking over.
He should’ve been there, patrolling. If he hadn’t decided to skip out, just one day of this week, he could’ve stopped it. If he hadn’t been so stupid, so ignorant, Aunt May would be alive and nobody would be hurt. It was all his fault. Spider-Man was a failure, he wasn’t a hero. He couldn’t save just one person, and it happened to be the only family Peter had left.
He hated himself.
Peter was yanked back into reality when he heard someone yelling at him to get his ass down into the car. So much for respect for the grieving. He realized that he hadn’t made any progress in getting cleaned up after Tony’s visit, so Peter dragged a comb across his head, haphazardly tied his tie, grabbed his shoes, and ran down to the awaiting Porsche. Happy frowned at him, but there was something different in his eyes. Pity, maybe. Peter didn’t want pity. This wasn’t about him.
The drive was silent, and when they pulled up in front of the church, Happy got out to open the door for Peter. Peter had just successfully fixed his tie, which had brought back a memory of May helping him before Homecoming. He smiled sadly to himself and stepped up to the doors. A shiver ran down his spine and he froze. This was real. This would be the last time he could see Aunt May’s face before she was buried under six feet of earth. He took a deep breath and wiped at his red rimmed eyes before pulling the door open. Some people were already sitting throughout the church, namely the team and some of May’s friends. In the front were Peter’s friends,Y/N, Ned, Harrison, and MJ. He groaned inwardly as he walked down the aisle to the front row of the opposite column of pews. His friends looked over at him in confusion and even more pity, which made Peter clench his jaw and tighten his fists. He knew they were just trying to be supportive, but he didn’t want that. He didn’t deserve it. If he, Spider-Man, couldn’t save one life, he was dangerous and idiotic. His friends didn’t need to deal with him. He would just be another burden.
So the funeral processed, and May’s coffin was brought down the aisle. Once it was set on the stand, they opened the top half of the casket to reveal her face. Peter could barely see through his tears, and he felt someone touch his shoulder. Steve was looking straight ahead with wet eyes. Eventually, it was Peter’s time to give a speech. He gulped and made his way out of the pew, Steve patting his back as he did so. He stepped up to the podium and took a deep breath, looking out at the people. Immediately, he felt his hands begin to shake and tears begin to fall free.
“Uhm, hello everyone,” Peter began, and he hated how he sounded so broken. “Thank you for coming here today, for my Aunt May. She was…” he laughs softly and looks down at his shoes. “She was my everything. I have a memory of when I would come home from school, and she would be making some sort of loaf-like concoction…” He smiled as the memories took over. “I love my Aunt May. And…” his face fell as he took another deep breath. “I’ll miss her terribly.”
With that, he hurried off the altar and into his seat, where they completed the ceremony and everyone prepared to leave. As Peter stepped out into the sunlight, he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Ned.
“Hey, Peter…”
“Are you alright?” Y/N asked, appearing from behind him.
Peter plastered on a weak smile and nodded. “I’m good,” he said and walked off, leaving his friends to their devices.