Chapter Text
Peter POV
In short, the last two months fucking sucked for Peter.
After saving the world yet again, everyone had to forget who he was. Even Steven didn’t want to do it, but Peter knew it was the only way that they could fix the mess that he had created. He had to say goodbye to his best friend and his girlfriend. That was the worst part. After everything, everyone in his life dying in front of him, he thought he could have one single thing.
The universe isn’t kind to Peter Parker.
He had to move out of his apartment with May since she had died and nobody remembered that she even had a nephew. Peter moved into a small apartment in Queens, one where the landlord didn’t care that he still looked like he was in high school. The room was incredibly small and was probably not up to code, but this was all he could afford.
Peter’s own personal prison, with a kitchen included.
The funeral was the hardest part. Peter stood near the back, making sure nobody saw his face because nobody knew who he was before. Throughout the whole ceremony, he could hear the small sobs of the friends that May had left behind. Happy was especially loud, which broke his heart. Peter wished deep down that someone, anyone remembered him, but it was to no avail. Happy walked past him at the end of the ceremony like he didn’t exist. Their years of friendship and mentorship gone at the snap of a wizard's fingers.
Peter tried speaking to MJ and Ned at MJ’s work (a small coffee shop not far from Peter’s old apartment) again. Peter was stupid to ever think he could ever get them back, even in the slightest. He froze up at the chance to explain things to them, and looked creepy in the moment yet again. He tried to keep a smile up as he walked out awkwardly, but as soon as he made it to an alleyway, Peter sat on the cold concrete, pants wet with the snow he had failed to realize was there, and cried. He cried for all those he had lost, and those he could never get back as long as their hearts kept beating. After his parents, after Ben, he really thought that he could have people that loved him in his life.
Oh, how stupid was he?
His head began to spin at the thought. He let those people into his life, and he hurt them in the process. Tony died just to bring him back. He should have never attached himself to the older man. He was too stupid to realize that at the time. He should have realized that after Tony, May would be next. Some force bigger than him really liked to make Peter’s life miserable, and they finally fucking won. He was alone.
Shaking, Peter shook the snow that had fallen on him and started to walk down the street, his face buried in a scarf. It was cold, and Peter’s healing factor had been practically nonexistent for the last couple of weeks. He didn’t want to die of frostbite (A voice in his head whispered the opposite, but Peter ignored it). The walk back to his apartment was long, since the coffee shop was very out of his way. As soon as he entered the building, he knew something was off. He made it to his door on the second floor and saw a sign taped to it.
An eviction notice.
Peter felt his vision distort. This really had to happen to him, huh? He really had that shitty Parker luck. He entered his room to grab his Spiderman suit to make sure nobody could find it if they came in. He sat down at his desk, putting his head in his hands. He genuinely did not know what to do. In the corner of his eye, he could see a small glint of red in the trash bin. Confused, he walked over and picked up. It was a small business card he had found on the dinner table in May’s apartment for their lawyers before everyone…
Nelson and Murdock
A small smile crossed Peter’s face. How could he forget about the lawyer that had caught a brick and saved Peter’s life? Maybe not all hope was lost, maybe he could go to them and finally be fine. He could have his apartment in peace. He could overturn his eviction. Peter put on a thicker coat than what he was wearing and some gloves and threw his spidey suit in a backpack he slung over his shoulder.
It was a long walk to Hell’s Kitchen, afterall.
-
Matt’s POV
The day had been uneventful for Matt. He had to see 2 or 3 clients in the morning and was currently on lunch break eating the Thai food Karen had graciously picked up an hour ago. It had been a pretty quiet morning, not any big cases that would consume their every moment for the next couple months, leaving them to pick up the pieces yet again. The first couple of months after the Blip had been insane. Nearly the entire neighborhood had needed help in some capacity, whether it be needing to evict residents from houses that they had lived in for the last 5 years or helping vigilantes that had been blipped get back on their feet in a world that was much different from where they had left it.
Matt himself had been blipped. He was out for dinner with Foggy when it had happened. He felt something was wrong the moment that the restaurant had started to go quiet. One moment, he was sitting smiling at Foggy, and the next, he started to feel sick. In a mere moment, he was back to normal, with Foggy’s heartbeat nowhere in earshot. The amount of heartbeats in the restaurant started to exponentially increase, but there were no doors opening or people walking in. Matt ran out of the building, ditching his cane and running to Foggy’s apartment. He knocked profusely, feeling his eyes tear up as if he hadn’t heard Foggy in years. The door opened and Foggy immediately wrapped him in the tightest hug he had ever gotten. The shorter was sobbing, and near hyperventilating, wetly telling Matt he had been gone for 5 years. Foggy continued as they sat down on the couch, still clinging to each other. He told him about the last 5 years and how much he missed him. How much he had realized.
And, least surprising, told Matt that he was in love with him.
Matt had been in love with Foggy for years, and after everything with Fisk, he really wanted to have more with him. He was going to say that at dinner. A couple of incredibly late kisses and more crying led to them moving in together on a whim. It was the best decision they could have possibly made.
Finishing his lunch, he threw the packaging in the trash and made it back to his office, leaving the door open so he could hear the stairs better. Matt sat reading some case files Karen had copied into Braille for him when he heard something. An incredibly fast heartbeat was heading up the stairs. They sounded young, which was strange for the building that they were in. The young person walked straight to their door and knocked weakly. “Come in!” Karen said from the main room, and before he could think, Matt was walking to the main room. “H-hi,” a boy said, his heart racing faster than Matt had ever heard before, “I-I need help with overturning my eviction and I heard about you and that you’ve helped a lot of people a-and I wanted to see if you could help me.”
Matt smiled. “Of course,” Matt stated. He could hear the sigh of relief the boy let out. “How old are you?” Karen asked, because he probably looked as young as he sounded. “I’m 18.” LIE. Matt’s heart dropped. The boy was really young. He wasn’t even 18. “Hey, why don’t you come to my office?” Matt said, smile still on his face, “I can definitely look at your eviction notice with Foggy and we can figure it out.” “Thank you sir!” the boy said, “And, my name is Peter by the way.” Matt clasped his hands together. “I’ll meet you in there Peter, I’m going to go grab Foggy.
Matt looked over to Karen. “He was lying. About his age.” Matt could hear her gasp quietly. “You think you can help him?” she whispered. He nodded. “Everyone deserves a chance right?” He walked across the room and knocked on Foggy's door, hearing a quiet “Come In!” and entering. Foggy grabbed onto Matt’s waist and gave him a peck before they both sat down. “What seems to be the problem, Matty?” Foggy said, unaware.
“Fogs, I think we may have a big case on us. Some kid wandered in, saying he got evicted.”
“And what makes that so big?”
“He lied about his age. He’s a minor living by himself.”
“Does he have anyone?”
“I don’t know, Fogs. I got a sinking feeling from just hearing him lie. Something is off with him. I think we need to try to help.”
“Well, let's get in there, Mr. Morality. Sitting in here isn’t gonna help the kid!”
The two walked out of the office and to Matt’s office. “Don’t make out in front of the kid!” Karen giggled as they closed the door behind them. Peter was still standing, his leg shaking vigorously. “You can sit down, you know,” Matt said, trying to crack a joke. Peter muttered a small sorry and took a seat across from Matt’s desk. Foggy sat next to him as Matt made his way to his desk. “This is my associate, Foggy. I feel like he could help you as well to figure out what happened. So, Peter, tell me, what happened?” Peter sighed and started:
“I was out at a coffee shop and wanted to get back because it was so cold out, and when I got back, there was an eviction notice on my door. I’ve been making my rent payments, hell, I haven’t missed one. I don’t know why he is evicting me now.”
“Do you have any idea why? Too much noise? Neighbors not liking you?” Matt started
“I don’t know. I’m quiet and am not even in my room most of the time. I just have nowhere else to go because I can’t get a full time job.”
“Do you have any family or friends you could stay with if this all goes south?” Foggy interjected.
Peter sighed and his throat tightened. “Not anymore. Parents died when I was young. My aunt was who was loo- who I was living with but she died a couple months ago. Don’t have any friends.”
If Matt’s heart was in his stomach, he felt it almost leave his body. This boy was entirely alone. “Peter, are you really 18?”
He heard the boy sniffle and gasp. “I- /sigh/ I’m not. I just, I can’t go into the foster system and I only have a couple more months, but I thought-”
“Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting that, Peter. Foggy can tell you how much I would be opposed to that. We just need to make sure that you are safe. May I ask, did you have to show your landlord any legal documents to get that apartment? Since you are underage.”
“I didn’t, he never asked for them. He probably looked me up.”
“I don’t know if we can help you if you never gave him legal documents, but we can try to help you find a place to stay until you find a job and turn 18, when?”
“August, sir.”
“That's a lot longer than I thought. Are you sure you have nobody you could stay with? A family you know from school?”
“If I had that, I wouldn’t be in this situation, now would I?”
Foggy giggled “Ok, he kinda deserves that.” Matt smacked him with his cane.
Matt started again “Could you try going to a shelter? I know one in the area.”
Matt heard Peter shake his head. “My legal documents are gone. With my aunt. Apparently none of her friends remembered her own nephew.” LIE
Matt was confused. Why was the boy lying about this. He decided to let it go and went to call Karen into the office. “Karen, Peter needs help. He can’t go to a shelter and I don’t know what to do.” Her hand makes it to his shoulder. “You’ve opened your house to people you have literally hated. You could offer the same to him. I know it might feel weird, but I feel like he trusts you to an extent. He looked at you like he had met you before.” Matt sighed. Peter needed a place to stay, and he could not turn down a charity case. It was in his blood.
Walking back into the office, he stood near the door, facing Peter. “I talked to Karen,” he said, his voice trying to hide the genuine fear that he feels for the boy, “And she thought you could stay with Foggy and I until we can find you a better place and get your legal documents so you can go to a shelter.” There was no reaction from Foggy. Matt knew he knew this was coming from a mile away. Peter, on the other hand, was shocked. “W-wait really? You’d do that for me?” Matt smiled and he felt Foggy smile. “Our firm takes our clients' well-being very important. We’ve been doing this for years,” Foggy stated.
Leaving the office, the three made it into the main room. Matt could feel Karen smiling. He made a note to whine to her later. “I think I am going to bring Peter here back to mine after we stop at his apartment to pick up his things. Don’t pick up my calls if you don’t need to. They can wait,” Matt said. Foggy grabbed his waist and gave him a kiss on the cheek before going back to his office. As Peter and him walked down the stairs, the younger giggled. “I’m not surprised you two are dating,” he said, still giggling.
What had Matt gotten himself into.
-
Moving all of Peter’s stuff was easy. He had about 4 boxes that Matt had insisted on carrying for him, which Peter hesitantly accepted. The walk back to Matt’s apartment was short and Peter’s stuff was dropped off in his living room. Peter unpacked close to nothing, insisting that he didn’t want to take up too much space. Matt didn’t want to argue with him, feeling that it was probably a touchy subject. The two went back to the office and spent the rest of the day there.
Which all lead to now. Matt was in his red daredevil suit, something he had finally started to wear again after the fiasco with Fisk a couple years back. The night had been incredibly uneventful. A couple amateur robbers was the worst thing and they were scared off even by Daredevil showing up. What was odd was how Matt never felt alone.
There was someone following him.
Matt sat up on a rooftop near his apartment, feeling the light wind against his skin. He heard a thump and the smell of spandex. A fast beating heart approached him. The person cleared their throat. “Hey, uh I saw you take on those thieves and I don’t think I have officially met you. I’m Spiderman.” Matt’s heart sank to his chest for the second time that day. That was Peter’s voice. Peter was Spiderman. He regained his posture and stretched out his hand to Peter. “Daredevil,” he said, making sure his voice was low and gravelly, “Why are you around these parts, Spiderman? I thought you were in Queens.” Peter laughed. “Is a vigilante not allowed to leave his area?” Matt let out a laugh. “Nah, kid, just have never seen you around. Good to see other vigilantes around who uphold an honor code. I have respect for someone like you.” Peter let out a huff and laughed under his breath. “I’m not a kid!” The older put a hand on the younger's head. “You sure look like one!”
-
Peter’s POV
After seeing Daredevil, Peter swung back to Matt’s apartment. He was cold in just the spandex and needed to warm up as fast as he could. Climbing through the window, he made the mistake of not looking around the living room before entering. Climbing on the ceiling, he heard a plate drop against the floor. Foggy was standing in the connected kitchen. Peter dropped to the floor. He pulled off his mask and ran towards Foggy. “Foggy I-” Foggy let out a laugh. “Don’t sweat it, Spider-boy, I’ll keep your secret.” The younger let out a sigh of relief. “On the other hand, can you grab me something from the top shelf?”
-
Matt’s POV
Peter had been living with Matt for a couple of weeks. He had been nothing but a pleasure, coming with Matt and Foggy to work at the office and work on his GED (that's another thing about him, Peter had to drop out of high school, which was heartbreaking to find out since he was so smart.) Along with that, he had been really helpful to Karen, fixing all of the office equipment without them even asking him. Matt was so disturbed that he was so alone. This boy had to have friends at some point, right? Something felt incredibly off with everything surrounding Peter Parker. Along with all of this, Matt struggled to find any information on the by.
It was like he had never existed.
On the vigilante side of things, the two had been meeting up almost every night. Sometimes, Peter would bring food, usually tacos, to patrol, which was sweet. They talked a decent amount, and Matt learned about Spiderman’s involvement with the Avengers. Apparently he was really close with the Tony Stark himself before he died in battle, which is something that made his heart break. Anyone that came close to Peter he lost. A voice in his head whispered how similar they really were, but he ignored it. Peter spoke about Tony as if he was talking about a family member, which made it hurt even more.
They never got onto the topic of their lives outside of their night jobs. Peter had always dodged the question, bringing up something else or asking Matt a question. Peter must really be entirely alone if he doesn’t even want to try to mention it to a fellow vigilante, someone who would probably understand better than anyone else. Matt, as much as he felt scared to be open, wanted to protect the boy. He was an enhanced person who was entirely alone. That is just danger waiting to happen.
And danger it was.
One night in March, Matt heard screaming from an alleyway around 2 blocks away. From his perch on the roof, he started to run, knowing this must be a robbery. Oh how wrong he was. The person who had been robbed had run away ages ago. An angry Peter stood in front of the robber, his heart beating faster than Matt had ever heard it. He stayed perched on the roof nearby, thinking that Peter could handle a fight like this. The sounds of punching and crying of the robber were deafening in Matt’s ears. Cries of anger came from the young vigilante, screaming about how this person had hurt someone that Peter loved. The smell of blood started to rise. Peter was killing him. Matt jumped down behind Spiderman, putting a hand on the younger’s shoulder.
Peter whipped around, the front of his suit filled with the stench of blood. The robber hobbled away as fast as they could, terrified of the boy in the suit. The younger lashed out, trying to punch Daredevil and missing. Matt put his other hand on the boy’s other shoulder. “Peter, you’re safe,” he said quietly. The boy backed away. “H-how do you know my name? Nobody does!” Matt pulled off his mask, making eye contact with the younger. “It’s me, Matt. You’re okay. You are safe with me. Nobody will hurt you again.” The boy collapsed, holding tight onto Matt like a lifeline. His sobs were audible even without Matt’s incredible hearing. Slowly, he picked up the boy and carried him back to their apartment.
Opening the door, Foggy stood up from where he was sitting in the living room. “Oh my fucking god, is he okay?” he said, worried out of his mind. Matt nodded and shushed, sitting down next to Foggy and putting Peter down between them. The boy slumped his head against Matt’s shoulder. “You wanna talk about why you tried to kill someone, Peter?” Matt said gently. “Todays the day that Tony died,” he muttered, “Guess I just realized how much I want to just give in.” Foggy put an arm on the boy’s shoulder. “Are you sure that’s all?” Foggy said. Peter sighed. “He hurt my girlfr- I mean ex girlfriend. Before I fucked everything up.”
“Fucked everything up?” Foggy asked. “Spell. Everyone knew who I was. Had to lose everyone to make sure they were safe. I was the problem, so I erased myself,” Peter mumbled. Matt turned his head to Foggy and he could feel his eyes on him. He could almost hear the voice of Foggy telling him that this sounded familiar. “Peter, I understand what you are feeling. I know cutting everyone off, in any reason, is so hard. So fucking hard. But you have us. You may have had everyone forget you, but you are safe now. WE know you.” Matt recited words that he heard from Foggy countless times. A small sob came from the boy. “Thank you, dad,” he said deliriously. A smile etched itself across Matt’s face. He carried the boy to his bed and laid him down. Peter immediately snuggled into the closest pillow.
Matt walked back to the couch and took Foggy’s hand. “Sounds familiar, huh?” Foggy said, a smile obviously on his face. “He really is just like me,” he sighed. They leaned in for a short kiss. “Well, at least he has someone. Two people looking after him. We can’t have a second Daredevil in this economy.” Matt leaned against the shoulder of the shorter, exhausted from the day. The word DAD was etched into his brain. He loved Peter, and he needed someone to keep him safe
Even from himself.