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Funerals were sad, no matter what the season, Miles Morales thought. He stood in the cemetery of Harlem Church of Christ, wearing the same suit he’d worn a month ago when they’d buried his dad just a few rows down. On his right, stood Peter, dressed in a similar suit, his eyes red and raw.
Mary Jane stood next to him; her slender form wrapped in a black dress. Peter’s hand was clutched tightly in hers and the two stood nearly shoulder to shoulder. Miles wanted to do something, to reach out and comfort his friend. He’d liked May Parker a lot and her sudden passing was hitting him hard too. But even worse was the memories of his own recent loss that all this was stirring up. He suddenly felt a soft hand grip his own and he didn’t have to look to know that his mom was trying to comfort him.
He squeezed her hand gently, making sure to use as little strength as possible. He was still getting used to his new powers and he didn’t want to hurt her. The secret of his new abilities was like a candle inside his heart, a spark of hope and happiness that helped keep the sorrow and grief at bay. Lost in his own thoughts, Miles barely noticed as the service concluded and May Parker’s casket was lowered into the ground.
The plough came by and dumped several loads of dirt until the ornate wooden coffin was buried under thick loamy soil. Miles shivered at the sight, the finality of the moment was all too reminiscent of his dad’s funeral and how his father’s body was buried in a similar fashion a few dozen feet away. The mourners began to disperse slowly, whispering words of comfort and sympathy as they departed. Peter stood there, motionless, staring at the grave with red-rimmed eyes.
Miles wanted to reach out and squeeze his shoulder, to hug him, to do something that could help. He knew well the pain of this kind of loss and the utter helplessness that Peter had to be feeling. He edged closer to his friend until they were nearly shoulder to shoulder. Miles felt his mom squeeze his hand again and whisper in his ear.
“I love you, mijo.”
“Love you too, mami.” Miles whispered back. He was so grateful in that moment that his mom was still alive. He might have lost his dad, but he still had his mom, and he was thankful for that every single day.
“I’m going to go wait by the gates,” his mom continued. “Take as long as you need, mijo.”
“Te quiero.”
Miles heard his mom’s faint footsteps as she walked away, her black heels crunching on the dead leaves that littered the cemetery paths. Mary Jane leaned up to kiss Peter’s cheek softly and then she withdrew as well, clearly wanting to leave Peter to say his final goodbye alone. She patted Miles on the shoulder as she passed and Miles flashed a weak grin at her. The two of them had forged a unique friendship during the frantic days of the Devil’s Breath crisis and Miles was glad that Peter had such a good friend in her. Though he wasn’t sure how he felt about MJ dating Peter and Spider-Man at the same time. But that was a puzzle for another day, he told himself.
Now it was just him and Peter, standing in front of the freshly laid mound. Miles had a sudden sense of de ja vu, his mind flashing back to another grim day in this very cemetery, where he and Peter had been staring at a freshly laid grave. Miles sighed and took another step, so that his shoulder was practically touching Peter’s. The taller man looked utterly miserable. His face was pale and drawn, his eyes were brimming with unshed tears and his lower lip was trembling.
“Pete,” Miles whispered softly.
“I’m so so sorry.”
“I know,” Peter gasped, his voice hitching. “I know you are, Miles.”
“She was amazing. So amazing.”
“She was,” Peter admitted, a sob catching in his throat.
“I…I wish I’d told her…how much she meant to me. How amazing she was.”
A fresh sob tore from his esophagus and wet tears began to trickle down his unshaven cheeks.
“Pete…” Miles murmured, reaching out to catch his friend’s hand in his own, squeezing hard. Peter squeezed back, and Miles suppressed a grin. Peter’s ability to withstand Miles’s superhuman grip was subtle confirmation of something he’d been suspecting for a little while now. But this wasn’t the time to think about that, he reminded himself.
“She loved you, Peter,” Mile said firmly, holding his friend’s hand tightly.
“She loved you so damn much and she was really proud of you.”
“Thanks, Miles,” Peter said through wet sobs.
“You’re a great kid, you know that?”
Miles didn’t respond, trying not to blush at the compliment. Peter squeezed his hand harder and Miles gripped him back tightly.
“She thought you were great. Always willing to help people and so so smart.”
“Sounds like someone else I know,” Miles said, unable to hide a small grin.
Peter snorted. “Yeah, I’m some genius. I couldn’t save anyone, Miles. Not my aunt, not Otto, not even your…”
His voice trailed off and a cold silence filled the space between them.
“Come on, Pete, don’t go there man. We can’t change the past. I know that well enough.”
“I guess you’re right,” Peter admitted, sniffling softly. Abruptly he let go of Miles’s hand and fell to his knees, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Miles knelt down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed him affectionately.
“It’s gonna be okay, Pete. It’ll be hard at first, believe me, I know. But you will get through this. You’ve got Mary Jane. And you’ve got me too.”
Peter placed his own hand on top of Miles, the skin warm and smooth against Miles’s own flesh.
“Thanks Miles…”
They knelt there for a long moment and then Peter reached out and lifted a handful of dirt and slowly let it fall over the grave.
“Goodbye, May,” Peter whispered.
“I’ll love you always.”
Miles patted Peter’s back with his other hand and together they slowly rose. They staggered out of the graveyard, Miles keeping one hand on Peter’s back to help steer him. He was reminded of how Peter had done this for him a couple weeks ago, at the end of his first week at FEAST.
“Come on Pete, let’s get you home,” Miles said gently. “My mom can give you a ride.”
Peter made a snuffling noise as the gates of the cemetery came into view. At length, the older man broke the silence.
“I…don’t have anywhere to go…”
Miles blinked and looked up at Peter’s haggard face.
“What?”
“I…got evicted from my apartment a few weeks ago,” Peter admitted, his cheeks turning pink.
Miles stared at him in shock. “Pete, that sucks, dude! But where have you been sleeping for the past month?”
Peter blushed deeper and looked down at his shoes, unable to meet Miles’s gaze.
“May let me crash on her office couch for the first couple nights. After that, I moved my stuff to my office at Octavius Industries. I was able to sleep on the couch there, but now the whole building’s been declared off-limits by the NYPD. I can’t even get in to get my stuff.”
Miles frowned and did some quick thinking.
“I guess I could ask MJ if I could crash on her couch…”
“Forget that,” Miles said in a firm voice. “You can stay with me and my mom.”
Peter looked at him sharply and he looked even more embarrassed.
“I can’t do that, Miles. You guys are still processing your own loss. I can’t impose on you.”
“Yeah, well you’re not imposing,” Miles said firmly. “I’m offering and I know my mom won’t mind. You’ve helped us a lot these past few weeks and now it’s time we returned the favour.”
Before Peter could try to voice another protest, Miles looked ahead and saw his mom standing by the black iron gates, her slender face twisted with worry.
“Mami,” Miles began. “Peter got evicted during the crisis and doesn’t have anywhere to sleep. Can he stay with us for a little while?”
His mom gave Peter a searching look, what Miles called her “Mom Stare” and then she nodded once.
“Yes, he can stay in your room. We’ll get the air mattress out of the closet.”
“Mrs. Morales, it’s really not necessary,” Peter croaked in protest, his voice cracking.
“Nonsense. You were there for our family when Jeff died. This is the least we can do. Now come on, let’s get going. It’s almost lunchtime.”
Miles flashed a grin at Peter who managed a weak smile in response.
“Come on, Pete! I can’t wait to show you my room. I just got this new Spider-Man poster!”
Peter chuckled and patted Miles on the shoulder.
“Thanks, kiddo.”