Chapter Text
The pizza was cold when he finally delivered it and so were his hands. Peter had been working for a small pizza place near his apartment — a job that barely kept him afloat this past month. And even though delivering pizza was a rather easy job, it certainly wasn’t for him — granted it was his own fault. But how could he have possibly ignored the car crash on the West 40th, when it was just right around the corner for him. After all, he easily got there before any police could’ve. Nonetheless, it got him into trouble, once again.
Shortly after he delivered the pizza, he got some mean comments from the dude at the door — who’d probably do well by eating less pizza — he had gotten an even sharper call from his boss. It’s not like he got himself a good excuse either cause what was he supposed to say — hey, yeah, actually I don’t deliver on time, cause I’m Spider-Man, surely you understand, that I can’t just ignore some small crime happening around the neighbourhood, oh, yeah, no, I’m totally not kidding! — nope, that wasn’t an option.
He didn’t feel like swinging back to the pizza place even if he knew that he probably should hurry to prevent any more trouble. His boss did tend to take the art of delivering pizza quite seriously. Somehow as if it was the most important job in the world. As if people’s lives were on the line if they had to eat a pizza not as hot as right out of the oven — as if no one would burn their tongue anyway eating a pizza that hot.
Peter just couldn’t see how it was this vital for the pizza to arrive as warm as possible. He and Aunt May used to heat up old pizza all the time back in the days, when she came home late from her job and too exhausted to still cook something fresh, and it was never a big deal. After all, if anyone would’ve wanted a pizza as hot as if it wasn’t carried multiple blocks through the cold, they could’ve just come to the restaurant themselves and eat there.
His boss definitely wouldn’t agree with that. So it was Peter’s job to somehow break the laws of physics and deliver the perfect pizza right on time. The thought alone frustrated him. Against his better judgment, he decided to just take his time. He'd just get an angry look from his boss anyway, no matter how quick he’d make it back to the restaurant, and he either would be sent home or alternatively, he’d get an almost impossible delivery, set up to make him fail only to prove that he’s ‘not good for anything’, as his boss liked to tell him. There was clearly no use in hurrying then.
Taking his time, just a little, gave him a moment to breathe; though the air was sharp and cold. Snow had fallen not even a week ago and some people had already started decorating for Christmas. Never before had Peter realized how early all the decorations were up, but now that he didn’t have anyone left to celebrate with, he was ever so often reminded of it by all the lights and little Santas, snowmen and elves in the windows.
It’s something Peter still had to get used to and that he eventually would. But deep down he was still hoping that Dr. Strange’s spell somehow wasn’t as stable as it seemed to be, because then at least he could have his friends back, remember him and all the memories he had he could share again; but for now they were just his own and only his own.
He liked to think about what his former friends were up to. But at the same time the thought saddened him. He imagined stopping by the café MJ was working at and everything magically being the way it was before. But he knew how distant that wish was from coming true. He shook the thoughts and memories away; buried his hands, numb from the cold, in his pockets.
It luckily didn’t take him too long to get back to the small pizza place. It was family owned but still stood its ground among all the corporate ones.
If anyone were to ask who had the best pizza in Hell’s Kitchen, people would probably say — at “Leo’s”, that one small place right next to the laundromat where infamously one machine was never properly working. And while the pizza was actually pretty good, it also was thanks to Leo, the owner, that the place had such a reputation.
Everyone seemed to love Leo whether it be for his pizza or the unwanted advice and opinions he gave occasionally to his customers. In a different life, he imagined Leo as some tough bartender like in one of those old-school westerns, where he’d call you an idiot before handing you a drink. Peter had no clue how it worked with the people but it did. To him Leo just came off as an asshole.
There were only two tables inside and one outside right in front of the big shop window, more weren’t even needed. While a lot of people came in to pick up their orders themselves and occasionally had a little chat when Leo was around, most of the time it was rather empty when it came to the tables being taken. Most of the time his boss’ kids were sitting on one of them doing their homework.
At other times the only customer actually sitting down was the old man from across the street, who used the time as a means to an end to talk to people. As far as Peter knew he didn’t get many visitors and lived alone since his wife died. Something Peter newly understood; it got lonely when you had no one around to talk to.
When he entered the small restaurant his boss wasn’t there. Only Charlie, his colleague and probably the person that made working here bearable. She was a little older than him, 23 now, and probably the best cook he’d personally known. But despite her talent she had to stop culinary school — he didn’t know why and he didn’t want to ask, just assumed as for most people it was due to the ‘Blip’, as they called it. The aftermath that still left many people struggling, and Charlie was probably one of them.
“Where’s Leo?”, he asked as he put down his carrier on the empty table, “I kinda expected him, standing here, ready to scold me.” Charlie gave him a knowing look and a little shrug before she rolled out some dough and answered: “Well, to your luck, I think he's got bigger problems now than you being lazy!”
Peter wanted to defend himself but before he could open his mouth, Charlie elaborated: “He’s got a call from the school or something. His son got in some trouble and it seemed pretty serious. So, if anyone’s getting scolded today, it’s probably not gonna be you.”
Peter felt cruel for being glad about it. But if Leo wasn’t here right now, he probably wouldn’t remember that he’d been running late again.
“Same reason as always?”, he asked. Charlie shrugged a little. They both knew the boy had trouble at school. He told them ever so often when he was doing his homework here. Leo told him to not think about it when he’s outside of school but Peter understood that it was easier said than done.
“No idea but I wouldn’t be surprised. Leo didn’t say, he just left immediately. Maybe it’s a bigger deal than usual…”, Charlie furrowed her brows a little by the thought and shook her head, “It’s none of our business! Alright? You got two more orders! No time for any chatting!”
Charlie gave him the scolding look Leo normally would’ve given him, though hers was much warmer. Peter pressed his lips together preventing himself from possibly saying something he shouldn’t.
He didn’t much agree with her take on ignoring the little boy being bullied at school. Sure it wasn’t exactly their business but it did sound pretty cold and maybe this really wasn’t the right approach. He understood what being bullied felt like, though he had a feeling in this case it was a little worse than his own experience with it. Then again if he didn’t want to lose the job the same month he started it, Charlie was right, and he really should not be stuck thinking about it and just do his job.
“Okay, you’re right…two more you say? It’s basically already done!”, he said with such confidence that Charlie could only shake her head at that.
“This time without delay! No distractions! Okay?”, she seemed a bit more serious, “I can’t keep coming up with excuses for you just to save your lazy ass!”
She spoke a little more straight forward than she usually did. Peter’s smile faded. Though he understood. After all, it's not like he wanted to do a bad job, but he was aware that he must’ve seemed pretty lazy so far.
“Alright, I know! I‘ll hurry up a bit and deliver them even faster than they’d expect it!”, he then grinned at her trying to lighten the mood a little. He was sure of himself that he could pull it off, he‘d just have to ignore or better hope there wouldn’t be any trouble on the streets, he couldn’t possibly ignore. Charlie sighed and visibly had to keep herself from disagreeing with him, instead she just said: “No need for that! Just be on time for once!”
Peter knew he’d be able to do it even if she wasn’t so trusting in him, after all she couldn‘t know of his little secret that allowed him to get from one end of the city to another in no time. So, of course, she thought he was being a little over the top. Charlie was still shaking her head a little, muttering something to herself that Peter couldn‘t fully get, while putting said pizzas into the big oven behind her.
They were both quiet while they were waiting. Charlie usually was. It seemed like she always had something on her mind, but differently than how Peter had things on his mind. Sometimes it gave him an uneasy feeling, as if she somehow must‘ve figured out his secret and just didn‘t know how to use it yet against him. But then again it could just be some kinda moment of paranoia. He had those more frequently now that he had to hide again.
The silence broke when Charlie put the two pizza cartons on the counter: “One goes to the 41st between 9th and 8th the other goes to 44th. You can go in one run. And be on time!”
He got another scolding look from her. He quickly put the pizzas in his carrier bag and took another look at the little paper telling him the addresses before he let it disappear in his already packed pocket of his jacket.
“Don‘t worry, I know! On time!”, he quickly repeated the words she was close to telling him again herself. She gave him another nod, though in her face it was visible that she had only very few beliefs in him.
Outside it started to snow again, not enough that it would hinder him. He took the bike he was supposed to use for every delivery, which, if anyone asked him, of course he did — just maybe not all the way. He parked it like always just a block further in a small side alley; and it really was a wonder that it hadn’t been stolen yet.
He, there, changed quickly into his suit. Nowadays he wore it under his clothes, just in case he needed it. He wasn’t yet sure what he’d do once the colder months passed but he surely would figure it out before spring hits and he couldn’t wear hoodies anymore. His clothes got bunched into the carrier bag, there was enough space. He used his hoodie as some padding and his sneakers gave a sturdier barrier — less space for the pizzas to shift around while swinging. Peter hadn’t yet figured out a better way, and this worked, it wasn’t like his clothes really touched the pizzas and they were clean anyway. So no one could really complain, right, besides it’s not like anyone knew anyway.
He put on his mask and made sure the carrier bag was secure over his shoulder, before shooting a web at the nearest wall and leaping forward. A pull on his webs lifted him into the air. He let the momentum carry him — just for a moment — almost immediately he shot another web to pull him even farther. He gained speed. Even through the mask the wind felt sharp and cold on his face. His hands felt even colder and were starting to feel a little numb.
He wasn’t a big fan of the cold and he hadn't yet figured out the tech Tony had used to safely implement some sort of heating into the suit he had given him in what felt like a lifetime ago. Peter was yet to reach Tony Stark's level of genius when it came to building sufficient suits for all weather conditions. Then again it was probably easier with the lab and kind of tech a man like Tony Stark had access to.
He released the web — shot another, and then another — each swing being faster than the other. Gaining even more speed. A couple of streets were easily passed this way in no time, making him almost miss the left turn, but with another webshot he launched himself right into a smaller alley.
He almost hit a tree doing so — only almost. He managed to dodge the leafless treebranch, but forgot the carrier on his back. It hid the branch just slightly. Snow from on top of the branch fell down, a couple teenage girls underneath got hit and they let out a high pitched squeal of surprise. They looked up, but by the time they did, Peter already shot a web at another building and pulled himself up on the roof, evading possible curious looks.
He ran over the roof, adjusting the pizzas again. The collision made them shift around a little. Peter hoped they wouldn’t be all messed up by the time he arrived. Before he was done adjusting the straps, making the carrier sit slightly closer to his back, the roof ended. Peter already stepped too far over.
He fell. But swiftly caught himself with another web. Like on a swing he used the momentum to jump onto another roof. He kept running, jumped off the building again and swung right into the street of his first destination, landing on the ground and quickly hid before anyone could see him.
He put on his normal clothes over his suit again and hid the mask in his pocket, hoping that he’d looked fine and presentable — or at least like any normal pizza delivery boy. He went up to the door and rang the bell. The light on the second floor went on. Shortly after the buzzing sound on the door, signaling him to come in. He opened the heavy door, having to push against it with his body weight. He then swiftly walked up the couple stairs to the second floor. A girl was already waiting for him there. Another one just leaned her head through the door curiously, as if she was checking if it was truly just the pizza arriving. Both were probably not older than 15.
“Hey, uh, ordered Pizza?”, he gave a little nod to the carrier in his hands. He hadn’t checked if the pizza was still hot. So he just hoped it was. The girl gave him a silent nod, it didn't seem like she wanted to talk much.
“Alright here you go then…!”, he got the first pizza on top of the carrier out and gave it to the girl with a smile. She took the pizza and looked at him like she was still waiting for something. For a moment Peter thought she may have ordered more and he forgot something. Then it made sense.
“Right! That would be 10.50!”, he wanted to disappear. How did he manage to forget that all the damn time, he felt stupid about it. The girl just nodded. She quickly disappeared in what Peter assumed would be a kitchen and came back with a little, fuzzy wallet. It looked like it had its best days over and the panda face that was incorporated into the design was rather sad looking nowadays. She gave him 11.87 dollars.
“...Rest is for you…”, she mumbled shyly. Peter almost didn’t hear her. He probably must’ve looked like it too cause she quickly added: “Sorry!”
He felt bad and immediately gave her a warm smile, “Thanks! And uh, hope you enjoy your pizza!”
She smiled now too and gave him another nod. He also nodded and turned around. She closed the door as he walked down the stairs. As he was walking down he still could hear the girl’s high pitched voice, probably talking to her friend, half screaming, halfway attempting some kinda whisper tone: “Oh my god! He was so cute!”
It made him shudder a little. He knew he looked younger than he was, and maybe the girl was actually his age; but the very realistic possibility that she was just some teenager thinking he’s ‘cute’ made him a little uncomfortable, like he just did something criminal.
He shook his head a little, getting his mind back on his job, and walked out the door.
The next delivery was just two streets away. He decided to just walk there. It would’ve been tedious to put on the suit, just to swing over there, change again and then finally deliver the pizza. It wasn’t a long walk anyway.
Just in a few minutes he reached the house. He walked up the stairs. Rang the bell. It was always the same really. Luckily this house had an elevator. Not all the buildings in this area had one as some were much older and barely renovated. He took the elevator to the fourth floor. An older man was already standing there with a tired smile on his face.
“Earlier than we expected!”, it didn’t sound like he was bothered much, “the kids are still out.”
Peter never knew what to say when the older people suddenly started up some small talk, so he just smiled and hoped it would be enough.
“Yeah, the way here was clear.”, he just swiftly explained while giving the man his pizza. The old man gave him another nod: “That‘s good to hear! The streets are nowadays so busy — not like back in the days!”
A little chuckle left his mouth. He took the pizza and gave Peter 16 Dollars, way more than the pizza or the delivery cost.
“Here, son! Buy you something nice!”, he smiled at him and gave Peter a little pat on the shoulder.
“Thank you, sir!”, Peter was a little surprised by the big tip, “I really appreciate it!”
The man shook his head a little, signaling that it was fine. He gave Peter another wave. Peter waved back at him as he walked back to the elevator. It wasn‘t unusual for him to get tips, but usually they weren’t that big. However Peter had noticed that a lot of times it was the older folks that gave him a little more.
As he walked out a few kids just came towards him and the building. He suspected that those had to be the kids the old man was talking about — probably his grandchildren. They looked like they had just played outside in the snow. Their noses and cheeks were red from the cold and some chunks of snow were stuck in their hair — the remains of a lost snowball fight he assumed. At least they can enjoy winter.
The kids disappeared inside and the cold suddenly seemed to be sharper again. Almost as if the kids had taken all the warmth with them inside. The two reminded Peter of Ned and him in past winters. Snowball fight after snowball fight and a very poor looking version of Yoda made out of snow — that’s what they used to do in the snow. Peter now wondered if winter had always felt this cold or if it was just simply different when you had someone to enjoy it with. Or maybe this winter was just truly colder.
Before actually going back to Leo’s he once again went into the small alley where he had earlier parked the bike. Luckily it was still there. He knew he had to find another solution for the bike ‘cause even though luck was on his side, it wouldn’t always be like that. But like so many other things this was a problem for another time.
He put the carrier bag back on its place on the bike as if it never had left its place there. From the alley, the walk back to the restaurant wasn’t even five full minutes long. With the bike even shorter.
He parked the bike in front of the restaurant and he already heard Charlie's laughter from outside. It wasn’t that it was just so intense that you could hear it through the window but Charlie just generally had a loud voice and so was her laugh. It sounded genuine and lighter than usual though, more often than not her laugh had a certain heaviness always carried along, as if she never truly could get out of her own head. He realized quickly what made the difference. As he stepped inside, Robb was there. Peter didn’t always see him. His and Robb’s shift rarely aligned though whenever it did, Peter had noticed Charlie’s mood lighting up. He thought they would make a cute couple.
He entered the little restaurant and the little bell above the door rang, it felt almost a bit too loud. The laughter quieted down and for a moment Peter felt like he was interrupting not only this moment but also the earth’s rotation, like he gave the world a tiny hiccup. He just looked at the both of them for a split second like he forgot what he even wanted to say.
Charlie in her usual manner shook her head in a lighthearted disbelief at whatever Robb had just told her with a smile still on her lips. Robb grinned back at her in his usual silly way before he acknowledged Peter and gave him a little wave.
“Hey! Good to see you, Pete!”, he talked like your basic jock from high school, as far as Peter knew, he also totally had been just that in high school, “Everything good?”
Peter cleared his throat, noticing the curious look from Charlie behind the counter, “Yeah, no, everything’s good, no disruptions…uhm…everything delivered-”, he felt like he was talking nonsense and the heat rushed right to his face: “So, right, …I’m going home now! See you around, Robb! Bye, Charlie!”
He turned on his heels around, quickly enough that he wouldn’t catch the glances Charlie and Robb threw at each other. And the little bell rang again when he left the restaurant. Followed by the two of them going straight back to the conversation they had before and their laughter slowly turning up again. Not in a mean way, just in a way, Peter hasn’t related to in a while.
Peter walked home then. The way wasn’t long. He lived just two blocks down the street from the pizza place. One of the better things about his job.
The apartment complex he lived in was an older building — walls made out of red bricks, a newer entrance door that clearly wasn’t there when the building was first constructed and if you looked closely a bunch of mismatched window panes suggesting that only some of the apartments had recently been renovated. His own wasn’t one of the recently renovated ones. In fact it probably hadn’t been renovated in the last decade and was probably in its oldest condition. He shouldn’t complain after all, thanks to that it was somewhat affordable, not like most other places in the city.
As he entered his apartment Peter suddenly felt the exhaustion of the day come over him. Or maybe of the whole week. Or maybe even the whole month. He didn’t really know anymore. He closed the door behind him, slid his backpack off his shoulder and let it lightly fall to the ground right next to him. Right after he let himself slide to the ground as well with his back against the door. The room was cold, not as cold as outside, but it was obvious that the heater at the wall had once again failed him.
Still sitting there on the ground gave him the illusion of some kind of comfort he felt he desperately needed. He closed his eyes and took some time to breathe again. The dust in the air made it feel more suffocating than it did him any good. Not only that but it reminded him of all his unfinished responsibilities. He had been trying to ignore most of them. From the biggest to the smallest. A smile appeared on his face as he remembered how easy things used to be. How many daily tasks he didn’t have to do cause Aunt May was there to do them for him. Peter wondered how she did it and he thought about the things he still had to do. First and foremost,he thought, he should seriously take some time to at least clean up a little — not like he’d get any visitors anyway.