The Manhattan sun set a warming orange glow over the city-scape as it descended upon the horizon. The long shadows enveloped the streets below, but high on the tallest of skyscrapers, it was perfect. No noise, no crowds, no disturbances. Nothing but a calm atmosphere, perfect for someone to stretch out and relax in.
A perfect place for a quick little siesta, New York's Amazing Spider-man had decided. Between two adjacent industrial vents he had spun himself a hammock made of webbing. They provided the perfect supports for his resting place, and he could now lay in the setting sunlight.
It wasn't often that he could just stretch out like he was, with his hectic schedule. From his work at Parker Industries, to his home life, to keeping up with all the street gangs, and last, but certainly not least his membership to the Avengers. In all that mess, there was very little room for Peter Parker to just 'chill' for lack of a better term. Though there were a few good things that came from his association with the team. For one; very few supervillians wanted to pick a fight with him once he mentioned calling in backup in the form of Captain America, Captain Marvel, Iron Man or Thor. Another was the use of the rooftop he was currently on top of.
"Two muggings. Three robberies. One rape. Three fistfights. And one old lady nearly hit by a truck," he muttered to himself through half-closed eyelids. "Must be getting slow in my old age. And I'm not even thirty yet." He finished as he listened to the sounds of the city. The hustle of cars, the birds overhead. "Good thing those Spider-kids are running about..."
It had definitely been a hectic few months, he reasoned with himself. It was nice for everything to go back to normal after everything. From half the Avengers going bat-shit crazy evil, to the Spider-verse event, to Dr. Doom proclaiming himself as a god and re-shaping the universe in his image. It was nice that things were so calm and serene now.
His peace and quiet was soon interrupted by the sound of a swinging door. Casually, Peter opened one eye, knowing that there was very little chance he was about to be attacked. Given that there were at least seven Avengers inside the building at the moment, two of which could throw a skyscraper.
It didn't take long for him to spot the long, slender form of Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, making her way across the rooftop not far from where he was. She stopped at the edge, letting her hair fly freely in the wind as she looked down. With his excellent hearing, Peter could just make out the sound of a sniffle. Not the kind one had when they had a cold, but the kind someone had while extremely upset at themselves.
"Watch your step," Peter quipped softly, "otherwise you might fall. Then I'd have to catch you. That would require getting up. And I just got comfy," he said, earning Wanda's full attention with a start.
"Jees!" she exclaimed, "I'm sorry...I didn't see you there!"
"So what you're saying is," Peter smirked, "the red and blue is a little to subtle? I blend in well with red brick and grey steel?"
"No, no," Wanda replied as she turned away from him. "I just...my mind was elsewhere. That's all."
"When you say 'elsewhere'," Peter asked nonchalantly, "do you mean you were thinking about something else? Or was your mind actually in another place? I can never tell with you magic-user types."
"Thinking," she said softly, "about...stuff."
"What kind of 'stuff?" Peter asked with a tiny shrug, still not getting up from his hammock.
"It's not important," Wanda sniffled quietly. "it's stupid, really."
"Can't be that stupid," Peter offered as he awkwardly rolled onto his side. "I mean, think about who you're talking to. I'm the King of stupid thoughts. Right now I'm thinking about whether or not Rey is Luke Skywalker's daughter, if I should paint my apartment walls green or blue, and if this costume makes me look fat. So, come on, spill. What's bothering you." he detected the slightest change in her breathing as she turned back towards him. Now he could get a better look at her. And while she clearly wasn't a complete mess, there was definitely something...broken inside her. A few stray tears ran down the sides of her face, and her hair was slightly matted.
"It's just..." Wanda stuttered, "It's just the last little while's been rather rough for me...the last few years in fact." Peter nodded sympathetically. He knew full well the trials and tribulations Wanda had been through in her life. And how demanding they could be on one's psyche. It was a miracle neither of them had gone completely insane because of it. "The whole world hates me...I deserve it, I know. But it just..."
"I don't hate you," Peter shrugged as he pulled himself up into a sitting position.
"You should," The mutant reality-warper replied, "everyone else does."
"Everyone?" Peter chuckled to himself. "Bullshit, lady. The whole team cares about you. You've been a member longer than I have."
"They tolerate me," Wanda sighed as she looked down at the gravel, kicking at it with her boots. "At best. Mostly because they know what I'm capable of doing. That's it, really."
"Yeah," Peter said enthusiastically, "you put the beat-down on the Phoenix Force. Not to shabby. You're definitely on my roster if I ever assemble a team of Avengers."
"I shouldn't be," Wanda snapped back at him. "Not after what I've done to everyone. Especially not after what I've done to you, of all people."
"Remind me what you did again?" Peter quipped sarcastically, "It's been a while and my mind's a little bit foggy."
"I almost killed you and Nova," Wanda replied, still keeping her sharp tone. "After...the reversal event."
"In all fairness," Peter said, more serious this time, "Logan's tried to gut me several times. Tony had a few armed thugs shoot at me. Carol, while possessed by Venom, tried to eat my brains. So, you're not the first teammate to try and do that." He tried to laugh, but something about her attitude told him that now wasn't the best time. That he should wait.
"Yeah, well this was different," Wanda practically growled at him. "They didn't want to. I did. I wanted you dead. I wanted Magneto dead. I wanted Doom dead. I-"
"No one would blame you for wanting Doom dead," Peter offered with a small shrug. "Mags...he deserves a good thrashing sometimes, I'll give you that. But-"
"No!" Wanda snapped furiously as she backed away from him. "No, Spider-man, you don't get it, do you?" She continued, waving her hands through the air. A few tendrils of pale scarlet energy washed over her form. Nothing dangerous, but still slightly noticeable, if one knew what to look for. "Everything's a big joke to you, isn't it? It's all fun and games, right? Nothing bad's ever happened to you in your perfect little life! If you even had the slightest idea of what I went through you'd never-!"
"Don't." Peter roared as he shot to his feet, standing mere inches from her face. With a single motion of his hand, he tore his mask off his face, freeing his emotions for the world to see. "Don't. Ever. Say. My. Life. Is. Easy." he stepped forward, she stepped back, her eyes going wide with the raw feelings pulsating from his own. Feelings of pain and anger. Memories of love and loss. Everything was laid bare through his two crystal hazel orbs. "You say you nearly killed people. Well guess what?" he growled intently, "I. Actually. Have. People I cared about. Deeply. People I could have saved, because I wasn't fast enough. Strong enough. Smart enough. I had to sit and watch," Peter continued, heaving his chest as he spoke. "as a terrible man took my body from me and used it, used my name to do horrible things to people. All in the name of justice."
"I didn't mean-" Wanda said weakly, still backing up. "I didn't know-"
"Well now you do," Peter grunted as he turned away from her.
"Spider...Peter," Wanda said, cupping her hand on his shoulder as she spoke. "It's just that it's been..." He relaxed a little at the feel of her touch, turning back to face her as his expression softened greatly.
"Tough? Exhausting? Unbearable?" he said to her.
"All of the above," she replied with a sigh.
"Well you'll get through it," Peter said as he forced himself to grin. "I've got a good feeling about that."