Peter's had a rough day. Had to turn down Mary Jane again, when all he wanted to do was scream, "Yes, I love you so much I'd freak you out if you knew how much!", had to stop a train (which hurt like a bitch, by the way), got unmasked in front of countless citizens (Thank God they promised to keep his secret, or he'd be in a real mess) then right on top of that, had to go destroy Doc Ock and save MJ. Then right when MJ knew who he was, when she finally understood the last two years, and he was so close, he had to give her up again, and this time for good. Of course, he'd never really had her.

So he swings through New York, because that's his stress relief. He climbs buildings and jumps off them and stops a few minor crimes, and eventually builds a web to crash in, until he can convince himself go back to his ratty apartment and dodge his landlord's demands for rent. Mary Jane's getting married tomorrow, he thinks, looking at the sky above. He can almost see the stars.

He grimaces. He's got eleven dollars to pay last month's rent; he'll have to sneak in through his window in the early morning so no one will see him. He has homework he needs to do if he's going to pass Connor's class. He has an interview tomorrow at a bookshop, so in theory two weeks before his next paycheck. He can make it until then. He'll take some Spidey pictures. Isn't Aunt May's birthday next week, too? Oh God, what can he get her she doesn't already have, much less than she won't make him take back for spending money on her? Should he throw a party? He'd invite Mrs. Watson and the neighbors and Harry and MJ...

Should he go to the wedding?

No. Even in his current, extremely screwed up state he realizes he can't do that to Mary Jane. She will see him and she will miss him and she will leave her fiancée. She deserves security and reliability and he can't give her either and he can't let her throw it away now. She deserves more than an empty seat, and as much as he hates it, that's all he is. That's all he can be.

He closes his eyes. Being up here, practically touching the sky, is still incredible to him. Not for the first time, he daydreams about being just Peter Parker, a college kid getting perfect tests scores and living with his beautiful girlfriend in a nice apartment with a yellow kitchen and proportionate rent he can afford to pay.

That bright, hazy future is so close.

But he has made his choice. He will always be Spider-Man. He can't be the one who leaves the child in the burning building. He has to save them. Because he has the gift and the curse, and he cannot ignore his responsibility.

The police cars drive by; Peter slips on his mask and begins to swing after them. Because if he's going to do this job, if he's going to dedicate every spare ounce of himself to being Spider-Man, he's damn sure going to do it properly.