A/N: I am so sorry that this chapter is so short and it took so long to upload. The problem was that I was trying to write a scene at the end but every time I tried to, I would just get writer's block and I finally realized that it was because the scene didn't really make any sense. It felt kind of out of character and just very bleh.
In other news, college starts next monday so anyone want to dig me a grave? I'd happily jump in. God, I hate waking up early and trying to run on like 3 hours of sleep every day. It is the worst. And then updates will get slower too because of all the homework so just ughhhhhh. I can't wait for summer vacation. If you can't dig me a grave, get me a time machine so I can like skip this entire semester. Seriously. I'm dreading it so much.
On a side, happier note, I finally finished binge watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NINE NINE) and The Good Place and so now I don't really know what to do with my life anymore. Why is it always so damn hard to recover from finishing a series? Is there really even a right way? I mean, I always find a rebound that ends up consuming my life until I finish it and then the cycle starts all over again. It's endless torture. Gah! By the way, if you haven't watched Brooklyn Nine-Nine, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Seriously drop everything right now and watch it. It's sooooooo good.
Anyway, this chapter is mostly the funeral and wrapping up some other loose ends. The next chapter will probably start with a small time skip but I'm not sure I'll have to double check that. Anyway, enjoy this chapter even though it's not even 2,000 words long :)
Thebookworm33: I'm so happy you picked up on that little reference! I actually went back on youtube to find the scene with the strawberries just so I could quote it word for word lol. I sometimes picture Adelaide as a mini Pepper and obviously Peter's already a mini Tony even though they haven't met yet. It's kinda cute, actually.
Thank you to: phoenixravenclaw, Edward Cullen's Girl, and Thebookworm33 for following/favoriting or leaving a review in the previous chapter! It means a whole lot :)
"I love you."
The cops had made it to his house before he had. The flashing blue and red lights hurt his eyes, but he didn't bother trying to shield them. At the moment, Peter couldn't feel very much of anything except the piercing pain in his skull every time the lights flashed. He was numb inside out.
The rain had finally died down but Peter was still shivering under his soaked clothes. It didn't matter. His uncle was gone. And Peter hadn't even been able to kill that bastard who had shot him. He curled his hand into a fist. It didn't make any more sense every time he thought about it. One minute, that man was there, but the next...How could someone disappear that quickly? He had held a gun to that man's forehead the whole time.
Peter twisted open the door, stepping inside. The room was filled with detectives and police. None of them paid any attention to him. He slipped by into the kitchen where he found Aunt May talking to a detective. The moment Peter saw her, he froze. What had he done? It was his fault that Uncle Ben had died tonight. But he wasn't just his uncle. He had also been a loving husband. Now Aunt May was a widowed woman.
Peter made a tight fist in his pocket, a wave of anger hitting him. Who was he angry at? Himself? The thief who had killed his uncle? God?
"Oh my goodness, Peter!" May cried, jumping from her seat. She threw her arms around him and hugged him close. After a moment's hesitation, Peter did the same.
"May," he croaked into her hair. His vision turned blurry and he blinked the tears away, swallowing. "I'm sorry, May."
She just hugged him tighter. There were no words left to say.
"Excuse me ma'am," a detective said, clearing his throat. Peter unwrapped his arms, stepping back. He shamefully stared at the ground.
"The sketch artist just handed this to us," he said, holding up a paper with the sketch of a man, "Do you recognize him?"
Peter gritted his teeth, making a fist in his pocket.
Yes.
"No," May whispered, shaking her head, "I don't know him."
The detective nodded understandingly.
"I didn't expect you to, ma'am," he said gently, "Our detectives are on it. We'll let you know as soon as anything comes up."
May nodded weakly, taking a seat again. Peter followed the detective down the hall, stopping him just before he left.
"Can I have that, please?" he asked, pointing to the sketch. The detective nodded, handing him the paper. Peter stared into the killer's face, filling with regret.
"There's one other thing," the detective said, "He has a star tattooed on his left hand."
Peter swallowed, nodding.
"Thank you, detective," he managed to say.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
The cops cleared out of their house soon after and it was just him and Aunt May. It suddenly hit him that there was never going to be him, Aunt May, and Uncle Ben together again in this house. It was over.
Slowly, Peter peeked around the corner at his aunt. Her whole body was shaking with sobs and he realized that she had been holding back until now. Something tugged in his chest. He wanted to go comfort her but something held him back. Instead, he turned around and stormed up the stairs, not stopping until he had locked the door of his room behind himself.
He slowly slid down to the ground, holding his head between his knees. He wanted to cry but he couldn't. He sat up again, taking a shuddering breath. The air felt icy in his lungs. Peter dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He had a voicemail from Uncle Ben. He bit his lip, staring out the window. Closing his eyes, he pressed the button to listen to it.
"Peter, I know things have been difficult lately and I'm sorry about that. I think I know what you're feeling...ever since you were a little boy, you've been living with so many unresolved things. Well, take it from an old man, those things send us down a road...they make us who we are. And if anyone's destined for greatness, it's you, son. You owe the world your gifts, you just have to figure out how to use them and know that wherever they take you, we'll always be here. So come home, Peter. You're my hero and...I love you."
There was a pause.
"End of voicemail."
Then there was silence.
I love you too.
The funeral was small. Only the Parker's closest friends were invited. Adelaide decided to go alone. Pepper, Tony, and Happy had all offered to go, but Adelaide felt this was something she needed to be alone for.
They were at the cemetery now, huddled close to keep warm from the cold. It was a very gray day; there was no sun, just gray. They were standing at the front, by the casket. Peter had his arms around May in a way that gave the sense that he was holding her up, but Adelaide knew better. He needed May just as much as she needed him. Adelaide stood beside them, not being able to tear her eyes away from the casket. She realized that this was her second funeral within the span of this year. She didn't know how to feel about that.
Once the ceremony was over, she was standing at the edge of the gravesite, close to the fence while everyone approached Peter and May to offer their condolences. As Adelaide patiently waited, Ned joined her.
"Can you believe that he's really gone?" he asked. Adelaide pulled her lips in, staring at the ground.
Yes I can, I saw him die right in front of me.
"Do you think Peter's gonna be okay?" Ned asked her. Adelaide shook her head.
"This really hit him," she said, watching him. It was like someone had taken all the life out of him. And maybe it was just her imagination but he looked...guilty. That night, he kept saying that it was his fault but Adelaide hadn't really paid attention to what he had meant by that.
Then there was the part where he almost killed a man...Adelaide was beginning to doubt her decision to stop him. Should she have done that? It wasn't her place to make that decision but she knew that Peter would never be able to live with himself if he had killed him. If she tried to tell him what she'd done, she would also have to tell him about her ability to control light.
"I have to go," Ned said, pulling her out of her thoughts, "I'm gonna go talk to Peter before I go."
"Yeah, bye," she said, tightening her arms around herself. She watched as Ned put his hand on Peter's shoulder and said something. Peter nodded and they both hugged each other. As Ned walked away, Peter's gaze landed on Adelaide. He said something to May and began making his way towards her.
"Hey," Adelaide said softly when he approached her, "How are you feeling?"
He stopped in front of her.
"I'm fine," he said with a shake of his head.
"Peter," she said gently, taking a step closer, "I'm your friend. You can tell me how you're really feeling."
He just stared at the grass, swallowing.
"I'm...scared," he admitted, "I...I don't know what to do. Aunt May...you should see her, Ada. Last night I heard her crying alone in her room and there was nothing I could do. I just…"
He let out a shaky breath that tugged a string in Adelaide's heart. She hated seeing him like this. She reached out, touching his arm.
"I know this is hard but you're not alone, you know that? Peter, this will never get easier. The pain will never go away but you don't have to go through it alone. If you need anything at all, I'm just...I'm here," she said, gently squeezing his arm. He nodded silently.
"Thank you," he managed to say. Instead of replying, Adelaide pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping her arms around his neck. A moment later, he hugged her back, burying his face into her shoulder. She could feel him shivering but it wasn't from the cold. She just hugged him tighter.
Sometimes actions spoke louder than words.
A/N: Ending on a sad note once again, things don't get to bright any time soon but they don't get worse...I think. At this point, I've really lost sight of what's bad and what's worse for this story because everything that happens makes Adelaide miserable lmao. But I will admit, the more miserable my characters, the more fun it is for me to write it ;)
Question: Which rebound show should I start watching first: Victoria, Timeless, or Downton Abbey? I'm leaning towards Timeless or Victoria but I can't decide lol.