Peter swung through the air scanning the city more out of habit than any real need. It was quiet, sure the trains and occasional car made noise but it was quiet. More quiet than he had ever expected Queens to sound. People were scared, rightfully so, and so was he if he were being honest. The virus that had swept the globe had hit closer to home than he had ever imagined. Thankfully May was fine, she was as isolated as possible but he was still nervous. That probably wouldn't pass until much later but he was grateful she was okay.
He, on the other hand, went out because of habit. He knew that the majority of the bad guys would be sitting at home. They didn't want to catch anything anymore than anyone else. However, there would still be a few to try and take advantage of the calmer New York atmosphere. He had stopped a few muggers here and there but it wasn't much. If anything, this trip was to clear his mind more than anything. At least he could successfully social distance by being on a rooftop in the middle of the city.
The exposing of his identity had been overshadowed by the fact that the virus hit New York hard. Even Jonah had seemingly forgotten what had happened. Everyone was trained in the virus and not much would change their mind. Priorities were in place and thankfully everyone had forgotten for the time being. He knew though that the pandemic would eventually end and he would be in the spotlight again.
Originally Peter had kept his identity a secret simply because he didn't want May to find out. Whatever had given him these powers didn't do it in a flashy way. He didn't become a war hero, or escape terrorists, or have a past career as a super spy. He simply woke up one day with a bad rash on his hand and suddenly he could predict things that would happen. Then he found out he could had strength that shouldn't be possible.
His first suit didn't exist anymore. It was pretty much unusable after the battle with Vulture over New York. His new ones were better built, better quality, and safer to be in. Still, he had a bit of nostalgia for the simpler days. The days when he wasn't a superhero who had traveled space and fought an alien army but when he was the hero who saved the little guy from the bullies down the street. He was still that hero but the wish of simpler days was still there.
The days of that were over and he knew it would be better to embrace that change than long for the good old days. Still, he was out here looking for someone to help even if there wasn't a lot of people he could help. In some ways he felt more out of place than before. His skills were in the crime fighting range not the medical profession. He knew that Happy was busy coordinating responses to the virus and helping however they could but he didn't know what to do.
He noticed some movement to his right and took a look. It was a lone person, maybe a woman, walking alone quickly. She looked nervous, he didn't blame her, and looked like she wanted to get home. He decided he would follow along the rooftops for a while and make sure she got where she needed to. It was a bit stalkerish but he wanted to make sure she got where she was going. The sun was starting to drop below the horizon anyway so she would never see him.
Despite his best efforts he lost her for a moment. She turned a corner and Peter got lost in his thoughts and suddenly she was gone. He scanned looking for her and was surprised when she didn't reappear. "If you are going to follow me, at least be a little better at it," she said behind him. Peter jumped but quickly got back his composure. "I wasn't following you. Well, I was but to….make sure you got home safe," he said quickly frowning. It wasn't a great excuse but it was true at least.
The woman snorted but continued to inch closer. "This city owes a lot to you and the Avengers. We don't say it enough but we do owe you all a lot. So thank you." Peter was stunned for a moment before nodding. "It's what we are supposed to do. Even now, there's still people who need help. I have a way to do that. I pick up groceries, help people get home, it's what I need to do," Peter said softly.
The woman ignored what he said for the moment and turned around. "This city has seen so much. The Twin Towers sat about 20 blocks that way," she pointed. "I was a young twenty-year old ready to make a difference. I graduated early so that I could become a doctor. That day nineteen years ago changed my life. I lived through a terrorist attack and decided that instead I would become a firefighter. I saw what they did and how they handled and wanted to do that. I then decided that a firefighter wasn't exactly what I wanted and I became an EMT. I got my license to help people. I got that and helped people who needed it.
"The alien invasion of New York was another turning point. Life was just starting to get back to normal after the recession. My family lost a lot of money, I lost a lot of money but we were coming back together. I saw again how everyone responded. That's my point here Spider-Man, we will get through this together. It isn't right now but we will do it. New York City is stronger than anything thinks," she finished. "This is my stop anyway. Thank you. Be safe out there."