Peter approached the door, his heart beating a little faster than normal. He couldn't believe he was looking at what used to be the entrance to the home he and May had shared for what felt like forever. He'd put this off for a long time, not even putting up a fight when the landlord had allowed another family to move into the place. After the Martin Li incident about four months ago, Peter had made up his mind that he was going to come by and see if the family that now occupied the place would let him into see it one more time.
This had proven more difficult than he anticipated, as he always seemed to find himself able to make excuses to get out of it. Sometimes it was Spider-Man, sometimes it was running too close to when he and M.J. had plans, and sometimes it was because the errands made a trip here just too out of the way. Today was it though; he was here, and he was not going to let himself off the hook this time.
Slowly, Peter raised his fist, giving three solid knocks against the door.
After a couple of moments, the door was answered by a young woman, likely no older than her mid-twenties, if that. She looked at Peter a little curiously.
"Hi," she said softly, "is there something I can do for you?"
"Umm, yes," Peter said, rubbing his hands together nervously. "I know how this might sound, but my aunt and I used to live here before... everything."
Getting this all out was proving even more difficult than he anticipated.
"Anyway," Peter continued, "if you'd be willing, I'd like to step in and just see this place one more time, even though its different. It might, I don't know, help me say goodbye to her."
The woman looked down for a moment before looking back at Peter again, opening the door more fully. Peter stepped in slowly, as if any step he took would set off a landmine.
"Thank you," Peter said. The woman nodded before closing the door.
As Peter looked around; almost everything was different. This lady had a little less furniture than he and May had owned, and it was arranged differently as well. The kitchen was set up differently too, with different décor hanging up in places that had once been barer. The only thing that was the same was the color of the walls and the general flooring, but it still felt as though Peter had walked into a completely different place. He'd expected this, but being here in the moment was still not easy.
He took a deep breath, letting it out.
"Are you okay?" the woman asked him.
"Yeah, yeah," Peter said, "it's just that, you know, there are a lot of memories here."
Peter remembered when May and he had moved into the place after Ben died. They had grieved together many nights in the very living room he was looking at now. There were also happy memories too, such as all the times they watched Disney classics, played cards on the floor or just sat and talked together.
"Is it okay if I see my old room?" Peter asked the lady. "It's the last one on the right in the hall."
Before the woman could answer, she turned her head towards the hallway, and Peter followed her line of sight to find she was looking at a little girl, maybe three years old. She was just staring at Peter, seemingly unsure of what to do with a stranger in the apartment.
"It's okay sweetheart," the woman said as she walked over to her child, scooping her up in her arms. "This is someone who used to live here before us, and he wants to see your room. Can we show him your room?"
The little girl nodded sheepishly as Peter's thoughts were starting to venture all over the place. Not only had a woman moved in, but a new kid was occupying his old room? Still, Peter followed the lady and her daughter down the hall, turning into his room slowly.
What had once been a room filled with high school textbooks, science journals, salvaged tech and a bunk bed was now replaced by small toys, less thick books and a much smaller bed. Peter stepped in as he thought back to how he and Ned used to stay up until all hours of the night here, talking, repurposing old pieces of tech, building the latest Star Wars Lego set, and discussing all things Spider-Man. His best friend had been over so much that May went out and bought a bunk bed just so he could have a better place than the floor to sleep.
Taking a moment to digest it all, Peter allowed one tear to escape his eye, letting it streak down his face. This was a place that was near and dear to him, but he knew it was time to let it go. He would never forget it, but he had new places to make memories now, and new people to make them with.
Wiping his eyes, Peter turned to the little family, particularly the daughter.
"Wow," he said, smiling for her. "I love what you've done with the place."
The little girl still stared at him like he had two heads, so her mother spoke up.
"Sarah, he said he liked what you did with his old room," she said to her daughter. "Can you say thank you?"
The girl muttered something loosely resembling thank you.
"You're welcome," Peter replied softly to her.
"Now, can you play in here for just a little bit?" the woman asked her daughter. "Mommy will be back to check on what you needed here in a minute, okay?" The little girl nodded, and Peter stepped out of the room, glancing back once last time as the lady set her little girl down on the ground before closing the door. The two of them walked back out into the living room.
"Thank you," Peter said, "I know how strange it must've been, you know, me just showing up like this and everything."
The woman nodded.
"A little, but I understand."
"You two seem really happy here," Peter observed. The woman looked down for a moment, not answering right away. She finally looked up again.
"This place was really a miracle for us," the woman said, clearly fighting back tears. "I lost my husband, then after what happened with the whole snap thing, I lost my job. We were living paycheck to paycheck already, so it was hard, but then this place opened up for us, and I got a new job, and now... we're just doing a little better every day."
Her story filled Peter with an unexpected sense of peace.
"Thanks for that," he said, smiling. "Hearing that, it actually means a lot. It's what my aunt would've wanted, to know that her old place was helping someone who needed it now."
The woman nodded, smiling back at him in response.
"Well, I guess I better get going," Peter said, "thanks for letting me in miss..."
"Just call me Jenny," she said.
"Jenny," Peter repeated, holding out his hand for her to shake, which she accepted. "Thank you again for this. It... it means more than you know."
"Just glad I could help," Jenny replied.
Peter nodded and they both turned as she saw him to the door. She opened it, but he didn't leave right away, turning and taking one last look at the very different but still very familiar place. He then stepped out as she closed the door behind him.
That was the last time he would never leave that apartment.
Peter took the elevator back down, exiting the building with a lot on his mind. He got into the car that Happy had driven him there in, where the man was waiting for him.
"How did it go?" Happy asked, not even starting the car yet.
Peter didn't look at Happy right away, staring out straight ahead, thinking of how exactly to answer that.
"Good," he finally answered. "It went to people who needed it. I know May would've wanted that."
"You going to be okay?" Happy asked, starting the car.
"Yeah," Peter replied, "I think so."
After Happy had dropped him back off at their apartment, Peter decided he'd go ahead and change into his Spider-Man suit and head to Ravencroft. He'd normally taken to wearing it underneath his clothing, but he'd purposely left it off for his trip to his and May's old place so as not to have it as a potential excuse. He changed quickly, throwing the suit on his person and slipping the mask over his face before leaping out the window of his room, venturing out into the city.
As he swung through the streets, people frequently waved or cheered him on. Peter had never enjoyed this much goodwill with the city as Spider-Man before; his alter ego had even been given a key to the city by the mayor for saving it from being taken over by Martin Li. More than that though, particularly in these last four months, he could tell that people saw him as a beacon of hope. He'd seen interviews on the news where people were asked what Spider-Man's return and his saving the city meant to them, and their responses were overwhelmingly hopeful.
Honestly, Peter was equal parts excited and terrified over this. On the one hand, he loved getting to play such a huge role in the eyes of the city just because he did something good for them. Helping others had always given him such joy, and being appreciated, even looked up to for that felt satisfying. However, he knew that with all of this came a lot of pressure. The people were watching his every move, and he really didn't want to do anything to let them down. Peter had never been one to enjoy the spotlight much either, and now, it seemed like it wasn't just New York, but the whole world watching him: the last remaining Avenger.
At the end of the day though, Peter knew he could only approach Spider-Man the same way he'd approached everything else for several months now: one day at a time.
Peter finally arrived at Ravencroft, landing in the main walkway towards the entrance. True to her word, Dr. Kafka had made sure that the security people and those who worked the building knew that he had permission to enter, so he did so without issue. He'd faithfully come by to visit Martin at least once a week since defeating his darker half, and he'd seemed to be progressing as well as he could have since then.
Dr. Kafka greeted him as he came to the room Martin was being kept.
"How is he today doc?" Peter asked.
"Today's been a good day," the good doctor replied. She then turned, scanning her I.D. and allowing the door to be opened for Peter to enter the room as she waited outside. Peter strolled in to find Martin in his large containment chamber. There were few actual walls of the structure within the room that had been designed to hold him; most of the walls were actually a series of forcefields that could contain his energy, should his dark side reemerge.
Thankfully, he'd managed to go without incident since entering, and everyone was intent on it staying that way.
Martin put down the book he was reading as he caught sight of Peter.
"Well, how's it been going this week?" Peter asked. Even though Martin knew his identity, he still kept his mask on so none of the security cameras could see his face.
"Very well, thankfully," Martin said, moving over to the force field wall opposite Peter. "Some days are harder than others, and I can still feel him wanting to creep back up sometimes, but I'm getting there."
"Happy to hear it," Peter said, glancing back at the discarded book. "What were you reading?"
"The Count of Monte Cristo," Martin said, glancing back at the book. "I don't suppose you've read that in school, have you?"
"I actually did," Peter said, "but sadly I don't remember most of it."
"It was always one of my favorites," Martin said. "I've been thinking a lot about one part in particular recently: 'Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered against the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when the storm comes.'"
"Wow," Peter said. "They don't write stuff like that anymore."
"No," Martin said with a brief smile that turned into a more solemn look as he continued, "when my storm came, I didn't respond to it as well as I should have. I guess I just hope I'm beginning to make up for that now."
"You are," Peter assured him. "You're doing everything in your power to change things."
"None of which would've even been possible without you," Martin said. "Thank you just never seems like enough."
"Don't worry about it," Peter replied. It was the same thing he'd always told Martin. To him, the man himself was the big hero, trusting all these people not just for therapy, but he'd even allowed various tests to be performed in the hopes that, one day, an answer would come that would reveal how he could get rid of both his powers and his more negative alter ego permanently.
They talked for a good hour, as Peter gave Martin updates on everything. He told him about how F.E.A.S.T. was in good hands, as a couple individuals that had actually been at one of Martin's presentations had stepped up to keep F.E.A.S.T. going in his absence. He told him how the staff and volunteers had also stepped up significantly as well over the past several months, coming together as a community to ensure that people were cared for. This good news seemed to bring great relief to Martin, which Peter knew helped take some of the pressure off of his recover process.
"Well, I better get going," Peter said. "I need to get in a quick patrol before I meet up with M.J."
"I'm glad she's doing well too," Martin said. "Tell her again..."
"Martin, it's okay," Peter said. "I told you, she forgives you too." The whole thing had been hard on her, but M.J. had come to forgive him, even acknowledging to Peter that, in a way, they had both been right about Martin: he had been up to something, but deep down, he was still a good man who was fighting an unnatural evil.
"Alright," Martin said. "Thanks again for checking in on me."
"Of course," Peter replied. "See you next week."
Thankfully, the city was quiet, so his patrol was short. Ducking into an alley, Peter threw on his street clothes over his suit, stuffing his mask in his jacket pocket and zipping it up. He walked the next block over to the F.E.A.S.T. center, where he and M.J. were planning on eating a quiet dinner up on the roof.
The weeks since the Martin Li incident seemed to have flown by for Peter and M.J. The school system had decided that, since they had missed almost an entire semester already, seniors could opt to take a special test that, if they passed, would effectively allow them to graduate. The two of them had taken the test, both passing with flying colors, so it was onto Empire State University for them both, starting in a little less than a week.
M.J. had moved back into F.E.A.S.T. after Martin went to Ravencroft, and Peter had spent a lot of time over there with her, both in hanging out and in volunteering. She was going to move into the dorms once classes started, but Peter had decided to stay with Happy for a while. The man had grown on him over the last several months, and since there wasn't the need just yet, Peter saw no reason to change his living situation.
Most of all, Peter and M.J. were a full-fledged couple now, from referring to each other as their boyfriend/girlfriend to others, to holding hands in public, even going on dates. It was all so exciting and new, but at the same time, they were both aware they still had a lot to learn and were trying to take things slow. Still, Peter loved every moment he spent with her, and if the look she had on her face when they were around each other was any indication, M.J. clearly felt the same way.
Peter entered the center, heading into one of the main rooms where M.J. was waiting for him. They greeted each other with a couple "Heys," and a quick kiss.
"You ready?" Peter asked.
M.J. held up the bag of food she had gotten for their little occasion.
"Definitely," she replied.
Just then, Peter heard his crime system alert go off on his phone, and he rolled his eyes as he pulled it out to check on it. There was a car chase in progress just a few blocks from them; a couple police cars were in pursuit, but they were still calling for backup.
Peter glanced up at M.J. They'd talked about what things might look like when it came to Spider-Man and the many ways that would affect their relationship, but she had remained nothing but supportive. There were times he could tell that she was saddened by his abrupt departures, but also frequently expressed how proud of him she was, and the smile she was giving him now conveyed the same.
"Go," she said, nudging her head in the direction of the door. "I'll get everything ready."
"I don't deserve you," Peter said, backing up towards the door.
"Just keep telling yourself that," M.J. replied, offering him a playful wink. Peter smiled back at her, blowing a kiss her way before turning and heading out the door. It didn't take him long to duck into an alley, suit up, and head out towards the scene.
As he swung through the air, heading towards the crime in progress, Peter couldn't help but think about how fortunate he was. He had lost so much, and he would never truly "get over it" so to speak. He would carry his losses for the rest of his life, but he wouldn't carry them alone. He had M.J. and Happy, and he had Spider-Man. He had people, and he had purpose.
Today, as different as things were, Peter felt, maybe for the first time since his return, that he was truly home again.
Well, that's it for this one!
Thank you again to all who followed this work, especially to those who have been willing to provide feedback! It has all been greatly appreciated! Please, now that is it finished, if you have any final thoughts, be they complimentary or critiquing, feel free to fire away!
I am currently 10 chapters into the sequel to this story, The Path To Partnership, over on Archive of Our Own. I will begin posting those chapters soon until both sites are caught up, then each new chapter will be posted simultaneously. That story is about Peter forming a new team of Avengers, then I am planning a third story that will be the one where Peter and his team try to bring everyone back from the Snap.
Anyway, thank you all again!
Continuing to pray for you all; stay safe and healthy!
"'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not there. See the place where they laid Him.'" Mark 16:6
