Ian had no idea what he was getting himself into when he moved to Chicago. He'd seen the pictures of burning cars and broken windows, but figured it couldn't be any worse than New York. Within a week he witnessed three muggings, countless drug deals, and a kidnapping. While there was a police force, calling 911 often made things worse. CPD had a bad habit of shooting first and asking questions later. It didn't take long for Ian to learn the golden rules of Chicago; always carry a gun and never go outside at night. Chicago was dirty and dangerous, but Ian knew he had made the right decision. It may not have been an easy life, but at least he was free.

While Ian had grown used to chaos on the streets, he had never been attacked in his own home. Peaceful months of gardening, cooking, and home improvement projects had lulled him into a false sense of security. His training regime had also fallen by the wayside. Sitting at home watching Netflix was far more fun than lifting weights and doing pushups. He lost his tan and went up three pants sizes. It took being tackled to show Ian the error of his ways.

Ian's attacker definitely hadn't spent the last few weeks binge watching The Office. He jumped with all the grace of a dancer and struck with ninja like precision. Ian fought back with all his might, but found himself unable to land a single blow. The man was just too fast for him to keep up. Ian didn't care if the man killed him, but he had to protect Hannah and his neighbors. If only his Spiderman suit wasn't gathering dust in the closet. He'd probably still lose the fight, but at least he'd do some damage to his attacker.

Ian fought long and hard, but was no match for his opponent. A punch to the face broke his nose and blurred his vision. He caught a lucky break and managed to kick the man in the stomach, but was rewarded with a broken foot. One last kick to the ribs brought Ian to his knees. The man pounced and pinned his opponent to the ground.

"Well done," said Doctor Strange. "End fight."

The man released Ian and stood up.

Ian, who was bleeding from his mouth and nose, rolled over onto his back.

"What the hell, Strange!" he yelled. "Did you bring him here!"

Strange nodded. "Yes."

"Why?" Ian groaned and clutched his badly broken wrist. "Is this my punishment for refusing to come with you yesterday?"

Strange laughed as if Ian had delivered the punch line to a well timed joke. "No, what do you think I am, some sort of vindictive maniac?"

Ian wiped the blood off his upper lip. "Then why did you do this to me?"

"To see if you still have your touch." Strange smiled. "I'm pleased to see that you do. You should be proud."

"I got the crap beaten out of me."Ian closed his eyes and wished the world would stop spinning. "How is that something to be proud of?"

Strange glanced over at the man standing motionless next to him.

"You made it nearly 5 minutes with a level 5 training bot, I wouldn't consider that a loss."

So the man wasn't a man. Had Strange not said anything, Ian would have assumed the robot was a highly trained Shield agent.

"Why did you come here?" Ian asked, knowing Dr. Strange hadn't come to show off his new toy.

"I want you to come back to New York." Strange said, unable to look Ian in the eyes. "It's going to be a rough few months and it's time for Spider-Man to come home."

"I'm retired," Ian said as he thought about the life he'd built for himself. It wasn't always a walk in the park, but he had a loving girlfriend and a job that didn't involve fighting aliens. Why couldn't Strange understand that he wasn't interested in giving up everything he'd fought so hard for?

"You're only 21."

"22," Ian corrected him. "My birthday was last week."

Ian wasn't surprised that his birthday had once again been forgotten. None of the Avengers were big on birthdays. Parties were seen as a waste of time when there were aliens to fight, people to save, and weapons to build. In sharp contrast, Hannah always made Ian feel special on his birthday. For Ian's 22nd birthday, Hannah baked a cake and gifted him tickets to see his favorite band play later that month. They spent the rest of the night eating takeout and watching movies. It was one of the best birthdays he'd ever had.

"22, 21, what difference does it make?" Strange said with a dismissive wave.
"You've had five years off to decompress. Now it's time to do the responsible thing and come home where you're needed."

"I am home." Ian coughed and spit out a tooth. "I told you yesterday that I'm done with the whole Avengers thing."

"You don't get to stick your head in the sand while the world burns!" He curled his fingers into a fist. "With great power comes great responsibility."

The edges of Ian's vision went black. No one was allowed to twist Uncle Ben's wise words into a guilt trip. Ian may have had a broken wrist, but that wouldn't stop him from breaking Strange's jaw.

"I'm sorry," Strange said, sensing that he has crossed a line. "It's been a rough few days." He reached into his pocket and produced a Spider-Man keychain. "Tony would have wanted you to have this." He handed Ian the slightly burned keychain. "There's going to be a memorial, it would mean a lot to Pepper if you came."

Ian stared at the keychain with a lump in his throat. Unlike the others, Tony didn't judge him for wanting a fresh start. He paid for Ian's new identity and secured him the job at Thor's Hammer. Even after he stopped being Peter Parker, Tony continued to offer him career advice and a shoulder to cry on. The building's generator and Ian's car were two of many gifts he sent over the years. The least Ian could do was come and say goodbye.

"Ian?" Hannah called from the fire escape. "Are you alright?"

"You need to leave," Ian hissed, his eyes wide with panic. "Quick! Before she sees you!"

"Will you come to New York?" Strange asked with his arms crossed.

"I'll come to the funeral, but I'm not putting that suit on ever again."Ian snapped.

"Now leave before I have to explain how I know the Avengers!"

Strange raised an eyebrow. "Does she not know?"

"That's none of your business!"

"You need to tell her."Strange shook his head. "Secrets have a way of coming out."

Strange made a series of hand motions. Ian grimaced as tissue knitted together and bones slid back into place.

"Ian?" Hannah called. "Are you up here?"

"I'll send someone to pick you up at 3:00 on Friday." Strange said as he examined Ian's wrist. "I encourage you to tell her the truth by then."

Satisfied with his work, Strange disappeared just before Hannah made it to the roof.

"There you are," Hannah said with a worried look on her face. "I was worried you had fallen off the roof again." She paused at the sight of his blood covered shirt. "Is that blood?"

"Nothing to worry about," Ian said with a reassuring smile. "Just a little nose bleed." That technically wasn't a lie. His nose had been bleeding. He'd tell her the truth soon, but first he had to fix the generator. Telling the story of how he became Spider-Man wasn't something he wanted to do in the dark.