Peter was normal right now. He wasn't panicking. He wasn't!

All he was doing was going to help Daredevil save some people. That's it! It's not like Spider-Man had any personal stake in the situation. No sir, he was just the friendly neighborhood hero, looking to help some people whose house was set on fire by bad guys. No big deal!

Well, okay, it is a big deal, technically. There was a house on fire, and people were about to be displaced, people who were good and smart and who used to be his friend-

Stopping that train of thought took way more effort than it should've. He almost didn't see the billboard rapidly coming up in front of him, and Peter barely dodged in time. In an attempt to make it look more naturally, like he meant to do that, he added a couple smooth flips, as if he was just trying some weird stunt.

Well, he was with Daredevil. It wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for him to show off at all. So Peter could just say he was playing off the other hero. It would make sense, especially since Daredevil just swung so low he could jump off a car. And judging by his smirk, it was just for the fun of it.

So yeah, Peter can pretend to do flips and tricks and shit, anything to make sure Daredevil didn't know he was dying on the inside.

The two of them made their way through the city as fast as they could, but since Ned and hih Lola lived in Queens, they had to find something that could take them across the river. Daredevil stopped on a high rise, looking out over the edge of the island for something. The bridge would take way too long, same thing with a car or bus. That left…

"Daredevil!" Spider-Man startled the other man. "The new Stark subway!"

Daredevil tilted his head to the side. "The subway would take almost an hour."

"Not the new Stark one," Spider-Man approached Daredevil, pointing down to the new bridge. Daredevil followed his finger. "It's powered by an arc reactor, and goes at insanely high speeds. We could be in Queens in 10 minutes."

Daredevil considered it for a second before nodding. "When's the next one due to leave?"

Peter quickly pulled his phone from its hidden compartment and checked the subway app. "2 minutes."

The other hero smiled. "Then we'd better hurry." He said as he took a running jump off the building. Spider-Man nodded (though he didn't really need to) and followed him.

It was a busy night, and people and cars were everywhere. Naturally, two vigilantes dressed in red drew a lot of attention. Peter wasn't entirely surprised to see a bunch of phones pointed their way, though he didn't much like it.

Unlike him, though, Daredevil reveled in the attention. Once they were street level, he sent out a few casual salutes and waves to the people beneath them. People screamed as if he was a Backstreet Boy flying over their heads. He heard Daredevil quietly chuckle after doing a flip, drawing out a chorus of cheering and people excitedly rambling on their phones.

Spider-Man was technically known for being friendly and personable, but tonight, he was having trouble interacting with people. He waved at people, trying to not look like he was panicking, but he didn't really draw the same praise as Daredevil.

It was a little weird. As far as he was aware, Daredevil wasn't a very active hero before the Blip. Sure, he'd heard whispers about the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, but he seemed like a private, secretive vigilante, so Spider-Man never poked around. He never expected the guy who kicked major ass with hardly any mercy to be a flashy showboat who loved attention. Maybe it started when he was pretty much the only hero in New York for five straight years.

Either way, it was kind of a culture shock for Peter, especially since he's been active and in the spotlight for years, and most of the time, he was virtually hated. Sure, Tony tried to shield him from it at first, but after the Vulture and especially after Mysterio, most of the city did not like Spider-Man.

It almost made him bitter. He and Daredevil were similar heroes, yet the city adored Daredevil and shunned Spider-Man. Though he knew that thought was selfish; neither of them do it for the spotlight or the attention. They do it to help. Still, though, it would be nice if people cheered him on as he barrel rolled through the sky.

Just as the Stark train was rolling up the track, the two of them landed on top of one of the last cars. Daredevil looked back at him, shooting a quick thumbs up. Peter nodded, too nervous to return the gesture. This thing was supposed to be fast, and he didn't want to risk coming unstuck. Sure, maybe he once stuck to a spaceship, but he's not one to tempt the fates - at least, not anymore.

Given his own anxiety about slipping off the train, he should've considered Daredevil, who couldn't stick like he did. As the train sped on, Peter held on tighter, but he barely had any time to react before Daredevil slipped and started hurtling towards him.

Spider-Man managed to brace himself and caught the other hero, planting his feet firmly on the train, his hands around Daredevil's back. He looked at Daredevil, who looked mildly uncomfortable. Probably wasn't one for physical intimacy with other dudes. Fair. Better be quick, then.

Peter kept his hands on the other hero and began walking them both to the back of the car they were on as quickly as he dared. The second they could, Spider-Man gripped Daredevil a little tighter and jumped between the two cars, landing unsteadily on the connecting bridge. Once they both had their bearings, Daredevil shoved open the door of the car they were standing on, letting them inside the train.

Thankfully, it was empty. It may have been busy in Manhattan, but the train to Queens was usually dead this time of night. Luckily, it was a usual night. At least for the subway.

"Thanks for the save, Spider-Man." Daredevil said when he finally caught his breath. "Wasn't sure I would manage to stay on the train."

"No problem, DD," Peter sighed as he plopped down on one of the benches. Man, was he wiped. This day just kept getting worse. "Sometimes, it pays to be sticky."

"Sticky?" Daredevil chuckled as he took the bench across from Peter. "How are you sticky?"

"It's one of my powers," Peter shrugged and stood back up, lightly jumping so he could stick one hand to the ceiling. "I can stick really well."

"Yeah, I guess you can." Daredevil said thoughtfully. "Is that your only power? Sticky?"

Peter let himself fall back down, giving a huff of laughter as he did. "Not really. I'm pretty strong, good reflexes, a, um, 'spidey' sense."

"A spidey sense?"

Suddenly, Peter was a little embarrassed. He let himself fall back on his bench. "Yeah, um, that's what I call it. It basically means that I, uh, I can sense when bad things are about to happen. Like if someone dangerous is nearby, or something's been thrown at my head from behind."

"Hm." Daredevil mused, resting his elbows on his knees. "I think I've got the same thing."

Peter gapped. "Really?"

Daredevil shrugged. "I think so. I can sense everything around me, where everything is. Like, for instance, right now, the car behind us has two people, probably teenagers, sitting in the middle seat making out."

"How can you sense that?" Peter cringed a little.

"Mostly? I think it works like a radar, I can feel their positioning. Plus, my hearing is good enough that I can hear their kissing, and my sense of smell is good enough that I can-"

"Great! Fantastic! Thank you!" Peter interrupted, not ready for the end of that sentence. Daredevil smiled, flipping his stick around in his hand.

"How do you think I feel? I'm the one who can smell it." Daredevil chuckled.

"Right." Spider-Man laughed nervously. He went quiet for a moment, fiddling with his hands. "... can I ask you a weird question?"

Daredevil stopped toying with his stick and leaned back on the bench, a serious look crossing his face. "If you're about to ask about my identity-"

"What? No! Of course not!" Peter interjected, only a little surprised. "Trust me, I know how important maintaining a secret identity is."

Daredevil seemed to narrow his eyes at Peter as he slowly nodded. Odd. "Okay, Spider-Man. What's your question?"

Peter sighed. "I remember hearing about you, before the Blip, but you were more like a legend than an actual hero. Not that you were never a hero, but like, y'know…"

"Yeah, I get it, kid. Keep going."

"Uh, right. So, before the Blip you were super secretive and stayed in Hell's Kitchen. What happened during the Blip that made you expand you to the rest of the city?" Spider-Man finished.

Daredevil was quiet for a moment. His eyes were still narrowed suspiciously at Peter, but now instead of trying to see through him, they were pondering the question. He began fiddling with his stick again, flipping it around in his fingers as he thought.

"Honestly, Spider-Man?" He finally said, straightening up in his seat. "New York had lost so much during the Blip, and with my abilities, it was downright painful to bear. And with the Avengers hibernating in their Compound and without you patrolling the whole city, New York was in the shitter. It was bad. And since I remained, I did what I needed to do to take care of it."

"So you went public because I wasn't around?"

Daredevil shrugged. "That's the gist of it, I guess, Someone needed to keep crime at bay in the city, so I dusted off the ol' horns and got out there."

"Seems like the city loves you a lot more than they ever did me." Peter muttered.

"That's not necessarily true," Daredevil replied, apparently having heard Peter's comment. "During the Blip, New York missed you like a limb. They needed you so much, but you couldn't exactly be there. So I picked up the slack in your absence."

Peter sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Sorry about that. Didn't exactly think you'd hear that."

Daredevil tapped the side of his helmet, just above his ear. "If I can hear two teenagers in the next car over making out, then I can hear you whispering."

"Uh, yeah. Sorry." Peter said awkwardly.

Daredevil huffed. "Don't worry about it, Spider-Man. I kind of get it."

Spider-Man shrugged. They fell into an awkward, tense silence for the rest of the train ride. It didn't take long for Peter's anxiety to get the better of him and get him to his feet, pacing around the car floor and ceiling as they waited. If only Ned had lived in Midtown instead of in Queens, it would've been much easier to reach them.

Daredevil stayed seated, with his head down in thought. He still fidgeted with his billy club, seeming to work through something in his head for the next 5 minutes. Peter hoped it had nothing to do with him.

When they finally rolled into Queens, they opted to leave through the back of the car rather than through the car door. Better not to pay the fine for getting here.

Peter shoved the back door open again as the train began losing speed. He jumped out, getting on top of the next car. Daredevil stepped out just behind him, shutting the door. He looked at Spider-Man and tilted his head.

Peter sort of got it. He stepped onto the side of the car and extended his hand for Daredevil to take. He grabbed on, and Spider-Man twisted his body up, throwing Daredevil in the air.

The hero took to the sky like a bird who missed it dearly. He did a couple flips in the air before shooting out his billy club, whisking himself off towards the suburbs.

Peter longed for the ease with which Daredevil moved. It was as if he was made for this. Peter jumped off the train, following Daredevil through Queens.

Damn, did he miss this place. He hasn't really gone back since May died, only twice to visit her grave. But both times, he completely avoided the main part of Queens. He didn't really need to walk down memory lane.

Now, though, it was unavoidable.

Queens hasn't really changed since he left. The streets were still considerably quieter than Midtown's, but people still bustled about, exchanging smiles and waves with passersby. All the shops beneath him were open, and he had to stop himself from thinking about getting a sandwich from Delmar or a coffee from MJ. They both sounded heavenly after being away for so long.

And as sad as he was seeing the place he grew up, he was also… is content the right word? His heart had a warm glow as he flew through the streets of Queens with Daredevil. For the first time since the Green Goblin, he didn't feel hopelessly sad. Something about this moment felt more right than he had in months.

Immediately, Peter felt bad about that thought. Because he wasn't in Queens for fun, or to patrol. No, the one thing that managed to bring him back home was his (former) best friend's house being set on fire.

A fire they could see in the distance. Something that powerful must've been bad. And just like Daredevil's text said, it must've been arson.

A fire truck blared it's horns just behind them as it sped down the street. Spider-Man looked down at it; it was going full speed in the same direction they were going. Not a great sign.

He looked back up to find Daredevil looking back at him curiously. Whatever the guy was thinking, Peter didn't really care at this point. They had to get to Ned's, ASAP. He lost everything to keep his friend alive, his wasn't just going to let him be murdered by some assholes with a molotov.