A/N: 08/11/2023

Welcome back all! I just couldn't stay away from this couple. One major inspiration for these new stories were the trailers and gameplay footage for the game. Speaking of which, HOW HYPED ARE ALL OF YOU FOR SPIDER-MAN 2?! I saw that gameplay trailer and I AM SO READY! Because of that, like I said, I couldn't stay away from this series or this couple. Plus, a lot of you seem to like it, and I'm thrilled that you do! I love them! I only have a couple of ideas for this but not enough to make them full one-shots; that's why a short collection works better. But we'll see what ideas I get after Spider-Man 2 comes out.

The title of this collection comes from the Spider-Man story arc, "New Ways to Die", a 2008, six-issue Spider-Man story arc written by Dan Slott with art by John Romita, Jr. As with the other stories, these are just going to be my take on Peter and Yuri's relationship post the Symkaria incident but taking place before the events of the Spider-Man 2 game. After the story, I'll let you know what might be coming next.

Enjoy!

Part 1: In Loving Memory

Yuri always hated cemeteries, not explicitly for the morbid reasons. She just hated the idea of people she cared about being gone. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with. As she walked through the cemetery, Yuri carried a bouquet of fourteen roses.

First, Yuri arrived at Jefferson Davis's grave and set one of the roses down at the base of the headstone. She stood and gave him a nod.

Then she walked to her true destination.

The graves of May and Ben Parker.

Yuri walked up to the graves and stopped. She set a single rose down on Ben's headstone then the full bouquet on May's. She stood back up and took a few steps back, holding her gaze on the headstones.

Yuri looked around, confirming she was alone, then looked back at May's headstone. "I… don't know why I came here. It's not like… you've never met me before. I mean… not like this. I mean, we've never met 'in person' in person but I've been here before… with Peter." She sighed, "This is so strange. I don't even know why I'm…" She shifted on her feet. "No… that's not true. I definitely know why I'm here. It's because… I wanna say something… without Peter here." She felt a tear form. "I just… want to thank you… for him. For… raising him and inspiring him… like you did." She swallowed. "I… love him. So much. I wish… I could've formally met you." She looked at Ben's grave, "And you, too, Mr. Parker." She turned back to May's grave. "To thank you both, face-to-face. Because he… Peter…" She took a deep breath and exhaled. "The boy you raised… the man he's become… he's incredible. I hope you're proud of him. I just… have to thank you. Because… if it wasn't for him… I don't know who I would've become."

She stared at both graves, visualizing the faces of Ben and May from the pictures Peter had shown her.

"I don't know what will happen between me and him," Yuri admitted. "I know… I love where this could be going. But I promise you both: no matter what… no matter where we end up… I'll always be there for him. Just like he is for everyone else. No matter what… he'll always have someone in his corner."

Yuri's phone rang. She looked and saw it was Peter.

Yuri looked at the gravestones. "I have to go." She smiled. "But I'm sure we'll talk again. Thank you both." She turned and answered, "Hey, Pete!"

"Hey, Yuri!" Peter replied. She could tell he was web-swinging. "Hope I'm not interrupting you or anything."

"No, I just got through talking with a couple of friends." Yuri started walking out of the cemetery. "What's up?"

"I'm gonna be a little late coming home. Scorpion broke out and I'm tracking him down now."

"It's okay. Take your time. I'll grab dinner and wait for you."

"I don't deserve you."

Yuri smiled. "Yeah, you do. And better."

"Pretty sure it doesn't get better than you," Peter replied.

"Did you just out-sweet me?"

"Yes. Yes, I did."

"I hate you," Yuri replied.

"No, you don't," Peter countered.

Yuri's smile grew. "Watch your back, hero."

"You got it, beautiful. See you at home."

"See you there. I love you."

Peter paused. Yuri could hear his smile.

"I love you, too," Peter replied.

A/N: I hope you all liked it! As I said, so for now, I'm stick to these one-shots and all, until the second game comes out. Once the game is release and I either play it or learn about the story, I'll see what I come up with next. I already have a few ideas but I really wanna see the story that takes place in Spider-Man 2 before I do anything that happens in that storyline. But, time well tell! Until then! See you next time, my friends!