Chapter Text
Peter wanted to leave them alone. He knew with every fibre of his being that they would all be better off without Spider-Man and Peter Parker screwing up their lives. But after that day in the coffee shop, he had a dream.
He saw Ned, MJ, and even Happy, standing before him. They remembered and they were pissed.
“You promised! You said you would make us remember you! You lied!” The anger in Ned’s face as he yelled broke Peter’s heart.
“I’m sorry,” Peter said, “I thought you would be better off without me. I didn’t want to put you in danger.”
“You should’ve let us decide whether we would be better off,” Happy retorted.
MJ stared at him with contempt in her eyes. “You took the choice out of our hands,” she said. “It’s unforgivable.”
After that they started yelling and screaming at him. Peter curled up, closed his eyes, and put his hands over his ears, tears streaming down his face. The voices overlapped and became overwhelming.
Then there was only one voice. It wasn’t screaming and it wasn’t angry. It only said one thing over and over: “I’m right here. You’re okay. It’s just me and you, okay?”
Slowly, Peter calmed down. He felt someone wrap their arms around him, holding him and rubbing their hand on his back. He opened his eyes and he was in May’s arms.
“May?”
May smiled and hugged him tighter, and he hugged her back. “Hey, Peter.”
And Peter started to cry again. Because he was in May’s arms again and it felt real, but it was still a dream. Eventually he would wake up and he would be alone again.
“I don’t know what to do, May,” Peter sobbed. “I’ve been so lost since you died.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Peter.”
“No, I’m sorry. You died because of me.”
“Hey, look at me. It was not your fault. I chose to be there, I wanted to help them. It was my choice and I don’t regret it. You couldn’t have stopped me. Even if you webbed me to F.E.A.S.T. I would’ve found a way to help you. It was not and will never be your fault that I died.”
Peter cried even harder after that. But eventually the tears stopped. Peter let go of May and looked around for the first time. They were at the Statue of Liberty, right after the battle. They were sitting on the fallen shield and the sun was starting to rise. Peter shifted a bit so that they both sat on the rim and they watched the sunrise. Peter leaned on May and rested his head against hers, and May held his hand.
“May, I don’t know what to do. I don’t want them to be hurt.”
May smiled. “I know. I know you’re scared. But it’s their choice too. The longer you wait, the worse it will get.”
“I know.”
“We all love you, Peter. They know you. They know what they’re signing up for. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone. Not when there are people who want to be there for you.”
Peter smiled. “Thanks, May.”
The sky filled with golden light and Peter hugged May. They held each other as tightly as they could.
“I love you, May.”
“I love you too. I will always love you, Peter.”
Peter closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was back in his bed. His face was covered in tears. For a while, Peter just stayed there, committing every moment from the dream with May his memory. Eventually he got up, got dressed, and had something to eat. Then, he set up his laptop and made a decision. He hit a button, saw the webcam light up, and began.
“Hi. My name is Peter Parker. You don’t know me, but…”
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Peter stood on the roof of Midtown Science and he waited. He’d thought about it for a while. Even though May made him feel a bit better about everything, he was still terrified about his friends getting hurt. So he was going to leave his recorded message and leave the choice in their hands. He figured the video would work better than just leaving a note. When he heard MJ heading up, he put the USB with the video in an envelope labelled “Ned and MJ”, and he webbed the edge of it to their spot. When he heard the door open, he leaped off the roof and swung away.