Chapter Text
The sun was setting, and Peter blinked against the spots that were gathering in his vision. He didn’t want to miss the sunset. It was something he had taken for granted for 16 years, and now he tried to catch it whenever he could. It was helpful that Peter could swing onto rooftops and other places that were too out of reach for ordinary people. Often he would sit atop buildings that if May found out, she would have a heart attack worrying about the 50 odd floors that he could drop if the wind made him lose his balance. But he was Spider-Man, his balance was impeccable. Anyway, what Aunt May didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
Peter stopped at that thought because people hadn’t known that a big purple guy would show up and destroy so many lives. Before he snapped his fingers and Peter felt his body being torn apart. They hurt because of him, and they didn’t know it was a threat. So, maybe that wasn’t the right phrase to use.
He found himself thinking that a lot since everyone came back from the Blip. That things had changed so much, and everyone who came back were scrambling to piece together everything they missed in the five years. Many people were taken from their homes and lost all of their possessions. Some people lost loved-ones. Ned came back to find only his mom waiting for him, his father already buried for two years. Peter held him as he cried on his shoulder.
May was still there when Peter returned, but her hair was more silver than before, there were more lines around her eyes and a ring on her finger. She’d shown up at the decimated compound after the battle with Thanos and almost collapsed when she saw him standing there in clothes that were far too big for him. They had gotten the blood and ash from his face, so he looked better than he had. He looked much better than Mr. Stark, and Mr. Banner had at the end of the battle. They took the brunt of the damage because of the gauntlet they used to bring everyone back and to get rid of Thanos.
Both had already healed from their injuries and were home from the hospital. It was touch and go with Mr. Stark for a while, but in the end, he pulled through with scars running up his right arm that would never fade. They would always be a reminder that he was willing to risk his life to save everyone. They would still be a reminder that Peter almost lost him. That thought made Peter scared because he had already lost so, so much.
He knew he wasn’t the only one who lost people. The Avengers took a big hit, just like everyone else. After everything was said and done, Peter noticed that they were two Avengers down. Black Widow had sacrificed herself, and Clint had felt so guilt-ridden that he hung up his bow, opting for a life of retirement again. Only this time, Peter thought it was going to be permanent. Captain America had gone back in time to return the infinity stones and thankfully was able to find his way back with no issues. He promised that all was taken care of, and since the world didn’t implode, he was probably right.
In the four months since Peter had come back, he still didn’t feel like he was back to normal. Whatever normal was anymore. He and May were living in a new apartment that he wasn’t used to, and she was engaged to a man that made Peter angry. It wasn’t anything against Henry, he was a nice guy, but he was living with them, and he wasn’t Uncle Ben. To Peter, it had only been about two years since Uncle Ben died, but to May, it was more like seven. He couldn’t blame her. She deserved to be happy, and if Henry made her happy, Peter would smile and be polite. He would walk up the aisle with May on her wedding day and hold his head up high and not think about how his world was crashing down on him again. He would try not to feel like an outsider in his own home.
Peter blinked and noticed the sun had gone completely down, leaving him in darkness on top of a building a couple of miles from home. He pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the time. It was nearing 7:30, and he was late for dinner. Sighing, he pulled on his mask and was met by the soothing voice of Karen as he swung from the building.
“Hello, Peter. You are very late for dinner,” her voice was soft but held a small warning.
“Yeah, I know. I just got caught up with thinking. I’m on my way. Can you send a text to May and let her know that I will be there soon?”
“Text sent to Aunt May stating that you will be arriving no later than 7:39 PM. Is there anything else you need, Peter?” Karen asked.
Peter thought for a second. He knew he had already asked that day, but he couldn’t help asking again, “how’s Mr. Stark doing?”
The AI hesitated for a minute, “Mr. Stark’s health is optimal. Would you like me to contact him?”
“No. No. That’s fine, Karen. I don’t wanna bother him,” Peter said frantically.
Peter swung through the city, taking in the buildings that had changed in the five years he was gone. There were far more businesses and not enough apartment buildings. Since half the population was snapped away, he guessed they didn’t need any more houses. Until they did. Now the homeless rate in New York was at an all-time high because people came back to find their apartment converted into offices. It made him feel guilty that he had a roof over his head, and so many people didn’t, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Not really.
Peter dropped onto the fire, escape just outside his bedroom window. It was always a tricky thing getting back into the apartment with the suit. Most of the time, if it was dark, he was fine. Still, he remembered when Ned found out about him being Spider-Man and took special care to make sure his room was empty, and his door was shut before climbing through the window. Henry didn’t know that he was Spider-Man, and May promised not to tell him.
May still wasn’t 100% on board with his alter ego, but thankfully she had come around. There were rules, of course. He had a curfew, and there were certain groups of people that he was not allowed to go after. Peter had talked May down when she found out that his suit was made by Tony Stark. She was ready to kill him when Peter explained that the suit was actually protecting him and that without Mr. Stark, he would do it anyway. Aunt May seemed to lose most of her fire against Mr. Stark when he said that, though she did still punch the man in the face when she saw him next, only to follow it with a hug. Mr. Stark had looked so confused as he was held by the woman, and Peter held his face in his hands, flushing with embarrassment.
“You suck for lying to me. But thank you for helping him,” was all May told the man before letting him go. “There are rules, though. Which you and I will speak about alone. Where is a conference room?”
Mr. Stark had just pointed to a nearby door and followed the woman inside before glancing at Peter, who was no help. When May wanted something, she would get it. Apparently, even Tony Stark was susceptible to her glare.
Peter slid inside his room and quickly pressed the spider on his chest, letting the suit pool at his feet. He yanked the mask off and stashed the suit under his bed before pulling on regular clothes. He stepped out of his room to the smell of bacon and the sound of laughter. May and Henry were sitting at the dining room table already eating. Apparently, tonight Henry decided to cook some kind of pasta alfredo, which explained the bacon smell. One thing Peter had to admit about Henry was that he was actually a decent cook. It had been a long time since they had to go out for Thai food because dinner was burnt or just plain inedible.
“Hey, sweetie. Did you get all your homework done?” Aunt May asked.
It took Peter a second to figure out what his aunt was talking about. Then it clicked, “oh. Yep, all done.”
“That’s a lot of homework you have. I guess that smart school has to give you a lot to keep you smart, huh?” Henry said conversationally.
Peter chuckled and nodded his head. He sat down in the only remaining chair at the table and helped himself to dinner. He didn’t remember when he ate last, and that was never good, especially with his enhanced metabolism. Peter glanced up at his aunt and saw that she and Henry were holding hands. It was something that they regularly did, but it always made Peter feel a twinge of sadness. He knew it wasn’t fair to May, but he couldn’t help it.
“How is school going, honey? I feel like I haven’t talked to you in ages,” Aunt May asked.
Thankfully he had a mouth full of dinner, so he was able to stall his answer, “School’s good. Ned and I are back on the decathlon team. MJ was kind of mad that they gave away her captain spot, but she doesn’t really blame them because, you know, she was gone for five years.”
After everyone had come back from the Blip, schools shut down until everyone could figure out what to do. They decided to start the school year over in August, almost as if they had never left. The only sucky thing was that everyone who Blipped had to repeat whatever year they were in when they left. It was also kind of weird that most of their classmates that didn’t blip were now in college. It was a terrible thing to think, but Peter was glad that both MJ and Ned Blipped because at least he’s not alone. Unfortunately, Flash also Blipped, so there’s that.
The conversation seemed to flow after that. Of course, May couldn’t ask how his patrol went because Henry was sitting there, but she talked about her day, and Henry even put in about his day. Honestly, Peter didn’t care about Henry’s day but pretended to be interested. It was all so mundane. Peter never thought he was going to be in the situation ever again. He expected his life to be one endless war after another. An everlasting strain of criminals and bad guys. It was kind of nice even though he felt like he was intruding every time Henry pecked May on the cheek.
This was his new normal. He was just going to have to live with it this way.
At least that’s what he thought until after dinner when he retreated to his room. He really did have a lot of homework left to do, so he decided to get a start on that. Usually, it wouldn’t have been a problem except this time there was a knock at the door. He expected Aunt May to be standing there, asking if he needed anything before she went to bed but was surprised to find Henry in the doorway.
“Hey, champ, you got a minute?” Henry asked before stepping into the room.
Peter set down his pencil and nodded.
Glancing around almost nervously, Henry stepped farther into the room and shut the door behind him.
Peter felt a soft hum at the base of his neck. Aunt May had been calling it his ‘Peter Tingle,’ but he quickly remedied that with calling at his ‘Spider-Sense.’ It only went off when he was in danger, which confused him now because he wasn’t in danger. Right?
“So, I’m going to make this quick. I didn’t want to bring it up in front of your aunt at dinner, but I think we need to talk about it. I know you’ve been lying to your aunt and me. I know you’ve been sneaking out all hours of the night and saying that you’re doing homework,” he said evenly. His hands hanging at his sides.
Peter stuttered, “n-no, I think you’re making a mistake. I-I really have just been doing homework.”
“Peter? Do you remember the first thing I ever told you that I didn’t like?” Henry said in a low voice. Peter noticed his fist clenching and unclenching rapidly, as if he were trying to eject some type of energy.
Peter had to think for a second before remembering the conversation, “you said that you hated being lied to.”
“Exactly. You know, you’re a smart kid. A lot smarter than I thought you would be when your aunt told me about you,” he took a step closer to Peter, “so I think you’re smart enough to know that when I ask you for the truth, I want the truth.”
Peter swallowed thickly as Henry took another step towards him, “I’m not lying, I really was doing homework.”
The hand came out of nowhere. Peter’s Spider-Sense screamed at him a fraction of a second before the sting burned through his cheek. Quickly he covered his cheek with his hand to try to dull the burn. He looked at Henry, shocked before tears came to his eyes.
“I didn’t wanna do that. But I can’t have you lying to me in my own house. Now, I want the truth,” Henry said, thrusting a finger in Peter’s face.
“That was the truth,” Peter said frantically.
Henry sighed, “you’re grounded. The only places you’re allowed to go are school and home. Now give me your cell phone.”
Peter hesitated. Aunt May would probably be furious if she found out what happened. But she was so happy with Henry, and Peter didn’t want to jeopardize her happiness. He also couldn’t tell Henry that he was Spider-Man, which left him no choice. He pulled out his cell phone and handed it over.
“Good choice,” Henry said, “now it’s late, go to bed.”
Henry left without another word, and Peter sat in his chair, dumbfounded. He had lied. But what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t tell Henry that he was the masked vigilante that swung around New York. He didn’t trust Henry enough to tell him. So, what? Now he was in an endless circle of being punished?
Peter got ready for bed and decided that his homework would have to be done creatively. He didn’t want to risk making Henry mad, so he turned off his light and finished his homework with a small flashlight he kept in his desk.
He could hear Henry and Aunt May talking in the living room. Henry was telling her that he grounded Peter and took his phone away because he was lying to him. Apparently it wasn’t enough to smack him, take his belongings, and ground him, Henry also felt it was needed to out Peter to his aunt. Thankfully, Aunt May came to the rescue. Well, kind of.
“You took his phone?” Aunt May questioned.
“Being grounded means nothing if he has a cell phone,” Henry argued.
Aunt May sighed, “I know we agreed that you were going to take a more active role in raising him. I’m okay with you grounding him, but I’m not comfortable with you taking his cell phone. He walks to school, and if he needs me, he needs to be able to contact me.”
Henry sounded exasperated, “he should’ve thought about that before he snuck out of this house. I will not be disrespected in my own home.”
Aunt May’s voice dropped dangerously low, “this isn’t just your house. And he’s my responsibility. He’s my nephew. What I say goes. I know we’re supposed to be a team, but he’s my kid.”
Peter tuned out the rest of the conversation. It wasn’t more than 10 minutes later that Aunt May knocked on his door.
“Hey, sweetie. I hear you got busted.”
Peter looked up from his bed and just shrugged.
Aunt May hesitantly stepped inside the room and took a deep breath. “I know it’s been hard for you since you came back. I know that showing up and finding out that I’m engaged to someone new is confusing, and I know it’s going to take you a long time to come to terms with it. But you have to be better at protecting your secret. I’ll never tell him anything you don’t want me to, but when things like this happen, I have to take his side. You did lie to him.” Peter opened his mouth to interrupt her, but she continued, “I know you feel like this is what you need to do. But for my marriage to Henry to work, we need to be a team.”
Peters shoulders sagged, “I know Aunt May. I’m sorry.”
“Here’s your phone. You’re still grounded for a week, but I do want you to have your phone.” Aunt May handed him his phone and touched his cheek. “You know I love you, right?”
“I love you too,” he whispered.
She gave him a small smile and left him to sit in the dark by himself.
It was going to be okay. If May was happy, then he would smile and be polite. He would hold his tongue about Henry smacking him and just try to be better. It was going to be okay.
At least, that’s what he hoped.