Peter sat in front of the remains of Stark Tower, gazing at the once-majestic building now reduced to ruins. The once shining beacon of hope and strength was a mere shell of what it once was. It wasn’t much different from his life at that moment. The spell he kept modifying had literally ripped a hole in the universe. How could he mess up that badly? It wasn't as if he hadn't suffered the consequences of his actions by losing everything he held dear. Saving the world had taken precedence over his own happiness, which was why he chose to eliminate all the bad and have everyone forget him.
Now, he sat with his feet dangling off the edge of the building, dressed in his regular clothes, as his eyes scanned the city below. He could hear someone making their way up the stairs to the rooftop and assumed they were just out for a smoke or some fresh air; he didn’t budge from his spot. Peter nearly jumped when a loud scream of anguish, visceral and filled with pain, caused him to turn around in shock.
He saw a woman a little younger than him on her knees by the door, sobbing into her hands as her body shook. Peter could hear her heart racing as she rocked back and forth. Do something, Parker—help this poor woman. But what was he supposed to do? She was a stranger, and all he wanted was to hold her, as he had been just like her hours ago in his now-destroyed apartment. “Miss… uh… I’m just going to sit next to you, and if you want a hug or to talk, I’m here,” Peter said as he sat beside her, listening to her breathing and heart rate gradually steady.
“You seem like a good guy, which is why you should run far away from me. I’m poison.” She lifted her head from her slender hands. Her pale face was void of color, except for the red that rimmed her bloodshot green eyes. Peter understood her words more than most; it was the mantra he chanted daily in his own head. The problem was that he had no idea what to say to make things better for her.
So he started speaking, and the words flowed out like the tears that streamed down his cheeks each night when he was alone in bed, missing MJ. “Poison, huh? I know a thing or two about being poison, about messing up so badly that you lose everything you ever loved just to try to fix it. Want to be poison together?” Peter asked with a small smile as she took his hand in hers and sighed. “My name's Peter, and I’m poison,” he said, earning a chuckle from the woman next to him as she sniffled.
“I’m Avery Barnes,” she said as she held his hand, and his mind spun at the mention of that last name. He wanted to ask her the burning questions he had; more than anything, he wanted to ask his million questions. Instead, he chose to sit quietly with the beautiful young woman and watch the fading sun on the skyline. Soon, Avery started speaking again. “My dad was Robert Barnes, nephew of James Barnes. He died today. Every moment of my life was a stain on our family name to him.”
Peter let her talk as he sat next to her, listening to her captivating story. “I tried to contact my great uncle because he’s the only family I have besides my father. Things were going well, then this man showed up and… my dad was killed in front of me. James, my great uncle, said it was all his fault and told me to forget about him for my own good. I have no one, nothing to care about. The world is crumbling around me, and I just dumped my baggage on a sweet stranger.” Avery finished as she looked down at her hands and shivered a little.
Peter sighed as he finally got the answers he craved, but he didn’t feel better. His heart ached for the girl who had just lost everything. The only time Peter had met Mr. Barnes, he had been trying to stop him from fleeing Mr. Stark. He could still feel the force behind getting hit so often. “Do you want a distraction?” Peter asked Avery, looking over at her and seeing curiosity in her eyes. “I know a great shawarma place that’s open late. Want to drown our sorrows in some good food?” He added as he saw her think for a moment before a smile spread across her face.
“I would love a distraction,” Avery replied as she laced their fingers together and squeezed his hand. Peter didn’t realize it at the moment, but this was the day his life would turn around. This was the day both of them found something worth holding onto in life: love.