Our first hello and goodbye.
Peter only stood for a few more seconds to see the mad titan fade.
Then, he stumbles around like a wounded animal to hide somewhere. Where no one finds him. His entire right side was destroyed, he can tell anyone that. He can smell burnt flesh and feel blood on his heating body. He sits down, practically limp as a doll but shaking as if he were cold.
His hiding place was behind a pile of debris which was lame because everyone found him.
Everyone.
The first to find him was his second uncle, Rhodey. He bows his head but smiles as if to comfort Peter. Peter can only smile back as he can see more and more heroes crowd up to Peter.
Peter can feel his healing factor trying to fix the mess that he made. He can hear hearts thumping and see much more vividly. His enhancement trying to save him.
He sees his mom.
Natasha wanted to scold Peter when he snapped his fingers. After the snap, Natasha opened her eyes to no longer see Peter where he once stood. In fear, she looks around and sees Rhodey flying.
She follows him and what she found, broke her.
Natasha sees every hero near Peter but not in touching distance. She sees Peter and she wanted to sob at the sight of her baby. Her baby who appeared much older than when she last saw him. Her baby who was shorter than Natasha but was growing. Her baby who even had gray hairs.
Her baby lays feeble, his whole right side burned to the point where it wasn't recognizable. His shaggy hair was matted to his head, his right eye bleeding and right side of his head bruised and bloody. But yet, he smiles.
He smiled at Rhodey and then she sees Tony flying in.
"Hey kid," He chokes out, "It's uh... It's Tony. We won because of you. We won. We Won, Pete. You di... You did it, kid. You did it."
It was surreal to see Tony breaking down in front of everyone. Rhodey gently tugs him back and Natasha could hear his broken whisper, "I'm sorry... Peter." And hugs him tenderly before he pulled himself back.
Tony never called Peter by his name.
Natasha walks towards Peter and musters a smile, "Hey." She whispers.
Peter barely managed to turn, "Hi, mom." His voice barely a whisper.
The last thing she'd be able to do as a mother is to give him comfort during his last minutes and say goodbye. That hurt Natasha. She puts her hand on Peter's left cheek and Peter lets his head rest on her head slowly. His hand gently goes to hold her other hand.
He looks at his mom with a smile.
"Karen," Natasha calls for the A.I. as she hopes that his injuries weren't fatal. She hoped they weren't. Her nightmares weren't herself dying but about Peter dying in her arms. Parents weren't supposed to outlive their children. Children were supposed to outlive their parents.
To see Peter slipping before Natasha's eyes unveiled every single pain that Natasha couldn't pinpoint.
"Life functions, critical."
Upon hearing that, Peter smiles at his mother again, tears in his eyes as if to say hey, it'll be alright.
It won't be alright for her, but Natasha will act like it.
"Peter," She orders softly, "Look at me." She wanted Peter to have one last look at her face which plastered a grin with tears already flowing, "We're gonna be okay."
Peter mumbles something.
"We're gonna be okay. You can go to sleep now."
And it was like that. Like that statement made Peter feel at ease as his body goes limp and his hand which was holding hers, loosened and loosened until it was nothing but a ghost.
Peter Parker is dead.
And there was nothing his mother can do about but sob and sob and sob onto his shoulder. His eyes blank but his head on hers.
Behind Natasha, everyone bowed in front of Peter and for Peter.
[ DAYS LATER ]
Natasha had invited Ned and MJ to the cottage Peter lived at for the past five years. It was quite homey. It was brown, smelled of coffee beans, picture frames all around (and she even saw a few of herself with Peter). Now what she didn't expect was a child in the cottage with Happy Hogan taking care of the boy.
He's tan, wearing a white tank top and gym shorts, with cute spider-themed socks. He had curly blonde hair and brown eyes that made Natasha remind her of Peter.
She looks at Happy with a raised eyebrow. Happy nods.
So, that was his child. She bends down to meet the young boy who didn't seem to smile once seeing her, "Hi." She says kindly.
The boy waves.
Both MJ and Ned looked around in shellshock, "That's Peter's...?" MJ asked and Natasha could've sworn she saw tears beginning to appear but she didn't point it out.
Natasha nods and MJ nods back. Ned, on the other hand, couldn't believe it. Didn't want too, and Natasha would've done that if she hadn't witnessed the death of her son. "I'm Natasha, Peter's mom."
"So, you're my Noona?" He asks shyly, "And I'm... I'm Benjamin."
Natasha nods, "Nice to meet you, Benjamin."
"So... Where's Abuelo?"
"Abuelo is probably... coming over."
Happy looks at Benjamin and with reluctance, stands up, "Come on we gotta get changed."
Happy and Benjamin go down the hall and disappeared into a room. Leaving Natasha with the Avengers, and MJ with Ned.
MJ looked around something that she thought she would've had the privilege to live in. Somewhere far away, with Peter Parker and maybe a kid of their own. But, she's around something that Peter only had the privilege to live in and for two years most likely.
Peter had his own cottage, far away from New York, with his kid and deceased wife. She'd seen pictures of the lucky woman. Blonde, blue eyes, slim, and kept. But from all MJ knows, the woman has been dead for quite some time.
"So, how are you feeling?" MJ asks Ned.
Ned looked down at the floor, "Like a kid." He whispers.
MJ lays her hand down at Ned's shoulder, feeling quite the same. When she got dusted, she had expected to come back with Peter being a teenager as well. It was selfish, but she had wanted to date Peter. It didn't matter if he was Spider-Man or not, Peter was just different.
Was.
MJ ignored the sudden pain upon realizing that Peter and is will no longer be used in the same sentence when talking about him. It'll be was because he's late. As all dead people are.
She rubs Ned's shoulder and continued to do it as Ned silently wept into his hands. MJ wanted to cry as well. But she had to comfort her friend first. Not only had they lost someone, but they had also lost time as well. Time to spend with Peter, do college applications, buy their first home, have their first drinks. Just time to be an adult.
Peter had time to do those. But MJ and Ned didn't have the time to do those with Peter.
She remembered seeing Peter for the very last time. He was on a hospital bed, doctors and nurses struggling to keep him alive or revive him, but nothing would move him. He was brain dead after all. And for those last days that he was "alive," MJ could see everyone visited Peter separately. Natasha was first, Tony second, Happy third, and so on.
MJ and Ned were sent in together. They had cried and said hello and then goodbye to their best friend who will forever have the highest pedestal of any superhero. Captain America, Iron Man, even Thor will never one-up Peter Parker, a boy from Queens... No, a man from Queens.
Then, doctors put a dome above Peter and his bed and allowed everyone in. They said there was too much radiation coming from Peter's body and they could all say their final goodbyes to Peter.
MJ could remember looking at Natasha, his mom, saying it was okay to unplug the life support from Peter and watched as Tony Stark tries to convince Natasha that he could make it. That he can stand up as he did all those years ago.
But Natasha wasn't convinced by him. She said that Peter did have a lot of radiation and not even her son can survive that. No matter how much radiation was packed inside him from his dad attempting to mutate the Spider-DNA.
MJ looked at Ned who was silent and staring at their late best friend. She can listen to the heart monitor as it went flat. Now, Peter Parker is officially dead.
Now, here they were. At not only his funeral but Hawkeye's as well. With many superheroes that knew both Peter and Clint at the home, all in black.
When Benjamin walks back out with Happy Hogan in tow, MJ avoids the little boy. She can see the wife and Peter a bit too much for her liking.
Natasha was behind them with the Spider-Man mask, "He... He left a message."
MJ's heart hitches.
All of the heroes stand around, wanting to hear Peter's very last message. Who was it too? Why did he do it? Where did he do it? How did he do it?
The eyes of the mask blinked before a hologram appears. And it was Peter in pristine condition. No burn marks, no closed eyes and certainly no infinity gauntlet insight. He looked older, though. He was taller, he had gray hair at whatever age he recorded this in, he smiled and looks at his audience.
"I'm wondering if I did it." Was Peter's first words, "And if you're seeing this, I guess I did and at a cost of... you know... my own life."
A cost too great.
"I know everyone may not be down with what I did. Probably my own family, but it's okay. I probably died doing something stupid like... I dunno, I don't think I would know how I die right now. And I wouldn't want to know. That's like bad luck or something, right? I really don't know what to say. I came to this recording like I knew what I was presenting but really... I just don't know how to convey my message. It's weird. A quippy superhero doesn't know what to say. But, I'm gonna say whatever comes out of my mouth.
We all expect happy endings on our part. Dying old or having kids to see them grow up or however, you define your happy ending. My happy ending wasn't really dying young but hey, We all can't get what we want. I'm hoping that if you're seeing this, every family is back together. That's a happy ending I'd take," Peter smiles and waves at the audience, "If someone were to say to me that we weren't alone, I'd assume you were talking about those space movies like Star Wars or Star Trek. It would've fun if that was the type of people up in space if I were, to be honest, not like Mr. Thanos man. Like I said, can't get what we want but that doesn't mean we can make the most of it. I made my life the most of it. I had a wife, my kid who I love the most, and a home for my kid and his six dogs since Odie's pups are mostly back.
I thought I'd record this message in case of my untimely death. My Spidey-sense or 'Peter tingle' as Aunt May called it before she got dusted was warning me of something. I didn't know what it was. Most likely my own death. I don't regret dying, but I just regret not spending more time with Benjamin," At the mention of his name, Benjamin looks up wiping his tears as Peter stands, "The time-travel thing was a success and if Bruce actually bought half of you guys back. I'm happy to say my death wasn't in vain at least. Part of my journey is the end," Peter chuckles, "I mean we'll probably survive and the Peter tingle is probably warning me of the kitchen stove being left on... Everyone laugh please, I feel like the air is too grim. Did everyone laugh? Cool!"
Peter walks towards Benjamin and bends down to look at his kid, "I love you, Ben. And don't forget these two things. Noona and Abuelo will be with you... And I'll always be with you. I love you, I love you, I love you."
The hologram cuts off.
Everyone was letting their tears slip and MJ watches as Benjamin runs over to the mask and hug it as well, Natasha joining him and hugging him.
MJ hugs Ned and this time, they both cry.
Everyone made way for Natasha, Benjamin, May Parker, and Kate as they both walk to the river, wreaths in hand. For Peter, his Spider-Man emblem lays in the middle with red roses and blue daffodils. For Clint, his wreath was in Bellflowers and Petunias with a small, golden arrow, resting in the middle. Natasha lets Benjamin puts the wreath down first then Kate follows.
"You hungry?" Aunt May asked Benjamin.
"Mhmm."
"Well, what do you want to eat?"
"Cherry Pie."
"Really?" Aunt May asked, "I use to make Cherry Pie."
"Dad would always try to bake cherry pie from your recipe but he couldn't."
"Well, I can make you some cherry pie then." May states, "Natasha and Tony will join in too."
"What about Morgan?"
Natasha looks at Tony who was carrying his daughter. He kissed his daughter's cheek. "She can join as well."
"And Uncle Happy?"
"Definitely."
After the funeral, Peter's family went to Aunt May's apartment and they ate slices of cherry pie, talking about the man that they once knew.
And if Natasha could really sink, She could feel Peter hug her.