Home Sick
It was just starting to get dark as Peter reached his old apartment. He stared at the door, holding the keys in his hand. An odd sense of trepidation causing him to hesitate.
Am I scared? I shouldn't be afraid to go home, so why do am I dreading being here?
Quickly shrugging off his nerves, he slipped the key in the lock and opened the door.
This is what I want. I need to be independent. I can't live my life under the suffocation of worry from my parents. I can do this.
Peter thought to himself as he stepped into the living area and switched on the lights. He looked around at his barren light grey walls and sighed.
I never noticed how empty this place was before. No pictures or wall decor and the most basic of furniture.
A lone desk and chair was all that took up his living area. This is where he would eat, study and work. His bedroom was no different. All that took up his room was his twin sized bed and a night stand with a cheap desk lamp. No doubt living alone was far different from the lavish life style he grew up in.
It didn't really bother him though. He has always been one for simple pleasures anyway. In that aspect he had taken after Steve.
Still, somehow he felt uneasy here now. The apartment felt empty and cold. For some strange reason, he just couldn't put his finger on what felt so different. Could it be that for once in his life since moving out, he was missing the comfort and safety of the tower?
An unexpected knock on the door frame behind him caused him to jump slightly before seeing what the cause was.
"Welcome home. " Matt said as he stood at the doorway.
"Oh hey, sorry you caught me off guard. I guess I was lost in my head again." Peter answered quickly.
Matt smiled and waited a moment before asking, "Everything alright?"
Peter blushed. "Yeah, all good here. Just... ya know, thinking."
Man, why do I always get so awkward around him. We're friends now, we've fought together and have been working together for a while now. I should be over this jitters issue by now. Peter was so lost in thought, he didn't notice Matt had stepped into his apartment. Well, not until he was being pulled into an unexpected hug. "Uh...Matt?"
Matt held him tightly in his arms for a moment before speaking. "You had me worried there for a while. It's good to see you back home again."
Peter slowly wrapped his arms around Matt and rested his head on his shoulder. His heart was pounding but, he was filled with a much needed sense of comfort as he was held. That's when he understood why he had been so unsettled about being home again. In this moment where the older man had began holding him. He realized this place he had made for himself, also made him feel lonely.
Matt placed a hand on Peter's head and gently ran it over his head to the back of his neck. "Peter... why are you crying? Was it something I said?"
Peter opened his eyes as he gripped the back of Matt's white dress shirt.
Tears were streaming down his face onto the formal dressed lawyer's shoulder. He wanted to answer him, but the words wouldn't leave his throat. All he could do was sob quietly as his friend held him.
Concerned about Peter, Matt brought him into his own apartment and allowed the young hero to rest on the couch.
An hour after Peter had fallen asleep, Matt heard the deadbolt being unlocked.
Foggy opened the door loudly as he struggled not drop the take out he picked up. He was about to call out to Matt when he turned around and suddenly had his mouth covered. " Mmph!?"
Matt held a finger to his lips and shushed his roommate before removing his hand from Foggy's face. He then pointed towards the couch to reveal Peter sleeping soundly.
Foggy's eyes widen and he looks at Matt before loudly whispering, "Spider-man's back?! Wait, why is he here?!"
"Foggy, stop fangirling. He needs to rest. So don't bother him okay?" Matt said sternly as he took the take out bags.
"Yeah, yeah, but, what is he doing here?" Foggy asked in an excited and demanding tone. "Dude, you promised not to keep secrets! Let me in on what's going on."
Matt carried the food into the kitchen and sat it all on the counter. "He just needed to vent. Now keep your voice down."
Foggy rushed into the kitchen after Matt but, kept looking at the couch where Peter was sleeping. "Okay, fine... but I thought you said--" He stopped whispering so loud and leaned towards Matt. "I thought you said he was at death's door."
Matt leered at Foggy. "I never said that..."
Foggy crossed his arms defiantly. "Well, you heavily insinuated it."
Matt rolled his eyes as he plated his food. "Apparently the serum we recovered actually worked. He seems healthy now. " he answered quietly as he split his food onto two plates.
Foggy did a double take towards Peter and back to Matt. "I thought you said that stuff was poisonous and lethal."
Matt shrugged, "As far as I know, it was. Octavius was very clear, the serum was not perfected yet. Whomever he was working under was paying him a huge sum to recreate Spider-man's power. He had secretly been experimenting on him. He told us the heart condition was a result of that. It caused his genes to mutate. After that, he had to work around further complications caused by his medical treatments."
Foggy slammed a hand down on the countertop. "Wait! You're telling me, the bad guys were trying to cure him?!"
Matt raised a brow and glanced at Foggy's hand. Foggy quickly pulled his hand off the table and whispered a quick apology. Matt shook his head. "Yes, but much in the way you wouldn't want two doctor's giving you two different treatments for the same issue. Basically, he wasn't able to correct his mistake because there were just too many unknown variables." Matt sighed as he placed the second plate of food in the refrigerator. "The important thing is the serum worked and there doesn't seem to be any underlying negative effects. However, no one has been able to understand how that is possible so far. Not S.h.i.e.l.d and not Stark or Banner."
Foggy noticed Matt's concern and decided to try and change the subject a bit. "Well feel free to bring some of the big time heroes over anytime. I prefer Spidey over psycho lunatics with guns anytime."
"He isn't as bad as you think, well at least not anymore. Besides, I hear he was the one who finally gave Pete the serum. He might still be--" Foggy looked at Matt when he suddenly trailed off. "What?"
Matt looked up at Foggy," It's nothing, I just... think I figured something out."