ＳＬＡＴＥ ◼ STEVE ROGERS◼

BONUS: Ｉ＇ＬＬ ＡＬＷＡＹＳ ＢＥ ＨＥＲＥ

Peter took a deep breath, glancing down to his friends way below him. Dr. Strange stood behind him, watching the boy with sad eyes as he continued to try and hold the timelines together and keep villains from every multiverse from pouring inside their own.

"Call her...you'll regret it if you don't."

He knew the man behind him was right. Peter took out his phone from its concealed location within his suit, shakily dialing the number he had on speed dial before bringing it up to listen to the tones as he called the woman on the other end. He didn't have to wait long before she picked up.

"Peter? Oh my god, Pete!" There was rustling on the other end, the sound of some crying from small little Natalie Rogers, before it got quieter as Charlotte Rogers moved into a different room of her home. "Pete, I've been trying to call you since I saw the news and saw what happened to May. Tell me when you are, I'll be there soon-"

"You're going to forget me."

There was silence on the other end for a moment, Lottie seemingly trying to process his words fully, before she spoke again.

"What do you mean?"

"Everything that's happened, these villains pouring in from other dimensions, it's all my fault. It's all because I'm Spider-Man, because I'm Peter Parker." He tried to explain to her, willing himself not to cry. "The only way to stop this, to save all of you...you have to forget you ever knew me."

"Peter, stop. You can't-"

"It's okay, Lottie, because I'm going to come find you." he cut her off again, looking up to see the splitting dimensions and timelines Stephen Strange was desperately trying to hold off. "I'll explain it all again. I just...I had to talk to you one more time."

"Peter, you have to stop." Lottie's voice sounded frantic now, and he could picture her shaking her head in that moment. "There's always another way, I promise you. Let me talk to Stephen, there has to be another way."

"Lottie...thank you. For everything. I'm glad I knew you."

"Peter-!"

He hung up the phone before she could finish speaking, turning it off knowing she'd just try to call again. He took one last look up at the sky before jumping down to say his final goodbyes to Ned and MJ.

The apartment wasn't much. Then again, Peter didn't have much left to his name besides the crumbling box he held in his hands. It was run down, in desperate need of a clean, and he could already tell that it felt lonely.

Then again, he was alone, so it made sense.

His landlord appeared behind him, passing the keys into his hands almost wordlessly before turning to leave the young man alone with his new apartment.

"Wait!" Peter called out, catching the older gentleman's attention as he turned around. "I don't remember reading it on the agreement, I'm sorry. When is rent due?"

"Your rent has been covered for the year. After that, first of the month, no later."

Peter cocked his head, a thousand more questions on the tip of his tongue about what the man had said, but he had already disappeared around the corner. With a sigh, Peter resigned himself to just stopping down at the desk the following morning, choosing instead to enter his apartment with a slam of the door behind him.

His singular box of items dropped onto his bed, sending a small layer of dust through the room. Peter coughed, waving it away with his hand, before taking the few items out of the box and laying them in front of him. One of the items was of course his Darth Sidious LEGO figure, one of the only things he had left connecting him to Ned.

Peter turned to place it on his desk by his apartment window, but stopped in his tracks as he looked upon the desk. There was a shiny new sewing machine, fresh out of the box, sitting there waiting for him, right next to a stack of blue and red fabric.

"It's not bad...but I think you could've gone with a slightly nicer apartment."

Peter almost jumped out of his skin, whipping around at the sound of the voice in his apartment. It was followed by a laugh, one he knew too well, as the figure stepped out of the shadows of his small kitchen. Peter's face immediately softened, shock stitched through his features as he looked upon the woman.

"...Lottie?"

"You know any other living solders from World World II? And Steve doesn't count," she joked with the boy, crossing her arms as she stopped just a few feet away from him. "I paid off your first year here while you get on your feet and start school, perks of Tony's money, but after that would should talk about a better place to live."

Her face softened as she saw the tears start to form in Peter's eyes, one slipping down his cheek.

"You...you forgot me,"

"As it turns out, magic?" Lottie tapped her forehead lightly as she said the word. "Not even magic seems to be able to change this brain, who knows what Howard really did to it. So I hope you aren't disappointed, but I still remember everything. Including your weird late night run-ins with churro lady-"

She was barely able to finish her sentence before Peter had launched himself into her arms, arms secured around the older woman as sobs wracked his body. Lottie smiled gently, holding him back just as tightly as she placed a kiss on his forehead.

"You aren't alone, Peter. Not as long as I'm here." she promises him in a whisper, carding her fingers through the young boy's hair soothingly. "I'll always be here."

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Is this...bonus content in the year of 2025?!?!

I've been showing my friend the entire MCU from the start and we just made it to Avengers which has reignited my writing passion. I've had this scene cooked in my head since Now Way Home came out so it's only fair I actually write it! Plus, I know how much you love Lottie and Peter content.