Us Against The World ｡ Peter Parker [2]

39 - In A Crowded Room

Cloud hung over the stretch of Calvary Cemetery, no moonlight even filtering through the dark sky. Usually, my visits to the cemetery were for myself; maybe trying to seek comfort and guidance from my own loved ones that were no longer found in this world. But tonight, I was wandering through the headstones to find a lonely boy that would be bruised and bleeding after a fight with a villain who thought he was doing the right thing for his own family. Maybe that was the real story about villains; understanding their own demons and motives for darkness and chaos. Maybe that was our next story, finding the reasons why Harry Osborn had decided to call himself New Goblin. 

I found him standing at a very familiar headstone, his head hung low and his hoodie pulled over his head. My pace slowed when I finally spotted him, my heart aching just a little bit. Although, there were many unclear things in my head right now, the new outcomes of my visions, tonight Peter Parker needed my comfort, not the other way around. 

"He used to tell me all the time," Peter spoke quietly, knowing I was behind him before my voice even broke through the quiet night. "With great power, comes great responsibly. He never told me the true consequences, you know? I mean, Uncle Ben didn't know at the given time that I would be bitten by a radioactive spider and whatnot, but still...he never mentioned how it would change everything. How it would change me."

It had been many months since Ben Parker had lost his life and we both had been through too many more terrible things since that night, but that kind of loss never truly did leave your soul and it was nights like this when it drummed with the truth even louder. "What happened, Pete? You're bleeding." 

Peter winched when my light touch grazed his cheek and my hand dropped from his face. He blew out a long deep sigh, maybe replaying the events from tonight. "Vulture almost died tonight. I really tried to stop it, but he was so deadset...Liz's father nearly went up in flames and it could have nearly been my fault. He's fine, don't worry. Happy Hogan and the police will be there now and he'll go to jail for his crimes."

"You stopped the villain, you saved the day," I pointed out quietly. "What's the problem?"

He turned to face me, sorrow hiding in his eyes. "All year I've been trying to be someone greater than just Spider-Man. I thought since getting on Tony Stark's radar and since defeating Mr. Osborn, I thought I needed to show the world I could do more. But tonight, I almost died and it was really scary and then, Vulture nearly died and...I-I'm just a kid. Maybe all this is a little too much sometimes. Maybe Mr. Stark is right, staying low to the ground for awhile wouldn't be such a bad thing." 

I thought back to the night Norman Osborn had died and now I realised why tonight was a little harder on Peter Parker. That night in the warehouse, Green Goblin had fallen by his own hands. Spider-Man might have witnessed his death but he was not the sole reason that villain was no longer breathing. But he had almost gotten caught up with the death of Vulture, despite trying his best to save him and now, Liz Allan's father was nothing than a common criminal. Maybe that's why he felt different now. 

"I think that's a really great idea." I noted. 

Despite the greatness that had been blessed upon him, Peter was still just a child and maybe that was everything he needed to be somedays; just a kid learning to grow. "Really?" 

My hand slipped into his own, my eyes falling upon Ben Parker's headstone. We may have been broken, bruised and different from the outcomes that had changed our lives since last year. We may have powers that we considered a gift or a curse, we might have gone up against great odds before, but we would always be just kids trying to save the city and sometimes playing the part of a high schooler was simply enough. Tonight it was enough for me. "You've got your whole life to be a great hero, to defeat the bad guys. Why not just be fifteen for a little while longer?"