Peter was lost in thought for a while, looking at Black Bolt's grave, thinking about everyone in his life.
Two women walked next to him, both full of tears while embracing each other. Peter looked at the grave in front of them to see it was 3D-Man's. Peter remembered him mentioning a wife and daughter and presumed that they must be them. Just looking at them made him swell up with guilt; if only he were more careful and stronger, maybe it could have been avoided.
Eventually finding it within himself, he walked up towards them; after all, he had something to give them. A gift to them and a promise between himself and 3D Man.
"Hey, I'm Spider-Man. I was somewhat close to your husband and father," he introduced himself.
The two glared at Peter through their tears; you could see they weren't exactly fond of superheroes, and they made sure everyone knew.
"Before he passed, he asked me to give you this," said Peter, handing over a photo with text written on the back.
The mother took it off my hand and looked at the picture. It was the three of them snuggled together in their house, from the daughter's 18th, with 'My Wonderful Wife and Lovely Daughter' inscribed on the back. Just when they stopped the tears, their eyes overflowed again.
"I know you probably don't want to talk to me, so you don't have to reply, but I just needed you to know that your husband and father was a wonderful man. If it wasn't for him, I probably wouldn't have survived, and it will forever be an honour to have fought alongside him. Even out there, all he thought about was keeping you safe, and I'm sure he's incredibly happy he was able to fulfil his duty. He was a good friend. I wish you two the best," exclaimed Peter before quickly walking away and standing out of view from everyone.
Behind a tree he took off his mask to clean away the tears before heading back. The rest of the funeral went without any major events. Peter decided not to go to the reception and went home instead.
The rest of the day he was locked up in his room staring at the ceiling, and then tomorrow came by fast.
Peter was dressed up in a hoodie and jeans, waiting for his order to be called. Once it was he too, the two pots of chicken chow mein, and he started to head out. When he opened the door to leave, he saw a homeless man, begging for anything. Peter opened his bag and pulled out a pot, handing it to the man before walking away and hearing him yell 'Thank you' from behind.
Peter stopped by 3D-Man's grave and ate; after all, they said they wanted to get a Chinese after it was done. He wanted the second pot to be his but decided he would have preferred the homeless to have it instead. At least that way another person can eat happily in his stead.
After the meal he stopped by Uncle Ben's grave next and sat down for a talk.
"Hey, Uncle Ben. It's been a while, hasn't it? A lot has changed since we last talked, with me being an Avenger now and all. It all seems so surreal; just a few months ago I was an ordinary teenager, and now I'm a superhero. Hell, what's even weirder is that I have a girlfriend now! Her name is Elaine; she's a cheerleader at my school, and she's so pretty and cute. I think it's going quite well at the moment between us, though it's hard to explain all the bruises and cuts without revealing everything. I want to live a normal life; I don't want the fame I get from being Spider-Man; it feels like we are two different people. I'm the nerdy guy who can hardly string up a conversation, but Spider-Man cracks jokes while beating up criminals. I like it that way. Don't worry, my grades are still perfect. I know you would yell at me from the grave if I let them slip due to swinging about at night, but it's really hard work. I hardly get any sleep nowadays. Being a hero seems so cool on TV, but it's quite sad in reality. I've not even been doing it long, and I've seen friends die in front of me and almost died myself. I have so many people I want to protect, but I couldn't even protect someone as strong as 3D-Man. To this day I can't help thinking I caused your death due to my arrogance and carelessness, and I know you'd tell me it wasn't my fault, but I still feel like it was to an extent. All I know is that you made me who I am along with Aunt May, and no matter how hard it gets, I'll keep striding forwards using my gift to help anyone who needs saving. I'll be the hero to those who need it, like you were to me. I love you, Uncle Ben."
PART 1: BATTLE FOR NEW YORK END
Thanks, everyone, for making it this far. Yes, I know it's been a while, but uni is hard stuff, so I hope you understand. I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of my fanfic even with its flaws (and shit update schedule), but I hope the future gets even better.
Part 2 is already planned, and I believe it will be better quality than this, though there will be a slight change in my writing style.
I hope you guys enjoyed it, and see you all shortly.
Probably.