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The past couple of weeks had been really busy for Peter. He had started a small job at a restaurant, washing dishes some weeks ago. Ever since that, his days were completely full, between working at the firm in the mornings, washing dishes at the restaurant during the afternoon and every other night and putting on his suit when possible. For once, since his world fell apart, he could say without lying that he was doing good. Ever since he had met the Devil and eventually started to work as an intern at Nelson, Murdock and Page, everything changed for him. He wasn’t alone anymore, isolated in his apartment with no family and no friends. He had people he could count on. It meant the world to him to have a support system like them.
That night, he was invited for dinner. Peter wasn’t really sure when or how it had become some sort of tradition, but for the last couple of months he had spent all of his Sunday night having dinner with Matt and Foggy. The first time he was invited for dinner with them, he almost cried when he realized how long it had been since someone had cooked for him.
When he knocked at their apartment, it didn’t take long for Matt to open the door, greeting him with a smile. The delicious smell of tomato sauce and basil filled the air as he walked in and Peter was already salivating. As usual, Foggy was taking care of the food. According to him, Matt’s definition of a good meal was to order some take-out or one of those frozen meals, so he took care of everything that involved cooking in their home.
“Dinner should be ready in about thirty minutes,” Matt said to him as they joined the dining room.
“Is it the moment where we play a game to pass the time?” Peter suggested, half kidding. While he liked spending time with Matt, he wasn’t really the type of guy to do anything ‘just for fun’. He wasn’t enthusiastic or affectionate. Sure, he would make some joke here and there, but next to Peter he was a very serious man.
“What do you suggest?” Matt said, smirking, as they both sat at the dining table.
“Wow, I didn’t expect that answer,” he answered, surprised. He took a second to think about it. “Actually, I wanna know more about your vigilante life. We never talk about that.”
“Good luck with that,” Foggy laughed from the kitchen. “Matt is not good at opening up.”
“Don’t listen to him,” he said, before turning to his direction. “I’m trying to be more open.”
“I know honey, I’m messing with you.”
“We don’t need to talk about all of this. It’s just that I used to be around a lot of heroes before the blip. Well, mostly Mr Stark and people close to him. They used to talk about their past a lot. Captain America – Mr Rogers – was the type to turn anything into a lesson, you know? I learned a lot of things with them. And I guess I do talk a lot about things I did too. Well, not really talk, but mention it,” Peter kept rambling, before finally stopping himself. “My point is, you don’t. And I’m curious. You’re really cool. I remember that my aunt used to love it when there was news about you in the papers.”
Just like that, Matt understood where he was coming from. He wanted to know more about something that could remind him of his aunt and help him feel closer to her. Who was he to refuse that to him? If him trying to open up was all he needed, he could do that. “It’s alright Peter,” he assured. “I may not be good at sharing, but how about I answer some questions with complete honesty?”
“Yeah, okay,” he answered, unable to hide his excitement. “Why did you start?”
“I always wanted to help, that’s why I wanted to study law. I realized at some point that the law was deeply flawed and didn’t always help the people who really needed it. So, I used my senses to help those in need,” he explained, skipping the full story of his past and everything that led him to wear a mask. “And it’s good to let out some frustrations.
“With great powers comes great responsibilities,” Peter added, with sadness in his voice. “My aunt told me that.”
“She was a wise woman.”
“She really was. She would have helped everyone if she could’ve. That’s all she wanted, to be there for everyone that needed it,” he said, his head low. After a moment, he cleared his throat, ready to change the subject. “What’s the worst thing that ever happened to you in the suit?”
“Good question,” Matt sighed, thinking for a moment. In the end, he knew what the answer was. There wasn’t any other answer possible and if he didn’t talk about it, Foggy would chime in. He knew that. “I was working with some other guys and we had to make this place blow up. Have you ever heard about Midland Circle? The explosion was us. I was still in the building when everything fell and I got buried under it. Survived somehow, but it took me months to get back on my feet.”
“I had a building falling on me once too,” he said like it was the most normal thing to say.
“Kid, what the fuck?” Foggy almost yelled from the kitchen, turning to look at them.
“Yeah, my homecoming date’s dad was wearing this flying costume and tried to kill me. I managed to get out and fight him,” he explained, knowing it didn’t really help. “He’s in prison now, so it’s fine.”
“I’m shocked at how I manage to still be surprised by all of this,” Foggy mumbled.
“How old were you when this happened?” Matt asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.
“Fifteen.”
“And he tried to kill you.” It wasn’t a question. How could someone be cruel enough to do that to a child? As if it wasn’t enough that Peter put all of this pressure on his own shoulders. He was still just a kid who had overcome so much in the past couple of years. He didn’t deserve any of it. But, then again, Matt was himself so young when Stick tried to train him as a weapon. The world was flawed and there was sadly nothing he could do to change the past, for himself or for Peter.
“I should go,” Peter announced, more than an hour later, once they had eaten.
“I know what this means,” Foggy said with a small smile. “I’ll get you a plate of leftovers.”
“It’s a Spider-Man night?”
“Yeah, I’ve been following some shady stuff for the past couple of nights. And every night is a Spider-Man night. You know, I can’t really take a night off. And it helps me. The less time I’m alone, the less I can think about every single mistake I made in my life,” he said half-joking, with a small laugh.
“You know Peter, you can always come here if you don’t want to be alone. You’ll always be welcome,” Matt insisted, putting his hand on his shoulder. He knew this feeling. The feeling of having the world on your shoulders, that it’s your destiny and the only thing you can do, that you can’t really let yourself live your life, that every misery in the world depends on whether you do a good job or not. He knew it all too well.
“It’s okay. We already see each other almost every day. I don’t want you to get tired of me,” he laughed, but neither of them were sure if he was really joking or not. “But thank you. I’ll think about it.”
“Try not to stay out too late tonight, okay?” he asked, knowing that there was nothing else he could do.
“And call if you need anything,” Foggy added as he gave him leftovers in a bag. “Even if it’s small, we’re here for you.”
“Thanks guys.” Feeling a bit emotional, Peter gave them both a hug before leaving the apartment with a small goodbye. Even if it had been a night of vulnerability and full of memories, which wasn’t always easy, he needed that. He was more than happy he had them in his life.
Once the door was closed behind Peter, Foggy turned to his boyfriend. “Matty, sweetheart, are you sure he’s not secretly your kid?”
“Very funny,” he said in return, playfully bumping into him with his shoulder. “I’m worried about him,” Matt added, as he heard Peter come out of the apartment building, the heavy door closing behind him.
“I know how you feel,” he simply said and Matt felt a pinch in his heart knowing fully well it was his fault. Foggy interrupted his spiraling thoughts before they could get too far by taking his face in both of his hands. “Hey, stop. I’m not saying that to make you feel guilty. I knew being worried was part of the deal when we started dating. I wouldn’t change what we have for anything in the world,” he declared, his thumb carefully caressing his face. “It’s what happens when you surround yourself with selfless heroes : you worry, but you love them no matter what. It’s the same with Peter. You two are so much alike. I’m happy he has you now.”
“Us. He has us,” Matt added, dropping a kiss on his forehead. “I’m okay when we talk about the vigilante life, but between you and me, you’re way better for support in any other sphere of his life.”
“Yeah, you’re right. And I think he knows he can count on us for anything.”