Peter Parker's Arc

Chapter 5 of 7

Callie ran the streets below like she'd done it a hundred times. Peter shot a line and swung after her. She was fast. But she was heading to her father, and her father would bury the truth for good. Peter knew Tony's rule. No memories. No Peter. If Tony reached her first, she'd hear a safe, clean lie, and she'd believe it. Peter fired again and cut the gap in half. He dropped ahead of her and landed hard on the sidewalk. She skidded to a stop. Her fists came up. "Move," Callie said. "Wait." Peter grabbed the edge of his mask. "Just wait." He pulled it off. His face was wet. He hadn't noticed he was crying until the cold air found the tears. He didn't wipe them. "Please," he said. His voice broke on the word. "Don't go to him yet. He'll tell you it was for your own good. He'll make it sound simple. It isn't." Callie stared at his bare face. Her fists stayed up, but they shook. "I lost you," Peter said. "You said you loved me. You said it, and then you forgot me while the words were still in your mouth. I said it back to nobody." He stepped closer. "I can't sleep. You're out there being happy, and I'm glad, and it kills me. I miss you every day." "Stop," Callie said. Flat. Small. "You don't get to make me feel this." "I'm not making you feel anything. It's already yours." Her arms dropped. She looked at him the way you look at a word you almost remember. "You're crying," she said. "Yeah." She reached up. She wiped one tear off his cheek with her thumb, careful, like it might break. "Okay," she said. "Okay. Breathe." Her voice steadied him more than the words did. "I've got you. Breathe." He breathed. His shoulders dropped. Then he stepped in and put his arms around her. He held on the way he'd wanted to for months. He didn't ask. He just held her. Callie went stiff. Her hands hovered at his back. For a second she didn't move. Then she hugged him back. Hard. Her face pressed into his shoulder. She gasped against him. Her whole body jerked, like something snapping into place. "Peter," she whispered. He pulled back to see her face. "Peter," she said again. Her eyes were wide and clear now. Not searching. Knowing. "The rain. The dragon. You made it out of scrap. You burned your finger and you didn't tell me for an hour." Tears ran down. "I remember. I remember all of it. I remember you." Peter held her face in both hands. "You're back," he said. "I never left," Callie said. Then her face changed. "My dad did this. My dad took you from me." Her jaw set. "He knew. This whole time." She wasn't running anymore. Now she wanted to see Tony for a different reason.