Misadventures in Paradise ↠ Peter Parker [2]

10 | A Very Ordinary Christmas

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MISADVENTURES IN PARADISE
x. A VERY ORDINARY CHRISTMAS

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   TO THE WORLD AT large, Valor was invincible. The people learned to adore their leader, to trust her to protect them and their world. It had gotten to a point where they had forgotten that bad things could happen, and learning about Pietro's death seemed to remind them not to get too comfortable.

   The world was heartbroken upon learning the news. Hearing it from their valiant hero didn't seem to soften the blow whatsoever. But her words of inspiration that followed the announcement encouraged the people on a scale Riley hadn't been anticipating. It was one of the first times she realized how much pull her words had over the world alone. Let's just say, her speech was so good that Steve Rogers would be proud (which he was) and so perfectly cheesy that a much younger version of Riley would have hated it. Memorials and totems of honor for Pietro sprouted across the globe overnight, and finally, it was time for everyone to move on once and for all.

   Moving on came easy to many, but Riley wasn't one of them. She often recalled what Peter said to her about her grief being eternal and strangely found solace in it. Accepting it seemed like the right thing to do, and with time, her grief became more manageable.

   She was a firm believer that you can't change the past, only what you do in response to it. But lately, she'd been tinkering with the idea that maybe the future doesn't have to mirror the past. Maybe there was a way for her to stop the bad things from happening way before they ever came — like another shield of protection almost. If she could prevent the bad things from happening in the first place, she would never have to feel this hopeless grief ever again. She tried not to think about it too often though. Maybe that was just the grief messing with her head again.

   Grief is a process, after all.

   Though her grief passed sluggishly, life didn't slow down in the months that came. Thankfully, autumn was kind to Riley.

   Her free time was devoted to her loved ones and making memories she would later use as a safety net when things got tough again. For example, she started bringing Morgan to and from school for a while, which also meant she often pulled her out of class early for fun (and to score some "amazing big sister" points). Tony, who somehow always found out, scolded her for it every time until he and Pepper were exposed for doing the same thing. It was decided then and there that Roman, who didn't always fall for Morgan's cuteness, was somehow the only one strong— responsible enough to ensure she went to school for the whole day. Morgan hated it. So did Roman. But Riley could tell, despite their endless bickering, they enjoyed each other's company.