Far From You

Prologue

You could see Peter standing on the grounds, debating going in the door, as you watched from your room.

He was never hesitant like this.

Never questioned whether seeing you was a good idea or not.

Never actually used the front door.

Your dad had installed multiple windows for Peter to swing in through, and yet right now he was walking in through the door.

Everything was wrong. Peter hadn't stayed in his room here for months.

The compound was large - larger than any of the other facilities had been - but it had never been this quiet. With so many things going on and happening in multiple labs and conference rooms (and especially in the past four months when the downfall of that Big Ugly Purple Guy had finally happened) it was odd that you could hear from the hallway outside your door what was happening downstairs.

"Is she in her room?"

You slammed the door, knowing that if you could hear Peter and Pepper talking, then they sure as hell could hear your demand to be left alone.

Peter's heart ached, his feet hurt, and there was a sharp pain in the back of his neck at the base of his skull from the headache that just wouldn't go away. The kink in the side of his left knee from his last major injury was still acting up every once in a while, but the greatest pain he felt was coming back here and ... well, and not being greeted the way he usually was.

He could smell your hair as you engulfed him in a hug. He could hear your laughter bouncing off the large walls and windows. Your slender arms hooking around his shoulders as you talked excitedly about the school project you'd be working on together, or the new tech your dad had let you work on in his lab. Or he'd be hit full force of your body flying into his, unable to stop yourself, as you nearly screamed at him about a new book you were reading - eyes ablaze, hair wild, lips parted and raw from licking them so many times in anticipation.

You were one floor above him and he still missed you like you were gone completely.

Pepper stood before him, long hair cascading around her shoulders as the small infant in her arms played with the wisps in complete awe. Peter couldn't help but smile as he reached out and baby Morgan quickly latched onto his finger.

"She's getting so big," he smiled, watching as Pepper cooed at the five month old.

"She's not the Stark girl you came to see though," Pepper tilted her head to the side, both to look Peter up and down in a questioning way, and also because Morgan had tugged on her hair particularly hard.

"I've done my best," Pepper now sighed, "She's very firm in not going. In fact, I think it'll be a miracle if you can get her to even go back to Midtown. Something about only going there to appease him and knowing she was far smarter already than everyone else."

"Almost everyone," Peter tapped the side of his nose with a bit of a wink and Pepper smiled.

"You look good, Pete."

Peter was quiet, shoving his hands in his pockets and clearing his throat, "I have May," he shrugged, "And Ned is really happy now, so it rubs off on me from time to time. He has a girlfriend."

"Oooh," Pepper chuckled.

"It's driving MJ and I insane," Peter smirked, "But MJ is doing better too. She's in therapy now since ... you know."

Sometimes Peter couldn't understand how Ned was so full of happiness when he'd lost his two best friends to nothing but dust and ash after the Initial Snap. Peter had had his difficulties, sure, and he'd really worked hard to work through the trauma and the survivor's guilt that came later. But MJ - someone usually devoid of showing emotions - had really struggled with feeling all her emotions at once upon the return.