• • •
Peter and Luna had all of their bags packed and in May's car by noon.
It was time for them to leave the cabin and head back to Queens. Luna wasn't ready to leave, but she knew it was time for them to give Pepper the space she needed after everything she's been through.
It's been two days since Tony's funeral, and things seemed to only get more complicated. Everyone went their separate ways once the whole thing was over. The Avengers were no longer together due to each of them going off and battling their own important duties as far as being superheroes.
Luna was standing near the lake, looking off into the distance and breathing in the fresh air as she closed her eyes. The sun was shining right on her face, the heat making her skin glisten a golden brown color. She would never get used to this place.
No part of her wanted to leave, but the battle was over now.
It was officially time for everyone to get on with their lives.
There was no need for Luna to stick around with the Avengers anymore. Her job was done, and the world was safe.
If she was being honest, a huge part of her didn't want to let go of that part of her life. She wasn't ready to walk away from everything she has done with the entire team. Of course, she didn't want to go back to when half of the population was dead, but Luna found herself wanting to still do her part by working alongside the Avengers. All of them were there for her when she fought her way into their lives. They could've turned her away but they didn't. Luna would never forget the special bond she had with every single one of them, especially Tony, Steve, and Natasha.
It was already hard enough for the teenager to accept what had happened with Tony and Natasha, but what she wasn't expecting was for Steve to leave her too. She wasn't ready for him to make such a big decision that changed his entire life.
The second Luna realized what he had done, she was completely devastated. She didn't have any words to say as she stood frozen next to Bruce as she slowly started to realized what just happened. She couldn't bring herself to go up to Steve and see him as a completely different person from how he left. It was too hard, and she wasn't ready for it.
That was when Luna was forced to let Steve go as well.
Even though she was crushed, the brunette still wanted to be happy for him. He did what he needed to do, and that was to go back in time and be with the love of his life. He did it for love, and Luna couldn't blame him. The only regret she had was not giving Steve a proper goodbye in a way she would've wanted to. After everything he did for her, it was the very least she could do.
Everything still seemed like such a mess.
Luna didn't know what she was going to do without Tony, Steve, or Natasha.
It was difficult for her to come to terms with the fact that she lost all three of them. The heroes were by her side, and they protected her from the very beginning. Luna would never have a special bond they way she had with them ever again.
But the one thing Luna had to realize was that Steve did what he needed to do in order to have a fresh start and live on happily, and that was something Luna needed to do for herself as well. She wanted to have a fresh start with Peter, to be happy with him and to be very much in love.
However, things like this would only take time.
Both Luna and Peter had to be patient.
"You ready to go?"
May's voice cut through Luna's thoughts as the girl turned away from the view of the lake. She nodded and slowly walked up to the car with her arms folded. Pepper was standing there, a sad smile on her lips as Luna approached her.
"Thank you so much for staying here and helping me with everything." The woman expressed her gratitude. "You've made things a lot easier for me to deal with."
"It's my pleasure." Luna replied as she took Pepper's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Call me if you need anything. I'll always be here."
Pepper let out a shaky breath as she nodded, interlocking her fingers with Luna.
"Tony would be so proud of you." Pepper's voice was unsteady as she tried holding in tears. "He always was and still is."
Her words poked at Luna's heart, and it took everything in her not to start crying all over again. It was all she's been doing lately.
"I'm raising my daughter all alone now, but listen to me when I say I'm going to try like hell to make sure she grows up to be as brave and kind-hearted as you are."
The brunette bit her quivering lip as she hugged Pepper, her eyes glossy.
"You are never alone, Pepper. You were always there for me and now I'm going to be here for you." Luna told her. "Tony isn't just proud of me, he's proud of you and the beautiful daughter you guys have together. Don't raise her to be like me. You raise her to be strong, fearless, and courageous just like you and Tony. That's how you will raise her. She has the best mom in the world."
Pepper let out a quiet sob as she held the teenager.
Moving on to live her life without Tony was no doubt going to be the hardest thing she would ever have to do. Her daughter was going to grow up without her father, and that broke Pepper's heart in more ways than she could explain, but the woman knew she couldn't give up now. She had Morgan to think about, and that was her #1 priority.
"Good luck with everything." Pepper got herself together as she pulled away, reaching up to wipe her tears.
"You too." Luna replied.
"Don't be a stranger. I would love to see you come around if you would like."
"Of course." The girl nodded.
The two parted ways as Luna made her way to the car, waving at Pepper before slipping inside the car where Peter was already waiting. May and Pepper exchanged a few words with one another until the woman finally got into the driver's seat and started the car.
Peter was in the front seat, his eyes glued to the trees as they drove away from the cabin, leaving Pepper and Morgan behind to start their lives with just the two of them.
Everyone had to get used to their new beginnings, but Luna wouldn't have it any other way.
She had Peter back, and that was all that mattered to her now. Her only focus was being by his side again and starting new.
She was ready.
• • •
The drive back to Queens was excruciating, but the three have finally managed to get back into the city in a matter of 13 hours with a few pit stops and restroom breaks. It would've been more ideal to stop in at a motel, but it was no secret that May and the two teenagers just wanted to be home as soon as possible. It was a lot faster to get to Tony's cabin whenever Luna would take a jet with the rest of the Avengers or Happy, but now it seemed like everyone had to resort to driving.
It was just past midnight, and they were all exhausted, especially May. However, the woman insisted on stopping and grabbing a pizza at the pizza parlor that didn't close until 2 AM since they were all starving.
The pair waited in the car as May walked inside, and Luna kept her eyes glued on Peter who just sat quietly in the front seat. He didn't say a single word throughout this entire drive, and Luna was starting to think he was struggling more than she thought.
"Hey," Luna leaned forward and brushed her fingers on his neck. The boy turned around and looked at her, but it was pretty hard to see since it was completely dark outside.
"Come sit back here with me." She gestured. "Just until May gets back."
Luna didn't know how to get him to fully open up to her yet, but she was willing to try anything to make him feel comfortable enough to at least say something.
A look of hesitance flashed across his face, but with a gentle tug on his arm from Luna, he weakly nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt. Instead of getting out of the car, the boy swiftly and effortlessly just hopped in the backseat, sitting on Luna's right side and pulling the hood of his sweater over his head.
His skin was cold when Luna held his hand, but it seemed to have warmed up the second she touched him. He was so vulnerable, so much in a way that Luna's never seen before. It was difficult for her to muster up what she could even say to him.
"Ned texted earlier." Luna rubbed patterns over his palm. "He told me he's been trying to get ahold of you."
Peter sighed as he shifted around in his seat.
"He called a few times." The boy admitted.
"You should call him back." Luna suggested. "I'm sure you'll both feel better if you talked to each other."
"I'm fine." Peter said for the millionth time as he weakly shrugged his shoulders. "He doesn't need to worry about me."
"He's not worried." Luna shook her head. "He just wants to spend time with you. It'll be nice for you guys to hang out, maybe catch a movie or something."
Peter was trying his hardest not to get overwhelmed by how much he was feeling pressured to cover up how he was really feeling. He didn't want Luna to be so invested on how he was doing. It would make him feel too guilty, but he knew it was already too late.
"We could all use a little break by having some fun. It'll be good for you and it could really help."
"That's a really nice way of saying I'm a nutcase." Peter dryly chuckled.
"That's not what I'm saying at all." Luna frowned. "I want to make sure you're doing okay with all of this. I know it's hard and I just want to help."
The boy truly appreciated Luna's efforts, but he was only kidding himself if he thought it was actually helping. He didn't want to feel overwhelmed by everything that was going on, and the last thing he needed was to worry about his own girlfriend driving herself crazy by trying to help him.
"Look," Peter finally managed to look Luna in the eyes. He didn't know how to express his feelings without completely pushing her away, but she needed to know that this wasn't how he wanted things to go.
"I-I don't know what is going on with me or my life." He was only being honest. "I just need time to figure everything out, and the only person I want to be with is you. I'll call Ned back and tell him that I'm fine, but all I need right now is you by my side. The rest will flow through naturally, and I hope you're willing to be patient enough to wait for things to calm down."
His voice was trembling, but he finally let out a sigh of relief once he felt Luna's fingers interlock with his own.
The girl gladly nodded, making it known that she was truly listening to him. All he wanted was to be understood, and even though it was going to be a difficult thing to do, Luna owed it to him to be patient.
"You got it." The brunette smiled.
A very small but evident smile appeared on Peter's lips as Luna reached over to place a kiss on his cheek. The hood of his sweater was covering most of his hair and face, but the girl was still able to see the beauty that was right in front of her.
Even when tired and frustrated, Peter was breathtakingly gorgeous.
The rest of the night consisted of eating pizza and passing out on Peter's bed. The teenagers were extremely exhausted, and all they wanted to do was hold each other close while they slept.
Peter's grip was tight, and everyday it seemed like he would only hold her tighter throughout the night. Luna wasn't complaining, but it was like he was afraid to let her go. He had an arm draped over her waist, and he physically tensed up whenever Luna would move away from him.
All Luna could do was emotionally be there for Peter as much as she could. If he needed her, then Luna was glad to be there for him in an instant.
That's what Luna was doing for the person she loved, and she had no problem helping Peter with the issues he had to deal with.
Working with the Avengers was in the past now, and there was nothing left to be dealt with.
Not anymore.
So now, helping Peter was Luna's job now.
It was all she had to focus on. Nothing else mattered except the two of them as they tried working things out. It would be her life mission to get Peter back to the way he was, back to how happy he was before everything happened.
Luna was manifesting their happiness, and she was sure they were going to get it, no matter how long it took.
• • •
A phone call woke Luna up the next morning, and she immediately sat up on the bed once she saw Happy's name appear on the screen. She fumbled with her phone as she grabbed it from the nightstand, quickly but quietly getting up from Peter's bed and being extra careful not to wake him up.
Luna successfully made it out of the room in time to answer the call, putting the phone to her ear as she walked in the kitchen.
"Hello?"
"Hey," She heard Happy's voice. "I know it's early. Sorry if I woke you up."
"It's okay." Luna ran her fingers through her brown hair. "What's up?"
"I'm at your apartment right now. I thought you'd be home but your mom told me you've been staying with Peter and his aunt."
"Yeah, I've been helping out." Luna replied as she looked towards the hallway, making sure she wasn't being too loud,
"What's going on? Is something wrong?" Luna dreaded to ask, but knowing what they've been through, nothing seemed to surprise her anymore.
"No, everything's fine." Happy eased her nerves. "I came because I have something for you. You should be here to receive it."
"Is it important? I don't think I should leave Peter-"
"I can stop by another time, but I know you'd want it sooner rather than later."
Luna sighed as she nodded her head, already looking around for her bag.
"Okay, I'll be there in 15 minutes. Don't go anywhere." She told the man as she hung up.
Even though he assured her everything was okay, Luna still couldn't help but feel nervous as she quickly got dressed in another shirt and some sweats and brushed her teeth. Not even bothering to brush her hair, Luna just grabbed her bag and headed out the door.
The walk felt fairly long due to Luna's mind racing with any possible scenario that could occur at her apartment. Luna hoped nothing was wrong, and even though the man made it clear that she shouldn't worry, it was only in her nature to overthink everything.
Luna opened her front door and walked right in to see both Happy and Shannon sitting on the couch in the living room. Happy had a cup of tea in his hands as he turned to look at Luna as she set her stuff down.
"Hi sweetie." Shannon greeted, standing up and approaching Luna to give her a hug. "I missed you."
"Yeah, me too." Luna kept her eyes on Happy.
The man set his cup down on the coffee table, his expression serious as she walked up to him.
"Glad you could come." He nodded.
Luna sat down on the other side of the couch, and Shannon politely excused herself so that she could leave the two alone to talk, something that the teenager very much appreciated.
"How's Peter doing?"
"He could be better, but we're taking it day by day." Luna responded. "I'm just giving him the support he needs."
"I'm glad to hear it. He's lucky to have you." Happy told her as he shifted his weight.
"I've been taking care of some things at the facility after the funeral." The man explained. "The whole compound is a mess. Well, what's left of it."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, the damage and the costs of all the tech and equipment that was destroyed. I've been dealing with all of the finances since everything happened. I didn't want Pepper to be burdened with it, so I decided to take care of all that mess, and now it's all done with."
"So that's it?" Luna frowned. "It's all just gone? The entire compound?"
Happy sighed as he bowed his head.
"I'm afraid so." He confirmed. "With the facility being tarnished during the war and everyone going their separate ways, its sad to say that there's no longer an Avengers facility."
It was silent after that, neither of them wanting to dwell on this mess any longer. It was too sad and too overwhelming.
Luna kept her eyes focused on him, waiting for the man to tell her why he was here in the first place.
"I came to give you this." Happy pulled out a white envelope from his coat pocket, giving it one last look before handing it to the girl. "It didn't feel right just leaving it here for you to get later. I wanted to give it to you in person."
Luna reluctantly took it, her eyebrows raising in confusion.
"It's a letter." Happy revealed as he watched her stare at the envelope in her hands. "From Steve."
Luna snapped her head in his direction with wide eyes, her fingers suddenly trembling.
"He gave it to me three days ago at Tony's funeral before he went back into the realm." The man explained. "Told me not to give it to you until you had a couple days to accept what he did."
"I-I don't understand. He wrote this before left?" Luna shook her head. "Why?"
"He wanted to explain everything to you. He knew you would be devastated, and he didn't want you moving on with your life hating him."
"I did hate him." Luna stood up as she slammed the letter on the coffee table. "I hated him so much for just leaving us."
Happy understood her anger. She was mad and devastated at the same time. He was too.
"But then I realized that I couldn't be angry at him for making a decision he knew would make him happy. Steve knew he wouldn't be living his life the way he wanted if he stayed here." Luna started to ramble. "But that doesn't mean I can just read this letter and move on. He's not here, and a letter isn't going to change that."
"Trust me, Luna." Happy finally stood up from the couch. "You'll regret it if you don't. Once Steve was set on his decision, the first thing he did was tell me to look after you. He couldn't leave without knowing you were going to be okay."
Luna crossed her arms as she struggled to figure out what she wanted to do with the envelope. She couldn't bring herself to read anything Steve had written, already knowing it would be too much for her to handle. She didn't feel like crying anymore than she already did ever since he left, even with everything that happened before that.
"You should be alone when you read it." The man buttoned up his coat, giving her a firm nod. "I'll call in a couple days and see how you two are holding up."
"Where are you gonna go?" Luna asked.
"I decided to stick around New York." Happy shrugged. "It's the only home I've been in for years now, and I'm not quite ready to leave yet. Maybe one day, but not anytime soon."
Luna smiled, being glad that she'd still have a familiar face hanging around.
"I'll see you soon, Luna." He said his goodbyes as he grabbed his phone, putting it in his pocket. "Give Peter my best."
Luna watched as he walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind him and leaving Luna alone in the living room. She turned her attention towards the letter that still sat untouched on the table, and a big part of her wanted to take it and throw it in the trash, not out of hate, but out of sparing anymore heartbreak than she's already experienced.
However, Luna couldn't do that to Steve.
After everything they've been through together, with Steve protecting her and looking out for her, this was officially the last time Luna would ever hear anything from him, and she couldn't waste it by not reading what he wrote to her. It was their last encounter, and Luna had to cherish their friendship for the final time.
Luna picked up the letter and sat on the couch, nervously opening it and pulling out a lined paper with handwriting Luna recognized as Steve's.
She wasn't ready to read the very last thing he wanted to tell her, but Luna owed it to him. She owed Steve her entire life.
Once she was mentally prepared, Luna unfolded the paper, taking a deep breath as she held on with tight fingers.
Luna,
I hope this letter finds you well. I trust that Happy has followed my instructions on when to give this to you. If he did, I hope you still find it in you to read it. I ask that you take the time to be patient with this message. It's not easy for me to sit here and write this to you, mostly because I know how much I must've hurt you for doing what I did. Not telling you about what I decided to do was cruel, but keeping it a secret was something that had to happen. I couldn't risk anyone trying to stop me. It would've been too difficult for not just me but for everyone. I hope you can understand that.
The truth is Luna, we've accomplished everything we needed to do.
We did it. We beat Thanos. That was all we ever wanted, and we did it. Not only did we bring back everyone who was lost, but we showed the world how strong the Avengers can be. We did the impossible, and I can't thank you enough for stepping into our lives and helping us when we needed it the most. You were great throughout the entire ride.
I know things are hard, and nothing went back to normal like we hoped. Losing Tony and Natasha hit us in a way we never would've expected, and I will regret their sacrifice for as long as I live. However, what those two did was give us a chance. They are the ones who saved the world, and it's because of them that we get to live our lives as free as we possibly can.
I'm so sorry for leaving you the way I did. I never wanted to hurt you, but this was something I needed to do in order to be happy with the one person I want to spend the rest of my days with, the love of my life. Being with her is the only thing I want to focus on now, and spending our lives together is the only mission I want to achieve from here on out.
I just want you to know one thing Luna, and that is none other than the fact that I love you.
You're one of my best friends, and I'm so lucky to have met you. You've changed my life for the greater good, and I can never thank you enough for that. You're an amazing kid, and I'm proud of the friendship we've created and will forever cherish. I'll never forget what we've achieved together. Tony is so proud of you, Natasha is proud of you, and I will always be proud of the person you've become.
You finally got the second chance you deserved, Luna. Be thankful that you have Peter. He came back to you, and you should never let go of him. He is your second chance. You both get to start fresh, and a fresh start is something we all need. You two are finally able to begin a new life together. The world is your oyster, and your future will be whatever you make it out to be. I'm really going to miss you, kid. Continue being the person you are, and do whatever makes you happy. Even though I won't be there with you to see all of your accomplishments, just know that I am supporting you from afar, and I will always be proud.
All my love,
Steve Rogers
Luna didn't cry. She didn't shed one single tear as she read the entire letter, and that was because she was genuinely happy with how everything turned out.
Steve was right. She needed to let go of the things she couldn't control. This letter was the push Luna needed to fully accept what had been done. Steve did what was best for himself, and it was time Luna started to do the same.
The girl pressed the letter against her heart, a sad but genuine smile on her face. She was really going to miss Steve, but the letter he wrote to her made Luna really understand how much she needed to start over with her life. Even though Steve wasn't around anymore, the letter would always be a representation of their relationship.
Luna truly loved Steve, and she only hoped his decision to stay back in time really paid off for him.
Wherever he was, she hoped he was happy.
• • •