The day had finally came, the day Peter turned 18. He wasn't going to have time to celebrate.
The first thing he did was go and get some ID, he needed that to get a job, apartment etc. and it took way longer than it should've.
Then he did a shift at Delmar's, he picked up some flowers on his way out and made his way towards the place he hadn't returned to in, far to long.
Walking up the hill Peter felt the sadness wash over him, like it always does. He walked toward four plain headstones, holding the names of his parents and his aunt and uncle.
He set a flower down on each, looking on, remembering any and all happy memories he had with them.
"I know its been a long time, I've been dealing with some stuff-" Peter's voice faltered.
"I know this isn't what you guys wanted for me, it sucks that this all happened but, but I got some ID now, and I'm 18! I can support myself and uh, get an apartment and a better job and- I know this wasn't the plan, but I had to pivot."
"I'm trying my best and ill keep doing that, I promise ill make you guys proud, ill get there. I miss you guys..."
"Its all been so hard, there's good things too but- it doesn't out weigh the bad you know? I got a plan but it'll still take some time to get there."
"I'm trying to make you proud and to be a good person, I am being a good person, I'm saving people, and that's what matters right? That I'm using my power responsibly."
"It doesn't mean this isn't hard, it is. I know you guys would tell me I'm holding the weight of the world on my shoulders and I should share that burden with the people who love and care about me but, I've kind of pushed everyone away."
"Its for their safety! Maybe, maybe a little for my own selfish reasons...but mostly to keep them safe."
"And yes, I know aunt may you'd be saying I'm and idiot for thinking like that but, its what I think is right. Id like to be able to just say its the easiest thing but its not, its actually really hard."
"But this is the path I'm choosing and I cant change that now. I got to stick with it. Ha, I don't know who I'm trying to convince more, you- or myself."
"I love you guys..." With that Peter walked towards a large headstone further along, placing a flower on the one beside it and the rest of the bouquet on the large slab in front of him.
It read, here lies Gwen Stacey, Beloved Daughter, Owner of the Kindest Heart.
Peter stared at the headstone, he never could bring himself to say anything to her. He felt he would finally break if he let himself speak.
So he turned and walked away. With the same sad smile he always did after visiting with his family.
Peter walked towards the Daily Bugle, a SD card in hand, to hopefully sell some photos of well, himself.
He was going to try sell pictures of himself as Spider-Man to the number one haters of Spider-Man in all of New York.
This was going to go so well for Peter, nothing could go wrong with this plan. Ha.
The night before he had bought a decent camera and an SD card, then made his was towards some abandoned warehouses.
It was a learning curve at first, webbing his camera up, having a timer, making sure there was enough lighting.
It was actually all pretty fun for Peter, he hadn't anticipated enjoying taking pictures as much as he had.
He took still shots, close ups, long range, his favorite were long range action shots though, something about capturing the way he swung through the air made the pictures come out amazingly cohesive.
Seeing how each of his muscles looked through his suit as he throws a punch, or catching himself on a web.
Peter had never been vain, more self conscious than anything, but he felt confident as Spider-Man. Spiderman wasn't some weak nerdy kid, he was this strong, capable...Hero.
One that Queens, New York, hell, the world, could count on. Spiderman and Peter were almost separate people, peter certainly treated it as such. Who knows if that was healthy.
Walking into the Bugle was daunting to say the least, he had looked into the freelance thing a bit and learned a lot.
He had also learned that J.J. Jameson had put out the word that anyone with a clear photo of Spiderman would be paid well, and maybe even put on the payroll.
He wasn't exactly sure what he would be paid, but based on his research, he knew the realm of where to be so he wouldn't be taken advantage of.
Peter walked up to the reception desk.
"Uh, hi, I'm Peter um, I got some pictures for um, you guys?" The woman barely looked up.
"Yeah put them in that slot" and she pointed.
"Oh, uh no um, I got some pictures of Spider-Man? I heard you guys were looking for some good pictures of him and I uh, got some." The woman looked up, apprehensive and pointed towards a door.
"Go through that door and through the bullpen to the boss mans office, ill let him know you're coming." Peter slowly made his way as the woman said.
Right when he was about to knock on the office door of J. Jonah Jameson, the door flung open and man running out.
"And don't bring this crap here ever again!" The man behind the door shouted.
"You! Don't just stand there! Get in here with those pictures already!" The man yelled at Peter.
"I um, its an honor to meet you-"
"Yeah, now show me the pictures, I've had enough people come in here with crap I don't need to waste even more time!" So Peter pulled out the SD card and Jonah, quite forcefully took it and put it in the computer.
The man stayed eerily quiet for a few moments flipping through the 10 pictures Peter had uploaded, he had kept the rest on a separate drive, these were only the best and ones he could explain looked like he took them from afar.
"These aren't total crap uh-"
"Peter sir, Peter Parker"
"Parker. They're the first clear and decent pictures that have come through my door, ill give you $1500 now for all 10 and another $100 for every decent one you bring and we run from now on."
Peter was stunned, that was a lot of money. Double what he would make in a month at Delmar's.
"Well Parker, Betty will write you a check, get out of my office!" Peter went on auto pilot. Walking up to the woman he recognized desk.
"This is the first time someone has brought in actually good pictures, he's been hounding for them for forever, your ID please."
Peter didn't know what to say and just handed over the ID.
"Oh, happy birthday, hey did you go to Midtown by any chance?" Betty said while typing in his ID numbers.
"Uh, yeah, I think we had um Biology together actually." She looked at him like she was trying to place him, and Peter could see the exact moment it clicked.
She remembered him as the kid that lost everyone and then left school early and didn't graduate with them. Of course.
"How um, if I may ask, how did you get such good pictures? Of him? The Spider-Man?" Betty looked at Peter expectantly, and he couldn't come up with an actually good answer in the moment and just said.
"I uh, took them a couple months ago, I think he saw me, but just didn't really care, I mean, I wasn't a threat to him so he just, let me..." She clearly didn't believe him.
"Ahem, well, here you go Peter, I hope I see you around again." She said with a bright smile while handing over the check.
He just took it and nodded his head and made his way out of the building. With $1500, and the money from working a ton at Delmar's all that summer, Peter would have enough for a deposit on an apartment.
He had thought he'd have to work another month or two at Delmar's to get the money, but with how much Jonah paid for the pictures, well he thought a thousand would've been generous and amazing but this...
He would only need to find an apartment willing to rent to him and he wouldn't need to work more than a few weeks at Delmar's to be in the green and ahead of the timeline of the plan.
And he could still work at Delmar's part-time, some evenings and such.
Peter told Mr. Delmar about his new gig at the Bugle and he agreed a couple days a week Peter could do some morning shifts and make a lil extra spending money.
He was happy for Peter, and even gave him the number of a sorta friend of his that was a landlord in a run down ish but cheap building. Perfect for a first apartment for an 18 year old.
A couple weeks went by in a flash, he had talked to the owner of a building and Peter was moving into his very own apartment, on the last day of August.
He had been selling some pictures to the Bugle, mostly of his small time fights that he managed to snag some pictures of him during, of course they ran them with some, not to savory headlines, but money was money at that point.
The apartment wasn't great, just a studio, but the bathroom had a tub, that would be a god send after patrol. It wasn't much, but it was his, and that made Peter extremely proud of himself.
He had done this, he had picked himself up from a horrible situation and did this. He reached a goal and followed through.
Everything came crashing down 2 days after he had moved in, everything was bare, the minimal things he did have sitting on the floor as he didn't have any furniture besides a bed, provided by the person who left it there before him.
Some food, but of course not much when he had just spent all of his saving on the deposit and first months rent on the place.
Peter had been going through the one box of this things, that was still at the group home but he had snuck in when he knew Skip was working and took it, that was his things from Aunt Mays and his home.
When there was a knock on the door, Peter assumed it was the landlord or a neighbor, no one knew where he lived so he couldn't have a guest at the door.
Peter threw open the door, but he never expected who was on the other side of it.
"Hey kid, nice to see ya." Tony Stark. Peter stood frozen, not knowing what to do or say.
It had been months since he had seen him, he had blocked every number he messaged and called from. It had been a month since so much as a message, he had thought they had finally given up.
"You gonna invite me in or what kid." Peter snapped out of it and stepped to the side.
"How uh, how did you find me Mr. Stark." He looked anywhere but Tony's eyes.
"You signed a lease, I got pinged when it was filed. I've been keeping an eye out for you, you really know how to get around me huh." Tony walked around looking at the shabby little apartment.
"Oh, um, yeah I didn't want to be found, you know..." Peter closed the door, realizing this was going to an actual visit.
"Why. Why did you graduate early? Why did you run away? God kid, why didn't you come to me!" Tony was now standing right in front of Peter and he didn't have anything to say. Nothing that would make sense to him.
"I, needed out. I needed to be on my own, its better that way you know-" Tony cut him off.
"No, you're a kid Pete, you shouldn't be on your own, you should've walked the stage with your friends and applied to college god kid, why didn't you apply to college!" Tony said exuberantly.
"And how am I supposed to do that! Huh? How am I supposed to pay for college Tony!" The man was stunned, as this was the first time Peter had ever called him his first name.
"You don't think I want that? But I cant have that, not now at least. I needed a job, a better one, and to save and get an apartment, you're standing in it if you haven't noticed! I did this!" Peter continued.
"I got myself here! I'm proud of myself Tony! I don't need you to remind me of how my life should be when I'm happy with what I made it over the last few months!" Peter practically yelled.
"Kid, I'm sorry, I'm not disregarding this, I'm proud of you too. But this isn't what should be, why didn't you come to me? You think I wouldn't have let you in my home? Hell ill pay for your college! Why did you leave! Why did you make this your goal!"
"Just, why kid, why wont you let me help you?" Tony waited for an answer and Peter couldn't come up with one. Not one that didn't involved spilling everything that happened.
Tony sighed when he didn't receive a response.
"This isn't a good neighborhood Pete, you could get hurt-" Peter cut him off.
"I can take care of myself Mr. Stark, I've been doing it for months." Tony sighed.
"That's not the point kid, I care about you alright, I wanna make sure you're okay." Peter just looked down, ashamed he couldn't just let Tony help him.
"I just- so much has happened, and I don't wanna burden you guys you know. I'm 18 now, I'm an adult, I have to be able to do it all myself because I don't have anyone I can fall back on. I have to be able to do it myself." Tony looked at him sadly.
"You do have people you can count on Pete, you have me, the Avengers. We just want to be there when you need us." Peter looked at him, having inner turmoil over what to do next.
"I know you guys care, and I care about you guys too, I just, want to be able to do this myself." Peter explained.
"I get that kid, but promise me, if you need anything, a job, a college recommendation. Hell a place to stay. Promise you'll call me. No more of this on the run shit. I don't want to have to chase you down for a conversation Pete."
"I'm not gonna invade the space you made clear you needed, I just want to be able to send you a message asking if your okay and get a reply back."
"I guess I can do that, I still don't wanna be apart of your guys world again, I uh, I don't really think I'm ready to see everyone again. I'm still trying to get over everything that happened." Peter replied.
"I get that kid, now stop giving me all this stress, my heart cant take it, I'm turning grey Pete. Save an old man the embarrassment." Peter and Tony laughed.
Tony stayed for awhile longer, they didn't talk about much, just how peter graduated early, how he'd been working. How Mr. Delmar helped with the connection for the apartment.
Peter reassured Tony a lot about how he's good in life. Tony of course tried to get peter to let him buy him furniture and new cloths and all the new consoles and such.
In the end Tony wouldn't let Peter refuse a brand new Stark Phone, saying things like, 'this way I know you'll have a reliable way to respond to me' and 'just let me do this one thing kid'.
Peter ended up accepting, for Tony's stake, not his at all. When Tony had left, he left Peter with a singular sentiment.
"We all miss you kid." and a pat on the shoulder.
Peter felt a lot better than he did in past weeks. He felt like a little bit of weight had been taken off his shoulders.
Maybe letting someone in, even minutely, was a good thing for him. Maybe it would be good, to have someone there to catch him if he fell...
_______________________________________________________
Welp, this is definitely a long chapter. I don't know what I was on but the sleep deprivation really came through on this one haha. Don't expect this every time, I usually like to keep chapters to about 1700 words, this is almost 3000 haha. Hope you guys enjoyed! Also! I have a discord! Mostly just for um, when I'm writing and when I update haha. Anyhow, here it is :)
https://discord.gg/aN7ECU8p
Word Count: 2814