thirty minutes earlier
"Peter, listen to me," Liz's dad warned.
It was your idea to catch a ride with Liz for homecoming. Of course, you didn't know her father was a deranged criminal.
"Don't try to stop me. I will hurt everyone you care about. Your aunt, your friends, even that girlfriend of yours. You don't want that, do you?"
Peter shook his head quickly. Dread filled him. "N-No sir."
"I know you're trying to do the right thing," he said, "but so am I." He unlocked the door.
Shaking and feeling overly nauseous, Peter climbed out of the car. He stumbled up the steps, lips white and face blanched. All he could think of, over and over, was you being used against him.
He stepped inside of the gymnasium. Through the glass doors, he saw you. You were beautiful, standing with a cup of soda in your hand and another hand on Michelle's shoulder.
His group of friends turned when they saw him. They all waved, grinning ear to ear. You blushed and smiled.
For the first time, Peter wished he had a normal life.
He pulled the door open. His steps were slow and sluggish. You grew impatient and ran to him, holding your hands out to pull his against you. You laughed softly and stopped in front of him, a lone curl hanging in front of your eyes.
"Peter," you said, "I requested our song."
He swallowed. He let go of one hand and reached to push the curl behind your ear. He felt tears in his eyes.
"I have to go," he said. "I'm sorry. I love you and I'm sorry."
Disappointment altered your features. You sighed and ducked your head briefly.
"I'll explain everything," he said.
You looked into his brown eyes and smiled. "Go," you said, kissing him on the lips. "This is your world and the world needs you more now than I do. It's just a dance, Peter. I love you."
...
now
Peter couldn't even yell as it all came crashing down on him. Chunks of rubble; heavy pieces of concrete, half torn pipes and wires. Sharp edges tore into his skin and through his red and blue hoodie. If he had that stupid suit, he would have dodged it all.
If Tony hadn't taken it away, he would have been fine. Vulture would be locked away already.
He was gasping through the thick cloud of dust. It was coating his lungs. He imagined the coat of grey that was covering them and wondered how dangerous that alone was.
He started to squirm. He was lodged between several hunks of stone and steel. He tried to push the piece that was in front of him, but it wouldn't budge.
"No," he said as the panic began to set in. "No, no, no!" He pushed harder. "No!"
He started to cry. For the first time in a long time, he allowed himself to break down into harsh sobs. It was pointless. He wasn't strong enough to break out of this. He was going to die.
"H-Help! Someone help me! I'm... down here! I'm stuck in here! Help!" His voice gave out as he sobbed. "Someone... help me..."
He was too weak to climb out. All this time he hated Tony for treating him like a kid. But he was a kid. Now, Vulture would have the chance to hurt Aunt May, Ned, Michelle, and you.
Peter dropped his head and screamed as long and as loud as his lungs could allow.
"I'm real sorry, ___. I didn't mean to miss your birthday party. I just... there was this robbery downtown and then a crazed alcoholic on Third Street and a dog was hurt on the side of the road-"
"It's fine," you interrupted.
He raised his eyebrows. He had expected you to dump him. After all, he had only been dating you for a couple of months and he had already let you down more times than you could count. And this was just the icing on the cake. The worst thing he ever did. He forgotten your birthday.
"It is?" he smiled. "That's.. that's great! I am so glad - I - I'll make it up to you, ___, I swear."
"It was my own fault." You sniffed, wiping a tear from your sticky cheek. "I shouldn't have expected my boyfriend to come. I shouldn't have assumed he would make me his world instead of Spider-Man."
His face fell. "___," he said sadly. "Don't cry. I can't give up being Spider-Man."
"I don't expect you to," you said. "But I don't think you should give up being Peter Parker, either. You're Spider-Man. You save people and keep the city safe. You rescue me every day. You're Peter. You build computers, you watch Star Wars, you date me. You rescue me every day. No matter who you are, Peter, you're mine and I'm yours. You don't have to pick one over the other."
Peter lifted his head. He sniffed and looked around in the dim and dusty light.
You don't have to pick one over the other.
If you're nothing without the suit, then you shouldn't have it.
He had to stop Vulture before he hurt someone else - before he could touch you.
You were clearly a weakness. Vulture had even threatened to take advantage of that weakness before he dropped a pile of rubble on him.
He couldn't let him hurt you. If he harmed even a hair on your head, Peter would feel such an overwhelming amount of guilt. He already left you by yourself at homecoming and had officially won the title of Worst Boyfriend Ever. If your homecoming was crashed by a masked vigilante, well...
If he died now, you wouldn't know the truth. This wasn't his world. It was part of it. But you were his world. You were all if it; all of the good.
Peter tried to push again.
"Come on, Peter. Come on... do it for her!"
He thought of you. He thought of you with your hair curled loosely and your long and soft pink dress. You were so breathtaking. You only wanted to go to homecoming to be with Peter, and he had left you alone with only a kiss on your lips and a whispered apology.
He had to do it for you. This would mean something. He couldn't stay put and die. You needed him.
He didn't need the suit. He had you and you needed him.
He didn't need the suit. Tony was right to take it from him.
"Come on, Peter... come on, Spider-Man!"
After several tries of pushing and squirming, he moved out of a crack. A gasping sound of relief burst out of his lips as he moved out and was finally free.
Don't worry, ___.