FIVE YEARS LATER
Twenty-two year old Harrison Germain kicked a pale grey rock across a pale grey sidewalk as he walked down the quiet streets of Queens, New York. The black and yellow lined streets were still traveled by bright taxis but at half the capacity as they had been five years ago. Harrison had gotten used to how different the city had become after it lost half its inhabitants. He could walk around without bumping into someone's shoulder or without waiting in a half an hour line for his morning caffeine. Life carried on, needless to say. The only thing Harrison hadn't gotten used to was the dull ache that had settled in his chest, reminding him every so often of the war he had survived - but lost - five years ago.
Harrison no longer lived at the Queens Orphanage. After becoming an Avenger, the remaining crew welcomed him with warm and comforting arms into one of the spare rooms at Avengers Compound. He didn't spend much time there just because he wished a special person had joined him, but it was still nice to have a bedroom and a bathroom that he didn't have to share with five or so other boys. His room was down the hallway from Natasha Romanoff and she was good company.
The sound of a phone ringing brought Harrison out of his thoughts as he dug around in his jean pocket for the source of the noise. The caller ID read 'Steve Rogers', and it was still so mind-blowing to the boy that he had Captain America in his contact list.
"Hey, Mister Rogers." Harrison said after answering his phone.
"Hey, Harry. How many times have I told you Mister Rogers makes me feel old?" Steve's deep voice rang through the other end of the phone.
"Right, sorry." The boy mumbled as he continued walking.
"Listen, I'm making lunch at home. Wanna join?"
"Sure...I'll be there soon. Thanks."
"Alright, see you soon. Bye."
"Bye."
The conversation was short-lived as Harrison ended the call, avoiding his lock screen as it popped up in front of him. It was a picture of him and Peter, decked out in their suits with grins on their faces and their arms around each others shoulders. Harrison stuffed his phone back into his pocket before ducking into a dark alleyway and removing the light backpack he was carrying. Harrison changed out of his black jeans and matching t-shirt before pulling on the new and improved version of his Inviso-Boy suit. Tony had made him a new one after returning to Earth and getting settled into reality. He said it took his mind off of everything they went through and helped pass the time. The new suit now had more blue than grey, with dark blue traveling up his arms and and legs and across his torso. There was grey streaks along his biceps and calves, and along his collarbone and chest. The mask was similar, with grey outlining the black eye slots. On the right and left wrists were two small spiders outlined in black thread, in honour of Peter.
Harrison inhaled heavily as he tapped a gloved finger to his temple and his mask formed over his head. The boy hadn't put the suit on in weeks but felt safer than ever on the inside, concealed from the world around him. He tapped the two spiders on his wrists together and watched as a silver aura formed around his fingers and forearms, extending over his entire body. The warm tingle made the boy's hair stand on edge as he claimed the identity of his superhero and left the alleyway.
The boy was invisible to the world as he ran down the middle of a quiet street, his feet not making a sound as they collided with the dark asphalt. Harrison's head was surprisingly empty of thoughts as the city of Queens flashed around him. He had gotten used to having no one to talk to while he was suited up, Peter's voice no longer lingering in his mind.
Harrison reached a tall red bricked apartment building and climbed the fire escape up to the sixth floor. The new technology that Tony had added to the boy's suit allowed him to scale the bricks of the building with no worries of falling off. He approached the window that the boy had seen Peter climb out of time and time again as he snuck out for the night.
The room on the other side of the window no longer looked the same. Peter's bunkbed and computer desk, that hadn't been used in years, were replaced by everything princess and unicorn related. There was a twin sized bed with a gold and pink comforter on it against one wall with a hamper full of stuffed animals. A large foam crown hung on the wall above a white dresser that had the bottom drawer pulled open.
Harrison hadn't been to see Peter's room in months. It had initially brought comfort to Harrison to see Peter's room, thinking of all the times they spent laughing with each other and helping each other with their homework. But he realized that no matter how many times he went to check on all the boy's belongings, their owner would never be returning to them. In the months that Harrison hadn't been back to visit, Aunt May had left and a new family had moved in.
A young girl no older than the age of eleven walked through the doorway and flopped down on her bed. She pulled out a book that was wedged between her mattress and headboard, flipping through the pages. Harrison caught glimpses of the Avengers, his heart sinking as the face of Spider-Man appeared on one of the pages in bold red ink.
Harrison left the window and dropped to the ground, breathing heavily from behind his mask. Even five years later, his heart ached with the loss of his best friend.
Harrison made it to Avengers Compound, not bothering to change out of his suit before heading home. The boy tapped his wrists together and removed his mask as he walked through the front door. There was a small ding before Steve walked into view, dressed in the most normal clothes ever.
"You alright?" Steve asked once he saw the boy, leaning against the doorway of the welcome area. The man had dark circles under his eyes and a freshly shaved face.
"Yeah, I'm good. I'm hungry." Harrison replied as he turned to shut the front door. Steve said nothing about his splotchy cheeks and tired eyes as the boy turned back around.
"Good, there's food in the kitchen." Steve said before pushing himself off the way and leading the way to the kitchen. Harrison couldn't get over how beautiful Avengers Compound was with its many windows and modern design. The kitchen cupboards were a sleek grey with white chairs pushed into the island. There was a large platter of sandwiches in the middle of the island with a stack of plates beside it. "Grab some food then follow me." Steve said before Harrison helped himself to two sandwiches.
"Thanks, Mister...Steve." Harrison said, stopping himself from calling the man 'Mister Rogers'.
Steve smirked softly before leading the way out of the kitchen, followed by Harrison who was carrying a turkey sandwich in one hand and a ham sandwich in the other. The Compound was silent as the two males walked through the bright, familiar building and into a dimly lit office. Natasha sat at a dark wooden desk with her feet propped up on the surface. She had a peanut butter sandwich in her hands but it was free of any bite marks.
"Hey, Harry." The woman greeted the boy with a smile as she moved her feet to the floor and set the sandwich down.
"Hi, how are you?" Harrison asked as he walked over to a chair across from Natasha and took a seat on the green cushion.
"I'm alright." Natasha replied, glancing at Steve briefly as he sat down. "How was your trip to Queens?"
"Fine. New people have moved into Peter's apartment." Harrison stated before taking a bite of his sandwich.
"You know, I keep telling everyone they should move on. Some do, but not us." Steve held a small smile on his face as he spoke, trying to sound reassuring.
"If I move on, who does this?" Natasha asked. Steve shrugged while Harrison sat quietly eating his sandwich. The other one sat on the desk, momentarily forgotten about.
"It's been five years. I think if we were going to move on, we would've done it by now." Harrison announced as his brown eyes peered between the two Avengers.
"There's a difference between healing and moving on." Natasha mumbled in a low tone, picking off a portion of her sandwich.
"I don't wanna talk about this anymore." Harrison said with a frown visibly sketched onto his tanned face.
"I saw a pod of whales earlier today when I was on the bridge." Steve was quick to change the subject, sensing that both Harrison and Natasha were upset with the conversation.
All of a sudden there was a loud crackle and a holographic image appeared in front of Natasha.
"Hi, hi, is anyone home? This is Scott Lang, we met a few years ago? In Germany?" A man's voice rang through the office as he waved at the camera.
"Is this an old message?" Steve asked as he stood up quickly.
"It's the front gate."