Unfinished Business

Listen to these songs for the chapter:1. idontwannabeyouanymore- Billie Eilish2. Astronomy- Conan Grey3. Partners In Crime- FINNEAS

              Time Skip Six Years      Peter Parker Point Of View             I take a bite of my pizza, wiping my mouth with my napkin and laughing at Tony's joke. Thors deep chuckle fills the room.       I look around the table, Tony and Thor joking back and forth. Steve talking to Sam and Bucky. Pepper, Wanda, and Natasha sharing recipes. Bruce and Rhodey talking about the next suit to build, and Scott Lang annoying Clint with his constant questions.        And then there's me. I lost my person, I lost Ashlyn. But I've learned how to cope. I went to therapy, talked to Tony about how I felt, took depression medication. I threw the knives and scissors and razors away. I tried to heal, but it still hurts. It's hurts like hell.           Which is weird with all I've been through, that the thing that would truly hurt Spider-Man the most is one broken teenager dying. I want her to come back, but at the end of the day, she has wanted to die for a while. And she waiting that long, and chose that moment. I'm only thankful she hung in there as long as she did.            Sometimes I wish it was Tony instead. Sometimes. But that's not what Ashlyn wanted, and that's not what happened. The world has been rebuilt, everyone back in their proper places. But something is missing, and something always will be. I miss her.          I finish my pizza and stand up, placing my plate in the sink. Then I walk to my room and quickly put on my suit. I take on glance at the photo of Ashlyn on my bedside table before opening the window and jumping out. I swing through the city, feeling the sweet autumn air. I land on a rooftop, the one we always went to.          I sit there for a moment, just breathing and thinking. Watching the sunset.          Suddenly I hear a whooshing noise behind me and I leap up and spin around, fists up ready to fight. There's a blue spinning portal.          I take a step closer, hesitantly putting my hand through it. When I pull my hand back it's normal. I look around, thinking about what I should do. Then I step through the portal.          Everything is white, there's nothing there. I turn around but the portal's gone. I feel panic set in but then I see a wooden bench. I walk over, hoping to find something to help me, there's nothing there. I feel frustrated and panicked so I sit down to think.             I feel air move beside me, as if someone sat beside me. I turn to see Ashlyn.            "What... A-Ashlyn? You're dead..." I say in disbelief.           She smiles, "I am. Do you wish I wasn't?"          "Yes I- I want you back. Please." My voice cracks slightly.          "I chose this Peter, I would love to live the rest of my life with you but... doesn't it feel right? That that's how my story ended? That that's how I died?"        "No! No I-it doesn't..."         She sighs. "She gave me one more chance."        "W-what? Who?"        "I don't know. God I guess. She never said her name. All I know is when I woke up, I was here, on this bench. Except a stranger was next to me."        "And it was... god?" I ask, confused.        "I think so. She explained how I died, what happened after. Then she told me that if I chose to stay dead, I would go to heaven. But then she said she had a... specific offer for me. An offer only one other person in history got. Apparently Thor had talked to her, told her that I deserved it. She said she could give me another chance at life. 'Course, six years would have passed, but nothing else would be different except for the fast that I knew what dying was like."          "So you- you chose to stay there...? With your family?"         "I... was going to. Then I told them my story. Abe told me I had to come back, that I couldn't leave you like that. Everyone else agreed. T-they said they forgave me. They wanted me to have a fresh start, and that this was my chance."        "So you're coming back...? With me?" I can't believe what I'm hearing, this is impossible.          "I am. Few people get the abilities I do, and if I get a chance to continue using them to save people from the fate I had, I have to take that chance. Plus... I want to stay with you and Tony. See where our lives go. I want to keep going."         I smile and try to hug her but my hands go through her. "So... what now?"         "We go through there." She points to the blue portal that appears where it used to be. "Then... live."          I stand up with her and we start walking to the portal, slowly, as if both of us are still processing what's about to happen.            When we reach the portal I stops and she does too.          "What?" She asks.           "I... are you sure? If you want to be dead. If you like how you died. I have to- I have to accept that. Are you sure you want to come back? Don't just do it for me if you really don't want to come back." I say, feeling tears prick my eyes and roll down my cheeks.           "I've realized... Peter, after dying, after my family forgave me, after I got to talk to Abe again... I'm done here. Everything that's waiting in heaven, there's no unfinished business. That chapter is closed. But there's still so many things to do back on Earth, or space, or wherever our adventures take us. I miss- and will always miss the Avengers if I stay here. I will miss the life I had. That's my unfinished business. Life."            I nod, "so... you're ready?"            Ashlyn laughs, "to live? Yes. I want to live, I want to live so fucking badly."            I see tears fall down her cheeks too and I wish I could wipe them. "Then.. let's go." I say.          She nods and smiles and we step through the portal. I close my eyes as we go through, the light is too bright to keep them open. When I feel my feet are back on the roof I don't open my eyes for a moment, terrified I'll open them and find nothing there. That it was just a dream. Or that she changed her mind halfway through the portal and decided to stay.        But then I feel someone grab my hands, their hands soft in mine. I open my eyes and see Ashlyn. I start crying again, she is too.        The portal disappears.        I pull her in for a hug and we hug tightly as the sun sets across the sky.        We're alright.         Everything worked out.       "Don't ever do that to me again." I whisper, half sobbing.       "I won't."