Note : I apologize in advance for the grammatical errors you'll find in this story, I'm Italian and English is not my mother tongue.

This chapter is narrated entirely from Peter's point of view and takes place one year after Endgame.

I wish you a good reading, and I hope you'll find time to leave a review. This could become a long, if the response is good…

XXXX

Chapter 1:

I love New York. Just when you're bored, when you think you can't take it any more from the Big Apple, here this city gives you a new criminal to fight.

Hi, it's me, Peter Parker! Your friendly neighbourhood…you know.

I've come a long way since I was just a simple boy bit by a spider. Back then, nothing seemed to go right for me. Now people really like me. Now, the world is safe and sound. And I would say that it's also a little thanks to me.

My Uncle Ben would be proud, or so I like to hope.

Whatever we face, whatever are our inner struggles, we always have a choice. And he was the man who taught me that.

Our choices make us who we are ... and we always have the opportunity to make the right choice.

I would have liked to realize it before.

Seven years ago I made a selfish choice, and he paid the price. I will never forgive myself for this. I will never forget that I could have prevented it.

It's all so clear now, Uncle Ben. It's like I've had a blindfold over my eyes and earplugs all my life, and someone just ripped them off. I see everything more clearly now, and I know my place in the world.

You were right: a power come responsibility. Always. For some reason, I received great power. And from a great power come great responsibilities.

But back to us…It has been about a year since the universe was almost destroyed by Thanos. I'm eighteen now, and I've just finished school.

I actively patrol New York and was officially recognized as an Avenger. Oh ... and I think I'm in love.

People say that at my age one should not really talk about love. Perhaps "infatuation" would be the correct term.

However, the point remains: I can't stop thinking about her. To whom, are you wondering?

Her name is Carol Danvers, and I met her by chance.

It was one of those days, when there's electricity in the air. Can you almost hear it ... do you follow me? Oh, and the world was about to be destroyed.

And she ... was there, in front of me. Like a goddess descended to earth, for less than a minute.

It was the day when I realized that I still had a whole life before me. And an incredible benevolent force that wanted to know that there was no reason to be afraid. Never.

Even now, I don't know how it happened. A moment before I was going to die, and after that she was bending over me.

For a fraction of a second, I wondered if I could kiss her. Of course, the fact that there was a battle going on prevented me from further elaborating such a thought.

After Mr. Stark's death, she was there to support me in one of the most difficult moments of my life. For the third time ... I lost a father.

I realized it was great to be in her company, and I wanted to hang out with her again. Not only in those brief moments of comfort, but also the next day and the day after that.

Everything in her, from her warm laughter to her intelligence, to her obvious altruism, seemed pleasant and desirable.

Of course, she was much older than me, maybe at least 10 years older. Still, it didn't matter that much to me.

I was in love with her, to the point that I didn't care what others thought of such a statement.

I didn't care if we had little time to be together. I was interested in doing only what my heart was dictating to me. I felt inside me that it was the first time that that organ spoke to me directly ... and I knew with certainty that I would not disobey.

But for now life goes on. And as the saying goes ... unfortunately there is no rest for the wicked!

XXXX

Dear Peter Parker ... you suck. Affectionately, Peter Parker.

Let's recap ... they just spanked me. Well ... maybe electrified would be a better term. After all, the villain who knocked me down said he was called Electro, or something like that.

He broke my spider webs, and threw me out of a skyscraper window. Oh ... and I was in there just thirty seconds!

God! He dumped lightning on me and threw me out of a skyscraper! My God ... what an idiot I am! I was wrong to go in there. I had no idea who my opponent was. I had no idea what he could do. And I should have learned, after that experience with the Volture and his henchmen. But no. No. I climbed up there without the slightest preparation.

God, I almost lost my mask because of the fall. It must be the worst thing that can happen to a superhero.

And now ? It hurts everywhere. At least I have no school tomorrow.

With how much current did that big bald one hit me? Were my powers that prevented me from dying or was the electricity not as great as it seemed?

Electricity?! God, someone tried to electrocute me! A guy with electrical powers? How do you get electrical powers ?! Well ... I guess Thor doesn't count. He's a god, after all.

Ahhh! I'm so furious with myself that I'd scream. But maybe I'll do it anyway soon ... because the guy who threw me out of the window of a skyscraper just a few seconds ago ... well, he's floating towards me. LITERALLY floating.

Of course, it's not the strangest thing I've seen him doing in the last few minutes. His appearance is anything but ordinary: a body with an electric blue skin, bright eyes, lack of clothes ... he looks like Dr. Manhattam's younger brother. Or a decidedly more angry version.

My spider sense vibrates due to an imminent blow, and I throw myself behind a car without even giving him time to aim. The subsequent electrical discharge burns the asphalt, charring the surrounding area and sending numerous shocks along each metal object within a hundred meters. Even my suit is affected, although in a milder form. After all, road asphalt is certainly not a good electrical conductor.

But the situation is not the best anyway: I'm using a mechanical suit against a guy capable of causing short circuits with his presence alone. I know, it's not the best idea that could come to my mind.

I take a deep breath, tensing my muscles and getting ready for a second offensive. However, just before I can even take a step, a loud beep! coming from my communication systems forces me to stop.

Surprised, I accept the call and ... I block.

It's her. In front of me, once again. Golden hair moved upwards, framing a face with delicate features. Every inch of that face seems to pervade with its own light, pale and shining even through the hologram.

Warm brown eyes stare at me and I can't look away. I stay there, nailed, while my heart beats a thousand.

"Hey, Peter Parker. You got something for me?"

The memory of those words brings me back to reality. Right, I'm about to die. First things first, Spidy.

" Hi" I whisper in a low voice, because this is the maximum I can think of in this situation.

She smiles at me, a smile that could breach the soul of a man sentenced to death ... beautiful and kind, like that of an angel.

" Peter Parker. We should stop meeting like this" she says with a background of fun, and I can't help but hold back a jolt, because that voice is exactly as I remembered it.

" Yes, definitely" I mumble with a groan, trying to get up from the ground.

The suit is heavy, I'm sweating from the effort and I feel sore. But I don't think about it, I focus on this woman's face, because it's the only important thing.

" What are you doing here?" I ask with hidden interest, trying not to reveal the happiness I'm feeling.

" I'm visiting " Carol replies , shrugging her shoulders. "I've seen what's going on through the news, and Fury gave me your number. Are you okay?"

" Just a little bruised. Don't worry, I heal quickly" I try to reassure her, and she starts staring at me with slight suspicion. Ugh, I forgot that she can see me too.

" I'll take your word for it" shesays after a short examination, and internally I sigh with relief " So, what have we here?"

" He call himself Electro, and he's trying to rob an insurance bank" I inform her, trying to hold back a start. God, it hurts to breathe! Maybe a rib broke.

Carol just rolls her eyes.

" Original" she comments dryly, as if she has just heard a joke at least a century old. " What can he do?"

" Control and manipulation of electromagnetic energy. In practice, he can fire lightning"

And, after hearing those words, the woman's lips curve into a decidedly more predatory smile. For some strange reason ... I find it quite sexy.

I feel my cheeks get warmer, and I thank Thor that the hologram is incapable of transmitting such changes.

" Don't tell me ... electromagnetic energy, eh?" she asks herself, before turning a serious look. " How much time can you keep him busy?"

Without wasting time, I check the suit's energy level.

" I would say ... ten minutes, before the power of the suit runs out" I reply with a determined expression. The declaration seems to please her, because she nods with satisfaction.

"That's all I need. Hold on, kid !"

And, after she said that, the visual connection closes.

It doesn't bother me that she just called me a kid, not after the job she gave me. I have to keep this guy busy until she arrives ... and I'm not going to disappoint her.

I struggled on my feet and turned my head in Electro's direction.

Here he is, his shiny, crackling figure of electric shocks, while a pair of white and empty sockets were mirrored with the lenses of my mask.

I take a deep breath and scream: "Hey, sparkle! I fixed bulbs that hit harder than you!"

" Do you ever shut that mouth?!" the criminal replies, with a scratchy voice mixed with the echo of a box. The words seem almost pronounced through a filter and are accompanied by occasional flashes.

I avoid an attack, landing gracefully on the roof of a car.

" I'm afraid not, my fans expect a constant dose of humor. It's included in the package!" I say in a sparkling voice, hoping that I'll be able to distract him. But I only make him more angry.

I can hear in the distance the sound of sirens caused by police vehicles and ambulances, while people scream in terror.

I am without spider webs, and the suit is now at its limit ... but I can't stop. I don't want to stop, not if stop means allowing this freak to hurt innocent people.

I take another deep breath and leap forward. At the same time, Electro resumes his attacks. And it's not a quick thing, it's not a clean thing. They are the blows of an inexperienced person, far removed from those fired by the chitauri that I faced a year ago. But what they lose in precision ... they compensate with their power.

Each electric shock is the equivalent of a bazooka about to explode, and the shock waves caused by them are enough to make me lose my balance. But I don't stop. I continue to dodge, relentless, without ever pulling back. Because that's what I have to do.

I am Spiderman, I protect people, I throw myself into danger without thinking ... because I'm not a hero, I'm just a silly boy of eighteen who was forced to grow up too fast. But God help me if this won't be enough to make me fight!

Electro gradually becomes more and more angry, I can see it. And the more angry he gets, the more his powers goes out of control.

The electric shocks become more intense, and in the end one hits me in the chest, making me crash into a lamppost. I think the impact was strong enough to dent the suit.

I don't have time to check, because a hand grabs me by the neck, pulling me off the ground.

Time a couple of seconds and I find myself once again staring at my opponent's white pupils, whose face is closed in a fierce and satisfied smile.

" This is your end, insect. When I'm done with you ... I'll take the light of this city. So everyone will know how it feels to live in my world ... a world without energy, a world without mercy, a world ... without Spider-Man" he hisses threateningly, tightening its grip. " And everyone will be able to see me for what I really am ... Electro!"

I try to move, but every movement is useless.

The suit is now at its limit. It's warm... I feel dizzy ... I'm about to pass out ... I'm about to ...

BOOM!

The grip loosens, and I am thrown back. The air invades my lungs once more, while the suit's internal temperature drops dramatically.

I take a few deep breaths and look up, as much as the helmet allows me such a movement.

And there she is, proud and without the slightest hint of fear in her face. Only a cold determination, while she intensely stares at the figure of the villain.

" Electro ... this is Captain Marvel" I say in a tired voice, through the mask respirator. " And you know what she can do? Well, among other things ... she can absorb energy"

After hearing these words, the man's eyes widen with understanding.

He take a step backwards ... but it's too late. Carol leaps forward and rests her hands on the criminal's head, her lips curled into a little smile.

Then, Electro begins to scream, while a flash of light invades the surrounding area. I can see the energy that makes up the body of the villain going from him to the woman, while the figure of this one begins to light up. Just like that day, during that same battle.

Carol becomes pure light ... and she's beautiful, as if the sun decided to walk on earth and take her shape.

I raise my arm slightly to cover my eyes, while the criminal's screams echoed in the neighborhood, becoming weaker and weaker. Then, after what seems like an endless time ... they cease, and the glow disappears.

I take my arm and look at the figure of Electro in disbelief, a man of flesh and blood, smoking and lying at the feet of the one who bears the name of Captain Marvel.

She turns to me, sending me a smile. THAT smile, one that I could admire all day, warm and reassuring like a mother's embrace.

" Good work" she says in a gentle voice, as she approaches me and helps me to get up.

"You too " I mutter with difficulty, trying not to think about the immense pain that I am feeling.

In the end, however ... it reveals too much to handle.

" Oh, shit "

And this is the only thing I can whisper, before succumbing to darkness.

XXXX

No degree of fatigue causes suffering as much as being perfectly rested and with nothing to do. Anyone who wrote this sentence ... clearly was never kicked by a guy who could fry you like an egg.

I blinked, trying to focus.

I feel like I was hit by a running train and my limbs are on fire.

My head rests on something soft ... Maybe a pillow?

I perceive the sound of the cars below me, while the cold evening air slips over my face. Then I understand that I'm on the top of a building, probably a skyscraper.

When I open my eyes completely ... Carol's face invades my vision once again.

" Am I in heaven?" I whisper in a low voice, my eyes lost in those kind and luminous eyes.

God, what was in her that could upset me this way? What sort of power did she have over me?

" Not for lack of attempts " she says with a scolding background.

From the sound of her voice I understand that she's angry and all emotions are condensed into a single reality: she's here, in front of me.

And then I realize that all this is real. That she's much more than just a disembodied thought. She's right here, with me ... cradlingme in her arms.

Something throbs inside my chest, something ancient and deep, something that makes my head spin for a moment.

I blush intensely, pull myself up and start stuttering, looking away and suppressing a shudder.

When I turn around ... she's still there looking at me, her face adorned by that everlasting smile.

I shake my head and try to recover a minimum of self-control, while I smile in turn and greet her with a simple: " Hey"

" Hey" she replies, and that word echoes in my mind like a gunshot.

"Hey, Peter Parker. You have something for me ?"

" How do you feel?" she asks me with slight concern, and the only thing I want to do is reassure her and tell her that I'm fine, as I always do with aunt May.

However ... I find myself unable to lie to her.

"My head is spinning" I admit with a grimace, rubbing my sweaty hair.

Carol nods understandingly and puts her hand on my forehead.

" A completely normal consequence, you took a big hit"

" And I only have myself to blame. I should have been more careful" I mutter bitterly, trying not to shudder because of that delicate touch.

To my great disappointment, she draws back and shrugs her shoulders.

" We are superheroes, mistakes are part of the job. Look, once I interrupted the marriage of an alien family thinking it was a sacrificial rite. I was forced under house arrest for a week!"

"… ok, this makes me feel a little better " I tell her with a shy smile, and then we both burst out laughing. And, even if only for a moment, her laugh becomes the most beautiful sound I've ever heard, and it vibrates inside me, sunny and captivating like her personality.

We remain in a comfortable silence, to observe the landscape below.

I still remember the day when I had the chance to admire my first sunset from the top of a skyscraper.

I realized that life was nothing but a succession of many small lives, lived one day at a time. You should spend every day looking for beauty in moments like these, in flowers, in people ... in day and night. And nothing can be better than a day filled with dreams, sunsets and light breezes.

Twilight, I thought then, is only an illusion, because the sun is always like this, above or below the horizon line. This means that day and night are linked like few other things in the world, they cannot exist without each other and yet they cannot exist together.

How can you feel, I thought, when you are always united and always divided?

" Sorry if I did the stupid, first" I suddenly say, interrupting the quiet of that moment.

Carol turns her head towards me, visibly amused.

" It doesn't matter ... it's not the first time that a boy drools in front of me"

" I…I wasn't drooling!" I stutter indignantly, trying to hold back a blush. Effort that turns out to be completely useless, because the smile on the woman's face seems to widen.

"Oh, yes, you looked like a puppy dog after trying his first crunchy," she chuckles, making me blush further.

Congratulations, Parker. You are in the presence of your crush and what do you do? You act like a novice fourteen-years-old boy.

Ugh, if M-Jay and Ned could see me now ... they'd probably laugh too.

Then, Carol gives me a little fist on the shoulder, making me jump.

"I'm just teasing you," she says reassuringly, raising a pout from me.

"It's not funny"

" It is, a bit" she replies, with a much more flirtatious smile.

I stare at her, impassive.

" …ok, maybe a bit" I almost admit to myself, and we both burst out laughing a second time.

Aaaaah ... I could do this all night. Not bad as a change of plans for the evening.

" Soooo… you're used to stuttering idiots" I comment out loud, trying to carry on a conversation. I'm not very used to talking to the opposite sex, of course, but street humor has never failed me.

Carol merely shrugs her shoulders.

" They started when I was twelve. I went to dinner with my parents every friday night at the Blue Lobster, and all the boys stared at me when I entered. I knew what they had in mind, as I knew that the boys at school thought about me when they did ... well, you know"

" La-la-la-la, too much information!" I say with a background of fun, putting both hands on my ears.

The smile on the woman's face becomes brighter and my heart skips a beat. I made her smile ... victory!

" I guess it made you uncomfortable" I continue after a short pause, leaning on the ledge with my belly and crossing my elbows to keep my head.

Carol's answer is certainly not the one I expected.

" No, I liked it!" she admits, almost casually, as if she were simply talking about the weather. " And I still like it ... more or less. After all, if the people I don't even know look at me and want to have sex with me ... well, it means I'm really spitting up to be a model and it's fantastic"

Suddenly, the cheerful expression on her face is replaced by a decidedly darker one.

It's ... it's weird. I've never seen her like this, before.

It takes me just a few seconds to decide that I don't like to see that kind of look on someone like her.

" Because there's nothing worse in life than being a common person, am I right?" she murmurs sarcastically, as if repeating a phrase whose only concept filled her with disgust.

Um, danger, danger, Spiderman! Better to change the subject ...

" I think you could easily be a model" I say without thinking, and internally I slap my forehead. Smooth, Parker ... really smooth.

To my surprise, however, the expression on Carol's face seems to soften once more.

" Thank you. But I doubt that I would ever find the time to start a normal career"

" In these days the term "normal" took on a whole new meaning" I ironically replied, thinking of all the crazy things that the Earth faced in the last 12 years.

The woman smiles once again, looking at me with hidden fun.

" On this you're right" She agrees, while I turn on my back, watching the red clouds flying over our heads.

" Plus, you never know what the future can reserve for you" I continue with a shrug. " After all, everything that has to happen ... well, it happens. Sooner or later. It is inevitable"

"Are you philosopher, now ?" she comments, curling her lips in a teasing grin.

I laugh once again, keeping my gaze fixed on the sky.

" Just a friendly advice from your friendly neighborhood Spiderman"

" I wouldn't call you exactly a "neighborhood Spiderman". You are more like ..."

" A kid who plays at being a hero?" I interrupt her with a grimace. After all, she wouldn't be the first person to think of such a thing.

Carol merely peers at me in silence.

" A rockstar" she says after about ten seconds, making me snort.

" Yes, I'm a rock star. Apart from money, fame, and all that is good about being a rock star"

" I doubt the situation will last much longer. Time for you to go to college and people will see what you are really capable of" she says as a matter of fact, tapping my head with a finger. " With a brain like yours, you will probably be the first person to discover a cure for cancer!"

"… "

I really wish those words could fill me with pride, instead they only manage to pierce me with the same intensity of an arrow pointed straight to my back.

" Yes ... it would be fantastic" I whisper to myself, with a tone of voice much darker than it was until a few seconds before. Carol seems to notice, because she begins to look at me with suspicion.

" Peter" she says coldly, sending a shiver down my spine. " You are going to college, aren't you?"

" It's ... it's complicated" I stutter. In that moment, a couple of hands grab my head, while Carol's impassive face replaces the colors of the sunset.

" Why is complicated?" she asks with narrowed eyes, making me look away.

" I ... I don't know" I admit in a low voice. And I'm honest, I don't know what the problem is.

Until a few years ago my only real goal was to earn a good scholarship. Now, with all that happened since I became Spiderman ... Mr. Stark, the Vulture ... Thanos ...

That objective now seems only the aspiration of a child.

Carol remains still and motionless, staring at me with such intensity that, for a moment, I am afraid of being burned by the force of that look.

Then, her lips curved into a sad smile.

" You know, my friend Maria has a saying: the more you know yourself and you know what you want, the less you let yourself be swept away by events" she says in a calm and reassuring voice, as she starts to run her fingers through my hair.

I'm about to melt, but I can keep a clear head.

" Yeah ... It's just that I don't know what I want to become, do you understand?" I whisper in the pure bliss of that moment. " I wanted so much to be a researcher, but nobody takes me seriously. I started taking pictures, but they are mediocre. I feel short of alternatives"

"You're going to make it for sure, I'm not worried about you. You should continue to try a research career"

" But I have limits" I reply, trying to make her desist. But she doesn't seem at all intimidated by such a statement. On the contrary, her smile seems to get bigger.

" It's not a bad thing" she comments, amused, making me jump up.

" Why?" I ask confused, internally surprised by the woman's words.

Carol shrugs her shoulders a second time.

" Because the absence of limits verges on perfection. And what becomes perfect ... well, it's over, lifeless. It's a dead thing" she says with a convinced tone.

Then, she rise her right hand ... and cups my cheek. The action is so sudden that I almost jump backwards.

I hold a blush, as I continue to mirror myself in those brown and kindness pupils, feeling lost.

" In me nothing is without life ... in fact I am not perfect. I am arrogant, too sure of myself ... which is often a way I use to mask my insecurities. Yet these imperfections are part of me ... they are what make me human" she continues, smiling softly at me. " But this doesn't mean that I cannot be a better person"

And then, she move her hand away and go back to staring at the horizon.

Unknowingly, I find myself following her gaze.

The sun continues to fall, throwing glows as far as the eye can see, before finally disappearing under the waves. The moon continues its slow ascent, sparkling with many shades of yellow, always paler, before becoming the color of the stars. Carol watches everything in silence.

When the sky finally turns black and the first stars begin to shine remote, I stand beside her and take a deep breath.

" Hey, Carol"

" Uhm?" she sings, never taking her eyes off that light show.

" You know ..." I continue, swallowing hard " I never thanked you for saving my life, that time ... with Thanos and all the rest"

" Well, considering what you did to stop that monster from taking the gauntlet ... it's me who should thank you. The universe is safe even thanks to you. I am safe thanks to you" she replies with her warm and reassuring voice.

Then, I feel something soft and wet touch my cheek.

The contact only lasts for a second, but that's all it takes to send me a jolt through the body. By comparison, Electro's attacks seem to be mere static electricity.

Did she just kiss me? Oh my God ... Captain Marvel just kissed me! Sure, it's just a kiss on the cheek ... but it's still a kiss!

" Thanks, Peter Parker" she whispers in my ear as I try to hold back a shiver.

Really, if I didn't find myself sitting on the edge of a skyscraper, next to the woman of my dreams, I'd probably start dancing. Instead, I just stare at her in amazement.

" You're welcome" I mutter in a low voice.

Then, as if from nowhere, I am filled with a surge of courage. Maybe it's because of the kiss, her closeness, her scent ... but I choose to rest my head on her shoulder.

I hold my breath, waiting for her to decide to move, to try to get away. But she doesn't.

She rests her head on mine, and we are both staring at the darkness of the night.

I love her? Honestly, I have no idea. I only know that I've never experienced with anyone else what I feel when I am with her. Maybe it's really a simple crush ... but in the end, it's okay.

Sometimes the pain destroys me, and although I am aware that one day I might not see her again ... a part of me would like to hold on to her forever.

Perhaps a time will come when I will finally be able to let it go. But for now, even just for a moment ... everything is perfect ... and alive at the same time.

XXXX

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All reviews are welcomed !