Two Months Later

Peter had moved into the lake house with Pepper after she'd told him that she was pregnant. Apparently, Tony had built it for them once they got married, but it was never used. Peter was given the Attic loft; Tony had transformed it into a great room for Peter. It was split into two parts, the sleeping space and a work space. It even had a large window put in that made going out for a swing even easier. The walls had several posters from Peter's favorite fandoms. His most prized possession, however, was the framed image that sat on his bedside table. It was a picture of when Peter had been given the Stark Internship.

Peter was sitting on his bed, looking at his web-shooters. He hadn't gone for a swing since Thanos. He didn't know why. Peter made up his mind. He activated the Iron Spider suit and opened the window.

Peter took a deep breath as he activated his web-shooters. He climbed out and jumped out. He shot a web at a tree and pulled himself forward. He did a flip and shot a web at another tree. Peter continued for half an hour until he reached the dock. He shot a web at the wooden post farthest out in the water. He let his feet drag across the water as he had under the Brooklyn Bridge right before he'd met up with Mr. Stark. He pulled on the web and propelled himself forward.

He landed on the dock. The helmet dematerialized and he looked out over the lake. It was a beautiful day. The skies were clear, and the water was hardly moving. Peter activated the helmet and swung back towards the house. He landed on the porch and walked inside. The helmet disappeared and he smelled food. He went into the kitchen and saw Pepper and Carol talking.

"Hey, Carol. What are you doing here?" Peter asked her.

"Just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. I can see that Spider-Man is feeling well, though." Carol smiled at him.

Peter scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I just thought I'd go for a swing."

"That's good to hear," Pepper said. "Carol, will you be joining us for lunch?"

"If that's not a problem."

"Of course not. You're always welcome here."

Peter sat down beside Carol at the kitchen island. Pepper stood up and said she had some work to do before lunch. She went to her office and left them at the table.

Peter was staring at the design of the table. "Thank you."

Carol looked up, startled. "For what?"

Peter met her gaze. "For saving me from space. I realized that I never thanked you for saving me, so, thanks."

Carol pulled him into a hug. "You don't need to thank me, Peter. I just did what I could to help."

Peter smiled and pulled back. Carol gazed out the window. "The weather's really nice today."

Peter nodded. "You're beautiful. Uh, u-um I mean the weather. It's beautiful. Not that you're not beautiful, because you are. I'm just gonna shut up."

Carol froze. She softly said, "What?"

Peter turned bright red. "I'm sorry." Peter got up and ran out the door.

Carol ran after him. "Peter, wait!" She arrived at the front porch to see him swinging away. She collapsed onto a chair and put her head in her hands.

Pepper came outside. "What happened? I heard you yelling." Her eyes landed on Carol. "Oh, god, what happened?!"

Carol let her hands fall to her lap. "Peter, he told me that I was beautiful. I-I froze, and he got scared and left." Carol burst into tears.

Pepper sat down beside her. "Carol, Peter's been keeping in so many of his emotions since Thanos. Peter used to be so much livelier. He's probably had feelings for you for some time now. It's probable that with him going out as Spider-Man a bit today, he let his emotions slip out."

"Yeah, but all I did was say 'what.' I probably just ruined whatever it was that we had." Carol stood up, frustrated, and began pacing the deck.

"Carol," Pepper started. "Peter would never hold anything against you. Just give him time to figure things out, and then you guys can talk things out."

Carol closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for dragging you in to this, Pepper."

"It's okay."

"If Peter asks, I'll be at the Compound." Carol stepped off of the porch and flew off.

From Peter's perch in a tree, he saw her flying by. He looked down at the ground as a tear rolled down his cheek. How is it that everybody I care about seems to leave me?