Two months have passed.
The dictator of Latvinia, Victor von Doom, also known as Dr. Doom, has disappeared from public view for nearly two weeks. He was last seen in France, where he was rumored to have threatened the French Prime Minister and his family. The French government has said nothing about this, but the country recently withdrew from a United Nations charter bill aimed at prosecuting Doom, which has intriguing implications.
Locally, there is still no news about the missing hero Spider-Man. The last time anyone saw Spider-Man was when he swung into the burning Baxter Building to save others. After that day, there were no more sighting reports, and no official death notice was issued. Avengers's spokesperson Tony·Stark only said this in front of the camera:
In the TV screen, Tony was standing behind the podium in a shirt and suit jacket. "Spider-Man was seriously injured in the confrontation with Doctor Doom. I'm not sure if he will return in the near future, but I really hope he can come back."
"Hmph, I think that young man should learn to be smarter." Aunt May turned off the TV angrily, "Poor Spider-Man must be seriously injured. He needs time to rest."
"Yes, he needs it." Richard stretched out his hand and gently held Peter's hand, "We all need it. But in this life, there is always a time when we have to stand up again."
Peter withdrew his hand, stood up from the dining table, picked up the empty plate and put it in the sink. "See you tomorrow." He muttered, turned and went upstairs.
"Peter!" Uncle Ben called him from behind. He didn't even look back.
Ben sighed, "It's too early, Richard, give him some more time."
"But-"
"No, Richard. I know you want Peter to cheer up, but you have to understand that he is still a child. He needs time... to let go of her."
Peter didn't listen to the next words. He slammed the door, threw himself on the bed, pulled the quilt and wrapped himself into a ball.
Two months.
She had been away from him for two full months. She had no phone calls, no text messages, and no contact with him in any way. How could she do this?
Every moment of his life became a gray reminder of everything he could have had.
He hoped that Felicia would be by his side when he woke up. But when he opened his eyes, there were only Qin, Logan and his father in the ward. What he needed was her.
He hoped to be with her when he went home. But when he ran to her house, she knocked him unconscious with a stick. When he woke up again, Natasha was looking down at him with sympathy in his eyes. She didn't ask anything - she didn't need to ask.
He hoped to tell Uncle Ben and Aunt May that she was there when he was fine. But he could only face it alone, and he had to pretend that he just sprained his ankle and scratched the skin. Otherwise, how could he explain such a short recovery period?
He hoped that she would be the one walking beside him when he returned to school. But in the end, it was Liz and MJ who accompanied him through the corridor. At that time, everyone knew that Felicia had transferred schools, and they looked at him like a lost dog - and they were right.
There were also a few girls who wanted to get together and do something. MJ and Liz drove them away. He didn't care, he didn't care about anything long ago.
He has been shrinking in this shell for two months. He is no longer Spider-Man, not anymore. He admitted that every time he stared at that uniform, what filled his heart was the huge fear that Doom might come back to kill him one day. He was afraid of being a hero. And without Felicia, he couldn't even find the reason to be Peter·Parker.
Fantastic Four was slowly rebuilding their home. He offered to help, but they insisted that he take care of himself first. Qin called several times and asked how he was doing. He said "very good", but she didn't believe it at all. She wanted to come see him, but He can't always spare the time - there's trouble in her new school, and he knows that the plot of "X-Men: Evolution" has already begun in this world. She can't help him, and he also knows that no one can help him at this time.
Besides, everything is unnecessary now. This city is very safe. Daredevil has been born. He didn't have time to make a suit for Matt, but it doesn't matter, Matt will still be in the original way Got his own equipment. Perhaps under his influence, the vigilante's protection range was no longer limited to Hell's Kitchen, but expanded to most of Manhattan. In short, the police were able to cope with it, and the crime rate was slowly declining.
What is the meaning of Spider-Man?
Why should he bother again?
He was not so... so depressed at the beginning. When he first woke up, he tried desperately to track down the whereabouts of Felicia. But Walter was an expert. He only caught one frame of her face in Kennedy Airport's surveillance, and then never again. She was like a ghost in the wind, disappearing completely.
From that point on, he gave up little by little. Everything was meaningless.
One month after his "retirement", Fury canceled his training with Natasha. It seems that the director also guessed that he would not be Spider-Man anymore - he was right. He is no longer an agent, and he doesn't want to.
He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. He could draw those lines with his eyes closed. Why? Why did she leave? No, he didn't know the reason. Did he really expect her to choose him instead of her father?
But the time they spent together, the future they imagined together - buying a house for two of them, their own home, they still want... forget it, it's useless to think about anything now.