The Lake District vacation home is located about two hours north of New York and is a property owned by Tony. The cabin is built on a lakeside site, with a private dock and a large lawn, surrounded by dense forest.
When the car arrived, it was already past four in the afternoon. The setting sun cast its golden rays upon the lake.
Little Peter took a deep breath as he got off the bus.
"How about it, not bad, right?" Tony pointed proudly to the vacation home. "I built it last year. I originally wanted to bring Pepper here for a vacation, but I just haven't had the time."
Pepper smiled and said, "It is indeed very beautiful. But you haven't come here much since you bought it, have you?"
"... The details don't matter." Tony cleared his throat. "What matters is that it's our weekend now."
Everyone laughed as they entered the holiday home. The house was large, with two floors, five bedrooms, a large living room, an open kitchen, and a large terrace facing the lake.
It took a little time to assign rooms. Tony and Pepper shared the master bedroom, Natasha and Wanda shared a room, Banner and Hawkeye shared a room, Quicksilver had his own room, and Little Peter. and Lynn shared the last room.
"Why should I share a room with you?" Little Peter asked Lynn.
"Because all the other rooms are full," Lynn said matter-of-factly. "Besides, I don't snore, so you're in luck."
Little Peter skeptical, but didn't say anything more.
After putting down their luggage, everyone started preparing for the evening's barbecue. Tony volunteered to be the head chef, carrying a huge barbecue grill to the terrace and striking a pose like a professional barbecue chef.
Banner prepared the ingredients, Hawkeye started the fire, and Quicksilver used his super-fast speed to move things back and forth.
" Pietro, watch out so you don't grab the wrong thing!" Wanda called from the kitchen.
"Okay, okay!"
Quicksilver's voice came from the bathroom, and a few seconds later he appeared in the kitchen doorway with salad dressing, a smug smile on his face. "See, I didn't grab the wrong thing. Being fast doesn't mean I'll make a mistake!"
Wanda rolled her eyes.
Little Peter was assigned to wash the vegetables. He stood by the kitchen sink, carefully washing the lettuce and tomatoes. Natasha walked up to him at some point and handed him a piece of sliced cheese.
"Let's eat something to fill our stomachs first; the barbecue will take a while to arrive."
"Thank you, Sister Natasha."
"You're just too tense," Natasha said, leaning against the kitchen counter. "You're only sixteen; you don't need to blame yourself for everything."
Little Peter lowered his head and whispered, "I know. It's just..."
Natasha smiled and ruffled his hair. "This weekend, put everything else aside and just be Peter Parker."
Little Peter was amused by her. "Yes, sir."
The barbecue officially began in the evening.
A long table was set up on the terrace, piled high with grilled steaks, sausages, chicken wings, vegetables, and various drinks and beverages. The setting sun cast its golden light on the lake, making it shimmer and sparkle.
Tony's grilled steak was surprisingly delicious, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Banner's grilled vegetables were also popular, and Hawkeye's chicken wings were grilled to perfection.
"I told you I had a talent for grilling," Tony said smugly, taking a sip of beer. "Back in my school days, I was the Champion of the grilling competition."
"You Champion because you gave the judges a new sound system, right?" Banner bluntly exposed.
"... That's also part of strength." Tony said without changing his expression.
Everyone burst into laughter.
Quicksilver ate the fastest, devouring half a plate of chicken wings by himself, and then went to get a second plate. Wanda cursed him as a "starving ghost reincarnated," while silently sharing half of the chicken wings from her plate with him.
"Didn't you say I ate too much?" Quicksilver asked, his mouth stuffed with chicken wings.
"You eating too much and me giving you some are two different things," Wanda said expressionlessly.
Hawkeye and Banner were arguing about beer brands, while Tony and Pepper were discussing next week's schedule. Natasha and Lynn were talking in a corner, their laughter occasionally escaping.
Little Peter sat at one corner of the table, holding a skewer of grilled chicken wings and eating them with great relish.
" Peter, try this." Banner handed over a skewer of grilled mushrooms. "I added some of my secret seasoning."
Little Peter took a bite, his eyes lit up. "Delicious!"
"Right?" Banner pushed up his glasses, a smug look on his face. "I have my own secret formula."
"What exclusive recipe?" Tony leaned closer. "Isn't it just barbecue sauce from the supermarket?"
"What do you know? This is called secondary processing."
"Secondary processing means adding water?"
Banner glared at him, and Tony raised his hands in surrender.
After finishing the barbecue, it was completely dark. Tony found a bunch of fireworks somewhere and set them off on the open ground by the lake. The colorful fireworks exploded in the night sky and were reflected on the lake.
Quicksilver excitedly ran around, capturing the moment the fireworks burst in supersonic speed. Wanda stood by the lake, watching the fireworks. Banner and Hawkeye sat on the edge of the pier, fishing and chatting. Pepper leaned on Tony's shoulder. Natasha and Lynn sat on deck chairs on the terrace, drinking.
Little Peter walked alone to the lakeside, found a clean patch of grass to sit down, and looked up at the fireworks in the night sky.
What are you thinking about sitting here all by yourself?
Tony's voice came from behind him. He walked over, sat down next to Little Peter, and handed one of his two cans of beer to Little Peter.
"I'm not old enough to drink."
"There's no one else here." Tony blinked. "Besides, a sip now and then is fine. Consider it... a celebration that you've gotten through this trouble."
Little Peter hesitated for a moment, then took the beer and took a small sip. The bitter liquid slid down his throat, he frowned, but still swallowed it.
"It tastes awful?" Tony laughed.
"A little." Little Peter nodded honestly.
"You'll like it eventually." Tony took a big gulp, then looked at the fireworks in the distance. " Peter, you've done a great job lately."
Little Peter paused for a moment, then turned his head to look at Tony.
"Really. From the Mysterio thing to the multiverse thing, you've made mistakes, but you've also grown from each mistake. When I was your age, I was a much bigger jerk than you."
Little Peter looked down at the beer can in his hand.
"I know you've been putting pressure on yourself," Tony continued, "But remember, you're not alone. Me, Pepper, Natasha, Lynn... we're all your family. We're not interfering just to give you a break. If you really can't handle it, you can ask for help; there's no need to push yourself."
So don't push yourself too hard. Relax when you need to, and rely on others when you need to.
Little Peter's eyes welled up with tears, and his voice was a little hoarse. "Thank you, Mr. Tony."
"Call me Tony." Tony patted him on the shoulder, "Or... call me whatever you like."
Little Peter looked up at Tony's profile illuminated by the fireworks and suddenly smiled.
"Okay, Tony."
Tony laughed, raising his beer can. "Come on, bottoms up!"
Two beer cans bumped lightly against the night sky.
The fireworks continued to burst, and in the distance came Quicksilver's laughter and Wanda's scolding.
Little Peter leaned against the grass behind him, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath of the air, which was filled with the fragrance of lake water and grass.
The next morning, everyone spent a leisurely morning by the lake.
Banner and Hawkeye caught several big fish, and Tony volunteered to grill them, but he burned them and was ridiculed by everyone.
"I just... cooked it a tiny bit too long," Tony tried to explain.
"Just a little bit?" Hawkeye pointed to the charcoal. "The fish is already carbonized."
"This is called 'caramelized aroma'."
"Caramelized aroma and carbonization are two different things."
Natasha and Pepper did yoga on the terrace, while Lynn continued his old routine—sunbathing and sleeping.
Little Peter dragged a kayak from the warehouse and paddled around the lake. The water was clear, and he could see the aquatic plants and fish swimming below. He paddled to the middle of the lake, stopped, lay back in the kayak, and watched the white clouds drift slowly by.
The wind was gentle, the sun was warm, and the kayak swayed softly on the water.
" Peter!" Quicksilver's voice came from the shore, "Row over there and see if there are any fish!"
Why didn't you come yourself?
"I can not swim!"
"... You, Quicksilver, can't swim?"
Being fast and being able to swim are two different things!
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Can you two be quiet? I'm reading here."
"You've been looking for ten minutes and haven't turned a single page," Quicksilver pointed out.
"That's because you're too noisy."
Little Peter laughed out loud in the kayak.
On Sunday afternoon, everyone packed their luggage and prepared to return home.
Before leaving, Little Peter looked back at the lakeside holiday home and at the shimmering lake.
Tony walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "What's wrong, don't want to leave?"
Little Peter nodded honestly, "A little. It's nice here."
"There will be plenty of opportunities to come in the future. I'll make a copy of the key for you."
"Really?" Little Peter's eyes lit up.
Tony smiled. "Of course. But next time you come, you'll have to cook for yourself."
Little Peter's face fell. "... I'm not a good cook."
"Then I'll learn." Tony turned smugly towards the car. "You can't expect me, a genius, to be your cook every time, can you?"
Quicksilver appeared from the side. "I can help! I can chop vegetables super fast!"
"You chop vegetables?" Wanda sneered. "Last time you chopped onions, the whole kitchen smelled of onions after you finished, and you even cried."
"That's because the onions were too spicy!"
"It's because you were cutting onions at supersonic speed; the volatiles evaporated so fast that they all got on your face."
Quicksilver opened his mouth, but couldn't find any words to refute it.
The group playfully got into the car.
As the car drove away from the holiday home, Little Peter looked out the window and watched the lake gradually disappear into the distance.
It was already dark when we returned to the SSC base.
Everyone went back to their rooms to rest. Little Peter had just put down his luggage when his communicator rang.
It's Strange.
" Peter," Strange's voice came through the communicator, tinged with seriousness, "The dimensional monitoring array is set up. Just now, I detected the first micro wormhole."
Little Peter's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly calmed down.
"Where?"
"In an alley in Queens, New York," Strange said. "The wormhole was small and lasted about three seconds. No life was detected crossing it, but an object fell through."
What item?
"I don't know, you'll need to get it checked out."
"I understand. I'll go check it out now."
"Okay." Strange paused. "Also, don't be nervous. This kind of thing will happen often in the future; you'll get used to it."
Little Peter shook his head, his smile widening. "I understand."
He walked to the window and looked out at the myriad lights of New York. The night breeze blew in, carrying the city's unique scent.
He took a deep breath and lightly tapped his chest. Nanoparticles surged from the reactor site, rapidly spreading along his body, and the liquid metal was deployed within seconds.
" JARVIS, locate the coordinates sent by the Master Strange."
"Location confirmed: approximately 200 meters east of the intersection of 73rd Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. No activity is currently observed; proceed as soon as possible."
"Receive."
Little Peter pushed open the window and leaped into the night.
In less than ten minutes, he landed at the entrance of the alley.
Little Peter activated the auxiliary scanning system on his suit and walked into the alley. There was a shallow scorch mark on the ground, as if it had been burned by something; it was irregularly shaped and had a faint blue glow at the edges.
JARVIS explained, "These are the remnants of the wormhole. They disappeared about three seconds ago. The residual energy is rapidly decaying and is expected to dissipate completely in about five minutes."
Little Peter crouched down and examined it carefully.
In the center of the scorch mark, something lay quietly in the crevice of the rubble.
It was a piece of metal.
It is about the size of a palm, grayish-black, with scratches and burn marks on the surface, and irregular fracture surfaces at the edges.
" JARVIS, can you analyze this on-site?"
"A precise analysis is not possible, Mr. Parker. A full scan is required at SSC headquarters using laboratory equipment."
Little Peter picked up the fragment, weighed it in his hand—it wasn't heavy—and put it into the sealed pouch at his waist. "I'll just take it to Strange to deal with."
He stood up and looked around the alley. Streetlights, brick walls, trash cans, damp ground. An ordinary Queens alley had become an entrance to something that had fallen from a parallel universe.
Little Peter spider Silk to leap onto the rooftop. The night wind rushed towards him, and he stood on the edge of the roof for a while, looking at the city lights in the distance.
Instead of returning directly to the SSC base, he swung towards the Sanctum.
The lights were still on in the Sanctum Sanctorum. Strange was organizing the bookshelves in the library when he saw Little Peter climb in through the window and raised an eyebrow.
"They've already recycled them?"
Little Peter took a sealed bag from his waist and handed it over. "A piece of metal. JARVIS said it can't be analyzed on-site; we need to go back to base and do a full scan using lab equipment."
Strange took the sealed bag and held it up to the light. The fragments lay quietly inside.