The Broken Spider-Man - A Peter Parker Fanfiction

Chapter Thirty-five - Walking away

TW: mentions of death, mentions of trauma, mentions of depression, mention of attempted suicide, mentions of drug and alcohol abuse, mentions of addiction, mentions of mental health issues.

Peter and I sat in the conference room in the Stark Industries Tower, our hands joined and Peter's mask off as we waited for Tony to come up. I bit nervously at my nail, my heart already in my throat as I looked at Peter.

"Babe, I know that I've asked a million times already, but are you absolutely sure that you want to do this? We can walk out of that door and just go home if you want, no one has to know that we were here." I shook my head. Peter chuckled and squeezed my hand in reassurance as he returned the look.

"Yes, baby, I'm absolutely sure. I appreciate you wanting to make sure that I'm solid in this decision, but I can promise you that I am. If I'm being completely honest, the only thing that I've ever been more sure about was asking you to marry me." He reassured. I smiled and shook my head at his words.

"Okay, Pete. You're ready. I trust that." I nodded. He returned it and raised my hand to his lips, making me chuckle and bite my lip as he kissed my skin.

"Ah, young love is so adorable." We both looked up as the door opened and Tony and Pepper walked in.

"Mr Stark, hey." Peter chuckled, both of us standing up to greet them as Tony and Peter hugged.

"How are you kids doing? I heard that he popped the question." Tony smiled as he swung his arm over Peter's shoulder, making my fiance chuckle again and look at me.

"He did. And I said yes." I smiled as I extended my hand to show him and Pepper the ring.

"Oh my god, look at that rock! Peter, it's beautiful, you did so well!" Pepper squealed, making us all laugh as she rushed to me and gently took my hand to get a better look.

"They say that you're meant to spend three months' wages on the engagement ring, and considering what I get paid, I really was able to buy the best ring that money can buy." Peter chuckled.

"You're welcome." Tony smiled, making us laugh again as he looked at Peter.

"Now, I'm sure that you've been asked this too many times to count by your lovely fiance, but I need to check one last time before I let you go out there. Are you absolutely, unwaveringly, unequivocally sure that you're ready to reveal your identity to the public before walking away from the suit? Because you know that once you do this, that's it. You don't go back." Tony shook his head. I gulped and bit my lip as I watched Peter's face. My fiance sighed and looked at me, his chocolate orbs glazing over telling me that this would easily be the hardest thing that he'd ever had to do. But I could also see it in his eyes that he knew that it was the right thing. His heart knew that it was the right thing, and that was all that he needed to know.

"I'm ready, Mr Stark. I'm ready to tell the world who I am, and then I'm ready to walk away from Spider-Man. I'm ready to finally end this chapter of my life." He nodded, a tear leaving his eye as he looked at me. I returned it and bit my lip, tears pricking my own eyes at what he was about to do. Both of us knew that it was the right decision, but with it came the massive feeling of sorrow. After all, whether or not I had known it, Peter had been Spider-Man since we were fifteen. The hero had been part of him for the last decade and so the decision to finally leave him behind was one that came with a twang of sadness and sentimentality over the end of this era. It was time, though. And both of us knew it.

"Alright then, kid. Put your mask on, and then it's showtime." Tony nodded. Peter took a deep breath and glanced at me one last time. I nodded and gave him a small smile, making him return it before his face disappeared underneath the spandex mask.