Far From You

Never Again

A/N

Get ready for a long chapter, Lovelies! <3

Kate's POV

I help Ned and Betty down as Peter rushes towards Beck's body. I watch, holding my breath. Please...

Beck coughs, awakening. Thank Thor. I rush over and slap him. "Hey!" He says, surprised. 

"Don't do that! Not without some time of warning, stupid!" I rant. He laughs as we help him to his feet.

"I'm alive, aren't I? And it-" 

"If you say it was the only way, I'll slap you again." I warn. He shuts up. Peter turns to me, panicked. 

"Are you okay? You're bleeding. Are you hurt?"

"I'll live." I say. "I just need some painkiller." Peter nods, still looking worried. It makes the guilt I was feeling seep back in. Even after the hateful things I said, he still cares about me.

S.H.I.E.L.D cars drive up, avoiding the chaos that surrounds us. "So, it's over?" Maria asks, doubt crossing her face.

Beck nods. "That was the last one." 

"But not the last threat we'll ever face." Fury points out. "We need to stay vigilant." He turns to Beck. "There's a void in this world for someone like you. Hill and I are going to Europol Headquarters in Berlin tomorrow. You should join us."

Beck smiles proudly. He shake's Fury's hand. "Thank you. I might just take you up on that."

A void for someone in this world like you. What does that even mean? There will never be another Steve Rogers, or Natasha Romanoff, or Vision, or Tony Stark. Voids that big can never be filled. I glance at Beck. But some people can try. Any doubt I had about him melts in that moment.

Fury turns to Peter next. "You got gifts, Parker. But you don't wanna be here."

"Mr. Fury, I-"

"I'd love to have you in Berlin too." He says, clearly trying to guilt-trip him. It boils my blood. He continues. "But you've got to decide whether you're going to step up or not. Stark chose you. He made you an Avenger. I need that. The world needs that. Maybe Stark was wrong. Was he?" 

The tears in Peter's eyes make my blood boil even more. I should say something, dammit! But I don't. I let him walk away with the last word, with them hanging in the air. 

"Let's get a drink." Beck suggests, walking ahead.

"I'm not 21!" Peter calls to his retreating back, but still follows. He turns. "Are you coming?"

I fake a smile. "MJ will be mad if I ditch her for the whole night, and I've got some pretty bad aches, so I'm gonna go back."

He hesitates. "Go. I'm fine." I insist. And he goes. I look around at the scene. I look where the fire beast died. What are Beck's powers, anyway? He never explained that to anyone. And how did he even kill the monster without killing himself? Or even injuring himself. 

All doubts about him seep back in. I shake my head and chuckle. "You're letting this get to your head." I whisper to myself. 

But I can't stop the feeling that something bigger is going on.

Peter's POV

I sit in the packed bar with a glass of lemonade, frowning into my cup. Any other time, Kate would have stood up for me if someone said those things. But she didn't. And the discomfort of that covers me like a blanket.

Still, after all the things she's said to me. I still love her. And I hate that I still love her. I hate that I know everything about her but at the same time know nothing. It's all just so messed up. I grip my glass tighter.