Starlight › Marvel [1] ✓

042. saying goodbye

› CHAPTER FORTY-TWO ‹

Raleigh Ridley wasn't a stranger to grief. He grieved for his adopted parents after the accident which killed them and his heart ached in a similar way for his first adopters—despite never knowing them. He felt sorrow with Odin's passing and cried as the Asgardian were murdered on the ship. Thor hadn't clarified it for him, but from what he could decipher, Loki was also dead and he mourned for the developing hero.

He knew what it felt like to lose someone he cared about. Yet, his heart ached worse than it has when he watched Tony Stark take his last few breaths. He wasn't sure if that was due to everything that has happened and everyone who had passed in his presence as of recent. He didn't know why but what he did know what that he hated feeling so useless as his best friend cried beside him in the tense vehicle.

Trystan drove the silent car through the desolate streets of Queens to the apartment Peter and May lived in. He had attempted to play some music in hopes to ease the thick atmosphere, but every channel he switched to was playing some form of news about the sudden revival of all the dusted. So he turned that off and instead cracked the windows to allow fresh evening air into the car. Raleigh sat behind Trystan while Peter sat behind the passenger seat and both teens kept their eyes locked out of their respected windows. Trystan glanced from the road to the rearview mirror to make sure the two boys were still there and holding together.

May Parker had been decimated along with half of the universe and Raleigh hated the idea that his guardian had been left all alone in Queens. He saw how he interacted with the Avengers and hoped he at least had them. Somehow he knew he could count on Steve and Tony to make sure Trystan was safe after his decimation. After all, it hadn't been the first time Tony had to keep an eye on Trystan while he was off.

Raleigh moved his gaze to his thighs and picked at his latex suit.

"Thor's my uncle." He whispered out of nowhere. Peter flinched at his quiet voice and cautiously peeled his eyes away from the distortion of buildings and at his dark-headed friend. Raleigh continued. "Not by genetics, but his brother, Loki—ya' know the God who invaded Earth when we were like ten—he's my father. Their father convinced me to help them when they came to look for him, and I didn't mean for it to happen, but I accidentally got stuck with them in space."

It may have not been a great time to tell Peter this, considering they just lost someone they admired, but after promising to explain the story to Peter later twice, and then Tony promising to explain their situation after they won and then dying, he couldn't risk it. He didn't know if it meant anything or if they were all unfortunate coincidences, but he couldn't risk the chance of losing Peter too.

Silence was all that followed after he was done anxiously spewing his situation to his best friend. He continued nervously picking at his thigh but stopped when a hand was placed on top of his. His lip quivered and he gazed up at Peter, finding him leaning in the seat watching him. The whites of his eyes were stained red and dried tears painted his cheeks, but Peter still didn't advert his gaze. Raleigh's chest burned, able to read the obvious pain that Peter was in, and he wanted nothing more than to jump from the car and hide away in an empty field because he couldn't do anything to help him.