The funeral was on a Thursday afternoon. Gray clouds covered Manhattan like a blanket. The kind of weather that matched grief perfectly.
Alex stood at the back of the small crowd gathered at the cemetery. He'd arrived early but positioned himself away from the family. This wasn't his moment. This was Peter's tragedy to experience fully.
Aunt May sat in the front row. Her face was pale. Eyes red from crying. She wore a black dress that looked old. Probably the same one from when Peter's parents died.
Peter stood beside her. His suit didn't fit quite right. Too big in the shoulders. Too long in the sleeves. Borrowed, probably. The Parkers didn't have money for new funeral clothes.
Alex watched Peter's face. His friend stared at the casket without blinking. No tears. Just a blank expression that was somehow worse than crying.
'Shock,' Alex analyzed. 'Emotional shutdown. Brain protecting itself from processing the full trauma at once.'
The priest spoke. Generic words about good men and tragic losses. He didn't really know Uncle Ben. Just knew the family needed someone to say something official.
MJ stood on Peter's other side. She held his hand. Squeezed it occasionally. Peter didn't seem to notice.
Gwen was there too. Further back. She caught Alex's eye and gave a small sad smile. Alex nodded back.
Flash Thompson stood with a group from school. Even the bully looked somber. Death did that. Made everyone remember their humanity for a moment.
The service ended. People filed past the casket. Aunt May touched it gently. Whispered something Alex couldn't hear.
Peter stood frozen. Staring. Not moving.
MJ tugged his hand. "Peter. We should go."
"It's fine, leave him alone for a while. Come help me a bit," Aunt May said.
MJ hesitated briefly before leaving after saying a few words of comfort.
Soon, it was just Alex and Peter at the scene.
After some time....
Aunt May returned looking worried. "Peter? Honey?"
Peter snapped out of it. Put on a fake smile. "I'm okay, Aunt May. Just saying my final goodbye."
They walked to the cars. Alex stayed back. Waited until most people had left.
Then he approached the grave. Stood looking at the fresh dirt.
'Uncle Ben died because a burglar wanted quick money. Random violence. Senseless. Preventable if Peter had been home. But Peter was out being Spider-Man. Trying to help strangers. And his uncle paid the price.'
Alex understood the guilt Peter was feeling. The weight of choices and consequences. This would define Peter forever. Make him the hero he was supposed to become.
But it was also crushing his friend right now. And Alex needed to be there for that.
...
Three hours later, Alex stood outside the Parker house. Most of the visitors had left. Just family and close friends remained inside.
He knocked. Aunt May answered. She looked exhausted.
"Alex. Thank you for coming."
"I'm sorry for your loss, Ms. Parker."
"Please, come in." She stepped aside. "Peter's in his room. He's been up there since we got back."
"Can I talk to him?"
"I think he'd like that. He needs his friends right now."
Alex climbed the stairs. The house was quiet. Somber. He could hear low voices from the kitchen. Relatives talking.
He knocked on Peter's door. "It's Alex."
No response.
Alex opened it anyway. Peter sat on his bed. Still in his funeral suit. Staring at nothing.
"Hey," Alex said.
Peter didn't look at him. "Thank you for being there."
"Yeah."
"Didn't see you after."
"Didn't want to intrude. This is family time."
"You're my friend. That counts." Peter finally looked at him. His eyes were hollow. "It's my fault, Alex. All of it."
Alex closed the door. Sat in the desk chair. "Tell me what happened."
"I was out. Being Spider-Man. Stopping some car theft on the other side of town. And while I was there, some guy broke in here. Uncle Ben confronted him. Got shot." Peter's voice cracked. "I was two miles away stopping a stolen car. A car. And my uncle was dying."
"You didn't know."
"That's the problem. I should have known. Should have been here. Should have protected my family instead of playing hero with strangers."
Alex leaned forward. "You can't be everywhere at once. Even with your powers."
"Then what's the point? What good are these abilities if I can't save the people who matter most?"
"The abilities don't come with prophecy. You can't predict every crime. Every danger. You do what you can with the information you have."
"It's not enough." Peter stood up. Started pacing. "I have all this power. Strength, speed, senses. And it wasn't enough. He's still dead."
Alex watched his friend fall apart. Calculated responses. Discarded the logical ones. Peter didn't need logic right now. He needed something else.
"Last time you said Uncle Ben said something to you. What were his words?"
Peter stopped pacing. "His words?"
"Yeah. What did he say?"
"We had a fight. Last week. He said... he said that with great power comes great responsibility. That I had gifts and I needed to use them properly. I got mad. Told him he didn't understand. Walked out." Peter's voice broke completely. "Those were the last real words we exchanged. An argument."
"He was right though."
Peter looked at Alex with red eyes. "What?"
"About responsibility. About using your gifts properly. He was right."
"How does that help? He's still dead."
"It helps because now you get to prove he was right. You have power. More than almost anyone on Earth. You can use it selfishly or you can use it to help people. Make the world safer. Stop other families from losing someone."
"By being Spider-Man."
"By being the hero he knew you could be. Not playing at it. Actually committing. Doing it right."
Peter sat back down. "I don't know if I can. Every time I put on the mask, I'll remember that I chose strangers over him."
"No. You'll remember that random violence took him. And you'll work to stop random violence from taking anyone else. That's how you honor his memory. Not by quitting. By being better."
Alex was saying this because he understood Peter, he can't stay normal anymore. He can't stand back eventually so it's better to help him realize things sooner.
They sat in silence for a long moment. Alex could almost see Peter's mind working.
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