Spiderman retires

When Peter saw the girl's reaction to his touch, he felt as if his heart was breaking.

He already understood that street life was unsuitable for a girl of this age, and she must have been mistreated by many people.

Whether they were other homeless people or just passersby, the homeless are always looked down upon by others.

Peter raised his hands in a gesture to show he meant no harm to the girl and knelt down. "Alright, alright, calm down, little one. I won't hurt you, just calm down."

Maybe it was her young age that made her a bit naive, but she calmed down slightly, though with some suspicion, after hearing Peter's words.

Still, she looked into his eyes, trying to find any sign of bad intentions.

Peter tried to start a conversation with the little girl, so he did the first thing that came to mind.

Using pictures of his alternate persona, he decided to start the conversation about Spider-Man.

He slowly raised his hand and tried to remove one of the pictures, but the girl jumped onto his hand, shouting in a hoarse voice, "Don't touch them! They're mine! Please don't take them!"

As soon as she screamed, Peter pulled back. "It's alright, it's alright. I won't take them. I won't take them from you."

Peter withdrew his hand and looked at the girl, who looked back at him with some fear.

Peter took a step back without taking his eyes off the girl. "Can I sit down, if you don't mind?" he said, gesturing to the side of the box.

The girl didn't say anything, but since Peter didn't seem to intend to hurt her or take her belongings, she nodded slowly.

Peter leaned against the cold wall, clasping his hands together. "So, you're a fan of Spider-Man?"

The girl looked at him, and her expression changed completely from fear and uncertainty to pure happiness. "Yes, yes! He's my hero! He's the greatest hero ever! I love him! I'm his number one fan!"

Peter looked at the huge smile now adorning the young girl's face, which made him smile in return, sharing in the infectious happiness she radiated.

"So, are you his number one fan or something like that? Because not long ago, I thought I was his number one fan," Spider-Man said, smiling without his mask.

The girl pouted and clasped her hands together. "No, I'm his number one fan! I bet if he had to choose, he'd pick me as his number one fan!"

Peter laughed at her words, which made her pout even more. "Why are you laughing? I'm not joking!"

He gestured toward her. "No, no, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because I know very well he'd pick you over me."

She looked at him in confusion. "And how do you know that's true?"

Peter put his hand behind his neck. "Well, I kind of know him," he said, hoping to gain some trust from the girl.

Her eyes widened, and she moved closer to Peter. "You're lying! There's no way you know him. Even if you did, how do you know him?"

"Alright, tell me your name, little one, and I'll tell you how I know him," Peter said, gesturing to her.

She said with some excitement, "My name is Leah. My name is Leah. Now tell me how you know him!"

"Alright, Leah, my name is Peter... Peter Parker. Now, tell me, can you read?" Peter asked, laughing at her reaction.

Leah said, a bit embarrassed, "Only a little. I might know how to read names."

Peter nodded, understanding that her life as a homeless child hadn't allowed her to improve her educational level. "Good, that's enough. If you want to know, just look at the name under each picture in the newspapers."

Peter pointed to the Daily Bugle newspapers Leah had covered herself with, smiling sadly.

She looked at him in confusion, but took the newspapers and looked under the Spider-Man pictures. There, she found Peter's name written in bold under the images.

She looked up at him, her eyes shining. "You take pictures of Spider-Man! That's amazing! Tell me, what's he like under the mask? Is he handsome? I bet he is! I'm sure he's a millionaire. Does he have a secret cave and super spider cars? Tell me, tell me!"

Leah was now shaking Peter excitedly, despite her weak body, and with every question, he felt more embarrassed. He didn't want to disappoint Leah by telling her he didn't have a super car, a secret cave, or that he wasn't a millionaire... maybe just a bit, his bank account barely reaching three digits, but it was enough to live a good life.

All thanks to the patents he'd sold over the years. Maybe if he hadn't urgently needed money to pay Aunt May's mortgage, he wouldn't have thought of that, but it worked, and he paid off the mortgage with plenty of money left over.

Peter held the girl. "Alright, Leah, calm down."

The girl felt embarrassed by her reaction. "I'm sorry."

Peter laughed at her embarrassment. "I don't mind, little one, but I'd like to ask, where are your parents, and why are you here?"

The girl looked down, and the atmosphere shifted from joy and excitement to sadness. A few tears rolled down her cheeks. "My parents are gone. They died when the Avengers were fighting. Spider-Man saved me that day; that's why I love him. I ran away from the orphanage. The woman there was very mean."

When Peter heard this, he clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, and his nails nearly pierced his palms. He had met her before, but didn't remember her. He might have thought she'd live well at the orphanage, but the Avengers often caused more destruction than they saved.

The spider totem hugged the girl tightly. "I'm sorry about that, Leah. Forgive me for asking."

The girl was hesitant to hug Peter back, but when she felt warmth engulfing her, she embraced him as well, gradually crying into his chest as Peter stroked her hair.

Peter felt deep sorrow over her situation, as well as a sense of responsibility. He couldn't imagine what condition she'd be in when winter arrived; she might be... he couldn't even bear to imagine it.

Suddenly, Peter felt Leah stop crying and stop hugging him, prompting him to look at her.

At first, she seemed to be falling asleep, which made him smile, but his smile faded as his enhanced hearing caught her shallow breathing. He placed his hand on her cheek and found it was very hot.

He placed his hand on her forehead, and it was even hotter. The unmasked Spider-Man felt a surge of panic and shook her gently. "Leah... Leah... Leah, can you hear me?"

At that moment, the girl didn't respond, and he realized she'd lost consciousness. Peter quickly picked her up in his arms and began running with her.

At first, he didn't know where to take her. If he went to the hospital, he'd face too many questions, and he didn't want any more interaction with the superhero community.

They might even spread rumors, as usual, that he was the one who hurt her, or worse... exploit her.

He had only one option: to visit an old friend. Although he wasn't on the best terms with her son at the moment, he was certain she would help.

The only problem was that she lived far from his current location, and he couldn't take a cab, as the driver might report him.

His only choice was to use his super speed.

In that moment, Peter directed all his strength to his legs and sped toward the house of the woman who would help him.

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