Wanda froze in place for a moment, but quickly composed herself.
"Carol?"
Carol raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing slightly, and said cautiously,
"What are you doing here?"
Wanda straightened up, feigning confidence to hide her tension.
"I came to see Peter."
Carol didn't move from the doorway.
"It's late."
Wanda nodded, her voice calm.
"I know… but I need to talk to him. It's important."
A short silence passed between them.
Carol stood there like she was guarding a secret gate—not just a friend's apartment. Finally, she asked directly,
"Do you trust him?"
Wanda hesitated for a moment but answered firmly,
"Of course."
Carol's tone sharpened,
"You shouldn't say that so easily. Not after everything that happened."
Wanda's eyes narrowed.
"You mean what the others said? The Council? The Avengers? S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Carol replied in a low voice,
"I mean everything Otto did… while he was in Peter's body."
A shiver ran down Wanda's spine.
She had expected a conversation like this… but not this soon, and certainly not from Carol.
She answered firmly,
"I don't care what Otto did. I came for Peter… the real Peter, the one I know."
For a moment, Carol's eyes softened… but she quickly returned to her guarded stance.
"Peter's still trying to figure out who he is now."
Wanda's voice trembled slightly,
"And I want to help him… because when no one else believed me, he sat down and listened."
Those words seemed to strike something within Carol.
Then, hearing footsteps behind her, she stepped slightly aside.
Peter was standing in the hallway, having heard everything—but he hadn't interrupted.
His heart was racing, not from fear… but from shame.
When Wanda saw him, her expression changed. There was no judgment or fear… just genuine concern—something he rarely saw in others, except for Aunt May.
Peter gave a small, tired, but genuine smile.
"You… came."
Wanda replied,
"I had to."
Peter looked at Carol and said softly,
"It's okay… let her in."
Wanda entered and instantly noticed the tense atmosphere of the place. But Peter's presence gave her a strange sense of comfort, despite everything.
They sat down in the living room while Carol remained standing, arms crossed.
Wanda looked straight into Peter's eyes.
"Are you okay?"
Peter looked down.
"I don't know… Every day, I remember what Otto did in my name. And every time someone looks at me like I'm a monster… I start to wonder, maybe they're right."
Wanda and Carol both responded immediately.
"No, they're not."
Peter looked at them as they glanced at each other.
To Wanda, it was nonsense—those people didn't understand the value of the man behind the mask. His actions spoke louder than anything.
To Carol, Peter was someone the universe constantly leaned on. Even if he was forced off his path, he wouldn't stay lost. And she wasn't going to let him carry all that weight alone—even if all she could offer was support and protection.
Peter, still embarrassed by the support—rare as it was—looked at Wanda again, though he was speaking to both.
"But how can you be sure? I let him take over. I was weak. Maybe that makes me responsible."
Carol was about to speak, but Wanda beat her to it, firmly.
"You weren't weak. Your body was taken. That's not betrayal. You came back… you fought back… and that's what matters."
Carol paused, reconsidering her response. But she remembered the future she had once seen—how Peter had changed it by not going where he was supposed to. So she said something else.
"Do you know they're hunting him? Cap, Tony, Sam, even Strange… S.H.I.E.L.D... and Maria really hates Peter. She might go to extremes to find him. Luckily, she doesn't know his identity, or he'd already have a S.H.I.E.L.D. missile on him."
Peter's fists clenched.
"I don't even know why this always happens to me. I didn't do anything, but the world keeps punching me over and over."
Wanda stood and took his hand.
"Then tell them. Defend yourself. Let them see the truth."
Peter slowly shook his head.
"I'm not ready."
She said gently,
"Then I'll wait with you… however long it takes."
Carol looked at them, inner conflict clear on her face—mixed with a tinge of jealousy. She still didn't fully trust Wanda's return… but something inside told her things might change. And if this helped Peter, she was willing to make space for Wanda beside him. Two protecting him were better than one.
Peter whispered,
"I just want to feel like myself again. But I don't even know who I am anymore."
Wanda gently squeezed his hand, eyes locked with his.
"Then let's find him… together."
Peter closed his eyes for a moment—not to escape her gaze, but just to breathe.
The past hadn't vanished. The accusations hadn't gone away… but for a moment… he wasn't alone.
They sat together in silence—Wanda, Carol, and Peter—but beneath that quiet, something had begun to stir. Peter still felt the weight of everything, but now he knew something important: someone truly believed in him.
Carol, despite her reservations, was slowly accepting Wanda's presence. She realized Wanda's return wasn't a coincidence. Maybe it was a new beginning—difficult but necessary.
"Peter," Carol finally said, and he opened his eyes to look at her.
"You know the road ahead won't be easy. Everyone's watching—not just your enemies, even your so-called friends… though I don't know if you still call them that after what they did."
Peter looked at her with tired eyes.
"I know. But what do I do? Run? Fight? Disappear? Honestly… I don't even have friends."
Wanda whispered with conviction,
"Don't run. Don't vanish. You fought back once, and you'll do it again. And you won't be alone this time—we're your friends."
Peter gave a faint smile—for the first time in a long while.
"Thank you for being here." Then he looked at Carol. "Thank you for everything."
Wanda smiled warmly.
"Because you were there for me when I thought the world had left me."
Carol, never forgetting her beginning with Peter, added,
"And because you changed my life… when I was just a junkie pretending to be a hero."
Peter looked at the two women, a small smile forming on his lips. Suddenly, he stood and pulled them both into a group hug—making both their hearts race, but they melted into his embrace.
The warmth of Peter's hug didn't last long, though… because the doorbell rang.
To be continued…
-
In your opinion, who is behind the door?
By the way, there's a poll today about how readers would like the next character to appear (time travel, jealousy, etc.).
Tomorrow, there will be a selection of the characters readers prefer. Of course, the choice is yours.
https://www.patreon.com/c/caesar20/posts
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