Peter was now in his apartment, still wearing his dusty suit from colliding with multiple buildings, though he wasn't wearing his mask.
He didn't know why Carol had gone out of her way to save him-maybe it was just duty. But the speed at which she'd moved wasn't natural; it seemed like she had pushed herself to the limit. She'd even used her body as a shield to keep him from crashing into the ground.
Peter looked at the unconscious woman lying on his couch, his tired face studying her features as if he were trying to memorize them.
Peter wouldn't lie to himself; even though he knew Carol didn't love him, that she had envied him, and had broken his heart by leaving for space and dating others, he still loved her.
He didn't know if something was wrong with him, why he could hold no grudges against those he loved, yet carry so much love for them, even if it meant breaking his own heart.
He could've left her in the place where she'd saved him, but his cursed morals wouldn't allow that. He didn't even want to imagine her reaction when she woke up.
Peter saw Carol stir slightly on the couch, signaling she was about to wake up, all while he sat silently, watching her with weary eyes.
Carol opened her eyes and looked at the unfamiliar ceiling, suddenly crying out in alarm as she looked around, "Peeeteeerrrr!"
The moment her gaze fell upon him, tears began streaming from her eyes. She leaped toward him, hugging him tightly and sobbing, "Thank goodness, Peter. You're okay. You're okay."
Carol pulled back, examining every inch of Peter's body, scrutinizing every tear in his red-and-blue suit.
Peter was bewildered; he suddenly grabbed Carol's hands and whispered as if dead inside, "Carol... why did you save me?"
Carol froze in place, her expression shifting from worry to anger, and she began shouting, "Why did I save you? What do you mean why did I save you? You jumped from that place like you were trying to die, like you wanted to kill yourself! Are you stupid? What were you thinking?"
Peter looked at Carol, scowling at her outburst, and yelled back, "Why do you even care? What's it to you? Wouldn't you be one of the people happy to see me gone?"
Suddenly, Carol slapped Peter, leaving him holding his cheek in shock, before pulling him into a fierce hug. "I would never be happy if you were gone, Peter. I... I love you, Peter."
Carol's words made Peter's eyes widen in shock. Then, his shock turned to anger. He pushed her away and looked at her with fury.
His gaze shattered Carol's heart. "You love me? You love me? How dare you say that? Trying to play with my heart and my life... If you loved me, you wouldn't have left for space. If you loved me, you wouldn't have dated others off-planet. If you loved me, you wouldn't have dated Rhodey right in front of me while I was waiting like some damn dog for you to come back. How dare you say that to me, Carol? How dare you say you love me?"
With every word Peter said, Carol looked down, tears streaming down her face. She whispered softly, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." until the words got stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
Peter's eyes blazed with anger, tears spilling over as well. For just a moment, he saw Carol's defeated posture and felt his heart soften, even wanting to apologize.
But he swallowed the words back, saying nothing. All that filled the living room was the sound of Carol's sobs.
Peter looked at the broken woman in front of him and quietly said, "Carol, please, leave my home. I just... I just want to rest."
Carol looked up at him with tear-streaked, red eyes and grabbed his hand. "Peter... Peter, please. Let me explain everything. I can't bear it anymore. Please, just let me explain everything."
"Carol, there's nothing you can explain to me," Peter replied, resigned to the situation.
"Please, Peter, just let me explain," Carol spoke with a hint of desperation in her voice.
Peter hesitated, uncertain if her words would change anything. "Ten minutes, Carol. Ten minutes is all I'm giving you."
Carol nodded fervently. "Thank you, Peter, thank you. I'll explain everything. I know I left you at a hard time, and that you wondered for so long why I left without saying anything."
"There were so many things that scared me, feelings so deep I couldn't face them. I felt like I didn't deserve your love, and I was afraid I wasn't good enough to be by your side. I saw myself as nothing next to you..."
"But at the same time, I felt a deep vulnerability toward you, and I was scared to get closer."
Peter listened in silence; the anger faded from his eyes, replaced by a mixture of understanding and sadness. Carol began to feel a small glimmer of hope.
"I wasn't brave enough to stay by your side back then, so I chose to escape to space, thinking I'd find peace and protect you from my complex emotions. But the truth was, I was running away from myself and my weakness in front of you."
Carol finished speaking, looking at Peter with regret-filled eyes, hoping he'd find it in his heart to forgive her.
She continued, trying to justify what happened during her absence, "Peter, when I left for space, I didn't know what I was leaving behind or the impact it had on you. I was trying to be strong..."
She went on, "But over time, I started to believe you'd probably forgotten me and moved on. That thought hurt me, but I convinced myself it was the truth."
She took a breath, then continued, "In space, I started dating others, searching for security in other relationships to escape my feelings for you."
"I told myself I'd moved on, that I'd continued with my life like you had. But when I returned to Earth and started dating Rhodey, my real goal was to show you I'd forgotten you, that I was strong and moving forward."
"I wanted to appear unaffected, but it was just an act."
She paused, looking into Peter's brown eyes for encouragement, and continued, "I never expected you'd stay faithful to me throughout my journey. When I found out, I fell into depression. I felt deep regret and sorrow beyond words. I tried to build a wall between us... but it all crumbled before your sincere love."
"I finally gathered the courage to try and fix things between us, to confess everything and ask for your forgiveness."
"But when I was ready, I realized you'd already moved on. I felt disappointment, but I couldn't blame you. I knew you deserved happiness, and I was afraid to break that happiness or hurt you again."
Carol fought back her tears, speaking softly, "I watched you from afar, hoping for your happiness, even though my heart ached. I was afraid to interfere and drag you back to those painful memories. I didn't want to be the cause of any new pain... all I wanted was for you to know I valued your love and regretted what I'd done."
"Please... Peter, I beg you, forgive me."
Peter just looked at her in silence, staring at the broken woman before him. He didn't know what to do; she'd broken his heart, yes.
But she was suffering too. She saw herself as unworthy of him. If he'd gone to space, he'd have probably assumed the worst about the one he loved, which was fair.
But now he felt conflicted. He didn't know how to act, and Carol, too, stared at the floor, her tears falling after she'd poured out her heart to him.
Peter sighed, surrendering to his kinder side; he hated seeing her so broken, especially knowing he was part of that pain.
Peter pulled Carol close and hugged her, gently stroking her hair as she sobbed louder into his chest. "Listen, Carol... I don't know what to say. I'm sorry if I made you feel lesser around me, like you didn't deserve my love."
Suddenly, Carol shouted at him, "Stop it!"
Peter was startled by her sudden anger. "I... what?"
Carol grabbed Peter tightly. "Stop making everything your fault. This is my fault, not yours. Stop blaming yourself for everything... please, just stop."
Peter didn't know what to say. "I... I don't know what I should say."
Carol grabbed his suit collar, pulling him into a deep kiss. Peter was shocked by her move.
But, finally, he responded, returning her kiss, which made Carol even happier.
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