"Good afternoon, New York! Just took care of a van full of criminals—now what's next?"
As Peter spoke, he swung through a familiar intersection on a web line, landing gracefully beside a well-known hot dog stand. The vendor saw him, plucked a hot dog from where it was hanging under the umbrella, and handed it over.
"You haven't been around in a while, pal."
"Uh, I've been a bit busy lately." Peter scratched his head before asking, "Do you keep a hot dog ready for me every day?"
"Who knows which day you'll show up? So I prepare one every day. If you don't come, I just eat it myself."
Taking the money Peter handed him, Miller, the hot dog stand owner, gave him a once-over. "Things haven't been going well lately?"
"Uh, I wouldn't say that exactly. It's just... I feel very busy, very tired..."
"Does Tony Stark pay you?"
The owner's question caught Peter off guard; he almost didn't know how to react. "You mean a salary? Oh, no. The Avengers are vigilantes; we don't take money..."
"Then why do you make being a superhero look like a day job? You've got that 'office drone' vibe all over you."
Peter chewed on his hot dog, pondering Miller's words. Finally, he reached a conclusion. "Yeah, I think you're right. It's been a while since I actually felt happy being Spider-Man."
"I hope you find some joy soon. Oh, that kid is back again."
"Oh! Spidey!"
The person the owner mentioned was, naturally, Flash Thompson. As usual, he had come to buy "the hot dog that Spider-Man loves to eat." Even though Spider-Man hadn't visited in some time—making Flash wonder if there was something wrong with the shop—he had remained persistent.
And today, he finally saw Spider-Man in front of the stand again.
"I know you. You're Flash, right?"
Peter had to pretend he didn't know Flash personally. Flash, for his part, was incredibly excited that Spider-Man actually remembered him, nodding repeatedly. "That's right! Spidey, I helped you out once, remember?"
"I remember. You crashed into a fire hydrant helping us deal with a spider-monster."
"Oh my god, you actually remembered, I really..."
"Uh, I have to go, Flash." Having no time to linger and chat, Peter fired a web line to make his exit. "See you, Flash."
Flash watched the departing Spider-Man, took a deep breath, and let out a goofy grin. Beside him, the owner said nothing, simply asking Flash a calm question.
"Do you still want the hot dog?"
"Yes! I definitely want it!"
Peter's patrol continued. He arrived at a certain rooftop where an elderly man named Laurie was tending to his pigeons. Laurie was quite surprised to see Spider-Man swing in on a web and land right next to him.
"Good afternoon, Laurie! How's Karl doing?"
"Ah, Spider-Man, you really haven't been here in ages." Laurie smiled, then pulled a pigeon out of the coop that Peter honestly couldn't distinguish from the others. "Look, Karl is right here."
"He looks energetic... I'm glad he didn't get lost again. I haven't been around lately; it would have been bad if he couldn't find his way back because I wasn't there."
"Nonsense, Spider-Man," Laurie said, seemingly unconcerned. "If that happened, maybe it would just be because Karl didn't want to come back. Even if you weren't busy, you couldn't be here every single day with time to find them for me."
Peter chatted with Laurie for a while longer before saying goodbye. On the way, he stopped at a KFC to grab a burger and headed to his favorite place to clear his head—the top of the Empire State Building. Once again, he sat there, overlooking the city while eating his burger.
The Avengers didn't have anything that needed his help for the moment, and he didn't have much of a lead on other matters. For a rare change, Peter just sat there, watching the city.
Various alerts came through his communicator—reports of crimes or gang fights—but they were quickly intercepted by members of the Defenders or other superheroes. There was no need for Peter to intervene.
He finished his entire burger at the peak of the Empire State Building and sat in a daze for a few moments. Then, he glanced to the side and saw another figure swinging toward him on a web. He shifted slightly to make room for Cindy.
Cindy was a bit surprised, but she sat down next to him. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "I felt you staying here for a long time, so I came to check. Did something happen?"
"Huh? Oh, no. It's actually because nothing is happening that I'm here. Just resting for a bit."
Peter closed his eyes and thought for a moment before speaking to Cindy again. "For a while, I thought being Spider-Man meant just being everyone's Friendly Neighborhood hero. But later I realized it wasn't that simple. The things I encountered became more frequent, the enemies became more powerful, and then it felt like I didn't even have time to be a 'friendly neighbor' anymore."
"Are you tired?"
Cindy hugged her knees and turned to ask him. Peter thought about it and then shook his head. It wasn't so much that he was tired; it was more like what the hot dog vendor had said—Peter had turned saving the world into a mundane chore, and that was all.
The two of them sat on the spire for a while before leaping off together. They swung through the skyscrapers of Manhattan. As they moved, Peter asked Cindy a question.
"How many New York landmarks have you visited, Cindy?"
"I don't go out in the city very often... not many."
Taking the opportunity, Cindy asked, "Can you show me around?"
"Of course, no problem."
And so, the two Spiders drifted through the sky above New York, stopping at various landmarks to take in the scenery.
"I'm not sure if I've found the answer to my question yet," Peter said eventually, as he landed on the roof of a 24-hour convenience store. He bought two sandwiches, handed one to Cindy, and spoke.
"Maybe it's because I'm not really a good fit for the Avengers. Maybe Spider-Man is just meant to be a friendly neighbor. Or maybe... I just simply prefer being a Spider-Man in New York City."
"I remember you saying before that you never felt happy being Spider-Man."
"Well, at least in New York, I'm pretty happy."
Peter laughed. "At least here, I feel like I'm... well, living. Instead of just being driven to act by endless crises."
Peter muttered to himself, half-joking.
"Welcome back to New York, Spider-Man."
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