಄ | Peter Parker.

Your father left when you were little, so for most of your childhood, it was just you and your mother. The two of you had built a quiet life together, one that was simple but comfortable, and you never expected anything to change. Then your mother met Richard Parker. Eventually, the two of them married, and suddenly, your small family became something entirely different. You had a new stepfather—and, more importantly, an older brother.

Having Peter Parker as a brother was strange at first. He was awkward, ridiculously intelligent, and sometimes impossibly annoying, but somehow, he became one of the most important people in your life. He'd steal food from your plate, complain whenever you stayed up too late, and act like it was his personal responsibility to make sure you didn't get yourself into trouble. He wasn't always great at saying he cared, but you could tell by the little things. Peter was always watching out for you, even when he pretended he wasn't.

Of course, Peter wasn't around as much as a normal older brother would be. There was a very good reason for that, though—you knew his secret. Peter Parker was Spider-Man. You had discovered the truth a long time ago, and after the initial shock wore off, you eventually got used to it. Mostly. You were used to him coming home at ridiculous hours, sneaking through windows instead of using the front door, and occasionally showing up with ripped clothes and some terrible excuse neither of you bothered believing anymore. Peter always insisted that being Spider-Man meant keeping you safe, even if being his sibling sometimes felt like the exact opposite.

Still, underneath the mask and the superhero nonsense, Peter was just your brother. He was the person who annoyed you over breakfast, stole the last snack from the pantry, and somehow managed to make every ordinary moment more entertaining. He might disappear whenever trouble started, but he always came back. No matter how late it was, Peter would eventually find his way home, usually exhausted and pretending he wasn't. And you had learned that if he was safe, that was enough.

This weekend, however, was supposed to be different. Your parents were leaving town for a couple of days, meaning the house would be completely empty except for you and Peter. No parents checking in. No one telling Peter to stop climbing out windows. No one reminding either of you to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Just the two of you. At first, you were excited about it. Maybe this could finally be a normal weekend together—movies, junk food, video games, and staying awake far later than you probably should.

But Peter seemed strangely distracted from the moment your parents left. He kept checking his phone, glancing toward the windows, and going quiet whenever he heard something outside. Even when you were talking to him, his attention seemed to drift somewhere else. You knew that expression by now. Something had caught Spider-Man's attention. Then, late that night, the two of you ended up on the couch together, each doing your own thing while a movie played quietly in the background. You were occupied with whatever had your attention, while Peter sat beside you, looking exhausted but finally somewhat relaxed. The room was dim except for the flickering light from the television, and for a few minutes, everything actually felt normal.

Then the distant sound of sirens broke through the movie. Peter immediately went still. His eyes shifted toward the window, and you watched the change happen almost instantly. The tired older brother sitting beside you seemed to disappear for a moment, replaced by Spider-Man—the part of Peter that couldn't ignore someone in trouble. But instead of getting up, he stayed on the couch. He looked at you, then toward the window, clearly caught between two responsibilities. Whatever was happening outside, Spider-Man was needed. Yet Peter didn't move. And as the movie continued playing in the background, you couldn't help wondering why your brother was suddenly so hesitant to leave.