Just different, I think. Losing people you care about or you look up to, it all just sucks. It's not like…my life sucks Olympics. Tragedy is tragedy.
[ It doesn't matter that they can't directly relate. They've both been Going Through It. Peter isn't hard to read like Balthier, obviously. He's a pretty open book about emotions, and he's empathetic, which is why he's a good hero even when he doesn't feel like he is. ]
I'm not good at…meeting people or, like, making friends. I mean, I can't tell people I'm Spider-Man. I know that doesn't make a lotta sense to you, but it's important to me to keep it all separate. I guess that's one thing the whole Guild is supposed to help with. But I'm not there yet.
[ He's not sure about that removing yourself thing also being great responsibility. It feels like a cop out. But he's not going to argue the point, just think on it later.
He also wonders about the mentors thing. Mentors who value your safety. Has he ever had one of those? If he's honest about it, well…maybe not. He will probably idolise Tony Stark for the rest of his life, but Tony Stark didn't really value his safety all the time. Sometimes, sure, to the point of being overbearing or even suffocating. Tony didn't always handle Peter well. Tony didn't always handle Tony well. Then of course there was Quentin, but Quentin was never who or what he appeared to be. Peter has the other Peter now as sort of a de factor mentor. At least he can rest assured that his multiverse counterpart absolutely has his safety in mind. ]
Wait, did you say executing people?! At sixteen? Your world is messed up. And you own dad wanted you to do that? Jesus, that's…a lot. That's so much. No wonder you left.
[ And no wonder Balthier doesn't believe in anything. That sort of dry cynicism he has suddenly makes a lot more sense. That's not how Peter deals with the world, even a world that has been cruel to him for almost half his life, but he can follow the logic. ]
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[ It doesn't matter that they can't directly relate. They've both been Going Through It. Peter isn't hard to read like Balthier, obviously. He's a pretty open book about emotions, and he's empathetic, which is why he's a good hero even when he doesn't feel like he is. ]
I'm not good at…meeting people or, like, making friends. I mean, I can't tell people I'm Spider-Man. I know that doesn't make a lotta sense to you, but it's important to me to keep it all separate. I guess that's one thing the whole Guild is supposed to help with. But I'm not there yet.
[ He's not sure about that removing yourself thing also being great responsibility. It feels like a cop out. But he's not going to argue the point, just think on it later.
He also wonders about the mentors thing. Mentors who value your safety. Has he ever had one of those? If he's honest about it, well…maybe not. He will probably idolise Tony Stark for the rest of his life, but Tony Stark didn't really value his safety all the time. Sometimes, sure, to the point of being overbearing or even suffocating. Tony didn't always handle Peter well. Tony didn't always handle Tony well. Then of course there was Quentin, but Quentin was never who or what he appeared to be. Peter has the other Peter now as sort of a de factor mentor. At least he can rest assured that his multiverse counterpart absolutely has his safety in mind. ]
Wait, did you say executing people?! At sixteen? Your world is messed up. And you own dad wanted you to do that? Jesus, that's…a lot. That's so much. No wonder you left.
[ And no wonder Balthier doesn't believe in anything. That sort of dry cynicism he has suddenly makes a lot more sense. That's not how Peter deals with the world, even a world that has been cruel to him for almost half his life, but he can follow the logic. ]