It was only when System PP was watching the surveillance footage along with Finn that he belatedly realized the truth hidden behind the name Felix for two years through Spider-Man's actions. It wasn't just Peter; System PP also fell into the same kind of breakdown.
System PP: 【..】I beg you, please don't say such hellish things.
[Harry was right, I have been running away.]
Finn deliberately ignored this place, he did not want anyone to discover the secret that only he knew.
But in the end, he was still discovered.
Say, why would Peter come here?" Finn stared at Spider-Man, who was still standing frozen at the doorway, his mind filled with many questions. As usual, he discussed this with System PP, "Actually, it's not that strange. After all, Peter has always wanted to investigate Felix's disappearance, so it's completely understandable that he would come here to investigate and look for clues.
But that doesn't explain why he is deliberately avoiding me.
Standing at the doorway, Peter Parker remained motionless, his body so stiff that he was unable to take a single step toward Finn.
He could neither face Finn, nor take the initiative to reveal the cruelest truths he already knew, nor find the words to explain his recent concealment and evasion; he could only listen numbly to the voice from Finn's heart, every word piercing his own like a sharp needle.
Peter had once felt so fortunate that he could meet Finn during his best eighteenth year, like the grandest of encounters;
But it turned out that this sense of relief had always been built upon the cruelest foundation: that he had actually known Felix since he was sixteen.
[It's as if Peter has already seen through me.. that I am Felix's secret.]
[But how could that even be possible?]
We only met once two years ago, didn't we? How could he possibly link Finn Osborn and Felix together?
One person is always standing in the spotlight of the public eye, the Young Master Osborn, as if he possesses the whole world;
And the other was a little boy who had quietly vanished two years ago, forgotten in a corner that no one cared about.
[This was a hypothesis he could never possibly make, a secret he had no reason to know.]
Finn truly could not understand.
Especially after Peter Parker noticed the signature of Summer on that painting by Felix last time, the look of sheer disbelief and terror on his face when he suddenly looked at him, followed by his deliberate yet clumsy escape and evasion. It was as if, having discovered that he knew Felix's secret, he was consumed by self-reproach and remorse, making him unable to face himself and causing him such constant agony.
Even until now, he still doesn't dare to walk over.
[But, he must have known.]
System PP, do you know?
As the time spent with Peter Parker grew longer, Finn Osborn often had the illusion that the words he never actually spoke aloud were somehow sensed by Peter Parker, who would respond to him with uncanny precision and perfect timing.
Sometimes, I feel like Peter.. it's as if he can hear my thoughts.
Hearing these words, Peter's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
—Not only had he discovered Finn's secret, but Finn had also sensed the biggest secret he was hiding.
Why aren't you saying anything, PP?" Finn asked again. "Are you also so scared that you're speechless, just like Peter?
Finn finally took a step forward, walking toward Spider-Man, who was standing in the doorway.
Peter's whole body stiffened as he watched those extremely pure and beautiful green eyes, shimmering with sunlight, approach him step by step.
Like—
A destiny swimming against the current.
Peter Parker's body began to shake violently once again, out of his control.
It was as if they had once gone their separate ways at the crossroads of fate; he was weaving through the high sky, while he was hidden deep beneath the ground.
And now, they have finally.. walked onto the same level ground under the sunlight.
That boy had, at moments unknown to him, experienced everything beyond his imagination, traveled around the entire globe, grown bit by bit, walking for a long, long time to become who he is today, so that he could stand before him once again just like this, granting him a magnificent summer.
Peter suddenly thought that when he first met Finn, he had also tentatively asked about his past.
At that time, the inner voice Peter Parker heard from Finn Osborn was—
I don't have a story.
I grew up reading other people's stories.
Only now did Peter realize—
Finn is not without stories; it's just that his stories have been permanently sealed away here since he was eight years old.
The name of that story was "Sleepless Summer."
And then, he slowly grew up within the stories of others.
Step by step, through the long passage of time, he arrived here.
Peter suddenly had an absurd and stinging illusion—
He stood at the end of the story at this moment, looking at the prologue of the story he once knew nothing about.
The immense pain accumulating in his heart swelled even more as Finn approached, as if it would soon explode within his body. Peter already felt as though he could no longer endure it; he was barely managing to stand his ground, as if waiting for the judgment of fate.
More painful than being a good person and receiving no reward is when innocent, ignorant children, due to the sins of adults, are given no chance to resist and are forced to endure immense suffering. Especially when it is their most trusted kin who cruelly harvests these innocent lives.
That was why Finn wanted to be reborn, to have a complete and happy home, to have a true family that truly loved him.
Finn raised his hand and slowly removed Peter's mask.
Beneath the mask was a young man's face, covered in tears, his eyes rimmed with red, looking extremely disheveled and vulnerable.
Why are you crying like this?
A gentle voice sounded in Peter's ear.
Finn did not question or press for answers; he simply used his fingertips to gently wipe away the tears continuously rolling down the young man's eyes. Then, he reached out with both hands to embrace Peter, patting Spider-Man's trembling back with a comforting touch.
It's alright now.
Peter froze. Even he hadn't expected that Finn wouldn't ask him why he was here, why he was deliberately hiding things from him, why he was avoiding him, or how he could know his secrets.. but Finn didn't ask anything at all.
It's all in the past.
Finn's voice was as gentle as a beam of light piercing through a dark room in winter, dispelling the dampness and coldness in his heart. The young man gently pressed Peter's nape, letting him lean against his shoulder, his fingertips tenderly stroking his hair.
They have all grown up.
Hearing this, Peter could no longer control himself and reached out to embrace Finn tightly, as if wanting to press him into his own body, as if wanting to melt all of his guilt, self-reproach, regret, fear, sorrow into this single embrace. The suppressed, stifled sobbing finally broke through, surging forth uncontrollably, those chaotic tears, like wind and snow, finally had a place to fall.
Finn let him hold him tightly, continuing to gently pat his back, spoke slowly:
In this world, countless different kinds of hardships and misfortunes occur every single day.
You are a superhero who brings hope, but that doesn't mean you have to bear the suffering of every person you pass by.
Peter suddenly grabbed Finn's wrist, his eyes meeting the young man's green eyes with an indescribable pain.
—What does it mean to be someone who just passes by?
—The one he passed by, the one he missed, the one he failed to save, was the person he loved most in the world.
Since you've chosen to become a superhero, you should know that heroes aren't omnipotent either. Captain America, Iron Man, the others are the same; they have also experienced moments where they felt powerless. Don't obsess over those tragedies that can no longer be undone. You have already saved countless people and have already used your own strength to change the fates of many." Finn cupped Peter's face in both hands, gazing at him with an incredibly serious and calm look, "Most importantly, you haven't lost me.
I say these things, but perhaps you can't take them in right now.
Then remember this—
Finn's finger tapped lightly against Peter's chest, his voice firm:
Don't let it drown you.
The pain you feel unbearable now will eventually flow through you, becoming a part of the river of your life.
A bright smile slowly spread across the young man's lips, remaining as dazzling and seemingly free of any shadows as ever. His green eyes seemed to hold the warmest sunlight of a cold winter day, so intense that it could melt all sharp icicles.
Felix's story has already ended.
Don't always look back at the things that have already happened and cannot be changed.
“Move forward, the future is still long, now is only the beginning of our story.”
Finn gently pressed his hand against the back of Peter's head, his forehead lightly resting against Peter's.
Nice to meet you, Spider-Man.
But what makes me even happier is getting to know Peter Parker.
At this moment, it felt as though it wasn't just their breaths intertwining, but also their fates, which were once again intersecting under the weight of their complex destinies.
Finn's voice was soft, yet it fell into Peter's heart clearly and slowly, like a flurry of pure white snow, gently covering all the shadows of sin, collapsing ruins, echoes of pain.
This winter might be very long.
But didn't you say so?
I will be your eternal, ever-bright summer.
I will always be by your side.
Peter stared blankly into the light in Finn's eyes, his hollow, aching heart feeling as if it had been struck by a massive yet gentle force, instantly filling it.
His Finn;
His Young Master;
His one and only best lover in the whole world;
The angel who crossed everything to descend into his life.
It turns out it was within Finn—
A truly invincible summer is hidden within him.
Chapter 101: Children's Story
When Harry returned to the villa after finishing his work, he saw Peter sitting on the sofa with swollen, red eyes. The young man, who usually seemed to possess 200% super vitality and inexhaustible energy, was now radiating an unmistakable exhaustion, his mood so low that he was almost listless.
Catherine sat to the side, softly comforting him, while carefully applying a cold towel to his swollen eyes.
And Peter's hands were still tightly gripping Finn, who was sitting by his side.
"Why are you crying like this?" Harry's brow furrowed; he didn't know what was wrong with Peter. Harry hadn't been paying attention to Peter's affairs lately; he just felt that the person who was usually the most emotionally stable shield seemed to have suddenly and inexplicably shattered.
Peter looked toward Harry, but he didn't know how to respond.